Chapter 279: Master-Disciple Secret Meeting
The feast at Bai Lu’s house began promptly and the atmosphere improved significantly with the absence of Bai Liushi.
It’s well-known that Bai Lu’s family had a longstanding feud with Bai Fu’s. Someone, after downing a few drinks to calm their nerves, said, "Bai Yibo has the same long nose and high forehead as his Uncle Fu. Now that he’s getting involved with that widow Zhou, it’s truly a delight to our hearts!"
Bai Lu, not wanting to embarrass Bai Yihong, glared at the loudmouth and said, "Don’t bring that subject up ever again. I don’t want my drinking mood ruined!"
The speaker, Bai Lu’s third son, shrunk his neck back in response and didn’t dare say anything more.
However, at the table behind Bai Ruozhu, two younger men started whispering to each other.
"That Widow Zhou is quite a popular figure. One of my childhood friends was even enticed by her, even though he’s over a decade younger than her! He’s a young man who should be considering marriage. He severed ties with her after a fling. There are a bunch of others whose relations with her are unclear, but none have been serious about her. Only our foolish Uncle would put up with her."
A person sitting next to the speaker laughed, "Which childhood friend are you referring to? You’re not referring to yourself, are you?"
Bai Ruozhu discreetly glanced behind and saw that it was Bai Zhanfu’s second grandson and Bai Zhangui’s eldest grandson who were speaking. They were her peers, all just over twenty, and recently married.
Bai Ruozhu wasn’t close with these two and it wasn’t appropriate for her to ask too much about such matters anyway. However, she was shocked to hear that Widow Zhou’s widowhood was far from tranquil and that even men much younger than her could be swayed by her attraction.
It was clear that Lin Ping’er, sitting next to Bai Ruozhu, also overheard the conversation. In a small voice she muttered, "It’s good that we separated early on, otherwise it would indeed be hard to hold our heads up high."
Bai Ruozhu smiled and said to her mother, "Why are you bothered by other people’s business? Is it really worth it? Quickly, come help me hold Dengdeng so that I can eat a bit more."
Seeing that Bai Ruozhu was completely indifferent and still enjoying her meal, Lin Ping’er laughed, feeling she had been overly worried.
...
In Beiyu City, Jiang Yichun walked into a private room in a restaurant, wearing a mask. Though he seemed in a hurry, he remained low-profile, as if he didn’t want others to notice him.
Upon entering the room and seeing the elder inside, he immediately took off his mask, knelt, and greeted him, "Disciple greets Master."
Wu Yunfeng looked at his most accomplished disciple and approvingly nodded, saying, "You are injured. Get up quickly."
Jiang Yichun’s face showed guilt. He rose and sat across from his master, saying, "I was careless this time and caused Master to worry. I truly have no face to see Master."
Wu Yunfeng laughed, "That person had been planted by the other side within our ranks for a long time. You shouldn’t blame yourself. That person would have deceived even me. However, you should be more careful in the future. You won’t always be so lucky to cheat death."
As Wu Yunfeng spoke, he grew somber and his tone carried a touch of severity. He hoped his most accomplished disciple could go further than he had. But the prerequisite was for him to live, to live until the day he could reach his goals.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yichun shivered. The scene of Bai Ruozhu insisting on rescuing him resurfaced in his mind. How fortunate he was to have encountered such a daring woman. Even typical men might not have had the courage that she had under those circumstances.
"Disciple will certainly be more careful in the future," Jiang Yichun said solemnly.
As he finished speaking, he reached out to pour tea for Wu Yunfeng but was stopped by him saying, "We, master and disciple, don’t concern ourselves with these polite gestures. Your arm is injured, don’t move."
After saying this, Wu Yunfeng picked up the tea pot, filling his own cup and then pouring one for Jiang Yichun.
Jiang Yichun didn’t insist further, knowing his master disliked formalities.
After sipping his tea, Wu Yunfeng leisurely pulled out a secret document from his chest and placed it in front of Jiang Yichun.
"This task requires you to investigate a certain place. Take your time, and don’t let it interfere with your healing," Wu Yunfeng’s tone softened, his gaze full of affection, like that of a loving elder.
Jiang Yichun opened the document, his face expressing shock. After a while, he came back to his senses and pointed at a name on the document, saying, "I have had many interactions with this person. This matter should have nothing to do with him. Could disciple be allowed to investigate further?"
Wu Yunfeng cast a puzzled look at Jiang Yichun, saying, "You’ve never been one to meddle. Why do you want to deal with this troublesome matter now? Even if this matter has nothing do with him, he won’t be able to escape conviction for his crimes."
Jiang Yichun’s brows furrowed tightly. "Master, I was almost killed in this recent assassination attempt, only escaping death due to someone’s intervention."
Wu Yunfeng nodded, "I’ve heard about it. Do you want to know what I think your best trait is?"
Jiang Yichun was intending to continue his argument but was startled by his master’s question.
"I appreciate your luck the most. In my view, luck is part of one’s strength. Since we’re in this line of work, the longer you survive, the higher your chances of success," Wu Yunfeng chimed while stroking his beard. "Among my disciples, you are the luckiest one. I remember your first mission. Your inexperience almost exposed your identity, but you were saved when the adversary suddenly died from a heart attack."
Jiang Yichun blushed at his master’s words. His first mission was when he was just fifteen. He had been such a naive rookie back then that even thinking about it now made him feel embarrassed.
"And then the last time when you were severely injured. We all thought you’d never return. Yet, here you are! And this time too, despite the mortal danger, you could still come to see me alive. That’s why I’m genuinely pleased," Wu Yunfeng said, smiling.
"But I owe my life to my benefactor, and that benefactor is this person’s family member," Jiang Yichun said.
"Oh?" Wu Yunfeng was a little surprised, assuming that the one who could save Jiang Yichun must be some hidden expert.
Fearing his words lacked enough weight, Jiang Yichun quickly rolled up his sleeve to show his master. "Master, the wound on my arm was deep enough to expose the bone and it damaged a tendon. Yet she managed to stitch it up!"
He pointed at the stitches on his arm. The catgut sutures had already dissolved, otherwise they would have presented more convincing evidence.
Wu Yunfeng looked surprised, "Stitched up? Such a remarkable figure exists?"
"Yes, she literally stitched it up using needle and thread. However, she used something called catgut sutures, which dissolved as the wound healed. I was also extremely surprised. Not only that, but the wound healed incredibly quickly within a week. Now I just have to avoid opening the wound again." Whenever Jiang Yichun mentioned Bai Ruozhu, his eyes shone brilliantly. Wu Yunfeng, however, was so engrossed in examining the stitches on his arm that he failed to notice.
Wu Yunfeng stroked his beard again, "Such a remarkable person who is also your savior. It would indeed be a pity if she got involved in this. Besides, you should forge a good relationship with this person, so I’ll allow you to handle this matter."
Jiang Yichun’s face lit up, "Thank you, Master!"