Chapter 65

Wang Lishou responded in a deep voice, "Don't worry, the Chief Steward has spoken. He said that no matter whether you killed someone or not, even if you choose to flee, he will ensure that your parents are safe. Moreover, the Northwest Household is looking for a new head of the household, and your father will be appointed for a few years."

He paused for a moment, then gently patted Lu Buqi's shoulder, "Buqi, although the Chief Steward is a slippery person, he has never broken his word... Besides, I will do my best to take care of things. Moreover, there are very few slaves like you who have parents to worry about, so the masters won't think in that direction."

Feeling a deep sense of gratitude for Wang Yingfu's care, Lu Buqi said, "Then please, Old Wang, thank the Chief Steward on my behalf. You can also give him the heart cores I have."

Wang Lishou smiled bitterly, "I was just wondering how to tell you this... Your heart cores and money were taken by two people from the main household. But I have prepared 10,000 knives for you. When you reach Hongshan County, you should be able to set up a small blacksmith shop without any problems."

Lu Buqi was taken aback. Although he didn't value material possessions much, it was still hard to accept that his hard-earned wealth had been taken away so easily.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and smiled wryly, "Old Wang, you are really honest. If you hadn't used those four heart cores, would you have planned to make up for them?"

Wang Lishou was taken aback, and Lu Buqi lightly patted his shoulder, "I will remember your kindness, but I don't need so much money. If I can cross the Great Hong Mountain, with my skills and craftsmanship, I can manage to make a living. But if I can't cross it, the money will just rot in the mountain with me, which wouldn't be worth it!"

He took the nine thousand-knife banknotes in a daze, and seeing Lu Buqi with his backpack, Wang Lishou felt a pang of pain and swallowed hard, "Buqi, are you... leaving now?"

"Both you and the Chief Steward have given me this extra day. If I don't reach the Great Hong Mountain before the private armies receive the arrest warrant, it will be even more troublesome," Lu Buqi looked deeply at Wang Lishou, "I saw... the salt and rope you prepared for me, and the four decapitation knives... Old Wang, I won't thank you for your kindness. If we meet again, I will repay you!"

"Uh..." Wang Lishou's throat seemed to be choked up, "What about Shuangqiao? She followed me for half an hour this evening, and I barely managed to shake her off... You should at least leave a message for her, right?"

Looking in the direction of Guokang Town, Lu Buqi bit his lip, "No need to say more... Time will wash away these things!"

"Is... this okay?" Wang Lishou was worried for Lu Buqi.

Lu Buqi sighed, "What else can I do? Anyway, Old Wang, I've been working on two powerful dual-form combination techniques recently... I'll demonstrate them for you, as a farewell gift."

Hearing this, Wang Lishou became interested and put aside his melancholy, watching Lu Buqi's demonstration intently. Seeing the two techniques that were as fierce as tigers and bears, and their overwhelming power, Wang Lishou felt his blood boil and his bones resonate.

"These two techniques are called 'Bear's Stance and Tiger's Posture' and 'Bear's Strategy and Leopard's Tactics,'" Lu Buqi explained after Wang Lishou had practiced them a few times and grasped the basic principles, "Bear's Stance and Tiger's Posture is a dual defensive form, but it's not purely defensive. It conceals offensive potential within the defense. If the opponent attacks recklessly, you can turn the situation around."

"Bear's Strategy and Leopard's Tactics, on the other hand, is a powerful offensive technique that involves retreating to advance, trading a minor injury for a major one. When the opponent attacks your ribs, you can use a slight jump and your legs to counter... I won't say more. Techniques are dead, but people are alive. I believe you understand this."

Wang Lishou nodded heavily, "I understand. Your martial arts talent is truly remarkable... This time, I'm waiting for you to come back alive."

Lu Buqi hummed in response, said nothing more, picked up his backpack, and resolutely turned, heading east along the Guoluo River.

"Buqi..." Wang Lishou wanted to say something more, reached out, but stopped, his face showing the pain of farewell.

At some point, Wang Lishou had come to regard Lu Buqi as a close family member. It's rare in life to find someone who is both a teacher and a friend, both a disciple and a relative. Moreover, Wang Lishou had never married, and deep down, he couldn't help but see Lu Buqi as a son.

Now, this person who was so important to Wang Lishou had to leave because of harsh reality, not to soar high, but to face unpredictable dangers, perhaps never to return. Even a brave man couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow and tears.

That year, the last snowfall came at this moment, as if the heavens were sighing over the hardships of life.

Facing the falling snow, Lu Buqi walked with a certain grace, though his heart was in turmoil. He was willing to believe that one day he would return, and when he did, he would return with his head held high, with the wind at his back.

The next day, Wang Yuanfeng and Wang Haiyang came to the blacksmith shop. Their eyes, which looked at everyone like a thief, were not well received. No one in the blacksmith shop gave them a good face, no tea, no benches.

Feeling bored, the two men, when Wang Yingfu also arrived, angrily declared that Lu Buqi had fled to avoid punishment, and they would issue a warrant, ordering the private armies in various places to intensify their search and capture Lu Buqi.

Wang Yingfu, whose eyes were slightly swollen from poor sleep, smiled faintly, "Please do as you wish. However, if you don't mind, I will accompany you to Yangze to prove that although you didn't catch him, you have worked hard."

After Wang Yuanfeng and Wang Haiyang issued a joint arrest order under the pretext of "internal fortification" to the nearest West Third Camp, Wang Yingfu, accompanied by Wang Lishou and Wang Liqing, set off eastward through the snow.

Watching the group ride away, Wang Shuangqiao, dressed in a silver wolf fur coat, looked haggard, her eyes fixed on the distance. The falling snow seemed to magnify in her eyes, as if she could see a lonely figure walking forward.

Tears fell, and Wang Shuangqiao remembered what Wang Lishou had said, pursing her lips and nodding, her eyes determined, "Unless I stop practicing the Beast Fist, I will wait for you!"

"Stupid girl, it's so cold, go back!" The widow Baozi's face had healed, but she had lost some of her charm, perhaps due to nerve damage.

"Mother..." Wang Shuangqiao sobbed, "Buqi is gone..."

The widow Baozi hugged her daughter, tears welling up in her eyes, "I know..."

"He was wanted because of me... It's all my fault..." Wang Shuangqiao was even more heartbroken, trembling in her mother's arms, "He was about to make a name for himself... I ruined his future!"

"Stupid girl!" The widow Baozi sighed deeply, "He is like your father, a man who did what he had to do. Even if he knew the outcome, he would still have done it. If anyone is to blame, it's those who did wrong!"

She lightly pinched the silver wolf fur coat Lu Buqi had given her, and Wang Shuangqiao looked up, "Mother... if Buqi doesn't come back, will you... not force me to marry?"

The widow Baozi was taken aback, then smiled gently, "Alright, then you also don't force me to marry, okay?"

"Promise!" Wang Shuangqiao's tears mixed with a smile, a smile of inner resolve and maturity.

When the news that the candidate for the Guokang Town martial guard, Lu Buqi, was suspected of murder and was being wanted spread, the residents of Guokang Town couldn't help but sigh. Except for a few people like Wang Ergou, most hoped that Lu Buqi would safely avoid this crisis.

After all, over the past two years, almost everyone in the town knew Lu Buqi. They knew that although he wasn't particularly warm, he was fair, responsible, and capable, and had brought honor to Guokang Town.

However, only a few people would truly remember Lu Buqi, who had once shone in Guokang Town. Besides Wang Shuangqiao, there were the Four Heavenly Kings, Wang Gangqiang and Wang Niangsheng, and the steward Old Bu, who often sighed these days.

They all understood that all good things must come to an end, but even a sage would be troubled by such a sudden farewell.