Chapter 87

As the snowflakes flew up under the swift steps of Sun Kong, Chu Huan frowned, inwardly marveling at the astonishing speed of this person. In the blink of an eye, Sun Kong had already approached, smiling awkwardly and asked, "Sir Chu... are you leaving?"

Chu Huan, holding the reins, looked at Sun Kong from atop his horse and countered, "Are you here to ask for an introduction fee?"

Sun Kong was taken aback, then laughed awkwardly, "Sir Chu... you're joking!"

"Then what brings you here?"

Sun Kong smiled and said, "Sir Chu just displayed your divine might, like a celestial being descending from the heavens, holding the universe in your hands and treading the eight directions..." Seeing Chu Huan's half-smiling, half-serious gaze, Sun Kong felt uneasy and dared not continue.

"I don't have much time, so speak your mind!" Chu Huan thought for a moment and finally said, "Are you worried that those people will seek revenge on you?"

Sun Kong led Chu Huan to the entrance of Baling Hall and ultimately removed its sign. Even if Sun Kong hadn't appeared, Chu Huan would have eventually found Baling Hall, but since Sun Kong was involved, the people of Baling Hall would naturally see him as a traitor.

Sun Kong chuckled, thought for a moment, then suddenly knelt down, looking up at Chu Huan with a pitiful expression and said, "Sir Chu, you... you take me as your disciple, I... I will be your disciple!"

Chu Huan was taken aback.

Sun Kong, with red-rimmed eyes, said, "Sir Chu, you... you can't be ungrateful. I brought you to Baling Hall, so take me as your disciple, I will definitely follow your commands!"

Chu Huan found this person quite amusing and smiled faintly, "You are a few years older than me, and I have nothing to teach you. How can I take you as a disciple?"

"Can teach, can teach," Sun Kong hurriedly said, "You are so powerful, if I can learn just a bit from you, I can walk with my head held high in Qingliu County..."

Chu Huan said, "Oh," and asked, "You want to be my disciple to learn skills and do evil in Qingliu County?"

"No, no!" Sun Kong realized he had misspoken and quickly said, "Actually... actually, it's to strengthen my body and avoid being bullied..." He looked into Chu Huan's eyes, "Master, rest assured, if you take me in, I will learn your skills diligently and never do evil. If anyone dares to provoke you, I will immediately step in and beat them until they are scattered like peach blossoms!"

Chu Huan looked at this somewhat comical person with interest and said, "It seems you are very sincere!"

"I am!" Sun Kong hurriedly said, "I am very sincere, look at my eyes!" He blinked, and there was indeed a hint of sincerity in his eyes.

Chu Huan found it amusing and asked, "Are you an actor by trade?"

"An actor?" Sun Kong said disdainfully, "A lowly profession, I am not an actor." After a pause, he added, "But I have some skills others don't!"

Chu Huan looked at Sun Kong for a moment and shook his head, "I can't tell!"

Sun Kong chuckled and said, "You can't tell!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Chu Huan was somewhat surprised. It wasn't strange that Sun Kong suddenly said this, but his voice was unusually strange, almost like an echo of Chu Huan's voice, identical to Chu Huan's.

Seeing Chu Huan's surprised expression, Sun Kong smiled smugly, "Master, what do you think of my skill?" His voice was still imitating Chu Huan, so vividly that even the most familiar person with Chu Huan's voice would not doubt it came from someone else.

Chu Huan was very curious and asked, "Is this... ventriloquism?"

"Exactly, ventriloquism. Master, to be honest, not only in Qingliu County, but perhaps in the entire Yunshan Prefecture, there are few who are better at ventriloquism than me."

Chu Huan was surprised, "With such a skill, why worry about not having a meal? Why follow me? I must tell you, I am also poor and have no spare money to support a disciple!" Although he said this, Chu Huan also felt a bit of admiration for this unremarkable person, never expecting him to have such a unique skill.

Sun Kong smiled bitterly, "Master, do you think this profession is easy?" His face turned gloomy, "I started learning ventriloquism from a master when I was young. After learning, I set up a stall in the county, but not only did few people give me tips, the patrolling officers would come to collect taxes for setting up a stall. The silver I earned in ten days wasn't enough to pay one day's tax..."

Chu Huan frowned, seeing Sun Kong still kneeling on the ground. He raised his hand, "Get up and talk."

Sun Kong got up, brushed the snow off his knees, and said, "I had no backing. Later, I saved some money, and someone told me that to set up a stall in the county, I needed someone to protect me, so I paid a visit and became a disciple of the Green-faced Fourth of Baling Hall... Although the officers no longer bothered me, I had to give most of my meager earnings to Green-faced Fourth every month..."

Chu Huan knew that such people, though skilled, were often seen as odd and lowly, belonging to the lower class. Sun Kong looked down on actors, but his status was not much higher. Such people were often looked down upon, and without backing, they would be bullied, and both the black and white sides would exploit them.

Seeing Chu Huan silent, Sun Kong, unable to read his thoughts, asked anxiously, "Master, will you take me in?"

"Don't call me master so casually," Chu Huan said sternly, "Let me talk to them, and they won't take your money when you perform. No need to become a disciple!"

Sun Kong hurriedly said, "Master, you misunderstood. I want to be your disciple not for backing, but because I admire your skills and want to learn from you." He puffed out his chest, "A man must have some skills, and who knows, I might have a bright future someday!"

Chu Huan smiled, "I didn't expect you to have such ambition." With a laugh, he spurred his horse and rode away.

The horse was very fast, and seeing Chu Huan about to leave, Sun Kong was anxious. His feet moved swiftly, and his speed was astonishing. The black horse hadn't even started running, but Sun Kong's speed was not much slower.

Chu Huan wanted to see how fast Sun Kong could run, so he shouted, and the horse galloped even faster on the snowy ground. Sun Kong called out, "Master, give me a word! Do you want me or not?"

Seeing Sun Kong almost keeping pace with the horse, and not even out of breath, Chu Huan was even more surprised. He realized that Sun Kong was not entirely useless and had a few unique skills. Besides ventriloquism, his running ability was quite impressive. Chu Huan began to feel some goodwill towards this somewhat shifty person and shouted, "Whether I take you in depends on your sincerity!" He shouted again, and the black horse galloped even faster. Sun Kong couldn't keep up and stopped, watching Chu Huan ride away. He stood there for a moment, then muttered, "Of course I'm sincere, as sincere as can be..." His face showed a strange expression, "My eyes were so sincere, didn't Master see?" After a moment of puzzlement, his eyes brightened, and he slapped his head, "Damn, how could I forget, it's about sincerity... I understand!"

...

...

After the commotion at Baling Hall, it was already morning. Chu Huan rode through the streets, and the snow was getting heavier, falling thickly. Looking ahead, everything was blurry beyond ten steps.

Chu Huan, thinking of his family's worry, wanted to ride back to Liu Family Village to check on them. He couldn't let them worry forever. Before returning, he decided to visit the distillery first. The people there didn't know he had been released from prison, and he wanted to let them know to ease their minds.

In the heavy snow, it was hard to recognize the roads. Chu Huan was not familiar with the county's layout, and Qingliu County was quite large, with many streets and alleys. If he wandered aimlessly, he might not find Hesheng Spring until nightfall.

He looked around, hoping to find someone to ask for directions, but in such heavy snow, few people were out on the streets. The usual street vendors were also absent due to the snow.

After a short while, a layer of snow had covered his head, making him look like an old man with white hair.

At that moment, he saw a figure moving not far ahead. In the heavy snow, it was hard to see clearly. Chu Huan spurred his horse forward, about to call out, but suddenly recognized the figure.

Chu Huan slowed his horse but didn't call out, just followed the person, watching their back. The person, in the cold, was wearing an old cotton jacket, hugging their arms. The jacket clearly wasn't warm enough to protect against the cold. The person hunched over, trying to shrink their thin body into the old jacket.

Chu Huan thought for a moment and suddenly remembered. This person was indeed someone he knew.

Chu Huan remembered that when he first entered the county with his uncle Li Fuzi, he encountered an injustice at the door of Yipinxiang. A strong man was about to beat a beggar over two sweet potatoes. Chu Huan had intervened and saved the thin beggar. The person hunched over in the snow was none other than that beggar he had saved.

The beggar was thin and looked very pitiful in the snow. Chu Huan wondered why he was out in such cold weather.

Feeling curious and compassionate, Chu Huan wanted to see where the beggar was going. If the beggar was in dire straits, he could help.

They passed through several streets and alleys in the snow. The beggar didn't notice anyone following. After a while, they turned onto a street and walked a bit more before stopping in front of a mud hut.

The mud hut was a makeshift structure built against the wall and eaves of a large house, using wood and mud grass. The roof was probably covered with mats, and the heavy snow had pressed it down, making it visibly sag.

The mud hut had no door, just a grass curtain. The beggar lifted the curtain, stepped inside, and quickly lowered it, as if afraid of the wind and snow blowing in.

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