Chapter 26

As the storm raged and passed without incident, Qin Yuyan merely exchanged a glance with Old Qin before gracefully departing. Watching Qin Yuyan leave, Zhao Chen’s storm instantly descended.

Old Qin grabbed Zhao Chen by the collar and unleashed a torrent of punches and kicks. Zhao Chen clutched his head, enduring Old Qin’s assault.

When Old Qin’s anger subsided and he panted heavily on the stone bench, Zhao Chen silently stood by his side, waiting for Old Qin to speak.

“Go to the palace and meet His Majesty!” Old Qin, now breathing evenly, stood up, took a deep breath, and said decisively.

Tears streamed down Zhao Chen’s face. Old Qin was going to clear his name before Li Er!

It was only then that Zhao Chen realized that since his appearance by the Wei River, Li Er had labeled him as a wanderer in the world.

He didn’t know what this "wanderer in the world" was, but he knew that once Li Er labeled him with this identity, he would always be under Li Er’s supervision. Every move he made would be under Li Er’s watchful eye.

If necessary, Li Er could even take his head!

On that day by the Wei River, Li Er’s threat to cut off his head was not a joke but a genuine intention to kill him. If it weren’t for Cheng Chumo’s hesitation and Zhao Chen’s revelation about the gold mine, his head would have been cut off by Li Er.

Feeling somewhat aggrieved, especially when he thought about the blue-robed man who had come to assassinate him for no apparent reason, Zhao Chen now understood that the man also believed he was a wanderer in the world and a traitor to the Hidden Sect, and had come to assassinate him without consulting the real Hidden Sect.

What a bunch of nonsense! The Hidden Sect had almost cost him his life several times. If he ever had the chance, he would wipe them out completely. They were just a bunch of cowards, always hiding in the shadows and using despicable means.

“You’re wrong; they never do despicable things!” Old Qin, hearing Zhao Chen’s muttering, immediately slapped him on the head and said.

“This isn’t enough!” Zhao Chen’s eyes widened as he argued with Old Qin, “That day, you know, if it weren’t for this chainmail armor, I would have lost my life! And Liu Cheng, and the old eunuch!”

“Not calling him ‘uncle’ anymore!” Old Qin, seeing Zhao Chen’s quick tongue, looked at him with disdain and said slowly.

“We’re talking about serious matters! Can you be a bit more serious?” Zhao Chen, feeling slightly embarrassed, immediately stretched his neck and shouted in anger.

Old Qin snorted and continued, “That assassin is just a stray ghost of the Hidden Sect, probably not even knowing which direction the Hidden Sect’s gate faces!”

Zhao Chen’s mouth dropped open in surprise. Although he hated the madman, he had to admit that the madman was indeed very powerful. He never imagined that such a powerful person was just a stray ghost of the Hidden Sect. Thinking about the strength of the Hidden Sect, Zhao Chen couldn’t help but draw a cold breath.

“Uncle Qin, what exactly is the Hidden Sect?” After a moment of shock, Zhao Chen thought for a moment and then looked up at Old Qin, asking solemnly.

“Have you heard of the Eight Great Surnames of ancient times?” Old Qin paused, took a deep breath, and looked at Zhao Chen with intense eyes.

The Eight Great Surnames of ancient times? The surnames of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors? That’s a bit far-fetched!

Seeing Zhao Chen nod, Old Qin continued, “During the Spring and Autumn period, the states were in constant conflict, and the Hundred Schools of Thought flourished. The people of the Eight Surnames made a grand vow to stop the chaos. Later, they helped Ying Zheng establish the Qin Dynasty, ending the chaos of the Spring and Autumn period!”

“Unfortunately, after the establishment of the Qin Dynasty, when Ying Zheng unified the Central Plains, the people of the Eight Surnames began to be hunted down by Ying Zheng!”

“This hunt caused heavy casualties among the people of the Eight Surnames. Almost all of their external forces were destroyed. Later, a part of the people of the Eight Surnames escaped and went into hiding, establishing the Hidden Sect. This is the origin of the Hidden Sect!”

“These people who established the Hidden Sect never forgot the grand vow of their ancestors. Whenever the Central Plains fell into chaos, they would send their most outstanding disciple to stop the chaos.”

“And this person is usually called a wanderer in the world.”

Zhao Chen was dumbfounded. The Hidden Sect had such a grand origin! The Eight Great Surnames, the descendants of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors! Wow, over a thousand years!

But wait! Over a thousand years, how did these people continue to exist in the deep mountains and forests? Inbreeding? Assimilation? Zhao Chen shook his head at these possibilities!

“Do you know who the last wanderer in the world was?” Old Qin looked at Zhao Chen with a mischievous glint in his eye and asked with a smile.

Zhao Chen immediately shook his head. He had never even heard of the Hidden Sect, let alone a mysterious figure like a wanderer in the world!

“You should know this person!” Old Qin chuckled, looking at Zhao Chen with even more interest.

I should know? Who? Sun Simiao? Impossible! Who else? I only know a few people, and they all have clear traces!

Suddenly, Zhao Chen thought of someone, his eyes widening in disbelief as he looked at Old Qin, saying word by word, “Could it be Zhang Zhongjian, the Bearded Guest?”

“Old man, I’m also curious. How do you know about Zhang Zhongjian, a person unknown to most people?” Old Qin’s eyes narrowed, looking at Zhao Chen with a bright gaze and a stern tone.

Zhao Chen immediately felt a sense of injustice. This was really a misunderstanding! It was just a casual mention of Li Jing, which led to Li Jing pressing a spear to his throat and demanding the whereabouts of the Bearded Guest. Forced to reveal the fate of the Three Heroes of the Dust, he was now in a situation where even the Yellow River couldn’t wash away the stain!

“Uncle Qin, I’ll tell you the truth!” Zhao Chen, with a sad face, sighed and said, “Actually, I heard the name of the Bearded Guest from a historical novel my master told me. I didn’t know that such a person really existed in the world!”

Without waiting for Old Qin to ask, he recounted the story of the Three Heroes of the Dust that he remembered.

To his surprise, Old Qin burst into laughter when Zhao Chen mentioned the part about Hongfu’s night escape: “What a laugh! The wife of the great General Li Jing became a maid in Yang Su’s house!”

Is that not the case? Zhao Chen blinked, thinking. It seemed that historical records didn’t clearly state who Li Jing’s wife was. In later generations, people generally thought of Hongfu when they mentioned Li Jing’s wife.

However, from Old Qin’s tone, it was clear that Li Jing’s wife was not Hongfu. But if Hongfu was a fictional character, how did Zhang Zhongjian become real?

“Boy, don’t mention such things to anyone in the future. If Li Jing hears about it, even I can’t protect you!” Old Qin, after laughing enough, immediately turned serious and warned Zhao Chen sternly.

Zhao Chen, understanding the gravity of the situation, quickly nodded and looked up at Old Qin, continuing his earlier question: “Uncle Qin, you haven’t finished talking about Zhang Zhongjian! My master’s historical novel says that Zhang Zhongjian saw His Majesty from afar and recognized him as a dragon among men, so he abandoned all his wealth and went to the South China Sea!”

“Your master was just fooling you!” Old Qin sneered and chuckled, “I only heard bits and pieces about the Bearded Guest. I don’t know the details, but your master did say one thing right: the Bearded Guest indeed had ambitions for the world. However, for some reason, he was later hunted down by the Hidden Sect! It was then that His Majesty learned that Zhang Zhongjian was a wanderer in the world.”

“Uncle Qin, if the Hidden Sect’s purpose is to restore order, why did His Majesty, when he suspected me of being a member of the Hidden Sect by the Wei River, immediately want to cut off my head?” Zhao Chen, after hearing Old Qin’s words, thought for a moment and suddenly remembered the incident by the Wei River, asking in confusion.

Old Qin slapped Zhao Chen’s head hard, this time with more force, almost angrily: “Shut up! Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t!”

This was a bit confusing. Old Qin had already told him about the Hidden Sect, so why was there something he couldn’t say? Was it really necessary to be so cautious?

Zhao Chen, rubbing his sore head, thought to himself. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in his head, and he looked up at Old Qin, trying to read his expression.

However, as soon as Old Qin saw Zhao Chen’s sudden look, he quickly turned his gaze to the window, avoiding Zhao Chen’s probing eyes.

Ha ha ha! Seeing Old Qin’s reaction, Zhao Chen immediately burst into laughter in his heart, finally understanding why Li Er had wanted to cut off his head after suspecting him of being a member of the Hidden Sect.

Bloodline! The bloodline of the Li family!

The people of the Hidden Sect were the direct descendants of the Eight Great Surnames of ancient times, the ancestors of the Han people. Li Er, on the other hand, had the blood of the Xianbei people in his veins. This was a natural enmity! Perhaps in the eyes of the Hidden Sect, the current Tang Dynasty was illegitimate, occupied by a foreign race!

Understanding this, Zhao Chen immediately felt relieved. He never thought that someone as high and mighty as Li Er would be under the watch of a powerful force like the Hidden Sect. The Hidden Sect had a noble bloodline, far superior to Li Er, who had Xianbei blood.

Thinking about this, the influence of the Hidden Sect among the Han people must be very high. Groups like the Shandong aristocracy and the Jiangnan gentry must have secret ties with the Hidden Sect.

After over a thousand years, if there were no new bloodlines entering, the people of the Eight Surnames would have long turned to ashes. The ones who remained would be just pretenders, using the name of the Hidden Sect to play tricks in the shadows!