395 At Least Isll Have a sFriends for the Road Ahead! (1/2)

It was as if Meng Qi had been struck by lightning. It was like he was flying through the cosmos being burnt to a crisp on his outsides. He had prepared himself for when he saw the demoness Gu again and her claiming the child was his. He had thought that he sort of had a handle on how crazy people thought.

However, who knew she would actually bring the kid along - that crisp little voice saying daddy to Meng Qi was like being struck by Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmanship or Supernatural Power of Shaking Heaven and Hitting Earth. His Vital Spirit had been shaken, his thoughts were a mess now and it was hard to form sentences. He felt as if he had no idea of having been ”drugged and raped” by demoness Gu.

”Crazy people's thoughts are so random...”

”It's really not something that a normal person like myself can fathom or speculate!”

Meng Qi came back to reality. He was certain that he had never had any relations that precluded those of simply being enemies with the demoness Gu Xiaosang. He was both angry and annoyed. Inside, he was fuming, ”Woman! How dare you fool around in this way! If I don't get you back for this, then I am somebody who thinks gullible only has two Ls!”

It felt good to curse her, and suddenly he felt a little glad that none of this had taken place in front of the masters of the Ranking List of Young Masters at the Party of Happycloud. One should not show any weakness in front of the experts of the Exterior, or under the public gaze. If Gu Xiaosang brought the little girl in front of him to say ”daddy” combined with tearful reproach for him having left her after having had his way with her, then his reputation would be shot.

Naturally, it was not like being ruined from some grand injustice with everyone looking down upon him. After all, it was demoness Gu they were talking about; most of what she said could not be trusted. And without a blood test, nobody would believe her anyway. Moreover, his compadres would resolutely support him.

In this regard, the matter would just become a funny story around Jianghu. In the days to come people would more than likely point at him with him being the butt of their jokes for things such as,

”Oh, so that's the Killing Blade Su Meng that the great goddess took the child in front of; I heard it wasn't even his!”

”Young Master Su, I know that the demoness wronged you, but I just have one question for you, just how old is your child now anyway? Hahaha.”

...

”No no no, why think so much about something that didn't even happen?” Meng Qi put an end to his chaotic thoughts. His jaw ached a bit from thinking about the contempt he felt for Gu Xiaosang, and at the same time he thought it best to keep as much distance from her as possible. In case this ”mental patient” found fit to come up with some new random act of madness.

Fortunately, he had never had relations with her, or he really would be in hot water!

”No no no, talking like this sounds like I almost got into a relationship with her!”

Meng Qi was no longer in any mood to sightsee along the river. He gave the old boatman, who looked on puzzled as Meng Qi leapt into the air and then alighted on the street on the left bank, some silver. He then disappeared into the crowd of people that were there enjoying the illuminations or making purchases for the Spring Festival.

He was very experienced and his cognitive training was not too shabby either. He gradually calmed down again after a short while and put the matter in the back of his mind. He started contemplating just why the demoness Gu may have come to Ying City at all.

”Anyway, that child isn't mine!”

He knew she had traveled down south for a few months, and Six Fan School had not heard from her. Then suddenly she appeared in Ying City; it was unlikely to be an empty shot fired across the bows, or coincidence. Whichever way one looked at it, demoness Gu was not someone who was all that enamored with Kung Fu. It was unlikely she would voluntarily take the risk of coming to He Jiu's tournament. Or was she seeking some sort of breakthrough?

Meng Qi thought that he understood Gu Xiaosang to some extent. She was very gifted and quite odd, yet quick-witted, making her very hard to predict. While she was able to apply herself at Kung Fu, she was not all that devoted to it. Besides this, there was not much else to it. It stood to reason, then, that she would not throw herself into action for the sake of a similarly matched opponent, temporarily discarding all other matters and risking so much in exchange. On the contrary, if Gu Xiaosang really met such a person she would most likely choose her moment and then just anihilate them.

”Wait, is an understanding of mental patients any kind of understanding at all?” Meng Qi found himself in deep thought.

He walked on and found that he had turned down a bustling street. He heard a familiar voice calling out to him,

”Brother Su.”

Following the voice, he looked up and saw someone standing by a window on the third floor to his right. The face held a smile and was holding up a glass of wine to him. He felt as if he was looking upon a familiar face from back home as he was away on the road.

He was in his early 20s wearing Confucian robes. His face was a little square and he had a broad nose and mouth. He did not have particularly memorable features, but his demeanor was dignified while he stood there as large as a mountain.

Meng Qi was surprised and elated all at once, and called out loudly, ”Brother Wang, I didn't reckon I'd be seeing you here!”

”At least I'll have a 'friend' for the road ahead!”

It was none other than Right-guarding Sword Wang Zai, the son of a concubine from the Wang family of Zhou County.

”A grand event such as this Party of Happycloud is taking place in Jianghu. How could I miss it? At least, now I have run into you, brother Su!” Wang Zai boomed down, drawing many side glances.

”Brother Su?”

”Is it really him?”

”Could it be Killing Blade Su Meng?”

Rows of eyes from all around fell at once upon Meng Qi. They were a mix of sizing him up, envy, reverence, passing judgment, being unconvinced and so on. Meng Qi could not help but straighten up a little as he felt like he was standing under a spotlight.

”Hey now, Brother Wang can really talk! That's no exaggeration at all!”

He swaggered into the inn, climbing up to the third floor he found Wang Zai by his lonesome next to the window drinking. He broke into a smile,

”Brother Wang, drinking on your own just makes your sorrows worse! How can good wine be enjoyed without good friends?”

Wang Zai laughed, ”Was I not waiting for you?”

Seeing Meng Qi looking a little surprised, he added, ”I had a rendezvous with someone, who then couldn't come and cancelled at the last minute. But it's alright, this way I get to have a drink with you, Brother Su.”

”Oh, well, we haven't seen each other for half a year.” Meng Qi, with no airs or graces, planted himself in a chair like he owned the place and poured himself a glass while topping up Wang Zai's at the same time.