Although Di Qingshan and Yang Ran held a master servant relationship, Yang Ran regarded Di Qingshan as a biological brother. Except for a few top secret matters, the two were close confidants who could talk about absolutely anything, so they did not care much about formalities or constraints when they spoke.

Dong Dedu laughed and said, “Haha… Brother Di, there is something you don’t know. Although Brother Yang and I call each other brothers, I should actually be considered his half master. He learned his skills in reading people and observing expressions from me personally. Don’t you think it was wrong of him to bait me out? At the very least, he should have invited me out with total respect, right?”

“It is indeed wrong, but our Prince’s style of doing things has always been like this—arbitrary and dominant. He never invites, let alone shows respect.” After Di Qingshan finished speaking, he pressed further, “Mr. Dong, you actually recognize me?”

Di Qingshan was not a person of the martial arts world and should have been completely unknown there, yet the person before his eyes could actually call out his surname.

“Of course I recognize you. You are Di Qingshan, the most loyal and brave general on the battlefield by the side of Prince Dingshan. As his half master, how could I not recognize you?”

“Alright, Brother Dong, don’t brag too much, or you might end up biting your tongue.” The previously silent Yang Ran spoke up once more.

Dong Dedu scoffed and said, “Don’t be so dismissive. Why don’t we have a contest? Whoever loses becomes the apprentice.”

“If you lose, you don’t have to be my apprentice. You only need to answer one question for me.”

“This…” Dong Dedu’s expression turned a bit gloomy, looking very hesitant. Finally, he said falteringly, “It’s not that question again, is it?”

“Exactly. I only want to know who strikes with a palm before sealing an acupuncture point. You just have to tell me who this person is.”

Yang Ran had been tracking down the ringleader who murdered his father for all these years, and because of this, he had made quite a few friends in the martial arts world, with Dong Dedu being one of them. He had asked Dong Dedu countless times exactly who would strike with a palm before sealing an acupuncture point, but Dong Dedu consistently refused to say a single word.

“Then I would rather be your apprentice.” This time was no exception for Dong Dedu.

“You lack confidence too much, don’t you? Could it be that you already know you will lose?” Yang Ran used reverse psychology on him again.

Dong Dedu said dismissively, “Regardless of whether I will lose or not, I always have to consider it. Either way, regarding that question you asked, I will say the same thing—I wouldn’t tell you even if it killed me.”

Looking completely helpless, Yang Ran could only say with a wry smile, “Then you just wait to kowtow and formalize your discipleship to me!”

“Oh my, what has the world come to? The apprentice learns the skills and turns around to ride on the master’s head!” Dong Dedu said, feigning deep sorrow.

“Alright, alright, how about I let you pose the first question?” Yang Ran’s skills in reading people and observing expressions had indeed benefited from a few pointers from Dong Dedu, so he felt a bit embarrassed and decided to let him choose the topic.

In truth, Yang Ran learned to read people and observe expressions precisely to find those distinctive participants and the ringleader who killed his father. However, except for knowing that the monk from beyond the borders had already fled to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States regions, leaving him completely powerless, he had not uncovered a single lead on any of the others.

Dong Dedu’s expression suddenly shifted as he pointed at the couple by the carved door and said, “Who are these two martial arts friends, and from which sect do they hail?”

Yang Ran narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression becoming exceptionally serious. His gaze shifted back and forth between the couple and the five year old child, looking as though he found it very difficult to judge.

Di Qingshan said with some indignation, “I say, Mr. Dong, you just point at two random people, how is anyone supposed to identify them? Besides, our Prince is not a martial arts…”

“The man is called Huang Yuansong, and the woman is called Ding Yixue. In the martial arts world, people call them the Mandarin Duck Couple. Huang Yuansong uses a Demon Slaying Saber, and his master is the Frenzied Demon, Lian Wentian. The woman uses a God Slaying Sword, and her master is the Sword Deity, Yue Qianyu. In terms of lineage, I even have to call her my senior martial sister.” Yang Ran said leisurely.

“This time doesn’t count! Since she is your senior martial sister, you must have known her beforehand. It doesn’t count, it doesn’t count!” Dong Dedu began to play foul, losing every bit of his previous elegant demeanor.

“Brother Dong, since your name is Knows Much, you should naturally know that Ding Yixue and I entered the sect at different times and have never met at all. How could I know her beforehand? Aren’t you intentionally…”

“Of course I know that you entered the sect at different times, and that the Sword Deity only taught you a single set of the ‘Withered Sword Technique,’ and that was at the Prince Dingshan Estate in Licheng. Therefore, you have never actually been to Mount Zijin and have never met Ding Yixue at all. But you are from the same sect, so it’s hard to guarantee that the Sword Deity wouldn’t mention his somewhat famous personal disciple, Ding Yixue.”

“Fine, then Brother Dong can just pose another question!” Yang Ran did not want to argue with Dong Dedu. First, he truly could not outtalk him, and second, he was not in the mood to bicker for the sake of a petty verbal victory.

Just then, a person suddenly walked into the tavern. This person was holding a candle in broad daylight, and the candle was actually burning. Although the surface of the candle was coated with thick layers of candle tears, it was not hard to see that this was a funeral candle.

“Hey, old lady, hurry up and roll out of here. Did you take a wrong turn to a grave while visiting a tomb?” The waiter had already been driven mad by the strange old man earlier, and now another strange old lady had arrived, so he shouted at her in annoyance.

The old woman pulled a piece of gold from her shirt and handed it to the waiter, saying in a raspy voice, “Young man, do you refuse to make money even when it’s offered?”

Seeing the gold, the waiter’s eyes lit up instantly. He quickly ushered the old woman to a seat and even eagerly brought over a candlestick used for worshiping the God of Wealth, hoping the old woman would set down her funeral candle and enjoy her meal in peace.

The old woman showed no appreciation at all. She put down the money, ordered a few dishes, and then used her wrinkled, withered hand to shield the candlelight carefully, looking as though she was terrified the flame might go out.

“Is this old woman crazy, walking around with a funeral candle just to get something to eat?” Di Qingshan asked in a low voice.

Dong Dedu and Yang Ran looked at each other one after another. Dong Dedu’s eyes rolled as he said, “I have my question.”

“You want to ask about this old woman’s identity and which sect she belongs to?” After Yang Ran spoke, he answered directly, “She is Meng Po of Mount Yin, and her master is the Ghost Mother of Mount Yin. She is the current sect leader of the Ghost Realm Sect.”

Dong Dedu shook his head and laughed, saying, “Regrettably, I am not asking about that, but rather why she must travel while holding a funeral candle.”

“What the hell! It’s one thing to ask about people, but now you are asking about a funeral candle too.” Di Qingshan could not help but curse out loud. Because his voice was quite loud, the people in the tavern all cast strange glances over, except for the couple and Meng Po of Mount Yin, who had not looked toward the southeast corner even once from beginning to end.

Yang Ran made a gesture to Di Qingshan, signaling him to keep his mouth shut. He then fell into deep thought for a moment before saying, “After the battle of Mount Jiutou, Meng Po of Mount Yin was utterly defeated by Su Lianyun. Later, she went back and locked herself in a cave to practice her martial arts bitterly. Ultimately, her divine skill was completed, but her eyes developed a strange affliction. Even in broad daylight, she cannot see things clearly unless there is candlelight. Therefore, she must light a candle whenever she travels. However, regular candles do not last long at all and their flames extinguish easily, so she thought of using funeral candles.”

Hearing this, Di Qingshan’s face turned pale with shock, while Dong Dedu asked unacceptably, “How do you know that Meng Po of Mount Yin only began practicing her divine skill bitterly after her massive defeat at the battle of Mount Jiutou?”

“Aren’t you asking what you already know?” Yang Ran said coldly.