Chapter 837 Goodbye Qiu Han
In the south city of Lin'an, there is a desolate and dilapidated City God Temple.

Due to lack of incense and no one to take care of it, the temple fell into disrepair over the years and became increasingly dilapidated. Everything worth a little money in the temple was swept away, and even the red paint on the pillars of the main hall was scraped off bit by bit with a knife. In addition to the crumbling broken walls and broken doors and windows with holes in them, all that was left was weeds and dust all over the ground.

However, decline also has its benefits. Although no one cares about the faithful men and women, it attracts many homeless beggars to settle down here.

Although the temple was dilapidated, it at least provided shelter from the wind and rain. The beggars found a corner in the temple and spread out a straw mat, which could keep them out of the heat in summer and the cold in winter, far better than sleeping on the streets.

As time went by, the City God Temple became a "famous" beggar's residence. Ordinary people disliked its dirtiness and avoided it.

In the past few years, the Lin'an government occasionally sent people to expel and disperse them, but with the decline of people's livelihood and the deterioration of national affairs, there were more and more homeless people, and more and more regular visitors to the City God Temple, so that they could not be driven away or expelled.

In the past two years, the government simply stopped paying attention to them. As long as these beggars did not cause trouble, they mostly turned a blind eye to them.

Gradually, the beggars who lived here for a long time formed a tacit understanding. They went out to beg for food at dawn every day and returned to the City God Temple to spend the night at dusk. Each of them had his own place and most of them did not disturb each other.

After so many years, the City God Temple is still the City God Temple, but the poor people who live here have been coming and going. Almost every three or five months, some people leave with wealth, while others come with poverty. However, most of the people who really live here are the weak and old, women and children who are powerless.

As the seasons change, spring goes and autumn comes, this City God Temple has taken in countless people and sent off countless people.

Qiu Han and Ding Chou, who left Tianji Pavilion, were the "newcomers" to this City God Temple.

When Ding Chou brought Liu Xunyi to the City God Temple, it was already late in the day. A streak of red sunset hung high in the sky, dividing the day and night of alternating yin and yang into two, one half of which was the Golden Crow setting in the west, and the other half was the Jade Rabbit rising in the east.

Walking along the crowded and narrow streets, carefully passing through the staggering beggars, looking at the ragged, skinny men, women, old and young. Listening to the chaotic noise of babies crying and autumn insects chirping. Sniffing the disgusting odor of rot and mold. The more Liu Xunyi walked, the more panicked he became, the more horrified he became, and the more uncomfortable he felt.

"Xiao Dingzi, have you been living in a place like this all this time?" Faced with the devastation, Liu Xunyi could no longer bear to look at it.

"I used to have no worries about food and clothing in Tianji Pavilion, and I never thought there would be such a place in the world where people suffer from hunger and cold." Ding Chou showed a familiar smile to Liu Xunyizhan, and said self-deprecatingly, "It's dirty, messy, damp, and crowded. I'm often woken up by snakes, insects, rats, and ants in the middle of the night. Haha, I really couldn't get used to it when I first came here, but after living here for a while, I found that it didn't seem so bad here. At least... here, good and evil are clearly distinguished, good people are very good, and bad people are very bad, and you can tell them apart at a glance. Unlike in Tianji Pavilion, on the surface, they are all upright gentlemen, saying that they share weal and woe, but behind the scenes they are scheming against each other, and their methods are more despicable than each other."

Ding Chou actually described such a miserable life in a teasing tone. Liu Xunyi suddenly felt a pang in his heart, with indescribable bitterness.

"Xiao Dingzi, those words just now... don't sound like they came from your mouth." Liu Xunyi forced himself to try his best not to care about the pitiful looks around him, and asked meaningfully, "Did Qiu Han tell you?"

"Master Liu is worthy of being Master Liu. Nothing can be hidden from you." Ding Chou smiled bitterly, "In fact, there is another reason why we live here, to avoid disasters and live a miserable life."

"This……"

"After all, no one could have imagined that the once powerful and influential Shaobao of Tianji Pavilion would now be willing to become a beggar and hide in such a...poor and destitute place."

"Just now, Chu Mao said that Qin Wei had given you some money for the journey..." Liu Xunyi was confused and hesitant in his words.

"After we arrived here, Mr. Qiu couldn't bear to see some women and children starving, so he shared his money with them. It was also because of Mr. Qiu's generosity that the people here were willing to give up a small house for us to stay."

"With Qiu Han's martial arts, how could he be so..."

"Master Liu, we are here."

Before they knew it, Ding Chou led Liu Xunyi to a small house in the backyard. This house had no windows, not even a door, only a piece of rag picked up from somewhere that served as a door curtain, barely isolating the inside and outside of the house.

When Ding Chou turned around and looked at Liu Xunyi, his eyes suddenly turned red.

"Xiao Dingzi, what are you doing..."

"Lord Liu, Lord Qiu..." Before Ding Chou finished his words, tears had already burst out of his eyes.

"This..." Liu Xunyi was horrified, and a bad feeling arose in his heart, "What happened to him?"

"You'll know when you get in."

After saying that, Ding Chou wiped the tears from his face, and then, in the surprised gaze of Liu Xunyi, he dragged him into the hut.

The sudden darkness made Liu Xunyi's eyes go dark, and then an unpleasant and pungent musty smell hit his face, making his stomach churn, his throat tighten, and he subconsciously held his breath.

"Is it... Xiao Dingzi who is back?"

As Liu Xunyi was calming himself down and adjusting to the darkness, a faint voice came quietly from the corner.

"Master Qiu, look who's here?"

Ding Chou was familiar with the dark and took out a half-burnt candle from somewhere and lit it.

Suddenly, a faint yellow light appeared in the darkness, allowing Liu Xunyi to gradually see the true appearance of the hut. As expected, this was once a firewood room, only about ten feet in diameter, with some rotten and moldy firewood still piled up around it, and the sound of snakes and rats crawling around could be heard from time to time.

In the southeast corner of the hut was a bed made of weeds, on which lay a pale, dying man. Although he was dishevelled and had a stubbled beard, Liu Xunyi could still recognize his identity through his deep eyes. He was Qiu Han, the former Junior Guardian of Tianji Pavilion.

When Liu Xunyi cast an incredulous look at Qiu Han, Qiu Han also looked straight at Liu Xunyi with his melancholy eyes.

The moment their eyes met, their expressions changed drastically.

The shock that could not be expressed in words was the same emotion shared by both of them. In addition, Liu Xunyi's eyes were filled with grief and pity, while Qiu Han's eyes were filled with more excitement and murderous intent.

His murderous intention was not directed at Liu Xunyi, but he hoped to use Liu Xunyi to avenge himself.

“Qiu…Brother Qiu…”

After an unknown amount of time of silence, Liu Xunyi suddenly woke up from his confused thoughts, rushed forward, and looked at Qiu Han, whose life was hanging by a thread, with eyes full of grief and indignation. His body couldn't help but tremble violently due to his inner excitement.

"Brother Qiu, what's wrong with you?"

Liu Xunyi fell beside Qiu Han and asked him impatiently: "Where are you injured? I'll go find a doctor..."

"No!"

Facing the anxious Liu Xunyi, Qiu Han looked stubborn, clenched his teeth, and shook his head.

The scene in front of him was quite strange, Qiu Han's facial features were ferocious, his breathing was rapid, and he seemed to be very emotional. However, only his head was shaking constantly, while his torso and limbs were drooping in the haystack like withered flowers and willows, motionless, as if disconnected from his head.

"Brother Qiu, you..."

"Master Qiu was seriously injured, his internal organs were damaged, and his meridians were destroyed. The doctor said..." Ding Chou suppressed his inner grief and choked up, "It's a miracle that he can hold on until now. There is an 80% chance that he...will not survive this winter."

"what?"

Ding Chou's words were like a bolt from the blue, causing Liu Xunyi's heart to tremble and turn pale with fear.

"How...how could this happen?" Liu Xunyi's trembling hands gently brushed over Qiu Han's body, his eyes red, his face ashen, and he gritted his teeth and asked, "Who did it?"

"After Qin Wei expelled us from Tianji Pavilion, they sent people to 'escort' us, but in fact they sent people to 'monitor' us, and drove us all the way out of Lin'an." Ding Chou recalled, "Unexpectedly, just as Qin Wei's people left, a group of black-clothed men of unknown origin came right after them. They were numerous and powerful, and Brother Qiu was unable to concentrate on protecting me, and was eventually outnumbered..."

"What do you mean by that?" Liu Xunyi muttered in a trance, "Are you implying that... Qin Wei sent someone to ambush you?"

"Except for him, we can't think of another person." Ding Chou said angrily, "Such a coincidence is impossible in the world. Except for Qin Wei, no one knew when we left Lin'an, and no one knew that we would appear in the woods outside the city that day. Those men in black are well-trained. When they saw us, they didn't explain at all and attacked directly. Every move was fatal. It seemed that they came prepared..."

"and many more!"

Liu Xunyi frowned and interrupted hastily: "Since you said those men in black came prepared, then there is no reason for them to injure Brother Qiu and then let you go safely?"

"The reason we are still alive today is not because of their mercy, but because... we were saved." Qiu Han said intermittently, "If it weren't for someone's help, Xiao Dingzi and I... would have died long ago."

"Someone came to help?" Liu Xunyi was shocked. "Who?"

“I don’t know.” Qiu Han shook his head slowly. “Those people had their faces covered with black scarves, so I couldn’t recognize their faces. I only remember that the leader… seemed to be a woman.”

"Woman?" Liu Xunyi was stunned, his thoughts becoming more and more confused, "What woman? Why did she save you?"

“I don’t know.” Qiu Han’s eyes flickered as he gradually fell into memories. “They were as mysterious as those men in black. Not only did they appear without any warning, but they also didn’t say a word from beginning to end, and even ignored my thanks.”

The more Qiu Han explained, the more confused Liu Xunyi became: "This is really weird! Then... are they doing anything unusual?"

"Yes!" At this point, Qiu Han's mouth suddenly raised a bloodthirsty grin, "They attacked quickly and fiercely, it doesn't seem like they are simply helping others out of injustice. Instead, it seems more like... they have a grudge against those men in black."

“How come you see?”

"Because in the end, none of those men in black who ambushed us escaped alive."

……

(End of this chapter)