Chapter 106

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Yin Qiu forgot to scramble to her feet and immediately looked up in surprise and uncertainty.

As if to make Yin Qiu see who he was, the person deliberately moved his feet and stepped out of the shadows.

By the light shining from afar on the meadow, one could see that the other person was a young woman. In the boundless evening breeze, she wore a lilac-colored flowing gauze dress with a cross-collar and a cinched waist. The cuffs were tight, and the clean hem of the dress was embroidered with elegant moon patterns, which made her figure appear slender and upright, with a dignified posture.

This woman was at most twenty years old, with black hair, a beautiful face, bright eyes and white teeth. Her smile revealed a unique elegance and radiance, a blend of reserve and exuberance, and a very free and unrestrained demeanor.

Upon seeing that face clearly, Yin Qiu's eyes widened in disbelief, and she exclaimed in astonishment, "Fu... Fu Xiang...?"

Fu Xiang sheathed his sword, gave Yin Qiu a bright smile, and leaned over to help her up while teasingly saying, "You were beaten down the moment we met. What have you been doing at Jingyue Peak all these years? You haven't improved at all."

"Fu Xiang!" Yin Qiu's face lit up with joy. Before she could even stand up straight, she hugged Fu Xiang tightly and shouted, "How did you get here!"

"I've come to see you," Fu Xiang hugged Yin Qiu even tighter, her tone light and cheerful. "You're so heartless. You ran away as soon as you saw me, like you'd seen a ghost. What, we only exchanged letters two months ago, and now you don't recognize me?"

Yin Qiu was so excited that she didn't know what to do and stammered, "I... I didn't recognize you. It's so dark here, I can't see anything!"

Fu Xiang wrapped her arms around Yin Qiu's neck, revealing a hurt expression, and accused her, "Nonsense, you clearly don't want to acknowledge me, you even hit me just now."

"Who hit you?" Yin Qiu immediately retorted, "You kicked me, and it hurt so much."

Fu Xiang looked at her, a mischievous glint in her eyes. She reached out and touched Yin Qiu's chest, saying with a grin, "Shall I rub it for you?"

Yin Qiu hurriedly brushed her hand away and scolded, "Who asked you to rub me? Aren't you ashamed!"

“Then rub it for me,” Fu Xiang immediately grabbed Yin Qiu’s hand and pressed it against her chest, “It hurts too.”

Yin Qiu avoided her like the plague, half amused and half helpless, saying, "What hurts? I didn't kick you!"

“My heart hurts,” Fu Xiang said, holding onto Yin Qiu tightly. “The way you turned and ran away hurt me so much. Rub it, rub it and it will feel better.”

Yin Qiu was at her wit's end with her annoying nature, so she just patted her chest a couple of times like dust, and Fu Xiang immediately beamed with joy: "Hey, it really doesn't hurt anymore, it works!"

“You’re so annoying,” Yin Qiu said. “After all these years, you still love to tease me just the same.”

"Oh, can you say a few nice things about me?" Fu Xiang said. "Don't criticize me as soon as we meet, it'll hurt our feelings."

Yin Qiu smiled and asked, "How did you end up in Cloud City? And what a coincidence that you're here."

Fu Xiang then released Yin Qiu's hand, and put his arm around Yin Qiu's shoulders, and replied, "I was originally going to Weicheng. Jiuxiantang will be holding a conference soon, and my father asked me to go on behalf of Mingyuelou to visit. But I heard on the way that you came here, so I came to take a look and thought I would meet you first."

"So incredibly resourceful?" Yin Qiu was genuinely surprised. "Who told you I was here?"

Fu Xiang grinned and said seriously, "I am the young master of Mingyue Tower. What difficulty would it be for me to find out your whereabouts? I can just send a few of my men to investigate, and everything will be clear."

Yin Qiu chuckled softly, cupped his hands and said, "Oh, I forgot you're still a young master. I was being redundant in asking that question. Please forgive me, young master."

"What kind of relationship do we have? No need for formalities," Fu Xiang said with an air of superiority. "But speaking of which, I came out to find you secretly, just to give it a try. I didn't expect to actually see you. Now is not the time to catch up. I have to go back as soon as possible. We'll have to meet in Weicheng."

Yin Qiu glanced at her twice and asked suspiciously, "Did you sneak out?"

"You think I'm a coward? Being the young master of the Mingyue Tower isn't easy either," Fu Xiang sighed. "We've been exchanging letters quite a bit these past few years. As you know, my father is very strict with me. Since returning to Mingyue Tower, I've hardly been out and about in the martial world. Actually, he didn't originally intend for me to go to Weicheng this time. I had to shamelessly plead my case and get it done. My father was worried, so he assigned a large group of people to follow me. I have to report to them about everything I do. If it hadn't rained so heavily these past two days, they probably wouldn't have agreed to let me stay in Yunjian City. I'll have to be on my way tomorrow."

"Why the rush?" Yin Qiu said, "It only takes two days to get from here to Weicheng, and the Mozi Terrace will not be held for another ten days or so. You are still the sect leader's disciple and a disciple of Yunhua Palace. It's perfectly reasonable for you to come back to the post station with me right now, isn't it?"

Fu Xiang shrugged and said irritably, "But I don't have the final say. That Steward Zhao is my father's confidant. He always has a stern face and is even more frightening than my father. Before he left, my father told me to listen to him in everything. How could I dare to disobey?"

Yin Qiu laughed unkindly: "Then you must be feeling really stifled as the young master of the building."

Fu Xiang sighed again, "Who says otherwise?" After saying this, a bright smile returned to her face. "But I'm already very happy to see you. This is an unexpected bonus. Anyway, we'll have plenty of time to catch up when we get to Weicheng, so a little bit won't matter."

"That's true," Yin Qiu said, unable to hide her disappointment at having to part so soon after their brief meeting. "When are you leaving?"

"Let's wait a little longer," Fu Xiang said, carefully examining Yin Qiu. Her eyes crinkled as she said, "My little Qiu is still so beautiful, even more beautiful than before. With your current appearance, there must be quite a few people in the palace showing you favor, right?"

Yin Qiu smiled sheepishly: "Not at all. I spend all my time on Jingyue Peak, dealing mainly with my martial uncle and the secret guards. I don't interact much with other people."

Fu Xiang stared at her, her smile enigmatic: "Really?"

Yin Qiu said, "Why would I lie to you?"

"Since you spend all your time with Uncle Man and those secret guards, and the sect leader personally teaches you martial arts, you should be quite skilled," Fu Xiang teased. "How come you were completely suppressed by me just now, without being able to fight back at all?"

Yin Qiu knew she was joking, but he wasn't angry. He simply drew his sword and said, "I mistook you for a thief just now and didn't know your strength, so I didn't want to fight you rashly. Now, try me again?"

Seeing her stance, Fu Xiang chuckled and drew her sword as well, saying happily, "Alright, let's try!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the two of them leaped to the riverbank in perfect unison and began to fight back and forth.

·

When Meng Jing left the backyard of the government office, it was already early 9 PM.

After several days of heavy rain, the snow everywhere had been washed away, leaving Yunjian City free of dust. The stone roads were slippery and glistening with water. Meng Jing was escorted to the gate by two officials. Just as he stepped down the steps, a fine horse galloped past him. A person dressed entirely in white rode on it, moving so fast in the cold wind that he was almost a blur, nearly colliding with Meng Jing.

"Who's riding like that at night!" An officer quickly ran down and helped Meng Jing up. When he looked back, the rider had already disappeared around the street corner.

Meng Jing said "It's alright," bowed to the official, and walked along the street toward the post station. In the distance, he could see that the place was pitch black, and even the lanterns were not lit.

He left early today and was unaware that all his disciples had gone to the grasslands on the outskirts of the city for a stroll. Seeing that there wasn't even a single disciple guarding the gate, Meng Jing's heart sank. He thought something had happened and quickly ran towards the gate. But when he got closer, he saw a horse parked there and the gate was still open.

Meng Jing had no martial arts skills and no sword. He quickly glanced around the room, intending to find a secluded spot to observe, but before he could make a move, a snow-white figure crossed the courtyard and appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye.

The person was dressed in a bright, moon-white dress, with a thick brocade robe over it. Standing in the night, he resembled a beautiful magnolia.

"Martial Uncle?" Meng Jing was taken aback. "When did you arrive?"

Man Jiangxue stood at the door, her expression inexplicably cold. Holding Ning Shuang, which had transformed into a long sword, she asked, "Where have all the people gone?"

Meng Jing realized in an instant that the man on horseback was Man Jiangxue. He quickly replied, "I didn't know either. I went to the yamen early this morning to treat the refugees and only just got back."

Such a large post station, yet not a single disciple remained to guard it. Not only Meng Jing, but even Man Jiangxue found it strange. She looked up at the street; it was already late at night, and there were no pedestrians as far as the eye could see, making it seem deserted. Man Jiangxue said, "Has anything happened on your way to Yun Jian City?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Jing immediately thought of Yin Qiu's vomiting blood and almost blurted it out. Fortunately, he remembered Yin Qiu's instructions in time and replied, "Everything is fine, nothing has happened."

Unexpectedly, Man Jiangxue deliberately asked again, "Where is Xiao Qiu?"

“She…” Meng Jing hesitated for a moment, then finally said as Yin Qiu had instructed, “She is fine.”

Man Jiangxue was incredibly perceptive and naturally noticed something amiss from her brief hesitation. Just as Man Jiangxue was about to press her for more information, she suddenly heard someone call out to her from the end of the long street: "Uncle-Master Man!"

The two turned around at the same time and saw a large group of disciples running over happily, all beaming with joy and excitement, as if they had encountered some happy event.

"My God, it's Martial Uncle Man!"

"Our Cloud City has been so lively these past few days! Even my martial uncle has come!"

"What brings Uncle-Master here all of a sudden? What a rare guest!"

...

These disciples had only seen Man Jiangxue's beauty during their first year in the palace. Since arriving in Yunjian City, they had never seen any other highly respected figures in the palace, except for Lu Huaiwei, who traveled to various prefectures and cities. Upon seeing Man Jiangxue, they were overjoyed and chattered incessantly.

Man Jiangxue listened quietly to their commotion, but couldn't find Yin Qiu in the crowd. She frowned and asked Bai Ling, "Where did Xiao Qiu go?"

Bai Ling and her disciples had a great time today, and their foreheads were still covered in sweat. She glanced into the post station and said, "Xiao Qiu left before us. She's not with us; perhaps she's asleep?"

Upon hearing this, Man Jiangxue's expression grew even colder: "She's not in the room."

Bai Ling was taken aback: "Not in her room?" She glanced back a few times and said, "But she's been back for a while now. Where could she have gone if she wasn't in her room?"

Seeing that Man Jiangxue's expression was becoming increasingly unpleasant, Meng Jing knew something was wrong and hurriedly asked, "So you weren't staying at the post station today, where did you all go? Why are you only coming back now?"

Hearing this, Bai Ling finally noticed that Man Jiangxue's expression was stern, and her gaze was not as gentle as usual. Bai Ling felt a chill run down her spine and stammered, "I...we went horseback riding on the grasslands outside the city..."

Upon hearing this, Meng Jing's expression changed slightly, and he immediately looked at Man Jiangxue without making a sound.

Man Jiangxue stood ramrod straight, without saying a word.

The lively atmosphere that had been filled with laughter and conversation suddenly fell silent. At this moment, the disciples clearly felt the invisible pressure emanating from Man Jiangxue, which was like ice, making them feel chilled to the bone and their backs cold.

Right now, Yunhua Palace is under pressure from all sides, and the situation is extremely tense and unfavorable. The disciples at the post stations in various prefectures are being watched all the time. Their every move is related to the evaluation of outsiders and will directly affect the reputation of Yunhua Palace in the martial arts world. Anyone who is not out of their mind should know that they should be careful at this time and try their best to salvage the reputation that has already deteriorated.

Not to mention Man Jiangxue, even Meng Jing didn't expect that they would still have the mind to go horse racing and have fun.

That's utterly ridiculous.

·

A gust of cold wind swept by, and the chilly temperature seemed even colder than usual. The disciples lowered their heads and fell silent, no one daring to move.

In all the years Bai Ling had been in the palace, she had rarely seen Man Jiangxue with such an imposing presence. At that moment, she felt her scalp tingle and her hands and feet turn icy cold.

Since Man Jiangxue did not speak to accuse them, the disciples could only stand humbly, looking like wilted eggplants, secretly lamenting their misery.

After waiting for quite a while, Bai Ling gritted her teeth and stepped forward, saying, "Uncle-Master, we disciples neglected our duties today and left the post station to seek pleasure, which violated the palace rules and ancestral teachings. We disciples know we were wrong and ask Uncle-Master to punish us!"

After she finished speaking, she bent her knees and knelt down. Seeing this, the disciples behind her quickly followed Bai Ling and knelt down one by one.

Seeing their reaction, Meng Jing naturally couldn't remain aloof and immediately knelt down beside Man Jiangxue.

There were no lights inside or outside the post station, only a dim glow from the buildings across the street. Man Jiangxue put away Ning Shuang, hung the dagger back at her waist, and stared silently at the kneeling figures in front of her.

She looked unwell and remained silent.

The disciples knelt upright, wishing they could bury their heads in the ground.

Just as everyone was feeling uneasy, a soft, gentle voice, like a spring breeze, suddenly came from behind: "Uncle-Master? What's going on here...?"

Upon hearing the voice, the disciples knew who had arrived, but none of them dared to turn around to look. Even Bai Ling remained kneeling and motionless. Only Meng Jing, whose position was directly facing the street corner, slowly raised his head and looked behind the disciples.

Yin Qiu's sword, Zhu Bing, had not yet shrunk into a dagger. Holding the sword firmly, she walked across the long stone path to the edge of the crowd, asking with a surprised expression, "What happened?"

No one dared to answer her question, and Meng Jing lowered her head again after seeing her clearly.

Seeing this scene, Yin Qiu was greatly puzzled.

She had sparred with Fu Xiang by the river earlier, enjoying the fight immensely and being in high spirits. Afterwards, the two chatted in the woods for a while before reluctantly saying goodbye. When Yin Qiu returned to the pasture, she found it deserted. Thinking that Bai Ling and the others must have returned to the post station, she strolled back slowly, only to spot Man Jiangxue before she even got close.

Yin Qiu was overjoyed at first, but upon closer inspection, he found that all the disciples were kneeling at the door. Seeing that Man Jiangxue's aura was frighteningly cold, he restrained his urge to hug Man Jiangxue and stood beside Bai Ling instead.

The night was deep, and the evening breeze stirred Man Jiangxue's spotless white dress. Her slightly disheveled hair partially obscured her eyes and brows. Yin Qiu stood there, bewildered, silently gazing at Man Jiangxue.

What exactly happened?

Yin Qiu was completely baffled.

Man Jiangxue stared at her expressionlessly for a while, looking Yin Qiu up and down, as if to confirm that she was unharmed and safe. Only then did Man Jiangxue turn around and say calmly, "Come in."

The disciples looked at each other, wondering who she was talking to. But seeing that Yin Qiu had taken the lead, they all cautiously stood up and followed her into the post station.

Once inside, visibility was even worse. The disciples groped their way to the courtyard and, quite perceptively, continued kneeling. Although Yin Qiu was still unaware of the situation, he knew that Man Jiangxue must be reprimanding everyone for something, so he kindly lit a lamp, moved a chair to the porch, and even served Man Jiangxue a pot of tea.

To her surprise, after she had done all this, she saw Man Jiangxue sit down, holding a teacup, and say without even looking at her, "You go and kneel down too."

Yin Qiu was taken aback, thinking to herself that she had been out all day and hadn't done anything wrong, so why was she being punished by kneeling?

Yin Qiu hesitated and said, "I..."

Man Jiangxue looked up at her.

Meeting those indifferent, unwavering eyes, Yin Qiu felt a chill run down her spine, and the rest of her words immediately stuck in her throat.

Without the slightest hesitation, she swiftly leaped from the corridor into the courtyard, kneeling down with utmost decisiveness.

Author's Note: Yin Qiu: I've been playing outside all day and haven't done anything wrong, so why is my uncle so angry?

Qiuqiu, died.

(Happy Children's Day everyone! Be a happy child! I'm giving away red envelopes in this chapter! Just comment to receive one! Muah!)