Chapter 156

As dawn broke, the group dispersed from their meeting in the pavilion and returned to their respective homes.

Bai Ling got up early as usual, circled around Jingyue Peak, but didn't see a single person. She went to Mingguang Hall and learned about the events of the previous night from Ji Wanshu. The two met and together carried out the task Xie Yijun had instructed them to do.

Later, Xie Yijun returned alone, but she still couldn't sleep. There was a lot of work waiting for her to do, and the number of memorials on her desk was increasing day by day. After Ye Zhilan entered the Hall of Punishments, there was no one else in Mingguang Palace who could help her. Xie Yijun had to do everything herself, and she even had to shout for someone to refill her tea when it ran out.

“With Meng Jing guarding Huaiwei’s place, there’s no need for anyone to worry about her,” Xie Yijun washed her face with cold water to perk herself up. “On the other hand, Jingyue Peak has lost all its secret guards, so we’ll have to transfer some new people over there.”

Ji Wanshu said, "I will take care of this matter later."

Xie Yijun hummed in agreement, then sat down at the table, flipping through the booklet as she said, "As for luring Xiao Qi out, we have to wait for Jiang Xue's approval before we can start. But we also need to inform Elder Xu in advance, since it would be best if Yin Qiu could cure the Gu poison on his own. Tell him to pay more attention."

Bai Ling replied, "Don't worry, Sect Leader, I will definitely deliver the message."

Xie Yijun then looked at Ji Wanshu and said, "Since Zhilan is not here, and you have just come out of seclusion, you should follow me to familiarize yourself with palace affairs. You know the current situation in the palace. I am overwhelmed, and Jiang Xue also has a lot of things to do. In the past, Zhilan did the things that were supposed to be yours. Now you should learn to take over yourself. Don't be as impulsive and willful as before. I have been thinking recently that it is time for the young sect leader to be established. If you don't establish yourself quickly, how can you win people's hearts with just your martial arts skills?"

Ji Wanshu was silent for a moment, then frowned and said, "I..."

"What's wrong with you?" Xie Yijun glared at her. "You've been in seclusion for five years. Your skills have improved, but your temperament hasn't changed. Don't tell me you still don't want to be the sect leader."

Ji Wanshu did not want to lie and said truthfully, "I have never thought of becoming the sect leader."

Xie Yijun looked at her and sighed, "Then what do you want me to do? This has always been the rule in the palace. The chief disciple is the only choice for the young sect leader. In the years you've been in seclusion, there have been quite a few new talents in the palace, but none of them can beat you. The Yunhua Sword Art lineage has been passed down, and which sect leader hasn't been invincible throughout the palace?" She paused here, "Even if I am an exception, there are reasons for it. Since you have the qualifications, why can't you be the sect leader? You are undoubtedly the one who can carry forward and promote my Yunhua Sword Art."

Ji Wanshu said, "If my uncle can retire, then I can naturally retire as well."

Xie Yijun was speechless at her words and said helplessly, "If Jiang Xue retires, I can still take her place. If you retire, who will fill in for you?"

Ji Wanshu said, "Isn't there Senior Sister Ye? Although she is not the chief disciple, she is your top disciple and the senior sister of the palace. Over the years, she has become no different from the young sect leader. If Senior Sister Ye becomes the sect leader, I believe the disciples will be convinced."

Xie Yijun threw down the folded document in her hand, leaned back in her chair, and said heavily, "The person is still locked up in the punishment hall, and the suspicion on her has not yet been cleared. Let alone the young sect leader, it is questionable whether her senior sister can even sit still."

Ji Wanshu remained silent, so Bai Ling spoke up again: "But Senior Sister Ye is obviously being wronged. Like Senior Sister Lu, she was used by Xiao Qi. Now that we have convicted Senior Sister Lu, we can't keep Senior Sister Ye locked up anymore, otherwise Xiao Qi will definitely become suspicious."

Her words made sense. If Ye Zhilan were kept locked up any longer, wouldn't there be two spies in the palace? Perhaps the disciples wouldn't find it strange, but for Xiao Qi, it was a different story. With Lu Huaiwei already confirmed to be the spy, keeping Ye Zhilan locked up meant that Xie Yijun and the others hadn't completely convicted Lu Huaiwei. Therefore, it was indeed necessary to release Ye Zhilan.

Xie Yijun pondered for a moment, then sighed and said, "Forget it. The evidence against Zhilan is too obvious. We still have no clue about the origins of the secret guards. It's really not appropriate to keep her locked up. You two should have someone bring Zhilan over here."

Bai Ling responded and immediately instructed two disciples to go to the punishment hall to fetch the person. About half a cup of tea later, Ye Zhilan, covered in filth, entered the Mingguang Hall, knelt in the hall, and repeatedly kowtowed to Xie Yijun, calling out, "Master..."

Xie Yijun sat upright at the table, looking at Ye Zhilan's disheveled and haggard appearance, and felt a mix of emotions.

Since their parting that night, the master and apprentice have not seen each other for a month. During this time, although Ye Zhilan has not suffered any severe torture in the Punishment Hall, she has been treated coldly and scorned. She has no way to express her suffering, as she cannot provide a clear answer regarding the mask material and the secret guard disciples. The Punishment Hall disciples are known for their impartiality, only recognizing evidence and not personal feelings. Before Xie Yijun speaks up, no one will treat Ye Zhilan kindly. Even though she is of high seniority and rank, once she falls into the Punishment Hall, she is just a real prisoner.

Xie Yijun glanced at Ye Zhilan and saw that she was disheveled and had never been so downcast. She couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her and couldn't bear to blame her anymore. After gently asking her a few words of concern, she asked Bai Ling to help her go downstairs to wash up.

Ji Wanshu had been on good terms with Lu Huaiwei for many years and had become familiar with the affairs of disciple transfers through her. She hurriedly drafted a list and handed it to Xie Yijun for review. Xie Yijun was extremely tired and only glanced at it before telling Ji Wanshu to make the decision herself. She approved a few memorials, but couldn't resist the drowsiness and didn't have the energy to take a bath. So she lay down in her bedchamber and fell asleep, still dressed.

·

Yin Qiu went up the steps, took off her muddy boots outside the door, and ran into Chenxing Palace in her clean socks.

Wen Chaoyu and Xue Tan yawned incessantly behind them. After greeting Man Jiangxue, they went around the front yard to the back room for a good nap. Man Jiangxue changed her shoes at the door, picked up Yin Qiu's wooden clogs, and entered the main hall. She lifted the curtain and saw Yin Qiu bent over the desk writing. She stepped forward and said, "Put your shoes on properly."

Yin Qiu kept her head down and subtly tucked her right hand, which was holding the pen, into her sleeve. She lifted her leg, and Man Jiangxue slipped the wooden clogs onto her feet. Yin Qiu said, "Uncle, please sit for a while. I need to finish writing the letter quickly and send it to Cang County as soon as possible."

Man Jiangxue responded, and seeing that the letter in front of Yin Qiu was stained with mud, she reminded him, "There's no rush, wash your hands first."

Yin Qiu glanced at her, smiled, and said, "I understand. Martial Aunt, go outside and wait for me. I'm afraid I'll forget what I'm supposed to write after I wash my hands, so it's good to make a draft first."

Man Jiangxue scrutinized her for a moment, but didn't say much. She went to the outer room to rest for a while. Yin Qiu breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her leave, and then took her hand out of her sleeve again.

After digging at the cenotaph all night, the cut on her hand inevitably reopened, the wet blood and dirt smearing her palm, the wound throbbing with pain. To avoid arousing Man Jiangxue's suspicion, Yin Qiu had endured the pain while shoveling soil all night, and tried to keep her distance from Man Jiangxue, not wanting her to notice her injury. Now that Man Jiangxue was not around, Yin Qiu put down her pen, ran to the dressing table to wash her hands, and splashed the dirty water out the window. She tried to be as quiet as possible to find some ointment to stop the bleeding, and finally took out a new sheet of paper and began to write again.

With the wounds all on her fingertips, making movement difficult, Yin Qiu gripped the pen, her entire hand trembling slightly, making it hard to exert any force. Even though she was fully focused and tried her best to control her strength, her handwriting was still crooked and illegible, almost unbearable to look at.

Yin Qiu thought to herself that once the letter was written, it had to be sealed immediately, and Man Jiangxue must not see it.

It was almost noon. The weather had been fine for the past two days. The sky after the snow was spotless, and the dark clouds of the past few days had dispersed, casting in the warm sunlight, which illuminated Jingyue Peak and made the red maple leaves covered with snow look particularly beautiful.

Yin Qiu had only written half of the letter when he heard the voices of many people outside. He listened for a while and found that Ji Wanshu had transferred a batch of new disciples and was reporting to Man Jiangxue. Yin Qiu took this opportunity to quickly finish writing the rest of the letter, and then, with a normal expression, he took the sealed letter and went out.

In just a short while, the disciples had finished their tasks and prepared hot meals. Afterward, they strolled around Jingyue Peak in groups, familiarizing themselves with the surroundings. Yin Qiu handed the letter to Ji Wanshu, asking her to mail it on his behalf. The three of them then sat down in the hall and began to have lunch together.

Before leaving the bedchamber, Yin Qiu wiped her hands and deliberately sat to the left of Man Jiangxue so that Man Jiangxue could only see the back of her hands. In addition, Man Jiangxue always liked to serve her food, so Yin Qiu just held the rice bowl and didn't lift a finger herself.

"Back in the Mingguang Hall, the sect leader had already brought Senior Sister Ye out of the Punishment Hall," Ji Wanshu said, sitting in front of Yin Qiu. She immediately noticed Yin Qiu's scarred hands, but she didn't say anything. She simply said calmly, "If you have time, Uncle-Master, would you like to have a talk with Senior Sister Ye in person?"

Exhausted from a night's work, Ji Wanshu and Yin Qiu hadn't had time to wash or change, nor had Man Jiangxue. Yet, she still looked spotless, as if untouched by any dust. After a moment's thought, Man Jiangxue understood Xie Yijun's intention in releasing Ye Zhilan at this time. She said, "We definitely need to talk, but not today. We can discuss it tomorrow. She just came out of the punishment hall and needs to rest."

Seeing that there were hardly any vegetables left in Yin Qiu's bowl, Ji Wanshu took the initiative to put some food on her plate and said, "There's something I'd like to ask my uncle for help with."

Yin Qiu was focused on eating and didn't say much. When she saw Ji Wanshu suddenly put some food on her plate, she looked up and the two looked at each other across the table. Yin Qiu paused, then immediately understood and secretly smiled at Ji Wanshu.

Man Jiangxue seemed completely oblivious to their subtle actions, and simply looked at Ji Wanshu and asked, "What is it?"

Ji Wanshu shifted her gaze from Yin Qiu and said in a slightly somber tone, "The sect leader said before that she wanted to appoint a young sect leader as soon as possible."

Man Jiangxue understood. After a brief moment of thought, she said, "If you hadn't gone into seclusion a few years ago, the young sect leader should have been appointed long ago. In addition, the situation in the palace is not good now, and Zhilan has been implicated. It is reasonable for the sect leader to make this decision."

Ji Wanshu put down her chopsticks and sighed, "But as you know, I've never wanted to be a sect leader. Compared to Senior Sister Ye, I'm really not cut out to be a sect leader."

"Then what do you want to do?" Man Jiangxue said. "You are the chief disciple. According to the rules left by our ancestors, no one is qualified to be the sect leader except for you."

Ji Wanshu never felt restrained in front of Man Jiangxue, so she spoke frankly: "Even if it is a rule set by our grandmasters, it is really inappropriate. Just because someone is good at martial arts, he can become the sect leader. Don't you think it's too hasty, Uncle?" After she finished speaking, she continued, "The sect leader's swordsmanship has always been the worst among the uncles, but hasn't she managed Yunhua Palace very well? In any case, Senior Sister Ye is more suitable than me."

Man Jiangxue said, "The reason why the sect leader was able to become the sect leader was not her own intention, but your grandmaster's intention."

"And what about you, Uncle-Master?" Ji Wanshu asked. "Grandmaster chose you first, but you refused."

Man Jiangxue said, "Then you might as well think again, before I was chosen, who was the candidate for sect leader?"

Naturally, it was Shen Mandong, who was also the chief disciple.

“If it weren’t for what happened to Senior Sister, let alone the Sect Leader, even I wouldn’t have been considered by your Grandmaster,” Man Jiangxue said. “Those who can be appointed as the Chief Disciple are all the best in the palace, and are prepared to succeed the Sect Leader in the future. Naturally, they have priority in becoming the Sect Leader. This is something that can only be obtained through personal ability. Not just anyone can become the Chief Disciple. If you cannot be replaced by someone else, the Sect Leader will appoint you as the Young Sect Leader according to the palace rules. That would be perfectly justified.”

Ji Wanshu was silent for a moment: "Can't there be exceptions?"

Man Jiangxue said, "Either someone can use their strength to push you out of the position of chief disciple, or you can persuade the sect leader to choose someone else. But as it stands, no one among your peers can surpass you in swordsmanship. And Zhilan, who was originally qualified to be chosen as the young sect leader, has had an accident. So who do you think is more suitable than you now? In addition, it's not enough for just you to think it's suitable; the sect leader and everyone in the palace must also agree."

Ji Wanshu pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked at Yin Qiu and said, "Since Senior Sister Ye is no longer being considered by the sect leader, then Yin Qiu... Yin Qiu will do, won't she?"

Yin Qiu nearly choked on her words, and stammered, "Me? Senior Sister, are you kidding me...?"

“I’m not joking, I’m serious,” Ji Wanshu said solemnly. “Don’t think I’m ignorant just because I’m in seclusion. You deliberately lost to Fu Xiang at the new disciple assembly back then, didn’t you?”

Yin Qiu looked embarrassed and hesitated, saying, "This..."

“Fu Xiang was able to become the young master of Mingyue Tower thanks to you. The two of you have always been evenly matched, and it’s not certain who will win or lose,” Ji Wanshu said. “If she can become the young master of Mingyue Tower, why can’t you become the young head of Yunhua Palace?”

Before Yin Qiu could answer, Ji Wanshu immediately continued, "I've heard a lot about your deeds since I came out of seclusion. Ever since the new disciple conference that year, you've been challenging people from all the major peaks in the palace to spar and compete, and you haven't lost a single time. What does that mean? It means that you've already achieved what the sect leader wants: to be invincible. So it's not unreasonable to give you the position of chief disciple."

Yin Qiu was shocked and quickly waved his hand, saying, "Senior Sister, please stop. I have never associated myself with the title of Sect Leader. Besides, even if I can beat others, I can never beat you. With Senior Sister's outstanding performance as an example, how could the Sect Leader possibly look up to me?"

Ji Wanshu said, "You can even resist those secret guards, what are you belittling yourself for? I've studied for so many more years than you, it's not surprising that my skills are superior to yours."

Yin Qiu smiled bitterly: "That's because the secret guards didn't really try to kill me. Otherwise, I would have been dead long ago. This is really not something to brag about. With your talent, even if we practiced martial arts at the same time, I wouldn't be your match. Besides, in the past few years, there have been several new talents who have won the new disciple competition in the palace. I haven't competed with them yet. I can't bear the title of being invincible yet."

Ji Wanshu couldn't help but feel flustered again, and said in annoyance, "Then what should I do? Besides you and Senior Sister Ye, I really can't think of anyone else right now." After she finished speaking, she cast a pleading look at Man Jiangxue again, "Uncle, are you really not going to help me persuade the sect leader?"

Man Jiangxue looked at her and said, "I see that you are much more composed than before after you came out of seclusion, and you are more organized in doing things. With Zhilan helping you, you don't need to worry much about being the sect leader. Since that's the case, there must be a reason why you are so resistant."

Ji Wanshu paused, a hint of unease flashing across her face. She remained silent for a moment, as if she had something to say, but ultimately couldn't bring herself to speak.

Seeing that she hesitated to speak, Man Jiangxue did not press her further, but said slowly, "I will do my best, but whether the sect leader can agree is beyond my control, so don't have too high expectations."

Ji Wanshu was relieved and replied, "Then thank you very much, Uncle-Master."

After the conversation ended, Ji Wanshu lost her appetite and instructed her disciples to send a meal to Wen Chaoyu and Xue Tan. Then she bowed and took her leave of Jingyue Peak.

After Ji Wanshu left, Chenxing Palace quieted down. Yin Qiu didn't enjoy the meal very much, so he put down his chopsticks and said to Man Jiangxue, "Uncle-Master, I'm very sleepy. Let's take a bath and go to bed early."

Man Jiangxue hummed in agreement, then switched to another spoon, scooped up some rice, and brought it to Yin Qiu's lips, saying, "Eat your rice first."

Yin Qiu observed her subtly and said, "I've finished eating."

Man Jiangxue gestured for her to open her mouth, so Yin Qiu had no choice but to swallow the mouthful of rice. Man Jiangxue said, "Weren't you still hungry?"

Watching her feed her, Yin Qiu tried to say naturally, "No, I'm full."

Then Man Jiangxue placed the rice bowl on the table, suddenly got up and walked towards the bedroom, saying as she walked, "Eat this bowl of rice first, don't leave any."

Yin Qiu was a little confused, but she obediently picked up her rice bowl. Only after she finished eating did she hear Man Jiangxue say from the inner room, "Come in."

Yin Qiu almost doubted whether Man Jiangxue could see her clearly through the curtain. She lowered her sleeves and put her right hand behind her back. When she lifted the curtain, she saw Man Jiangxue sitting by a low table, fiddling with something.

Yin Qiu looked closely and saw that she was holding a medicine box and was rummaging through it for bandages and medicine bottles.

Upon seeing this, Yin Qiu was taken aback for a moment, then quickly put the curtain back down and said, "I'll go check the hot water in the bathhouse first..."

Before she could turn around, Man Jiangxue raised her hand and sent a palm strike, the curtain instantly flying high and blocking Yin Qiu's path once again.

Yin Qiu knew things were going badly, but she still forced herself to turn around. Man Jiangxue looked at her calmly, shook the medicine bottle in her hand, and said in an extremely indifferent manner, "If you don't apply the medicine properly, don't even think about taking a bath or going to sleep."