Chapter 21

The long-awaited warm sun broke through the dark clouds and reappeared in the sky and earth. The thin snow on the branches began to melt, and the meltwater dripped down the branches and leaves, hitting the slippery bluestone slabs and making a soft, crisp sound.

A breeze blew, and the red maple leaves in the courtyard swayed slightly, like a crimson mist rising. The mist was mixed with falling water droplets, like the splashing of a clear spring, pleasing to the ear and the eye.

A touch of dark blue emerged from the maple forest and stopped at the entrance of the small building.

Wen Chaoyu was soaked to the bone, her straw hat covered in melted snow. She took off the hat and shook it, revealing her face exposed to the sunlight. Her face was unadorned, yet it shone with a radiant glow. Her deep features contained both feminine grace and a rare air of heroism.

"Where did the news come from?" Wen Chaoyu put her straw hat back on, concealing her bright eyes and eyebrows.

"It's all over the martial arts world," a subordinate standing below replied. "I heard that Shen Mandong has already shown herself, and that the Holy Sword is on her."

"Is the news reliable?" Wen Chaoyu asked.

“My subordinates heard it with their own ears,” the subordinate said. “The Protector must report to the Master immediately. If the Holy Sword is indeed in Shen Mandong’s hands, we must not let Yunhua Palace seize it first.”

After pondering for a moment, Wen Chaoyu dismissed the subordinate and then turned around to knock on the door, saying, "Master? I have something to tell you."

The building was filled with the laughter of women as usual, and the familiar incense lingered in the air. Wen Chaoyu waited outside the door for a while, and when she heard the noise inside subside, she heard Nangong Min's voice coming from afar, saying, "Come in."

The main hall was shrouded in mist, with crimson gauze curtains hanging everywhere. The women were nowhere to be seen, and it was as quiet as if no one had ever existed.

Behind the heavy curtains, Nangong Min, dressed in a red dress, reclined on a chaise longue, flipping through a book in her hand. Without looking up, she said, "Shen Mandong really did show up?"

Wen Chaoyu hadn't eaten breakfast. She picked up a piece of fruit from the table, took a few bites, and mumbled, "That's what they say, but no one in the sect has seen her. They've only heard about it."

"Heared?" Nangong Min chuckled. "I heard before that the child was dying, and now I hear that Shen Mandong has shown up. Nothing is certain. Why are you telling me this?"

Wen Chaoyu knew that she was subtly criticizing her for her poor handling of the situation, but she did not refute it. She simply said calmly, "The news in the martial world is a mix of truth and falsehood. Who knows what Yunhua Palace is up to? Didn't you, the leader, say that I have to report to you about any slightest movement? Do you think I'm obedient?"

“With your intelligence, how could you not see Yunhua Palace’s intentions?” Nangong Min threw down the booklet, stood up, lifted the curtain, and came out. “Xiao Qi has already written a letter. The child is doing very well in the palace and is not sick at all. Since she is not sick, Shen Mandong will not show herself easily. As for whether the Holy Sword is in her hands, it currently depends entirely on Xie Yijun’s words.”

Wen Chaoyu said, "But there's no smoke without fire. If no one saw Shen Mandong, how could this news have spread?"

“Maybe Yunhua Palace made it up themselves? Xiaoqi’s letter mentioned that they took people to Jincheng, probably to pick up Shen Mandong,” Nangong Min said. “But if they really went to pick up Shen Mandong, they wouldn’t have made it known to everyone. Xie Yijun is clever in her own way, but she is extremely stupid and thinks I am just as stupid as her. It’s amazing that she could come up with such an obvious trap.”

Wen Chaoyu looked at her, then threw away the half-eaten fruit in her hand and said, "So what are your plans? To hold back?"

“It’s pointless to stay still,” Nangong Min laughed. “Xie Yijun’s release of false information is not to lure us into a trap, but to take the opportunity to find out our spies. If I don’t move, it will prove that someone is secretly reporting us. Only by taking action and going with the flow can we prevent Xie Yijun’s plan from failing.”

Wen Chaoyu gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "So how do we move it?"

Nangong Min took a few steps closer to her and said with a smile, "They will definitely find someone to impersonate Shen Mandong and make a fake holy sword. Since that's the case, let's do the same. Isn't Xie Yijun eager to find Shen Mandong? Let's send her a Shen Mandong."

At that time, both sides will have a fake Shen Mandong and a fake holy sword to confuse the public and add fuel to the fire. In this way, Xie Yijun will not be able to identify who the undercover agent is, and will only know that Nangong Min is dealing with a trick.

Wen Chaoyu asked, "Then who will impersonate Shen Mandong?"

Nangong Min looked at her with a flickering gaze and said, "Is there any need to ask?"

Wen Chaoyu was taken aback, then said with a forced smile, "I'll let it go. My injuries haven't healed yet. I don't want to get recognized and beaten up again. You're not going to descend from heaven to save me, Sect Leader."

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Nangong Min smiled meaningfully. “There aren’t many people who can beat you. I have another piece of news. Man Jiangxue also came down the mountain this time, but she didn’t go with anyone else. Xiao Qi’s letter said that she didn’t know where she went. It seems that she won’t go to Jincheng, but it’s hard to say. But even if she did go, it doesn’t matter. Your precious disciple is in Jincheng right now. With her there, Man Jiangxue won’t attack you in front of her.”

Wen Chaoyu grinned and said, "What you're saying is true. Even if Man Jiangxue doesn't make a move, that girl would fight me with all her might. She's not someone to mess with."

“If she’s not someone to mess with, just kill her with one sword,” Nangong Min said. “You’ve always protected her and shown her mercy, but she sees you as a great enemy and has repeatedly ruined your plans. If you keep this seed of trouble around, it will take your life sooner or later.”

“Things are different now,” Wen Chaoyu sighed. “My disciple is no longer my disciple, and I am no longer my master. Her skills are already superior to mine. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t kill her.”

Nangong Min chuckled softly, raised his hand to lift Wen Chaoyu's bamboo hat, and traced his fingers across her cheek, saying, "Is it that you can't kill her, or that you don't want to?"

Wen Chaoyu remained unmoved, and said as she backed away, "I really can't kill him. My hand hurts even from holding chopsticks."

Nangong Min withdrew his hand, his eyes gleaming with mischief, and said, "You can't hold chopsticks well, but you hold this knife as steadily as ever." He then added, "You have a pretty face, but you usually dress up rather poorly. If you dress up properly, you could easily impersonate Shen Mandong."

Wen Chaoyu remained calm and smiled, saying, "The sect leader loves beautiful women. I know I have some looks, and I'm afraid the sect leader will take a fancy to me, so I dress like a peasant woman every day. I've gotten used to it over the years. Shen Mandong was famous for her stunning beauty back then. If the sect leader wants me to impersonate her, I really don't have that ability."

Nangong Min's eyes flickered slightly, and he said with his hands behind his back, "Since you are so unwilling, I will not force you. It is hard to guarantee that your disciple will not recognize you. It is better to find someone else."

Wen Chaoyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then heard Nangong Min continue, "But you still have to make a trip and escort 'Shen Mandong' once."

Wen Chaoyu thought to herself that the other three protectors did nothing but drink tea and steal moments of leisure all day, so why should she have to do everything? But on the surface, she obediently said, "Then what do I need to do? There has to be a purpose to put on a show, right?"

"Purpose?" Nangong Min smiled. "Killing is my purpose. Xie Yijun wants to deal with me and find out our spies, but I won't let her have her way. When you get there, kill all those disciples of Yunhua Palace. Don't leave a single one alive. I want Xie Yijun to know that my Ziwei Sect is not so easy to bully."

Wen Chaoyu said, "That's easy, I'm good at killing people."

Nangong Min patted her shoulder and said, "But you can't confront them directly; you have to show yourself in front of someone first."

Wen Chaoyu asked, "Who?"

Nangong Min looked directly at her, her red lips slightly parted: "Ji Wanshu."

·

Ji Wanshu stood in front of the tombstone and lit three incense sticks.

The mountains and forests were covered in frost and snow, a world of silver and white. The small grave mound was covered with a blanket of snow. A cold wind swept in and extinguished the two white candles.

"Second Miss, Master and Madam have asked you to return home," a maidservant said from behind.

Ji Wanshu remained silent, watching the three incense sticks burn out before mounting his horse and galloping back to the Ji family mansion.

Before entering Yunhua Palace to learn martial arts, Ji Wanshu was a young lady from a wealthy family who lived a life of luxury. The Ji family was the most prominent family in Jincheng, with a large business, including firewood, rice, oil and salt, silk shops, gambling dens and restaurants, making them the richest family in the city.

The day was bright and clear. Although it hadn't snowed for days, the weather was getting colder and colder. Ji Wanshu dismounted at the door and walked to the main hall, where his two elders were already waiting.

"Father, Mother." Ji Wanshu bowed slightly and greeted the two elders.

Mr. Ji, holding his teacup, glanced at her and asked, "Have you paid your respects to your sister?"

Ji Wanshu hummed in agreement and said, "There are still matters to attend to in the palace, I need to go back as soon as possible."

Madam Ji quickly stood up and said, "What's the rush, Wanshu? You rarely come back all year round. Stay a couple more days and chat with your mother."

“The Ziwei Sect is making moves in Jincheng,” Ji Wanshu said. “I need to find out what they’re planning and report to the sect leader as soon as possible.”

Madam Ji smiled, took Ji Wanshu's hand, and said, "There are so many disciples in Yunhua Palace, you don't necessarily have to do everything. Since your sect leader hasn't assigned you any tasks, just pretend you don't know. Stay home a little longer, and I'll make you some of your favorite dishes."

Ji Wanshu frowned and said calmly, "What are you saying? I am the chief disciple, and I bear heavy responsibilities. How can I pretend not to know? Besides, the Ziwei Sect has been a menace to the martial world for a long time. We must be careful to guard against any moves they make. If they cause trouble in Jincheng and implicate innocent people, how can I explain it to the sect leader?"

Madam Ji looked at her with a kind expression and said, "I don't understand your fighting and killing, but aren't there government officials in the city? No matter how powerful the martial arts sects are, they are still afraid of the government. You are the eldest disciple, that's true, but the eldest disciple also has to take care of his family. You are focused on people who are not related to you, but why don't you care about me and your father?"

Ji Wanshu couldn't stand her mother's words and said bluntly, "If everyone thought like you, no one in the world would care about evil people. Those unrelated people you mentioned also have children who are maintaining peace in the martial world, and unrelated people are also protecting you. Don't say such things again."

Madam Ji looked embarrassed and chuckled awkwardly. Mr. Ji, who had been silent for a while, was furious and couldn't help but yell, "You've grown up, you've become too independent, and you're even starting to lecture your own parents!"

Ji Wanshu didn't want to argue with her father, so she said, "Anyway, I have to leave."

"Go!" Master Ji slammed down his teacup, pointed at her, and said, "Go on your way! Don't think I don't know you're obsessed with finding that demoness from the Ziwei Sect. I've told you countless times that she's someone you can't mess with! Your master-disciple relationship is over. Your mother and I have repeatedly told you not to pester her anymore, but you just won't listen!"

Ji Wanshu stood there expressionless, without saying a word.

"Do you think I don't know what you're up to?" Master Ji sneered. "A demoness from the Demonic Sect infiltrated Yunhua Palace as a spy and did so many harmful things! She was only your master for a few days, and you've been obsessed with her ever since. I ask you, what exactly is it about her that you can't forget?!"

Ji Wanshu clenched her fists silently, but remained silent.

Every time the father and daughter met, they would inevitably have an argument. Seeing that things were not going well, Madam Ji quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Alright, sir, say less. Wan Shu has finally come back for a visit."

"Did she want to come back on her own?" Master Ji grew increasingly angry, saying with exasperation, "If the Ziwei Sect hadn't come to Jincheng, would she have come back? They say a married daughter is like water spilled from a cup, but she's not even married yet, and she doesn't respect her parents at all. She values ​​that vixen more than you and me!"

Ji Wanshu, unable to bear it any longer, said coldly, "If that's how you want to think, I have nothing more to say!"

After saying that, she rushed into the courtyard without looking back.

Madam Ji sighed in annoyance and hurriedly chased after her: "Wanshu! Wait a minute..."

"Let her go!" Old Master Ji coughed angrily and shouted at Ji Wanshu's figure, "I'm telling you this right now, whether you like men or women, I, as your father, don't care. But everyone in this world is acceptable except that vixen surnamed Wen!"

Ji Wanshu suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"Master!" Madam Ji stamped her foot anxiously, "We agreed not to mention this, so please shut up and stop talking!"

"If I don't tell her, she'll never understand!" Old Master Ji leaned against the doorframe, staring at Ji Wanshu. "If you want to continue your entanglement with that vixen, then never set foot in this house again!"

Ji Wanshu's face turned cold, and she suddenly turned around and said, "If you really don't want to care about me, then don't care about anything. The matter between Wen Chaoyu and me doesn't need anyone's interference!"

"You..." Old Master Ji was so angry that he couldn't speak, clutching his chest and panting heavily.

"Wan Shu!" Madam Ji pleaded, her eyes reddening, "Do you really want to anger your father to death?"

Ji Wanshu lifted her foot slightly, but finally stopped in her tracks, gritting her teeth and saying, "It's none of my business if no one upsets him!"

After she finished speaking, she leaped onto the horse's back and rode away.

·

A cold wind blew in through the window, bringing a chill. Yin Qiu, huddled at the table, shivered for no reason.

"So, this is the third time you've received this medicine bottle?" Fu Xiang leaned back in her chair, holding three identical small turquoise medicine bottles in her hands, and looked up at Yin Qiu.

Yin Qiu held a small, pure white porcelain bottle in her hand and said, "At first I thought it was left behind by my martial uncle when he left, but now it seems it wasn't her."

Fu Xiang looked the medicine bottles over and over, then spread her hands and said, "Uncle Man has been gone for three days. Logically speaking, she should have arrived in some prefecture by now. Even if she ordered someone to deliver medicine to you, she shouldn't have come secretly at night, right?"

Yin Qiu shook her head; this was precisely what puzzled her.

After tonight, it will be four days since Man Jiangxue left the palace. Since the day she left, Yin Qiu has seen a green medicine bottle on the table every morning when she wakes up. She also went to ask the female disciple who delivered medicine for Man Jiangxue, but the female disciple said that Man Jiangxue only gave the order that one time.

In other words, the turquoise medicine bottle was not a gift from Man Jiangxue, but from someone else.

"Then who could this person be?" Fu Xiang was completely puzzled. "Do you have any other acquaintances in the palace?"

Without hesitation, Yin Qiu replied, "No, I only know my martial uncle."

Fu Xiang thought for a moment, glanced at the sky outside, and said, "Since he's bringing you medicine, this person probably doesn't have bad intentions. But the fact that he doesn't want you to see him means he must have some reason for not showing himself in front of you. If that's the case..."

Yin Qiu looked at her: "What's wrong?"

Fu Xiang snapped her fingers: "It's easy. Just pretend to be asleep tonight and wait to see who brings you the medicine."

Yin Qiu was a little uneasy: "What if he's a bad guy?"

Fu Xiang said, "If they were bad people, they wouldn't care about you so much, and they wouldn't go to such lengths to deliver medicine to you."

Yin Qiu was still worried: "But I'm scared."

“Don’t worry,” Fu Xiang said. “Just pretend to be asleep and secretly observe what that person looks like. Just don’t make any noise. I won’t sleep at night either. I’ll be listening to you. As long as you call out, I’ll come right away.”

After thinking it over for a moment, Yin Qiu could only agree: "Alright then."

When the bell rang, Fu Xiang returned to her room. Yin Qiu extinguished the candle, crawled into bed, and lay motionless with her eyes open, quietly waiting for the medicine delivery person to appear.

Time passed slowly, and apart from the constant sound of the wind, there was no other noise. Yin Qiu fought off her drowsiness and waited until midnight, but no one came. Her eyelids grew heavy, and she felt a bit scared. In the quiet environment, she gradually became sleepy and fell asleep without realizing it.

She slept soundly until dawn. When Yin Qiu opened her eyes again, she could hear the disciples moving around outside the room. She was dazed for a while before she suddenly woke up.

Yin Qiu suddenly sat up and looked to the side, where a small, green medicine bottle was standing on the small wooden table.