Chapter 138 Blood Weapons: Those Who Hold My Fate Will Never Find Peace Again

"You also think I should go?" Mu Chenbi asked in a low voice.

"Your subordinate wouldn't dare," Luo Yichen said, his face paling. "How could your subordinate presume to know your thoughts?"

Mu Chenbi looked back in the direction of the Imperial Study, "He really looks a lot like me."

"Heaven and earth." Luo Yichen said disdainfully, "You are a dragon in the sky, and he is an insect on the ground. Your Highness, please don't overthink it. It's just that the Emperor thinks he's interesting, so he's giving him face." As he spoke, his eyes also glanced at Mu Chenbi's waist, "Speaking of which, Ajiu is quite interested in your sword."

Mu Chenbi's brows relaxed, and he generously removed his sword, lovingly touching every inch of it. "Her name is Shuangye."

"Dimples?" Luo Yichen's literacy was limited, but he still understood the word "dimples." What other word could His Highness be referring to as "dimples"? Only that one person in the whole world could have it. "It was cast for you by Miss Guan."

A warm smile appeared on Mu Chenbi's lips. "She forged the sword herself and even made a special mark on it."

Luo Yichen exclaimed, "Miss Guan is a woman of her word. She has kept her promise to you. She is skilled and righteous, a true master craftswoman. No wonder you value her so much."

Skilled and righteous, a true master craftsman. Mu Chenbi smiled as he looked at the twin-dimpled swords in his hand. "Still so foolish. You saw it today, just a few words from you made people's hearts pound. If you really caused trouble..."

"Your Highness is there to support her too," Luo Yichen chuckled.

Mu Chenbi chuckled softly, "I'm leaving."

"Where to?"

“Go…” Mu Chenbi clenched his fists, “Since there’s no one to bother us and nothing to worry about, let’s go see the swordsmith who made this sword.”

Xingguofang

Pei Bi had been waiting outside the ward for a while, just to present the sword. Why hadn't he returned after half a day? Could something else go wrong? The thought flashed through Pei Bi's mind, and he slapped himself. Couldn't he have hoped for something better?

As the carriage drew near, Pei Bi felt a great weight lifted from his heart. But when he saw Pei Yuan's ferocious face, pale as paper, and realized that he had actually been carried off by the swordsman, Pei Bi inwardly cried out in alarm. His heart leaped into his throat again. Life outside the island was fraught with danger, and with such incidents happening every now and then, even his lifespan wouldn't be long enough to be cut short.

"What's wrong?" Pei Bi pulled Guan Ye closer. "Is there something wrong with the sword?"

"You're the one with the problem." Guan Ye glared at her, "I've handled every sword before, there's no problem."

"Then..." Pei Bi looked at Pei Yuan's limp body again, "Did you see a ghost?"

Upon hearing the words, Ji Fang shuddered. Fortunately, the sword servant came to his aid and prevented Pei Yuan from falling. Ji Fang looked at Pei Bi with a mournful face and said, "It's like seeing a ghost."

Pei Bi stepped forward and gave Ji Fang a flick on the forehead. "Nonsense! Do you want to get away with this? Guan Ye, you speak."

Guan Ye rubbed her cold palms together, mustering her courage to say, "Jiang Muyun...we saw someone who looks just like her..."

"Nonsense!" Pei Bi was so angry he was about to curse. "They're all utterly useless, even the shopkeeper has seen it!"

"Otherwise, why would the sect leader be so frightened?" Xiao Ma couldn't help but ask. "Under the Emperor's command, we tested our swordsmanship with the inner sect. The inner sect's swordsman, Wushuang, looks almost exactly like Jiang Muyun... Is he a human or a ghost...? Nobody knows..."

Upon hearing the words "sword test," Pei Bi thought, "A sword test is about winning or losing. It must have been a loss that angered the shop owner so much."

Feng Shisan leaned over and interjected, "You tested your swordsmanship with Jiang Muyun, and you thought you could win? Her face suddenly appeared, scaring us half to death. We risked our lives to avoid alarming the Emperor. Go ask the shopkeeper later and see who's spouting nonsense."

"Absurd." Pei Bi, though still stubbornly maintaining his composure, had lost much of his momentum. "Jiang Muyun doesn't know martial arts, how could she possibly be testing a sword? She... has already perished in front of everyone... She's dead, how could she possibly reappear in Rongdu? It's just a resemblance, no need to make a fuss..."

Xiao Ma interrupted, "It's not just similar... it's... exactly the same. The Inner Quarter is unparalleled and looks down on everyone, like a mountain spirit or monster. We were the ones who sent Jiang Muyun on his way. Which one of us wouldn't be afraid of seeing him? If Manager Pei doesn't believe me, I'll take you to the Inner Quarter to take a look."

Pei Bi forced himself to remain calm and said sternly, "Even if it's exactly the same, it can't be Jiang Muyun. Everyone, stay alert. Xingguo Fang is a place for important matters. Don't let this distract you. Do you all understand?"

"Hmm," Feng Shisan replied sullenly, slinging his sword over his shoulder. "We're not stupid."

Others may not know, but Pei Bi knows perfectly well that Pei Yuan, over fifty years old, has been suffering from years of pent-up emotions, and his health has been declining in recent years. His fierce demeanor outside is merely a facade. He has been in Rongdu for less than half a year and has already fallen ill twice. Today, he appears to be even more ill than before, with a burning forehead, trembling all over, and uttering incomprehensible nonsense. It seems that Guan Ye and the others were not lying; the workshop master must have also been frightened by Jiang Muyun… After all… burning people for the furnace is too tragic. The workshop master disregarded everything to melt the meteorite. Once the stone was melted, his inner demons arose. Pei Bi had also secretly seen the whole box of blood and flesh fluid. The fluid and bloodstains were deeply sinister, and just one glance made his heart tremble. He had many nightmares that night.

As he pondered this, Pei Bi's heart pounded. Suddenly, he sensed someone behind him. Could it be Jiang Muyun coming to find him? "Who is it?"

"Manager Pei." Guan Ye was startled by his exclamation. "It's me."

Seeing that it was Guan Ye, Pei Bi sighed and frowned, saying, "Aren't you tired after being out for most of the day? What are you doing here?"

Guan Ye bit her lip, tilted her head back and said, "I have something... I want to ask you."

Pei Bi seemed to have guessed what Guan Ye wanted to ask. He closed Pei Yuan's door, gave Jian Nu a few more instructions, dusted off his clothes, and said, "The workshop master has just rested. Let's talk at the foundry."

It snowed last night, and it continued intermittently today. The foundry was covered with a finger's width of snow, so Pei Bi gave the foundry workers a day off. The furnace fires were extinguished, and the vast foundry was a vast expanse of white.

"Ask whatever you want." Amidst the desolate landscape, Pei Bi felt a pang of sorrow for some reason.

A cold wind howled, chilling her to the bone. Guan Ye pulled her collar tighter. "Jiang Muyun... is he a descendant of Xingguo Fang, or an islander of Canglang Island? Or... is he like me?"

"None of them."

Neither? Guan Ye lowered her fingers and looked at Pei Bi suspiciously. Pei Bi closed his eyes heavily, recalling the past. He was amazed by Jiang Muyun's dazzling beauty, but also lamented the fleeting nature of time and the tragic fate of a beautiful woman. The young girl in the prime of her life perished in the Heavenly Furnace because of a stone, disappearing from the world in a tragic way.

"Canglang Island is located deep in the South China Sea, surrounded by the sea on all sides. It is hundreds of nautical miles from the nearest land, and even the fastest ship takes nearly ten days to reach the shore. The south is prone to hurricanes and tsunamis, especially in summer and autumn. The deep sea is unpredictable, and even the most experienced fishermen cannot predict the wind and waves at sea. Since I was old enough to understand things, I have seen many shipwrecks destroyed in tsunamis, as well as dead bodies washed ashore by the wind and waves..."

"Dead...living?"

Pei Biyou noticed Guan Ye's somewhat frightened expression. "You mean the survivors in the tsunami?" Pei Biyou shook his head. "I've only seen dead people. When their bodies were discovered, they had been at sea for many days. The bodies were swollen and deformed, and in the sweltering summer, they were incredibly foul-smelling. When the islanders found them, they would report it to the local authorities. According to Pei family custom, they would prepare thin coffins to bury these boat people. They were buried in the cemetery on the back mountain, just like the deceased islanders. That's considered good. Many more people could only perish at sea and be devoured by sea monsters."

Pei Bi was right. During her years on Canglang Island, Guan Ye accompanied Aunt Lou to the cemetery on the back mountain to pay respects to her husband who had died young. The cemetery occupied half of the hillside, and there were roughly several hundred graves. Aunt Lou burned paper money and said that in many years, she would also be laid to rest here. She also told Guan Ye to keep an eye on the grave next to her husband's and not let anyone take it.

Guan Ye and Aunt Lou patted their chests and said, "Don't be afraid. If anyone steals your grave, I'll dig it up for you."

—"So Jiang Muyun is…"

Pei Bi recalled the first time he met Jiang Muyun. Her name was Jiang Muyun, but... was her name really Jiang Muyun? Her adoptive mother was an old sea woman from Canglang Island. Pei Bi knew that her adoptive mother's surname was Jiang, and the islanders all called her Grandma Jiang.

When Jiang was young, she was a sea diver. As she got older, she could no longer go to sea, so she made a living by collecting shellfish. Every half month, she would deliver shellfish to Xingguo Warehouse, and Pei Bi would give her some grains in return. More than ten years passed in this way. As Jiang grew old, Pei Bi sometimes thought that it was time to prepare a coffin for her in advance.

That day, the sun rose and the sunlight was exceptionally beautiful. Grandma Jiang appeared again on the bluestone road of Xingguo Lane with her basket on her back. The difference was that this time, there was not only her, but also a little girl with her hair in a bun. The little girl was well-behaved and cute. She was not afraid of Pei Bi. Her big eyes were as black as ink and her lips were as red as cinnabar.

"Quickly call Steward Pei."

"Greetings, Steward Pei. How are you?"

The little girl's voice was clear and melodious, respectful and polite, her innocent expression endearing. Grandma Jiang told Pei Bi that the child had been swept ashore by the storm, a lucky escape, all alone, which was quite pitiful. Grandma Jiang said that she was getting old, and keeping the little girl around would be helpful. She then shakily pulled out a hidden package from behind her back, opened it with trembling hands, and inside were two large conch shells. The little girl tiptoed, picked one up, and handed it to Pei Bi, saying, "Manager Pei, I found this on the beach, it's for you."

"Alright...alright." Steward Pei accepted Jiang Muyun's conch shell and tacitly approved of Granny Jiang raising this outsider girl. "What's her name?"

"My name is Muyun." Jiang Muyun smiled innocently.

Grandma Jiang said that the little girl took her surname and was named Jiang Muyun.

“So you mean…” Guan Ye frowned slightly, “She doesn’t have the surname Jiang; she just took her adoptive mother’s surname. You don’t even know her real name.”

Pei Bi nodded. Not long after, Pei Chu happened to meet Jiang Muyun, who came to deliver shells. He was immediately captivated by her beauty, which had changed his gloomy life. From then on, he kept Jiang Muyun in the neighborhood and made her his maid.

Grandma Jiang was gratified. She was old and nearing the end of her life. Jiang Muyun was only ten years old. Without her own support, it would be difficult for her to make a living by collecting shells alone. Pei Chu was a wealthy family in Xingguo and the only son of the workshop owner. There was no better place for her than to stay by his side.

No one asked Jiang Muyun if she was willing. Pei Bi later thought that she must have been willing. The desolate island was miserable, and who wouldn't want to enter the workshop? Until Jiang Muyun died in the furnace, Pei Chu fell ill and never recovered. He asked Guan Ye to take care of Pei Chu, but the girl actually looked very unhappy.

"You've received a blessing that others can only dream of, and you're still thinking about doing work?"

Guan Ye replied: I cannot accept such a blessing.

It was only then that Pei Bi realized, perhaps Jiang Muyun felt the same way... But she still stayed by Pei Chu's side, remaining there for nearly ten years. The girl grew up, stunning the entire Canglang Island. She was so beautiful, it seemed impossible for someone to grow up on a deserted island. Everyone firmly believed that such a person would stay by the young master's side for life.

“Manager Pei,” Guan Ye interrupted Pei Bi, who was lost in thought, “you can’t bear to see Jiang Muyun die in the furnace.”

Pei Bi released a murky aura. He thought everyone regarded him as the brothel owner's henchman, and that he would do whatever the brothel owner asked him to do. Guan Ye had only known him for a few years, so at least not everyone saw him that way.

“They are all unfortunate people, how could I want her to die?” Pei Bi sighed. “The workshop master’s obsession is too deep, almost to the point of being obsessed. Since he was old enough to understand, his greatest wish has been to return to Rongdu and let the Heavenly Furnace light up half of Rongdu’s sky. To achieve his wish, let alone Jiang Muyun… even I, with my pure Yin body, cannot escape the fate of being sacrificed to the furnace.”

Guan Ye said softly, "If it were you, would you resent him?"

Pei Bi shook his head. "A century of torment with no end in sight. To sacrifice myself in the furnace is utterly absurd, but it is also my most tragic cry. I rage against the heavens for not protecting Xingguo Workshop. If I use my life to forge a blood weapon, the one who holds my life will never have peace again."

Guan Ye recalled something and said, "Just now outside the door, you said that Jiang Muyun doesn't know martial arts and couldn't possibly go to test the sword."

Pei Bi asserted, "Those bastards aren't even as brave as you. Jiang Muyun came from a humble background, entered the workshop at ten, and has been with the young master ever since. Martial arts? Absolutely not. Do they really think Wushuang is Jiang Muyun resurrected? Ridiculous!"

Wait a minute, Guan Ye suddenly remembered something, "Back of the mountain, the swordsmen were placed in Pei Chong's former residence to practice martial arts. Did Jiang Muyun send them some items?"