Chapter 147 The Covenant: I Will Never Let You Go

Who would have thought it would be to use her as a sacrifice in the furnace? If only I had known… Lou Cangyu spent a day and a night guarding outside the cell, wondering if he would have locked Jiang Muyun up in the cell if he had known she was to be captured and used as a sacrifice. Lou Cangyu thought for a long time but couldn’t come up with an answer. Did he have any other choice? If you don’t do it, there are others. If no one else does it, the sect leader will tie Jiang Muyun up himself.

You imprisoned him, you didn't kill him, so why are you agonizing over this? Everyone dies eventually. If you can really help melt the meteorite and forge it into a divine weapon, it could be immortalized.

Thinking this, Lou Cangyu felt a sense of relief and opened his mouth to say something through the tightly closed prison door. But what could he say? Perhaps it was better to say nothing.

“Miss Muyun is a good person.” Ji Fang glanced at her as well. “What do you say, shall we release her?”

Could such words really come from the cowardly Ji Fang? Lou Cangyu pretended to be deaf, "Are you crazy?"

Ji Fang stood up, brandishing the sword in his hand, and said, "A life for a sword? Are they crazy?"

"That's the Meteor Sword." Lou Cangyu pulled Ji Fang down, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily. "How can your piece of junk compare? Shut your mouth and don't ruin my life."

Ji Fang sniffled, hugged his sword, and curled up without making a sound. Lou Cangyu wiped the sword in his hand, reluctant to part with it, hesitating whether or not to do something big.

When he woke up, Jiang Muyun had disappeared from the world. The sword slaves vividly described her heroic sacrifice in the furnace, as well as the white flames filling the sky. Some people even teased Lou Cangyu, "How come you couldn't see the person you personally entrusted to us off on her final journey?"

Only now did Lou Cangyu realize that the missed opportunity that day was nothing to regret. Jiang Muyun wasn't dead; she was right beside him. Lou Cangyu turned Wushuang's face towards him, staring intently. If only he could do it all over again… if only he could do it all over again…

"If we could do it all over again," Wushuang clearly saw through Lou Cangyu's thoughts, "you certainly wouldn't want to feel guilty towards me, would you?"

"Yes," Lou Cangyu blurted out, "If I could do it all over again, I would never let you go."

Wushuang didn't seem satisfied with this answer. She straightened up and pressed her forehead against Lou Cangyu's, taking his hand and pressing it against her heart. "What will you do about those who feel guilty towards me?"

"I..." Lou Cangyu's mouth reeked of blood. He had drunk the blood wine and formed a blood oath, but what could he do now?

Wushuang saw his concerns and calmly continued, "Alliance is about sharing weal and woe and never betraying each other. Pei Yuan said that everyone on Canglang Island has one life, but they were willing to take my life for a Meteor Sword. If they can betray me, they will betray you in the future, and betray any of you... Lou Cangyu, are you still willing to form this so-called alliance with them?"

"I..." Lou Cangyu bit her lip, large beads of blood spilling out. "We'll weather the storm together, never betray each other. They betrayed you, but I won't, I never will..."

Suddenly, Wushuang touched Lou Cangyu's cold face, caressing it tenderly over and over again. She reached out and touched the corner of Lou Cangyu's mouth, tilting her head back to gently kiss the blood droplet that was about to fall. Their eyes met in the dark night, and only the two of them knew that the covenant had been quietly formed.

Imperial Palace, Imperial Study

"They're here." Mu You looked down at the memorial, holding a wolf-hair brush and working on the words. He didn't even look up when he heard the noise.

Cui Jin, shrouded in black robes, approached like a dark cloud. He calmly waited for Mu You to finish reviewing the memorials, seemingly in no hurry, or perhaps he knew that Mu You was the one who was impatient to submit the memorials.

Mu You clearly saw through Cui Jin's thoughts, and calmly put down his wolf-hair brush. His deep eyes revealed neither joy nor anger. "The Grand Preceptor is usually swift in his actions. How come it's been over a month and we still haven't received a report from him? I'm summoning him today. I hope the Grand Preceptor won't be unhappy?"

Cui Jin smiled slightly, "If I were to say that I was planning to report this to His Majesty today, would His Majesty believe me?"

Mu You smiled slightly, closed the memorial, and said, "If I didn't trust the Imperial Advisor, why would I have entrusted this matter to him? It can only be said that you and I, as ruler and subject, are of one mind."

Seeing Cui Jin glance at him with one eye, Chang Lu, who was waiting, understood and dismissed the palace servants. After closing the door, Chang Lu told the palace servants to stay away. This old servant, who had experienced a lot, knew that there must be something important to discuss in the imperial study.

Cui Jin stepped forward and bowed, saying, "His Majesty just said that more than a month has passed and there is still no news. I not only investigated the counterfeit copper coins, but also... investigated other things."

"Oh?" Mu You raised an eyebrow and immediately understood. "You suspect...them?"

“Back then, when Ma Yi went to the Three Departments to turn himself in, the matter of counterfeit copper coins was of great importance, and the Ma family would definitely be punished along with him. Ma Yi sought an audience with the Emperor, who had just returned in triumph, and took all the blame upon himself, only begging the Emperor to spare the lives of his family.”

“That’s right.” Mu You recalled, “It was a critical time. The suppression of the rebellion in Xiguan was a matter of life and death. When I returned to the capital, the entire families of the five wards had been executed because of the Blood Crossbow Case. The whole country was in a state of panic. Counterfeit copper coins were disrupting the streets, which was another blow to the court. The court was already overwhelmed by the task of arresting the remnants of the Blood Crossbow Case. If we were to thoroughly investigate the counterfeit copper coins, it would probably shake the foundation of the Great Jin. My father was seriously ill, and I was ordered to oversee the country. Mayi wanted to see me, and I was curious about what he wanted to say, so I went to the Dali Temple to see him.”

"Ma Yi confessed to the whole case and was willing to hand over all the counterfeit copper coins that had not yet been circulated. This saved the court a lot of trouble. Ma Yi said that he was responsible for all the crimes and that his family knew nothing about them. His only request was to leave his family a way out. He was willing to die quickly rather than wait until autumn."

Cui Jin nodded and said, "Yes, the late emperor was critically ill at the time, and the current emperor was entrusted with a great responsibility. He had too much to bear. He turned himself in at Mayi and handled the case smoothly from beginning to end. Killing him alone would have been enough. There was really no need to add to the bloodshed."

"And then there's the matter," Mu You continued, "Ma Yanyu, the son of Mayi, was indeed completely unaware of this case. Everyone in Rongdu knows that Ma Yanyu never touches the Ma family's coin-minting business. You could call him a playboy. I didn't think it was too much to spare his life at the time."

Cui Jin smiled and said, "His Majesty is kind-hearted, and Ma Yanyu has nothing to do with this case. It is certainly not wrong to spare his life. Besides, he is bound to be sentenced to death, but he cannot escape punishment either. The Ma family cannot escape the punishment of being implicated. Isn't this still a sentence of exile for them?"

Mu Youcang stared intently at the tattooed face of Cui Jin, his dark eyes fixed on it. "You found Ma Yanyu?"

"Ma Yanyu... is dead."

"Dead?"

Mu You paused, "How did he die?"

Cui Jin slowly said, "The纨绔 (wan ku, a spoiled brat from Rongdu) still couldn't resist pointing fingers when he arrived in Lingnan. He angered the local officials, was beaten dozens of times, and died from his injuries."

Mu You's expression remained unchanged, as if he knew that Cui Jin had not finished speaking.

"After Ma Yanyu's death, his wife accidentally fell into the water and drowned. The couple died together five years ago. I have already sent people to Lingnan to verify this."

Mu You withdrew his gaze, put his hands behind his back, and said in a deep voice, "If this was all that was found out, the Grand Preceptor wouldn't have come to report to me, would he?"

"Your Majesty is wise." Cui Jin's tattooed face suddenly turned sinister. "Although Ma Yanyu and his wife are dead, the Ma family still has descendants. After they were exiled to Lingnan, they had a son."

--"son?"

—"It is called Ma Lin".

"Ma Lin?" Mu You murmured several times. "Ma Lin, the character 'Lin' means cattail, which symbolizes endless life and unbreakable resilience. It seems Ma Yanyu is not the纨绔 (spoiled brat) I thought he was. He still has hope, and his determination to return to the capital remains undiminished." Mu You suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "You brought Ma Lin back?"

Cui Jin remained motionless and calmly said, "Ma Lin has disappeared."

"Gone?" Mu You's voice rose.

Cui Jin nodded. "Not long after Ma Yanyu and his wife died, Ma Lin went to quarry stone in the mountains one day and did not return home until nightfall. He was not seen for several days afterward. The mountains in Lingnan are high and the slopes are steep. It is not uncommon for people to fall off cliffs and die while clearing land and quarrying stone in the mountains. The officials in charge of supervising the refugees thought that Ma Lin had also fallen to his death and that there was no trace of his body, so they did not investigate further."

“Ma Lin was born in Lingnan, so he wasn’t on the list of those exiled from Rongdu back then.” Mu You’s eyes were filled with an unfathomable light. “It’s truly commendable that the Imperial Preceptor was able to find out these things. But is Ma Lin alive or dead? If he’s dead, where are his remains? If he’s alive, how did he find a home? Does the Imperial Preceptor have any clues?”

In their back-and-forth exchange, Cui Jin remained composed and did not fall behind. "A determined person does what they've set out to do. Since His Majesty has entrusted this matter to me, I must exert myself to the utmost and give His Majesty an explanation. Several years have passed in a flash. The mountains are teeming with wild animals, and countless skeletons lie scattered about. If Ma Lin is truly dead, my men wouldn't even be able to distinguish his remains. The world is vast; if Ma Lin is still alive, I cannot guarantee where he has gone..."

Mu You chuckled but didn't reply. Cui Jin could tell that Mu You wasn't satisfied with the result he gave. After a brief silence, Cui Jin dusted off his black robe. The black robe was deep and all-encompassing. A person with a heart does what they want. Cui Jin was cunning and could do what others couldn't. "I thought it would end here, but I didn't expect... that I would find a way out in another matter."

Mu Youcang's eyes brightened again, and he waited quietly for him to continue.

"The Shadow Guard has compiled the list of buyers and sellers at the Ghost Market on the day the counterfeit copper coins reappeared. Most of them are ordinary people who are not worth mentioning, but there is one family that is very well-known."

——"Xingguofang".

"It's Xingguo Ward. Guan Ye and Ajiu had been to the Ghost Market before and ordered two hundred catties of diamond powder from Wan Qixi, a man from the Western Regions. The day the fake copper coins appeared was the day they went to Wan Qixi to pick up the goods, and they went to the Ghost Market again."

Mu You pondered for a moment, then raised his eyelids to signal Cui Jin to continue.

Cui Jin continued softly, "The Shadow Guards have confirmed that Guan Ye and A Jiu paid Wan Qixi large ingots of silver, not copper coins. The trick lies in the hidden hook scheme outside the Ghost Market. The sword slaves in Xingguo Ward fell for the scheme and lost a lot of money. They were penniless, and the money they lost... was paid by A Jiu on their behalf..."

"It could never be Ajiu!" Mu You interrupted.

"Your Majesty, please calm down," Cui Jin said gently. "Of course it wouldn't be Ajiu."

It has absolutely nothing to do with Ajiu. Just by looking at his face, Mu You could tell that he was with him. Everyone in the world may have their own opinions, but not that face. Whether it's Shen Bi or Ajiu, neither of them would agree.

Cui Jinshou pulled out a scroll from his sleeve, lifted it up, and said, "The people I sent have drawn a portrait of Ma Lin based on the description. Your Majesty, take a look. Does it seem like we've seen him somewhere before?"

Mu You strolled closer. The face in the portrait seemed familiar, yet different. Mu You squinted, pondering. The person in the portrait was only about thirteen or fourteen years old. Several years had passed, and the boy had grown up. Of course, he would be different from the person in the painting, but their facial features and eyebrows would not change... The person in the painting... Mu You had indeed seen him before.

"It's him?" A fleeting image flashed before Mu You's eyes. A few days ago, during the sword-fighting competition between Xingguo Ward and the Inner Ward before the Emperor, the three fought, with two losses and one win. The victorious youth... it was him. That youth was the person in the painting. "It's him..."

Cui Jin pointed directly to the boy's face in the painting, "His name is Xiao Ma, Your Majesty, isn't that an even bigger coincidence?"

“Ma Lin? Little Ma?” Mu You chuckled softly. “He can’t even be bothered to come up with a fake name. I don’t know whether to praise him for not forgetting his roots or laugh at his stupidity. Little Ma… Little Ma? Hahahaha, Little Ma.”

Cui Jin put away the scroll. "Your Majesty, don't underestimate him. He escaped from Lingnan in his teens and even made his way to Canglang Island, becoming a swordsman in Xingguo Ward. This man must have some skill. That day before Your Majesty, he held the Xuan Tie sword, and at his closest point, he was only inches away from Your Majesty..."