Chapter 190 Jiang Muyun's True Identity, I've Seen You Before

Neifang

Since Cui Jin left, Wushuang hadn't spoken a single word to Lou Cangyu. Lou Cangyu wiped the sword in his hand, occasionally glancing up at Wushuang. Wushuang had been grinding mineral pigments all day, and the food had been reheated several times, but Wushuang hadn't even glanced at it.

Lou Cangyu couldn't understand. Xingguo Ward had committed a serious crime, and Ji Fang, having escaped the net, was bound to be caught sooner or later. He was merely doing a favor for the court and Cui Jin. If he knew about it but didn't report it and harbored a wanted criminal, wouldn't that implicate the inner ward? What had he done wrong? Why was Wushuang disliked by him? Feeling frustrated, Lou Cangyu grumbled and stole a glance at Wushuang. He just happened to meet Wushuang's eyes, which were sharp as blades, making Lou Cangyu shudder.

"If you can't stand it, go outside." Wushuang flicked away a speck of mineral pigment.

"No." Lou Cangyu stood up anxiously, but was about to approach when Wushuang's gaze killed him. "I didn't."

"Miss Wushuang, Boss Wanqi is here and says he wants to see you."

"Let him in."

Wan Qixi? Lou Cangyu sat down with a sullen expression. The door opened, and Wan Qixi, who was wearing a headscarf, strode in. Seeing that Lou Cangyu was also there, he raised a narrow eyebrow, signaling him to leave.

Before Wushuang could speak, Lou Cangyu interrupted, "I'm not going anywhere, I'll stay here."

"The swordsmen from the inner quarters are quite arrogant," Wan Qixi said, scrutinizing his somewhat resentful face. "It's your place to participate in the Jingwu Pavilion's meetings?"

Lou Cangyu sneered as he placed his sword on the table, meeting Wan Qixi's narrow eyes without flinching. "If it's not my turn, then it's yours, a mere ghost market vendor? Oh, I almost forgot..." Lou Cangyu then glanced at Wushuang, rubbing his ear, and said, "You two have a close relationship. If I heard correctly, Wushuang even called you... Uncle?"

"Lou Cangyu!" Wushuang's eyes flashed like sharp blades, piercing straight through Lou Cangyu's body. "You go out first." Seeing Lou Cangyu's barely concealed anger, Wushuang said in a deep voice, "Walls have ears. Aren't you afraid... that the trouble with Song Mian from last time will resurface? Go outside and keep watch."

Lou Cangyu's handsome face turned pale. Wan Qixi pointed a finger at him and said in a sinister tone, "I knew it was you who killed Song Mian. If I hadn't held Mu Chenbi back that day, you would have been in prison before Xingguofang. Death row inmates won't be kept until after the New Year. You are already dead."

Lou Cangyu angrily pushed the door open and slammed it shut, causing icicles on the eaves to fall to the ground with a clatter.

Wanqi Xi pricked up his ears and waited for a moment, then whispered to Wushuang, "How dare you keep such a treacherous person by your side?"

Wushuang bit her lip. "Some things are indeed despicable, but... at least he... listens to me, so he's still somewhat useful in the inner quarters."

Wan Qixi recalled Lou Cangyu's dazed gaze at Wushuang in the tavern and sighed, "Never mind, at least he was willing to risk his life for you. The world is going to the dogs, and people's hearts are unpredictable; it's rare to find someone with even a little sincerity." Remembering the important matters of the inner workshop, Wan Qixi lowered his voice and added, "I went to Xingguo Warehouse to transport goods as Cui Jin arranged. Guess what I found?"

"They produced extra brass."

“Hey.” Wan Qixi clicked his tongue. “You knew all along?” He suddenly realized and turned to glare at the tightly closed door. “Looks like… it was Lou Cangyu who leaked it again? I never thought that Pei Yuan’s carefully chosen adopted son would be the one who ruined Xingguo Ward.”

"Lou Cangyu merely gave them a push," Wushuang said calmly. "Xingguofang violated its solemn oath, smuggled people, harbored wanted criminals, and even used evil magic to melt stones to forge the Meteor Sword... Each of these acts constitutes a heinous crime worthy of extermination."

Wan Qixi scratched his headband, his thin face showing some unease. "A solemn oath? A solemn oath not to be broken? The island is almost extinct. After the wanted criminal, what does the child still in the womb back then have to do with the old case? Why must they be held accountable? Evil magic to melt meteorite? That's even more nonsense. Even if you threw everyone from Canglang Island into the Heavenly Furnace, you couldn't melt meteorite, let alone..." Wan Qixi looked at Wushuang, took a few steps forward, and lowered his voice, "Aren't you still alive and well? The meteorite could be melted, and it was all thanks to you..."

"Stop talking." A shadow suddenly fell over Wushuang's expressionless face, and the clear knuckles on the back of his hand turned blue uncontrollably. "It's no use saying anything now. Xingguofang... Canglang Island... everyone is doomed to die."

"They didn't even spare the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled on Canglang Island?" Wan Qixi said with some regret. "What a pity."

"He brought this upon himself," Wushuang said fiercely. "The day Pei Yuan received the meteorite, he should have foreseen this outcome. Young Master is always right, Young Master..." Wushuang's eyes reddened, "No one understands Young Master, only I... only I..."

“I know you’ve been with Pei Chu since you were very young, and you’ve been fortunate to have him take care of you all these years.” Wan Qixi pondered for a moment, “If you can’t bear to see Pei Chu die, I can go to Canglang Island and bring him out for you.”

Wushuang's eyes suddenly welled up with tears, and she turned her back to him, saying, "Young Master will never leave Canglang Island, even if it means death."

"If he can be with you, if he can see you again, he won't leave?" Wan Qixi was puzzled. On the misty beach, Pei Chu's heart and eyes were only for Jiang Muyun. How could he bear to let go? Now that there is a chance to reunite, how could Pei Chu rather die than leave?

"He's waiting." Wushuang shed tears. "Waiting..."

"Waiting for you to go back to Canglang Island?" Wan Qixi interrupted. "Does he know you won't be going back?"

These words seemed to strike a nerve with Wushuang, who let out a suppressed sob. Just as Wanqixi was about to offer some words of comfort, he suddenly heard a commotion outside the Jingwu Pavilion. Wanqixi alertly put a finger to his lips, signaling Wushuang not to lose her composure.

—"Guan Ye!?"

Lou Cangyu, who was guarding the courtyard, jumped up high when he saw who it was, and couldn't help but reach for the hilt of his sword. "Guan Ye? Is it really you? How dare you..." Lou Cangyu confirmed that there was only Guan Ye alone and no one else with her. His hand that was touching the sword quietly fell back down. "How dare you? Don't you know that the court is looking for the remnants of Xingguo Ward? How dare you walk into the trap?"

"You saw the wanted poster?" Guan Ye confronted Lou Cangyu, stepping closer. "Is my name on it? Does the drawing look like me?" Guan Ye tilted her head and pointed to her face. "You dare call me a lackey of the inner court?"

Lou Cangyu's face flushed red. He gripped the hilt of his sword, wanting to draw it but not daring to. "You're from Xingguo Ward, so you can't escape. If you're smart, turn yourself in. We've known each other for a while, so don't force me to take action."

"Just like Ji Fang?" Guan Ye looked at Lou Cangyu's hand, which was about to draw his sword. "You pointed your sword at him?"

"I didn't!" Lou Cangyu hurriedly interjected, "I didn't point a sword at him."

Guan Ye sneered, "Yes, at least you didn't kill him with your own hands like you killed Song Mian."

A cold wind howled, and Lou Cangyu trembled with fear at the words "kill Song Mian." With a swift motion, he drew his sword and pointed it at Guan Ye's heart. "Guan Ye, I don't want to kill a woman. Don't force me."

Guan Ye showed no fear, approaching Lou Cangyu's sword step by step. Lou Cangyu retreated, and for a moment, he truly wanted to kill Guan Ye with one strike. But Lou Cangyu knew that if he killed others, he could still live, but if he killed Guan Ye… Ajiu would definitely take his life, definitely…

"Not kill women?" Guan Ye repeated. "So that means everyone in Xingguo Ward, except me, can die at your hands?"

"Don't force me..." Lou Cangyu hissed in a trembling voice, "Guan Ye, don't force me!"

The door opened, and Wan Qixi knocked Lou Cangyu's sword away with one hand. "Stop! Are you crazy?"

Lou Cangyu felt like he had found a lifeline. “The remnants of Xingguo Ward dare to escape to the inner ward. Men, seize Guan Ye and take her to the Dali Temple.”

"You're really stupid." Wushuang stepped out of the Jingwu Pavilion, her crystal-clear eyes fixed on Guan Ye, and the words "really stupid" were unclear as to who she was referring to.

Wushuang… Guan Ye looked up at her face, which resembled Jiang Muyun's. They had almost identical appearances, but their eyes were completely different. Guan Ye was confused again. Was what she thought really true? Seeing Wushuang again, Guan Ye doubted that she was wrong.

"You're so stupid, Lou Cangyu," Wan Qixi added. "Don't you even know whether Guan Ye is a remnant of the enemy?"

Lou Cangyu stubbornly insisted, "She also came from outside the island, smuggled onto the island by someone. Who knows what her background is? Ma Lin is a wanted criminal, she must be too."

"So what if I am?" Guan Ye raised her neck. At this point, she had nothing to fear. She was only afraid that her death would be as light as a feather, as if she had never existed in the world. Even if she died, Guan Ye wanted everyone to know that she had been here, that she was the daughter of Guan Xiaotian, the number one blacksmith in the world. Guan Xiaotian was not a coward, and neither was his daughter.

"Listen to what Guan Ye herself said." Lou Cangyu pointed his sword at Guan Ye. "She and Ma Lin are both descendants of wanted criminals, and their crimes deserve death."

Wan Qixi sneered, "Right now, the most favored person by the Emperor's side is Ajiu. What is Ajiu to Guan Ye? Lou Cangyu, you know better than I do. And the Crown Prince considers Guan Ye a close friend. One is a favorite, the other is the heir apparent. What kind of person can't they protect? What kind of crime can't they bear? Lou Cangyu, you'd better think carefully before you make a grudge against Guan Ye. What will be your fate if you make enemies with these two?"

Lou Cangyu dared not. He reluctantly lowered his sword and lashed at the grass and trees in the courtyard in a fit of anger. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Guan Ye enter the Jingwu Pavilion so openly, and even Wan Qixi followed her in... The door was tightly closed, blocking only him, Lou Cangyu. Even now, no matter how much he did, he was still an outsider who was not truly accepted.

"You came to see me?" Seeing Guan Ye looking travel-worn and pale, Wushuang gestured for her to sit down and then turned to warm the now-cold teapot. "What do you want with me?"

“I’ve seen you before.” Guan Ye murmured to Wu Shuang’s retreating figure.

Wushuang suddenly stopped. Wanqixi took the teapot from Wushuang's hands and laughed, "What nonsense is this? You two have met before. Before the New Year, you two even met the Emperor together to present the sword."

“We’ve met before,” Guan Ye insisted.

Wanqi Xi blew on the stove fire, rubbed his hands to warm them, and said, "Inner Workshop, I was there that time too. You were shouting about Kunwu Stone outside Jingwu Pavilion, right?"

"Jiang Muyun, you know what I'm talking about, right?"