Chapter 233 I'll pay you back what I owe you.

Their eyes met, and memories flooded back. Ajiu smiled at Guan Ye, her smile as bright as a rising sun illuminating the entire hall.

"Young Master must hate me to the core," Wushuang said mournfully. "It's my fault. I'm the one who killed Jiang Muyun."

Guan Ye withdrew her gaze from A Jiu. "Jiang Muyun died in the furnace, and the young master was deeply grieved, but he never blamed you. If he truly hated you, he would have made me find you to pay for Jiang Muyun's life, but he didn't. He wanted you to leave, and he was willing to... let you go."

"To me? Let go..." Wu Shuang's usually calm eyes suddenly showed some unease. She seemed to understand Guan Ye's words, yet she couldn't believe it.

Guan Ye stared into Wu Shuang's sparkling eyes, "You are exceptionally intelligent, and even after I've explained it to you this much, you still don't understand?"

Wushuang's gaze froze, then she suddenly raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Impossible! Young Master loves Jiang Muyun. My sister has been with him since she was less than ten years old. How could I possibly hope for the affection between them? Guan Ye, you're lying to me!" Wushuang said angrily, pointing at Guan Ye. "If you dare to lie to me, I'll kill you."

Seeing Wushuang's sudden change of expression, Mu Chenbi became nervous and was about to step forward to protect Guan Ye when Feng Shisan hurriedly grabbed him, signaling with his eyes not to panic. Wushuang was just bluffing and wouldn't really take Guan Ye's life.

“I asked Pei Bi.” Guan Ye showed no signs of nervousness from being threatened, and spoke calmly and slowly. “After the young master became disabled, he stopped showing himself to others and became more and more withdrawn. Until he met Jiang Muyun, who came to deliver the shells, she brightened the young master’s life. The young master kept her by his side to keep him company, and he gradually became more cheerful. It is true that they have been together for many years, but this is out of loyalty, not necessarily romantic love.”

"Loyalty, not love?" Wushuang murmured to herself, her eyes flickering between light and shadow. "Impossible. Young Master loves Jiang Muyun terribly. I can feel it... It's not loyalty, it's love, it's love..."

Guan Ye tentatively reached out to touch Wu Shuang's shoulder, "Did you ever think that the young master's love was awakened because of you? Even he himself didn't know, didn't even know for sure... that the person he truly fell in love with... was you."

—It was…me… Wushuang’s ears were buzzing, and he could no longer hear anything.

"You said it yourself, Jiang Muyun is determined to leave Canglang Island. She doesn't have any special feelings for Pei Chu. Young Master is sensitive and perceptive, how could he not notice? The reason Young Master is so deeply involved is because of you. You and Jiang Muyun took turns accompanying him. You admire Young Master, and even if you try to suppress it, you can't hide it. Young Master's feelings were born because of you. He thought that the person who was with him day and night was Jiang Muyun, but later he realized... It was Jiang Muyun who was aloof from him, but the person who was truly in love with him was someone else, you, Wushuang."

"It's me...it really is me?" Wushuang burst into tears, her sobs shaking the entire Zetian Hall. "The person in the young master's heart is me, it's me! Why, why did I have to leave him...I shouldn't have left, I won't leave the young master!"

Guan Ye stretched out her hand to Wushuang, "Young Master asked me to find you. He knows that one day you will return, return to his side. Wushuang, come to me."

"—White flames." Lou Cangyu suddenly realized something. "How exactly did it burn like that? How could Jiang Muyun have...?"

“If I’m not mistaken,” Guan Ye answered for Wu Shuang, “Lu Chaoge left behind all her life's knowledge in the mine. Wu Shuang is a rare forging prodigy. During her time hiding in the mine, she learned everything. Don’t forget, she also stayed by the young master’s side for several years. With the help of the Sword Pavilion’s collection of books, rekindling the white flame wouldn’t be difficult. She didn’t replace Jiang Muyun, but she left the secret formula for rekindling the white flame to Jiang Muyun. She thought that even if Jiang Muyun was taken to the top of the Heavenly Furnace, as long as the secret formula was thrown down and the white flame was rekindled, Jiang Muyun could still survive. What she didn’t expect was…”

Guan Ye sighed deeply, "Pei Yuan wanted more than just the Meteor Sword; he also wanted the lives of those who sacrificed themselves for the furnace... He never intended for Jiang Muyun to live."

"Why!" Feng Shisan asked in surprise.

“Because,” Guan Ye said, “Pei Yuan’s heart is with Rongdu. He has been hoping to return to the capital for a long time. He believes that his son’s will has been worn down by Jiang Muyun. As long as Jiang Muyun is around, his son is willing to live a carefree life on the island. He thinks that only when Jiang Muyun dies will his son take the Meteor Sword and go to Rongdu with him. With the Pei family father and son of one mind, the revitalization of the family will be just around the corner.”

“So…” Feng Shisan’s voice fell sadly, “at the very beginning of the story, Jiang Muyun’s fate was sealed.”

Guan Ye raised her eyes and looked directly at Mu You, a long-hidden flame igniting in her bright eyes. "Yes, looking back now, we could foresee Jiang Muyun's inevitable death from the very beginning. Thirteenth Young Master, where should we begin the story? Who delivered the meteorite to Xingguo Ward? Who forced Lu Chaoge to Canglang Island? Who deceived the Ma family with a forged edict, fabricating the Blood Crossbow case and beheading hundreds of people from the Five Wards? And who, twenty years later, used Xingguo Ward to destroy the evidence and then silenced the living by discarding them after they had served their purpose?"

Having said all that, Guan Ye didn't care about being pierced by a thousand arrows anymore. She angrily pointed at Mu You, who was trying to remain calm on the dragon throne, and asked, "Your Majesty, is that you?"

Cui Jin's single eye trembled. He blinked hard, as if trying to see Wushuang more clearly. He knew that the eldest young lady and the fourth prince had secretly pledged their lives to each other, that the two were inseparable that night, while he was in unbearable pain. On the run, he noticed the eldest young lady's unusual condition. When he went to get medicine, he inquired and learned that it was a prescription for replenishing qi and stabilizing the pregnancy. The eldest young lady... was carrying that man's child. Cui Jin knew, Lu Xiaoyun knew, they all knew that Lu Chaoge had given birth to that man's child, but no one knew... not one, but twin sisters, both named—Muyun.

“You are… the eldest young lady’s daughter.” Cui Jin managed to squeeze out the words. In his single eye, this face did not resemble the eldest young lady he had been dreaming of. If there were even a slight resemblance, he would have recognized her at a glance. Wushuang’s face was more like her father’s, as handsome and dashing as her father in his youth, unforgettable at first sight.

Suddenly, Cui Jin let out a bloodcurdling roar, the sound like a blade slicing through his throat, sending chills down the spines of all who heard it. "The eldest young lady's daughter! The eldest young lady's daughter!" Cui Jin's single eye was bloodshot. The meteorite he had personally delivered had taken the life of the eldest young lady's own flesh and blood. That was the child the eldest young lady had risked her life to protect, who had fused with the meteorite and was now kept in a box and brought back to Rongdu by him.

"A treasure is hidden in the furnace, and the lonely island is always bright at night; if you want to know that the heavens will shake, listen to the clang of the sword."

Guan Ye could still hear Pei Yuan's long roar when the meteorite was melted. Three generations had been lying low, unable to achieve their ambitions. The meteorite could not save Xingguofang, nor could it save anyone. It was merely following the compass of everyone's fate, carrying them toward their predetermined end.

"Is this the sword?" Mu You picked up the Meteor Sword beside him. The blade was unsheathed, and a flash of blood streaked across everyone's eyes. Mu You stared intently at the blade, the bloodstains trailing along it, drawing his pale eyes to follow them. From the first glance, Mu You had fallen in love with this sword. Every time he placed his palm on it, he could feel the warmth hidden deep within the blade through its coldness. Mu You had originally thought that the forging of the Heavenly Furnace had concealed the fire within, but little did he know that what was hidden within the blade was not a fire, but a captivating sword spirit, his and Lu Chaoge's daughter, Mu Yun.

"I really like this sword." Mu Youcang moved his eyes closer, murmuring as if to himself, "The first time I saw it, I felt like I had seen it somewhere before, as if I had obtained it somewhere before... Where have I seen it before... I've racked my brains but I can't figure it out. Maybe it's because I really like this sword too much. A meteor fell from the sky and forged it into a divine weapon, the Meteor Sword, my favorite sword..." Mu Youcang ran his fingertip across the swaying bloodstains, and suddenly felt a sharp pain. In a daze, his fingertip was cut by the blade, and large drops of blood fell onto the blade.

Mu You looked closely and saw the blood droplets trailing along the bloodstains on the blade, then suddenly seeping into the blade and merging with the bloodstains.

"This..." Mu You was somewhat at a loss. "Did you see it?" Seeing no one answer, Mu You pulled over the Eagle Guard, pointed at the sword, and said, "Did you see it?"

"I didn't see anything."

"You, you, and you!" Mu You grabbed several people, "Did you see that?"

"We didn't see anything."

"My blood," Mu You looked at Cui Jin pleadingly, "how could it have gotten into the Meteor Sword?"

Cui Jin hissed and laughed, "This is not the Meteor Sword, this is the Flesh and Blood Sword. The sword contains the spirit of blood, so it becomes a soul weapon. The soul trapped in the sword is the young lady's daughter, so she is also your flesh and blood. She has the same blood as you, so what's so strange about blood merging?"

A sword imbued with blood and spirit becomes a soul weapon… Mu You recalled how, on the Heavenly Furnace, she lost control, as if pulled by some unseen force, nearly falling into the furnace… It was her, it was her! The vengeful spirit of the one who sacrificed themselves for the furnace had come to claim her life…

Overwhelmed with fear, Mu You roared and threw the Meteor Sword down violently. "This sword is malevolent and must not be kept! Where is the inner workshop? Melt this sword immediately and bury the molten iron deep underground, never to see the light of day again."

When he shouted "Where is the Inner Palace?", no one answered for a long time. Enraged, Mu You stepped on the Meteor Sword and his pale eyes fell on Wushuang's face.

Gazing at his lost treasures scattered across the sea, Mu You felt no joy at their return. His eyes were cold, as if he didn't care about kinship. They were Lu Chaoge's daughters; one had become a swordsman in the inner palace, serving the country, while the other had been forged into the Meteor Sword, as elusive as a ghost. If he could, Mu You would rather they had vanished without a trace, or had never existed at all.

"You." Mu You couldn't even pronounce Wushuang's name. "I order you to melt down the Meteor Sword and bury the molten iron deep underground."

Wushuang raised an eyebrow and looked at the person who was supposed to be the "father," saying, "One of your daughters sacrificed herself for the sword. This is not just a sword; she is Jiang Muyun."

"She tried to kill me." Mu You looked alarmed and suddenly trembled. "From the moment I saw the Meteor Sword, she has been entangled with me. At the top of the Heavenly Furnace, she lured me to fall into the furnace. I almost... was killed by her. I melted her. I order you to melt her."

Wushuang pointed at her own face with her finger, "I am also your daughter. Now I am standing in front of you. You let your daughter watch her sister die because of the meteorite. She turned into a sword spirit and forged the Meteor Sword. You want me to melt the sword. You not only want her to be reduced to ashes, but you also want her soul to be scattered."

As Wushuang spoke, she picked up the Meteor Sword. This was the first time she had ever seen it forged since its creation. On Canglang Island, she had heard Lou Shitou say that although the Meteor Stone had melted, Xingguo Workshop was still helpless in forging swords. Indeed, flesh and blood were unpredictable; who could forge them, who dared to forge them? Under heaven, besides the successor of Tianhu Workshop, who else could do it? That night, she secretly sneaked back to Xingguo Workshop. The ninth day of the ninth lunar month was approaching, and Lu Xiaoyun's ship was about to arrive as promised. Before parting, she wanted to see Jiang Muyun one last time… one last time… the Meteor Stone.

Wushuang saw it. She saw Guan Ye forging the sword. She actually dared... and actually managed to forge the Meteor Sword. Her movements weren't particularly skillful, but every action carried an innate talent. It was clearly her first time forging a sword, yet it seemed as if she had practiced countless times. The Meteor Sword was completed. Guan Ye gazed intently at the blade, her pupils becoming unfocused as she saw something. Wushuang knew that Guan Ye had seen Jiang Muyun. Jiang Muyun was inside the Meteor Sword, smiling down at everyone.

Just like myself right now.

Wushuang was pulled along by the bloodstains swaying on the sword blade, which gleamed coldly, reflecting Jiang Muyun's beautiful face. Her eyes were bright and gentle, and she smiled at Wushuang, saying, "I have finally seen you again."

"Sister," Wushuang murmured, "I'm here."

"Sister." Gazing at the two dimples in the blade, Wushuang shed tears, which rolled back and forth on the blade like pearls. Suddenly, the sword tip tilted, and the tears rolled to the ground. Wushuang held the sword horizontally, about to slash at her neck. "What I owe you, I will repay."