Chapter 23

Just as things were starting to calm down at Moyuntang and Qiu Chiyan was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief, news of Shen Yu's disappearance arrived.

However, since she needed an antidote for the Gu worms, she might not be able to find all the necessary medicinal herbs in the mountains outside the town. If she went further afield, perhaps Qilong Mountain would have what she needed.

Just these past few days, a caravan from Moyuntang happened to be passing through that mountain road.

His heart sank, and without hesitation, he turned around to prepare the horse.

Yao Liuliu pressed him down: "Stop making a fuss. Just give me a map, and Gong Er and I will go find it."

“The situation in the mountains is complicated. Besides, if we really encounter someone, it would be easier to talk to them if there are people from the imperial court.”

Qiu Chiyan insisted on going, and the group didn't waste any more time in town, setting off immediately.

But just outside the city gate, Qiu Chiyan's expression suddenly changed, and he abruptly pulled on the reins, turned his horse around, and charged back.

Yao Liuliu and Gong Er looked at each other, not having time to ask, and could only turn back.

Upon closer inspection, a familiar figure was slowly walking into the city.

The figure had slightly disheveled hair and dusty sleeves, but was otherwise unharmed.

"...Shen Yu!"

Yao Liuliu shouted in the street, not caring about anything else.

Shen Yu turned around, quite surprised: "Hey? What are you guys going to do?"

"What's with this attitude of knowing nothing?!"

Yao Liuliu had a thousand words stuck in her throat, but she couldn't say them. She cursed and turned to leave.

"Shopkeeper, you scared us to death! How did you manage to walk for so many days?" Gong Er breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Shen Yu's arms and legs were intact. Only then did he notice the old woman that Shen Yu was supporting. "This is...?"

The old woman was slightly hunched over, her hair was half-white, and she was carrying a small bundle in her hand. She nodded to Gong Er and smiled obediently and ingratiatingly.

"Grandma Chen, whom I met on the road, also worked at the inn later."

"Oh, I see..."

Gong Er felt that the situation was a bit strange, but as long as everyone was safe, nothing else mattered.

"It's good that you're back. Let me carry your basket for you. You picked so much, don't you find it heavy? You can't eat medicine like food..."

“No need!” Shen Yu refused decisively. “You can take Grandma back.”

Qiu Chiyan didn't know how he dismounted or how he ended up standing there. The coolness of the reins still lingered in his palms, and his fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly.

But seeing that Shen Yu had dismissed the others, he gradually came to his senses and realized that she had something to say.

"Could we send some government officials to take a trip around Tiankun Ravine, about thirty miles outside the city?" Shen Yu asked bluntly. "They should appear around Shenshi (3-5 PM) this afternoon. Huo Ningyu's team is being blocked in that area."

Huo Ningyu's name should be known to everyone in the martial arts world.

He is the son of the current alliance leader, Huo Liao. He is low-key, gentle, and never makes enemies. Moreover, he is highly skilled in martial arts and rarely encounters difficult situations.

“There’s no need for a fight, it’s just that the situation is delicate and awkward, and someone needs to step in to resolve it. That’s why the people from the imperial court are the most suitable to appear,” Shen Yu added.

"Okay. I'll contact someone; we have people outside the city."

Qiu Chiyan didn't ask any further questions. The Hundred Gates Sacrifice Ceremony would begin in ten days, so it was best to avoid any further trouble now.

"Where have you been these past few days? Did you run into anyone? Were you injured?" His mind felt both empty and full, and he finally blurted out all the questions.

"Sigh...it's a bit complicated, let's talk about it when we get back." Shen Yu waved her hand, looking quite tired. "I guess I'm just unlucky, I ran into everything."

She turned around and glanced at the horse behind Qiu Chiyan: "You can use your hands to support yourself on it. I'll lead you and the horse back, so you can walk less."

Qiu Chiyan was stunned for a moment, still feeling a sense of unreality even after meeting the real person.

She was right in front of me, seemingly safe and sound, yet I felt uneasy about everything.

“Chen Yu…”

Before he could finish speaking, he instinctively reached out to pull her, but heard her let out a low hiss and her whole body tremble slightly.

He then noticed that there seemed to be bloodstains under Shen Yu's disheveled hair, where the bamboo basket had been pressing down.

"Hurry back, hurry back, I've been holding back for so long." Shen Yu grabbed Qiu Chiyan's arm in pain, biting her lip to keep her expression normal.

As soon as they entered the inn, Qiu Chiyan called out in a low voice into the room, "Liu Liu, come upstairs and help!"

Yao Liuliu was still angry that Chen Yu had disappeared without saying goodbye, but seeing that the two of them looked uncomfortable, she immediately stopped complaining and followed them upstairs.

As she pulled back the curtain and parted her hair, she saw that her clothes were soaked with dried blood that was almost stuck to her skin, as if they had been cut open by something small and sharp and embedded in her flesh.

"What's going on? Did you run into Mo Yuntang?"

"...What does it have to do with them? I don't even know who I fought with." Shen Yu handed over the scissors herself and turned her back to Yao Liuliu.

"Then you'll have to bear with it."

Separated by a curtain, Qiu Chiyan stood outside with his back to the light, only two blurry figures visible.

As soon as Shen Yu spoke, he almost instinctively took a step forward.

"Ouch! Ouch! Be gentle!"

“…It’s been so long since I’ve dealt with something like this. I’m rusty. Just hang in there a little longer.” Yao Liuliu complained, but her back was already soaked with cold sweat.

The clothes were cut open, but no matter what she did, she couldn't pull out the thing under the wound. It was like it had barbs, and the more she pulled, the tighter it got.

She finally muttered under her breath, "...No, I can't do this, these hidden weapons..."

Qiu Chiyan entered almost immediately, without even listening to what she was saying.

"I'll do it."

He washed his hands, took tweezers and a fine needle, and sat down behind her.

Under the candlelight, the wound was slightly red, and a thin, dark metallic sheen shone through the flesh.

"We need to dig deeper." Qiu Chiyan handed her a handkerchief to bite on.

"Then hurry up," Shen Yu said through gritted teeth, her tone decisive.

The sound of the metal blade slicing through flesh was extremely faint. Qiu Chiyan's movements were steady, ruthless, and fast, finally bringing out a small piece of the thin blade embedded with blood.

As soon as the items left her body, Chen Yu collapsed onto the table, utterly exhausted.

Qiu Chiyan silently helped her clean and apply medicine, his movements as steady as ever.

"What's going on? You went out to fight... and brought an old woman back with you?" Yao Liuliu couldn't understand it; it just didn't make any sense.

"Let her rest for a while." Qiu Chiyan wiped away the blood that had slid down Shen Yu's neck, his tone gentle and almost restrained.

But Shen Yu's desire to express herself surged again. She lay down and tilted her head: "Brother Huo led a caravan of merchants from the Northwest to Sanhe Town, but they were ambushed by a group of people of unknown origin in Fenghong Gorge. At first, they were ruthless, targeting merchants who didn't know martial arts. Later, for some reason, the group retreated, but they didn't completely leave. Brother Huo thought that the best place to get rid of them was Tiankun Gorge, preferably without losing a single soldier."

"What about that old woman?" Yao Liuliu tried to sort out her thoughts, but she couldn't quite figure it out.

“I met Grandma near Fuming Village on my way back; she has nothing to do with this.” Shen Yu’s tone grew even heavier. “Her husband beat her, so she ran away hoping to seek refuge with her youngest son, but her son also…”

She tilted her head, unwilling to elaborate on the embarrassing situation of others.

"Grandma walks slowly, and Brother Huo isn't in a hurry, so I accompanied Grandma back little by little."

After thinking it over, Yao Liuliu found the reason to be sufficient and silently forgave her in her heart.

Shen Yu instructed, "Give any easy tasks to Grandma, and don't let her be idle."

"Okay. You should stay put for the next couple of days and not go out."

Yao Liuliu was about to go downstairs to get busy, so she gave Qiu Chiyan several meaningful glances, urging him to come with her. He ignored her, so she gave him a push and quickly left downstairs.

The room fell silent for a moment.

"Have you almost finished dealing with things at Moyuntang?" Shen Yu lazily got up and leaned back against the bed frame.

"They're getting impatient. They're fighting amongst themselves for trade routes and shops, and their reputation is ruined. Yesterday, the news of them using witchcraft to control people was released, and today... there should be some movement."

Qiu Chiyan said in a low voice as he gathered and washed the pile of bloodstained cloths, needles, and tweezers. The sound of water was soft and intermittent, mixed with the bitter smell of herbs.

"Aww..." Shen Yu responded lazily, clearly only wanting to hear the result. In this situation, there was probably no need to use the Gu worm medicine.

“These past few days…” Qiu Chiyan held the hidden weapon, his knuckles turning slightly white from gripping it, and suddenly spoke with difficulty, “Before the Hundred Gates Sacrifice is over, is it possible to stop getting involved in those matters?”

But he regretted it as soon as he said it.

He couldn't bring himself to tell Shen Yu directly, like Yao Liuliu did, "Be careful and don't go out," yet he was unwilling to say nothing at all. Asking for a discussion was even stranger.

“I didn’t get involved, but…” Shen Yu also started to think seriously, “Many things are inevitable, but since they’ve come, there’s no way to avoid them. If you avoid them for a day, they’ll just happen again. It’s better to just face them head-on.”

Qiu Chiyan's Adam's apple bobbed, wanting to retort, but he couldn't find the right words: "...I just hope that you can protect yourself."

"Of course, but this time it really wasn't my fault." Shen Yu answered readily, but the next second when she mentioned the situation, she stood up excitedly, her wound pulling at her skin, and she hissed and gasped.

“…Slow down.” Qiu Chiyan’s hand subconsciously rose, but stopped in mid-air. His fingertips stiffened for a moment before he finally put his hand down.

Shen Yu paused for a moment, then her tone became lighter again: "The other party didn't intend to get involved with Brother Huo, and only attacked the unarmed. There were two people in front of me who couldn't protect themselves. I couldn't protect one and abandon the other, so I had to take a hit for one of them."

Qiu Chiyan looked at her, hesitant to speak, all his unspoken words turning into a sigh.

"Once I've finished overseeing things at Moyuntang these past few days, I can come back. Then..."

He found it hard to say it.

Yesterday I received a letter from my master. He was invited to come and observe the Hundred Schools' Sword Offering, but after the event, they will have to return to the capital together.

In other words, he can only stay in Sanhe Town for a maximum of one month.

"Do you want to go see the Hundred Gates Sacrifice Blade?" Shen Yu asked him, her eyes full of anticipation, before he could finish.

"I…"

"Go ahead, it should be really good. I've only seen it from afar once before, and it happened to coincide with the competition between the Qinglan Sect Leader and the Zhenyue Hall Master. It was very exciting! But the opening was boring, so I'll skip it and wait until after the main competition."

Looking at her radiant appearance, Qiu Chiyan finally couldn't bring himself to refuse.

"I'll probably observe from the sidelines as a member of the Six Doors, and I'll reserve a good spot for you when the time comes."

"Okay! Thank you, Officer Qiu!"