Apply medicine
Several side rooms in Wanmei Courtyard are connected.
Yunwei chose a room on the east side, with Aya next to her, while Xie Lanchen's room was in the west wing, which was a little further away.
The night was deep and all was quiet.
She blew out the candle, lay down fully clothed, and closed her eyes to regulate her breathing. Just as her consciousness was drifting off, she heard a soft "click" from the door, as if someone was turning the latch.
Who would dare to break in at night? Was it Xu E? Or was it the "real culprit" that Uncle Fu spoke of, unable to restrain himself from harming her? Or perhaps some other wicked person lurking in this manor?
Yunwei held her breath and focused her energy on her fingertips.
The door was silently pushed open a crack, and the person who entered walked very lightly towards the bed.
She clearly sensed that the person stood by the bed, and a chilling aura carrying the scent of night dew spread out, his icy gaze seemingly piercing through the darkness and landing on her face.
A moment later, the man leaned down slightly, and with a cool hand, very carefully and tentatively, gently reached for her right hand, where the wound from the dagger that had been inflicted during the day was located.
Whoever comes, sneaking in at night with unclear intentions is a capital offense and there is no reason to let them off lightly.
Yun Wei suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze turning cold.
With a swift movement of her left hand, she grabbed the other person's outstretched wrist. With a crisp "crack," she crushed the wrist bone, nearly breaking it. At the same time, she pulled the person down and gripped their neck with her right hand.
She was ruthless and decisive, showing no mercy whatsoever.
In the darkness, their breaths were almost touching, nearly colliding.
By the faint moonlight filtering in through the window, Yun squinted and finally saw the face that she had so tightly held within arm's reach.
It was Xie Lanchen.
The boy's usually stern face was now filled with astonishment and embarrassment.
Yun Wei was also taken aback, then released her grip on his throat: "Xie Lanchen? What are you doing here?"
The boy, now free, couldn't help but cough twice, leaving several clear red finger marks on his fair neck.
A flash of embarrassment and annoyance crossed his face, but he quickly regained his composure, turning his face away to avoid her scrutinizing gaze. His right hand, however, was stiffly raised, with a hint of resentment, and he opened his palm.
By the moonlight, Yunwei saw that he was holding a small, round, celadon medicine bottle in his hand.
She suddenly remembered that before descending the mountain during the day, Xie Lanchen had indeed asked the two guards about the location of the nearest clinic.
So the boy left the mountain villa to buy medicine for himself?
This archenemy, who had always been at odds with her in the Guiyun Sect and saw her as the biggest obstacle to the position of sect leader, would actually do such a thing.
Xie Lanchen patted off non-existent dust from his robes, sat down beside Yun Wei's bed, and stiffly pointed to her right hand: "Give me your hand."
"He's willing to help apply the medicine?" Yunwei was about to refuse, but then she thought, since he's taking the initiative to be friendly, she might as well go along with it and see what he's up to.
She did as she was told and extended her right hand, which was wrapped in cloth.
The boy lowered his eyes, his thick eyelashes casting a small shadow beneath them, obscuring the turbulent emotions within.
He uncorked the cork, carefully picked up a little pale blue ointment with his fingertips, and gently applied it to the wound on Yunwei's palm.
The ointment felt cool and refreshing, with a pleasant scent of mint and unknown herbs. Instead of stinging, it instantly relieved the burning sensation of the wound.
Yunwei looked at his lowered eyes and focused expression, which made her momentarily dazed.
This feeling was so unfamiliar, completely different from the Xie Lanchen who was harsh, competitive, and always clashing with her.
After applying the ointment evenly, Xie Lanchen withdrew his hand and took out a clean, plain white cotton cloth from his pocket. With gentle yet efficient movements, he re-bandaged her wound and tied a tight knot.
"You left the manor just to buy this medicine for me?" Yunwei asked softly, looking at her neatly bandaged right hand.
The cool moonlight shone on her face, revealing a hint of scrutiny in her eyes.
Upon hearing this, Xie Lanchen immediately straightened his face, as if his previous gentleness was just an illusion: "It's just on the way, don't flatter yourself." He looked away, but his tone suddenly changed, and he got back to the point, "When I left the manor, I paid special attention to Xu E's whereabouts. I thought he was going to find those three loudmouthed brutes in the restaurant down the mountain."
Yun Wei's heart tightened slightly: "And then?"
"When I came down the mountain to the restaurant, I found that the three men had vanished without a trace. There were only a few overturned wine bowls on the table, and the remaining wine had spilled all over the floor and soaked the table. There were no signs of a struggle or fighting at the scene, and the tables and chairs were intact, but the three men, along with their belongings and weapons, had disappeared without a trace, as if they had evaporated into thin air, leaving no footprints behind."
"This is too suspicious. Three strong, armed martial artists, even if they wanted to leave, would never leave so cleanly and without leaving a trace. Unless..."
“Unless they were subdued and taken away instantly, without any power to resist, or they were already dead and the scene was cleaned up at an extremely fast speed, erasing all traces,” Yun Wei replied.
She recalled the misplaced jade pendant at Xu E's waist, his overly calm gaze when looking at the Lone Goose Sword, and Uncle Fu's alarmed expression.
Has Xu E's personality changed drastically, or is the "Xu E" before us not the same person who talked about swordsmanship on a snowy night back then?
Their eyes met, and they both saw the seriousness and understanding in each other's eyes.
The mysterious disappearance of those three burly men must be inextricably linked to Xu E.
"How much do you know about Xu E?" the young man asked in a flat tone. "Since you've known him for so many years, you should know his character and background."
Yun Wei thought for a moment, then said in a clear voice, "The Xu E I know is an upright, generous, and righteous person who values loyalty and friendship. Not only is his sword-making skill unparalleled, but he also has a pure and innocent heart."
She paused, then continued, "He once spent half a month, without sleep or rest, to reforge a woodcutter's knife, which had been broken by falling rocks, for a complete stranger, without taking a penny. He also took in a wandering swordsman who was being chased by his enemies, and who was lying on the roadside, seriously injured and dying, helping him to conceal his whereabouts and eventually escape danger. When I left Biyue Manor four years ago, he smiled and told me that if I ever encountered any difficulties in the future, whether it was a bottleneck in swordsmanship or other troubles, I could come to Biyue Manor to find him."
She recalled those years when, because of Xu E's kind and generous nature, she visited Biyue Manor several more times.
Xu E would excitedly bring out his newly brewed wine and invite her to drink under the moon, discussing interesting tales of the martial world and miscellaneous matters of the sect.
When she saw him helping others, she would lend a hand, handing over medicine bottles, or giving a cold look to those petty scoundrels, deterring them from causing trouble.
Seeing her troubled by sect affairs, Xu E raised his cup to clink with hers and said in a deep voice, "Do you know that a true strongman is never someone who can single-handedly support the heavens and look down on all living beings?"
Seeing her raise her eyes, he continued, "It means to remain steadfast in adversity and true to oneself amidst chaos. Even if one's light is as faint as a firefly, if it can illuminate a small part of the path ahead and dispel a bit of darkness, that is the true meaning of benefiting all under heaven."
On her last visit, Xu E's gentle and dignified mother secretly slipped a crescent-shaped jade pendant into her hand when no one was around.
The jade is warm to the touch, and judging from its patterns, it is clearly a family heirloom.
Although she and Xu E shared the same ideals and got along very well when discussing swordsmanship and philosophy, they were ultimately just friends and had no romantic feelings for each other.
On the eve of her departure, she found a moment and placed the jade pendant in the most conspicuous place on Xu E's desk.
Since then, she has never set foot in Biyue Manor again. Firstly, her sword cultivation was at a crucial stage, and she could not afford to relax even for a moment; secondly, the affairs of Guiyun Sect were becoming increasingly complicated, and the responsibilities of the senior sister were weighing heavily on her shoulders, leaving no room for slackness; more importantly, she understood the profound meaning in Xu E's mother's eyes, but her heart was set on the Great Dao, and she had no intention of getting entangled, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble.
A year ago, the news of Xu E's parents' sudden death was completely unheard of.
Such a momentous event would be impossible to keep secret even among ordinary families, let alone a prestigious place like Biyue Manor. It seems that Xu E deliberately suppressed the news.
Why would he do this? Was it to prevent the news of the incident at the villa from leaking out, attracting thieves and disturbing the peace? Or was there a deeper hidden reason?
Yun Wei hesitated for a moment before finally speaking: "The person I saw today is similar in appearance but not in spirit." She paused lightly on her knee with her fingertips. "Xu E's mother once gave me a family heirloom crescent moon pendant, which was the left petal. I did not accept it and gave it to Xu E instead. But today I noticed that this 'Master Xu' is wearing the right petal pendant at his waist."
Xie Lanchen tilted his head slightly, his fingertips touching his chin, his gaze deepening: "These are family heirlooms that come in pairs, there's no way they could be worn incorrectly. Either the imposter didn't know the details and gave himself away, or... he deliberately made a mistake to arouse our suspicion, but instead hid a deeper scheme."
The night was very deep, and insects chirped outside the window.
He glanced at the thick, impenetrable night outside the window and said coldly, "It's getting late, you should rest. The matter at the manor is complicated, we can discuss it again tomorrow." With that, he got up to leave.
"Xie Lanchen." Yun Wei suddenly called out to him.
The boy paused, his back to her, without turning around.
"Thank you for the medicine." Yun Wei paused, recalling how she had seen him several times at Guiyun Sect, hiding under the old locust tree next to the martial arts arena, his eyes shining brightly as he fixedly watched her practice her sword.
He was so focused that he didn't even flinch when she glanced at him unintentionally.
It seems the young man took this sword technique very seriously.
Yun's thin lips moved slightly, uttering a few words: "If you are still interested in the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique, I..."
"Yunwei!" Xie Lanchen turned around abruptly, interrupting her. "Do you think I applied medicine to you because I wanted your sword technique? In your eyes, am I such a greedy and opportunistic person?" With that, the young man left angrily.
Yun lowered her eyes, her gaze falling on her bandaged right hand.
The plain white cotton cloth was wrapped neatly, and the knots were tied cleanly, showing that it had been carefully prepared.
The area where the dagger had cut me during the day was no longer burning; only the coolness of the ointment remained, seeping into my skin.
The Flowing Cloud Sword Technique is one of the secret techniques of the Guiyun Sect, something many people dream of but cannot obtain. It was so easily presented to the young man, yet he refused it.
Does he really only want the future position of sect leader and disregard everything else?
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