Chapter 23 A Glimpse of Beauty A glimpse of beauty, like an old friend returning...
Since that snowfall, the weather has gotten colder and colder. Perhaps because of its coastal location, Zhuanglan's winters are always very damp and cold, making people particularly uncomfortable.
On the second day after Xiao Shan stayed at Zhang's house, even though Zhang Yuanqian didn't say a word, Huo Qin and Xi Bingyi could still feel the tense and serious atmosphere at Zhang's house.
Xi Bingyi rested her chin on her hand and looked out the window of the house at the Zhuiying Sanyun Pavilion.
Through the cramped windows, even this magnificent pavilion appears as a small, insignificant piece.
Just then, Huo Qin knocked on the door.
Xi Bingyi knew perfectly well who it was. She yawned and said, "Come in."
Huo Qin got straight to the point, stating his purpose directly: "The Zhang family has a distinguished guest, who appears to be an important official of the imperial court."
Xi Bingyi was silent for a while, then said with difficulty, "Could it be that the imperial court heard Xi Heqin's words about 'for the emperor'?"
Huo admired her amazing thought process, and looked at Xi Bingyi speechlessly upon hearing this.
As江湖人士 (jianghu figures), they naturally did not want to have any involvement with the imperial court. Now, the situation is complicated and there are even more variables, which makes both of them want to withdraw.
Xi Bingyi sighed, "I hate dealing with the imperial court. Why isn't my senior brother back yet? I really want to leave."
Huo Qin stroked his chin: "I think we don't need to leave so soon."
"It seems that the Zhang family's troubles were all caused by the person above them, but to me, it seems that there is another mastermind behind it all."
"The fact that they were able to make a move when Zhou Ziheng and Xu Yi had both disappeared suggests that the imperial court did not receive the information."
Xi Bingyi and Huo Qin exchanged a glance: "You mean... there are martial arts forces involved?"
Huo Qin nodded, took out a thin blade from his pocket, and handed it to Xi Bingyi to see.
Only then did he reveal his true intentions.
"Take a look at this thin blade. Does it seem familiar?"
Xi Bingyi's gaze fell on the plum blossoms on the blade, and her expression suddenly changed, turning gloomy in an instant.
"This is... Plum Blossom Manor?!"
...
Zhang Yuanhan has been busy lately. Faced with the rise and fall of his family and the change of power, he has no time to think about entertaining Huo Xi and his companion, and has long forgotten about his brothers in the martial arts world.
However, even in such a critical moment of life and death, he still had one very important thing to do.
At the very bottom of the Zhuiying Sanyun Pavilion, there is a secret room known only to the two Zhang brothers.
In the very center of the waterside pavilion, on the floor inlaid with gemstones and decorated with intricate cloud and water patterns, lies the only hidden mechanism.
Zhang Yuanhan gently twisted the gemstone on the floor, and just like that, a dark passage leading underground slowly appeared in the waterside pavilion.
He didn't linger; in fact, he seemed rather anxious, and naturally, he didn't notice the two people lurking suspiciously on the top of the waterside pavilion.
After Zhang Yuanhan walked down the dark passage, Huo Qin and Xi Bingyi followed him in like thieves before the mechanism closed.
The passage led downwards, adorned with luminous pearls on both sides, but the light was dim, barely illuminating the path beneath one's feet.
Zhang Yuanhan walked very fast, going downhill and downhill until the path gradually leveled out and a dark room came into view, at which point he slowed down.
In the darkness, he took a deep breath and pressed his hand firmly against his heart.
After a long while, Zhang Yuanhan finally made up his mind and slowly pushed open the door.
With a creak, the door to the dark room was pushed open, followed by a strong stench of blood.
Despite the nauseating smell, Zhang Yuanhan actually smiled.
Although it is called a dark room, it is as bright as day.
Before me lay a blindingly bright "daylight," almost ethereal. Even in this extreme brightness, a sense of unreality and detachment arose.
Behind him, the narrow passage was swallowed up in the dim, ambiguous shadows.
Zhang Yuanhan stood on this clearly defined line where light and darkness met.
He stood motionless, like a statue frozen between light and shadow.
No one knew what Zhang Yuanhan was thinking. He paused silently for a moment, then revealed a cruel and gleeful smile.
He had waited for this day for far too long, so long that even now, he still found it hard to believe.
Zhang Daolin is dead!
Zhang Daolin is dead!
In absolute light, Huo Qin and Xi Bingyi, who had been hiding in the darkness, finally saw everything in the dark room—
...This is a torture chamber!
There was a corpse on the chair in the very center. Its face was completely disfigured, and it looked like it had just died and had not yet decomposed.
The walls on both sides were filled with a dense array of torture instruments, polished to a gleaming shine, reflecting a cold, cruel luster under the omnipresent bright light.
Xi Bingyi almost couldn't hold her breath, and trembled involuntarily in shock!
Probes, iron hooks, shackles, iron whips...
This isn't a darkroom; it's clearly an execution ground!
However, Zhang Yuanhan seemed to be familiar with all of this. His eyes were bloodshot, but he hesitated to enter, as if he only wanted to witness how Zhang Daolin died.
He was killed quickly by Zhang Yuanqian's sword to the throat, suffering almost no pain.
Zhang Yuan sneered: "You old codger, letting you die so easily is too good for you."
"If it weren't for those despicable bastards from the Zhang clan insisting on seeing you during the decision-making process, how could my brother and I have kept you alive until today?"
“How wonderful… The Zhang family is about to be reshuffled, power will be restructured, and on this day of universal celebration, you died.”
Zhang Yuanhan started laughing as he spoke, his expression manic, no longer resembling a rich young master.
"Double happiness... I'm so happy."
...
Huo Qin and Xi Bingyi left first. As soon as they walked out of the passage, they saw Zhang Yuanqian and Xiao Shan standing side by side by the waterside pavilion.
Huo Xi: "..."
It's a bit embarrassing. What's it like to be caught red-handed after coming out of the host's secret room?
Zhang Yuanqian remained calm, showing no sign of blaming him. He simply said, "It would be best if you two didn't let my brother know."
Xiao Shan raised an eyebrow: "I didn't expect there to be such a wonderful thing in the Zhang family."
Zhang Yuanqian didn't give Xiao Shan such a friendly look. He glanced at him with disgust and said sarcastically, "How can the wonders of the Zhang family compare to the imperial palace?"
"Oh—I forgot, Lord Xiao has been in Zhuanglan for quite some time now, he must have forgotten the riches and glory of Chang'an, right?"
Xiao Shan's face was gloomy, and he began to shoo the guest away: "I have an appointment with your younger brother, why do you have to interfere?"
Huo Qin listened from the side until this moment before speaking: "Since Zhang has her own things to do, then Mei Le and I will not disturb her."
As he spoke, he grabbed Xi Bingyi and started to leave.
Xi Bingyi, however, was eager to watch the excitement, but seeing that even Zhang Yuanqian seemed to be leaving, and fearing that Zhang Yuanhan might become suspicious if he came out of the dark room and found it "crowded," she decided not to pursue the matter any further.
The three of them left together, leaving Xiao Shan behind to wait for Zhang Yuanhan.
On the way, Huo Qin asked, "Young Master, is it alright for Xiao Shan to know about the secret room like this?"
Zhang Yuanqian simply smiled: "What difference does it make whether a dying person knows or not?"
Xi Bingyi shrank back: "Then Huo Qin and I..."
Zhang Yuanqian gave her a half-smile.
He deliberately tried to scare Xi Bingyi: "What if I've already laid a trap to catch you and Zhou Ziheng in one fell swoop?"
Xi Bingyi pursed her lips and quickly said, "I have no grudge against Xu Yi. If you want to kill or fight, you have to find my senior brother! You can't kill the wrong person!"
Huo Qin: "..."
Are they really siblings who are both teachers and students?
After saying goodbye to the two, Zhang Yuanqian, having nothing to do, decided to go outside the Zhang family compound for some fresh air and get away from the oppressive atmosphere.
The flower field was lifeless in winter, except for a plum tree in the corner that was in full bloom, standing proudly alone, blooming passionately in the cold wind.
Xi Bingyi took out the thin blade and examined it again and again, as if she wanted to see the delicate blade in all its glory.
"This mark is indeed from Plum Blossom Manor... but how did it end up here?"
"Could it be that Plum Blossom Manor has gotten involved too?" Xi Bingyi frowned, completely baffled. "But isn't our family a family of blacksmiths? Why would we get involved in these feuds?"
Huo Qin's gaze was fixed on the flower field when he keenly caught a fleeting glimpse of a figure.
"Don't look at that thin blade yet, take a look over there first."
"What?" Xi Bingyi turned around and saw an extremely familiar movement technique, as light as a dragonfly skimming the water and as fleeting as a shadow!
Her voice became dry and hoarse; her mouth opened and closed repeatedly before she finally managed to say with difficulty, "A fleeting glimpse of a shadow?!"
But her light, willow-like movements disappeared from their sight once again.
Xi Bingyi's teeth chattered. She felt lost and helpless again. Some things that overturned her previous understanding and were beyond her control were happening. She trembled all over, and a strong sense of fear and retreat suddenly arose in her body.
"A fleeting glimpse of beauty... Even within Plum Blossom Manor, at most only three people could possess such a skill."
"Among the three, there was even my deceased mother."
She glanced at Huo Qin, whose expression was grave: "Now... I'm afraid we won't be able to leave."
...
When Xiao Shan waited for Zhang Yuanhan to emerge from the dark room, the other party had already composed himself, and there was nothing unusual about him.
Xiao Shan asked, "Second Young Master, is that Zhang's underground passage? What's inside? Could you please tell me?"
Zhang Yuanhan's expression turned cold. He glanced at Xiao Shan with disgust and said with a hint of coldness, "Don't meddle in other people's business, Lord Xiao."
Beneath the surface of the Zhang family's unsettled state, undercurrents surged. Zhang Yuanqian stood on the top floor of the small building, gazing into the distance, looking at the entire Zhuanglan, at the bustling and prosperous port, and at this decadent city.
Beside him, the letter Xu Yi had sent had been read so many times that the edges were frayed, and the words on it had been soaked and dried by tears, turning into crooked ants.
The radiance reflected on the glazed tiles of the Chasing Shadows Pavilion, this waterside pavilion of power ignited the flames of ambition in everyone's eyes.
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