Chapter 76 Murong
The world is vast and boundless, and snow falls on the spruce trees.
Sunlight filters through the snow-covered leaves, creating shimmering golden light; an occasional breeze blows, bringing a chill to the bone.
Suddenly, a distant flute melody arose, neither startling nor lamenting, but gently resonating through the spruce forest, soothing the snow-covered leaves, stirring the heart, and faintly seeming to be expressing some kind of sorrow.
"I...I cried..."
Zhang Xuan stared in shock at the teardrops on the back of his hand. Qing Yu glanced at him, and soon everyone got off the carriage.
Qin Tianshu sighed, "What beautiful flute music."
"Using strings to evoke memories and stir the heart," Lin Fanxiang's eyes reddened slightly, and she rarely looked into the distance, "Is this... the sound of Murong..."
Upon hearing this, Qingyu pursed her lips, stepped on the snow and branches, raised her eyes and smiled faintly, "The flute music has stopped, I wonder if you would be willing to show yourself."
A soft laugh came from somewhere, a woman's voice clear and ethereal.
"Today, Shangguan Da Huo has wiped out all the grudges and feuds in Youzhou City. Overwhelmed with emotion, Murong Wanzhi has come here to bid him farewell with the sound of his flute."
Before the woman's voice had even finished speaking, a rustling sound rang out, and several spirit pigeons flitted through the woods, cooing and circling around the boys, their white wings fluttering and lightly touching their shoulders.
Looking at these spirit pigeons, Qingyu murmured, "These are... Thousand Spirit Carrier Pigeons."
People in Kyushu often use carrier pigeons to send messages. Among them, the rarest are the white pigeons nurtured with spiritual energy, also known as the Thousand Spirit Pigeons. No matter the weather or the route, these pigeons can accurately deliver all kinds of messages. They are carrier pigeons that only royalty or some top clans would raise.
Murong of Youzhou... What a grand gesture!
“Young lady, you have a good eye. The Shangguan family has been wicked for a hundred years and cannot be tolerated in the Nine Provinces. However, the Northern You is vast and the journey is slow. It is unknown how long it will take for the news to spread. You are all people who have witnessed the massacre of the Shangguan family. Today, I, Murong Wanzhi, will borrow a few spirit pigeons from you to announce to the Nine Provinces the crime of the Shangguan family.”
The woman's voice was clear, calm, and gentle. Wen Chuan looked up upon hearing this.
"Did Miss Murong act on behalf of the Murong clan today, or just as a person?"
Qingyu also said, "The Shangguan family in Youzhou was wiped out, but there is still a woman named Shangguan Ming left. I heard that she once studied under Murong, so you should know her."
Once the carrier pigeon is sent out, the entire land will know what Shangguan has done, and Shangguan Ming will be completely transformed from a daughter of a centuries-old clan into a vicious and wicked heiress. In particular, her previous title of "Goddess of the Northern Lands" will seem utterly ridiculous.
Not far away, the shadows of trees swayed, snow fell on the mountain path. Murong Wanzhi put away her flute and waved her sleeve. The woman smiled gently and left, her words calm.
"Today's flute playing and dove sending were done by Murong Wanzhi alone. Whether it was for the greater good or for personal grudges, I, Murong's daughter, have always had a clear conscience."
"Snow in the far north, the road is long and the sky is far."
"Please take your time, everyone."
...
Youzhou City, Murong Mansion.
The fire at the Shangguan residence burned for an entire day, and ironically, no one in the entire Youzhou city dared to put it out.
Just as the flames truly reached the horizon, snow suddenly began to fall again, falling in a flurry, as if the snow had always been there, only the burning fire of revenge had momentarily blocked the snowfall.
The lights were already on. Inside the snow pavilion, Murong Wanzhi sat lightly on a stone chair, gazing at the sky and admiring the snow.
Before she knew it, a maidservant ran over and whispered something to her.
"Young Miss, the head of the family says you need to go to the ancestral hall..."
Murong Wanzhi chuckled softly, glancing down at the maid, "Master?"
It's utterly ridiculous that a man should be the head of the Murong clan.
The maidservant bowed respectfully, "Young Miss, it will be soon."
Upon hearing this, Murong Wanzhi slightly brushed her skirt aside. The sound of snow falling and the wind brushing past her ears, and the woman smiled calmly.
"What has Murong Wanyu been doing lately?"
Maid: "The spirit pigeons returned by evening, and Murong Wanyu is still with Shangguan Ming at Jianxue."
She paused, then added, "I heard that the Wen and Gu families... have been arguing with the madam lately..."
Murong Wanzhi frowned slightly, "Murong Wanyu hasn't returned yet? Wen Guhuaiyuan and Shangguan Ming are together again... And what's the matter with Wen Guhuaigui?"
She suddenly became interested and said to the little maid she had grown up with,
"Just tell me directly. I'd like to hear what kind of joke Jian Xuewen has made this time."
The Wen family has three sons. The eldest son, Wen Gu Huaiyuan, succeeded as the head of the family at the age of twenty and married Azhi, a Miao girl from Yizhou, at the age of twenty-two.
The second young master, Wen Guhuai, went missing at the age of ten and was found by Wen Gu at the age of sixteen. He got married this year and specially invited the Shangguan and Murong clan members to attend the ceremony.
As for the third young master, Wen Guyu, he was an adopted son. Although he had the title of a direct descendant, basically no one regarded him as a descendant of Wen Guyu.
After much deliberation, the young maidservant, somewhat conflicted and even with a hint of confusion, recounted the recent news she had received from Jianxue City.
"It is said that the First Madam, Azhi, and Shangguan Ming had an argument, resulting in both of them falling into the water. Patriarch Wen Gu and Murong Wanyu rescued Shangguan Ming together... Afterwards, when the First Madam was rescued, she was diagnosed with a miscarriage..."
"As for the second young master of Wengu, he had always insisted on not marrying, but for some reason he got married this winter. I heard that he neglected his bride on their wedding night and almost strangled her... Recently, he has grown to hate this second wife, as if he married her specifically to suffer..."
"And another thing, Miss, you don't know, but after the First Madam suffered a miscarriage, she was heartbroken, while Patriarch Wen Gu was extremely attentive to her, kneeling before her bedside every day..."
Murong Wanzhi stared in disbelief. "You, you speak slowly... Little Chacha, are you sure this is news that just came from recently...?"
If it weren't for Murong Wanyu's presence at Jianxue, Murong Wanzhi would never have known that such a thing could happen in Jianxue City... Is this something a human being could do? Did Wen Gujia mess up his brain while practicing his sword...?
The maid called "Little Chacha" pouted and looked up.
"It's true, that's what it says on the note. I heard that things have been particularly chaotic in Wengu lately, and since the Yunzhou incident, the Wengu family head has been even busier."
Murong Wanzhi exclaimed in amazement, "I remember, that lady was the eldest daughter of the Miao ethnic group in Yundi, right?"
Xiao Chacha nodded, "Yes, it seems that the second young lady of the Miao ethnic group is going to visit Xue and her relatives. She should be on her way now."
"And another thing, Shangguan Ming doesn't know that the Shangguan family is in trouble now. He is also accompanying the Wen Gu family head to atone to the First Madam... The wedding of the Second Young Master Wen Gu has long been over. With the arrival of winter, she should have returned to Youzhou City. However, because of these things, she and Murong Wanyu have stayed in Jianxue City."
As the snowflakes gently fell, Murong Wanzhi was amused.
"She's atoning for her sins? How is she atoning? Jumping into the water again?"
Cha Cha: "...It's just... helping the First Madam brew medicine..."
"And then Murong Wanyu stopped him out of pity..."
Murong Wanzhi: "..."
It's all sorts of things.
She couldn't help but chuckle a couple more times, then found it quite amusing.
"So, the Miao people, Wengu, Murong, and those who left today... How interesting. This winter, seeing snow will surely be quite lively."
Chacha nodded in agreement with the young lady's words, then seemed to realize that they had forgotten something...
"Oh, by the way, Miss... the head of the family is still waiting for you at the ancestral hall..."
Upon hearing this, Murong Wanzhi coughed a few times, straightened up, and stood up gracefully. It was true, they had forgotten their business while chatting about gossip.
Straightening her clothes, softly putting away her flute, Cha Cha opened her umbrella, and Murong Wanzhi pursed her lips as they walked out of the snow pavilion.
With the Shangguan family wiped out and her powerful backer gone, she was going to see her old father, who called himself "the head of the family."
The Murong clan of Youzhou has always been headed by women. Because this is different from the norms in the eyes of the world, they have always kept a low profile and only appeared during times of chaos. However, the Murong clan's rule of female supremacy has been passed down from generation to generation and will never be changed.
It's a pity that her incompetent mother only cared about men and love, completely forgetting about power and family. In the end, the man took advantage of the situation, joined forces with outsiders, and became the head of the Murong family under such a title. It's truly laughable.
And then there's her brother, who was taught by their father from a young age to be male superior to female, yet that woman Shangguan Ming still flattered them with a smile, using the reputation of the three clans of Youzhou to give herself the title of the number one goddess of the North.
Murong Wanzhi neither disliked nor liked Shangguan Ming.
She just found it interesting—
Do even real goddesses think that men are like gods?
...
Before we knew it, it had gotten cold again.
Snowflakes fell softly, and occasionally the whispers of a woman and her maid could be heard.
"Let them behave for now. It will be quite lively in Snow City soon."
"When things really get chaotic, give them a push."
"Either let Murong Wanyu die in Jianxue, or bring him back,"
"I'll kill them myself."
...
The night wind blows, and the moon rises in the sky.
Sultry music suddenly rose from the mysterious mansion, as if some long-buried past events were being unveiled.
Someone screamed shrilly, but it vanished in an instant. Blood and tears spilled out together, and the Murong clan had a new master once again.
String music is audible yet intangible, while evil is silent yet transforms into white cotton wool, forever piled up in people's hearts, continuing from generation to generation according to their emotions.
Today is an ordinary day in Youzhou City.
At dawn, a fire suddenly broke out at the governor's mansion, and the entire Shangguan clan was reduced to ashes in the raging flames.
No one dared to intervene, no one dared to help. Even if someone shouted "Fire!", they would be immediately dragged away. It wasn't until the fire had burned for a whole day that the government officials rushed over, even bringing along members of the Demon Suppression Pavilion, to collect the bodies and clean up the house.
The people spread the word that the fire that broke out in the snow at the Shangguan mansion today, and that it would not stop until the fire was extinguished, was a sign that Heaven was going to destroy the Shangguan clan, and that the Shangguan family had committed a sin.
Especially at the end, when the magistrate came out to appease the people, he did not refute this statement, but only said that a sudden fire broke out and it was too late to put out. In the end, a count showed that all the people in the city with the surname Shangguan had died. The magistrate temporarily took over the duties of the governor and sent a letter to Shengjing overnight to report the matter.
This matter is now concluded.
late at night.
Murong Wanzhi stood atop the city wall of Youzhou, gazing into the distance. She felt a sense of tranquility amidst the swirling snowflakes.
Amidst the sound of wind and snow, the sound of footsteps could be heard softly.
Someone stood next to her.
Murong Wanzhi smiled and looked to the side, "The Northern Desolate Cold, why did the Heartless Pavilion Master think of coming here?"
Wu Xin's face remained expressionless; the woman simply gazed calmly at the wind and snow outside. "Shangguan's evil deeds are due to the incompetence of the Youzhou Demon Suppression Envoy."
Youzhou is bitterly cold, and few ordinary people come here. Moreover, there are officials secretly committing evil deeds, which makes the Demon Suppression Envoy develop some inappropriate thoughts and cowardice.
Murong Wanzhi smiled. The woman held a flute in her hand, surrounded by endless snow and the homes of countless families. Gently, she began to play again—
A melodious flute tune gently entered the hearts of everyone in Youzhou City.
Some say it's to commemorate the souls who died today, others laugh and say it's just someone playing the flute out of boredom, while some cultivators remain silent, simply listening to the sound of snow falling from the sky.
More unidentified corpses appeared in the snow-capped mountains, but no one knew the reason for their deaths.
The fire was extinguished, and the flute played a soft tune as news of the Northern You gradually spread throughout the land.
The three clans of Beiyou, with Shangguan's numerous evil deeds, were eventually destroyed. Murong changed masters and succeeded him as the Demon Suppression Envoy.
Finally, there is Wen Gu, far away in the far north.
Cloud boats, immortal swords, grudges, love... This sword of the world is still in chaos.
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