Chapter 149: The Endless Flow of Time
Standing near the railing, the two gazed at the scenery for about half an hour before Guan Zhaodi calmed her emotions and drank a cup of tea with Xie Huailing.
Naturally, she couldn't let anyone discover her whereabouts. Xie Huailing arranged for her to stay in the Golden Breeze and Fine Rain Pavilion, where Qu Wurong would take care of her personally. She was not allowed to leave the house unless absolutely necessary, and she would only see Xie Huailing: "What do you think of this arrangement, Madam Guan? Is there any difficulty?"
Guan Zhaodi didn't think there was anything wrong with it, nor did she think there was anything good about it. She remained completely calm and replied, "This is enough. Miss Xie's arrangement is very good."
Actually, we should have met at the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion today. It was only because Brother Guan Zhao wanted to take a closer look at Bianjing City that he lingered there. Now that the matter is settled, it's time to depart. Xie Huailing took his leave, saying, "Since Madam Guan has no objections, Wu Rong has been waiting outside for quite some time. From now on, Madam Guan's safety and other affairs will all be handled by Wu Rong. Please return to the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion with Wu Rong. I have official business to attend to today, so I'll take my leave first."
Guan Zhaodi simply said "okay," watched Xie Huailing leave, and then became extremely quiet, no longer looking at the city.
As Qu Wurong stepped outside, she nodded in greeting and went back inside. Lin Shiyin brushed past her and carefully closed the door. She was about a step behind Xie Huailing, and she didn't know what she could ask Xie Huailing or what she should ask him. Although she had some questions, she was hesitant and simply kept quiet. She was both anxious and determined to wait, feeling quite uneasy.
Emerging from the restaurant, the carriage stopped outside the back door. The fact that Xie Huailing wasn't traveling with Guan Zhaodi was enough to show that not only was she not returning to Jin Feng Xi Yu Lou, but her journey today was also completely inconvenient. The spacious carriage could easily seat a few more people, but Lin Shiyin didn't sit down next to Xie Huailing. Instead, she placed her hands on her knees and touched her sleeves.
Nearly ten days ago, a hidden weapon was concealed here, and the person had also concealed a heart that was timid yet resolute.
Her awkwardness was no different from being out in the open in Xie Huailing's eyes. Having still not heard Lin Shiyin speak, Xie Huailing casually opened a book and urged, "What do you want to say?"
Upon being asked, Lin Shiyin felt much more at ease and said, "I would like to ask, Miss Xie, where are we going today?"
“Let’s go somewhere where I can teach you something.” Xie Huailing turned directly to the last page of the book to read the ending. “Speaking of which, I’ve been back in Bianjing for almost ten days now, and this is the first time I’ve had a proper conversation with Miss Lin. Come to think of it, there are so many things I haven’t talked to you about.”
Lin Shiyin smiled softly and said, "It's more important to recover. I'm also hoping that Miss Xie will get better soon."
Xie Huailing disagreed: "Recovering from illness is the most important thing, but there are many things more important than recovering from illness—the matter of climbing the tower was all thanks to Miss Lin."
Finally, when she brought up the matter, Lin Shiyin rolled up her sleeves with her slender fingers. Compared to facing Lei Sun and Di Feijing, her feelings were more like those of a child facing a teacher who asked her to recite poems. After letting out a breath, she said, "Miss Xie had already instructed me. I just did what I was supposed to do."
Indeed, when Xie Huailing left Bianjing, the backup plan he left behind just in case was Lin Shiyin.
While she certainly lacked martial arts skills and had been raised in a secluded mansion, her knowledge of the martial world was practically nonexistent, or at least her experience was virtually nonexistent. But even so, Lin Shiyin possessed qualities that made her exceptionally valuable; she was far more perceptive than anyone else.
This is not a bad word. Since the incident between Li Xunhuan and Long Xiaoyun, Lin Shiyin's sentimentality has changed to meticulous thinking. She is not good at scheming and cannot guess other people's plans, but her sensitivity is enough for her to discover many clues that ordinary people would never notice, and then quickly make the decision to report to Xie Huailing in time.
In addition, Xie Huailing's instructions included another part: if she did not return in time, Lin Shiyin was needed to stop the situation.
It sounds like a fantasy. How could a young lady from a secluded family have such ability to interrupt the fierce battle between Jin Feng Xi Yu Lou and Liu Fen Ban Tang? She was so powerless and so frail that if even a gust of wind leaked out during the fight, Lin Shiyin would be blown away.
However, she did have a plan. After Xie Huailing left, when Lei Sun relayed Cai Jing's invitation, she actually came up with a solution.
She is inferior to these shrewd people in the martial arts world in many ways, and is just a mantis in front of Liufenbantang. But she has one advantage: no one can compare to Liufenbantang or Jinfeng Xiyulou.
One should make the most of one's advantages. Whether it's talent, martial arts skills, appearance, or family background, as long as they can be used, there is no distinction between them. Xie Huailing once taught her this.
So Lin Shiyin replaced Yang Wuxie with herself and went upstairs with hidden weapons. Her identity was personally concealed by Xie Huailing, and Lei Sun and Di Feijing had no way of knowing it. So if she dared to do one thing, it would be enough to break the stalemate like breaking a candle in the wind.
If only she dared to leave herself a deep wound, a wound that touches her life, in a place where only the Golden Breeze and Fine Rain Pavilion and the Six and a Half Hall exist.
An orphan of a family of civil officials, the granddaughter of Grand Tutor Li, her background previously held little weight for her confidence. But at that moment, if she were to fall, Su Mengzhen would be greatly alarmed and, to save her life, reveal her true identity, making the situation unsustainable. What a brilliant plan this was, if only she could bring herself to do it.
As for who would be notified of Xie Huailing's identity... Lin Shiyin's eyes flashed.
Xie Huailing never mentioned Li Xunhuan; it was Lin Shiyin's own decision to go find Li Xunhuan.
Having grown up together, Lin Shiyin knew Li Xunhuan's true character all too well, and she felt most at ease only when he went. Even if he didn't want to get involved in the battles between these martial arts factions, Xie Huailing's act of saving his life meant that even if the debt of gratitude had been repaid, Li Xunhuan would still resolutely embark on this journey.
Not to mention, even without these things, Li Xunhuan would still go for her. No one would be more suitable than him.
Xie Huailing was perfectly clear-headed. He actually wanted to praise Lin Shiyin for this matter, but he knew that bringing it up would probably backfire. Since Lin Shiyin was still conflicted, Xie Huailing let it go.
The carriage traveled through a significant portion of Bianjing, heading towards an increasingly unstable urban area. Lin Shiyin listened to all the sounds outside the carriage window—the vendors' cries and the hustle and bustle of the marketplace—gradually fading away, leaving behind a restless silence. During her three months at the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion, she had witnessed many things, and now, it was as if she could smell blood; she understood what Xie Huailing was taking her there for.
Later, after going down three or four alleys, the carriage stopped in front of a low-key pavilion that seemed to be hidden by the riverbank. She followed Xie Huailing closely and saw the tense atmosphere around her. Looking at the pavilion itself, she suddenly felt that it was a creation within nature, standing firm and self-possessed amidst the oppressive atmosphere. She could only sit and observe.
Xie Huailing led her into the pavilion: "Come with me."
After several turns and a few stairs, I reached the second floor. The layout was extremely open, with almost no furnishings except for a pot of green leaves and a bamboo railing.
"Dongli Alley." Looking at the brick and tile roofs outside the bamboo fence, and the houses scattered haphazardly in all directions, Lin Shiyin pronounced the name of the place. She had put in no less effort than any disciple of the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion, and there was no alley in Bianjing that she couldn't recognize.
Upon hearing the name of the alley, Lin Shiyin vaguely understood half of Xie Huailing's intention: "Today, a brothel is being cleared out near Dongli Alley, and Miss Xie has come to show me this."
No wonder the atmosphere is like this; with fighting looming ahead, there's no room for any lightheartedness.
“It’s not really looking,” Xie Huailing said. “You’ve been following people around the building and looking at documents quite a bit. You’ve also seen this kind of scene a few times. There’s no need to specifically call you here to watch. Today, you’re the one giving orders.”
Lin Shiyin was nearly startled, truly terrified, and asked urgently, "Me?"
The first time she saw the alley filled with corpses, she almost vomited on the spot. Later, when she saw people dumping corpses in the Bian River, she had to struggle to stop herself from vomiting. Although she no longer turns pale at the sight of corpses, it would still be too big a step for her to take the lead.
Xie Huailing glanced at her and told her to step forward: "Why be afraid? It's not like I'm not here. Besides, the territory clearing is almost done by now, so you don't need to give orders."
As if listening to celestial music, the pressure lessened considerably, and Lin Shiyin actually took a step forward, almost reaching the very edge of the bamboo fence. Looking further into the distance, she finally saw a dark red bloodstain spread across half a head at the entrance of an alley not far away. She had only killed Long Xiaoyun, and although she had climbed the tower once with Su Mengzhen, she had never actually presided over a killing. Knowing she shouldn't feel at ease, she strangely felt at ease because of Xie Huailing's words.
Several disciples emerged from the alleyway. One of them grabbed the heads of his defeated opponents under each arm, and in this way, they dragged the others to the pavilion. Then, they kicked their knees hard, and the men knelt down in unison, crying out in pain, facing Xie Huailing and Lin Shiyin.
Lin Shiyin unconsciously gripped the bamboo railing, and heard the disciple serving behind her say, "Ladies, these people are the leaders of the small gangs in this area. They await your orders."
She couldn't feel Xie Huailing's gaze, but then she understood his intention. She listened as her disciple continued, "The leader's surname is Zhang. He's capable of any kind of bullying and harassment. Last winter, he forcibly abducted a girl from a family. When she resisted, she killed herself by running into a wall. Feeling he had lost face, he then drove the girl's parents to their deaths. The man on the left's surname is Tu; he's a complete gambler..."
The clearer Lin Shiyin heard each sentence, the more she gripped her fingers until they turned white. When her disciple finished speaking, the last sentence was: "These people have surrendered and admitted defeat. Should we deal with them or lock them up for other uses? Please give your orders."
She suddenly bent down, wanting to retreat, but felt that although there were no obstacles behind her, there was only a high wall, and she could not retreat.
“I once heard Miss Lin say that she despises the filthy hooligans in the city, just like rats and bedbugs in Bianjing. I also heard Miss Lin say that she pities the common people who have been humiliated and abused. Their lives are already precarious, and they still have to suffer torment from these people.” The voice seemed to come from both near and far. Xie Huailing spoke softly, and Xiao Feng strode through her body. “You also want to seek justice for them, but you are helpless and can only shed tears. But today is different.”
“Yes,” Lin Shiyin murmured, “Today is different.”
She bit her lip, then quickly released it. After doing this several times, she became increasingly flustered, as if she had sunk to the bottom of the water, then felt dizzy and fell out of the water, landing back on the ground.
Lin Shiyin loosened the bamboo railing and quietly ordered, "Kill them."
Once you start, it won't be difficult anymore. Lin Shiyin repeated the words: "Kill them."
At her command, blades flashed and blood splattered. Those who roamed the land, those who committed thievery, were but a fleeting death, as insignificant as ants. She commanded their deaths, and they were beheaded; those who took another's life were themselves taken.
An indescribable emotion fermented in Lin Shiyin's heart. For a long time, she didn't know what to say, her breath rising and falling, filling her chest.
Xie Huailing walked up behind her and spoke again: "I intend to entrust this place, as well as the three small branches nearby, to Miss Lin's management. Theory is no substitute for practice. Miss Lin, do you think it's feasible?"
The four chaotic gangs, along with a considerable number of thugs, were all handed over to her. Xie Huailing's exploitation of them was never concealed. And Lin Shiyin couldn't bring herself to refuse.
Is this what she needs? I don't know; is this what she wants? Yes.
She said, "I understand."
Xie Huailing said in a low voice, "In a while, there will be times when we need Miss Lin again. It won't be any easier than the day we went upstairs. Would Miss Lin be willing?"
Lin Shiyin turned around, clutched her dress, and said again, "I understand."
But she had to ask, she couldn't be completely clueless. Her gaze flashed back, and she already had a guess in her mind. She asked, "Is it going to be a showdown with Six and a Half Hall?"
"Does it count?" Xie Huailing asked. "I guess so."
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