Chapter 69: Epilogue
Lin Shiyin later met Xie Huailing twice more. During their first meeting, she didn't mention anything about her relationship with Li Xunhuan, but only brought news of Grand Tutor Li to Xie Huailing. After spending the New Year in Bianjing, Grand Tutor Li would take Li Xunhuan and Lin Shiyin back to Li Garden. He had taken a three-month leave and would stay at Li Garden until the end of spring.
Xie Huailing also brought some things for Lin Shiyin. Some were weapons she'd obtained from Su Mengzhen—small and exquisite, yet capable of slicing to the throat with a single strike, practically essential for murder and robbery. Others were several ingenious hidden weapons she'd later obtained by robbing Wuqing, who was seeking out Su Mengzhen. She happened to be passing by and casually asked, and with Su Mengzhen smoothing things over and Wuqing being a decent person, she managed to get them.
Besides these, there are some things that can't be brought to the forefront, all of which are insidious poisons, so it's not convenient to talk about them.
By giving these things away, Xie Huailing had sown a seed, which bore fruit when they met for the second time.
Lin Shiyin killed Long Xiaoyun.
When she recounted this, Lin Shiyin's smile vanished completely. She was slightly dazed, as if her soul hadn't yet returned, but her sorrow had also departed with it. What happened with Long Xiaoyun's death was a change in one aspect of her; perhaps many years later, looking back, one would find that it was a change in her entire being.
After Long Xiaoyun's scheme was exposed, he was arrested and imprisoned. Li Xunhuan was heartbroken and couldn't believe that his friend would treat him so badly, or even harbor such deep resentment towards him behind his back. He and Lin Shiyin went to see Long Xiaoyun. In this final meeting, Long Xiaoyun tore away his facade of loyalty and righteousness, pouring out his jealousy and hatred towards Li Xunhuan, and also confessing his love for Lin Shiyin.
Under severe torture, he even went somewhat insane, reaching out to grab Lin Shiyin. At that moment, Lin Shiyin's fear reached its peak, and before Li Xunhuan could stop her, the hidden arrow had already been released from the bow.
Amidst the splattering blood, everything went off track.
Lin Shiyin didn't say what happened afterward. She told Xie Huailing that she didn't plan to return to Li Garden with Grand Tutor Li and Li Xunhuan. She wanted to stay in Bianjing, have a foothold, and learn more, even though learning martial arts was too slow for her at her age. Lin Shiyin hoped Xie Huailing could help her again.
Xie Huailing did not refuse, but it was just a position that Jin Feng Xi Yu Lou could afford. Considering Sha Man's pursuit of performance, she assigned Lin Shiyin to Sha Man and told Sha Man to teach as much as she wanted.
As for what will become of Lin Shiyin's life from now on, it is truly in her own hands. Perhaps she will still end up with Li Xunhuan, whose personality has changed after being hit by a blow; perhaps she will become a decisive and efficient woman rarely seen in the martial arts world; perhaps she will also have a title like "Little Li Xunhuan"; or perhaps she will gain nothing and become just another face in the crowd at the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion. These are all choices she makes in life.
Xie Huailing wouldn't interfere too much, and wouldn't pay too much attention as long as her safety was guaranteed. After all, she was also very busy and had her own things to do.
She has just finished dealing with the matter of Su Mengzhen annulling her engagement with Lei Chun, the daughter of Lei Sun.
She brought this up with Su Mengzhen herself, and it's unclear what her plans were, but she wanted to tell Su Mengzhen as soon as possible. Since she said so, she must have her reasons, so Su Mengzhen agreed to the matter.
When it came time to discuss annulment, Xie Huailing asked Su Mengzhen two or three times to confirm the details of his engagement with Lei Chun. Then, he shamelessly finalized her annulment plan. In short, he vigorously implemented the word "shameless" while ensuring that the compensation and etiquette were given in a way that would leave no room for complaint.
It was a bit too embarrassing for Su Mengzhen, but perfect for Xie Huailing. She picked a time to meet Lei Sun and talk about it. As expected, Lei Sun was furious. How much of it was genuine was hard to tell, but he certainly put on a very intimidating act. Fortunately, the person in front of him wasn't an ordinary person. The last time Xie Huailing cared about her image was probably back in kindergarten.
She put on a grand show right in front of Lei Sun, fabricating her mother's will before her death, saying that she was entrusted to Su Mengzhen and that Su Mengzhen could not get married until her marriage was completely settled.
Your words were too perfunctory. Anyone with a brain could tell something was wrong. You're hardly a weak woman. You stole six and a half portions of the goods from the hall. Don't think he doesn't know. He may be old, but don't try to fool him like this!
No one could know Lei Sun's feelings. He tried to refute Xie Huailing with his decades of experience and his usual methods, and then seize the moral high ground. That's the brilliance of it all. Just as Xie Huailing was shameless, she was also immoral.
In other words, Lei Sun's sharp words, cunning, and powerful intimidation had no effect on her.
She even morally blackmailed Lei Sun, making him sympathize with her mother's feelings before her death, while she herself shed tears, acting so emotionally and fiercely that she seemed oblivious to the world around her. Under normal circumstances, Lei Sun couldn't even win a debate against Xie Huailing, let alone when she was completely unrestrained. He was like someone choking on food, unable to breathe properly, utterly disgusting.
Lei Sun said that Su Mengzhen lacked sincerity by not coming in person, to which Xie Huailing retorted that it was pitiful that Su Mengzhen was too ill to come, and how could Jin Feng Xi Yu Lou feel at ease if Lei Sun didn't show consideration for his prospective son-in-law, with whom he hadn't yet broken off the engagement. Lei Sun then said that how could an engagement that had been arranged for so many years be broken off so easily, at which point Xie Huailing began to cry about her mother, saying that this was also her mother's way of showing her love, and that Lei Sun, who loved his daughter so much, must surely understand. Towards the end, Lei Sun seemed to be showing signs of anger.
When it comes to breaking down someone's defenses, Xie Huailing is truly a professional.
Finally, Lei Sun tried to postpone the annulment of the engagement by saying that the New Year was approaching and they should talk about it after the New Year. However, Xie Huailing stopped him with a sentence: "That's not good. Shouldn't Chief Lei give me New Year's money during the New Year? That would be too embarrassing. Can you ask how much he's going to give me?"
Rarely in life can one feel so disgusted. Lei Sun couldn't understand how Su Mengzhen could tolerate Xie Huailing. He too had his pride and wouldn't continue to entangle with Xie Huailing. Thus, with Xie Huailing's efforts, the annulment of the engagement was officially put on the agenda.
The following days were a protracted tug-of-war over interests. Lei Sun, naturally, wouldn't give up easily and wanted to tear a large chunk of flesh from Jin Feng Xi Yu Lou. His anger was so fierce that it could shake the situation in Bianjing to the brink of collapse. However, Xie Huailing had nothing to fear. If she could write to Lei Sun, she would quite like to provoke him again, writing something like, "Why don't you just retire? At your age, why are you arguing with young people about whether you need reading glasses or not?"
During this time, she continuously spread rumors about Lei Sun, and also spread rumors about Di Feijing, who stole her cat, to ensure that Jin Feng Xi Yu Lou did not lose ground in public opinion. At the same time, she also argued with Lei Sun about the matter of apology. At this moment, Xie Huailing decisively used up all the favors she had made with the Divine Marquis's Mansion and Li Garden. She did not intend to keep them. The best value of favors is as a stepping stone. Since the crack had already been opened, keeping them would only be counterproductive. Thus, the matter was settled, and it did not take long.
And it was during these times that the atmosphere in Bianjing was constantly changing, and before long, it was time for the New Year.
Although Xie Huailing didn't look forward to the New Year, just like she didn't look forward to life, the New Year still came.
.
"What are you going to do?" Su Mengzhen asked her as she passed by carrying the blanket.
Xie Huailing tucked her hands under the blanket, yawned lazily, and replied, "Let's go see the moon."
"Look at the moon?"
"Can't we look at the moon on New Year's Eve?"
Su Mengzhen said to her, "No, there's nothing wrong with that. Are you going to watch it alone?"
Xie Huailing found the conversation utterly pointless. She yawned again, her voice listless: "It must be someone else. Bai Feifei has been gone for ages." And if it weren't for Bai Feifei, who else could she possibly ask to do something?
Unexpectedly, Su Mengzhen pondered for a few moments before putting down what he was doing. He looked at the sky outside the window; the evening clouds had passed, the moonlight was streaming down, and the bright moonlight stretched for miles, giving the last night of the year a poetic and picturesque beauty, a scene where heaven and earth shared one. After looking at it, before Xie Huailing left, he said, "I'll go with you."
Xie Huailing's eyes widened slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but Su Mengzhen knew it would only be something that sounded like a downer. Fortunately, she didn't refuse in the end, only muttering twice, "Spending New Year's Eve with my boss, it feels like a horror movie," and then waited for him on the side.
Su Mengzhen didn't keep her waiting long. She finished her business in less than half a moment, then called for someone to sweep the snow off the roof. She and Xie Huailing went up to the roof of the Golden Wind and Drizzle Pavilion together.
Standing at such a high vantage point, one can truly see all the mountains below, a view completely different from what one sees from inside a building. Sitting atop the roof, one feels the vastness of the sky and the boundlessness of the earth. The eaves of the buildings, once vibrant and colorful, are now obscured by the snow-covered landscape. The soaring eaves are also softened by the night, and the winding corridors resemble delicate ink strokes in a meticulous painting, leaving large expanses of white snow that shimmer and glow in the darkness.
Looking further into the distance, all the birds have flown away from the mountains, and only a faint trace of the bright moon remains. Bare branches lie scattered like wrinkled leaves, and the turbid waves of the Bian River surge eastward, carrying the sorrow and resentment of the past year, never to return. Though we speak of watching the moon, the New Year's Eve moon has already set.
There is no longer any martial arts world here, only a landscape painting and a scroll of ink paintings, inviting everyone to appreciate them together.
Xie Huailing covered herself with the other half of the blanket, ignoring Su Mengzhen's well-being. Only after a gust of wind blew did she remember Su Mengzhen's illness, and she shared some of the blanket with him, reminding him, "Please move over there a little, you're pressing on my skirt."
Su Mengzhen stepped aside and casually said, "The view is quite nice; it's kind of you to think of coming upstairs to see it."
"It's alright," Xie Huailing said. "I used to go up to the rooftop for Chinese New Year too."
Su Mengzhen was somewhat surprised and glanced at him slightly. This was the first time she had brought up her own affairs with him. He took the opportunity to ask, "Does your hometown also have New Year's customs?"
Xie Huailing gave him a strange look and said, "What are you saying, OP? Are you too relaxed because I didn't ask you for New Year's money?"
After saying that, she stretched out her two hands, put them together and made a gesture of "Wishing you prosperity and a red envelope," and said, "I'm here to ask for it now, New Year's money, New Year's money, New Year's money!"
Su Mengzhen hadn't prepared to give out New Year's money, so she asked her, "How old are you?"
Xie Huailing replied without hesitation, "It's a secret. Send it to me first."
He didn't move, and she just kept staring at him, as usual. Before long, Su Mengzhen gave in. He rummaged in his pockets, but didn't bring anything. However, Xie Huailing probably wouldn't say anything nice if he went down to get it. After thinking it over, Su Mengzhen took off the jade pendant from his waist and placed it in her hand.
Su Mengzhen said, "Alright, here's the New Year's money."
Xie Huailing was satisfied and tossed the jade pendant into her sleeve. Then she hummed an unknown tune, propped herself up with her hands by her sides, and slowly adjusted her position, about to lie down on the rooftop.
Just then, she heard Su Mengzhen ask her again, "Why do you like spending the New Year on the rooftop?"
"Because I'm all alone. Where can I go alone?" Xie Huailing replied nonchalantly.
Her loneliness was faintly visible, reminding Su Mengzhen of her unsociable nature. Then, thinking that this person would be leaving for a while after the New Year, Su Mengzhen felt as if her chest was blocked. Then she heard her continue, "When I was thirteen or fourteen, I didn't really... wait a minute."
Xie Huailing interrupted herself. She noticed the change in Su Mengzhen's expression, and then suddenly, her expression also changed, becoming extremely subtle, as if she wanted to say something but had to. She stopped lying down and said, "Can you not do this, OP? I know what you mean, but can you please not do this? It's a bit disgusting."
Su Mengzhen: "..."
He suppressed the pity he felt that was neither appreciated nor needed by the person involved.
Xie Huailing was finally able to lie down and then said, "That's all there is to it, there's nothing more to say."
She gazed at the night sky. She didn't know where it was, but the moon was surely still high in the distance, like a bright mirror, having shone upon her countless times, its light flowing from the future a thousand years in the future to the present. Humans experience joy and sorrow, separation and reunion; the moon waxes and wanes, but we modern people cannot see the moon of antiquity. We live and die amidst the waxing and waning of the moon, but she alone has reversed the flow of time, and the ancient moon shines upon her, a person of this present.
Xie Huailing couldn't describe her feelings; she couldn't say she missed him, much less felt sorrow. Su Mengzhen was right beside her, and she wouldn't confuse the past with the present.
Night enveloped the two of them, and all the stories came to a standstill. When it reached its climax, it was time for the old and the new to replace each other.
No one spoke; they all watched quietly until her eyelids grew heavy and kept drooping. Xie Huailing rubbed her eyes, quickly overwhelmed by the torment of drowsiness. She closed her eyes and pulled the blanket over herself.
She said to Su Mengzhen, "Master, I'm going to take a nap. Please wake me up later."
Su Mengzhen agreed, and Xie Huailing promptly drifted off to sleep. Having him by her side wasn't so bad, she thought for a moment, before falling into a deep sleep.
The last thing she heard was the wind, perhaps the last gust of wind of the year, wanting to see her one last time. The wind caressed her face, bidding farewell to her this year, lovingly blowing through her hair, before reluctantly departing. She vaguely felt someone's fingers pressing on her face, then gently tucking her hair back into place.
When I woke up again, it was already the new year.
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The map is changing!
The giveaway has ended; I sent out the prizes using the random red envelope feature in the comments section.
The next volume will bring out Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Manlou. I'd really like to write about Ms. Xie performing crosstalk with them, hehe. Then I'll ban the main character in a small volume, and the Di Feijing in a big volume. The next stop will be Gong Jiu's stage.
I would like to remind you again that there are many personal interpretations and settings in the plot. In the context of a crossover martial arts story, the backgrounds and relationships of some characters will also be changed. If you see any differences from the original work, I apologize and I apologize for that.
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