Chapter 43: Epilogue
In the past, when chivalrous heroes talked about the most powerful women in the martial arts world, they would always mention these few names: Guan Zhaodi, Lei Chun, and Lei Mei. But now, they only mention another name.
Xie Huailing.
The Wuzheng Manor case shocked the world. Yuan Suiyun's actions were despicable, and Yuan Dongyuan's self-immolation was regrettable. But what was even more concerning was the collapse of the once-renowned Wuzheng Manor after three hundred years of glory. After the manor's buildings were gone, all that remained was Yuan Dongyuan's confession and several wills outlining the manor's future. Before his death, he entrusted Su Mengzhen with the manor's seal, symbolizing its foundation and power, as well as several crucial land deeds and secret maps.
Thus, the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion openly took over the entire Wuzheng Manor. Its leader, Su Mengzhen, declared that he would not remove the plaque; since the Eastern Garden had entrusted Wuzheng Manor to him, Wuzheng Manor would exist as long as he remained. This statement quickly became a celebrated tale in the martial arts world, further enhancing Su Mengzhen's reputation for unparalleled loyalty and righteousness. Simultaneously, the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion seized a crucial piece of territory from the Six and a Half Hall, becoming unrivaled in power and influence. The so-called Six-Part Lei and Four-Part Su were now a thing of the past; today, only a complete and utter balance of power existed.
In this series of changes, Xie Huailing, who made a dramatic entrance and took the lead, and was treated as an honored guest by Su Mengzhen, rose to the top of all the discussions.
Before her, Yuan Suiyun was already dead? It doesn't matter; Yuan Dongyuan committed suicide by fire? It doesn't matter either. What does it mean to become famous overnight? This is what it means to become famous overnight!
Countless people in the martial arts world spend their lives striving for fame and fortune. To have a name that is known to others is already a mark of exceptional talent. To occupy a territory and lead an army, or to be as famous as Chu Liuxiang, is a dream come true. As for turning the tide and controlling the world, that is something that is both unattainable and beyond reach.
But even such a height is nothing more than Xie Huailing's sudden emergence.
Everyone knew how much Su Mengzhen cherished her. She was his cousin, gifted to him by him with the title of "Lord of the Pavilion," and resided in the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion. Seeing her was like seeing Su Mengzhen himself. There was no one in the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion she couldn't command, no task she couldn't accomplish. Whatever mortals desired, she could easily obtain. Power and profit adorned her, making her dazzlingly radiant. Furthermore, her talent and intelligence were no less than that of the "Humble Dragon" Di Feijing. Her appearance was like that of a goddess or fairy. Even without martial arts skills, she was a peerless talent in the world. From then on, everyone in the land knew of her.
She was destined to become someone who could drive people crazy, an endless stream of people who would either lose to her or "lose" to her.
With her beautiful body, delicate appearance, and great wisdom and resourcefulness, she was known in the martial arts world from then on as "The Hand That Cuts the Sky".
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Meanwhile, Xie Huailing, the person at the center of the discussion, was still on his way to his holiday.
Having a capable boss has its advantages, the biggest being their ability to leverage initiative. The handling of the Wuzheng Manor's assets was more troublesome than a ball of yarn a cat had played with, but fortunately, it was Su Mengzhen who took over. He was adept at handling this matter and scheming against those with ulterior motives, making her completely unnecessary. Yang Wuxie, at Xie Huailing's suggestion, had already prepared intelligence, so even if the Six and a Half Hall tried to sabotage them, they posed no threat.
A large sum of money was used to fill the financial loopholes. She would probably have to do some financial planning work later, or perhaps she would have to drastically change many things from beginning to end. But in any case, Xie Huailing didn't have any work to do at the moment.
However, this doesn't mean she can rest easy during this period. Whenever she tries to avoid going to work, Su Mengzhen will find something else to do for her.
Ironically, she was forced to eat during her vacation.
It was still Su Mengzhen's study, still filled with the stagnant smell of medicine. The mountain of documents, which had just begun to recede slightly, immediately surged back up like a river in the rainy season. In this river, Su Mengzhen was still busy, now wearing a deep red coat, his head buried in stamping documents, his expression still cold and aloof. He quickly filled a sheet of paper and then called for a new one. In this bustling scene, Xie Huailing seemed utterly out of place.
She huddled in her chair, not far from Su Mengzhen, occupying a warm spot by the fire. On the small table next to her was a plate of flower cakes that had been brought over half an hour ago, now as hard as iron in the center, but she had only eaten three. The remaining two stared at her coldly, which she stacked up and played with like building blocks.
This was the retribution for her constant lack of appetite. After she skipped two meals in a row, Shaman directly reported the matter to Su Mengzhen. Xie Huailing originally thought that Su Mengzhen wouldn't have time to deal with him, but unexpectedly, he kept his word and forced her to eat something, even in his busy schedule, making her fight to the death with the pancake.
Getting Xie Huailing to eat something was harder than climbing to heaven. She said listlessly, "Master, I suddenly remembered that Jin Lingzhi invited me here today."
Su Meng didn't even lift her pillow, replying, "I didn't tell you not to go. You can go after you finish eating."
What a cold and heartless man. Xie Huailing had no choice but to reluctantly stuff the fourth piece into her mouth, taking a small bite. The sweet flavor bloomed in her mouth, but even that couldn't ease her frown. Poor thing, she was stuck here, unable to escape Su Mengzhen's watchful eye, unable even to fake eating.
Among the many official documents was one for Xie Huailing. The Divine Marquis's Mansion was to compile the Wuzheng Manor case into a file before handling it, and Xie Huailing, as a key figure, should also write something and give it to Wuqing. However, considering that her handwriting was truly superb, handing it over would be suspected of abusing a disabled person's eyes, so Su Mengzhen did it instead. After all, besides Xie Huailing, only Su Mengzhen knew the whole story.
After he finished writing, he called Xie Huailing over to sign and put his fingerprint on the letter, pushing it towards him and saying, "Come here and sign your name."
Xie Huailing dawdled as she ate the flower cake, then lazily leaned her head over. She first reached out to grab a calligraphy brush, dipped the handle in ink, and was about to write when she lost control of her strength and her wrist trembled, dripping ink onto Su Meng's pillow, leaving a black blob.
Su Mengzhen wiped away the ink with a handkerchief, which was not unexpected, and she felt quite calm.
He took a brand-new sheet of Xuan paper, as white as a human face, and single-handedly picked up his brush and neatly wrote three powerful characters on the paper, his skill truly remarkable. He wrote Xie Huailing's name.
His writing is far more pleasing to the eye than Xie Huailing's own writing; in fact, anyone in the world would have written something far more pleasing to the eye than Xie Huailing himself.
Xie Huailing reluctantly copied Su Mengzhen's handwriting and signed his name on the letter. This time, at least it was barely legible; what exactly the characters were, of course, was another matter entirely, and Su Mengzhen would have to write another letter to Wuqing to explain.
After Xie Huailing finished writing, he quickly threw down the pen and breathed a sigh of relief: "Who is this for?"
“Ruthless,” Su Mengzhen replied. “The Divine Marquis’s Mansion wants to collect the files.”
Xie Huailing was surprised for some reason, recalling Wuqing's appearance: "Is he still going down the wrong path of becoming a constable?"
These words left Su Mengzhen speechless, unsure how she could have uttered such a statement, so he changed the subject. He asked Chu Liuxiang, who, after Yuan Suiyun was captured, personally visited with Xiao Yan to express his gratitude. However, only Xie Huailing knew Chu Liuxiang's plans for the cleanup and whether he would remain involved.
Xie Huailing answered fluently, explaining everything clearly in a few words, and also finished dealing with the matter of Zhongyuan Yidianhong. She didn't sit properly, saying she wanted to see what Su Mengzhen wrote about her in his letter, refusing to sit back down properly, her hair almost draped over Su Mengzhen's shoulder, the fragrance of her hair making Su Mengzhen quite uncomfortable, but since he said he wanted to understand her, he couldn't draw the boundaries as before, and could only look at her and tell her to go back.
Little did she know, this was the moment she had been waiting for.
Suddenly, Xie Huailing pressed a cold flower cake to his lips. By the time Su Mengzhen realized her intention, Xie Huailing had already succeeded.
She naturally didn't need to eat the last piece. Xie Huailing held the flower cake, still warm from Su Mengzhen's touch, and respectfully said, "Please enjoy, Master."
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Deep within the headquarters of the Six and a Half Hall lies a secret chamber. The heavy ebony door filters out all outside sounds, leaving only the scent of a tomb, sealing off a silent space. The air in this space is permeated with the lingering smell of decay and the aura of power, pressing heavily on one's lungs. But the master of this place does not want the decay to continue for long, for it is something he absolutely cannot accept.
There were no windows. Several lamps embedded in the wall were almost out of oil, their flames weak and subservient, casting flickering shadows that stretched the figure sitting in the main chair into a long, distorted shape. He had originally intended to remain hidden in the shadows of Bianjing, but he had already been dragged out once.
The one sitting is Lei Sun.
He didn't react with the usual frustration and rage of a loser, and his face remained largely expressionless. He was like a spider, or perhaps a centipede, whose defeat only made him more aware as he wove his web, waiting for the next chance to turn the tables and tear his prey to shreds.
This was just one victory for Su Mengzhen, a resounding triumph, but it was only one win.
He was thinking about something else.
After an unknown amount of time, Lei Sun said, "'Hands that can cut the sky' is a good name. Where did Su Mengzhen get such talent? Could it really be something his aunt left him?"
He was speaking to thin air, like a senile old man. But he wasn't speaking to thin air either; to his left and right, there was another figure sitting on a wooden chair, but he had his head down, as if he didn't want anyone to notice him.
It was Di Feijing.
Di Fei exclaimed, "We can't find anything. All the information has been blocked by the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion. We can't even find out when Xie Huailing appeared in the capital."
This is yet another setback, and Lei Sun will remember all setbacks.
He tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest and asked, "Second brother, how many times have you met her? What kind of person do you think she is?"
Di Fei's eyelashes trembled like butterfly wings, obscuring his eyes. In the darkness of the lamplight, his handsome face was shrouded in a dark mist; even he himself could not see through it.
Lei Sun continued tapping his fingers, while Di Feijing lowered his head in thought. He wasn't in a hurry; he knew Di Feijing would eventually speak, and he would definitely get an answer, an answer without any mistakes. That's how much he trusted Di Feijing and relied on him.
He waited for it. Di Fei thought about it for a long, long time. Every moment he had deliberately tried not to remember seeing Xie Huailing was brought up and scrutinized repeatedly. He squeezed out his voice from his throat: "No trace can be found. Her wisdom is too great. I still can't understand her."
Lei Sun pondered for a moment, but he was not discouraged. He made a decision almost immediately.
He wouldn't allow someone like Liufenbantang, whom he couldn't figure out at all, to emerge into the chess game of Bianjing. He said, "I will create an opportunity for you, Second Brother. Go and contact her again before Liufenbantang and Jinfeng Xiyulou completely break off relations."
While the officials in the palace are still able to tolerate the entrenched power of the two factions.
Di Fei lowered his head even further. He wanted to say something, but he didn't. He couldn't accept that possibility yet. Since it was forced by circumstances and Lei Sun's needs, he would try his best to avoid it.
Lei Sun understands Di Feijing's loyalty, and Lei Sun knows many things about Di Feijing, but Lei Sun also doesn't understand.
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When you feel like you've made a huge mistake at work, you might want to take a look at Lei Sun, who sent Di Feijing to contact Ms. Xie.
This volume is finished! [Keep it up!] Let's move on to the next volume!
There will still be a lot of my own interpretations of the characters and plot within the context of various martial arts settings, so I hope you will understand.
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