Chapter 125: Blood Ties Also Fragmented
"I have to say, this guy's cross-dressing completely skips the makeup step. Even if I have the intention to slander him, I can't go against my conscience. In short, he's only slightly worse than me. I feel very reassured entrusting him with the task of being the bait."
Do you have a conscience?
"It's hard to say, but I feel like it's grown a little bit recently."
"That means it didn't grow, it's just even more shameless."
Bai Feifei's sharp commentary was as brilliant and incisive as ever, but Xie Huailing didn't care much; being criticized like that was no different than being blown by the wind. The two of them sat on the eaves of a certain Lucky Restaurant, shoulder to shoulder, a jar of wine in front of them, weighed down by a warped tile. Before them was the newly brightening sky, a sliver of crimson rising from the horizon, dispersing countless hazy clouds.
It was early morning, and it was obvious that Xie Huailing had stayed up all night.
It wasn't entirely her fault; at least in her opinion, there was a reason—well, in her opinion, she was absolutely right. Last night, after tormenting Wang Lianhua, enduring his glare that seemed ready to tear him to pieces, it was already quite late when she dressed him in women's clothing. She cupped his face, and in a great mood, coaxed him with many words, though he didn't appreciate it at all, eventually refusing to speak. Only when Xie Huailing pretended to apply rouge to him did he start cursing again.
Before long, it was getting late. Bai Feifei knocked on the door again, and Xie Huailing finally went to make urgent arrangements for the bait. Wang Lianhua realized that his fate was beyond description; no one cared what she thought or what she was doing.
No one even bothered to help Wang Lianhua find an antidote. Xie Huailing simply told him, "Good boy, find your own antidote," and then, assuming the identity of a "sickly beauty," sent him away. She and Bai Feifei, seeing the sky gradually brightening outside the window, decided not to mention sleeping anymore and instead went up to the rooftop to sit side-by-side.
Bai Feifei unscrewed the wine jar with one hand. When it was just the two of them, they would talk about anything and everything, and say anything out of the blue. Girls naturally didn't hold back on anything when it came to private conversations. She asked, "You and him, did you really just exchange clothes?"
"Otherwise what? Uh, okay, I admit it." Xie Huailing was still not very good at lying to Bai Feifei. After circling the words in her mouth, she blurted out the truth, "I have to say it. I must have run into him. He's a little thinner than Gong Jiu."
This person is actually commenting here. Bai Feifei remembered Gong Jiu. It's really hard to forget someone who has met Gong Jiu. It seems that Xie Huailing has had some kind of affair with Gong Jiu again. She frowned slightly, but what came out was: "Can't you improve your taste a little? What kind of people are you picking?"
Your best friend questioned your taste. Although she is very indulgent towards you, she also has expectations of you. You protested that you were not picky and explained, "I didn't pick and choose. I'm a perfectly innocent young woman, and I've never had a lover."
Bai Feifei glanced at Youyou, picked up her glass and poured two glasses of wine, saying as she poured, "You'd better not. Forget it, it's just a few men, why bother the two of us with this?"
After handing the wine cup to Xie Huailing, she flicked her knuckles and produced a letter from under the wine jar. It turned out that she had stolen the entire jar of wine from the "Wine Envoy," Han Ling. Another part of Xie Huailing's plan was to have Shen Lang and Bai Feifei investigate the "Qi Envoy" and the "Wine Envoy," respectively. The former had almost no clues, making it perfect for the meticulous Shen Lang to handle; the latter needed to find fine wine for Chai Yuguan, and Bai Feifei's nighttime investigation would allow for a bolder operation.
Adding to this Xie Huailing and Wang Lianhua's investigation into the "Seductress" Situ Bian, it's a three-pronged approach, maximizing efficiency. Even though Shen Lang's side still needs time, Xie Huailing and Wang Lianhua have already discovered Situ Bian's ulterior motives. Bai Feifei, on the other hand, moved with ease, not only finding Han Ling's hiding place but also returning with the items.
Xie Huailing first savored a sip of the stolen fine wine before retrieving the letter. The rich aroma of the wine was proof enough of Han Ling's hard work, as was the thin half-sheet of paper; the burn marks on the lower half further attested to its hard-won nature. However, upon closer inspection, the letter contained only some inconsequential words. Judging from the signature, Han Ling had obtained it from Dugu Shang, suggesting that Dugu Shang was not in the city and had news to report to Chai Yuguan. He had thus informed Han Ling to retrieve the letter and asked Han Ling to read it and then relay it.
But what this news was, was not mentioned at all in the letter. Only Dugu Shang kept repeating polite words, praising Han Ling and Feng Jing, filling an entire page with nothing but nonsense.
Xie Huailing, however, noticed the flaw. People in the martial arts world are not like those in officialdom. Even the head constables of the Six Doors mostly don't like to talk so much about formalities. Dugu Shang is not a smooth-talking person either. Something is definitely amiss if things are not normal.
Bai Feifei spoke up at this moment, clarifying: "I was hiding in the cabinet and heard Han Ling make a series of noises after receiving the letter. I thought it must be something important, so I came out to check when his apprentice called him away. He had already put the letter back in the envelope and lit a lamp, intending to burn the letter along with some other things. I took it out before it was completely burned and brought the letter with me."
Therefore, the letter actually contained far more than just this. Xie Huailing looked again at the page full of nonsense, which Dugu Shang had painstakingly written to fill the entire page, and suddenly understood something. He looked up and asked, "Is there any fire?"
There's never a fire on a rooftop. But Bai Feifei was fully prepared, and the next moment she pulled out a tinderbox, and the two unscrupulous people started a fire on someone else's roof.
Xie Huailing placed the letter over the faint flame, the heat rising along his fingers until it licked half the paper. Before the charred brown color appeared, the ash-like writing, like the trail of a snake, coiled around the back of the letter. The paper itself was like a semi-transparent gauze. Needless to say, this was the true message that Dugu Shang needed Han Ling to convey to Chai Yuguan.
The fact that he didn't entrust the matter to his own subordinates indicates that the matter was so serious that the possibility of disloyalty among his subordinates could not be tolerated. That's why he settled for Han Ling, who was closest to him. As for why he didn't go himself, there might be reasons for his accusations. We'll have to wait for Xie Huailing to see the case before we can speculate further.
The best friends sat even closer and read the half-letter together.
Dugu Shang's handwriting wasn't very good; the characters he wrote with special ink were so illegible that one had to squint to read them. Only after reading each character could one understand that he had entrusted Han Ling to convey only one thing to Chai Yuguan: he had been guarding outside the city day and night, and finally received a secret message from Bianjing that a guest from Bianjing would soon come to visit Chai Yuguan in person to discuss a matter with him. The guest said that since the terms had been agreed upon when they entered the pass, it was time for Chai Yuguan to fulfill them.
This news was of great importance, but Dugu Shang still needed to stay outside the city. As Chai Yuguan's most trusted confidant, Chai Yuguan only trusted him to handle messages from these "guests." Since he couldn't leave, the message naturally had to be relayed by Han Ling. As for who this guest was... the letter didn't have a second half, and the first half didn't mention it either, making this crucial question an unsolved mystery.
But Xie Huailing could probably guess what was going on. The people in Bianjing who would be eyeing Wang Yunmeng were, frankly, just a few. They weren't satisfied with just messing around in the officialdom, and now they wanted to mess around in the martial arts world. She would mess with them sooner or later; just seeing them annoyed her.
Let's talk about what they wanted from Chai Yuguan. Initially, they were looking for Chai Yuguan because of Wang Yunmeng, hoping to find something that might be in Wang Yunmeng's possession. However, Chai Yuguan insisted that Wang Yunmeng was dead, killed by him, so finding Wang Yunmeng no longer had any value to them. Nevertheless, this group still invited Chai Yuguan into the pass. They saw something they could use in Chai Yuguan, and thus reached a temporary cooperation agreement, having Chai Yuguan do things for them.
As for what they intend to do, we must again consider what Chai Yuguan possessed that they valued. Intelligence and talent? That would be absurd and laughable; to the shrewd people of Bianjing, Chai Yuguan's methods were no different from those out in the open. Power and wealth? Those were utterly insignificant to them. The only thing Chai Yuguan was truly worth appreciating was his martial arts prowess, honed through nine years of secluded study of various schools of martial arts outside the Great Wall.
Thinking of this, I have no choice but to see Wang Yunmeng again. Only my former lover and current enemy can understand the level of Chai Yuguan's martial arts and what progress he will have made in nine years.
Bai Feifei burned half the letter and then blew out the tinder. The only difference between her face and the ashes on the roof was that the ashes would be blown away by the wind. Whenever the name "Chai Yuguan" appeared, she always had this expression, a hatred so extreme that it cooled her down bit by bit.
She had never elaborated on her relationship with Chai Yuguan, but Xie Huailing could easily discern the general idea. Although she didn't know the details, she understood the gist of it. She thought to herself that Chai Yuguan had sown the seeds of evil for some unknown reason, so even though they shared similar blood, it only added to their hatred that deserved to die a thousand deaths. This bloodline remained here only as a vessel for hatred and mutual slaughter, and as a source of torment year after year.
But Xie Huailing wouldn't say anything.
Before Chai Yuguan died, nothing Bai Feifei wanted to hear was said.
They remained silent in the spring sunrise, uttering not a word in the embrace of the spring breeze. The red sun slowly rose at the edge of the horizon, bathing the world in the soft light of dawn, in this season of growth for all things.
But this means nothing, nothing at all. It's just a season.
.
Back at the mansion, Xie Huailing heard from a maid that Wang Yunmeng had just gotten up. Xie Huailing thought for a moment, figuring he would probably have to see Shen Lang and Shaman again today, so he might as well stay up all night. He didn't bother catching up on sleep and went straight to see Wang Yunmeng.
The beautiful woman, just waking up, had her outer robe loosely draped over her body. She simply yawned lazily, yet her charm was undeniable. When Xie Huailing arrived, she was still leaning against the couch, her sleepy eyes slightly raised, but after a gentle smile, all sleepiness vanished from her face.
Xie Huailing had never seen Wang Yunmeng with a cold expression, but she thought that Wang Yunmeng must often have a cold expression and wasn't a very amiable person. Wang Yunmeng was only willing to smile at her because she was satisfied with herself, because she saw all the qualities she liked in her and found the things she longed for.
"Miss Xie, you've come to ask me something again, haven't you?" Wang Yunmeng had already guessed before she even had to say anything. She straightened up a bit, holding onto the armrest, and said, "Don't feel like you're bothering me. It's the younger generation's ability to do things that makes the elders proud. What is it you've come to ask this time?"
Xie Huailing still kept Wang Yunmeng's existence a secret, replying, "I came to ask about Chai Yuguan. My men in the building found out that most of the people who invited Chai Yuguan to the city were interested in his martial arts skills and he will be entering the city soon. So I came to ask how Chai Yuguan's martial arts skills are now compared to others in the martial arts world."
Wang Yunmeng laughed, but the end of her smile held a chilling edge. She hated him day and night, and even her calm tone carried an unusual, deeply etched resentment when she spoke of him: "Back when I first met him, he was still the 'Living Buddha of Ten Thousand Families,' renowned for his martial arts, but still somewhat inferior to me. He only resorted to underhanded tactics when trying to kill me. How many people could rival me back then?"
Memories of the past are always in her words; indeed, those were the most glorious years of her life. In the prime of her youth, respected and feared by all, with a lover who never betrayed her, how could one not look back?
But looking back was useless. Wang Yunmeng continued, "As for now, I've spent a considerable amount of time recovering from my injuries, and he's lived outside the Great Wall for nine years, focusing solely on martial arts without concern for worldly affairs. He's mastered the unique skills of various schools and sects. Today, his martial arts..."
Wang Yunmeng didn't finish her sentence, and Xie Huailing knew the answer without asking.
So, by that logic, they'd probably be following in the footsteps of the most famous figures in the martial arts world. Xie Huailing remembered clearly that when Wang Yunmeng was young, he fought Fang Juxia to a draw.
"Who invited him into the country? Have you found out? And most importantly, do you have any clues about his hiding place?" Seeing her expression, Wang Yunmeng understood and asked again.
Xie Huailing stated frankly, "There's still no news. As for the former, since he's coming, there's naturally a way to meet him. Furthermore, there might be some clues from Situ Shang's side; it all depends on Young Master Wang's side. However, he's been poisoned, so there might be unforeseen circumstances. I still need to go and provide proper support; it's not appropriate for anyone else to go at this time. As for the latter, I will personally investigate after Young Master Wang returns."
Upon hearing about Wang Lianhua, Wang Yunmeng didn't react much, focusing solely on Chai Yuguan's whereabouts. She said, "Since he's going to do it, let him do it. Don't let him delay Miss Xie. Miss Xie should concentrate on the investigation. I gave him something useful to use regarding his poison."
Intuition told Xie Huailing that things weren't good. She didn't think Wang Yunmeng could produce the antidote for the medicine passed down in the Situ family of Shandong directly. She steadied herself and pressed on, "What is it?"
Wang Yunmeng smiled faintly: "Miss Xie is capable of making 'poison within poison,' so she should know that the most effective poison is poison."
The poison, as potent as a collapsing mountain, is used to overwhelm the original medicine with even stronger toxicity, requiring an antidote to be administered.
“When I gave it to him, I thought it was better to have something than nothing, and that we could use it if we had to resort to it. Now it can be considered a last resort. I’m always worried that Miss Xie won’t personally investigate Chai Yuguan’s hiding place. Please go ahead and do your work. Don’t worry too much about my child’s safety… He’ll understand when he sees that no one is taking care of him. If he doesn’t have the ability to handle things on his own, I will teach him a lesson.”
What was that saying again? "I've let go of my enemies even though they're living like this." Xie Huailing couldn't help but drift into thought. Wang Yunmeng's maternal love was truly unpredictable. Whenever she felt she had been bad enough to Wang Lianhua, she would discover that there was another talented individual among them, to the point that she had to speak up for Wang Lianhua: "This is good, but this journey is dangerous. It might not be appropriate for Young Master Wang to go alone. Using poison to fight poison could also lead to unexpected accidents."
Wang Yunmeng had made up her mind. She only said, "He won't be unable to endure this little hardship. I already said everything I needed to say to him when you came back with him yesterday, including scolding him, reprimanding him, and giving him pointers."
After saying this, Wang Yunmeng didn't care whether Xie Huailing agreed or not. Before she even put on her makeup, she told Xie Huailing to leave.
Such a cold, indifferent, no, stagnant mother-child relationship is truly rare in my life. If you say there is no emotion, this pool of water is still here; if you say there is much emotion, it is ultimately stagnant water, and what can it nourish?
After leaving the building, Xie Huailing first thought of Bai Feifei, and realized that she and Wang Lianhua were also siblings. Perhaps Chai Yuguan was no different from the plague. Around him, there was no distinction between good and bad, right and wrong; everyone had their own misfortunes.
Then she thought of Zhu Qiqi and Jin Lingzhi, two girls who grew up with all the love of their parents and elders. In that brief moment, a thousand emotions surged within her.
But she quickly stopped thinking about it.
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