Chapter 21: Whispers
What attracts people from all walks of life in the martial arts world most are nothing more than two things—power and beauty. The two are inseparable; power can bring beauty, and beauty often becomes an appendage of power, making people yearn for it and wish they could reach the pinnacle of power.
When these two elements combine, a beauty symbolizing power is amplified a thousandfold by the weight of that power, radiating a dazzling and captivating brilliance. The identity of Su Mengzhen's cousin, the owner of the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion, is a prime example of this power-beauty combination. People in the martial arts world often say that Lei Chun, the daughter of Lei Sun, the head of the Six and a Half Hall, is the most fortunate woman in the world. And Su Mengzhen's cousin, as his only known and still-living relative, is certainly a blessed person as well.
The Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion has power, and Xie Huailing is beautiful; that's enough. The Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion dominates the martial world, and Xie Huailing's beauty rivals that of the Goddess of the Luo River; that's enough to drive people mad.
Countless prominent figures flocked to her, whether they were from prestigious families, wealthy merchants, renowned heroes, or warlords, all eager to kowtow before her. A single glance from her was enough to shower her with countless "small gifts." Even those who knew little of her praised her beauty, talent, and serene grace. She cleverly wore a simple dress to the treasure-appreciation banquet, yet she was still lauded for her noble character, a rare find in the world. One wonders what Su Mengzhen thought of that.
Xie Huailing ignored the buzzing of mosquitoes, finding it all too annoying. At times like this, she was thankful her boss was far superior to her. All she had to do was hide behind Su Mengzhen, and everything would be peaceful. When the person she needed to recognize came, Su Mengzhen would call her to meet them.
After noting down the names of a few people, they walked around the first floor and onto a secluded corridor. Su Mengzhen raised his hand, and a bodyguard stood behind them, holding the congratulatory gifts from Jin Feng Xi Yu Lou in both hands. He checked the gifts one last time to make sure there were no mistakes, then turned to Xie Huailing and said, "I'm going to see Jin Banhua. You go and explore first."
After saying that, he left, not worried about Xie Huailing's safety. She was too lazy to cause trouble for herself; with her quick wit, no one could make her suffer. As long as she didn't provoke others in return, that was good enough.
The maid watched Su Mengzhen walk away until she disappeared around the corner before daring to speak. She had seen how much Xie Huailing ate, and it was even less than what she thought her mistress ate: "Miss, let's go get something to eat first. You haven't eaten much today, just a bowl of porridge at noon and barely touched your food in the evening. How can your body function like this?"
Xie Huailing then remembered that her stomach was empty. She paused for a moment, but still had no appetite. She looked around. The labyrinthine corridors of the grotto had more than a dozen carved wooden doors. Before the music started playing, a strong aroma of wine wafted out, carrying an enticing scent.
"Let's find an empty room first, then order drinks." She didn't care whether the maid would stop her or not, and went in the direction that looked most pleasing to the eye.
When Jin Banhua opened this music pavilion, he aspired to make it the most magnificent music pavilion in Bianjing. With Liufenbantang already established, he couldn't open the largest; with Cai Jing already established, he couldn't open the most extravagant. So, Jin Banhua had a brilliant idea: he would make Yushanlong the most entertaining music pavilion. To this end, he spent a fortune buying over a hundred musicians and hung curtains around each room. When the candlelight was dim, the musicians would play tunes and sing songs behind the curtains—nothing could be more wonderful.
The empty room Xie Huailing found was laid out like this. If she went to the steward and said the room was occupied, she would probably be forced to accept musicians. Refusing would be a waste of breath, and she was too lazy to look for it and had no interest in such things, so she simply left it quiet. She also disliked that the table and chairs were placed in the very center of the room, and the flickering lights were blinding her. Xie Huailing wanted to blow out the lamp, but a maid hugged her around the waist.
The maid was so anxious she almost blurted out, "Miss! How could you blow out someone's lamp? This isn't a brothel!"
So you can't blow your own horn. Xie Huailing felt a pang of disappointment. How was she supposed to rest now? She slapped the maid's hand away and said to her, "I know. First, bring some food. Make sure it's hot. Keep an eye on them as they prepare it."
The maid released her uneasily, but she didn't quite believe her. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but kept quiet out of courtesy, and went to get it for her.
Left with Xie Huailing and her bodyguards, who were only concerned with her life, she had more options. She glanced around the room and walked straight to the curtain on the right. Reaching out to touch it, she found the fabric so thin it was indistinguishable from the gauze covering the bed. Fortunately, a layer of brocade was tied above, making it considerably thicker. Xie Huailing tiptoed and loosened the brocade ties around the curtain. With a flick of her finger, the soft, emerald-green brocade cascaded down like a waterfall, creating a dim, hazy space, no more than two or three feet wide, just enough to accommodate a row of musicians.
She poured herself a glass of wine; even cold wine was better than an empty stomach. She sat on a cushion by the door and closed her eyes.
This was a time for her to close her eyes and rest. It wasn't that she didn't want to sleep, nor was she particularly picky about where she slept; it was just that she had things to do tonight, and the feeling of being pulled up by Su Mengzhen while she was asleep wouldn't be pleasant, so she was just taking a little shortcut.
She counted in her mind how much time had passed. The only sound in the corridor outside was music coming up from downstairs. Even when people passed by, their footsteps were hurried. Whether it was one or two people, they were all like fleeting shadows, gone in an instant.
...Hmm? It's stopped.
Xie Huailing didn't open her eyes. The voices were only about ten feet away from her, so it wouldn't be difficult for her to catch the gist of what they were saying. Her hearing was excellent; the conversation seemed to seep into her head on its own.
First came a deep voice, the speaker of whom was probably old, but whose pronunciation was refined, unhurried and unassuming: "...Young Master Jin's banquet is quite lively. But is that white jade beauty really as exquisite as the rumors say?"
The other voice was younger, and although it should have been a clear and bright voice, it carried a strange sense of suppression, as if there was dust in its throat. The words were spoken very softly: "Even if a treasure is naturally formed, it depends on who it falls into. Jin Banhua's actions are nothing more than a case of loving dragons but fearing them in return."
“Well said.” The first voice laughed. “If it weren’t for the fact that the master thief Chu Liuxiang was going to make this trip and create enough hype for him, Jin Banhua would only be good enough to amuse herself, let alone make a big deal out of it.”
Then the old man changed the subject and said directly, "Su Mengzhen has also come."
Those few words were enough. Separated by a door, there was no need to guess who was outside; the atmosphere was completely electric. Tonight, there would only be one elderly man in Yushanlong who could address Su Mengzhen by her full name, and only one young man who could speak with him—Lei Sun, the head of the Six and a Half Hall, and Di Feijing, who had shared a cup of tea with her at Jucai Tower.
After saying this, Lei Sun paused for a moment, then gave a meaningful laugh.
Life is truly unpredictable; when you're down on your luck, even drinking water can cause problems. Xie Huailing didn't open her eyes, nor did she bother to remind the guards. She knew Lei Sun had discovered someone in the room when he paused. Where was Su Mengzhen? Could Su Mengzhen come and rescue her?
She sighed softly, thinking of a way to escape, but Lei Sun didn't rush to expose her and continued talking. He said slowly, "He brought his cousin, a girl who is only two years older than Chun'er. I don't know if this 'cousin' is real or not. She's still a young person after all."
His words had a probing tone, and might also be directed at her. Xie Huailing, recalling that Lei Sun had arranged a marriage between his daughter and Su Mengzhen when Su Mengzhen was young, wasn't surprised to hear this. No father likes it when a cousin of unknown origin suddenly appears beside his prospective son-in-law; even if this prospective son-in-law rivals the father-in-law, the marriage will inevitably be called off.
Di Feijing said softly, "Before Hua Wucuo was killed, news came that Su Mengzhen valued his cousin very much. He hired a tutor for her and even personally taught her. His behavior was not like that of a brother and sister."
He should have said something more. For example, Xie Huailing had been to Jucai Tower with Hua Wucuo, and she likely played a significant role in Hua Wucuo's exposure. It was too suspicious that Hua Wucuo, who enjoyed Su Mengzhen's deep trust, was suddenly suspected. Xie Huailing didn't believe Di Feijing couldn't have thought of it, but she was too cautious. Even after discovering her suspicions, she didn't let her hear the whole story, making her seem like someone listening to an old woman gossiping about her prospective son-in-law.
“If she is Su Mengzhen’s next confidante…” Lei Sun skipped a paragraph, “If she is just an ordinary girl, young and impetuous, she won’t last long in relying on her looks to please others.”
The old man's insults were still lacking in finesse. Xie Huailing remained completely unmoved; these words, even if they were directed at her, wouldn't cause her any harm.
She yawned, and then heard Di Feijing say, "That makes sense, but Hua Wucuo said her handwriting is extremely bad, even worse than that of a江湖草莽 (jianghu caomen, a term referring to outlaws or scoundrels in the martial arts world). There are many suspicious points, so it's best to wait and see."
These words hurt her. Xie Huailing opened her eyes, but her expression remained blank.
She could barely hear anything after that. A footstep faded into the distance, and another person, who had stayed behind to deal with her, pushed open the wooden door that the maid had carefully closed. Xie Huailing followed the footsteps in, then walked to the table, recognizing it as Di Feijing. Su Mengzhen had said that this person was secretive and disliked crowds; even she had never seen him before (Su Mengzhen's tolerance for her reluctance to socialize might stem from this). She guessed that Di Feijing didn't want to participate in the banquet, in order to better remain hidden from public view.
In Di Feijing's perception, Xie Huailing was completely ignorant of martial arts, and the martial arts of the secret guards were like fireflies compared to the bright moon in front of Di Feijing. After sitting down, he spoke, with murderous intent lurking in his heart: "We are all guests, why should we imitate the behavior of thieves?"
No one had ever said that Di Feijing knew martial arts, but this was a life-or-death moment. The guards' hands were already on their hidden weapons, ready to strike at any moment, but Xie Huailing was as clear-headed as a mirror; Di Feijing couldn't frighten her. She weighed the cup in her hand and found her heart chilled to the bone, like a stagnant pool.
Eavesdropping is certainly not honorable, but for the person directly involved, it's a different story. How can she extricate herself unscathed...? She raised her hand and gathered the brocade ribbon.
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The game will be available for purchase tomorrow, with three chapters released in a row! [heart emojis]
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