Chapter 101: Epilogue
People and green mountains pass by in a hurry; youthful beauty fades into dust in an instant. The news of Shi Guanyin's death came even faster than Xie Huailing had imagined. This once powerful and influential desert demoness died with just a few words, summarizing her life in a single sentence.
Those unforgettable loves and hates are ultimately nothing more than a cup of wine spilled on the ground. Perhaps she will still be mentioned, and there will still be discussions about her, but with this cup of wine poured down, it all loses its meaning. No one will remember her for long. Nangong Ling never came until her death. Apart from infamy, nothing else will belong to her. Everything about the Stone Forest Cave has been exposed, leaving no way out for others, and she has no way out either.
Even this glass of wine was poured for her by Qiu Lingsu.
Qu Wurong was also present that day. It sounds somewhat ironic that in the end, it was they who sent Shi Guanyin into the long night from which she would never awaken.
As for the things left behind by Shi Guanyin, they naturally all ended up in Xie Huailing's hands. Shi Guanyin's gold, silver, jewelry, and antique collection accumulated over the years were perfect for replenishing the finances of Jin Feng Xi Yu Lou, allowing Xie Huailing's reform project to proceed smoothly upon his return. As for the intelligence network, it was placed in Qu Wurong's hands.
To reiterate, Xie Huailing really wanted her own Chief Steward Yang. She was deeply resentful that Su Mengzhen wouldn't assign Yang Wuxie to her; sometimes, it's that simple to be jealous.
When Qu Wurong received the mission, she was still unaware of what kind of hidden talent her superior was. She rejected Sha Man's subtle advice and decided to dedicate herself fully to her career, striving to create a bright future for herself at the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion. On her first day in office, she told Xie Huailing everything she knew, including the events surrounding Shi Guanyin from over ten years ago, which involved several people who should have died long ago and secrets unknown to the world.
Secrets are everywhere in the martial arts world. Since Xie Huailing entered the world, she has been constantly discovering secrets, and often feels like the top paparazzi of the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion newspaper. Yuan Dongyuan hides the secret that his son is the "Bat Prince", Bai Feifei hides the secret of her background, Lei Sun hides the secret of his ruthless killing of Guan Zhaodi... Where there are people, there is the martial arts world, and where there are people, there are secrets. Perhaps it can be said that the martial arts world is made up of secrets, big and small.
These secrets are nothing more than a few types: things that can't be brought to light, unresolved hatred, people who are said to be dead but aren't, and people who should be dead but are still alive.
Qu Wurong mentioned one of these types. She brought up a person: Fairy Yunmeng.
The woman had a beautiful title, but she was hardly a fairy. Wang Yunmeng, the previous generation's number one female demon of the martial arts world, possessed martial arts skills so high they need no description. The Yunmeng Token in her hand was enough to command hordes of demons, which proved her power. Compared to her actions, even Shi Guanyin seemed kind and approachable. Her past need not be mentioned; what is worth mentioning is her end. She died nine years ago, perishing at the hands of "Shen Tianjun" during her trip to Hengshan.
So she should be dead, but this damned person is still alive.
Seven years ago, Shi Guanyin encountered Wang Yunmeng in the desert. It must have been a very unpleasant experience. Even though they were both powerful female demons from different generations in the martial arts world, there was a gap between them, and Shi Guanyin almost died at Wang Yunmeng's hands. At the time, Wang Yunmeng was wearing a bamboo hat, but Shi Guanyin recognized her from the small part of her face that was visible. After returning to her cave in the Stone Forest, she cursed Wang Yunmeng all night. Qu Wurong, who was serving her closely, overheard the incident.
Shi Guanyin, who was far from being magnanimous or forgiving, couldn't swallow this insult. She ordered Qu Wurong to investigate, no matter what. Qu Wurong had no choice; at least this job was better than killing someone. So she infiltrated the Central Plains and cautiously began investigating Wang Yunmeng. But she found nothing suspicious about Wang Yunmeng's death. In the end, besides uncovering an old piece of gossip about Wang Yunmeng—that she seemed to have traveled with "Wan Jia Sheng Fo" Chai Yuguan—she found nothing else.
Shi Guanyin was furious and severely punished Qu Wurong. The matter ended there without further discussion.
Xie Huailing wouldn't let such old matters go unresolved, and with a wave of her hand, she finalized the plan. She was about to return to Bianjing and didn't want to go to work anymore, so she sent Qu Wurong to report to the building first. Then, with lightning speed, Qu Wurong would quickly become Yang Wuxie's disciple, using this incident as a case study to study diligently. Yang Wuxie's wishes were unimportant; Xie Huailing had the building master's order.
She also instructed Qu Wurong to act quickly, before Su Mengzhen found out, and to be flexible in her thinking while learning, not to hesitate to learn from others, and that morality wasn't that important. Only then did Qu Wurong vaguely sense that something was wrong with her superior, and began to understand the pity and anger in Shaman's eyes. But Shaman didn't have time to remind her anymore; Xie Huailing had assigned Shaman many tasks related to the Beggars' Sect after recruiting Guan Zhaodi.
It was too late; one wrong step could lead to eternal regret. Qu Wurong set off with a bad feeling.
Xie Huailing, under the pretense of waiting for Su Mengzhen to persuade Grand Tutor Li, spent her days eating melon seeds and fooling around with Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Manlou. She only occasionally met with Zhao Mengyun, tried to persuade Ye Gucheng to defect, gave him some pointers on the planned rebellion, and then sent the two of them back to raise Gu. After that, she didn't care how busy her superiors and subordinates were, just enjoying her own life.
.
"It's settled."
Xie Huailing played his last card, ending what seemed like the umpteenth hand of the day.
The clear sunshine washed away much of the lingering chill, and though early spring was reluctant to leave, it shed the last remnants of winter's coat. A month was enough for the verdant greenery and vibrant flowers of spring to be bathed in sunlight, thus spreading tenderness far and wide, proclaiming the beauty of spring and the length of the sunrise.
From inside the Floating Gold Path shrine came a wail. Looking through the window, one could see Lu Xiaofeng banging his head against the table, sighing deeply. His former spirited demeanor was nowhere to be seen. Even his mustache drooped. "Did you cheat? Look at you, you haven't lost a single time, is that right?"
"Isn't this right?" Xie Huailing, on the contrary, was in high spirits after winning, showing no signs of boredom or laziness. No one could tell that she had gotten up early for the first time in ages to play cards. "If you lose, think more about your own reasons. Is it because you had bad luck or your brain wasn't working properly? Don't think about other people's problems."
She raised her chin and said, "A bet is a bet. You haven't finished playing your cards yet, so put them on the table."
It was referring to the note on the small round stool beside him. Lu Xiaofeng was so angry he could barely breathe, but there was nothing he could do. He picked up the note with two fingers, which read "I am Lu Xiaoji," and with his other hand, he reluctantly took out a spoon, scooped up a spoonful of the grayish-white paste from the ceramic bowl, and even more reluctantly smeared the paste on the back of the note. Finally, he stuck it on himself, his expression as tragic as if he were bravely facing death.
Several such slips of paper were pasted on his chest, showing how badly he had lost today. Looking to the side, Hua Manlou was in slightly better shape, but not by much, with only one or two fewer slips. This made Xie Huailing's clean appearance all the more conspicuous and repulsive.
Lu Xiaofeng slammed down his cards, but luckily, the cards were all carved from wood for Hua Manlou's convenience, so they wouldn't break. He issued a fierce challenge: "Let's play again! I refuse to believe I can't beat you today. I'm telling you right now, I'll make sure you have 'I am the biggest scoundrel in the world' plastered on your forehead!"
That's impressive, and deserves encouragement. Xie Huailing clapped for Lu Xiaofeng lightly, like coaxing a child, and said, "Very good, that's spirited. But if you lose the next round, I'll return that favor. No objections?"
Lu Xiaofeng readily agreed, replying, "I'm willing to take responsibility for my actions; if I lose, I'll pay the difference."
Then he went to shuffle the cards, his hand resting on the deck. A jade-colored fan tapped the back of his hand, casting shimmering light and shadow. Lu Xiaofeng turned his head and saw Hua Manlou with a warm smile that seemed to come from a spring breeze, as if he had something wonderful to tell him.
The handsome young man spoke softly, "You forgot to post this one of mine. I'll help you."
Without saying another word, he ruthlessly stuck a note on Lu Xiaofeng's face, which read, "I will shave off my two eyebrows tomorrow." Sure enough, a longtime friend could be so ruthless.
Lu Xiaofeng was caught off guard by the note and immediately realized that Hua Manlou hadn't written anything for him. He wanted to tear it off to see what it was, but Xie Huailing stopped him: "Wait, but we agreed that the note couldn't be torn off."
On one side was Hua Manlou, her face blooming and brushing against the railing, as if she had just tenderly wiped his sweat; on the other side was Xie Huailing, her face a mix of mockery and a half-smile. Caught between these two, Lu Xiaofeng's teeth stopped itching. Because his fists hardened.
He tried to say something, but was interrupted for the third time. It seemed like nothing he could do today; he couldn't even draw a good card. The footsteps rushing towards him outside caught him just as he was about to speak, hurried yet clear, and the next second there was a rapid knocking on the door.
The maid shouted in a panic, "Miss, a guest from the Beggars' Sect wants to see you and is waiting nearby."
Xie Huailing replied without batting an eye, "I'm busy with important matters and don't have time to see her. You take her to find Shaman."
"But..." the maid hesitated, stammering, "that young lady said she knows you, that she's your friend, and that her matter is extremely urgent, and she must tell you in person. Moreover, as she was talking, she tried to barge in!"
Lu Xiaofeng adopted a look of anticipation, then glanced at Xie Huailing, who was still sitting in her seat, and asked, "Who is it?"
The maid's voice grew increasingly disordered: "She's a very shrewish young lady, who claims her surname is—"
Before he could finish speaking, the words were cut off by two shouts of "Stop!" and a warning, indicating that someone had already forced their way in. Xie Huailing had chosen a secluded courtyard to play cards in order to avoid Su Mengzhen, and he had brought as few maids as possible. There was no way he could stop the person. In just a few moments, the wooden door was kicked open.
Dust and smoke rose, but outside, spring was in full bloom, and the grass and trees were bathed in the warmth of the new day. The girl who had barged in was born in such a season. The autumn day when I first met her was not suitable for her, and the late autumn when I left could only strip away a few traces of her vibrant life. Only now did she truly shine, her beauty enough to make even the most beautiful flowers blush. Even the coquettishness and cheerfulness in her eyes, and the audacity of her barging in, could be seen as dew on her charming flower petals.
Almost no one could make Xie Huailing's eyelids twitch at first sight, but she could. Xie Huailing never expected to meet her again in the Beggars' Sect.
Before she could speak, the girl stepped forward and grabbed her hand, her eyes brimming with tears of grievance, yet stubbornly holding back, a heartbreaking display of defiance: "Huailing, Huailing, you have to help me! I, I, waaaaaah..."
The girl started crying as she spoke, and a series of wild punches knocked out everyone in the room. Xie Huailing, bathed in the confused gazes of Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Manlou, gradually felt dizzy and lightheaded.
She asked uncertainly, "What happened now? Did Shen Lang ignore you? Did you get into trouble again without even realizing it? Or were you bullied?"
Zhu Qiqi didn't speak, but cried even louder, burying her face in Xie Huailing's arms, her tears soaking her clothes.
Xie Huailing was already doomed before she even understood: "You have them all?"
To be honest, she wanted to back out.
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The map will change again in the next volume, and some characters will return. To reiterate, there are many characters based on my own understanding and personal interpretations within various martial arts settings.
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