Chapter 90: The Desire for Revenge
It was already midnight when Xie Huailing went back to find Shaman again.
Shaman was practically half-covered in blood, and her slender sword was almost unrecognizable. However, judging from her complexion, she was probably not seriously injured, or at least not badly so. She was still able to furrow her brow at Xie Huailing and then kick the black-clad corpse at her feet. But she lost her grip, and the corpse rolled twice on the ground before falling into the river with a resounding "plop."
Shaman had lost count of how many people she had killed and how many waves of assassins she had faced that night. Her sword had become dull from repeated use, and it remained there forever after the last time she pierced someone's chest; the one she held in her hand had been snatched from an assassin.
The two chatted briefly about the night's events, then wrapped things up and returned to the Beggars' Sect by carriage. On the way, Shaman checked on Xie Huailing, and Xie Huailing applied some medicine to Shaman. The girl had been hit a few times on the back, but fortunately, they were all minor injuries; she could endure them without gritting her teeth. Xie Huailing didn't provoke her further on the journey, speaking to her gently and kindly.
Upon returning to the Beggars' Sect, not a single house in sight was lit. The sparse clouds seemed to have a knack for choosing their time, revealing only a sliver of the moon, its light dimly illuminating the courtyard corridor, as if it were still hesitating and lingering in its wait.
At this hour, Xie Huailing was incredibly sleepy. She sent Shaman to rest first, and then walked back with the maid who had come to fetch her.
Following the moonlight, I passed by Ren Ci's garden. The flowers were also covered with a thin layer of moonlight, extremely quiet, thus blooming with a lonely and desolate beauty, carrying a melancholy that could not be expressed by a thousand kinds of resentment, draped over a person.
Xie Huailing stopped in her tracks, told the maid to release her hand, and turned her head to look.
In the heart of the moonlit night, amidst a profusion of flowers, she spotted a very thin figure. The figure was as slender as a willow branch, frail and delicate. Xie Huailing rarely saw a woman thinner than herself or Lin Shiyin. It seemed as if a mere breeze could snatch the figure away from the night; she was powerless to resist, utterly emaciated. Without even approaching, Xie Huailing could already sense the sickness emanating from her.
A woman so ill must have a painful past; a woman walking alone under the moon, secretly gazing at flowers, must have a sorrowful past. And a woman who embodies both—just telling her story would exhaust all her courage, so she would also be a woman who keeps her mouth shut, harboring her resentment alone.
Xie Huailing patted the maid's hand, indicating that the maid should go back first. She was already very sleepy, but seeing this thin figure, she knew that the night was not over yet.
The figure slowly turned her head; her illness did not diminish her sharpness. Only then did Xie Huailing notice that the woman's face was also veiled, making her appear in the night like a wronged soul about to depart for the afterlife. However, she was not as helpless as a wronged soul; even though she was thin, her back was straight.
Xie Huailing took two steps forward and stopped a few feet away from her, nodding slightly and greeting her, "Madam Ye."
Ye Erniang glanced at her. She didn't seem to be in very good spirits, and her voice was weak: "Who are you?"
"My surname is Xie." Xie Huailing only mentioned his surname, leaving it at that.
To Ye Erniang's surprise, she knew who she was. Although she had been bedridden for a long time, she was still able to call out the name of the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion. She was a little stunned: "Are you Miss Xie from the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion?"
Xie Huailing replied, "Yes."
Ye Erniang's dazed state deepened. However, when she came to her senses, her melancholy strangely dissipated somewhat, perhaps because something else had replaced it. Was it because the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion had done her a favor, that a glint of light appeared in her eyes? No, there was another possibility.
The reason someone can become close to another person can be either love or hate. The enemy of my enemy is my best friend.
Ye Erniang coughed twice, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and then spoke a little more, saying, "It's getting chilly at night, Miss Xie should go back to her room earlier."
Xie Huailing gave a gentle smile, her eyes lowered, her expression rarely so tender. She said, "These words should be spoken to Madam Ye. The night is deep and cold. I am still a perfectly healthy person. Madam Ye should take better care of herself."
As she spoke, she gently took off the cloak she was wearing. It didn't matter if she didn't know what kind of expression was the most tender. She imitated Hua Manlou's facial expressions and took a few steps forward to tie the cloak back on Ye Erniang.
A thick fox fur cloak was draped over her shoulders. Ye Erniang did not refuse this kindness. Perhaps it was Xie Huailing's expression that made her feel both reluctant and comfortable. The two of them stood closer together.
"Thank you so much, Miss." Ye Erniang couldn't help but feel even more favorably disposed towards this girl. She also caught a faint smell of blood on the cloak. She used to be very sensitive to these things, and she couldn't help but frown.
Xie Huailing noticed her change and tried to explain, "I just came back from some trouble, so I might smell a bit of blood. I hope I haven't offended Madam Ye."
Ye Erniang shook her head and said, "How could that be? I just don't know what happened to Miss Xie. I heard..."
She paused for a moment before continuing, her tone becoming more serious: "The Six and a Half Hall assassinated Miss Xie a few days ago. Miss Xie should take good care of her safety."
Xie Huailing comforted her, then subtly conveyed a message in his words: "It's alright. They couldn't kill my cousin or touch me before, and they can't do anything to me tonight either."
Ye Erniang frowned, forcing herself not to say anything. Finally, she suddenly staggered and only managed to say, "Miss Xie and Master Su are both blessed people. Naturally, they will not be harmed by villains, let alone by insidious means."
“That’s right. We can repay it when we come back.” Xie Huailing took Ye Erniang’s hand and let her lean on him. “People have to be responsible for their own actions and repay their debts. I think Chief Lei understands this principle.”
As if she had heard some disgusting words, Ye Erniang turned her head away under the pretext of panting, which was similar to Su Mengzhen. The beauty of this was that it was the most direct way to make people unable to guess her emotions. It was just unknown where she had developed such a habit. Had she also been immersed in the power struggles of the martial arts world? Anyway, she spoke again: "I wish Miss Xie and Master Su success."
She didn't want to trouble Xie Huailing, but she couldn't resist his genuine enthusiasm. She half-coaxed and half-enticed him, and finally agreed to let Xie Huailing help her back.
Xie Huailing spoke gently along the way, keeping the atmosphere from becoming dull, and carefully escorted Ye Erniang to her doorstep. When it was time to say goodbye, Xie Huailing retrieved her cloak and smiled again.
The smile had cooled considerably, carrying a hint of caution, as if she were burdened with something on her mind. Xie Huailing reminded Ye Erniang, "You still need to take good care of yourself. The Beggars' Sect hasn't been peaceful lately, so please take good care of yourself."
Ye Erniang never expected to hear these words from Xie Huailing. She and Ye Shuzhen were sisters with a deep bond. She was immediately overwhelmed with emotion, grasped Xie Huailing's hand tightly, and asked, "What happened? Is it serious?"
Xie Huailing replied vaguely, "I still need to go and discuss this with Chief Ren, but it's probably not too important. It's just some old grudges and grievances, and they all have to come to an end eventually. Just like I told you earlier, debts must be repaid, and grudges must be settled."
Ye Erniang seemed to have thought of something, and looked slightly sad. Her hands clenched tighter and tighter. Xie Huailing did not miss the fleeting look of grief and anger on her face: "...Sometimes, not all debts can be repaid."
"What are you saying? You absolutely cannot say that."
Xie Huailing gently squeezed Ye Erniang's hand back, stroking the back of her hand reassuringly. In this moment, her palm even warmed slightly, comforting Ye Erniang's hands, which had been clenched until they turned white: "No matter what it is or who it is, if a debt is owed, it must be repaid. Otherwise, how can the person who was hurt live a life of hatred and anger, neither human nor ghost?"
Xie Huailing emphasized the word "he".
.
Whether Ye Erniang agreed with these words was not something Xie Huailing could know for sure at the moment. In any case, nothing she said was a lie, her plans were genuine, and her prediction of unrest within the Beggars' Sect was also true.
Despite the brief victory over the Southern Prince's Mansion, many issues remained to be resolved. The existence of Nangong Ling and Wuhua had to be eliminated, but based on the evidence, she couldn't convince Ren Ci and Ye Shuzhen with her reasoning. There was also the presence of Shi Guanyin, a character who had remained silent, whom Xie Huailing still wanted to eradicate completely. Ideally, this would fall on the Southern Prince's Mansion again. Although she could easily write to Wuqing and report them directly through official channels, Xie Huailing felt that wasn't enough.
She prefers to maximize profits; if all she does is mitigate risks, she always feels like she's wasting her time.
So she devised her own backup plan. To keep all three parties in check and prevent any of them from escaping first, the best way was to drag them all into the quagmire. Once they were all deeply involved in the chaos, each preoccupied with their own survival and in constant fear, they would have no way to escape and would have to play another game with her.
This is a rather crazy method; if this were Bianjing (Kaifeng), Xie Huailing would never have come up with it. Fortunately, this isn't Bianjing, but Jinan.
The next morning, shortly after she fell asleep, at her prior instruction, a message spread throughout Jinan, even showing signs of spreading rapidly to surrounding areas. It wouldn't be long before the news reached the entire region, and after some more time, it would sweep across the entire martial arts world—
The desert demoness of the Stone Forest Cave, named Stone Guanyin, is inherently jealous, beautiful yet wicked, and has never liked seeing beautiful women. Last night, upon arriving in Jinan, she unfortunately encountered "Skinny Hands Cutting the Sky," and seeing her unparalleled beauty, she felt utterly inferior and lamented her unattainable status, thus fueling her jealousy. With the help of someone in secret, she brazenly approached Miss Xie and even declared to her face that Miss Xie must disfigure herself within five days, or she would be killed!
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Ms. Xie: They splash dirty water here and there, and now it's a complete mess, and nobody can leave.
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