Chapter 12 The person she was waiting for was actually forever...
The seven-year-long, loving relationship between Chu Panfeng, the leader of Qingyang Sect, and Ruan Ning, the pearl of Hanlu, was nothing more than a despicable and shameful conspiracy from the very beginning.
His tone was laced with sarcasm: "Father, is it because you've barely seen me all these years that someone as ungrateful and heartless as you is afraid of having nightmares?"
"So, in all these years, when you're dreaming in the dead of night, don't you regret sparing my life back then?"
Chu Panfeng's figure swayed visibly a few times. "I don't know what Ruan Lin said to you, but the deaths of your mother and maternal grandfather were absolutely not my intention."
Seeing the person in front of him still trying to shirk responsibility, the young master's words were filled with undisguised disappointment: "You still don't dare to admit it even now."
Chu Panfeng finally turned around, and for the first time, his figure was reflected in his desolate and forlorn eyes: "Child, I am guilty, and now I have finally received the grace of atonement with my death." His tone became strange and excited, as if the shackles he had worn for more than ten years were about to be broken.
"However, after I die, you must remember not to trust others too easily and repeat the mistakes I made back then."
………
The young master recounted his memories in detail, "At the time, I only knew that he was determined to die, but I never expected that he would be assassinated the next day, and that I would be placed under house arrest by the Third Elder under the pretext of protection."
"During this period, all my information was obtained by Ah Cai. I only know that the female assassin was highly skilled in martial arts and escaped the pursuit of the Third Elder."
Hidden Sword Manor has three elders. The First Elder has been in seclusion for many years to break through to the Heavenly Rank and has long been detached from worldly affairs. His disciples have also gradually withdrawn from the center of power. The Second Elder's lineage has a shallow foundation and mostly handles miscellaneous matters within the manor. The Second Elder is most adept at changing his allegiance to the wind. He was obedient when the manor lord was still alive, but now that the manor lord is dead, he has probably already sided with the Third Elder.
As for the Third Elder, he was already at odds with the Manor Lord, and his wolfish ambitions were obvious. Now that his true intentions had been revealed, he naturally wished to get rid of Chu Qingchen, who still held the title of Young Manor Lord.
"The Third Elder pressed me about the whereabouts of the Manor Lord's Seal. I only said that I had never seen it. He didn't know that my father had secretly seen me before he died, and he didn't suspect anything at the time."
"I know that if I give him more time, he will definitely find out that the thing is in my hands. I am anxious, but I really can't think of a way to escape."
"It was at this moment that the woman actually came back to me."
"She claimed to be a disciple of Jiang Chaosheng, and that she came to Cangjian Manor to repay my maternal grandfather for the kindness of gifting her the Mountain and Water Twin Blades. I already knew that my father was not killed by this person, and moreover, the Jufeng Blade in her hand was genuine, so I decided to believe her without much hesitation. Just to be on the safe side, I hid the seal in the courtyard and only took Fenye with me when I left with her."
At this point, the young master's face became confused and sad. His hands, which were even more delicate than a woman's, climbed onto the sharp blade that Hengbo was pressing against his neck, feeling its icy temperature against his skin.
"You probably know what happened after that. But I don't understand, is a double-edged sword really worth repaying with one's life? Was it really worth it for her?"
Hengbo noticed it; the confusion on his face was genuine.
But it was precisely this genuine confusion, this innocent naiveté, that fueled her anger. A torrent of dark and violent emotions—resentment, jealousy, and grievance—swirled and churned within her.
Hengbo wants to ask, on what grounds?
Why should Ruan Wangshu give up her life for such an ignorant person? Abandon her?
How can he claim he doesn't understand when he clearly enjoys Ruan Wangshu's affection that transcends life itself?
Why should she bear the pain of losing Ruan Wangshu alone?
Is it simply because he is Ruan Wangshu's younger brother, just because of this so-called blood ties?
But if blood ties are really that important in the eyes of the world, why was her mother able to leave so resolutely back then?
Why is it that Ayu is always the one who gets abandoned?
Along with her emotions, the sword in her hand also trembled. However, Chu Qingchen knew that the trembling sword tip was not due to weakness, but rather the surging killing intent that she was trying her best to control.
He didn't know what he had done to offend Hengbo. He thought he had said something wrong and racked his brains to apologize and make amends, not to save his life, but because of some emotion that he was unwilling to explore.
But if he lives, he will become a thorn in Hengbo's heart. What should he do?
What about transverse waves?
Hengbo didn't know, but he knew that his life was won by Ruan Wangshu at the cost of his life.
Therefore, she could not kill him, nor could she even answer him what was worth Ruan Wangshu risking his life for.
With a clang, the sound of a sword falling to the ground was heard.
The young master wanted to ask, but seeing Hengbo's weary and suppressed expression, it was clearly not a good time.
He could only suppress his doubts for the time being and continued, "She once said she would take me to Biyun Mountain, but later... perhaps she knew she couldn't take me there, so she told me how to contact Biyun Mountain."
They had barely escaped the assassins sent by the village and were hiding in an inconspicuous cave at the foot of the mountain. This place must have been used as temporary lodging by a hunter, as there were still some water-fetching tools and rags for wind protection.
At this moment, the woman had developed a high fever and her face was flushed due to the lack of timely medical treatment for her serious injuries, but she remained silent, as if she was thinking about her own thoughts.
It was late winter, and they were in the wild. The cold wind howled at night, but they dared not light a fire for warmth and could only endure it like this.
He was keeping watch at the cave entrance, his nerves on edge. Suddenly, she spoke softly, "There's a clothing shop called Caiyunji in Biyun Town. Go find the proprietress there and tell her that the young lady instructed you to take her up the mountain."
Upon hearing her words, he forgot all about his patrol and turned to look at her in a daze: "Aren't you going back?"
As he waited, bewildered and anxious, she finally shook her head gently: "I can't go back."
She still had a smile on her lips, but it was a bitter and heavy smile, like one that couldn't wait for the snow of early spring.
"Once it's completely dark, you should go down the mountain alone and immediately head to Changzhou to take a boat and leave..."
Her voice grew weaker and her gaze became unfocused. He hurriedly went forward to check on her, and only then did he notice how serious her injuries were.
The deep red blood had completely soaked through her clothes and even dampened the ground beneath her. He gasped, realizing just how much willpower she had mustered to get to where she was today.
He suddenly remembered that before she went to Hidden Sword Manor to find him, she had escaped a pursuit once, and perhaps she was already injured at that time...
But how can I collapse here after finally escaping?
He tried to awaken her will to live: "Have you forgotten that there is someone waiting for you on Biyun Mountain? She must be thinking of you coming home right now. Don't sleep, I'll take you to see a doctor right away."
It's unclear what chord was touched, but her already withered and dying life seemed to suddenly receive the mercy of time.
She even forced herself to sit up, her hands, covered in wounds and blood, trembling as she touched his face. Her lifeless gaze was fixed on him, yet it passed right through him without a trace of lingering affection, heading towards a distant place.
She tilted her head slightly, a relaxed smile on her face: "You're here. I broke my promise. Please forgive me this last time."
He knew she wasn't asking about him, but inexplicably, he tried to suppress the bitterness in his heart and answered in a hoarse voice, "Okay."
He thought that by doing this he could at least fulfill her final memories, but fate played a cruel joke on him.
After receiving his answer, the smile on the person's face gradually disappeared, a single tear rolled down her cheek, and her final expression was one of sorrow and reluctance.
He thought he had said something wrong, but he couldn't figure out what he had done wrong no matter how hard he tried.
It wasn't until a month later, when he met the mute girl carrying the horizontal wave sword, that he finally understood that everything he had said back then was wrong, because the person she was waiting for could never respond to her.
The young master paused for a moment, then continued, "But I can't just live like this in a daze. I have to come back. So I took the broken knife from her body. After I gave the knife to the proprietress of Caiyunji, I stayed there for a few days. But I didn't expect the Third Elder to be so eager to kill me. He even contacted the local caravan to relentlessly pursue me. When I finally managed to escape, that was when we met on the ship."
Hengbo knew that what he said was true. If Ruan Wangshu did not completely trust someone, he would never have revealed the contact information on the mountain.
Since that's the case, she stared directly into the young master's eyes and gestured to him: "So, what do you want me to do?"
The young master gave a bitter smile: "I was really ashamed to trouble you with my help again, but I do need your cooperation in this matter. To be honest, the timing of my father's murder was too delicate, and I have a doubt about it that I need to verify."
...
The young master slowly explained his plan to Hengbo, who neither agreed nor disagreed, only promising to cooperate with him.
“But,” Yokoha gestured a five to him.
Young Master: ……
He understood that Hengbo was going to raise prices, and by a factor of 20,000 taels.
What else could he do? When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head.
"But," before Yokobo stepped out of the house, the young master finally mustered his courage, "could you tell me the girl's name?"
Regardless of the girl's motives for saving him, he still owed her a life. Although he didn't know why she was unwilling to reveal her name, he couldn't afford not to know.
Hengbo paused, turned around and glanced at him, her eyes filled with a complexity he couldn't comprehend.
She remained silent for a long time, then raised her slender neck to gaze at the moon that had just broken through the clouds as if it were eavesdropping on their conversation, before leaving without further hesitation.
She also wanted to know what Ruan Wangshu's real name was.
When everything was over, standing before Ruan Wangshu's tombstone on Biyun Mountain, the young master recalled Hengbo's gaze and realized that it was Hengbo's greatest mercy towards him.
A note from the author:
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You didn't expect this, did you? I secretly updated a chapter today, hehe. Doesn't my diligence deserve a favorite?
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