Chapter 772 What do you think?
The hangover soup hadn't even had a chance to work yet, and my head was still a bit unruly.
Hearing the knock on the door, Song Chunxue knew it must be someone from her own side.
On the eve of opening the door, she hoped to meet her senior brother in this unfamiliar place.
But then I thought about it again and realized that was impossible, since my senior brother was still in seclusion.
His appearance would be inappropriate, proving that he had not properly secluded himself.
"Squeak~"
Standing outside the door were none other than the eldest disciple, Lord Zhao, and the Daoist Han, whose jawline exuded a cold and aloof air.
"Senior Brother, Master Han, when did you arrive?" Song Chunxue turned and stepped aside, raising her hand happily, "Come in quickly."
“We won’t go in,” Lord Zhao said with a hint of helplessness. “How did you get tricked into coming here?”
Lord Han, standing to the side, spoke up, "They had no choice but to come. Who knew that madman was so determined to open this door that cultivators from all over the world came because they smelled it."
"It's better to hurry, so that more people don't lose their lives because of this." Master Han glanced at Song Chunxue. "How's your practice of what I taught you?"
"It's...it's alright, but still a bit lacking." When asked this, Song Chunxue became extremely nervous, afraid that Master Han would be disappointed if he knew that her practice was not very good.
Where is Zhang Chengxuan?
Master Han gave a faint smile and looked at Lord Zhao.
"I told you, she would definitely do everything in her power to save Zhang Chengxuan, but you didn't believe me."
Lord Zhao shook his head, looking at Song Chunxue with a complex expression.
Song Chunxue felt a little guilty, wondering what she had done wrong to disappoint her senior brother so much.
"Senior Brother, did Huo Xiang send you?"
The eldest brother smiled, a smile spreading across his noble and imposing face that made people afraid to look him in the eye. "You call him Patchouli? It seems he's quite kind to you."
He stood to the side, saying, "You should get some rest. We can talk about it tomorrow."
Song Chunxue cupped her hands and nodded, "Alright, it's getting late, Senior Brother and Master Han should rest early, we'll talk again tomorrow."
"Don't come out if you hear any noise at night," Lord Zhao reminded him as he turned away.
"Yes, Senior Brother." It felt so good to have someone to give instructions. With her senior brother by her side, Song Chunxue didn't feel so old anymore.
She is someone who is cared for and protected.
Cultivation is wonderful; it allows one to meet like-minded people. This feeling is as if she has never grown up, just like when she grew up carefree following behind her older sisters.
Hearing them come down the stairs, Song Chunxue held her breath and suppressed the heat in her eyes.
"Master Daoist." Wu Shuang returned from outside.
"Many people have come to town, and all the inns on the street have been booked by various forces. There may be further probing attempts from all sides tonight. Please rest assured, Daoist Master. My sister and I will stay with you."
Wu Bing and Wu Shuang both have the appearance of women from Jiangnan: small faces, pretty features, narrow shoulders, and a petite, delicate appearance, yet they became assassins.
Song Chunxue sat on the couch and said, "Please sit down, both of you. Why don't we have a chat? My senior brother just said that we don't need to go out tonight, and you don't need to worry about anyone causing trouble for us. There will be a tall guy to protect us."
Wu Bing and Wu Shuang exchanged glances, not daring to sit down.
"Sit down, let's chat casually."
The two sisters sat down carefully.
After hesitating for a moment, Wu Shuang, the younger sister, spoke first, cupping her hands and saying, "Whatever Daoist Master wants to ask, we will answer without reservation. We also beg you not to send us back."
"Shuang'er!" Wu Bing whispered to stop her.
Song Chunxue raised an eyebrow. "Go back where? To the capital?"
"Then tell me clearly, who exactly are you two? I'll consider it carefully." She pretended to be unapproachable. "If you're hiding anything, you'll be sent back immediately."
Wu Bing immediately stood up. "Daoist Master, from now on we are your and Lord Xie's subordinates, and we dare not hide it."
"Okay, sit down and tell me properly, the more detailed the better."
...
After a night of mutual probing, before dawn the next day, the sounds of sweeping and splashing water could be heard from the streets.
An experienced person would immediately realize that it was washing away the bloodstains and erasing traces of last night's fight.
After Song Chunxue finished her meditation, she went downstairs and took a few steps on the street as usual, only to find that the street was much cleaner than the day before.
The bluestone covered by sand and gravel was washed away, and the leaves on the street were mixed together with the mud, which accelerated the process of them rotting into mud.
Song Chunxue faintly smelled the stench of blood, glanced at the snow-capped mountain peaks in the distance, and turned back to the inn.
Before long, the tables on the first floor of the inn were full of people.
Patchouli, Lord Zhao, and Taoist Master Han have all come down; they are having morning tea.
Soon, the waiter and the cook brought breakfast to the table and then quickly returned to the kitchen, fearing that if they lingered any longer, something unexpected might happen.
Lord Zhao looked up and caught sight of two women upstairs. He straightened his sleeves, which were embroidered with patterns reserved for royalty, and teased Song Chunxue.
"Where did you get two maids? Aren't you afraid that Lord Xie will take a fancy to you and abandon you for someone new?"
“That would be best, it means we are truly each other’s love tribulations, the sooner we die, the sooner we are reborn.” Song Chunxue was not afraid at all. “That was originally a beauty sent from the palace, originally meant to be Lord Xie’s concubine, but at the same time she was also a beauty chosen by the royal guards.”
Lord Zhao raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is that so?"
Lord Han ate his steamed bun slowly and deliberately, "You've really gone to great lengths."
That's right. After listening to the sisters' story last night, Song Chunxue realized that she had misunderstood the emperor who was far away.
With the court in turmoil and the emperor exhausted, he still had to spare some time to care for the safety of his ministers, sending his two most capable female assassins to the emperor – a truly touching gesture.
Over the years, Lord Xie's loyalty and the Emperor's favor have been mutually rewarding.
According to Wu Bing, the emperor and Xie Zheng were about the same age. They had studied at the Hanlin Academy and had a close personal relationship, appreciating each other's talents.
According to those in the court who knew what Xie Zheng had done, if someone else had done the same thing, Xie Zheng would have died hundreds of times over, instead of being demoted again and again.
Some people even suspected that Xie Zheng might be a child of the royal family who was adopted into the Xie family, which is why he received such protection.
With eunuchs in power, those eunuchs fought tooth and nail with others, but they never touched Lord Xie, because the emperor had issued an order that anyone who dared to touch Xie Zheng would be beheaded.
Wu Bing and Wu Shuang stated frankly that from the beginning, the Emperor instructed them to protect Lord Xie's safety and not to covet him.
To Song Chunxue's dismay, the Emperor always instructed them to keep an eye on her. If she showed any ill intentions, or was misled by money and fame and used Lord Xie, they would find a way to get rid of her.
That's a really thoughtful idea.
"The situation has changed. We'll go straight up the mountain to find the entrance and see what's there." After breakfast, Huoxiang couldn't wait any longer and didn't want to wait even a moment longer.
Lord Zhao said unhurriedly, "What's the rush? Are you sure the key to the entrance is that sword?"
Huo Xiang paused for a moment, then suddenly leaned close to him, "Did Lord Zhao bring a different key?"
"Otherwise, do you think such a mysterious place can be opened with just a sword?"
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