Chapter 101
For the first time in his life, Yin Qiu deeply understood what it meant to be filled with regret and what it meant to be caught in a dilemma.
The night wind carried cool, fine snowflakes in through the half-open window. Man Jiangxue leaned against the wicker chair, while Yin Qiu nestled against her chest. The two embraced intimately, their overlapping skirts swaying gracefully in the wind.
No more voices were heard inside the room, and no one made any move.
On a small stove on the side, a hangover soup was still simmering. Wisps of steam rose and swirled around, only to be quickly dispersed by the wind. Yin Qiu smelled the sweet aroma and thought inappropriately, "This soup smells good, but it's not so good when you taste it. How can there be something so awful in the world?"
Seeing that she remained silent after hearing what he said, but her gaze was fixed on the stove, Man Jiangxue lowered her hand holding the whip slightly, put her other hand on Yin Qiu's back, and said, "Want another bowl?"
Yin Qiu immediately averted her gaze and instead focused on the pearl buttons on Man Jiangxue's collar. She asked softly, "Uncle-Master, aren't you going to make a move?"
"Do you really want to get beaten up?" Man Jiangxue said.
“Of course not,” Yin Qiu said. “Nobody wants to get beaten up.”
“What should we do then?” Man Jiangxue raised her hand, her fingertips idly twirling Yin Qiu’s hair. “If word gets out, people will say I’m biased towards you.”
Hearing the subtle teasing in her voice, Yin Qiu's heart skipped a beat. She looked up at Man Jiangxue and tentatively asked, "Actually, Martial Uncle didn't want to hit me at all, right?"
Man Jiangxue remained silent.
Yin Qiu laughed and said, "Drinking in private is indeed wrong, but it depends on the occasion. My senior brothers drink every day on Jingyue Peak, and our uncle has never punished them, has he?"
“You can’t compare to them,” Man Jiangxue said. “As long as the disciples in the palace don’t interfere with official duties, they can drink alcohol in moderation without being punished. But the disciples stationed at the post stations in the prefecture cannot do so. Besides, your senior brothers are freezing in the trees every day. The privilege of drinking alcohol to keep warm is given to them by the sect leader. Do you have that privilege?”
Yin Qiu said, "I didn't, but I didn't interfere with official business either, and I'm not a disciple of the post station stationed in the prefecture."
“So I was just trying to scare you,” Man Jiangxue said. “After talking for so long, you should at least sincerely admit your mistake.”
Yin Qiu immediately stopped smiling and said seriously, "Uncle-Master, I know I was wrong, and I won't do it again."
Man Jiangxue raised his hand and patted her forehead, saying, "If you can't drink, then don't drink. You're so old, don't you know how to write the word 'refuse'?"
"I couldn't refuse such kindness," Yin Qiu said, feigning distress, but a smile returned to her eyes. "That senior sister doesn't talk much, but she's a nice person. She saw that I was terribly cold, so she offered me a couple of sips of wine to warm me up. Please don't blame me, Uncle, otherwise how will I face her in the future?"
Upon hearing this, Man Jiangxue paused for a moment before saying, "Her name is Cheng Xiu. She used to be a disciple of Liuli Peak. When you interact with her in the future, you should pay close attention to her."
The person that Man Jiangxue specifically instructed to keep an eye on must be someone suspicious. Yin Qiu reacted quickly and asked, "What's wrong with her?"
Man Jiangxue then briefly recounted the events of the day to Yin Qiu before continuing, "That Liu Ba claimed that he would not make a mistake, but among so many disciples at the post station, he singled out Cheng Xiu. Although I had Meng Jing examine her appearance and found nothing suspicious, we still cannot let our guard down."
Yin Qiu agreed and nodded, saying, "Uncle-Master, you've thought this through. I'll remember it and pay more attention to it in the future."
Man Jiangxue hummed in response but didn't say anything more. Yin Qiu drank the hangover soup, but the taste lingered in her mouth, making her feel uncomfortable. Her eyes lit up when she noticed several oil paper packets on the table. She exclaimed happily, "Is that the candy that my martial uncle bought for me?"
Man Jiangxue followed her gaze and asked, "Want to eat?"
Yin Qiu licked her lips: "I've been thinking about it for days."
“You haven’t eaten yet, eat less.” Man Jiangxue said, straightening up and reaching out to take a package of oil paper from the table.
As she leaned forward, her long hair cascaded down her shoulders and brushed against Yin Qiu's cheek. Yin Qiu leaned back slightly with her movement, and in the light of the oil lamp, she could see Man Jiangxue's well-defined jawline and her fair, jade-like neck.
Her hair was jet black and smooth, with a faint fragrance, like the morning mist of early spring, gently enveloping Yin Qiu. The strands of hair moved across her skin, causing a slight itch. A few scattered lights flickered before her eyes. Yin Qiu raised her eyes and saw once again the pearl buttons on Man Jiangxue's clothes.
Pearls always complement a person's appearance, making them look fair-skinned, beautiful, with red lips and clear eyes.
At such close range, Yin Qiu suddenly realized how she was nestled in Man Jiangxue's arms.
At the same time, she suddenly recalled some scenes from when she was drunk. She was lying on the bed with her head up, her arms around Man Jiangxue's neck. That familiar face was blurred into an indistinct halo, but the weight of her on her body was still clearly preserved in her memory.
Just like now.
Yin Qiu's fingers curled slightly, and she had an urge to raise her hand. She wanted to relive that embrace, but she hesitated to move.
Man Jiangxue, clutching the oil paper package, was unaware of Yin Qiu's subtle thoughts. She leaned back in her chair and asked Yin Qiu, "What would you like to eat?"
Yin Qiu concealed her inner joy and smiled, saying, "Anything is fine." Then she added, "I want my martial uncle to feed me."
Man Jiangxue glanced down at her, said nothing, but picked up a small candy and brought it to Yin Qiu's lips, saying succinctly, "Open your mouth."
Yin Qiu pursed her lips, quickly raised her head, and reached out to Man Jiangxue's hand. She had just tasted a faint sweetness on her tongue and hadn't even had time to put the candy in her mouth when she suddenly heard someone knocking on the door from outside.
"Master Aunt? This disciple has something important to report." Lu Huaiwei's voice came through the crack in the door.
Yin Qiu stiffened for no apparent reason, as if she had been startled by Lu Huaiwei's sudden request to see her.
She bit down on Man Jiangxue's fingertip.
Man Jiangxue paused, the force subsided, and the sugar pill slid into Yin Qiu's mouth. She raised an eyebrow, looking at Yin Qiu's still slightly parted lips.
A warm, moist, and soft sensation came from my fingertips.
Yin Qiu blushed, glanced at Man Jiangxue with a hint of panic, and then jumped up from Man Jiangxue's arms like a rabbit and ran into the inner room without saying a word.
"Why are you hiding?" Man Jiangxue quickly got up from the rattan chair, grabbed Yin Qiu's wrist, and pulled her back without saying a word.
Caught off guard, Yin Qiu threw herself back into Man Jiangxue's arms and let out a very soft cry.
"Senior Sister Lu must have come to discuss important matters, I..." Yin Qiu's voice trailed off, and for some reason she didn't dare to look at Man Jiangxue.
“You stay put,” Man Jiangxue said, still holding the long whip in her left hand and wrapping her right arm around Yin Qiu’s waist. “Don’t run around.”
Yin Qiu had no choice but to obey and stand still, saying, "Then Uncle-Master should let me go... It wouldn't be appropriate if Senior Sister Lu came in and saw this."
"What's wrong with it?" Man Jiangxue said. "Are you a dog? You bit me and then tried to run away."
Yin Qiu was dumbfounded: "I didn't mean to!"
Man Jiangxue said, "Then why are you hiding?"
Yin Qiu: "...I didn't dodge."
Lu Huaiwei didn't hear any noise outside, but seeing that there were candles burning inside, she knocked on the door again and asked, "Is Martial Aunt in?"
“It’s inconvenient to open the door,” Man Jiangxue replied to Lu Huaiwei calmly, glancing at Yin Qiu in her arms. “If you have something to say, just say it in the corridor.”
inconvenient?
Lu Huaiwei looked puzzled and turned to look at the door of the next room. Seeing that it was dark inside without a single ray of light, she immediately guessed that Yin Qiu was in Man Jiangxue's room.
Why are these two people making it inconvenient to open the door?
"I just received several urgent letters," Lu Huaiwei said without asking any questions, but pointed to the two tightly closed wooden doors, "Apart from Jincheng, the refugees taken in by other prefectures have all run into trouble. Just like in our Yaodingcheng, they have all been deliberately poisoned. The situation is not good."
Upon hearing this, both people in the room simultaneously raised their eyelashes.
"What is the number of dead and injured?" Man Jiangxue asked.
"Judging from the contents of these letters, quite a few people have died," Lu Huaiwei said with a heavy expression. "This time, the Ziwei Sect came with great force. Their purpose is not hard to guess: to use the deaths of refugees to damage the reputation of our Yunhua Palace. Although Yao Dingcheng suffered heavy casualties, at least we captured Mr. Na Ya and Liu Ba, so we have two murderers to explain. Therefore, we haven't heard anyone accusing our Yunhua Palace yet. But this time it's different. Those several prefectures are out of control. Once things get out of hand, many rumors will spread in the martial arts world, which will be extremely detrimental to our Yunhua Palace."
Regardless of the circumstances, since the incident occurred within the jurisdiction of Yunhua Palace, Yunhua Palace is determined not to shirk its responsibility.
If the murderer can be caught, that's fine. But if he can't, not to mention the government, once this matter is spread, Yunhua Palace will be in the center of a vortex, under pressure from public opinion from all sides, and it may even affect the reputation and public opinion of the people.
It seems that Nangong Min has gone all out this time. Since she cannot destroy the foundation of Yunhua Palace, she will try every means to tarnish its good reputation.
She was also particularly cunning and treacherous, always hiding in the shadows and stirring up trouble. She did things cleanly, leaving no trace. Even if other sects could tell at a glance that the Ziwei Sect was behind it, they could do nothing about it.
If a direct confrontation doesn't work, then a psychological warfare tactic will suffice.
They are very skilled.
·
With a crackling sound, the candle flame burst open, scattering oil droplets and disrupting the silence of the night. Man Jiangxue frowned and asked again, "How is it in Jincheng?"
Lu Huaiwei said, "Everything is fine in Jincheng. Perhaps it's because Senior Sister Ye is personally overseeing things there that nothing has gone wrong."
“This shouldn’t be,” Man Jiangxue put down the long whip in her hand, but did not loosen her grip on Yin Qiu’s arm. “Nothing is impossible for a willing heart. Even with Zhilan in charge, if the Ziwei Sect wants to kill someone, no one can stop them.”
Lu Huaiwei pondered, "Could it be... that the Ziwei Sect doesn't want to attack Jincheng?" After saying this, she contradicted herself, "But that doesn't make sense. The Ziwei Sect shouldn't let go of any territory under the jurisdiction of Yunhua, so why did they deliberately bypass Jincheng?"
If there has to be a reason not to take action against Jincheng, what would it be?
Yunhua Palace has always been at a disadvantage in its rivalry with the Ziwei Sect. This is because the Ziwei Sect has committed numerous evils and is not afraid of causing trouble. Most importantly, Nangong Min has no weaknesses or vulnerabilities. Even if Yunhua Palace wanted to retaliate, it would not know where to start to cause trouble for the Ziwei Sect. At most, when the two factions meet, they might kill a few insignificant followers to vent their anger. However, Nangong Min has never cared about the lives of his subordinates. Even if the entire Ziwei Sect were wiped out, Nangong Min would not even bat an eye.
Moreover, since the fire at the Ziwei Sect's headquarters years ago, Nangong Min has abandoned Hezhou City and only regarded the rebuilt headquarters as a branch. She is currently in Cang County. Although she has not caused any trouble in the past few years, she has secretly expanded the sect's influence. Now, the entire south is almost entirely occupied by the Ziwei Sect. Such an attempt to force her way into the headquarters back then would be impossible to succeed now.
Who can defend against an invincible yet treacherous enemy day and night?
This time, Yunhua Palace suffered another injustice in silence.
"Regardless of why Jincheng wasn't affected, Zhilan will be on high alert once they hear the news," Man Jiangxue said after thinking for a while. "Now that things have come to this, we can only do our best to minimize casualties. We absolutely cannot let all the refugees from other prefectures die this winter."
Nangong Min wanted to kill all the refugees in order to shake Yunhua Palace's position in the martial arts world. However, at this point, saving the lives of those refugees was more important than fighting against the Ziwei Sect. If other cities were to suffer the same fate as Yaoding City, Yunhua Palace would inevitably find itself in a very difficult situation.
Lu Huaiwei felt increasingly aggrieved and said indignantly, "The Ziwei Sect has been a menace to the martial world for a long time. Is there really no way to wipe them out in one fell swoop?"
Man Jiangxue did not provide an answer to this.
The martial arts world has always been rife with conflict. The opposition between good and evil has been a situation since ancient times. Even without the Ziwei Sect, other sects will still commit evil. How difficult it is to achieve peace in the world.
“To deal with the Ziwei Sect, we must kill Nangong Min,” Man Jiangxue replied after a long while, “and right now, no one can kill her.”
"Not even my martial uncle?" Lu Huaiwei asked.
“If it were a one-on-one fight, I would indeed be confident of killing her,” Man Jiangxue said, “but she won’t give me that chance.”
Lu Huaiwei could only sigh: "Yao Dingcheng is short-handed right now, so I can't leave for the time being. Such a big thing has happened, and it will spread throughout the martial arts world in a couple of days. Martial Aunt, you should go back to the palace and discuss countermeasures with the sect leader. Yunhua can no longer sit idly by and wait for its demise. Nangong Min is really a menace that cannot be left here for long."
She was right. It was indeed necessary to return to the palace to discuss this matter with Xie Yijun. Man Jiangxue gave a simple reply, and Lu Huaiwei bowed and took her leave. Yin Qiu then took the opportunity to ask, "When will Martial Aunt return to the palace?"
After pondering for a moment, Man Jiangxue said, "We should not delay and will set off tomorrow."
Yin Qiu asked in surprise, "So fast?"
“I don’t often get involved in the affairs of the martial world,” Man Jiangxue said. “In these areas, my senior sister, the sect leader, is better than me. In addition, with the Nine Immortals Hall holding the Mozi Platform next month, it is necessary for me to meet with her.”
Upon hearing this, Yin Qiu was slightly taken aback and subconsciously touched the Zhu Bing at her waist.
Several days have passed since Yin Qiu met Afu in prison that night. He had forgotten about it, but when Man Jiangxue brought it up, he frowned and said, "Speaking of Mozi Terrace, Afu mentioned that the Ziwei Sect will also be present. Weicheng is where the Nine Immortals Hall is based. If Nangong Min goes in person..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Man Jiangxue continued, "If she goes in person, it will give me a perfect opportunity to kill her."
Yin Qiu immediately revealed his unease and worry: "So, the trip to Mozi Terrace has become much more dangerous. Uncle-Master, I'm not at ease."
"Don't worry, don't overthink it for now," Man Jiangxue patted Yin Qiu's head. "How to proceed depends on how the sect leader arranges things, so don't panic."
Yin Qiu nodded, paused for a moment, and then said, "Then when we return to the palace tomorrow, should I also travel with my martial uncle?"
Man Jiangxue looked at her and asked, "Don't you want to go back?"
“Going back would be useless for me, so I might as well go to other cities to help out,” Yin Qiu said. “Senior Sister Lu can’t leave, and Senior Sister Ye can’t leave Jincheng easily either. If Senior Sister Ji were to come out of seclusion, it would be fine, but with her gone, there’s always a lack of someone to lead and manage things. Since I’m from Jingyue Peak, I should step forward and do more for my Uncle.”
“Then wait for my news,” Man Jiangxue gently brushed aside the small braid in Yin Qiu’s hair, her eyes tender. “I will come to find you after everything is discussed.”
It was a simple sentence, but it warmed Yin Qiu's heart. She smiled gently and said softly, "Okay."
“When you’re out and about, be careful to protect yourself,” Man Jiangxue added. “If you run into the Ziwei Sect, avoid them if you can. Nangong Min might try to harm you.”
Yin Qiu then took Zhu Bing from his waist, shook it, and said, "Don't worry, I can take on ten people by myself now."
Man Jiangxue smiled and her lips curved upwards as she looked at Yin Qiu's smiling face.
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