Chapter 112
As night deepened, the moonlight illuminated the quiet, long forest, where the gentle murmur of water filled the air.
Weicheng is a prosperous place. This winter, it rarely snowed, so there was only a thin layer of frost in the mountains and forests. There were no refugees in the city, only brightly lit high-rise buildings and noisy voices.
Wen Chaoyu stood quietly by the stream. She had been waiting for a while. Faint laughter and music drifted from the brothels near the south gate. It sounded very lively, which made Wen Chaoyu feel that the place where she was standing was very lonely, but she did not leave.
Xue Tan stayed at the inn tonight and didn't come along, so Wen Chaoyu openly carried the wine bag in her hand, drinking as much as she wanted. But she wasn't happy; she even felt like she was looking for someone to fight to vent her anger.
The strong liquor went down her throat, dispelling the chill. Wen Chaoyu felt warm all over. She wiped her mouth with her sleeve and heard soft footsteps behind her.
The night breeze gently swayed the figure to his side. The young master was still wearing the same clothes he never wore before. He had a handsome appearance, his face was free of makeup, and his every move exuded a noble and elegant air that came from being raised in a respectable manner.
Like a person from a prestigious family who has been pampered since childhood.
“I’ve thought about it,” Wen Chaoyu said as he tossed the wine flask up and caught it, turning around. “Our cooperation ends here.”
The young master's steps faltered slightly. There was no one else around, but he still wrapped himself up tightly in his cloak.
"reason?"
“You didn’t tell me that the person you were going to deal with was Yin Qiu,” Wen Chaoyu said. “To tell you the truth, I don’t want to kill any of the people from Yunhua Palace.”
The young master looked at her: "Yin Qiu? Who told you I was going to deal with her?"
“I saw it with my own eyes,” Wen Chaoyu said indifferently. “Yesterday in the city, you played a second piece of music that only Yin Qiu could hear. You hurt her, didn’t you?”
“It’s just a minor injury,” the young master did not deny it. “She won’t die.”
“This isn’t about life or death,” Wen Chaoyu said seriously when he wasn’t smiling, his deep features exuding a natural sense of oppression. “Don’t treat me like a fool. I’ve never heard of such a dirty trick as using the sound of a flute to hurt people before. Who exactly were you before you entered Yunhua Palace?”
The young master calmly looked back at her, seemingly unafraid of the hostility Wen Chaoyu had displayed tonight. He said in a calm tone, "You are indeed not a fool. In fact, you are quite clever. So why don't you try to guess?"
Wen Chaoyu took a few steps closer to him, her sharp gaze fixed on the face she had seen many years ago—he said he had drunk a medicine to slow down the changes in his appearance, but that came at the cost of his lifespan, so the face in front of her was not much different from the one Wen Chaoyu had seen when she was still in Yunhua Palace, except that it looked less youthful.
Of course, Wen Chaoyu didn't have much of an impression of this person when she was in Yunhua Palace, so she couldn't accurately describe how much he had changed.
“Appearances may change, but a person’s temperament and habits developed from childhood cannot be changed overnight,” Wen Chaoyu said. “You come from a good family, either rich or noble. If you can change your appearance, then your name must also be fake. You have received a lot of education that only disciples of prestigious families have. You are learned and know etiquette. Even the way you hold chopsticks was deliberately taught to you. But you have never shown these things in the palace. You pretended to be an ordinary person and deceived everyone’s eyes.”
At this point, Wen Chaoyu said firmly, "You remind me of someone."
The young master remained calm as always, seemingly unsurprised and unperturbed by Wen Chaoyu's analysis.
He simply asked in a soft voice, "Who?"
Wen Chaoyu stared at her and said, "Manjiangxue."
Upon hearing those three words, a subtle expression finally appeared on the young master's usually calm face: "Manjiangxue?"
“I’ve known Man Jiangxue for a long time,” Wen Chaoyu said, having observed his reaction. “She’s unique. You can’t quite put your finger on what makes her special, but she’s unforgettable. In that respect, you’re somewhat similar to her.”
After saying this, Wen Chaoyu added, "The way you two hold your chopsticks is almost exactly the same, without exaggeration."
The young master smiled and said, "Is that so?"
Wen Chaoyu subtly observed him, took a swig of wine, and continued, "So, what is your connection with Man Jiangxue?"
The young master smiled but said nothing.
Seeing his expression, Wen Chaoyu thought he wouldn't answer, but the next moment, the young master replied, "If there has to be a connection, it can only be that I want to kill her."
Wen Chaoyu paused in her holding of the wine flask, and instinctively wanted to laugh: "You? You want to kill Man Jiangxue?"
Her words and actions all conveyed: "You think you can do this?"
“Don’t look at me like that,” the young master said frankly. “I know I’m no match for her, and taking her life would be harder than climbing to heaven, but I have other ways to make her wish she were dead.”
Wen Chaoyu immediately understood.
"Have you ever seen those women in brothels who have no dignity?" The young master's smile remained unchanged, his voice still very gentle. "That's what I used to be like. Humiliation, torment, suffering. I've tasted all the pain in this world, but I survived. Even though I'm neither human nor ghost now, I know that one day I will repay all this pain to those who harmed me. So I don't mind lingering on, nor do I mind continuing to live in pain."
Wen Chaoyu looked at him with complicated emotions.
“I’ve been observing her for many years, and I’ve waited for two opportunities,” the young master chuckled softly in the evening breeze, but there was no trace of a smile in his eyes. “I seized the first opportunity, and I felt a little better because of her daily regret and guilt. But it wasn’t enough, far from enough. Now the second opportunity has come, and this time, I will make her feel my pain even more deeply. This is called giving her a taste of her own medicine.”
Having said that, he maintained his smile and looked at Wen Chaoyu. His usually gentle and polite face suddenly became somewhat manic and ferocious.
"To be precise, I didn't actually want to kill her. What would be the point of killing her? I wanted her to experience my past, to feel what I was like, and to watch as the people she cherished died one by one. I would rather torture her than kill her."
The wind transformed the man's monologue and plea into indistinct low murmurs, like the howls of some beast, or like a murmur of self-talk. Although the expression on his face was a restrained madness, without a trace of hatred, every word he uttered still revealed the turmoil in his heart.
The strong liquor in Wen Chaoyu's hand spilled out, seeping into the soil along the sparse grass.
After the chaos on the street yesterday, Wen Chaoyu pondered a lot. She knew that there was no enmity between Xiao Qi and Yin Qiu, so the only person she really wanted to deal with was Man Jiangxue, who was by Yin Qiu's side. However, she never expected that the hatred between the two would be so intense.
The forest was silent for a long time, except for the ever-flowing stream that still murmured merrily.
"Who you seek revenge against is none of my business," Wen Chaoyu said calmly after a long while, having composed herself. "I can only remind you that I have a past relationship with Shen Mandong. She helped me with something. You haven't had much contact with me, but you should be able to sense that I am different from most people in the Ziwei Sect. I am not a desperado, nor am I a villain. If you want to torment Man Jiangxue, that's your business, but you can't touch Yin Qiu."
The young master regained his composure faster than she did. He looked Wen Chaoyu up and down and said, "Of course I know you are actually a good person, otherwise I wouldn't have come to you. As for constantly talking about Yin Qiu, that's none of your business."
Wen Chaoyu said, "So I've changed my mind, and I will no longer cooperate with you."
“Then you are indirectly pushing Yin Qiu toward her death,” the young master said. “I made it very clear to you that day that I wanted you to come to Weicheng to protect her. It is true that I want to deal with Man Jiangxue, but don’t forget that the one who really wants to kill Yin Qiu is not me.”
"Who is that?" Wen Chaoyu couldn't help but get annoyed. "Are you all just bored and looking for trouble? She's just a little girl who's only ten years old!"
“It’s just that she’s Shen Mandong’s daughter,” the young master sneered. “Is it cruel? That’s right. The world is just that cruel. You have a lot of kindness and a conscience, but you can’t even control your own origins. You say you’ve never thought of leaving the Ziwei Sect. You’re just deceiving yourself.”
Wen Chaoyu gritted her teeth and said, "Don't drag me into this again! Tell me, who is the one who wants to kill Yin Qiu!"
"Of course I can't tell you that yet," the young master said, ignoring her anger. "That person can't be exposed yet. He might be useful to me and could lend me a hand, but Yin Qiu can't die at his hands. That's why I asked you to come to Weicheng to keep an eye on Yin Qiu. I haven't even tormented Man Jiangxue yet, so how can Yin Qiu be allowed to die at someone else's hands?"
Wen Chaoyu threw the wine bag to the ground and cursed, "A bunch of lunatics! I'm going to find Man Jiangxue right now!"
“Go then,” the young master said unmoved, his tone even full of encouragement, “When you find Man Jiangxue, Ji Wanshu will also be found by my men.”
Wen Chaoyu's expression changed, and she turned around abruptly.
"Who took care of her daily needs during these years of seclusion?" The young master laughed under Wen Chaoyu's murderous gaze. "She still needs to eat and change her clothes. People in seclusion don't go without food and water. The person who stayed outside her seclusion room every day to add tea and water was just not you, Wen Chaoyu."
Every word clearly reached her ears, and Wen Chaoyu felt a chill run through her body. Her eyes were like swords, and the veins on her left hand, which was holding the throwing knife, bulged. In an instant, she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave, and her whole body tensed up.
“Aren’t you tired? Always worrying about this and that,” the young master stepped forward and patted Wen Chaoyu’s right shoulder. “In the end, you only end up battered and bruised, with no one to care about you. It’s no fun being a good person.”
Wen Chaoyu suddenly raised her hand, pressing the throwing knife against the young master's neck. Her voice was icy as she said, "I'll kill you—"
The young master chuckled, and as he turned his head, a trail of blood trickled down his neck. He calmly looked back at Wen Chaoyu and said, "Go ahead and do it. If I die, no one will collect my body. The same goes for your beloved little apprentice. It's a good deal to have a companion on the road to the underworld."
Wen Chaoyu is already on the verge of getting out of control.
But her remaining rationality told her: this person cannot die yet.
"Cooperation or coercion, you chose the latter," the young master said, gently pushing away the flying knife in Wen Chaoyu's hand with two fingers together. "So, you should never have a weakness. You should learn from Master Nangong."
“Once this is over, I will take your dog’s life,” Wen Chaoyu said fiercely. “If you dare to lay a hand on Wan Shu, I guarantee you will be left to rot in the wilderness before you get your revenge.”
“That’s a pity. I’ve thought about becoming close friends with you,” the young master said. “However, the situation doesn’t allow it. Someone like me isn’t qualified to make friends. But if you really can kill me when everything has settled down, that would be a good thing.”
As he spoke, he brushed past Wen Chaoyu and stepped into a secluded corner where the moonlight did not reach.
"After all, my end is death."
·
Yin Qiu took a bath in the hot spring and then returned to her room with her clean clothes.
The night was dark outside, and a few lanterns were lit in the courtyard. She lit a candle and turned around, when she suddenly noticed a small note under the teacup on the table.
Yin Qiu's gaze sharpened. She quickly folded the clothes and put them in the closet. She held the note up to her eyes and looked at it. There was a line of small characters written on it: "Meet me in the small bamboo grove outside the city at the beginning of Yin hour."
The words were written crookedly and were particularly ugly, as if the messenger had done it on purpose, not wanting to expose their handwriting.
Yin Qiu calmly raised her head and saw that all the windows in the room were tightly closed and locked from the inside, indicating that the messenger had entered directly through the door.
They've got some nerve.
He managed to get into this house and sneak into Yin Qiu's room to leave this note, so his skills shouldn't be underestimated.
Could it be that piper again?
After a moment's thought, Yin Qiu decisively burned the note and immediately pushed open the door to head towards Man Jiangxue's room.
The pale moonlight cast a silvery glow over the desolate courtyard. Yin Qiu hurried along, then deliberately slowed down before reaching Man Jiangxue's room. She walked over, knocked lightly three times on the door, and called out as she pushed it open, "Uncle-Master?"
Only a dim oil lamp was lit in the room. Man Jiangxue, wearing an outer robe, her slightly damp long hair draped over her shoulders, looked up at the table and asked, "What is it?"
Yin Qiu glanced at her, then casually grabbed a dry handkerchief as they walked. She stood behind Man Jiangxue, wiping Man Jiangxue's hair, and asked, "What are you writing so late, Uncle-Master?"
Man Jiangxue had just put down her pen, put the letter paper filled with tiny characters into a letter box, and replied: "I have been away from the palace for many days and am able to report my safety to my senior sister, the sect leader."
Yin Qiu smiled and said, "My martial aunt and the sect leader have such a good relationship. When I was practicing swordsmanship in the Mingguang Hall, the sect leader praised my martial aunt, saying that you never forget to write to her every time you go down the mountain. He told me to learn from my martial aunt."
Man Jiangxue said, "If someone cares about me, I can't ignore it." She tilted her head slightly, a flame flickering in her eyes. "Why aren't you resting in your room? What are you doing here?"
Yin Qiu wiped the water stains from Man Jiangxue's hair and said with a smile, "Naturally, I came to see my martial uncle."
“It’s late,” Man Jiangxue stood up and took the handkerchief from Yin Qiu’s hand. “Go back and rest early.”
Yin Qiu looked at her, her bright eyes blinking twice: "Can we not go back?"
Man Jiangxue glanced at her: "Want to sleep with me again?"
Yin Qiu pursed her lips, pulled Man Jiangxue to sit down in front of the couch, swiftly took off her clothes, and unceremoniously collapsed onto the bed.
"The moon is so beautiful tonight, I want to sleep with my martial uncle."
Man Jiangxue smiled but didn't speak, as if she tacitly agreed. But as she watched Yin Qiu crawl into the blankets, she suddenly changed her mind and said, "No."
Yin Qiu was taken aback: "No?" She quickly wrapped herself in the blanket. "Why not?"
Man Jiangxue pulled up a chair and sat down beside the tatami mat, looking at her and saying, "You're all grown up now, it's not appropriate for you to sleep with me anymore."
Yin Qiu looked Man Jiangxue up and down, thought for a moment and said, "But there are bad people in my room, I dare not go back, can't my master take me in?"
"What bad guy?" Man Jiangxue said, "Call him over here so I can take a look."
“We can’t get them to come,” Yin Qiu said. “Who dares to confront my martial uncle face to face?”
Man Jiangxue stood up and made a move to go out: "Then I'll go and meet him."
Yin Qiu quickly shouted, "I was lying to you!" She jumped up with a limp and stretched out her arms to hug Man Jiangxue's waist by the bed. "Does Uncle-Master dislike me that much? I've taken a bath and changed into clean clothes. I'm not dirty. What's wrong with Uncle-Master sleeping with me for one night?"
“Before I answer your question,” Man Jiangxue lowered her eyes, “you have to answer one question for me first.”
Yin Qiu looked up at him: "What's the problem?"
Man Jiangxue looked at her: "On the last night in Yunjian City, you turned off the lights and didn't sleep. You stared at me for a long time. What were you looking at?"
Yin Qiu looked puzzled.
The last night in Cloud City...
Wasn't that the day my martial uncle fell asleep so quickly?
Yin Qiu's heart skipped a beat, and her expression changed as she said, "Master, didn't you go to sleep early...? You weren't asleep?"
“I wasn’t asleep,” Man Jiangxue said calmly, letting her hug her. “You not only looked at me for a long time, but you also called my name.”
The scene from that night immediately flashed through Yin Qiu's mind, and she became stunned, unable to suppress her panic.
She moved her lips, but didn't know what to say. Then she heard Man Jiangxue say again, "You had a dream after you fell asleep, and you kept calling my name in your dream." She looked directly into Yin Qiu's increasingly shocked gaze, "What did you dream about?"
Yin Qiu was stunned.
What? She had a dream, talked in her sleep, and kept calling out her martial uncle's name?
Really?!
Seeing that Yin Qiu seemed to have lost her soul for a moment, Man Jiangxue lowered her eyelashes, gently removed Yin Qiu's hand from her waist, and said to herself, "There is one thing you need to be clear about, you are not calling him 'Shishu' (a term of respect for one's senior uncle).
Yin Qiu looked at her blankly: "What...what did I say?"
“I did,” Man Jiangxue said slowly, “you called my name.”
name!
She called out her martial uncle's name in her dream?!
"Is it...is it snowing all over the river?" Yin Qiu asked weakly.
"What else?" Man Jiangxue said, "You know my other names?"
Yin Qiu paused, then buried her head in her hands: "I...I don't know..."
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt a surge of heat rush from her body to the top of her head. Yin Qiu immediately blushed and felt so ashamed that she couldn't face anyone.
That night, she harbored a secret plan to boldly approach Man Jiangxue after she fell asleep, but little did she know that Man Jiangxue was not asleep at all, and her every move was seen by her martial uncle!
Yin Qiu felt like she was suffocating.
She now wishes she could find a crack in the ground to jump into and bury herself.
This is utterly shameful!
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