Chapter 123
The next day, as dawn broke and the rain subsided, Manjiangxue put Yinqiu back on the bed, covered her with a blanket, and then went to another room to wash up.
Because she was worried that Yin Qiu might wake up in the night or vomit again, Man Jiangxue didn't close her eyes all night. Even when the small oil lamp on the table burned out, she remained awake and sat in the dark with Yin Qiu in her arms until dawn.
The disciples haven't been sleeping well lately. They can't help much, so they can only take turns staying up late in the corridor with Man Jiangxue. They keep their noise low, moving around like cats, afraid of disturbing Yin Qiu.
Bai Ling had been waiting outside the door since early morning. When she saw Man Jiangxue come out, she quickly went to fetch some hot water, but Man Jiangxue didn't use it. She deliberately used cold water to perk herself up. Finally, she said to Bai Ling, "Go and call Wan Shu over."
Bai Ling responded and immediately called a disciple to fetch someone. After a while, Ji Wanshu came through the corridor and said as soon as he entered, "Just now, another group of disciples from the Nine Immortals Hall came to the door. They said that the Mechanism Conference is nearing its end and will end tomorrow. They would like to ask Uncle-Master to go and take a look as soon as possible."
Man Jiangxue hung up her handkerchief, tied her hair in front of the bronze mirror, and said, "When should we go? Si Mu Ke Xing, send them away."
Ji Wanshu agreed, then asked, "The secret guards brought back from the bamboo forest are still in the ice cellar, but it's not a good idea to just leave them like this. We need to transport their bodies back. If the sun doesn't shine on the way, it'll be fine, but if it does, it'll be difficult. Uncle-Master, give me some advice. Should we find a place to bury them?"
Man Jiangxue thought for a moment, then turned her head and asked, "Where are the people sent to investigate?"
Ji Wanshu said, "I just got back. Ji Ya asked around and found out that all the relatives of the secret guards were killed. Not a single one was left alive."
Upon hearing this, Bai Ling looked surprised: "They're all dead?"
Ji Wanshu said, "There's no way to make it in time, even if we travel day and night. The other side is stronger than Guo Qinye, so they definitely won't leave any survivors. Guo Qinye might have already been dead before the incident even happened."
Although she had anticipated this outcome, Bai Ling was still somewhat discouraged and said in frustration, "What... what should we do?"
Ji Wanshu said, "We can only take it one step at a time."
Man Jiangxue frowned, but didn't seem surprised. After a moment, she said, "Then let's bury them all."
Even though seven days have passed since Yin Qiu's incident, the disciples still find it hard to accept the fact that those secret guards were assassins.
It should be noted that Yunhua Palace only produced this group of secret guards, and each of them was selected through multiple rounds of screening. They did not go anywhere except Jingyue Peak, nor did they concern themselves with the affairs of other peaks. Their only task was to obey Man Jiangxue and be at her beck and call.
However, Man Jiangxue rarely ordered them around. Whether handling important matters in the palace or going down the mountain on errands, she was used to doing things herself and rarely brought her secret guards with her. In addition, for matters that required Man Jiangxue's personal attention, there was usually no need for anyone to accompany her, so as not to be too conspicuous. This resulted in the secret guards on Jingyue Peak only being able to do trivial tasks such as serving tea and water, spending their days idly. In a sense, they were more free than other disciples in the palace and enjoyed many privileges.
In other words, if they were bribed and became traitors to Yunhua Palace, almost no one would be able to detect it in time, including Man Jiangxue.
Since Jingyue Peak lacks a senior disciple to manage all matters, there is no one to keep an eye on them. The guards are essentially left to their own devices. Many disciples used to envy their freedom, but now they realize that their ability to freely enter and leave Yunhua Palace without being subject to much control is a huge and unpredictable threat.
Unfortunately, no one paid attention to this potential danger beforehand.
·
“These days, I’ve been visiting the courtesan Huan Xin’s house,” Bai Ling said suddenly, leaning against the door frame, “but I’m not sure… if I can say this.”
Man Jiangxue looked at her: "What's the problem?"
Bai Ling paused, as if organizing her thoughts, and said, "Actually, although you, Uncle-Master, have lived alone on Jingyue Peak for many years, the disciples in the palace all know how good your skills are. You don't need anyone to guard you, and there won't be any assassins coming to the palace. Even if you need someone to serve you, you can just pick a few people. But... but the sect leader specially sent a batch of secret guard disciples to you. As for this matter... it seems a bit unnecessary."
Man Jiangxue remained silent after hearing her words, but Ji Wanshu asked in surprise, "You doubt the sect leader?"
Discussing the sect leader in private is a major taboo in the palace. Bai Lingran was somewhat flustered and quickly waved her hand, saying, "I just don't quite understand."
Ji Wanshu glanced at Man Jiangxue's reaction and frowned, saying, "This, I hope you can answer it. Not long after the Ruyi Sect incident, our grandmaster also passed away due to illness. She originally wanted to hand over the position of sect leader to her uncle, but her uncle was not interested in that and was willing to assist. Although the sect leader is the sect leader, her martial arts... are actually not the most outstanding among the uncles. Therefore, after the sect leader took over, the matters that needed to be handled in the martial arts world were all handed over to her uncle. Back then, she selected the secret guard disciples to share the important tasks with her uncle. However, her uncle is used to working alone, so those secret guard disciples didn't have much opportunity to do anything."
After saying that, she added, "Furthermore, Huiquan doesn't stay in the palace much. He spends most of the year running around outside the palace. So whenever my uncle has something to do, he's always there to help. As a result, those secret guard disciples are even less useful and can only stay in the palace. So it's not that the sect leader made a bad arrangement. If it were someone else, they would definitely be ordered around in everything. Do you understand?"
Bai Ling suddenly realized what was going on and hurriedly explained, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to doubt the sect leader. Please don't blame me, Uncle and Senior Sister..."
Ji Wanshu waved her hand, indicating that she hadn't taken it to heart. Finally, she turned to Man Jiangxue and said, "However, on the other hand, although the sect leader meant well, he couldn't prevent his subordinates from harboring malicious intentions. It's unlikely that all the secret guards were bribed. It's not surprising that one or two are greedy for money, but it's strange that they all collude with each other. Surely there are a few who refuse to go along with the corrupt practices? So, this batch of secret guards must have been manipulated from the very beginning. They went to Jingyue Peak with a specific purpose from the start."
Bai Ling was increasingly alarmed as she listened, and said in astonishment, "According to what you're saying, Senior Sister, someone planted them more than ten years ago and hid them in the palace. But for the past ten years, they have been well-behaved and have never exposed themselves. Now they suddenly appear in order to kill Xiao Qiu, but more than ten years ago, Xiao Qiu didn't even know where she was."
Ji Wanshu pondered for a moment and said, "This can only mean that they are not targeting Xiao Qiu, but rather..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but simply shifted her gaze to Man Jiangxue.
Bai Ling was taken aback: "But it's to deal with my martial uncle...?"
Both of them showed the same look of surprise on their faces, but Manjiang Xueji remained very calm.
"Uncle-Master...do you have any enemies?" Ji Wanshu asked after a moment of silence.
While they were talking, Man Jiangxue tidied her appearance. Upon hearing this, she said in a normal tone, "I don't know." After speaking, she pondered for a moment, "If there is an enemy, it is an old matter that cannot be verified. Besides, if they are enemies, they should have tried to kill Lu over the past ten years instead of targeting Xiao Qiu. Xiao Qiu came to Weicheng this time because of news about her senior sister. Their slip-up at this time must be related to what happened at Ruyi Sect back then. It's more like they are monitoring Zhe than dealing with Lu!"
“But so many years have passed since the Ruyi Gate Incident, and everyone knows that the culprit who destroyed the Ruyi Gate was the Ziwei Sect,” Ji Wanshu said. “Why are they watching you?”
Man Jiangxue put down the wooden comb in her hand, turned around and said, "It's very simple. It means that the murderer who destroyed Ruyi Sect was not just Ziwei Sect. The reason they targeted Lu and then attacked Xiao Qiu is that they didn't want Guo Qin to know who the other murderer was."
"Guo Tanzhuo, with a sudden realization, continued, "They've been lying in wait for over ten years, keeping an eye on you, Uncle-Master, to see if you'll investigate the Ruyi Gate massacre. But over the years, I haven't known there were other murderers, and since you haven't made a move, they've remained inactive. But now that Meng Wugui has released information about you, Uncle-Master, it means she might know who the murderer is. That's why they're targeting Xiao Qiu now—to prevent her from having any contact with the Nine Immortals Hall!"
Ji Wanshu pondered for a moment, then asked in bewilderment, "If he is the murderer, why not just kill Meng Wugui instead of Xiao Qiu?"
Bai Ling was slightly taken aback and said, "That's true... Why kill Xiao Qiu?"
As the two were secretly analyzing the situation, Man Jiangxue spoke up, "It's because he can't kill Meng Wugui. If he had the ability to kill Meng Wugui directly, he wouldn't have turned his attention to Xiao Qiu. The reason he's targeting Xiao Qiu is because Meng Wugui is a former member of the Ruyi Sect, and Xiao Qiu is a member of the Shen family. Seeing that something has happened to Xiao Qiu, Meng Wugui might be wary and wouldn't dare to reveal who the murderer is. This might also be why, even after Xiao Qiu has been found for many years, Meng Wugui has always avoided her and refused to acknowledge her."
"Then why did Meng Wugui spread false information about Uncle Shen?" Ji Wanshu continued to ask. "If she hadn't done this, Xiao Qiu wouldn't have been targeted at all. If she had secretly killed the murderer, there wouldn't have been so much trouble."
“Things always have to come to light eventually,” Man Jiangxue said. “She wanted to use this incident to remind Guo Qian that, like the murderer, she couldn’t easily kill the other person, so she could only use Xiao Qiu to compete with him.”
Bai Ling remained silent for a moment, then sighed, "In the end, the most pitiful person is still Xiao Qiu..."
The three of them fell silent.
After a brief silence, Man Jiangxue spoke again: "We will meet with Meng Wugui to test her out. As for what you should do now, it is to find out who the Dark Guard disciples are under."
Bai Ling couldn't help but look troubled: "But all our relatives are dead, how are we supposed to investigate?"
Man Jiangxue glanced at her and said, "To get to the bottom of this, we should start by investigating the people who selected these secret guard disciples."
Upon hearing this, Ji Wanshu paused, then said in a deep voice, "The person in charge of mobilizing disciples outside the palace is Huaiwei, while the person in charge of mobilizing disciples inside the palace... is..."
Seeing that she didn't say the person's name, Bai Ling asked curiously, "Who is it?"
Ji Wanshu glanced at the snow-covered river and hesitated without saying a word.
“Investigate,” Man Jiangxue said calmly after washing her hands. “To be on the safe side, it’s best to investigate these two people, as well as the other related disciples, thoroughly.”
Ji Wanshu replied with a complicated expression, "Okay, I understand."
Bai Ling looked back and forth between the two of them, completely bewildered.
The atmosphere suddenly became heavy. Man Jiangxue finished tidying up and was about to leave when a disciple ran over with a joyful expression, shouting, "Uncle-Master! Senior Sister Yin is awake!"
Man Jiangxue raised her eyes slightly and immediately walked towards the door. She stepped one leg over the threshold and then turned back to say, "This matter should be carried out in secret. Do not make a fuss, and do not report to the palace for the time being. In particular, do not let the sect leader know, lest she become uneasy and alert the enemy."
Ji Wanshu and Bai Ling quickly nodded and said, "Yes."
Man Jiangxue said no more and immediately followed the disciple to the other end of the side room.
·
Upon hearing that Yin Qiu had awakened, many disciples crowded at the door to peek inside. Man Jiangxue hurried into the room, parted the beaded curtain, and saw Yin Qiu, who had been in a coma for many days, leaning against the headboard. A disciple was holding a bowl of porridge and feeding her spoonful by spoonful.
Hearing the noise, Yin Qiu looked up in the dim morning light and gazed at Man Jiangxue.
There were many people standing inside and outside the house. The two looked at each other from a distance. The moment their eyes met, they suddenly felt as if they were in another world.
The disciples who had been chattering and showing concern for Yin Qiu all fell silent. Man Jiangxue loosened the beaded curtain and walked to the bedside amidst the crisp sound of the beads, gazing at Yin Qiu without saying a word.
The room went from lively to quiet, but it didn't seem abrupt. Seeing that the two were just staring at each other without saying a word, the disciples exchanged glances and tiptoed away, thoughtfully closing the door behind them.
After everyone had gone outside and a series of footsteps faded into the distance, Man Jiangxue sat down and gently placed Yin Qiu's hand against her cheek.
Her palms were still warm, but her cheeks were icy cold. Yin Qiu was a little stunned. After a moment, she moved her fingers to touch Man Jiangxue and said in a hoarse voice, "Uncle-Master."
Man Jiangxue was still watching her. After a moment, she lowered her head, closed her eyes, and sighed softly. Holding Yin Qiu's hand, she said wearily, "You know what's going on?"
Yin Qiu lowered her eyes and said softly, "Yes."
Man Jiangxue looked up at her, her eyes like the moonlight on the top of a pine tree, containing boundless tenderness and infinite affection. She seemed to have a lot to say, but she said nothing.
Meeting her gaze, Yin Qiu felt as if something gentle had touched her heart, filling her with an indescribable warmth. She pursed her lips slightly and suddenly said, "Uncle-Master, you're lying!"
Man Jiangxue looked at her pale face and a faint smile spread across her face. She couldn't help but smile as well and said, "What would I lie to you about?"
Yin Qiu removed her hand from her cheek, opened her arms and hugged Man Jiangxue, whispering in her ear, "You said you wouldn't go anywhere, you lied!"
Man Jiangxue paused for a moment, then hugged Yin Qiu Hui and said, "But you're just being silly, aren't you?"
The familiar fragrance filled her nostrils again, and Yin Qiuhao, feeling reluctant to leave, buried her head in Man Jiangxue's shoulder, her eyes welling up with tears.
“Yo Mengtai Ke… Uncle-Master.”
Man Jiangxue hugged her even tighter and said, "Ji Can Tai Ke!"
Overwhelmed with joy, Yin Qiu turned her head, her tearful eyes like a mountain lake shrouded in mist. She asked, laughing and crying at the same time, "Really?"
“Really,” Man Jiangxue looked back at her, “of course it’s true.”
The dim light of dawn shone through the window screen, enveloping the two people embracing. The sound of the wind outside drowned out all other possible noises. The world was so noisy, yet so peaceful.
“Uncle-Master must be exhausted,” Yin Qiu said, forcing back her tears. “He’s also lost weight.”
Man Jiangxue reached out and covered Yin Qiu's eyes, letting the wet tears fall into her palm. She smiled and said, "I'm not tired, Shishu won't be tired."
Yin Qiu stared at her intently.
“You’re the one who’s too thin,” Man Jiangxue said, lifting the person in her arms and feeling their weight. “It’s hard to hold you. You need to eat more and try to gain some weight.”
Yin Qiu was deeply moved and whispered to Man Jiangxue, "Uncle-Master..."
"It's alright, it's good that you're awake," Man Jiangxue said, gently stroking Yin Qiu's messy hair. "This time, it was my fault for not protecting you properly. I promise you, I will never leave you alone again. Where are you going? Please come home, okay?"
Yin Qiu, tears streaming down her face, agreed, "Okay..."
"Don't cry," Man Jiangxue said gently, wiping Yin Qiu's eyes again. "You won't be pretty if you keep crying."
Yin Qiu looked at her, burst into laughter through her tears, and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Yin Qiu isn't pretty either."
Man Jiangxue said, "Who said that? She's very pretty. Xiao Qiu has been pretty since she was little." As she spoke, she gently stroked Yin Qiu's cheek and kissed the corner of her eye. "Xiao Qiu is the most pretty."
Feeling her lips lightly brush against the corner of her eye, Yin Qiu was slightly stunned, and then recalled many fragmented images.
Whether it was a dream or something that actually happened, in those scenes, Man Jiangxue seemed to be kissing her constantly, whether it was during the day or at night.
Her heart raced, and two distinct blushes suddenly rose on Yin Qiu's pale face. Under Man Jiangxue's gentle gaze, she lowered her head and said in a barely audible voice, "I...I've already said..."
"So what?" Man Jiangxue said indifferently, "My martial uncle won't look down on you."
Yin Qiu's face turned even redder.
Man Jiangxue curved her lips into a smile, freed one hand to pick up the bowl of congee beside the bed, and said, "Eat something to fill your stomach first. You shouldn't eat too much right now. Li Ci is still in good spirits. After you finish eating, drink your medicine. Your master will take you to take a bath."
Yin Qiu didn't dare to look at her, buried her face in Man Jiangxue's chest, and mumbled an "okay".
Man Jiangxue looked at her for a while, then raised and put down the spoon in her hand, and said, "What are you doing hiding? Eat first."
Yin Qiu moved her head, peeking out with her eyes, but didn't look at Man Jiangxue. She simply whispered, "Uncle-Master, please..."
Man Jiangxue then brought the spoon to her lips again.
Yin Qiu opened her mouth and ate, swallowing slowly with the porridge in her mouth. Man Jiangxue was not in a hurry and waited for her to swallow before continuing to feed her until the last half bowl of porridge was gone. Yin Qiu's face was still red.
Seeing that she even had the spirit of shyness, Man Jiangxue's heart finally calmed down. She put the empty bowl back and called out to the door. Soon, she heard the hurried footsteps of her disciples coming from the end of the corridor to the door. But for some reason, they did not knock or come in directly. They just stood outside and asked, "What are your instructions, Uncle-Master?"
Man Jiangxue looked at the crowd of people huddled together at the door, paused for a moment, and then said, "Go and bring the medicine."
As soon as she finished speaking, a disciple quietly pushed open the door, poked his head in first, and saw that Yin Qiu was still nestled in Man Jiangxue's arms. The disciple then lowered his head and brought in the things, looking at the ground and saying, "The medicine has been prepared for a long time, just waiting for Uncle-Master's instructions."
Man Jiangxue took the medicine and, after a moment of silence, said, "Why are you bowing your head so low?"
Upon hearing this, the disciple quickly looked up at Man Jiangxue and Yin Qiu, said nothing, just chuckled twice, and then ran out quickly.
Yin Qiu glanced at his figure, her gaze briefly meeting Man Jiangxue's before she looked away as if she'd been electrocuted.
Man Jiangxue held the medicine bowl, feeling a bit amused and exasperated, but her face remained calm. She gestured for Yin Qiu to turn to face her, then casually lowered her head and expertly took a sip of the medicine.
Seeing her actions, Yin Qiu blinked, a hint of confusion in her expression.
Man Jiangxue instinctively moved closer to her, but after seeing the expression on Yin Qiu's face, she paused almost imperceptibly before swallowing the medicine.
Yin Qiu moved her lips, about to ask a question, but Man Jiangxue interrupted her, saying, "...Ningwu Gangyun Yuntan Huangta!"
Yin Qiu believed her without a doubt, and after saying "Oh," she obediently asked, "Is it hot?"
Man Jiangxue casually handed the bowl of medicine to Yin Qiu, saying, "It's not hot." Then, she added slowly, "You've already drunk it."
Yin Qiu had already taken two gulps, and upon hearing this, she looked up at Man Jiangxue again.
Although she didn't speak, her eyes conveyed the question: Does the Emperor want to drink?
Man Jiangxue glanced at her, her gaze shifting slightly, and said, "...Finish it."
Author's Note: Oh... I accidentally set the draft box to 10 PM, and the prime 9 PM slot is gone again...
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