Chapter 128
As winter deepens, although there is no snow in Weicheng, the cold wind grows stronger day by day.
When Yin Qiu woke up, Man Jiangxue was no longer in the room. She lingered on the warm bed for a while, but Man Jiangxue did not return for a long time. So she put on her shoes and got off the bed. She asked a disciple who was passing by for some hot water and dressed in front of the bronze mirror.
Last night, Man Jiangxue carried her back from the bathhouse. The clean clothes that had been prepared for her had not yet been worn. Man Jiangxue had casually hung them on the other side of the screen. Yin Qiu had not found them before, so she had been washing up in her undergarments. Now that she was shivering from the cold, she remembered that she needed to find clothes to wear. She quickly ran behind the screen, shivering.
Perhaps it was because Man Jiangxue hugged her too tightly last night, or perhaps Yin Qiu had a nightmare, but in any case, she sweated a lot while half asleep. Although it was very cold at the moment, Yin Qiu still felt a bit sticky and uncomfortable. However, she couldn't go to take a bath at this time, so Yin Qiu had to take the remaining hot water to the inner room to wipe herself down.
She had just taken off her clothes, and the handkerchief in her hand was not yet wet, when she heard the door suddenly being pushed open, followed by a series of light footsteps.
Seeing a shadow rapidly approaching her, Yin Qiu was startled and quickly put her undergarment back on, asking, "Is that your martial uncle?"
Man Jiangxue paused, stopping just in front of the screen. She looked at the figure inside for a moment and said, "Changing clothes?"
Hearing her voice, Yin Qiu breathed a sigh of relief, quickly put on her clothes, and then poked her head out, asking, "Why did you leave in such a hurry? Is there something you need, Uncle-Master?"
Man Jiangxue glanced at her slightly, then asked without answering, "May I come in?"
Yin Qiu blinked and said, "Sure."
Without hesitation, Man Jiangxue immediately stepped inside.
The screen was wide enough to almost completely block the wall of the east window, but because the bed was right behind it on the right, the distance between the screen and the wall was only three steps, making the space very narrow.
Not to mention that in order to prevent Yin Qiu from losing her balance while changing clothes, Man Jiangxue specially placed a wooden chair inside for her to sit on. Now, Yin Qiu has also brought a basin of hot water and a small stool, taking up a little more of the already limited space. So, as soon as Man Jiangxue goes in, the two of them have to sit close to each other.
In such a crowded situation, Yin Qiu couldn't move and could only look up at Man Jiangxue, asking, "What's wrong?"
Man Jiangxue had been thinking of asking her directly about the flute player the whole way, but seeing Yin Qiu dressed so lightly, she naturally shifted her attention and asked instead, "What are you going to do with this water?"
Yin Qiu held up the handkerchief in her hand and said, "I sweated a lot last night and felt a bit uncomfortable. I didn't dare to take a bath, so I just planned to wipe myself down."
Man Jiangxue understood, then reached out and took the handkerchief, dipping it in the water as she asked, "How are you feeling today?"
Yin Qiu watched her movements and replied, "It's a little better than yesterday, but I'm still a bit weak."
Man Jiangxue hummed in agreement, wrung out a handkerchief, and gently wiped Yin Qiu's neck, saying, "You're too weak. Try to bathe less these next few days." She lifted Yin Qiu's hair and carefully wiped her skin, then asked, "Can you stand steadily? Do you want to sit down?"
Yin Qiu said, "Standing firm is just cold."
Seeing that she was trembling and not wearing an outer robe, Man Jiangxue thought for a moment, then used her other hand to pull Yin Qiu into her arms and said, "How about this?"
She had just come in from outside, still covered in the frost of the wind, and her skin felt rather cold to the touch. But Yin Qiu didn't say anything. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Man Jiangxue's waist and looked up at her, saying, "Uncle-Master, would you like me to wipe it off?"
Man Jiangxue lowered her head without making a sound, sniffed Yin Qiu's hair, and whispered, "Do you want me to wipe it for you?"
Upon hearing this, Yin Qiu was momentarily speechless. She remained silent for a moment before saying, with a wry smile, "There's no such thing as wanting or not wanting when it comes to this kind of thing..."
Man Jiangxue's mind was focused on the medicinal scent emanating from her. As the saying goes, one cannot do two things at once. While she was preoccupied with that, she seemed somewhat inattentive when talking to Yin Qiu. Seeing that she did not respond to her question and that there was a thoughtful look in her expression, Yin Qiu asked again, "Uncle-Master hasn't said anything yet. Did you rush in to ask me something?"
Man Jiangxue was focused, trying to discern whether the smell of the medicine was similar to what she had smelled years ago. But so many years had passed, and she couldn't be sure. So even though she heard Yin Qiu talking to her, she couldn't concentrate on answering her. Man Jiangxue could only say, "Don't speak yet."
Yin Qiu tilted her head, wanting to look up and examine her expression, but Man Jiangxue immediately grabbed Yin Qiu's chin and said in a deep voice, "Don't move."
Upon hearing this, Yin Qiu immediately froze, as if someone had touched a nerve.
A continuous warm sensation came from the top of her head, and the hand holding her chin unconsciously tightened its grip. Yin Qiu felt both itchy and painful, but she dared not make a sound or move, and could only stand there like a wooden stake.
She couldn't see what Man Jiangxue was doing; with her eyes lowered, she could only see Man Jiangxue's jade-like neck. The pearl buttons on her clothes reflected the light coming from the east window, and the luster was slightly dazzling in her eyes. Yin Qiu's legs went weak during this process, and she couldn't help but say, "Uncle-Master..."
Before she could finish speaking, Man Jiangxue quickly moved the hand that was holding her to her lips, silencing her. Yin Qiu looked puzzled, and the next moment, the warm touch on her head moved to the side of her neck.
Yin Qiu stiffened involuntarily, feeling Man Jiangxue let her hair down, as if tilting her head and pressing it against her shoulder.
The thin fabric of her clothes couldn't withstand Man Jiangxue's breath; that familiar, delicate fragrance instantly became damp and hot, enveloping Yin Qiu in an invisible mist. Yin Qiu couldn't hold it in any longer and instinctively took two steps back, whispering, "Uncle-Master, you..."
This time, she couldn't finish what she wanted to say either, but not because of Man Jiangxue, but because of the wooden chair behind her.
As Yin Qiu stepped back, her calf bumped into the chair seat. Caught off guard, she cried out and fell backward. Man Jiangxue was still intently smelling her scent when she saw this and quickly reached out to pull her back. Yin Qiu's head was spinning, and after a moment of dizziness, she fell back into Man Jiangxue's arms. She was breathing heavily, her face filled with undisguised astonishment.
Man Jiangxue finally snapped out of her reverie. She pinched Yin Qiu's waist, glanced at her, and said, "Your legs are weak?"
Because her tone was too calm, as if she had no idea what she had done, Yin Qiu was speechless for no reason. After a moment of silence, she couldn't help but complain, "What exactly does Martial Uncle want to do? He won't let me speak or move. I'm still dizzy and almost fell over."
Hearing her words, Man Jiangxue asked with some confusion, "So why did you suddenly fall down when you were standing there perfectly fine?"
Yin Qiu choked, then glared at her and said, "That's because...because..."
"Why?" Man Jiangxue asked.
Yin Qiu glanced at her, then looked away and said, "Because my martial uncle kept smelling me... What were you smelling for so long?"
Man Jiangxue paused for a moment, then said, "I didn't smell it."
Yin Qiu then turned his gaze to her face, his expression strange, and said, "Didn't you smell it? Then why are you so close to me? You clearly smelled me."
Man Jiangxue suddenly didn't want to tell her that she already knew about the flute player. After all, even after her probing, she still couldn't confirm whether Yin Qiu really had the Gu poison. Revealing it under these circumstances would only panic Yin Qiu and affect her mood. So Man Jiangxue calmly lied and said, "I said I didn't smell it, and I didn't. Don't you believe me?"
These words were so intimidating that Yin Qiu instantly began to doubt herself. She observed Man Jiangxue's expression and found that she remained calm and composed, as if she really wasn't lying. After thinking for a moment, Yin Qiu had no choice but to imitate Man Jiangxue's earlier actions, moving closer to her and burying her face in Man Jiangxue's neck, saying, "Then, Martial Aunt, you'd better tell me, if it's not smelling something, then what could it be?"
Man Jiangxue lowered her eyes and looked at Yin Qiu's fluffy head. All the chaotic thoughts in her mind were instantly swept away. She stood up straight and said calmly, "Then what do you think I'm smelling?"
"I don't know," Yin Qiu said in a muffled voice, leaning against Man Jiangxue without moving. "Uncle is acting strangely today. I can't figure out what you're up to."
Hearing the reproach in her tone, Man Jiangxue found it amusing and said, "Even if I smelled you, you don't need to throw a tantrum. Lift your head up."
Yin Qiu immediately seized on the loophole in her statement, saying, "You just said you didn't smell it, but now you're saying you did."
“Whether I listen or not is up to me,” Man Jiangxue said seriously. “Of course, whether you believe it or not is also up to you.”
Yin Qiu kept her head down and said, "Oh."
Man Jiangxue looked at her and said, "Oh?"
For some reason, Yin Qiu suddenly laughed out loud. She still had her arms around Man Jiangxue's waist, then she gently tiptoed and deliberately made a lot of noise with her breathing, sniffing Man Jiangxue's neck incessantly. Then she deliberately tilted her head up and said, "Then, Uncle-Master, guess what I'm doing this time?"
Man Jiangxue said coldly, "You're a puppy."
Yin Qiu burst into laughter: "That's something I learned from my martial uncle!"
Seeing Yin Qiuming's bright and cheerful smile, Man Jiangxue's eyes flickered slightly, and a feeling she couldn't quite describe arose in her heart.
Unbeknownst to her, someone wanted to harm her and had already approached Yin Qiu. However, Yin Qiu said nothing and took the blame for it, keeping it from Man Jiangxue.
Even though Yin Qiu didn't handle the matter very well, and objectively speaking, she shouldn't have kept it from Man Jiangxue, Man Jiangxue didn't blame her after finding out, and couldn't blame her at all.
The feeling was as if she was being protected in some unknown moment, and if that person was Yin Qiu, it would move Man Jiangxue even more.
The handkerchief in her hand had gone cold, and the person in her arms was still laughing. Man Jiangxue sighed inwardly, rubbed Yin Qiu's head, and said, "Put your clothes on first, so you don't catch a cold."
Yin Qiu glanced at her, then pointed to the handkerchief in Man Jiangxue's hand and said, "I haven't finished wiping yet."
Man Jiangxue then leaned over, soaked the handkerchief in water to wash it, and said, "Do you want to wipe it yourself, or should I wipe it for you?"
Yin Qiu thought for a moment. Although she really hoped that Man Jiangxue could wipe it for her, she still took the handkerchief and said, "I can do it myself. Martial Aunt, please wait for me outside."
Man Jiangxue agreed with a "okay," and before leaving, she patted Yin Qiu's head again and waited outside the screen.
·
As night fell, all was quiet and still. The disciples in the mansion crowded in the corridor waiting for Meng Jing to return. Man Jiangxue did not tell Yin Qiu about this. After Yin Qiu went to sleep, she went to the front hall to brew tea. It was not until late at night that the sound of carriages and horses approaching came from the main gate.
Weicheng and Cangjun are not far apart; it takes about two hours to ride a horse there. A round trip would take at least four hours. In addition, Meng Jing was injured, so the carriage could not travel quickly. The fact that they arrived smoothly at this time was already earlier than Man Jiangxue had expected.
The disciples carried lanterns and lined up in the courtyard to provide light. Meng Jing was helped into the house. Man Jiangxue put down her teacup and walked to the eaves, watching the group of people walk towards her.
“Uncle-Master,” a disciple stepped forward and said, “we have brought Senior Brother Meng back safely, but there is an unexpected surprise. Uncle-Master, can you tell who that is?”
Man Jiangxue looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a disheveled man in black being held by two disciples with his bare hands. Although his clothes were tattered and his face was bruised and swollen, Man Jiangxue recognized him at first glance.
When their eyes met, a hint of unease flashed across the black-clad man's face. He was kicked by both disciples and knelt down in front of Man Jiangxue with a thud.
A biting wind howled through the courtyard. Man Jiangxue stood on the steps, her expression indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger. After a while, she turned around and said, "Come in."
The disciples quickly went to stand at the door. Meng Jing went into the hall and took a seat. He gave a general overview of what had happened in the past few days. Man Jiangxue did not respond immediately after listening. After a moment of silence, she asked, "Since he is the real culprit who killed your parents, why didn't you take his life?"
Meng Jing calmed his rapid breathing, took a sip of tea, and said, "This matter involves many parties, so it's best to leave it to my uncle to handle."
Man Jiangxue glanced at her, but did not interrogate the man in black on the spot. Instead, she ordered the remaining disciples to take the man away first, leaving only Meng Jing behind.
Lamps were lit throughout the hall, their light flickering in the wind blowing in from outside. Man Jiangxue poured tea and looked at Meng Jing, saying, "I have something to ask you, and you must tell me the truth."
Meng Jing nodded respectfully and said, "Uncle-Master, please ask."
Man Jiangxue then asked, "After I left Yaoding City, did you encounter a flute player on your way to Yunjian City?"
Meng Jing was taken aback by these words, then quickly asked, "Has something happened to Yin Qiu?"
Man Jiangxue looked at her and said, "Then you're pregnant."
Meng Jing hesitated and nodded: "Yes, there are, but..."
“But Xiao Qiu didn’t want you to tell me,” Man Jiangxue said, “so you kept it from her.”
Even though her tone was very calm and she didn't seem to blame him, Meng Jing still got up and knelt down, bowing his head and saying, "Since my master already knows, I am indeed to blame. Please punish me, master."
Man Jiangxue raised her hand, indicating that she did not need to kneel, and said slowly, "I am not going to punish you, but just want to ask if you have heard of the Gu poison from beyond the Great Wall."
Gu poison? Meng Jing paused for a moment, then immediately realized what was going on and looked up, saying, "Although I don't know much about Gu poison, my master did mention some of it when he was teaching. If Yin Qiu is poisoned by Gu poison... then everything will be easy to explain. It's just a pity that I didn't think of it earlier and went in the wrong direction."
Man Jiangxue asked, "How do we solve this?"
Meng Jing pondered for a moment and said, "The Gu poison outside the pass is usually made by raising poisonous insects. If a person swallows it, he will be tortured by the Gu master in his own way. Now it seems that Yin Qiu was able to hear the flute and was injured by the flute. It is highly likely that he was poisoned by someone. But Gu is something that is carefully cultivated by Gu masters. Outsiders do not know the intricacies of it, so naturally they do not know how to cure it."
Upon hearing her words, Man Jiangxue fell silent.
In other words, apart from the person who raises the Gu poison, no one can save Yin Qiu.
But the Gu master is hiding in the shadows, and we don't even know who he is yet, so where are we going to capture him?
Man Jiangxue pondered, "Is there any way to lure out that Gu worm?"
Meng Jing said, "Everything in the universe has its counterparts, and there will definitely be a solution, but it will take time and we will need to keep trying. We cannot predict what will happen during the process. My master said that some Gu worms will become even more vicious once they are disturbed by the outside world. The worst thing is that the Gu worms will not be drawn out and will instead hurt Yin Qiu even more."
In short, this matter is very tricky and difficult to handle.
The two fell silent. After a while, Meng Jing spoke again: "Since you already know about this, you should be able to guess that the flute player came for you. Have you considered who that person might be?"
Man Jiangxue sighed: "I've thought about it, but I can't be sure. Besides, he's in the dark while I'm in the light. Even if I can find out his identity by following the clues, I can't do anything about him for the time being."
Meng Jing sighed as well, saying, "Since that's the case, we can only take it one step at a time. But don't worry, Uncle-Master, I will do my best to find a way to cure the Gu poison."
"Don't tell Xiaoqiu about this yet," Man Jiangxue said, standing up and gazing into the dark night. "A lot has happened while you were away. Xiaoqiu has finally started to recover, so let's not let this affect her mood again. Let's pretend we don't know anything for now."
Even now, Meng Jing still doesn't know what Yin Qiu went through after Duan Ning rescued her, but after hearing Man Jiangxue say this, Meng Jing has a general idea in mind, and said solemnly, "I will keep it a secret, as my uncle says."
Although she had been mentally prepared and had guessed that Meng Jing might not know the solution, Man Jiangxue still felt a deep sense of melancholy. She remained silent for a moment, then waved her hand and said, "You've worked hard these past few days, so get some rest."
Meng Jing then stood up from the ground and asked, "Where is the senior guard? Is Uncle going to interrogate him now?"
Man Jiangxue thought for a moment: "Keep him locked up for now. Even if I go now, he might not tell the truth. Let's leave him for a couple of days and then talk about it."
Meng Jing bowed in agreement. Seeing that Man Jiangxue was about to leave, he hesitated for a moment before following her and pleading, "Uncle-Master, I... can I go and see Yin Qiu?"
Man Jiangxue paused, turning to look at her.
She was clearly so easygoing, with no trace of unpleasantness in her expression, yet Meng Jing, meeting her calm gaze, couldn't help but feel an invisible pressure.
Meng Jing subconsciously avoided eye contact and said softly, "...I want to take her pulse and see if there's anything wrong with her body."
Man Jiangxue glanced at Meng Jing and said, "The person is already asleep. It's not too late to check on him tomorrow. You are also injured and have had a long journey. You should go and rest."
If it were someone else, Meng Jing might have tried harder, but facing Man Jiangxue, she could only lower her head and obediently agree: "Alright."
Seeing the slight disappointment on Meng Jing's face, Man Jiangxue frowned involuntarily, but she said nothing. She simply turned and left, heading towards Yin Qiu's room.
Meng Jing watched her retreating figure, and for some reason, her feelings became complicated for a moment. She was in a daze for a while, and when she came back to her senses, she found that her palms were covered in cold sweat.
The night wind was chilly. Meng Jing clutched her chest and stood there for a long time. After a long while, she finally sighed deeply and went back to her room.
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