Chapter 131
Fu Xiang sat at the long table, holding the pen in her hand for almost half an hour. Ink dripped sporadically onto the letter paper, but she hadn't written a single complete word.
Rain was falling outside, pattering against the eaves. Fu Xiang sat for a while amidst the noisy rain, but finally put down her pen, sighed, got up, and went out.
The disciples had been waiting in the corridor for a long time. When they saw that Fu Xiang was finally willing to come out of the room, they all breathed a sigh of relief. Steward Zhao had urged her many times before, but Fu Xiang had been unmoved. Now that he saw her, he couldn't help but be a little impatient and said, "Young Master, it's getting late. Let's get going as soon as possible and not delay any longer."
Fu Xiang glanced at him expressionlessly, brushed aside the umbrella offered by the guards, and walked out of the post station into the carriage in the rain.
The group immediately set off, heading out of the city along the streets. As they passed a street corner, Fu Xiang suddenly lifted the carriage curtain and jumped out without a word.
Despite the heavy rain, she seemed completely unconcerned about getting soaked or the surprised looks from behind, walking slowly and steadily in the rain without even turning her head.
"Young Master!" Upon seeing this, Steward Zhao quickly leaped forward to block Fu Xiang's path. "Where are you going at this hour?"
Fu Xiang ignored him and didn't say anything, but just continued walking forward.
Upon seeing this, a disciple immediately ran over to hold an umbrella for Fu Xiang. Butler Zhao, seeing her cold expression, was naturally very troubled and said, "The original return date has already been postponed for many days, and the Master has sent many letters urging us to go back. Please don't be willful anymore. Take advantage of the fact that it's not too late and leave quickly."
Upon hearing this, Fu Xiang stopped in her tracks. She looked at Butler Zhao but remained silent. The two faced each other in the rain for a while before Fu Xiang suddenly let out a sneer. She then leaped into the air, using her lightness skill to jump to a nearby tall building, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Soon, she heard the shouts of Steward Zhao and his disciples behind her, but Fu Xiang ignored them, leaping and bounding between the buildings, returning to the Nine Immortals Hall. She landed and hurriedly circled the courtyard to the small building where Meng Wugui was. Afu was squatting by the steps playing with mud, and upon seeing Fu Xiang, she asked in surprise, "Senior Sister... what brings you here?"
Fu Xiang was soaked to the bone, rainwater streaming down her chin. She stood in the courtyard, her face ashen, and asked, "Where is Master?"
Afu was so frightened by her appearance that she dared not speak loudly. She could only raise her hand and point behind her, saying, "She's inside..."
Fu Xiang wiped the rain off her face and said, "Go and inform her immediately that I must see her today, otherwise I will never return to Mingyue Tower."
To this day, she still hasn't been able to meet Meng Wugui. In recent days, Fu Xiang has made many trips to Jiuxiantang, but Meng Wugui is determined not to see her and has turned her away every time. With today's departure to return to Jinhuai City, Fu Xiang's patience has finally run out. If she doesn't have a face-to-face talk with Meng Wugui, she won't be able to sleep at night.
Afu sighed and had no choice but to get up and go upstairs to ask Meng Wugui for permission. To show her sincerity, Fu Xiang did not go up the steps, but stood there in the rain and waited.
After a long while, Afu finally came out looking dejected. She glanced at Fu Xiang and said crestfallenly, "I got scolded more for you than I did for making trouble myself..."
Upon hearing this, Fu Xiang's face lit up with joy. She quickly stepped up the stairs and, before entering, gave Afu a quick ruffled hair. Afu pursed her lips at her hurried back and jumped out, looking quite disgruntled, before closing the door behind her.
Incense burned in the hall, and wisps of smoke swirled everywhere. Meng Wugui leaned against the long table by the window, adjusting the incense with her head down. When she heard Fu Xiang enter, she didn't even raise her head or look at her, as if Fu Xiang didn't exist.
Fu Xiang stood soaking wet three steps away from Meng Wugui, her expression complicated, and said, "Master has finally agreed to see me."
Meng Wugui remained silent, her focused gaze fixed on the spices in her hand, never looking at Fu Xiang. After a long while, she finally spoke, "Do you know why I refuse to see you?"
Fu Xiang lowered her head, took a deep breath, and said, "I know..."
“The reason I asked you to come all the way to Weicheng was to protect Yin Qiu,” Meng Wugui said calmly, yet with a hint of detachment. “But you messed up at the crucial moment, causing Yin Qiu to be in danger and almost lose her life. If it weren’t for Wen Chaoyu’s unexpected appearance to save her, even your junior sister would have died there.”
Fu Xiang looked ashamed and immediately knelt down upon hearing this, saying in a hoarse voice, "It is indeed my fault for failing to fulfill Master's instructions. Master can punish me however you wish, and Fu Xiang will have no complaints. But... please don't shut me out and avoid seeing me."
Meng Wugui then turned to look at her, her eyes icy cold. She said slowly, "In these five years, you have accomplished nothing at Mingyue Tower. Your mastery of the Fu family's inner cultivation method is unsatisfactory, and even your status as the young master of the tower is merely nominal. Even a lowly steward dares to ride roughshod over you. Fortunately, your mistress is not yet pregnant, and Fu Cen is still willing to cultivate you. If you are still like this when Fu Cen has a child, let alone the position of tower master, it will be a question whether you can even stay in the Fu family. Have you forgotten your mission? Or are the things I entrusted to you now to be handed over to your junior sister?"
Fu Xiang was so ashamed by her scolding that she wanted to disappear, her face turning red and then pale, and she fell silent.
"Fortunately, Yin Qiu didn't lose her life this time," Meng Wugui said coldly, his tone gradually turning icy. "If anything had happened to her, all my hard work would have been for nothing. Now that the conference is over, you don't need to stay in Weicheng any longer. Go back to Mingyue Tower as soon as possible."
Seeing that she got up to leave after saying this, Fu Xiang quickly stood up and followed Meng Wugui, calling out to her in a daze, "Master..."
Meng Wugui ignored her and walked away quickly. Fu Xiang choked up, feeling both wronged and regretful. She wanted to stop Meng Wugui but didn't dare to speak, so she could only stand there dejectedly. Meng Wugui took a few steps and then turned back to look at her, saying, "Man Jiangxue and Yin Qiu now know about that person's existence. They will definitely try to find out the truth. Yin Qiu will also take the initiative to meet with you. So you'd better set off immediately and avoid meeting her. If you really can't avoid it, you don't need me to teach you what you can and cannot say."
Fu Xiang's eyes were slightly red, and she looked at her with deep sorrow, saying bitterly, "Master, don't worry, I understand..."
Meng Wugui glanced at her, then turned and left without saying another word, quickly disappearing without a trace.
Afu, who had been eavesdropping from the roof beam, saw Meng Wugui leave and hung upside down on the beam, peering into the room. She looked at Fu Xiang and said, "Alright, Senior Sister, we've met and talked. You should hurry back to Mingyue Tower. Don't just stand there."
Fu Xiang was in immense torment, feeling as if she were being ground down by a dull knife. She walked to the door with a sullen expression and let out a long sigh.
Afu looked at her for a while, then flipped over and landed from above. She racked her brains for a long time but couldn't think of anything intimate to say, so she could only scratch her head and say, "Well... wait for me first. I'll go get you a set of clean clothes. Change your clothes before you go."
After she finished speaking, she nimbly rushed into the hall and rummaged through the room to find a set of clothes. Fu Xiang, however, simply waved her hand and then walked towards the door in the rain.
Afu had no choice but to follow her and see Fu Xiang off. When the two arrived at the gate, Steward Zhao was already waiting outside with carriages and horses. He originally wanted to scold Fu Xiang, but seeing that Fu Xiang was unhappy, he held back his anger and didn't say anything. Just as Fu Xiang was about to lift her skirt and step into the carriage, she suddenly heard Afu exclaim in surprise beside her: "Oh no, Yin Qiu is here!"
Fu Xiang was taken aback upon hearing this. She glanced to the other end of the street and saw Yin Qiu walking towards them with an umbrella. Fu Xiang panicked and hurriedly jumped into the carriage. Afu quickly shouted to Steward Zhao, "Hurry up and go!" After saying that, she also darted into the doorway and hid.
·
Even though he didn't understand why Fu Xiang had returned to Jiuxian Hall, or why she was avoiding the girl in white, Steward Zhao didn't want to delay any longer. He quickly ordered his disciples to get to work and rode off at full speed, whipping their horses.
Yin Qiu had already gone to the Jiuxiantang post station, but the people there told her that Fu Xiang had already left. Yin Qiu had no choice but to ask a senior sister to go outside the city to see if Fu Xiang had gone far. Her injuries had not yet healed, and she could not use her lightness skill. Thinking that she was already out, she might as well try her luck at Jiuxiantang and see if Fu Xiang was there. She was lucky, and she saw Fu Xiang's figure as soon as she arrived. However, Fu Xiang only glanced at her from a distance and hurried away. Yin Qiu knew that she must be deliberately avoiding her, so she quickly quickened her pace and ran.
"Fu Xiang! Wait for me!"
The carriage swayed and rattled toward the street corner. Fu Xiang sat inside, soaked to the bone. She listened to Yin Qiu's shouts, feeling both guilty and tormented. She repeatedly wanted to stick her head out of the window to look, but hesitated to do so.
"Fu Xiang!"
The ground was covered with puddles, making it difficult to walk. Yin Qiu hadn't run more than a few steps when she felt a sharp pain in her chest. She was panting and had to stop to rest for a while. After her breathing calmed down a bit, she chased after him again.
The heavy rain poured down, its sound incessant. The crisp sound of horses' hooves lingered in her ears, yet it could not drown out the hurried footsteps and urgent calls. Fu Xiang's face showed struggle; she bit her lower lip tightly, her clenched palms digging painfully into her skin. Just as the carriage was about to turn the corner, she hesitated painfully for a moment before finally saying, "Stop the carriage!"
Butler Zhao was annoyed and was about to reply with "We need to get going," when Fu Xiang impatiently lifted the carriage curtain and shouted at him, "Didn't you hear me tell you to stop? Don't you even respect me as the young master?! Stop right there!"
She rarely spoke with such a stern tone, which startled the disciples. Steward Zhao glanced at her and reluctantly signaled the disciples to rein in their horses and stand still.
Fu Xiang was emotionally turbulent, but she didn't have the courage to get out of the car to meet Yin Qiu. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Yin Qiu running towards her, and she reflexively stepped back into the car. Soon, she heard Yin Qiu's voice outside the car window: "Fu Xiang."
Hearing Yin Qiu's unsteady breathing and weak voice, Fu Xiang's heart trembled. She raised her hands to cover her face and whispered, "Xiao Qiu..."
Yin Qiu leaned against the car body, gasping for breath, exhausted. She smiled down and said to Fu Xiang through the curtain, "You're leaving, why didn't you say goodbye?"
Hearing this, Fu Xiang felt a mix of emotions and replied in a hoarse voice, "I didn't leave without saying goodbye, I just... I'm too ashamed to see you."
"Why can't you face me?" Yin Qiu's fingers, gripping the umbrella ribs, turned white, and her skirt was soaked with sweat. "We finally have a chance to meet. We've been in Weicheng for so long, but we haven't even sat down to have a proper talk yet. Now that you're going back to Mingyue Tower, at least let me see you off."
With tears welling up in her eyes, Fu Xiang repeatedly recalled Meng Wugui's instructions, hesitating whether to agree to Yin Qiu's request. Yin Qiu, however, seemed to know what she was worried about and said understandingly, "Don't worry, I won't ask you any questions that would put you in a difficult position. I just want to see you, Fu Xiang. Please come out."
Hearing Yin Qiu's gentle and soothing voice, as if coaxing a child, Fu Xiang could no longer hold back her grief. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she hurriedly jumped out of the car, looking at Yin Qiu with red eyes, saying, "Xiao Qiu, I...I..."
Yin Qiu looked her over for a moment, then covered her mouth and chuckled, "Why are you crying? What happened to you?"
Fu Xiang sobbed twice. Seeing that Yin Qiu's face was pale, she wanted to pull her to find a place to shelter from the rain. However, as she looked around blankly, she suddenly realized that although she was Meng Wugui's disciple, she was not officially recognized and was unknown to outsiders. The Nine Immortals Hall could not be considered her sect at all. Right now, Yin Qiu was enduring the cold wind and rain to see her, but she could not even give Yin Qiu a place to sit down.
Fu Xiang felt a pang of melancholy. Clutching Yin Qiu's hand, she was at a loss. Seeing her downcast expression, Yin Qiu remained silent. The two stood there in silence for a moment, when Afu peeked out from behind the wall and whispered, "You two...go to my room..."
Fu Xiang was distraught and didn't say anything when she heard this. Yin Qiu then took her hand and smiled, "Shall we go?"
The two then walked hand in hand into the gate of Jiuxiantang. Afu led her to her room, first giving Fu Xiang a set of clean clothes, then serving her a pot of hot tea and several plates of snacks. Being very considerate, she did not stay in the room, and after greeting Yin Qiu, she left.
The room wasn't big; all four walls were covered with bows that Afu had used since childhood. The table was also small, making the room feel a bit cramped. Yin Qiu poured tea and warmed his hands by the charcoal brazier, while Fu Xiang held his teacup, looking sullen.
·
“You don’t need to be nervous,” Yin Qiu said, sitting up straight and looking at Fu Xiang with gentle eyes. “I’m not here to collect a debt from you, so why are you hiding from me?”
Fu Xiang didn't dare look at her, her gaze fixed on the steaming tea, and said, "...You know everything."
“I understand,” Yin Qiu said. “You are the senior sister that Afu mentioned, and also Meng Wugui’s disciple, right?”
Fu Xiang sighed softly and closed her eyes briefly: "I didn't mean to hide it from you, it's just..."
Yin Qiu smiled and said, "I understand. You don't need to say anything more." She took a sip of tea and continued, "Although I had guessed before that you might have a different background, I never expected that you were actually from the Nine Immortals Hall. No wonder your kung fu was so good back then."
Fu Xiang leaned back in her chair and paused before saying, "Actually, I'm not really a member of the Nine Immortals Hall. Apart from my master and Afu, no one here knows about my relationship with the Nine Immortals Hall."
"So how did you and Meng Wugui meet?" Yin Qiu took a sip of tea, trying her best to keep her gaze fixed on Fu Xiang so as not to make her uncomfortable.
“We’ve known each other since we were very young,” Fu Xiang said, her head still bowed and her voice low. “The things I told you in the past weren’t all lies. I only kept things from you, not lied to you too much. After my mother passed away, my father sent me to live with distant relatives. They weren’t very good to me. Although I had clothes to wear and food to eat, they didn’t want to send me to school to learn to read and write. It was my master who took the initiative to find me, to teach me to read and write, and to teach me kung fu. Without her, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”
Yin Qiu listened quietly, then suddenly realized, "So, the reason you wanted to become the young master so much was because you listened to Meng Wugui."
"yes."
"So, when you entered Yunhua Palace, besides your father's arrangement, was it also because of Meng Wugui's intention?"
“That’s right. Actually, I never thought of returning to Mingyue Tower to reunite with my father. It’s just that my hometown was hit by a flood that year. After I got separated from my wet nurse, I had nowhere to go. Coincidentally, news of you spread in the martial arts world. My master asked me to go with her to Jinhuai City to find you. But when we arrived, the Su family had already been killed by the Ziwei Sect. You were taken away by my uncle first. Although my master was very unwilling, she felt that it was a good place for you to stay with my uncle. However, the Ziwei Sect was also looking for you at the time, so my master was still a little worried. She knew that my uncle would definitely take you back to Yunhua Palace. So she asked me to return to Mingyue Tower and asked me to ask my father if I could go to Yunhua Palace. My father agreed readily in order to see if I had any talent in martial arts. After that, I entered the palace and met you.”
Unexpectedly, Fu Xiang already knew of her existence and had even searched for her beforehand. After hearing her words, Yin Qiu felt a bit complicated.
"So, the reason you entered Yunhua Palace was solely for my sake?"
Fu Xiang finally managed a slight smile and said, "Do you still remember what I told you the year I left the palace?"
Yin Qiu looked at her and said, "I remember."
“You are a mission to me,” Fu Xiang said. “A mission that my master entrusted to me.”
After saying this, she suppressed the smile she had managed to force and said dejectedly, "Unfortunately, I have never been able to complete this mission successfully even once."
"Why do you say that?" Yin Qiu asked.
Fu Xiang held the cup lid, stirring the tea leaves one by one, and said, "Back in the palace, I failed to protect you. You were captured by Wen Chaoyu and taken to the Ziwei Sect headquarters, where you went through a lot of danger. That time, Master was very angry and scolded me severely. He even personally took Afu to rescue you. Now I've made the same mistake again. That night in the bamboo forest, I should have protected you with Afu, but I made a mistake again, putting you in danger once more... Whether as a mission or as a friend, I haven't done well enough. That's why I said I have no face to see you..."
The moment Yin Qiu heard her words, an indescribable feeling welled up inside her. She sat quietly in the dim light for a long time before finally shaking her head and chuckling softly. She sighed and said, "Fu Xiang, do you know? Sometimes, I feel a deep sense of powerlessness."
Fu Xiang frowned, puzzled, and asked, "What do you mean by a feeling of powerlessness?"
Yin Qiu looked at her and said with a touch of melancholy, "It seems that I... have affected the fate of many people."
At this point in the conversation, Fu Xiang finally mustered the courage to look at Yin Qiu. She remained silent for a moment before replying, "...You feel guilty? But isn't your fate also influenced by many other people?"
A fine, cold breeze squeezed through the window cracks, gently ruffling Yin Qiu's hair. She stared at the teacup in her hand, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the rim, and said, "You are like this, Meng Jing is like this, and so is my uncle, and so are many others. You have all experienced many things that shouldn't have happened because of my existence. I've felt guilty for a long time. Perhaps you can't understand my feelings. I really want to repay you, but I don't know how."
Fu Xiang said, "But these things didn't just happen because of you."
“I know I’m not trying to take all the blame,” Yin Qiu said. “It’s just that, objectively speaking, many things did happen because of me.”
“Actually, it wasn’t because of you,” Fu Xiang said. “It was the grudges of the previous generation. You were just forced to face these things.”
Yin Qiu smiled and looked at Fu Xiang. Suddenly, she changed the subject and said, "Judging from what you just said, our chance meeting in Qingluo City back then was probably not a coincidence, was it? You shouldn't have returned to Jinhuai City begging for food."
Speaking of this, Fu Xiang's face flashed with embarrassment, and she said helplessly, "It's not true... After my master and I inquired, we learned that my uncle had taken you to Qingluo City, so we immediately followed. We wanted to secretly check on you. I deliberately disguised myself as a beggar. It just so happened that Meng Jing had run off and been caught by Wen Chaoyu. So I deliberately waited in places where you might pass by, thinking of sending you a message and also taking the opportunity to see you up close. And when I said that Wen Chaoyu had told you to go to the abandoned building to rescue Meng Jing, that was also something I made up..."
Yin Qiu said, "Afu is with you too, right?"
Fu Xiang was taken aback: "How did you know?"
“Meng Jing said that she saw you fighting with a little girl on the street, which must be Afu,” Yin Qiu said. “The reason I wanted to test your skills in the palace that year was because Meng Jing told me about this.”
Fu Xiang looked bewildered, then said with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "That kid really is incompatible with me; how could we run into each other like this?"
Yin Qiu laughed and teased her, "You little liar."
Fu Xiang glanced at her, scratched her head, and said, "It wasn't on purpose that I wanted to lie to you..."
At this moment, the atmosphere between the two finally improved. Yin Qiu smiled knowingly, held up one finger, and said, "One last question, who is Meng Wugui?"
Fu Xiang looked at her: "You don't know? The night you went to the bamboo forest, didn't your martial uncle already meet with my master?"
Yin Qiu shook her head: "My master only said that she is a descendant of the Shen family, just like me. She didn't say anything else. Besides, I was in a daze and not in good condition those days, so I rarely talked to my master in detail. Now that we have met, why don't you tell me?"
Fu Xiang paused for a moment, but still answered truthfully: "The former leader of Ruyi Sect was your maternal grandfather. He also had a brother, who was your maternal great-uncle. My master was his daughter."
Yin Qiu's eyes brightened slightly, half surprised and half delighted, and she said, "So, Meng Wugui is my mother's cousin, and I should call her Aunt?"
Fu Xiang said, "That's right. You may think my master isn't a good person, but she survived the Ruyi Gate incident by chance and it's not easy for her to get to where she is today. That's why I've repeatedly emphasized to you that I would never harm you. My master and I have always planned to find you and bring you to our side."
Originally, it was thought that the Shen family had all died in Liucang Mountain, but unexpectedly, Meng Wugui survived. Moreover, unlike Nangong Min, she was the one who was truly related to Yin Qiu by blood.
"What about my mother?" Yin Qiu couldn't help but get excited, grabbing Fu Xiang's hand and asking, "Is my mother still alive?"
Upon hearing this, Fu Xiang was slightly taken aback. She looked down at Yin Qiu's hand, which was tightly gripping hers, and after a long while, she stammered, "This matter... you should ask my master yourself..."
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