Chapter 135
As evening fell, a flurry of snowflakes began to fall again in Yaoding City. A fine horse galloped in from outside the city, carrying a young woman. It drove straight through the city gate, slowed down for a while in the street, and then stopped at the entrance of Yunhua Post Station.
The wind and snow were biting, and the chill was biting. As soon as Lu Huaiwei reined in her horse and stood still, she took out a handkerchief and covered her mouth with a cough. The gatekeepers rushed forward to greet her and offered words of concern.
"Oh my, Senior Sister Lu is back!"
"Senior Sister, you've only been in Qingluo City for a few days, how come you're back so soon?"
"It's windy outside, and Senior Sister is still sick. Come inside quickly."
Lu Huaiwei coughed so hard her chest hurt, and she gagged several times. She gasped for breath and was helped off her horse by several disciples. She sat in the post station for a long time before she could catch her breath. Her face was deathly pale.
"Senior Sister, have some hot tea to warm yourself up," a disciple said with concern as he offered her hot tea. "You've had a cold for a long time and you refuse to rest properly. With all this running around and working so hard, your health will collapse sooner or later."
Lu Huaiwei moved the handkerchief away from her lips, about to reply, when the disciple exclaimed in surprise, "Oh no! You're coughing up blood! Where are the medical disciples? Quickly come and take a look at Senior Sister Lu!"
Upon noticing a small stain of blood on the handkerchief, Lu Huaiwei paused, then said in a hoarse voice, "I've been so busy these past few days, I haven't had time to take my medicine, how come I'm coughing up blood..."
Soon, a medical disciple arrived upon hearing the news and immediately took Lu Huaiwei's pulse. The disciple who had spoken earlier sighed, "Senior Sister, you must take good care of yourself. It's become clear that Senior Sister Ye has become a spy for the Ziwei Sect, and the news has spread to all the post stations in the major cities. With such a big incident, everything outside the palace still needs you to manage. Since the palace is in chaos, we disciples stationed outside cannot afford to be in disarray. If you collapse, we won't be able to find anyone to take over for the time being."
Upon hearing her mention that Ye Zhilan was a spy, Lu Huaiwei's expression changed, and she said in a slightly somber tone, "It's just gossip. Whether Senior Sister Ye is a spy or not can only be determined after Martial Uncle returns to the palace. Even the Sect Leader hasn't directly sentenced Senior Sister Ye. Where did you hear this news from?"
The disciple's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly lowered his head, saying, "It was my fault for speaking out of turn. I shouldn't have gossiped behind your back. Please don't be angry, Senior Sister!"
Since the refugees in various prefectures had been poisoned by the Ziwei Sect, after Yin Qiu and others left Yaoding City for Yunjian City, Lu Huaiwei also set off to inspect the situation in other prefectures. Lately, no matter where she went, she could hear the disciples discussing Ye Zhilan in private. Although she was shocked when she first heard about this, after calming down and analyzing it, she naturally discovered many suspicious points. In particular, Xie Yijun did not order anyone to report anything, but only imprisoned Ye Zhilan. However, the news that Ye Zhilan was a spy quickly spread outside the palace. As the senior sister in charge of the outer disciples, Lu Huaiwei naturally could not let these rumors continue.
“No one is allowed to criticize this matter before it is finalized,” Lu Huaiwei said solemnly. “I am only warning you this once. If I hear you making any more unfounded speculations, you will be dealt with according to the palace rules.”
The disciple was so frightened that his hair stood on end. He had never seen Lu Huaiwei so stern and fierce before. He knew that he had run into a brick wall this time, so he could only admit his mistake and say, "This disciple will remember. Senior Sister, please don't be angry. You are still sick. Don't upset yourself."
Lu Huaiwei sighed, her brows showing obvious fatigue: "I was just thinking that Yao Dingcheng is full of new disciples, and there are no senior brothers or sisters to take care of him, so I rushed over here so urgently. The matter of Senior Sister Ye has been circulating for several days, but you are the first one to bring it to me. You guys are still inexperienced. There are some things you can say and some things you can't say. You have to be aware of this at all times."
The disciple breathed a sigh of relief when he heard her tone soften, and respectfully said, "Senior Sister is right. I will definitely be careful with my words and actions and will not make the same mistake again."
Lu Huaiwei waved her hand, indicating that she didn't take it to heart. After the medical disciple finished taking her pulse and left to brew the medicine, she dragged her tired body upstairs, intending to take a nap to replenish her energy.
It wasn't completely night yet, and the lanterns in the corridor hadn't been hung up, but the room was already dimly lit. Lu Huaiwei coughed loudly the whole way, her chest feeling like it was being burned by fire, itchy and painful. She closed the door, leaned against the door frame, and breathed heavily. It took a long time before she felt a little better.
With very low visibility and the streetlights not reaching the small building, Lu Huaiwei fumbled in the dark to find a tinderbox and lit a lamp. The moment the room lit up, a figure suddenly appeared at the table behind the beaded curtain.
Lu Huaiwei's brows furrowed, and she instinctively gripped the sword at her waist. But before she could draw the blade, she heard the man say, "Don't make a sound. I don't want anyone to know I'm here."
Lu Huaiwei paused, looked closely, and saw a tall woman in green sitting inside. She had delicate eyebrows and bright eyes, a cold expression, and an aura that kept strangers at bay.
"Senior Sister Ji?" Lu Huaiwei was taken aback for a moment, then her face lit up with surprise, and she quickly stepped forward to greet her. "When did you emerge from seclusion? How come I didn't hear any news about you?"
Ji Wanshu nodded slightly, as if to greet Lu Huaiwei, and replied, "I left seclusion in secret, and few people know about it. Please keep it a secret for me."
There wasn't any tea in the room, and Lu Huaiwei had intended to order a pot to serve Ji Wanshu, but after hearing her words, she gave up the idea and asked in confusion, "Is there some important matter that needs to be carried out in secret? Does the sect leader know?"
“Aside from my uncle and the disciples who went to Wei City, no one else knows about this yet,” Ji Wanshu said. “I came to you because I have something to ask you.”
Lu Huaiwei asked, "What is it?"
Ji Wanshu glanced at her and said, "You must have heard about the secret guards going to Wei City to attack Yin Qiu."
Lu Huaiwei understood and sighed: "I've heard more than just rumors. I heard that Senior Sister Ye has been detained in the Punishment Hall by the Sect Leader. She personally organized all the Dark Guard disciples, and the Sect Leader even found materials for making masks in her room. Although I find many suspicious points after hearing this, I dare not speculate."
Ji Wanshu secretly observed her expression and asked, "In your opinion, what are the suspicious points in this matter?"
Lu Huaiwei replied, "First of all, although the Dark Guard disciples were chosen by Senior Sister Ye, she may not necessarily be the mastermind behind them. You should know that if something happens to the Dark Guard disciples, the sect leader will definitely investigate who chose them. If it is really Senior Sister Ye who is instigating them, how could she not think of this? If something happens, the first person to come looking for trouble will be her. Wouldn't that be asking for trouble for herself?"
Ji Wanshu hummed in agreement: "Go on."
Lu Huaiwei continued, "As for the mask material, several years have passed since Wen Chaoyu kidnapped Xiao Qiu. If I were Wen Chaoyu's accomplice, I would have destroyed the evidence back then. It's impossible for it to have been left until today. Even if I had been secretly improving my disguise skills over the years, I would never have left the material in my room. Senior Sister Ye is the senior sister of the palace sect. We all know her capabilities. She can manage the affairs of the entire palace in an orderly manner, earning the sect leader's praise and trust. This doesn't seem like a mistake that Senior Sister Ye could make. So I think it must be someone behind the secret guards who is deliberately framing Senior Sister Ye."
Ji Wanshu listened quietly, then pondered for a moment and said, "You are a disciple of Elder Wu Hui Peak and have many dealings with Vice Elder Li. Can you name a few people who can steal materials right under his nose?"
Lu Huaiwei recalled for a moment, then frowned and said, "It's hard to say. Vice Elder Li has not yet taken on any disciples. He lives alone in a secluded corner, has an eccentric temper, and spends all his time studying his skills in his room. Unless he summons him, no one dares to enter his room, not to mention that his secret room for storing materials is equipped with traps. Even if a disciple wants to go in and out to take inventory, Vice Elder Li must open the door personally. Moreover, during the inventory process, Vice Elder Li will stay by his side to prevent the disciple from making a mistake. So, it's practically impossible for anyone to steal materials without his knowledge."
Ji Wanshu's eyes flickered, and after a moment of thought, she said, "We've known each other for so long. During the two years I spent at Wu Hui Peak, I was only close to you. Let's get straight to the point. Besides investigating Senior Sister Ye, I came here to investigate you. You have a high position at Wu Hui Peak and have more opportunities to contact Vice Elder Li than other disciples. What you just said is true, but I still want to hear your explanation."
Upon hearing this, Lu Huaiwei was naturally extremely surprised and asked, caught off guard, "Senior Sister, you...you doubt me?"
Ji Wanshu frowned: "Enough with the nonsense, just explain, and I'll consider it after I hear it."
Lu Huaiwei's chest heaved, and she couldn't help but cough violently. She covered her face with a handkerchief, trying her best to calm herself down, and sighed before replying, "On the surface, it seems that because of my status, I do have more opportunities to contact Vice Elder Li than others. But, Senior Sister, ever since I was taken under Master's wing, I have been in charge of matters outside the palace, traveling to various prefectures all year round. Apart from Master and the Sect Leader's summons, I can only return to the palace once a year during the New Year. I rarely get to see Vice Elder Li. Moreover, when Xiao Qiu was kidnapped to the Ziwei Sect, I was seriously injured by Qin Zheng on my way back to the palace after leading the younger generation of disciples in Qingluo City. You visited me many times, and you know how long I lay in bed. I had no motive and no means to commit the crime. Senior Sister, although I don't know why you suspect me, I really did not steal any materials. Whether you trust me or not, this is my explanation."
Ji Wanshu kept a close eye on her subtle changes in expression, and did not speak immediately after hearing her remarks.
In fact, she never doubted Lu Huaiwei from the beginning. Compared to Ye Zhilan, who was gentle, humble, but polite and distant, Ji Wanshu had a better relationship with Lu Huaiwei and visited her more frequently. Ji Wanshu's understanding of Lu Huaiwei was not very deep, but she had a general idea. Putting aside the concern of knowing a person's face but not their heart, Ji Wanshu was quite clear about what kind of person Lu Huaiwei was.
The formation of the secret guard disciples had nothing to do with her, and her explanation was quite reasonable. Even if she had stolen the materials, she was outside the palace, and disciples from various cities in different states could testify for her. She didn't have time to return to the palace to frame Ye Zhilan.
Even though Ji Wanshu also felt that Ye Zhilan was framed, Xie Yijun had already handed the person over to the Punishment Hall, which must have been a diversionary tactic. If these young disciples could figure out the suspicious things, Xie Yijun couldn't possibly not have thought of them. Therefore, the mastermind behind the secret guards was someone else. This was something that almost everyone knew without saying. So Ji Wanshu still wanted to continue investigating.
Seeing that Ji Wanshu remained silent after hearing her explanation, Lu Huaiwei lowered her eyes and smiled, her expression revealing a hint of melancholy. She put away the blood-stained handkerchief so that Ji Wanshu wouldn't see it, and said bitterly, "Senior Sister has been in seclusion for five years, and in these five years, I can count the number of times I've returned to the palace on two hands. Every time I went back, I left in a hurry, and I never had a chance to visit you in your seclusion room. I never expected that after five years, when we meet again, Senior Sister is here to investigate me with a mission. Although I won't blame Senior Sister and I understand that it's all official business, in my heart... it really hurts a little."
Hearing her say this, Ji Wanshu couldn't help but feel a little sad.
Back when Wen Chaoyu hadn't yet revealed her identity and returned to the Ziwei Sect, Ji Wanshu lived with her on Jingyue Peak. At that time, their grandmaster was still alive, and several of their uncles were also there. The days spent on Jingyue Peak were the happiest time for Ji Wanshu in Yunhua Palace. After Wen Chaoyu returned to the Ziwei Sect, everything changed. Their grandmaster passed away due to illness, Ruyi Sect was tragically wiped out, Shen Mandong's whereabouts were unknown, and Xie Yijun became the sect leader and went to Mingguang Hall. Only Man Jiangxue remained on Jingyue Peak.
However, Man Jiangxue was constantly on the move and rarely stayed overnight at Jingyue Peak. Ji Wanshu couldn't stand it anymore. Wen Chaoyu's shadow was everywhere in Chenxing Palace. She had lost her master and the only person she could talk to. She gradually became an outcast in Yunhua Palace. Because of her fiery temper and arrogant nature, the other disciples didn't like to associate with her. Ji Wanshu was all alone and didn't want to stay at Jingyue Peak, so she went to the back mountain every day. At that time, the cenotaphs of her grandmasters had not yet been erected at the Star Gazing Platform. She would practice her sword alone at the Star Gazing Platform all day. When she was tired, she would sleep in the pavilion. When she was hungry, she would go to the palace to eat and then go back.
One day, the Grand Elder of Wu Hui Peak held a seminar at the Star Gazing Platform, which attracted many disciples. Coincidentally, Ji Wanshu had become invincible in the palace and was personally appointed as the chief disciple of Yunhua Palace by Xie Yijun. Lu Huaiwei encountered trouble at the foot of the mountain and, after consulting with the sect leader, begged Ji Wanshu to go down the mountain with her to carry out a mission. The two became acquainted after that, and Ji Wanshu went to Wu Hui Peak. He spent two years with Lu Huaiwei. In short, when Lu Huaiwei was in the palace, Ji Wanshu was also in the palace. When Lu Huaiwei went down the mountain, Ji Wanshu would follow.
Therefore, in a sense, Lu Huaiwei was one of Ji Wanshu's few good friends in the palace. Ji Wanshu never brought anyone home before, but Lu Huaiwei had accompanied her to the Ji family many times. The Ji couple also had a very good impression of Lu Huaiwei. For this reason, Ji Wanshu treated Lu Huaiwei differently than others.
There was only one lamp lit in the room, and the two were far apart. They sat on one side of the beaded curtain, and the light was still dim. Ji Wanshu was silent for a while, then looked at Lu Huaiwei and said, "Why are you making such a face? If I really had doubts about you, I wouldn't have come to find you secretly. I would have just taken you back to the palace to see the sect leader. That would have been my style."
Seeing that she didn't even look at her when she said this, and looked very awkward, Lu Huaiwei couldn't help but chuckle: "Senior sister has been in seclusion for so long, but her personality hasn't changed. If I were really a spy, would I be stupid enough to admit it when you asked me so clearly?"
Ji Wanshu ignored her teasing and said dryly, "It's just a formality. I have my own judgment." After she finished speaking, she stood up and said, "Do you have anything important to do in Yaoding City? If not, come with me."
Seeing this, Lu Huaiwei also stood up and asked, "Where are you going, Senior Sister?"
Ji Wanshu said, "I haven't been home for five years, I still have to go back and take a look."
Although Lu Huaiwei agreed, she couldn't help but be surprised: "Now?"
“Now,” Ji Wanshu nodded, “if I go back alone, I’ll inevitably have to listen to a lot of nagging. If I get impatient and start arguing, we’ll end up parting on bad terms again.”
"I understand, Senior Sister wants me to be a peacemaker," Lu Huaiwei chuckled. "Alright then, don't worry, Senior Sister, I'll definitely cover for you after I meet your parents."
Ji Wanshu glanced at her and then showed a rare smile. The two hit it off immediately, and without even bothering to pack their luggage, Lu Huaiwei went downstairs, hurriedly drank the medicine prepared by the medical disciple while carrying Ji Wanshu on her back, and then led the horse over and set off with Ji Wanshu on the road to Jincheng.
Author's Note: Why does the system still say I don't meet the requirements for upgrading to VIP even though I've already recharged? Do I have to spend the money I recharged? I've been messaging the administrator for three days and they haven't replied, sob sob.
Let's give out red envelopes in this chapter. Everyone has worked hard following the serialization. I forgot to give out red envelopes yesterday, which was a day of universal celebration, hahaha.
Leave a comment and you'll get it! Even a simple "1" from you lurking angels will do, let me spend my money!
I really can't stand the fact that comments from junior VIP users have to be approved now, please help me out!
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