Chapter 140
Lu Huaiwei?!
Before Man Jiangxue could react, Bai Ling shouted, "Senior Sister Lu?" She looked at Wen Chaoyu with suspicion and asked, "Don't make baseless accusations. What evidence do you have?"
Wen Chaoyu said, "I have no evidence, but I have seen her with my own eyes, and we have met quite a few times. Even if my eyesight is failing, I could not possibly mistake her for someone else."
Man Jiangxue looked around for a moment, then went back into the room and said, "There's plenty of time. I want to hear your detailed explanation."
Wen Chaoyu had no choice but to follow him into the room. The two sat down again at the long table. Bai Ling also untied Xue Tan. Wen Chaoyu said, "I had always known about Xiao Qi, but I had never seen her. It wasn't until Nangong Min asked me to capture Yin Qiu and bring her to the Ziwei Sect that I met her in Shangyuan City. At that time, she gave me a mask, which allowed me to sneak into Yunhua Palace and take Yin Qiu away."
Man Jiangxue recalled for a moment and said, "I remember back then, she was seriously injured by Qin Zheng and was bedridden. Medical disciples in the medical pavilion took good care of her every day. How did she manage to avoid so many people and go down the mountain to see you?"
Wen Chaoyu said, "She lied that she hadn't bathed for days and went to the bathhouse alone. Then she secretly went down the mountain. When she returned, you Yunhua disciples couldn't find her and discovered that she had fainted in the bathhouse. Of course, she was faking it. She mentioned this to me later. Ye Zhilan and Yin Qiu personally brought her back to the medical pavilion from the bathhouse. You can ask Yin Qiu to find out the truth. She should remember it." After saying this, she continued, "Including the news that you went to Jincheng disguised as Shen Mandong, it was she who informed Nangong Min by carrier pigeon. That's why Nangong Min asked me to find a female disciple to impersonate Shen Mandong as well, just to confuse you and prevent you from finding out the palace's spies."
"Senior Sister Lu is the disciple of the Elder of Wu Hui Peak..." Bai Ling suddenly realized, "She had more opportunities than anyone else to steal materials behind Vice Elder Li's back!"
Man Jiangxue paused for a moment and asked, "When did she ask you to save Xiao Qiu?"
“A month ago,” Wen Chaoyu said, “I had just left Liehuochi not long ago, and the refugee issue was making a big fuss. Meng Wugui told Nangong Min about Shen Mandong, and Nangong Min told her. So she came to Jincheng to find me and asked me to arrive in Weicheng at the same time as you as possible.”
Man Jiangxue remained silent in thought. Upon hearing this, Bai Ling spoke up again: "But when the refugees had their accident, Xiao Qiu and I had already gone to Yaoding City and saw Senior Sister Lu with our own eyes. Not long after, Martial Uncle also arrived. We saw her staying in Yaoding City. How could she appear in Jincheng at the same time? She can't be a twin, can she?"
Wen Chaoyu said, "Because you got the time wrong. She only set off for Jincheng after you left Yaodingcheng for Yunjiancheng." She looked at Man Jiangxue, "And by then you had already returned to the palace. Anyway, we met in Jincheng, discussed things, and then temporarily separated. We met again in Weicheng, which was the day you and Yin Qiu bumped into me and Xue Tan on the street."
Man Jiangxue said, "So you knew from the beginning that she would target Xiao Qiu?"
“I really didn’t know that,” Wen Chaoyu said. “At first I thought she just wanted me to save Yin Qiu, but on that day in Weicheng, I saw her hurt Yin Qiu with her flute while I was hiding in the shadows. That’s when I realized who she was trying to hurt with that flute.”
Therefore, since Lu Huaiwei stayed outside the palace for many years, she certainly had ample time to do these things without being easily noticed. Moreover, the medicinal smell on Yin Qiu only started to appear in Yao Dingcheng, and at that time, everyone was in the city. It would have been very easy for Lu Huaiwei to poison Yin Qiu with Gu.
“No, we already encountered the flute player once on our way to Cloud City,” Bai Ling said, still feeling something was off. “She’s going to Jin City and ambushing us on the way. Where does she find the time to run back and forth?”
Wen Chaoyu said, "Then how do you know that the flute player you met was Lu Huaiwei herself? She's so well hidden, it's not surprising that she has a few subordinates. Who knows, maybe one of her men will also play that broken flute and hurt someone? Besides, she could follow you first and then come to Jincheng to find me. You've stayed in Yunjian City for several days, which is enough time for her to travel around."
Bai Ling counted on her fingers for a moment and said, "It seems so..."
“What about the Gu poison?” Man Jiangxue twirled her dagger, looking at Wen Chaoyu. “Did she mention Gu poison to you?”
Wen Chaoyu frowned: "What kind of Gu poison?"
Man Jiangxue scrutinized her: "You don't know?"
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Wen Chaoyu sighed deeply. “Anyway, she is the spy that Nangong Min planted in Yunhua Palace, and she is also the flute player. I’ve said everything I can. Whether you believe it or not is your business.”
Seeing that Wen Chaoyu was unaware of the Gu poison, Man Jiangxue couldn't help but feel a little depressed. Bai Ling said with difficulty, "So it was Senior Sister Lu. I've always had a good impression of her... It seems that she also framed Senior Sister Ye for the mask material."
“The person she really wants to get rid of isn’t Yin Qiu,” Wen Chaoyu glanced at Man Jiangxue, “She has a grudge against you, do you know that?”
Man Jiangxue looked at the falling snow outside the window and said calmly, "I know."
It's normal for her to guess, given her intelligence. Wen Chaoyu then asked, "Can you guess her background?"
“It’s almost certainly true,” Man Jiangxue said. “They’re either old acquaintances of the Western Ling Kingdom or descendants of the royal family.”
Wen Chaoyu looked at Man Jiangxue and raised an eyebrow, saying, "...You could have guessed that?"
"Judging from your reaction, you must have guessed it already," Man Jiangxue stood up and said expressionlessly, "If even you can guess it, what's so surprising that I can guess it too?"
Wen Chaoyu's face fell: "Fine, but you still need to ask me to find out who she is."
“Thank you,” Man Jiangxue said. “It was something I should have said back in Weicheng, but I still had to make this special trip.”
Realizing she was being mocked, Wen Chaoyu was speechless: "You make it sound so easy. If you hadn't threatened me with Wan Shu, who would want to be a traitor?"
“You are already a traitor,” Man Jiangxue said. “Come with me. You will not have a good end if you stay in the Ziwei Sect.”
After saying that, she led Bai Ling to the door again, but Wen Chaoyu did not move and seemed unwilling to leave with her.
Man Jiangxue turned to look at her and asked, "What is it?"
Wen Chaoyu frowned, annoyed, and said, "Go ahead and go, I'm not going."
"Are you sure?" Man Jiangxue said, "As long as I go back and detain Lu Huaiwei, Nangong Min will know who leaked the information, and she won't let you off the hook."
Wen Chaoyu said, "One should take responsibility for one's own actions. I did betray the Ziwei Sect this time, and I am willing to accept the punishment."
Hearing her say this, Xue Tan couldn't help but say, "Guardian, why don't we leave? If the sect leader finds out about this, it won't be as simple as going to the Fiery Pool. She really will kill you."
“Yes,” even Bai Ling comforted her, “You have to think about Senior Sister Ji, even if you don’t think about yourself. Besides, it was my uncle and I who came to interrogate you. You only revealed the truth because you had no other choice. If you don’t come with us, and something happens, Senior Sister Ji will definitely hate my uncle and me to death.”
Wen Chaoyu was silent for a moment, then shook her head and said, "Although Wan Shu is impulsive, she is not unreasonable. She must also hope that I can speak up, so she won't blame you. Nangong Min saved my life, and for so many years, I have not only been unable to repay this kindness, but I have also repeatedly caused her trouble. Now I have become a traitor to the Ziwei Sect. I am sorry for her. You don't need to persuade me anymore; my mind is made up." As she said this, she glanced at Xue Tan beside her. "However, if you really care, then take him away. He should have been a fine young man in his prime, but because he delivered a letter for Yin Qiu back then, Nangong Min beat him so badly that he is now like this. I have always felt guilty about it, and I don't want to implicate him again this time. Please give him a good place to go, and I don't need you to take care of me."
Hearing her words, Xue Tan's eyes welled up with tears: "Protector..." He knelt down in front of Wen Chaoyu with a thud, his voice trembling, "If the Protector doesn't leave, this subordinate won't leave either!"
Man Jiangxue glanced at Xue Tan for a moment, then asked after a pause, "The letter he delivered on behalf of Yin Qiu, was it the one he gave me in Hezhou City that year?"
Wen Chaoyu nodded.
Man Jiangxue understood. After standing there for a while, she walked over to Wen Chaoyu and asked, "Are you really not leaving?"
Wen Chaoyu hummed in agreement: "I'm not leaving."
Man Jiangxue said, "Then how do you expect me to explain this to Wan Shu?"
Wen Chaoyu seemed a little tired, and said with a forced smile, "Explain whatever you want, I'm not leaving."
Man Jiangxue knelt down, looked Wen Chaoyu in the eye, and said, "You can think about it again."
Wen Chaoyu couldn't help but get annoyed and said impatiently, "Why are you so long-winded? It's usually hard to even hear you say a few words, but today you're just spouting a load of nonsense. How many times do I have to repeat myself? I'm not leaving! I'm not leaving, even if you kill me! I'm—"
Before she could finish speaking, Man Jiangxue swiftly struck her on the back of the neck, causing Wen Chaoyu's eyes to roll back and she to fall backward.
Xue Tan was startled and quickly caught Wen Chaoyu steadily, stammering, "What are you doing...?"
Man Jiangxue clapped her hands, straightened up, and said no more nonsense: "You two, take her out of the city now."
Bai Ling's face lit up with joy, and she immediately asked Xue Tan, "Can you carry her on your back?"
When Xue Tan saw that Man Jiangxue was going to rescue Wen Chaoyu, he burst into tears and said, "I can carry you, I can carry you too!"
"Thank you! But there's no need for that!" Bai Ling clasped her hands in a fist salute. "Then hurry up and carry him on your back!"
The two helped each other and immediately dragged Wen Chaoyu up from the ground. Xue Tan said, "My legs are weak, and it's not good for me to use my lightness skill while carrying my protector. You two come with me; I know where there aren't many guards."
Bai Ling replied "Okay," and looked at Man Jiangxue, asking, "Where is Martial Uncle?"
Man Jiangxue stepped out of the room first and said, "I'm going to pick up Xiao Qiu."
·
Yin Qiuli stood under the eaves watching the night view for a while. Soon after, a maid came from behind and reminded her, "My lady, hot water has been prepared. Please come in and take a bath."
There were no lights in the courtyard, only a few lanterns hanging in the corridor. Yin Qiu glanced around in the dim light and asked, "Where is your leader?"
The maid replied, "The sect leader has returned to her palace. Before she left, she specifically instructed that you stay in Wangchuan Palace and rest until you are well. She will come to visit you again tomorrow morning."
Yin Qiu turned and entered the hall. The hot spring, hidden behind the crimson gauze curtains, slowly rose with steam. Many delicate flower petals were scattered on the surface of the water. A faint fragrance wafted through the swirling white mist, which was the unique scent of Nangong Min.
Yin Qiu's arm wound had just been re-treated by the doctor in Weicheng this morning and was still bandaged. She was still hesitating about whether to take a bath when the maids had already gently helped her undress. They said considerately, "Your Highness, don't worry. The sect leader said that you still have injuries and cannot get wet. We all remember that. You don't need to do it yourself; we will help you."
Yin Qiu had never been served much growing up; on the contrary, she spent her days serving Man Jiangxue at Jingyue Peak. Hearing this, she instinctively clutched her clothes and asked, "How can I help?"
Seeing her precarious yet feigned composure, the maids couldn't help but laugh.
"How else can we help? Of course, Your Highness doesn't have to do anything; we'll wash you ourselves."
Yin Qiu imagined the scene and her hair stood on end: "This...this is not necessary. I can do it myself. You may all leave."
The maids tried to persuade her gently, but they couldn't get Yin Qiu to give in. After a while, the maids realized they couldn't win against Yin Qiu, so they obediently went to the outer hall to keep watch. Fortunately, there wasn't much water in the hot spring. After Yin Qiu took off her clothes and sat in, she found that the water level was just right at her chest. As long as her movements weren't too exaggerated, the wound on her arm wouldn't get wet.
The maids stood outside talking in hushed tones, with occasional bursts of laughter coming from afar. Yin Qiu kept an eye on their movements, and after soaking in the water for a while, she carefully climbed out and put her clothes back on as quietly as possible.
After reaching a verbal agreement with Nangong Min, Yin Qiu wanted to leave as soon as possible, but Nangong Min did not let her go immediately. Instead, he told her to find an opportunity to sneak out and try not to be seen by anyone.
News of Yin Qiu's arrival in Cang County has spread throughout the Ziwei Sect. If the flute player has spies within the sect, he will surely get the news soon. Just in case, even if Yin Qiu wants to leave, it can't be Nangong Min who lets her go. She has to put on an act and create the illusion that she escaped on her own.
The heavy gauze curtains fluttered gently, blurring the figures of the maids into indistinct shadows. Yin Qiu quickly dressed and, while keeping an eye on the maids' movements, slowly retreated until the maids completely disappeared from sight. Only then did Yin Qiu straighten up, intending to immediately climb out the window. However, before she could even move, a very soft sound came from behind her, as if someone had landed and was approaching her.
Yin Qiu's eyes darkened slightly, and she turned around almost reflexively, striking behind her with a palm. However, without true qi, her palm strike was utterly ineffective and had no deterrent power whatsoever.
A white shadow flashed before her eyes, and Yin Qiu's move naturally missed. Before she could even see who it was, her wrist was firmly grabbed in the blink of an eye, and she fell into the man's arms. It wasn't until she smelled a familiar fragrance that Yin Qiu was stunned and staggered. She quickly looked up and saw Man Jiangxue looking down at her, gesturing for her to be quiet.
"Uncle-Master!" Yin Qiu exclaimed in surprise and delight, but didn't forget to lower her voice and ask, "What are you doing here?"
Man Jiangxue smiled and said, "Guess?"
Yin Qiu immediately understood and hugged Man Jiangxue, saying, "Uncle-Master lied to me!"
Man Jiangxue touched Yin Qiu's face and explained, "It's more effective to lie to you than to lie to Nangong Min."
If she had told Yin Qiu earlier that she would come along, there was no guarantee that Yin Qiu would not act unnaturally. Once Nangong Min noticed, she would not let her guard down and talk to Yin Qiu. However, seeing that Yin Qiu came alone and that her demeanor did not seem fake, Nangong Min would naturally relax her vigilance a little, making it easier for Yin Qiu to get information out of her.
She thought she would be fighting alone on this trip and would have to return to Yunhua Palace alone after the event. Unexpectedly, Man Jiangxue had been protecting her in secret all along. Although they had only been separated for a few hours, Yin Qiu felt as if she had been separated from Man Jiangxue for a long time when she saw her.
Yin Qiu chuckled twice, buried her head in Man Jiangxue's chest, and whispered, "Shishu..."
Man Jiangxue embraced her, gently stroking Yin Qiu's back with her palm, and asked, "How did things go?"
Yin Qiu said, "Although I didn't get any of the questions I wanted to ask, I still had some unexpected gains. Uncle-Master, let's go quickly. There's no need to stay here any longer. I'll tell you the details after we get out."
“Perfect timing, I’ve also made quite a haul here,” Man Jiangxue said. “Let’s go outside and talk about it.”
The two exchanged a smile and immediately climbed out of the back window.
Compared to the former headquarters in Hezhou City, this manor now seems rather ordinary. It doesn't look like the territory of the Ziwei Sect at all; it looks more like the mansion of a wealthy family. It has absolutely nothing to do with any martial arts sect. Moreover, Nangong Min intended for Yin Qiu to escape and even withdrew many patrolling followers and guards tonight. Therefore, Yin Qiu and Man Jiangxue encountered almost no resistance on their way and left very smoothly.
Upon arriving outside the city, Bai Ling and Xue Tan were already waiting in their respective carriages. Yin Qiu had heard Man Jiangxue mention Wen Chaoyu on the way there, so he wasn't surprised to see Xue Tan. After exchanging greetings, Yin Qiu and Man Jiangxue got into their carriages, with Bai Ling leading the way, and they immediately set off for Yunhua Palace.
“Nangong Min didn’t tell me who the people behind the Dark Guard disciples and who the Piper was,” Yin Qiu said to Man Jiangxue after taking a few sips of water from her water pouch. “However, she did tell me the whereabouts of the Holy Sword. The Piper was a spy she planted in the palace, and he only cooperated with Nangong Min in exchange for the Holy Sword.”
Man Jiangxue hummed in agreement and asked, "Is the Holy Sword at the Star Gazing Platform?"
Yin Qiu nodded with admiration in her eyes, "Not bad." She paused, then continued, "She also told me that when Ruyi Sect was annihilated by Ziwei Sect, it wasn't my father who informed on them, but someone else who tipped her off. However, she didn't know who that person was; she just received a secret letter."
Man Jiangxue looked slightly surprised upon hearing this: "What letter?"
Yin Qiu then briefly recounted the matter of the underground mechanism in Liucang Mountain, and finally said, "The mechanisms of the Nine Immortals Hall are never sold or traded, but they were sold to the Shen family. Meng Wugui survived by chance and became one of the nine hall masters of the Nine Immortals Hall. She must know more about the inside story of that year than Nangong Min. But even if we go and ask her now, Meng Wugui will definitely not tell us so easily. So what should we do next?"
After pondering for a moment, Man Jiangxue said, "This matter can be put on hold for now. There's no need to rush into investigating it. Let's go back to the palace as planned. Wen Chaoyu has already told me the identity of the flute player."
Yin Qiu was taken aback and quickly asked, "Who is it?"
Man Jiangxue looked at her and said, "It's Huaiwei."
Yin Qiu raised her eyes slightly, shocked, and said, "What...? It's... it's Senior Sister Lu?!"
“Yes,” Man Jiangxue said, “Wen Chaoyu said it himself.”
Yin Qiu was speechless with shock.
How could it be Lu Huaiwei... How could it be her?
Aside from Man Jiangxue, Lu Huaiwei was the first person Yin Qiu came into contact with at Yunhua Palace. Even though Ji Wanshu was there when Man Jiangxue rushed to Sangyu Mountain to save her, Yin Qiu was seriously ill at the time and didn't have much of an impression of Ji Wanshu. Later, she was taken to Qingluo City by Man Jiangxue and met Lu Huaiwei, who was taking care of the younger generation in the city. To be honest, Lu Huaiwei was the first Yunhua disciple that Yin Qiu truly became close to.
But she turns out to be a spy for the Ziwei Cult, and the flute player who is supposed to deal with Yin Qiu and Man Jiangxue.
how so?
“There’s something I need to ask you,” Man Jiangxue said, pulling Yin Qiu into her arms and patting her shoulder to comfort her. “When you first entered the palace, Huaiwei was seriously injured by Qin Zheng. When you visited her at the medical pavilion, did she faint in the bathhouse?”
Yin Qiu was filled with complicated emotions. After a long silence, she recalled, "It seems that there was such a thing... It was Senior Sister Ye and I who found her in the bathhouse. That day was also the first time Meng Jing saw Senior Sister Lu after entering the palace."
“She was faking it,” Man Jiangxue said. “She used bathing as an excuse to avoid the medical disciples, went down the mountain to meet Wen Chaoyu, gave Wen Chaoyu a disguise mask, and then Wen Chaoyu sneaked into the palace before taking you to the Ziwei Sect.”
Yin Qiu stared blankly.
Man Jiangxue sighed, lowered her head and kissed Yin Qiu on the forehead, then said, "There's something else. When you were helping to deal with the refugees in Yao Dingcheng, did she give you anything to eat?"
Yin Qiu was stunned, trying to control the turmoil in her heart, and recalled, "No... Senior Sister Lu had been suffering from a cold for a long time at that time, and she basically stayed in her room to recuperate. Apart from discussing official business, we hardly saw each other."
"What about the others?" Man Jiangxue asked. "Did any of them give you anything to eat or drink?"
Yin Qiu didn't quite understand what she meant: "There shouldn't be any. I eat with Meng Jing and Bai Ling every day. Why would Martial Aunt ask this?"
Now that the identity of the flute player had been identified, Man Jiangxue no longer wanted to hide it from Yin Qiu and replied, "This kind of evil art of harming people with flute music comes from beyond the Great Wall. I saw it when I was young, but there are very few masters who can harm people with music alone without relying on poison. So she must have planted poison in your body. Think carefully, did she give you anything you shouldn't have eaten?" She paused here and continued, "A small dark brown pill. Maybe she wouldn't have given it to you openly. Maybe she mixed it into some kind of medicinal soup for you to drink. Do you remember it?"
With Lu Huaiwei being a spy in front of her and herself being poisoned by a curse, Yin Qiu felt even heavier under these two unexpected pieces of news. She racked her brains but couldn't think of anything. She couldn't remember Lu Huaiwei giving her anything to eat or drink.
Seeing Yin Qiu's tightly furrowed brows and extremely serious expression, Man Jiangxue comforted her, "Don't worry, your uncle will find a way for you. Relax and think it over carefully. No matter what happens, your uncle will be with you. Don't worry."
The gentle words reached her ears, gradually calming some of her anxiety. Yin Qiu thought and thought, then murmured, "I really can't remember." She covered her head, and after a long while, she spoke again, "If I had to say something I shouldn't have eaten, it would only be..."
"What is it?" Seeing Yin Qiu suddenly stop, Man Jiangxue immediately asked.
A fleeting thought flashed through Yin Qiu's mind. She paused, then whispered, "It can only be wine..." Suddenly, she looked up at Man Jiangxue and exclaimed, "Wine!"
Man Jiangxue asked, "What's in the wine?"
Yin Qiu's breathing became erratic for a moment, her chest heaving as she said, "The senior sister who invited me to drink said that her wine pot contained medicinal wine with goji berries..."
Looking back now, that stuff wasn't goji berries at all; it must have been a form of poison!
“Cheng Xiu…that senior sister is called Cheng Xiu,” Yin Qiu said, her face pale, grabbing Man Jiangxue’s collar, “She’s in cahoots with Senior Sister Lu!”
Author's Note: As mentioned in previous posts, I will send out red envelopes when Qiuqiu and her master meet again, so little angels who want red envelopes, remember to leave a comment!
I'm a little late today, I didn't update at 9 o'clock sharp, sorry.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
