Chapter 143
Upon hearing this, everyone in the room except Wen Chaoyu and Xue Tan changed their expressions.
"You're Ding Lianzhen?" Bai Ling asked in astonishment, caught off guard. "How could it be you?"
Almost everyone knows about the things Ding Lianzhen did in the palace that year, and many disciples still have a deep impression of them. Now that they think about it, Ding Lianzhen was sent to Tianchi to guard the tombs of her grandmasters for three years, but what happened to her after those three years is unknown and no one has informed her.
Yin Qiu was utterly astonished and shocked; she never imagined that the person in front of her would be Ding Lianzhen.
How did she become like this?
Facing Yin Qiu's complicated and astonished gaze, Ding Lianzhen's eyes gradually reddened, and she said with resentment and sorrow, "Why can't it be me? That year, I was stripped of my waist token and removed from the Tianyin Peak disciple roster by my master. I was unwilling, but I had no choice but to embark on the journey to Tianchi. I thought that even if I went to Tianchi, I could only return as an outer disciple, but as long as I worked hard enough, I might still have a chance to return to the palace. However, Senior Sister Lu found me on the way. She wanted me to obey her and do things for her. I was reluctant at first, but she said that I had already seen who she was, and even if I didn't agree, she could make me die on the road. On the one hand, I was coerced by her, and on the other hand, I really wanted revenge, so I agreed to her. In the past few years, I have been at her beck and call."
“You’re confused,” Bai Ling frowned, feeling a bit uncomfortable. “The person who harmed you was never Xiao Qiu. You brought this upon yourself. Besides, Senior Sister Lu even used your appearance to make a mask, which is why she kidnapped Xiao Qiu to the Ziwei Sect. You should know very well that she is not a good person. You shouldn’t have agreed to her in the first place.”
Ding Lianzhen said, "It's easy for you to say that when you're not in her shoes. If I hadn't listened to her, she would have killed me right then and there."
Bai Ling disagreed with her: "She threatened you, but you will definitely be escorted by other disciples when you go to Tianchi. If you ask for help, she won't be able to kill you so easily. Her first reaction will definitely be to run away."
“Didn’t I say I wanted revenge myself?” Ding Lianzhen said. “I entered the palace at a young age, and I have both merits and hardships there. Which disciple didn’t greet me with a smile? I still can’t understand what is so unforgivable about the mistake I made!” After saying this, she looked directly at Man Jiangxue and said, “Even if you are my senior uncle, even if you are high and mighty, I am not afraid of you at all! I said back then that I was not convinced, and I still am not convinced now!”
Bai Ling was about to scold her for "disrespecting her martial uncle" when she heard Wen Chaoyu laugh out loud from the side, saying as if she were watching a good show: "If I had known that Seventh Young Master had such a bold subordinate, I would have asked her for you—that's right! What's so great about Man Jiangxue? Well said!"
Yin Qiu was both amused and exasperated. She looked at Wen Chaoyu and said, "Uncle Wen, what time is it? Please stop joking around."
"What am I doing?" Wen Chaoyu said. "Man Jiangxue, you deserve to be scolded. If you have the guts, talk back. Why are you keeping quiet?"
Bai Ling and Xue Tan looked embarrassed, while Yin Qiu shook her head and chuckled. Only Man Jiangxue remained calm as usual. She ate her wontons one bite at a time, her chopsticks held in an elegant and unique way. Without looking up, Man Jiangxue said, "Let me remind you, one of you is about to go to jail, and the other is a traitor who will be hunted down. I am nothing special, and you are not much better off."
Wen Chaoyu said, "You're the one who made me a traitor!"
Man Jiangxue said, "Oh."
Wen Chaoyu said, "What the hell are you 'oh' for!"
"Excuse me, but I'd like to interrupt you for a moment," Bai Ling couldn't take it anymore. "You two, the one who harmed you was actually Senior Sister Lu. Why do you both blame Xiao Qiu and your Uncle-Master? I really don't understand. Can't you be a little reasonable?"
“Yes…” Xue Tan covered his face with the portrait and said softly, “One should be reasonable…”
"It's none of your business, you two brats!" Wen Chaoyu said. "I can blame whoever I want!"
Man Jiangxue glanced at her but didn't reply. She picked up a clean chopstick and threw it at Wen Chaoyu. The action looked like she didn't use much force, but Wen Chaoyu was so shocked that she fell backward.
Wen Chaoyu hadn't been unblocked yet, so she couldn't move. Her head was still spinning from the fall, and she immediately started cursing, but she couldn't hear her own voice even after she finished cursing.
"Uncle-Master is amazing!" Yin Qiu's eyes lit up, and she smiled brightly at Man Jiangxue. "You can even silence acupoints like that? That's incredibly accurate!"
“I’ll teach you another day,” Man Jiangxue smiled back at her, then turned to Bai Ling and said, “Go on, ask.”
Bai Ling said, "Oh, keep asking, keep asking..." She was interrupted by the little incident just now, and couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time, "Xiao Qiu, why don't you ask..."
Yin Qiu finished eating the wontons in her bowl, then put down her chopsticks and said to Ding Lianzhen, "It seems that you poisoned the refugees in Yao Dingcheng, that's a certainty. So... you don't have a mask on your face, so how did you get these scars?"
Hearing her mention this, Ding Lianzhen grew even more grief-stricken, tears welling in her red eyes. She said bitterly, "After arriving at Tianchi, I kept a low profile and thought things through for a while. Senior Sister Lu was a spy and would be detrimental to the palace. I thought about how old my master was and how disappointed he was in me, so I didn't want to continue to cause him pain. Therefore, I took the initiative to see Senior Sister Lu and told her that I regretted it. But after listening, she didn't say a word and just left. Not long after that, news of my master's passing came from the palace. When I found out, I begged my fellow disciples at Tianchi to allow me to return to the palace so I could see my master off. But they refused, saying that without the sect leader's order, they could not let me leave Tianchi on my own. I was filled with hatred. It was at that moment that I made up my mind to help Senior Sister Lu. I wanted to work with her to destroy Yunhua Palace for the Ziwei Sect!"
However, leaving Tianchi quietly was no easy task. After discussing it, Lu Huaiwei suggested setting fire to Ding Lianzhen's room and finding someone else's corpse for Ding Lianzhen to create the illusion that Ding Lianzhen had been burned to death.
However, to Ding Lianzhen's surprise, when she moved the corpse to the bed, the fire in the room suddenly broke out without warning. She thought that Lu Huaiwei had made a mistake and had not seen that she was still in the room. But when she tried to go out, she found that the doors and windows were locked.
Ding Lianzhen was frantic in her room, banging on the door and shouting for help. However, the disciples of Tianchi had already been drugged by Lu Huaiwei in their food and were all fast asleep, so no one could hear her.
Soon, Ding Lianzhen was overcome with despair and choked unconscious by the thick smoke. When she woke up, she had left Tianchi as she wished and was taken to Qingluo City by Lu Huaiwei, but she was left with terrible burns.
Those were extremely difficult days.
When Ding Lianzhen was finally able to get out of bed and speak, she took her sword and found Lu Huaiwei, questioning her about why she had been treated this way. Lu Huaiwei simply said calmly, "I told you before that the best person for you to impersonate is a female disciple named Cheng Xiu from Liuli Peak. You know her deeds. If I don't make it convincing, how can others believe me if you slip up one day?"
Cheng Xiu's face was burned in the dilapidated temple. If Ding Lianzhen wanted to impersonate her, she would have to not show her true face. However, she and Lu Huaiwei had clearly agreed to disguise themselves from the beginning. Ding Lianzhen never expected that Lu Huaiwei would be so ruthless as to actually set her on fire.
During her recovery, Ding Lianzhen thought about ending her life countless times, but she managed to survive by clinging to the thought of killing Lu Huaiwei. However, after a serious illness, her martial arts skills were no longer what they used to be, and she was no match for Lu Huaiwei at all.
“You’re a person with your own opinions, or a narrow-minded person with a bit of petty cleverness,” Lu Huaiwei snapped Ding Lianzhen’s sword, her smile cruel and cold. “And I don’t need people like that. What I need are people who are obedient and follow my every command. I did burn you on purpose. Now that you’re like this, besides clinging to me to survive, who outside would even give you a second glance? Following me is your only option, unless you don’t want to live anymore. In that case, I don’t mind taking pity on you and sending you on your way.”
·
As time went by, the sunlight outside the inn grew brighter and brighter. Ding Lianzhen slumped down in the light, looking disheveled and dejected, tears streaming down her face.
"...I gave in. She was right. With my awful appearance, I would be ostracized and despised wherever I went. I have no home and no relatives. I have nowhere to belong in this world. Only by following Senior Sister Lu can I survive. Boiling water in the boiler room is not difficult. I have no worries about food and drink or making a living. I do everything she asks me to do. I...this wretched life can only go on like this."
Upon hearing about her ordeal, Bai Ling, though showing reluctance, said frankly, "Even if Senior Sister Lu is despicable, your fate is your own choice. If you had truly realized your mistakes and let go of your resentment back then, you wouldn't have ended up like this today."
Tragically, to this day, she remains unrepentant and still doesn't realize she was wrong.
Ding Lianzhen bit her lip, her throat tightened, and she could no longer speak.
"How come we haven't heard about such a big event as the fire at Tianchi?" Yin Qiu remained silent for a long time before asking, "The palace hasn't received any news either."
“Who would dare to report it?” Ding Lianzhen said. “If a fire breaks out and people die, reporting it means being punished. That place is far from the emperor’s reach, so covering it up is the best option.”
"What about the real Cheng Xiu?" Yin Qiu asked. "Did you kill her?"
Ding Lianzhen chuckled and said, "Of course."
Seeing the disdainful expression on her face, Yin Qiu sighed and said, "Did you poison the wine you gave me that day?"
Ding Lianzhen hummed in agreement.
"Is it Gu poison?" Yin Qiu asked again.
Ding Lianzhen still answered, "Yes." After she finished speaking, she looked at Yin Qiu with a hint of provocation and said, "You're old but not smart. You're still so easy to fool. Don't blame me."
With mixed feelings, Yin Qiu said, "I just thought... you were a kind-hearted senior sister."
Ding Lianzhen let out another cold laugh.
Seeing that she still maintained an arrogant attitude, Bai Ling's earlier reluctance vanished instantly, and she cursed, "You really are a complete scoundrel! You did such a despicable thing and still act so self-righteous, you—you deserve it!"
“I truly deserve it,” Ding Lianzhen laughed loudly, utterly fearless. “So what are you going to do with me? Kill me? Come on! I’ve long wanted to die, but I’m afraid of death and dare not do it myself. If you can kill me, that would be a good deed, and I’ll be grateful to you after I die!”
Bai Ling didn't even want to look at her anymore and cursed again, "Madwoman!"
Having revealed her long-hidden past, Ding Lianzhen seemed to find some relief. She cried and laughed, tears streaming down her face, looking frantic and mad, making those who saw her feel uncomfortable.
"Could she have gone mad?" Xue Tan covered his eyes, unable to bear looking at her. "She can't be mad... If she is, we'll lose a witness."
Bai Ling said with disgust, "She's gone mad. Let her be. There's always a reason why someone is pitiful. She brought this upon herself and is reaping what she sowed. No one else can be blamed."
Yin Qiu couldn't bear to look at Ding Lianzhen like that, so she frowned and looked away.
"Judging from this, she probably doesn't have the antidote either," Bai Ling said with a hint of frustration. "Senior Sister Lu definitely won't give her the antidote."
Man Jiangxue glanced at Ding Lianzhen and said calmly, "We don't expect her to have the antidote. As long as Huaiwei doesn't make any further moves, there's no rush. Let's drag her away first, and then return to the palace immediately, the sooner the better."
"Speaking of which, where is Senior Sister Lu?" Yin Qiu suddenly remembered this. "Isn't she in Yaoding City?"
Bai Ling pressed Ding Lianzhen's sleeping acupoint and replied, "I asked her before. She and Senior Sister Ji went to Jincheng a few days ago, but I don't know where they are now."
Yin Qiu said, "Then we still need to send a letter to Jincheng, asking them to return to the palace as well."
“I’ve already sent someone to take care of it,” Bai Ling said. “Don’t worry, I’ll use the excuse of the public trial of Senior Sister Ye to summon them back to the palace to listen in. They won’t have any doubts after they see the letter. Once they’re back in the palace, everything will be easy.”
Yin Qiu thought for a moment and said, "We haven't let any word out yet, so we're not worried about Senior Sister Lu running away. It's just that Senior Sister Ji... what if she notices something suspicious? We mustn't alert her."
“Even if she discovers something suspicious, Wan Shu won’t act rashly,” Man Jiangxue said. “She knows how to behave properly when it comes to important matters. However, she is close to Huai Wei and they have a pretty good relationship. I’m sure she has already asked Huai Wei for her opinion. But she hasn’t sent us any messages for so long, which means that Huai Wei has already won her over. So there’s no need to worry for now.”
Yin Qiu couldn't help but give a bitter smile.
"What's wrong?" Man Jiangxue asked, looking at her.
Yin Qiu sighed softly, glanced at the quiet Wen Chaoyu, and said, "Nothing, I was just thinking about what would happen if Senior Sister Ji found out..."
Ji Wanshu would find it extremely difficult to accept if she knew that her beloved master was a protector of the Ziwei Sect and that the only person in the palace she could call a friend was a spy from the Ziwei Sect.
She didn't finish her sentence, but Man Jiangxue knew what Yin Qiu wanted to say. She patted Yin Qiu's head and then helped Wen Chaoyu clear her tongue. Perhaps because they had just mentioned Ji Wanshu, Wen Chaoyu seemed a little sullen. After a moment of silence, she said, "Man Jiangxue, just consider it a good deed and don't take me to Yunhua Palace, okay?"
Man Jiangxue said, "You should consider this a good deed. Once Huaiwei's matter is over, I will let you go." After she finished speaking, she added, "Besides, I promised you that I would not tell Wanshu your secret, so you can rest assured."
Wen Chaoyu fell silent again.
Bai Ling had already carried the unconscious Ding Lianzhen to the carriage and was waiting outside the inn. Man Jiangxue didn't say anything more and took Yin Qiu downstairs. Xue Tan carried Wen Chaoyu on his back. Wen Chaoyu said, "Whose side are you on? Hurry up and unblock my acupoint! If we don't run away now, when will we?"
Xue Tan said with difficulty, "Guardian, I know you too well. You say you won't go back to the Ziwei Sect, but you will definitely go back. I can't watch you jump into the fire pit."
Wen Chaoyu said, "You're driving me crazy!"
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