Chapter 148
"Senior Sister Lu's room is in the west wing. She doesn't often stay in the palace, and she doesn't need anyone to clean for her. I guess the room is covered in dust." A disciple pushed open the courtyard gate and led Yin Qiu inside, chatting with her as they walked.
Yin Qiu lifted her skirt and stepped over the threshold. The small courtyard in front of her was elegant and quiet, with a thick layer of snow on the ground. A long corridor separated the courtyard from the houses. The doors and windows of the disciples' rooms were all closed, except for one that was locked.
Lu Huaiwei is a disciple of the elder of Wu Hui Peak and is in charge of affairs outside the palace. Logically speaking, given her status, she should have an independent residence. However, she chose to live with the other disciples, which shows that she is not usually a person who is overly particular. Yin Qiu has been in the palace for many years and has visited Wu Hui Peak many times, but she has never visited Lu Huaiwei's residence. So, she couldn't help but take a second look.
"Here's the key to the room," the disciple leading the way handed the key to Yin Qiu and asked, "The end of the year is just around the corner, why hasn't Senior Sister Lu returned yet? She needs you to help her get her things."
Yin Qiu ascended the steps and replied calmly, "Senior Sister Lu is busy with official duties, and I also need to go down the mountain, so I'll fetch it for her on the way. Please lead the way, Junior Sister. I'll handle the rest myself. Junior Sister, please go ahead and do your work."
The two bowed to each other and politely said goodbye. Only after the disciple's figure disappeared into the courtyard did Yin Qiu unlock the door and push it open to enter.
Lu Huaiwei had been working at the foot of the mountain for a long time, so the house was indeed covered in dust, but it was also neatly arranged and not cluttered. Yin Qiu closed the door and opened a window to let in some fresh air. Using the dim light, she searched every visible spot in the house, but as expected, she found nothing.
Since she was going to the palace to be a spy, she would not leave any incriminating evidence in her room. Even if she wanted to hide something, it would be in a secret place like a hidden compartment. Yin Qiu understood this principle very well, so she searched around the room again. However, as time passed, she found no mechanism or hidden compartment. The whole room was simple and plain, no different from other places. Yin Qiu even tried the floor and brick walls one by one, but found nothing.
Did Lu Huaiwei not leave any clues in the room?
But if someone lies in wait in a certain place for many years, no matter how careful they are, there will always be times when they relax and become careless. How could they be so clean that they didn't even leave a trace?
However, the room wasn't big; you could see the whole thing at a glance. Yin Qiu had already searched the place thoroughly many times, and she was sweating profusely. She stood up, leaning against the wall, and casually pulled over a wooden stool in front of the dressing table to sit for a while. She noticed a jewelry box on it and opened it to take a look. Inside were some common jewelry items for young women, nothing special. Yin Qiu glanced through them briefly, but just as she was about to close the box, her eyes were drawn to something unique.
It was a bracelet made of black rope, strung with two bright gold beads, and adorned with a light, floating blue-gray bird feather. Its design was rather unique and not commonly seen.
However, what attracted Yin Qiu's attention was not the unusual style of the bracelet, but the patterns on the two small gold beads.
Yin Qiu had seen the totem of the Western Ling Kingdom painted by Man Jiangxue, and it was exactly the same as the pattern on this bead.
Lu Huaiwei is indeed a former member of the Western Ling Kingdom!
Yin Qiu was overjoyed and immediately took out the bracelet. She looked at it again and again, secretly glad that she hadn't left so soon. With this item, she could consider it a small gain. Yin Qiu put the bracelet away and then walked around the room again to make sure there were no more oversights. Then she pushed open the door, intending to return to Jingyue Peak immediately to report the matter to Man Jiangxue.
The snow continued to fall, and the cold wind was biting. Yin Qiu closed the window, locked the door, and pulled the brocade robe over her shoulders as she descended the steps. She was in a good mood because of the bracelet. As she stepped through the snow and passed through the courtyard gate, she saw a handsome young man in a light blue robe walking towards her. As usual, he was holding a medical book in his hand. When he saw Yin Qiu, he stopped in his tracks.
·
"Meng Jing?" Upon recognizing the visitor, Yin Qiu's eyes lit up. "What brings you to Wu Hui Peak?"
Green moss grew on the blue bricks, and white snow piled up on the eaves. In this scene, Meng Jing inexplicably appeared somewhat elegant, yet also somewhat melancholy of unknown origin. She seemed not to have expected to run into Yin Qiu here either. A look of surprise flashed across her face, and then she asked, "You should be at Jingyue Peak right now. Why are you at Wuhui Peak?"
Meng Jing had not received any news about Lu Huaiwei by this time. Yin Qiu hesitated to tell her after hearing this, but Meng Jing frowned and said after seeing the key in her hand, "You went to Senior Sister Lu's room?"
Yin Qiu looked up at her, smiled as naturally as possible, and said, "It's just an ordinary key. How could you guess that I went to Senior Sister Lu's room?"
Meng Jing's wide sleeves fluttered in the wind, and a faint medicinal fragrance wafted around them. Meng Jing's fingers, gripping the medical book, tightened slightly. After a moment's silence, she said, "Hearing that you and my uncle had returned, I went to Mingguang Hall earlier, intending to visit you." She paused, avoiding Yin Qiu's gaze, and looked at the ground, saying, "I didn't expect to overhear you talking about Senior Sister Lu outside the door, saying that she..."
“You heard everything,” Yin Qiu sighed, “So you came here because you wanted to go and see Senior Sister Lu’s room?”
Meng Jing nodded slowly, still not looking at Yin Qiu: "Since you've already seen it, I don't need to go. Did you find anything?"
Yin Qiu then bluntly stated, "You must have heard us speculate that Senior Sister Lu is a former member of the Western Ling Kingdom. I found a bracelet with the Western Ling totem engraved in her room, which can be considered proof of this. In addition, with the personal testimony of Uncle Wen and Senior Sister Ding... Meng Jing, you should prepare yourself mentally. It is almost indisputable that Senior Sister Lu is a spy."
Meng Jing's expression froze slightly, and the light in his eyes dimmed for a moment.
Yin Qiu knew that Meng Jing would find it hard to accept this news. Since Meng Jing entered the palace, he had been well taken care of by Lu Huaiwei. The two were like siblings and had a good relationship. Now, Lu Huaiwei had suddenly become a spy in the palace. No one would feel good about this.
Yin Qiu took a few steps closer to Meng Jing, intending to offer some words of comfort, but Meng Jing glanced at her, took a slight step back, and said, "...That's fine too. After returning to the palace, my master and I searched through many ancient books, but we still couldn't find a way to neutralize the Gu poison. Now that you've discovered that Senior Sister Lu is the flute player, the Gu poison issue should be easily resolved once she returns."
Yin Qiu watched her retreating steps, paused for a moment before saying, "I hadn't thought much about that. Even if Senior Sister Lu admits that she is the spy, she may not necessarily hand over the antidote."
Even if Lu Huaiwei is captured, she will no longer be able to harm Yin Qiu with the flute, and the Gu poison will be rendered ineffective. However, the Gu poison cannot be left in the body. Lu Huaiwei can use this to negotiate with Man Jiangxue. Therefore, if Yin Qiu can find a solution to the Gu poison on his own, it will be much better than making a deal with Lu Huaiwei.
Unfortunately, Meng Jing has yet to find any direction.
"I will do my best regarding the Gu poison," Meng Jing said, putting the medical book into his sleeve and turning around. "Please tell my uncle that I will inform you immediately if there is any progress."
Hearing this, Yin Qiu smiled and said, "What are you asking me to do? This is my own business, why are you being so polite?"
Meng Jing lowered his eyes and turned to the side, saying, "Medical disciples of Wenxin Peak have the responsibility to treat their fellow disciples' illnesses and injuries. This is also my duty, and it's nothing to worry about."
Upon hearing this, Yin Qiu felt a strange sensation in her heart. She looked at Meng Jing and said, "It is true that it is my duty, but that is the official way of putting it. Given our friendship, how can it be summed up by simply saying it is my duty? You are being too polite."
Meng Jing frowned and stammered, "I..."
“You don’t seem to want to talk to me,” Yin Qiu put her hands behind her back, took two steps closer to Meng Jing, and tilted her head to look at her. “You were fine in Weicheng, so why have you become distant from me since we returned to the palace? What’s wrong with you?”
Meng Jing glanced at her quickly, then turned her face away and said, "That's not true."
"No?" Yin Qiu straightened up, her eyes clear and cold. "During our conversation, you hardly looked at me at all, and you kept looking away. Is it because your eyesight is bad, or is it that I can't bear to look at you today?"
Meng Jing clenched her fists tightly, remained silent for a while before meeting Yin Qiu's gaze and said, "You're overthinking it. I'm just in a bad mood because of Senior Sister Lu's matter. I didn't mean to ignore you."
Yin Qiu could tell that she was making excuses. Perhaps she was indeed feeling complicated because of Lu Huaiwei, but her politeness and aloofness today were not just Yin Qiu's imagination. Yin Qiu couldn't figure out what was wrong with her, but Meng Jing had always been stubborn. If she didn't want to talk about it, no amount of questioning would work. So Yin Qiu didn't say anything more. The two walked side by side, chatting idly, each lost in their own thoughts, and left Wu Hui Peak.
·
Wen Chaoyu entered Chenxing Palace and stood in the hall for a long time. The wind and snow crossed the palace gate and ruffled her hair. A childish voice said behind her, "You're slacking off again. Who is the master and who is the disciple?"
Wen Chaoyu paused, then slowly turned her head. A young girl in blue robes, holding a long sword, was leaning against the door. She had a sour face and spoke in a harsh tone.
"It's long past the time for sword practice. Can't you be a little more self-disciplined and stop making me come to invite you all the time?"
Wen Chaoyu was slightly taken aback, lowered her head, and noticed that her dark blue dress had somehow transformed into a plain white palace gown, and the small flying knife at her waist had become a silver-white longsword.
"I can't be bothered to wait for you." Seeing that she didn't react, the girl left the hall with a cold face and disappeared without a trace in an instant.
Wen Chaoyu called out to her and immediately strode out after her. Red maple leaves swayed in the courtyard, snow swirled, and no one was in sight. As Wen Chaoyu looked around, something suddenly hit her on the back. She turned around and saw the little girl standing in the corner of the corridor, holding a few snowballs in her hand, smiling as she said to her, "I already broke your sword technique; it's not that impressive. Want me to teach you?"
After she finished speaking, she triumphantly leaped up, using the roof beam as a springboard to jump over. Wen Chaoyu, worried that she would lose sight of her again, had no choice but to immediately use her lightness skill to follow her.
The maple trees in the backyard were even denser, and the wind and snow blurred the vision, making it almost impossible to see anything clearly. Wen Chaoyu covered her face and searched for a while, but couldn't find anyone. After a long time, she heard a faint crying sound coming from outside the wall. Listening to the sound, she thought that the person was crying very sadly. She stood on the wall and looked down. There was the little girl below, her face covered in tears. Man Jiangxue was standing opposite her, holding an umbrella.
"Why did she leave? Why didn't she tell me?" The little girl's eyes were red, and she gripped the hilt of the sword in her hand so tightly that it cracked.
"Let's go back." Man Jiangxue helped the person up.
"I'm going to find her!" the little girl said. "I need to get to the bottom of this!"
Man Jiangxue seemed unsure how to comfort her and remained silent upon hearing this.
"Did you already know, Uncle-Master?" the little girl said. "You all kept it from me."
Man Jiangxue said, "To be honest, none of us knew."
The young girl was heartbroken: "If she came here to infiltrate, why did she take me as her disciple? I truly considered her my master, but now she's abandoned me without a word. Martial Aunt, what am I going to do?"
Man Jiangxue said, "Overnight, you lost a master, and I lost two senior sisters. You ask me what to do? I don't know either."
Wen Chaoyu couldn't bear to listen any longer. She turned around and fled from this heartbreaking place. However, the sky suddenly darkened, and the night came suddenly. There were no lights in the courtyard. She looked around blankly. As she backed away, she suddenly bumped into something sharp. At the same time, a voice coldly rang in her ear: "You still have the nerve to come back."
The thick darkness of the night was like ink that couldn't be spread. The little girl from before had disappeared, replaced by the grown-up Ji Wanshu. Her eyes were cold, her expression icy, and her hand holding the long sword trembled incessantly in the cold wind.
"You still have the nerve to come back!"
A sharp, indescribable pain suddenly spread through Wen Chaoyu's chest. She gasped and sat up abruptly from the low couch, knocking over the tea beside her.
Hot water splashed, shattering porcelain shards all over the floor. Xue Tan, standing nearby, was startled, while Man Jiangxue, at the other end of the long table, raised an eyebrow and looked at Wen Chaoyu.
Xue Tan clutched his chest and said, "Guardian...?"
Wen Chaoyu sat there for a while, her breathing rapid and her expression blank, before finally letting out a long sigh of relief after she saw Xue Tan and Man Jiangxue clearly.
"You... had a nightmare?" Xue Tan cleaned up the broken teacup and offered Wen Chaoyu a new one.
Wen Chaoyu broke out in a cold sweat, took the teacup and gulped it down in one go. After a long pause, she asked, "When did I fall asleep?"
Xue Tan looked at her and said, "It hasn't been long. You were tired from walking around earlier and said you wanted to take a nap. How come you had a nightmare in such a short time?"
Wen Chaoyu was exhausted; sleeping for a while was worse than not sleeping at all. She rubbed her temples and was about to speak when a white shadow suddenly flashed at the palace entrance. Yin Qiu had returned at that moment and announced loudly as soon as he entered, "Everyone's here? That's perfect. Guess what I found?"
Hearing the commotion, Bai Ling followed her into the hall, closing the door as she asked, "Did you find the physical evidence?"
Yin Qiu turned around and smiled, slowed down and waited for Bai Ling. After the two sat down together, Yin Qiu took out the bracelet and handed it to Man Jiangxue, saying, "Uncle, take a look. Is the pattern on this bead the Xiling totem?"
Man Jiangxue glanced at it and nodded, "Yes." After looking at the bracelet for a while, she said, "This thing looks a bit familiar."
Yin Qiu said, "Uncle-Master, have you seen it before? Perhaps Senior Sister Lu wore it before."
Man Jiangxue recalled for a moment, then looked up and said, "I remember now, she did wear it. At that time, I reminded her that it was an item from a fallen country and that it was best not to wear it. She said that Wan Shu bought it from a Western Regions vendor and gave it to her. I didn't think much of it at the time."
"Can this be considered physical evidence?" Yin Qiu asked. "I was initially quite pleased, but after hearing what my senior uncle said, it seems that Senior Sister Lu can easily deny that it was bought, so it doesn't seem to serve any purpose in proving her guilt."
Man Jiangxue said, "Whether it was bought or not, we can find out by asking Wan Shu. Keep this for now, and don't lose it."
Yin Qiu replied "okay" and then put the bracelet away.
Before nightfall, Bai Ling and her disciples tidied up Chenxing Palace, cleaning out several empty rooms and instructing people to prepare hot water and food, arranging everything in an orderly manner. However, as the eldest disciple of Liuli Peak, she had not yet paid her respects to her master upon returning and could not stay at Jingyue Peak indefinitely. After finishing her business, she took her leave. Now that Jingyue Peak no longer had any secret guard disciples, the place felt extremely deserted after Bai Ling and her people left.
Since Wen Chaoyu had discovered their relationship, Yin Qiu felt embarrassed to stay overnight in the palace. After saying goodbye to Man Jiangxue, she returned to her own room.
She pushed open the door and immediately glanced at the wall. There used to be a cabinet there specifically for storing food, but it had vanished. Yin Qiu thought that Bai Ling must have moved it out and thrown it away for her. While admiring Bai Ling's thoughtfulness, Yin Qiu couldn't help but feel a sense of loneliness.
During the day, Yin Qiu had many things to do, so even after returning to Jingyue Peak after several months, she didn't have much time to reminisce. However, as night fell and all was quiet, she sat on the couch and suddenly realized that this was no longer the Jingyue Peak she remembered.
The shadow guards were no longer in the maple tree. Once Lu Huaiwei's matter was over, Wen Chaoyu and Xue Tan would naturally leave as well. In this place, only she and Man Jiangxue would remain.
The flickering lamplight cast a chilly glow throughout the room. Yin Qiu stood there lost in thought for a long time before finally letting out a long sigh and preparing to turn off the light and go to bed. But just as she raised her hand, before she could even begin to move, the candlelight in front of her suddenly went out on its own.
The room was plunged into darkness.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
