Chapter 152
Ji Wanshu had just turned her back, never expecting Lu Huaiwei to pull such a stunt. She was standing closest to Lu Huaiwei, and a few drops of bright red blood splattered on her skirt. Ji Wanshu acted decisively, immediately turning around and sweeping her leg, kicking the sword in Lu Huaiwei's hand away.
The sharp blade sliced a deep gash across her neck, from which blood gushed forth immediately, a clear indication of the ruthlessness of the attack. Exhausted, Lu Huaiwei's hands fell limply to her sides, and as her sword hit the ground, she collapsed backward.
The sudden turn of events left all the disciples present stunned.
"What are you doing!" Ji Wanshu exclaimed in shock, quickly tearing off a piece of her skirt to cover Lu Huaiwei's neck.
Lu Huaiwei looked at her through teary eyes, her vision blurred, and she could only manage weak breaths. Blood quickly smeared her chest and half of her shoulder. Ji Wanshu was disoriented and immediately tried to pick her up, but Lu Huaiwei pushed her away desperately, still muttering something to herself.
Ji Wanshu was trying to decipher her lip movements.
"What are you all standing there for!" Xie Yijun shouted as she rushed forward, "Hurry up and carry her to the medical pavilion! She can't die yet!"
The disciples were so shocked that they lost the ability to react. Yin Qiu and Bai Ling were equally astonished. Only Man Jiangxue remained calm and composed, looking at Lu Huaiwei without changing her expression.
Seeing that they didn't react, Xie Yijun shouted twice more. Only then did Bai Ling come back to her senses from the shock. She quickly led several disciples to lift Lu Huaiwei up, and the group hurriedly rushed out of Mingguang Hall, using their lightness skills to fly towards the Medical Pavilion in a great hurry.
"What kind of mess is this? This is truly—" Xie Yijun was furious. "They've driven someone to commit suicide in public, could it be... could it be that Huaiwei..."
She didn't finish her sentence.
With all the evidence presented, it was almost impossible to refute the fact that Lu Huaiwei was a spy. Even though everyone witnessed her trying to prove her innocence with her death, it did not shake her resolve too much.
"But if it wasn't her, who else could it be?" Xie Yijun muttered to herself, utterly exhausted. "Besides Huaiwei, I can't think of a single suspect right now."
Wen Chaoyu, with her hands clasped, replied, "No need to think about it. I'd stake my life on it; she is definitely Xiao Qi." She added, "I've seen plenty of people in the Ziwei Sect who use suicide to buy themselves a chance to survive. Don't be soft-hearted and fall for her trick."
Wen Chaoyu meant well by reminding her, but Xie Yijun suddenly turned her head and stared at her after hearing this.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Noticing Xie Yijun's gaze, Wen Chaoyu frowned slightly. "What, after seeing a little blood and a staged scene of self-inflicted suffering, you've actually wavered?"
Xie Yijun's eyes were sharp as she looked Wen Chaoyu up and down several times before finally letting out a cold snort and saying, "Speaking of which, none of us have doubted you about your accusation against Huaiwei." She took a few steps closer to Wen Chaoyu, her tone low, "But who can guarantee that Nangong Min didn't instruct you to say that beforehand?"
Wen Chaoyu sneered: "When are you going to get rid of this suspicious habit of yours? I have something on Man Jiangxue, do you think I wouldn't tell the truth?"
"Whether it's the truth or not, only you yourself know," Xie Yijun said. "You are a protector of the Ziwei Sect, and you once worked as an undercover agent in Yunhua Palace for several years. Someone like you is best at acting. It's hard to tell whether what you say is true or false, so you shouldn't believe it easily."
Wen Chaoyu said, "Are you crazy? You're just attacking anyone you can get your hands on. Even if you don't believe me, you can't find any fault in what Ding Lianzhen said. Didn't your Potianchi, where the Yunhua ancestors are buried, catch fire? Was there a charred corpse in her room? And that female disciple named Cheng Xiu, did she die? These things have nothing to do with me. Are they all just made-up stories?"
This series of questions did not leave Xie Yijun speechless or unable to answer. Xie Yijun calmly said, "What you said is not inexplicable. Ding Lianzhen is obeying Xiao Qi no matter what. If Huaiwei was wronged, they would have already prepared their story in order to frame her. Besides, you are the only person in the Ziwei Sect besides Nangong Min who has seen Xiao Qi's true face. It is not impossible that the three of you conspired to frame Huaiwei."
Wen Chaoyu laughed in exasperation: "What the hell am I talking to you about! If you're sick, go see a doctor and get treated, don't give me this nonsense."
“Jiang Xue needs you to find out who the flute player is. How could Nangong Min not be wary of her going to you? No one knows if you two discussed this beforehand!” Xie Yijun continued to speculate. “Even with so many coincidences, it’s not impossible that it was all carefully planned. You were taken away from the Ziwei Sect by Jiang Xue, and Nangong Min didn’t make the slightest move. She didn’t even send anyone to chase after you. What does that mean? It means that she wasn’t worried at all that you would reveal who Xiao Qi is, because you two had already discussed it!”
"Discuss my ass!" Wen Chaoyu rolled her eyes in anger and turned to say, "Man Jiangxue! I was kidnapped by you, and now your dear senior sister suspects me of giving false testimony and wants to pin the blame on me. You have to take responsibility for me!"
Man Jiangxue was getting a headache from their noise, and her tone turned cold: "Do you want to lose a few years of your life if you don't argue every day?"
"Who's arguing with whom? Is there no justice in this world?!" Wen Chaoyu leaned closer to Xie Yijun, glaring at her. "Fine, now you don't suspect Lu Huaiwei anymore, right? Then why don't you hurry up and go to the medical pavilion to keep an eye on her? Don't let her die later and it become my fault!"
"You traitor! Your words have absolutely no credibility!"
"Are you out of your mind? You're seriously sick!"
The two of them argued back and forth, neither willing to give in, each sticking to their own version of events, and the argument escalated into a heated debate.
Man Jiangxue ignored them and instead called Ji Wanshu and Yin Qiu to go to the medical pavilion to check on Lu Huaiwei's condition. Ji Wanshu's expression was complicated. Recalling Lu Huaiwei's lip movements just now, she was still saying "Let me die." She was in great pain and couldn't determine whether Lu Huaiwei was a spy or not. Ji Wanshu could only follow Man Jiangxue's footsteps, but she stopped immediately after walking a few steps because she felt her foot step on something.
She lowered her eyelashes, moved her feet aside, and saw two fine white jade earrings sitting there, shimmering beautifully in the sunlight.
"What is this?" Noticing that Ji Wanshu had suddenly stopped, Yin Qiu turned around and asked.
Ji Wanshu bent down, picked up the earring, paused for a moment, and said, "This is a birthday gift that Huaiwei bought for you in Jincheng."
Yin Qiu was slightly taken aback: "A birthday gift for me?"
Ji Wanshu's expression changed several times, but in the end she sighed, handed the things to Yin Qiu, and said, "Take these for now."
Yin Qiu took the earrings and looked at them, her already chaotic thoughts becoming even more disordered.
·
When the group arrived at the medical pavilion, the place was already in complete chaos.
Lu Huaiwei's condition was critical, and her life was in danger. The younger generation dared not be careless, so they invited Elder Xu from Wenxin Peak. When Yin Qiu and the others arrived, Elder Xu was already inside with Meng Jing, trying to save Lu Huaiwei. No one was allowed to enter and visit at will. Only a dozen or so medical disciples were busy helping out.
The fact that Lu Huaiwei was being tried today was not made public. Apart from the disciples of the Punishment Hall, no one from the other peaks knew about it. However, her wounds were clearly caused by suicide. The disciples of the Medical Pavilion were naturally discussing it and crowded in the courtyard to look around.
"Go do what you're supposed to do!" Ji Wanshu was in a state of agitation and immediately sent everyone out.
Several people stood in the courtyard, looking worried, and no one spoke again. After a while, Bai Ling came out of the house, her body covered in Lu Huaiwei's blood.
"Bai Ling, how is Senior Sister Lu?" Yin Qiu asked quickly.
"Not very optimistic," Bai Ling said with a sigh after washing her hands by the pool. "I couldn't help in there, so Elder Xu kicked me out. Anyway, I'm unconscious. Elder Xu didn't say anything, but judging from Meng Jing's expression... I'm afraid it's hard to say."
“She can’t die,” Xie Yijun said solemnly. “There are still many doubts that haven’t been clarified. If she is really wronged, once the news gets out, the reputation of Yunhua will be completely ruined.”
Wen Chaoyu, who was listening nearby, felt uncomfortable and scoffed, "What kind of time is this, and you're still thinking about those empty titles?"
"As the head of the Yunhua Sect, why can't I consider this?" Xie Yijun said coldly. "You have no right to speak here!"
Wen Chaoyu waved her hand, her face showing disgust, unwilling to argue with her anymore.
It was already noon, and sunlight was pouring down through the clouds. It was a rare good day, but no one was happy, and the atmosphere was unusually heavy.
The white jade earring in her hand had become warm. Yin Qiu looked down at it, her heart filled with indescribable feelings. She recalled the scenes of her time with Lu Huaiwei over the years, and then recalled Lu Huaiwei's words and actions in Mingguang Hall. Suddenly, she heard Man Jiangxue speak from the side: "You really didn't give her the bracelet?"
She was naturally asking Ji Wanshu. Ji Wanshu pondered for a long time before replying, "It really wasn't me. I don't have many friends in the palace, and even fewer people I would give gifts to. How could I not remember?"
Bai Ling observed Xie Yijun and Man Jiangxue's expressions and said cautiously, "But...but judging from Senior Sister Lu's expression, it seems like she really wasn't lying..."
Yin Qiu tucked the earring into her pocket, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke up: "So... is it possible that Senior Sister Lu was really wronged?" She turned to the others and analyzed, "We've reached a stalemate. If we temporarily rule out that Senior Sister Lu is acting, then let's reason in reverse. Assuming that Senior Sister Lu is indeed not a spy, how can we implicate her in all these events that have already occurred?"
Man Jiangxue said, "Then we need to assume another person."
“That’s right,” Yin Qiu said, looking at Man Jiangxue. “I think there’s some truth to what Senior Sister Lu said. Perhaps without her knowledge, she has already unknowingly fallen into a trap set for her. Think about it, Senior Sister Lu is a disciple of Wu Hui Peak, and has the opportunity to contact Vice Elder Li. Once the mask material is stolen, she will be one of the suspects. In addition, she is in charge of the transfer of affairs outside the palace, and spends a lot of time away from the palace. This also makes it easy to think that she has enough opportunities to commit crimes. If the real spy wants to plan ahead and choose a scapegoat in the palace in advance, then Senior Sister Lu is undoubtedly the best candidate.”
Listening to her reasoning, Xie Yijun pondered and said, "What you said does make some sense."
"And then there's this bracelet," Yin Qiu said, taking out the bracelet she had picked up from Mingguang Hall earlier. "This thing is too conspicuous, and it's personal jewelry. As long as Senior Sister Lu wears it, there's bound to be a chance that her Uncle will notice it. I searched her room carefully and found nothing suspicious. If Senior Sister Lu is cautious, how could she make such a mistake? Wearing something from a fallen kingdom on her body is like constantly telling everyone that she might be from beyond the Great Wall."
Man Jiangxue listened quietly without interrupting, while Xie Yijun urged, "Go on."
Yin Qiu then continued, "Regarding the bracelet, we can temporarily assume that someone deliberately gave it to Senior Sister Lu. But it was six years ago, so it's understandable that Senior Sister Lu might have mistaken the person. What I find suspicious right now is why Qin Zheng suddenly appeared and injured Senior Sister Lu when she rushed back to the palace from Qingluo City. It's important to note that Qin Zheng did this in our Yunhua Mountain."
Having said that, Yin Qiu turned her gaze to Wen Chaoyu.
Wen Chaoyu pondered for a moment and replied, "To be honest, after several years, I don't remember very clearly why Qin Zheng injured Lu Huaiwei at Yunhua Mountain. I don't know either. As for whether Nangong Min gave her the order, I haven't heard of that either. Anyway, at that time, you sent Man Jiangxue to Jincheng disguised as Shen Mandong, and I also brought a fake Shen Mandong to deal with you. I was trying to prevent you from really digging out Xiao Qi and to confuse you and cause you trouble."
As she spoke, she cleared her throat: "But who knew you were so cunning? And how could I have imagined that Man Jiangxue would personally impersonate Shen Mandong? I suffered a setback that time and was laughed at in the sect for many days. On the contrary, Qin Zheng gained some fame by injuring Lu Huaiwei and buying time for Xiao Qi to poison one of her subordinates."
At that time, Xie Yijun specially arranged a trip to Jincheng in order to find out the spies in the palace, but the news was eventually leaked. After Man Jiangxue and his group returned to the palace, Xie Yijun ordered Ye Zhilan and Ji Wanshu to investigate the group of disciples who went to Jincheng to see who had leaked the operation.
However, at this moment, Lu Huaiwei was severely injured by Qin Zheng and was on the verge of death. Everyone's attention shifted to Lu Huaiwei. Ji Wanshu even neglected her duties while visiting Lu Huaiwei, causing a disciple who was about to confess to die from poisoning. For this, Xie Yijun scolded Ji Wanshu severely that day and punished her by making her take Lu Huaiwei's place to guard Shangyuan City. Ji Wanshu still remembers it to this day.
“So my guess is that the real Xiao Qi had already chosen Senior Sister Lu,” Yin Qiu said. “She knew that the disciples from Jincheng would be investigated after returning to the palace, but in this critical period, she couldn’t interfere or be too obvious. So she had Qin Zheng target Senior Sister Lu to attract our attention, and then killed that subordinate when Senior Sister Ji was careless. After that, Nangong Min asked Xiao Qi to help Uncle Wen sneak into the palace and kidnap me. Xiao Qi knocked Senior Sister Lu unconscious in the bathhouse and then went to Shangyuan City to meet Uncle Wen. In this way, when we began to suspect Senior Sister Lu, her fainting became a clear and obvious mystery.”
"According to you," Wen Chaoyu stroked his chin, "Qin Zheng must also know who Xiao Qi is?"
Yin Qiu said, "It's not impossible."
Wen Chaoyu's expression changed. "If that's really the case, haven't I been kept in the dark for years?" She cursed, "Damn it, Nangong Min is making fun of me again!"
"Then how do you explain Ding Lianzhen's situation?" Although Bai Ling also felt that Yin Qiu's speculation made sense, she still asked doubtfully, "And what about Uncle Wen? Both of them spoke to Senior Sister Lu face to face. They saw it with their own eyes. It can't be fake, right?"
"It can't possibly be fake"—this offhand remark stirred something in everyone present.
“Maybe it’s fake?” Yin Qiu said. “Don’t forget, the real Xiao Qi knows how to disguise herself.”
Bai Ling was taken aback, and stammered, "You mean, Xiao Qi disguised herself as Senior Sister Lu and did these things while wearing her face?"
Yin Qiu nodded, but also reservedly said, "However, this is just my guess. Until new clues are found to prove that Senior Sister Lu is innocent, she is still the most suspicious one."
Bai Ling couldn't help but get goosebumps: "If your guess is true, then Senior Sister Lu... is really unlucky."
“If you want to know if Lu Huaiwei is Xiaoqi, I have a way,” Wen Chaoyu suddenly said. “She told me something when she was in Jincheng, and this thing makes me 100% sure that Xiaoqi is from outside the Great Wall.”
Yin Qiu immediately asked, "What is it?"
“She has taken medicine to slow down the changes in her appearance,” Wen Chaoyu said. “The face can be disguised, but changes in the body cannot be faked. She uses Lu Huaiwei’s face when she does bad things, but she must show her true face when she stays in the palace. You know, Xiao Qi’s age is about the same as the three of us. You can ask Elder Xu to check and see if Lu Huaiwei has any signs of taking the medicine. If Lu Huaiwei has not, then it means that she has indeed been wronged.”
Upon hearing this, Xie Yijun was speechless and asked the heavens, "Why are you only telling me now about something so important?" She quickly looked at Bai Ling, "Go and inform Elder Xu immediately!"
Bai Ling didn't dare to hesitate and immediately rushed into the medical pavilion. Wen Chaoyu said irritably, "These things are incredibly complicated when you put them all together. I just forgot about them before. It's not like I didn't mean to keep them to myself. Can you be a little nicer to me?"
Xie Yijun said coldly, "I can't be nice to anyone right now, so you're just sitting on your own laurels, which makes you feel much more relaxed and comfortable than anyone else." After she finished speaking, she noticed that Man Jiangxue had been standing to the side for a long time without saying a word, so she asked, "Jiangxue, don't you have anything to say?"
Man Jiangxue never liked to speculate in public; she always pondered things silently in her heart. Yin Qiu's earlier words were almost all things she had already considered, so she naturally didn't need to say anything more. Man Jiangxue said, "I'm thinking about something else."
Xie Yijun asked, "Is there anything else?"
“Xiao Qiu reached a cooperation agreement with Nangong Min in Cang County this time,” Man Jiangxue said. “Nangong Min refused to reveal who Xiao Qi was, but she made a deal with Xiao Qiu in exchange for the whereabouts of the Holy Sword. If Xiao Qiu could find the Holy Sword, she would reveal Xiao Qi’s name.”
Before Xie Yijun could ask further, Wen Chaoyu exclaimed in astonishment, "Is that so? You two really are a perfect match, both of you are wicked! This two-pronged approach is brilliant!"
Yin Qiu shook her head and chuckled: "You don't know that I went to find Nangong Min, and I didn't know that my martial uncle had gone to find you either. What do you call taking a two-pronged approach?"
"That's because Man Jiangxue is the only bad one!" Wen Chaoyu said. "He always says that Yijun is the most suitable to be the sect leader, but I think you're not bad either. You've been playing me for fools!"
"Please, shut up," Xie Yijun said curtly, sighing as she looked at Man Jiangxue. "Then where is the Holy Sword? Nangong Min is always cunning; would she really reveal the Holy Sword's whereabouts?"
Man Jiangxue glanced at her and said, "At the observatory."
Upon hearing this, Xie Yijun's eyes widened in shock: "The Star Gazing Platform... the Star Gazing Platform in the palace?"
Man Jiangxue hummed in agreement.
"What a joke! How could the Holy Sword of her Ziwei Sect be in our Yunhua Palace?" Xie Yijun's face was full of "absurdity". "Not to mention that it is hidden in the Star Gazing Platform where the cenotaphs of our ancestors stand. Who would believe this if they told others?"
“She’s probably telling the truth,” Man Jiangxue said. “Xiao Qi only cooperated with her on the condition of the Holy Sword. For so many years, Nangong Min has not been able to get the Holy Sword. Xiao Qi is obviously deliberately dragging her along. Nangong Min said this to confirm whether the Holy Sword is in Yunhua Palace or not.”
Xie Yijun couldn't help but feel anxious again: "But even if she really is at the observatory, what if she goes back on her word if you tell her?"
“We won’t lose anything,” Man Jiangxue said. “If she doesn’t tell us, the Holy Sword will remain in our hands. If she wants to get the Holy Sword back, the only way is for her to reveal who Xiao Qi is.”
Xie Yijun remained silent for a long time, secretly weighing the pros and cons, and said with a troubled expression, "The Star Gazing Platform..."
She didn't finish her sentence, and everyone present knew what she was worried about. Wen Chaoyu couldn't help but speak up again: "So what if it's an observatory? Just dig three feet into the ground and look for it. It's not a difficult thing."
"You make it sound so easy!" Xie Yijun retorted angrily. "Digging three feet into the ground means exhuming the cenotaphs of our ancestors, which is an act of utter treason. It's not as simple as just talking about it."
“What good is a cenotaph when the person is dead?” Wen Chaoyu said nonchalantly. “Opening the grave to find the sword is to find the real spy, which is beneficial to Yunhua Palace. If your ancestors in heaven knew this, they would probably be overjoyed.”
"Do you think everyone is as unorthodox as you?" Xie Yijun said. "The saying goes, 'A teacher for a day is a father for life,' let alone the founder of a sect. You're not from Yunhua Palace, so of course you can talk like that without any real understanding. Do you think you can dig up your parents' graves? This is utter nonsense!"
Wen Chaoyu chuckled: "Graves are just for the living to see. What do the dead know? If I ever really need to dig up my parents' graves, I won't say a word. I can just dig them up and build a new one!"
After she finished speaking, Ji Wanshu, who had been silent for a long time, looked at her. Wen Chaoyu's gaze shifted and met hers. Ji Wanshu looked away as if she had been electrocuted and remained silent.
Noticing the fleeting awkwardness on her face, Wen Chaoyu paused slightly. Xie Yijun, who was beside her, was still fuming: "Shut up right now! What if the Star Gazing Platform doesn't actually have the Holy Sword? How am I supposed to clean up this mess? You idiot!"
Wen Chaoyu couldn't help but get angry and said coldly, "Then you can go sleep with those cenotaphs. It would be best if Lu Huaiwei couldn't be saved and died later. Then your Yunhua Palace spies will be forgotten. What does that have to do with me! You stubborn and inflexible old woman!"
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Yin Qiu quickly smoothed things over, saying, "Alright, alright, stop arguing, Sect Leader. I think what Uncle Wen said has merit. The purpose of searching for the sword is to find the spies in the palace. Right now, Senior Sister Lu is not in good condition and there are still many suspicious points. Even if Nangong Min doesn't keep his word, finding the Holy Sword will still benefit us. Sect Leader, you might as well consider it."
Xie Yijun was so angry that she felt dizzy, but she didn't vent her anger on Yin Qiu. She took a breath and looked at Man Jiangxue, saying, "What do you mean?"
Man Jiangxue said, "It's worth a try."
Xie Yijun struggled with the decision and couldn't make up her mind for a while.
After a long while, she said with deep concern, "This matter is of utmost importance and is not a trivial matter. Let me think about it carefully again..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
