Chapter 165
A group of people hurriedly entered the cabin. The accompanying doctor rushed over upon hearing the commotion and ordered, "He's choked on water! Quickly wake him up!"
Before anyone else could make a move, Duan Ning slapped Yin Qiu on the back. With a "whoosh," Yin Qiu immediately vomited a mouthful of water. She opened her eyes slightly, then fainted again in the next moment.
"Oh dear, my lady!" the doctor exclaimed in anguish. "Don't act rashly in the future if you encounter something like this. This girl just fell from the top of the cliff, and we don't even know her condition yet. What if you kill her with one blow!"
Duan Ning had no idea how to rescue someone who was drowning. She was only thinking of slapping Yin Qiu to help her vomit, so she exclaimed in surprise, "I don't know! Then quickly check if she's alright!"
The doctor quickly took Yin Qiu's pulse, checked her breathing and heartbeat, and examined her mouth for any foreign objects. He finally breathed a sigh of relief, but said strangely, "Hey! That's strange. Bound up like that, with iron balls hanging from her feet, and falling from such a height, she didn't even break any bones. Apart from a lot of cuts and bruises, she's fine. This is truly unheard of!"
"Not a single bone is broken?" a guard exclaimed in astonishment. "How is that possible? It's a miracle she's still alive, how could she not have broken a single bone?"
The doctor's gaze shifted, and he suddenly noticed several tree branches wrapped around the iron ball's chain. He exclaimed with delight, "It must have been caught on a tree along the way, which cushioned its fall. This girl must have been awake during the fall. Seeing that she was about to fall into the water, she might have even adjusted her entry position. She's really lucky to be alive!"
Duan Ning was initially overjoyed, but then flew into a rage, shouting, "Which heartless bastard is trying to kill her! You lot, hurry and report to Yunhua Palace!"
The guards, having received their orders, were about to get up and head outside when they heard a loud splash. Duan Ning was startled and immediately shouted, "Could someone else have fallen in? Go check it out!"
The guards immediately filed out, and the moment the curtain was lifted, a figure suddenly appeared at the end of Duan Ning's line of sight. In the blink of an eye, before she could see who it was, the person rushed over like a gust of wind.
"Xiao Qiu!"
Upon seeing who it was, Duan Ning couldn't help but beam with joy—it was Man Jiangxue!
However, Duan Ning's expression quickly changed, and she pointed at Man Jiangxue's neck, saying, "Were you slashed?!" She looked Man Jiangxue and Yin Qiu back and forth, and exclaimed in astonishment, "You two weren't being chased and killed, were you?!"
How could anyone in this world be able to hurt Man Jiangxue! Just how big of a mess has Yunhua Palace gotten into?
Her once pristine white clothes were now soaked with blood, the stains diluted by rain and river water, turning into a pale, diluted red. Man Jiangxue held Yin Qiu tightly in her arms, her face filled with unprecedented anxiety and panic. Her knuckles were white, and her hands trembled slightly. Man Jiangxue immediately checked Yin Qiu's breathing, and only when she felt a faint, warm warmth at her fingertips did she slide to the ground, asking in a hoarse voice, "How is she?"
Apart from Duan Ning, no one present knew who she was, but seeing the scene, they all knew that she and Yin Qiu must know each other. The doctor waved his hand, signaling Man Jiangxue not to worry, and said, "Don't panic, don't panic. Fortunately, we acted quickly and pulled this girl out of the water in time. Apart from the injuries on her body, she is fine. But you—oh dear! You can't leave your injuries unbandaged. Go and get my medicine box!"
The maid responded and quickly ran to the doctor's room to retrieve his medicine box.
Man Jiangxue was soaked to the bone and pale-faced. Hearing this, she let out a long sigh and said in a deep voice, "I'm fine. Please... take a look at Xiao Qiu first."
"I've already examined her. I can feel that she has old internal wounds, but these external injuries aren't serious, so don't worry!" the doctor said. "The sword wound on your neck is much more serious than hers! Come, come, let's get her to bed first, and make sure she lies flat!"
The guards rushed to help, but Man Jiangxue felt dizzy and didn't ask for help. She carried Yin Qiu into Duan Ning's residence herself. As soon as she was put down, the doctor instructed a servant to bring hot water, saying, "It's so cold, hurry up and wipe her body to warm her up! Then quickly change her into clean clothes. Which of you young ladies knows how to use the breath therapy? We can't be careless; we have to completely calm her down!"
Duan Ning stared wide-eyed and asked, "What? What is breath therapy...?"
Before she could finish speaking, Man Jiangxue leaned down, pried open Yin Qiu's lips, and pressed herself against her.
Seeing Man Jiangxue's actions, Duan Ning suddenly realized, "Oh... so this is the breath therapy." She was not only frightened today, but also learned something new.
Everyone then withdrew, whispering amongst themselves about what had happened at Yunhua Palace. After Man Jiangxue finished patting Yin Qiu's back to calm her, Duan Ning left with his maids and waited outside. Man Jiangxue quickly warmed Yin Qiu's body and changed her clothes before the others opened the door again and peeked out to see what was happening.
"It'll be alright once she wakes up, so don't worry too much." The doctor entered and, seeing that Man Jiangxue didn't seem inclined to clean herself up, began to treat her wounds.
Duan Ning looked at the deep sword wound and felt a pang of pain. He asked in fear, "What happened to you? Why are you jumping off a cliff and getting injured? Which sect is attacking your Yunhua Palace?"
Man Jiangxue sat expressionlessly, her gaze fixed on Yin Qiu, showing no reaction whatsoever to these words.
Duan Ning's burning thirst for knowledge remained unanswered, and he dared not ask any more questions. He could only turn around and say, "Alright, stop joining in the fun and hurry up and inform those people at Yunhua Palace!"
The guards had long forgotten about this incident, and upon receiving their orders, they immediately left the cabin. However, just as they stepped out, they heard another loud noise coming from the river, even louder than the commotion caused by Yin Qiu and Man Jiangxue earlier.
Duan Ning's jaw nearly dropped in astonishment. He exclaimed, "No, no way... Could someone have fallen down? It seems like Yunhua Palace is really packed with people like dumplings today!"
Without Duan Ning giving any orders, the guards and boatmen rushed to the stern and began jumping into the river to retrieve the person. However, this time they pulled out a dead body.
Duan Ning ordered his men to drag the body into the cabin. After looking at it for a few moments, he turned to Man Jiangxue and said, "Heavens... was your Yunhua Palace robbed by bandits or what? Who is this person? He looks like he was already dead before he fell. There are several large holes in his chest!"
Upon hearing this, Man Jiangxue slowly turned her head to look outside the door. Her eyes turned cold, and before she could answer Duan Ning's question, she heard a lot of shouts coming from outside.
"Uncle-Master! Xiao Qiu!"
"Where is he? Oh no, he's nowhere to be found, he must have fallen into the river!"
"Wait a minute! There's a boat over there, let's go check it out!"
...
The ship immediately began to rock, and many figures landed on the deck one after another. The first to appear was Ji Wanshu, followed by Wen Chaoyu and Xie Yijun, and then Bai Ling and a group of Yunhua disciples who followed closely behind.
Upon seeing the scene inside the cabin, everyone was overjoyed, never expecting that Man Jiangxue and Yin Qiu were actually there!
"Jiang Xue!" Xie Yijun stepped forward and hurriedly asked, "How is Yin Qiu? Is she alright?"
The disciples all showed expressions of concern.
“She’s alright for now,” Man Jiangxue said, holding Yin Qiu’s hand and looking at Ye Zhilan’s body. “You killed her?”
Xie Yijun seemed to only then notice Ye Zhilan, and her expression changed as she said, "After you jumped off the cliff, someone secretly shot her with a cold arrow... but these wounds on her body are clearly sword wounds, what happened?"
Ji Wanshu squatted down to take a look, and used her fingertips to part the torn fabric around Ye Zhilan's chest, saying, "This is the fatal wound. The other wounds must have been inflicted after she died."
Even after someone is dead, they still have to be stabbed a few more times. Wen Chaoyu said decisively, "Then it is indeed the mastermind behind the Dark Guard disciple. He must have been worried that the arrow wouldn't be enough to kill her, so he caught up with Ye Zhilan and killed her with his own hands."
“But the person had already fallen off the cliff,” Bai Ling said, puzzled. “Even if the person who shot the arrow was his subordinate, how did he manage to catch the person halfway and then stab him to death?”
Ji Wanshu pondered for a moment, then walked to the cabin entrance and looked out for a while before saying, "I remember there's an abandoned plank road halfway up the mountain. Perhaps Senior Sister Ye was prepared for this. She clearly had the upper hand when she jumped off the cliff; she must have left herself an escape route. You guys, go check that plank road immediately for anything unusual. The bloodstains and footprints have definitely been washed away by the rain, but there must be other traces left. Go investigate!"
The disciples readily agreed and immediately leaped into the rain, heading towards the plank road.
When the group arrived on the ship, their first concern was naturally for Yin Qiu and Man Jiangxue. Seeing that both of them had survived the ordeal, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Bai Ling's gaze shifted, and she noticed Duan Ning standing to the side. She asked in surprise, "Miss Duan... what are you doing here?"
Upon hearing this, everyone in Yunhua Palace turned their attention to Duan Ning.
“This is my family’s cargo ship, of course I’ll be here,” Duan Ning said, thoroughly enjoying being looked at by everyone, his eyebrows dancing with excitement. “This time, I’ve become a great benefactor to your Yunhua Palace! After Yin Qiu fell into the water, it was I who had her pulled out, otherwise she would definitely be dead!”
Aside from Bai Ling, no one in Yunhua Palace recognized Duan Ning; even Man Jiangxue had no recollection of her. Xie Yijun asked, "Your surname is Duan, and you're a traveling merchant delivering goods... could you be from the Duan family of Yaoding City?"
Duan Ning tilted his chin up and said, "Exactly!"
Xie Yijun looked enlightened and immediately nodded, saying, "Then thank you very much. Yunhua Palace will repay such a great kindness with all its might."
"And who are you?" Duan Ning asked.
Bai Ling quickly replied, "This is the head of our Yunhua Palace."
Upon hearing that the woman before him was the head of Yunhua Palace, Duan Ning was both surprised and delighted: "You're Xie Yijun? Yin Qiu said she's half your disciple, that's great! Then you owe me a favor!"
Seeing that she addressed Xie Yijun by her given name, Bai Ling was slightly flustered and immediately changed the subject, asking, "Does Miss Duan know who this person is?"
Duan Ning glanced at Ye Zhilan: "Don't know her, who is she?"
“She is the real culprit in the poisoning case of Yao Dingcheng refugees,” Bai Ling said. “She bribed Mr. Ya and deliberately tried to pin the blame on your Duan family.”
Duan Ning's eyes widened, and he exclaimed, "So it was her! So, Yin Qiu was also harmed by her?"
Bai Ling nodded.
"Good riddance!" Duan Ning spat. "Such a wicked person deserves to die! Heaven has eyes!"
Xie Yijun sighed, walked to the bedside, looked at Yin Qiu, and said solemnly, "Fortunately, neither of you lost your lives, otherwise I really wouldn't know what to do. Now that Zhilan is dead, the crisis is over, and there are no more spies in the palace, Yin Qiu is no longer in danger. Good... good..."
The sword wound on her neck had been treated. Man Jiangxue thanked the doctor, still holding Yin Qiu's hand tightly. She appeared calm on the surface, but the various emotions in her heart had not dissipated in the slightest; she was merely putting on a brave face. Man Jiangxue said, "The rain is too heavy. Let's stay here for now and go back after Xiao Qiu wakes up."
Xie Yijun had no objection and instructed her disciples to rest on the boat for a while. Before long, the disciples who had gone to explore the plank road returned and reported, "Reporting to the sect leader, we have just checked. There are many newly broken marks on the plank road, and there is a rope left behind. Senior Sister Ye must have tied the rope to herself beforehand. After she was shot by the arrow, she did not fall off the cliff but hung halfway up the mountain. We also found an oil-paper umbrella on the path at the end of the plank road, which should have been left by the person who killed her."
Previously, Ji Wanshu led his disciples to search for the archer in the forest, but they couldn't even find a trace of him. They never expected that the person knew so much about Ye Zhilan's plan that he was able to run to the mountainside to ambush her.
“It’s truly a case of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. He’s hiding in the shadows, fully aware of everything that might happen,” Wen Chaoyu said, leaning against the door, deep in thought. “But you must understand, Ye Zhilan was only released two days ago. Not only did she need to choose a location in advance to secure her escape route, but she also needed to find an opportunity to take Yin Qiu away. All of these things combined mean that even she herself wasn’t sure when she could begin. Yet that person was able to deal with Ye Zhilan so promptly, which means he must have seen everything Ye Zhilan had done these past few days, including her attack on Yin Qiu. So why didn’t he kill Ye Zhilan sooner? If I were him, I would have secretly taken Ye Zhilan’s life last night, doing everything I could to remain undetected and never allowing Ye Zhilan to meet you. Wasn’t he worried that Ye Zhilan would expose him after meeting you at the cliff edge?”
Xie Yijun thought for a moment and said, "But Zhilan never mentioned him at the cliff edge from beginning to end. Doesn't this mean that Zhilan thought she wouldn't die, so she wanted to escape unscathed and then join forces with that person?"
“That’s possible,” Wen Chaoyu said. “But she’s been smart all her life, but she’s made a mistake now. After what happened in Weicheng, that person will naturally know that there are people in the world who know about his existence and what evil things he has done. As long as he’s not mentally ill, he will never leave any future troubles. Seeing that Ye Zhilan was forced to reveal her identity after the incident at the Observatory, how could he not kill her? Only a fool would choose to join forces with her.”
“Now only Meng Wugui and Nangong Min know who he really is,” Ji Wanshu said. “But both of them are extremely unfathomable. We don’t know what they’re planning. This person is hard to investigate. He’s even more deeply hidden than Senior Sister Ye.”
Xie Yijun frowned and said, "But this person can organize secret guards, which proves that he must be from the palace. The spies of the Ziwei Sect are dead, so which side is he on?"
"Perhaps he's not from your Yunhua Palace?" Wen Chaoyu pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, "Don't rush to conclude that he's hiding among you. Otherwise, it's quite unreasonable that Ye Zhilan, who clearly knows who he is, still refuses to drag him into this mess. It suggests that the person might not be in Yunhua Palace, and there's no point in Ye Zhilan bringing him up today. That's why she hasn't mentioned him at all; she wants to escape and show her sincerity before negotiating with him."
“If it’s really as you say…” Xie Yijun followed up, “but it still doesn’t make sense why he didn’t kill Zhilan sooner. If it were me, I would have secretly dealt with Zhilan last night and would never have let today’s events unfold smoothly.”
Wen Chaoyu shrugged: "Anyway, it's all just theory. Who knows what he's really thinking? Or maybe Ye Zhilan was with Yin Qiu all night, and he doesn't want Yin Qiu to see who he is, so he can't make a move."
“That makes even less sense,” Bai Ling said, frowning. “He sent his secret guards to Wei City to kill Xiao Qiu. The two people he wanted to kill have come together. Wouldn’t that be a great thing for him?”
Wen Chaoyu paused, about to reply, when Man Jiangxue suddenly said, "But don't forget, the secret guards in Wei City didn't really intend to kill Xiao Qiu; they just wanted to make a scene to warn Meng Wugui."
“That’s right,” Xie Yijun said. “If he really kills Yin Qiu, Meng Wugui will definitely not be able to keep his composure anymore, and he will be in danger. So of course he has to worry about Yin Qiu, which is why he didn’t kill Zhilan last night.”
Wen Chaoyu felt utterly exhausted, but then she paused, wondering what she was so tired of. She wasn't a member of Yunhua Palace! Did Man Jiangxue really think she was one of them just because she was dragged here and eaten a few meals at Yunhua Palace?!
Wen Chaoyu felt a wave of fear again, thinking to herself, "No, no, I mustn't take sides. Just stand in the middle and don't get myself into trouble. I've already had enough bad luck!"
After this internal monologue, Wen Chaoyu wisely shut her mouth, no longer willing to help with the analysis, and quietly retreated to the side, playing the role of a wooden stake.
The heavy rain never stopped, and it was unclear when it would finally subside. Xie Yijun, looking worried, patted Man Jiangxue's shoulder and said, "You're still injured, so don't think too much about it. At least the situation is gradually improving. Since Yin Qiu is alright, you should relax and get some rest."
Man Jiangxue looked exhausted and her lips were bloodless. Her disciples had been in the palace for many years and had almost never seen her look like this before, so they all stepped forward to show their concern.
“Don’t worry about me,” Man Jiangxue said, looking at Yin Qiu with an increasing heaviness in her heart. “I’m fine.”
Unexpectedly, after she finished speaking, her body swayed slightly, and a layer of cold sweat instantly appeared on her forehead. Xie Yijun noticed that something was wrong with her expression and was about to ask her a few questions when Man Jiangxue suddenly closed her eyes and fell backward.
"Jiang Xue!" Xie Yijun hurriedly helped her up, but she had already lost consciousness.
Duan Ning had been listening to the incomprehensible explanation for a long time, but he was still completely confused. Seeing this, he quickly called out, "Where is Physician Li? Come over here and take a look at him!"
Upon hearing the call, the physician rushed over immediately. Xie Yijun and Ji Wanshu carried Man Jiangxue to Yin Qiu's side and laid her down. The disciples were all in a panic, and they were very surprised by Man Jiangxue's sudden fainting.
"Oh dear, she's lost too much blood and is overwhelmed by worry. Her illness has come on suddenly," the doctor sighed after taking her pulse. "Both of them need proper care. We have limited medicinal herbs on this ship, enough to treat external injuries at most. Your Yunhua Palace has many doctors, and they are more skilled than me. We should send them back as soon as possible. This rain is unlikely to stop anytime soon, so it will be a bit of a hassle for both of us to make the trip."
Xie Yijun pinched her brow until it was blood red, and upon hearing this, she ordered, "Then let's do as the master says. Come, quickly carry Jiang Xue and Yin Qiu back to the palace immediately!"
Bai Ling and Ji Wanshu did as instructed, and the disciples stepped aside to let them go first. Soon, the people from Yunhua Palace left the cabin one after another and headed up the mountain. Duan Ning rolled his eyes and followed them out in a flash.
"Oh! Miss!" the maid exclaimed hurriedly, "Why did you leave too!"
Duan Ning said without turning his head, "You guys wait on the boat! We're already here, it would be a huge loss if we didn't go and take a look!"
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