Chapter 173
At 3:45 PM, a light rain fell in Weicheng.
The covered bridge offered no shelter from the wind, causing the four sides of the waterside pavilion's gauze curtains to billow high, only to sag back down after being soaked by the rain. Ripples spread across the lake's surface, where a school of koi carp chased after a wet river lantern, frolicking joyfully. A woman dressed in purple leaned over the railing and scooped up the nearly fallen river lantern.
The fish scattered in fright, splashing water onto Afu's hands. She pulled her head back and said to Meng Wugui, "A letter just arrived from Jinhuai City. Master, would you like to read it yourself, or would you like me to relay it?"
Meng Wugui leaned on the railing, gazing into the distance. The river lantern in her hand fell into the stove. She said softly, "Read it to me."
Afu responded, opened the envelope, and quickly scanned the letter. At the end, her expression changed, and she looked pale as a ghost. She said, "This... you should read it yourself."
Smoke rose, and the river lanterns burned slowly in the fire, soon turning to ashes. Meng Wugui smelled the pungent odor but did not move away. She repeated, "Read it to me."
Afu glanced at her and hesitantly began to speak: "A few days ago, Luo suffered a miscarriage. Master Fu found out that it was Senior Sister who did it. Not only did he depose her as the young master, but he also locked her in solitary confinement. He said that if Senior Sister did not confess, he would hand her over to the Luo family and not care whether she lived or died."
Meng Wugui turned around, a hint of coldness appearing on her pale face.
“Senior Sister must have been framed!” Afu threw the letter into the stove and burned it, saying, “She wouldn’t do such a thing.”
Meng Wugui pondered for a moment, then sat down at the stone table and said calmly, "I would rather it was her. I heard that Luo was pregnant, and I had thought about having the child die in the womb, but I didn't expect someone to beat me to it."
"Who could it be?" Afu's mind went blank. "Does anyone in Mingyue Tower have a grudge against Senior Sister?"
"You can't guess?" Meng Wugui said.
“I can’t guess,” Afu said.
"It's all over the martial arts world. A spy from the Ziwei Sect died at Yunhua Palace. It was Ye Zhilan, the senior sister of the palace," Meng Wugui said. "She was not only the flute player who sent Wen Chaoyu to protect Yin Qiu, but also the informant who leaked the blueprints for the underground mechanisms of Liucang Mountain. Haven't you heard?"
Afu was stunned for a moment, and asked in surprise, "I haven't heard of this... Where did this person come from?"
“She had a grudge against Man Jiangxue, but couldn’t kill him, so she turned to help Nangong Min destroy the Ruyi Sect so she could use it to torture Man Jiangxue,” Meng Wugui sneered. “For so many years, I always thought it was Yin Xuan who did it, but I never expected it to be an unknown person. It’s ridiculous that Yin Xuan has been carrying this burden for so many years.”
Afu didn't understand: "Then what is the relationship between Ye Zhilan and Senior Sister? She's dead, so it couldn't have been her who did it, could it?"
Meng Wugui remained silent for a moment, then analyzed for her: "It is said that Ye Zhilan captured Yin Qiu and hung her on the edge of a cliff, intending for Man Jiangxue to watch her die. Yunhua Palace originally wanted to capture Ye Zhilan alive, but someone shot her from behind. After falling off the cliff, Ye Zhilan was mysteriously stabbed several times and died halfway down the mountain. So, who do you think killed her?"
After thinking for a moment, Afu guessed, "Since she is a spy from the Ziwei Sect and the flute player Yin Qiu mentioned... she must know who killed Uncle Shen!"
“That’s right,” Meng Wugui said. “That person would naturally be worried that Ye Zhilan would expose him, so he hid in the shadows and killed her. With Ye Zhilan dead, only Nangong Min and I will know who he is. Then he will definitely start to deal with Nangong Min and me. And compared to Nangong Min, he will naturally choose to deal with me first.”
Afu suddenly realized and looked up abruptly, saying, "Senior Sister was framed by him!" After saying this, she asked doubtfully, "But not many people know about Senior Sister's relationship with us. Even if he wanted to deal with you, how did he know about Senior Sister?"
“There are no secrets in the world,” Meng Wugui said, taking an orange from the fruit plate and peeling it slowly. “Your senior sister told Yin Qiu, and Yin Qiu will definitely tell others. It will spread like wildfire, and it’s no longer a secret. Besides, I was invited to Fu Cen’s wedding that year, and many people in the martial arts world already know that I have dealings with Mingyue Tower. Since that person can’t directly attack Jiuxian Hall, he can only guess whether I have other forces helping me. The first thing he will think of is Mingyue Tower. Even if he doesn’t know about your senior sister’s relationship with me, as long as she loses her position as the young master of the tower, Mingyue Tower will lose an heir, and he will never lose out.”
Afu drawled out an "Oh," then said with a troubled expression, "What should we do? Senior Sister finally became the Young Master, and now she's a prisoner. If she can't clear her name, Master Fu will definitely betray her. In that case, Master won't be able to take over Bright Moon Pavilion, and we'll be doomed this time."
Meng Wugui put the fruit peel aside, handed the peeled orange to Afu, and chuckled, "On the surface, I am besieged on all sides and have fallen into a disadvantage after this incident, but in my own opinion, it is not such a bad thing that your senior sister has committed murder."
Afu looked puzzled: "How is it not a bad thing? She is already the young master of the tower. If this hadn't happened so suddenly, even if Luo had given birth to a child, senior sister would still have had a chance to become the tower master. But now it's different. She can't even keep her own life!"
“You are still too young and short-sighted,” Meng Wugui said. “Even if that person hadn’t made a move, I wouldn’t have let Luo give birth smoothly. That child would have died anyway. He thought he was suppressing me and weakening my power, but the truth is, he unintentionally helped me this time.”
Afu only half understood what she was hearing, and said anxiously, "Oh, please tell me quickly, I'm so worried about my senior sister!"
Meng Wugui looked at her and smiled: "So much time has passed since the bamboo forest incident. I think Nangong Min must have already guessed who I am. And once she learns of Ye Zhilan's death, she will definitely guess that person is about to deal with me. So she will definitely take advantage of the situation in the shadows and cause me trouble. Now both of these forces are targeting me. So at this critical moment, I can only take Mingyue Tower into my hands as soon as possible. There's nothing to worry about with your senior sister. Whether she clears up her suspicions or not is irrelevant. I've run out of patience. If it weren't for Yin Qiu's safety, I would never have been able to endure until today and let that person live."
Afu toyed with the orange in her hand and asked, "Then how can we take over Mingyue Tower?"
As the wind blew, Meng Wugui's long hair and skirt fluttered in the air in beautiful arcs. She looked at the rain falling outside the pavilion and said casually, "It's simple. If I'm going to do something, I might as well go all the way. Since they're trying to drive me to the brink, I have no choice but to fight back."
Afu stared at her for a moment, then suddenly understood something, her eyes widening as she said, "You...you wouldn't be going to..."
“Go and invite Mr. Wen over,” Meng Wugui stood up and went to the railing. “Back then, he sold the underground mechanisms to our Shen family, but he didn’t guard the blueprints properly and had a hall master killed by Ye Zhilan. So now, it’s time to settle this score with him properly.”
Afu frowned, then sat down on the ground defiantly: "I'm not going! You can go by yourself!"
Meng Wugui glanced at her sideways.
Meeting Meng Wugui's suddenly icy gaze, Afu's heart trembled, but she still suppressed her fear and said, "Although my senior sister always bullies me, she is actually very good to me. What you are about to do will hurt her. How can I bear to do that..."
“If you don’t hurt her, you’ll have to hurt me,” Meng Wugui said. “Would you choose your senior sister or your master?”
Afu was dumbfounded: "How...how am I supposed to choose?"
“She’s incompetent herself. She only became the Young Master because Yin Qiu helped her,” Meng Wugui said. “Now she’s imprisoned and can’t save herself. My revenge plan is about to fail. If I want to turn the tide, this is the only way. If you feel sorry for her and refuse to listen to me, then you should get out of the Nine Immortals Hall as soon as possible. Even without the two of you, I can still take my revenge. That person will die by my hand one day!”
Afu was so frightened by her words that her face turned pale and her eyes instantly turned red, but she dared not cry.
"Who have I, Shen Manzhen, relied on? Who have I depended on!" Meng Wugui's eyes turned cold, and his tone gradually became fierce. "I've struggled my way to where I am today, relying solely on my determination to take revenge! I saw Sister Dong die at that man's hands, and I saw Ruyi Gate burned to the ground in a sea of fire. Let alone Fu Xiang, let alone you, even if it meant my own death, I would do anything to kill that man, without hesitation or retreat! Now you're scared? What did I tell you when I picked you up from the refugee camp? Do you still remember the oath you swore!"
Afu's face turned deathly pale, and she trembled all over. She quickly knelt down on both knees, clutching Meng Wugui's skirt and saying, "Master, don't be angry... I know I was wrong, I won't forget! I will never forget your kindness in raising me, Master. I will listen to you... I will definitely listen to you!"
"If I don't avenge this, I will be ashamed before the ancestors of the Shen family!" Meng Wugui kicked Afu away and said hatefully, "Hurry up and go!"
·
"Why aren't you going yet?"
Man Jiangxue changed her clothes behind the screen and said to Yin Qiu, who was sitting cross-legged by the window, "You said you wanted to check if the bamboo branch was still there when you woke up this morning, why are you still not moving at this hour?"
It didn't rain on Yunhua Mountain, and it hasn't snowed in the days since the New Year. Many maple leaves have fallen from the trees in the courtyard. Yin Qiu was leaning against the window brewing tea when she heard this and sighed, "I'm not going to look anymore. It's been quite a few days. I think my godfather probably won't come again."
Man Jiangxue was tall, and even standing behind the screen, one could vaguely see her features. She turned her head to look at Yin Qiu and said, "Since he said he wouldn't do anything he wasn't sure of, it proves that he really came prepared. The fact that there's no movement right now can be considered good news. If you keep looking so gloomy, the New Year will be over very quickly."
Yin Qiu said, "I'm sitting here perfectly fine, yet I don't even know if he's alive or dead. My conscience is bothering me." After saying this, she counted the days, "And today is already the sixth day of the month. Why hasn't Bai Ling come back yet? I'm really worried to death."
Man Jiangxue changed her clothes, came out from behind the screen, sat down opposite Yin Qiu, and said, "There's no use worrying. You might as well relax."
Unable to contain her worry, Yin Qiu sighed again: "I'm just afraid that something really happened to Fu Xiang. If she's alright, Bai Ling should have come back to report as soon as possible. But she's been gone for so many days. Maybe Fu Xiang really did meet with some misfortune. I also have to worry about my godfather possibly sending someone over, so it's inconvenient for me to go down the mountain to Mingyue Tower to check. I'm just waiting for news like this. How can I not be worried?"
Man Jiangxue unbuttoned the buttons she had just fastened and said, "Let's do something else to distract ourselves. Maybe Bai Ling will be back soon."
Yin Qiu pushed the brewed tea toward Man Jiangxue, and upon hearing this, she got up to fetch her medicine box, washed her hands, and changed Man Jiangxue's dressing.
After these days of rest, the sword wound on Man Jiangxue's neck has scabbed over, looking quite conspicuous as it lies across her neck. Yin Qiu gently applies the medicine, and upon seeing the wound, she can't help but feel sullen again: "Such a deep wound, it absolutely must not leave a scar."
"Is it ugly?" Man Jiangxue asked.
“How could it be ugly? It’s not ugly at all,” Yin Qiu said.
"If I have a scar, will you still like me?" Man Jiangxue looked at her, her tone teasing.
“What are you saying, Uncle-Master?” Yin Qiu said. “I love you no matter what.”
The bitter scent of the medicine powder lingered between the two. As the daylight shone in, Man Jiangxue's face was still slightly pale. She leaned slightly closer to Yin Qiu and suddenly asked, "What do you like about me?"
This question startled Yin Qiu. She wanted to reply, "I like everything about my martial uncle," but then she felt that such an answer might not be very sincere. So, while thinking, she asked in return, "Then what does my martial uncle like about me?"
Man Jiangxue stared at her for a while and said, "If I say I don't know, will you be angry?"
Upon hearing this, Yin Qiu not only didn't get angry, but laughed and said, "It's normal that you don't know, I won't be angry."
"Normal?" Man Jiangxue propped her cheek on her hand on the table. "How is it normal?"
“Because my martial uncle is someone who is too far removed from worldly affairs,” Yin Qiu said. “For example, if I asked you now when you started liking me, you probably wouldn’t be able to say, right?”
Without hesitation, Man Jiangxue said in a serious tone, "What's there to not know? I liked you when you were still in my senior sister's belly."
Unexpectedly, she received a reply like that. Yin Qiu said with a wry smile, "The same goes for the other way around. I knew I had a martial uncle when I was in my mother's womb. I liked you back then too." After saying that, she added, "If you can't say it, just admit it. I've already said that it's normal for you not to know these things. Martial uncle doesn't need to talk nonsense."
Hearing her words, Man Jiangxue felt, for some reason, as if Yin Qiu were gently lecturing her. Feeling a little conflicted, she glanced at Yin Qiu and asked, "And what about you?"
"What about me?"
When did you start liking me?
Yin Qiu finished applying the last bit of ointment, lowered her head to straighten the clean bandage, and gave a meaningful smile: "Uncle seems quite interested in these questions today," she said, leaning closer to Man Jiangxue and gathering her hair, "You want to know?"
Man Jiangxue looked up at her, gathered her hair behind her head, and said, "Go ahead."
Seeing the expectation lurking in her expression, yet also as if she were trying to hide something, Yin Qiu couldn't help but feel a little playful and said, "Let me think about it..."
She tilted her head and used her fingertips to wrap the bandage around Man Jiangxue's neck, remaining silent the entire time. Man Jiangxue didn't urge her either, simply waiting quietly. However, even after the bandage was finished, Yin Qiu had packed up the medicine box and even washed her hands at the dressing table, Man Jiangxue still hadn't heard anything further from her.
Having been cured of the poison and healed from her internal injuries, Yin Qiu was completely different from before in just a few days. She had returned to the way Man Jiangxue remembered her. Her beautiful eyes had regained their bright sparkle, her skin was fair with a rosy glow, and her complexion was excellent. Sitting gracefully by the window, she was a particularly pleasing sight.
Man Jiangxue stared at Yin Qiu silently for a long time. Seeing that Yin Qiu remained silent as if nothing had happened, she straightened up, stretched out her arm and pulled Yin Qiu into her arms, asking, "Are you going to talk or not?"
Yin Qiu pursed her lips slightly, raised her hand to button up Man Jiangxue's clothes, and feigned ignorance, asking, "What did you say?"
Man Jiangxue looked down at her.
Yin Qiu found her martial uncle adorable and blinked, "I don't know."
Man Jiangxue lowered her head, pressed her lips against Yin Qiu's, and kissed her for a while before asking, "And now?"
Yin Qiu's cheeks flushed from her kiss, and her breathing quickened slightly: "I still don't know."
Man Jiangxue said "okay," then casually laid Yin Qiu down on the soft satin, looking down at her: "How can we find out?"
Yin Qiu said, "I don't know either..."
Before he could finish speaking, Man Jiangxue's lips pressed against his again.
Yin Qiu fell backward to the ground, bearing the weight of Man Jiangxue. She couldn't stop laughing amidst the tender kisses. No matter how much Man Jiangxue pressed her for answers, she deliberately remained silent, leaving Man Jiangxue helpless.
The two of them were playfully wrestling, rolling around on the floor, their laughter echoing in the room for a long time. Yin Qiu, feeling suffocated by Man Jiangxue's presence, finally couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Alright, alright, Uncle-Master, stop teasing me. I'll tell you now."
“It’s too late,” Man Jiangxue said, gripping Yin Qiu’s wrists and pressing her hands behind her head. “I don’t want to know anymore.”
Yin Qiu was unable to move or break free. Man Jiangxue was still kissing her, her soft lips landing on hers and then on her neck. Yin Qiu's face gradually flushed red, and her hair became disheveled. She felt an itch where Man Jiangxue had kissed her, and she was embarrassed to be pressed down like this. Yin Qiu could only beg for mercy, "Uncle-Master, I was wrong... please let me go..."
Man Jiangxue ignored her and withdrew one hand. Wherever Yin Qiu was ticklish, Man Jiangxue's hand followed, making Yin Qiu laugh until tears streamed down her face, yet she couldn't escape. She could only push Man Jiangxue away with one hand, saying softly, "I was wrong, I was really wrong, Martial Aunt, please don't..."
"Do you still dare?" Man Jiangxue pinched Yin Qiu's waist and said casually, "Do you think I can't handle you?"
"No," Yin Qiu said, her face flushed and her chest heaving, "...I wouldn't dare."
Man Jiangxue looked down at her and saw that Yin Qiu's face was flushed and her eyes were wet, making her look both pitiful and endearing. She studied Yin Qiu for a moment and felt that Yin Qiu was incredibly beautiful at that moment, more beautiful than any girl she had ever seen. This face, which she had seen countless times before, had somehow changed completely. Man Jiangxue suddenly forgot what she looked like before. Perhaps she would be able to remember it effortlessly later, but at this moment, she could only clearly see the Yin Qiu of the present.
Yin Qiu, held in her hand.
A faint smile appeared on her lips. Man Jiangxue straightened Yin Qiu's disheveled clothes and said, "I know what I like about you now, just now."
Yin Qiu saw in her eyes a tenderness that no one else could share, a love so obvious it completely enveloped her, leaving no gaps. Yin Qiu asked, "What is it?"
Man Jiangxue's heart was moved, and the tears in Yin Qiu's eyes were also moving, like the shimmering surface of a lake at sunset, with every sparkling point existing only in Man Jiangxue's eyes.
This is something that outsiders cannot see or touch.
It belongs to her alone.
Man Jiangxue said, "You want to know?"
Yin Qiu nodded.
Man Jiangxue said, "Let me think about it."
She mimicked Yin Qiu's earlier actions, pretending to be deep in thought, but then she didn't say a word.
The thick curtains blocked the cold wind blowing in from the doorway, but the window was still open. The penetrating wind could not dispel the heat in Yin Qiu's body, nor could it blow away the rosy complexion on her face.
Man Jiangxue gazed at her expression. Her originally cold hands were warmed by the body heat emanating from Yin Qiu through her clothes. She cupped Yin Qiu's face and buried her face in her mouth again to kiss her lips.
Yin Qiuhou broke out in a sweat; she was like the thin layer of snow remaining on the maple leaves in the yard, about to be melted by the sunlight.
"Full of snow on the river" is sunlight.
Yin Qiu collapsed to the ground, trying her best not to make a sound, but Man Jiangxue pried open her lips and teeth, and those intermittent gasps leaked out, beyond her control.
Their breaths mingled, their scents mingling, and Man Jiangxue softly called out, "Xiao Qiu..."
Yin Qiu could not give an answer.
Under Man Jiangxue's gentle care, she forgot the anxieties that had troubled her for so long, and also abandoned all her worries and unease. With her eyes half-open, she hugged Man Jiangxue tightly, trying to regulate her disordered breathing, and buried her face in Man Jiangxue's arms in the bright sunlight streaming in from the window.
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