Chapter 188
The investiture ceremony concluded successfully, and the disciples dismantled the viewing platform that very day, tidying up the Wangtian Dojo. Before nightfall, colorful lanterns were already hung up on each peak and branch. Like the people of Shangyuan City, the disciples ate glutinous rice balls and drank some rice wine, then strolled around the palace in groups to admire the lanterns and enjoy themselves. The atmosphere was still joyous, except for the people in the Mingguang Hall, whose expressions were all solemn, with no one showing any signs of festivity.
"Why are you not allowing anyone to come and pay their respects?" Xie Yijun asked as she changed back into her usual crimson robe in her bedchamber, lifting the curtain as she did so.
Seeing Xie Yijun come out, Bai Ling stood up from her chair and replied, "Although we just received the news, the incident actually happened several days ago. According to the reports from the post station disciples in Jin Huai City, Fu Xiang ascended to the position of Master of the Pavilion within two days after Master Fu's body was transported back to Mingyue Pavilion, but the grand ceremony has not yet been held. She personally ordered that no one be allowed to go to the pavilion to pay their respects, and almost everyone who came was stopped by the gatekeepers and not allowed to enter. Even if they entered, they were driven out, which is really strange."
Lu Huaiwei said, "Logically speaking, after such an incident at Mingyue Tower, not only other sects but also our Yunhua Palace should have paid their respects. However, Junior Sister Fu turned everyone away. What kind of logic is that?"
Bai Ling shrugged: "I just don't know what she really means. Even though we all know that Master Fu must have been killed by Master Meng, you've all seen the contents of the letter, and no one can provide any concrete evidence. Fu Xiang has a close relationship with Master Meng. If she swallows her anger and ignores this murder of her father, letting Master Meng go unpunished, what can outsiders do even if they want to stand up for justice? In short, we can't get involved in the first place, and her actions have made it even more impossible for us to help."
“But I’ve had quite a bit of contact with Fu Cen, and although Fu Xiang has returned to Mingyue Tower, she’s still my nominal closed-door disciple,” Xie Yijun said, turning her prayer beads and sighing. “Even without that relationship, I really should have gone there in person, otherwise people would say I’m not good enough.”
One is the number one sect in the martial arts world, and the other is the number two. Yunhua Palace and Mingyue Tower have always had some friendship, and everyone who goes around outside knows this. Now that Fu Cen has suddenly suffered a misfortune, Yunhua Palace should step forward to take charge of the situation from any perspective. Xie Yijun, as the sect leader, should naturally step forward to take charge. If she does not step forward to investigate or give the martial arts heroes a respectable explanation, she will only be criticized and looked down upon.
“But if you go, you’ll probably be turned away,” Bai Ling said. “Besides, even if you set off now, it will take several days to reach Jinhuai City. By then, not only will the people be buried, but Master Meng will have already taken control of Mingyue Tower. It will be useless for you to go.”
Xie Yijun frowned and said, "That's true, but we can't ignore appearances. These social niceties are all for show. Whether they're useful or not, they're just a matter of courtesy. Not doing them will only give people something to talk about. I should still go."
What she said made sense, and the younger generation didn't want to persuade her further. Only Yin Qiu pondered and said, "How about... I go instead?" She looked at Xie Yijun and said, "If Fu Xiang refuses to see others, she should see me if I go."
“That won’t do,” Xie Yijun immediately refused. “Anyone can go, but you absolutely cannot. Even if Jiang Xue accompanies you, I won’t feel at ease. If you go, the mastermind behind the secret guards will naturally worry that you’ll make contact with Meng Wugui. Last time in Weicheng, Meng Wugui only wanted to lure out and kill the person monitoring you; she didn’t intend to directly break ties, so that person didn’t actually try to kill you. But now that Meng Wugui has killed Fu Cen and obtained Mingyue Tower, if you go now, that person will absolutely not allow you to see her. This is no child’s play; you absolutely cannot go!”
Lu Huaiwei chimed in, "Yes, Xiao Qiu, what good will it do you go? The dead cannot be brought back to life. Not to mention that even Junior Sister Fu herself couldn't avenge this, she might even be on the same side as Hall Master Meng. Since things have come to this, we can only wait and see. Let's think about it in a positive light. Although Hall Master Meng is ruthless, she is ultimately trying to force that person out. What she is doing is actually not bad for us."
Yin Qiu said, "Senior Sister has been ill for a long time, and there are some things you may not know. What you said is only half true. On the surface, what she did is also beneficial to us, but the current situation is not as simple as her wanting revenge. Her ultimate goal is to rebuild Ruyi Sect and suppress or subdue other sects. If she only wanted revenge, we could indeed ignore it and even help her. But at the same time, she also wants to deal with our Yunhua Palace and Ziwei Sect. In other words, if we let her continue to expand her power, she may become an even more troublesome existence than Nangong Min. At that time, I'm afraid even our lives will not be easy."
Lu Huaiwei asked in confusion, "But her true identity is no longer a secret. We all know she is Uncle Shen's sister. Although Uncle Shen has passed away, you are still in the palace. Why would she still target our Yunhua Palace?"
“Because besides seeking revenge, she also wants to make the rebuilt Ruyi Sect the number one sect in the martial arts world. So the biggest obstacle she will face is Yunhua Palace and Ziwei Sect,” Yin Qiu said. “Therefore, she will definitely deal with us. She said this herself, and I’m not making it up. Not only can I not meet with her, but even if I do, I can’t persuade her to change her mind. I don’t have enough influence to make her stop.”
Xie Yijun said, "That's right. If it weren't for that, since she's so eager to avenge the Ruyi Sect, I would have helped her even if it were for Mandong's sake. But from the very beginning, she's been on the opposite side of all the sects. Even if I wanted to help, I couldn't. Now we still have to be wary of her. So you must not underestimate Meng Wugui. She's a dangerous person. You can't have unrealistic expectations of her just because she and Mandong are sisters."
“In that case, Sect Leader, it’s best not to go to pay your respects to Master Fu,” Lu Huaiwei said, finally understanding the situation. “Since Hall Master Meng is going to harm the palace, you might encounter danger if you go. What if she finds out you’re coming and takes this opportunity to do something to you?”
Although Meng Wugui is still young, her skills are not weak. In Yunhua Palace, apart from Man Jiangxue and Ji Wanshu, there are probably no other people who can fight her. If Xie Yijun were to face her, she would only suffer defeat. If Meng Wugui were to capture her alive or kill her on the way, then Yunhua Palace would be without a leader, and Nangong Min would definitely take the opportunity to invade. At that time, if Man Jiangxue were to deal with these two, even if she were a god descending to earth, she would not be able to defend the palace.
“She has no chance of winning in a one-on-one fight. I’m not a martial arts master, but it won’t be easy for her to take over Yunhua Mountain. We Yunhua disciples are not to be trifled with,” Xie Yijun said. “Fu Cen just died, and Mingyue Tower is in the midst of internal strife. Fu Xiang is young and inexperienced. It’s uncertain whether those below her will submit to her. Besides, there’s Nangong Min watching her covetously, and the mastermind behind that secret guard is also keeping an eye on her. Even if she gets Mingyue Tower, she will still be surrounded by enemies and won’t be able to make any waves at the moment. Unless she has other forces to help her, but if she did, she would have already led her troops to attack. She wouldn’t have to rely on that person to push her to the brink before she could even take over Mingyue Tower.”
“What if it really is true?” Bai Ling continued, “Fu Xiang has locked up Mingyue Tower and stopped interacting with other sects. Obviously, they don’t need any other allies. Doesn’t that mean they already have enough strength? Furthermore, since they are both going to deal with our Yunhua Palace, is it possible that Meng Wugui has secretly reached an agreement with Nangong Min to cooperate?”
Upon hearing this, Yin Qiu said, "There's no need to worry about that. Meng Wugui will absolutely not cooperate with Nangong Min. She's different from Senior Sister Ye. Senior Sister Ye only dares to hide her desire for revenge and doesn't dare to confront it directly. But Meng Wugui is different. She has never concealed her desire for revenge. Moreover, so far, she has basically relied on herself to take things one step at a time. She is a person who is brave and resourceful but doesn't play too many tricks. Otherwise, she would have already negotiated with Nangong Min."
By this point in the conversation, everyone had thoroughly analyzed the situation. Meng Wugui now controls Mingyue Tower and Jiuxian Hall. Regardless of whether other forces are helping her, she already possesses the strength to fight against Yunhua Palace and Ziwei Sect. She only needs to wait for Fu Xiang to completely win over the masses. Once the time is ripe, she can make her move at any time.
“But there’s still something I don’t understand,” Lu Huaiwei said. “Our Yunhua used to be so close to the Ruyi Sect, even closer than the Mingyue Tower is now. And when the Ruyi Sect was still around, the Mingyue Tower wasn’t even a major sect. But ever since Meng Wugui appeared in the martial world, we haven’t seen her deal with the Ziwei Sect, which actually destroyed the Ruyi Sect. Instead, it seems like she’s been opposing Yunhua at every turn. That doesn’t make sense, does it?”
“That makes sense,” Yin Qiu explained. “It means that the person who killed my mother, the mastermind behind the secret guards, is someone from the palace. Compared to that, she certainly wouldn’t risk a direct confrontation with the Ziwei Sect. Yunhua Palace is her first choice. As long as she reveals that person’s name, that person will be hunted down from all sides. If it were me, I wouldn’t go looking for trouble with Nangong Min either. Naturally, I would pick on the weakest target first.”
“Then I understand even less,” Lu Huaiwei said. “Why doesn’t she just reveal who that person is? If she’s willing to tell, everyone will be her helper. Why does she make things so complicated?”
Yin Qiu said, "Perhaps she didn't want that person to die so easily, or perhaps she had other plans."
“Mandong has never made enemies. Who in the palace doesn’t like her?” Xie Yijun said in a deep voice. “I’ve thought about many people lately, but I still can’t figure out who would kill her. If that person had no grudge against her and just wanted to get the Holy Sword, what’s the point of hiding it after getting it?”
"I don't know," Yin Qiu shook her head. "The human heart is the most unpredictable thing. Who can know what he's really thinking?"
Xie Yijun sighed softly: "Talking on paper is useless. According to etiquette, I can't pretend I don't know about Fu Cen's matter. I still have to send someone to Mingyue Tower to make an appearance for me. By the way, where is Wan Shu? Where did she go after we talked for so long?"
“Senior Sister Ji is with Uncle and Aunt,” Lu Huaiwei said. “Besides, Uncle Wen is here too, so the two of them need to meet and have a chat.”
“With such a big matter at hand, she is… well, never mind,” Xie Yijun rubbed her temples before sitting down. “I will pass on a message to her later. She is now the young sect leader, so it would be appropriate for her to go to Mingyue Tower on my behalf. Tell her to set off tomorrow.”
Lu Huaiwei nodded: "I understand, I'll tell my senior sister later."
Xie Yijun nodded, picked up the tea leaves with the lid of her teapot, and asked, "Where did Jiang Xue go again? She hasn't been seen since the ceremony ended. Why isn't anyone here to discuss matters?"
Bai Ling and Lu Huaiwei both looked at Yin Qiu at the same time, but Yin Qiu seemed to have just realized that Man Jiangxue was not there.
She didn't know where Man Jiangxue had gone either.
Xie Yijun had no choice but to put down her teacup and sighed again: "Alright, alright, today is the Lantern Festival after all, so I won't keep you here any longer. Go and celebrate the festival."
The three junior disciples and the other disciples who were listening in all stood up. Yin Qiu said, "Sect Leader is busy with paperwork all day long. It's not easy to have a holiday. Why don't you put aside your business for now and go out with us to enjoy the lanterns and guess riddles?"
Xie Yijun said, "Why should I join in the fun when you younger generation are celebrating? If I show up, who will be able to enjoy themselves? I'm not going, so don't worry about me."
Yin Qiu smiled and winked at Bai Ling. The two of them helped Xie Yijun up and dragged her towards the palace gate. Yin Qiu teased, "Sect Leader, you have quite the airs. Even the Emperor enjoys himself with his people. Why don't you come with us for a walk?"
Xie Yijun said, "What a mess this is," but she followed them out of Mingguang Hall and said with a smile, "Alright, it's hard to refuse such hospitality, let's go admire the lanterns together."
Seeing her two junior sisters tugging at the sect leader and playing around, Lu Huaiwei chuckled softly as she lagged behind and followed them down the steps. Soon, the other disciples were also drawn over, and everyone surrounded Xie Yijun, boldly playing around. The scene was very harmonious.
Yin Qiu took a bowl of milk sugar dumplings from the disciples' stall, and Bai Ling asked, "Speaking of which, I'm really not used to my martial aunt not being by your side. Why don't you go and find her?"
Yin Qiu looked around, stuffed the food in her hand into Bai Ling's hand, and said, "That's true. My martial aunt actually left me all alone. You stay with the sect leader for now, and I'll go find her to reason with her!"
·
"The palace is so lively during the festival, there are lanterns everywhere. Why don't you go out and take a look, Junior Brother?" A male disciple carried the dried medicinal herbs into the room and saw Meng Jing lying on the bench in a daze with her eyes wide open. He then waved his hand in front of her eyes.
Wenxin Peak is usually quiet, and today most of the disciples went to Wangtian Dojo. After the ceremony, they all went to admire the lanterns, so not many people stayed behind. Meng Jing moved his eyes, pulled the thin blanket covering him up, coughed, and said, "I'm not feeling well, and it's windy outside, so I won't go."
"Not feeling well?" Upon hearing this, the male disciple looked Meng Jing up and down and asked with concern, "Has your heart ailment flared up again? Oh dear—did you vomit this blood?"
There was a pool of blood that was almost dried on the floor next to the chair leg. If Meng Jing hadn't pulled the blanket up a bit earlier, the male disciple might not have been able to see it.
"Hmm," Meng Jing said wearily, "I'd like to trouble you to clean this up for me, senior brother."
"You..." The male disciple looked worried and quickly shoveled some charcoal ash to cover the pool of blood. He said with a distressed expression, "Your condition has been getting worse lately. How many times have you vomited blood since the New Year? This can't go on. Has your master examined you?"
Meng Jing covered his face with a handkerchief and coughed violently for a while, panting as he said, "I've seen the doctor and taken the medicine. Senior brother, you don't need to worry. I know my own body."
The male disciple sighed, quickly swept the floor clean, and lit two braziers of charcoal in the room. He said, "Your heart ailment is congenital. If you don't take good care of yourself and maintain it properly, it won't last long. You've been working too hard lately, taking care of Senior Sister Lu and developing an antidote for Junior Sister Yin. A person is like a candle, working day and night until it burns out. Junior Brother, from now on, don't worry about anything, big or small. Just focus on getting better, understand?"
Meng Jing nodded: "I understand, thank you for your concern, Senior Brother."
The male disciple gave a few more instructions, brewed a bowl of ginger soup for Meng Jing, and then went outside to attend to other matters. Meng Jing, pressing his aching chest, was lost in thought for a while, intending to take a nap, when suddenly the door was pushed open again, and a white figure entered. Meng Jing immediately stood up and said, "What brings you here, Uncle-Master?"
The lingering smell of blood in the room hadn't dissipated yet; Man Jiangxue smelled it as soon as she entered. She glanced at Meng Jing and asked, "You don't look well. Are you sick?"
Meng Jing tucked the blood-stained handkerchief into his sleeve and lowered his head, saying, "It's just a minor cold. Did my uncle need something from me?"
Man Jiangxue frowned slightly as she watched Meng Jing's actions. She wanted to ask her why she was coughing up blood, but seeing Meng Jing's evasive manner, Man Jiangxue stopped asking and said, "Do you often visit that secret guard disciple who is still imprisoned in the Punishment Hall?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Jing opened and closed his lips twice, but did not answer.
A few months ago, Yin Qiu and Man Jiangxue went to the Ziwei Sect in Cang County. Meng Jing personally escorted that person from Wei City back to Yunhua Palace and imprisoned him in the torture hall. Considering the overall situation and the possibility that the person might still be useful, Meng Jing was not in a hurry to kill him for revenge. However, in recent days, she has visited him in the torture hall almost every few days, and tortured him with various instruments of torture, making sure he had a hard time.
Why should a villain who has committed countless evil deeds and whose hands are stained with the blood of her parents be allowed to eat and drink well in the punishment hall and live a more comfortable and happy life than her disciples?
In fact, the palace did not allow the use of private torture without cause, but the disciples of the Punishment Hall all knew that Meng Jing's parents were killed by that person, so they turned a blind eye to Meng Jing's behavior and did not stop him.
But it's one thing for others to know the truth, and quite another for Man Jiangxue to ask him personally. Meng Jing couldn't give a proper answer, so he could only acquiesce.
“I’m not trying to blame him. When the time is right, I will make the decision to hand that person over to you to deal with,” Man Jiangxue said, seeing through Meng Jing’s thoughts. “Right now, I have something to ask him, but I can’t show up in person. You have to cover for me and make sure no one else knows that I’m the one who wants to see him, understand?”
Meng Jing indicated that he understood: "Okay, I'll go there now. Martial Uncle can follow me secretly."
Man Jiangxue asked, "You're not feeling well, are you able to walk?"
Meng Jing said, "I can walk, Uncle-Master, don't worry."
The two left Wenxin Peak one after the other, not traveling together. Meng Jing, familiar with the way, arrived at the punishment hall. Upon seeing her, the disciples all understood and withdrew. Meng Jing unlocked the door and entered the cell. The guard trembled in fear and said helplessly, "Why are you here again? You've tortured me enough! Can't you just give me a quick death?"
Several months passed, and the man was still wearing the same black clothes, which were now filthy and tattered beyond recognition. Due to the torture he had endured, his clothes were practically just strips of cloth with tassels, leaving him barely clothed and in a pitiful state.
Meng Jing looked at him coldly and sneered: "You can only blame yourself for talking too much nonsense back then and not piercing my heart with a sword. Now that you've fallen into my hands, you deserve to suffer. If you want to die, you'll have to wait until the day you can die."
When the guard first returned to the palace, he could still talk back to her a few times, but now he had no temper left. He was about to beg Meng Jing for forgiveness when he saw Meng Jing leave without looking back after saying those words. Immediately afterward, a white shadow flashed at the door, and Man Jiangxue walked in slowly the next moment. The guard was stunned and hurriedly dragged his chains to the corner of the wall, hiding himself in the shadows.
Of all the secret guards on Jingyue Peak, only he remained. It had been a long time since Man Jiangxue had seen him. Upon meeting, the secret guard was extremely embarrassed and ashamed, not daring to even glance at Man Jiangxue.
The cell was damp and cold, the setting sun couldn't penetrate, and the light was dim. Man Jiangxue sat down at the table, but remained silent for a long time, just staring at the person opposite her.
The disciple guard felt a chill run down his spine from her gaze and had no choice but to speak first: "Uncle-Master, is there something you wish to ask us?"
This man, once carefree and spirited, exuding youthful vigor, was now timid and pathetic. Man Jiangxue's eyes held no pity, her gaze even colder. She picked up a tinderbox from the table, lit a lamp, and said, "Last time in Weicheng, it was Xiao Qiu who interrogated you. She was patient and willing to deal with you, but I don't have her patience. So, if you remain silent about what I ask next, I will hand you over to Meng Jing. You should have already experienced her methods."
Upon hearing this, the disciple of the secret guard nodded vigorously, "I've tasted it, I've tasted it! Uncle-Master, please ask me anything you want to know, and I will answer truthfully!"
Man Jiangxue didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "You implicated Zhilan in Weicheng, but although she is a spy for the Ziwei Sect, she is not the one who truly formed you. So I want to know, do you really think it's her, or did someone deliberately instigate you to identify her?"
Although the cell was dark and heavily guarded, the guard disciple had already heard about Ye Zhilan. He said tremblingly, "I had long expected that my master would come to question me about this matter, but I didn't expect you to come only today. Please understand, master, that from the beginning I only knew that Senior Sister Ye was the one who formed us, and I didn't know that she was actually a scapegoat. In addition, as I said before, everything was handled by Senior Brother and Sixth Brother. Whenever they arranged something, they said it was Senior Sister Ye's instruction, so we the rest of us naturally assumed that Senior Sister Ye was our master."
In other words, apart from the eldest brother and the sixth brother, no one else had ever seen the real mastermind. However, both of them had died in Wei City, so no one knew who that person was.
Perhaps seeing that Man Jiangxue did not react, the hidden guard disciple hurriedly added, "If I really knew who he was, he should have killed me in secret long ago. But since he did not do so, it means that he had no reason to risk killing someone who posed no threat to him. Martial Uncle, I really don't know. I am not lying, and I dare not lie anymore."
Man Jiangxue sat quietly in the dim light for a while, then said, "Before you went to Weicheng, did you receive any orders to renovate the cenotaph at the Observatory?"
The disciple recalled for a moment, then frowned and said, "It seems... there was such a thing. At that time, my master went to Yaoding City to visit Xiao Qiu and was not in the palace. It is said that many of the cenotaphs were crushed by the heavy snow. After the eldest brother found out, he asked a few of us fellow disciples to go and repair them. He even gave the order at night. But when we went to the Star Gazing Platform, we didn't see any cenotaphs that had collapsed. The snow was just a bit thicker, and there was no need to repair them. At the time, I thought the eldest brother was making a fuss over nothing, so I made an excuse to go back to my room to be lazy and didn't work with them."
Man Jiangxue said, "So you weren't there at the time, but the others still renovated all the cenotaphs, right?"
The disciple of the secret guard hummed in agreement: "After all, it was something Senior Brother instructed, so they should have done as instructed. But there's nothing strange about it. Why is Uncle asking what it's about?"
“The observatory has its own disciples to take care of it. Even if it needs repairs, it shouldn’t be your place to do it,” Man Jiangxue said. “Did they say who gave the order? Was it Zhilan again?”
The guard thought for a moment and said, "No, it's..."
"Wait a minute—" Man Jiangxue suddenly stood up, glanced at Meng Jing's shadow cast by the door, and said, "Tell me with your mouth."
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