Chapter 19
Man Jiangxue asked, both amused and exasperated, "Why are you blushing?"
Her question only made things worse; it caused Yin Qiu's ears to turn red. Yin Qiu dared not look at her again and said softly, "I didn't mean to..."
“It’s nothing serious, I’m not blaming you,” Man Jiangxue said. “You’re a young lady too, what’s there to be ashamed of?”
Even so, Yin Qiu was still so embarrassed that she didn't know what to do, and quickly changed the subject, saying, "I...I'll help you wash your hair..."
Man Jiangxue smiled but remained silent. Remembering that Yin Qiu was almost eleven years old, she spoke again: "In two more years you will grow up. When a girl reaches a certain age, her body will undergo many changes. Don't be afraid then. Remember to ask me anything."
Yin Qiu didn't quite understand and asked, "What kinds of changes have occurred?"
“For example, here,” Man Jiangxue tapped Yin Qiu’s chest, “if one day it starts to swell and hurt badly, then it’s not an illness, understand?”
Yin Qiu's face was still flushed, and she looked dazed: "I'm not sick... then what am I?"
Looking into her innocent yet clear eyes, Man Jiangxue was momentarily at a loss for words. After a pause, she said tactfully, "You will become like an adult."
Yin Qiu then imagined what an adult should be like. She naturally thought of the image of Man Jiangxue completely naked. Her mind went blank for a moment, and she immediately understood.
“Oh…” Yin Qiu said in a muffled voice.
Having gone this far, Man Jiangxue, not wanting to stop, added, "Besides this, there's also Gui water. Do you know what Gui water is?"
Yin Qiu shook her head and repeated after Man Jiangxue: "Gui Water?"
Man Jiangxue moved her lips, but couldn't organize her thoughts. She had never been a mother herself, nor had she ever raised a young child. She had no experience in teaching these things, and it was really difficult for her to talk to a naive child about them.
“Never mind,” Man Jiangxue said. “You have plenty of time. Let’s talk about it another day.”
Seeing that she stopped there, Yin Qiu didn't intend to ask any further questions, but silently memorized the words "Gui Shui" in her heart.
After bathing, the two dried themselves off, got dressed, and went back to their room together.
The bed in the disciples' quarters wasn't large, but it was spacious enough for Yin Qiu to sleep alone. With Man Jiangxue in tow, it was just right. A deep bell rang outside the room, signaling the arrival of Hai Shi (9-11 PM). Man Jiangxue turned off the light, embraced Yin Qiu, and lay down. Yin Qiu felt incredibly at ease in her arms and slept exceptionally well.
The next morning, the bell rang again, and when Yin Qiu opened her eyes, Man Jiangxue had already left.
Yin Qiu was in a great mood, feeling all the fatigue of the past few days had vanished. She quickly washed up, took her homework and went to the canteen. After breakfast, she went to the classroom to start studying as usual.
·
"Do you know what Gui water is?" In the afternoon, Yin Qiu met with Fu Xiang. Instead of going back to their room to rest, they squatted in the yard playing in the snow.
"Gui Water?" Fu Xiang, holding a withered twig in her hand, wrote and drew on the snow, and said in surprise, "You've come for Gui Water?"
Yin Qiu waved her hand: "I just want to know what Gui water is."
Fu Xiang hesitated for a moment, then looked up at the sky: "Gui water... Gui water is..."
Yin Qiu threw a clump of snow at her and urged, "If you know, just tell me quickly, don't stammer."
"How should I put this?" Fu Xiang was also stumped.
"What can't you say?" Yin Qiu asked, her curiosity growing. "Is it some serious illness?"
"Who told you all this?" Fu Xiang was slightly speechless. "Let me think about how to explain it to you."
Fu Xiang had been cared for by a wet nurse since she was a child, and she had heard about the things that girls should do from her wet nurse long ago. Yin Qiu had no parents and no one taught her these things, so naturally she couldn't understand. Although Fu Xiang was usually carefree and irresponsible, it was still a little difficult for her, a young woman, to talk about menstruation in broad daylight.
“Gui water!” Fu Xiang threw away the withered branch and looked at Yin Qiu seriously, saying, “Gui water is something that can give birth to children!”
Yin Qiu was caught off guard: "Huh? It's... drinking Gui water can make you have a child?"
Fu Xiang's throat tightened, and she immediately choked on her saliva and coughed violently. Seeing Yin Qiu's blank and ignorant expression, she turned to clutch her stomach and suddenly burst into laughter.
"Drinking Gui water will make you have a baby..." Fu Xiang laughed so hard she was bent over, her stomach cramping from laughing. "Goodness, you can't drink that Gui water! Oh my god!"
"That's why I asked you, I didn't understand!" Yin Qiu pounced on her and tickled her. "If you keep making fun of me, I'll get angry!"
Fu Xiang was completely at a loss with her. After laughing for a while, she said breathlessly, "What an idiot! Come on, let me tell you."
Yin Qiu leaned closer, and Fu Xiang whispered a few words in her ear. Yin Qiu was startled and frowned: "Bleeding? You mean..."
“I don’t know much about it, and I’ve never seen the menstrual blood,” Fu Xiang said. “I only heard it from my wet nurse. She said that if a girl gets menstrual blood, she can get married and have children.”
"But you said it would last for several days," Yin Qiu said, greatly shocked. "Won't people die from losing so much blood?"
Fu Xiang paused for a moment, scratched her head, and said, "Probably not... Oh dear, I've never been here before, I don't know!"
Upon learning what "Gui Shui" was all about, Yin Qiu couldn't help but feel terrified: "My master said that girls would all have Gui Shui when they grew up... I didn't know it was such a scary thing."
"What's so scary?" Fu Xiang didn't seem to think anything of it. After saying that, she raised her eyelids and asked, "Hey, you said Uncle-Master...you've met Uncle-Master Man?"
Unable to hide the joy in her eyes, Yin Qiu said, "Yes, I've met him."
Fu Xiang made a snowball, tossed it in the air and caught it, and laughed, "No wonder you seem to be in a good mood today, I knew it."
Yin Qiu pursed her lips and said, "My martial aunt was not in the palace for the past few days. She came to see me as soon as she returned."
Fu Xiang smiled along with her, then deliberately pursed her lips: "Stop showing off to me," she added, "Have you asked her why the palace is spreading rumors about your serious illness?"
Yin Qiu replied, "I asked, and my martial uncle said it was to lure my mother out."
"Aren't your parents both gone?"
"My father is gone, but it's still unclear whether my mother is alive or dead."
Fu Xiang suddenly realized something and glanced at Yin Qiu, saying, "So your mother is Shen Mandong, the former eldest disciple of Yunhua Palace?"
Yin Qiu was taken aback and asked in surprise, "How do you know my mother's name?"
Fu Xiang casually played with the snowball and said, "It's very simple. You told me before that your mother and Uncle Man were fellow disciples. When I was little, my nanny told me the story of how the Ruyi Sect was wiped out by the Ziwei Sect. I also heard the names Shen Mandong and Yin Xuan. You have the surname Yin, and Yunhua Palace only has one disciple, Shen Mandong, whose fate is unknown. Comparing the two, it's not hard to guess."
“You’re so smart,” Yin Qiu said, brushing the snow off her hands. “But I always feel like my mother is no longer here.”
Fu Xiang paused, her gaze towards Yin Qiu now questioning: "Why do you think that?"
"If she's still alive, why didn't she come looking for me for ten whole years?" Yin Qiu said. "Even my martial uncle found me. I heard my mother's kung fu is even better than my martial uncle's. How could she not find me?"
Fu Xiang almost blurted out, "Maybe she doesn't want to look for you," but she stopped herself in time and changed her words, saying, "Whether she looks for you or not has nothing to do with how good her kung fu is. It depends on fate. Maybe your mother just won't be able to find you no matter what. Who can say for sure?"
Yin Qiu said, "It seems so."
"Did Uncle Man say what they wanted from your mother?" Fu Xiang asked.
"Well..." Yin Qiu thought for a moment, "She didn't say, but she's my mother, so I don't need a reason to look for her, right?"
“That’s true,” Fu Xiang threw a snowball and stood up. “Why is it so noisy in the front yard? Let’s go take a look.”
·
Amidst the clamor, the courtyard gate was crowded with people, and many disciples were also standing in the corridors and courtyards, making it a rare lively occasion.
The two arrived at the front yard. Yin Qiu tiptoed and looked around. She noticed a long table set up at the entrance, with many boxes and bundles on it. Two female disciples were calling out names from a list in their hands. Whoever was called could go and collect their items.
"Is the palace going to send us something?" Yin Qiu kept looking around.
"Wait, I'll go ask." After saying that, Fu Xiang plunged into the crowd.
Soon, Fu Xiang returned and spread her hands at Yin Qiu, saying, "It has nothing to do with us, and we have no share in those things."
Originally, at Yunhua Palace, disciples would receive items from their families on one day each month. These items were transported back from the foot of the mountain, collected and stored by designated personnel, and then distributed to each disciple.
Neither Yin Qiu nor Fu Xiang had parents to care for them, so naturally no one would send them food or supplies.
But it wasn't just the two of them who were watching; many disciples in the courtyard stood by with envy on their faces. The disciples who received something were all smiles and gathered together to exchange what the others had received.
“I thought we could have one too,” Fu Xiang said, leaning against a pillar in the corridor. “Stop looking and go back to your room to rest. We have to have martial arts class this afternoon.”
Sensing a hint of disappointment in her words, Yin Qiu suddenly remembered something, took Fu Xiang's hand, and said, "Come with me."
Fu Xiang was confused and was pulled back to her room by Yin Qiu. Seeing Yin Qiu rummaging through the cabinet, she asked, "What are you looking for?"
“Look for this,” Yin Qiu said, taking out an oil paper package. “I’ll share half with you.”
Seeing the food in the bag, Fu Xiang's eyes lit up, and she asked, "Where did this come from?"
Yin Qiu found a handkerchief, wrapped half of it in it, and handed it to Fu Xiang, saying, "My uncle brought this to me yesterday. Let's each take half."
Fu Xiang happily accepted it and said, "Thank you." She pinched a sugar pill and put it in her mouth, and then said, "It seems that Uncle Man really treats you well. She must have known that something would be sent up from the foot of the mountain today. She was afraid that you would be envious if you saw that others had family to care for them, so she brought you these foods. How thoughtful of her."
Yin Qiu hadn't thought of this before, but after Fu Xiang said it, she was moved and said with a smile, "Is that so? Uncle is a very good person."
"Then I'll give this to you." Fu Xiang tucked the wrapped handkerchief into her bosom and then took out a money pouch.
Upon seeing the money pouch, Yin Qiu's face lit up with joy: "For me...really?"
Fu Xiang said, "I don't need it anyway. Since you like Uncle Man so much, I might as well give it to you."
Yin Qiu carefully took the money pouch, looked at it from left to right, and liked it more and more. She smiled and said, "Then I won't be polite."
·
When Man Jiangxue arrived at Mingguang Hall, Xie Yijun had just gotten up.
The bedchamber was warm from the burning charcoal. Xie Yijun, with her long hair loose and wearing a crimson outer robe, said, "You've arrived?"
Man Jiangxue picked a chair and sat down. Ye Zhilan immediately came in and served her a cup of hot tea. Man Jiangxue said, "It has been found out that Nangong Min wants to find the Holy Sword that the Ziwei Sect has stolen for a long time."
"The Holy Sword?" Xie Yijun frowned slightly, her eyes flashing. "What does this have to do with Mandong?"
Man Jiangxue said, "It is said that after the Ruyi Gate Incident, the Holy Sword disappeared in the Ziwei Sect. Nangong Min suspected that it was stolen by Yin Xuan."
"So she thinks the Holy Sword is in Mandong's hands?" Xie Yijun suddenly realized. "No wonder the Ziwei Church suddenly mobilized a large force to search for Yin Qiu; it turns out it was for this reason."
Man Jiangxue nodded and said, "They are just like us, trying to lure Senior Sister out."
Xie Yijun paced back and forth in the hall, pondering for a moment before turning her head and saying, "How could she be so sure that the Holy Sword was in Mandong's hands? Even if the sword was stolen by Yin Xuan, why would he hand it over to Mandong?"
Although Shen Mandong and Yin Xuan were married, it was all a deception. Even if Yin Xuan harbored malicious intentions, he should have handed over the sacred object of the sect to someone else. What was the logic in giving it to Shen Mandong?
Man Jiangxue said, "I don't know."
Xie Yijun pondered, "Legend has it that the Holy Sword can cut through iron like mud, and is a first-class divine weapon. The founder of the Ziwei Sect also used that sword to defeat heroes of the martial arts world and gain fame, which led the Ziwei Sect to its current state. The Holy Sword has been stolen, so Nangong Min is naturally very anxious. This is no small matter, and we need to think of a solution. If the Holy Sword is really in Man Dong's hands, we must not let the people of the Ziwei Sect find her first."
Man Jiangxue looked at her and said, "What are your thoughts?"
“These days have passed, and there’s still not a single word from Mandong,” Xie Yijun said. “Let’s just assume she’s dead for now, but we can use the Holy Sword to cause trouble for the Ziwei Sect.”
"What do you want to do?" Man Jiangxue asked.
"Didn't Nangong Min want to find the Holy Sword?" Xie Yijun smiled slightly. "Then let's give her a Holy Sword."
Man Jiangxue twirled the dagger and said in a deep voice, "She won't be fooled so easily."
“So we have to make it look real,” Xie Yijun said. “Find someone to impersonate Mandong and spread the false news that the Holy Sword has been obtained by Yunhua Palace. No matter how cautious Nangong Min is, he will be unable to resist the urge to find out the truth. There was Wen Chaoyu before, and it’s hard to guarantee that she won’t plant some spies in the next ten years. Even if we can’t shake the Ziwei Sect, we can use this opportunity to find out if there are any spies in the palace. Either way, we won’t lose out.”
When searching for Yin Qiu's whereabouts, Yunhua Palace was clearly one step ahead, but Ziwei Sect was able to reach the Su family in Jiangdu City before Manjiangxue. This clearly indicates that there was an inside agent in the palace who informed Nangong Min. This person was buried deep and left no trace. As long as he is not eliminated, he will remain a hidden danger.
Man Jiangxue asked, "Do you have a good candidate?"
Xie Yijun glanced at her with a smile and said slowly, "Do you even need to ask? You were brought out by Mandong. The two of you have always looked somewhat alike, and apart from you, no one else in the entire Yunhua Palace knows everything about Mandong better. Of course, only you can handle this task."
The disciples outside had all left at some point, leaving only Ye Zhilan standing outside. Xie Yijun looked at Ye Zhilan and said in a low voice, "Only the two of us know about this. If anything goes wrong along the way, we can follow the clues to investigate further. Given the example of Wen Chaoyu, I am still somewhat wary of even my beloved disciple. I cannot trust anyone else to handle this matter."
The two discussed the matter for a while, and then Man Jiangxue pushed open the door and left. Hearing the noise, Ye Zhilan turned around and asked Man Jiangxue, "Is Martial Aunt going back to Jingyue Peak or to the Disciple's Courtyard?"
Man Jiangxue toyed with the dagger, its thin blade reflecting Ye Zhilan's delicate features. Man Jiangxue stepped down the stairs and said, "Find a few trustworthy disciples, make some preparations, and go to Jincheng to pick someone up in a couple of days."
Ye Zhilan asked, "Who are you picking up?"
Man Jiangxue said, "Shen Mandong."
Ye Zhilan was slightly taken aback: "Uncle Shen... she's really still alive?"
Man Jiangxue hummed in agreement and said, "Don't make this public. Don't let the news leak out. Be careful and discreet on the way. Don't tell the disciples who you're going to pick up. Only you, me, and the sect leader know about this. Understand?"
Ye Zhilan quickly accepted the order: "Disciple understands."
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