Chapter 24
The wind intensified, howling incessantly, and the lingering clouds gathered, heavy as if about to press down.
The disciples of the two factions were still fighting, with figures falling one after another, and the sounds of clashing swords rising and falling. The situation was turbulent. In contrast, there was an incongruous deathly silence in another place.
Wen Chaoyu knelt down, her eyes filled with undisguised shock. Ji Wanshu and Ye Zhilan also fell silent at this moment, their expressions showing the same astonishment.
“That is…” Ye Zhilan stared blankly at the person who came.
Ji Wanshu's expression changed several times as she looked back and forth between the woman in blue opposite her and the fake Shen Mandong who was already dead behind her, and said in disbelief, "She wouldn't be..."
Ji Wanshu didn't finish her sentence. Ye Zhilan glanced at her, and the two looked at each other with complicated expressions, speechless for a moment.
If the female subordinate of the Ziwei Sect could be mistaken for the real thing, then the one in front of us could be considered the real Shen Mandong.
Ji Wanshu and Ye Zhilan entered Yunhua Palace when they were young. Although neither of them had ever served under Shen Mandong, they had been in close contact with her ten years ago and had received her careful guidance. Even though they hadn't seen each other for ten years, Shen Mandong's voice and smile were still vivid in their minds, as if she had never left.
The woman in blue was so striking that she was unforgettable. Compared to the female subordinate of the Ziwei Sect, she was worlds apart. The difference in their abilities was obvious. To achieve such a resemblance, apart from Shen Mandong herself, there was truly no one else in the world who could be as similar to her.
Could it be... that this woman is really Shen Mandong?
A cold wind swept by, carrying a faint smell of blood, a touch of frost, and a familiar fragrance that had been absent for many years.
Wen Chaoyu took a deep breath, coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood, and when she looked up again, her face was as pale as a sheet of paper. She smelled the sweet fragrance wafting towards her and gave a weak chuckle.
The corners of her lips, hidden beneath her veil, curled slightly. The woman in blue subtly observed the gazes of the three people opposite her and said loudly, "Senior Sister Wen, how have you been?"
Wen Chaoyu smiled silently, not replying, but looking at her with suspicion.
The woman kicked her leg, sending the large knife that had fallen to her feet flying back to Wen Chaoyu's side, and said, "Your knife."
Wen Chaoyu used her knife to support herself as she slowly stood up, clutching her chest. Her eyes flickered as she scrutinized the woman for a while before saying, "Xie Yijun is quite capable, finding someone who looks so much like her."
The woman moved slightly, getting closer to Wen Chaoyu, and teased, "Ten years have passed, and Senior Sister has not improved at all. You were actually beaten to a pulp by two juniors. I am truly disappointed."
The two younger members were so shocked they couldn't speak.
Wen Chaoyu narrowed his eyes and said, "Your move, 'Piercing Swallow,' was quite good, but it only represents seven-tenths of Shen Mandong's skill. You can't fool me."
The woman circled around her and laughed, "Didn't my senior sister give me a potion to reduce my internal energy? I barely managed to get seven-tenths of my strength into my moves, which is already quite remarkable."
Wen Chaoyu remained silent, his gaze fixed on her.
Ye Zhilan finally couldn't hold back any longer and stepped forward, saying, "Uncle-Master Shen? Are you really Uncle-Master Shen?"
The woman looked up at her, her bright eyes filled with a cheerful smile, and said, "Zhilan? You've grown up quite well. You were only this big when I left." As she spoke, she gestured in front of her.
Having already learned her lesson once, Ye Zhilan was wary this time. She turned to look at Ji Wanshu, who had a serious expression, and said, "I still can't believe whether Senior is indeed Uncle Shen. May I ask how Senior can prove it?"
"How do you want me to prove it?" the woman said. "Hearing that Xiao Qiu was seriously ill, I rushed here from beyond the pass overnight. After passing Jincheng, there is Shangyuan City. As long as I go to Yunhua Palace, Senior Sister Xie and Ah Xue will know when they see me. Isn't that the best proof?"
Ye Zhilan was unsure, and then she heard the woman say, "If I'm willing to go to Yunhua Palace with you, then I'm genuine. But the previous one was fake. Did she ever agree to go with you?"
The person in front of her was all too familiar. His light tone and bright expression were exactly the same as Shen Mandong's back then. Ye Zhilan's heart wavered, but she didn't know what to do. She could only look at the silent Ji Wanshu.
Although Ji Wanshu had mentored Shen Mandong, she had spent most of her time with Wen Chaoyu and was only interested in her master, showing no interest in others. Even though the woman in blue looked exactly like Shen Mandong at first glance or up close, Ji Wanshu couldn't tell the difference. She was even more difficult to judge than Ye Zhilan.
“Don’t look at me,” Ji Wanshu frowned, “I’m not familiar with Uncle Shen, so I don’t recognize him much.”
·
The fighting had stopped at some point, and the Ziwei Sect members and Yunhua Palace disciples behind them separated and quietly watched the situation on the four people's side.
While Ye Zhilan was still considering how to respond, Wen Chaoyu glanced at her subordinates, signaling them to retreat when the opportunity arose. Then, she wiped the blood from her lips and said to the woman, "If you are really Shen Mandong, take off your veil. What are you hiding? Once you show your face, do we need to rack our brains to guess whether you are real or not?"
The woman smiled and said, "What if I refuse?"
Wen Chaoyu glanced at her: "Then that just means you have a guilty conscience. Do you even need to ask?"
The woman chuckled softly again and said, "That's true."
As soon as she finished speaking, she actually raised her hand and removed the veil.
The soft sunlight filtered through the gaps in the branches and leaves, like tiny streams of color, reflecting on her fair and smooth face. Upon seeing her appearance, Wen Chaoyu was shocked, and Ye Zhilan and Ji Wanshu also widened their eyes in surprise.
The three of them fell silent at the same time, while the Yunhua Palace disciples behind them kept exclaiming in surprise.
"Look! That really is Uncle Shen!"
"It really is her!"
"Ten years have passed, and Uncle Shen hasn't changed at all!"
...
"Uncle Man was right after all," Ye Zhilan exclaimed with delight. "Uncle Shen! It really is you!"
The veil fluttered to the ground, and the woman, looking relaxed, said, "Do you believe me now?"
Despite her turbulent emotions, Wen Chaoyu had no choice but to believe it. She stared intently at the woman, and after much doubt, she said, "You really are still alive."
The woman said, "I never said I was dead."
To everyone's surprise, Yunhua Palace had not spread false information this time, but had actually found Shen Mandong. Wen Chaoyu knew that Nangong Min's plan had failed. Not only had he failed to kill anyone from Yunhua Palace, but he had also lost many of his subordinates and had been exposed by Shen Mandong herself. It was truly a laughing stock and a huge loss of face.
Now that Shen Mandong has shown herself, does she really have the Holy Sword in her possession?
While the Yunhua disciples were still excited, Wen Chaoyu cautiously glanced back and, seeing that his subordinates had begun to withdraw in an orderly manner, questioned, "Is the Holy Sword in your hands?"
The woman nodded: "It's with me, but you're seriously injured right now, so I'm afraid you won't be able to take it back."
Wen Chaoyu gritted her teeth secretly, then put on her usual smile and said, "Now that things have come to this, it's a good thing that Junior Sister Shen is still alive. Since these two juniors are here, why don't you hurry back and see the child? I won't stay any longer so as not to disturb your reunion."
Hearing that she meant she wanted to escape, Ji Wanshu immediately shouted, "You're like a trapped beast, trying to leave?"
Wen Chaoyu looked at her with a grin and said, "What else can I do if I don't leave? Go to Yunhua Palace for tea with you all?"
Ji Wanshu had a big argument with her parents just two days ago because of her. Now, seeing her, he was still angry and said coldly, "Do you think you can leave so easily if you don't explain things clearly?"
Ye Zhilan followed up, "That's right. How did you know we would be meeting Uncle Shen in Jincheng? Seeing that you came prepared and even brought a fake Uncle Shen, you clearly knew what we were going to do from the beginning. Who informed you?"
It should be noted that only she, Xie Yijun, and Man Jiangxue knew about the matter of meeting Shen Mandong. Even Ji Wanshu only found out about it recently. How come the Ziwei Sect seems to know more about it than they do?
Wen Chaoyu chuckled softly, shrugged, and said, "I really don't know how to evaluate you. It's all over the martial arts world that Yunhua obtained Shen Mandong and the Holy Sword, and our Ziwei Sect took action. Is that so hard to understand?"
"Even so, you came directly to Jincheng. Didn't you receive accurate information beforehand?"
"What are you saying? My Ziwei Sect isn't just sitting around doing nothing. Once you've gone down the mountain, it won't be hard to find out where you are. There's no need to overcomplicate things."
Ye Zhilan looked surprised.
Ji Wanshu shifted her gaze to Ye Zhilan and asked, "What's wrong?"
Ye Zhilan hesitated and said, "Not many people know about this matter. I thought I had kept it completely secret, but I didn't expect it to have spread throughout the martial arts world so far."
What exactly happened? Could someone have leaked the information?
“I admit defeat this time,” Wen Chaoyu said. “But if you want to get any information out of me, I advise you to save your energy. Instead of asking me here, you should go back and ask your sect leader, Xie Yijun, what her intentions were in arranging this whole thing.”
“Even if it is as you say, you cannot leave,” Ye Zhilan said. “Your subordinates have all left, and now you are powerless to fight back. Ten years ago you hid in the palace as an undercover agent, and today we cannot let you go so easily.”
After speaking, Ye Zhilan was about to go up and capture Wen Chaoyu. Ji Wanshu had wanted to capture her for many years, but her master was still her master. Although Ji Wanshu was the chief disciple with the highest skill level, she was still not good enough to compete with Wen Chaoyu. Now that she had such a good opportunity, she would not let go easily.
The two women moved together and approached Wen Chaoyu. Wen Chaoyu knew that she was no match for them, so she did not struggle and waited generously for them to tie her up. But then Shen Mandong, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly said, "Wait, let her go."
Upon hearing this, both of the younger generation were taken aback.
"Release them?" Ji Wanshu asked first.
"Let her go." Shen Mandong nodded.
"How... how can we release her?" Ye Zhilan asked, puzzled. "Uncle-Master Shen, the destruction of Ruyi Sect back then was inextricably linked to her. If she hadn't secretly tipped us off, how could Ziwei Sect have so easily attacked Liucang Mountain? This person has committed numerous evils, and Master has repeatedly ordered us to capture her. Isn't this a good opportunity for you to take revenge? What do you mean by releasing her?"
Shen Mandong didn't answer, but instead pulled Wen Chaoyu behind her and said, "Go back and tell Nangong Min that the Holy Sword is with me. If she wants it, she'll have to exchange it for her life."
Wen Chaoyu was clearly not expected that she would let him go, and said with a forced smile, "It's just a sword. Even if you refuse to return it, she wouldn't be stupid enough to give you her life."
Shen Mandong said, "This is not something you should be thinking about. You just need to tell Nangong Min everything that happened today, and the rest is none of your business."
Wen Chaoyu tentatively took a few steps back and said, "Are you really going to let me go?"
"Otherwise what?" Shen Mandong smiled kindly. "Do you want to come with us to Yunhua Palace for tea?"
Ji Wanshu was about to explode and was about to stop her, but Shen Mandong waved her hand and said, "Let her go. You don't need to worry about how to explain to Senior Sister Xie. I'll take care of everything."
After hesitating for a moment, Ji Wanshu had no choice but to endure it.
Wen Chaoyu slung the broadsword at her waist, then cautiously took a few steps back. Seeing that the three men didn't seem to intend to stop her, she turned and ran away without looking back.
·
"You two come with me." After watching Wen Chaoyu disappear, Shen Mandong walked into the depths of the forest on her own.
Ji Wanshu was furious that Wen Chaoyu had gotten away so easily. Her face was ashen. Ye Zhilan knew that she was upset, so she had no choice but to drag Ji Wanshu to catch up with Shen Mandong.
The trees were scattered, and the mountain wind carried snow. The disciples who remained in place gradually blurred into a blur of shadows due to the distance. Shen Mandong looked back and then stopped, choosing a large tree to shield herself, and asked, "Does anyone else know about what happened today?"
Ji Wanshu was angry and didn't want to reply to her, so Ye Zhilan said, "Besides Master and Uncle Man, only the disciples who accompanied us knew, but they didn't know that we came to pick you up. As for Junior Sister Ji, she only found out just now."
After a moment of contemplation, Shen Mandong said, "No, besides the person you just mentioned, there should be others who know."
Ye Zhilan asked, "What makes you say that, Uncle Shen?"
“I ordered the news in the martial arts world to be spread,” Shen Mandong said. “But I didn’t tell anyone that I was coming to Jincheng. They must have received a secret report beforehand, which is why they deliberately passed through this place, hoping to take the opportunity to kill you.”
Ye Zhilan asked in surprise, "The message you released?"
"Let's leave that aside for now," Shen Mandong looked at her, "Are you sure you didn't tell anyone else besides your accompanying disciples that you were coming to Jincheng?"
Ye Zhilan said seriously, "Indeed, no."
Shen Mandong said, "Then we need to investigate this group of disciples to see if there are any suspicious individuals."
Ye Zhilan felt alarmed and thought to herself, "The disciples accompanying me this time were all personally selected by me. They all have clean backgrounds and have been raised in the palace since childhood. There shouldn't be any problems."
“Wen Chaoyu lied before,” Shen Mandong said calmly, without a trace of a smile. “Nangong Min sent her to Jincheng, which was obviously at someone’s behest. I guess Nangong Min’s plan was to have Wen Chaoyu deliberately show up with a fake Shen Mandong so that they could confront you and then wipe you out. However, she didn’t expect that Shen Mandong was really still alive. So this time, Wen Chaoyu fell into our trap and lost both her wife and her army.”
Ji Wanshu was extremely annoyed and said coldly, "Then why did you release the news? Just to lure them here?" Before Shen Mandong could answer, she continued, "Admittedly, Nangong Min miscalculated and didn't expect you to show up, but we didn't gain anything either. We didn't kill many of the Ziwei Sect villains, and we let Wen Chaoyu go. What are you thinking? This whole thing looks like child's play, a joke."
Her tone was harsh and her attitude was somewhat rude, so Ye Zhilan immediately patted Ji Wanshu, signaling her to control her emotions.
Ji Wanshu felt indignant and snorted coldly.
“The reason for releasing this information is to attract Nangong Min’s attention,” Shen Mandong said. “She has been investigating the whereabouts of the Holy Sword for ten years. Upon hearing this, she will definitely want to find out the truth. My purpose in doing this is not to strike at the Ziwei Sect, but to find out who the spies in the palace are.”
Now it seems that someone pointed out the road to Jincheng to Nangong Min, which means that there were indeed spies from the Ziwei Sect in Yunhua Palace.
"According to you," Ji Wanshu stared at Shen Mandong, "this was all your doing? You've already met with the sect leader and Uncle Man?"
What a joke! These three people met in private early this morning and conspired to stage this farce in order to expose the traitor in the palace. But so far, apart from letting Nangong Min know that Shen Mandong and the Holy Sword have indeed appeared in the world, they haven't even touched the shadow of the traitor. They've made a big fuss for several days, and this is the result?
Ji Wanshu grew angrier the more she thought about it, and sneered: "I don't have your high level of awareness, nor do I care about anything else. I only know that Wen Chaoyu should not have been let go. Even if she had been kept, those followers would have reported what happened today to Nangong Min. Once the duck that was in our hands has flown away, it won't be so easy to catch it again!"
Ye Zhilan said helplessly, "Junior Sister Ji, calm down. Plans can't keep up with changes, and there will always be unexpected complications. Didn't Uncle Shen say that their actions were to find out the spies in the palace? Now they have made some progress. As long as they investigate among those who know about this matter, they should be able to find the person soon. As for Wen Chaoyu, she is Nangong Min's capable subordinate. With her personally going back to report, her words are certainly more credible than those of the cultists."
"So what?" Ji Wanshu said, "Even if Nangong Min knows that Uncle Shen is alive and that the news about the Holy Sword is true, what good will it do?"
Ye Zhilan moved her lips, about to offer her her own explanation, when Shen Mandong interrupted, "Of course it's useful."
Ji Wanshu had no lingering affection for Shen Mandong, and now that she had let Wen Chaoyu go, he felt even less favor towards her. He couldn't help but sneer, "She can't just obediently hand over her life to you in exchange for that broken sword."
“She would naturally not do that,” Shen Mandong said, “but doing so would put her in a passive position.”
Ji Wanshu paused for a moment: "What do you mean?"
"Because Shen Mandong is fake, and the Holy Sword is fake too."
Ji Wanshu was taken aback, and Ye Zhilan also looked puzzled upon hearing this. The two of them said in unison, "...Fake?"
Then Shen Mandong slowly raised her hand, touched the corner of her jaw, and gently pinched a slightly wrinkled piece of skin with her fingertips. Under the increasingly magnified gazes of the two, with a "hiss," a human skin mask as thin as a cicada's wing was instantly peeled off her face, revealing another completely different and beautiful face.
Upon seeing what the face looked like, Ji Wanshu's anger vanished instantly, leaving her stunned on the spot.
"Master Man?!" Ye Zhilan, usually composed and dignified, couldn't help but lose her composure at this moment. "What... what exactly happened?"
Man Jiangxue glanced at them, lowered her head, tucked the mask into her sleeve, and said, "As you can see, I won't explain any further."
Ji Wanshu's expression was strange, and she hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "...Why didn't you say so earlier?" If she had known earlier that the Shen Mandong in front of her was actually Man Jiangxue in disguise, she wouldn't have vented her resentment on her, no matter how much she resentment she had.
“Let’s go back to the palace first,” Man Jiangxue said calmly. “After we get back, we will keep an eye on all the disciples who accompanied us. I will not travel with you. I have other things to do. Let’s set off as soon as possible.”
After saying that, she took her sword and left without paying any attention to the reactions of the two juniors.
Ji Wanshu and Ye Zhilan stared at each other for a while, still unable to come to their senses.
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