Chapter 51
Man Jiangxue stood in front of Chenxing Palace, looking up at the bright moon in the night sky.
A cold wind, carrying frost, swept past her, tugging at the hem of her snow-white, soft skirt, causing it to sway gracefully in the air.
Colorful lanterns and red silks were hung everywhere in the palace, creating a festive atmosphere. In the distance, one could hear distant and ethereal laughter coming from other peaks. Only Jingyue Peak remained unadorned, unchanged from its original state.
Covered in frost, the main hall was unlit, with only a few lonely, dim lanterns floating in the corridor. Their light reflected on the snow-covered figure standing tall, creating an indescribable sense of desolation.
She had been standing there for quite some time.
A disciple of the secret guard flew down from the forest and said hesitantly, "Uncle-Master, the sect leader requests your presence at the Mingguang Hall. The New Year's Eve dinner is ready and we are waiting for you to take your seat."
Man Jiangxue did not reply.
Looking at the crescent moon, a bright and charming smiling face suddenly appeared before her eyes. Shen Mandong, heavily pregnant, had come down the mountain to Jingyue Peak, panting, and said to her, "Junior sister, you were too busy with official duties to attend my wedding. I'm due to give birth at the beginning of next month. You should at least come to see me that day, right?"
The scene suddenly shifts, and Ruyi Hall is engulfed in flames. Shen Mandong, dressed in blood, stands in the center of the fire, sword in hand, her expression one of despair and loneliness. Her lips move, but she says nothing.
But her eyes clearly conveyed—you still came, but you're too late.
The next moment, another childish face appeared before her. Yin Qiu happily threw herself into her arms and said, "Don't worry, Uncle-Master, I will definitely get a good ranking this time and have a good New Year with you."
Two similar faces kept flashing through her mind. Man Jiangxue frowned deeply, her gaze deep and unfathomable.
"Martial Aunt?" The guard looked at her, somewhat hesitantly. "If you don't want to go, I'll go and tell the sect leader right away."
Man Jiangxue sighed silently, pulling herself out of her heavy thoughts, and replied, "No need, I'll go over now. You can all go and rest too; you don't need to take turns on duty tonight."
The guard looked her over for a while, wanting to say something comforting, but he didn't know how to start, so he had to retreat.
The first day of the Lunar New Year should have been a good day, but Yin Qiu was kidnapped by the Ziwei Sect and her condition is still unknown. Man Jiangxue has barely slept these past two days and has lost her appetite.
That day, she chased after him relentlessly down the mountain from the disciples' courtyard, but she didn't see anyone suspicious along the way. When she arrived outside Shangyuan City, the disciples guarding the city followed her and searched all over the mountains and fields. In the end, they only found Ji Wanshu, who was poisoned and injured.
Ji Wanshu was already hallucinating due to the poison. She could not get a response when asked anything, and could only mumble some incoherent ramblings. She was mentally deranged, did not recognize her relatives, and mistook Man Jiangxue for Wen Chaoyu. She pestered her and fought a battle. In the end, she was exhausted and overwhelmed by the poison. She was unconscious for two days and two nights.
Because of Ji Wanshu's delay, it was too late to catch up. Although Man Jiangxue wanted to continue the chase, Ye Zhilan quickly arrived in the woods with Xie Yijun's message, telling Man Jiangxue not to chase anymore and to return to the palace to discuss countermeasures.
Until the message was delivered by the secret guard, Xie Yijun was unable to have a proper talk with Ji Wanshu because of the poison.
This completely eliminates any possibility of bringing Yin Qiu back.
·
When they arrived at Mingguang Hall, Xie Yijun had already been waiting inside for a long time.
Upon seeing Man Jiangxue appear outside the hall, Xie Yijun quickly instructed her disciples to bring the food and also prepared a lot of warm wine.
"You've finally arrived. I've reheated the dishes several times. Please have a seat."
Man Jiangxue took her seat, but looked at the dishes that were being served one by one with no interest.
She rarely drank alcohol, but this time she accepted the wine cup Xie Yijun offered and took a small sip.
"Let's eat something first before we talk," Xie Yijun said, picking out fish bones as she served the dishes. "Even if the sky falls, someone will hold it up. There's no rush. You haven't eaten anything for the past two days. If we're going to talk business, you have to eat first."
Man Jiangxue had no appetite at all; she didn't even want to pick up her chopsticks.
Ye Zhilan closed the palace doors from the outside and did not come in to sit with them, thus blocking out the cold wind. There were hardly any people inside or outside the palace, and instead of feeling any festive atmosphere, it felt cold and deserted.
Her gaze fell upon the table full of dishes, and Man Jiangxue immediately recognized which ones Yin Qiu loved to eat.
Sweet and sour pork ribs, steamed egg custard, lotus root dumplings, and Yin Qiu's favorite red bean soup.
If Yin Qiu were here, she would definitely serve all the dishes to Man Jiangxue first, and only after Man Jiangxue had tasted them would she pick up her chopsticks.
If nothing unexpected happens, this New Year's Eve dinner should be eaten by the two of them together.
Every year in the past, Xie Yijun would hold a grand banquet, inviting the elders of each peak to gather in the hall, drink and make merry. Man Jiangxue, on the other hand, would only come here to make a formality each time, and then return to Jingyue Peak alone.
This wasn't the first time she'd spent the Lunar New Year alone, but this year was more unsettling than ever before.
The window was half-closed, and by the moonlight outside, one could see that soft wisps of smoke swirled around the place, just like the flowing hair of Yin Qiu as she danced with her sword in the wind.
Looking at the smoke, Man Jiangxue recalled the first time she met Yin Qiu at Sangyu Mountain. Yin Qiu was lying on the couch in a daze, her eyes under her long eyelashes reflecting the faint candlelight.
I wonder how that child is doing at the Ziwei Sect. Is he getting enough to eat? Is he getting hot tea?
I don't know if her place is comfortable, if it's cold, or if she has a thick blanket at night.
Will she be able to sleep well in an unfamiliar environment? She'll probably have nightmares again, curled up in a ball in the dead of night, her eyes swollen from crying.
Man Jiangxue became increasingly agitated as she thought about it, her brows furrowing even deeper.
Seeing her unusually restless state, Xie Yijun couldn't help but sigh.
Since Ruyi Gate suffered a sudden disaster ten years ago and Shen Mandong disappeared without a trace, Xie Yijun has not seen Man Jiangxue so gloomy and melancholy for a long time.
Xie Yijun entered the palace early and was the first disciple her master took in. She watched Man Jiangxue grow up. Among all the fellow disciples, Man Jiangxue was the most low-key but also the most undeniable.
She was aloof and reserved, unlike Wen Chaoyu who loved to joke, or Shen Mandong who was lively and outgoing. She was always calm and rational. She was never timid or reserved when she needed to show her face, and she was never careless when she needed to be cautious. In fact, Man Jiangxue was the youngest junior sister among them, but over the years, she had played the role of an elder, silently protecting her senior sisters and Yunhua Palace from behind.
She even gave up her wish to travel the world and willingly concealed her talents to assist Xie Yijun, just to fulfill her master's dying request.
This person, who is usually calm and composed, seemingly untouched by the troubles of the world, is now restless and anxious because of a child. This is something Xie Yijun could never have imagined.
She never expected that Man Jiangxue would value Shen Mandong's daughter so much.
After all, Xie Yijun didn't have deep feelings for Shen Mandong, and in fact, she didn't care much about anyone else.
However, Xie Yijun could understand. When Man Jiangxue entered the palace, it was Shen Mandong and her master who personally came down the mountain to welcome her. For many years after that, Shen Mandong devoted herself to Man Jiangxue, taking care of her in every way and treating her like her own sister. Man Jiangxue disliked social interactions, but she always greeted Shen Mandong with a smile and listened to her in everything.
If Man Jiangxue had to say what she regretted most in her life, it would be that she didn't rush to Ruyi Gate to rescue Shen Mandong in time, and then Shen Mandong disappeared from her sight.
Now that history is repeating itself, and Yin Qiu has been kidnapped by the Ziwei Sect right under her nose once again, how could Man Jiangxue not be worried?
·
Despite the events of this year, the palace was still celebrating the New Year as usual, but everyone was holding their breath.
Firstly, he was worried about Yin Qiu's safety, and secondly, he was indignant about the arrogant behavior of the Ziwei Sect.
The Yunhua Palace is so large that thieves can come and go as they please. Not to mention what will be said outside, how can the disciples in the palace swallow this insult?
Seeing that Man Jiangxue hadn't touched her chopsticks, Xie Yijun didn't press her further. She tilted her head back and drank a cup of wine, saying in a deep voice, "Wan Shu's condition hasn't been very good these past two days. Fortunately, he's not in mortal danger. However, I've had people investigate, and Ding Lianzhen definitely hasn't left Tianyin Peak. And judging from what Wan Shu said in his sleep, it's certain that the one who came to the palace this time was Wen Chaoyu." As she spoke, she took out a mask from her sleeve and threw it in front of Man Jiangxue. "This was found by my disciples when they were investigating in the mountains. Take a look."
Man Jiangxue picked up the mask and looked at it, but didn't say anything for the time being.
“You and I both know how skilled Vice Elder Li of Wu Hui Peak is at disguise. I’ve already had him take a look,” Xie Yijun said. “He said the materials for this mask all came from the palace, and he made most of them himself. The fact that Wen Chaoyu was able to get these things means that someone in the palace helped her. It seems that besides the spy who committed suicide by poison last time, there are also people from the Ziwei Sect in the palace.”
After a moment of contemplation, Man Jiangxue spoke up: "All items related to disguise are under the jurisdiction of Vice Elder Li. Even if a disciple wants to take materials, he must give his consent and register them."
Xie Yijun said, "That's right, but Vice Elder Li had someone take inventory, and some of the materials were indeed missing, but no record was left."
In other words, someone secretly stole the materials for making the mask, without informing Vice Elder Li, and made a mask based on Ding Lianzhen's appearance, which was then given to Wen Chaoyu.
Who could it be?
There aren't many disciples at Wu Hui Peak, but almost all of them are skilled in both literature and martial arts, making them the group with the highest overall strength among the palace disciples. They don't usually concern themselves with palace affairs. However, once a disciple enters Wu Hui Peak, they are generally sent to the post stations in various prefectures to maintain local stability. Therefore, very few people are able to stay in the palace to work.
“Even so, it’s still difficult to investigate,” Xie Yijun said. “Although there are few people on Wu Hui Peak, there are no clues when we investigate deeply. The only person we can rule out right now is Huaiwei. She returned to the palace not long ago and was seriously injured by the Ziwei Sect. She is still recuperating in the Medical Pavilion and doesn’t leave the house. As for the others, we haven’t found anything suspicious about them in the past two days. It’s a bit difficult.”
Man Jiangxue paused for a moment, then said slowly, "We can investigate who the spy is later. The most important thing right now is how to rescue Yin Qiu."
Xie Yijun sighed again: "It's a case of reaping what you sow. We lifted a rock only to drop it on our own feet. We thought that by spreading the false news that the Holy Sword was in the palace, we could trace the clues and find the spies of the Ziwei Sect. But we didn't expect that Nangong Min would use this to outmaneuver us. She wants us to exchange the Holy Sword for the people, but where would we get the Holy Sword?"
Man Jiangxue asked, "Have you ever seen what that holy sword looks like?"
Xie Yijun's eyes flickered, and after thinking for a moment, she shook her head: "I've only heard my master mention it a little, saying how powerful the Holy Sword is, but she has never described what it looks like."
Upon hearing this, Man Jiangxue fell silent again.
Without the sword, Nangong Min will not release the person. But even if he really had the holy sword, Nangong Min might not necessarily keep his word. Now it is impossible to do as Nangong Min wishes, so we can only rely on our own abilities to snatch Yin Qiu back.
“Even if you have the sword, I won’t give it to you,” Man Jiangxue said coldly, her expression unfriendly. “The Ruyi Sect suffered countless casualties, which are not as bad as that broken sword. If Wen Chaoyu can come to my Yunhua Palace, I should also go to the Ziwei Sect.”
Hearing her say this, Xie Yijun was taken aback: "You're going to the Ziwei Sect to snatch someone away?"
Man Jiangxue's face turned cold: "Why not?"
Xie Yijun frowned and said, "Nonsense, why have you become so impulsive? No matter how high your martial arts are, the Ziwei Sect is not an easy place to enter. Moreover, Nangong Min must have strengthened her defenses and set up many traps. If you go there rashly, you will only fall into her trap."
“We can’t wait any longer,” Man Jiangxue suddenly stood up. “Ten years ago I couldn’t protect my senior sister, and ten years later I absolutely cannot let Yin Qiu get into trouble too.”
Seeing that she was about to leave after saying this, Xie Yijun had no choice but to shout angrily, "Jiang Xue! You stop right there!"
Man Jiangxue ignored him and had already walked out of Mingguang Hall. Xie Yijun quickly flew in front of her and said patiently, "Even if we're going to snatch her, we need to come up with a foolproof plan first. Besides, although Yin Qiu has arrived at Ziwei Sect, Nangong Min might not necessarily make things difficult for her. You're just making wild guesses. Maybe that child is unharmed in Ziwei Sect and is even living a carefree life. That's where her father was! How could Nangong Min mistreat her?"
Man Jiangxue said, "I really don't know if she will mistreat Yin Qiu, but we can't just leave Yin Qiu to fend for herself."
Xie Yijun rarely saw her so anxious, so she could only try her best to comfort her, saying, "No one said we should ignore her. Let's wait and see. Let's think of a solution first."
Two days have passed. If they could have come up with a solution, they would have done so by now. Since they don't have the Holy Sword, the only viable option now is to go to the Ziwei Sect and snatch the person away.
Man Jiangxue had made up her mind, but seeing Xie Yijun's repeated obstruction, she knew she would not agree. After thinking for a while, Man Jiangxue calmed down and said in a low voice, "Then allow me to go back to Jingyue Peak and think it over carefully. I will come to discuss it with you again tomorrow."
Xie Yijun observed her for a moment, and seeing that her expression had softened, she nodded and said, "That's fine then. I'll think about it some more tonight, and we can talk about it again tomorrow."
Man Jiangxue nodded slightly, and Xie Yijun continued, "Don't worry too much. No matter what, we must save them, but we must not act rashly. If you have any ideas, remember to discuss them with me first before making a decision, understand?"
Man Jiangxue replied, "Okay."
After their conversation ended, the two went their separate ways. Man Jiangxue returned to Jingyue Peak, took off her white dress, changed into a plain black robe, extinguished the candles in the hall, closed the gates of Chenxing Palace, and prepared to descend the mountain.
However, as she turned around, she saw a slender figure standing under the maple tree, casting an expectant gaze at her.
"Uncle-Master".
Upon recognizing the person, Man Jiangxue appeared slightly surprised: "What are you doing here?"
Ji Wanshu leaned against the tree trunk, her face still somewhat pale. She approached Man Jiangxue with unsteady steps and said, "I'll go with you."
Man Jiangxue frowned: "No, your injuries haven't healed yet."
“It’s just a minor injury,” Ji Wanshu said firmly. “I was with you when we brought Yin Qiu back, so I should be with you now. Besides, it was my fault that I couldn’t stop Wen Chaoyu from saving Yin Qiu that day.”
Man Jiangxue fell silent for a moment, then looked at her and asked, "Can you hold on?"
Ji Wanshu nodded: "I'm just a little weak, nothing serious. Don't worry, Uncle-Master, I will never be a burden to you."
After thinking for a while, Man Jiangxue finally agreed, "Alright."
Ji Wanshu's eyes lit up: "Thank you, Martial Uncle."
Without another word, the two used their lightness skills to fly into the maple forest and headed down the mountain along the deserted path.
After they left, another blurry figure appeared at the corner behind the main hall.
The man was hidden in the darkness, his appearance obscured. All that could be seen was that he was dressed in the robes of a palace disciple and was not particularly tall. He concealed his movements and silently watched as Man Jiangxue and Ji Wanshu's figures gradually disappeared into the distance.
Once the two men had completely disappeared, he adjusted his robe and turned to leave.
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