Chapter 57
"It's getting late, let's rest here and continue our journey at dawn tomorrow."
On the rugged and winding mountain road, a caravan drove into the depths of the forest and chose a flat spot to stop.
Several female disciples dismounted, tied their horses to nearby tree trunks, gathered some branches, and started a bonfire to keep warm. They sat down on the ground, drinking water and eating around the fire.
"Is there any dry food left? Send some to the person in the car," a female disciple said.
“Giving her to us wouldn’t be enough to feed us,” another female disciple said. “We’re in the middle of nowhere, and it would take us at least two or three days to find an innkeeper. Besides, she doesn’t appreciate our kindness, so why should we bother with her?”
“That’s true. The rations we gave her before were all thrown away,” the female disciple said. “Never mind her. Everyone should get some rest. She’ll tell us when she’s hungry.”
The group exchanged a few words in hushed tones, quickly ate their fill, and then huddled together to sleep.
Hearing that the commotion outside had subsided, Ding Lianzhen moved very carefully, lifted the carriage curtain to look around, and saw that the female disciples had all fallen asleep. Only then did she take a slender hairpin from her hair and start fiddling with the shackles on her ankles.
The iron chain was cold, the keyhole was narrow, and the hairpin was a bit too thick, making it difficult to open. Ding Lianzhen held her breath and fiddled with the keyhole for a while without success. Anger rose in her heart, and she lost her patience, so she threw the hairpin out the window.
She sat quietly in the car for a while, and seeing that the night outside was still dark, she was unwilling to give up, so she grabbed the shackles with one hand and held onto the car wall with the other and slowly stood up.
Step by step, she moved out of the carriage. The female disciples were exhausted from traveling these past few days and were already fast asleep. Ding Lianzhen held her breath, glanced at them, and carefully jumped out of the carriage. She then quietly hid behind the carriage and listened to the sounds around her.
There was no one passing through the mountains and forests, only the howling cold wind. Ding Lianzhen was on edge, and she broke out in a cold sweat. She peeked at the female disciples again and found that they hadn't noticed her. She then took a few steps back with courage, intending to run away.
However, before she could turn around, she suddenly bumped into something on her back. Startled, Ding Lianzhen quickly turned around and saw a blurry figure standing in front of her, looking at her without saying a word.
In the deep darkness of the night, the man was about the same height as her, and his entire body was wrapped tightly in a large black robe. The brim of his hat hung low, completely obscuring his face, making it impossible to see his features.
In his hand, he also held a slender hairpin.
Ding Lianzhen was startled and almost cried out, but hurriedly steadied herself.
It was the uninvited guest who spoke first, lowering his voice and saying, "Don't panic, don't let them hear."
Even though he deliberately changed his voice, Ding Lianzhen still recognized a hint of familiarity. She quickly calmed down, sized him up for a moment, and asked, "Who are you?"
The man did not answer, but turned to the side and said, "This is not a place for conversation."
After saying that, he walked into the dark forest on his own. Ding Lianzhen looked back, thought for a moment, and then immediately followed.
The two walked one after the other, their steps very light. Before long, they were far away from the carriage. Ding Lianzhen, dragging the iron chain, hid behind a tree and hurriedly asked, "Who are you?"
The man didn't speak, but moved closer to Ding Lianzhen, suddenly raised his hand and lifted the brim of his hat, revealing a handsome face.
The man looked young, wearing a plain-colored long robe with a round neck and narrow sleeves under his black robe. At first glance, he appeared neither male nor female, making it difficult to determine his gender.
Upon seeing the person's face, Ding Lianzhen was stunned and couldn't help but raise her voice: "It's you?"
The young master grunted in agreement, then frowned: "Don't be so startled, keep your voice down."
Ding Lianzhen scrutinized him for a moment, then asked curiously, "What are you doing here?"
The young master said, "Of course I came to find you."
Ding Lianzhen's expression changed, and she immediately said defensively, "I've already obediently set off on my way, what else is there to worry about? Did you really need to come and kill me yourself?"
"Did I say I came here to kill you?" The young master stood with his hands behind his back, his tone indifferent. "Your crime doesn't warrant death, and you have no grudge against me. Why would I kill you?"
Ding Lianzhen asked suspiciously, "Then what do you want to do?"
“If you go to Tianchi, you may never come back,” the young master said. “Can you swallow this insult?”
“Of course I couldn’t stand it,” Ding Lianzhen said without hesitation, “otherwise I wouldn’t have tried to run away just now.”
The young master glanced at her twice and said in an unquestionable tone, "Give up. You can't escape. Even if you do, Yunhua Palace won't let you go."
Ding Lianzhen sneered: "The world is vast, and I can find refuge anywhere. Yunhua Palace won't catch me so easily."
The young master also sneered: "You are too confident. I can make a scene right now and have them tie you up. You will have no chance to escape from here on out."
Ding Lianzhen gritted her teeth, her eyes flashing with a fierce light: "Stop talking nonsense, what exactly is your purpose?"
"I'll only ask you one question," the young master said, "Do you hate Man Jiangxue?"
Ding Lianzhen's eyes flickered slightly as she glanced at him. "How could I dare to hate her? She's a high and mighty martial aunt. Do I have the guts?"
"You only need to answer whether you hate or not hate."
Ding Lianzhen hesitated for a moment, then frowned and said, "Of course I hate her! If it weren't for her, would I have ended up in this state?"
“Alright,” the young master said, “then let me ask you again, do you want revenge?”
revenge?
Ding Lianzhen paused: "What do you mean?"
“If you don’t want to stay in Tianchi for the rest of your life, then listen to me,” the young master said. “I will secretly transfer you away and give you a chance to take revenge, but on the condition that you behave yourself and do not run away again.”
Ding Lianzhen asked in confusion, "You want to help me?" She pondered for a moment, then asked, "Your rank in the palace is not low, what benefit would you get from doing this?"
The young master scoffed, "What do you think about me calling Man Jiangxue by her full name?"
Ding Lianzhen suddenly realized: "You have a grudge against her?"
The young master did not answer: "Don't ask what you shouldn't ask. I won't tell you right now. Just state whether you are willing to follow my arrangements."
Ding Lianzhen paused for a moment, then said in a slightly somber tone, “Man Jiangxue is not easy to deal with. No matter how high your rank is, you are still no match for her. Besides, I am going to Tianchi this time, and I may have a chance to come back in three years. If you ask me to cooperate with you, it will be a dead end if something goes wrong. What if I am not willing?”
Before she could finish speaking, a cold glint flashed before her eyes, and a touch of coldness pressed against her neck, instantly spreading an invisible killing intent.
"Then I'll kill you right now."
Ding Lianzhen lowered her eyes and looked at the long sword, her heart sinking.
“You only have this one choice,” the young master said. “You already know that I’m going to deal with Man Jiangxue, and you also know who I am. If you’re unwilling, then I’ll have no choice but to kill you to silence you, understand?”
A cold wind swept by, drying the cold sweat from before. Ding Lianzhen couldn't help but shiver. At that moment, she suddenly remembered something and said with an unfriendly expression, "Did you make that mask?"
The young master's lips curved slightly: "Not bad."
"So you're a spy for the Ziwei Cult," Ding Lianzhen said, a hint of anger in her voice. "You chose me from the very beginning."
The young master said in a calm tone: "You can only blame yourself for bringing trouble upon yourself."
"You—!" Ding Lianzhen roared in fury, "Shameless!"
The young master laughed: "We're both equally bad, you're no better than me." His eyes were sharp as he stared intently at Ding Lianzhen. "My patience is limited. You'd better make a decision sooner rather than later."
Although Ding Lianzhen was furious, the knife was already at her neck, leaving her no choice but to resist. Even if she attracted the female disciples to come and help her out, she could still be secretly killed by him on the way to Tianchi. If she didn't agree to his request, she would die either way.
But as angry as she was, it had nothing to do with this person that she ended up like this. After all, the mask incident hadn't affected her much. In the end, it was Man Jiangxue who had harmed her.
After much deliberation, Ding Lianzhen made up her mind and said resolutely, "Fine, I promise you, I'll do anything to help me leave Tianchi!"
Seeing that she had agreed, the young master chuckled and withdrew his hand: "Then listen carefully, from now on you will obediently stay at Tianchi. At most a year or two, I will be able to let you return to Yunhua Palace. I will tell you what to do then."
As the sword blade left, Ding Lianzhen secretly breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.
“You better not try anything funny with me. I have a hundred ways to kill you,” the young master said. “Once my identity is revealed, you won’t live either.”
Ding Lianzhen's expression was gloomy. Although she was disgusted by his coercion, she still honestly said, "Don't worry, I understand."
“Now, go back to the carriage,” the young master said, throwing the hairpin in his hand at Ding Lianzhen. “I have made arrangements at Tianchi. No one will neglect you. But if you change your mind during this time, those people can take your life at any time. I advise you to be sensible.”
After saying this, he adjusted his black robe to cover his body again and left.
Ding Lianzhen held the hairpin, stood there for a while with hatred in her eyes, and then tiptoed back into the carriage.
·
As the night passed, the heavy rain in Hezhou City stopped, and night fell once again.
After dinner, Yin Qiu took a bath with the help of several maids, changed into clean clothes, and went to bed early to prepare for sleep.
As soon as she got into bed, she pulled the blanket over herself completely and didn't say a word. Even when the maids chatted with her in soft voices, Yin Qiu didn't react at all.
Since her conversation with Nangong Min last night, Yin Qiu has been confined to this palace and hasn't gone out all day. Nangong Min hasn't come to visit her either. Yin Qiu is unhappy and has no mood to get along with these female servants, so she can't be bothered with them.
One by one, the lamps in the hall were extinguished, leaving only one for illumination. The maids withdrew from the room one by one. Yin Qiu listened intently until there was no more noise around him. He then took out the money pouch belonging to Man Jiangxue from his bosom, touched it, smelled it, and played with it for a while with a sullen expression. Finally, he put the money pouch back in his pocket, closed his eyes, and went to sleep.
Even with the doors and windows tightly closed, the howling wind could still be heard outside. Yin Qiu soon felt sleepy and lay on the bed, her consciousness gradually fading. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she suddenly heard a piercing loud noise outside the window, "Crack!" It sounded like someone had smashed something, accompanied by the sound of splashing water.
Yin Qiu was in a daze when the sound startled her. Before she could fully wake up, the sound started again, one after another, dense and abrupt, scattering outside and breaking the tranquility of the night.
This startled Yin Qiu awake. She hurriedly sat up, turned her head to look out the window, and before she could figure out what was happening, she saw tiny lights suddenly appear outside the window paper, moving closer and closer, like a rain of fire rushing towards the courtyard.
What is it?
As Yin Qiu was wondering, the dense flames suddenly enlarged and were right in front of him in the blink of an eye. They slammed into the doors and windows with a "thud," leaving long, thin black shadows swaying.
In an instant, a large area of flames spread rapidly, and a raging fire broke out outside the house. The red light filled the sky and illuminated the entire building in an instant. A pungent smell of gunpowder and a strong smell of alcohol followed, irresistibly penetrating the hall and assaulting Yin Qiu's nostrils.
Yin Qiu was taken aback, quickly put on her shoes and got off the bed, hurriedly putting on her clothes.
"Fire! Put it out quickly!"
"Someone come here! Bring water!"
"Quickly! There's been a night attack! Report to the leader immediately!"
...
Soon, shouts rang out from outside. Yin Qiu hurriedly dressed and ran to the door, pushing it a few times, but the palace door remained unmoved, clearly locked from the outside. Moreover, the maids at the door were nowhere to be seen, and no one paid any attention to her. Yin Qiu had no choice but to shout, "Is anyone there!"
However, the noise outside was too loud, and the believers were busy putting out the fire, so no one heard her cries for help. Yin Qiu had no choice but to turn around and run to the window, intending to climb out and escape.
However, Nangong Min had locked all the windows to prevent her from escaping. Yin Qiu ran around the hall for a while but couldn't open a single window. She noticed that the fire outside was getting more and more intense and that the stray arrows with sparks were still flying around. Yin Qiu couldn't help but feel anxious.
Is anyone there?
Fortunately, the palace doors were opened shortly afterward, and a maidservant called out from the doorway, "My lady? Come out quickly! There's a fire outside!"
Yin Qiu felt as if she had been granted a pardon and quickly ran towards her: "What happened?"
The maid grabbed Yin Qiu and ran while saying, "Just now, someone threw a lot of wine jars down from the top of the cliff and also fired arrows with fire. They wanted to burn down our Ziwei Sect! Young Master, hurry up and leave, it's dangerous here!"
Upon hearing this, Yin Qiu immediately stopped in his tracks.
Someone launched a night raid on the Ziwei Sect and used such a clever method to break in.
Could it be that her martial uncle came to save her?
Thinking of this, Yin Qiu was overjoyed. He immediately shook off the maid and ran off in the opposite direction without looking back.
The maid was shocked: "My lady? What are you doing!"
Yin Qiu ignored her voice and ran as fast as she could.
All around were raging fires, and the courtyard was in chaos. Everyone was carrying buckets of water to put out the fires. Yin Qiu's heart was pounding, and her face was full of excitement.
It must have been my martial uncle who ordered the fire; he's coming to save her! If she doesn't run now, when will she?
The maid had never learned martial arts, and even though Yin Qiu was only a beginner, it was not difficult for her to shake off the maid. Yin Qiu hadn't run for long before she left her far behind. At this moment, no one was paying attention to catching her, so it was a good opportunity to hide in the chaos. Yin Qiu jumped down the stone steps, left the corridor, and rushed to a thick maple tree with a clear goal. She crouched down, clutching her chest, and hid herself in the dim light.
Before she could catch her breath, a hand suddenly grabbed her by the back of her collar and lifted Yin Qiu up.
"Trying to run?"
Yin Qiu was pulled by the collar and immediately began to gag. Nangong Min snorted coldly in her ear and dragged her into the corridor.
Arrows streaked by like fireworks in broad daylight, continuing to rain down upon them. Nangong Min, holding Yin Qiu in one arm, lightly dodged the arrows with a light touch of his toes.
"Let go of me!" Yin Qiu's breath hitched, her face flushed red.
Nangong Min ignored her and rushed out of the area along the long corridor, heading straight for the Magnolia Palace.
"Lock her in the dark room." As soon as he landed, Nangong Min threw one of Yin Qiuchao's subordinates at him.
Yin Qiu was extremely anxious and struggled violently: "Let me go! I want to see my martial uncle!"
Nangong Min glanced at her, said nothing, and walked out of the hall. Several guardians also hurriedly came over.
Yin Qiu bit down on the wrist of the subordinate who was holding her, causing the subordinate to cry out in pain and immediately pull his hand back.
Seeing this, Yin Qiu turned and ran, disregarding the fire and arrows, rushing into the courtyard in a panic, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Uncle-Master! I'm here!"
Upon hearing her voice, Nangong Min's face darkened, and he immediately drew his long sword and lunged at Yin Qiu.
Those arrows were fired from high above, so there was no pattern to them. As Yin Qiu charged in, he became a sitting duck and was almost injured by the arrows several times. Nangong Min, with a stern face, grabbed Yin Qiu by the waist and swung his sword to cut the stray arrows. He then carried Yin Qiu back into the hall.
"Are you out of your mind?" Nangong Min's expression was unfriendly. "Stay put!"
Yin Qiu cried out in desperation, "Let me go! I don't want to stay here!"
Nangong Min had lost his patience and said coldly, "It's not up to you!"
After he finished speaking, several subordinates quickly stepped forward and restrained Yin Qiu. Without saying a word, they took her away from the Jade Orchid Palace and locked her up in a dark underground room.
"Master!"
Just as Yin Qiu and the others had left, Qin Zheng arrived with two protectors, followed closely by Wen Chaoyu.
Looking at the scene in mid-air, Nangong Min sneered, "Was it Yunhua Palace who did this?"
Qin Zheng replied, "It's still unclear. The sect has been breached, and there are at least five hundred people who came, but none of them are wearing Yunhua Palace disciple robes, so we don't know where they came from."
Nangong Min looked at her: "Have you seen Man Jiangxue and Ji Wanshu?"
Qin Zheng shook her head: "I didn't see it."
“The two of them came down the mountain without bringing anyone with them,” Nangong Min pondered. “Could it be Yunhua Palace?”
But if it wasn't Yunhua Palace that did it, then who was it?
“Gather the followers immediately and kill them,” Nangong Min said. “We must not let them escape unscathed!”
Qin Zheng accepted the order and immediately led the two protectors away. Wen Chaoyu turned around as well, but Nangong Min called to her, "Come back."
Wen Chaoyu paused.
“Go and guard the dark room where Yin Qiu is being held,” Nangong Min said. “Once Man Jiangxue and Ji Wanshu show up, you must stop them.”
Wen Chaoyu frowned, clearly extremely unwilling.
Nangong Min said, "I know what you're thinking, but I made it very clear to you yesterday that if you show any mercy again, I will not tolerate you no matter what."
Wen Chaoyu glanced at her, bit her lip, and said, "I understand."
Author's Note: My martial uncle is coming!
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