Chapter 8
"Meng Jing!"
Yin Qiu shouted and ran towards Meng Jing, but suddenly a rope came out of the shadows beside Meng Jing and wrapped around Yin Qiu's neck, pulling her over.
In a flash, Man Jiangxue threw her dagger, cutting the rope with perfect accuracy. At the same time, she grabbed Yin Qiu's waist and pulled her back in an instant.
The dagger seemed to possess a spirit, and in the next moment it flew towards its master again. Man Jiangxue raised her hand to catch it, her gaze fixed on the shadow, and her tone was slightly somber: "Come out."
Before seeing her, one could hear her voice. A low chuckle was heard, and a woman dressed in dark blue coarse clothes and wearing a bamboo hat slowly walked out.
Upon seeing the large knife the man was carrying, Yin Qiu was startled and whispered to Man Jiangxue, "It's the same person who blocked our way that day!"
The woman smiled slightly, looked at the two of them, and said, "Ah, we meet again."
He was Wen Chaoyu, one of the four protectors of the Ziwei Sect.
Upon seeing it was her, Man Jiangxue's expression softened somewhat, but she still said coldly, "It's you again, you persistent ghost."
“Manjiangxue, Manjiangxue,” Wen Chaoyu sighed softly, reaching out to press Meng Jing’s head, “Even you have learned to lie without batting an eye.”
Knowing what she meant, Man Jiangxue gripped the dagger and said calmly, "You should be glad I let you go."
Wen Chaoyu stared at her with interest and said, "You're smart enough to use Wan Shu to pressure me, but I've already found out that she stayed in Yaoding City with a boy of unknown origin and didn't follow you. You can't stop me this time."
"Speaking of which, who is this person?" Wen Chaoyu glanced at Meng Jing. "It's such a hassle for you to go out of your way to find him."
"Give the person back." Man Jiangxue didn't want to say anything more to her.
“No problem,” Wen Chaoyu said, his gaze falling on Yin Qiu, “but you have to exchange her for her.”
With a "whoosh," Man Jiangxue extended the dagger, revealing the true form of the Frost Condensation Sword, and calmly said, "Enough with the idle talk, let's go or not."
Knowing Man Jiangxue as she did, Wen Chaoyu knew that Man Jiangxue's actions meant there was no possibility of negotiation. However, Wen Chaoyu just smiled and said, "I know I am no match for you, so I fed this child poison. I hid the antidote somewhere else. If you kill me, he will die too."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jing's pupils contracted, and he began to struggle violently again.
“In other words,” Wen Chaoyu added, “as long as you return our Ziwei Sect’s young leader to me, someone will deliver the antidote to you after we leave.”
From the moment Wen Chaoyu first appeared, Yin Qiu had a bad impression of her. Now, upon hearing that she had poisoned Meng Jing, she couldn't help but angrily say, "You, you're a bad person! I won't go with you!"
Wen Chaoyu looked at her with utmost gentleness: "How could that be? I'm not a bad person. I'm very close to your father. Logically speaking, my relationship with you is even closer than that of the person next to you."
She was actually her father's good friend? Yin Qiu was surprised at first, but then calmed down.
"You're talking nonsense!" Yin Qiu shrank behind Man Jiangxue, peeking out and glaring at her. "My martial aunt and my mother are fellow disciples, many people can testify to that. Your words have no credibility, don't lie to me!"
Wen Chaoyu's eyes flickered slightly, as if she was surprised that Yin Qiu was so young yet so thoughtful. She then showed a hurt expression and said, "Come with me to the Ziwei Sect. There are many people there who can testify for me. Then you'll know whether what I said is true or false."
Yin Qiu said, "You are indiscriminately killing innocent people everywhere; you are bad people! I only like my martial uncle, not you!"
Wen Chaoyu was both amused and exasperated by her scolding: "You're quite the smooth talker, just like your father. But if we're talking about killing people, let me tell you, the number of people your favorite martial aunt has killed is probably more than the entire Ziwei Sect. Do you believe me?"
Yin Qiu, of course, didn't believe her and covered her ears, saying, "I don't want to hear you speak!"
·
There was no tense standoff. Man Jiangxue remained calm about what she had just said, only frowning slightly: "You called her the Little Sect Leader?"
Wen Chaoyu said, "If the sect leader wants to take her back and adopt her as his daughter, he will naturally raise her to be the future sect leader."
“Absurd,” Man Jiangxue scoffed. “Yin Xuan is just an ordinary believer. How could Nangong Min possibly regard his daughter as his own?”
“I can’t guess what the leader is thinking,” Wen Chaoyu said. “But don’t forget, Yin Xuan is my leader’s sworn brother, and that’s exactly what she said. But the truth is irrelevant right now. Man Jiangxue, make the decision.”
Man Jiangxue said indifferently, "I'll say it again: if you want to die in front of Wan Shu, I have no objection."
Wen Chaoyu laughed again, her expression somewhat amused: "Stop playing these pretentious tricks. Although I can't beat you, I won't die at your hands."
Man Jiangxue had no more patience for verbal exchanges with her and was about to make a move when she suddenly paused, looked behind Wen Chaoyu, and said with a smile, "Is that so?"
Noticing her sudden display of confidence, Wen Chaoyu became suspicious. The next moment, she felt a gust of wind rushing towards her back. Her expression changed, and without hesitation, she grabbed Meng Jing and darted to the side.
A silver-white sword light followed closely, carrying a strong killing intent. In the blink of an eye, it was upon her. Wen Chaoyu dodged again, moving Meng Jing in front of her as a shield. She smiled slightly at the suddenly appearing woman in green and said, "Miscalculation. You really did come along."
Just a hair's breadth away, the sword tip was about to pierce Meng Jing's chest when Ji Wanshu timely withdrew her hand, her brows furrowed with anger: "Let him go!"
Wen Chaoyu remained unmoved and said with a hint of sarcasm, "He's just a sickly boy, yet you all cherish him like this. Could it be that he has quite a background?"
She only knew that Ji Wanshu had previously been hiding from the cultists with a child, but she had never seen the child's face, so she didn't know that the one in her hand was Meng Jing.
However, after saying that, she quickly realized and said, "I understand. This is the youngest son of that farmer couple. He's just an ordinary person. Since you are so unwilling to exchange hostages, then forget it. He's dead, so be it. He's not a special person anyway."
With Man Jiangxue and Ji Wanshu present, Wen Chaoyu knew that she not only had no chance of winning, but also had a high probability of being killed by them. After saying this, she threw Meng Jingchao and Ji Wanshu aside and fled through the window as if her feet were greased.
Ji Wanshu caught Meng Jing with one hand, then casually tossed him aside, and coldly followed Wen Chaoyu's retreating figure.
Just as the two women disappeared, Lu Huaiwei arrived with her disciples. Upon seeing the three people inside, her eyes lit up, and she exclaimed happily, "Uncle-Master! We just happened to be passing by and heard fighting inside. It turns out it was you!"
Man Jiangxue said, "You've come at the right time. Take him back."
Yin Qiu wanted to help Meng Jing up, but when she saw Lu Huaiwei arrive, she silently stood next to Man Jiangxue.
The disciples hurriedly removed the ropes binding Meng Jing. Lu Huaiwei checked Meng Jing's condition and, seeing that he was unharmed, breathed a sigh of relief. She turned and asked, "What happened? When we ran over, we saw two people leaving. The one behind looked like Senior Sister Ji."
Man Jiangxue then recounted what had happened.
The disciples were all surprised to hear that Wen Chaoyu wanted to exchange Meng Jing for Yin Qiu.
“It’s that person…” Lu Huaiwei said, “We need to get back to the post station as soon as possible and find a doctor to see what kind of poison he has been poisoned by.”
After she finished speaking, she helped Meng Jing to his feet, but Meng Jing pushed her away again and immediately cursed at Yin Qiu, "You jinx! It wasn't enough that you killed my parents, now you want to harm me too!"
Yin Qiu was speechless: "I..."
Even someone as good-tempered as Lu Huaiwei couldn't help but become serious upon hearing this, saying, "What are you saying? Junior Sister was injured so badly by you, yet she still came out to look for you out of concern for your safety. If you hadn't run off on your own, how could you have been caught and used as leverage against your Uncle?"
Even his disciples couldn't help but lecture him.
"We've been looking for you all morning, everyone was very worried about you!"
"Yes, who could have known this would happen?"
"Let's say less. We don't know what kind of poison you've been poisoned with yet. Don't get anxious and accelerate the spread of the poison. If it endangers your life, we won't know how to save you in a short time."
In Meng Jing's eyes, all they said was to protect Yin Qiu. No one considered his feelings from his perspective. They only blamed him, criticized him, and accused him of being immature.
Meng Jing grew angrier the more he thought about it, a surge of anger rising in his chest, and a metallic taste quickly rising in his throat.
He took a few steps back, pointed at Yin Qiu, and gritted his teeth, saying, "If it weren't for her, how could I have been poisoned! Besides, I have no relation to you, so it's none of your business! I can go wherever I want! But this jinx has to mess with me, causing me to be captured and poisoned by her enemies, and you keep saying I'm wrong! What did I do wrong?!"
Lu Huaiwei was momentarily speechless. The boy had already decided that Yin Qiu was the culprit, and after this dangerous experience, his prejudice against Yin Qiu had only intensified. He was in a fit of anger and wouldn't listen to anything anyone else said.
In the silence, only Meng Jing's rapid breathing was noticeable. Lu Huaiwei pondered for a moment and decided to coax him gently, but then she heard Man Jiangxue say, "Then tell me what you want."
A trickle of blood oozed from his lips. Meng Jing wiped it with his sleeve and said viciously, "Of course I'm going to kill her to avenge her!"
Man Jiangxue looked at him calmly: "Then let's do it."
He thought she would scold him, but to his surprise, she encouraged him to take action. Meng Jing paused, then snorted, "I may be young, but I'm not stupid. You all protected her, and before I could even make a move, you had already taken her down."
Man Jiangxue said, "Very well, now you have to make a choice: come with us or leave immediately."
Meng Jing was very disdainful and walked towards the door.
"Have you thought it through?" Man Jiangxue's voice rang out again. "No one can cure the poison in your body. Once you choose to leave, you will only face death."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jing indeed paused in his steps.
·
This scene and conversation suddenly reminded Yin Qiu of what happened at the inn that day.
At that time, she mistakenly thought that Man Jiangxue was going to sell her into a brothel, and planned to jump out of the window to commit suicide. Man Jiangxue at that time was just like he is now, showing indifference and composure, not stopping her or trying to keep her, but simply explaining the pros and cons and letting her make her own decision without interfering.
Yin Qiu immediately concluded that Man Jiangxue was someone who responded better to gentle persuasion than force.
Whether it's an adult like Wen Chaoyu or a child like Yin Qiu and Meng Jing, she treats them all equally. If they are well-behaved, it's negotiable, but if they act willfully and recklessly, she won't show them any mercy.
Overall, he has a temperament that is both hot and cold.
Meng Jing was in a dilemma. He didn't want to die from the poison, but he also didn't want to abandon his pride and ask for help. He was still a child at heart and lacked his own opinions. For a long time, he was unable to give a definite answer.
After waiting for a while without Meng Jing speaking, Man Jiangxue stopped talking and led Yin Qiuxing out of the inner hall.
Seeing this, the group of disciples followed closely behind them, brushing past Meng Jing. Lu Huaiwei hesitated for a moment, but seeing Man Jiangxue's resolute departure, she followed as well.
As they walked to the gate, Meng Jing finally realized what was happening and, with a determined look, shouted to them, "Wait, wait a minute!"
Man Jiangxue stopped walking, but did not turn around.
"I haven't avenged my parents yet..." Meng Jing's voice trembled, but his expression was firm. "I don't want to die!"
Man Jiangxue neither agreed nor disagreed, only saying, "If you want to live, you have to agree to one condition."
Meng Jing stared at her: "What are the conditions?"
Man Jiangxue said, "Yunhua Palace has its own rules, especially regarding the taboo of fellow disciples killing each other. I will not hold this matter against you, but if you commit the same offense again, Yunhua Palace will not accept you. If you continue to act this way after entering the palace and frequently attack others, you will be severely punished according to the palace rules."
Meng Jing harbored resentment towards Yin Qiu. Man Jiangxue could not control him or change his mind. However, since he wanted to enter Yunhua Palace, no matter what he thought in his heart, he could at least not publicly beat and scold Yin Qiu again. Otherwise, before Man Jiangxue could deal with him personally, someone in the palace would deal with Meng Jing himself.
Yunhua Palace is not a place you can just go to casually. Any sect that recruits new disciples does so in order to expand its strength. There are so many pitiful people in the world, and countless orphans who have been displaced. Martial arts sects are never refuges for doing good deeds. What they want are promising young talents. If the couple hadn't made a request before they died, Ji Wanshu would never have brought him back, given his character.
Hearing Man Jiangxue's words, Meng Jing felt that she was warning him not to cause trouble for Yin Qiu. However, he was filled with grief and indignation but had no choice but to swallow his anger and survive.
As the saying goes, a gentleman takes revenge even after ten years; he can afford to wait.
"Okay... I promise you." Meng Jing suppressed his anger and said as naturally as possible.
Man Jiangxue remained silent, only casting a glance at Lu Huaiwei. Yin Qiu turned to look at Meng Jing, knowing that he disliked her, and did not want to anger him further, so she quietly followed Man Jiangxue's steps.
“That’s it. Living is more important than anything else,” Lu Huaiwei pulled Meng Jing aside, her voice gentle. “Don’t worry, once you enter Yunhua Palace, you’ll be our junior brother. No one will bully you, but you mustn’t bully others either. You heard what your master just said; fighting among fellow disciples is strictly forbidden in the palace. If anyone dares to bully you, your senior brothers and sisters will stand up for you.”
The surrounding disciples also tried to comfort Meng Jing.
Meng Jing's eyes welled up with tears as they spoke, and she finally couldn't hold back the overwhelming pain in her heart, bursting into tears.
Having witnessed his parents' murder and been forced to travel from one unfamiliar place to another, Ji Wanshu treated him coldly on the way from Yao Dingcheng, regardless of whether he was tired, hungry, or thirsty.
Ji Wanshu said that if they were going to set off, they had to set off immediately; if she said they were going to sleep, they had to sleep immediately. She didn't care at all that he was still a child and couldn't withstand the bumps on horseback. He was exhausted both physically and mentally from the journey. After arriving in Qingluo City, these incidents happened. Meng Jing was extremely sad. He felt that among the people here, only Lu Huaiwei was friendly. So he threw himself into Lu Huaiwei's arms and cried loudly.
Lu Huaiwei sighed and stopped trying to persuade him. After Meng Jing calmed down a bit, the group hurried back to the post station together.
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