Chapter 91
As night fell, the dome outside the skylight darkened, and several jailers held up lamps to add fuel to the oil lamps throughout the prison.
The window was on the wall directly opposite the cell door. A little ice had been hanging there a while ago, but it had melted and soaked the wall.
After being imprisoned, Yin Qiu slept on a hard bed. When he woke up, he felt refreshed and all the fatigue and exhaustion of the past few days had vanished.
Unexpectedly, the most restful sleep she had had since coming down the mountain was in prison. Yin Qiu felt a little complicated. She got up and stretched her limbs. Not long after, the jailer brought her food.
Hot porridge, hot steamed buns, and a few side dishes—the treatment wasn't bad. There was no table in the cell, so Yin Qiu sat cross-legged on the bed and ate his fill. Afterward, he relaxed completely and lay down, looking at the night view through the skylight while listening to the prison guards drinking, playing drinking games, and telling funny jokes.
The outside world was in complete chaos, and Yin Qiu had been staying there from dawn till dusk, completely unaware of the events that had transpired outside the government office.
With nothing to do and her mind clear, she naturally thought about many things during this rare moment of tranquility and leisure.
—For example, where does the poison in the porridge come from?
First of all, the murderer would certainly not dare to make a move at the city gate. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, even the most skilled person would not need to take such a risk. Apart from the city gate, the only place where they could get rice and water was the post station. If no outsiders had been to the post station, then the disciples inside the city would be highly suspicious. But if outsiders had been to the post station, then that would be a different story.
But who are these outsiders?
In fact, many sects set up post stations in the major cities of the state. Apart from the disciples of the sect, almost no one can easily enter these post stations. Most of the outsiders who can enter are people who transport supplies. Yin Qiu suddenly remembered that a rice merchant had delivered rice last night. Could it be that there was a problem with the rice merchant's employees?
Let's assume for now that it was the work of the rice shop assistants. But how did they manage to put the poison into the porridge?
The rice must be fine. The disciples would wash the rice several times before cooking the porridge. Even if there was any residual poison, it wouldn't have much of an effect. So the murderer wouldn't be foolish enough to put poison in the rice. That leaves only one possibility: the poison was mixed into the water.
Then another question arises: if the murderer's purpose was only to poison the refugees, the food delivered by the Duan family should have been easier to obtain than the difficult-to-access Yunhua Post Station. Since the murderer ultimately chose to target Yunhua Palace, it also shows that the murderer's true intention was to deal with Yunhua Palace.
If anything happens to the refugees, Yunhua Palace will be held responsible. Regardless of the truth, rumors will inevitably circulate in the martial arts world, which will be extremely detrimental to Yunhua Palace's reputation.
In today's martial arts world, how many sects would go to such lengths to deal with Yunhua Palace?
Aside from the Ziwei Sect, there are basically no other candidates.
Outside, the clinking of glasses continued, and the jailers chatted and laughed amidst the strong smell of alcohol, peanuts in their hands. Yin Qiu rested her head on her arms, recalling the last time she saw Nangong Min through her inner analysis.
Since the great fire that struck the Ziwei Sect's headquarters years ago, Yin Qiu had rarely heard from Nangong Min after returning to Yunhua Palace. In the blink of an eye, she was already sixteen years old, and everyone she had met that winter seemed to have vanished into thin air. Gongzi Fan disappeared without a trace, and Wen Chaoyu also seemed to have evaporated from the face of the earth after Ji Wanshu went into seclusion, leaving no trace. Nangong Min had also rarely appeared in the martial world in recent years. In short, the entire Ziwei Sect seemed to have begun to recuperate after that great fire, remaining silent for a long time.
Thinking of this, Yin Qiu looked at the snowflakes that were beginning to fall again outside the window and unconsciously frowned.
She didn't understand the ways of the martial world back then, but as she grew older over the years, she came to understand that the Ziwei Sect had always been an elusive entity. The last time they stirred up trouble, it was for her sake. So why did they suddenly provoke trouble to deal with Yunhua Palace this time?
Nangong Min has been searching for the Holy Sword, but there has been no news of its whereabouts in the past few years. She has also been looking for Shen Mandong, but Shen Mandong has also disappeared without a trace.
Yin Qiu wondered, "Is the Holy Sword really in my mother's hands?"
Is Mother... really still alive?
A cold wind blew in through the skylight, gently ruffling Yin Qiu's hair. The voices of the jailers had faded away at some point, and now there was no sound.
Yin Qiu suddenly sensed something was wrong. She sat up, turned her head, and saw that several prison guards were fast asleep on the table, as if they were drunk.
The prisoners in the other cells were also asleep, lying stiffly on their straw mats. For a moment, everyone seemed to be silent, and the dungeon fell into an eerie stillness.
Yin Qiu put on her shoes, walked to the door, and looked around for a moment. During the day, the officials had removed her sword, so she was unarmed at the moment. Yin Qiu took off the hairpin from the back of her head and held it in her hand.
Suddenly, a voice said from behind, "The hairpin is useless now, you can't hit me."
Yin Qiu's ears twitched, and her expression instantly turned stern. She slowly turned around, holding her hairpin, and saw a girl in green, about her age, squatting outside the window in the flickering candlelight.
The girl was quite pretty, with a clever and intelligent face and an approachable smile. She appeared kind and gentle, but there was a hint of malice in her eyes, making it clear that she was not a decent person.
·
“It’s you.” Yin Qiu raised her eyelashes and saw that the girl had a bow on her back.
“It’s me,” the girl grinned, revealing a set of perfectly white teeth. “My name is Afu!”
“I recognize you.” Yin Qiu loosened her grip on the hairpin slightly, subtly observing the person outside the window.
“I recognize you too,” Afu waved to Yin Qiu. “I’ve put sleeping pills in their food, and they’re already fast asleep. Come closer, I have a gift for you.”
The dim candlelight illuminated Yin Qiuxian's quiet and gentle face. She smiled slightly in that light, took two symbolic steps forward, and asked, "What gift?"
A silver-white sword light flashed at the window. Yin Qiu squinted and saw that the sword light was about to attack her. She stared at Afu and caught the thing accurately. After looking down and seeing what it was, Yin Qiu couldn't help but change her expression.
It was a small and exquisite silver dagger, only a little over seven inches long. The blade was snow-white and sharp, with a thin edge that gleamed with a cold light. It looked light, but it was unexpectedly heavy when held in the hand.
Yin Qiu frowned slightly, her expression shifting between light and shadow. She looked at the dagger back and forth a few times, and finally swung it in the air. With a "whoosh," the dagger instantly changed length, and a section of the blade was flung out, transforming into a long sword that shimmered with silver light.
It is frost.
Yin Qiu paused for a moment, then quickly composed herself and looked up at the skylight again, saying softly, "How did you get this?"
Afu scrutinized her reaction with great interest, and said with a smile, "You've mistaken it for something else. This isn't Ning Shuang. No one in the world can snatch something from Man Jiangxue." She paused deliberately before continuing, "It's called Zhu Bing."
“…Zhu Bing?” Yin Qiu gently stroked the sword with two fingers together, his tone devoid of emotion.
"So, do you like this gift?" Afu poked her head in, her smile meaningful.
“It’s exactly the same,” Yin Qiu said. “Where did you get it?”
“It was given to me by Shen Mandong,” Afu said.
Yin Qiu was taken aback: "My mother?"
“My master, Meng Wugui, asked me to pass on a message to you,” Afu said, pulling her head back into the room. “The Mozi Platform will be held in Weicheng in the middle of next month. If you want to see your mother, don’t forget to attend.”
An invitation fluttered down.
Yin Qiu tightened her grip on the sword hilt, her heart pounding like a drum. She tried to conceal her inner turmoil and calmly asked, "What is Mozi Terrace?"
“The Nine Immortals Hall holds a grand meeting every ten years,” Afu said. “That’s a traditional festival for our Nine Immortals Hall, and the meeting is called Mozi Terrace.”
Despite trying to remain calm, her body trembled uncontrollably. Yin Qiu gripped Zhu Bing tightly, a cold sweat breaking out on her back. She tried to calm her increasingly rapid breathing and said softly, "My mother is at Jiu Xian Tang?"
Afu took in all her reactions and chuckled lightly when she heard this: "Whether she's in the Nine Immortals Hall or not, you'll know when you go to Weicheng next month. But I must remind you, the Mozi Terrace is holding a meeting that day and has invited heroes from all over the world, including the Ziwei Sect. Do you understand what I mean?"
"My mother...my mother is still alive?" Yin Qiu finally couldn't hold back any longer and stepped forward, looking at Afu with urgent eyes. "You've seen her? You and Meng Wugui, you both know my mother?"
Afu stared at Yin Qiu for a moment, her smile unchanged, and said, "If I didn't know your mother, my master and I wouldn't have gone to the Ziwei Sect to help save you back then."
Seeing that she had ignored her first two questions and hadn't answered them, Yin Qiu quickly asked again, "Has my mother been with you all these years?"
"Take a guess," Afu said with a grin. Perhaps noticing that Yin Qiu's expression was suppressed and he seemed to be holding back, she softened her smile and became serious, saying, "I suppose so."
"Consider it?" Yin Qiu didn't understand the meaning of her words: "What do you mean by 'consider it'?"
"Don't ask so many questions," Afu waved her hand. "Master told me not to reveal too much to you. Just remember to go to Weicheng next month to participate in the Mozi Platform. I'm leaving now."
Seeing that she was about to leave, Yin Qiu was extremely anxious. She quickly leaped up the wall, grabbed the window, and shouted, "Since my mother is still alive, why hasn't she come to see me all these years!"
Afu had already walked a short distance when she heard this. She turned back to look at Yin Qiu, rolled her eyes, and said, "She can't leave. If she could come to see you, would I need to run errands for her?"
Yin Qiu wanted to press for more information, but Afu didn't give her a chance to speak. She left with the words "See you in Weicheng" and then disappeared like a rabbit, vanishing from Yin Qiu's sight in an instant.
All sorts of questions were stuck in her throat. Yin Qiu's lips moved as she watched Afu's figure disappear, her chest heaving violently.
She sighed deeply, turned and landed back on the ground, her thoughts churning like a surging river.
My mother might still be alive. If I go to Weicheng, I might be able to see her!
To this day, Yin Qiu still remembers what Man Jiangxue looked like when she disguised herself as Shen Mandong. She had similar features to Shen Mandong. Apart from her eyes, many people said that she looked extremely similar to Shen Mandong. Everyone in the world had seen Shen Mandong, except for Yin Qiu.
For sixteen years, the word "mother" had remained an unspoken term of endearment for Yin Qiu. Now, someone was telling her that she could see her mother if she went to Weicheng. This was something Yin Qiu had never dared to dream of.
The night wind enveloped her, bringing a chill. Yin Qiu's emotions were complicated, and she could not hide the turmoil in her heart. One moment she was overjoyed, and the next she was worried. She stood alone in the prison cell, lost in thought. Her hands and feet were uncontrollably numb and cold, and she was at a loss.
After standing there absentmindedly for a long time, Yin Qiu finally snapped out of her daze when she caught sight of the invitation on the ground and bent down to pick it up.
Before she could open it and examine it closely, she heard footsteps approaching from outside. She glanced at the jailers on the table and saw that they seemed to have been woken up, rubbing their eyes and sitting up. Yin Qiu quickly folded the ice into a dagger and put it in her sleeve along with the invitation.
"Drinking leads to trouble! You lot have been sneaking around drinking cat urine again!" A constable strode in and shouted, "If you knowingly violate this rule again, you'll definitely have your salaries docked! Get up and open the door now!"
Several jailers looked bewildered, muttering, "How did he get so drunk he fell asleep?" As they got up, one of them asked in confusion, "What door are you opening?"
The officer said, "Of course, we should open the cell doors of those Yunhua disciples! A bunch of drunkards!"
The men quickly smiled obsequiously, cupping their hands in a gesture of respect, but they were all unsteady on their feet, their legs weak. Upon seeing this, the official gave them another dressing down, then personally took the key and opened the door for Yin Qiu, saying, "Go on, there are people waiting for you in the courtyard, you have nothing to do with this."
Yin Qiu was still unable to calm her turbulent emotions. She had no time to think about why she was suddenly being released. With a furrowed brow, she walked out of the cell, forgetting to thank the officer before leaving. In a daze, she wandered around the office compound in the dark.
As night fell, the snow started falling again, with fluffy snowflakes drifting across the fields. Few lamps were lit outside, making the dungeon less bright, and the corridor was even darker. Yin Qiu stood at the corner of the corridor, enduring the cold wind for a while, and forced herself to stay awake. She dragged her feet down the steps and saw Manjiangxue under a lantern that was spinning.
The night was deep, and the biting wind lingered in her ears. Manjiangxue was like a night-blooming cereus, blooming only at night, pure white. There was no moonlight tonight, yet she seemed to be draped in a thin veil of moonlight. The familiar fragrance was carried by the cold wind and permeated Yin Qiu's face.
A glimmer of light flashed in her vision; it was the light from the lantern that Ning Shuang had gathered, reflecting directly into Yin Qiu's eyes. Yin Qiu looked at the dagger in Man Jiangxue's hand, and her fingers, hanging at her sides, unconsciously curled up.
"Why do you seem so distracted?" Seeing that Yin Qiu had stopped a few steps after descending the steps, Man Jiangxue moved closer to her and asked, "Were you bullied?"
Yin Qiu clenched her fists, closed her eyes, and for some reason lied: "No... I'm a little sleepy."
Man Jiangxue looked her over for a moment and noticed that Yin Qiu looked tired, as if she was really sleepy. So she didn't ask any more questions and just said, "Bear with it and go back to the post station to get a good night's rest."
As she spoke, she reached out and grabbed Yin Qiu's wrist, leading her out of the government office. There weren't many pedestrians on the street, and the few passersby were all holding umbrellas. Yin Qiu was stunned for a while before she fully came to her senses in the cold wind, and then asked, "Why did you come, Uncle-Master?"
Man Jiangxue glanced at her sideways, slid her fingers down, gently pried open Yin Qiu's still clenched fist, and interlocked her fingers with hers, saying, "You're in prison, how could I not come?"
Yin Qiu asked, "Has the murderer been caught?"
“Yes,” Man Jiangxue said, “but he’s already dead.”
Unexpectedly, the murderer was caught so quickly, and the person was even dead. Yin Qiu guessed that many things must have happened during her absence, so she asked, "Who is the murderer?"
Man Jiangxue then recounted everything that had happened that day to her. Upon hearing that all the refugees had died from poisoning and that not a single survivor had been left, Yin Qiu looked sorrowful and sighed softly.
"Fortunately, my martial uncle was there and found the murderer, but I feel sorry for those refugees..."
“The Ziwei Sect has re-emerged, and the days ahead will certainly not be peaceful,” Man Jiangxue said. “Now that things have come to this, Yao Dingcheng will be left to Huaiwei to handle the aftermath. You should come back to the palace with me as soon as possible.”
Yin Qiu seemed to be deep in thought: "Return to the palace..."
“I’m worried about you staying outside,” Man Jiangxue said. “If the Ziwei Sect only wanted to deal with Yunhua Palace, they could have used any prefecture to cause trouble. But you came to Yaoding City and things have gone wrong here. I don’t believe it’s just a coincidence.”
Coincidence? Yin Qiu's heart skipped a beat.
Man Jiangxue was right. She stayed in Qingluo City for a month and everything went smoothly there. But as soon as she arrived in Yaoding City, such a big thing happened. She was detained in prison by the government. How did Afu find her?
A familiar dagger flashed in her eyes, and Yin Qiu suddenly stopped in her tracks, turning her head to say, "Uncle-Master's Frost Condensation, may I take a look?"
Man Jiangxue stopped beside her, and upon hearing this, took the dagger from her waist and handed it to her, saying, "What are you looking at?"
Yin Qiu examined Ning Shuang from all angles for a while, then asked without looking up, "Did my mother also have a sword like this?"
Man Jiangxue looked somewhat surprised upon hearing this. She paused, looked at Yin Qiu, and said, "I don't think I mentioned this to you."
"Then why not mention it?" Yin Qiu still didn't look up.
“I forgot,” Man Jiangxue said. “You didn’t ask either.”
Yin Qiu smiled and said, "My mother's weapon was called Zhubing?"
Man Jiangxue looked at her lowered eyes and frowned slightly: "Hmm."
“It sounds like a pair,” Yin Qiu finally raised her eyelashes and looked back at Man Jiangxue. “My martial uncle once said that Ning Shuang was a gift from my master.”
Man Jiangxue nodded slightly, concealing the pearl buttons on her lapel that gleamed softly. She twirled her fingertips and said, "My master used twin swords back then. After she fell ill, she gave one to me and one to my senior sister. The names were chosen by my senior sister later." After she finished speaking, she immediately followed up, "How did you know that?"
Yin Qiu suppressed her smile and remained silent for a while amidst the falling snow. After a short while, she reached into her sleeve and took out the ice-purifying liquid.
Is this it?
Author's Note: My mother has been hospitalized for kidney stone surgery these past few days, so I haven't been able to log into Jinjiang much. I haven't been able to write a single word while I've been in the hospital, and I only have a few chapters left to write. So, I'm going to start a crazy writing spree from now on.
Everyone, please remember to drink plenty of water and exercise more! Kidney stones can be incredibly painful. I hope all the little angels stay healthy!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
