Chapter 37 Blood Hibiscus: White Bewilderment
Taking advantage of this opportunity, let him travel to Sichuan with Su Yutang.
The Tang Clan, one of the nine major clans of the martial arts world, is particularly skilled in poisons and hidden weapons, and is therefore often regarded as an ambiguous entity, straddling the line between good and evil. Over the years, it has been at odds with the prestigious and righteous Tianji Clan, which is proficient in mechanisms and magic, and is thus despised by them.
Back then, Su Muzhi, a once-in-a-century prodigy among the younger generation of the sect, happened to fall in love with the second young lady of the Tang family.
The Heavenly Mystery Sect was unwilling to grant their wish. But no one expected that Su Muzhi, who seemed gentle and modest, would cripple his martial arts and lose an arm for this, thus leaving the Heavenly Mystery Sect.
After that day, the martial arts world lost a pair of skillful hands capable of creating countless ingenious mechanisms, and also lost a legend.
No one expected that the two would live in seclusion deep in the Yunling Mountains of Sichuan, and even have a son and a daughter.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Wen of Chu's eyes narrowed sharply.
"It was a woman, Su Yutang... Tang Yusu..."
He read it aloud twice in a low voice, then burst into laughter: "Haha! Back then, the Heavenly Crossbow that her father made could kill countless enemy invaders from the Southern Frontier. Who would have thought that his daughter would now draw the Heavenly Bow in public and slap the Southern Frontier envoy in the face. It can be said that like father, like daughter!"
As the smile faded, Emperor Chu Wen's gaze returned to Lu Ya, his tone slightly doubtful: "Although Su Muzhi was once an unparalleled talent, he now only has one arm left. How can he possibly unlock this box?"
Lu Ya bowed his head and answered, "This all started with Xie Xingzheng's investigation of Xiaxu. My informant in Zhongjing was running out of time. He coveted the treasure in Su Yutang's possession, which is why he helped the two of them infiltrate Xiaxu and disrupt the situation. This forced me to take control of the area ahead of schedule."
"What an idiot." Emperor Chu Wen sneered, though he was somewhat displeased, he still raised an eyebrow to signal him to continue.
Lu Ya showed no anger and calmly said, "Although he made a mistake, it was precisely because of this that many suspicious points were discovered about Su Yutang. I then investigated carefully and confirmed her identity, and found that she seemed to have inherited her father's ingenious skills and was quite famous in the Sichuan area. In this way, his merits and demerits can be considered to be balanced."
Emperor Wen of Chu snorted coldly, but had no intention of making things difficult for Shi Wudu.
He knew perfectly well that people in the martial arts world were not as easy to control as those in the imperial court. Most of them were like duckweed, free to drift with the wind, and disdained to serve the imperial power. The pawns that Zhongjing had placed there were the result of years of painstaking effort, and this was one of the reasons why he had chosen Lu Ya to be promoted to a high position.
However, the necessary reprimands and criticisms cannot be omitted.
"Though the martial world may be far away, it must ultimately remain within the imperial court. That rogue should have been keeping a close eye on the martial arts forces in Zhongjing for me. You must know that nothing in Great Xia can escape my control."
"Yes," Lu Ya replied respectfully in a low voice.
Emperor Wen of Chu gave him a cold glance, then turned his gaze to the chilling iron box on the table.
"With the unique insights of Tang Clan and Su Muzhi into ingenuity, this box should be decipherable. However... there is one more thing."
He paused for a moment, his fingertips tapping lightly on the table, the rhythm slow but extremely clear, carrying an invisible pressure.
"I heard that Xie Xingzheng was poisoned by a strange poison during the annihilation of Shangxu and is now blind. Do you have any thoughts on this matter?"
Lu Ya raised his eyes, a faint smile playing on his lips, and said slowly, "Your Majesty, Xie Xingzheng is another benefit of this plan."
"Now that the remnants of the Southern Moon faction are secretly plotting, and the Southern Frontier is also stirring, the Great Xia cannot do without the Xie family, and naturally cannot touch Xie Xingzheng. We can take this opportunity to send him to Sichuan with Su Yutang, firstly to treat his eye and save his life, and secondly to guard this box. And once he leaves the capital, we can take the opportunity to take back the power of the Imperial Guards patrolling the city."
He paused slightly, a mocking coldness flashing in his eyes: "In this way, the Xie family in Zhongjing will only have Xie Xingming, who is crippled and poses no threat."
A look of delight flashed in Emperor Wen of Chu's eyes. He slammed his hand on the table and immediately shouted his approval: "Good!"
At this moment, looking again at the iron box that gleamed with a metallic sheen and exuded a chilling aura, he found it somewhat pleasing to the eye. His smile deepened, tinged with approval: "Lu Ya, you are truly my fine blade. Once the affairs of the Southern Frontier are settled, I will surely elevate you to a higher position."
Lu Ya bowed respectfully, his expression calm and composed, still unreadable: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
*
At this moment, Tang Yu was strolling around the palace, led by a palace maid.
This palace is truly vast, magnificent, and imposing. Even the flowers, branches, and leaves are meticulously pruned and cared for, appearing extremely precious. Even the most common willow trees sway gracefully, displaying a myriad of noble postures.
But Tang Yu felt that the place lacked vitality. The red brick palace walls were too high, blocking the view. All she could see were red bricks and green tiles, and the silence was so profound that even the sound of the wind was jarring.
The road, which was wide enough for several people, was deserted, giving her the illusion that this long palace road could go on forever, with no end in sight.
She instinctively wanted to quicken her pace to get through this quiet, somewhat oppressive road.
At that moment, a streak of purple light seemed to flash across the sky. Tang Yu looked up and saw a butterfly with delicate, trembling wings fluttering gracefully in the air.
A glimmer of life in the silence stirred her heart, and she unconsciously reached out to touch it.
"Young Master Su, you mustn't!" The palace servant beside him hurriedly spoke up to stop him.
Tang Yu was startled and instinctively tried to withdraw her fingertips, but the butterfly seemed to have a mind of its own and flew straight towards her, gently landing in her palm.
But there was no warmth of life in her palm. Tang Yu looked down in confusion and realized that it was a butterfly folded from purple paper.
The palace servants around seemed somewhat flustered upon seeing this. An older palace maid spoke up to explain, "This is the Tianhua Hall of the Imperial Observatory. This is the Celestial Master's paper spirit butterfly..."
As she said this, a hint of envy flashed in her eyes, making Tang Yu even more confused. Just as she was about to ask a few questions, she heard the sound of the palace doors opening not far away.
She looked in the direction of the sound and saw a figure dressed in a moon-white Taoist robe slowly walking out from behind the door. His silver hair was not tied up, but cascaded down to his feet like a waterfall. His eyes were as clear as a spring, and his steps were as graceful as a gentle breeze and as elegant as jade and snow.
The person was so beautiful that she seemed like a fairy descended to earth, yet her aura was extremely peaceful, making people feel neither alienated nor oppressed, but able to firmly grasp the hearts and minds of others.
That gentle, cloud-like gaze fell upon Tang Yu's palm. She instinctively opened her hand so he could see her more clearly.
Bai Huo smiled gently, making her seem even more otherworldly.
With that smile, he offered a very gentle question: "Could you please come in and have a seat?"
The palace servants seemed to wake from a dream, and hurriedly curtsied, saying, "Master Celestial."
They wanted to explain Tang Yu's identity, but there was nothing a celestial master didn't know, so they felt it was superfluous and swallowed their words.
Tang Yu was slightly taken aback, but driven by curiosity, she smiled and readily agreed: "Okay!"
The moment she stepped through the palace gates, the atmosphere seemed to change abruptly. The sounds outside vanished completely, replaced by a sound she could clearly hear every subtle movement in the world: birds fluttering their wings, fish blowing bubbles, even earthworms turning the soil…
It was as if her senses had been amplified, and her spiritual awareness had been elevated to a higher level.
The interior of the hall was decorated in a very simple style. The most eye-catching feature was the sundial and star wheel placed in the center. The exquisite craftsmanship of the objects made Tang Yu sigh in admiration.
"Who made these?"
“It was passed down to me by my master a long time ago.” Bai Huo shook his head slightly, his silver hair swaying gently, like flowing light on brocade. “He also obtained it from someone before him, so I don’t know its origin.”
"What a pity," Tang Yu sighed.
The person who could create such an exquisite object must have been a legend.
Her gaze returned to Bai Huo, and she was once again amazed by his ethereal beauty. She couldn't help but ask, "Did the Celestial Master invite me in because of this little butterfly?"
She handed over the paper butterfly. Bai Huo didn't reach out, but the paper butterfly seemed to have a life of its own, flapping its wings and flying up. It landed somewhere in the star trail for a moment before falling back into Tang Yu's palm and remaining still.
An ordinary person would surely be amazed by this; Tang Yu merely raised an eyebrow and remained silent.
Bai Huo smiled gently: "This butterfly is a paper spirit butterfly that I made with a purple talisman. Since it chose you, it is destined to be with you. Carrying it on you may bring you some good luck. Since there is this cause and effect, I can answer your question, young lady."
Tang Yu was only momentarily surprised to discover that he had seen through her disguise as a woman. After all, the paper butterfly had actually flown in front of him without any hidden mechanisms or tricks, which was truly astonishing.
"You can ask me anything? Are all your calculations accurate?" Tang Yu tilted her head and asked.
"Of course." Bai Huo was not displeased by the question at all; on the contrary, his smile deepened, and he was somewhat looking forward to what kind of question she would ask.
Tang Yu pondered for a moment.
She actually had many questions, such as: whereabouts of Yueying? How to cure her brother's poison? Or, what was her connection with the Southern Frontier?
But in the end, she asked, "Do you think I can cure Xie Xingzheng?"
Bai Huo was taken aback, and surprisingly showed a hint of astonishment: "Are you sure you want to ask this?"
As a celestial master, he could deduce the myriad phenomena of heaven and earth and predict people's fates. Countless people came to him seeking answers, hoping to understand the future or even glimpse their own life or death. But her question was surprisingly simple.
Tang Yu nodded generously.
Some things, like her brother's poison, have a predetermined outcome; she will definitely be able to cure it, and asking further would only bring her peace of mind. But some things, like Yueying's whereabouts and her own background, even if she knew the answers, the process would certainly be full of twists and turns, so why be so attached to them?
She had no fear of the future, and naturally, there was nothing she needed to know.
As for Xie Xingzheng, rather than wanting to know if he could recover, she wanted to know if she herself would be the one to cure him.
"I didn't have anything I wanted to ask, I just asked about something random. Perhaps... I won't have the chance to see the Celestial Master again, so you won't incur any karmic debts," Tang Yu explained with a smile.
Bai Huo stared at her for a long time with his light amber eyes, as if he wanted to say more.
But in the end, he gave the simplest answer of his life: "Yes."
It's like giving up, or perhaps it's like letting go.
Only after watching Tang Yu's figure disappear outside Tianhua Palace did he realize that she had never sat down or drunk a drop of tea or water from beginning to end.
In this world, there are indeed people who are burdened with karma, yet remain untouched by it.
Tang Yu then returned to the palace to meet the emperor. When she walked out of the red-lacquered palace gate again, she was holding a wooden box containing blood hibiscus petals in one hand and a strangely patterned black box in the other.
She stood blankly on the palace steps for a while, then looked up at the sky. The sunlight was both dazzling and warm, but the feeling of being led by someone through intrigue and manipulation sent chills down her spine.
[Author's Note]
Tang Yu: The city is full of traps, I want to go back to the countryside.
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