Chapter 63: The Past of Qingluan
As night approached, the group rested at an official post station by the roadside. Wei Jingchen waved her hand and asked for two superior rooms, then told Lin Chengye and Bian Yi to make themselves at home that night and not to disturb her.
Hearing this, Lin Chengye couldn't help but roll his eyes, grab Bian Yi and drag her back to her room, then slam the door shut.
As darkness fell, Lin Chengye waved his hand, extinguishing the candles that illuminated the room. The room instantly darkened, while the bright moon outside the window shone even brighter. She looked out, first noticing the half-full moon, then her gaze fell upon the white sleeves of the person lying in the tree below the moon, their robes fluttering.
Since entering Lai Kingdom, Bian Yi has become increasingly quiet, often spending his nights gazing at the moon like this. Lin Chengye sighed and turned his gaze away. He stretched out his arms and legs, lying on his back in a starfish position.
The inn was rather dilapidated. She could even hear a woman and a man making intimate advances downstairs, their whispers quite explicit. Lin Chengye couldn't sleep, and feeling helpless, she couldn't help but mutter a complaint to Bian Yi for leaving her alone in the room.
Just as he was enjoying the tranquility of the night, a flash of red suddenly appeared in the corner of Lin Chengye's eye. The red was not bright or intense, but it was eye-catching, like a flickering flame.
That direction...
She subconsciously looked down at the figure under the moonlight, and happened to bump into the person who was also standing on the treetop waving at her.
"What was that just now?" Lin Chengye jumped out of the window and landed gently next to Bian Yi, asking.
"That direction leads to Yulin City, right? Could it be Qin Ruoli again...?"
"That was Qin Ruoliu's sword energy, red like flames. She was warning me not to go any further."
Bian Yi narrowed her eyes, her face as cold as the falling snow. Her gaze held a complex emotion that Lin Chengye couldn't quite pinpoint.
"Chengye, this is the best I can do. I'm afraid I won't have the chance to see Lin Su City. Qin Ruoliu is warning me not to get any closer."
"...Just like when Chu Wuding stopped you before, right?"
Lin Chengye clenched her fists tightly under her sleeves. She was somewhat annoyed that she had forgotten that the power of a half-immortal's inner strength was so vast that it could sense intruders from a radius of a thousand miles. Bian Yi's inner strength was also so special that Qin Ruoliu might have already known that Bian Yi had arrived when she stepped into the territory of Lai Kingdom.
But if Qin Ruoliu knew, then... did His Majesty also know that Bian Yi had returned? He would probably guess that Bian Yi and Wei Jingchen had already met, which is why Bian Yi returned so brazenly. In that case, Qin Ruoliu's warning might actually be at His Majesty's behest.
“I guessed it would be like this. The capital city generally does not allow overly powerful martial artists to enter at will. Just like Guan Yue has almost never left Southern Qi, so the Half Immortals are stationed in the capital city or its vicinity, let alone that… His Majesty.”
Bian Yi sighed, her expression lost and dejected. She stared blankly at the horizon and whispered.
"But why can't Wei Yun'e see me? If he didn't do it, why can't he explain? Why can't he explain? He won't let me see him, and he won't let me know the truth of what happened back then. He's made me guess for twenty years, isn't that enough?"
In the end, the bewildered questioning turned into a near-desperate scream.
For some reason, Bian Yi grabbed Lin Chengye's wide sleeve with agitation, looked up at her, her eyes reflecting the boy's tall figure, yet not at her. Bian Yi's lips trembled, but she could no longer utter a word. She had just poured out all the words she had been holding back, and these were all the questions she wanted to ask, yet no one was willing to tell her.
Lin Chengye felt those trembling hands gradually loosen their grip on her, but her heart felt empty, and an extremely uneasy feeling grew in the darkness.
"As we get closer to Lin Su City, I think I finally understand why Jing Chen said those words."
The city, whose veil has yet to be lifted, is not far away. Bian Yi gazes at the reddening sky and murmurs.
“I was destined to return here; it was fate. And all the answers I sought were there, though it was a dangerous place. But I couldn't go to find them myself, nor could I stay by your side to protect you…”
"No, don't listen to that prince's nonsense."
Lin Chengye helplessly waved her hand in front of Bian Yi's eyes, pulling the man out of his reverie. She hadn't agreed with some of Wei Jingchen's words, but was too lazy to argue, yet she hadn't expected Bian Yi to take them to heart. She carefully found the man's eyes in the darkness and spoke, word by word.
"This is where Wei Jingchen should return, but not where we should be. We've come here only to seek the truth and to settle a score."
"You don't need to worry about me. Didn't you say that there are very few people who can harm me now? Besides, I'm coming to the capital as a retainer of the Third Prince. Who would dare to harm me?"
Lin Chengye spoke lightly, even smiling slightly. But seeing that Bian Yi's expression showed no joy, and instead seemed on the verge of tears, she quickly shut her mouth and changed the subject.
"So where do you want to go now?"
"I think... I should go and see my sect first."
...
It's not exactly bustling here; there are no buildings with golden tiles or jade-paved floors. But there are thatched-roof mud-walled houses and blue-brick houses scattered on the earthen slopes at varying heights. Smoke rises from the chimneys at sunrise, and candles are lit at sunset, making it a lively place nonetheless.
In Bian Yi's memory, there were especially many martial arts practitioners coming and going. Many people heading to Lin Su City would stop here to rest for the night. They carried long swords and broadswords, and some wore masks and veils, looking just like the heroes in picture books and stories.
Every day after finishing the lessons her master Chen Shuli gave her, she would sneak down the mountain under the cover of her senior sister to play. She would go to places selling pancakes on the street or crowded restaurants. In short, she would go wherever there were many people from the martial arts world, listening to them drink and eat meat heartily, and talking about who in the martial arts world had left their names on the Yunya Yitian Register.
Taking advantage of her young age and well-behaved appearance, Bian Yi would occasionally be tempted and boldly ask to touch the knives of the martial arts masters. The masters would laugh and untie the ropes from their backs so she could touch them. However, it wouldn't be long before Chen Shuli would grab her by the neck and drag her back. Bian Yi's biggest worry at that time was why her master always caught her slacking off.
Later, she learned that her senior sister had been secretly telling their master about her, fearing something might happen to her. When Bian Yi learned the truth, she felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She was so angry that she ignored her senior sister for several days, feeling that there was no greater betrayal in the world.
However, most of them were people who came to Qingluan Medicine Valley seeking medical treatment and medicine.
Those people were easy to spot; their faces were expressionless, and their eyes were lifeless. The wealthy would use horse-drawn carriages, carrying dying patients, while the poor would walk, carrying their patients on their backs, securely bound with ropes.
Bian Yi felt that at this moment, there was no difference between the rich and the poor. Their expressions were so similar, all filled with despair but still holding a last glimmer of hope, yearning for the medical sect on Mount Linjun to give them a chance to live. At this moment, those people were more devout than when they prayed to gods and Buddhas. Their raised hands held gold, silver and delusions, all of which they wanted to stuff into the Qingluan Medicine Valley.
Along the roadsides of Qingyun County, countless people weep and wail every day, cradling those who will never open their eyes again—the elderly, children, young people… but those weeping are mostly young and strong; otherwise, they wouldn't have made it this far. The piercing cries pierced her eardrums, like a giant hand gripping Bian Yi's heart. She didn't understand why they were crying, yet tears streamed down her face as well.
She remembered once hearing a woman crying on the street, holding another woman of similar build in her arms, whose eyes were already closed. Bian Yi was already used to this scene, and she tried her best not to look at the distorted face and cloudy eyes. The woman was crying and murmuring something.
"God! Why are you doing this to me! Why are you doing this to me! You're not being fair..."
Suddenly, the woman stood up, pointed at the sky, and began to curse.
"What is God anyway! You son of a bitch! You shit that came out of someone's ass! You want to bring me down? I won't! I'll live a good life and show you! You just wait! You just wait!"
Her face was contorted in a grimace, and tears and snot streamed into her mouth.
I heard that the woman was from the Southern Qi Dynasty, and the one who died was her childhood best friend. The woman used up all her travel money and went through many hardships to reach Qingyun County, only to find that the person who had been clinging to her back was already dead. He had probably just passed away, perhaps about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
The next day, Bian Yi didn't see the woman on the street anymore; she didn't know where she had gone. But she figured that someone who dared to curse fate would probably get through it; she wasn't so easily defeated.
However, times have changed, and Qingluan Medicine Valley no longer exists in Qingyun County.
There were fewer people seeking medical help, and the disturbing cries ceased.
A person dressed in white appeared out of nowhere, like a fallen celestial being, landing on the deserted streets of Qingyun County. She walked slowly. The streets on both sides were extremely desolate, the shop signs were dilapidated and hung crookedly, and the snow in front of the doors was left unswept.
The man in white seemed somewhat bewildered and timid, walking and stopping intermittently. His hand touched the snow-covered stone wall and plaque, and upon closer inspection, his reddened fingertips even trembled slightly.
She gazed at Qingyun County for a very long time, until noon, when the cold, white sunlight shone on the snow, dazzling her eyes. Only then did the woman in white stop staring at the dilapidated things.
She saw a restaurant that was still open for business not far away. An old woman wearing a headscarf was sitting on a wooden bench at the entrance, her eyes half-closed, seemingly taking a nap.
She went in and called out, "Boss, a bowl of vegetarian noodles and a pancake, please."
The old woman, who had been squinting, shuddered, slowly opened her cloudy eyes, glanced at the man in white, and then looked at him again.
The young woman who ran the shop looked up in surprise, and it took her a while to react. She stood up, smiled and asked the man in white to wait a moment. She turned to her husband, who was also doing nothing, and shouted for him to make a bowl of noodles for the customer.
Before long, the steaming noodles and golden pancakes were served, garnished with chopped scallions, their aroma enticing. The man in white lowered his head, picked up his chopsticks, but his hands trembled even more violently, unable to even lift a single strand of thin noodles.
"You...whose child are you? Why...why do you look so familiar?"
The old woman squinted and suddenly spoke to the man in white.
"Grandmother, are you joking? Don't talk nonsense in front of guests. How long has it been since any strangers came here?"
The shopkeeper's wife was startled and quickly bowed to the man in white to apologize.
“My grandmother is old and her mind is confused… Miss, please don’t mind her.”
"You wouldn't believe it... back then... there was a really pretty little girl who especially loved my cooking..."
The old woman pursed her lips in displeasure when she heard the woman say that.
"What do you mean 'back then'? I've never seen it! You're probably just kidding me. This place is almost deserted! We've told you to leave, but you won't. People say that the mountain behind it is unlucky."
The woman suddenly raised her voice, seemingly full of resentment, and began to complain incessantly.
"I'm so old, why would I leave... What bad luck, what bad luck... Pshaw, pshaw, pshaw... There are immortals living there, it was the immortals who saved my life..."
Hearing this, the woman in white trembled even more violently. She gritted her teeth, but still couldn't hold back the tears welling up in her stinging eyes. Where no one could see, she covered her face with her wide sleeves, allowing the tears to stream down her cheeks and splash into the soup.
She finally came back.
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