Chapter 7 Springtime in the Courtyard
Lin Chengye felt much better after that long talk that night. He could tell that although Bian Yi was hiding some of his own affairs, he would never harm her. He guessed it was some old stuff and he didn't want to involve her, a junior, in it.
As Bian Yi said, she probably wouldn't die under her nose, and lying in bed every day wallowing in self-pity wasn't her style. It would be better to recover first and then think about whether to stay or leave.
If she really wanted revenge, she absolutely couldn't drag Jiang Jinmeng into it. This place was a tacitly neutral martial arts force between Southern Qi and Lai Kingdom, and she absolutely couldn't break this balance by staying out of it.
Thinking this way, Lin Chengye, though groaning at the bitter medicine bowl that he had to drink three times a day, still obediently drank it.
No one knows what kind of miraculous medicine Bian Yi gathered in the mountains during those three days, but it was even more bitter than the previous medicine. Lin Chengye pretended to be indifferent in front of Wutong and Cangliu, but when Bian Yi brought Chunhan into the room in the evening and personally brewed her the last medicine of the day, she became hesitant. Several times she picked up the bowl as if to speak but then refused to actually drink it.
"Isn't there any other way? Even injections? I'm not afraid of pain."
Lin Chengye sighed.
"Do you find it bitter?"
Bian Yi suddenly realized that Cheng Ye had just turned seventeen and was still a child. She said "Wait for me" and left like a gust of wind, returning shortly afterward with an oil paper package in her hand.
“I went out to see patients today, and an old lady gave me this.”
Inside the oiled paper were four shortbreads, which Bian Yi warmed with her internal energy, releasing a sweet and soft aroma that wafted straight to her nose. Lin Chengye's eyes lit up, and she picked one up and put it in her mouth. The delicate sweetness of the mung bean paste overcame the bitterness in her mouth. She had been eating bland food these days and hadn't had such sweet pastries in a long time. She couldn't resist and took another one.
"This is a reward for finishing your medicine. Why did you eat it now?"
Bian Yi smiled as she looked at her, playfully scolding her, but letting Lin Chengye eat the second piece as well.
"Okay, so after you finish your medicine you can eat another piece, and you can have the other one too, that's perfect."
Lin Chengye was satisfied and finally drank the medicine that had passed his lips three times without being swallowed. Then he picked up the last two pieces of mung bean pastry from Bian Yi's hand, put one to Bian Yi's mouth, and put the other into his own mouth.
Too lazy to use her hands, Bian Yi simply bent down and snatched the mung bean pastry from Lin Chengye's hand, then tilted her head back to let it fall into her mouth.
It felt like feeding a puppy. Lin Chengye paused for a moment, his hand hovering in the air before he subtly withdrew it.
"I haven't eaten it in a long time since I got older... If you like it, I'll bring you some every day. There are a few pastry shops in Wucheng, and Wutong says they're delicious."
She rarely accepts gifts from patients on ordinary days, but today she couldn't refuse them, so she kept the mung bean pastries that the old lady made herself. She didn't expect them to make the child happy.
Bian Yi glanced at the moon outside the window. It was probably almost 11 PM. She stood up, tucked Lin Chengye into the blanket, and blew out the candle by the bedside.
"If I can channel my inner energy into you for two hours each day, you can drink one less bowl of water..."
"No. Internal energy isn't inexhaustible. You've continuously transferred internal energy to me for a month, and it will take time to cultivate it back."
The martial world is inherently dangerous, and the Jiangjin Alliance's special position likely makes it even more complex. Although Bian Yi may seem like a hands-off leader within the alliance, the fact that no major incidents have occurred in the past twelve years suggests that both formidable strength and worldly wisdom are indispensable. However, based on what has happened in the past few days, Bian Yi's very presence serves as a deterrent, completely disregarding the latter aspect.
Why are you so worried about this?
Bian Yi reached out and gently tapped Lin Chengye's forehead.
"When do we start the investigation you promised to do?"
Lin Chengye felt his eyelids getting heavy and quickly asked.
"You've just been able to get out of bed, why don't you take a stroll around Jiangjin Alliance first? This matter isn't urgent, and nothing serious is likely to happen."
Bian Yi seemed unhurried, shaking her head as her high ponytail swayed back and forth like a fluffy tail.
"...Are you just trying to give me something to do, or do you really not know who's causing trouble?" Lin Chengye couldn't help but struggle to sit up from under the covers, not forgetting to glare at Bian Yi.
“I really don’t know. It’s just that Chen Pixi, who is in charge of the alliance’s guards, has been training his own assassins extra diligently lately, so I think he might be doing something dangerous behind my back.”
"..."
It's alright, it's alright. Luckily, I'm smart enough not to be too late. Lin Chengye closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. He felt calmer before opening his eyes, only to see Bian Yi's handsome but powerless face again. He couldn't help but pinch his hand.
"Well, actually I'm a little afraid of pain..." Bian Yi didn't know what she had done to offend the child, so she could only obediently endure the light but not heavy blow.
“I’m much better now. This kind of thing can’t be delayed. Send someone you trust. I’m not familiar with Jiang Jinmeng, and you can’t directly handle this kind of matter.”
Lin Chengye immediately let go of her hand and gave Bian Yi a meaningful look.
If Bian Yi has already noticed, this matter is probably already on the verge of being exposed, and in a few days the truth will come out without any need for investigation.
"Alright, alright, that person has already made preparations for you and will arrive tomorrow."
Bian Yi's mind was clearly not on the investigation. She glanced a few more times at the rising moon outside the window and quickly tucked Lin Chengye into the blanket.
"Go to sleep, don't think so much."
...
The next day, just as dawn broke, Lin Chengye got up early and said he was going out for a walk.
The happiest of all were Wutong and Cangliu. They happily combed her hair into a half-updo and put on her a black, patterned, wide-sleeved outer garment that they had prepared beforehand. She wore a sleeveless top with gold trim in the same color, a black and gold belt around her waist, and a white fox fur coat that the leader had specially obtained from who-knows-where.
The parasol tree and the willow tree together were like two crickets, making a racket on either side, giving Lin Chengye a headache. He could only mumble a few random "uh-huhs" to appease them.
Seeing the sunlight again after so long, Lin Chengye felt somewhat dazed. Her nearly rusted bones, like spring buds, slowly awakened. She walked very, very slowly, her legs still not quite obeying her commands, like a newborn infant, stepping into this world once more, bewildered.
Unlike the harsh cold of northern China, Jiangjinjie is already lush and green everywhere in this courtyard. Withered branches are sprouting new buds and tender grass is growing, and this land is already showing signs of spring.
She truly arrived in the martial world, but she was no longer homeless.
...
Bian Yi gave her a large courtyard, completely different from the Lin residence, more unrestrained, and without the exquisite rocks; it was more like a house added to the woods. Lin Chengye was supported by Wutong and Cangliu for a long time before finally reaching the door, his body, which was originally chilled, was now covered in sweat.
"...What's that name?"
Lin Chengye bent over and caught his breath. When he looked up and saw the words on the plaque above the gate of his courtyard, he almost fainted.
Crab roe noodles? What does that mean? Does it mean the entire Jiangjin Alliance consists of nothing but dishes and soups?
"Obtained by the Alliance Leader, the Alliance Leader loves to eat..."
Wutong couldn't help but laugh, covering her mouth with her sleeve, her shoulders shaking.
"Alliance Leader...Alliance Leader is strong in martial arts but weak in literature!"
Cang Liu's voice grew softer and softer as she spoke.
"That's too weak." Lin Chengye stared in disbelief, then, as if remembering something, asked.
"What did Bian Yi call you two before?"
"Soybean buns and soybean cakes..."
...
After waiting outside until noon, Lin Chengye returned to the house for a short nap, telling Cangliu and Wutong to go play as well, so they wouldn't have to keep an eye on her.
Lin Chengye was not a heavy sleeper. She vaguely noticed a sound that was different from usual, as if someone was gently tapping the table with their knuckles. She then suddenly opened her eyes.
Who? Why didn't Cangliu and Wutong wake her up? Lin Chengye narrowed his eyes, propped himself up, and looked warily at the uninvited guest sitting at the table.
The man was dressed in a long black robe, his face mostly obscured by a hat, making it impossible to see his features or what he was thinking. But upon seeing Lin Chengye wake up, the man withdrew his impatiently tapping hand from the table, stood up, and moved closer.
The two spoke at almost the same time.
"I woke up very early."
"Did Bian Yi send you?"
The man paused for a moment, then spoke.
"...That's what you call her?"
“I’m not a member of the Jiangjin Alliance, and I don’t consider her the leader.”
Seeing that the person did not deny it, Lin Chengye breathed a sigh of relief, leaned back against the soft cushion behind him, and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Let's get down to business."
"I am Chai Hu Nan, one of the elders, mainly responsible for intelligence gathering and assassination missions within the alliance. Besides me, there are three others: Huang Qin Dong is in charge of the clinics and shops under the Jiang Jin Alliance and manages the accounts; Chen Pi Xi is in charge of the guards in Wucheng and the training of martial arts practitioners within the alliance; and Di Huang Bei is mainly responsible for adjudicating cases in Wucheng and has few other duties within the alliance."
Chai Hu Nan didn't sit down, but just stood by the bed. She spoke very simply, without any unnecessary words. After Lin Chengye nodded slightly, she continued.
"There's one more thing. When you were unconscious, the Alliance Leader instructed me to check if anyone in Litao Prefecture was still alive. I found out that at the beginning of the war, Prefect Liu had already sent Liu Yue to the 'Tanshan Sect' in Lai Kingdom for refuge. But when I arrived, the Tanshan Sect had been wiped out, and no one survived. Judging from the state of the corpses, the annihilation probably happened after the city fell and before the 100,000 troops from Yangguan arrived. Furthermore, I didn't find a body that looked like Young Master Liu Yue's, so I suspect he might have been taken away by someone."
Lin Chengye's pupils contracted sharply, his fists clenched, and his vision blurred once again. He never expected that hearing news about an old friend again would be like this; that glimmer of hope had ended abruptly before it could even be rekindled.
No, no. Lin Chengye closed her eyes tightly and pounded her forehead with her knuckles. Though she was grieving, her mind was unusually clear.
If this was merely a calculated move by His Majesty to weaken his mother's power, and Liu Yue had distanced herself from all of this from the beginning, there would have been no need for such a fuss, let alone the long-standing balance between the court and the martial arts world, to strike a sect with deadly force.
But if it wasn't His Majesty's order, then who went to do all this? If Liu Yue was truly taken away by someone from the court, then the destruction of the Tanshan Sect might simply be a cover for that person's identity as a court official. But what did Liu Yue possess that they needed?
The Lin family was wiped out, Li Taozhou was massacred, and even the Tanshan Sect was destroyed... Lin Chengye suddenly had a strange thought: this matter was far from simple.
The destruction of the Lin family fulfilled the emperor's wish, but whose wish did Liu Yue fulfill? Since this event has resulted in more than one outcome, it is highly likely that the emperor was not the only one behind it.
Lin Chengye took a deep breath, his eyes slightly red, and his fingers, which were gripping the blankets tightly, were already slightly swollen.
"...Please continue your investigation. I want to see the person alive or dead."
"Alright. I'll listen to you on this matter, as the Alliance Leader has said."
Chai Hu Nan nodded slightly. She was one of the few people in the alliance who knew Lin Chengye's identity. She and Bian Yi had traveled day and night from the capital of Southern Qi to the northern border of Lai Kingdom, only to find a field of fire that had burned red for half the sky, and no one was heard in the thick smoke.
She had never seen Bian Yi before, and she was almost out of her mind. She staggered into the Lin Mansion, which was almost completely burned down, and suddenly knelt down and vomited a mouthful of blood.
She tried to help Bian Yi up, but the man raised his hand to stop her. Bian Yi looked up and gazed deeply at her. Even now, recalling that one look sends chills down her spine.
How could it be so sorrowful and desperate?
Bian Yi said, "Anan, I really don't have a past."
Although she didn't know why the Alliance Leader was getting involved in the power struggles in the court, and even went so far as to sacrifice ten years of her inner strength to save Lin Chengye, she, who had always disliked people who came to the Jiangjin Alliance, was still troubled by grudges. Yet now, for this child, she was repeatedly shattering her own choices.
But these things were none of her concern; she always simply carried out the leader's decisions without asking any questions.
"...In your opinion, is Chen Pixi's behavior of intensifying Deadpool's training abnormal?" Lin Chengye quickly concealed his slight soreness and asked seriously.
"No, he's a martial arts fanatic, so it's not surprising that he did something like this. This isn't the first time he's done something like this on a whim to train Deadpool."
Chai Hu Nan shook his head.
"How long has this been going on?"
"The four of us meet with the leader of the alliance on the 10th and 15th of each month in the morning. This has been four times now, two months ago."
"...What will happen in the near future? Tell me about anything that happens in the alliance, whether it's the usual thing or something special."
"Recently?" Chai Hu Nan frowned, thought for a moment, and then asked.
"Jiangjin Alliance will hold a spring festival in four days. Dihuang Bei will interrogate prisoners tomorrow. The Alliance Leader will go to the clinics under Jiangjin Alliance the day after tomorrow to check if any doctors have accepted bribes. Huang Qindong will go on a routine business trip in seven days..."
Lin Chengye's eyes flickered slightly, but he did not stop Chai Hu Nan from continuing.
He rambled on and on, almost listing which shops would be closed tomorrow, before Lin Chengye finally called a halt.
"I need to see the account books of Jiang Jinmeng's shop. Can you get them?"
"Okay, tomorrow."
Chai Hu Nan picked up the herbal tea on the table and gulped it down. Although she couldn't understand why she suddenly wanted to see the account book, she was too lazy to ask any more questions.
Just then, Bian Yi unexpectedly pushed open the door, looking travel-worn and carrying an oil paper package. He showed no surprise at seeing the two of them, and asked with a smile.
"They're in talks now?"
"We've finished talking."
Lin Chengye patted his side. Bian Yi blinked and walked over to sit down with practiced ease.
"Alliance Leader, Miss Lin, then I shall take my leave."
Chai Hu Nan bowed to Bian Yi, then turned and walked towards the window.
"...So what?"
Just as Chai Hu Nan was about to jump out of the window, she suddenly stopped and asked.
Upon hearing this, Lin Chengye suddenly started coughing violently. Bian Yi, who was standing to the side, looked at the two of them speaking in cryptic terms, tilted his head in confusion, and patted Lin Chengye's back with one hand.
You can't exactly say she's idolized Bian Yi since she was seven! For the first time, Lin Chengye realized how valuable face was.
She really didn't expect that this person could still remember what had just happened. Her expression changed several times, and finally she coughed dryly, helplessly covered her face, and waved to Anan to shoo him away.
"Hurry up, hurry up."
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