The blank plaque... Chu Yening shielded her behind him, one hand reaching towards...
Qin Weixi recalled the incense and candles that Songyang had investigated that day: "Weren't these incense and candles purchased by that Third Master Fang? If he said they were for commemorating his adoptive father..."
Upon hearing this, Chu Yening, Tao Qingyun, and Jiang Yuanjun all looked over. Chu Yening said, "Let's go take a look!"
The group jumped off the roof, and Chu Yening looked at Qin Weixi and whispered, "Follow behind me."
Inside the Fang residence, the lights went out again, plunging it into complete darkness. Only the sound of a river gradually came into view in the distance. The water murmured, and the sound grew clearer as they went further, until soon they came into view a long lake connecting to the shore of Haizi Lake, with two small boats moored on its surface.
Just then, several servants emerged from the houses behind the pond in the distance. Upon seeing this, Que She Jiu Qu quickly drew her sword, ready to leap out. Chu Ye Ning whispered, "Go and find that man surnamed Ma. And you two, remember, do not leave anyone behind."
Jiang Yuanjun then said, "I have already arranged for A Xiao and the secret guards to be outside. They are all my trusted confidants. I believe that no one in this house will be able to escape today."
The four of them, along with Songyang and Zijin, followed behind the cooks. Chu Yening, Jiang Yuanjun, and Tao Qingyun led the way, followed by Zijin and Songyang, with the five of them protecting Qin Weixi inside. Together they walked towards the end of a winding, narrow path, where a grove of flowers and grasses several meters high stood.
Qin Weixi saw this and said in a low voice, "I will protect myself."
They all said in unison, "No way!"
Several cooks quickly made their way through the thicket. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves. Chu Yening whispered to Songyang and Zijin, "You two stay here to cover our retreat, and don't get separated from the others. We'll go in and take a look. Remember to be careful; protect your own lives first, then look around."
Qin Weixi also said, "Zijin, be extra careful."
Song Yangzi and the other two responded in unison.
In the dark of night, all four remained silent, each knowing that something strange was amiss in the house and that something was bound to happen tonight.
Tao Qingyun led the way through the thicket, with Chu Yening and Qin Weixi close behind, while Jiang Yuanjun stayed right behind her. Just as they were about to cross the several-meter-tall thicket, Jiang Yuanjun suddenly called out to her.
Qin Weixi turned around and asked, "Fifth Brother, what's wrong?"
Under the moonlight, Jiang Yuanjun wore a light blue robe, her hair styled in a ponytail, her eyes bright and clear. In her childhood memories, this fifth prince, whose smile was like the warm sun in early winter, rarely wore clothes of any color other than moon white. Suddenly, she recalled the day at Xiaguang Lake when palace maids whispered behind the artificial hill, "His Highness the Crown Prince's beauty surpasses all others in our Great Xia."
He smiled gently and said, "Seventh Sister, give your hand to Fifth Brother. We don't know what dangers lie ahead, but Fifth Brother will stay by your side to protect you."
Before Qin Weixi could answer, Chu Yening behind her gripped her wrist tightly, his voice resolute and unquestionable: "I will protect her." He then looked at her and said, "Remember, you must not leave my side."
Jiang Yuanjun smiled gently upon seeing this, but a hint of sadness flickered in her eyes. Qin Weixi keenly noticed this change and quickly said, "My two elder brothers, I can walk by myself..."
"No!" they both said in unison. This time, their voices were filled with determination.
Qin Weixi: "..."
Chu Yening gripped her wrist tightly and strode forward. Qin Weixi, pulled by the force, inadvertently touched the corner of his leather belt as she turned. Upon seeing it, she quickly withdrew her hand, as if burned by flames.
Chu Yening felt a tightening around his waist and stopped abruptly, turning to look at her.
Qin Weixi raised her head, trying to calm herself down, and said as if nothing had happened, "Go find Third Brother quickly."
Chu Yening smiled at her without blinking, then continued walking forward.
Beyond the jungle lay a deep, quiet, and dense bamboo grove, completely obscuring the bright moon high in the sky. There seemed to be no path ahead, and the cooks had vanished in an instant. Qin Weixi suddenly felt dizzy, and Chu Yening quickly asked her, "What's wrong?"
She shook her head, then immediately untied the purse at her waist, took out a piece of Tongling crisp candy, and put it in her mouth. Then, her peripheral vision swept to a hidden compartment in the purse, where she had concealed several small pills that the traveling doctor had specially made for her years ago; the doctor had said they were for stimulating her. Without hesitation, she took them all out, putting one in her mouth and giving the rest to the three men. The three men, puzzled, quickly put them in their mouths and ate them.
The group surrounded Qin Weixi in the center, observing the bamboo forest. Tao Qingyun was the first to draw her sword: "This bamboo forest seems a bit peculiar."
Qin Weixi looked around and saw stones of various sizes on both sides of the bamboo forest. When he was young, Chu Yening taught him archery, and his brother also taught him to see through the enemy's tricks.
Her brother took her hunting in the countryside. They encountered animal traps left by hunters and told her that if she didn't know whether what lay ahead was dangerous or safe, she should try everything around her that she could use.
Qin Weixi pondered for a moment and then reached for the large stones on both sides: "There may be a trap ahead, my three brothers, please be careful. Why don't you take these heavy stones to help us travel?"
Chu Yening stopped her, gripping her wrist tightly: "This bamboo forest might be a trap. Stay close to me."
Jiang Yuanjun smiled and said, "Good idea, I'll go get it."
"Who goes there?" Just as he was about to move the heavy stones on both sides, a cook carrying a lantern appeared behind him, followed by several guards with knives. The cook stretched her neck forward and shouted.
"Quickly..." Just as the cook was about to order the guards to come forward, Tao Qingyun narrowed her eyes, her gaze sharp. She and Jiang Yuanjun flew over in a few steps. One of them knocked her unconscious with a palm strike, while the other instantly dealt with the guards. Then, the two of them worked together to drag the group into the depths of the jungle.
The group slowly made their way in the direction she had come from.
Amidst a grove of lush bamboo, the bamboo leaves rustled softly. In the long, dark night, a strikingly unusual blue-and-white house, hidden deep within the bamboo forest, quickly came into view of the three.
The four hid behind a rock large enough to conceal a child, and crouched down.
A short while later, a tall man dressed as a guard emerged from a path hidden by trees behind the bamboo grove. He walked to the blue diamond house and knocked on the door three times.
A voice immediately came from inside: "Who goes there?"
The man said, "There are shad in the river. How about we cook them, or grill them?"
“Of course, it’s steamed.” A voice rang out from the Qingzuan room, and then the door was opened from the inside, and a slightly shorter young man dressed as a guard quickly came out.
The short man complained to the newcomer, "Master, you've worked so hard all these years, do you see any hope? What's the use of guarding this tiny piece of land every day?"
Another tall man, with a stern expression, rebuked in a low voice: "What nonsense are you talking about? The patriarch has gone to great lengths for us, so we should do our best to help him succeed!"
The short man curled his lip upon hearing this: "Oh ho, you see things clearly? Why don't you say that we also live on the edge of a knife?" He seemed somewhat disdainful when he mentioned the head of the family.
The tall man said, "Go back and see how that old monk is doing." After saying that, the two of them went into the Green Diamond Room.
The bamboo forest continued to rustle, and Qin Weixi suddenly felt a tightness in his throat, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.
She reached out and wiped her eyes with her sleeve, trying to lean against the large rock to calm her restless mind. But out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of an extremely long bamboo shoot coiled on a bamboo branch beside her.
Qin Weixi immediately felt a chill run down her spine and almost screamed.
Suddenly, two hands reached out from both sides and covered her mouth. Then, Chu Yening and Jiang Yuanjun quickly "carried" her out of that "crisis" place.
Jiang Yuanjun said gently, "Seventh Sister, we're all here."
Just then, from behind the group, several more people appeared in the direction the cook and guards had gone, each carrying a bamboo basket filled with incense and candles. The light from lanterns flickered faintly through the bamboo grove. Someone peered into the shadows and asked suspiciously, "Who goes there?" Immediately afterward, the sound of swords being drawn rang out.
Before the group could even see clearly, Songyang and Zijin slit their throats, while the others were surrounded by the two men who tightly covered their mouths from behind before hacking them to death.
Before long, the guards carrying bamboo baskets emerged from the bamboo forest again. A strange noise was also heard from inside the Green Diamond House. Tao Qingyun whispered, "I'll go and lure them away. You go inside and take a look."
Chu Yening: "There's something strange about the bamboo forest. Be careful."
Tao Qingyun nodded, then wielded a long sword, slicing through the bamboo leaves, creating a rustling sound in the bamboo forest. Chu Yening quickly pulled Qin Weixi back behind the large rock. Jiang Yuanjun, however, remained standing in place, sword in hand, a smile on her face.
As they expected, someone soon came out of the room.
The tall man squinted at Jiang Yuanjun and the faint sounds of fighting coming from the bamboo forest in the distance, and said, "There's a thief. Guard the door, I'll be back right away!"
The short man was terrified upon hearing this: "Quickly, quickly!" He hurriedly hid back inside and closed the door tightly.
Jiang Yuanjun said, "I'll do it!"
Chu Yening turned around and saw Qin Weixi's face was deathly pale. He immediately took his sword and cut the bamboo leaves off the bamboo branch, throwing them far away.
Faint sounds of fighting came from afar. Several people were fighting with the guards of the Ma residence, who were armed with sticks or swords. Tao Qingyun, holding a long sword, stripped the lifeless guard naked with a look of disgust, and quickly turned his clothes into long strips of cloth, which she threw to Songyang and Zijin who came later: "There are poisonous plants here, be careful."
Then another whirlwind swept by, and everyone saw a man wearing a bamboo hat, his face covered by a black cloth, and dressed in dark riding attire suddenly appear in the bamboo forest as if he had descended from the sky. Then, holding a sword in one hand, he leaped forward and swiftly attacked the guards.
Even though they were far apart, Zijin recognized the figure that haunted her mind every time she woke up in the middle of the night.
She choked back tears and said, "Wood..."
She glanced at the bamboo grove she was in and the guards with knives out of the corner of her eye, and her words abruptly stopped.
Wooden Boy. Tao Qingyun, Jiang Yuanjun, and Song Yang immediately understood.
In the dead of night in the bamboo forest, amidst the glint of swords, five people, wielding longswords, fought side by side, engaging in another fierce battle. Just as Mu Tong was about to slash one person's neck with his longsword, he swiftly walked towards Zi Jin, embraced her tightly, and left a deep kiss on her forehead.
Zi Jin's eyes reddened, and she said in a hoarse voice, "Let's go quickly. I'm at the Luo family's place. We still have plenty of time."
On the other side, Chu Yening held Qin Weixi's hand with one hand, and when their hands touched, he realized that her palms were covered in sweat. He turned around and whispered, "Follow behind me." Then, holding his sword in his other hand, he strode towards the blue diamond room.
Chu Yening shielded her behind him, gently knocked three times on the door, and said in a low voice, "There are shad in the river. How about we cook them, or grill them?"
The door immediately made a clanging sound as it unlocked.
“Of course, we’ll steam it.” The short man who remained in the house opened the door very quickly this time: “Thief caught…”
Before he could finish speaking, Chu Yening punched him hard in the nose.
Caught off guard, the short man immediately felt a sharp pain in his nose, so intense that he couldn't open his eyes. In that brief moment, he recognized the person who had appeared and realized he had fallen into a trap. Just as he was about to shout for help, Chu Yening threw another punch, this time striking him squarely in the chest.
Qin Weixi didn't know how much force he had used, but she watched as the man's figure suddenly disappeared before her eyes, flew to a distant wall, slammed heavily, and then fell to the ground.
She blinked her eyelashes, her eyes sparkling, and then nodded repeatedly in secret. She truly lived up to her reputation as a brave and valiant young general, worthy of being called a warrior on horseback.
The man clutched his chest with one hand and braced himself on the ground with his elbow with the other, his face contorted with rage: "You..." He subconsciously glanced into the inner room.
The two turned to look, and in the dimly lit, sour-smelling house, an old monk, thin as a skeleton, knelt on a prayer mat, his eyes closed, his palms clasped together, chanting sutras in a low voice, his whole being exuding an air of utter exhaustion.
In front of the old monk were two offering tables. On one table was a shrine dedicated to the compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva, while on the other table was a blank memorial tablet, several dishes of fish and meat, and a jar of sake.
Chu Yening and Qin Weixi looked away from the memorial tablet and towards the old monk's body. They felt at first glance that the old monk would not live much longer.
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