Chapter 97 Lonely Moon and Wild Geese
Now that the door has been opened, there is no need to continue to cover it up.
Qiu Shu frankly explained everything to Ning Jue.
It turns out that Qiu Shu was born into a noble family, but that was more than a decade ago. Now, when people in the capital talk about the Qiu family from back then, they are all indignant, saying that they were treacherous officials and criminals.
Indeed, the Qiu family had a notorious traitor among their ancestors. He was corrupt, accepted bribes, cheated in the imperial examinations, and harmed many loyal officials. He once turned the court into a chaotic mess. Even now, people still grit their teeth when they recall him, feeling that even exterminating the entire Qiu family would not be enough to quell their hatred.
When the entire Qiu family was raided, a servant jumped into a dry well with the seven-year-old Qiu family child in his arms, escaping the disaster. He then fled to the mountains to avoid trouble. That child was Qiu Shu. After growing up, he befriended people from all walks of life, recruited those who were not successful in the world, and directly occupied the mountains to become king, living a carefree and happy life.
Until General Yang was ordered to suppress bandits and injured several of his brothers who had shared life and death with him, Qiu Shu was furious and devised a plan to take revenge. He kidnapped Yang Ben's most beloved youngest daughter and forced her to become his wife.
This matter did not cause a stir in Beijing, because General Yang suppressed the news in time. He was afraid that this matter would ruin his youngest daughter's reputation, so he said that Yang Yun had returned to her hometown to stay for a short time to recuperate. In this way, no one would suspect that Yang's daughter had not been seen in Beijing recently.
Thus, Qiu Shu forcibly imprisoned Yang Yun and spent three months with her on the mountain, doing everything he should and shouldn't have done. Qiu Shu's initial motives of simple revenge gradually turned into genuine feelings for Yang Yun. However, just as he was envisioning spending his future with Yang Yun, she took advantage of his momentary lapse in vigilance and escaped back to the capital right under his nose, completely severing all ties with him.
"She was pregnant with my child, yet she left without hesitation. All those words she said about loving me were just empty promises and lies. I was so naive. How could she not hate me..."
At this point, Qiu Shu's face darkened, and his lips pressed even more tightly together in a suppressed manner.
Ning Jue asked, "You haven't seen each other since then?"
Qiu Shu truthfully stated: "I took advantage of her leaving the city for a spring outing, when the guards around her were lax, which gave me the opportunity to abduct her. After that, she became more vigilant and stopped leaving the city, and she was surrounded by more guards, so I had no chance to get close to her again. Only once, when I followed the Grand General's army to Jiling, did I catch a glimpse of her from afar..."
He paused, his words becoming increasingly difficult as he continued, "She was watching a martial arts competition, her gaze fixed intently on the victorious young man on the stage, her eyes focused, as if... she was smitten."
Qiu Shu was referring to Rong Linyan.
On the day of the competition, he was the one who stole the show.
It's still hard to say whether the Yang family's daughter is truly in love with Rong Linyan.
Ning Jue did not comment on this, but said calmly, "I was only ordered to suppress the bandits. I know nothing about the gold mine, and I am not sure if you are trying to trick me."
"Everything I said is true!"
Qiu Shu roared in anger, and the arrow wounds on his body reopened due to his movement, causing him to break out in a cold sweat from the pain.
Ning Jue glared at him coldly: "The imperial court has been sending people to make things difficult for you. Besides your so-called coveting of the gold mine, it must also be General Yang Ben's open and covert revenge against you."
Qiu Shu's actions are undeniable.
Knowing that he was at a disadvantage at the negotiating table, his only bargaining chip was Qin Li, a minor and insignificant figure.
Qiu Shuke suppressed his temper and said calmly, "Either we live in peace or we both suffer. If you are willing to let us go, the outskirts of the capital will be peaceful from now on, and you will have completed the task assigned by General Wang. If you are not willing to let us go, I have already planted explosives in the mountains. We might as well perish together and be burned alive in the wildfire. That way, I will not leave alone."
Ning Jue's expression was solemn: "Threatening me is not a clever tactic."
Qiu Shu and Ning Jue looked at each other, remained silent for a long time, sighed and softened their attitude, then clasped their hands and bowed: "We only ask that Young Master Ning spare our lives. I know that you are not an ordinary official, otherwise I would not have risked coming to the border to negotiate with you and tell you those unspeakable secrets."
Ning Jue: "If you go down the mountain, where do you plan to go? To meet the Yang family's daughter?"
Qiu Shu shook his head and replied, "I plan to head south. Before I leave, I'll see Yang Yun from afar. Now that she's married to the man she loves, my reappearance would only disgust her."
Ning Jue reminded her, "She's pregnant."
Qiu Shu remained silent, his expression complex, unable to utter another word.
Having said this much, Ning Jue was unwilling to meddle in other people's affairs.
He had been in a standoff with Qiu Shu and others in the outskirts of the capital for quite some time, and had long been fed up with it. He had no interest in working hard for the court, and now he was eager to return home, wanting only to reunite with Hua'er as soon as possible and hold her tightly in his arms.
As for the Left Chancellor, he is currently the biggest potential threat. Once he returns to the capital, he will definitely target him and force him to reveal the truth.
Fortunately, his identity as the Sword Saint's disciple has not yet been exposed. With the enemy in the open and us in the dark, we have gained the upper hand, and Hua'er is temporarily safe.
Ning Jue was eager to return to the capital, so he preferred to adopt the peaceful solution proposed by Qiu Shu earlier.
He concluded with a warning: "After you leave the outskirts of the capital, you can go wherever you want and see whomever you like, it's none of my business. Just don't get in my way. When you return to the capital to report, I will say that you jumped off a cliff and escaped, and your fate is unknown. From then on, your identity must not be revealed to the public."
Qiu Shu was slightly taken aback, then bowed deeply to Ning Jue: "Thank you for your kindness, young master!"
Having said that, Qiu Shu didn't delay. Protecting his injured arm, he turned and hurriedly left, disappearing back into the mountains and forests.
Ning Jue summoned Zang Fan and Chen Fu to discuss with them how, in order to cover up the lie, they would have to put on a show in front of Qin Li so that Qin Li would mistakenly believe that Qiu Shu and the others were able to escape from the encirclement because of his own impulsive actions.
With this leverage over him, Qin Li will have no choice but to keep a low profile in front of Ning Jue from now on.
...
After dealing with the bandits on the outskirts of Beijing, Ning Jue led his men back to the capital without stopping.
After entering the city, he had to go to the Prince's Mansion to report back before he could have time to visit Bai's Mansion to see his beloved.
However, upon meeting the prince, the prince did not rush to bring up the matter of suppressing the bandits. Instead, he looked at him, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.
Ning Jue sensed something was wrong and his heart tightened: "What has happened? Please tell me the truth, Your Highness."
General Wang first comforted him, telling him not to worry, and then frankly said, "Just the day before yesterday, Miss Bai was invited to visit her aunt's house, which is the Rong residence. However, Rong Linyan suddenly went mad and kidnapped her out of the city. She has not returned since..."
"I sent men out of the city to search carefully, but we still haven't found any clues. Right now, the Bai and Rong mansions are in complete chaos. Bai Shu'an caused a huge scene, completely losing his composure, and his wife, Madam Zhu, almost went into miscarriage. Everyone in the Rong mansion knows they are in the wrong and keeps apologizing, but everyone insists that Rong Lin'an acted impulsively and did not consult them at all beforehand. The two sides are at an impasse now, and Miss Bai is still missing. I am at a loss. Fortunately, I have finally waited for your return."
Ning Jue was incredulous upon hearing this. He stared intently at the Great General, making sure there was no hint of a joke in his eyes, and a sense of panic immediately rose in his heart.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down and suppress his panic, before pressing for details: "Were there any eyewitnesses who saw Rong Linyan leave the city in which direction after abducting the people?"
The Grand General Wang told him all the details he had found out: "I learned that Rong Linyan did not take Miss Bai away by himself. He must have hired a coachman to drive the carriage. Miss Bai was either tied up or drugged and placed in the carriage. Rong Linyan rode behind on horseback. To avoid being noticed, the two kept a distance of about ten zhang between them. After leaving the city, they went east together."
Ning Jue didn't bother to think about the distance between them; these unimportant details were unnecessary to add.
He only cared about the last sentence—"He went out of the city and headed east."
East.
It has mountains and water.
There are meadows suitable for spring outings, lakes and ponds for boating and racing, forests for hunting wild animals, and... quiet and desolate cemeteries.
Cemetery...
Ning Jue's imagination ran wild, and he actually connected the dots. He suddenly looked up, his gaze instantly narrowing.
The Great General noticed something was wrong with his expression and pressed him for an answer: "What's wrong? What have you thought of?"
Ning Jue shook his head.
Some things cannot be told to outsiders.
Over the years, he had painstakingly collected clues from various places, which floated in his mind intermittently. Originally, they were scattered and unrelated, but these scattered clues suddenly became real and gradually connected into an interconnected line.
Ning Jue clenched his fist and bowed to the Great General Wang: "Please send me some men to accompany me out of the city."
The Great General was not stingy with his troops and readily agreed: "Enough of the unnecessary words. The soldiers I sent to you earlier have been out there clearing out bandits for almost a month. They must be starving and exhausted. I will immediately assign you new troops to help you find Miss Bai's whereabouts. Also... remember to take good care of yourself."
After speaking, the Great General issued orders to the outside world.
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Ning Jue bowed again.
While the troops were being gathered outside, Ning Jue returned to the courtyard where he had previously stayed at the Prince's Mansion to change out of his dirty clothes and quickly washed himself.
After enduring so much hardship outside, he smelled terrible all over, and taking a shower made him feel much better.
After returning to the city, he couldn't get a good night's sleep. The disappearance of Hua'er kept him on edge. So after taking a hot shower, he didn't feel any relief. Instead, he was preoccupied with his worries, and his heart grew heavier with each passing quarter of an hour.
After bidding farewell to the prince, Ning Jue led his men out of the city to join Zang Fan and Chen Fu.
Jiuqiu was also present. She hadn't been idle these past few days in the capital, but had been inquiring everywhere and had actually uncovered some subtle clues that the prince hadn't noticed.
"Miss Bai went to the Rong residence at the invitation of Madam Rong. Since Madam Rong moved to the capital, she has repeatedly tried to curry favor with the Bai family, but the response has always been minimal. This time is quite special. Madam Rong said that she wanted to return Miss Bai's original calligraphy copybook by the great calligrapher Yan Fu. It is said that it was a favorite of Miss Bai's late mother. Perhaps because of the importance of this item, Miss Bai agreed to accept the invitation."
"Also, I learned from Xiao You that after Miss Bai disappeared, an item was inexplicably missing from her room. At that time, the Bai family was in chaos, and everyone was concerned about the whereabouts of the young lady. Who would care about something being added or missing? After careful questioning, I learned that it turned out that a precious sword that the young master had given to the young lady, along with its case, had been stolen."
Ning Jue remained calm and silent, but Zang Fan couldn't help but ask in surprise, "A sword? That's really strange. They didn't steal anything else, but they specifically took advantage of the chaos to steal a sword?"
Jiuqiu was also unable to answer this question.
Zang Fan turned to Ning Jue and asked, "Which sword did you give to Bai Hua earlier?"
Ning Jue's gaze settled, as if he had confirmed something. He paused for a moment before answering, "The Lonely Moon Sword."
"What?" Zang Fan was startled upon hearing this.
Chen Fu and Jiu Qiu, standing to the side, were puzzled and looked at each other, wondering why Zang Fan was so surprised.
Zang Fan spoke again, clearing up the confusion for the two: "Your grandmaster once passed down two treasured swords, 'Lone Moon' and 'Wild Goose,' which were equally famous. The first inheritors were your master and mistress. From the moment they were passed down to them, these two swords became known as the couple's swords, not only for their astonishing power but also for the widely circulated symbolism of them being paired together. If I remember correctly, you gave this sword to Bai Hua a long time ago, even though she didn't know how to use a sword at all. You insisted on giving it to her, so that's why. Ning Jue, you're really generous."
Upon hearing this, Chen Fu and Jiu Qiu both showed expressions of sudden realization, secretly marveling at how deeply Young Master Ning had fallen for Miss Bai at first sight.
Ning Jue's expression remained cold and composed, showing no sign of discomfort at having his thoughts exposed.
He gave Zang Fan a warning glance, then said sternly, "Enough with the nonsense, finding the person is the priority. Come with me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ning Jue glared ahead, pulled on the reins, and pressed his legs down on the horse's belly. The horse immediately neighed and galloped off.
Chen Fu Jiuqiu dared not delay and followed closely behind.
Zang Fan realized what was happening, raised his whip, and shouted loudly, "You still haven't said where we're going? Is there a new lead?"
Ning Jue stood tall and straight, not turning his head, only his voice clearly coming from afar: "Eastern Cemetery!"
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