Chapter 42 He, who didn't believe in ghosts and gods, ascended the steps…
"How could someone die out of nowhere?" The woman stood outside the street, gazing at the Qin mansion covered in white cloth. "They just held a lavish banquet a few days ago..." As she spoke, she couldn't continue.
As the sun set, casting a golden glow, the Qin Mansion in the center of the street remained silent. The remaining sunset colors, like fiery red brocade, illuminated the entire mansion, making it appear even more somber. The faces of the guests who came to pay their respects were all filled with sorrow.
The girl in blue standing next to her sighed regretfully, following her words: "Indeed, the Second Miss has only been back in the capital for a little over half a month, and she's still as young and vibrant as a spring branch..."
"I heard she encountered thugs on her way home, and unfortunately, the second young lady wasn't with anyone, which led to this disaster," the man dressed as a cook whispered. The onlookers at the end of the street, hearing that he knew the inside story, turned and crowded around him, some even straining to hear what he was saying, afraid their spots would be taken. "When the Qin family guards arrived, the place was already deserted; all they found was the second young lady's corpse."
"His Highness Prince Su is furious. He slammed his fist on the table and demanded a thorough investigation. The Second Miss must not be allowed to die in vain." The cook lowered his voice and looked mysteriously at the onlookers. "It seems this matter has been handed over to the Court of Judicial Review. I wonder if Lord Qin Xiao is in charge."
“If this case is entrusted to Lord Qin, with his ability to judge cases, he will surely be able to bring justice to the Qin family as soon as possible,” said the girl in green.
The cook nodded: "Yes, even though the thieves are allowed to roam freely, no one dares to wander around anymore."
Upon hearing this, the onlookers echoed his sentiments.
The man in black, hidden at the end of the crowd, had a deep look in his eyes, his gaze fixed on the mansion not far away. As the onlookers dispersed, the man in black also left with the surging crowd.
The moment he left the street where the Qin family lived, the man's pace quickened.
Langya Street, inside Chongren Gate.
As night fell, the many residences lining both sides of Langya Street fell silent.
The man in black scrambled up the wall in a few quick steps, nimbly leaping into the deserted courtyard. Without any attempt to conceal himself, he walked along the path into the courtyard. After walking only about twenty steps, he spotted a figure strolling in the courtyard and walked towards him.
The man strolling leisurely in the courtyard noticed his arrival and raised an eyebrow slightly: "Why did you come before—"
'Bang!'
The man's voice abruptly stopped, followed by a muffled groan of discomfort as his back slammed against the wall. He frowned and snapped, "What's wrong with you?!"
"The matter of the second daughter of the Qin family, was it your doing?" The man in black gripped his collar tightly, his palm trembling as he tried to suppress it. Anger and unbearable tension swirled in the depths of his dark eyes. "If the Dali Temple investigates now and finds out anything, neither of us will escape!"
“They’re all assassins, what are you worried about?” Pain was evident in the man’s eyes and brows. He patted the hand clutching his clothes. “With no way to verify the truth, where can he investigate?” He paused, his eyes thoughtfully fixed on the man in black. “But you seem a bit agitated.”
"Heh." The man in black chuckled, his gaze fixed on him. "Don't forget what you promised me."
"I only promised you not to touch the people of Qingyin Pavilion. Right now, I've only touched the second young lady of the Qin family. What are you worried about?" The man frowned and brushed his hand away, looking down as he straightened the wrinkles in his clothes that had been pulled out. He said nonchalantly, "Besides, agreeing to this is already my biggest concession. If you use this as an excuse to ruin the master's important plans, both of us will be worthless. Let's not talk about that for now. But don't forget about the people who stay by the master's side."
"Don't touch anyone from Qingyin Pavilion." Jing Qing laughed coldly, her face grim. "You dare say that it wasn't your order that our junior sister was assassinated at the city gate?"
"So what if it was my order? She wasn't hurt at all." He stepped over Jing Qing, whose expression was growing increasingly dark and inscrutable under the shadows of the trees, patted him on the shoulder, and laughed, "It's just a warning to Qingyin Pavilion, why panic?"
Jing Qing: "It's just that someone from the pavilion is guarding Qin Xiao when he goes out."
"When did you become so naive and stupid?" The man stopped abruptly upon hearing this and turned to look at him. "Do you really think that person, who follows Qin Xiao around every day, didn't hear anything clearly?! If you hadn't deliberately kept it a secret that someone was accompanying him, I wouldn't have rashly issued a bounty, attracting the attention of everyone at Xianyun Tower."
"Moreover—" The man's gaze swept over Jing Qing up and down, finally settling on the palm that was gripping his sleeve, and he said, "The so-called injury on behalf of a fellow disciple is ultimately for the purpose of clearing your name. We've known each other for many years, so why pretend to be so devoted to protecting your fellow disciple and resisting in front of me?"
The man chuckled: "Very fake."
Jing Qing remained silent, and as the man flicked his sleeve and left, her arm suddenly fell to her side.
His hands were clenched tightly, and the veins on the back of his hands throbbed violently, almost bursting out.
After the news of the mysterious death of the second daughter of the Qin family spread, Biezhi disappeared without a trace. He watched as his master became increasingly depressed, locking herself in her room and spending her days drinking. When his master sent Mingzhe to take over her mission, he realized that something was wrong.
Suicide squad.
Jing Qing laughed out loud.
Ironically, these were the very assassins he had personally trained.
But now it's being used on other branches.
The Qin family claimed that when the guards arrived, the place was deserted. However, three days have passed since Biezhi was murdered, and Qin Xiao has also disappeared for nearly three days. Moreover, Prince Su has also made his appearance, so it's possible that everyone has already been taken away by the Dali Temple.
Fortunately, according to the master's rules, any assassin sent out must take poison before carrying out the mission. Once the mission is completed, there will be an antidote. If there is no antidote, they will bleed from all seven orifices and die within half a day.
Jing Qing let out a deep breath.
On the morning of the sixth day, Bechi was still asleep.
Ling Feng, who had rushed over in the dark, looked at his disciple sleeping peacefully on the bed. He hadn't seen her so lifeless in a very long time.
The usually energetic and lively little girl is now lying here quietly...
Ling Feng sat quietly beside the table, unsure of what to say for a long time.
Yao Guang, who had been sent to look after Bie Zhi, wrung out a damp cloth and wiped the girl's fair face. Hearing her master's occasional sighs, she turned around and said, "The doctor came to see her last night and said that she is out of danger and should wake up soon."
Despite this, Yao Guang herself was not entirely sure.
They had no idea how long they could survive on rice gruel.
Ling Feng hummed in response, his slightly raised gaze catching sight of the amulet hanging from the eaves of the bed.
The words 'Yong Ning' are prominently displayed below the amulet.
A peace charm inside Yongning Temple.
Yongning Temple was the national protection temple of the Li Dynasty. It was located on a mountain peak directly north of the imperial city. It took half a day for carriages and horses to reach Yongning Temple. There were also thousands of steps outside Yongning Temple to show the majesty of the emperor.
Even if you climb the steps quickly, it will take about an incense stick's time.
When Ling Feng arrived yesterday, he had not yet seen this talisman.
At present, besides myself and Mingzhe, only one other person knows about the hot spring resort outside Beijing where Biezhi is recuperating.
He frowned slightly: "When did you arrive yesterday, Master?"
"Master arrived not long after Master left." Yao Guang looked up following her master's gaze and immediately understood how he knew that her master had come. "Yesterday I went to the backyard to brew medicine for my junior sister. When I came back, I saw Qing Shan guarding outside. After Master left, Qing Shan gave me this talisman, saying that Madam Qin knew that her junior sister had been unconscious until now, so she specially asked Young Master Qin to ask Prince Su for it."
Ling Feng's eyelids twitched as he listened to Yao Guang's words.
Such roundabout ways can only fool those who don't know the inside story.
Six days have passed since the assassination attempt, and the Qin family still doesn't know the truth. They really think that Biezhi is in danger, so why would they ask for a peace charm?
"Master stayed for about an hour before leaving." As soon as Yao Guang finished speaking, she remembered something else. Yesterday, Qing Shan took the medicine from her and told her to go and rest. A moment later, he took the medicine in and said with a smile, "But Master is quick to feed the medicine. It was finished in less than half a cup of tea."
Ling Feng: "..."
He recalled what he had seen that day, and glanced again at the porcelain bowl from which Yao Guang had scooped out the medicine spoonful by spoonful not long ago. His furrowed brows deepened.
The Prince Su whom Ling Feng knew was the least superstitious person in the world.
The entire Yongning Temple now obeys only his orders. It appears to be no different from an ordinary temple, with monks eating vegetarian food, chanting Buddhist scriptures, and making offerings to the gods. In reality, they are all martial monks who have not worried about other trivial matters for a long time.
now……
He, who did not believe in ghosts and gods, climbed the steps to pray for her protection.
Yongning Temple, which has been closed to the public for a long time, now offers amulets for peace and safety.
Thinking of this, Ling Feng sighed.
After he finished speaking that day, he did not receive a reply for a long time. It seemed that the prince did not care about what he said, as if it were just a passing breeze that left no trace.
He sighed heavily again.
All morning, Yao Guang heard her master sighing and lamenting. Thinking he was worried about his junior sister, she comforted him, "Heaven will protect her, she'll be alright."
“I do hope that God will be kinder to her,” Ling Feng said.
Yao Guang understood what her master meant and couldn't help but sigh. Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of the knuckles on the couch trembling. Startled, she stood up and exclaimed, "Master! Junior Sister's fingers moved!"
Upon hearing this, Ling Feng immediately got up and walked over, just in time to see the girl's fingertips trembling.
He held his breath for a moment, his eyes widening as he stared intently at her fingertips, afraid that she might find it noisy and fall asleep again.
Biezhi felt as if she had walked for a very, very long time, so long that she was exhausted and didn't even have the strength to open her eyes.
She struggled for a long time before finally managing to open a tiny gap.
Behind the blinding light were two anxious faces. Biezhi stared blankly at her master's relieved expression, then struggled to turn her eyes to look at her senior sister, whose face was covered in tears. Her thoughts gradually returned.
She encountered assassins on the mountain behind the Xu family's residence.
Then, he was poisoned.
Biezhi still remembers that the last person she saw when she fell into a coma seemed to be His Highness Prince Su.
Xu Wenche.
Her eyes widened instantly, and she tried to get up by supporting herself on the bed, but she didn't have any strength at all.
Seeing that she was flustered and seemed to be trying to get up, Yao Guang quickly stepped forward to help her up and lean against the bed.
"Xu Wenche." Bie Zhi's voice, hoarse from years of silence, sounded like a traveler who had walked through a desert for half a month. "Is his safety now—"
Ling Feng pressed down on her hand as she tried to get up, interrupting her, "The master has already sent your senior brother Mingzhe over there."
In an instant, Biezhi breathed a sigh of relief, and her body went limp.
Her gaze swept over the unfamiliar surroundings, where the air was thick with the scent of wealth; even the vase placed under the window looked incredibly valuable.
"When did Master get so much money and live such a luxurious life?" Biezhi's face was full of envy, showing no signs of having been seriously injured.
Seeing her like this, Ling Feng was furious: "You should be concerned about yourself."
Bie Zhi pursed her lips, looked up at her master who was angry at her for her lack of ambition, remained silent for a while, and then said with concern, "I'm hungry."
He paused, then added, "I want to eat lots of meat and fish."
Ling Feng: "..."
He sent Yao Guang out to find her food and relay the message to Qing Shan, then turned back to pour her a cup of spring water and hand it to her: "Aren't you going to ask those assassins?"
Biezhi tilted her head back and drank the water in the cup in one gulp, then handed it back to her master. "Master said they were assassins. Since I am alive, they are naturally dead."
“You’re so optimistic.” Ling Feng poured another cup, pondered for a moment, and then handed her the teapot and cup together. “Right now, Shanju is working with Dali Temple to investigate. They haven’t left any trace in the capital. The only thing that might be related to them is the situation of entering the city through the Vermilion Bird Gate on the day you had the accident. The figure described by the gate guards is somewhat similar to theirs.”
Bie Zhi tilted her head back and put the teapot spout to her open mouth, pouring water into her mouth until she finished the whole pot. Only then did she feel a little better in her throat. She wiped the water that had spilled onto her lips.
Having roamed the world for many years, she also knew that the most difficult situation was when there was no way to verify the truth.
Let alone finding out who their master is, they can't even find out who they're after.
Just then, footsteps sounded at the door.
Bie Zhi swallowed the words that were already on the tip of her tongue, looked at her senior sister who was bringing over the congee, glanced at the white congee, and pouted: "Is this all?"
"You've just woken up. After eating meat, you can stay in the outhouse today." Yao Guang picked up a spoon and stirred the congee that was easy to eat. She had cooked it in half an hour to avoid having to wait any longer after her junior sister woke up. "The doctor also said that you should abstain from certain foods until your wound heals."
Upon hearing this, Biezhi remembered the wound on her hand.
She glanced down at her arms, which were wrapped up tightly and completely sealed off, and sighed.
Biezhi took the spoon and small bowl and drank the white porridge spoonful by spoonful.
Despite his reluctance, he ended up drinking six bowls, a whole pot of it.
After finishing the congee, Biezhi came back to life. She handed the bowl to Yaoguang, who was already waiting with her hand outstretched. After thanking her, she lifted the blanket and got up, saying, "It's getting late, I'll be going now."
Ling Feng hurriedly restrained the restless little tyrant, veins throbbing on his forehead: "Your injuries haven't healed yet, where are you going?"
Biezhi replied matter-of-factly, "Of course we should go and bring back Senior Brother Mingzhe. It wouldn't be good to trouble him for too long."
Ling Feng: "..."
He paused for a moment, then said, "From now on, Mingzhe will be in charge of this task."
Biezhi looked up in astonishment.
Her ten thousand taels!
"Why?" Her eyes widened, but she quickly thought of someone. "Did Master decide this?"
“The master has already given the order.” Ling Feng nodded. “During the six days you were unconscious, your senior brother stayed by Xu Wenche’s side.”
Biezhi suddenly took a deep breath.
Gradually, she came to her senses.
The mission was urgent, so it was impossible to wait for him to wake up. It wasn't wrong for the master to assign it to someone else as a precaution, but—
"What about my money? How do we settle this?"
Ling Feng didn't ask about that, saying, "It depends on what Master means."
“No…” Biezhi pouted and decisively rejected her master’s words, saying, “The master should still pay the salary for more than half a month.”
Most importantly, she still owes five hundred taels!
Biezhi stood up again: "I'm going to find my master."
Ling Feng pressed her down again, but seeing her so full of energy, the weight in his heart lifted, and he said, "Master is busy right now."
He should still be in the palace during the morning court session.
"When will he be available?" Biezhi frowned.
Ling Feng: "What are you going to do?"
Biezhi glanced at her master, not understanding why he didn't get it, but she still told him without hesitation: "Go argue with him and get the money."
"Master!" Yao Guang, who had just left, suddenly rushed in. She saw her junior sister with bright almond-shaped eyes, who seemed to be arguing with their master about something. However, she couldn't care less about that; the outside was the key: "Qing Shan is at the door. He said that the master has arrived."
Ling Feng was taken aback.
He glanced suspiciously at the waterwheel outside the window.
That's right, it is indeed the time for the morning court session.
Then he glanced back at his disciple who had suddenly fallen silent, as if she wasn't the one who had just been clamoring to confront her master. He couldn't help but smile and urge her, "Perfect timing, the master is here. You can also discuss with him how much money you're owed."
Biezhi: "..."
She suddenly remembered something.
According to the usual practice of Xianyunlou, before discussing how much money he could get, the master could punish him for lax conduct, which almost led to a major disaster.
Otherwise, why would he come here now of all things?
Biezhi hesitated, glanced at her master who was smiling broadly, silently clutched her chest and lay back down in her original position, feigning discomfort: "I seem to be a little dizzy and should not see you, Master. If you ask, please tell me for me."
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
She glanced up and saw Qing Shan's calm and composed expression. He looked at her, as if he had heard what she said, and remained silent for a while before saying in a low voice, "Master is already waiting."
The moment the words left her lips, Betsugi, who had been lying on the couch, nimbly got up.
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