Chapter 6
The mountain colors gradually deepened, and the temperature rose.
Xi Xiao leaned against the window and lifted the curtain, her eyes filled with joy: "Although the journey was tiring, the scenery along the way, with its green mountains, birds, and delicious food, felt just like a spring outing."
The misty clouds beside her were still young, never having left their secluded chambers. At this moment, she had long forgotten her brother's instructions, and was only concerned with holding the newly bought candied plums, chatting with Xi Xiao about the scenery along the way, feeling quite at ease.
As the two were chatting and laughing, a crane suddenly appeared, standing in front of the carriage with a cold expression and wearing black robes: "Miss Xi, it's time for the young master to administer acupuncture."
Xi Xiao's smile froze for a moment, then relaxed again. She gently lifted her skirt and stood up: "I'll go now."
As soon as she stepped into the carriage, she felt a warm fragrance wafting towards her, much warmer than her own carriage.
Pei Yun leaned against the soft blue satin pillow. Although he had entered the southern territory, he was still wrapped in a black fox fur cloak. The snow-white fox fur made his face look even paler, like a doll carved from ice and jade. Only the faint smile on his lips still held a bit of life.
She was startled, a sense of unease crossing her heart; his body seemed even weaker than the day before.
Lowering her gaze to conceal the color in her eyes, she silently unfolded her medical bag. The silver needles danced between her fingertips, but she was surprised to find the carriage unusually smooth, unlike her own, which was bumpy and difficult to travel.
She's someone who knows how to enjoy life.
Xi Xiao inwardly scoffed, unconsciously loosening her grip on his wrist. The pampered bodies of aristocratic young masters were ultimately no match for the resilience of these江湖野草 (jianghu weasels, a term referring to unsavory characters from the martial arts world).
Pei Yun slowly raised his eyes, a thin mist seemingly swirling within them. Though a smile played on his lips, it sent a chill down one's spine: "You must be tired after all these days, Miss Xi." He lightly tapped the window frame with his fingertips, and the lanterns of the inn in the distance shone even brighter in the sunlight. "Qiyun Pavilion is just ahead. Why don't we rest for a while tonight?"
Xi Xiao was oblivious to the deeper meaning in his words, and instead put away the medicine box with a clinking sound: "Young master is so considerate!" Her smile contained a hint of feigned warmth.
The copper bells on the eaves suddenly jingled in the breeze, just enough to drown out the ambiguous chuckle that Pei Yun let out.
That night, the wind rustled against the paper windowpanes. Xi Xiao was deep in her pillow when a doubt suddenly arose in her mind. She tapped her knuckles on the bed board with a tinkling sound: "This bed is quite soft..." Before she could finish speaking, a flash of blue lightning appeared outside the window, and the candlelight instantly dimmed by three inches.
"More than just a bed!" Yunwu jumped barefoot off the rocking chair, the sweet strands of the candy sticking to her lips. "This food is much more exquisite, much better than my peach blossom pastries. Miss, would you like to try some?"
"Alright, I'm old, unlike you with your sharp teeth. If I eat myself into a chubby face, you'll have plenty to laugh at." These words made Yunwu burst into laughter, and she even stopped eating the candy, getting up to tease her, muttering, "You're clearly not that much older than me, yet you always take advantage of me. Tomorrow I'll have the young master burn all the books in the Medicine Valley. You never learn anything good..."
He suddenly fell silent halfway through his sentence.
The mist in the mirror suddenly stopped moving, her pupils shrinking to pinpoints. She looked warily toward the door. Xi Xiao immediately understood, pressed her back against the carved panel of the canopy bed, and took out a pair of silver scissors from somewhere, pressing the sharp tip against her heart. The scissors, reflected in the candlelight, looked extremely sharp and terrifying.
"boom!"
The door shattered! A masked swordsman pierced through the rain, his cold gleam aimed straight for the throat of the misty clouds.
"Girl, hide well!"
Yunwu only had time to give this warning before she spun around and turned into clouds. Her black hair narrowly missed the sword's edge and was severed, making Xi Xiao's heart pound with fear.
Before her hair could fall to the ground, the assassin suddenly twisted his wrist, the tip of his sword piercing her abdomen. Yunwu fell backward, but the back of her head accidentally knocked over the antique shelf, shattering the celadon vase and creating ripples on the ground.
Xi Xiao was terrified. She picked up a shard of broken porcelain from the ground and stabbed it at the assassin's back. But the man seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He rolled up his left sleeve and deflected her arm, while his right wrist flashed with swordplay, teasing them as if he were dancing with a sword.
"Sizzle!"
A tear appeared in the white silk on Yunwu's shoulder, and blood splattered onto the mirror. Taking advantage of the moment, Xi Xiao shot the assassin's jade pillow with a golden needle.
"Pfft!"
But the man twisted her wrist and stabbed her in return, blood spurting out like splashed cinnabar.
"Ugh...Miss!" Yunwu, drawing strength from who-knows-where, rolled to the ground, grabbed a charcoal pitchfork, and thrust the red-hot iron tip toward the enemy's abdomen. The assassin's sword hilt slammed down, deflecting the pitchfork with a clang, sparks flying like a rainstorm.
The heavy rain poured into the broken window, and a figure seemed to be in the corridor. The figure paused slightly, and Yunwu's charcoal fork pierced his ribs again, but this time it seemed to anger him. He lost his patience and raised his hand, pointing the sword light at Yunwu's chest.
At the critical moment, Xi Xiao reached into the medicine pouch with his left hand, and phosphorus powder leaked out between his fingers. It ignited as soon as it touched blood, and the assassin screamed in agony. He took the opportunity to break the charcoal fork and jump out of the window to escape.
Xi Xiao was limp as a rag doll, and suddenly a frosty white light pierced through her eyelashes.
Outside the door stood a handsome young man with his hands behind his back. The tips of his brocade boots crushed the raindrops on the veranda, and the splashing water reflected the cold indifference in his eyes. A fingertip stained with blood was about to touch the hem of his robe when it was shaken back three inches.
"Save...the girl." The breathy words that Yunwu was trying to utter were cut off by the wind blades that swept across his python robe.
Xi Xiao strained to lift her eyes, only to see a pair of extremely cold eyes. Before falling into nothingness, she glimpsed the toe of the young master's boot slightly shifting, brushing against the scattered strands of his dark hair. As she completely succumbed, a chilling whisper drifted to her ear: "This maid is truly difficult..."
Crane Shadow stood at attention, hands clasped, like a pine tree covered in snow. Though her countenance was calm and still, her heart was in turmoil. Her gaze swept over the lingering breaths in the pool of blood, and old memories suddenly shattered the stillness of her heart.
If it weren't for Young Master Xi discovering the situation and forcing his brother to intervene, this maid would have long since turned into bones in the pool. Now, with the blood rain reappearing and Miss Xi risking her life to protect her, could this person have another identity? He Ying's expression turned solemn, and when he looked at the unconscious woman again, his eyes were filled with murderous intent.
At this time, however, he was unaware that his master acted entirely according to his own will, without any scheming involved.
*
The moment Xi Xiao opened her eyes slightly, she saw Pei Yun holding a pill between his fingers. Morning light pierced through the windowpane, and the pill appeared to have spiderweb-like black patterns on his fingertips, as if something alive was breaking free from its shell. She was startled, and quickly reached for her waist, only to find her purse empty.
"Young Master Pei." Her voice was icy cold as she finished speaking, then she stared at the pills in his hand and said nothing more.
Pei Yun suddenly flicked his wrist, placing the pill into a plain brocade purse, and said with a faint smile, "The young lady's life-saving medicine is indeed extraordinary." As he tossed the purse back, it carried the fragrance of the medicine, and a gust of wind from his sleeve swept across her arm injury.
Xi Xiao picked up the pill he had touched with her fingertips, and with a slight force, the pill scattered: "A crude tonic, how can it compare to your precious treasure, young master?"
Without waiting for the other person's reaction, she glanced around the room. The broken celadon vase from last night was intact, and the blood-stained wooden floor was now covered with a Persian velvet carpet. Most strangely, the warmth of the charcoal brazier mixed with the sweet and warm fragrance of the incense box wafting from the mother-of-pearl incense burner was like the incense in a boudoir.
Something seemed off yesterday. Why would there be a silken curtain in this desolate inn? This inn seems like private property. And what about last night's assassination attempt...?
Xi Xiao's face was terrifyingly cold. "I wonder where my maid is. If it weren't for her protecting me last night, I would have been dead by now. I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to accompany you to the Southern Frontier to find the White Flower Snake Tongue Grass. You should take your medicine as soon as possible, otherwise, it will be too late." Her words revealed a threat and dissatisfaction, as well as a hint of resentment.
As he finished speaking, a loud laugh shook the dust off the beams, and the mask of gentle warmth cracked inch by inch. A genuine smile curved his lips, like a lone wolf finally revealing its fangs.
"I don't know where I offended you, young lady, that you would hold such a prejudice against me..." The jade-bone fan suddenly touched the gauze curtain, and the sky-blue silk gauze slid down like the receding tide, revealing Yunwu's figure, whose neck was tightly wrapped in snow-white medicinal gauze.
"If I harbor murderous intent..." He swept his sleeve across the glass bottle, causing the fish to scatter and crash against the sides. Water splashed everywhere, and the droplets landed on the festering corpse of the masked assassin covered by a white cloth. "Why leave this evidence?"
Xi Xiao's gaze locked onto the side of the corpse's neck, where a sword wound as thin as a cicada's wing meandered like a snake. Her fingertips unconsciously rubbed the bandage on her arm wound, her throat dry: "Thank you, young master. Do you have any clues?"
Pei Yunyu snapped his bone fan shut with a "click": "I don't know." His voice was icy. He propped his head up with his hand, staring at the pill she had crushed with a half-smile.
Xi Xiao staggered off the bed, the honeysuckle pattern of the Persian carpet tangling her blood-stained soft shoes. She bowed deeply, saying, "I was blinded by greed. You, sir, have repaid evil with kindness. Xi Xiao will never forget this..."
Pei Yun suddenly used the fan bone to lift her chin, and the reflection of the two of them appeared in the mirror. An interest rose in his eyes: "I wonder how you can not forget?"
Xi Xiao dodged to the side, her black hair brushing against Pei Yun's sleeve, a gold thread catching a strand of her broken hair: "Does the young master know who attempted the assassination?" Before she finished speaking, she suddenly saw the icy coldness in the other's eyes.
"How many enemies does the young lady have?" Pei Yunman adjusted the sash of his crane-feather cloak, and without waiting for Xi Xiao's response, he turned and left.
*
Pei Yun tapped his knuckles on the armrest of the rocking chair. The potted violet, stained with blood, sat on the table, its new buds, a deep crimson hue, just emerging from the withered leaves. His smile deepened: "Just as I expected..."
“Master.” As He Ying lowered his head, he caught a glimpse of phosphorus powder from the morgue on the corner of his eye: “An Qi is here with Young Master Xi, awaiting your summons.” As soon as he finished speaking, the creaking of the rocking chair became even more jarring.
He Ying stood with his hands at his sides, secretly annoyed: His master returned without ordering the body to be moved, leaving the bloodied body lying beside Miss Xi's bed. Such rudeness was infuriating, and if he angered someone, wouldn't it be him, the human shield, who would be held accountable later?
He lowered his eyes and held his breath: On the surface, An Liu's execution was an accidental failure to kill the maid, but the needle marks on the beauty's jade arm had already revealed the truth. He should have been tortured and then given death, but the blood that seeped from the deep wound stained that withered violet, so his master spared his body.
Crane Shadow glanced at the person sitting below and felt that the person in front of him was shrouded in mist, which made him even more puzzled.
"Let him in." Pei Yun tapped the rocking chair to a stop, his dark, ink-like spirit invading the room: "Young Master Xi went to Qingcheng Mountain, where he acquired a wild spiritual root."
He Ying continued, "Wild spiritual roots have the effect of replenishing blood. Young Master Xi is often injured, so what's so strange about that?"
An Qi's left wrist snapped, the ebony box cracked on the table, and ochre root powder splattered like a sandstorm. He explained calmly, "Young Master Xi did not use the wild spiritual root. He ground it into powder and carried it with him. Even when he was seriously injured, he did not use it." As soon as he finished speaking, the fragrance of medicine in the room suddenly rotted.
“Interesting.” Pei Yun suddenly spread his palm and scooped up some powder, the powder dripping from between his fingers like blood. He smiled, as if he was not surprised at all.
As the setting sun moved past the window frame, the rocking chair suddenly creaked and swayed again. Pei Yunyu ran his thumb ring across the violet petals, and the blood-red dew on the petals gathered into beads, the center of which seemed to reflect Xi Xiao's smiling face.
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