Chapter 102: Alliance Sorry, this was all planned by me...
The wind on the mountain top finally showed signs of stopping.
Qing Guiyu felt that in his twenty years of life, he had never felt so helpless as he did now.
Her "one, two, three, four" plan of cutting through the Gordian knot sounded righteous and powerful when she said it, but when it came time to carry it out, she found that it was an impossible task.
"Let's go." She couldn't stand the strange silence any more, so she had to bite the bullet and speak, then turned around and walked down the mountain.
He walked so fast, as if a ghost was chasing him.
Although the two men didn't fight again, the atmosphere was three times colder than the wind on the clifftop. They just trapped her in the middle, making her feel uncomfortable from both inside and out.
Qing Guiyu's scalp tingled, and as he walked, his pace slowed down involuntarily, and he quietly fell behind by two or three steps.
Then fall two or three steps behind.
In the end, we were twenty or thirty steps behind.
She hunched her neck, hugged her bamboo flute, and followed the two extremely eye-catching men from a distance. She tried to curl herself up and pretend that she was just an ordinary farm girl who went into the mountains to collect herbs.
This time was different from the snowy mountains. The two men were not obviously seriously injured, and the road was not as lonely and deserted as in the snowy mountains.
Coming down the other side of the mountain, we first encountered a small town called Fu'ao. It was afternoon, and the streets were bustling with activity. Facing the river and bordering Baidi City to the west, the town was situated at a strategic point of both land and water transport. Because of the legend of the "Flying Sword of the Divine Mother," the people were known for their bravery and martial spirit.
There are many wanderers with swords and knives coming and going in the town. Most of the shops in the town are blacksmith shops, herbal medicine stores, and restaurants and teahouses with the word "Wu" hung on their signs. Even the shops selling buns have their steamers stacked in the shape of a pagoda.
But this kind of chivalrous spirit suddenly changed after seeing these three people.
A man in white clothes and white hair, with a cold and lonely expression, his whole body aura is as clear as ice and snow, making people dare not look at him directly, and can only praise him from afar, "What a sword immortal."
The other one was dressed in black with gold thread, with a beautiful face and outstanding demeanor, which could make the little girl selling flowers on the roadside blush and forget to shout for hawking.
There was a distance between them, barely wide enough for horses to gallop, and they barely glanced at each other. Yet, they were both so strikingly different that they immediately became a striking and eerie sight on the long street.
Qing Guiyu followed them at a distance, pretending not to recognize them. But following behind also had its drawbacks, and he could hear the discussions on all sides.
Thanks to Li Chengjin's spreading of the news, this story is no longer about romance, but about a strange love story. These two people are truly famous in the martial arts world.
After Qing Guiyu listened to it, his face began to feel hot.
It was mostly some nonsense about a poisonous witch, revenge for stealing his wife, being in a dilemma and comparing things.
What are you comparing? Who dies faster?
Her face burned fiercely, and she felt even more irritated. She felt that she couldn't go on like this. So she made up her mind, quickened her pace, rushed forward, and grabbed the sleeve of the young man in black clothes behind her.
The junior brother was injured, and she didn't dare leave the two of them alone. For now, she could only hold on to this weakling.
"You," she said quickly, lowering her voice, "go find an inn. Ask for three upper rooms, a quiet one, the farthest away."
Shen Juansheng was pulled by her, looked around, glanced at Lu Guiyan in the distance, and finally stared back at her, his face turned red in an instant.
"Yes," he whispered quickly, lowering his head and blushing even more. "Miss Qing, do you have any other preferences? Does the house have to face south?"
Qing Guiyu took out a few pieces of silver from her bosom and stuffed them into his hand without thinking, "No, just go quickly."
Young Master Jin Sheng took it from her, still with his head lowered, clutching a few ordinary silver pieces in his palm.
As soon as he left, the pressure around him suddenly eased considerably. Lu Guiyan was a calm and aloof person, not trying to be too polished. Everyone was in awe of him, but they didn't dare to look at him too closely.
Qing Guiyu breathed a sigh of relief, turned around, and was about to say something to Lu Guiyan, but found that the junior brother was looking at her with some worry in his eyes.
"Junior sister," Lu Guiyan finally spoke in a light voice, "you..."
"I'm fine!" Qing Guiyu immediately spoke up, fearing that he would hurt himself because of his hatred for his enemy. "Junior Brother, your injuries haven't healed yet, so you should rest well. Let's find a place to stay first."
Lu Guiyan stopped talking.
She finally breathed a sigh of relief, pulled Lu Guiyan, and found a secluded tea stall to sit down, just wanting to wait for the storm to pass.
*
Fortunately, ordering Master Jin Sheng to do things is really remarkable.
This thoroughfare, with its extensive water and land transportation, might have a hidden entrance to the Tianji Pavilion. Shen Jiansheng quickly found an inn with a small, independent courtyard in the innermost part of the town. The courtyard contained three upper rooms, one on each side, separated by a pomegranate tree that had just blossomed.
As soon as Qing Guiyu entered the yard, he pushed Lu Guiyan into the east wing without saying anything, and told him to practice qigong and regulate his breathing, and never to use his true energy recklessly. Then he closed the door and breathed a long sigh of relief.
It would take about a whole day to circulate qi and meditate to regulate her breathing, but she herself would be in big trouble.
Qing Guiyu paced back and forth, his heart in a mess.
The matter of the Bingxi Qi-washing Technique is imminent. Shen Yan has already escaped, leaving Junior Brother in a precarious situation. The cold poison in Shen Juansheng's body is also closely related to this technique.
The jade slip she had retrieved from the bottom of the cold pond contained a technique so exquisite it might truly be the key to unlocking this deadlock. However, to delve into the jade slip, one must delve into the original text of the Bingxi Qi Xi Jue (Ice Stream Cleansing Meridians) technique.
This matter must be discussed openly with my junior brother.
But how to talk?
Did she have to grab Shen Juansheng's collar and walk to Lu Guiyan and say, "Brother, look, this is your long-lost brother, the adopted son of your enemy who wiped out your family, and the current head of the Tianji Pavilion. Now, according to your archenemy's plan, I want to borrow your family's secret manual that kills people and shortens their lives, cure your illness, and also test his poison. Do you think it's okay?"
Thinking of this, I felt scared.
She thought she was quite clever, but when she thought about how she had deceived her junior brother so many times over the years, her conscience began to grumble. Now, she was really stuck in coming up with another trick.
How to say it.
This matter cannot be told to others, but it requires someone...who has a good enough brain and a heart darker than hers.
——The mastermind of Tianji is a man with a dark and vicious heart. To accomplish anything with him is like trying to get the skin of a tiger or trying to pull chestnuts out of the fire.
Turning around, he saw Chen Juansheng leaning against the beauty in the corridor, holding a willow branch in his hand, teasing a tabby cat in the corner of the yard.
The sunlight filtered through the cracks in the flower stand, casting dappled shadows on him. He seemed in a very good mood, with a gentle expression and soft features, like a wealthy and idle man who cared nothing for the world.
The golden thread hung down, and the willow branches swayed back and forth, like a bright red poisonous snake, lazily shaking the tip of its tail.
Qing Guiyu became furious when he saw this, so he walked over, snatched the willow branch from his hand and threw it aside.
“Shen Tianji!”
"Yeah." He raised his head, his peach blossom eyes curved, clear and innocent.
"Let me ask you something," Qing Guiyu sat down beside him, scratching his hair irritably. "My senior brother's injury can't be delayed. You've also seen the technique on the Xuanbing Jade Wall. The Bingxi Ximai Jue and the Hansui Gong are indeed related. I think..."
She got stuck when she said this.
How could he ask Lu Guiyan to borrow the Ice Stream Cleansing Art, the secret technique of the Snow Mountain Sect, without causing him to draw his sword? And how could he do that in order to save his greatest enemy in life—and his brother?
"Yes," Young Master Jinsheng smiled brightly. "Miss Qing wants to ask for advice. How can we get your senior brother to drink calmly at the same table with the son of his family's exterminated enemy and discuss the matter of borrowing the ancestral secret manual?"
Qing Guiyu was a little stunned for a moment.
"Is that what I think?" It sounded a bit beastly.
"Hmm," Shen Juansheng nodded in understanding, but then frowned in distress and sighed softly, "This, I'm afraid it's a bit difficult."
Qing Guiyu was a little discouraged and sat down on a wooden bench in the yard.
"I'll think about it."
"Leave it to me." Shen Juansheng agreed without hesitation.
"Miss Qing, if you want to borrow a book, go ahead and borrow it. If you want to save someone, go ahead and save them. If you want advice, Chen Juansheng will think for you."
Young Master Jinsheng responded so readily that the string of vigilance in her heart suddenly tightened.
Yes.
Let’s talk.
Need to talk to him.
Qing Guiyu was a straightforward person, so he asked,
"Chen Juansheng, you..." Hesitantly, "When we went to Medicine King Valley..."
——Spy the Bingxi Meridian Cleansing Technique.
"What's going on?"
——After all, he was sent away by his enemy.
That rainy night, that young man covered in blood, those eyes that stubbornly refused to live.
The beginning of all entanglements.
As soon as this question came out, the smile on Shen Juansheng's face faded. He didn't answer immediately, but turned his head and looked at the pomegranate tree in the yard rustling in the wind, as if he was looking at something very far away.
He was wearing a black robe, the lapels and sleeves of which were densely embroidered with curling grass patterns with ink-colored silk thread. When the wind blew, it was like silent vines growing quietly from his bones and blood, wrapping around his entire body.
"Miss Qing," he said in a deep voice, turning his head. His face was half bright, half dim in the shadow of the tree, making it difficult to see clearly. "Do you really want to know?"
The afternoon sun was just right, though slightly cloudy, so it wasn't too strong. The tabby cat, having eaten and drunk its fill, had slipped back in at some point and curled up at his feet, purring softly.
Qing Guiyu nodded, said nothing, and just looked at him.
"Yeah." He responded and turned back. His clear peach blossom eyes seemed to be covered with a thin layer of mist again.
"My father... Chen Yan, he asked me to go." He stated calmly, "More than once. Before I met you, I had been to Medicine King Valley three times."
Qing Guiyu's heart sank suddenly.
"The Tianji Pavilion is looking for the Bingxi Meridian Cleansing Technique, and this has been planned for years. The valley is heavily guarded, and my first three attempts were merely to explore the route, identify the people, familiarize myself with the terrain, and look for an opportunity."
He paused, raised his hand, and stroked the bright red needle marks at the corners of his eyes with his fingertips. Suddenly, an extremely strange expression appeared on his face, a mixture of jealousy, hatred and confusion.
"I went looking for news about the Snow Mountain Sect and saw you," he said softly, "many times."
"I hid behind the cliff and watched you practice swordplay with him for too long, and he chased you away. I hid on the eaves of the library and watched you steal the Valley Master's old pulse casebook. Elder Meng chased you and scolded you, and you asked him to plead for mercy."
"You went up the mountain to collect herbs and were bitten by a snake and passed out. When he brought you back, I was so worried. I thought if you died at that moment, you would never recognize me again."
With every word he spoke, his voice became lower, like a ghost submerged in water, silently spying on the world.
"I looked at him, Lu Guiyan," the voice suddenly sharpened, "and I was wondering, on what basis?"
"Why would someone treat him like this just because he was born? He was just born a few years earlier than me, and was lucky enough to be sent to Medicine King Valley, thus escaping the disaster of annihilation of his entire family."
"And what about me?" Young Master Jin Sheng turned his head abruptly. His face, blurred in the shadows of the trees, looked even more elegant and lonely.
"I have nothing. I am a person who cannot be seen in public."
He seemed to be asking himself, but also seemed to be asking her.
"During those days, I always wondered, what if... what if it was me who was sent to Medicine King Valley..."
He didn't say anything else, just smiled indifferently.
After a while, he spoke again, continuing indifferently.
"So I had to resort to some scheming on my own."
"The cliff was cold and damp, and my cold poison was at its worst at that time. Therefore, I didn't want to stay there any longer."
He said this in a straightforward manner, but Qing Guiyu only felt his hands and feet were cold.
"So..." She said this with some sadness, "At that time you..."
"Yeah," he said, a blush spreading across his face.
"That was my last time entering the valley. I knew my father's patience was almost exhausted. If I couldn't find the Ice Stream Art again, he would try another method. Perhaps... he would even engage in swordplay with the Medicine King Valley again. Who knows."
"That won't work. It's extremely dangerous," he said calmly, pausing briefly. "So I severely injured myself, pushing the cold poison to its limit. I calculated the time, observed the wind and rain, and figured out your path back to the valley."
"Then I lay down at the foot of the medicine hut, listening to your footsteps, approaching step by step. At that time, the rain had just stopped, and I was freezing cold all over. I had only one thought."
She was stared at by clear eyes, as if she had been washed by water.
"I want someone like that, too."
The young man's voice suddenly became hoarse, and a blush spread from his cheeks to his ears, with traces of needlework at the corners of his eyes, making him look bright and beautiful.
"You came over and squatted down. The smell of herbs mixed with the smell of soil after rain was something I had never smelled before."
He stood up and walked slowly towards her. His complicated black robe was spotless, but the golden thread seemed to have absorbed all the light around him, making it so bright that it was a little dazzling.
"I'm sorry," his voice trembled violently.
"Miss Qing," he looked at her with red eyes, then quickly lowered his head, as if he didn't even have the courage to look her in the eye.
Seven years later, the young man who had been in her medicine room was still completely confused and uneasy, as if he was afraid to see even the slightest hint of disgust on her face.
"It was all planned by me...
"I'm so... sorry."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
