Chapter 16
It started snowing again on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
It wasn't the first snowfall, but the temperature dropped quickly. The chill from the melting snowflakes stretched from the south of the Yangtze River to the desert. The snow melted extremely fast, and streams and brooks flowed and converged into the river. The sudden drop in temperature reached the Valley of Villains, not far from the desert, where people had to light bonfires and charcoal stoves.
After the incident at Longmen, Ye Min and the others were rescued by fellow disciples from the Valley of Villains who happened to be passing by, who wanted to take them back to the valley to heal their wounds. The events of that day occurred dozens of miles away from the Longmen Inn, and in a desolate place. When the group arrived on horseback and saw the corpses and signs of a fight on the ground, they were filled with endless sorrow.
However, realizing there were still survivors, the group rushed forward to investigate. Seeing the woman staring blankly at the corpse in her arms, several tried to pull her away, but as soon as they approached, the weapons around her emitted a bloody light and swirled around her. They had no choice but to retreat sheepishly, daring not to make any further moves.
The only Ming Cult disciple with relatively minor injuries didn't utter a single word from beginning to end. He just stared at the woman holding the corpse of the Cangyun soldier, his eyes filled with sorrow, as if the woman was his sore spot, and even a glance from her would make one's heart ache and shed tears.
The most seriously injured disciple of the Hidden Sword Sect was stabbed through the abdomen by a sword, damaging his spleen. Several disciples from the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers who studied medicine stepped forward to bandage and treat the wound, only saying that it would be more appropriate to take him back to the nearest Valley of Evil for treatment immediately.
The group led the Hidden Sword disciple away, but they still couldn't find a way to deal with the woman. Just as everyone hesitated, the woman put down the corpse, slowly stood up, looked at the group, and softly said, "Could you help me cremate this person?" She then picked up her guqin, slung it over her back, and went over to try and lift the corpse. However, she was too weak, and she knelt down as soon as she lifted it by the crook of her arm.
The Ming Cult man broke free from the doctor who was bandaging him, clutched his abdomen, and walked to the woman's side. She looked up at him, and the Ming Cult disciple simply squatted down, hoisted the corpse onto his shoulder, and walked in one direction.
The woman, her face covered in blood, remained expressionless. She followed the Ming Cult disciples away from the area.
The desolate and barren desert was not suitable for burial, so the man carried the body on foot for more than ten miles, borrowed a cart from the locals, and took the body away.
The people following behind did not follow. They only saw a dejected man, his eyes lifeless, disappearing into the desert sands with uneven steps.
Three months later, Ye Min, who had recovered from his serious injuries, met A Lu Lingyi and Yang Yuan, who were now out of danger, in the Valley of Villains.
Alu Lingyi followed a few feet behind Yang Yuan, neither approaching nor leaving. Ye Min only gave him a perfunctory greeting before walking with Alu. Yang Yuan, walking in front, never turned around, seemingly unaware that Alu was following behind.
The three of them didn't say much. Ye Min watched as Yang Yuan, carrying the Blood Sacrifice Cave Immortal Guide, entered the tent of Wang Yifeng, the Valley Master of Evil Valley, and knelt down.
Only then did he realize that she had entered the Valley of Villains.
Entering the valley wasn't difficult, but this matter still surprised Ye Min somewhat. Taking advantage of the moment when the valley master was talking to Yang Yuan, he patted A Lu on the shoulder, signaling him to go outside to talk.
Standing at the highest point, overlooking the entire Valley of Villains, A-Lu crossed her arms, while Ye Min leaned against the railing. Their clothes were blown about by the wind, almost setting them ablaze by the nearby campfire.
"How are you all?" Ye Min had a whole bunch of opening lines in mind, but all he could manage to say was a short greeting.
"Um."
"Where is he?" Ye Min's voice choked as soon as she asked.
A-Lu paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Cremation. The ashes and the knife were given to a fellow disciple and taken back to Yanmen Pass."
Thinking of that face, Ye Min's eyes involuntarily reddened.
"His wish was to die on the battlefield."
Ah Lu looked up at the vast sky, her eyes reflecting the afterglow of the setting sun.
"This is also a regrettable thing."
After that, the two of them said nothing more.
When Yang Yuan came out of the tent and saw the two people talking, Ye Min recognized her appearance with just a glance.
She was almost skin and bones, and although she was wearing a long dress, she was unrecognizable from the person I first met. Her face was deeply sunken and pale. She wore no adornments, and her hair was simply tied up in a bun at the back of her head with a ribbon, the rest draped loosely over her shoulders. Her eyes were devoid of any light or life.
What Ye Min found unacceptable was her snow-white hair.
Three months later, everything has changed.
Yang Yuan seemed to want to say something, but ultimately swallowed it back. She withdrew her gaze and rode away from the place.
Just as A-Lu was about to follow, Ye Min called out to her.
I thought of many things to say, but I only told him to "be careful on your journey" and did not try to stop him.
Ah Lu nodded, gathered her strength, leaped up, and used her lightness skill to leave the Valley of Villains.
Ye Min stood there watching the departing figure for a long time, then turned around, gripped the railing, and finally couldn't hold back her tears.
Xue Hua, may your spirit in heaven bless Yang Yuan so that she may live a good life.
After leaving the Valley of Villains, Ye Min returned to the Hidden Sword Manor in Jiangnan and began investigating the entire incident.
Using the jade pendant Ah Lu gave him, he found out who made the item. Although Hidden Sword Manor was also a family of swordsmiths, their jade-crafting skills were still intact, so finding the person wasn't difficult. He asked around among the disciples of several sword furnaces and eventually found out the two blacksmiths.
The Ye family was large and wealthy, renowned for its sword-making. However, when someone approached them needing a jade pendant made, they demanded a thousand taels of silver. The price was exorbitant, but the two swordsmiths were tempted and commissioned the creation of a lapis lazuli pendant.
After the jade pendants were completed, they were handed over to the person who came to collect them. However, the two craftsmen disappeared from the manor after receiving the silver. Upon checking the accounts, it was discovered that the two had borrowed a large sum of money from the manor, and there were traces of them entering and leaving many taverns.
Ye Min also discovered that the two people delivered the goods in Zailai Town, Yangzhou.
He suddenly remembered that he had gone to Zailai Town with a junior brother from his sect, but the junior brother had entered Yangzhou City on the way and never returned. He was originally the one who was to hand over the jade pendant, but because he was traveling with Xue Hua and Yang Yuan, he had forgotten about it. He returned to the manor and found the jade pendant in his clothes.
Although it was stained with blood, it was exactly the same as the jade pendant that Ah Lu had given him. The ginkgo leaf pattern and the translucent blue jade revealed the patterns within the stone.
The only difference is that A-Lu's piece has Yang Yuan's name engraved on the back, while his piece is just a smooth, flat surface.
Only after he placed both pieces of jade on the table did he notice the difference.
The edges of the jade pendant were not finished; they were irregularly cut as if intentionally. He placed the piece with Yang Yuan's name close to the other piece, and the two jade pendants were perfectly joined together.
This feeling sent a chill down Ye Min's spine.
This doesn't just involve Yang Yuan. If all the jade pendants that were forged could be pieced together like this, then many more people would be implicated. In that case, the investigation wouldn't be as simple as just looking at the cause and effect.
There must be something wrong with the manor, otherwise no one would have known that the two blacksmiths had disappeared. The secrecy is so good; there must be someone watching them. So Yang Yuan is still not safe. Even if she goes to the Valley of Villains, there will always be times when A-Lu is nowhere to be seen.
Thinking too much easily leads to wild thoughts. Ye Min banished all the thoughts from his mind, put the jade pendant in his pocket, changed into a set of Confucian-style clothing, and rode his horse to Zailai Town.
If your previous appearance is remembered, you should change your attire slightly to avoid being recognized.
The trip went much more smoothly than Ye Min had imagined.
He met Jiang Chengfeng and Luo Qingyan, whom he had met briefly in Chengdu, in Zailai Town.
The two men were not surprised to see him, as if they had been waiting for him for a long time. The three of them sat down at the tavern, ordered a pot of warm wine and a few dishes, and exchanged greetings about their recent situations without saying anything more.
Ye Min was about to ask about the jade pendant when Jiang Chengfeng interrupted him, revealing the purpose of their visit.
"I know what you want to investigate, but I advise you not to continue investigating."
Ye Min was startled by the sound and looked at him.
“We didn’t expect things to get this far. She may have done it intentionally, but the situation is not as simple as you think. There are too many people involved. If you get involved, you may not be able to extricate yourself and will be implicated.”
Ye Min slammed his hand on the table, causing the liquid in his wine glass to spill out.
He stared wide-eyed at Jiang Chengfeng, gritting his teeth as he spat out each sentence.
"Are we just going to stand by and watch them run rampant and continue to harm other people?!"
Luo Qingyan raised an eyebrow and glanced at him, then at Cheng Feng. She sighed and walked out of the tavern.
“We will try to make her stop, but until then, you should stay in Yangzhou and not go anywhere else.”
Cheng Feng also stood up, picked up his gun, and left. Ye Min suddenly stood up, remembering to grab him.
"Ye Min, if you see someone wearing a jade pendant with ginkgo leaf leaves, be very careful. Something big is about to happen in Yangzhou."
Before Ye Min could understand what was going on, the two had already sped away.
The most terrifying thing in the world is not knowing how cruel the truth is, but that the instigator is right beside you, manipulating the situation, and you can do nothing about it.
He blankly paid for the drinks and walked along the path lined with peach blossoms. Snow was still falling, but only in thin flakes. He walked for a long time before realizing his fingers were slightly cold, and then he was startled to realize that it was still the first month of the lunar calendar, a time for joy and family reunion.
Outside Yangzhou city, lanterns are just beginning to illuminate the night. The lanterns come in a wide variety of types and sizes. Flames illuminate the colorful oil-paper decorations, lighting up the night sky.
Ye Min suddenly remembered that he had met Xue Hua in Taiyuan one year. During the war, the city was relatively peaceful, but with the attack of the Wolf Fang Army, all the major sects sent people to defend the city. The two only met briefly, had a small drink, and then went their separate ways.
As they parted, Ye Min asked, "Do you have any wishes for the new year?" "If it's something that can be solved with gold or silver, I'll take care of it for you."
Xue Hua shook his head. He simply said: If we can still see the rising sun tomorrow morning, it would be a reassuring thing.
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