SS CH11

That night, Duanshui Manor remained brightly lit until dawn. It wasn’t until the hour of Mao (5–7 AM) that Sun Minfeng finally pushed open the door and stepped out. His plain white robes were mottled with blood, making him look utterly wretched.

Ye Fusheng loosely shielded his eyes from the morning light and teased, “My goodness, did you go in there to heal an illness or to butcher a man?”

“To butcher a pig!” Utterly exhausted, Sun Minfeng shot back with a cold sneer, irritably pushing past the crowd waiting outside. “I’ve done everything I needed to do. None of you bother me now!”

With that, he bumped headlong into Chu Xiwei, leaning against his master’s back like a man without bones, and instantly began snoring.

Chu Xiwei tossed him to the subordinates waiting behind him and offered an apologetic smile. “Since that is the case, we will take our leave for now.”

Xue Chanyi swiftly took charge, arranging everything properly for the remaining people before finally taking Xie Li by the hand. They pushed open the door and cautiously stepped inside.

Knowing his place, Ye Fusheng tactfully remained outside. He could faintly smell a thick, heavy scent of medicinal herbs mixed with the metallic tang of blood. Xie Wuyi’s voice drifted through the door—rather weak, but in good spirits.

Whatever was said inside, it didn’t take long before Xue Chanyi and Xie Li walked back out. The young boy’s eyes were slightly red, and he sniffled every now and then.

Ye Fusheng rubbed his sore, strained eyes. Just as he was about to lead the Young Manor Lord back to catch up on some sleep, Xue Chanyi called out to him, “Ye Fusheng, my Shifu wishes to see you.”

As she spoke, her brow twitched, her face full of bewilderment. She genuinely couldn’t fathom how a wandering rogue who had only just arrived could possibly have any connection with the Manor Lord of Duanshui. She blinked her beautiful eyes at him, signaling him to quickly confess and hope for leniency.

Who would have guessed that this half-blind fool would choose exactly this moment to act up? He blatantly ignored her “meaningful glances,” cheerfully pushed the door open, and strolled right in, leaving the big girl and the little boy staring blankly outside.

Stepping into the room, the medicinal scent grew even thicker. Fortunately, only a single candle was lit, and the dim light allowed his eyes to quickly adjust. He saw that the bed was empty, but steam was rising from behind a folding screen.

A low, hoarse voice sounded from behind the screen. “You. Come here.”

Ye Fusheng hesitated for a moment before walking over. Looking behind the screen, he saw Xie Wuyi submerged from the chest down in a bathtub made of huanghuali wood. The tub was filled with a dark brown medicinal decoction that gave off a pungent herbal aroma.

There was a fresh cut on his lip—likely bitten open by his own teeth when the agonizing pain of the needle removal became too much to bear. A trace of blood still lingered there.

As soon as Ye Fusheng reached his side, Xie Wuyi opened his eyes and said, “Add some hot water for me.”

“The Manor Lord didn’t call me in just to treat me as an errand boy, did he?” Ye Fusheng chuckled, lifting the kettle and pouring in a stream of scalding, dark brown medicinal water. Yet Xie Wuyi didn’t seem to feel the heat at all, his expression remaining completely unchanged.

This was only the third time Ye Fusheng had met him, but he already knew that this Manor Lord Xie’s temper was nothing like the gentle and refined image the rumors painted. On the contrary, he was sharp and overbearing, proving that rumors could never be fully trusted. Right now, however, Xie Wuyi was like a famous dao (saber) returned to its sheath, concealing all his sharp edges, giving Ye Fusheng a momentary illusion.

An illusion of seeing another person through the Xie Wuyi sitting before him.

In that brief moment of distraction, Xie Wuyi’s hand shot out of the water like lightning, instantly clamping down on his maimen (pulse point). After checking his pulse for a moment, he said, “Your neigong (internal energy) does not originate from my Duanshui Manor.”

Ye Fusheng looked the picture of innocence. “I was never a member of Duanshui Manor to begin with.”

“Ye Fusheng—is that your real name?”

“It is now.”

“Before this, I suspected you were lying. But now…” Xie Wuyi smiled, the meaning behind it unreadable. “He… how did he die?”

Ye Fusheng asked, “Who is this ‘he’ you’re referring to?”

Hearing this, the grip of Xie Wuyi’s hand tightened, his three fingers nearly digging into Ye Fusheng’s flesh at the pulse point. A wise man knows better than to fight a losing battle when the odds are against him, so Ye Fusheng immediately changed his tune. “Oh, you mean the man who gave me that jade pendant.”

Xie Wuyi repeated, “How did he die?”

“Ten thousand arrows through the heart. It was incredibly tragic.”

Xie Wuyi froze, and Ye Fusheng took the opportunity to pull his hand back. “He died beyond the pass, his bones buried in the barren mountains and wild ridges. If the Manor Lord had any thoughts of seeking revenge, you can put them to rest.”

“Revenge… Heh.” The corner of Xie Wuyi’s lips curled up. “He… what did you call him?”

Ye Fusheng smiled. “Where we come from, nobody has a name. It wasn’t until death was staring him in the face that he entrusted that jade pendant to me. Only when I saw the character carved on it did I realize his surname used to be Xie… Ze, he actually shares quite an affinity with the Manor Lord. Who knows, maybe five hundred years ago, you two belonged to the same family.”

Xie Wuyi said, “Do you want to know what his name was?”

Ye Fusheng set down the water kettle. “Please, enlighten me.”

Xie Wuyi then said, “His name was Xie Min, courtesy name Wuyi.”

For a moment, the room fell terrifyingly silent.

After a long while, Ye Fusheng let out an “Yi?” and looked troubled. “The Manor Lord‘s answer is something I simply cannot comprehend. The Tianxia Diyi Dao walks the Jianghu unrivaled, and everyone knows the illustrious name of Manor Lord Xie. Could he really have had the audacity to impersonate the Manor Lord? Aiya, if that’s true, then I’m actually glad he died beyond the pass. Otherwise, being cleaved in two by the Duanshui Dao would have been an even more pitiful end.”

Xie Wuyi sneered. “How do you know the person who died under the blade would definitely be him?”

Ye Fusheng replied slowly, “Because the jinmai (meridians) in his right hand had already been severed. As for this point… shouldn’t the Manor Lord be clearer on this than anyone else?”

“Then, do you wish to know why I crippled his hand?” Xie Wuyi raised his eyes. “First, tell me—who exactly are you? What is your relationship with him? For the past three years, where has he been hiding to cling to his wretched life?”

Ye Fusheng answered immediately, “He and I are both fallen wanderers at the ends of the earth. We’ve gone through life and death together a few times. Unfortunately, we’re both nobodies without names or surnames, so we could only take on shady, underhanded jobs just to scrounge up a meal.”

Xie Wuyi looked at him, carefully pondering this seemingly nonsensical string of words for a long time. Suddenly, his body shifted. His left hand gripped the edge of the tub, his knuckles emitting a faint, cracking sound.

Three mountains and five sacred peaks, five lakes and four seas—even if the sky is high and the ocean wide, wherever there are people, there is the Jianghu. The mortal world is crowded and filled with prying eyes, with people constantly rubbing shoulders. Exactly what kind of method would it take to completely erase every single trace of a person, leaving not a single ripple behind?

There is only one possibility… Under the whole heaven, every spot is the king’s land.

“Heh. To become an eagle and hound of the Imperial Court—he certainly had some skill…” Xie Wuyi curled his lips mockingly. “But you are even more skilled than he was. As the saying goes, ‘Once you enter the imperial court, it is as deep as the sea; without death or disaster, one cannot leave.’ He died because of it, yet you managed to make it out alive.”

“The net of Heaven is vast, but there are always moments when it lets something slip through. I merely got lucky, that’s all.”

“Since I said you are skilled, there is no need for false modesty. Do you think it is easy for me to praise someone in this life of mine?” Xie Wuyi’s expression turned cold. “However, an eagle and hound will always be an eagle and hound; you cannot change your nature of sneaking and eavesdropping… Slipping into the Shanzhuang through Chanyi, and then using the chaos to trespass into the forbidden grounds of Wanghaichao with Ah-Li—as an outsider meddling in so many things, what exactly are you planning to do?”

Ye Fusheng sighed. “Why is it that people who enthusiastically offer help are always assumed to harbor ulterior motives?”

“Treating good intentions as a donkey’s liver and lungs is still better than getting stabbed in the back.”

Ye Fusheng offered comfort. “Bitten by a snake once, terrified of a well rope for ten years. The Manor Lord‘s words are entirely understandable.”

“So you really did meet Rong Cui.” Xie Wuyi sneered. “What did she say to you?”

Ye Fusheng looked slightly green in the face. “I originally thought that the Furen (Madam), who supposedly passed away two years ago, would want to discuss strange tales of corpses resurrecting and ghosts returning. Unfortunately, perhaps it’s simply a woman’s nature to gossip about domestic affairs. In the end, she forcefully stuffed my ears full of tales of gratitude, resentment, love, and hatred.”

“What gratitude, resentment, love, and hatred?”

“The grace of giving life and raising, the resentment of abandonment, the affection born from shared hardship, and the enmity of life and death.” Ye Fusheng took two steps back and spread his hands. “If the Manor Lord is interested, allow me to tell the tale slowly.”

Xie Wuyi offered a smile of unclear meaning.

“Roughly thirty years ago, a senior figure in the Jianghu was in his prime. Not only was his martial arts profound and highly respected, but he also married the beautiful and alluring Du Kui (Queen of Poisons) from the Western Regions as his wife. It could be said that they were the envy of everyone. Unfortunately, the Du Kui had spent years immersed in the ways of poison, leaving her body somewhat damaged, and three years into their marriage, they still had no children. That senior figure believed that ‘of the three unfilial acts, having no heir is the greatest,’ and so he began frequenting pleasure boats and brothels. Not only did he carry on an ambiguous affair with a highly renowned courtesan of the time, but he even got her pregnant with his flesh and blood before his own lawful wife, and she was already six months along. Heh. The people of the Jianghu value reputation above all else, and the Du Kui of the Western Regions was proud and arrogant. Naturally, the backyard caught fire, and he poked a hole in a massive hornet’s nest.”

As he spoke, he glanced at Xie Wuyi. The man stretched out a thin, gaunt arm and retrieved the outer robe placed nearby.

“The Du Kui disdained killing a woman who lacked the strength to even truss a chicken, but she also wouldn’t let this courtesan who seduced her husband off easily. So, she splashed a cup of medicinal tea on her, forcefully turning her flower-like, moon-beautiful face into that of a deformed night Yaksha. Her husband, caught between shame and rage, was just about to raise his hand to discipline his wife when he shockingly heard that she was actually pregnant. He swallowed his qi (anger), offered gentle and tender words, and finally coaxed the Du Kui into letting the matter go. The husband and wife reconciled, and he no longer paid any mind to the courtesan who was nearing her time of delivery. After all, how could a wild bastard born from a brief romance with a lowly woman compare to the precious value of a legitimate heir born in name and right?” Ye Fusheng shook his head. “What a pity. Perhaps the Heavens truly do believe in karma and retribution. When the Du Kui ruined the brothel woman’s face, she effectively ruined half her life, yet she herself didn’t meet a good end either. Just to fight for a breath of pride, she swallowed forbidden drugs, damaging her own foundation to conceive an heir. However, the toxins in her body were passed onto the fetus in her womb through their flesh-and-blood connection. Her child was born with a strange illness. Even though he had an excellent gengu (constitution) for practicing martial arts, strange red marks grew all over his body. As he grew older, the red marks became more numerous and darker in color. In his seventh year, the darkest patches of skin actually began to fester and ulcerate. The Du Kui personally examined him, only to discover that her own son was deeply afflicted by a deadly toxin, and in another two or three years, his entire body would rot away, leading to his death.”

Xie Wuyi slowly stood up, grabbed the outer robe hanging on the screen, and draped it over himself. His neigong instantly evaporated the water droplets on his body, his long hair cascading down his back.

“To think the long-awaited heir would turn out like this—the senior figure simply couldn’t accept it. In a mix of shock and rage, he violently clashed with the Du Kui. In the end, fueled by indignation, the Du Kui took her son and left home, returning to the Western Regions to find a way to save her child.”

Xie Wuyi tied his sash and picked up a hair ribbon embroidered with haitang (begonia) flowers, slowly tying his hair up. By binding his long hair high, the last trace of sickliness vanished from his face, replaced by a sudden, overbearing arrogance.

When such a person looks at you, it makes you feel like an ant gazing up at a towering tree. And if he were to cast a glance at you, he would see you as nothing more than the most insignificant speck of mud in the dust.

Yet Ye Fusheng was still smiling. His smile was as gentle as the spring breeze in February, blowing away the sky full of clouds and mist.

He said, “After returning to the Western Regions, the Du Kui hid her name and identity, immersing herself in the arts of poison all day long. Furthermore, having made many enemies in the past, she feared her son would be lonely and sad, so she bought a girl three years his senior to be his servant and playmate. The girl was cute and had a delightful temperament, treating him like a blood sibling. She risked her life multiple times to ensure his safety. Once, to save him, she even had half a finger bitten off by a lone wolf. The boy was grateful and couldn’t bear for her to remain just a servant, so he begged his mother to accept her as a disciple, teaching her the arts of poison and wugong (martial arts). Seeing that her eyebrows were like distant mountains holding shades of green, she named her ‘Rong Cui’. Another year passed, and the Du Kui found a poisonous herb called ‘Hundred Days Poppy’, using poison to fight poison and suppressing the toxins in his body. Tragically, after succeeding, the Du Kui lost all her wugong due to testing the drugs herself, and was eventually chopped into meat paste by old enemies who came knocking at her door, feeding her to the beasts. The two children could only secretly gather her remaining bones, wandering through the cities of the Western Regions while hiding their identities, enduring a life of displacement while bitterly practicing their martial arts.”

Xie Wuyi draped his outer robe over his shoulders, took the Duanshui Dao from the weapon rack, slowly drew it from its sheath, and took a cotton cloth to gently wipe it down.

“Time flew like a shuttle. The girl blossomed into a stunningly beautiful young woman, and the boy grew into a sixteen-year-old youth. Unfortunately, because his body had once been covered in poisonous sores, leaving hardly any good skin, he kept himself tightly bundled up year-round, leaving only his face exposed to masquerade as an elegant and refined gentleman. The youth was exceptionally intelligent since childhood. He had once swallowed the family’s saber techniques whole, memorizing them in his mind. Although he didn’t grasp the core essence, he managed to see through the underlying principles and created his own set of daofa (saber techniques). Over the next five years of seeking revenge and challenging opponents, he gradually perfected this daofa. It consisted of only thirteen moves, yet it rendered him virtually invincible across the Western Regions. Many asked for his name. He remembered that when he left home at the age of seven, aside from his own birth mother, there was only one thing that truly belonged to him—the name his father had chosen for him before he was even born. A gentleman like jade; his name was Min.” Ye Fusheng smiled slightly. “He said his name was Xie Min, and this reputation quickly spread from the Western Regions into the Central Plains. Back when the mother and son left home, that senior figure, to save face, had publicly claimed they went to the Western Regions for secluded cultivation. Thus, when acquaintances heard the news, they all praised him for having a worthy successor. After nine years of separation, his biological father finally sent a letter, asking about his experiences over the years and urging him to return home immediately.”

Ye Fusheng shot a glance at Xie Wuyi and saw him deliberately set down the cotton cloth, his fingers tightening around the hilt of the blade.

“Considering his mother’s dying wish was to be buried in her husband’s ancestral tomb, and also wanting to demand an explanation for his years of displacement, he brought Rong Cui back to his hometown. The heroes of the Central Plains were full of praise, and his father, whom he hadn’t seen in nine years, even personally rode out on a fast horse to welcome him, bringing him back to the manor. Father and son reunited; blood is thicker than water. Even resentment as vast as the heavens could be temporarily suppressed. They drank wine and talked. The senior figure spoke briefly of his past mistakes, expressing his desire to properly compensate him. However… after three rounds of wine, he saw the hideous scars exposed on his son’s arm.” Ye Fusheng took a deep breath. “Although his poison had been suppressed, no one could say if it might be triggered again one day, his life hanging by a thread. Coupled with the poisonous scars all over his body and the deeply rooted chronic illness within him, no matter how outstanding his wugong was, he could never bear the responsibility of continuing the family line. How pitiful, and what a tragic waste?”

Xie Wuyi stood up, slowly curling the corners of his mouth into a smile directed at Ye Fusheng.

“And so, after nightfall, the senior figure took him into the family’s forbidden grounds. In that sunless secret chamber, he saw someone—a person of similar age, with an appearance strikingly similar to his own. The moment he saw this person, he was dumbfounded. And in that very instant, his father, standing mere inches away, suddenly struck, knocking him unconscious to the ground…”

Before the words could fall completely, Ye Fusheng only felt his vision blur. Xie Wuyi had already arrived right in front of him. The Duanshui Dao slashed diagonally from top to bottom, its momentum like a flying waterfall crashing down, capable of shattering rocks and cleaving cliffs!

This was exactly the same move, “Feiliu” (Flying Waterfall), that Xie Li had used.

The same move, the same blade, but executed by a different person, the difference was like heaven and earth.

No one could clearly see how fast this blade was. Even if they could see it, dodging it would be nearly impossible.

Ye Fusheng didn’t dodge. His left hand moved upward with the momentum. Before even touching the blade’s edge, the invisible daoqi (blade aura) had already sliced fine cuts into his skin. However, that hand moved like a woman from a red-light district gracefully pinching a flower; his fingertips lightly brushed across the blade’s edge. With a twist of his wrist, blood flowed from the cut down to the web of his hand, yet he caught the blade firmly between his fingers, stopping it mere hairs away from his shoulder and neck.

Ye Fusheng met Xie Wuyi’s eyes directly and continued: “Before he lost consciousness, he only heard his own father say this single sentence to that person—’From today onwards, you are Xie Min’.”

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