SS CH42

Lu Mingyuan felt that this girl was far from simple.

They had been fumbling around like blind cats, nearly exposing themselves several times. Deeply aware that if they continued scurrying about blindly they would likely become dead cats before ever finding a dead mouse, Lu Mingyuan took matters into his own hands when no one was looking, capturing a live guard.

The people of Burial Soul Palace must have been born under the sign of the turtle in their past lives; even when they forced the scholar to the point of acting like a mad dog, he still couldn’t pry open their tightly shut shells. At the critical moment, Qin Lanshang had to step in herself, grabbing the man’s chin and forcing him to meet her gaze.

Standing behind her, Lu Mingyuan couldn’t see exactly what she did. He only knew that within a few breaths, the man who had just been unyielding and defiant suddenly acted as if possessed, spilling everything about the underground palace’s layout like beans pouring from a bamboo tube, not even leaving out the sentry rotation schedules.

This girl was quite young, far from an age where she could bewitch men with her charms. As Lu Mingyuan pondered this, a martial art suddenly came to mind—the Soul-Seizing Technique.

Though he lacked experience walking the Jianghu, he had grown up in the “Martial Courtyard” of Sanmei Academy, which never lacked records of the martial world. Information on the Soul-Seizing Technique was sparse, merely a few fragmented words, making it impressive that he still remembered a fleeting glance from an idle book he’d read years ago.

This technique was classified as an unorthodox path, divided into three stages. The first stage merely offered psychological suggestion; the second could hypnotize the mind, allowing one to extract information; the third could bewitch the intellect, turning others into one’s puppets.

Although the Soul-Seizing Technique only had three stages, it wasn’t exclusive to one faction. Many sects in the martial world possessed collected manuals, yet achieving mastery was no easy feat. Looking across the entire Jianghu, those who had reached the second stage were few, and those at the third were countable on one hand.

This girl was barely in her early teens, yet she had already caught a glimpse of the second stage in this art. He wondered what kind of peerless master could cultivate such a successor.

While these thoughts swirled in his mind, Qin Lanshang finished her interrogation. With a rare display of mercy, she knocked the man unconscious and shoved him into a corner, saying, “This guy doesn’t know where your Shifu is being kept either. What do we do?”

“They went to such great lengths to capture my Shifu, so naturally, they would keep him in the most heavily guarded place,” Lu Mingyuan said. “Miss Qin, are you afraid?”

Qin Lanshang had grown up lawless and unrestrained. Even after suffering setbacks and learning to be slightly more obedient, she was still full of raw courage. She tilted her head up: “Afraid of what? Just say it.”

“We’re going to the gunpowder armory to take a thunder-fire bomb and blow it up.” Lu Mingyuan spoke with such nonchalance, it sounded as if he had merely tipped over a table by accident. “Once something happens in the underground palace, apart from catching the intruders, they will immediately rush to report to their leader. If I’m not mistaken, the White Tiger Hall Master should be deep in conversation with my Shifu right now. Otherwise, there’s no way we could have knocked people out all along the way without running into any tough opponents.”

Even with Qin Lanshang‘s boundless audacity, she was stunned on the spot by this unexpectedly shocking scholar.

Looking at her pale face, Lu Mingyuan thought the little girl was finally scared. So, scratching his face through his mask, he said gently, “It’s very dangerous. I’ll go set off the thunder-fire bomb in a moment, and you should use the chaos to run away. I can see your martial arts are excellent, and your knowledge and courage are not something a small, ordinary family could cultivate. As long as you escape the underground palace and reunite with your family, Xiao Yangu won’t come looking for trouble with you in the short term. This is a place of conflict, you shouldn’t stay long, you…”

This barrage of nagging brought Qin Lanshang back to her senses. She kicked Lu Mingyuan and said, “Shut up and let’s go!”

Lu Mingyuan: “Uh, do you want me to escort you out?”

Qin Lanshang felt utterly helpless against this sometimes-brilliant, sometimes-foolish scholar. “I’ll go steal the thunder-fire bomb to cause chaos, and you use the opportunity to find your Shifu.”

Lu Mingyuan objected, “No, how can a grown man let a girl face danger on the front lines?”

Qin Lanshang curled her lip. She didn’t want to make things easy for Lu Mingyuan either, but her small frame wearing the oversized black clothes was truly a comical sight. As long as Xiao Yangu wasn’t blind, she would recognize her at a glance—that wouldn’t be finding someone, that would be seeking death.

Too lazy to argue with him, Qin Lanshang ducked and slipped out, leaving behind only one sentence: “Hurry up and get lost!”

…

When Xiao Yangu entered the room, Ruan Feiyu was practicing calligraphy.

Under the flickering candlelight, black ink on white paper, the elder with a cold, clear demeanor calmly wielded his brush to dip into the ink. Xiao Yangu looked closely, only to realize that the words he was writing were all names.

To be precise, they were the names of the dead. Since the beginning of the reforms, an unknown number of people had died for the cause. Among them were those who opposed him, and those who sacrificed their lives and families for him. Incident by incident, person by person, regardless of whether the matters were major or trivial, or their status high or low, he actually knew them all like the back of his hand and remembered them crystal clear.

Xiao Yangu‘s gaze fell on the top two names—Qin Hebai and Gu Zheng.

She offered a sweet, captivating smile and said, “Sir has an excellent memory. With so many lives on your hands, you actually still remember their names.”

Ruan Feiyu set down his brush. “When people get old, they always like to reminisce about the past. This is good too, lest I don’t even know who I’m dreaming of when I fall asleep.”

“Sir endlessly dwells on old acquaintances, but do you care nothing for the people currently by your side?” Xiao Yangu cast a glance at the touched food and soup on the table. “Seeing Sir adapting so well here, I almost feel pity for that young gentleman trapped in the dungeon.”

The food was spiked, and Ruan Feiyu didn’t have much strength in his body, so he couldn’t be bothered to stand up. He smiled faintly. “Your esteemed Palace must have gone to such great lengths for something more than just stewing a pot of bone broth. Since that is the case, Mingyuan should be experiencing only false alarms without true danger for now.”

Xiao Yangu laughed. “Sir is a smart man, so shouldn’t you offer your thanks first?”

Ruan Feiyu lifted his eyelids slightly. “Should I thank you, Miss, for killing the Lueying guards who came to receive me, along with my twelve disciples?”

“I wouldn’t dare claim that.” Xiao Yangu tapped her lip with one finger. “What I want Sir to give thanks for, is the grace of saving your life.”

Ruan Feiyu raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“To tell you the truth, ever since the imperial edict was proclaimed to the world, all the enemies Sir has made over these years have moved at the news. Along all the major and minor roads back to the capital, there are people waiting with drawn blades for Sir. If my Burial Soul Palace hadn’t struck first, Sir probably wouldn’t have lived to see today.”

Ruan Feiyu lowered his eyes, his tone slightly disordered. “Are things truly so rampant?”

Xiao Yangu scrutinized his expression and said, “Sir is a man of a profoundly exquisite mind; you see things clearer than anyone. I won’t speak in riddles, I just want to ask one thing first… Sir, do you truly believe the little emperor genuinely wants to reinstate you?”

Ruan Feiyu replied in surprise, “The Emperor’s words are as precious as gold and jade, and he has promulgated an edict to the entire world. How could it be false?”

“Promulgated to the entire world… heh, precisely.” Xiao Yangu‘s eyes rippled with amusement. “If the emperor sincerely wanted to rely heavily on Sir, why would he make such a grand spectacle, placing Sir at the world’s most perilous vanguard, drawing hidden arrows from all directions?”

Ruan Feiyu looked at her without speaking, and Xiao Yangu continued, “Now that the implementation of the new laws has passed its most critical juncture, everything just awaits refinement and aftercare. Sir is already advanced in age. To the emperor, you are no longer an indispensable pillar of the state. His actions are nothing more than…”

“Hall Master Xiao possesses extraordinary wit and quite excellent eloquence. It is just a pity you were born a woman and cannot enter the court to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the civil and military officials.” Ruan Feiyu suddenly interrupted her. “However, as someone of the martial world, it is better not to rashly discuss court politics, lest you invite trouble.”

Xiao Yangu covered her mouth and chuckled softly. “We are already mired in trouble, what is there to fear? It is Sir who is truly admirable—knowing full well that you were made into a bait-target by the emperor, yet still able to bear it with such equanimity. One cannot help but be impressed.”

A gust of wind blew past. Ruan Feiyu coughed twice and said, “Knowing the fierce dangers behind this, why does Burial Soul Palace still want to get involved?”

“Burial Soul Palace is a place that handles affairs for others; this time is naturally no exception.” Xiao Yangu picked up the paper filled with names and brought it close to the candle flame, the burning hue reflecting in her eyes. “The emperor wants to use Sir’s corpse as a stepping stone to consolidate the new laws, but naturally, there are also those who revere Sir and cannot bear to watch a hero reach a dead end.”

“There are many in this world who wish for this old man to die, but very few who want to keep me alive.” Ruan Feiyu pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled. “Is it… the Second Lord?”

A corner of the paper had already caught fire. Xiao Yangu blinked. “Sir indeed has a good memory. It is exactly this old friend of yours.”

“I wouldn’t dare claim such high connections, I wouldn’t dare!” Ruan Feiyu waved his hand, coughing even more violently.

Xiao Yangu said, “The Second Lord said, ‘When the birds are gone, the bow is stored away; when the hares are dead, the hounds are boiled—this is a principle that has existed since ancient times. But to repay kindness is also human nature.’ He received Sir’s favor in the past, and now he does not wish to see Sir grow old without a peaceful end. He asks that Sir give him a chance to make amends for the mistakes of these past years.”

After speaking, she placed a jade pendant on the table. It was premium mutton-fat jade. Unfortunately, it had been shattered before, though now restored by a master craftsman. Yet upon closer inspection, the fine, dense cracks were still visible.

Ruan Feiyu picked up the jade and remained silent for a long time. Just when Xiao Yangu thought he wouldn’t answer, he slowly opened his mouth, letting out a long sigh: “The Second Lord is a thoughtful man.“

Xiao Yangu felt a surge of joy, but before she could smile, she heard him continue: “Just like he was back then.“

Her unbloomed smile froze on her face, as if someone had taken a brush and added a stroke of unnatural color to a painted skin.

After a moment, she twitched the corners of her mouth and said, “Sir, you have always been a man who understands the times.”

Ruan Feiyu put away the jade pendant. Looking at the paper that had already turned to ash, he said flatly, “The living will die, the past becomes wind. Among all the figures in the world, there are none who do not change.”

The smile vanished from Xiao Yangu‘s face. She said faintly, “Sir, just as you said a moment ago, there are many who want your life, but right now, the only one willing and able to protect you is the Second Lord.”

Ruan Feiyu smiled. “This old man also said, the living will eventually die.”

Xiao Yangu secretly clenched her fists, and after a moment, hung a smile back on her face. “Is Sir not worried about your disciple?”

“Mingyuan has already passed his crowning ceremony; he is at the age where he should stand tall between heaven and earth.” Ruan Feiyu‘s finger brushed across the cooling ashes, his expression indifferent. “When this old man was his age, I already dared to act wild on a tiger’s head.”

Hearing this, Xiao Yangu‘s expression shifted, her charming face suddenly marred by a fierce, murderous aura. She stared dead at Ruan Feiyu and abruptly shouted, “Guards!”

A man in black pushed the door open and bowed. “What are the Hall Master’s orders?”

“Where is Lu Mingyuan? Bring him here!”

The man in black hesitated for a moment. “To reply to the Hall Master, this subordinate has already sent someone, but… for some reason, they haven’t returned yet…”

Before the voice faded, a massive explosion echoed from outside, like gunpowder detonating, causing the entire underground palace to shake twice. Immediately following that came a burst of clamor and the faint sounds of killing, as if someone had suddenly caused a disruption, throwing the place into absolute chaos.

Xiao Yangu‘s eyes grew chillingly cold, making a shiver run down the man in black’s spine. He hurriedly rushed out to investigate, unexpectedly crashing right into another masked man charging inward.

The masked man who barged in looked incredibly disheveled, sporting several new gashes on his body. He hurriedly reported, “A-A disaster! The two people the Hall Master captured have escaped! They somehow found the gunpowder armory and detonated over a dozen thunder-fire bombs!”

Xiao Yangu‘s expression drastically warped. This place was built underground, entirely supported by corridors and load-bearing walls. If gunpowder detonated in such a confined space, the consequences would be unthinkable.

“Damn it! Keep an eye on him!” Xiao Yangu shoved her subordinate aside and bolted out the door.

Once she had gone far enough, the first man in black was just about to say something when he suddenly felt wind at the back of his head. In the nick of time, he drew his sword to block. Palm met blade; the sword remained perfectly still, while the fleshy palm was cut, leaving a bloody mark.

However, from beneath the man in black’s face cloth, fresh blood spilled out. His eyes bulged, completely bloodshot.

He was physically uninjured on the surface, yet the palm force had used the sword as a medium, surging into his meridians and ravaging his internal organs.

Striking a cow through a mountain—powerless to reverse fate.

The corpse collapsed silently. The masked man didn’t even look at him. He turned to Ruan Feiyu and urgently said, “Shifu, hurry and come with me!”

The long-lowered brow and eyes lifted, clear and bright as a spring. It was none other than Lu Mingyuan.