SS CH46

A noisy tumult finally settled down as day and night turned over once more, leaving the sky above washed in ink-black darkness.

The entire underground palace had been sealed anew, with guards lurking down below. Leaning against a large tree outside the secret passage, Xiao Yangu glanced at the gloomy sky. The qi and blood in her chest were still tumbling uncontrollably, and she couldn’t stop herself from coughing up a mouthful of blood. Her internal organs felt as if they had been tossed into a pot of boiling water—not only excruciatingly hot, but also continuously deteriorating.

A subordinate bowed his head and reported, “Hall Master, the shadowy pursuers have all been deployed, and every checkpoint within a fifty-li radius has been activated!”

“I want every single one of them dead; not one escapes.” Cruelty flashed across Xiao Yangu’s eyes as she wiped the blood from her lips. “Has any trace of the Palace Master been found?”

The subordinate replied, “The Palace Master pursued the person who injured you into the distance and has yet to return.”

Xiao Yangu motioned for him to step down, pressing her palm against her abdomen, her expression dark as stagnant water.

Last night, she could have captured Lu Mingyuan and Qin Lanshang, but an unexpected intruder had barged in. In a single clash, that man had dispersed her three volleyed sleeve arrows with sheer palm power, and even while taking a strike from her “Entanglement,” he had slammed a fist into her body. Had the Palace Master not stepped in to neutralize part of the force, her dantian would have been utterly ruined.

Xiao Yangu stood rigid in the chilly wind and dew only because, as a Hall Master, she could not show weakness before her subordinates. Yet that tyrannical internal force was still wreaking havoc inside her body, drenching her in a cold sweat so severe she could barely keep her footing.

Fortunately, the person she had been waiting for finally returned.

The man in white robes and a silver mask walked through the forest under the pale moonlight, using a handkerchief to meticulously wipe the bloodstains off his hands. He appeared to move slowly, yet in the blink of an eye, he covered the distance. Before Xiao Yangu could even blink twice, he was already standing before her.

“Palace Master!” Xiao Yangu dropped to one knee, lowering her usually proud head in utmost deference, her gaze resting solely on the cloud-patterned satin boots beneath the white robes.

Nudging her chin with the tip of his boot, the man tilted her face upward and spoke in a warm voice: “These eyes of yours are actually quite pretty.”

A drop of blood that Xiao Yangu had failed to wipe clean smudged onto his boot, blooming like a red flower in white snow. A wave of terror struck her heart, yet she dared not move a muscle.

“It’s a pity you are blind.” The man withdrew his foot, looking down at her as if looking at a dog that failed to guard the house properly. “Has holding a high position for too long made you so arrogant that you can no longer see the hidden dangers lurking beneath?”

Xiao Yangu remained frozen, cold sweat drenching her back as she said, “It was this subordinate’s fault for underestimating those juniors. I have already dispatched men to pursue them. Please give this subordinate a chance to redeem herself, Palace Master.”

Adjusting his robes, the man squatted down and reached his hand out toward Xiao Yangu’s face. Only now was it visible that the index and middle fingers of his right hand were fitted with sterling silver thimbles; their hook-like tips hovered near the corners of her eyes, as if ready to gouge them out at any moment.

Xiao Yangu’s pupils contracted sharply, and she clenched her teeth, not daring to utter a single word. Fortunately, that icy hand slowly moved away, the thimble lightly dragging across the corner of her eye as if by accident, leaving a faint streak of blood.

She heard the man murmur, as if letting out a sigh: “My patience is running thin.”

Her heart, lodged in her throat, trembled, yet she didn’t dare let it settle back into her chest. Xiao Yangu stood up, still keeping her head bowed. After a moment of hesitation, she asked, “Palace Master, the person who trespassed into the underground palace…”

“He isn’t dead.” The man continued to wipe his hands, the handkerchief stained with spots of blood, yet his voice sounded remarkably cheerful. “It has been a long time since I encountered a junior with such capability.”

Xiao Yangu was astonished. She had assumed that with the Palace Master taking action personally, that person would surely be struck down, but to think he had survived?

She hesitated briefly, then ventured, “This subordinate boldly asks: Who exactly was that person? It would be wise to take precautions in the future to prevent him from ruining our grand plans again.”

“The current master of the Baigui Sect is a young fellow of unknown origin, with a stiff temper and equally formidable martial arts.” Wiping his final finger, the man released the handkerchief, letting it drift to the ground. “However, in this world, extreme intelligence brings harm, and excessive rigidity… breaks easily.”

“The Baigui Sect has been opposing us for quite some time. Why doesn’t the Palace Master simply…” Before she could finish her sentence, the white-robed man turned his head toward her. Deep, dark eyes stared through the hollow openings of the mask, sending a cold shiver down her spine so intense she didn’t dare speak further.

“People say well water doesn’t mix with river water; those who walk the path of the living need not contend with dead ghosts,” the white-robed man smiled softly. “Besides, do you know how to use one person’s death to break two people?”

Xiao Yangu shook her head.

The white-robed man’s tone grew even more delighted: “Sentiments.”

Love arises without warning, yet grows deeply profound; the living can die for it, and the dead can return to life.

“If I kill him today, it would be allowing him to lay down his life for the one he loves, dying without regret—so why should I fulfill his wish?” The white-robed man looked up at the sky. “The hardest thing to obtain in the human realm is what cannot be obtained, and the hardest thing to part with is what cannot be given up. Neither of them… has reached the most fitting moment to die yet.”

Fear coiled up her back like a venomous snake, making Xiao Yangu feel cold all over. She barely managed to keep her voice steady: “Then, what are the Palace Master’s orders…?”

“Find their whereabouts and leak the news, but no one is permitted to act rashly.”

Unsure of his intentions, Xiao Yangu dared not question him and replied respectfully, “Understood.”

“Dark clouds obscure the moon, and wind rises from the flat earth; it’s going to rain…” The white-robed man withdrew his gaze and stepped toward the underground palace, stepping right over the blood-stained handkerchief on the ground as if trampling a living soul.

It was only after his figure completely vanished that Xiao Yangu squatted down to pick up the handkerchief, observing several shocking, jagged streaks of blood on the plain white cloth.

She recalled the Palace Master’s pale, bone-like hand; the blood had been wiped off it bit by bit, meaning those five fingers had once pierced through skin, digging deep into flesh.

At that thought, a surge of icy dread washed over Xiao Yangu. The handkerchief fell back to the ground, quickly catching a single drop of clear water.

It was raining.

The rain arrived swiftly and grew increasingly heavy, stinging as it pelted against the body.

Ye Fusheng and the others had hired a horse carriage, but not long after leaving the town, their path was blocked by this downpour—a streak of pure bad luck.

Traveling in heavy rain easily invited trouble, so Ye Fusheng contemplated finding a place to take shelter. Unfortunately, looking out through the misty rain screen, one could only see the sky weeping tears. Fortunately, Ruan Feiyu spoke up from inside the carriage at the right moment: “Not far west from here, there is a dilapidated shack where we can temporarily shelter.”

Having lived in General Town for over half a year, even though he rarely stepped outside, this old fellow knew the surrounding area like a local deity, holding thorough knowledge of the nearby mountain paths and terrain. Hearing this, Ye Fusheng immediately turned the horse’s head and drove the carriage over. Roughly a quarter of an hour later, he spotted the ruined shack standing amidst the wind and rain.

It was likely an abandoned shelter once used by hunters. Though small, it was enough to block out some of the wind and rain. Ruan Feiyu and Qin Lanshang went inside first, taking Lu Mingyuan along. Ye Fusheng tied the horse carriage beneath the eaves. To be cautious, he held an umbrella and circled the small house in the face of the storm before stepping inside.

Qin Lanshang had already gathered a pile of dry firewood and straw from inside, lighting it with a tinderbox. Sitting by the fire to warm herself, she grabbed Ye Fusheng the moment he walked in and pulled him down to sit beside her. Lu Mingyuan had been laid down on a door plank covered in dry grass, sleeping soundly without any awareness. Ruan Feiyu sat beside him to keep watch, motionless like an ancient stone statue when silent.

It appeared this rain would fall for the entire night. No one in the dilapidated shack spoke. Being elderly, Ruan Feiyu had leaned against the wall and fallen asleep at some point. Ye Fusheng suppressed a yawn, pulled out a small silver flask from his bundle, and took a sip of the uniquely flavored Canglu dew, which helped clear his somewhat weary mind.

Fiddling with the cold silver flask and savoring the lingering taste in his mouth, Ye Fusheng couldn’t help but think of Duanqing and Chu Xiwei, both of whose whereabouts were currently unknown. He could at least rest easy regarding the former, but the latter filled him with a surge of worry that he simply couldn’t put down.

In the thirty years of his life, ever since leaving his mother’s womb, he had never felt such deep, agonizing concern for someone.

He involuntarily let out a sigh. At that exact moment, a lowered voice sounded beside his ear without warning: “I’m sorry.”

Ye Fusheng turned his head. The little girl glanced at the unconscious master and disciple on the other side before shuffling over to sit beside him, firelight reflecting in her eyes as she whispered, “It was my recklessness, impulsiveness, and ignorance this time that dragged you and my martial uncle into this.”

Raising an eyebrow, Ye Fusheng said, “Since you knew it was reckless, why did you still do it?”

Qin Lanshang bit her lip, her usually fearless demeanor softening into a look of helplessness and confusion typical for someone her age. She mumbled, “I just… didn’t want to be kept in the dark about everything.”

Recalling that uniquely crafted family letter, Ye Fusheng avoided speaking too explicitly since Ruan Feiyu was present. Changing the subject, he said, “Actually, I used to be reckless too, even more reckless and brazen than you.”

Qin Lanshang had expected a scolding, only to receive a shared sentiment from a fellow impulsive soul. She immediately turned her head to see Ye Fusheng picking up a piece of firewood to poke at the fire, saying nonchalantly: “A person encounters many things and makes many choices in a lifetime; no one can claim they never made a mistake. That goes for me, and it goes for you as well. Therefore, instead of apologizing to me, you’d better think about how to mend your ways.”

This man had never been this serious since they first met. Stunned for a moment, Qin Lanshang chewed on those words in her head a couple of times, her eyes fixed on Ye Fusheng’s face, unable to look away. She couldn’t help but say, “Hearing you… speak like this makes me feel really unaccustomed.”

Ye Fusheng let out a deeply dramatic sigh and said, “It can’t be helped. I heard that silly girls who care too much about pride and end up suffering love the trick of an understanding, mature uncle.”

Qin Lanshang: “…” Bah!

That brief moment of seriousness was indeed an act. Snapping her ridiculous imaginings out of her head, Qin Lanshang privately thought she had truly been fooling around before. Unless her martial uncle had lost his mind completely, there was no way he would take a liking to such a shameless fellow.

However, this exchange bridged the distance between the two strangers. Rubbing her hands together, Qin Lanshang heard Ye Fusheng ask in a low voice, “Once this whole matter is done, what are your plans?”

As he spoke, he glanced at Ruan Feiyu behind them, his left hand casually brushing past his neck. Qin Lanshang gasped in shock, shaking her head repeatedly: “O-Of course I’m going home.”

Ye Fusheng spoke with double meaning: “Going back empty-handed?”

Though he spoke vaguely, Qin Lanshang understood clearly. Recalling the letter she left behind when running away from home, she whispered, “I’ve already caused a huge mess, so I can’t bring trouble back home.”

When she arrived, she had been full of high spirits, eager to swear to Heaven that she would ruin the Southern Scholar’s glorious reputation. But after these past few days, even the prickliest temper had to learn to behave.

Ye Fusheng: “Then after making such a scene for so long, don’t you regret it?”

“I had to see with my own eyes what kind of person he is. Now that I’ve seen it, I have no regrets.” Qin Lanshang nodded, her eyes quickly darting past Ruan Feiyu, her voice muffled: “Even if he truly is… then people who do wrong will get what they deserve from Heaven.”

Ye Fusheng: “…”

Though young, this girl sure knew how to comfort herself. Thinking of Chu Xiwei, whose temper was growing increasingly awkward, Ye Fusheng couldn’t help but feel a bit envious. Right at that moment, Qin Lanshang asked him again: “Hey, what is your relationship with my martial uncle, anyway?”

The word “master and disciple” rolled around in his mouth, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to say it. Ye Fusheng fell silent for a moment before smiling: “Friends.”

Qin Lanshang pressed further: “What kind of friends?”

“Life-and-death friends.” Ye Fusheng pointed to himself. “This life of mine belongs to him, merely placed in my safekeeping for now. If he wants it, he can take it at any time.”

Qin Lanshang looked at him sideways: “Really just friends?”

“…Mm.”

Qin Lanshang lowered her head in disappointment: “Then you should stay away from my martial uncle in the future.”

Amused, Ye Fusheng asked, “Why?”

“Because my martial uncle doesn’t have many friends, yet he shares a life-and-death bond with you, so he definitely wouldn’t want to lose a friend like you. But…” Qin Lanshang hesitated briefly, then said with utter seriousness, “He’s a cut-sleeve, and you’re just his friend.”

Ye Fusheng: “…Huh?”

Hearing this news out of nowhere, he felt as if a bolt of thunder had exploded in his mind. His entire body went numb, his breath caught in his throat, and the silver flask in his hand slipped, hitting the floor with a sharp clatter.