SS CH46

The clamor had finally settled, and after a full cycle of day and night, looking up revealed a sky as black as washed ink.

The entire underground palace had been sealed once more, with guards lurking beneath. Xiao Yangu leaned against a large tree outside the secret passage, glancing up at the dark, heavy sky. The blood and qi in her chest were still churning restlessly. Unable to hold it back, she coughed up a mouthful of blood. Her internal organs felt as if they had been thrown into a pot of boiling water—not only burning intolerably but also steadily deteriorating.

A subordinate bowed his head and reported, “Hall Master, the Hidden Blades have deployed in full force, and all checkpoints within a fifty-mile radius have been activated!”

“I want to ensure not a single one of them escapes.” A fierce gleam flashed through her eyes as Xiao Yangu wiped the blood from the corner of her lips. “Has the Palace Master’s trail been found?”

The subordinate replied, “The Palace Master went far in pursuit of the person who injured you, and has not yet returned.”

Xiao Yangu signaled for him to dismiss himself. Pressing a hand against her abdomen, her face was as grim as still water.

Last night, she could have easily captured Lu Mingyuan and Qin Lanchang. She hadn’t expected an unexpected interloper to crash the party halfway through. With just a single clash, he had deflected her three consecutively fired sleeve-arrows using sheer palm force. Furthermore, he had braced himself to take a hit from her “Chanyuan” poison just to land a heavy punch squarely on her. If the Palace Master hadn’t stepped in to neutralize part of the force, her dantian would have undoubtedly been destroyed.

Xiao Yangu stood rooted in the cold wind and dew without moving an inch. As the master of a hall, she could not show weakness before her subordinates. However, that tyrannical internal energy was still wreaking havoc inside her body. Drenched in a cold sweat, she was on the verge of collapsing.

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

A man in a white robe and a silver mask walked through the forest beneath the bleak moonlight. He was carefully wiping the blood from his hands with a handkerchief. He appeared to be walking slowly, yet in the blink of an eye, he transitioned from afar to right before her. Xiao Yangu merely blinked, and he was already standing in front of her.

“Palace Master!” Xiao Yangu dropped to one knee. Her habitually proud head was bowed in deep reverence at this moment, her gaze confined to a pair of cloud-patterned satin boots beneath the white robe.

Using the tip of his boot to hook her chin, the man tilted her face upward and said softly, “This pair of eyes of yours is actually quite beautiful.”

A drop of blood that Xiao Yangu hadn’t wiped clean smudged onto the surface of his boot, looking like a red flower blooming in white snow. A jolt of panic struck her heart, yet she dared not move an inch.

“A pity you have eyes but fail to see.” The man withdrew his foot and looked down at her from above, as if looking at a dog that had failed to guard the house. “Have you sat in a high position for so long that it made you look above everyone else, failing to see the hidden perils lurking beneath?”

Xiao Yangu remained motionless, the cold sweat on her back already soaking through her clothes. She said, “It is this subordinate’s fault for underestimating the juniors. People have already been dispatched to pursue them. I beg the Palace Master to give this subordinate a chance to redeem herself through merit.”

The man straightened his robes and crouched down, reaching his hand toward Xiao Yangu’s face. Only now could she clearly see that a sterling silver finger-claw was donned on both his right index and middle fingers. The hook-like sharp tips hovered near the corners of Xiao Yangu’s eyes, looking as though they might gouge them out at any moment.

Xiao Yangu’s pupils contracted sharply. She clenched her teeth, not daring to utter a single word. Fortunately, that icy hand slowly moved away. The finger-claw seemed to brush past her eye corner inadvertently, drawing a shallow trail of blood.

She heard the man let out what sounded like a sigh: “My patience is running thin.”

Her heart, which had leaped into her throat, trembled but dared not settle back into her chest. Xiao Yangu stood up but still kept her head lowered. After a moment of hesitation, she asked, “Palace Master, that person who broke into the underground palace…”

“He isn’t dead.” The man was still wiping his hands. The handkerchief was stained with spots of blood, yet his voice sounded highly amused. “It has been a long time since I encountered such a capable youth.”

Xiao Yangu was shocked. She had thought that since the Palace Master had personally taken action, he would surely strike that person down. Who would have thought there was actually a way out alive?

Hesitating slightly, she said, “This subordinate bolds herself to ask, who exactly is that person? It would be best to pay more attention in the future, lest he ruins our grand designs again.”

“The current master of the Baigui Sect is a junior whose name is unknown. His temper is stiff, and his martial arts are just as unyielding.” Wiping his last finger, the man released his grip on the handkerchief, letting it flutter to the ground. “But in this world, extreme cleverness often brings self-harm, and what is too rigid… breaks easily.”

“The Baigui Sect has been opposing us for more than a day or two. Why didn’t the Palace Master just…” Before she could finish her sentence, Xiao Yangu saw the white-robed man tilt his head. A profound gaze pierced through the hollows of his mask. She shuddered and dared not utter another word.

“They say well water does not interfere with river water. Why should those who walk the path of the living contend for the road with dead ghosts?” The white-robed man chuckled softly. “Furthermore, 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: “Affection.”

Love arises unrecognized, yet deepens evermore; the living can die for it, and the dead can return to life. (Note: From Tang Xianzu’s The Peony Pavilion)

“If I kill him today, it would be letting him forfeit his life for the one he loves, dying without regrets. But why should I fulfill his wish?” The man looked up at the sky. “The hardest thing to obtain in the human world is what you cannot get, and the hardest thing to part with is what you cannot let go. They… have not yet reached the most suitable time to die.”

Fear crept up her spine like a writhing venomous snake. Xiao Yangu felt entirely chilled, barely managing to keep her voice steady: “Then, the Palace Master’s meaning is…”

“Find their whereabouts and expose the news, but you are not allowed to make a move rashly.”

Xiao Yangu couldn’t quite fathom his intent, but she dared not question it. She said respectfully, “Understood.”

“Dark clouds obscure the moon, and wind rises from the flat ground. It’s going to rain…” The white-robed man withdrew his gaze and stepped toward the underground palace, treading over the bloody handkerchief on the ground as if trampling a vibrant life.

Only when his silhouette completely vanished did Xiao Yangu crouch down to pick up the handkerchief. She saw several shocking, mottled streaks of blood on the plain white cloth.

She recalled the Palace Master’s hand, which was as pale as bone. The bloodstains had been wiped off from it bit by bit—meaning those five fingers had once pierced through skin, sinking deeply into flesh and blood.

At this thought, a sudden chill rose within Xiao Yangu. The handkerchief in her hand fell back to the ground, soon caught by a transparent drop of water.

It was raining.

The rain came fast, growing heavier and heavier, hurting quite a bit when it struck one’s body.

Ye Fusheng and the others had hired a horse carriage, but they were thwarted by this heavy downpour not far out of the city, which could only be described as bad luck.

Traveling on a rainy day easily invited trouble. Ye Fusheng pondered finding a place to take temporary shelter. Unfortunately, looking through the hazy curtain of rain, there was nothing but the falling tears of Heaven. Fortunately, Ruan Feiyu spoke up from inside the carriage at the right time: “Not far to the west of here, there is a broken shack where we can temporarily stay.”

This old fellow had lived in the General’s Town for more than half a year. Although he didn’t go out much, he knew the surroundings like a local earth deity, possessing a perfectly clear understanding of the nearby mountain terrain and road conditions. Upon hearing this, Ye Fusheng immediately turned the horse around and drove the carriage over. About fifteen minutes later, he saw the dilapidated shack standing amidst the wind and rain.

The shack was presumably once used by hunters for temporary stays. It didn’t occupy much space but could still ward off some wind and rain. Ruan Feiyu and Qin Lanchang brought Lu Mingyuan inside first. Ye Fusheng hitched the horse carriage under the eaves. To be prudent, he braced the wind and rain with an umbrella to make a lap around the outside of the small hut before finally stepping inside.

Qin Lanchang had already gathered a pile of firewood and straw from inside the room, lighting it with a tinderbox. She sat by the campfire to warm her body, and seeing him enter, she pulled him down to sit. Lu Mingyuan was placed on a door plank layered with dry straw, sleeping entirely oblivious to the world. Ruan Feiyu sat by his side keeping watch, resembling a time-worn stone statue when he sat motionless and silent.

It seemed this rain would fall for the entire night. No one spoke inside the ruined shack. Ruan Feiyu was elderly after all, and at some point, he had leaned against the wall and fallen asleep. Ye Fusheng let out a yawn, fished out a small silver flask from his bundle, and took a sip of the oddly flavored Canglu wine. His somewhat drowsy mind cleared up a bit.

Caressing the cold silver flask and feeling the lingering aftertaste in his mouth, Ye Fusheng couldn’t help but think of Duanqing and Chu Xiwei, both of whose whereabouts were currently unknown. The former at least allowed him some peace of mind, but the latter caused a surge of worry to rise within him, making it impossible to set his mind at ease.

In his thirty years of half a lifetime, ever since he fell from his mother’s womb, he had never had a time where he was so anxious and full of longing.

He let out a sigh unconsciously. Right at this moment, a lowered voice rang out by his ear without any warning: “I’m sorry.”

Ye Fusheng turned his head. He saw the young girl glance at the oblivious master and disciple over there before shuffling over to his side. Her eyes reflected the firelight as she said softly, “This time it was my recklessness, impulsiveness, and ignorance that dragged down my young uncle and you.”

Raising an eyebrow, Ye Fusheng said, “Since you know it was reckless, why did you still go through with it?”

Qin Lanchang bit her lip. The expression of fearing neither heaven nor earth that she always wore finally loosened, condensing into a helplessness and confusion that befitted her age. She muttered, “It’s just… I didn’t want to remain ignorant of everything, that’s all.”

Ye Fusheng recalled that uniquely styled family letter. Because Ruan Feiyu was right here, he didn’t put the words too plainly, changing his tone instead: “Actually, I have been reckless before too, and I was even more oblivious to the height of the heavens and the depth of the earth than you.”

Qin Lanchang thought she would be scolded, but ended up waiting for a fellow impulsive soul. She immediately turned her head, only to see Ye Fusheng pick up a piece of wood to poke at the campfire, saying calmly, “A person will encounter many things and make many choices in this lifetime. No one dares to claim they have never made a mistake. I am like this, and you are too. Therefore, rather than apologizing to me, it’s better to think about how to mend your ways.”

This person hadn’t been this serious since they first met. Qin Lanchang froze for a moment, chewing on these words in her mind twice. Her gaze landed on Ye Fusheng’s face and couldn’t be moved away. She couldn’t help but say, “You… talking like this makes me feel quite unaccustomed.”

Ye Fusheng let out a deep sigh and said, “It can’t be helped. I heard that silly girls who would rather die than lose face always fall for the style of understanding older uncles.”

Qin Lanchang: “…” Bah!

That flash of seriousness just now was indeed an act. Qin Lanchang strangled her ungrounded illusions in her mind, thinking to herself that she had truly been fooling around before. Unless her young uncle had his brain clogged by pig lard, there was no way he would take a liking to such a shameless character.

However, this exchange instead drew the distance between the two strangers a bit closer. Qin Lanchang rubbed her hands and heard Ye Fusheng ask in a low voice, “After this matter is settled, what are your plans?”

As he spoke, he glanced at Ruan Feiyu behind them, his left hand seemingly tracing across his neck inadvertently. Qin Lanchang was startled, shaking her head repeatedly as she said, “O-Of course it’s going home.”

Ye Fusheng hinted at something else: “Going back empty-handed?”

He spoke vaguely, but Qin Lanchang understood perfectly. Recalling the letter she left behind when she ran away from home, she said softly, “I have already stirred up huge trouble. I absolutely cannot bring disaster back home.”

When she came, she was full of spirited determination, wishing she could swear to the heavens that she would turn the Southern Scholar’s lifelong pristine reputation into a mockery by her hands. But over these days, even the prickliest temper had to learn to behave.

Ye Fusheng: “Then after tossing and turning for so long, you don’t regret it?”

“I always had to see with my own eyes what kind of person he is. Now that I’ve seen it, I don’t regret it.” Qin Lanchang nodded, her gaze quickly sweeping over Ruan Feiyu as she said in a muffled voice, “Even if he really… that’s also a case of ‘a vile person will eventually be dealt with by heaven’.”

Ye Fusheng: “…”

This girl wasn’t very old, but she was very good at finding peace of mind for herself. Ye Fusheng thought of Chu Xiwei, whose temper was growing increasingly awkward, and couldn’t help but feel a bit envious. Right at this juncture, Qin Lanchang asked him again, “Hey, what exactly is the relationship between you and my young uncle?”

The words “master and disciple” swirled in his mouth but ultimately weren’t spoken. Ye Fusheng remained silent for a moment, then smiled and said, “Friends.”

Qin Lanchang pressed for details: “What kind of friends?”

“Friends who have shared life-and-death bonds.” Ye Fusheng pointed at himself. “This life belongs to him; it’s merely placed in my keeping temporarily. If he wants it, he can take it at any time.”

Qin Lanchang squinted at him: “Really just friends?”

“…Yeah.”

Qin Lanchang slumped her head in disappointment: “Then you have to stay further away from my young uncle in the future.”

Ye Fusheng found it somewhat amusing: “Why?”

“Because young uncle doesn’t have many friends, yet he shares a life-and-death bond with you. He definitely wouldn’t want to lose a friend like you, but…” Qin Lanchang hesitated for a moment, saying seriously, “He is a duanxiu (gay), while you are just his friend.”

Ye Fusheng: “…Huh?”

Suddenly hearing this piece of news, he felt as if a bolt of thunder had exploded inside his brain. His entire body went numb instantly, his breath caught in his throat, and the silver flask in his hand slipped to the ground, letting out a sharp clatter.