After making some inquiries in Jingbian City, Jin Yanzi learned that Chu Changge had survived and beaten Fang Hongfei half to death. As she felt terrified, she fled from the city at night and followed the markings left by Jin Yanzi. She eventually met up with Jin Yanzi in a small town in the western province of Shu. When she saw Jin Yanzi at the inn, she discovered that only Murong Yunshu and Jin Yanzi were there, while Wang Chao and Zhang Yu were nowhere to be found.
"Why are you alone? What about the two losers, Wang Chao and Zhang Yu?" asked Yin Yanzi.
"I don't know." Jin Yanzi recalled, "Three days ago, we stayed overnight at a small inn on the official road. When I woke up the next day, they were both gone, leaving only a note saying that His Highness had sent them a secret order for them to go elsewhere to handle some affairs."
Yin Yanzi frowned in confusion. When she first came out of the Wang's Mansion, His Highness repeatedly emphasised that the capture of Murong Yunshu was the most important thing. Now, why would he suddenly transfer Wang Chao and Zhang Yu? Did something happen?
"Never mind them, let's get on our way. In just two more days, we'll be able to enter the state of Shu and return to the Wang's Mansion." When she thought of the imminent return to the Wang's Mansion, Jin Yanzi's frosty face suddenly showed some tenderness.
Yin Yanzi also swept away the haze in her mind as her mood turned good and said, "Okay, let's hit the road."
Suddenly, an extremely eerie voice came from outside the door, "How about letting this Chu give you a ride?" Once the words settled, they saw Chu Changge gloomily walk in. His icy gaze could make a person shivered all over even though it was not cold.
Jin Yanzi and Yin Yanzi both stepped back subconsciously. Every time Chu Changge took a step, they would take a step back with their faces full of horror. "You, why are you here?" asked the trembling Yin Yanzi.
Chu Changge didn't answer her question but cast his gaze towards Murong Yunshu, who was sitting by the bedside instead. His coldness instantly changed to burning heat as the murderous aura faded away and was replaced by full tenderness. When Chu Changge looked at Murong Yunshu, his Adam's apple moved, and just as he opened his mouth to speak, he suddenly frowned, filled with murderous aura once more.
Jin Yanzi and Yin Yanzi did not expect the outset. They were scared to death at the sudden disappearance and reappearance of his murderous intent. They were afraid that he would take Murong Yunshu away, and also, at the same time, they were afraid that they would not be able to report on the unsuccessful task to His Highness. They also wished that Chu Changge would just take Murong Yunshu away quickly. Go, go as far as he could. Just never come back and scare them again.
"Where is Murong Yunshu?" Chu Changge asked in a deep voice. The iciness in his deep anger voice was like the calmness before the storm. Although there is no appearance of wind sweeping through the tower heralds a rising storm in the mountains, they could feel its effect on them, teaching them not to have the courage to lie to him.
きつね: So, that wasn't Murong Yunshu?
"Isn't, isn't she right in front of you?" Yin Yanzi replied while withdrawing her neck. [+]
Chu Changge said, "She is not her." Although the skin mask on this fake Murong Yunshu's face was exquisite, her eyes were empty and devoid of any spirit, unable to fool him.
"She is clearly Murong Yunshu. Why do you say she is not? Are you blind..." Yin Yanzi suddenly shut up, and her thin body shook even more as a chill came from the soles of her feet, just like she was naked in a world of ice and snow. Even her blood was almost frozen because of the cold. Yin Yanzi never knew before that a person could be so scary to this extent with simple eye contact that could make people's resistance fall apart and a small action that could make people tremble with fear. Now she knew as she was currently feeling that fear. She finally understood why such a handsome man could be so frightening. Simply because an ugly devil had a scary face, but a beautiful devil had a scary heart.
"I'll ask again, where is Murong Yunshu?" Chu Changge's handsome face was covered with a layer of frost, making him looked so cold.
Yin Yanzi's legs shuddered as she fell to the ground. She then shook her head like crazy, "I don't know, I really don't know..."
Chu Changge followed Yin Yanzi all the way here. Of course, he knew that she didn't know that Murong Yunshu had been switched. The reason for him being this aggressive was just to kill the chicken to warn the monkey. Everyone knew about the 'Pair of Swallows Flying With Gold And Silver Swords'. Yin Yanzi had a fierce mouth, while Jin Yanzi had a fierce heart. If one couldn't pressure Yin Yanzi, how could one frighten Jin Yanzi?
Chu Changge shifted his gaze to Jin Yanzi, like a cold sword to her brow, and he asked again, "Where is Murong Yunshu?"
Jin Yanzi knew in her heart that Chu Changge's patience had run out, and she would only die if she didn't cooperate, so she answered truthfully, "She was taken away by Wang Chao and Zhang Yu."
"Where did they take her?"
"I don't know." Jin Yanzi frantically pulled out the note left by Wang Chao and handed it to Chu Changge.
Chu Changge gave it a faint glance and recited in a low voice for a few minutes. Then he raised his eyes and said, "Tomorrow, I don't want to hear the name 'Pair of Swallows Flying With Gold And Silver Swords' appear on the jianghu again." With those words, he left with a flick of his sleeve.
Jin Yanzi flinched as she stood there for a moment. Then her exquisite body suddenly collapsed with a loud bang. Her legs had become weak and limp, which made her toppled over, with bright red blood run out from the corner of her mouth and streamed down to the ground.
"Meimei!" Yin Yanzi crawled over to help Jin Yanzi as she cried, "Meimei, are you okay? How did this happen? Chu Changge obviously didn't do anything, so how did you end up like this?"
"Jiejie, I...I'm dying. You, you tell His Highness for me...Chu Changge is, is...the devil...can't, can't...can't..." Can't fight him. Unfortunately, the last two words could no longer be spoken by Jin Yanzi.
"Meimei!" Yin Yanzi let out a heart-piercing cry and burst into tears while feeling desperately heartbroken. "How could it be like this...how could it be like this..." Yin Yanzi was brokenhearted and lost all hope. She didn't understand why Jin Yanzi suddenly collapsed, and her mind had completely lost its direction.
"It was Chu Changge who killed her." A cruel voice came from above her head.
Yin Yanzi looked up and realised that the visitor was Fang Hongfei. "Impossible. Chu Changge didn't do anything at all." Suddenly, with a glare, she gripped Fang Hongfei's front lapel like mad and asked, "Was it you? Did you secretly use that poisonous hand of yours?"
Fang Hongfei shook her off with a disgusted look and said, "I didn't have any grievance nor enmity with her. So why would I kill her! It was Chu Changge. Although he didn't do anything, his internal strength was excellent, and he had used his internal strength to shatter Jin Yanzi's eight extraordinary meridians when he was asking her question just now. Fortunately, I had taken precautions, or he would have done the same to me."
Yin Yanzi didn't believe it, "Then why am I still okay?"
"You had already collapsed at that time. Of course, you couldn't feel the influence of his internal strength." Fang Hongfei said with certainty.
Yin Yanzi was truly convinced by him, and with a fierce look on her face, she said hatefully, "Chu Changge, I won't let you go even when I have become a ghost!"
Seeing this situation, the corner of Fang Hongfei's mouth hooked up into a smirk. Chu Changge, let see how long you can act arrogant…
*
In Jinling City, a dilapidated carriage was driving on the street. The horse that pulled the carriage was skinny. Not only it was thin, but it was also really old, tired and breathing heavily. It had been driving for a long time, without any rest. But the owner seemed not to have any intention to stop. He lashed out with whips after whips, and the driving sounds of 'drive, drive' rose one after another, sounded extremely urgent.
The man driving the carriage was Wang Chao. When Murong Yunshu tricked Yin Yanzi to return to Jingbian City, he realised that something was wrong. Although he did not know what Yin Yanzi would encounter when she returned there, he did not dare to be careless since he had taken the warning from the overturned cart ahead. He concluded that Murong Yunshu must have been planning something. To be on the safe side, he found a woman with a body similar to Murong Yunshu, changed her appearance, quietly stole the sky and put up a sham sun, and took the real one on a detour through Jiangzhou. [+]
In fact, detouring through Jiangzhou was a very dangerous path because the hinterland of Jiangzhou, Jinling City, was exactly Murong Yunshu's territory. As the saying went, a strong dragon couldn't suppress a snake on the ground, and in her territory, the slightest misstep would lead to ruin. However, in order to get rid of Chu Changge's pursuit, he could only take these risks.
"After Jinling City, it will be safe for us." Wang Chao said to Zhang Yu as he hell-bent on driving the horse.
Zhang Yu snorted coldly and did not reply. Even if they passed through Jinling City, there was no telling how far behind they should leave Jinling City before they could truly feel safe. One day without entering the capital of Shu Province, he wouldn't think they will ever be safe.
"Don't make your expression look like a murderer. Be careful not to call the feudal official's attention on us!" quipped Wang Chao.
Zhang Yu snorted again and turned his head to one side.
At that moment, a group of coarse, patched-up paupers rushed out of nowhere and blocked the road.
Wang Chao hurriedly pulled on the reins. Fortunately, his move was fast, and he managed to stop the horse before it could hit someone.
"What are you people doing in the middle of the road?" Wang Chao asked.
A dirty child with a face full of mud shouted, "Murong Mansion is distributing food. Let's queue up."
Were you afraid of this?! Wang Chao immediately wilted like an eggplant that had been hit by frost.
In the carriage, Murong Yunshu smiled quite smugly. This Wang Chao thought himself to be clever. How could he know that Jinling City was to her what capital of Shu Province was to King Liang Jr., where in the immensity of its wide sky and sea were the place that birds flew while the fishes leapt.
"Let's go around." Wang Chao sullenly said before he pulled on the reins and attempted to turn the carriage around. Unexpectedly, the horse had only just moved when another group of paupers appeared in front of it, blocking the carriage. Only then that Wang Chao realised helplessly that they had entered the 'encirclement', where there was no room for them to advance nor to retreat.
Wang Chao cursed secretly. Was it precisely the time for Murong Mansion to distribute food for them to catch with it this time?
"Forget it. We don't want the carriage. Let's go buy another one." Wang Chao suggested.
Zhang Yu didn't make a sound, which was a tacit acknowledgement of his suggestion. He jumped out of the carriage, lifted the curtain and waited for Murong Yunshu to come out.
At this time, Murong Yunshu had also changed her face, but her appearance was currently very ordinary and unimpressive. No one would take a second look at her if she were thrown in the crowd. This was the effect Wang Chao wanted. Once off the carriage, Murong Yunshu looked around and found that this is exactly the place where Murong Mansion was giving out food——a wayside shrine, where Murong Mansion was only five hundred meters apart. The person in charge of distributing grain today was the chief steward. Of course, she didn't expect anything from the chief steward's dim old eyes.
"Hurry up." Wang Chao urged. He was afraid that she would play one of her tricks again.
Murong Yunshu smiled gently and turned to leave with him.
Just as the three were about to leave, a cold voice came from behind, "Miss, please wait. It seems like we've met somewhere before."
As soon as she heard this voice, Murong Yunshu smiled. She didn't need to recall since she clearly knew whose voice it belonged to.
Wang Chao squealed in his heart. He has turned a certain person's flamboyant 'Murong face' into something ordinary. How could anyone still be able to take notice of her?
Obviously, what Wang Chao didn't know was that there was a kind of person in this world who was born to be eye-catching. Even if this person's appearance became ordinary and was dressed in coarse linen, the peerless elegance exuding from the inside out was still dazzling. Murong Yunshu was exactly this kind of person.
Noob Translator's Musing
I know that Chu Changge and the Mojiao Sect have continuously been called evil sect, but I can't see them as the antagonists of that world. They are more like grown-up kids than so-called murderers. And Chu Changge has no reason to kill one while leaving the other alive. He should just kill both if he really wanted the 'Pair of Swallows Flying With Gold And Silver Swords' to be completely gone from that world, right? I know Chu Changge has this kind of skill :
But...I haven't read if he has the skill that Fang Hongfei just said. I still believe that Chu Changge wasn't the killer, and Fang Hongfei is my primary suspect. He has motived to kill Jin Yanzi. Even if he doesn't have any grievance towards her, she was the asset for him to make others, Yin Yanzi, hate Chu Changge, and maybe she will try to kill Chu Changge in the future.
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Black Belly Wife