Bodies were strewn all over the place while blood flowed like rivers.
This scene was what Li Wunai saw when he walked into the Shaolin Temple.
"Master, Abbot, Senior Brother......" Li Wunai called out as he ran all the way to the meditation hall. Suddenly, he saw Great Master Xuankong fall under the Buddha statue and shouted out in grief, "Abbot!" He immediately dashed over.
"Wu, Wunai……"
"Abbot, who did this? ! Who's the one who did this?!”
"Go find......find Chu Changge......re......re......" Before the word 'revenge' was out of his mouth, Great Master Xuankong breathed out his last breath.
"Abbot! Abbot!" Li Wunai was so grief-stricken that he looked up to the sky and let out a long cry, "Ah――" Suddenly, he found a bloody word of '楚 (Chu)' was written in dragons flew, and phoenixes danced style on the back of the Buddha statue that had its back facing the door. "Chu Changge......Chu Changge......if I don't revenge this enmity, I swear I'm not human!"
At that moment, a blazing fire rolled in from the backyard and set the meditation hall ablaze. Li Wunai immediately retreated to the door and watched as the Shaolin Temple was burnt to ashes. At that moment, a fire of revenge also flared in his heart. This fire would not be extinguished until he avenged all the falling blood!
*
Soon, the news of Chu Changge flooded the Shaolin Temple with blood spread all over the jianghu. Moreover, Chu Changge had disappeared since he had visited the temple that day. Murong Yunshu was still staying at the Jianghu Inn. Not because Li Wunai was magnanimous. On the contrary, as soon as Murong Yunshu stepped out of the Jianghu Inn, he would kill her. Only by staying within the Jianghu Inn was the safest thing for her to do. For the reason that no one was allowed to kill anyone within the Jianghu Inn. This was Li Wunai's rule, and also the jianghu.
When Li Wunai returned from Shaolin Temple that day, he said these words to Murong Yunshu, "As soon as you leave this door, I, Li Wunai, will immediately break the prohibition against taking life by killing you!" Although Li Wunai was a layman follower of the Shaolin Temple and was not bound by its rules and prohibitions, he had always been a self-disciplined man. He had never struck out at anyone easily, let alone take a life. But there was a time and a place. Now, even the presence of Grandmaster Bodhiharma could not shake his determination to take revenge.
Bodhidharma
Even if Li Wunai did not kill her, Murong Yunshu would not leave the Jianghu Inn. It was because she would stay and wait for Chu Changge while clearing his name. She knew Chu Changge's character better than anyone else, and it was not his style to kill the innocent indiscriminately. Even if he were responsible for the Shaolin Temple massacre, he would never have set the place on fire. On the contrary, he would leave the remnants of the Shaolin Temple in perpetuity as a warning to all jianghu sects――whoever dares to make an enemy of him would be the next Shaolin Temple. It was even less likely for him to run away immediately after committing murders and arson. If he dared to do it, he would also dare to take on the responsibility. He was not a man of noble character, but he was frank and forthright.
These truths should have been clear to Li Wunai. However, Great Master Xuankong's last words before he died――to seek revenge on Chu Changge, and the word '楚 (Chu)' on the back of the Buddha statue, blinded him. The fire of hatred in his heart had long since burned out his reason, and all that remained was the word 'hatred'. He wanted to take revenge by killing Chu Changge. Beyond that, there was no room for anything else in his mind. [T/N]
The number of people at the Jianghu Inn grew, with masters from all sects gathered here. Many of them were genuinely fighting on behalf of Shaolin Temple. But most were doing to gain profits under the banner of justice.
Among the young talents of today's martial arts world, Chu Changge was one of the best in terms of martial arts skills. But there was another person whose strength should not be underestimated. That person was Li Wunai. Li Wunai grew up in the Shaolin Temple, and at the age of fifteen, he came down from the mountain to open this Jianghu Inn to guard the gateway to the temple. Li Wunai was responsible for the Shaolin Temple being so peaceful for over ten years by all accounts. The high level of martial arts skills of a man who could guard the gateway to the Shaolin Temple was evident.
When Li Wunai fought with Chu Changge, the most likely outcome was that both sides would be defeated. This scene was exactly what the crowd of spectators were expecting. [T/N]
"Still no news of him?" Murong Yunshu asked softly. A few new sorrows just added between her brows.
Soul Chaser shook his head sullenly, "No."
Undeterred, Murong Yunshu asked again, "Don't you Killing Demons have a special way to contact each other?" Chu Changge had gone up the mountain with the other seven, and if they found the rest of the Killing Demons, they would be able to find Chu Changge.
Soul Chaser said, "There was. But after the incident at Shaolin Temple that day, we have broken off contact."
The expected answer. If there were still connections between the Killing Demons, they would have communicated a long time ago. Murong Yunshu let out a soft sigh, put down the scroll in her hand and looked at the dead tree outside the door, asking silently: Chu Changge, where the hell are you?
*
It was as if Chu Changge had a long, long dream in which someone kept calling his name from behind. When he wanted to look back, he couldn't move his body, as if it had been weighed down by a thousand jin.
"You're awake." A cold female voice rang out from above.
He saw a long-haired woman wearing white clothes in his trance, but her voice was not the same as the one from his dream. Chu Changge opened his eyes wide to make the scene in front of him clearer, but no matter how hard he tried, his sight would always be a blur. He closed his eyes and, with some self-loathing, completely relaxed his body and lay down on the bed. Suddenly, he grabbed the woman's hand and asked sternly, "Who are you?"
"Is this how you treat your life-saver?" The woman in white questioned coldly.
Chu Changge let go of the woman's hand. His years of experience in the jianghu told him that the person in front of him had no hostility towards him. "Who the hell are you? Where is this place?" His voice softened considerably, but it still carried the same innate authority.
The woman in white said, "I am the owner of this house, and this is the Hundred Flowers Pavilion."
"Where is this Hundred Flowers Pavilion?" Chu Changge asked.
The woman in white answered, "Here."
Chu Changge flinched for a moment and suddenly laughed. This woman, who looked so fierce, spoke a little like Yunshu――just as strange as her.
Thinking of Murong Yunshu, Chu Changge suddenly remembered that it was she who had been calling his name in his dream, sounded anxiously and urgently. She must have been worried when she couldn't hear any news of him. Hopefully, one of the Killing Demons had returned alive to report the news.
On that day, he took seven Killing Demons to the Shaolin Temple. Upon entering, he found that the Shaolin Temple people had been poisoned and the perpetrators――the nine Corpse Souls――were waiting for him. A monster like a Corpse Soul had no weaknesses in its body. Thus, Chu Changge and the Killing Demons attacked the Corpse Soul for a long time without success. When they were in a stalemate, a sweet fragrance suddenly came into the air――Enchantment Fragrant from Snowy Region. He immediately lost all his strength, but with the protection of the Killing Demons, he managed to open up a bloody path. He remembered that he had stumbled to the edge of the cliff and tried to make his way back when he was struck from behind and fell off the cliff.
Although he did not know who the person who pushed him off the cliff was, he was confident that that person must be the one who manipulated the Corpse Souls. That person knew the upper level of Shaolin Temple's mastery, knew that his Achilles' heel was the Enchantment Fragrant of Snowy Region. Since that person would be waiting for him at Shaolin Temple, he must have a good idea of his whereabouts. Combining all these, Chu Changge could only think of one person――Li Wunai.
Li Wunai was a layman follower of Shaolin Temple under the tutelage of Great Master Xuanqing. Master Xuanqing was in charge of the Buddhist scriptures depository. It was not difficult for Li Wunai to access the Shaolin Temple's martial arts secrets. Moreover, Li Wunai knew that he was defenceless against the Enchantment Fragrant of Snowy Region.
But there was one thing that didn't make sense――Master Xuankong was still alive when he arrived at the Shaolin Temple. Although his organs were already shattered to the extent that even a reincarnated Hua Tuo would not be able to reverse the sky’s rotation, he would still be able to hold on for at least half a shichen. It was clear that his attacker knew this. There was only one possibility. He deliberately left Great Master Xuankong in near-death condition. [+]
If that person had been Li Wunai, he would never have left anyone alive.
Who the hell was it?
As Chu Changge thought about it, he couldn't help but get a slight headache. The scene in front of his eyes became even more blurred.
At this time, the woman in white threw him a book and coldly said, "It's stupid to die for this kind of thing."
Chu Changge immediately picked it up and looked at it. Although he couldn't see it clearly, judging from its shape, it should be the Shaolin Temple's greatest treasure――«Yijin Jing»――handed to him by Great Master Xuankong himself. "You think I was injured trying to steal the «Yijin Jing»?"
"Isn't it?"
Chu Changge smiled scornfully and said, "If I wanted such things, why would I need to do it myself?" As long as he gave the order, his followers would give it to him with both hands. If he, the leader, had to come to the Shaolin Temple to get a book himself, why would he have to recruit so many people? What was more, he already knew by heart the secrets of the various sects of martial arts. It was just a matter of whether he wanted to practise them or not, so why bother?
*
Murong Yunshu had lost her patience. Half a month was already her limit.
"Chu Changge didn't do it. I know him. He can do things like killing and setting a fire, but he won't do things like setting fire after he kills people." Murong Yunshu tried to persuade Li Wunai to see the truth.
"Is that so? You know him that well?" Li Wunai said coldly, "If he didn't do it, then how can the word '楚 (Chu)' on the back of the Buddha statue be explained? What about Great Master Xuankong's last words on his deathbed? Today, who in the martial world doesn't know that Chu Changge would leave his name behind after he killed someone!"
"Anyone can write the word '楚 (Chu)'." She had written quite a few of them.
"What about Great Master Xuankong's last words?"
"Great Master Xuankong did not say that the murderer was Chu Changge."
"Stop arguing!" Li Wunai said with a cold face. "If you want to go, I won't stop you. But I won't guarantee that you will still be alive after you walk out."
At this moment, someone shouted, "You can't let her go! As long as she is there, the devil Chu Changge will definitely come to seek his death."
"Right, we can't let her go! Definitely can't let her go!" Someone else chimed in.
Murong Yunshu laughed coldly and said, "You are all so interesting. I, Murong Yunshu, have not killed anyone, nor have I committed any treason, so why should you stop me?" After that, she looked at Li Wunai and said coldly, "Manager Li, I saw that you were not an unreasonable person before I decided to stay and want to talk to you about this matter after you had calmed down. But you insist on giving me a hard time. I dare ask, what have I done to offend you? Even if it was Chu Changge who had turned the Shaolin Temple into rivers of blood, what does that have to do with me, Murong Yunshu? Even if what he did was unjustifiable and deserved to be punished by nine clans extermination, I am not one of them. Do you think that I, Murong Yunshu, am a soft persimmon that you can bully?"
Her words left Li Wunai speechless. After a long moment of silence, he said, "Then you can consider me a brutal and unreasonable person. In any case, I will never let you leave alive before Chu Changge appears."
This stubborn man. Murong Yunshu looked at Old Master Mo, the head of Wudang, and the corners of her mouth curled up into a faint smile as she said, "Master Mo, if I remember correctly, you said at first that none of your friends in jianghu was unreasonable people."
"This......" Master Mo's face showed some embarrassment. "That's a good point. But Chu Changge has flooded the Shaolin Temple with blood, and you are his unmarried wife. You will inevitably be implicated......"
"In that case, jianghu friends are still unreasonable people." Murong Yunshu's face still wore a smile, but there was a chill in her eyes.
"You can't say that." Master Mo said, "It's not you who did the wrong thing. As long as you stay here, no one will hurt you."
Murong Yunshu smiled and said, "It's not impossible to let me stay, but I must be compensated for my losses."
"What loss?" Li Wunai asked.
"I am a merchant. Now that we are in the midst of a national tragedy, you have trapped me here and prevented me from making a national fortune, so of course, you have to compensate me for my losses." Murong Yunshu said it as a matter of course.
Everyone showed disdain on their faces. Everyone's lives were in danger, and this person still wanted to make money.
Li Wunai asked, "How much do you want?"
Murong Yunshu smiled and poured out the words in a way as if the clouds were pale, and a light breeze was blowing, "I am afraid you can't afford it."
Li Wunai understood at once that she was teasing him and said coldly, "How do you feel about using your life to pay for it?"
"It's natural to use my life, but unfortunately, my life is not yours."
"Is that so?" Li Wunai questioned, "When it comes down to it, do you think your life is still your own?"
"My life is my own at all times." Murong Yunshu smiled and added, "But you all seem to think you are holding this Murong Yunshu's life. That's funny. Is it possible that in your eyes, my Murong Mansion can sit on the wealth of the world and control the lifeblood of the Imperial Court, relying solely on the Mojiao Sect?" Seeing that the crowd was silent, Murong Yunshu added, "Don't forget, gentlemen, even without the Mojiao Sect, Murong Mansion is not something that can easily be bullied. If you want to detain the Young Mistress of the Murong Mansion, I'm afraid you don't have that ability yet."
Everyone was shocked. Could it be that Murong Yunshu was hiding something deeply?
Li Wunai said, "Then you might as well try to walk out this door."
Murong Yunshu silently twirled the cup of tea in her hand and looked out of the door, smiling without saying a word.
Everyone looked at each other. What did it mean when Murong Yunshu smiled without saying a word?
Suddenly, the sound of heavy hoofbeats came from outside the door, rising and falling chaotically, as if there were a thousand horses and armies approaching. Soon, the sound of horses stopped. Thousands of armoured cavalry stood outside the inn. The word 'Murong' was written in iron strokes, and silver hooks handwriting on a black banner with gold borders stood tall in the wind.
Murong Yunshu loosened her hand and put down her cup of tea, then rose indifferently and said, "Gentlemen, I'm sure we'll meet again someday." After she finished speaking, she sauntered towards the door.
A lane parted in the middle of the iron horses until she could make out a carriage. "Miss!" Lu-er jumped off the carriage and ran to Murong Yunshu. "Miss, I finally found you. I thought......I thought......" said Lu-er. She couldn't help but cry as her eyes welled up. [T/N]
Murong Yunshu whispered, "Did Chief Steward Qian deduct your monthly money while I was away? For you to cry like this."
"It's not because......" Lu-er cried even harder in her worries.
At this moment, another man came out of the carriage, Mister Shi Er, who was supposed to be inside the inn.
Murong Yunshu said, "Mister, you have worked hard."
Mister Shi Er laughed. "What is Miss talking about? Sending news secretly is much better than chopping stones."
Inside the inn, Li Wunai was dumbfounded, and his heart was full of doubts. How could Mister Shi Er be outside the inn? How could the Murong Mansion have an army? And every one of them was a skilled warrior.
*
Inside the carriage, Lu-er was so excited that she chattered incessantly. Murong Yunshu couldn't take it anymore, so she drove Lu-er away by throwing cold water at her and ordering her to join the coachmen while she, herself, lay down inside the carriage to rest.
"Why has Miss become so sleepy?" Lu-er felt very comfortable communicating with the two 'coachmen' beside her.
Nobody paid attention to her.
"Why aren't you guys talking?"
Still, nobody paid attention to her.
"Oh, by the way, who are you guys? Why are you with Miss?"
Still, no one answered her.
"I see. You are all from the Mojiao Sect, like the Four Great Guardians, right?"
Both Soul Chaser and Suo Ming were not talkative people. Only in front of Murong Yunshu and Chu Changge would they answer. As for the others, they ignore them all. [+]
Lu-er was furious and couldn't help but grumble to the person inside the carriage, "What kind of weirdos have you brought back, Miss!"
The person inside the carriage was silent for a long time before Murong Yunshu's voice came out, "Uh-huh, people from the Mojiao Sect are all like this. You should not treat them with cold-shoulder."
“……”
“……”
“……”
The above was the shared reactions of Lu-er and the two 'coachmen'.
At this point, Murong Yunshu added, "If you want to chat, you go to Mister Shi Er. The two of them are just ornamental."
Just ornamental…...was this an insinuation that they were merely flower vases? The corners of Soul Chaser and Sou Ming's mouths began to twitch.
Lu-er, on the other hand, looked dumbfounded, "So they're mute!"
"......" Soul Chaser and Suo Ming agreed in their minds: This noisy female has an IQ problem.
Lu-er turned back to the curtain again and asked, "Right, Miss, why would King Sheng send you soldiers? Will those soldiers be our Murong Mansion people in the future? Did you see the word 'Murong' on the banner? It's so powerful!"
"Uh-huh, they'll be under your control from now on." Murong Yunshu said.
Lu-er's eyes suddenly lit up when she heard that. "Really?"
"Their pay will be deducted from your monthly salary."
"......" Lu-er's face was full of black lines. Raising that many soldiers would not be enough even if she advanced all her monthly money for the next life, and the next…...and the next life. "It's better for you to manage them, Miss." Lu-er said weakly.
Inside the carriage, Murong Yunshu smiled and did not answer. As she closed her eyes, the corners of her mouth were tinged with a smile. Although Chu Changge's whereabouts were still unknown, the days would not be so difficult now that she had Lu-er by her side. With a friend around who would never abandon her, the hardships would become much easier to bear.
"Miss, why didn't you allow the Four Guardians to bring the Mojiao Sect to fetch you?" Lu-er was still outside asking.
It was because the Mojiao Sect could no longer clash with the famous sects. Now everyone in the entire martial world believes that the bloodshed at Shaolin Temple was the work of Chu Changge, and people who wanted to eradicate the Mojiao Sect were abounding. If the Mojiao Sect forcibly picked her up again, it would only enrage the famous sects. By then, a vicious battle would be inevitable. On the contrary, it would be much easier to rely on the power of the Murong Mansion to leave the Jianghu Inn and clear her relationship with Chu Changge. There would be no more people to make things difficult for her by associating her with the Mojiao Sect. This way, she could concentrate on finding Chu Changge.
These truths would not be understood by Lu-er even if she explained them to her. So, Murong Yunshu continued to ignore her.
Noob Translator's Musing
Now the story has become just like 'Who Is The Keyman?' Show. I love this show. At first, I watched it for Deng Lun (he was really an attentive guy, fangirling behind the screen.). I've got hooked because the story of every episode where they have to find the keyman who is responsible for their situation is exciting. Currently, I'm watching Episode 7.
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Black Belly Wife