"I probably misheard." Feng Cheng murmured. After bidding farewell to the fake Lihen Palace Master, he and Bai Yefeng spurred their horses away.
There was a sound of something crashing on the wall from inside the carriage. Its occupants used to think that Feng Cheng had quite an agile mind, but at this moment, why did he become such an idiot?
Fake Lihen Palace Master let down her guard and sneered toward Feng Cheng and Bai Yefeng's back view. "Let's depart." After that, she went to the carriage. "Feeling disappointed?" She asked Murong Yunshu.
Murong Yunshu raised her eyes towards her and smiled faintly with incomparable calmness. Then, she lowered her head and gently caressed Chu Changge's forehead.
The fake Lihen Palace Master did not expect Murong Yunshu's reaction would be so bland. She couldn't help but frown and suddenly had a bad feeling. She always felt that things wouldn't go her way this smoothly.
One couldn't help to say that sometimes a woman's intuition was ridiculously accurate.
That evening, there was a sudden downpour. The caravan people spurred their horses to full speed before they became drenched and found a ruined temple to avoid the rain. Coincidentally, Feng Cheng and Bai Yefeng were also there. Judging from their neat and tidy appearance, the two should have taken shelter when the rain first started to fall, as there were only a few scattered spots of damp halo on their clothes.
When the fake Lihen Palace Master saw Feng Cheng and Bai Yefeng, her heart sank slightly, but her expression remained as usual as she nodded and smiled at them. Then she sat down to rest on the other side of the ruined temple. Murong Yunshu and others were left in the carriage, with the sound of the rain drowning out their presence.
Feng Cheng also felt surprised when he saw the fake Lihen Palace Master and her group again. At the same time, that same tingling feeling in his heart became even stronger, making him frown.
"What's wrong?" Bai Yefeng asked in a low voice.
"Nothing." Feng Cheng shook his head. He must have been paranoid. If Murong Yunshu was here, she would certainly not hide from him. Based on her character, it was already good that she did not force him to greet her as the Empress.
Duanshan (lit. short shirt)
Image Credit | New Hanfu
Image Credit | New Hanfu
Outside the ruined temple, the rain was pouring while it was dead silent inside. This peaceful atmosphere lasted for about half a column of incense when a figure suddenly flashed in. This person had used a blueish-grey duanshan as an umbrella. Once inside, the person patted the rain on her body with the garment and threw it aside afterwards. The crowd found half of her face had been covered with a square handkerchief when she looked up. However, one could see that she was a young girl from her appearance. Especially those eyes of hers. With just one glance from them, it was enough to amaze anyone.
Feng Cheng and Bai Yefeng both looked at her, especially Bai Yefeng, who was blatantly staring straight at her, with his body vaguely leaning forward. If it wasn't for Feng Cheng promptly holding him back, he would have already flown over and hugged the girl.
"Brother Bai." Feng Cheng spoke out to remind Bai Yefeng not to be hasty.
Bai Yefeng immediately returned to his senses. He apologetically hung his head and lifted his sleeve to gently remove the cold sweat on his forehead. There were raging waves in his heart. Her eyes were too similar, simply too similar. Qing Yan, is that you?
At the same time, the masked girl was also staring at Bai Yefeng for a long time. Unlike Bai Yefeng's sudden obsession, her eyes were calm, without a trace of emotional fluctuations. But a closer look would reveal that the seemingly unperturbed eyes carried a hint of surprise, hidden very deep inside, yet still managed to be discovered by Feng Cheng. "You know each other?" He asked Bai Yefeng in a low voice.
Bai Yefeng once again raised his eyes to look at the girl but found that she had sat down in another corner of the ruined temple. She left him only the view of her side face, making him unable to see her true expression. "Her eyes look a lot like an old friend of mine." His tone was brimming with frustration, as if he was lost.
When Feng Cheng heard his words, he glanced at the girl curiously. He stared at her a few times before saying, "I didn't know you have other old friends outside the Wuhua Valley besides Chu Changge."
Bai Yefeng: "Well, there used to be another one."
Feng Cheng hesitated but then asked, "Could it be that you were not driven mad by my yelling from outside the valley, but you genuinely wanted to look for her?"
"You really believed that reason?" Bai Yefeng gave him a strange look and asked, "Are all of you out here this simple?"
Ugh. Why did Feng Cheng think that the word 'simple' in Bai Yefeng's mouth sounded more like the word stupidity to him? Feng Cheng was embarrassed. "I've met too many freaks lately, so I accidentally put you among them."
"If I'm just a freak in your eyes, I'd be happy to be classified as such."
"......" Did this mean that he did not want to be in the same country as him? Feng Cheng suddenly felt that Bai Yefeng's poisonous tongue was worse than Murong Yunshu's.
The sound of Feng Cheng and Bai Yefeng talking was not too loud nor too small because they didn't deliberately prevent others from hearing them. Plus, the people present all had sharp ears and keen eyes, so it quickly attracted the attention of all the bystanders. Especially the young girl sitting alone in the corner, with her body faintly trembling a few times. This made the fake Lihen Palace Master could not help but look at her a few more times, but in the end, she couldn't see any clue about their relationship.
Once all the strangers on the three sides of the ruined temple stopped speaking, the atmosphere fell into silence again. The rain was still pouring outside. While the people inside the carriage were mixed with sadness and joy. They were joyful to meet Feng Cheng again, and they felt sad because he still didn't know about their existence. Murong Yunshu stared at Feng Cheng and Bai Yefeng in the temple through the small window slit in the carriage wall, trying to attract their attention. But she didn't know what was Feng Cheng thinking as he continued to keep his head down. And Bai Yefeng's soul seemed to have been taken away by the girl in the corner. His eyes would peek at her from time to time without even casting a glance outside.
At this moment, Murong Yunshu finally experienced what it was like to be ignored—it was quite an unpleasant experience for her.
Murong Yunshu secretly sighed. She always considered everyone else beneath her, so this time, the Gods decided to ignore her when she was in trouble. She should take a good look at the people around her in the future. Even if it was going to be inappropriate, she should at least spare them a glance. As she thought about this, a sudden sound of rushing footsteps came towards them from not far away.
Soon, two figures ran from behind the carriage and quickly rushed into the ruined temple. One was old, and the other was a young one. They apparently looked like a pair of grandfather and his grandchild. The old man wore a white robe with a hunting hat on his head. He was all skins and bones. Everyone could see that only a skeleton was left under that robe when it started to swing around because of the wind. The younger one held a broad lotus leaf over her head to cover herself from the rain. Her hair was combed into braided pigtails, and she was wearing a pale lotus-coloured dress. She had a pair of sad grey eyes. She threw down the lotus leaf and complained while patting the rain off her body, "Grandpa, haven't you always been able to predict this kind of thing? Why didn't you foresee it would rain today before we left home?"
The grandfather glanced at his granddaughter and said with a smile, "I already predicted this!"
"Grandfather had long predicted this?" The granddaughter also responded exaggeratedly, with her eyes growing wide. "If Grandpa already foresaw it, why didn't Grandpa tell me?"
"If I told you, would you still go out?"
"No."
"That's why I couldn't tell you."
"Grandpa, you're so bad!"
"Xiao Qing, Grandpa is doing this for your own good. A girl should go out more often to have a chance to meet her ideal man."
"Humph. Right now, I've become a drenched chicken. Even if I meet my ideal man, he won't even look at me."
"Xiao Qing, be confident. If you are not, your ideal man will turn up his nose at you."
The two people laughed back and forth, not even offended that the rain had soaked their clothes. Especially the little girl. Although she was full of complaints, she always smiled and had a delighted look. Suddenly, her eyes fell on Feng Cheng. Her eyebrows bent, and she giggled. She nudged at the old man beside her and suggested. "Grandpa, since there are many people in the temple, why don't Grandpa tell me a part of your story?"
The old man's naughty round eyes turned around extremely slowly and said, "Alright! I'm not busy anyway. Xiao Qing, which part do you want to hear?"
"Well......" The granddaughter cocked her head for a moment, then suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she exclaimed, "Tell me about Chu Changge and Murong Yunshu."
Once this statement was made, the atmosphere in the temple immediately became bizarre. The fake Lihen Palace Master, who initially disdained this pair of grandfather and grandchild, raised her eyes fiercely, and they were filled with alarm. Feng Cheng's heart also rose when 'Chu Changge and Murong Yunshu' were mentioned. He hardly heard any news from them on the way, and this time, he suddenly bumped into this pair of know-it-all grandfather and his grandchild. He was afraid Chu Changge and Murong Yunshu were in trouble. The masked girl in the corner also shifted her eyes to the pair of grandfather and his grandchild. [+]
And within the carriage, Murong Yunshu's heart was in her throat, thumping as if it was going to jump out. She kept on praying for the old man to speak out quickly. Even if he couldn't fully explain her situation at the moment, at least he could remind Feng Cheng that she was in trouble.
However, the pair of grandfather and grandchild seemed to be unaware of the change in the atmosphere around them, as they still looked relaxed. "Xiao Qing, I've told you the trivial matters of Chu Changge and Murong Yunshu eighty times!" He gestured out the number 'eight' with his hands.
"But that was all in the past. People want to hear about their current situation." The granddaughter hugged her grandfather's arm while acting coquettishly.
"Okay, okay. Let's talk about Chu Changge and Murong Yunshu's current situation. Only about that, okay?" Since the grandfather couldn't change his granddaughter's mind, he began by tapping his kuaiban and then told the story in a lively and realistic way. "Three years ago, after Chu Changge disappeared from the jianghu, Murong Yunshu left her four-year-old son behind to search for his whereabouts but never heard any news about him. However, just a month ago, Chu Changge suddenly appeared in the Jiugua House run by Murong Yunshu and worked as a waiter. It is said that Murong Yunshu had divorced him at that time."
"Ah? Why? Isn't Murong Yunshu in love with Chu Changge? "The granddaughter was puzzled.
Her grandfather sighed and explained, "Love is love, but she was angry inside!"
"Why did she feel that way?"
"Chu Changge had forgotten about her."
"Forgotten? How could that be?"
The grandfather stroked the few thin white beards on his chin and said, "Grandpa is not going to lie to you. Even Grandpa is not sure the reason for that!"
"Alas—" The granddaughter also shook her head and sighed as she asked with undying interest, "And then?"
"Later, he said he couldn't even recall who Murong Yunshu was."
"How could he not recall her? Did he break his brain?" The granddaughter was so anxious that she stomped her feet as if the person who had been forgotten by her beloved was not Murong Yunshu but herself.
"Huh? How did you know that he had a broken brain? Xiao Qing, did you ask for news outside without telling Grandpa?" The grandfather asked nervously.
The granddaughter rolled her eyes at him and answered grumpily, "That was just a blind guess on my part! I've been following Grandpa all day, waiting for the day I will take over after Grandpa passed away. So I don't have the heart to fly alone for now!"
"How come it sounded like you were wishing for my death?"
"That's not true. Does Grandpa know how lonely would I be if you died?" The granddaughter laughed and urged, "Grandpa, you continue. Murong Yunshu is extremely smart. She must have a way to make Chu Changge remember her. Isn't it?"
"About this......Grandpa also doesn't know."
The granddaughter instantly raised her eyebrows and asked, "Then what does Grandpa know?"
"What Grandpa know is......" He trailed off, smiling as he glanced around at the audience, and then said, "What Grandpa knows is that they have been taken away!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, a murderous aura inside the ruined temple steeply doubled.
Feng Cheng's dashing eyebrows rose wildly as he mumbled in his heart: My guess was correct. They have run into trouble.
"What is Murong Yunshu's relationship with Chu Changge?" Bai Yefeng asked in a low voice.
Feng Cheng looked at him strangely. "You don't know the relationship between the two of them?"
"I don't even know who Murong Yunshu is."
Feng Cheng was speechless. "You don't even know who Murong Yunshu is, yet you still dare to come outside to mingle?"
"......I did not come outside to mingle."
"......" Feng Cheng didn't bother to pay attention to him as he turned his head and continued to listen to the grandfather and grandchild duo. At the same time, his mouth whispered a reply, "They are a couple."
Bai Yefeng suddenly realised it was no wonder Chu Changge kept calling out for 'Yunshu' when he was unconscious. It seemed that his guess was correct. 'Yunshu' was indeed a significant person to Chu Changge. Thus, it was the right move to let him out of the valley to find her. It was just that he clearly remembered when Chu Changge went out of the valley, other than the absence of his memory, everything else about him was normal. Hence, how could he suddenly have a broken brain?
At the same time, the seemingly calm sight from the fake Lihen Palace Master was, in reality, brimming with a murderous aura, aiming straight at the pair of grandfather and his grandchild. She thought that those two would have the sense to shut their mouths up under this heavy pressure from her. Unexpectedly, the more they talked, the happier they became.
The granddaughter shrieked, "Taken away? Who was daring enough to catch them? Chu Changge is the leader of the Mojiao Sect. Catching him will only lead to retaliation sooner or later."
"Xiao Qing, don't you know? Ever since Chu Changge had been missing for many years, the Mojiao Sect has split up into pieces nowadays. Although Chu Changge has returned to the jianghu and has a broken brain due to losing his memory, his power is not as powerful as before. Therefore, everyone has long ceased putting him in their eyes."
"But even so, he is still a tiger! One should not pull out the tiger's whiskers, whether it has lost its memories or become a brainless one."
"Grandpa thinks so too. The various forces in the jianghu are probably thinking the same thing. That's why they can still live safe and sound. It's too bad, really too bad. The person who caught them has not been in the jianghu for too long. This person isn't yet aware that they have been incited by people who intend to pull the tiger's whiskers. This person is like a newborn calf that does not fear the tiger!"
"After all this talk, Grandpa still hasn't told me who this person is! Grandpa, don't keep me in suspense. Hurry up and tell me."
"Xiao Qing, don't be in a hurry. Grandpa is going to tell you." Pa! Pa! Pa! He clapped the kuaiban three times and said, "Speaking of the person who caught them, this person is also a powerful character! This person is——"
"Who is it?"
"The Lihen Palace Master!"
At this statement, the whole audience started to stir up. The granddaughter's reaction was the most dramatic. "Lihen Palace Master? Where is this Lihen Palace? How come I've never heard of it."
Feng Cheng's ears perked up when he heard this question, and his muscles stretched tautly. Where was this Lihen Palace? What about the current situation of Murong Yunshu and Chu Changge? If it wasn't because he knew the true identity of this pair of grandfather and grandchild, he would have long been unable to stop himself from asking them questions.
Bai Yefeng, who stood beside Feng Cheng, began to be restless. His heart had all kinds of worry. He had entrusted Chu Changge with his life story, so Chu Changge would certainly not hurt Qing Yan. But as he thought of Qing Yan......thinking of the woman who had haunted his dreams, Bai Yefeng wished he could fly to her side immediately. Qing Yan, you must not hurt the couple. He prayed so in his heart. His eyes could not help but look at the masked girl in the corner.
As if she heard Bai Yefeng's prayers in general, the masked girl, sitting in the corner, looked toward him. As soon as she hit his line of sight, their four eyes met. She instantly panicked and averted her eyes.
This momentary glance made Bai Yefeng couldn't help but shout out, "Qing—" He had just spoken his words, only to hear another aggressive voice—
"Stinky storyteller, don't talk nonsense!"
Bai Yefeng's eyes followed the sound, only to see a red-clad palace maid pointing her sword at the old storyteller. "Be careful!" He muttered and tried to fly over to the rescue but was stopped by Feng Cheng. "She can't hurt them." Feng Cheng stated indifferently.
Bai Yefeng was slightly stunned and then asked with a sense of understanding, "You know them?"
"I don't know them, but I've met them a few times." Feng Cheng answered.
Bai Yefeng understood. Since Feng Cheng said so, the other party must be a master. He subconsciously tried to feel the old man's internal strength but found nothing. His heart was greatly alarmed. He was now more than sure that the old man's martial arts were unfathomable. So far, apart from Chu Changge, the old man in front of him was the second person who could hide his internal strength from him. The Central Plains did harbour hidden dragons and crouching tigers. With a sigh, Bai Yefeng calmly watched the battle.
Just as Feng Cheng said, the red-clothed palace maid was not even close to the old man before she was sent flying away. The fake Lihen Palace Master became alarmed in response. She caught the palace maid, and then, with a sober look, she asked the old man, "May I ask the Senior's name?"
His granddaughter shouted with hostility before the old man could answer, "Who are you to inquire about my grandfather's name?" The tone of her voice carried undisguised disdain.
The fake Lihen Palace Master immediately became furious. With a wave of her long sleeves, she said, "I'll kill you, silly little girl, first, and then we'll see if I'm qualified to ask your grandfather's distinguished name!" After saying that, she slashed her palm at the granddaughter.
"Ah—help, Grandpa!" The granddaughter shouted as she held her head in fear.
The old man did not even change his expression. He just twisted his granddaughter's collar, threw her behind him, and asked with a smile, "Now you know the flaw of not knowing how to do martial arts, right?"
"Oh." The granddaughter lowered her blushing face and muttered reluctantly, "I'm still young, though."
"You're still young? When Grandpa was your age, Grandpa had already become sworn brothers with the head of Wudang!"
"When you were my age, the head of Wudang was not yet a master. He was a nobody just like you. Of course, he was willing to be sworn brothers with you."
"Ugh. That's true." The old man scratched the back of his head and then laughed as he said, "Xiao Qing, you are smarter than Grandpa. So you must be better than Grandpa in the future."
His granddaughter snorted with her nose to the sky and complained, "How can you call yourself great? Others have almost taken your granddaughter's life!"
"It hasn't been taken yet, has it?" The old man smiled resentfully.
The grandfather and the grandchild duo spoke in a light-hearted manner, not putting the enemy in their eyes even the slightest. Although the fake Lihen Palace Master was unwilling, she did not dare to make any more rash moves. Just now, half of her palm ability had been defused by the other side, and she did not even know when he made his move. The disparity in strength was evident. After looking at the duo, grandfather and grandchild, for a while, the fake Lihen Palace Master bellowed, "Depart!" Once she was done giving the order, she left with a flick of her sleeve.
Inside the carriage, Murong Yunshu's heart felt heavy as they had missed their chance again. Feng Cheng ah, Feng Cheng, can't you think with a little bit of your brain? Or has your attention been taken away by that beautiful woman in the corner?
After the Lihen Palace party left in the heavy rain, only Feng Cheng, Bai Yefeng, the masked girl and the old man storyteller with his grandchild remained in the ruined temple. The granddaughter stretched herself and said with a smile, "Grandpa, you're amazing! This ruined temple suddenly becomes much more spacious after Grandpa pissed them off."
The corners of Feng Cheng's mouth trembled slightly. As it turned out, this grandfather and grandchild duo sang a duet to exasperate others so that they could make more room for themselves? "Old Man Shenji." Feng Cheng got up and bowed to the old man. "This junior is called Feng Cheng."
Old Man Shenji, the old storyteller, stroked his beard and laughed, asking, "Feng Cheng? Oh, I know you. Is your father dead yet?"
Feng Cheng was slightly embarrassed. "My father had been dead for many years already."
"Ah? He's dead already?" Old Man Shenji's face hung down as he said, "Another old friend has died. It is estimated that my old bones' time will come soon."
"Grandpa, what are you talking about? It's still early, and you'll live till you reach a hundred years."
"A hundred years?" Old Man Shenji counted on his fingers and stated, "I am already ninety-nine years old!"
The granddaughter was instantly petrified. "That, Grandpa, it's not what you think......"
"Ah? It's not what I think? Did you actually say it on purpose?! I thought it was just a slip of your tongue!"
"......Grandpa, you think too kindly of me."
"Xiao Qing, you think too badly of your Grandpa."
"Ugh. I was wrong."
"There is no greater good than knowing your mistakes and being able to correct them. Grandpa forgives you."
"Thank you, Grandpa."
Feng Cheng didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he watched the grandfather and grandchild duo exchanging words. They were really worthy of being storytellers. When they sang a duet, even something as small as a sesame seed could become something big. "Old Man Shenji ." Feng Cheng spoke again, trying to get their attention. Please read this chapter at xinshou blogspot com.
"Oh. Feng Cheng, you are still here." Old Man Shenji had a surprised look on his face.
Feng Cheng put a hand on his forehead. "This junior has always been here."
Old Man Shenji: "What are you doing here?"
Feng Cheng took a deep breath to hide his helplessness and answered back with a smile, "Taking shelter from the rain."
Old Man Shenji's grey eyebrows rose when he heard Feng Cheng's words and questioned, "The enemy has already run away. Why are you still here, sheltering from the rain?"
"Enemy? What enemy?" Feng Cheng did not understand.
Old Man Shenji looked at the sky and let out a long sigh. He was about to speak when his granddaughter beat him to it. "You are so stupid!" She angrily said while feeling disappointed that iron did not turn into steel. "They look similar. However, why is there such a big difference in IQ between them? Your father is much wiser than you!"
The corner of Feng Cheng's corner mouth twitched. He was tempted to say, young lady, pretending to be older than your age won't make you more senior than me. When you started scampering around the jianghu, my dad had been dead for many years. How would you know whether he was wise or not? But on second thought, although what she said was hurtful, the point was not whether he was smart. If he scolded her for it, she would make fun of him again.
After some thought, Feng Cheng decided to accept her ridicule without any questions. "I am a stupid man. I would like to request Miss to clearly pinpoint it to me." As a man, you should put priority on the big picture first. Feng Cheng comforted himself in this way.
That little granddaughter sighed deeply and commented, "If only your brain was half as pleasing to the eye as your looks."
"......I'm so sorry for giving Miss a hard time." Feng Cheng suddenly found it easy to smash an already cracked pot to pieces. No wonder Chu Changge always became useless in front of Murong Yunshu. It was not that he was weak. When you met sharp-tongued girls whose minds changed much faster than you, smashing an already cracked pot to pieces was the most effective way to stop them from using their annoying ability on you.
When the little granddaughter heard his words, she helplessly and bitterly shook her head repeatedly while mumbling, "Just don't mind him, don't mind. Talking to a nerdy fool like you is simply like slowly killing myself. Let me tell you directly. Those people just now were from Lihen Palace. Murong Yunshu is probably in one of the two carriages."
Feng Cheng was shocked. "How could that be the case?"
"You're still questioning me?" She looked up to the sky and let out a long sigh before saying, "When I told you that Murong Yunshu is in the carriage, you should have immediately gone right after it. But why are you still wasting your time here?"
"Ugh. I just want to make sure what you said is true." Feng Cheng looked embarrassed.
The little granddaughter's eyes widened suddenly as she barked, "I've reminded you nicely, but you still won't believe me!"
"I didn't......"
"Humph! If you don't want to believe it, then just forget about it. It's none of my business anyway!" She puffed up and ran behind Old Man Shenji while stamping her feet uncontrollably as if venting her inner indignation.
The old man chuckled as he soothed her, "Don't be angry, Xiao Qing. Didn't Grandpa tell you a long time ago? Not everyone is as smart as you. Especially when men and women are not the same kinds of creatures. Your thinking is so fast that no man can keep up with your rhythm, let alone Feng Cheng, who is born stupid." [T/C]
Aside, the corner of Feng Cheng's forehead jumped wildly. If one wanted to say someone was stupid, just tell that person directly that they were stupid. Why need to mention that he was born stupid as if he was stupider than others in general......
After being comforted by Old Man Shenji, the little granddaughter immediately beamed with a smile. She then spoke like she was bestowing Feng Cheng with her grace, "Since you are so stupid, then I will reluctantly give you an explanation. In fact, my grandfather wasn't that sure if those people just now were from Lihen Palace. So, he deliberately spoke out loud about what happened to Murong Yunshu and Chu Changge in front of them to see their reaction. And the outcome was that they wanted to silence us by ending our life. Isn't this already clear enough?"
Her words snapped him out of his dazed state! Just now, he was only thinking of probing for Murong Yunshu's news that he forgot about this! Feng Cheng whistled for his horse and then rushed away in an instant.
Bai Yefeng hurriedly called for his own white horse, intending to follow, but was pulled by Old Man Shenji. "Young man, don't rush off. There is still a girl here who needs you. You can't just leave her behind like that."
Bai Yefeng stopped in his tracks and turned around. He looked at Old Man Shenji in confusion. "Why did the Senior say something like that?"
Old Man Shenji: "Didn't the girl in the corner come with you?"
When Bai Yefeng heard what had been said, he turned his sight towards the masked girl, just in time to see her lowered her head in panic. After hesitating, he replied, "I don't know her."
"If you don't know each other now, you will later on. Who would know of other people from the very beginning, right?" Old Man Shenji asked smilingly.
"But......"
Old Man Shenji pointed out, "She has injured herself and can't get herself wet. You should wait for the rain to stop with her before taking her away."
Hearing that the masked girl had injured herself, Bai Yefeng's heart tensed up, and he no longer had a trace of hesitation. "I'll follow the Senior's instructions." He answered humbly.
"Haha. Good, good, good, oh!" After Old Man Shenji shouted the word 'good' three times, he quickly clapped his kuaiban and said, "Xiao Qing, let's go!"
"Yes, Grandpa!"
Looking at the pair strolling into the heavy rain, Bai Yefeng could not help but wonder whether they were here to escape the shower or send a word to Feng Cheng?
After Bai Yefeng stared blankly at their backs as they drifted away, he retracted his eyes, turned around and walked to the masked girl. He then tenderly asked, "Where did you hurt yourself? Let me bandage it for you."
The masked girl raised her eyes to look at him for a moment and later lowered her head without saying anything.
Bai Yefeng, slightly surprised, thought about it and tentatively asked, "You can not speak?"
The masked girl's eyes fluttered. She seemed to hesitate for a moment and then nodded slightly.
"I see." Bai Yefeng showed that he understood her condition, and at the same time, his heart was disappointed. As he had expected, they might look similar, but they weren't the same person. With a soft sigh in his heart, he waved away the loss he felt and softly said, "It doesn't matter if you can't speak. Just point to me where your wound is."
The masked girl bowed her head and pointed to her belly.
When Bai Yefeng finally knew where the wound was, he felt pretty embarrassed. After a moment of silence, he said, "You wait here. I'll go out to find medicinal herbs."
Meanwhile, on the other side, the little granddaughter smilingly asked, "Grandpa, when did you change your profession to Yue Lao?"
"Weren't you just binding the red thread between the couple inside the ruined temple?"
"The red thread in their hands has always been connected. Why do they need me to bind it?"
"The red thread in their hands has been connected? Can Grandpa see that they are destined to be together?"
"That's right. And their destiny is not superficial."
"Grandpa, how come you know everything?"
"When you live to my age, you will know everything too."
"......I'm not going to live that long! I don't want to be old but still alive!"
"Xiao Qing, respect the elderly."
"Grandpa, love the young."
......
......
The rain was still drizzling down, interspersed with the sound of laughter.
When Bai Yefeng returned to the ruined temple after he was done searching for medicinal herbs, the masked girl was nowhere to be found. He looked around and could not find her. Without any option available, he spurred his horse to follow Feng Cheng's footsteps while looking for the masked girl.
While being chased by the Bai Yefeng, Feng Cheng desperately ran after the Lihen Palace's group. However, no matter how hard he pursued them by rushing his horse, he couldn't catch up, and not even a shadow of them could be seen. After racing all night until the sky turned white, Feng Cheng slowed down a little and asked for information from the merchant who came from the opposite direction.
After listening to his description, the merchant tilted his head and thought for a long time. He eventually shook his head and said, "I haven't seen any of these people."
Feng Cheng sighed tersely, thanked the merchant, and continued on his way. Anyway, it was right for him to go to Tianlong Mountain. They must have taken a shortcut.
Just as Feng Cheng thought, the fake Lihen Palace Master had anticipated that the old storyteller at the ruined temple was up to no good. Therefore, she didn't go far and took a shortcut instead. Within five days, they arrived at the foot of Tianlong Mountain. The fake Lihen Palace Master couldn't wait to confirm the authenticity of the organ map. Hence, before settling down, she ordered the palace maids to bring Chu Changge and others to an inn. At the same time, she, together with the man in black, held Murong Yunshu hostage and took her to the silver warehouse.
Tianlong Mountain had a strategic terrain with a gourd-shaped entrance, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. The Murong Mansion's silver warehouse was situated in the second circular cave of the gourd entrance. The three of them passed through the first cave smoothly and finally arrived outside the silver warehouse.
"Open the silver warehouse." The fake Lihen Palace Master instructed.
Murong Yunshu hesitated before saying faintly, "Before opening the silver warehouse, you have to promise me one condition."
The fake Lihen Palace Master's face immediately sank. She responded, "You are not qualified to negotiate any conditions with me."
"Whether you promise or not, you can try to listen to the condition first. How about that?" Murong Yunshu asked good-naturedly.
"No need. No matter what the conditions are, I won't agree. Open the silver warehouse immediately if you don't want Chu Changge to become a living dead. Otherwise." The fake Lihue Palace Master paused and squinted her eyes before threatening her, "I will kill you first and then let him alive, unable to die. I won't let you two see each other neither in heaven nor on earth!"
Murong Yunshu bowed her head, pursed her lips and said, "In that case, I have nothing else to say. You step back. I will now open the silver warehouse."
The fake Lihen Palace Master took a step back following her words. Murong Yunshu looked back at her, then slowly rotated the mechanism, only to hear a roar. Soon afterwards, several tall iron gates opened to both sides. Murong Yunshu moved sideways to make way for the fake Lihen Palace Master.
"You go in first." Fake Lihen Palace Master urged.
Murong Yunshu glanced at her again, looking like she wanted to say something, but in the end, she walked into the silver warehouse.
Seeing Murong Yunshu's indifferent look, the fake Lihen Palace Master followed her inside. However, before her right foot entered the silver warehouse, a cold arrow flew from the side with a 'swoosh'. She immediately spun around and moved to dodge. When her left foot hit the ground, another cold arrow flew from the other side. With a cold snort, she flew to avoid it and landed behind Murong Yunshu at the same time. She grabbed Murong Yunshu's neck and laughed angrily, "If you dare to play tricks again, I will immediately kill you!"
Murong Yunshu did not change her expression and said indifferently, "I wanted to remind you just now, but you were unwilling to listen."
The fake Lihen Palace Master frowned. "Remind me of what?"
Murong Yunshu: "I want to remind you to step in my footsteps. One wrong step will trigger all the hidden weapons."
"Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"You're the one who said that no matter what I requested, you wouldn't listen to it." Murong Yunshu answered frankly.
So the so-called request was to remind her of the hidden weapons around? This was obviously nonsense! After taking a deep breath, the fake Lihen Palace Master resisted the thought of killing someone as she asked, "Do you have any other requests?"
"Will you agree to all my requests?" Murong Yunshu asked.
The fake Lihen Palace Master glared at her and warned, "Don't get any bad ideas. I will only be responsible for listening, and if it is reasonable, I can consider agreeing to it."
Murong Yunshu nodded slightly in understanding and frowned for a moment in thought before saying, "I request you to die."
"What?!" The fake Lihen Palace Master thought she had heard wrong.
"I request you to die." Murong Yunshu calmly repeated.
The fake Lihen Palace Master stared at her furiously, and after a long time, she let out a loud laugh. "How dare you request such a thing? You don't want to live anymore, do you?!" The latter sentence carried a heavy threatening meaning. As soon as the fake Lihen Palace Master's let out this warning, her expression turned hideous.
Murong Yunshu simply kept a straight face as if thinking about something important. After a long silence, she solemnly said, "I think this request is very reasonable. Don't you think so?"
Fake Lihen Palace Master squeezed out these words from her teeth, "I, don't, think, so!"
Murong Yunshu: "Oh. Then you can continue to live. There are many outrageous things in this world anyway. Adding one more does not mean much to me."
The fake Lihen Palace Master didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She stared oddly at Murong Yunshu, thinking: Could it be that when people reach a certain level of intelligence, they will turn into fools?
"You're not coming?" Murong Yunshu asked with a smile. She was calm and unhurried, as if she was not the one who just took a bite at her by telling her to go to hell.
Just let it pass for now. For the sake of silver, I won't bicker with her for the time being. After I get that mountain of silver, then I will send her to the Western Paradise. The fake Lihen Palace Master thought in her heart, and her expression became much calmer but still looked unpleasant. "Hurry up." She urged.
At that urging, Murong Yunshu no longer hesitated and continued to walk forward. Knowing that the first mechanism of the silver warehouse could not hurt the fake Lihen Palace Master, she stopped creating problems and smoothly went to the second mechanism. The first thing they faced was another door. The difference was that this one was made of stone and had a stone lock. The lock was carved with a dragon roaring in the nine heavens, symbolising the Son of Heaven. "To pass through this, you must have the key." Murong Yunshu said once she stopped in front of the stone door.
Fake Lihen Palace Master: "You don't have the key in your hand?"
Murong Yunshu: "No."
"Who has the key then?"
"The current Emperor."
Fake Lihen Palace Master laughed at her words. "Do you think I am a three-year-old child? The Emperor is your son. Who else would he give the key to besides you?"
Murong Yunshu raised her eyebrows. "His empress."
The corners of the fake Lihen Palace Master's mouth twitched. "He's only eight years old. Where will there be an Empress? He wasn't born when you built this silver warehouse, let alone his Empress."
"Can't I arrange his marriage by pointing at my belly?"
"......"
"Having a child bride also makes sense."
"......" The fake Lihen Palace Master's face was full of black lines, and she sternly warned, "Don't stall for time. Just open the door!"
"Then again, it makes sense for a young husband to have an older wife."
"Mu, Rong, Yun, Shu!" Fake Lihen Palace Master gritted her teeth. "If you keep talking about him, I will kill you right now!"
Murong Yunshu frowned. "Please stop mention about 'death' in all your sentence. That's very unlucky."
"......" She still wanted to bicker when she was near her death? When the time came to kill her, did she need to pick a feng shui place for her too? The fake Lihen Palace Master held her forehead. She suddenly felt that many things in this world could kill people invisibly. If the fake Lihen Palace Master wasn't so sure that the one dominating the situation was her, she would have felt like a fish about to be slaughtered. This comfortable degree in Murong Yunshu worried her. Since they entered the silver warehouse, Murong Yunshu had turned from acting as a good grandson into a lord. This Madam was too calm. There must be something fishy going on......
As the fake Lihen Palace Master thought about this, she immediately raised her vigilance as she asked, "Say, are you scheming against me?"
Murong Yunshu shook her head. "No."
"You're lying! You are definitely scheming against me!" The fake Lihen Palace Master did not believe her words.
"Fine. I'm scheming against you."
"......" The fake Lihen Palace Master felt even more uneasy as she tightly tugged at Murong Yunshu's arm. She pointed out, "You've changed since entering the silver warehouse. No matter how much I threaten you, you treat them indifferently. You even have this appearance of fearing nothing in Heaven or Earth. Even if you're not afraid of death, aren't you afraid that Chu Changge will become a living dead?"
Murong Yunshu: "I'm not afraid."
"Why?" She clearly remembered that Murong Yunshu was scared of death before. That mechanism diagram drawn with blood was the best proof of her inner fear.
"Because this is my territory." Murong Yunshu spoke in a light-hearted manner.
However, the fake Lihen Palace Master listened to her words with horror, and a bad premonition surfaced in her heart. "You! What do you mean by that?"
"It means that I am the one in charge from this moment onwards." Murong Yunshu's tone was highly calm but carried a majestic manner that did not allow for any argument.
This made the fake Lihen Palace Master feel like an invisible mountain was pressing down her head. Even her breathing became extremely difficult. For some reason, she could no longer be arrogant. Obviously, she was the one holding the reins, but why did she suddenly become so passive? The fake Lihen Palace Master remained puzzled even after pondering over it a hundred times. Murong Yunshu even lacked the strength to truss a chicken, and Chu Changge was in her hands, so why was Murong Yunshu suddenly acting so high-and-mighty?
As if reading her doubts, Murong Yunshu smiled faintly as she explained. "Although I am not a member of the jianghu, with the wealth of my family, I have gotten to know many friends from both black and white [bad and good) world. Tianlong Mountain will soon hold a martial arts assembly on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month to elect the new Great Leader of the Martial Arts alliance. All kinds of strong and courageous people will come. Too bad that many of them are my old acquaintances. When you held me under duress just now while swaggering through the streets, my situation was already in their eyes. They may not be on good terms with me to the point of giving up their lives to save me, and they are not old-fashioned warm-hearted people who would intervene when one sees an injustice. However, they could still tip somebody off."
After a pause, Murong Yunshu continued, "It is also possible that I have been particularly unlucky recently. Even when you were holding me hostage, publicly in the street, it still failed to attract the attention of people who actually know me. However, you should know that the biggest advantage of being a rich person, particularly a rich person, is that you are recognisable no matter where you go. And it is well known that I have always been generous to those who have been kind to me. They can inform others about me for once and exchange it for several lifetimes of grace from Murong Mansion. Would you choose to turn a blind eye if it were you?"
The fake Lihen Palace Master's head was suddenly poured with the purest cream. She finally came to her senses. "No wonder when I wanted to untie you, you refused. So you intended to let people see you that way." Murong Yunshu even argued, 'I'm used to being tied up and will be uncomfortable after being untied'. The fake Lihen Palace Master should have known that a person like Murong Yunshu would not have easily abused herself. Once her situation could be improved, but she didn't go for it, she must be brewing a more significant revolution. This was what one called to lie on firewood and taste gall.
When the fake Lihen Palace Master figured out the crooked and straight of her situation, it was too late for her to regret it since she couldn't turn back time. After a moment of remorse, she suddenly regained her confidence as she said, "Even if somebody informed others about you, so what? Feng Cheng has been left behind by me. If you are waiting for him to come to your rescue, it will take at least two more days for him to arrive. Not to mention whether I will let you live for another two days; even Chu Changge's life will be beyond redemption."
Murong Yunshu smiled arrogantly and said casually, "You underestimate my friend too much." That day in the ruined temple, she was indeed disappointed that Feng Cheng couldn't catch up quickly even when Old Man Shenji had made her situation clear to him. It might have been because his head had suffered a lot from learning the art of healing. But after she had calmed down, she realised that the Old Man Shenji had known about her situation for a long time. He appeared at the ruined temple and sang a duet with his granddaughter to remind Feng Cheng about it. Since Feng Cheng did not understand his words, he would undoubtedly tell him frankly. With Feng Cheng's personality, he would definitely travel day and night, rushing to Tianlong Mountain. Maybe he had already arrived by now.
Murong Yunshu's thought was right. As they had just arrived, Feng Cheng showed up soon after. Just as he entered the realm of Tianlong Mountain, someone told him that Murong Yunshu had been kidnapped by a woman. The information came from a young beggar. The beggar had been waiting for him at the entrance of Tianlong Mountain for a long time. "Which direction did they go?" Feng Cheng asked anxiously.
The young beggar replied, "That woman, who tied Murong Yunshu, went in the direction of the mountain. But......"
"But what?"
"But I also saw another group of women taking Chu Changge, his four guardians, and the others to the Inn For The Uninvited. Moreover, Chu Changge was supported by two people. His situation looked bad."
"Many thanks!" After Feng Cheng took out an ingot of silver and threw it to the beggar, he spurred his horse and sped away. The silver warehouse was on the mountain, and the Lihen Palace Master, who held Murong Yunshu hostage, must have gone there. The other group of people, in all probability, were the minions of the Lihen Palace Master. After hesitating for a bit, Feng Cheng chose to go to the Inn For The Uninvited first. Murong Yunshu was resourceful, and there was a mountain of silver in her hands. It was not a problem for her to think of a way to defend herself. Meanwhile, since Chu Changge and his Four Great Guardians had been taken as hostages, they must have lost their ability to resist.
Feng Cheng's heart was burnt with impatience. He couldn't stop waving the whip, making the horse under him neigh painfully and almost gallop frantically.
At the same time, there was a tug-of-war between men and women inside the Inn For The Uninvited. East, South, West, North and Li Wunai, who gradually regained their internal strength, were in a stalemate with the Lihen Palace maids. Both hesitated to make their next move.
"Say, can't you five just behave like a man by going straight into battle and slashing down these unpleasant women?" Yun Si Niang was very impatient with the situation.
"You don't understand." Li Wunai continued profoundly, "Killing a woman will make a man can't be a good monk."
"......" Yun Si Niang rolled her eyes ferociously. "Great Master, you almost died because of these women. You still have the heart to talk to me about Buddha's compassion?"
The corners of Li Wunai's mouth twitched slightly, and his tightly tensed nerves suddenly loosened up. He retreated from the front line and then walked towards Yun Si Niang's side to sit beside her and emphasised once more, "You do not understand."
"......I indeed do not understand. Can Great Master explain to me in a few words?" Yun Si Niang was tempted to slap him to death.
"I can't."
"Why?"
"Buddha said: you can't speak about it. Otherwise, the truth will be exposed."
"......" Oh Lord Bodhidharma, the founder, please quickly take your retarded bald descendant back and teach him for several generations before releasing him. An already headache, Yun Si Niang groaned and turned to ask South, East, North and West. "If he kills these people, it will bring dishonour to his master. You aren't thinking of doing the same thing, right? I remember the Mojiao taught its members to kill people without blinking an eye and create disturbance without making a sound."
"......Mojiao has no such lesson," East Guardian argued.
"I know. But your Sect Master Chu has always been like this, and you should learn it from him."
"......we are not as capable as our Sect Master. If we follow after him, we will die sooner or later." East Guardian said.
Yun Si Niang raised her eyebrows and muttered, "That's true." After a while, she said, "You're facing a powerful enemy right now. So, what are you going to do?"
East, South, North and West looked across the Lihen Palace maids for a long time before sighing together simultaneously. Then they spoke together with peerless heaviness, "Then we can only behave like rogues!"
Noob Translator's Final Decision
I've decided to cut the future chapters into small parts. I can't translate the whole chapter in one go anymore. This one chapter took nearly a month to translate, making me want to cry. So, no more long chapters from today onwards. All will be cut to below 4k Chinese characters. That's it!
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Black Belly Wife