Der Mond scheint hell über den leeren Bergen, und Blumen füllen den Himmel

Kapitel 48

Bi Qiuhan was still on his back. Shengxiang had his back to Qu Zhiliang. Under the moonlight, there was more and more blood on his body and on the ground from Bi Qiuhan. He quietly said, "You don't actually need to kill him, because he already knew... that it was the Taizu Emperor who ordered the assassination of the Li, Nan, Leng, and Ye families, and he didn't know that the person who did it was you."

Qu Zhiliang gave a nonchalant "Oh," and said, "This was an agreement between the founding emperor and me. How would he know?"

“I told him,” Saint Fragrant replied silently.

"You?" Qu Zhiliang's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "How did you know?"

Shengxiang didn't answer, then after a while gave an irrelevant reply: "Qu Zhiliang... In the palace secrets, Emperor Taizu had a top-notch master who secretly killed people to eliminate his rivals. When Emperor Taizu attacked Luzhou and killed Li Jun and Li Chongjin, the matter implicated the emperor's uncle Du Shenzhao, who assassinated Yao Shu and ordered him to throw his body into the river while still in official robes. He also demoted Shi Xizai, the military governor of Taihe Army, and later killed the Li, Nan, Leng, and Ye families... You played a significant role in all of that, didn't you?" Shengxiang continued in a low voice: "Qu Zhiliang, Qu Zhiliang, what exactly did you owe Emperor Taizu that you would kill and set fires for him, disregarding your reputation and self-respect, even doing things like murdering in the middle of the night and launching sneak attacks—you were capable of all of that? Weren't you a martial arts prodigy who was renowned throughout the world and revered by all martial arts practitioners? What was it all for?"

Qu Zhiliang's expression changed, but he remained silent.

"For what?" Shengxiang asked slowly, closing her eyes as she carried Bi Qiuhan on her back.

"You know too much," Qu Zhiliang said calmly. "Those who know too much always die quickly."

"For what?" Shengxiang suddenly closed her eyes and shouted, "For Shangxuan? You can kill Bi Qiuhan just because he says one word? What secrets does the Zhao family know about you that they want you to obey them for life, even after your father and son have died two generations later?"

His sudden shout made Qu Zhiliang's face change color. "You..."

"Don't think that anything in this world can truly be hidden from the heavens!" Sheng Xiang's chest heaved as he clutched his collar. "Who are you eating and talking with at the foot of Wudang Mountain—do you think I don't know? I've been watching him for over twenty years! Although I've always disliked him, even if Zhao Shangxuan wore ten or eight layers of human skin and mastered seventy or eighty kinds of divine skills, I could still see through him at a glance! Go back and ask him—ask him that I know about his ancestor's scoundrels, that I'm his own uncle—go back and ask him if he's going to kill me too?"

Qu Zhiliang stared in horror at the blood-soaked, closed-eyed Shengxiang on the ground. This was the first time he had truly felt the blood-curdling rage and heart-wrenching sorrow of the person on the ground... a pain heavier than the heavens... The shadow of that Shengxiang overlapped with that of another person, a pain even more intense than being reborn, and another person who could not cry...

"Qu Zhiliang." A faint voice came from the side, "My surname is Rong, and my given name is Yin. Tell Shangxuan that I am not dead yet."

He was a man with a stern demeanor. Qu Zhiliang chuckled and took two steps back, sword in hand. This was the first time in the world that someone had spoken to him in such an authoritative tone—not even the founding emperor dared to do so!

Rong Yin knelt down on one knee beside Sheng Xiang, helped Bi Qiuhan up and placed him on the ground. He did not reach out to help Sheng Xiang up, and said calmly, "Get up!"

Shengxiang, with her eyes closed, breathed heavily, clutching her clothes tightly to her chest, and stood up unsteadily.

Although he stood awkwardly, he stood firmly and did not fall.

Qu Zhiliang saw this, then with a clang, he drew his sword and left.

“Rongrong…does everyone have to kill to protect what they believe is most important?” Shengxiang asked slowly. “I saw Qu Zhiliang and Shangxuan together, but I never imagined things would turn out this way…”

"It's my fault, I'm a step too late," Rong Yin admitted.

“It’s no one’s fault. I never think that way.” Shengxiang slowly shook her head and said softly, “It is so, so difficult for a person to not live for the dead.”

"Cry if you want to," Rong Yin said, turning his back to her. "No one will see."

"Why are you crying?" Shengxiang slowly shook her head and said softly, "Xiao Bi died for me, so I should live happily, shouldn't I?"

Rong Yin did not answer.

“My birth…my life…there are so many things to cry about, that’s why I should live happily, isn’t it?” Shengxiang said slowly. “So—I can’t cry.”

“Saint Incense.” Rong Yin said softly with his back to him, “You see things so clearly and calmly, I have nothing to say. But you never cry, so you don’t know what it’s like to cry with joy.”

The incense burned silently.

“Let’s go.” Rong Yin picked up Bi Qiuhan’s body. “After Prince Yan committed suicide, Shang Xuan must be very sad. He didn’t mean to make things difficult for us, but he couldn’t let go of his father’s dying wish for him to ascend the throne as emperor…”

So, he's gathering his father's old subordinates to prepare for a rebellion, isn't he? A rebellion is a matter of great importance, and cannot be accomplished overnight. We should first seize Li Ling's banquet before discussing the higher realms.

Sheng Xiang slowly opened her eyes, looking at the pale Bi Qiuhan in Rong Yin's arms. Those clear, dark, flawless eyes reflected the bloodstains on Bi Qiuhan's body, their clarity revealing neither joy nor sorrow, but an indescribable coldness. "No, Rong Rong," he whispered, "Have you considered that Qu Zhiliang is the real murderer of Li Chenglou? With Li Lingyan's intelligence, how could he not guess who killed Bi Qiuhan when Qu Zhiliang appeared at Wudang Mountain and Bi Qiuhan died tonight? Bi Qiuhan hasn't done anything to cause trouble lately; he was just investigating the mystery of Li Chenglou's death."

"You mean... it's not advisable to confront Li Lingyan head-on, so we should ally with Wu against Wei—join forces with Li Lingyan and Shangxuan as enemies?" Rong Yin was slightly surprised. Sheng Xiang was indeed clever. "As long as Li Lingyan knows two things, he will cooperate with us." If they could ally with Li against Zhao, it would be killing two birds with one stone, dealing with two enemies at the same time.

“First, it was Qu Zhiliang who killed Li Chenglou; second, Qu Zhiliang was a man of Shangxuan.” Shengxiang said slowly, “Or we should add one more thing: Shangxuan is the son of Prince Yan, and Qu Zhiliang’s martial arts skills are almost unmatched in the martial arts world.”

"Shangxuan..."

Shengxiang quickly added, "I wonder how things are between him and Peitian."

Rong Peitian is Rong Yin's younger sister and Shang Xuan's beloved. Two years ago, when Rong Yin was serving as the Privy Councilor of the Song Dynasty, Rong Peitian and Shang Xuan eloped from the capital and disappeared without a trace. Later, during a palace coup, Rong Yin helped Emperor Taizong force the Prince of Yan, who intended to rebel, to commit suicide. Shang Xuan was caught between his enemy sister and his deceased father, unsure of what to choose.

Rong Yin said calmly, "That's the path she chose, and she can't regret it even if she's unhappy."

“You’re just pretending not to be worried, not really not worried, right?” Shengxiang smiled.

"I'm only worried about how sincere Shangxuan is in wanting to be emperor after Zhao Dezhao's death." Rong Yin replied, seemingly unrelated to the question, "If it's just resentment and bitterness—then he might as well hate me. There's no need to drag the country and its people down to hell with him."

“He is a… very sentimental person,” Shengxiang said softly. “So he is particularly prone to bias. I just want to stop him from doing something he will regret for the rest of his life. Also… rebellion is too easy to be manipulated, and I am worried about that—because he is also a simple man who is easily deceived.”

"Let's go back." Rong Yin didn't answer Sheng Xiang's whisper, saying calmly, "There are so many things to deal with, it's impossible to sort them out all at once. Are you alright?"

Shengxiang raised his head, and in that instant his expression changed from desolation back to normal, and he smiled brightly, "It's nothing."

But Rong Yin noticed that Zhao Pu's hand, clutching his chest, remained clenched. A person with a heart condition shouldn't be angry or anxious, so he continued to indulge Zhao Pu's antics. Unexpectedly, since entering the martial world, he had faced countless worries, anxieties, and troubles… yet Zhao Pu still laughed and acted as if nothing had happened. "You've lost weight," Rong Yin said calmly.

Sheng Xiang was taken aback, raised her eyebrows to look into Rong Yin's eyes, and after a long while, she burst out laughing, "Are you going to treat this young master to dinner?"

Rong Yin frowned. "Go back. Dew is bad for your health."

"Yes, yes, how could I dare disobey Lord Rong's order? By the way, Rongrong, tell Shangxuan you're not dead yet. Aren't you afraid he'll go to the capital and accuse you of deceiving the emperor and committing treason?"

“I may deceive the emperor, but he cannot rebel,” Rong Yin said calmly.

He will hate you.

In the darkness, the two men carried Bi Qiuhan's body away, unwilling to dwell on the sorrowful events before them, so they talked about the past and the future...

Chapter Fifteen: Relying on This, I Rise Above the Vast Sky

Li Shuangli was in her room, but she wasn't asleep.