Meister der Mehrdeutigkeit

Kapitel 5

Lian Zhao shook his head. "No need."

Just as Xiao Xiao was trying to come up with some more pleasing words, Li Zhenghai stepped forward, clasped his hands, and said, "Young Master Lian, I am Li Zhenghai from the Xingfeng Escort Agency. I am grateful for your help in defeating Yin Xiao today."

Lian Zhao returned the greeting, saying, "You're too kind, senior."

"Since Young Master Lian is here, why don't we have a few drinks together and become friends?" The one who spoke was Shi Le'er.

Xiao Xiao was startled. There was absolutely no trace of the cunning and treacherous tone Shi Le'er used when speaking to her. On the contrary, it was utterly gentle and sincere. And Shi Le'er's expression was completely innocent, adorable, and pure. Her cheeks were even rosy, making her incredibly charming.

Xiao Xiao couldn't help but shiver. She looked up again and saw that the bodyguards had been stunned for a while after hearing Shi Le'er's words. But then, one by one, they all echoed her. They had long forgotten the grudges between the imperial court and the martial arts world.

The surroundings suddenly became lively. Xiao Xiao automatically and consciously shrank to a corner. Although it was a corner, there were late-night snacks and warm wine on the table. She was delighted and picked up her chopsticks to poke at a braised egg.

However, in an instant, another pair of chopsticks also poked the egg.

Xiao Xiao frowned and looked up. What she saw was the boy whom Shi Le'er called "Xiao Jiang," but Li Zhenghai called "Young Hero Yue." He seemed to have a very important background and had even saved her once.

"Uh..." Xiao Xiao was stunned for a moment, then said, "Great hero! Thank you so much for saving my life! I can never repay your kindness! I will remember your kindness for the rest of my life!"

The boy looked at her and nodded. "Oh. Then could you give me this egg?"

She froze for a moment. But then, tears welled in her eyes, and she pulled out her chopsticks. "Great hero, please..."

No wonder Master said, "Don't owe anyone favors." We can't even get an egg...

The boy smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

After he finished speaking, he began to wolf down his food. Xiao Xiao was dumbfounded; anyone who didn't know better would have thought he hadn't eaten for days…

"Great hero... be careful not to choke..." she reminded him cautiously.

The boy raised his left hand and waved it to indicate that he was fine, then continued to eat with his head down.

Holding chopsticks in her small hands, she lowered her head and asked, "May I ask your name, sir?"

The boy swallowed the food in his mouth and said, "I'm not some kind of hero. My name is Yue Huaijiang. Just call me Xiao Jiang."

"Yue Huaijiang?" Xiao Xiao repeated, then looked up suspiciously, "Yue Lan Sword Sect, Huai generation?"

The boy stopped chewing abruptly and nodded heavily.

Xiao Xiao was stunned.

The Yue Lan Sword Sect is renowned in the martial arts world for its swordsmanship. Its founder, Yue Lan, created the "Seventeen Forms of the Lan Sword," a style of swordsmanship characterized by its lightness, speed, and agility, like the wind sweeping through the mountains, making it difficult to defend against. Few in the martial arts world could rival them. Within the Yue Lan Sword Sect, whether descendants of the Yue family or newly initiated disciples, all are named by the sect leader and their generation is determined by their given name. Most of the younger generation have the surname "Huai." Ordinary disciples would never dare to use "Yue" as their surname… In other words, the young man sitting before Xiao Xiao today is the legitimate young master of the Yue family?

"Great...Great hero..." Xiao Xiao stammered on the spot.

"Don't call me a hero." Yue Huaijiang shook his head, glancing at Shi Le'er beside him. "Little Jiang is fine..."

Xiao Xiao glanced at Shi Le'er and whispered, "Little Jiang, if I may ask, do you... do you owe Miss Shi a lot of money?" Besides that, Xiao Xiao really couldn't think of any other reason why the young master of the Yue Lan Sword Sect would be subordinate to a young girl.

Yue Huaijiang's eyes widened in surprise.

"I was just saying..." Xiao Xiao said hastily.

Yue Huaijiang suddenly put down his chopsticks, looked up, and his eyes glistened with tears.

"Really owe?" Xiao Xiao asked in surprise.

Yue Huaijiang looked at her and nodded.

Xiao Xiao swallowed hard. "How much?"

Yue Huaijiang held up three fingers, sighed, and said, "Three thousand taels..."

Three thousand… Xiao Xiao almost fainted. Heavens! Three thousand taels! If she could see it even once, it would be worth dying for.

"You... will you ever be able to pay back the debt in this lifetime?" The small voice trembled.

Yue Huaijiang sighed again, "My father said... it will be paid off generation after generation, and it will eventually be paid off..."

His tiny mouth was wide enough to fit an egg. His father? Could his father be the head of the Yue Lan Sword Sect? Owes Shi Le'er three thousand taels?! What kind of world is this?!

Yue Huaijiang picked up his chopsticks and looked at the dishes on the table. "I should eat as much as I can while this meal is free. I still have to pay off my debts tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Xiaoxiao felt a deep sense of empathy and shared a similar plight. Her meager possessions, too, had been reduced to three copper coins by paying off debts. And she had even resorted to desperate measures because of it… The debts…

"By the way, young lady, did you offend Le'er?" Yue Huaijiang looked up and asked.

Slightly startled, she nodded helplessly.

Yue Huaijiang stood up and patted her shoulder. His expression was one of helplessness. "It's alright. You'll get used to it..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xiao instantly turned into a stone statue.

The slight stiffness lingered even after she returned to her room.

She stood in the room, staring blankly at the candlelight on the table. After a long while, as if she had figured something out, she reached into her luggage and took out an account book.

She walked to the table and, by the candlelight, carefully examined the contents.

The ledger was filled with countless entries. A tiny finger slowly slid down the page, then stopped at a line of text.

On the 14th day of the sixth month of the sixth year of Shaoxing, the wife of Yue Yinfeng, a disciple of the Yue Lan Sword Sect, gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl named Huaijiang and Huaixi.

The total amount owed as gifts is four qian and twenty-eight wen.

Xiao Xiao frowned slightly. She then flipped through a few more pages of the ledger.

On the first day of the eighth month of the second year of Chongning, Yue Yinfeng, the leader of the Yuelan Sword Sect, retired from the martial world and went into seclusion in Taiping City. The Yuelan Sword Sect was then renamed a "Partial Sect".

The total amount owed is eight coins for drinks.

Xiao Xiao stroked her chin, pondering. The current sect leader of the Yue Lan Sword Sect is Yue Yinhe, and judging from the name, he's a brother of Yue Yinfeng. This "side sect" is probably a disgrace to the Yue Lan Sword Sect, rarely mentioned. Yue Yinfeng has been living in seclusion in Taiping City. Although Yue Huaijiang uses the character "Huai" in his name, the two probably have little contact anymore. He just said he owes Shi Le'er a lot of money… Could it be…?

Xiao Xiao immediately flipped through the ledger again.

On the 21st day of the ninth month of the 20th year of Shaoxing, Shi Xi, the lord of Taiping City, passed away. His son, Shi Jun, and his wife traveled the world. His granddaughter, Shi Yue, succeeded him.

Five coins owed for the meal.

Twenty years of Shaoxing? I did a quick calculation, which means that young city lord is thirteen years old this year? Shi Yue, Shi Le'er? Could it be… Le'er is a nickname? She's the city lord of Taiping City?!

The account book in her small hand immediately fell to the ground. Taiping City…

carelessness

Taiping City...

...

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. She hurriedly picked up the account book from the floor and stuffed it into her bosom. She turned and opened the door.

"So slow~ What good thing is my sister up to now?" Shi Le'er said with a smile as she walked in.

She gave a stiff laugh. "No... I wouldn't dare."

"You wouldn't dare?" Shi Le'er asked, hands behind her back. "If you wouldn't dare, you were still on the roof. If you hadn't run into Silver Owl, you'd probably be long gone by now, Miss Zuo."

Xiao Xiao was covered in cold sweat. "Lord Shi, please spare me. I know I was wrong..."

Shi Le'er was slightly taken aback. "You really aren't an ordinary 'Breaking Wind Style' disciple." She walked to the bedside and sat down. "Alright, let's not beat around the bush..."

Before she could finish speaking, Xiao Xiao knelt down and rushed forward. "Lord of the City... please spare me. I've tried to do bad things, but I haven't succeeded yet... even the authorities can't convict me. Besides, Taiping City can't be allowed to kill, so please just let me go..."

"Are you threatening me?" Shi Le'er crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"How could I possibly have the guts..." Xiao Xiao pleaded, crying.

"I think you're incredibly brave. You encountered Silver Owl in the dead of night, fought him without getting hurt, and then just happened to end up in Young Master Lian's room. After that, you recognized the Snow-Refined Silver Light and saved everyone from danger... Miss, your luck is just too good, isn't it?" Shi Le'er laughed.

Xiao Xiao swallowed hard, tears welling up in her eyes but refusing to fall.

“Sister, you’re right. We can’t kill without warning in Taiping City. And I… actually don’t know any martial arts.” Shi Le’er smiled innocently. “I just want to ask you for a favor.”

“Please tell me, please tell me~” Xiao Xiao nodded immediately.

Shi Le'er reached into her bosom and took out a short sword. "Look, what kind of sword is this?"

The short sword was about a foot long, without a guard, and the scabbard was extremely plain, without any decoration.

Xiao Xiao took the sword, drew it, and the blade flashed with a cold light, almost touching her eyelashes. Xiao Xiao immediately sheathed the sword and calmed herself down.

"Fi..." she began, her voice slightly timid.

Shi Le'er clapped her hands with a smile, "Good. Just as I expected! Could it be that you recognize all the famous soldiers of the Qi family in the world?"

Xiao Xiao blinked. The Qi family was a renowned weapon-making family, originating in the Xia and Shang dynasties and flourishing in the Wei and Jin dynasties. There was a saying in the martial arts world that "all the famous weapons in the world came from the Qi family." Although the Qi family's glory has long since faded, a weapon from the Qi family is still a treasure that people in the martial arts world dream of.

Could it be…? Xiao Xiao looked at Shi Le'er. A light shone in Shi Le'er's eyes, a light that was all too familiar. It was the excitement of seeing gold and silver, the thrill of touching a banknote.

Xiao Xiao couldn't help but step back a little. When she was little, she used to look at the Qi Family Weapon Manual like a picture book, and her master would laugh and shake his head, saying: "Xiao Xiao, if you could recognize all the treasures in this book, you would become a treasure yourself."

At that time, she naturally didn't understand the meaning behind her master's words. But now, looking at Shi Le'er's eyes, it's clear that he treats her like a treasure...

Shi Le'er stood up, took the short sword from Xiao Xiao's hand, and put it back in her bosom. "Sister, it seems Le'er still has a lot to learn from you. Let's set off together tomorrow morning and have a good chat~"

With tears in her eyes, Xiao Xiao watched Shi Le'er leave.

“By the way, sister. It’s true that we can’t kill in Taiping City, but it’s different with Xingfeng Escort Agency.” Shi Le’er took a few steps, turned around, and said with a smile.

Her little back started to feel cold again.

The door was carefully closed. Xiao Xiao immediately buried her face in her arms on the edge of the bed, sobbing uncontrollably. "Master, Xiao Xiao doesn't want to be your treasure..."

Xiao Xiao spent the entire night tossing and turning. If only she hadn't looked at the account books. Sometimes, knowing something makes things worse. Sigh, now that she thinks about it, the only good thing is that all the account slips were crossed out in red pen, meaning they had been paid. Otherwise, how could she possibly pay back four qian of silver and forty-one copper coins?

Xiao Xiao remained troubled like this until dawn.

After a hurried meal, the caravan continued their journey. Xiao Xiao walked at the back, head down, taking only half-hearted steps. Escape was impossible; even if Shi Le'er didn't know martial arts, Li Zhenghai and Yue Huaijiang were no pushovers. Moreover, she now knew too much, and she feared she wouldn't be able to escape unscathed.

Moreover, Taiping City has too much influence; Zuo Xiaoxiao simply cannot afford to offend them.

In the martial world, there are three sacred places, standing in a tripartite balance: Hero's Fortress in Jiangling, Taiping City in Jingjiang, and the Shennong Family in Guangling. Anyone with even a little experience in the martial world knows that if you want to seek justice, go to Hero's Fortress; if you want to escape your enemies, go to Taiping City; and if you have an incurable disease, go to the Shennong Family.

At its peak, Taiping City boasted thousands of acres of fertile land and three thousand retainers. Before the city stood a Martial Spirit Stele, inscribed with four characters: "Stopping war is true martial prowess." This meant that once one entered Taiping City's territory, no further fighting was permitted. Whoever entered, regardless of who they were or who they had offended, was guaranteed survival.

However, Xiao Xiao had also heard her master say that anyone burdened with sins, once they enter Taiping City, though no longer suffering the torment of revenge, is forbidden from ever stepping outside of it for the rest of their lives. Her master once joked: Taiping City may have thousands of acres of land, beautiful scenery, and everything one could want, but it can never compare to the vastness of the sky and the sea, where one can be completely free. If he had to choose, he would rather be hunted down every day.

Thinking of this, Xiaoxiao couldn't help but smile. Yes, the sky is high and the sea is wide, and one can be completely free.

But now, she had absolutely no choice. The Qi family's weapons were indeed a menace. No, to put it simply, her resolve to be a villain wasn't strong enough! Last night, she was in the same room with Shi Le'er. If she had just hardened her heart and killed her, she could have simply run away. Xiao Xiao immediately regretted it, deeply regretted it.

Tsk, ruthless, that's really not easy to learn!