Meister der Mehrdeutigkeit

Kapitel 23

When her master asked why, she choked up and said, "They laughed at my strange name. They said my left side is small and my right side is big..."

The master immediately burst out laughing.

She was still very young and immediately burst into tears.

The master tried his best to suppress his smile and hurriedly tried to coax him.

She cried and complained about why her master had given her this name.

The master replied innocently, "Because when I found you, you were just a tiny little thing, so I named you..."

Before she could finish listening, she cried even louder.

The master frowned, lowered his head to think for a moment, and then spoke seriously, "Xiao Xiao. Actually, there's a story behind your name!" The master pointed to the sky and said, "Heaven and earth are great, and all things are small. The master gave you this name so that you would know that when living in this world, one must be calm and peaceful. Do not fight against heaven, do not contend with others. By being small, one can achieve greatness. That's why you are called Xiao Xiao!"

She couldn't understand those arguments at the time, but they stopped her tears. For a long time, she recited those words to those who mocked her name. Now, when she thinks about them, she just wants to laugh.

Only by starting small can one achieve greatness.

She was starting to understand the meaning of those words. To put it bluntly, if you see yourself as a weed on the ground, you wouldn't mind others stepping on you. Master is indeed master; in that brief moment, he could still come up with such a peculiar, comforting line.

She smiled faintly, but a pang of sadness began to well up inside her. Her hands, holding the sanxian, tightened their grip. Calmness... even the greatest sorrow and hatred, placed before the vastness of the universe, are but dust. Since it's dust, it shouldn't be taken to heart. But she couldn't yet learn her master's magnanimity.

As she pondered these thoughts, she drifted off to sleep without realizing it.

After an unknown amount of time, a knock suddenly sounded at the door. Xiao Xiao was jolted awake, jumped up, rushed to the door, and opened it.

Yue Huaijiang stood there, his expression grave. "Xiao Xiao... the coroner is dead," he said.

She was taken aback. Had she really guessed right? Was it murder to silence her? She asked timidly, "How could this be..."

“He died from the Nether Thunder Palm,” Yue Huaijiang said, frowning.

"Nether Thunder Palm..." My little heart skipped a beat.

“Mo Yun has been under house arrest in Beiyuan, so it couldn’t have been him. It’s probably Yin Xiao and another accomplice of his…” Yue Huaijiang said.

Xiao Xiao was speechless. No need to guess, the other accomplice was right here. Forget "Nether Thunder Palm," they couldn't even cook "Braised Duck Feet."

"Ah. The clues have gone cold again. Shi Le'er asked me to tell you to think again about where 'Yisha' might be." Yue Huaijiang sighed. "I still need to go find Sister Xia. Be careful."

She nodded slightly and watched him leave.

As expected… murder to silence witnesses is a necessary tactic for bad guys. Now, everyone believes it was Mo Yun's accomplice. Next, they'll inevitably interrogate Mo Yun. We must stop him before he reveals his name.

However, with her martial arts skills, how could she possibly be a match for Mo Yun? What if she failed to kill him and was killed instead? Wouldn't that be a loss? She clutched her sanxian, deep in thought. Suddenly, a thought struck her. She reached into her bosom and pulled out a silver needle. "Quenched Snow Silver Light"—this was originally a tool someone had deliberately used to set a trap for her. Hmph, why not use it now?

Xiao Xiao examined the silver needle in her hand, a cunning smile on her face. If she could see Mo Yun, she could strike him unexpectedly with this "Snow-Refined Silver Light," piercing his vital point and ensuring his death. Moreover, she could then pin the blame on Yin Xiao afterwards.

Haha, right, what's this called again? Using someone else to do the dirty work? Hmm! She definitely has a talent for being a bad guy!

After a moment of smug satisfaction, he put down his sanxian. Yue Huaijiang had just mentioned that Young Master Mo Yun was currently under house arrest in Beiyuan.

Xiao Xiao glanced at the sky outside the window; it was nearly noon, and the sun was shining brightly. She should have waited until night to carry out her plan, but this "murder to silence" couldn't be delayed. Xiao Xiao put down her sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument), pushed open the door, and headed straight for the North Garden.

The North Garden was originally the residence of the principal wife of the Hero's Fortress. After she lost power, it became a "cold palace." Later, the principal wife died in despair, and no one moved in again. Now, it's quite suitable to use it to imprison Mo Yun.

Before Xiaoxiao even reached the entrance of the North Garden, she saw a group of people walking out. Leading them was Madam Xi, followed by her maid Zhao Yan and the head of the household affairs, Master Fang. None of them looked pleased; they must have already met Mo Yun.

Xiao Xiao was startled. Could it be that Mo Yun had already revealed his identity? Tsk... was it too late?

It's better to be safe than sorry, I'll go once to be sure!

Two of the most senior disciples stood at the entrance of the North Garden. Xiao Xiao couldn't help but sigh. Although it was broad daylight, two disciples seemed far too few. With Mo Yun's skills, escaping would be incredibly easy. She didn't know what the Three Heroes were thinking. But Madam Xi clearly knew that Mo Yun was arrogant and believed she was innocent, so naturally she wouldn't run away.

Xiao Xiao circled around the North Garden. Climbing over the wall in broad daylight would be too conspicuous. As Xiao Xiao stroked her chin in thought, she spotted a dog hole in the weeds out of the corner of her eye. Seeing that no one was around, Xiao Xiao walked to the dog hole, bent down, and peered inside. She was petite enough to squeeze through with difficulty. Sure enough, there's always a way out. She smiled and climbed in a few quick movements.

She cautiously stood up and assessed the situation. The North Garden was overgrown with weeds and in complete disarray. Moreover, apart from the disciples at the gate, the garden was deserted. Wow, forget about escaping; wasn't this practically giving someone an opportunity to kill her and silence her?

Alas, in this world, kindness is often taken advantage of! No wonder Master said, "Don't be a good person." Thinking of this, Xiao Xiao couldn't help but clench her fists, marveling at the wisdom and prowess of her master.

Before she could even process her emotions, someone spoke up.

“It’s you.”

Xiao Xiao was startled and turned to look at the source of the sound.

Mo Yun stood at the doorway, looking at her coldly.

Xiao Xiao immediately smiled apologetically, "Young Master Mo... Mo Yun."

"What are you doing here?" Mo Yun asked, looking at her.

Xiao Xiao chuckled and replied, "Of course I'm here to rescue you!" She fawned over him and said, "Young Master Mo Yun, Hero's Fortress is fraught with danger right now. If you stay here, you'll be in peril! I've come specifically to rescue you!"

Mo Yun's expression remained indifferent. He turned and went inside, ignoring Xiao Xiao.

Xiao Xiao followed behind him and continued, "Young Master Mo Yun, I'm not exaggerating. San Ying has been completely deceived by Madam Xi and can't clear your name. You'd better leave quickly!"

Mo Yun walked to the table in the room, sat down, and said coldly, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

Xiao Xiao was taken aback for a moment. "What are you saying! Although I am a woman, I know the meaning of 'righteousness'! I don't care about this kind of thing at all. What I'm worried about is your safety!"

"Enough with the nonsense." Mo Yun glanced at her. "Now that you're here, tell me. Who exactly is the person I'm looking for?"

Xiao Xiao immediately stopped and remained silent.

Mo Yun chuckled dismissively, "Is there any difference between you and Madam tide?"

Of course there's a difference. Little Xiao thought to herself, "I'm not telling you for your own good. Zhao Yan is definitely involved in everything Madam Xi does..."

"You can leave now." Mo Yun ignored her, picked up the chopsticks on the table, and prepared to eat.

Xiao Xiao then noticed a bowl of white rice, four small dishes, and various pastries on the table, including mung bean cake, white sugar cake, and hibiscus cake. No wonder he's the second young master of Hero's Fortress; even under house arrest, he's being treated so well. Honestly, it's better not to look, because seeing it makes her hungry. She hadn't eaten anything all morning after all that commotion.

Xiao Xiao sighed helplessly, then suddenly remembered the important matter. That's right, if he refused to leave, she would have no choice but to kill him to silence him. Although he said he wouldn't betray her, you can't judge a book by its cover; who can guarantee that?

Xiao Xiao quietly took out the "Snow-Refined Silver Light". Mo Yun was facing away from her, and she aimed at his Baihui acupoint, about to insert it.

"Aren't you leaving yet?" Mo Yun suddenly turned around.

Her small gesture quickly changed to brushing the dust off his shoulders. "Young Master Mo Yun, would you please reconsider?"

Mo Yun impatiently pushed her hand away, turned around, and picked up his chopsticks.

Xiao Xiao raised the silver needle once again.

Mo Yun suddenly turned around again.

The small gesture turned into a snap of his fingers. "Young Master Mo Yun, shall I sing you a song?"

Mo Yun glared at her, "Your stomach is growling..."

She froze for a moment, then said, "Huh? You must have misheard me."

Mo Yun ignored her and turned around again. He picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, about to put it in his mouth.

After two failed attempts, Xiao Xiao grew impatient. Gritting her teeth, she raised the silver needle for the third time, and without thinking twice, thrust it in with all her might. However, she used too much force, her body involuntarily leaning forward, her knee slamming into the chair. She cried out in pain and fell onto the table. The silver needle in her hand veered wildly off course, piercing directly into the food.

Mo Yun was startled and frowned.

Xiao Xiao was terrified. Oh no! He saw the gleaming silver light...

Before Xiaoxiao could even finish staring, Mo Yun grabbed her and snatched the silver needle from her hand.

Xiao Xiao followed his gaze and saw that the "Snow-Refined Silver Light" had completely turned black. She immediately looked at the vegetables, "It's...it's poisonous..."

Mo Yun looked up at her, "You..."

Xiao Xiao steadied herself and said seriously, "You see, I told you long ago that someone in this fortress wants to kill you! You'd better leave quickly."

In that instant, Mo Yun's gaze softened. He looked at Xiao Xiao, his voice no longer cold, "Thank you... but I can't leave."

"..." Xiao Xiao looked at him, speechless.

"Second Brother!" Suddenly, Wei Ying rushed in with great anxiety. Seeing the food on the table, her face changed drastically. "Second Brother, you haven't eaten, have you?!"

Mo Yun put down his chopsticks and shook his head.

Wei Ying breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at Xiao Xiao, and didn't ask anything. He reached out and grabbed Mo Yun, "Come with me."

Mo Yun withdrew his hand, his expression slightly indifferent, and said, "Third Young Master, be mindful of your status."

Wei Ying roared angrily, "What identity?! You're my brother! I don't want to see you die!"

Mo Yun looked at him and said, "I'm not surnamed Wei, so don't flatter me."

Xiao Xiao stood to the side, feeling incredibly awkward. But considering the bigger picture, she still timidly interjected, "Young Master Mo Yun, now is not the time to dwell on this. Let's go."

Mo Yun turned around and looked at the wooden box on the table. "I've said it many times: find that person, give her the wooden box, and I'll leave."

"Second Brother..." Wei Ying wanted to say something, but was immediately interrupted.

"Fine! I'll tell you!" Xiao Xiao frowned and gritted her teeth, struggling painfully for a moment. She took a deep breath and looked up at Mo Yun, "The person you're looking for is Zhao Yan."

There was a moment of silence, so still that it seemed as if time itself had frozen.

For a long time afterward, Xiaoxiao regretted it whenever she recalled that period of silence. She regretted that if she hadn't uttered that name, she could have avoided so many twists and turns and hardships later on. And this inevitability was what people call "fate playing tricks on people"...

A story from the past

Xiao Xiao felt uneasy in the silence. She looked at Mo Yun and then at Wei Ying. Both of them had cold expressions mixed with shock, and their eyes clearly showed disbelief.

"Uh... please pretend I didn't say anything..." Xiao Xiao swallowed hard and said.

Wei Ying spoke up, saying to Mo Yun, "Zhao Yan is indeed seventeen."

Upon hearing this, Mo Yun didn't say another word and started walking out.

Wei Ying followed.

Xiao Xiao was utterly helpless. These two young men were truly arrogant! Knowing there were disciples guarding the gate, weren't they afraid of causing a disturbance by going out like this? Going out like this wouldn't only prevent her from leaving, but it would also arouse suspicion. Poor Xiao Xiao, a mere commoner, was destined to suffer by following these two young noblemen. No, she had to do something!

She rushed forward in a few steps and stopped the two men.

"My lords, listen to me!" Xiao Xiao said earnestly, "You two can't possibly get out like this."

"Who dares to stop me?" Wei Ying's tone was full of disdain.

“I know you are the young master of Hero's Fortress, but Young Master Mo Yun is currently under house arrest. How could the guards at the gate let him leave so easily?” Xiao Xiao glanced at Mo Yun again and said, “Even if you two manage to escape by force and find Zhao Yan, it’s hard to guarantee that she won’t make a fuss about this matter again. Uh… I’m not making this up, but you two know Miss Zhao Yan’s personality very well, don’t you?”

She glanced cautiously at the two of them. "So, wouldn't it be better if we sneaked out?"

"You said it yourself, there are disciples guarding the North Garden, how could you possibly slip out?" Wei Ying asked suspiciously.