Meister der Mehrdeutigkeit

Kapitel 110

"What a fine excuse for separating public and private matters... You're completely infatuated with that girl, unable to distinguish right from wrong! If it weren't for Shenxiao's letter revealing the truth, I think you were planning to hide her identity for the rest of your life, deceiving everyone, weren't you?!"

When Lian Zhao heard the words "Shenxiao," he frowned.

"What, did I say something right?" Lian Ying walked up to him and said, "Lian Zhao, don't forget, you are now the head of the Lian family. Officially, she is a wanted criminal and should be punished by the law. Privately, her master has committed numerous evils, and she herself is treacherous, cunning, and treacherous. If you show her mercy, how can you face the Emperor and the Lian family?!"

Lian Zhao was silent for a moment before speaking: "Aunt, you've misunderstood..."

Lian Ying tried to calm herself down and listened to him speak.

“Auntie only knows one side of the story, not the other,” Lian Zhao said. “Does Auntie know the purpose of the imperial court’s campaign against the East Sea?”

Lian Ying felt that he was just changing the subject, so she didn't respond and just listened with some disdain.

"What talk of committing crimes is just for show..." Lian Zhao said, "Only my father and I know about His Majesty's secret order... The reason why the Lian family allied with the Shenxiao Sect is for only one purpose: to find the Nine Emperor Artifacts for His Majesty."

Lian Ying was somewhat surprised to hear this.

“And the Ghost Master is the only person in the world who knows the secret of the Nine Emperors’ Divine Artifacts.” Lian Zhao’s voice was extremely calm. “To find the Ghost Master, Zuo Xiaoxiao is the key. If Aunt punishes her, all of Lian Zhao’s efforts so far will be in vain.”

Lian Ying said, "Are you saying that you deliberately let her go before in order to use her to find the Ghost Master?"

Lian Zhao nodded heavily. "I'm not letting her go. The previous times were due to circumstances, and it wasn't appropriate for me to act. However, I truly don't want to hurt her. I've spent time with her and know she responds better to gentle persuasion than force. If we properly appease and entice her, we might be able to get her to work for the court. The matter of the Nine Emperor's Divine Artifacts is a secret and cannot be easily revealed to others. Hiding it from my aunt is not my wish. That's why I said this matter is of great importance and cannot be taken lightly."

Lian Ying looked at him with suspicion, "You...you really?"

Lian Zhao smiled faintly, "Does Aunt really think Lian Zhao is so unworthy?" There was a hint of sadness in his tone, "...I admit, I still have feelings for her. However...I would never do anything to damage the reputation of the Lian family..."

Lian Ying was deeply moved upon hearing this.

Lian Zhao said, "Now that Aunt knows the truth, leave the rest to me."

After thinking it over, Lian Ying could no longer insist on anything and had to agree.

Stepping out of the main camp, Lian Zhao let out a long sigh of relief. His gaze fell on the tents not far away.

...

Xiao Xiao sat on the ground, hugging her knees, tilting her head back, and staring blankly at the ceiling of the tent.

It was definitely wrong of her to run out and turn herself in without thinking... Now, what should she do?

Ye Li once said: "Xiao Xiao, I think you should turn yourself in! Then, surrender to the court, atone for your crimes, and you can marry into the Lian family legitimately. Everyone will be happy!"

What a great idea! ...But she knows nothing about the Nine Emperor Artifacts, how can she submit? What if they torture her later?

She sighed mournfully and lay down on the ground. Thinking about it carefully, everyone in the world thought she knew something, but she actually knew nothing. However, on the other hand, with the dead unable to testify, whatever she said was true. Wow, as long as the story is told well, anything goes!

What should we talk about? ...How can we resolve all the grudges at hand? ...How can we wipe away the blood debt left by the "Ghost Master"?

As she pondered, she gradually broke out in a sweat. It was indeed June weather; yesterday it was thunderstorms, and today it was unbearably hot. She sat up, pulled at her collar, and fanned herself.

I remember in the past, on days like these, my master would cool a pot of acacia wine in the stream. She would sit by the stream, dipping her toes in the water and eating watermelon. Seeing this, my master would gently bite his wine cup and scold her helplessly, saying that a girl shouldn't show her feet.

After hearing these words repeatedly, she became resentful. Whenever she heard them again, she would deliberately raise her leg high.

The master sighed and shook his head: "Oh no, how will she ever get married?"

She retorted defiantly, "You're not my father!"

She regretted it as soon as she said it. At that moment, a clear sadness appeared in her master's eyes. He stopped talking to her and silently drank his wine.

She frantically tried to apologize, but couldn't find an opportunity to speak. Finally, she snatched the wine cup from her master's hand, shouting, "Your unworthy disciple here will punish herself with a cup!" and downed the cup of wine with great gusto.

The master was dumbfounded, his hand frozen in mid-air.

That was the first time she realized that wine wasn't so bad after all. The acacia wine in the glass was lightly fragrant and sweet, sliding down her throat coolly, and then making her body feel slightly warm.

She felt a little dizzy, put down her wine glass, her cheeks flushed, and looked pitifully at her master.

The master laughed, patted her head, and said: "It's better that I'm not your father, so I don't have to prepare your dowry."

She was about to complain when her master added: "And you don't have to pay off my debts..."

Thinking about this, Xiao Xiao felt a warmth creeping into her heart, just like when she drank that cup of aphrodisiac wine. Upon closer reflection, she realized her master wasn't a "ghost master" at all; her "petty" master was clearly a "bad guy"!

She laughed, overwhelmed with emotion. It turned out that she had been trapping herself all along…

She was laughing heartily when someone entered the tent. She looked up and met Lian Zhao's eyes. She immediately froze, unable to react for a long time.

Lian Zhao looked at the frozen smile on her face, somewhat puzzled. Seeing that she didn't react for a long time, Lian Zhao coughed lightly.

Xiao Xiao suddenly realized what was happening and stood up.

Lian Zhao looked away, waved his hand, and signaled his accompanying guards to leave. Then, he fell silent.

Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Xiao Xiao thought for a moment and then said loudly, "Uh... Young Master Lian, actually, I am willing to submit to the imperial court and atone for my crimes by performing meritorious service..."

Lian Zhao was slightly surprised and stared at her blankly.

She chuckled and said, "What, is it not allowed?"

Lian Zhao shook his head. "You..." His voice was tinged with hesitation, but his eyes shone brightly. "Are you really willing to submit to the imperial court?"

"Yes!" Xiao Xiao nodded vigorously.

Lian Zhao was silent for a moment, then said, "...Your master..."

"My master is dead."

The simple answer left Lian Zhao stunned.

She chuckled and continued, "...On the third day of the third month this year, someone shattered his heart meridian with a single palm strike and died from his injuries."

Lian Zhao looked at her, speechless.

Xiao Xiao paused for a moment, then said, "I never knew my master was the 'Ghost Master'... My master is called 'Zuo Huai Ren,' just an ordinary martial artist. If I hadn't gone to the 'Rare Goods Fair,' I probably would never have known his true identity..."

Lian Zhao listened quietly. These words seemed to have a life of their own, seeping into his body and entangling his heart. Every word was exceptionally clear.

Her small voice grew softer and softer, so low that even she herself felt it was strange: "I am willing to submit to the imperial court... so, please forgive me?"

Lian Zhao felt as if his mind had exploded, all his emotions rushing to his head. All the previous repression vanished. He had never imagined she would make such a choice; no, even hearing it with his own ears, he couldn't believe it… But he wanted to agree. Even if it was a deception, he wanted to jump in.

"I..." He was about to say something when he heard strange noises around him.

He looked around warily; the scorching sunlight streamed through the tent, casting dappled shadows. At that moment, the shadow slowly grew larger, eerily so.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Xiao exclaimed in surprise, "Japanese ninjas!"

Upon hearing this, Lian Zhao immediately drew his sword. Suddenly, several figures emerged from the shadows and attacked him without a word.

Xiao Xiao was about to step forward to help when she saw several black-clad ninjas surround her, trapping her in place.

Just as she was about to break out, the tent was suddenly pulled open, and a blinding ray of sunlight flooded in. She instinctively closed her eyes, but someone grabbed her wrist and dragged her away.

Xiao was startled and was about to shake off the hand, but when she saw the person, she froze.

"Uncle-Master..." she called out, her voice trembling slightly.

When Wen Su heard those two words, a hint of a smile suddenly appeared on his cold expression. He pulled her over and said, "Let's go."

At this moment, the Lian family's military camp was filled with black-clad ninjas. These men were incredibly agile and swift, appearing and disappearing in the sunlight like ghosts. The Lian family, accustomed to battlefield combat, had never seen such bizarre tactics before, and were momentarily thrown into disarray.

Lian Zhao deflected the ninja's attacks and hurriedly tried to step forward, but he was entangled and unable to break free.

Wen Su, wielding his sword in one hand, knocked aside the Lian family guards blocking his way, and dragged Xiao Xiao out of the camp.

Xiao Xiao only knew that Donghai had always targeted her, but she never expected that they would be so bold as to break into the Lian family's military camp in broad daylight. She tried to shake off Wen Su's hand, but Wen Su used some force and held her pulse point.

"Let me go!" Xiao Xiao cried out in desperation.

Wen Su ignored him, glanced at the situation, picked up Xiao Xiao, and leaped into the air.

Upon seeing this, the soldiers in the camp all drew their bows.

"Don't fire the arrows!" Lian Zhao shouted.

The soldiers knew that Xiao Xiao was a major wanted criminal, and that arrows could not be seen. If he were injured, there would be serious consequences. So they loosened their grip and hesitated for a long time.

At this moment, Lian Ying stepped forward, took out a bow and arrow, and drew the bowstring taut.

Lian Ying's archery skills were superb, so she naturally wouldn't accidentally injure him. The arrow left the bowstring and flew swiftly, aiming only for Wen Su's back.

Suddenly, someone leaped forward and intercepted the arrow with one hand.

Lian Ying frowned and saw that the man was dressed in a gray outfit and wore a mask.

"Who goes there? State your name!" Lian Ying stepped forward and shouted.

The man didn't speak. Instead, a large group of masked people gathered around. Upon closer inspection, there were over a hundred of them. Each one was armed and exuded a murderous aura.

The situation inside the military camp became even more chaotic.

Lian Zhao fought off the ninjas who were attacking him, and when he looked up again, Xiao Xiao and Wen Su were already gone. The scorching sun beat down on him, making his heart restless...

...

Wen Su carried Xiao Xiao and used his light-footed skill to travel for quite a while. Seeing that no one was chasing him, he slowed down.

"Let me go!" Xiao Xiao had repeated this sentence countless times, but he remained deaf to her. If her pulse hadn't been pinched, she wouldn't be in such a sorry state.

Wen Su walked into a grove of trees, then stopped, let go of her hand, and put her down.

As soon as her tiny feet touched the ground, she jumped several feet away and turned to run.

Wen Su leaped forward and blocked her path.

Xiao Xiao took a few steps back in surprise and looked at him.

Wen Su took out two tokens from his pocket and handed them over.

Xiao Xiao paused, staring at the two tokens. With the Divine Martial Token in hand, he could at least deter martial artists from easily harming him. And the Divine Farmer Crimson Flame Token must have a way to cure his poison… He didn't want it?

“A life for a life, a debt for a debt. I cannot accept your kindness,” Wen Su said.

Xiao Xiao remained silent, standing there motionless.

Wen Su stepped forward and placed the token in her hand. "Go, and don't run into me again..."

Xiao Xiao suddenly realized that he hadn't come to kidnap her, but to rescue her... This realization saddened her...

She felt a lump in her throat, her eyes welled up with tears, and she softly called out, "Uncle-Master..."

Wen Su smiled faintly and said, "I am not your martial uncle."

Just then, a voice rang out from the woods.

"Are you really going to let her go?"