Die dümmsten Menschen der Welt

Kapitel 30

“That’s true.” Du Sui nodded, then turned to Tan Huan. “Have you seen enough? Pei Jin isn’t here, and there’s nothing interesting to see with that old man Pei Gu Mo. Let’s go back to our room and sort out the current situation.”

Tan Huan remained silent and followed them back to their room. Du Suizhi had little to do with the martial arts world; he was a businessman, albeit a very famous one, but he didn't care about the power struggles within it. The reason he was now cooperating with Baili Liushang was simply because of the treasure. His reason for entering Youming Valley was also simple: he had business dealings with Youming Valley.

"What's the story behind the conflict between Youming Valley and Tang Sect?" Luo Yi asked.

"The Tang Clan also wants the treasure, and they know it's related to Yuan Gu. Sneaking into the Netherworld Valley is too difficult, so this is the only way for them to enter openly," Du Suizhi said with a smile.

"Did the Tang Clan deliberately create conflict with the Netherworld Valley?" Luo Yi asked again.

"good."

“If it weren’t for Pei Gumo’s mediation, the Tang Clan wouldn’t have had the chance to enter the Netherworld Valley,” Luo Yi analyzed. “Is the Tang Clan so certain…” Her voice suddenly paused, and Luo Yi said seriously, “Du Suizhi, did the Tang Clan know all along that Pei Gumo would get involved in this matter?”

"Young Master Luo is indeed quick-witted," Du Suizhi said with a smile. "The Tang Clan certainly knew that Pei Gumo would intervene."

“Although Pei Gu Mo likes to meddle in other people’s business, he doesn’t meddle in everything,” Luo Yi said. “What’s his reason?” As she muttered to herself, Luo Yi looked up at Du Sui Zhi, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Pei Gu Mo also wants to enter the Netherworld Valley? Does he also know about the treasure and Yuan Gu?”

"Impressive." Du clapped his hands. "Young Master Luo, I admire you so much."

"Don't give me that. My senior brother doesn't like flattery," Tan Huan said after observing coldly for a long time. "I just want to ask one question: how did they know about the treasure and Yuan Gu?"

Du raised an eyebrow, a half-smile on his face, and remained silent.

Tan Huan sneered, "Mr. Du, you didn't tell them this, did you?"

"Hehe, I don't know how Pei Gumo knew, but I did tell the Tang Clan," Du Suizhi said fearlessly. "I can't put all my hopes on Zhengyang Palace, can I? Look at your master, how indifferent he is to this matter, only sending the two of you. When I told the Tang Clan about this, they sent three elites, and even arranged quite a few people near Youming Valley. I'm a businessman, only concerned with maximizing profits, I won't put all my eggs in one basket."

Tan Huan didn't argue with him and went straight to the point, "Does Master know?"

“I haven’t mentioned it to Baili Liushang, but he won’t mind such a small matter.”

“That’s right, Master won’t mind if he finds out,” Luo Yi said. “The question now is, do you know where Yuan Gu is?”

“He’s currently hidden by Valley Master Bali in Youming Valley, so finding him will take some effort,” Du Sui said. “Although Youming Valley is quite large, with your skills, finding Yuan Gu shouldn’t be too difficult, right?”

“Finding it isn’t difficult, but taking it out is.” Luo Yi walked outside. “I already know what you want to know. I’ll go check things out first and come back later.”

Seeing Luo Yi walk out the door, Du Sui turned his gaze to Tan Huan's face and smiled, "Is there anything else you want to ask?"

"How much do you know about the annihilation of the Wu family?" Tan Huan cut to the chase. "Who was the murderer?"

Du laughed without any courtesy, "Huh? Didn't you admit in public that you were the one who killed him?"

Tan Huan remained silent for a long time, then closed her eyes and took deep breaths again and again. "Du Suizhi, you are also my cousin. Qingfeng and Qingqiu are related to you by blood. The Wu family and the Du family are in-laws. Don't you care at all?"

Du looked at her with a troubled expression, "I really want to care, but the Du family business is enough to keep me busy. How can I have time to care about so many things?"

"Busy with business?" Tan Huan laughed angrily, pointing her sword. The Lonely Dust Sword wasn't drawn, yet the room reverberated with sword energy, overflowing with killing intent. A strand of hair slipped silently from Du Suizhi's ear; he paused, startled. Tan Huan looked at him coldly, "Du Suizhi, don't say things that try to make me kill. Didn't you investigate the murderer who wiped out the Wu family back then?"

Du Suizhi said shamelessly, "Can you kill me? Back when you were in the Wu family, you didn't dare to act recklessly because of your father and Pei Jin. Now that I have business with Zhengyang Palace, you still don't dare to kill me because of your master..." He stopped mid-sentence, with a gleaming Lonely Dust Sword pressed against his neck. In an instant, Tan Huan stood beside him. "It's alright. As long as I spare your life, you can continue your business with your master. I'm not very good at torturing people, but it's not a bad idea to learn."

Du Suizhi's smile finally vanished. Talking and flirting with a beautiful woman was pleasant, but having a skilled martial artist hold a sword to his neck was anything but. Especially since this woman was a disciple of that perverted Baili Liushang, who might very well do *that* to him and leave him pitifully clinging to a breath of life, half-dead. "So what if you know the murderer?"

Tan Huan remained calm and spoke in a steady tone, "If there's a grievance, settle it; if there's a grudge, settle it."

"That's ambitious!" Du Suizhi clapped with a smile. "Your martial arts have improved a lot, and your temperament..."

"Stop talking nonsense," Tan Huan said calmly. "Just tell me the murderer's name. I don't have time to waste with you."

“It’s true what they say, kindness is often taken advantage of, and a kind dog is often ridden. You didn’t speak to Baili Liushang like this at all.” Du Suizhi sighed. “Killing me wouldn’t be a big deal, but I’d prefer it to be rape before murder…”

Tan Huan curled her lips and interrupted, "Du Suizhi, it seems you really aren't afraid of me at all."

"I'm afraid, of course I'm afraid. I'm afraid of everyone who has the ability to kill me." Du Suizhi patted his chest. "Tanhuan, it's not that I don't want to tell you, I'm worried that you can't handle that murderer. I can't bear to see such a beautiful woman like you go to your death."

Tan Huan lowered his eyes. "You're not afraid I'll go to my death, you're afraid I'll disrupt your plans. Du Suizhi, the Wu family was destroyed by the Tang Clan, wasn't it?"

A shrewd businessman is best at concealing his emotions. Du Sui looked at her with a smile, "You already know, so why are you asking me?"

Tan Huan glanced at him and silently walked outside.

"Don't indulge in pleasure and act impulsively." Du Suizhi couldn't help but say when he saw her determined expression, "A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years."

Tan Huan smiled slightly, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "It's nothing for me to bear the crime of patricide and extermination of my clan. As long as the real murderer is dead, I can bear this crime more easily."

Du then said, "I never thought you would avenge the Wu family. You don't like that family."

"That's none of your business."

"The Tang Clan is still useful. They might be able to help you uncover the secrets of the Lonely Dust Sword and the treasure. If you really want to kill them, you can wait until they find the secrets before you make your move."

Tan Huan stopped and looked at him strangely. "Do you have the right to order me around?"

“Pei Gumo is still here. You won’t gain anything by taking action,” Du Suizhi said. “This isn’t an order; I’m just reminding you.”

She didn't come out to see Pei Jin this time; in fact, it was more relaxing without him around. When she confessed to being the murderer in front of everyone that day, Tan Huan had destroyed her future with Pei Jin, and also cut off her own escape route. It was a beautiful relationship, worth treasuring in her heart for a lifetime, but it was just a memory now.

Her goal, as she had said before, was only one: to avenge wrongs and settle scores.

"Du Suizhi, I know you have a good relationship with the Tang Clan. Being able to buy the Thousand Mountains Rain Needles from them is enough to prove your connection with the Tang family." Tan Huan said one last thing before leaving. "So, don't let me catch you doing anything wrong, or you'll bear the consequences."

When Tan Huan left, her footsteps were barely audible. Although Du Suizhi had a bitter face, there was a smile in the depths of his eyes. The little beauty was really reasonable; she actually waited until she found something to use before taking action. A cool night breeze blew in through the window, and he muttered to himself, "It's getting harder and harder to maintain a neutral stance now. These days, making money isn't easy."

The Tang family sent three people to visit Youming Valley: Tang Weiyu, the second young master of the Tang family; Tang Ling, the Tang family patriarch's disciple in seclusion; and Tang Ming, one of the Tang family elders. If it weren't for Pei Gumo's influence, Youming Valley would never have allowed them in. In truth, neither Valley Master Ba Li nor Ba Xiehuai were fools; they were somewhat aware that the visitors were after the treasure. However, given the Tang family's style, they wouldn't give up until they were allowed to enter and investigate. Rather than endure endless harassment in the future, it was better to resolve the matter once and for all. Moreover, this time even Pei Gumo had been alerted, and his intentions weren't as righteous as they appeared on the surface. Youming Valley was truly having a headache.

Tan Huan was dressed as a young boy, his hair tucked into a hat, and wearing the clothes of a servant from the Du family. He had deliberately altered his features to look like a handsome young man, even adding an Adam's apple to his neck. Tan Huan's attire was inconspicuous, and coupled with his exceptional lightness skill, he easily found the Tang family's room.

The wind outside the window rippled through the branches, stirring up waves of green tides, the leaves rustling and the crows cawing "ya-ya-ya" in the branches.

Tan Huan quietly hid on the roof, holding her breath. She secretly lifted a roof tile and looked down. The room was brightly lit. Tang Weiyu was leaning against the coffee table, Tang Ming was sitting in a chair, and Tang Ling was standing behind Tang Ming with a serious expression.

"Wei Yu, have you found Yuan Gu yet?"

Tang Weiyu looked down and played with the severed parts of her three fingers, and laughed, "The Netherworld Valley is quite a large place, and it's not easy to find it all at once. Elder, you should be more patient."

Tang Ming said, "Time is of the essence, and the Netherworld Valley won't let us stay inside for too long."

"It's alright." A small green snake silently darted out from Tang Weiyu's shoulder, its long red tongue flicking out. "I'll let Xiaoqing stay. She'll definitely bring back news of Yuan Gu."

"You think Bali is someone to be bullied?" Tang Ming retorted. "That woman can detect even an extra ant in the Netherworld Valley, let alone such a conspicuous green snake? Wei Yu, you're still too young and don't know enough about the Netherworld Valley. Back then, we drove Wu Tanhuan to the brink of despair to obtain the Lonely Dust Sword, and now the martial world grits its teeth at the mere mention of his name. Yet, the Netherworld Valley sheltered Wu Tanhuan for so long, and to this day, no one dares to utter a single word against them. Do you think that old woman Bali's machinations weren't part of that?"

Upon hearing the name "Wu Tanhuan," Tang Weiyu slowly raised her head, pausing her hand as she stroked her severed finger. "The Lonely Dust Sword is now in Baili Liushang's hands. Isn't that monster even more formidable than Bali and the Netherworld Valley?"

“The fact that Baili Liushang saved Wu Tanhuan back then shows that he is also interested in the Lonely Dust Sword. He can’t hold back and will definitely take action.” Tang Ming frowned and said, “But I can’t guess what he will do.”

“I have no interest in Baili Liushang. I’d much rather capture Wu Tanhuan.” Tang Weiyu’s eyes curved into slits with a smile, but a sharp, cold light shone through those narrow gaps. “She managed to escape when the Wu family was wiped out back then. She was lucky. Something as big as treasure can’t just slip away. I can take my time. But I’ve wanted to teach Wu Tanhuan a lesson for a very, very long time. Sigh, if only Baili Liushang would send her out. That way, I’d have a chance to capture her.”

Tan Huan remained motionless on the rooftop, utterly devoid of any murderous aura, as if afraid of disturbing the crows in the branches. Her eyes were fixed on Tang Weiyu, and her breathing quickened.

Her breathing quickened by only a beat, but the little green snake on Tang Weiyu's shoulder keenly noticed. Its slender body wriggled on Tang Weiyu's shoulder, raising its head and flicking its tongue towards the ceiling. Tang Weiyu narrowed her eyes and said, "Tang Ling."

Tang Ling responded and jumped up onto the roof in an instant, launching an attack without saying a word.

Tan Huan reacted extremely quickly; she retreated the moment the green snake began to wriggle. Therefore, by the time Tang Ling chased after her, she had already escaped quite a distance. Tang Weiyu smiled kindly, glanced at her, and pulled a long-range crossbow bolt from her sleeve. With a "whoosh," the short arrow shot straight after Tan Huan.

At this point, it was impossible to draw the Lonely Dust Sword. As expected of a Tang Clan hidden weapon, its attack speed was extremely fast. Tan Huan jumped up, dodging but not counterattacking. She had just dodged the first arrow when Tang Weiyu fired the second and third, giving her no time at all. Tan Huan glanced back coldly, clapped her hands with lightning speed, and two short arrows silently fell to the ground.

At almost the same time, Tan Huan also disappeared without a trace from the sight of the three members of the Tang family.

"What superb lightness skill!" Tang Ling couldn't help but praise.

Tang Ming's expression was unfathomable. He gazed in the direction Tan Huan had left, then at the crossbow bolt lying on the ground. "That palm strike just now must have been from Baili Liushang..." He fell silent. Sure enough, Baili Liushang had sent people to take action. There were already Baili Liushang's men in this Netherworld Valley. Besides searching for Yuan Gu, shouldn't they also look for the spies in Zhengyang Palace? After all, the Lonely Dust Sword was in Baili Liushang's hands.

"Hahahahahaha..." Tang Weiyu suddenly laughed strangely, looking up at the sky. "Interesting!" At such a distance, with just a fleeting glance, he shouldn't have been able to see anything clearly. Yet, he had a strange feeling of familiarity. "This trip might bring unexpected gains."

It was late at night, pitch black.

Because Tan Huan and Luo Yi entered the valley as Du Suizhi's servants, they had to share a room. Dappled shadows of trees surrounded the room, and there was no light inside.

As Tan Huan stepped outside, she smelled a faint stench of blood. The smell wasn't strong, but it was impossible for a master to miss it. Tan Huan landed silently, gently pushed open the door, and immediately slammed it shut behind her. Darkness enveloped her, except for the gleaming light of Luo Yi's jewel-like purple eyes, which illuminated the room.

"Senior brother, you're injured." Tan Huan spoke with certainty.

“I was careless,” Luo Yi laughed at himself. “Well, not exactly careless, the Netherworld Valley is indeed full of experts.”

"Why did you take off the disguise on your eyes too?" Tan Huan said. "If someone suddenly barged in now, we wouldn't be able to explain ourselves. Your purple eyes are too conspicuous."

"Sorry, I overdid it just now." Luo Yi frowned almost imperceptibly, the frown vanishing in an instant. There were two beds in the room, and he casually chose one and sat down. "The western part of Youming Valley is where the experts gather. I think Yuan Gu should be hidden there, but unfortunately my power is limited, and I can't explore to the end."

Tan Huan watched his every move, silently walked up to him, and unexpectedly squatted down. She lifted his right leg, glanced at his condition indifferently, and with her other hand rolled up his trouser leg, she said softly, "You're badly injured." During his time at Zhengyang Palace, Luo Yi often got injured while practicing martial arts, but he never frowned, always accepting it calmly. "Some of your meridians are damaged. If you don't take good care of them, it will be troublesome if they develop into chronic illnesses."

Luo Yi was stunned for a moment. "I..." He suddenly came to his senses, but forgot to retract his right leg. "I was injured by Bali just now, but I didn't expose my whereabouts."

Tan Huan looked up and smiled helplessly, "That's not what I meant."

That wasn't actually what he wanted to say. Luo Yi rubbed her temples to clear her head. "Tan Huan, could you please warn me before you make any moves? Approaching me without a word makes me instinctively attack, which is dangerous."

"It's alright, I'll dodge," Tan Huan said. "Last time you rescued me from the blood-soaked corpse worms, I almost slashed you with my sword. Even if you slash me back, I have nothing to say."

Luo Yi chuckled, "I'd almost forgotten about that sword, and you still remember it?"

Tan Huan was silent for a moment, then lowered his head. "Senior brother, I can't heal you. If I use my internal energy to help you now, my combat strength will also be damaged. Du Suizhi is untrustworthy; he might betray us at any time. Therefore, I must conserve my strength."

Luo Yi smiled and shook her head, "I didn't ask you to heal me. This kind of injury isn't fatal, it will heal slowly."

Tan Huan looked up and smiled at him. "Although I can't help you heal your injuries with internal energy, I can still do some simple treatment and bandaging." With that, Tan Huan pulled out a white silk cloth from his waist and carefully wiped the wound on Luo Yi's leg. There was a large gash on his leg, but the bleeding had mostly stopped. The meridians in his leg had been injured by a shockwave. The person with the martial arts skill to injure his senior brother couldn't be much weaker than their master.

The oil lamp wasn't lit, and the room began to darken. As time slowly passed, the moonlight outside the window brightened, the dark clouds quietly slipped away, and the clear moonlight slanted through the window onto the foot of the bed. Luo Yi's eyes were half-closed, his purple eyes flickering slightly. He sighed inwardly, wondering what his master would think if he knew about this.

"It's best to be careful in the Netherworld Valley if you indulge in pleasure; it would be a loss if you brought trouble upon yourself."

The next morning, Tan Huan could no longer smell the blood. She opened her eyes to check on Luo Yi's injuries and saw that he had concealed his striking purple eyes and was completely disguised. The two of them had a quick breakfast and then, playing the role of servants, ran to Du Suizhi's place early to report for duty.

Du Sui, still sleepy, rubbed his eyes and said, "It's okay if you sleep a little later."

"We want to complete Master's mission as soon as possible." Tan Huan thought about Luo Yi's injuries. "Du Suizhi, are you only responsible for leading us into the Netherworld Valley?"

"What else do you need my help with?" Du Suizhi said lazily. "My relationship with Baili Liushang is one of cooperation. As long as you can bring Yuan Gu here, I'll help you with anything you need."

Luo Yi pondered for a moment, "Can you move freely in the Netherworld Valley? You can go anywhere in the Netherworld Valley without any restrictions?"

Du then asked, "Hmm, where do you want to go?"

“West of the valley,” Luo Yi said firmly, “Yuan Gu should be there.”

Du tilted his head and smiled, "Sure. The Netherworld Valley doesn't restrict my movements, so let's go to the west together. However, if you run into the Tang Clan and Pei Gumo, then you're just unlucky. I'll help you cover it up, but they have too sharp eyes. If they really see through you, I can't save you."

Tan Huan raised an eyebrow and smiled, "I never expected anything from you anyway."

Du Sui pretended not to understand her sarcasm, gazing at Tan Huan with infinite charm in his eyes, "However, since I helped you, could you help me get dressed and get up?"

Before Tan Huan could speak, Luo Yi interjected, "You want my junior sister to help you get dressed?" He paused, then chuckled, "What do you think will happen if Master finds out about this?"

Intimidation! Even if he's laughing, it's still intimidation! Mentioning Baili Liushang is intimidation! Baili Liushang's protectiveness is well-known in the martial arts world. Du Suizhi lost interest in flirting, changed his clothes listlessly, and without caring about the presence of women, took off his clothes openly. "Forget it," he pouted, "I'll do it myself."

Tan Huan was very familiar with the Netherworld Valley. It was surrounded by mountains on all four sides, with lush greenery stretching as far as the eye could see. The western part of the valley was the most complex in terms of terrain and also the easiest place to set traps. There were many giant rocks and trees there, and it seemed to stretch endlessly as far as the eye could see, making it the best place for a sneak attack.

Tan Huan and Luo Yi followed Du Suizhi westward, where at first glance there was hardly anyone around. However, as the three of them walked deeper into the grove, someone suddenly appeared before them, seemingly out of nowhere. "The three of you, please stop. If you ignore this warning and continue in, you will bear the consequences."