Un cœur pur dans un pot de jade

Chapitre 33

Yan Chaohong nodded, threw down the red cloth in her hand, and stood quietly waiting for me.

“The other evening at Xu Yi’s house, I told you I’m not stupid. Don’t think I’m an idiot and that I don’t know anything. I wasn’t joking. Although I didn’t say it outright, you should understand that I was saying it specifically for you.”

Yan Chaohong remained silent, lowering his eyes, indicating that he did not want to refute. After a moment, he raised his gaze again, frowned, and looked at me without making a sound.

I sighed. I knew I wasn't suited to being serious, and I knew I absolutely shouldn't have dragged Xiao Honghong into it. But in the end, even if I wanted to be serious, I couldn't joke about it anymore.

Not long ago, we were all scoundrels who hung out in Xu Yi's courtyard, eating and drinking like hooligans. We argued and fought, and were even closer than friends, speaking without restraint. You could even say we were best friends. Even now, I still don't want to clarify this matter, nor do I want to admit that just because something isn't said doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

"You and the savages each have your own agendas, don't you?" I finally asked. Looking at Yan Chaohong's gorgeous oval face, I controlled my voice perfectly for the first time, without excitement or agitation, just as he was gradually becoming unfamiliar to me, no longer just a young master, but beginning to take on a more three-dimensional form.

"Although I really don't know what exactly happened in this whole setup, Yan Chaohong, just because I don't ask questions and turn a blind eye doesn't mean I can't see the strangeness in it."

"From the very beginning, the fact that two completely unrelated groups of us were involved in the same matter was a loophole in itself. The God-Weeping Blade was secondary; your goal was probably to involve me and the Savage in the matter of retrieving the blade. However, the Savage's goal was to use you to set up his scheme. Therefore, whether it was the Savage, or you and that detective from Tokyo, you all clearly knew that the other was plotting against you, yet you still had to do some things and achieve some goals. This is probably why the situation has come to this point—"

“Am I right, Yan Chaohong? So you don’t need to remind me at all. I don’t take sleeping pills. I wake up easily when I sleep. Of course I know when someone is next to my pillow and when no one is. I’ve always been very clear about one thing: I’m an outsider. I can’t control what’s going on in the martial arts world. I don’t understand how you government officials act. So I have no right to ask about your plans with the savages. I just hope that things can truly end in the end, instead of you telling me what kind of person the person closest to me really is.”

After I finished speaking, I turned around, because from that moment on, I already knew that in this game of chess, it was the savages who would ultimately fall.

"Sun Qingshan!" Yan Chaohong called out to me from behind, "It's too late..." He was still standing there, his voice full and his volume neither too loud nor too soft, and it was impossible to tell whether he was helpless or regretful. He simply said, "Sun Qingshan, whether you want to or not, things have come to this point, and you have to face it—your wild man official may not be as you think. Perhaps he is just a wanted criminal whom even the government has to arrest!"

A gathering of people

I don't even need to guess; the savage's surname is Shao, and the martial arts alliance leader is called Shao Yanhe.

From the very beginning, the God's Cry Blade, belonging to the Alliance Leader, was the bait.

The savage wanted the knife, which is why he conspired with the tiger to obtain it, participating in this absurd plan to retrieve it.

While openly helping the master detective "Owl" steal the knife, he used the most traditional trick to evade everyone's sight, feinting and causing the peerless divine knife to vanish in front of certain people.

Yan Chaohong couldn't find the knife, and the Nangong family also lost theirs.

This was a fairly clever method, leaving no trace. No one could say where the knife went, and even I didn't know what he did every day. But the savage, despite his cunning, overlooked one thing. Whether it was Yan Chaohong, the Tokyo constable, or even the Nangong family who brought the divine knife back to the world's attention, everyone was only working together for one purpose: to plot against the savage.

Why did he absolutely have to get that knife? I felt helpless and even thought I was wrong. When I first became aware of his situation, I shouldn't have let him have his way. It was ridiculous that I thought I could control him so easily. I should have put pressure on him and told him not to get involved in troublesome things and get himself into trouble.

Moreover, let alone the savages, even I, with my bizarre logic that transcends others by more than a thousand years, cannot fathom how assassins, Liangshan bandits, divine constables, martial arts families, the imperial court... could go to such lengths to set up such a scheme, all for that pitiful mute who can't even utter a single word.

Just how extraordinary and irredeemable is he, or how terrifying is he, that it takes such a long and complicated process to capture him and bring him to justice?

Yan Chaohong, however, said that neither was the case. The trouble was due to two reasons: first, the identity of that person, and second, and more ridiculously, because there was no evidence whatsoever.

As for me, I had to try my best to think about the connection between this series of sudden events, so I ignored some other more obvious facts. For example, if Yan Chaohong came with a purpose from the beginning, then whose fault was it that he and I made a mistake at dawn?

In front of the Nangong residence, everything was already crystal clear. The savage's plan to switch the knife with the ice blade was only half completed. First, he made everyone believe that the knife was missing, but the real knife was still not in the savage's hands. In other words, the knife must still be lying there in a private place in the Nangong family, waiting for the savage to turn everyone's attention away and then go back to retrieve it.

Therefore, the best time and place to catch the thief and deal with the savage is the moment he returns here, reaches out, and grabs the God's Cry Blade.

I took a deep breath and slowly walked up the stone steps. The main gate of the Nangong family, which was usually bustling with visitors, was closed for the first time today.

Yan Chaohong didn't waste any words or knock on the door. She simply pulled me to the side, picked me up, and climbed over the wall to enter the house.

Next, I saw a well-ordered scene of a wealthy household. The servants, dressed in gray servants' uniforms, were planting flowers and sweeping the floor. The little girl feeding the fish by the pond slowed down her movements, remaining calm and composed.

As spring transitions into summer, the delicate flowers in the flowerbeds are in full bloom, displaying a riot of colors and unique shapes. Even the artificial mountains made of strangely shaped rocks possess a blend of the intricate and unrestrained elegance of the Rococo era.

The servants of the Nangong family must have seen a lot of things, or they must have been told that if they saw a flying man one day, they should not panic or feel too much pressure. They should just calmly ignore it and face it with composure.

This calm and composed situation continued until the butler in plain clothes appeared and led me and Yan Chaohong straight to the grand banquet hall, where many people were standing.

Everyone was standing, except for one person who was sitting.

As soon as I entered the room, all sorts of people turned to look at me, and I realized that in my dazed and confused state, I had fallen into someone else's trap again.

It's fair to say that I'm a burden to the savages, or rather, if anyone takes me from them, no matter how capable the savages are, they'll be threatened.

That's why Yan Chaohong brought me here; he always had a purpose.

So I carefully identified everyone in the room, even deliberately ignoring the man sitting alone in the main seat who looked both calm and quite at ease. Today he was wearing black, in a style and fabric very similar to mine. When I woke up this morning, I thought he looked too thin in all black, so I wrapped my arms around him to measure his waist, tied his clothes, pulled out a dozen or so strands of his hair, and tied his hair back up.

The door behind her, which had been wide open, was closed again by Yan Chaohong. Outside it was daytime, but inside it was even brighter with lights.

Now, I carefully look at every face in this room, recalling Yin Susu's earnest instructions to her son before her death in "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber": to avenge their parents' deaths, and therefore, to remember the face of every enemy.

At that moment, I was overwhelmed and controlled by this intense emotion. Even though I subconsciously laughed at myself, how could a savage possibly be in any danger? But I just couldn't calm myself down. I felt that if one of these people jumped out and hurt a finger of the savage, I would definitely fight that person to the death. Because a finger was the limit of what I could tolerate, and that was only if it broke the skin.

If you pay close attention, you'll notice that everyone in this room has a powerful aura, so much so that one person seems to be carrying the weight of three people.

As I walked in, I first passed two figures from the martial arts world: one dressed in a blue robe and turban, and the other with his arms exposed, looking unrestrained and free-spirited.

Next came three young men with similar features, dressed in fine brocade robes, made of Shu brocade, in a single color, understated yet exquisite, with geometric tortoise patterns, as well as animal and plant patterns... Even though I had never seen them before, I could recognize them at a glance as the owners of this Nangong residence, the three young masters of the renowned Nangong family in the martial arts world.

Next to them was the Divine Constable Mi.

Standing half a step ahead of Constable Mi was a middle-aged man in official robes. According to common sense, officials of the third rank and above wore purple. Therefore, my first impression of this man with a round collar, wide sleeves, and a cold face was summed up in two words: a high-ranking official.

"The person you've been waiting for has arrived." The last person remaining before the savage possessed a soft, low voice. Tall and thin, like a long bamboo stick, he wore a large, thick black cloak. However, one could not say he resembled a vampire bat, because compared to a bat flapping its wings like a cloak, this person's posture, with his hands placed in front of his chest and his fingers constantly shifting as if trying to demonstrate something, was more like that of an academic magician.

The magician asked the savage sitting with his head bowed at the tea table, "Now that you have met the person the leader wants to see, could you please speak and explain the whole story to everyone present?"

He asked in a gentle tone, but the savage kept his eyes down, leaned back, his spine slightly bent against the back of the chair, and rested one hand on the brown wooden tea table beside him. Beside his scarred fingers was the world-famous Divine Weeping Blade.

The handle is shaped like a coiled dragon, and the blade is unsheathed. Its blue body exudes a chilling aura, and the blade reflects light.

"Savage." I wasn't interested in the knife, only in the man, so I called out in a low voice.

Of course, it was more effective than ten words from that all-black-cloaked magician. The savage immediately looked up at me, his calm and composed expression putting me at ease. His eyes were gentle and bright, just like usual. He reached out his hand to me, and I stepped forward and grabbed it. Then, I pushed off with my heel and turned around sharply, putting myself on the same side as the savage and facing everyone present.

“He’s mute,” I stated first, and then volunteered to be the savage’s mouthpiece. “What exactly do you want him to tell you? I’ll ask him for you.”

Iron Certificate Oath

I know that everyone present is a master, and I am quite certain of that, but I only feel anxious when I am worried about the safety of the wild man. At other times, I find it difficult to feel nervous.

Back in the day, when things got really tough, I wrote three papers that were way past their deadlines, but I still survived.

Therefore, at this moment, I am fully prepared to dedicate myself to love.

Suddenly, I felt the hand holding mine tighten. I turned to look at the savage, who shook his head at me and silently wrote in my palm: Do nothing, just stand by my side.

“But…” I frowned.

He smiled lightly, then turned his eyes to the side, his gaze instantly turning cold as he looked at the people in the room.

Then he let go of my hand, his movements slow, but giving the impression that he was simply trying to do each action properly, rather than using tricks or wasting everyone's time.

The savage took out a piece of Xuan paper from his bosom, which had been written on. He slowly unfolded the paper, which had been folded into a square, and handed it out.

The paper was very soft. After a shake, it flipped over, and a corner covered his hand. The back of the paper shimmered with gold dust, clearly indicating that it was good paper, stolen from Xu Yi's family.

The savage stretched out his arm, waiting for someone to come over and take the paper from his hand.

The one who ultimately retrieved the paper was a high-ranking official in purple robes.

But the high-ranking official's behavior was strange. He walked forward with his head down, accepting the paper with both hands respectfully, as if he were not facing the wanted criminal that Yan Chaohong had mentioned, but a higher-ranking official who could cause him to lose his position at any time.

So this is how influential the leader of the martial arts alliance is. I know it's inappropriate, but I suddenly couldn't help but laugh. Why did that wild man go to such lengths to hide it from me? I don't know how much I want my husband to be successful. I hope he becomes a dragon among men. Who doesn't have their own little schemes and thoughts in mind?

The official in purple robes glanced at the paper only once before casually handing it to the eldest son of the Nangong family. The magician, unable to contain his excitement, asked in a sinister voice, "What does it say?"

Young Master Nangong looked at the paper longer than the official in purple, reading ten lines at a glance, but it still took him some time. Finally, he looked up, still holding the paper in front of him, and said, "It's a list," he replied, "a list of traitors among the upright."

A commotion erupted, followed by a collective gasp.

Even I couldn't believe it was something like this. It seems my savage's acting skills are truly exceptional. He pretends to have amnesia in front of me every day, yet he can list out the names of countless people who are not related to him. So he must have prepared beforehand and anticipated this situation, otherwise he wouldn't have taken this emergency measure.

As for the list of traitors, in TV dramas throughout history, bad guys and good guys have fought to overthrow the world, and after all the treasures, martial arts manuals, peerless weapons, ledgers, etc., only this list remains.

Moreover, treasure maps and the like mostly affect individuals, while ledgers and lists, though worthless, involve high-level struggles within a class, concern the whole, and can even shake the foundations of a large organization, including a nation.

Such a wonderful thing, yet some people get it and don't appreciate it, instead they try to act innocent.

"What does the Alliance Leader mean by this?" The young master of the Nangong family walked up to the savage, clutching the list in his hand, and asked in a deep voice, "Do you perhaps believe that this list alone can atone for your past crimes, or perhaps—"

The other person paused, because the savage suddenly raised his eyes, looking down at him, and the two stared directly at each other.

When a wild man looks directly at a person, his gaze is never ambiguous and has a penetrating quality, making the person feel very uncomfortable.

This is completely different from the situation when he made a mistake and I scolded him or pointed at his head to educate him. Back then, even if he accidentally looked up and glanced at me, it was with a shy and reserved look, as if there was always a burning and intense emotion controlling him behind his eyes. Even though his outward expression had been softened and diluted many times, I knew that when he followed me with a kind of calm and sweet gaze, phenylalanine was actually being secreted at full speed in his body.

I was lost in my beautiful fantasy when the savage suddenly grabbed my hand. I cried out, and he pried my fingers apart and wrote in my palm: Tell them that I am willing to give up the God's Cry Blade, relinquish the position of leader of the alliance and Liangfeng Manor, as long as... they are willing to let me go.

After he finished writing, he let go of my hand. I laughed and couldn't help but tease him, "You said you wouldn't let me do anything, that I could just stand around, but now you still have to rely on me!"

The savage lowered his head and chuckled softly... When he smiled, he looked much more amiable.

"Don't always have such a long face." I gently pinched his cheek, then pulled away before he could resist, stood up straight, and began to express the savage's feelings with great emotion.

“Sun Qingshan, you have no idea what he did!” I pronounced the last syllable of my sentence clearly, and Yan Chaohong jumped out and took over everyone’s right to speak.

"What he did is a thing of the past!" I said coldly. "Now he can't even speak, what more do you want from him? He only killed one or two people, how did that make him a wanted criminal? By that logic, Yan Chaohong, didn't you also behead someone this morning? Why don't you go to the authorities and turn yourself in?!"

“Sun Qingshan, you…” Yan Chaohong held her breath, then snorted, “I think you’ve really lost your mind!”

"Nonsense!" I shouted. "He's my husband. If I didn't lose my mind and side with him, would I lose my mind and side with you?!"

"you--!"

"Everyone, say less." At this moment, another young master from the Nangong family stepped forward, coughed twice, and said to the savage, "Alliance Leader, it seems you have misunderstood. It's not that we want to dwell on past events, but rather that you are suspected of colluding with the Demonic Sect's Chen Gang Hall, and in order to seize the treasure map of the Yan Clan, you didn't hesitate to kill the former Alliance Leader Shi and his thirteen family members—Alliance Leader Shi was a military governor appointed by the emperor, holding an official title, and as the leader of the righteous faction, he made great contributions—"

"Bang!" Before Young Master Nangong could finish speaking, a martial arts hero with bare arms behind him smashed a chair in a row with a loud crash.

"Why waste words with this scoundrel!" the hero shouted, leaping onto the stage. "Before his death, Alliance Leader Shi used all his inner strength to leave the character 'Shao' on the hilt of the Divine Weeping Blade. What was it all for?! It was to bring the real culprit to justice and comfort his soul in heaven—and now, after all that effort to lure this fellow to steal the blade, proving he has a guilty conscience, he's gotten himself into trouble at this crucial moment—yes, he is the Alliance Leader, he has an extraordinary status, you are all afraid of him, but I am not!"

He was about to roll up his sleeves when he realized he hadn't brought any with him. He took a big step forward, but then another loud crash came from behind him. Someone had broken down the front door, splinters of wood scattering everywhere, and blinding sunlight streamed in. On this day, the nth person in black, with an impeccable posture, appeared before the room full of experts in a violent and uncooperative manner that no one could accept.

"How dare you?!" The man in black stepped inside, his voice cold and indifferent. As he walked, he said, "The head of Liangfeng Manor, the leader of the Thirty-Three Gangs and Sixty-Four Sects, is currently serving as the leader of the martial arts alliance. The Emperor personally bestowed upon him the title of the fifth-rank Anzhou Inspector. In the first year of Xianping, he was commended by the court for his meritorious service in investigating the whereabouts of the remaining members of the Demonic Sect, and was granted the position of leader for ten years. He was posthumously awarded the title of Military Governor of Wuning Army and concurrently Chancellor, a second-rank official, and was granted an iron certificate of oath—" His steps suddenly stopped, and the man in black stood still in front of the high-ranking official in purple.

“Your Excellency,” he said, “I have a question I would like to ask clearly: Is your so-called arrest on imperial orders truly carried out by the Emperor’s decree, or are some people who, relying on their high positions and power, have acted on their own initiative, hiding in the shadows and falsely conveying the imperial edict, plotting something sinister!”

"How dare you!!" Finally, even the usually silent Constable Mi, who had been standing at the edge of the crowd, was brought to the forefront by these words.

With a loud shout, the constable's eyes widened, and he pointed his sword at the man in black, demanding, "Who are you? How dare you be so insolent before the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel?!"

"The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel?" The man in black chuckled disdainfully, then suddenly turned his head and raised his voice, proclaiming, "The Shao family, fearing that distant relatives or great-great-grandfathers to great-great-great-grandsons may be implicated, and those who suffer injuries from beatings or blades, resulting in the deaths of one to seven people, shall be released; those with more than seven shall be reported to the emperor. Those without a residence shall be allowed to find shelter in the monasteries, temples, or Taoist temples of their respective prefectures, counties, or towns. Those without official positions may receive hereditary titles, and those with official positions may be promoted to the highest ranks. Any false accusations or slander will be punished with reductions or demotions, and will not be carried out as ordered. The arrival of the Shao family is as if I were personally present. This letter is hereby issued as a permanent record, to be shared with the nation in its prosperity..."

I heard the contents of the proclamation; it was indeed the ironclad oath of immunity from death.

Daily Secret

*Slap!* A loud slap echoed.

Slap! Slap! Two slaps in quick succession.

Clap clap clap clap clap—Yan Chaohong clapped her hands in front of her chest, seemingly very happy, with a slight smile on her lips. She took small steps, as if walking naturally, but in an instant, she stood in front of me.

At the same instant, the savage suddenly grabbed my hand and stood up abruptly.