"My name is Xiaoxiu."
"Xiao Xiu, why don't you go home? Why did that uncle lock us up?"
"That uncle is a human trafficker. He'll bribe the kidnappers to sell us." She seemed to have a premonition of her future fate. At that time, all I knew was that human traffickers were bad guys, and I knew that my father would definitely send someone to rescue me. The night grew deeper and the colder it got. We were all starving and could only eat the dry rations that the man had thrown on the ground.
"Xiao Xiu, don't worry, my dad will definitely come to save me."
Xiao Xiu nodded: "Please, please don't leave me alone, I'm afraid of the dark..."
"No, I won't." I said confidently, "I won't leave you alone."
The promise between the two children took root in each other's hearts. A few days later, the trafficker took me away. Xiao Xiu cried and grabbed my arm, but the trafficker slapped her away. On the way to another town, a group of martial arts heroes found me. The trafficker was so frightened that he kept slapping himself. The future seventh young mistress of Dugu Manor, whom he was betrothed to since childhood, was someone he couldn't afford to lose even if he gave his life.
I still remember that promise in my heart: I will never leave you alone.
The trafficker led us to the house in the mountains to find Xiaoxiu. Unexpectedly, when we got there, another man in his gang was also taking a child he had swindled back home. In his haste, he took Xiaoxiu and ran to the roof. That man was skilled in martial arts and pinched Xiaoxiu so hard that her eyes almost rolled back in her head.
I cried and called out Xiao Xiu's name, and all the heroes of the martial arts world laid down their weapons and dared not make a move.
That man was indeed a villain. He could have escaped unscathed, but in his escape attempt, he forcefully threw Xiao Xiu off the roof.
Xiao Xiu lay at my feet, her head slammed against a large rock, her brains splattered out. She struggled painfully for a moment, her eyes fixed on me as she said haltingly, "You promised you wouldn't leave me alone..."
Her eyes bulged out before she died, and her face was horribly dissected by blood and brain matter. That cold gaze has remained etched in my mind ever since.
5
Fulong Town became lively in just one month. Beggars from all directions came to visit and would sunbathe in groups outside the manor when they were bored. Many martial arts figures and members of the royal family also arrived one after another. The entire Dugu Manor was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations. Even the weddings of the young masters were not so grand.
My master arrived the day after the banquet. My second brother-in-law, the one-armed young master Shen Ruosu, accompanied him and brought a letter from my mother.
The letter home was very simple: Ruyan, be careful in everything.
Shen Ruosu said, "My mother was worried about you. The journey is long and she is too old to travel easily, so she sent me to come and see you."
My master is still in good health, so I arranged for them to stay at Furong Garden, which is opposite Lengyan Xiaozhu. My master is used to peace and quiet, and too many people would inevitably disturb him. Among the cooks I hired this time, there is one who makes excellent vegetarian meals, and I personally brought them to my master's room.
The master murmured "Amitabha," and said, "Ruyan, I am relieved to see that you are alright."
“Master, you’re speaking very strangely. Ruyan has been perfectly fine.”
"Do you still remember why you wanted to learn martial arts from me in the first place?"
I obediently lowered my head: "I remember."
"Then do you remember why I agreed to take you in?"
I sighed: "I remember."
"Do you still remember the conditions I agreed to take you in?"
“I remember everything. I wanted to learn martial arts because I didn’t want to be a weak woman at the mercy of others. The reason my master agreed to take me in was because my features resembled those of an old friend of his when he was young, and I had exceptionally good bones and muscles. The condition I agreed to with my master was that even if I learned martial arts, I would only use it for self-defense and would never kill anyone.” I smiled slightly: “I have always regarded my master’s condition as a golden rule and have never violated it.”
"It's good that you remember." Master sighed. "Ruyan, you may have offended someone unintentionally while traveling the world. You must be careful."
"Ruyan understands." I knew that Master was definitely hiding something from me. He didn't want to tell me because he didn't want me to know, and asking more wouldn't help. The Dugu Manor was bustling and prosperous. As night fell, the noise subsided. Shen Ruosu was drinking and admiring the moon alone in the courtyard. I went up to her, curtsied, and asked, "Brother-in-law seems to have something on his mind."
"Which person who travels the world doesn't have worries?" Shen Ruosu smiled self-deprecatingly.
“Your worries have nothing to do with the martial world.” I poured him a glass of wine: “You are very different from the last time I saw you. You are like a completely different person. You rarely look so worried.”
“Rubi was kidnapped and thrown into the deep mountains. If I hadn’t discovered it early, Rubi would probably have been fed to the wolves in the mountains long ago.” Shen Ruosu took a big gulp of wine: “I have the reputation of being a one-armed gentleman, but I can’t even protect my own wife.”
I was taken aback and asked anxiously, "How is my second sister?"
"Rubi is fine, but my eldest sister accidentally drank poison and almost died. If it weren't for your master, she would definitely be dead. After thinking it over, we feel that these two things are definitely not a coincidence. Mother was so worried that she couldn't eat. Just then, she received the invitation you sent, so Master Canghai and I rushed over."
I was so shocked my face turned deathly pale, and it took me a long time to react. I heard light footsteps beside me, and before I could even think, Shen Ruosu had already drawn her sword and given chase. The person was dressed in black and moved with incredible speed, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Shen Ruosu and I chased for several miles around Dugu Manor, but the person truly vanished. I had a bad feeling in my heart. What if it wasn't a trap to lure us away?
Enraged, Shen Ruosu yelled and ran back. His lightness skill was far inferior to mine, and it took him a quarter of an hour to rush back to the manor. Everything at Dugu Manor seemed normal, yet some kind of crisis seemed to be lurking in the shadows.
In the darkness, a figure seemed to flash by.
6
Alan burst into my room early in the morning, his voice trembling with excitement: "Seventh Young Mistress... something's happened..."
"Alan, don't rush, tell me slowly."
"The young lady is missing!" Alan cried, tears and snot streaming down her face. "She was perfectly fine last night, how could she be gone so early this morning..."
"Gone?" I was startled. "What about Feng'er?"
“Miss Feng slept in my room last night,” Cuiyi said. “She was fine when I woke up this morning.”
"Something's wrong." It was a subtle premonition; Die'er's disappearance and Feng'er were subtly connected. I didn't care about anything else and ran straight to Cuiyi's bedroom. The brocade quilt on the soft couch was slightly raised. I went forward and lifted it up, revealing a cushion. Cuiyi was so shocked she couldn't speak.
I should have known earlier that the shadowy figure at the entrance of Furong Garden yesterday was suspicious. To avoid disturbing other distinguished guests, a thorough search wouldn't be possible and would inevitably cause panic. However, I was certain that the man in black was a guest visiting the manor. I quickly instructed a maid to fetch the three young masters from the banquet to explain the matter, and then I began searching each guest room one by one. Since he was a guest, the two children must be hidden somewhere in the manor.
Some of the guests visiting the manor stayed in farmhouses and inns in the town, while other distinguished guests stayed in the manor's Jin Hong Pavilion, Yun Shui Xuan, and Cui Zhu Lou. Among them, the Jin Hong Pavilion was inhabited by members of the royal family, descendants of people who had been acquainted with Dugu Aoran; whether they were good or bad was hard to say.
It was precisely the time for the grand banquet, and the entire Jin Hong Pavilion was eerily quiet. No one answered the door when I knocked, so I pushed it open myself and checked each room. The royal family certainly lived up to their reputation; the old steward had meticulously arranged the rooms with solemnity and elegance. Beside the bronze dressing mirror sat a white jade hairpin, suggesting that a woman must reside there.
"Snap..." The sound of soft-soled shoes stepping on dry leaves.
I quickly used my light-footed skills to leap onto the roof beam above my head. A distinguished-looking man entered through the door. I almost held my breath. He paused for a moment, picked up the white jade hairpin from the dressing table, and left. I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Without concrete evidence, such reckless behavior would only lead to a bigger misunderstanding and put the two children in greater danger if discovered.
I then hurriedly left the house to meet Dugu Leng and the others at Lengyan Xiaozhu. As soon as I stepped out of Jinhongge, a figure emerged from the shadows. Judging from his attire, he was either rich or noble, and it was the same man who had been in the guest room earlier.
"Miss, please wait..." the man smiled slightly.
"Well, sir, this is the guest room. The banquet venue is in the backyard..." I curtsied and pretended to be clueless, saying, "Please follow me."
"Why did the young lady come out of my bedroom?"
So he had seen everything. I calmly bowed again and said, "We've just hired a lot of new servants for this banquet. Those maids are all clumsy and we can't spoil the guests' enjoyment. Let me take a look at what's missing in this room, and then I'll have the maids bring it over. Since we've disturbed the guests, I apologize."
"You're too kind, young lady." The man gestured for them to enter. "This courtyard is indeed quite large. I'll trouble you to lead the way."
"How should we address our distinguished guest?"
"My name is Yan Min."
I was startled, but I still smiled and said, "So it's Prince Min. I've heard so much about you."
"I've long heard that the women of Dugu Manor are all incredibly beautiful. It's truly an honor to meet such celestial beauties today."
"Your Highness, you flatter me." My palms were sweating with anxiety. I couldn't tell if this Prince Min was friend or foe; I couldn't detect the slightest flaw in his expression. Back at Cold Mist Cottage, Dugu Han was already waiting impatiently. As soon as he saw me, he asked anxiously, "Ruyan, is there any news about Die'er?"
I shook my head: "I've checked all the guest rooms, and there's nothing unusual. I just came out of Jin Hong Pavilion, and Prince Min even ran into me."
"Prince Yan Min of the Yan Prince's Mansion?" Dugu Liang frowned. "It seems like a lot of people have been mentioning this name to me lately?"
"Huh? Who else mentioned it?" Dugu Han was extremely anxious, like an ant on a hot pan, concerned for his daughter's safety.
"People in the martial arts world are saying that something's not quite right at Prince Yan's mansion lately, with imperial guards constantly coming and going, and it looks like they're recruiting soldiers. But judging from Prince Min's actions, he still has time to travel all the way from Luoyang to this small town for a banquet, so he doesn't seem that busy."
“Yes, it makes no sense for him to do this.” I shook my head in confusion: “The things that have happened recently are very strange. First, my two older sisters were murdered one after another, then Feng’er’s mother was killed, and Die’er and Feng’er were kidnapped. The reasons behind this are really complicated.”
"Ruyan, we don't know who else is in that woman's family after she died. Perhaps we could go to her house to look for clues," Dugu Leng suggested. "Why didn't I think of that?" When people are anxious, their minds go blank, and they don't know where to start. They entrusted all the affairs of the house to their third and fourth brothers, and the two of them hurriedly went out.
7
The woman's house wasn't hard to find. A servant rode a fast horse to the county government office to inquire, and they learned that she lived in a small village below Fulong Town. The village was tiny, without even a name, with only a few households. At the woman's door, a girl of about eleven or twelve was laboriously grinding soybeans, white soy milk flowing from the cracks in the stones.
The little girl stopped nervously when she saw strangers, looked at us, and asked, "Who are you looking for?"
“We are from Dugu Manor. Your mother sold your sister to our household.” I paused and looked into the courtyard. There was a toddler crawling around on the ground, and a slightly older child playing in the mud.
The little girl immediately became nervous upon hearing this: "Has the girl gotten into some trouble?"
Dugu Leng and I looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
The little girl knelt down with a thud: "The girl isn't very obedient, but she's very hardworking. Our mother is dead. Please have pity on us and don't send the girl away..."
“We won’t send the girl away.” I pulled the girl up, wiped the dust off her face, and asked, “Just answer whatever I ask, and I promise I won’t send her away.”
The little girl nodded obediently, her eyes filled with a look of being flattered and surprised.
"What do your parents do? Who do they usually associate with? Have they ever offended anyone?"
“My father died of illness two years ago. I sold tofu with my mother. Apart from a few aunties in the neighborhood, my mother didn’t associate with anyone and didn’t offend anyone.”
This girl seems quite clever; she might be a good helper in the kitchen. I nodded and said, "Alright, pack your things. I'll send someone to pick you up and take you to the manor tomorrow morning. I'll have someone take good care of your two younger siblings. You can work here in the manor."
"Thank you, Miss..." The little girl secretly wiped away her tears; the heavy pressure of life had made her mature far too early. On the way back, Dugu Leng kept her head down, lost in thought. We returned to the manor, each with our own thoughts.
As soon as they returned to the manor, they saw Dugu Han pacing anxiously at the gate: "You're finally back. We found a body behind the manor. Cuiyi said that the body is Feng'er, who went missing last night."
Upon hearing Feng'er's name, I felt a moment of dizziness, but I still managed to stay conscious and said, "Third Brother, take me to see her."
At Cold Mist Cottage, Cuiyi wept incessantly. Her small body was covered by a white sheet, her face shattered beyond recognition by stones, only the clothes she wore were hand-sewn by Cuiyi herself. I sighed, feeling a searing pain in my heart: "Who could be so cruel to a child?"
“I’m afraid Die’er will also meet with misfortune…” Dugu Han said, “Don’t tell Die’er’s mother for now.”
This was the fourth day of the grand banquet, and I felt a conspiracy was quietly drawing ever closer, though I couldn't quite put my finger on it. In the middle of the night, I listened to my master preach, and he just murmured, "Everything has a cause, cause and effect cycle. What kind of tree you plant will reap what kind of flower. A fox will always show its tail. Ruyan, be patient."
The next day, the steward sent someone to bring Feng'er's older sister, Xiangcao, and her two younger siblings into the mansion. The child cried uncontrollably upon seeing his sister's body, repeatedly calling out, "Poor girl!" Even the old steward, who had seen all the coldness and cruelty of the world, couldn't help but shed a tear of sympathy—but that's a story for another time.
8
The guests held a grand banquet for seven days in a row. Even the beggars outside the mansion had round, bulging bellies. As the saying goes, money spent can be regained. After seven days, when the gifts and money from the guests were tallied, the expenses for the seven days were offset, and there were even some rare items and precious medicinal herbs left to please the old lady.
Prince Min didn't seem to be in a hurry to leave like the other guests. He leisurely stayed at Jin Hong Pavilion, spending his days hunting in the mountains outside the manor with a few fierce men. Dugu Han was becoming increasingly restless. He didn't know if his daughter was dead or alive, and waiting would be a very long process. He wondered if Feng'er's corpse was a warning, if she was waiting for our actions, or if she wanted to use Die'er to threaten us into doing something. The old lady didn't know about Die'er's disappearance. That day, she asked her third sister-in-law why little Die'er hadn't come to the ancestral hall. Her third sister-in-law said that the child was playing and didn't know to come and see her great-grandmother.
The people I sent to inquire about the whereabouts of the departing guests have returned and are waiting for me in the back garden. As I passed through the back hall, I ran into Prince Min, who was having tea in the pavilion. Upon seeing me, he gestured for me to join him: "Seventh Young Mistress, how about having a few drinks with me?"
"I would be honored to accept your offer." I sat down facing the roses in the garden and poured a cup of wine for Prince Min: "I have long heard that Your Highness is concerned about the country and the people and works hard for their livelihood. It is a great honor that you have been at Dugu Manor for half a month."
Prince Min chuckled nonchalantly, "Young Madam is a clever woman; there seems to be a hidden meaning in her words!"
"Ruyan wouldn't dare. Your Highness is a very busy man. Ruyan is just curious." I raised an eyebrow and sharply observed every expression on Prince Min's face.
Prince Min was no pushover either. He remained impassive and boldly placed his hand on the back of my hand, saying, "As the ancients said, a beautiful woman is like jade, and such a beauty is hard to come by. The young mistress takes such good care of me and even sends people to protect me secretly. Even if it were the Jade Pool in the heavens, I wouldn't want to go there."
Oh no, the people we sent to keep watch have been discovered.
Without making a sound, I withdrew my hand and said coquettishly, "I'm just afraid that Your Highness won't be used to living here. Recently, there have been many people in the manor and we've been less vigilant. Your Highness is of noble birth, and what if something goes wrong? Besides, there have indeed been some troubles in the manor recently."
"Oh? May I tell you? Perhaps I can be of some help?"