Der Mond scheint hell über den leeren Bergen, und Blumen füllen den Himmel

Kapitel 44

A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd.

Inside the room.

Rong Yin sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing; his spirits had been low ever since his resurrection. Yu Xiu, though in the next room, was protecting him.

Rong Yin paused to adjust his breathing for a while, then listened to the laughter outside. "What is Sheng Xiang doing?"

Yu Xiu smiled, a rare occurrence. "He's acting like a bandit leader, gambling in Wudang Mountain, and even calling his friends to go down the mountain for drinks later."

"He has a heart condition, so it's best if he doesn't drink alcohol," Rong Yin said calmly.

“Since meeting Qi Yang, he seems to be doing much better. He seems to be in good health these past few days,” Yu Xiu said casually. “He always has a way of making everyone happy.”

“That’s his skill.” Rong Yin closed his eyes. “We’ll leave Wudang tomorrow, and it’s best to resolve the Li Ling Banquet matter as soon as possible. I noticed that Bi Qiuhan and Sheng Xiang looked strange when they returned today; he must have found out something.”

"If he knew the truth, would you kill him, Rong Yin?" Yu Xiu asked calmly.

Rong Yin remained silent for a moment, then said coldly, "Yes."

"Hmm." Yu Xiu from next door responded faintly and didn't say anything more.

For Rongyin, nothing is more important than the overall situation.

Chapter Thirteen: A Night of Deep Affection, All Accompanied by Kindness

A chaotic battle at Wudang Mountain ended. Li Lingyan escaped, leaving behind a staggering 253 severely wounded archers, men in black, and others. When Master Qinghe awoke, he lamented the devastation; so many wounded would surely bankrupt Wudang Mountain. Fortunately, Wan Yuyuedan had left behind three ingots of gold, totaling thirty taels, otherwise Wudang might not even be able to afford medicine. After questioning the archers, it was learned that Li Lingyan had kidnapped the military commander of Jingzhou, forcing a small force that was stockpiling grain to come and form an army. The men in black were mostly second-rate thugs from the martial arts world, eager for riches; some were even completely unaware of their actions, having been tricked into joining the fray.

These people will inevitably be treated and then properly sent back. Li Lingyan's methods of manpower are astonishing; he didn't even train his men during the Blood Sacrifice Ceremony, but instead resorted to deception and coercion at the last minute to send a large group of clueless people. These people don't understand Li Lingyan, so dealing with them is pointless.

After finishing his business here, Yu Xiu needed to head west back to Jiangling Prefecture to meet up with the others who were recuperating from their injuries. Nan Ge accompanied him to meet Nan Pu. Rong Yin, however, chose to travel with Sheng Xiang, thus parting ways with Yu Xiu.

Bi Qiuhan naturally followed Shengxiang. Ever since Shengxiang uttered the words "let's perish together" that night, he hadn't had a moment's peace. The real culprit was the founding emperor, and he naturally understood that this matter was no small thing, but Shengxiang had decided that if she couldn't take the blame, they would perish together. He didn't understand why someone like Shengxiang would choose such a drastic outcome; he only knew that it was absolutely wrong.

His nature cannot tolerate anyone suffering unjustly, so he has become much more haggard in just a few days due to sleepless nights.

Master Qinghe and the others originally intended to publicly reveal that Shengxiang's parents were the masterminds behind the murder of the four masters, but Shengxiang and Bi Qiuhan had saved them, making them embarrassed and hesitant to speak out. These past few days, when they saw Shengxiang, they would only nod reluctantly, unsure of where to begin. Copper-Headed Monk, his mind blank and utterly clueless, remembered nothing except that he had lost everything except his underwear after that gambling night—although Shengxiang hadn't forced him to pawn his crescent shovel, he had declared that all his clothes and weapons were lent to him by Young Master Shengxiang. If he disobeyed, Young Master Shengxiang would immediately take them back. This kind of joke worked very well on the straightforward Copper-Headed Monk; from then on, he feared Young Master Shengxiang like the plague.

Tang Tianshu neither won nor lost that night. Only Tong Toutuo and Wan Yuyuedan lost; all the money went into Young Master Shengxiang's pocket. Wan Yuyuedan naturally didn't care about losing ten taels of silver; to him, the difference between ten taels and ten copper coins was probably negligible. Tong Toutuo lost fifteen taels of silver. Wan Yuyuedan wanted to compensate him with fifteen taels, but Tong Toutuo, full of indignation and righteous indignation, refused. Gambling is gambling; having a fellow gambler pay your bets is undoubtedly more humiliating than anything else. Hearing his words, Wan Yuyuedan had no choice but to give up, but Tong Toutuo truly lost everything.

Tang Tianshu was extremely clever; he neither won nor lost, offending no one, and it was unclear whether his victory was due to luck or deliberate manipulation. In short, he neither won nor lost a single point. He had played mahjong all night, and this morning he fell into Yang Zhen's hands. How Yang Zhen would "treat" him was unknown to others. But Shengxiang remembered instructing Fu Guan to steal him back from Yang Zhen in a couple of days to see if he was still alive. This man and Li Lingyan had plotted and killed many people, and countless people hated him to the core, but his Leshan treasure had saved his life. He himself was clearly aware of how many people coveted his treasure, hence his "calm and fearless" demeanor.

Today, Shengxiang invited her friends and went down the mountain for drinks.

He is the kind of person who lives among crowds and is the center of attention. He is particularly energetic and persuasive, and people with weak willpower often follow him involuntarily with his every word and action.

He went, and Wan Yuyuedan went too. Regardless of how more domineering Wan Yuyuedan was than Shengxiang, he was the kind of person easily swayed by Shengxiang. Because he was curious, he enjoyed watching Shengxiang act foolishly.

Rong Yin, however, was the kind of person who was not easily swayed, so he did not go.

He wanted to keep it to read Bi Qiuhan.

Bi Qiuhan has been avoiding people these past few days; he looks much more haggard. Those who don't know him might think he's lovesick, but Rong Yin knows he has something he wants to say but doesn't dare to.

Bi Qiuhan couldn't hide his feelings. He was different from Shengxiang and Wanyu Yuedan; those two were complete smiling tigers, capable of hiding daggers with a smile, but Bi Qiuhan couldn't. No matter how much more experience he had in the martial world than Wanyu Yuedan and Shengxiang, he was the kind of chivalrous person who couldn't bear to see others suffer. In other words, he was actually very weak; he was afraid of others' misfortunes.

Rong Yin also possessed a chivalrous spirit. However, he didn't dwell on whether an individual received justice; he considered the bigger picture. As long as those who received justice far outnumbered those who suffered, he considered his actions righteous. This was a broad kind of chivalry, while Bi Qiuhan's was a narrow kind. Therefore, Rong Yin could understand Bi Qiuhan's feelings—knowing injustice and being unable to save someone was like watching someone die; perhaps the observer suffered even more than the one who died. "Bi Qiuhan," Rong Yin, known for his arrogance in the martial world, rarely addressed people by their names respectfully, "what did Shengxiang say to you?"

Bi Qiuhan pondered for a moment, then shook his head without answering.

Rong Yin didn't ask any more questions, but only stared at Bi Qiuhan with his cold eyes, making Bi Qiuhan's already troubled mood even more agitated. After staring for a while, Rong Yin left with a sentence behind his back and went back to his room, saying, "Perhaps one day I will kill you with my own hands."

Bi Qiuhan's face turned even paler upon hearing this.

But he remained silent and said nothing.

At the foot of Wudang Mountain.

The tavern where Saint Xiang and the others were drinking.

The group of people at the table were drinking and getting quite drunk. There were only a few who weren't drunk at this point. One of them was Wan Yuyuedan, who could drink a toast without falling asleep, and the other was the obedient young master Shengxiang, who only drank soup and didn't drink alcohol. He was more well-behaved than anyone else.

As the crowd erupted in a torrent of vulgarities they wouldn't normally dare utter, the sound of hooves approached from outside the tavern. A lithe, tall horse, with a small bell around its neck, jingled softly. Judging by the sound, everyone knew a female customer had entered.

But when she entered, everyone held their breath in silence.

What a gentle and beautiful woman! She wore a white dress and skirt embroidered with red carp, leading a white horse with plum blossom spots. Just standing there in the spring twilight was a sight to behold.

"The beautiful scenery of Lonely Mountain is bright and clear, and a gentle breeze blows across a pool of spring water." Fu Guan actually began to compose a poem, "What a good woman, what a good woman." As he spoke, he drank a cup of wine.

Shengxiang, only glancing at the carp on the other person's sleeve, quietly asked Wanyu Yuedan, "Could this girl be Xiao Bi's sweetheart, Li Lingyan's sister, Li Shuangli?"

Wan Yuyue hummed in agreement and asked, "Is this young lady's surname...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Sheng Xiang slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "Bi Qiuhan!"

The woman was startled and abruptly stepped back, looking at Sheng Xiang with a pale face. Seeing that he was exquisitely handsome, her fear subsided slightly, but she still appeared timid and delicate. "You...you..." Seeing her so panicked, she could only be Bi Qiuhan's beloved Li Shuangli.

Shengxiang shook his head regretfully, "A spoiled flower, is this Xiao Bi's sweetheart? What a pity." He greeted them with a smile, "I am Bi Qiuhan's friend, and I am drinking here."

Only then did Wan Yuyuedan have a chance to finish her sentence, "Is the young lady surnamed Li?"

"I am Li Shuangli...who are you...?" Li Shuangli bore no resemblance to her two brothers. Li Shiyu was handsome, selfish, and ambitious; Li Lingyan was clever, cunning, and unpredictable. Li Shuangli, however, was beautiful but weak-willed—in Shengxiang's opinion, she was just a pretty face, a useless young lady with nothing to offer but her looks. From this, Shengxiang concluded that Li Chenglou must be very lecherous, and these three children definitely did not share the same mother.

Wan Yuyue spoke to the beautiful woman, her smile becoming even more gentle and delicate. "My surname is Wan Yu, and I am also a friend of Qiu Han. Miss Li, there's no need to be nervous. We just happened to be drinking here. Miss Li, are you here to see Qiu Han? Why don't you come with us to Wudang Mountain later? We know the way, so it will be more convenient for us."

Seeing that Wan Yuyuedan spoke politely and gently, and looked kind and harmless, Li Shuangli blushed slightly and replied softly, "I'm here to see Qiu Han... Thank you, young master."

Shengxiang tapped the table in dissatisfaction, "Hey, I'm a young master too, why aren't you thanking me? I was the one who found you first..."