Meister der Mehrdeutigkeit

Kapitel 77

Holding the steamed buns, Xiao Xiao said innocently, "If that's really the case, there's nothing I can do..."

"You bastard!" Wen Su roared.

The little girl shrank back, looking timidly at Wen Su.

"You really don't care that you've been wronged?" Wen Suping said angrily.

Xiao Xiao thought for a moment and replied, "That depends on who wronged me." She laughed and said, "My master said, why bother with people you don't know!"

Upon hearing this, Wen Su fell silent.

She smiled slightly and continued eating her steamed bun.

Above the cloud-covered cliff, only the sounds of the wind and the waves remained.

After a long while, Xiao Xiao finished her steamed bun and licked her fingers. She looked at Wen Su sitting beside her with a puzzled expression and asked timidly, "Uncle-Master...aren't you going back to rest?"

Wen Su didn't even glance at her, coldly saying, "My affairs are none of your business."

Xiao Xiao immediately shut up. To be honest, her martial uncle was really difficult to please... She could only continue looking at the sky and counting the stars.

After an unknown amount of time, the stars in the sky dimmed one by one, and the faint morning light spread out, shimmering across the sky.

Wen Su stood up, walked to the edge of the cliff, and stood facing the wind.

Xiao Xiao looked at his actions with some confusion.

Wen Su turned around, looked at her, and said something cryptic, "Do you know why this place is called 'Cloud Cliff'?"

Xiao Xiao shook her head blankly.

A faint smile appeared in Wen Su's eyes. He turned his head and quietly looked at the sea.

Xiao Xiao followed his gaze, and what she saw next was something she would never forget.

Under the morning light, a misty fog gradually rose above the sea. The white fog climbed higher and higher, and with a sea breeze, it surged in like clouds. In no time, the desolate cliff was shrouded in fog, resembling a sea of clouds.

Xiao Xiao looked at the mist surrounding her and couldn't help but exclaim in amazement. Looking out, under the faint morning light, there was only a vast expanse of mist, making it impossible to distinguish between sea and land. It was truly a scene from heaven.

"It's almost dawn, go back now, remember to do your morning exercise at dawn," Wen Su said as he walked to her side.

Xiao Xiao was so engrossed in watching that she forgot to answer.

Wen Su shook his head helplessly and walked away.

"Uncle-Master".

Suddenly, Xiao Xiao spoke up and called out to him.

Wen Su turned around and looked at her.

Her eyebrows, eyelashes, and hair tips were damp with mist, and when she smiled, it seemed as if even her pupils were filled with moisture, making her incredibly charming.

"Uncle-Master..." Xiao Xiao cleared her throat and asked timidly, "Are you often punished by being sent here to reflect on your mistakes?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Su frowned.

"Nonsense!" he shouted angrily and strode away.

Xiao Xiao was still smiling. "Looks like I was right..."

...

The Nine Palaces Mystery Formation [Part 1]

After Yunya finished reflecting on his mistakes, Xiaoxiao walked to the training ground with a bit of drowsiness. She heard the disciples gathered in small groups, talking about something.

Xiao Xiao walked up, eager to hear what was going on. The disciples scattered as soon as they saw her, their eyes filled with disdain. Their words included accusations of her being a "traitor" and a "spy."

Feeling somewhat helpless, Xiao Xiao had no choice but to walk to a corner and sit down alone.

"Hello."

She had just sat down when someone walked up to her and said something in an unfriendly tone.

She looked up slightly and saw that it was Ye Li. She immediately smiled and said, "Senior Sister Ye..."

Ye Li looked down at her, her expression as cold as ever. "I need to talk to you. Come with me."

Xiao Xiao was somewhat flattered. This senior sister usually ignored her, so why was she looking for her now? She looked up at the sky. There was still a quarter of an hour before the morning exercise started, so she got up and nodded.

Ye Li didn't say anything, but led her through a long, winding road until they reached a secluded courtyard before stopping.

A sense of unease crept in. This scene... it just doesn't look like...

Just as she was thinking about killing someone to cover it up, she heard Ye Li speak, saying, "A drunken stupor in Lanling lasts for three hundred years."

"Huh?" Xiao Xiao was confused.

Ye Li frowned, suddenly drew the dagger from her bosom, and attacked Xiao Xiao.

Xiao Xiao was startled and hurriedly stepped aside, "Senior Sister Ye... let's talk this out!!!"

Ye Li glared at her fiercely and said, "Since you're not one of us, I have no choice but to kill you to silence you!"

Xiao Xiao was on the verge of tears. Was it really murder to silence her? Why? What had she done to deserve being killed? No, right…

Suddenly, it dawned on her. The disciples of the East Sea all shared rooms in pairs. If someone secretly set sail at night, their roommate should have noticed. If no one noticed, then unless the two roommates were accomplices, or…

Previously, inside the main hall, given Ye Li's relationship with her, if she had known she wasn't in her room, she would have already informed the island lord. However, she showed no reaction until the other disciples mentioned it. That means… Ye Li herself wasn't in her room that night either??? So…

"Ah! You're the one who set sail without permission!" Xiao Xiao exclaimed in surprise.

As soon as the words left her mouth, Xiaoxiao regretted them. Wasn't she just asking for trouble?!

Seeing that Ye Li was about to attack again, Xiao Xiao shouted, "Senior Sister Ye! I saved you!"

Ye Li's knife froze.

"Senior Sister Ye, no matter what, I've taken the blame for you! As the ancients said, a life-saving grace is greater than heaven... Senior Sister, how can you live with yourself if you kill me!" Xiao Xiao tried her best to reason with her, "And... and if you kill me here, you won't be able to escape responsibility either!"

Ye Li frowned deeply and remained silent.

Xiao Xiao held up three fingers, her face serious. "Senior Sister Ye, I absolutely won't tell anyone about what you did! I swear to God!" Seeing the murderous intent still lingering in Ye Li's eyes, Xiao Xiao timidly said, "This... how about this, we cooperate... when you go to sea in the future, I... I can help you keep watch and cover you..."

Ye Li frowned. "That sounds nice! Don't try to fool me!"

"..." Xiao Xiao blinked, then suddenly knelt down on the ground, "Senior sister...please don't kill me...please spare me...I can...I can leave the East Sea right now..."

Ye Li was stunned for a moment, then snorted coldly and said, "Even if you want to leave, you can't."

Xiao Xiao was puzzled. "Huh?"

Ye Li looked at her and said, "The imperial court has already ordered the suppression of the pirates in the East Sea. The area around the seventy-two islands is already swarming with government troops. No one can leave..."

He was slightly startled, "A campaign against them?"

Ye Li nodded, "That's right, a punitive expedition... They sent a letter of surrender early this morning..."

Xiao Xiao thought for a moment and asked, "Senior Sister, are you a government official?"

Ye Li frowned, "If I were an official, I would have left the East Sea the night before last!"

"Then...the South China Sea?" Xiao Xiao asked again.

Ye Li's face turned exaggeratedly evil, and she said in a sinister tone, "Since you want to die, I'll let you die knowing why! However, you are ignorant, and I'm afraid you won't recognize me even if I tell you!" She cleared her throat, "...I am not a spy for the imperial court, nor am I a disciple of the South China Sea. I am a member of 'Qu Fang'."

Qu Fang? She was slightly puzzled for a moment, then her eyes lit up! She jumped up excitedly and said, "Senior Sister, Senior Sister, we're on the same side! On the same side!"

Ye Li was startled by her sudden reaction, and even the hand holding the dagger trembled.

Xiao Xiao grasped at a straw and said, "Qu Fang specializes in selling information. I even know your brothel owner. His name is Helan Qifeng, right?"

Ye Li was stunned.

Xiao Xiao continued, "I...I also know Yin Xiao; he's a regular at the music hall!"

Ye Li looked at her, "Do you really know the shop owner and Silver Owl?"

"Really, really!" Xiao Xiao rummaged through her clothes and pulled out a few gleaming silver weapons. "Look, I even have Silver Owl's unique hidden weapons!"

Ye Li looked at the needles and became even more surprised.

“Senior Sister, although I’m not from the Qu Fang, we’re still on good terms! Now that the East Sea is under attack by the imperial court, you definitely can’t leave anytime soon. The more people there are, the more protection you’ll have!” Xiao Xiao said. “…You’ve seen it too, Martial Uncle is taking good care of me. I’ll definitely find a way to keep you safe, right!”

Ye Li hesitated for a moment, then sheathed the dagger. "Alright, I'll trust you this once..."

Xiao Xiao was overjoyed. She raised her hand to wipe away the cold sweat. "Thank you so much, Senior Sister!"

Ye Li glanced at her and said darkly, "Anyway, even if you tell others, no one will believe you..."

She froze for a moment, speechless. However, at that moment, something suddenly occurred to her. In Donghai, she was new to the area, hadn't made any enemies, yet Ye Li was targeting her at every turn, spreading rumors about her everywhere. It turned out, this was to create prejudice, so that no matter what she said about Ye Li, no one would believe her… Ah! Seemingly baseless gossip was actually a calculated scheme! This was the root cause of her being ostracized!

Thinking of this, Xiao Xiao sighed helplessly.

"Hey, I'm asking you, if you're not one of us, why are you taking the blame for me?" Ye Li asked.

She gave a small, bitter smile. "Even if I say it wasn't me, what can I do? Just like my senior sister said, no one will believe me..."

Ye Li was silent for a moment, then said, "Well, let me make this clear first, I only wanted everyone to hate you, I didn't mean to frame you."

She nodded slightly.

Ye Li cleared her throat and said, "Since we're on the same side, let's cooperate well from now on. The most urgent thing is to leave the East China Sea as soon as possible..." Ye Li rested her chin on her hand and paced back and forth, "Tsk, what a hassle. Right now, outside the seventy-two islands, government troops are gathered, and not even a sparrow can fly over. As expected of the Lian family, the Divine Arrows, they're really troublesome..."

Xiao Xiao was startled and exclaimed, "Senior Sister, you mean the Lian family of Divine Arrows?!"

Ye Li glanced at her and said, "Yes."

Xiao Xiao felt her mind was in complete chaos, and her hard-won composure was suddenly thrown into disarray. "Impossible..." she muttered to herself indifferently.

"What do you mean it's impossible? The one leading the troops is the eldest young master of the Lian family, the Divine Arrow. I think this campaign against the East Sea is clearly an opportunity for him to make a name for himself and get promoted..." Ye Li said casually.

“Lian Zhao…” Xiao Xiao took a step back and said.

"Hmm? You know the eldest young master of the Divine Arrow Lian family too? I heard he's a handsome young man who's skilled in both literature and martial arts, but I don't know if it's true or not... Sigh, now's not the time to think about that, it's more important to figure out how to escape..." Ye Li didn't notice the slight anomaly and continued talking to herself.

Xiao Xiao felt her heart race and her palms sweat slightly; she usually called that feeling "fear." She remembered so clearly that the Lian family had said they wouldn't be ordered to attack the East Sea for her sake. Did the current situation mean she was already the Lian family's enemy? ...The one leading the troops was still him...and him? What was his purpose in coming? Revenge?

"Hey..." Ye Li shook her and said, "Don't just stand there, think of a way to leave!"

Xiao Xiao snapped out of her daze and said blankly, "I..."

"Sigh, I know you don't want to come!" Ye Li said, somewhat annoyed. "Forget it, let's just take it one step at a time... Alright, let's go for our morning exercise. If we stay too late, people will get suspicious... Sigh..." Ye Li finished speaking and walked away.