Ich denke an dich, wenn der Wind weht

Kapitel 12

The beautiful woman inside was still lazily combing her hair in front of the mirror.

Hearing someone behind her, she didn't turn around. Instead, she gathered her black hair and inserted a white jade hairpin. Dressed in light, simple clothes, her black hair was as black as ink. Her slender, delicate neck was captivating. Even before seeing her face, one's heart softened.

I sensed something was amiss, but I couldn't pinpoint why. It wasn't until the beautiful woman turned around and gave me a charming, graceful smile that I suddenly understood.

Her skin was as white as snow, her dark eyes were clear and cold, and she wore nothing but a jade hairpin. She had three features that resembled Jia Ye's. However, she was taller and more graceful, a mature woman with a captivating charm.

Seeing that he didn't speak, the beautiful woman smiled and told her maid to serve wine and food.

Once the wine and dishes were ready, she dismissed everyone around her and poured the wine into the jade cup with her delicate hands.

"Young master, you are new here. I have nothing to offer in return. Please have a drink with me." With that, she drank the wine in her cup in one gulp. The wine's aroma made her fair face flush slightly.

"Your name is Yan Rong?"

The beautiful woman smiled sweetly, but before she could answer, a soft chuckle came from behind her.

"Smoky face, understanding words; peerless beauty in the garden. You haven't even heard of this?" A man nimbly flipped in through the window, looking at him with a smile.

“Jiuwei!” he murmured softly.

Having not spoken face-to-face for three years, I almost couldn't contain my excitement.

The other person looked him up and down, then came over and put their arm around his shoulder tightly, and couldn't help but sigh.

"It's been three years, and only now can I call you in person."

The Jiuwei before me has shed its sharpness and become calm and experienced, and has gained a kind of imposing presence, no longer the naivety of yesteryear.

The two looked at each other and smiled, a hundred feelings welling up in their hearts, and it took them a while to calm down.

Yan Rong tactfully retreated to the next room to play the zither, leaving the room for the two to have a private conversation.

"Why did you suddenly think of contacting me this time?" We haven't met for many years, and Jiuwei even used her undercover agent in Meiyuan this time, so it must not be for small talk.

“Something has come up lately. You just returned to the mountain, so you might not be aware of the details.” Jiuwei sat cross-legged on the cushion and got straight to the point.

"What?"

"You know, the King recently became very fond of a beauty presented by the Kingdom of Kucha."

"I've heard of her, is her name Alice?"

"Not bad." Sipping the wine slowly, Jiuwei's eyes were deep. Time had weathered them, and they were no longer the carefree, impetuous youths they once were. "That woman is no simpleton."

He quickly searched his memory and vaguely remembered that she was an extremely charming woman.

"How so?"

"The King of Pope listens to her every word and has recently issued many outrageous orders." With her thick eyebrows furrowed, Jiuwei revealed the details. "She has no official position, yet she can interfere in Qianming's religious affairs. The King of Pop also allows her to freely command the assassination squad. Just a few days ago, one of my men killed an enemy for her."

"What kind of enemy?"

"The Left Minister of Kucha." Jiu smiled coldly. "He lost several masters, just to please her."

"How will Qianming Zisu deal with this?" He remained silent for a moment, somewhat incredulous.

"They haven't targeted Zi Su yet, but Qian Ming... she's very clever and is trying to win her over."

He was slightly moved.

"If we continue like this..." Jiuwei poured herself a glass, the rich aroma of the wine filling the room, making one feel intoxicated.

What do you want to do?

"I want to probe Jia Ye's attitude. She is in charge of the affairs of the thirty-six kingdoms, but she will probably have to deal with the matter of Kucha herself."

He nodded. "We still need to wait for the King's instructions."

Kucha has a long history of paying tribute annually and has always been respectful and obedient, with nothing to criticize. This time, the sect has arbitrarily killed a high-ranking official, which is indeed difficult to explain. Sending subordinates alone is not enough to appease them, and it may be necessary to force Jia Ye to go in person.

"While you're at it, find out who this woman is." A cold glint flashed in Jiuwei's eyes. "Neither of the two spies I sent out have returned."

The ability to make Jiuwei's elite troops disappear without a trace is something no ordinary person could do.

He was secretly alarmed. "I've noted that down. Is there anything else?"

"It would be best if..." Jiuwei didn't say it outright, but he knew what he meant.

Such a troublesome character with an unknown background should be eliminated as soon as possible; otherwise, he will inevitably become a major threat.

"If she comes down the mountain this time, I will try my best to go with her."

He raised his glass, clinked it heavily with the other person's, and drank it all in one gulp. The fragrant wine was pungent and burning as it went down his throat.

Jiuwei caught a glimpse of his expression and couldn't help but chuckle.

"After all these years, you still can't get used to the strong liquor from the Western Regions?"

He shook his head. "I rarely drink alcohol."

"You're a powerful figure in the sect now, how come you won't drink?" Jiuwei chuckled and poured him another cup. "When you follow Jiaye, don't be like her, cold and indifferent. What's the point of being a person if you're like that?"

After drinking several cups, perhaps due to the effects of the alcohol and the rising temperature, he raised his hand to stop it.

"Don't pour any more. The wine from beyond the Great Wall is strong; getting drunk isn't good."

Pulling his hand away, Jiuwei persisted. "It's rare for brothers to meet, so what's wrong with having a few more drinks? So what if you get drunk? Just rest here. Yanrong is a first-rate beauty, are you going to feel wronged?"

"No need, I'd better go back." Jiu glared at the other person, then smiled nonchalantly, seemingly reverting to her old mischievous self.

"Speaking of which, Yanrong is much better than her. She's considerate and understanding. Why are you so reserved?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" He glanced subconsciously at the next room, where the clear, melodious piano music continued unabated.

"Am I talking nonsense? Why do you never come to Mei Garden? Isn't it because of her?" After many years, Jiuwei was still as unrestrained in her speech and as sharp-tongued as ever. "Don't worry, Yanrong knows what she should and shouldn't hear. She's smart, gentle, and very pleasing. What's so good about Jiaye? She's as cold as a snowman and will never grow up."

"Don't put it so harshly," he said, unable to bear it any longer.

Seeing his face darken, Jiuwei smiled and played with the wine glass in her hand.

"That's the truth. She injured her meridians while practicing martial arts, and she'll probably stay like this forever. Can you handle that? That kind of figure isn't even that of a woman. Holding a child with no breasts or hips... um..."

The words were cut short by a soft pillow that landed squarely on his face, eliciting a muffled groan.

"How do you know it's from practicing martial arts?" he asked in a low voice, patting non-existent dust off his hands with satisfaction.

Jiuwei rubbed her nose and gave her a resentful look.

“What Zi Su said, when the King asked, Jia Ye herself admitted it. I said that she was so young yet her martial arts were so powerful, it turns out she practiced some kind of evil skill.”

"What kind of martial arts?"

"Who knows, the former elder was a Persian, and there are some secret arts that even the Pope is unaware of."

After a long silence, Jiuwei spoke again. "That's why I said Yanrong was better. If Qianming hadn't been away from the sect these past few days, she wouldn't have been able to come."

"Qianming?"

“Qianming often comes to Qingjia Pavilion, but he can’t get what he wants. At least he can quench his thirst by looking at plums.” Jiuwei smiled wickedly, with a knowing look in his eyes. “Even the King of the Sect has slept with Yanrong for a while. You’re so stubborn.”

"The King of Pope..."

“That’s right, so it’s not necessarily a bad thing that she doesn’t grow up.” Jiuwei composed herself, to prevent being attacked again. “Given her personality, I find it hard to imagine her begging for pleasure under the King.”

He took a deep breath, gripping the wine glass tightly with his fingertips until his knuckles turned white.

"What else do you know?"

"About her?"

"Um."

Putting aside her teasing tone, Jiuwei pondered for a moment. "She's from the Central Plains, just like you, though she doesn't remember it herself."

He looked up in surprise, and Jiuwei nodded affirmatively. "Don't you think Yanrong and she look somewhat alike? They are both typical southern women."

He always thought he was of mixed race, as many people in the Tianshan Mountains were descendants of mixed Han and non-Han ethnicities.

"More than a decade ago, the Left Envoy abducted a woman of exceptional beauty from near Dunhuang and presented her to the Pope. She was said to possess unparalleled beauty and had a lovely daughter, only four or five years old. The Pope used the daughter's life as leverage, forcing her to submit within a day, and the result…"

He listened silently, and could imagine the fate of a weak woman who had fallen into the hands of the cult leader.

Jiuwei sighed. "The woman died a day later."

"Dead? Committed suicide?" There are more than ten ways to make someone wish for death but not be able to die. How could such a mistake be made in a sect?

“That shouldn’t be possible. He used Jade Fragrance Powder back then; he should have had a hard time even raising his hand.” Jiuwei seemed to find it strange as well. “He was killed by the candlestick piercing his chest.” She casually pulled out the silver candle, the sharp spikes on the candlestick gleaming coldly.

"The strange thing is that the person died in bed and showed no signs of movement at all."

"Killed? Who was it?"

“Who would dare to go into the King’s inner chambers and kill someone?” Jiuwei shook her head. “I suppose only a young girl who was in the same room as that woman would dare to do so.”

“You mean…” He raised an eyebrow, then immediately denied it. “How could that be?”

"There was no one else besides him. The candlestick pierced him deeply, killing him instantly. The little girl fainted by the bedside, her hands covered in blood."

"Did you never ask her what happened afterward?"

"Why didn't they ask? The King himself asked, but it was all in vain. She doesn't remember anything." Jiuwei shrugged, unable to explain something so bizarre. "She even forgot who she was and what her mother was. She didn't even cry. It can't be an act. A four or five-year-old child could never fool the King."

"Later, seeing that she was a beauty, they planned to send her to the Charming Garden. The former elder saw that she had good potential and took her in as a disciple. You know what happened after that."

"She still doesn't remember anything?" After a long silence, he managed to squeeze out the question.

“It should be. It’s better to forget the crime of patricide.” Jiuwei lowered her eyes, unusually serious. “Besides, how would she face herself if she remembered? The King would not tolerate it.”

For a moment, he was stunned and speechless. After a long while, Jiuwei patted his shoulder.

"Don't think about it. She's doing well now, with a high and powerful status that countless people envy. Why should you feel sorry for her?"

"How do you know so much?" Composing himself, he suddenly realized that such secrets could never have been passed down within the church.

"Me?" Jiuwei smiled in a nonchalant manner. "I heard it from Zisu. She's good at gathering intelligence, and besides, she was about ten years old back then, so she must have heard about it."

"Why would Zi Su tell you?" he asked suspiciously.

"Well...you know that too." Jiuwei scratched her head and looked around. "Sometimes women aren't so tight-lipped, like in bed..."

He stared at him for a long time, speechless.

"Be careful."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Jiuwei's expression turned serious, and her playful demeanor vanished.

"I know her methods."