Wind und Rauch

Kapitel 41

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"What is this?" Shen Jie asked, pointing to the piece of paper in Ouyang Tianyu's hand. It was given to him by Leng Yixuan earlier.

"It was something I asked Yixuan to investigate." Ouyang Tianyu unfolded the letter in his hand, reading as he answered, "There are many eyes and ears in the village, making it inconvenient to speak openly, so we exchanged information in this way."

“Then what about just now…” Shen Jie suddenly realized that she had been too presumptuous when she spoke, and had forgotten the principle that “walls have ears.”

"Don't be nervous, they won't hear our conversation," Ouyang Tianyu reassured him softly. He was always highly vigilant; unless he wanted others to know something, no one could get any information from him. Of course, Shen Jie was an exception; her insight was too sharp, wasn't it? She exposed his disguise on their very first meeting. "Ever since Lei Shuangxue married into Green Jade Manor, I've set up a formation in Lanxuan, so they can't get in."

Formation? She had only seen it when reading "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" before, and at the time she thought it was just something the author made up. She never expected that there was such a mysterious art of divination. Tianyu was really amazing. She really doubted whether there was anything in the world that Ouyang Tianyu couldn't do.

"Then why can I come and go as I please?" This was the only thing she couldn't understand. Logically speaking, only those who were very familiar with the array he set up could come and go freely. But she, let alone being familiar with it, didn't even have a vague concept of it. She had only heard about it from those unrealistic novels and TV dramas.

"Do you remember the day you first arrived at Lanxuan? After we came back from outside, I took you around here a few times. I also told you then: This is the only path, and if you take the wrong one, you will get lost?" At the time, he did not tell her that this was a formation he had set up.

"Could it be that all those flowers, plants, and trees outside the house are for setting up an array?" She found it strange. This guy was always so busy that he was nowhere to be seen. Where would he find the time to tend to those flowers and plants? It turned out they had another purpose, and a very important one at that. But don't his family members ever come over to visit? Just as she was about to ask him, she noticed that Ouyang Tianyu's handsome, sword-like eyebrows were tightly furrowed.

"What's wrong?" Shen Jie turned her head and asked, leaning closer to the paper in Tian Yu's hand.

“Yixuan said that Lei Shuangxue’s face, which looks so much like Su Yuyin’s, is completely fake; she’s just wearing a human skin mask.” Ouyang Tianyu explained, placing the mask he had just looked at on the still-burning candle, letting it slowly turn to ashes. “Moreover, her true identity is…”

"Who is she?" Shen Jie was eager to know her identity; this question had been lingering in her mind for a long time.

"Xiangmei!" Ouyang Tianyu uttered the name of the person who, by all accounts, shouldn't be alive anymore, his expression unfathomable. It seems Lei Batian is quite capable; he managed to "steal" a heavily guarded death row inmate from the authorities without anyone noticing? If Shen Jie hadn't noticed Lei Shuangxue's unusual behavior, he wouldn't have reopened that case for investigation.

"Is it her? Didn't you say she was executed almost a year ago? How can she still be alive?" Could that woman also be a reincarnation? Shen Jie was also taken aback. No wonder Lei Shuangxue's aura felt so familiar to her; it was the same person.

"It was Lei Batian who bribed people in the government to rescue her."

"Lei Batian?" Why would he send someone to rescue Xiangmei for no reason? Based on her observations of Lei Family Fortress for nearly a month, Lei Batian is a cold-blooded and ruthless man. He wouldn't even blink an eye if asked to kill his own daughter to achieve his goals. So why would he spend so much effort to save her, his illegitimate daughter? It's likely that obtaining the Void Dragon Sword and dominating the martial arts world is his real goal, and Lei Shuangxue is just a pawn in his game.

Ouyang Tianyu saw what she was thinking and answered for her: "Xiangmei is Lei Batian's illegitimate daughter."

His words surprised Shen Jie again. This matter was getting stranger and stranger. It had only been a short time, and Xiangmei had become Lei Batian's illegitimate daughter. Would she become a princess in a few more days?

"Back then, Xiangmei's mother..." Ouyang Tianyu thoroughly investigated all the people related to Xiangmei.

Over twenty years ago, Xiangmei's mother, Wang Yuru, the younger sister of Madam Ouyang, frequently had secret meetings with Lei Batian, the young master of Lei Family Fortress. This resulted in Xiangmei becoming pregnant out of wedlock. Her father, fearing his career would be jeopardized by his daughter's scandalous affair, arranged for his second daughter, who had been fathered by a man named Lantian Jade, to marry Xiang Dacheng, an honest and simple farmhand. Even after their marriage, Wang Yuru continued her philandering, driving Xiang Dacheng to his death. However, her misdeeds did not diminish after her husband's death; instead, they intensified. But the saying "those who do many evil deeds will surely perish" proved true. One day, while she was having an affair, she was caught in the act by the man's wife. During the struggle, she was accidentally stabbed to death. By then, the Wang family had severed ties with Wang Yuru. Madam Ouyang, out of pity for Xiangmei, allowed her to live at Green Jade Manor. Later, she fell in love with Ouyang Tianyun and married him as a concubine.

Until last year, Lei Jun somehow unearthed a wealth of information that convinced Lei Batian that Xiangmei was his biological daughter, so they devised a plan to rescue her. From then on, or perhaps even earlier, they began plotting to steal the sword from Green Jade Manor…

"So what should we do next?" Shen Jie asked after listening. Knowing that she was Xiang Mei and that she was very familiar with the people and things here, the plan might have to be changed.

Ouyang Tianyu pondered for a moment and said, "Let's keep our plan as it is for now. They can find out everyone's background, but they can't figure out your true origins. As for the plan, we must discuss it with Yixuan and the others before making a decision."

Speaking of this, Shen Jie recalled how Ouyang Tianyun overheard her conversation with Ju'er yesterday, and she told Tian Yu the whole story. "Now that your older brother knows I am Su Yuyin, I'm afraid he will ruin our plans."

"Really?" So the scene he witnessed yesterday of the two embracing was because his older brother overheard their conversation, which is why he mistook Shen Jie for Su Yuyin. He wouldn't let anyone ruin their plans, much less let anyone steal the woman he loved, even if she was his older brother. "Here's what we'll do. You continue with your original plan, and I'll go and find out more about the situation."

"Yes! That's fine too."

The two chatted for a while longer before Shen Jie went out first. She had to go and "report" to Lei Shuangxue as planned. However, just as she was about to leave Lanxuan, she saw Ouyang Tianyun standing at the door, apparently looking for her.

Oh no... the Bagua Formation...

Chapter Thirty

Shen Jie saw Ouyang Tianyun standing motionless at the entrance of Lanxuan and felt a sense of foreboding. Oh no! Ouyang Tianyun must know that Lanxuan had set up the Bagua Formation. How was she going to explain this to him? Make up some excuse? Would he believe her? No matter what, she couldn't let him know that Tianyu had done it, because Tianyu's identity as a spy couldn't be revealed, otherwise it would bring him endless trouble.

She forced herself to look up and meet his eyes, only to find him staring at her with a resentful gaze. "This servant greets the eldest young master," Shen Jie curtsied to him. "You've come to see the third young master, haven't you? This servant will go and fetch him right away!" She turned and walked away. She had neither the time nor the inclination to listen to his nonsense. Why was he looking at her like that again? She wasn't his wife; hadn't she made herself clear enough?

"Why are you avoiding me?" Ouyang Tianyun grabbed her as she tried to slip away again, a hint of pain flashing in his eyes.

"Young Master, please let me go." Why is this jerk holding me so tightly? She knows perfectly well that the Third Young Master inside is a jealous bastard. If he sees what happened last time again, he'll definitely be pouring vinegar instead of wine. Besides, it's best to play dumb right now. "I don't know what you're talking about?"

"Don't know? Then tell me what's going on?" Ouyang Tianyun pointed to the flowers, plants, and trees behind her. He had walked here several times, but always ended up back in the same place. He suddenly realized that this was the art of Qimen Dunjia. "Are you doing all this to prevent me from coming to you?" He assumed that this was a formation set up by Shen Jie. He wasn't surprised that she knew this skill; he believed she had the ability.

How strange! She didn't even know she possessed this kind of esoteric art, so how could he be so certain? But that's fine too; at least she won't have to rack her brains for excuses. Heh, it seems this isn't the first time she's encountered such good fortune; there's always someone to find reasons for her inexplicable "flaws." Perhaps she was just too honest in her past life?

Seeing her silence, Ouyang Tianyun assumed she had tacitly agreed. Why? Did she hate him that much? Did she not want to be with him even for a moment? She did before, and she still did. Perhaps he should give up, because he gradually understood that her love didn't belong to him, never would… But his heart remained unwilling; he truly loved her, so why did his love always go unrequited? "Can you tell me who he is?" He wanted to know where he had gone wrong.

“你以后会知道的，现在时机还不成熟。”沈婕避而不答，这种事现在就怎么可以说呢？要是让雷钧和雷双雪知道她和天雩相爱，他们怎么还会相信她？那她几个月来的努力就白费了。咦？欧阳天云问这个干嘛，想去揍人家一顿啊？就他那动不动就打人的性格来说，的确有这可能。她还是不告诉他的好，“大少爷，奴婢还有事要办，不然三少爷会责怪奴婢的。”沈婕说完转身就走了。

This time, he didn't stop her, letting her leave. Watching her receding figure, Ouyang Tianyun knew the distance between them was growing ever wider; she would never return to his side. He had lost her. Lost? Ouyang Tianyun shook his head self-deprecatingly. He realized he had never truly possessed her, so what did it mean to lose her? He looked up once more at the sea of flowers in Lanxuan.

The flowers were beautiful, but they blocked her feelings; he thought he would hate these beautiful flowers for the rest of his life.

He turned around and walked away without looking back.

Shen Jie arrived at Lei Shuangxue's residence, which was more lively than Lanxuan. Several figures could be seen coming and going. She approached the main house. It seemed that Lei Shuangxue and the others had anticipated her arrival and had sent people to wait there early on. As soon as they saw Shen Jie, they led her into Lei Shuangxue's room.

"This servant greets the eldest young mistress." Shen Jie bowed to Lei Shuangxue, her eyes sweeping over her face. This face was truly exquisite! So delicate that one could not see a single flaw.

"No need," Lei Shuangxue waved her hand. "How's the investigation going?" She stood up from her seat and walked to a spot five steps away from Shen Jie to ask.

“Reporting to the eldest young mistress, the third young master has found the place where they hid their swords, right here…” Shen Jie paused mysteriously, then approached Lei Shuangxue, lowered her voice to announce the location, and paid close attention to every look in Lei Shuangxue’s eyes.

"Are you sure?" Lei Shuangxue looked at her suspiciously.

"This servant is willing to swear on her life that the Void Dragon Sword is definitely in that place." Yeah, right! Shen Jie added in her mind. If someone knew someone would steal the sword, why would they leave it in its original place? "However, the place is heavily guarded, and it doesn't seem easy to get in. Last time, the Third Young Master went in and came out in a sorry state not long after."

"Is that so?" Lei Shuangxue pondered for a moment. They knew there were mechanisms hidden in the sword's location, but they couldn't find a way to control them quickly enough. If Ouyang Tianyu got the Void Dragon Sword first, how could she explain it to her father? No, they had to strike first…