"Isn't that right?"
"The skilled butcher is long dead."
Yin Bitong laughed: "Everyone says that the Poisonous Beauty was killed by Xuan Hegu, but I don't believe it. Little Yin, whoever poisoned you, whatever their purpose, ultimately saved your life."
"You seem to know a lot about my affairs."
“Little Yin, I’ve admired you for quite some time now,” Yin Bitong sighed.
"You've never even seen me before, so what makes you admire me?"
"Although we have never met before, it is a fact that I have long admired your talent and beauty," Yin Bitong said earnestly.
They intersect, they intersect, and she even has apples.
"You truly... admire my beauty?"
"really."
Yin Wuxiao laughed so hard he was shaking. At the height of his laughter, he clutched his stomach and said:
"Yin Bitong, get lost."
Yin Bitong frowned. This woman had indeed lost all her elegance after being a beggar for three years.
"Xiao Yin, don't change the subject. I won't ask you who the poisoner is, but I believe that even if it wasn't the skilled poisoner Yu Nan'er herself, it was someone related to her."
"Oh dear, Xiao Yin, I suddenly remembered that your wet nurse's name also seems to have the character 'Nan' in it. What a coincidence, what a coincidence!"
Yin Wuxiao stopped laughing.
That vixen Yin Bitong always manages to lure her into letting her guard down before unleashing her deadly weapon, leaving her utterly defeated.
"Yin Bitong, it's really not good for men to be too smart." She said sternly.
"Well?"
"Men like Bai Can are so cute, kind, and fun."
"Cute and kind?" Yin Bitong stroked her chin.
Do you know why Bai Can was able to so easily take you away from Baili Qingyi?
Yin Wuxiao raised an eyebrow.
“Naturally, it’s because Bai Can is Baili Qingyi’s man. Do you think he really took you south because he wanted to find a wife? It was all at Baili Qingyi’s behest.” He paused for a moment, “And don’t think Baili Qingyi is a good person. He’s in this position now, so he has his own special purpose in doing things.”
Yin Wuxiao remained silent for a long while before managing a smile: "If Baili Qingyi isn't a good person, then there probably aren't any good people in this world, right?"
Yin Bitong's eyes flickered, but she remained silent.
At this time, the Yuwen residence was in complete chaos.
Capturing the second assassin of "Traceless" alive, Soul Hook, is the biggest gain of the day.
"Torture them severely! You must find out the whereabouts of the 'Traceless' headquarters!" Old Madam Yuwen sat upright in the hall and gave the order with an air of authority.
Baili Qingyi frowned and stopped her, saying, "Madam, I'm afraid torture won't yield any results. If you trust me, why don't you hand this person over to me for disposal?"
Madam Yuwen was reluctant to release the person, as capturing the second assassin of "Traceless" was a major event. However, since Baili Qingyi had captured the person herself, she couldn't take credit from the younger generation.
"Young Master in Green, you must find out the whereabouts of 'Wuhen'," Old Madam Yuwen urged anxiously.
Baili Qingyi replied cautiously, "Those 'Traceless' people have their own methods for dealing with torture. If you push them to the limit, they might even commit suicide to preserve their secrets. It's really difficult to get anything out of them. However, I will do my best."
Yuwen Hongying, who was standing to the side, glanced at him with some disapproval.
Yuwen Cuiyu tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Hongying, don't act rashly."
Yuwen Hongying's expression hardened: "It's none of your business."
When Yuwen Cuiyu was trapped in the enemy's hands, Yuwen Hongying was extremely anxious. However, after Yuwen Cuiyu was out of danger, Yuwen Hongying remembered that this person was not only her sister, but also the one who had revealed the absolute power of the Green Robe at Chuxiu Manor, and was her most powerful rival in love.
Yuwen Cuiyu's expression showed slight pain. She pulled Yuwen Hongying aside and said patiently, "Hongying, I was not in the martial world before, and I did not know that you had done so many foolish things for the sake of the young master in green."
“Everything I did was for his benefit and to his good. How can it be considered foolish?”
"You think you're doing it for his own good, but the result could very well harm him. Do you realize that?"
Yuwen Hongying's expression suddenly turned extremely cold.
"Sister, are you really going to compete with me?"
Yuwen Cuiyu sighed, "Why can't you understand?"
She reached out to grasp Yuwen Hongying's hand, but missed.
“Hongying,” Yuwen Cuiyu awkwardly withdrew her hand, “Why… do you like the young man in blue? I only know that you like him, but I have never asked you why.”
Why are you asking this?
Yuwen Cuiyu lovingly tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "Since you want to compete with me, you need to be clear about whether your feelings for him are worth giving up our sisterly bond."
“I…” Yuwen Hongying was speechless.
Yuwen Cuiyu felt a pang of sympathy.
Her younger sister always wanted what she couldn't have, and over time, she herself couldn't tell whether she was fighting for what she wanted or wanting for what she fought for. As Yuwen Hongying's only sister, how could she not know this aspect of her personality?
When Yuwen Hongying was asked this question, she was instantly at a loss. Why did she fall in love with Baili Qingyi?
Liking Baili Qingyi seems to need no reason. But there always has to be a beginning.
Yuwen Hongying then recalled the scene when she first met Baili Qingyi.
That year, she was a young girl just entering the martial arts world, a rising star who was listed in both the Martial Arts Beauties Record and the Weapon Ranking. Her pride was unparalleled.
After gaining fame, she challenged You Antai, the lord of Huajian Fort, to a duel at Huajian Fort to spar. However, the old man You Antai harbored ill intentions. After losing the match to her, he secretly attacked her and even tried to take liberties with her. Fortunately, Baili Qingyi witnessed the incident, which saved her chastity and life.
However, she did not fall in love with him at the time.
Baili Qingyi captured You Antai, but first asked her: How do you intend to deal with him?
In her rage, she blurted out: "I will strip this lecherous thief naked, write the words 'lecherous thief' on his chest, and hang it on the city gate for three days and three nights as a warning to others!"
It's common for people in the martial arts world to speak boldly, but she saw an unusual look of astonishment on Baili Qingyi's face, as if she were a monster that had flown in from outer space.
Her face inexplicably flushed red. She heard Baili Qingyi's soft laughter and looked up to see his joyful face.
She was stunned. His smile was so helpless yet so joyful, and it carried a heartfelt sense of tolerance and even doting. In that instant, for the first time, she forgot that she was the second young lady of the Yuwen family and a female knight-errant. Instead, she remembered that she was a sixteen-year-old girl.
Baili Qingyi did exactly as she said, and You Antai was ashamed to ever appear in the martial world again. However, she never saw that smile again. His smile remained refined and kind, yet it always seemed as if separated by an immense ocean. From then on, she suddenly understood: Baili Qingyi was a great hero, but not someone one could easily approach.
The indulgence and doting in his smile were not directed at her.
If not to her, then to whom?
She was extremely dissatisfied. She was determined that one day Baili Qingyi would only smile at her like that, and only be that gentle to her.
It's an undeniable fact that countless women in the martial arts world secretly loved him, but most of them obediently married off after their initial crushes faded. She, however, remained devoted to him for six long years from that day forward. Some called her foolish, others called her infatuated, but she had no regrets… How many opportunities does one have in a lifetime to meet someone like this: someone whose eyes allow you to clearly see your most vulnerable self?
In a daze, Yuwen Hongying's hand was already being held by Yuwen Cuiyu.
"Hongying, my sister. You can love someone, but never love them to the point of being unable to extricate yourself."
Yuwen Hongying paid no heed to her words: "Sister, if you weren't so hopelessly in love, how could things have come to this point where you're fighting as sisters?"
Yuwen Cuiyu was speechless.
She took a deep breath: "Hongying, the young master in green robes is going to Hundred Questions Valley to meet the Divine Physician Hundred Questions. Will you go with him?"
"That's natural."
"The young master in blue met with the divine physician Baiwen for Yin Wuxiao's sake. Do you understand?"
Yuwen Hongying was taken aback.
After a long pause, she replied, "Sister, I ask myself, I love her more than she does, and I can do more for Brother Qingyi than she can. I will not lose to her."
Yuwen Cuiyu said hesitantly, "I know. But you might have already lost before she even begins to fall in love."
Chapter Ten: Passion Backfires, Only Heartlessness Revenges (Part Two)
When a woman has set her sights on a man, her obsession is terrifying; it's something that ten horses couldn't pull back, and nothing—not even family, friends, or sisters—can rouse her.
This statement was strongly exemplified in Yuwen Hongying.
The following day, Yuwen Hongying took it upon herself to interrogate Yin Zhangzhang, who was imprisoned in the Yuwen Mansion, about the whereabouts of the "Wuhen" headquarters. Yin Zhangzhang seized the opportunity to capture her and escape from the Yuwen Mansion.
Madam Yuwen was furious and, in front of Baili Qingyi and the others, demanded that Yuwen Hongying be severely punished.
Yuwen Cuiyu knelt down with a thud: "Grandma, it's already a great blessing that Hongying is unharmed. Please forgive her this once. I, Cuiyu, am willing to bear all the blame for her."
Madam Yuwen did not genuinely intend to use family law to whip her second granddaughter in front of all the heroes. After Baili Qingyi and others pleaded for her, the matter was dropped.
Afterwards, Baili Hanyi asked Baili Qingyi, "Were you truly pleading for Miss Yuwen?"
Baili Qingyi frowned: "What kind of talk is this? If it's not sincere, is it just a lie?"
Baili Hanyi snorted through his nose, "Anyway, I was just pretending. That girl Yuwen Hongying does nothing but cause trouble. We finally managed to capture 'Wuhen's' Soul Hook, and before we could even make good use of her, she let her go."
"She didn't do it on purpose."
"It wasn't intentional, but it's already caused so much trouble. If it were intentional, who knows what would have happened." Baili Hanyi sneered. "I think that Miss Yuwen is a reasonable, gentle and virtuous girl. I just don't know how she ended up with such a grandmother and sister."
Baili Qingyi's thin lips were tightly pursed.
Seeing his displeasure, Baili Hanyi chuckled and said, "Brother, don't be angry. I was just making a casual comment."
Baili Qingyi sighed. His younger brother was good in every way, except that he was a bit long-winded.
"Hurry up and pack your bags, we'll set off for Baiwen Valley tomorrow."
Why?
"Within Hubei Province, only Yuwen Prefecture and Baiwen Valley are worth Qiong Sect's journey south. Since Qiong Sect's destination is not Yuwen Prefecture, it must be Baiwen Valley."
After a moment of contemplation, Baili Hanyi finally couldn't help but ask, "Brother, you really didn't go to Baiwen Valley for Yin Wuxiao?"
Baili Qingyi paused for a moment, then said, "No."
"But I find your attitude towards Yin Wuxiao quite intriguing. Are you old acquaintances?"
Baili Qingyi glanced at him indifferently.