The crisp sound was like a jade ring being thrown into a deep pool.
"I dare not speak for other couplets, but this one for the blue-robed woman is absolutely perfect. No one else in the world but me can match it."
Yuwen Cuiyu looked at her in surprise, and for the first time, she was at a loss.
With one hand, Yin Wuxiao slowly inserted the phoenix hairpin into her temple, and quietly looked at Yuwen Cuiyu in the mirror.
"Jiu'er, you've made a mistake because this Qingyi is absolutely not something that can be matched by just having poetic talent."
She gently gathered a few strands of her soft hair.
"The two verses of 'Qingyi Jueju' were both written by me personally, and only I know their meaning."
The person who slaughtered over twenty members of her Yin family that day, robbing her of her once happy life, was this very person. The assassin who disguised himself as an unremarkable young maid and infiltrated her side for two years was this very person.
Now, the clues she has gathered have finally confirmed that her enemy is this person.
Yin Wuxiao's expression in the mirror was sinister.
She was waiting for Yuwen Cuiyu, or rather, Jiu'er. She was waiting for her answer.
Yuwen Cuiyu lowered her head and remained silent.
She thought she had hidden it very well, but unexpectedly, Yin Wuxiao still saw through her disguise.
After a while, Yuwen Cuiyu leaned down and whispered in Yin Wuxiao's ear, looking into the mirror.
"I see. But Miss, you're the one who's been caught this time."
Suddenly everything went black, and Yin Wuxiao was plunged into boundless darkness.
Outside the door, the maid in plain clothes wrinkled her nose, revealing an annoyed expression.
"Yin Wuxiao! You woman who keeps everyone in suspense!"
Qiao Fenglang stood alone in the empty new house.
A wedding banquet without the bride is like a lavish joke, coldly mocking his pathetic state.
Suddenly his eyes widened, and he strode out the door, sword in hand.
"Baili Qingyi, give me back Xiao'er!" Suddenly, a long sword was placed against Baili Qingyi's neck.
The guests had mostly left, and no one dared to show any regret or mockery at this juncture, much less step forward to interfere in the entanglement between the two.
Baili Qingyi did not dodge. He glanced sideways at the cold blade pressed against his neck, a rare hint of annoyance appearing on his face.
"At this point, what should be done is to carefully investigate the scene and not overlook any clues, rather than needlessly taking out one's anger on others."
"Stop pretending!" Qiao Fenglang tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, his eyes almost spitting fire. "If you hadn't taken Xiao'er away, who else would have done it? Baili Qingyi, if you have the guts, compete with me fairly and squarely. What kind of hero resorts to such underhanded tricks?"
Baili Qingyi's dark eyes narrowed: "I didn't take her away. You're the one who took a living person from Baiwen Manor, and now that she's gone, what right do you have to ask me for her back?"
"..." Qiao Fenglang was speechless for a moment, caught off guard by Baili Qingyi's retort. This was the first time he had ever heard Baili Qingyi retort in public.
"Even if you didn't take her away, it must be related to you! Xiao'er... Xiao'er must have run away from her marriage to find you!" Baili Qingyi's calmness made his jealousy even more unvented, and it burst out in an impulsive resentment.
Baili Qingyi's face tightened, his lowered eyelids concealing his current mood, while his knuckles clenched so tightly they turned blue inside his wide robe.
"Indeed, entrusting Xiao'er to you was a mistake."
"What?" Qiao Fenglang was stunned, thinking he had misheard.
“I say,” Baili Qingyi said slowly but firmly, “that entrusting Xiao’er to you was a mistake. You are not worthy of her.” He paused, a warmth finally appearing in his eyes:
"The Yin Wuxiao I know is a woman of her word; she would never do something like running away from an arranged marriage."
Qiao Fenglang felt as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer. Baili Qingyi's words were an immense insult to him. No man could tolerate his beloved woman being mentioned by another man in such a tone and manner.
His face flushed red, then turned pale, then white, before finally letting out a mocking sneer.
"Do you think you're good enough for her? Someone who doesn't even have the courage to ask her to stay has no right to criticize me."
Baili Hanyi, standing behind him, secretly broke out in a cold sweat.
A strong sense of oppression enveloped Baili Qingyi. No one saw what Baili Qingyi did. All they knew was that Qiao Fenglang's sword broke with a thud, and before Qiao Fenglang could react, he was thrown high into the air by a long, sustained force and crashed heavily to the ground.
Yuwen Hongying, who had followed behind, finally couldn't hold back any longer and stepped forward, excitedly calling out, "Brother Qingyi, why must you suffer humiliation for that woman? It's their business if their bride is lost, we..." But she abruptly stopped when she saw Baili Qingyi's expression. At this moment, Baili Qingyi was neither warm nor relaxed; in fact, a shadow of darkness had appeared between his brows. He wasn't a benevolent deity, but a man of flesh and blood.
Baili Hanyi tugged at her sleeve, signaling her to stop talking.
The young man in blue was enraged.
Even when facing the most vicious and ruthless people, he had never seen Baili Qingyi so enraged. If Baili Qingyi's mood was merely unpredictable after Yin Wuxiao left the capital, then this time, with Yin Wuxiao gone from Baiwen Manor, Baili Qingyi was shrouded in gloom. Seeing Qiao Fenglang's furious expression and the empty bridal chamber, Baili Qingyi's anger was beyond words.
But... Baili Hanyi shook his head helplessly. Wasn't Baili Qingyi himself also consumed by jealousy and hatred, just as angry and ashamed, and just as full of resentment? His elder brother, who was worried about the world before others, was just asking for trouble. Even he wanted to ask his elder brother, "Why didn't you keep him here in the first place?"
“Miss Yuwen,” Baili Qingyi suddenly turned to Yuwen Hongying, “where is your sister?”
"Huh?" Yuwen Hongying was still in shock from Baili Qingyi's earlier words. "My sister hasn't been feeling well these past two days, so she didn't attend the wedding..." Why did the conversation suddenly turn to her sister again?
Baili Qingyi's brows were arched and his deep, unfathomable pupils held unfathomable information. He was about to assemble his forces to follow the clues and rescue the person when he heard a commotion coming from the doorway.
As the crowd dispersed, several stern-faced guards in black appeared, and nestled in the center of them was Cen Lu, the head manager of Huanyi Study in the capital. It was clear that even the usually icy head manager's face was somewhat pale.
"What brings Manager Cen here?" Baili Qingyi keenly sensed something.
Sure enough, Cen Lu gritted his teeth and spat out two words: "Find someone!"
Chapter Nineteen: The Brocade Zither's Startling Strings Shatter the Dream (Part Three)
Baili Qingyi's suspicion of Yuwen Cuiyu began with Qingyi's absolute certainty.
He also knew that only Yin Wuxiao in the world could come up with the perfect second line of the couplet. However, Yuwen Cuiyu had irregular meridians since childhood and should not have been able to practice martial arts, so how could she have killed everyone in the Yin family? He originally wanted to investigate what unusual people Yuwen Cuiyu had come into contact with, but he accidentally learned that Yuwen Cuiyu often lived in the suburbs of the capital due to poor health when she was young, and that she had been seriously ill for three years after the age of eighteen, to the point that she could not leave the house.
The massacre at the Yin residence occurred in the last of those three years.
Baili Qingyi intuitively felt that what happened during those three years was the key to the Yin family massacre, and also the key to another, even bigger secret that he needed to investigate.
Six years ago, before Qiao Baiyue, the former leader of the Qiao Clan, passed away, he entrusted someone to deliver a letter to Baili Qingyi's father, Baili Chan. In the letter, he implored Baili Chan to find his lost son, Mu Li, and a very precious martial arts manual that Mu Li had stolen. The letter also instructed that this matter concerned the reputation of the Qiao Clan, and asked Baili Chan to keep it a secret.
Qiao Baiyue subsequently passed away, leaving Baili Chan with no chance to refuse. The following year, Baili Chan also died of illness, telling his eldest son, Baili Qingyi, the whole story before his death.
After reading Old Master Qiao's handwritten letter, Baili Qingyi's doubts only grew stronger. Although Qiao Baiyue's words were extremely earnest and he repeatedly emphasized the importance of the matter, he was vague in many places, such as why Qiao Baiyue had an extra son, and what the martial arts manual was called. However, the clues were too scarce, and Baili Qingyi had made no progress after years of investigation.
However, the assassination organization "Traceless" slowly rose to prominence afterward.
"Wuhen" operates in a highly peculiar way. While their motives may seem to be accumulating wealth, they don't accept just any mission. "Wuhen" primarily shelters individuals from unorthodox sects, many of whom are utterly useless, yet "Wuhen" still provides them with a place to live. It is precisely because of this that "Wuhen's" power has gradually grown over the years, until it threatens the safety of the entire martial arts world. Such an organization possesses unparalleled assassination skills; over 70% of martial artists in the world could potentially be beheaded in their sleep. How could this not cause widespread anxiety?
The mysteries surrounding the origins of "Wuhen," Yuwen Cuiyu, and the Qiao Fenglang brothers intersected during the massacre at the Yin family mansion. And it was through Yin Wuxiao that Baili Qingyi finally found the key to unraveling all these mysteries.
He had long sensed that Yin Wuxiao would be the key to solving all these mysteries. His attention to her actions and his tracking of her movements were not only driven by personal motives, but more importantly, by a desire to uncover the truth behind this colossal secret. This matter was like a vast labyrinth; none of the parties involved could see the whole picture. Only Yin Wuxiao was at the core connecting everything. Her relationship with the Qiao family, her mother's relationship with the former leader of the Qiong Sect, her role in the Yin family massacre—all of this made her the only one with the opportunity to see the whole story clearly.
According to Mu Wanfeng, Mu Li is Qiao Fenglang's twin brother, and he disappeared as soon as he entered the Central Plains. The fact that Old Master Qiao was searching for him before his death suggests that Mu Li met Qiao Baiyue after entering the Central Plains. The martial arts manual that Mu Li stole is most likely the long-lost martial arts manual of the Qiong Sect, "Soul-Destroying Annihilation."
To master the Soul-Destroying Annihilation Technique to its highest level, Mu Li needs to obtain the pair of Blood Jade Pendants. But why did one of the Blood Jade Pendants end up in the Xu family pawnshop in Luoyang? And how did the owner of "Traceless" know the whereabouts of the Blood Jade Pendant and send Fang Yan Zui and Cui Sheng Han to retrieve it?
If Mu Li was the one who mastered the Soul-Destroying Kill, why would he use it to kill everyone in the Yin family?
If Mu Li is related to "Wu Hen", why would "Wu Hen" want to kill Mu Li's mother, Mu Wanfeng?
These mysteries remain unsolved.
Baili Qingyi pondered all night, unable to sleep, and whenever he thought of Yin Wuxiao's clear and intelligent eyes, his heart ached. Before he knew it, dawn had broken.
He began to wonder if he had made a mistake by suppressing his emotions and letting Yin Wuxiao leave at Baiwen Manor that day.
But Yin Wuxiao is such an important piece in his game, how could he interfere with her moves and change the entire layout?
Yes, she was originally a pawn in his game. If Yin Wuxiao knew this, I wonder how she would view him.
A bitter smile appeared on Baili Qingyi's lips.
He wanted to protect and care for her wholeheartedly, yet ultimately he had to use her. No wonder Yin Wuxiao mocked him for not understanding what love truly meant, given how he treated the woman he loved.
However, he was none other than the young master in blue robes from Baili Mansion, who carried the hopes of the entire martial arts world on his shoulders. The great achievements of his ancestors, the teachings of his father, the reputation of Baili Mansion, and his innate sense of responsibility and mission all made him clearly understand that there were some things in this world that had to be accomplished.
His father's dying words echoed in his ears: "To seek justice for the dead, to clear the names of the wronged, to provide shelter for the weak and vulnerable, and to seek justice for the humiliated. This is your responsibility as Baili Qingyi from now on."
He rallied his spirits and temporarily set aside his personal feelings for his children.
At this moment, Baili Hanyi entered the room and, seeing his elder brother's strange expression, coughed twice.
Baili Qingyi raised an eyebrow: "Any new news?"
Baili Hanyi nodded: "Someone saw the Smiling Buddha, one of the Five Evil Stars, heading west with two women. Judging from the description, those two women are Yuwen Cuiyu and Yin Wuxiao."
"In that case, they must be heading to the 'Traceless' headquarters."
"That should be correct."
"Could we possibly pinpoint their exact location?"
"After they crossed the Yellow River, they disappeared without a trace. It seems they deliberately let our people see them, so they would know that the two girls had fallen into the hands of 'Wuhen'."
Upon hearing this, Baili Qingyi frowned and remained silent in thought.
"Hanyi, tell me, what is the purpose of 'Wuhen's' actions?"
"I can't figure it out." Baili Hanyi was never one to overthink things, so he smiled slightly and said, "Most likely, it's a trap to lure people in."
Whom does he intend to seduce?
Baili Hanyi glanced at his elder brother. He thought to himself, "Since he's already taken Yuwen Cuiyu and Yin Wuxiao, who else would he be tempting besides you?"
Baili Qingyi saw through his thoughts and said, "In your opinion, who has always been 'Wuhen's' greatest enemy?"
"It's you?"
"...It's Joe."
"Joe?"
“Or rather, it’s Qiao Fenglang.” Baili Qingyi looked away and gazed at the frightened birds outside the window. “‘Wuhen’ has always been targeting Qiao Fenglang.”
"Brother suspects that Qiao Fenglang has some connection with 'Wuhen'? Why not just ask him directly?"
“He won’t tell,” Baili Qingyi said.
"More than twenty years ago, the left and right protectors of the Qiong Sect were Jiang Li and Mu Wanfeng. If Mu Wanfeng was the one who stole the Soul Extinction Manual, then the Blood Jade Pendant should have been in Jiang Li's hands. If it was stolen, why would Jiang Li remain silent? The only possibility is that Jiang Li gave it to someone else."
"Who?" Baili Hanyi was shocked. Jiang Li, the former leader of the Qiong Sect, was a well-known cold and tough man. How could he casually give such an important thing to someone else?
"It is said that Jiang Li fell in love with a woman in the Central Plains, so he gave her his most precious possession as a token."