Schatzkammer von Jianghu

Kapitel 14

15. Cause and Condition

Chu Yi felt as if he were floating in a dark ocean, with no light, no wind, nothing at all. His soul seemed to be sinking into an endless abyss, pulling the pain in his head like a sharp rope, falling straight down.

Is this what it felt like to drift to the East China Sea in an ice coffin?

A voice echoed in my heart.

He tried desperately to paddle away from the vast East China Sea, but found himself utterly powerless, only able to spin in the whirlpools. Suddenly, dark clouds gathered, lightning flashed, and thunder roared. A vibrant, handsome face appeared before him, calling out gently, "Shuangcheng, Shuangcheng!" Chu Yi cried out in surprise, "Tianxiao, Tianxiao, I'm here!" But the man turned away, looking at Chu Yi coldly. Chu Yi panicked, wanting to crawl towards him but unable to muster the strength. In his heart, he cried out, "Tianxiao, Tianxiao, don't you recognize me? Don't you recognize me because it's not the same face as before?"

Chu Yi's eyes gradually became moist and warm, and he suddenly opened them.

Above her eyes was a section of gray gauze curtain and a birch wood ceiling.

Chu Yi remained silent, turning her face towards a simple, peeling mahogany eight-immortal table, from which a faint scent of sandalwood incense burned. A figure dressed in a royal blue robe sat beside the table.

The light in Chu Yi's eyes faded away, and unable to suppress the disappointment in her heart, she turned her face away and lay quietly.

The person at the table turned around and smiled gently at Chu Yi: "What has Chu Yi remembered?"

Chu Yi closed his eyes, and after a while said calmly, "Thank you, Young Master Nie." After saying this, he simply shut his mouth tightly.

Nie Wuyou pulled the bamboo chair closer to the bed and looked calmly at Chu Yi's silent face.

“You are now worth a hundred times more.” Nie Wuyou looked at it for a while, then suddenly broke the silence.

Chu Yi closed his eyes and remained silent for a long time. After thinking carefully, he asked a few questions that he thought were very important: "Young Master Nie, may I ask where this place is?"

"Qingshan Temple in Youzhou".

"Did you save me, young master?"

"Yes."

"Did you bandage my wound, young master?"

“Yes.” Nie Wuyou answered without hesitation, then added after a moment’s thought, “There are monks all here.”

Chu Yi's eyebrows twitched slightly, he pursed his lips, and finally said calmly, "Thank you, young master."

Nie Wuyou looked at Chu Yi's blank and calm face, smiled slightly, and turned to leave the room.

The next morning, when Nie Wuyou stepped into Chu Yi's room, he found that Chu Yi was not in bed. He was secretly startled, touched the bed with his hands, and then turned and walked out.

Located at the foot of Qingyun Mountain, Qingshan Temple stands in the depths of winter, where the surrounding landscape is barren and desolate, yet the temple remains lush and green. In this place untouched by war, it has become a pristine paradise. The sweet fragrance of wild thorns mingles with the tall, solemn cypress trees, exuding a profound and dignified Zen-like atmosphere.

Chu Yi wore a plain blue robe with white trim over a thin blue and white padded jacket, which made his figure appear slender and refined. He sat quietly under the green tree, listening with his eyes closed to the celestial tolling of the morning bell.

The sound of the bell pierced through the pale, damp air, like the ancient wilderness, striking Chu Yi's heart again and again.

With her hands behind her back, Nie Wuyou walked step by step toward the first day of the new school, in rhythm with the tolling of the bell.

Chu Yi opened his eyes and stood gracefully in front of Nie Wuyou, bowing respectfully: "Young Master."

Nie Wuyou subtly shifted his position, landing beside Chu Yi and narrowly avoiding Chu Yi's impassioned bow. "Chu Yi..." Nie Wuyou's voice was hesitant and slow as he silently scrutinized Chu Yi's face.

Chu Yi looked directly into Nie Wuyou's eyes, which were cold and clear, like a deep pool in an ancient well, without a ripple.

"May I ask you a few questions, young master?"

Nie Wuyou smiled faintly: "Asking questions is fine, but there's no need for such formalities."

Chu nodded, looked at the distant mountains, and slowly asked, "How is the boy who was with me doing now?"

Nie Wuyou walked up to Chu Yi, looked down at him, and said with a half-smile, "Does Chu Yi know who the boy with you is?"

A wave of bitterness washed over Chu Yi, and he felt as if all the bitterness in his heart was welling up in his mouth. His lips moved a few times, but no sound came out.

"That's the number one young general of Jingxiang Kingdom. Legend has it that when he was born, the Emperor of Jingxiang dreamed of a sky full of clouds and auspicious beasts rising in the south, and bestowed upon him the name Nan Jingqi. What, don't you recognize him at first?"

As the soft words fell, Chu Yi suddenly turned to face the silent courtyard, his eyes closed and his body trembling slightly.

Nie Wuyou stood behind Chu Yi, silently watching his thin body tremble slightly in the windless morning.

Chu Yi clenched his fists tightly, struggling to control his body. A long, ancient bell rang in his ears again, piercing through his chaotic, dark mind, tearing a sliver of light through it. He slowly, very slowly, relaxed his shoulders, lowered his hands, and turned around gently, facing the distant, twilight mountains once more, calmly saying, "I don't know them."

"You don't know that Chu Yi would risk his life to save a stranger from the clutches of the Evil-Slaying Young Master?"

Chu Yi lowered his eyelids, his heart sinking: So that highly skilled swordsman was indeed the Evil-Repelling Young Master. Who else but the Evil-Repelling Young Master could possess such unparalleled swordsmanship?

Chu Yi raised his eyes and said calmly, "It looks very much like an old friend of Chu Yi's."

Nie Wuyou smiled nonchalantly, turned around and stood shoulder to shoulder with Chu Yi, looking at the distant mountains and clouds: "I believe such words, but it is a pity that Young Master Bixie will not believe them so easily."

"Does the young master know the Evil-Repelling Young Master very well?"

"You don't need to trick me, first year of junior high. Just ask me whatever you want to know, and I'll tell you everything I know."

"Since you're so straightforward, does that mean I must answer the questions you want to know later on the first day of the lunar month?"

"clever."

Chu Yi remained silent for a while. The chaos and pain from before had gradually subsided, and the clarity in his mind allowed him to sort out his thoughts. "I rushed there between dawn and dusk and happened to rescue General Nan. What exactly happened?"

Nie Wuyou's eyes flashed with a light like ice silk, and he continued to speak slowly and methodically with his hands behind his back.

"Since the wars of the Former Tang Dynasty, the Jingxiang Kingdom has been weak. This time, Nan Jingqi, together with Li Jingtang, a former subordinate of the Former Tang, wants to occupy Yingyun Town. This has always been a battleground between the north and south. On the surface, it is said that the incompetent emperor of Jingxiang came because of the beauty of his concubine. In reality, Nan Jingqi secretly mobilized the imperial guards to surround and capture her, and also to seize his family heirloom - the Dragon Pattern Sword."

"It's a pity they underestimated the abilities of the Young Master Bixie. After you left, the Three Hermits of Cangshan killed the two Tang Gunners, and Leng Qi killed Wang Yifei. The Young Master Bixie wiped out three hundred guards of Jingxiang in one night, poisoned the King of Jingxiang, eliminated the power of Li Jingtang from the previous dynasty, shook the morale of the Jingxiang army, and shocked the court and the public."

Chu Yi now understands why Li Jingtang remained so calm and composed after being ambushed in the inn's lobby that night. It turns out there were reinforcements lying in wait outside the inn, but unfortunately, they were all wiped out, truly proving the saying "the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."

"Now the entire martial arts world and the imperial court are talking about this battle. The common people are talking about the Battle of Luoyan Tower. There was a fearless young man who, despite being pierced by the Twin Stars of the Mother and Child from the hands of the Evil-Repelling Young Master, still managed to save the only survivor—Nan Jingqi."

Presumably, this news was deliberately leaked by the young master of Bixie, otherwise, would his trusted subordinates and well-trained archer guards dare to gossip about it?

Chu Yi frowned, slowly analyzing the young master's carefully laid plans.

"The next day, the Young Master Bixie issued a bounty notice throughout the martial arts world, offering a reward of one hundred taels of silver to anyone who could provide information on the whereabouts of the boy whose right shoulder was pierced, and another reward of one hundred taels of silver to anyone who could kill the boy and bring him his head."

At this point, Nie Wuyou smiled at Chu Yi.

"Aren't you afraid that Young Master Bixie will find this place?" Chu Yi asked, his eyes slightly lowered and his voice calm.

"This all started with our chance encounter with Chu Yi."

"please."

"That day, General Nan calmly took you to Liangping Town in Youzhou to seek help, and someone had already reported it to the young master of Bixie. I entered through the back door of Huichun Hall, gave the shopkeeper a silver ingot, and asked him to use the excuse of treating the wounds separately to send General Nan away. Then I easily took you out of the city."

Nie Wuyou noticed that Chu Yi's eyebrows would twitch every time he said the name "Nan Jingqi," and he chuckled to himself but didn't say anything. When he looked at Chu Yi's face again, he couldn't help but smile continuously at the boy's serious expression and lowered eyes.

"How did you lead me out of the city, young master?"

Nie Wuyou gave a big smile: "Apply the medicine first, then place it in the carriage's side panel."

Chu Yi's gaze dimmed: "Has no one checked this carriage?"

Nie Wuyou chuckled: "Who would dare to inspect a car belonging to Bixie Manor?"

Chu Yi looked up and quietly gazed at Nie Wuyou. Nie Wuyou smiled to himself, "Chu Yi knew that the Divine Calculator had invited the eldest daughter of the Dongting Shui family."

"Of course."

“The Shui family is not only skilled at controlling birds, but they also seem to understand bird language, something very little is known in the martial arts world. The Divine Calculator invited the young lady of the Shui family to deliver messages along the way, which was extremely convenient and timely, so naturally they wouldn't neglect Miss Shui. Therefore, it was only natural for Miss Shui to suggest using the luxurious carriage of the Evil-Repelling Manor to escort her home. As for me—” Nie Wuyou looked directly into Chu Yi’s eyes and said calmly, “I’ll just hitch a ride along the way.”

Chu Yi looked away, glancing to the side: "Where is General Nan now?"

"Chu Yi wanted to ask if Nan Jingqi's life was safe, right? Don't worry, how could a young general who is famous for his battlefield experience at the age of twenty not realize that Chu Yi had been kidnapped? General Nan would naturally leave as well."

Nie Wuyou looked at Chu Yi's silent profile: "Why doesn't Chu Yi care why Miss Shui was so cooperative in saving your life? Is Qingshan Temple safe?"

"The Shui and Nie families have been friends for decades. It must have been the young master who persuaded Miss Shui."

Nie Wuyou's gaze swept lightly over the distant mountains, and the image of Shui Qianmie's bright and resolute face flashed through his mind. He sighed and remained silent for a moment.

Chu Yi's expression remained as wooden and calm as ever, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

"Qingshan Temple is two hundred miles away from Zhuozhou, near the border of the Sanggan River. The Water Maiden left you here on her way back. Master Kumu of the temple was a sworn brother of Prince Jingzhuang in his secular life, and Prince Jingzhuang's son was a student of Master Dongge."

Chu Yi silently walked to the pine tree and sat down, quietly asking, "Young Master Nie, should I call you Young Master Wuyou or Lord of Lonely Town?"

Nie Wuyou's back was to Chu Yi, so his expression was obscured. He seemed to gaze at the green mountains for a long time before turning around and smiling. Chu Yi saw that the smile seemed to have lost its warmth, leaving only a few strands of bitterness lingering at the corners of his mouth.

"Chu Yi is indeed exceptionally intelligent. I always see you as quiet and reserved, but it turns out you understand all these intricate connections."

Chu Yi lowered his eyes again, looking at the hem of his clothes: "I haven't yet asked about the relationship between you and Mr. Dongge."

"He is my senior brother."

"So they're all disciples of the Medicine King. No wonder I examined the wound so quickly and efficiently last night; it truly shows my superb medical skills." Chu Yi pondered silently, continuing to try and sort out the remaining questions from the past few days.

How did Chu Yi discover this secret that had been hidden for nearly eight years?

"It is said that Young Master Wuyou never leaves his home, and very few people in the martial arts world have seen his face. Although he said that he was escorting Miss Shui and Madam Ru on this trip, the reason is rather weak."

"Anything else?"

"We've only seen Young Master Nie issuing orders along the way, but we haven't seen Lord Lonely Town. It's clear that the two can't be in the same place."

“People who no longer appear in the same place are as numerous as the stars in summer,” Nie Wuyou said calmly.

"The Lonely Town Lord's medical skills are superb. He knew my secret the very night he disguised me. When I questioned him yesterday, Young Master Nie showed no embarrassment, as if he had foreseen it. Since I was born, only two people have known this secret: one is Ruan Si, whom I once carelessly leaned on, and the other is the Lonely Town Lord."

Nie Wuyou stood silently with his hands behind his back, the pale morning sun illuminating the shimmering amber light in his eyes. After a while, he sighed deeply: "The identity of 'Lonely Triumph' was assigned to me by the true Lord of Qinglong Town. I am actually Nie Wuyou."

“I was frail from childhood. My father made me learn martial arts and then sent me to study under the Medicine King. In fact, I never even met my master. My medical skills were all taught to me by my senior brother.”

After saying that, Nie Wuyou stood there silently, lost in thought.

"Thank you for your frankness, young master." Chu Yi's eyes were clear and untainted, without a trace of impurity.

"Please tell me two final questions, young master."

"Please feel free to speak."

"Where are the bodies of Ruan Si and Madam Ru?"

"It was dissolved by the young master's order to use the Tang Clan's 'Scattering Stone Water'."

Where can I find the Young Master of Evil Repelling?

Nie Wuyou's eyes narrowed, radiating disbelief. His face, like melting snow on a glacier, showed a thousand deep lines: "Why did Chu Yi walk right into this trap? If you had fallen into the young master's hands, you would have been torn to pieces."

At first glance, he smiled gently at the distant mountains and said, "It's nothing important."