Schatzkammer von Jianghu

Kapitel 73

The moonlight was hazy, casting a cold and desolate glow on the alley. An Jie rubbed his eyes and noticed that the shadow of the high wall on his left was rather heavy, reflecting a faint blue light like a crescent moon.

He wasn't mistaken; it was blue light. He immediately and alertly grabbed a few flower branches.

A man in black slowly emerged from the shadows. He had a square face and thick eyebrows, and should have the air of a general who had been through many battles. However, he was carrying a sword with a lotus-shaped handle.

An Jie sobered up instantly. A night breeze inexplicably dispelled his heat, leaving him drenched in cold sweat. Although he had never seen that sword before, he had heard people in the manor say that it was a weapon even the young master couldn't avoid—the Sun and Moon Golden Wheel.

An Jie didn't allow the newcomer to stop. With a swift movement, eight bellflower branches flew out from his hand. As one of the Seven Stars, besides his superb brewing skills, his ability to control qi with flowers was also unparalleled, even surpassing that of He Qingxi, the hidden weapon expert who died tragically under the Golden Wheel.

He was always confident in his drinking capacity and his hidden weapons. He launched the eight hidden weapons from four blind spots. Even if they could not seriously injure the attackers, they bought him time to escape with his owl-like figure.

But then a flash of blue light, and all the hidden weapons disappeared into the ground. The man in black remained close to An Jie's back, like a shadow. An Jie felt a chill run through his body. He tried to escape in three different ways, but realizing he still couldn't shake off the man in black, he fell into an alley.

The newcomer was clearly more skilled in martial arts than him, and since he didn't use gunpowder to kill him, he must have been trying to capture him alive.

"My name is Wei Wuyi." The man in black smiled sinisterly. "Even though you've changed your clothes, I recognized you the moment you started drinking. Coincidentally, you're also our guest, and our host has asked me to invite you to his residence for a chat."

The moon hangs high in the sky, silently observing the vicissitudes of human life.

An ordinary inn outside Qingzhou City, bathed in a soft glow, slept peacefully.

Unlike his elder brother An Jie, who was addicted to alcohol and made mistakes, Chai Jin, the owner of Sihai Gambling House, was lying comfortably in the main room he had paid two taels of silver to maintain.

Thinking of the two taels of silver, he felt a pang of heartache. When he went to find lodging that night, many inns had already been occupied by martial arts heroes who had rushed to the gathering after hearing the news. He picked and chose for a long time before finally selecting this place that was both cheap and comfortable. Then, thinking that he could spend the money at the young lady's place the next day, he smiled again.

With a "click," the window was flung open by the wind. Chai Jin turned his eyes, his face instantly turning deathly pale, his body trembling violently, and his bones cracking incessantly.

Two stiff figures stood by the bed, wearing gray robes with crossed jaws, each carrying a thick, black iron rod.

“Double Tang staffs…” Chai Jin’s breath hitched, his voice trembling, “How could this be… how could this be…” He suddenly grabbed the quilt, which flew out like snowflakes, and took advantage of the gap in the fatal blow to rush towards the corner of the mosquito net to escape.

The two Tang-style staffs leaped forward, taking full force from the blade imbued with their inner strength. One of them awkwardly slid to the left and stopped in Chai Jincai's escape route.

Chai Jin crashed hard into a metal plate, feeling dizzy and disoriented. He shrank back to the corner of the bed, groaning incessantly, "They're right next to me! They really are two Tang thugs... I regret choosing this remote inn. Now I'm completely helpless..."

Moonlight seeped into the room, illuminating the expressionless, blank profiles of the two Tang men. Their eyes, wide open and shrouded in the dark shadows of the trees, looked eerily sinister.

Chai Jin lost the courage to resist, and he was powerless to resist anyway. He watched in terror as the two zombie-like figures with their double Tang sticks approached. Outside the window, a figure stood gracefully on a treetop, dressed in snow-white robes with flowing sleeves, like a fairy dancing in the moonlight. Her jet-black hair cascaded down to the base of the tree. Turning her gaze from the moonlight, she smiled slightly, her eyes misty, soft as willow branches shrouded in mist: "Sleep, good child. When you wake, you'll be just like them."

Chai Jincai then realized there was someone outside the window and looked up at the sound. The girl in white had an exquisite face, especially her crystal-clear eyes and ethereal smile, which had a bewitching power. Chai Jincai only glanced at her before slowly lowering his head.

The stars were dim that night, and it was already past midnight. This is often when people are exhausted and sleeping soundly. All the noise of the day cannot withstand the engulfing power of the night.

The Qingzhou headquarters was luxurious and imposing, covering a vast area and divided into four sections: top, bottom, left, and right. Qiu Yeyijian resided in the east, while Zhao Yingcheng resided in the north. Both of them dispatched numerous men to protect the South Garden, the residence of Zhao Linghui, Cheng Xiang, and others.

Lin Qingluan's prison was located at the top of the backyard, standing alone like a leaf on a lush tree, its isolation and estrangement evident in the treetop. Like Lin Qingluan, Wu Sanshou, who was staying at an inn on the outer side, also received no support, except that he had the three elders by his side.

This was an extremely spacious upper room, its tall, imposing structure offering a panoramic view of Qingzhou's nightscape. The full moon, like a plate, resembled Ruan Ruan's bright, clear eyes. Wu Sanshou listened to the thunderous snores of the pine trees, silently gazing out the window.

As the night breeze swept by, a figure in blue appeared by the window of a tall building. The clothes were billowing and the limbs were empty. A dull, pale face looked eerie in the night.

Wu Sanshou was terrified, and managed to squeeze out a few words: "What...person." He lacked confidence in saying "person," because the newcomer was indeed neither human nor ghost. It first inserted its feet diagonally through the window, and then fell straight in like a door panel.

Wu Sanshou had no experience in fighting, but Zhu Lao and Lan Jun in the same room were not to be underestimated. As soon as they saw that something strange had happened and that the newcomer could appear from such a high place, they had already drawn their weapons and rushed to meet him.

Two loud thuds were heard, and the man in blue, his arms twisted like a rope, was caught in a pincer attack by the two old men. The two old men exchanged a glance and shouted in unison, "Who goes there?"

The man in blue let out a few eerie laughs, his face a ghastly green: "You three esteemed elders seem to have forgotten things. You probably don't remember me, the wronged soul. Take a closer look and see who I am?"

The voice was as cold as a night owl, its echo lingering for several circles, like a steel blade scraping at the heart, making one tremble with fear. Songbai had also woken up early, and with both hands he threw himself on Wu Sanshou's body, shielding him behind him. Unexpectedly, the man in blue didn't even look at him, but stared at the two old men in front of him and said in a sinister tone, "The grievances have their source, and the debts have their debtors; none of them will escape."

“Wu Xuan…” Old Zhu blurted out after looking at the man in blue. “Impossible, Wu Xuan was clearly killed by the young master with a single sword strike.” Lan Jun replied without hesitation.

The man in blue chuckled strangely, "If I weren't Wu Xuan, would I be here to see who these two are?" With that, he moved his hand slightly, and a soft, cool, silky rope emerged from his sleeve. With a gentle tug, he pulled in two people as if flying a kite!

The two of them landed feet first, floating in like paper, and then landed firmly with a thunderous thud.

Double Tang Sticks!

The four people inside were ashen-faced. They were worried not only about the newcomer's martial arts skills, but also about this unheard-of and bizarre technique. Since their young master's swordsmanship was beyond their doubt, why was the person who should have been dead now in the world? Coupled with Wu Xuan's cold and eerie green face, everything was utterly perplexing.

Before they could catch their breath, the man in blue pushed aside his sleeves, and his twin Tang-style staffs, as imposing as iron towers, approached step by step. Lan Jun and Elder Zhu rushed forward, using their staffs and bamboo sticks to entangle the staffs: "Monk, take the master to find the young master!"

Songbai had the same idea. He picked up the bewildered and ignorant Wu Sanshou, and with a thud, he passed through the wall and leaped up.

It wasn't that he didn't care about his brother, but the young master had given a death order: no one else could die, but Wu Sanshou could not. Besides, the man in blue was unpredictable in martial arts, and without the young master's help, they couldn't subdue this strange man.

But he clearly overlooked the purpose of the man in blue pretending to be Wu Xuan.

Since the newcomer couldn't subdue the three of them in one move, the impersonation of Wu Xuan was usually to bewitch their minds and seize the initiative. A master's move is often a matter of life and death.

The man in blue robes moved with the grace of a ghost, appearing before the pine and cypress trees. In the blink of an eye, he caught up with the man's figure. His lightness skill was truly astonishing.

Songbai had anticipated this as well. He avoided Wu Xuan's sinister face and struck out with both palms. The man in blue seemed to have been waiting for him to look away; his palms, slippery and cold as snakes, clamped down on Songbai's hands. Songbai tried to rebound, but found himself trapped like in cotton wool, unable to break free. He was truly shocked and cried out, "Sir, run!"

Wu Sanshou, who had been thrown onto the tree, finally came to his senses and used all his internal energy to leap forward.

The man in blue chuckled, twisting his hands. Song Bai groaned in pain as his arms snapped into chains, hanging limply at his sides. Despite his unyielding nature, even after being wounded, his chest, as solid as a fortress, rammed into his opponent! The man in blue gave an "Oh," casually dodging the blow, then reached behind him with his left hand. A silver thread flew out, wrapping around Wu Sanshou's neck with incredible accuracy, dragging him back.

Songbai, severely injured and lying on the ground gathering his strength, saw this scene and shouted with eyes wide open, "Beast, stop!" Wu Sanshou's face was ashen, and his throat was making a gurgling sound. He was about to suffocate and die.

The man in blue chuckled sinisterly, "This must be Wu Sanshou, right? If he's dead, Leng Shuangcheng will be heartbroken, and that will make me happy..." With a tightening of his wrist, Wu Sanshou finally stopped breathing. Songbai cried out and charged at him headfirst. The man in blue extended a single palm, pressing it against Songbai's head, chuckling softly as he spun him around like a top: "You're a messenger, you can't die yet. Please deliver these letters." With a light kick, he struck Songbai squarely in the chest, instantly sealing his pressure points.

Steady, accurate, and ruthless.

Songbai collapsed, his mouth filled with bitter soil, his eyes wide open: "Beast, we only have a chance of winning if we split up the three of us, what kind of man are you..." The man in blue stepped on Songbai's right shoulder, crushing his shoulder blade with a crack, and chuckled: "I was never a man to begin with, consider this a great gift to Qiuye Yijian."

As dawn breaks, the red sun is about to pierce the sky.

Under a clear blue sky, without wind or clouds, even the bright sunshine has its hidden corners—the central courtyard of the Qingzhou Imperial Camp.

Wu Sanshou's body lay in the shade of a tree. Leng Shuangcheng had been kneeling beside him for half an hour, motionless like a puppet, not a tear in her eye. The smile that waved goodbye yesterday was frozen in her mind. Her eyes were wide open, her face devoid of any emotion.

Songbai coughed heavily and lay on the soft blanket, recounting in detail what had happened.

As he finished speaking, Leng Shuangcheng reached out and straightened Wu San's robe, then stood up and stumbled to Songbai. She bit her lip and said, "Thank you... sir for your help. Please don't move, sir. I will heal your wounds."

She took out the gold needles prepared by the servant beside her, placed her right palm on her left arm, and stretched out her hand.

My fingers were shaking violently.

Seeing that Qiu Yeyi had not spoken, none of the others could dissuade her.

Leng Shuangcheng stretched out his palms, letting them tremble for a moment, then took a deep breath to suppress the disorder, and began to perform acupuncture with lightning speed.

The lush greenery is filled with a faint fragrance on the breeze, and the leaves tremble and whimper, sounding like they are crying in sorrow.

Leng Shuangcheng suppressed her heartache and resolutely and gracefully administered the acupuncture without uttering a word.

16. To undertake

A solitary bench made of white jade and green stone sits quietly beneath the green trees. Leng Shuangcheng remains silent, surrounded by the red flowers and green fruits filling the courtyard, sitting serenely as still water. He is as graceful and upright as a white poplar, his face as clean and tranquil as the blue sky.

Wu Sanshou's body had been ordered to be cremated, and his ashes and hair were placed beside her. She showed no expression, yet calmly performed acupuncture and gave instructions for her funeral. In such turbulent times and amidst widespread fear, her fortitude and understanding earned everyone's respect.

The people in the hall sat scattered, leaving her in the courtyard with a sense of tranquility. Because they knew that some people hide their pain in their hearts, and the jagged bones in their hearts would not be seen until they were at their wits' end.

On the table lay numerous urgent newsletters written on snow-white Xuan paper, seemingly from all directions, each written in a different style. Qiu Ye stood tall and handsome, leaning on his sword, clad in a white robe and jade belt, his face still bearing the unchanging indifference of time. When Ling Hui, dressed in simple elegance, looked at him, she couldn't help but feel a sudden flutter in her heart.

No matter what happened, the young master remained calm and composed, showing no sign of panic. His broad-mindedness and strength made him seem like a born king. She couldn't control such a man and could only watch him walk step by step toward Leng Shuangcheng outside the courtyard.

Linghui turned her eyes away and gave a silent, bitter smile.

A pale shadow fell around the stone bench. Qiu Ye, leaning on his sword, approached the silent figure beneath the tree, reached out and lifted her chin, staring intently into her pupils. Those eyes held a chilling, autumnal light, gleaming like a deep, cold pool. He kissed her lower lip fiercely, coldly saying, "Do you remember what Ruan Xiaoyu told you? If your eyes hold only hatred, then nothing will be accomplished."

Leng Shuangcheng looked up at Bai Yiqiuye. His coldness and resilience were transmitted through the strength of his hand, once again giving her immense shock and reassurance. "Young Master," she spoke steadily, "the world is in turmoil, but I will not grieve or wallow in self-pity to distract you. I know what to do, Young Master, you need not underestimate my determination."

"Very good." Qiu Yeyi moved his hand, changing from pinching to stroking, gently caressing him. "I really made the right choice. You must bear the bloodshed and cruelty ahead. Only then can you stand shoulder to shoulder with me in front of others as Leng Shuangcheng." Gazing into his deeply affectionate eyes and his calm face, he kissed him without hesitation: "Remember, in my heart, you are more important than me."

Leng Shuangcheng was deeply shocked. He always kept her in his heart. If anything happened, it would be this man who would comfort and accompany her. His determination was unwavering. How could such deep affection not move people?

She lowered her eyes, grasped his hand tightly, and brought it to her lips, kissing his palm deeply. "I understand, many fierce battles await me in the days to come... Since they have dared to offend me, I will punish them severely."

Zhao Yingcheng was in charge of collecting all the information. His brows were furrowed, just like the lush green cypress trees outside. As everyone gathered around the table to examine it, they were shocked to realize that the matter was extremely complicated.

Starting from Bingzi hour last night, many inns outside Qingzhou City were attacked. The attackers were mostly martial arts sects that lived by the water, such as the entire Kongtong Sect of 83 people, the 30 heroes of Yandang Mountain, and some scattered members of the eight major sects, totaling more than a thousand people! According to the reports of the survivors, a painted boat remained silently moored in the river all night. A woman with long hair and dressed in white simply smiled at the crowd, and those with shallow internal strength were captured without resistance.