Schatzkammer von Jianghu

Kapitel 91

A breeze entered the ancient pavilion, carrying the fragrance of distant flowers. In the sunlight, the grass, listening to the song of the stream, silently unfurled its leaf tips. Inside the pavilion, Leng Shuangcheng, swaying Qiu Yeyijian's body, wept repeatedly, her throat hoarse and unable to speak.

Huang Yushuxue hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. After a moment of surprise, she clicked her tongue in amazement and exclaimed, "The Heavenly Candle really didn't fail... Young Master's act was so flawless; his willpower is truly incredible..."

Before the words were finished, the white silk, as light and boneless as floating clouds, struck Leng Shuangcheng directly on the back of the head.

With a "whoosh," a golden light flashed past, the arrowhead firmly embedded in the silk head, humming as it stuck into the grass. Huang Yushu Xue smiled gently: "Mother-and-Child Repeating Crossbow." With a graceful turn, the other side of her palace silk fluttered out, like a fairy Chang'e dancing with long sleeves, the white silk ribbons fluttering, striking away the second silver light.

Old Jin turned around, and behind the forest, a dense mass of silver-armored warriors surged forth like white waves spreading across the ground, their arrowheads gleaming brightly. The group was orderly arranged, and once they reached arrow range, the front-row warriors knelt on one knee in the grass, nocked their bows, and aimed their gleaming arrowheads straight ahead. Behind them, the guards stood tall, arms outstretched like full moons, also poised to fire.

Yin Guang stood alone at the side of the group, his hands poised to strike: "Let my young master come over here!"

Amidst her grief, Leng Shuangcheng looked up to assess the situation, then pulled Qiu Ye into her arms and hid behind the stone table. In her haste, she reminded him, "Young Master Yin Guang! Something strange is happening around this pavilion. Don't come any closer!"

Shu Xue sneered after hearing this: "Even without the help of medicine, I could crush you little ants with ease." Her sleeves fluttered gracefully in the wind, her figure elegant and beautiful.

Old Jin let out a whistle and sent a signal. With a few splashes, dozens of silver-clad Water Drinkers leaped out of the distant ravine bushes. They rolled to their feet, dripping wet.

The situation on the field changed rapidly. In the blink of an eye, the two people in the pavilion were like fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of others. A moment later, thousands of Imperial Guards rushed in one after another, surrounding one side of Qishan.

Leng Shuangcheng gritted her teeth, wrapped her arms around Qiu Ye's waist, and took advantage of the chaotic situation to leap out of the pavilion!

Success or failure hinges on this moment.

A strong wind arose, rustling the grass blades. Leng Shuangcheng mustered all her strength and ran in the opposite direction of the silver light. Shu Xue heard the wind, raised her water sleeves, and two white streaks lashed out at Leng Shuangcheng's ankles.

Yin Guang saw it clearly and coldly shouted, "Release!"

Arrows rained down like locusts, feathers flew like a torrent, and the sky above the grassland was filled with a dark mass.

Shu Xue dared not be careless. She twisted her body, her sleeves fluttering, dancing left and right like flowing clouds, deflecting the heavy arrows. Her white silk scattered and bloomed in the air like chrysanthemums. She fought and retreated at the same time, and for a moment, she looked just like a white-clad actress waving her water sleeves on a stage.

Old Jin grabbed a drinker who was blocking his way and demanded, "Why are there only a few of you?"

Before the man could speak, a black arrow flew swiftly and struck him. Old Jin frowned, put down the corpse, and moved closer to Shu Xue's side. A subordinate of Shuiyin beside him shouted with difficulty, "Reporting to the Left Envoy, all thirty of our fellow disciples who were left to guard the water prison have been killed."

Old Jin cleaved the stray arrow with his bare palm and shouted, "What's going on?"

The arrows continued to rain down, turning the grass into thorns. The subordinate carefully dodged the arrows and shouted at the top of his lungs, "They were all pierced through the heart with a single sword strike. There aren't many signs of a struggle on the stone wall..."

Apart from Leng Shuangcheng, who was disguised as a drug addict, there was no one else in the water dungeon. Old Jin couldn't help but curse angrily when he thought of this: "They're all a bunch of useless trash! A half-dead woman actually managed to kill everyone!"

His words enraged his young master. Huang Yu Shuxue sneered and swiftly deflected an arrow: "Well done, Leng Shuangcheng! Qiu Ye Yijian is already severely injured, you're next! I, Huang Yu, swear I will not rest until I kill you!"

40. Dialogue

The banks are lined with fragrant orchids and water lilies, lush and green. Like locusts, arrows whizzed in, covering the sky in an instant, and the lush grass was covered with clumps of arrow shafts, clustered together like stalks of firewood.

Clad in white, her hair flowing like snow, she faced the arrows flying towards her with a swift, impenetrable dance of long sleeves. Her black hair swayed in the wind like silk. The translucent, gleaming arrow shafts, sharp as pen tips, whistled as they hurtled towards the white figure. She calmly parted her sleeves and unleashed a flurry of white blossoms, her white silk robes opening and closing like flower petals, swiftly devouring the incoming arrows.

A quarter of an hour later, not a single arrow had gotten close to Shuxue.

Yin Guang was shocked: This woman's skill was actually no less than that of the young master!

Arrows rained down, dense and intricate. Through the overwhelming barrage of arrows, Shu Xue appeared like a ghost, drawing ever closer to the arrow barrage. Her face was icy and cold, yet still held a hint of gnashing teeth and hatred.

White robes fluttered, true energy coalesced, and a barrage of arrows rained down at his feet.

Yin Guang grew even more anxious. He ordered his men to snatch the unconscious Hua Bitou, then glanced back at the arrow formation behind him and decisively commanded, "The last five ranks of guards, distribute most of your arrows to the front ranks! Those in the front ranks must resist for a quarter of an hour to protect us as we depart!"

Upon receiving the order, the men swiftly changed formation, replenished their arrows, and retreated with low crouches. The front-line Imperial Guards understood Silverlight's intention and held their ground without retreating a single step, nocking arrows and firing fiercely at the ethereal white shadows that drifted in the wind.

Arrows flew in unison, layer upon layer, like towering peaks, the wind howling so loudly that even the grass and trees withered.

Shu Xue suddenly materialized and flew out, swift as a meteor, approaching the arrow formation like a ghost: "I won't be able to vent my hatred until I kill you all!"

A cold wind swept by, chilling the water sleeves. The two white silk robes of the palace were torn apart, like dragons ascending to the heavens, flashing past the archers with a whooshing sound. In an instant, screams of agony filled the air.

Silverlight dared not look back, and only focused on fleeing with all its might.

The young master once ordered: no matter what happens, only Leng Shuangcheng's safety must be protected.

After running out of the forest and about two miles from Qishan, a woman in yellow clapped her hands lightly and called to the birds with soft cooing. Yin Guang leaped forward and approached, saying, "Miss Shui's message is truly timely... I wonder how my young master and his wife are doing?"

Shui Qian raised her watery eyes slightly, parted her cherry lips and let out a soft, murmuring sound. After a while, she turned her head and said, "The two are safe. The young mistress and the young master have escaped the pursuit."

Going upstream, at the end of the grassy stream, there is a white rock. Shuxue tapped the rock twice, and the rock spun around, revealing a dark and cold staircase.

Old Jin led the remaining people down the steps.

Water seeped from the cracks in the water-filled prison stone, transparent droplets meandering along, leaving the ground damp and cool. As one walked along, numerous silver-clad ninjas were scattered in twos and threes on either side of the passage, all lying prone with their heads facing upwards.

Old Jin glanced at Shu Xue's face and hurriedly defended his subordinate: "Young Master, please calm down... Water can only have an advantage when it is in the water. The terrain here is narrow, and it is indeed not easy to dodge when Leng Shuangcheng sweeps his sword."

Shu Xue sneered, carefully avoiding the corpses under her feet: "He was clearly half-dead, how could he have had the strength to kill thirty of my subordinates?"

Old Jin remained silent. Shu Xue walked past coldly, peered closely behind the iron bars, and then looked up angrily, saying, "That bitch really knows how to play dead. A sword to the chest, ninety lashes, and then she drank poison, yet she endured the pain without uttering a sound..." She stomped her foot on the ground and sneered, "She was lying on the ground like a dead fish, completely motionless... Now it seems she used the low temperature of the ground to reduce the burning sensation of the medicine... She's really good at playing dead!"

As soon as she finished speaking, her water sleeves flicked and smashed a corner of the stone wall with a bang: "She dared to provoke me and killed my people... I wish I could tear her flesh off piece by piece!"

Old Jin stood silently, waiting for his master to finish venting his anger, before saying, "Young Master, please calm down... After capturing Leng Shuangcheng alive, whether you kill or torture her is entirely up to you..."

Shu Xue coldly snorted: "I would rather risk my life to kill this bitch."

Old Jin remained silent. Shu Xue glanced at him and said coldly, "I know what you're thinking. When have I ever suffered such injustice in my life? It can only be that I'm manipulating others, how could anyone plot against me behind my back? Don't forget, it's in my nature to seek revenge!"

She let out her last breath of anger, then paused coldly, "It's no longer safe here. We need to evacuate immediately... Remember to send someone to find out where the young master is."

The weather was unpredictable, with the thin sun casting shadows on the clouds. The June sky was like Xi Shi, a beautiful woman suffering from illness, her face pale and gloomy, as if a deep shadow had fallen upon her.

Leng Shuangcheng sat amidst the flowers and trees, surrounded by their fragrance and the hustle and bustle of people. Her eyes were vacant and lifeless as she stared blankly into the air.

What exactly happened? Just now, someone seemed to have asked for the plum blossom needle technique, and she recited it word by word in a daze; did Qiuye do something meaningful? She couldn't remember anything…

With a sharp "slap," the slap was exceptionally clear and loud.

Leng Shuangcheng snapped out of her daze, frowned, and looked at the woman in red in front of her: "Cheng Xiang, why did you hit me?"

"Are you back to your senses?" Cheng Xiang leaned down, her clear, bright eyes fixed on Leng Shuangcheng's. "If you've gone mad too, wouldn't you be playing right into Huang Yushuxue's hands?"

A single sentence reminded Leng Shuangcheng, and she suddenly stood up, looking around. Only then did she realize that a large number of people were standing there, their faces filled with worry, looking at the Prince's residence in the East Garden.

"Move aside, I need to think about some things." Leng Shuangcheng coldly waved Cheng Xiang away, walked to a dark green, straight bamboo, and began to mutter to herself, "Qiu Ye was definitely not faking it this time, but he arranged his escape route so meticulously. Knowing that there was danger in going to the appointment, why did he fall for it so easily? Is it really fate?"

"He had all his guards ready, waiting for the big battle two days later, but unexpectedly, something went wrong along the way?"

"He brought Hua Bitou to the appointment, but why? Oh, and Ruan Hong too..."

As she read this, Leng Shuangcheng suddenly awoke, as if emerging from cold water, and shivered coldly: "In any case, Qiu Ye's instructions always have their purpose, but I don't know what it means..."

Cheng Xiang stepped forward: "Leng Shuangcheng, you're covered in blood, it's horrifying... Hey, where are you going?"

Among the crowd, Wu Suan was the most composed. Hearing Cheng Xiang's call, he turned around and stopped Leng Shuangcheng, who was walking in a daze: "Young Madam, where are you going?"

Leng Shuangcheng met a pair of deep gray, dim eyes: "Steward Wu... I happen to have something to ask you."

This was the first time Wu Suan addressed Leng Shuangcheng as "Madam," but Leng Shuangcheng didn't understand. She pressed on, "Hua Bitou is from Hundred Flowers Valley, isn't she? Is she an extraordinary person? Did Qiu Ye give you any instructions, such as what to do with Ruan Hong?"

Wu Suan sighed slightly: "Miss Bitou and you both have the same ability, which is to have a photographic memory."

Leng Shuangcheng's body trembled, and he exclaimed in a low voice, "I understand now. So he knew he might be in danger, and he brought an extra person to memorize the chess game!"

Wu Suan nodded and sighed, "It's a pity that Bi Tou was also poisoned and is now unconscious."

Leng Shuangcheng thought for a moment, deciding to put this troublesome matter aside for now, and then asked, "What about Ruan Hong?"

"The young master only instructed that upon returning from the appointment, one should immediately kill Ruan Hong."

Having received confirmation once again, Leng Shuangcheng no longer hesitated and headed towards the backyard of the military camp.

Dim light streamed into the room through the small skylight, cold and somewhat indifferent. A gentle breeze rustled through the room, and a single string made a soft, eerie sound, which seemed particularly sinister and terrifying in the otherwise completely silent and dark room.

The barbs on the collar gleamed.

Ruan Hong lay limply on the straw mat, staring anxiously at the chains. The halo of sunlight gradually dissipated, the iron gate rattled open, and Leng Shuangcheng, radiating a fierce aura, stepped in.

Her clothes were stained crimson, mixed with her and Qiu Yeyi's blood, like ripples spreading across a thin lake, constricting her body in circles.

The light reflected a chilling aura, and the murderous intent filling the room was impossible to suppress, much like the blood-stained figure before her, blurring her soft, red eyes. Terrified, she stepped back, clutching her hands and feet, crying out, "Young Madam, what's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong?" Leng Shuangcheng gave a cold laugh, her excessive anger giving her pale skin a touch of brilliance. "I've never been so scared! Your master has seriously injured the young master! Now he's lying on the bed, barely alive! What do you think I can do?"

Although her words were incoherent, Ruan Hong was already clear-headed. Her eyes showed panic, and she trembled against the wall: "Please, let me go..."

Leng Shuangcheng suddenly reached out and gripped her neck tightly, coldly saying, "Once it involves someone I care about, I won't let anyone go." He clasped his index finger and thumb together, pulling them tightly together. After a moment, her soft, red head tilted to the side, like a real fallen flower, drifting onto the straw mat, never to fly again.

Inside the Eastern Garden of the Imperial Camp, Qiu Ye lay silently on the soft bed, his face pale. His jet-black hair was parted on either side, which only accentuated the ashen and cold look on his face. His handsome face was devoid of any color, like a mountain covered with layers of snow, as the snowflakes gradually erased the last traces of life.

A refreshing, damp breeze wafted in, and Leng Shuangcheng was pushed through the door.

Yin Guang and Wu Suan looked up upon hearing the sound.

Leng Shuangcheng stared blankly at the bed, her body now clean of blood, revealing a cold and elegant demeanor. Her hair was loosely tied back, her fair face as radiant as jade. After her bath, she wore a moon-white robe, the cuffs bound with ribbons that fluttered in the wind.

Tight sleeves and loose robes—this was the attire she requested to wear. Wu Suan couldn't help but feel a surge of respect, for he understood that Leng Shuangcheng dressed like this precisely to facilitate a swift and decisive attack. Seeing that the young master had fallen, she had spontaneously taken on the responsibility of preparing for battle.

In the silence, Yin Guang spoke first, her voice filled with sorrow: "Young Madam, you just instructed the imperial physician to administer acupuncture, saving the young master's life. Why is he still lying there motionless? It seems... it seems..."

Leng Shuangcheng suddenly glanced at him coldly, and the silver light immediately swallowed the word "death." He then lowered his hands and remained silent.

“I can’t heal Qiu Ye’s wound.” Leng Shuangcheng’s eyes were blank as she slowly sat down on the side of the bed. “I just conducted a blood test and confirmed that the main ingredient in the medicine is Tianzhuzi. This poison is rare and cold, and I am helpless.”

Wu Suan interjected, "Then what should we do?"

"Let him rest quietly with the protective lotion first. When I return after the battle, I will personally send him to find Senior Medicine King." When Leng Shuangcheng mentioned Tianzhuzi, he suddenly remembered Bitou and said repeatedly, "I am really confused. I almost forgot the important matter... Yinguang, go and get a chess set."

Yin Guang retrieved the chess pieces, and Leng Shuangcheng approached, pondered for a moment, and placed several pieces down. He said, "Steward Wu, when Qiu Ye was in danger, he used lip reading to convey that the chess game contained the art of the I Ching. I don't understand these mystical methods, so I can only try to reconstruct the chess game."

After making several moves, she realized something was wrong and carefully selected her moves to discard.

Wu Suan stood aside and patiently watched for a long time, and after seeing some of the tricks, he sighed and said, "These methods of maneuvering and maneuvering are thanks to the fact that you studied them when you were young. You have almost inherited half of the mantle of the Yin-Yang School from Mr. Dongge."

Leng Shuangcheng's heart skipped a beat, and she blurted out, "Steward, could you tell me about Qiu Ye's childhood?"

Wu Suan nodded: "Let's talk about it later. First, please have the young mistress set up the chessboard."

Leng Shuangcheng lowered her head again, her sleeves fluttering slightly. The white and black pieces were placed on the board, the black pieces like mountains, the white pieces like moonlight. However, the white pieces, like radiance, were arranged horizontally, blocking the view of the layered mountains.

“These pieces are probably placed here, right?” Wu Suan asked cautiously. “From the situation shown by the young mistress, Huang Yu has taken the offensive. Although the white pieces are crooked and not in a straight line, it can still be seen that they follow the direction of the Qian hexagram.”

Leng Shuangcheng replied, "I know nothing about these Yin-Yang theories, but I will follow your orders, Steward."

Wu Suan turned to call out to Yin Guang, calculated the time it would take for Qiu Ye to play chess on the mountain with her sword, and said confidently, "To be able to settle a hundred pieces in just a quarter of an hour shows how arrogant Huang Yu is. She must have been so pleased with herself that she had planned everything perfectly, but she didn't take precautions to reveal her secret."