Fragrance rises to dance

Chapter 46

Shengxiang slowly moved his folding fan away from his eyes, blinking as if still trying to confirm if he was still alive. "That scared me to death..." This life-or-death situation, where skill determined everything, was something he had never experienced before. He always thought that strength couldn't determine everything, that skill and intelligence were more important than strength. But when Qu Zhiliang raised his longsword, he realized for the first time with utter shock—when one possesses absolute strength, there is no room for cleverness. An undeniable, suffocating majesty emanating from Qu Zhiliang pierced through him in an instant, through the longsword.

That was the aura of someone approaching the supreme master of the martial arts world, a confidence and strength forged through countless battles and near-death experiences. He truly understood the saying, "The 'Iron Horse of Chu' is unparalleled; one man can take on ten thousand men."

Why would someone like him come to Wudang at this time? Shengxiang's mind raced, and he patted his chest. "This young master has been frightened. Let's stop here for tonight and go back, okay?"

The others naturally agreed, as they were already quite drunk and somewhat disoriented.

"Such a strong killing intent."

When Shengxiang and the others returned, Wanyu Yuedan spoke slowly.

When they returned to the Wudang Taoist Temple, everyone there had just finished their dinner. Shengxiang pushed open the door with one hand and grabbed Li Shuangli, who was hiding by the door, with lightning speed. She walked in with a smile, "Xiao Bi—your sweetheart has come to see you."

Upon hearing this, Li Shuangli blushed deeply. Bi Qiuhan, who was helping the Taoists clear away the tableware, turned around at the sound and happened to meet Li Shuangli's gaze, momentarily stunned.

Rong Yin didn't come out for dinner, nor did he help with anything, but Sheng Xiang, sensing the atmosphere, knew something must have happened between Bi Qiuhan and Rong Yin. With his incredibly clever mind, he immediately realized that Rong Rong, true to her nature, had gone and threatened him, leaving the honest and kind Bi Qiuhan bewildered. Just as he was about to say something with a smile, Bi Qiuhan suddenly fixed a sharp gaze on Sheng Xiang, "Why did you bring her here?"

Shengxiang was taken aback, completely bewildered. "I brought her here..."

“You know it’s dangerous here. Who knows if that madman Li Lingyan will come back to burn the mountain again? She’s not your all-powerful Young Master Shengxiang. What if something happens to her? You want me to… you want me to…” He realized he had lost his composure and slammed his hand on the table. He didn’t know what to say next. Bi Qiuhan was rarely so embarrassed, and his face turned deathly pale.

If it were the usually quick-witted and sharp-tongued Sheng Xiang, she would have retorted that Bi Qiuhan was clearly Li Lingyan's sister, and that by taking her hostage, Wudang Mountain would only be safer, not more dangerous. But now, Sheng Xiang knew that Bi Qiuhan had been sleepless ever since learning the truth, and Rong Yin was pressuring him. He was clearly tormented by the conflict between his conscience and justice, and seeing the person he so desperately wanted to protect had greatly affected him. Therefore, Sheng Xiang, unusually, kept quiet and played the victim, choosing not to stoop to his level.

Upon hearing this, Li Shuangli's eyes reddened. She walked over and tugged at Bi Qiuhan's sleeve, lowering her head timidly as she said, "If I'm here, Ling Yan... he wouldn't dare do anything. He promised me... he would never hurt you..."

Even though her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, everyone could hear it. Bi Qiuhan, whose emotions were already unstable, suddenly changed his expression. He shoved Li Shuangli aside and sneered, "You, surnamed Bi, were helpless against Li Lingyan, and you even had to plead with his men to spare my life! Bi Qiuhan thanks you, Miss Li, for your great kindness, but I am unworthy of it! Even if I couldn't do anything to Li Lingyan, I wouldn't be so despicable as to take you hostage. What do you take Bi Qiuhan for? An old dog begging for your mercy to spare my life?"

"Xiao Bi!" Sheng Xiang interrupted his indiscriminate cursing, "You need to understand that you're cursing Miss Li!"

Bi Qiuhan's anger subsided slightly, and he shut his mouth with a gloomy expression.

“Qiu…Qiu Han…” Li Shuangli was so frightened that her face turned pale. She didn’t know why he was angry. She looked at Bi Qiu Han with suspicion and uncertainty.

“You don’t understand anything at all!” Bi Qiuhan turned around abruptly, not wanting to see Li Shuangli.

“I originally… I didn’t understand anything… No one would tell me what happened. Ling Yan wouldn’t tell me, and neither would you…” Tears welled up in Li Shuangli’s eyes. “I… I don’t even know what you men are busy with all day long.”

“Miss Li, please don’t be angry. It’s me who made Xiao Bi angry, not you,” Sheng Xiang said quietly. “A Wan, take her to rest. Xiao Bi and I have something to talk about.”

After a while, Li Shuangli was taken away by Wan Yuyue in a gentle and refined manner.

“You don’t need to worry about me.” Shengxiang stood in the center of the empty hall, looking at Bi Qiuhan with clear eyes. “Shengxiang… has always been very afraid of death. That day I…” He paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, “I was just too excited.”

“You don’t understand anything at all!” Bi Qiuhan said coldly. “Even if you could kill Li Lingyan, Tang Tianshu, Leng Zhuoyu, and Nan Ge… so what? So what? So many people know about what happened back then, so many people want to know the truth. Are you going to kill them all one by one? Shengxiang, Shengxiang, those who do wrong should be punished. This is a sin left behind by the Song Dynasty royal family. How can we clean up its mess? A life for a life, a debt for a debt! This is a matter of course. I cannot help you hide the truth and deceive the world—since Emperor Taizu dared to order the killings, he should have known this day would come! Did he think that just because he was the emperor, he could do whatever he wanted…”

“Xiao Bi!” Sheng Xiang scolded in a low voice, “That’s because you have a sense of justice. You hate lying and killing to the core… But for me… nothing is more important than my father and Rongrong. And for them… the people are more important than themselves. According to Rongrong’s calculation, the happiness of two or three people is not as good as the happiness of two or three thousand people, so regardless of whether it is just or not, sacrificing the happiness of two or three people is the right thing to do.”

He stared blankly at Bi Qiuhan, and at the wall behind her. "I... am without a sense of justice, but since Rongrong believes in it so much, and is even willing to give up Gushe and choose death for this ideal, how can I... not take it seriously?"

Shengxiang's eyes were now almost desolate with desolation, and Bi Qiuhan suddenly felt the surging passion in his heart cool down, turning somewhat cold. "You..."

“So…no matter what you say, it’s no use. Even if it hurts my father or Rongrong, I will keep it a secret even if it costs me my life…” Shengxiang said. “They are men who value the country and its people more than anything else. I know they would be willing to die for them.” After a moment of silence, he added, “I will not pity them, and you don’t need to pity me either.”

“I will show you no mercy—I will proclaim this to the world!” Bi Qiuhan stared coldly at Sheng Xiang, “Those who kill shall die!”

If the bells of Wudang Mountain heard Bi Qiuhan's resounding cry of "Death to the murderer," they would resound; if the murderer heard it, he would tremble. But Shengxiang simply stared at him blankly, then sighed softly.

For some reason, Sheng Xiang's soft sigh sent a shiver down his spine. The words "The murderer shall die," spoken with blood that was almost extinguished by Sheng Xiang's gaze, were nearly drowned out by that sigh. Bi Qiuhan watched him turn away silently, preparing to walk away desolately, when he suddenly blurted out: "I'll give you ten days. If you still decide to frame Prime Minister Zhao, take the blame yourself, or commit murder, I will announce to the world who the real culprit is!"

Shengxiang turned back with a faint smile, neither confirming nor denying, and slowly walked away.

Chapter Fourteen: Who Will Share Tonight's Moon and Wind?

at night.

Bi Qiuhan sat alone in his room, still unable to sleep.

The Emperor Taizu's order to kill people, Li Shuangli's unauthorized arrival at Wudang, and Shengxiang's attempt to frame Zhao Pu for the sake of the overall situation... every single thing made him extremely confused.

Two sounds, "dudu".

In the dead of night, someone knocked on his door? Bi Qiuhan hadn't heard any footsteps approaching. Who could it be? Before he could even change his clothes, he stood up and opened the doors and windows, only to find a person standing before him.

The newcomer was tall and slender, dressed in old clothes, with broad, straight shoulders, a handsome face, and sword-like eyebrows. Bi Qiuhan was startled to see the newcomer raise an ancient sword. Upon seeing the words "Zhufang" engraved on the sword, he exclaimed, "Zhufang Sword! 'Chu God Iron Horse' Qu Zhiliang!"

The newcomer was indeed Qu Zhiliang, whom Shengxiang had met at the foot of Wudang Mountain. He nodded and looked at Bi Qiuhan. "Come out," he said simply.

Having heard his senior say this, Bi Qiuhan had no doubts and followed him out of the room, heading towards the back of Wudang Mountain.

"Chu Shen Tie Ma" Qu Zhiliang has not appeared in the martial world for at least twenty years. How could he suddenly appear outside his room? And why did he summon him? Bi Qiuhan was full of doubts, but there was no doubt that Qu Zhiliang's martial arts skills could not have allowed anyone to take the sword away. So it must be him? Just as he was wondering, Qu Zhiliang had already stopped.

He stopped in a secluded spot with dense woods behind the Heavenly Pillar Peak of Wudang. Bi Qiuhan became increasingly surprised and suspicious, wondering what this once powerful and famous person wanted to say to her.

"The first of the 'Seven Sages' Butterfly Dream,' Bi Qiuhan!" Qu Zhiliang greeted slowly, his tone indifferent.

"This junior is indeed you. Senior, are you perhaps the 'Iron Horse of Chu'?" Bi Qiuhan bowed respectfully. "I have long admired your heroic bearing and superb martial arts skills. As a legend in the martial world, I have long admired you. It is my honor to meet you today."

Qu Zhiliang did not turn around.

He didn't even answer.

After a long pause, he said, "It's no honor to meet me."

"How could that be?" Although Bi Qiuhan was surprised and doubtful, he still had great respect for Qu Zhiliang. "Senior is famous all over the world for his chivalry and is a model of the martial arts world. He was known as invincible at the age of nineteen and defeated thirty-three famous masters in a row at the age of twenty before retiring from the martial arts world. He was not interested in money or women. He is a god in the hearts of the younger generation."

Qu Zhiliang ignored him, "I heard you're investigating the bloody case involving Li Chenglou, Nan Bibi, and a few others?"

Bi Qiuhan was taken aback. "Is it... does Senior know some clues?"