Twenty years ago, he was a pure and lovely junior sister; twenty years later, he was a notorious and morally ambiguous brothel owner. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't connect the two together.
Hua Chongyang then explained what had happened back then, and finally took out a piece of broken jade from his person:
"Uncle Ji should know this, right?"
Ji Chong glanced at it and his expression immediately changed. Even though it was just one piece, he remembered it clearly. It was the token of love that Yan Zhao had given to Hua Chuxue back then. Hua Chuxue had held up the jade pendant and begged him to let her be free to be with Yan Zhao.
"And the two moles below my mother's collarbone," Hua Chongyang said coldly, "I remember them clearly."
Ji Chong suddenly stood up:
Where is she now?
Hua Chongyang remained kneeling on the ground, glancing up at him:
"Dead."
"……"
"My mother was killed by Bo Jiang. I beg Uncle Ji to help me avenge her."
Hua Chongyang waved his hand, and Liu Da brought over the manager of Anzhitinglan, who then recounted how Bo Jiang had left a message. Before he could finish, Ji Chong interrupted:
"impossible."
"Uncle Ji doesn't believe me?"
"It's not that I don't believe it," Ji Chong said with a sorrowful expression, still reeling from the shock of Hua Chuxue's miraculous resurrection. "Bo Jiang came to Lake Moon Manor this morning to talk to Fei Xiang. The two of them were right under my nose. She had just left before you arrived."
Hua Chongyang was stunned: "Bo Jiang... just left?"
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper of Anzhi Tinglan kowtowed repeatedly:
"Master Ji! I saw it clearly! I can guarantee it with my life! That person was indeed Miss Bo herself!"
Ji Chong glanced at him, then at Hua Chongyang, and beckoned:
"Someone! Go and bring Miss Bo Jiang back!"
In the main hall of Lake Moon Manor, Ji Chong sat at the head of the table, flanked by the manor lord Rong Chenfei. To his left were Situ Qingliu and Bo Jiang, while to his right sat Hua Chongyang and the brothel's patrons. Below them stood a number of martial arts practitioners who had come to watch the spectacle. Ji Chong recounted the events, and Bo Jiang, glancing at Hua Chongyang, smiled and began to speak:
"Can't even Sect Leader Hua see this clearly? If I had killed Pavilion Master Ye, would I have personally sent her back? It's obvious someone is framing her."
Hua Chongyang spoke coldly:
Why would this person frame you?
"Sect Leader Ke saw it all clearly; I've been at Lake Moon Manor all day. Sigh, perhaps it's just rumors that's causing trouble." Bo Jiang picked up her teacup, took a sip, and put it down, smiling as she looked at Hua Chongyang. "We're clearly good sisters, yet so many people spread rumors. One minute they say we're fighting over the young master, the next they say we're at odds because of Lan Wuxie. A few jokes are one thing, but now they're even trying to frame me and sow discord between Sect Leader Hua and me! This is truly intolerable!"
After hearing those words from her, Hua Chongyang felt a sharp pain in his chest from holding his breath.
From the very beginning, Bo Jiang hired someone to kill her, and now she has caused Ye Qinghua's death, yet she hasn't been able to find a single piece of evidence. Furthermore, she couldn't mention seeing her with Lan Wuxie on the pleasure boat because Situ Qingliu was present. Besides, even if she did speak up regardless of Situ Qingliu, it would only make people think she framed her out of jealousy and rivalry with Bo Jiang.
Bo Jiang glanced at her, then sighed:
"Sect Leader Hua, I was truly surprised to hear that Pavilion Master Ye was actually Senior Hua Chuxue from back then. I know you're heartbroken from the sudden loss of your mother, and I hope to help you find the murderer as soon as possible. I won't hide anything; Pavilion Master Ye did indeed send me a letter this morning, saying she wanted to meet with me."
Hua Chongyang suddenly looked up: "What did you say?"
Bo Jiang took out a letter from his pocket:
"In her letter, Master Ye said that she possessed the Azure Heaven Manual, and that if I wanted to meet her, I could do her a favor, and she would give me the Azure Heaven Manual in return."
Everyone's eyes were fixed on that piece of paper.
Hua Chongyang stepped forward, took the note with trembling hands, and read it carefully.
It is undoubtedly Ye Qinghua's handwriting.
"I wondered how the Azure Heaven Manual ended up in Master Ye's hands; besides, I wasn't familiar with her, so I ignored it and went to Lake Moon Manor to visit Fei Xiang." Bo Jiang lowered his eyes and shook his head. "I never imagined that Master Ye would be assassinated, and I was framed as well. I think the person who did it probably knew that Master Ye had the Azure Heaven Manual and came to steal it."
Ji Chong glanced at her and raised his thick eyebrows:
"Who do you think it could be?"
Bo Jiang smiled:
"Naturally, he is the one who most desires the Azure Sky Heart Sutra."
The words had barely left his mouth when several people in the audience shouted them out:
"Lan Wuxie?"
Hua Chongyang was taken aback.
People were whispering under the pavilion, their voices neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough to be heard:
"This is going to be interesting. Her own lover killed her own mother."
Hua Chongyang sat silently in her chair, her face deathly pale. Chu San held her shoulder with one hand, raising his eyes to glare at the people below:
Who spoke?
Brothels are notorious in the martial arts world. They are ruthless and often operate in the shadows, leaving no trace. Ordinary martial arts sects cannot afford to offend them. When Chu San shouted this, the hall fell silent instantly.
However, Bo Jiang's words were reasonable, and given the immense power of the Southern Chu Manor and the numerous sects in the martial arts world who were loyal to it, many in the hall naturally echoed her sentiments. Ji Chong was frowning in embarrassment, and before he could speak, Rong Chenfei stepped forward:
"Junior Sister Chongyang, I suspect it's a villain stirring things up to frame Miss Bo Jiang. Let's leave it at that for now; avenging our Master is a long-term matter."
Hua Chongyang looked at Ji Chong, who hesitated for a long time before finally sighing and replying:
"Words are meaningless without evidence; anything you say will be in vain. Chongyang, if you can speak with Lan Wuxie, I think you should ask him too."
Liu Da was about to step forward to speak when Hua Chongyang stopped him with a raised hand. She slowly rose, cupped her hands in a respectful gesture to Ji Chong, and turned around:
"Let's go."
News of Ye Qinghua's death spread quickly throughout the martial arts world, along with the news that she was actually Hua Chuxue, Hua Chongyang's biological mother.
Things in the martial world are unpredictable, and opinions vary widely.
The day began Ye Qinghua's funeral. Hua Chongyang began to keep vigil for Ye Qinghua for three days, and the burial was scheduled for three days later. Those who came to pay their respects said that Hua Chongyang knelt motionless in front of Ye Qinghua's coffin for three days, dressed in mourning clothes, and kowtowed to anyone who came. Compared to his former high spirits, he seemed like a completely different person.
The people from Lan Ying Palace didn't arrive until the third day. Lan Wuxie's first appearance wasn't as grand; he was only followed by Lan Cao and Lan Shu. At dusk, a fine, misty spring rain began to fall, and the three entered the brothel.
A group of martial arts practitioners and ordinary citizens were watching. Lan Wuxie, dressed in black, entered the hall, glanced at Hua Chongyang, and then walked to the altar. Just as he was about to kneel down, Hua Chongyang, who had been kneeling to the side, raised his head and stared straight at Ye Qinghua's coffin. His voice was so hoarse that it was barely a whisper:
"My mother cannot accept a bow from Master Lan."
Lan Wuxie paused, her lips moved, and she replied in a low voice:
"I have no idea--"
Ye Qinghua was actually Hua Chongyang's mother.
"Do you know what's important? Things have come to this." Hua Chongyang chuckled, his expression and appearance drastically changed in the past three days, almost unrecognizable. "Pavilion Master Lan, please return."
Lan Wuxie looked at her for a long time and said:
"I'm going back. Take care of yourself."
Hua Chongyang chuckled softly.
"Please rest assured, Pavilion Master Lan, I will take good care of myself."
Lan Wuxie finally left.
As dusk fell, Hua Chongyang, who had been kneeling for three days without rising, helped Chu San to his feet and slowly said to the coffin:
"Only now do I realize how much my mother has protected me for all this time."
Liu Da watched from the side, too frightened to speak loudly:
"Chongyang, Chongyang, if you're feeling down, just cry it out. Don't keep it bottled up inside, or your mother will be even more heartbroken."
"Heartache? Heartache for what? My mother is dead." Hua Chongyang raised his dry, bleeding lips, and with a nonchalant expression, gently waved his hand. "Bury her."
As the coffin was carried out, everyone in the brothel mourned in unison, except for Hua Chongyang, who simply watched without uttering a sound or shedding a tear. Liu Da and Chu San dared not stray more than three steps away from her. Once the coffin was carried out the door, she broke free from Liu Da's grasp, staggered forward a couple of steps, and then collapsed to the ground with a thud.
51. Flowers bloom on Double Ninth Festival...
Before the white funeral banner was even torn down, the new owner of the brothel, Hua Chongyang, fell ill.
She had a fever on and off for seven days, and the people in the brothel lived in fear for seven days. During those seven days, Lan Wuxie would bring her orchids and other plants to the downstairs hall to sit and drink tea, sometimes for an entire day at a time, for seven days straight, without uttering a single word. On the fifth day, Huang San, still the renowned yet mysterious and low-key third of the brothel's twelve beauties, could no longer contain himself and ran downstairs to ask Lan Wuxie:
"Master Lan, do you wish to see Hua Chongyang?"
Lan Wuxie glanced at her, then lowered his eyes:
"no."
"No, then what are you doing sitting here?" Huang San curled his lip. "A devil like you sitting here is bound to affect our brothel's business."
Lan Wuxie remained silent, but the orchid beside her answered on her behalf:
"I heard that Hua Chongyang is ill."
"Yes." Huang San looked up and down, examining his chubby, white hands with painted nails. "They're still warm."
Lan Wuxie kept her eyes down and remained silent.
Lan Cao looked at her master and couldn't help but ask:
"Didn't you call a doctor?"
"I've consulted the doctor. He said it's due to exhaustion and excessive grief. Having a fever at this time is a good thing; let it last a few more days, and once it subsides, you'll recover. Master Lan, are you really not going to visit Chongyang?"
Lan Wuxie lowered her eyes and remained silent for a long time:
"I won't see her. She doesn't want to see me."
Huang San glanced at him: "Then what are you still doing sitting here?"
No matter what Huang San said, Lan Wuxie simply stopped talking. Helpless, Huang San shook the handkerchief in his hand one last time and went back upstairs.
Hua Chongyang was still lying in bed, half-asleep, with Ye Laoqi watching over her. Liu Dachusan, sitting at the table, asked as she returned:
Still sitting?
"Hmm. They can't be chased away."
Liu spat:
"If I could beat him, I'd go down and kill him right now."
Huang San held a handkerchief and looked at Hua Chongyang by the bed for a while, then turned back to the table, her brows furrowed:
I don't know why--