Night Song - Chapter 64
Before he could finish speaking, Xie Yunshu had already walked over.
"Please forgive my intrusion, but I would like to ask you something, young master." He spoke politely, but his eyes were extremely terrifying. The servant behind Young Master Yu had his sword in hand, ready to pounce at any moment.
Yu Sui waved his hand, remaining polite and courteous.
"Please speak, Third Young Master."
"Young Master Yu, have you ever met Miss Ye from Xia Chuyuan?"
Yu Sui was slightly taken aback, then admitted, "I've met her a few times, but we've never gotten to know each other well."
"Young master, you've come here specifically for her?"
The aggressive questioning displeased the guards behind him, but Yu Sui remained unperturbed, smiling faintly. "I once thought she was an old acquaintance, but I was probably mistaken. It was indeed presumptuous of me to bother you several times."
"When was the last time Young Master Yu saw her?"
Without hesitation, Yu Sui answered, "Three days ago, when I was boating on the lotus pond of Slender West Lake."
He stared at the other person for a long time, making sure that the other person was not lying. The tense atmosphere finally eased, but he was even more uneasy.
"Third Young Master..." Seeing his unusual expression, Yu Sui suddenly realized. "Something happened to Miss Ye?"
"Indeed, I hope Young Master Yu will forgive me. My younger brother was impolite in a moment of haste." Xie Quheng bowed and apologized.
"With Miss Ye's skills, how could she...?"
Xie Quheng smiled bitterly, thinking that everyone must have the same question. "She was unwell last night, and someone took advantage of her vulnerability..." Seeing his younger brother leap onto his horse and ride away, he had no heart to say more. "I'll apologize to Young Master Yu another day."
Several riders sped away, their shouts and urging on their horses filled with extreme urgency.
Yu Sui watched them go from where he stood.
The attendant behind him stepped forward. "This third young master of the Xie family may not be too arrogant."
“Such urgency…it must be no small matter.” A thoughtful expression appeared on his jade-like face. “Let’s go to Xia Chu Yuan to take a look.”
Having evaded the guards at Xia Chu Yuan, the broken and messy room was alarming.
He looked around the places Xie Yunshu had checked again, and finally picked up the short sword. The faintly raised gold characters on the hilt, with their intricate, serpentine design, were no longer as calm as before.
"It really is... short-sighted... how could this be..."
A barely audible muttering to himself, his astonished eyes unconsciously swept across the corner of the room, stopping at the butterfly kite stuck in the sword bottle. Memories from many years ago instantly flooded his mind, and the short sword slipped from his hand, crashing to the ground with a clang.
The attendant following closely behind was stunned to see his master lose his composure and his face turn pale.
"How could it be...it's her..."
Nightmare
As they sped along, Xie Yunshu kept his lips tightly pressed together and remained silent.
"Third brother, what are you planning to do?"
"Mobilize all the Xie family's hidden agents in Yangzhou." His eyes were gloomy and suppressed, concealing a storm of recklessness. "I beg my elder brother for help."
"Are you crazy? Father's birthday is coming soon. Making a move at this time will surely cause a huge uproar. Have you thought about the consequences?"
"I can't control that."
Xie Yunshu gritted his teeth, spat out a few words after Qinglan, who was approaching with a surprised expression, and turned to go into his study. Xie Quheng followed him in, both angry and furious, and the heated argument nearly shook the house.
After listening effortlessly for a while, Qinglan grew increasingly anxious. Seeing her third brother go straight to Xinyuan, where pigeons were kept, and her eldest brother slam the door and go to the main courtyard where their father lived, she paced around in a panic.
Shen Huaiyang happened to come over and was puzzled by his appearance.
"What’s wrong with you?"
"It's all over, the Xie family is going to be in chaos." Having finally found someone to talk to, Xie Qinglan stammered incoherently.
"What's going on?" Shen Huaiyang also became nervous.
“If my third brother were to mobilize all the manpower to search for people at this time, Dad would be furious.”
"Who are you looking for? The one he goes out to meet every day?" Shen Huaiyang's expression turned strange.
"Hmm, I don't know who kidnapped Miss Ye, and I don't know which damned bastard caused trouble at this time. All these guests in the room... My God, Father will definitely be furious, and then Third Brother will be in big trouble."
"It can't be that bad." Hearing Qinglan's wailing, Shen Huaiyang felt a little uncomfortable.
"You didn't see what my third brother looked like, he was practically insane..." Qinglan recalled with lingering fear. "But my eldest brother went crazy too, he was driven crazy by my third brother."
"How could things have come to this because of that witch?"
"It's all because of her. You have no idea how much my third brother cares. I've never seen..." Gradually realizing something was wrong, Qinglan stopped grumbling and stared at the other person in surprise. "Witch? How do you know about her... I don't remember telling you that."
"I... heard it from someone else." Shen Huaiyang realized he had spoken out of turn and took a step back.
"Who is it?" His friend's panicked expression deepened his suspicion. This matter was classified as top secret by his father, and everyone except a few family members was kept silent; who would dare to disobey the rules?
The questioning look made the other person uneasy. "I don't remember either, it was probably just servants gossiping." He turned to leave. "I have to go now."
Even more impossible, the Xie family is extremely strict. He instinctively chased after him to get to the bottom of things, but Shen Huaiyang instead used his lightness skill to run away quickly, making him seem even more suspicious.
The two were evenly matched in martial arts. One was desperately trying to escape, while the other was chasing him with all his might. Fortunately, the Xie family's courtyard was winding and secluded, making it not so easy for him to escape. After several twists and turns, he flew into the round gate. Qinglan, with her sharp eyes, called out urgently.
"Third brother, stop him! He knows about Miss Ye."
Shen Huaiyang's heart sank. The person standing before him was none other than Xie Yunshu, who exuded a chilling aura.
Listen to Qinglan stammering as she recounted what had happened.
A chilling gaze swept over him, and Shen Huaiyang shivered instantly. His usually handsome and approachable elder brother had suddenly become a stranger.
He steeled his resolve. "I really only heard it from the servants; I know nothing about it."
"Which courtyard, which room, which servant, and where did you hear this?" Qinglan retorted, equally exasperated. "You'd better explain yourself clearly."
He stubbornly resisted, spouting nonsense, and the two argued so loudly it shook the world.
Xie Yunshu ignored him and whispered an instruction to Bi Jun. Soon after, two guards from the Xie family darted over, sharp and alert, and knelt on one knee in front of him, like two nails driven into the ground.
"Was anyone out of the guest house where Young Master Shen was staying last night?"
One of them froze. "Reporting to Third Young Master, no one has gone out."
The other person bowed and replied, "Reporting to Third Young Master, Young Master Shen left at dawn and returned at dusk."
Are you sure it's correct?
"I saw it with my own eyes."
"Very good." Xie Yunshu turned to the other person, who was drenched in sweat. "Go to the punishment hall and receive your punishment."
After the two guards left, Xie Yunshu raised his eyes and stared at Shen Huaiyang.
"May I ask where Young Master Shen went last night?"
"I...can't sleep, I'm going for a walk." Hearing that cold, sharp gaze, he felt his breath catch in his throat before he could even exhale.
"You went out for a walk before dawn? You're kidding me!" Qinglan retorted angrily, feeling both angry and confused at her friend's deception.
"I'm sure Young Master Shen has heard that Miss Ye of Xia Chuyuan had an accident last night, which happened between 5 and 7 AM. The situation is urgent, so please forgive me for any offense I may have caused. I will go to Luoyang to apologize to Uncle Shen another day." Xie Yunshu finished speaking calmly and gestured for Qinglan to be quiet.
Shen Huaiyang choked, his throat tight and he didn't speak.
"How did you get the injury on your face?"
He instinctively turned his head, futilely trying to avoid the piercing gaze. Qinglan went up and twisted her head to take a look.
"Like... a fingernail scratch."
Bi Jun went up and pressed his pulse, studied it carefully, and frowned in confusion.
"He was poisoned by Biluo San and Jialuo Xiang, but the Lord helped him get rid of them, otherwise he wouldn't be alive now. It seems that the one who went to Xiachuyuan was this kid."
Xie Yunshu's eyes flickered. "You said she's been cured of the poison?"
“There’s no mistake, this is the evidence.” Bi Jun pointed to the scratches on his face. “Blood is the only way to cure it.”
Everyone stared in silence at the person in the middle, filled with suspicion.
"What are you talking about? I was never poisoned." Unable to bear the pressure of the silence, Shen Huaiyang argued.
“This kid is too inexperienced; he didn’t even realize he was poisoned.” Yin Hu shook his head. “I find it hard to believe that our lord would fall into his hands.”
“Logically, he shouldn’t have been able to leave the room at all.” Bi Jun was also puzzled, and squatted down beside him to patiently explain. “Didn’t you notice that the candle wick in the room was poisoned? You inhaled the Jialuo Incense as soon as you lit it, and then you touched the Master. The Biluo Powder seeped into your skin, and with the two poisons mixed together, you wouldn’t have survived even half an incense stick’s time. With that little bit of martial arts skill, even if the Master lost all his power, he could still kill seven or eight people.”
Shen Huaiyang stood there stunned for a long time, cold sweat seeping out.
"I don't believe it. I don't feel any poisoning at all."
Bi Jun sighed. "By the time you feel it, it will be too late. Even a god couldn't save you. Before the poison took effect, the master cured you. She cut your face, didn't she? That's when the antidote was planted."
"Why did she do that?" He still didn't believe it, but his slightly trembling voice betrayed him.
"We also want to know why. It seems strange that she was willingly abducted by you."
"She must be trying to harm Shalin..." Shen Huaiyang muttered to himself in a daze, his heart sinking at the thought of this possibility.
"Who is Shalin?" Xie Yunshu asked after remaining silent for a while.
Shen Huaiyang remained silent, and Qinglan suddenly realized something.
"Is it the Western Region girl you've been meeting these past few days?" He then quickly recounted what he had seen while following her.
"Where is that palace?" Xie Yunshu's eyes grew colder and colder.
Qinglan recalled for a moment and gave a general location.
"The Prince of Nanjun's Heir." A murderous intent filled his eyes, and even Qinglan couldn't help but flinch. "It's him again. This time he actually used the Shen family."
“Shalin didn’t use me; it was my own choice,” Shen Huaiyang protested. “Shalin and that witch have a blood feud; she’s the culprit who ruined Shalin’s life. I think she even bewitched Brother Xie, which is why he agreed to take action.”
"The murder of your father? Do you know who Shalin is?"
“Shalin was originally a princess of Shanshan, of unparalleled nobility. It was all that witch's fault for seducing and assassinating the king with her beauty. In the end, her uncle seized the throne and sent her to the Central Plains as a hostage. Now she is even worse off than the newly acquired concubines in the royal palace, suffering endless bullying and spending her days in tears. I couldn't bear to see her like this and volunteered to help her.” After saying this in one breath, Shen Huaiyang's face turned bright red. “Unlike Brother Xie, I am not so easily swayed by beauty and unable to distinguish right from wrong.”
The princess of Shanshan Kingdom… Xie Yunshu paused for a moment, ignoring the accusation. Bi Jun couldn't stand it anymore and kicked her. “You dare to talk about right and wrong? Aren't you just blinded by a woman and being used as a pawn without even realizing it?”
“I asked her if she was a member of the Demonic Sect and if she had killed the King of Shanshan. She nodded and admitted it herself, so what else is there to say? If she wasn’t a member of the Demonic Sect, I wouldn’t have laid a hand on someone who couldn’t fight back.”
This time, even Silver Swan went up and kicked him.
“So what if you’re a member of the Demonic Sect? Did they kill your father or mother? Your words are infuriating. If anything happens to our master, I’ll chop you up.”