Linfengchun

Chapter 32

"It was sent by the Northern Yuan people." Zhang Weiyi withdrew his hand, flicked his sleeve, and a celadon bottle rolled to the ground and shattered. Qingyin was looking at the horse and didn't notice at all. Suddenly, a black shadow darted out of the celadon bottle and flew towards the back of Qingyin's neck.

Qingyin felt a sudden pain in the back of her neck. She reached out to touch it, but couldn't feel anything.

She turned around and saw that Zhang Weiyi had already walked away.

"Strange, there's really nothing there..." Qingyin reached out and touched it again, slightly confused.

When Zhang Weiyi reached the guest room on the second floor, she saw Su Sheng standing outside the door.

"Mr. Su, you wanted to see me?" he asked casually.

Su Sheng was the former master of the Drunken River of Oblivion and Su Ling's master. His appearance was as indifferent as water, and even his words were bland and tasteless. He seemed to be devoid of any emotions or desires.

"Let me check how your injury is. Is there anything bothering you?" Su Sheng followed him into the guest room and sat down at the table.

Zhang Weiyi subconsciously touched the mark on her right arm: "It was inevitably a bit painful at first, but it's almost healed now, though it still throbs on rainy days."

Su Sheng took his pulse and said, "The original meridians have been reconnected. Now we can remove the spirit gu from your body." He took out a small box, lit a piece of incense with a tinderbox, and then used a dagger to make a cut on Zhang Weiyi's right arm. After a while, the area around the wound became uneven, and suddenly a dark shadow shot out.

Su Sheng took it in a small box, stood up and said, "Although your arm has been reattached, it can't be as flexible as before, you know that, right?"

Zhang Weiyi hastily bandaged his wound and stood up, saying, "This junior understands."

"It's inevitable that the pain will come on rainy days; there's no cure for it."

Zhang Weiyi saw him to the door, when she suddenly heard him speak in a detached tone: "Do you still have the Gu worm I gave you last time?"

Zhang Weiyi said, "Just now, I put the poison on the girl next to Chongxuan."

Su Sheng looked at him for a while and shook his head slightly: "What's the use of you putting it on her? After a few days, everyone will go their separate ways and have nothing to do with each other anymore."

Zhang Weiyi smiled but didn't reply.

Chapter Forty

Chongxuan finally returned. However, he looked haggard and disheveled, with a bluish tinge on his chin.

Xu Lianning stood in the stairwell, watching him approach step by step. Suddenly, Chongxuan quickened his pace, stepped forward, hugged her tightly, and rested his head on her shoulder.

Xu Lianning lowered her eyes slightly, a faint smile involuntarily appearing on her lips.

“Sister Ning…” Chongxuan murmured.

She smiled gently, pursing her lips, and said, "Don't worry, I won't go anywhere, I'll just stay with you."

Chongxuan slowly raised his head, looked at her for a moment, and suddenly reached out and pressed his hand against the back of her neck, his forehead gently touching hers: "Sister Ning, I will remember that you are my sister, and I will never make a mistake again."

Xu Lianning tilted her head, raised her hand to touch his profile, and said with a smile, "Shaoyan, you really don't look good right now."

Chongxuan took her hand, his smile warm: "It's a pity you can't dislike me."

Xu Lianning smiled and said, "Yes." In this world, the only person I can't dislike is you.

Perhaps I once hated him.

She hated everyone she had ever been entangled with in the past, including Zhang Weiyi and Li Qingyun. But now she felt that Chongxuan was the only person in the world with whom she shared blood ties and was the most important to her.

Other people will no longer be so important.

Chongxuan held her hand, his palm slightly damp.

Xu Lianning didn't notice the reactions around her. Chongxuan was from the Western Regions and didn't understand the customs of the Central Plains. Their public embrace and affectionate behavior was quite shocking. However, she felt a slight warmth in her heart and couldn't care less about such things.

The emptiness in my heart remains.

Only the patch that was filled in tinged the paleness of more than a decade with a light red hue.

Sunlight streamed silently onto the old floor, casting a faint brownish sheen and evoking a sense of antiquity that seemed to have stood for many years. Zhang Weiyi stood at one end of the corridor, squinting slightly as he watched the two pass by. He wore a light ink-wash robe, with a window beside him, his sleeves fluttering in the breeze, but his eyes remained utterly indifferent.

Xu Lianning suddenly heard him whisper behind her, "If you want to leave, do it tonight."

She paused, turned her head to look at him: "Should I believe you?"

Zhang Weiyi's expression was extremely calm, and she chuckled slightly: "Have I ever lied to you even once?"

Xu Lianning thought for a moment and said, "No."

He lowered his eyes, a faint smile playing on his lips, appearing much more composed: "Well then, that's all." With that, he immediately turned and left.

Chongxuan frowned and said, "I don't know what his intention is in saying this. If he's trying to trick us, we'll fall into Longtengyi's trap."

Xu Lianning smiled and said, "It's understandable that you don't believe him, but I can't help but believe him. Zhang Weiyi is the kind of person who keeps things to himself, but he wouldn't just make up a lie to deceive people."

The carriage rolled on the ground, making a rolling sound, and came to a stop in front of the inn. Someone jumped down from the carriage, took a soft stool and placed it under the carriage, then rolled up the curtain and stood to the side.

Liu Junru went up to him and said in a clear voice, "I really feel bad for troubling Mr. Wan to drive all this way."

Mr. Wan stepped down from the soft stool, cupped his hands and said, "Sect Leader Liu, you are too kind. My master relies on you and there are still many things he needs to trouble you with." He spoke politely, but his expression was quite arrogant.

The disciples of Longtengyi behind him all looked displeased. Their master was the current leader of the martial arts world, and others only flattered him. But this Mr. Wan did not seem to know martial arts and did not seem to be any remarkable person.

Liu Junru smiled and said, "I wonder if there is anything our sect can do to help?"

"It's nothing major, but my master wants to ask Mr. Liu if he's firmly in his position as the leader of the alliance. Things are about to change, and if anything goes wrong, we below can't afford the consequences."

"Please convey to Mr. Wan that although I am not very talented, I will do my best."

Mr. Wan stopped in his tracks, a faint sneer on his face: "It's one thing if something happens to us servants, but my master is a woman of noble birth and cannot be allowed to be mistreated by her servants."

Hearing this from behind, Yin Han felt annoyed and couldn't help but snort. Liu Junru immediately scolded her sternly, "Han'er, don't be rude!" Then she said to Mr. Wan, "My daughter has been spoiled since she was a child. Please don't take it to heart if she is impolite."

Mr. Wan looked quite annoyed. He glanced at the man standing next to Yin Han and noticed that he seemed vaguely familiar. He turned his head to look at him, but the man happened to be looking away.

He took two steps and then said to Liu Junru, "I wonder if there are any highly skilled people under Alliance Leader Liu's tutelage? Could you introduce me to one?"

Liu Junru stroked his beard, but before he could speak, he felt a cold wind from above, and a dark figure, accompanied by a streak of silver light, swooped down. Liu Junru, unarmed, drew a sword from a disciple beside him, deftly twirling it in a flourish, intending to force the attacker back. But the man in black seemed completely oblivious to his surroundings, thrusting his sword forward.

The disciples of Longteng Post Station reacted quickly, drawing their swords in unison. Liu Junru first stabbed the man in the back, followed by a dozen or so longswords. The man in black, after taking the blow, also thrust his weapon into Mr. Wan's heart. Liu Junru was horrified and quickly deflected the disciples' swords: "Kill him alive!"

The man in black gritted his teeth, clenched his fist, and a ball of fire shot straight into the sky, blooming into a beautiful firework that left a dazzling trail.

Liu Junru reached out quickly, but it was too late. The man in black swayed, a trickle of black blood flowing from the corner of his mouth, and he died on the spot.

The fireworks overhead slowly shattered into tiny specks of light and gradually disappeared.

Standing beneath the fireworks, however, the wind tonight felt unusually cold, and one couldn't help but shiver. Liu Junru bent down, reversed the hilt of her sword, and lifted the man's face. Yin Han, standing close by, saw it clearly, covered her mouth, and ran to the side to vomit.

In the blink of an eye, half of the man in black's face had rotted away, leaving him unrecognizable.

Lin Zihan couldn't help but say, "Master, this..." His voice trembled slightly.

“This was a suicide assassin. After carrying out the assassination, he committed suicide by poisoning himself, disfiguring his face in the process.” Liu Junru straightened up, her face expressionless. “He was after Mr. Wan, but now that he’s dead, how can we explain this?”

"It's not difficult. Find someone who looks about 50% like Mr. Wan and have them impersonate him. That should keep it a secret for a while," Su Sheng said indifferently.

Liu Junru nodded, but she knew in her heart that impersonating this Mr. Wan would be extremely difficult. She knew a little about Tang Muhua of the Tang Clan, so even if she impersonated him, she wouldn't be exposed immediately. But she had no contact with this Mr. Wan. She only knew that he was a figure similar to an advisor under his master.

No sooner had he finished speaking than the sound of galloping hooves came from behind the inn, disappearing into the distance in the blink of an eye. Liu Junru's expression changed: "Damn it, we were so focused on this side that we neglected the other side." He pushed Lin Zihan: "Quick, take a few men and chase after them, don't let them get away."

Lin Zihan selected the men and hurriedly ran towards the stables.

After a moment's thought, Liu Junru felt that it was not safe enough for Lin Zihan to go alone, so she said to Zhang Weiyi, "Zihan is not reliable enough. I need you to go with me." She paused and then added, "Nephew, just do what the situation demands. No matter what, we can't let them escape."

Zhang Weiyi raised his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Sect Leader Liu, please rest assured." With a flick of his sleeve, he strode toward the stables. As he passed Mr. Wan's corpse, he paused, glanced back, and a cold smile flashed in his eyes.

The clatter of hooves was particularly loud in the quiet night. Su Ling glanced back and saw people on horseback chasing after her in the distance: "They're really fast, they caught up so quickly." She turned back and saw something flash ahead. Sensing something was wrong, she quickly reined in her horse and said, "Watch out ahead!"

Qingyin didn't react in time, and before she could rein in her horse, she and her horse charged forward. When she got closer, she saw an extremely thin silver line across the road, but could only watch helplessly as the horse's neck was slashed open by the line, blood splattering everywhere. She was terrified by the scene before her and stood frozen in place. Suddenly, someone grabbed the back of her clothes and pulled her back, saving her from the horrific accident.

Qingyin came to her senses, her body went limp with fright, and she was immediately supported by Chongxuan.

Xu Lianning dismounted and hadn't taken more than a few steps when a dozen or so men in black robes surrounded him. One of them, a tall man carrying a lantern and a long sword, was also approaching. All of the men wore silver masks that covered most of their faces.

His eyes, which seemed to be holding a lantern, flickered, but his voice was deliberately lowered and muffled: "There was a misunderstanding just now, and I have offended you all. Please don't take it to heart."

Su Ling's tone grew colder, a soft whip wrapped around her wrist: "A misunderstanding? Ha, it's easy to say that. If we hadn't escaped, would we have deserved to die?"

The man clasped his hands and said, "It seems you gentlemen also have important matters to attend to. We have more than three times the manpower, so why bother arguing?" He spoke politely and respectfully, neither humble nor arrogant, but his voice was extremely unpleasant, like a night owl in the silent wind.

Xu Lianning smiled slightly: "In that case, please take your leave first."

The man waved his hand and said, "Farewell." He then turned his back and walked away.

Qingyin, unable to contain her anger, raised her hand and threw a hidden weapon at the backs of those people. The man who had spoken earlier turned around, drew his longsword, and deflected the weapon with a single, dazzling strike. The sword flashed like a streak of fire, circling diagonally and trapping the hidden weapon within its blade of sword intent, tossing it all into the nearby bushes.

Xu Lianning raised her hand to cover her eyes and couldn't help but say, "They're from the Painting Studio."

Chongxuan looked at her: "What kind of sect is Huayinglou?"

Su Ling led the horse over, flipped herself onto its back, and said from afar, "Let's talk about it on the way. We're still far from Mingjian Manor, and I'm afraid there will be many variables along the way."

Chongxuan helped Qingyin onto the horse and sat behind her, saying, "Sister Ning, your injuries haven't fully healed yet. If you can't hold on, just let me know."

Xu Lianning frowned, as if she had thought of something: "I'm fine."

After galloping for a while, Su Ling shouted, "Lian Ning, what is the Painting Shadow Pavilion you just mentioned?"

"I can't really say what Huayinglou does. It's been unknown in the martial arts world. It was before the battle with Tianshang Sect. My companions and I broke in and almost couldn't get out. However, when we went there with Zhang Weiyi the next day, we found that Huayinglou had been burned to ashes. I fought with the shadow guards of Huayinglou and recognized the martial arts of the person from earlier. It should be Huayinglou."

"If what you say is true, with so many masters in the Painting Shadow Pavilion, it's no less skilled than the Dragon Soaring Post Station. How could it be unknown?"

Chongxuan said, "There are also those who do not wish to become famous. That Master of Huaying Pavilion must be an extraordinary person."

Xu Lianning lightly whipped the horse's rump: "That master's martial arts are very high, probably higher than Liu Junru's."

Su Ling smiled slightly: "It's a pity I don't like those people who speak with a guttural voice and pretend to be something they're not. They're sneaky and secretive, but it's not like they're ashamed of being seen by others."

Chongxuan coughed lightly, and after a while said, "Perhaps it's because of their strange appearance that they're not used to showing their face."

Xu Lianning couldn't help but chuckle, and immediately felt much better.

A gentle night breeze blew as the four men and three horses rode further and further away, leaving the small town completely behind.

Chapter 41

Lin Zihan reined in his horse, looked at the dozen or so men in black in front of him, gripped his sword hilt with one hand, and called out, "Which friend from the road is ahead? I am Lin Zihan from Longteng Post Station. Please make way for me."

The leader, dressed in black, put down his lantern and said calmly, "Since you are from Longteng Post Station, you must leave something behind if you want to pass through. You can decide what to do." As soon as he finished speaking, his men surrounded him.

Lin Zihan coldly mocked, "Why bother? With just a few of you, Longteng Post Station is nothing to us. Why don't you get out of our way and get lost?"

The leader of the men in black took a step back and shouted, "Attack!"

The dozen or so men in black robes moved like arrows, launching their attack simultaneously. Lin Zihan reined in his horse and took a step back, parrying with his sword while still on the saddle. He felt the force of the sword strike numb his arm. He realized he had underestimated his opponents and was about to dismount when another of his men opened his hand to attack him, forcing him to remain on the horse.

Lin Zihan only heard the soft sounds of swords clashing, the increasingly shrill screams, and more and more men in black robes surrounding him. Suddenly, he felt a chill on his face; the cold blade of a sword grazed his cheek, then flicked upwards, slicing off half of the hairpin that held his hair back.

Lin Zihan was horrified, and his swordplay became chaotic. Moreover, being on horseback, he couldn't dodge nimbly and was constantly at a disadvantage. However, the men in black didn't kill him; they merely inflicted a few minor cuts.