Eternal Night - Chapter 90
Like a cat moving across the rooftop, Yongye looked down and saw three shadowy figures emerging from a corner room in the courtyard.
She recognized the figures instantly; they were those of Moonlit Rose and Mr. Beauty. Was Mr. Beauty the only one here?
After a stick of incense had burned, the handsome gentleman came out carrying a lantern and whispered to someone in the shadows, "Watch closely, we will leave Chen tomorrow."
Yongye focused his attention on sensing the atmosphere in the courtyard, and sure enough, there were three more people lurking in the shadows. These three emitted faint auras, their breathing long and drawn-out, indicating they were three highly skilled individuals. They were arranged in a triangular formation within the house.
She watched the handsome gentleman leave, somewhat troubled. There were four people in this courtyard, including these three; were there any hidden agents? Where would she send them when they left Chen tomorrow? Even if she rescued them, would the three of them leave safely?
Yongye remained motionless, his mind churning with all sorts of thoughts.
Unexpectedly, the lantern that had disappeared into the distance returned. Beside the handsome gentleman was a person dressed entirely in black. Yongye had never seen this person in the Valley of Wandering, and his nerves immediately tensed.
The man in black robes had a high nose, deep-set eyes, and a deathly pale face. Even the master in blue robes had a deathly pallor, but this man in black robes was even more so, devoid of any color, resembling a figure from a Japanese ukiyo-e print. Yongye felt a chill run down his spine at the sight.
Upon entering the room again, the beautiful man's voice trembled slightly: "He is Moon Soul, who has been expelled from the valley."
"Ah—" Rose screamed in fright.
Yongye's hair stood on end, and his body tensed. In the shadow of the window, he saw that person's hand slowly reaching towards the moon.
She could no longer remain still, and her throwing knife flew through the window with lightning speed. The man in black simply waved his hand, and the knife was in his grasp. Yongye was startled; three people flew out of the courtyard, their longswords flashing like snowflakes as they rushed towards her hiding place.
With a leap, Yongye's flying knife clashed with the sword light, producing a crisp sound.
The three worked together seamlessly, their swordsmanship superb, instantly blocking Yongye's retreat and forcing her into the courtyard.
Yongye suddenly stopped moving and said sweetly, "Handsome gentleman! Master in blue! I've missed you so much! Aren't you coming out?"
The handsome gentleman leaned against the doorway and couldn't help but laugh: "Little Star, you're getting more and more mischievous. How did you know he was your master in blue?"
Yongye remained on guard, then turned back and said disdainfully, "Who else could have caught my flying knife with such a gesture besides my master in green robes? How much powder did you put on him? It looks terrible."
“Star Soul!” Master in blue coughed, and some white powder was indeed sprinkled on his black robe.
Yongye laughed so hard she clutched her stomach. Just then, she unleashed her hidden weapon again. A loud bang echoed in the courtyard as the flying knife aimed straight at the handsome gentleman and the master in green, but she leaped up into the air.
The series of actions happened in the blink of an eye.
The beautiful gentleman's shawl resembled a venomous snake's tongue, while the hidden weapons in the man in blue's hand were like a celestial maiden scattering flowers.
"Master, you said there's no hidden weapon I can't dodge, why bother attacking again!" Yongye laughed loudly, her hands and feet not stopping. She was about to leap into the lake.
"Ah!" A scream came from behind her.
As Yongye turned back, in the dim light of the room, Yuepo seemed to have fainted, and a long sword was pressed against Qiangwei's neck.
With a long sigh, Yongye did a graceful flip, looked at the flowers and plants that had been blown to pieces by the thunder bomb, and said with a grin, "I haven't seen Mr. Beauty and Master Qingyi for so many years. Xinghun insists on having a meal before leaving."
The man in blue stared intently at Yongye, his gaze complex, before entering the house.
The handsome gentleman flicked his shawl and wrapped it around Yongye's waist, gently pulling her closer: "You child, you're all wet. Why didn't you use the front door? Why did you swim in? Come on, let's change into some clean clothes."
"Why change clothes? It's just that the things I'm carrying are a burden." Yongye said as he pulled out his hidden weapons and threw them all over the ground with a clatter.
"It's not good to catch a cold, take a pill to ward off the chill!" The handsome gentleman handed over a pill.
Yongye obediently threw it into his mouth, and then touched Mr. Beauty's hand: "After all these years, I still can't forget what Mr. Beauty looks like. Isn't that painting beautiful? Come and give me a hug."
After saying that, he went limp on the beautiful man's body, still conscious, but his limbs were no longer under his control.
"Little Star! You're so good. Your husband missed you too." The handsome gentleman hugged her with relief and moved her into the house.
There was no moon or roses. Only two strangers.
One was dressed as Moon Spirit, the other as Rose. Eternal Night leaned against the Beauty and chuckled, "Since when did the valley start training actors besides assassins? Their voice imitations are so perfect!"
The handsome gentleman helped Yongye sit down, waved for the two to leave, and said softly, "Little Star, your eyes are getting sharper and sharper! Since you know it's your master in green, you must also know that the people in the room aren't the real Princess and Yuepo. How did you figure that out?"
Yongye slumped back in her chair, laughing heartily: "You couldn't lure me in by yourself, so you called Master Qingyi back to try and trick me again, didn't you? There was noise as soon as you entered the room, but as soon as you came out, the room went silent. With Rose's temper, she would have started yelling as soon as she heard my voice. (Download TXT^.^ Organized and provided) It's not like she'd just let it go with a couple of 'ahs'!"
The handsome man's eyes turned cold: "You could have easily jumped into the lake and escaped."
Yongye smiled and said, "Xinghun misses his two masters very much. He is reluctant to leave and wants to catch up with them."
"Stop with the sweet talk. You know perfectly well that the route we're forcing you to take only leads to water, and there's an ambush in the water. Your hidden weapons will be much less effective in the water; you won't be able to escape!"
"Master, you've really wronged me. Xinghun doesn't have such great abilities to see everything so clearly. Fine, there must be a reason why there was an ambush in the water and you went to so much trouble to catch me, right? Xinghun seems to have always been very loyal." Yongye subtly probed, his slumped figure in the chair looking utterly pitiful. Yet, the smile on his face remained unchanged, as bright as it had been eight years ago.
"If that's the case, why do you surrender so easily?"
"If we don't do it this way, how can Master feel at ease telling Xinghun the answer?"
The man in blue walked to Yongye's side and looked at her quietly: "The masters are just following orders to keep you here for two months. Yi Zhongtian is not capable of keeping you here, so the masters had to take action. You will be released to return to Anguo after two months."
Two months. Does Youli Valley intend to use him to blackmail his father? Or do they want to kill him? "If Master wants Xinghun to stay with me, he can just say so. I haven't had enough fun in Chen Kingdom yet. Why would I go back to An Kingdom?"
“You are the Prince Duan’s biological daughter. How long do you think this secret can be kept hidden? The only mistake your father made was trusting women too much!” the handsome gentleman chuckled.
Yongye gazed at the man in blue, seeing a deep sorrow on his pale face. "Lan Cui!" Yongye laughed. "A woman's words are the most unreliable, especially when she falls in love with a man. A man can easily deceive a woman, making her waste her youth and remain stubbornly deluded, is that right, sir?"
The handsome gentleman's expression suddenly changed, and he jumped up and shouted at the man in blue, "What a fine disciple you've taught!" With that, he rushed out.
"Master!" Yongye called out softly.
The man in blue robes was filled with mixed emotions. He looked out the window and said in a deep voice, "Back then, when I was in trouble, my benefactor saved me, and I swore allegiance to his family. Xinghun, my master has kept this secret from me. But secrets can't stay hidden forever, and the valley eventually found out. The valley master said that as long as you come, he won't kill you."
Yongye felt a pang of sadness. Her master in green had kept her secret for so many years; she should still thank him. "Will you kill my father?"