Eternal Night - Chapter 129
The red lantern swayed gently in the evening breeze, stirring a touch of joy in the heart of the eternal night.
Ahead of her, an elderly couple walked slowly hand in hand. Yongye watched their hunched backs and hand in hand, thinking that she and Yuepo would grow old together in the future, walking hand in hand through the twilight alley, and a happy smile appeared on her lips.
Marrying him doesn't seem so difficult; maybe she'll get used to it eventually. Yongye suddenly remembered she'd forgotten to buy women's clothing and inwardly cried out in dismay. Just as she was about to turn back to buy some, she saw the elderly couple pause as they passed the clinic. The old man hunched over and peered inside, then continued walking.
Yongye's footsteps were light, as was her habit. She was certain the couple didn't know she had walked far into the alley. A strange expression appeared in Yongye's eyes. When the old man looked into the doorway, his footsteps were also habitually very light. Lighter than an elderly person.
When she passed the clinic, she found that Yuepo had not yet returned, and the door was still locked. Yongye put down what she was carrying at the door and followed the elderly couple.
Always by your side
Once outside the alley, Yongye became more alert and saw them enter a mansion in the distance. Without thinking twice, she lightly leaped inside.
A streak of sword light flashed past, and Yongye Flying Knife reacted swiftly. Hearing a scream, he somersaulted in mid-air, only to have a whip-like shadow suddenly appear above his head, pressing down on her. A low shout came from the courtyard: "Who's been following us!"
Yongye dodged to the side, her throwing knife flying swiftly. A flash of light from her sleeve blade instantly pinned her opponent down. The old woman wielding the sword fell, gasping for breath in a pool of blood. She had pinned down the old man wielding the whip. "Who are you? Can you hear my footsteps?"
The other person ignored him, their gaze towards the old woman filled with reluctance and affection. Turning back, they gritted their teeth and said, "Xinghun, you are Xinghun!"
How do you know?
"Your hidden weapon, Little Li's Flying Dagger, never misses!"
Who are you?
The old man laughed: "We came from the same building. My name is Riguang, do you remember me? I felt someone behind me not long after we left the alley. Your lightness skill is quite good, but as you know, an assassin's senses are always somewhat inexplicable."
Sunlight? The name startled Yongye, reminding him of the time years ago when Li Yannian named the five assassins in the building. In that instant of distraction, Sunlight suddenly leaned back at a ninety-degree angle, his feet flying up to kick Yongye.
She moved faster than he expected, her figure like a phantom, already behind him, her sleeve blade pressed against his back: "What were you doing at that clinic? What was your purpose?"
Sunlight was stunned; he hadn't expected that Eternal Night's power was far greater than he had imagined.
"My knife is against your back. One strike will sever your spine. You won't die, but you'll never be able to stand again. What will become of an assassin who can only lie in bed?"
"I won't tell you, you can kill me all you want. You know, telling you would be more painful than death."
Yongye smiled: "I still have eighteen knives. My throwing knives are small, but their accuracy is good. She's not dead yet. I can shoot out one of her eyes with one slash, then the other, and while I'm at it, I can slice across her face one by one. You can watch her beautiful face turn into two bloody holes, but you won't die..."
The old woman on the ground still had a wrinkled, sallow face, but her bright eyes revealed deep fear—the eyes of a young woman, clearly those of a woman. Suddenly, she reached out and struck the top of her head. The moment her hand moved, she shuddered in pain; a throwing knife had already been embedded in the back of her hand.
"I'm behind you, so you won't sense when I'll strike. Answer my question!" Yongye's voice turned cold.
Sweating profusely from his forehead, he stared blankly at the woman on the ground and murmured, "You're only worried about Yuepo, aren't you? He..."
Suddenly, a cloud of purple mist burst forth from the courtyard. Yongye cried out in alarm, pushed off with his toes, and soared into the air like a kite. He glanced back and saw that Riguang, who was leaping in mid-air, had been struck by something and fell straight down, while the assassin disguised as an old woman was stiff and motionless.
As the purple mist dissipated, two corpses lay sprawled in the courtyard.
Who killed them? Why were Sunlight and this woman spying outside the clinic? Did Wandering Valley finally find them?
With a heavy heart, Yongye returned to the clinic and reached out to remove the clinic's sign.
"Xinghun, where did you go? I saw your things at the door. Why did you take down the clinic sign?" Yuepo looked at her in surprise.
Yongye sighed: "I noticed two people peeking around outside the clinic. I followed them and killed them. Turns out, there was an assassin named Riguang who came out of the small building just like us."
"They finally found us?"
Yongye thought for a moment and said, "They might be looking for you. They figure that since you know poison, you must also be a doctor, which is why they're paying special attention to the clinic. Let's move to another place. I have a way to make money."
A slight smile appeared on Yuepo's lips as she said, "I expected this day to come. The reason I didn't have enough money for the consultation fee is because I also rented another place."
"No way? How many caves do you have?" Yongye didn't expect Yuepo to be prepared and looked at him suspiciously.
Yuepo smiled, pulled her out of the clinic, and went to the shop next door. The shop was exactly the same, except the door was always closed and no business was taking place. He smiled smugly: "Here. Nobody would have guessed it was next door, right? The person living here isn't the Matchmaker, it's Uncle Zhao. He's a strange guy, rarely leaves the courtyard. Hehe, I usually disguise myself as Uncle Zhao and go out to buy things about every ten days."
Yongye couldn't help but laugh too: "Where's Aunt Zhao?"
"She has been bedridden for many years and needs someone to be by her side, so Uncle Zhao always takes care of her at home."
How does Uncle Zhao make a living?
"Didn't you see the straw sandals hanging in the yard? Uncle Zhao takes them to sell every ten days. He barely makes ends meet."
Yongye put on a stern face: "Aunt Zhao is in a good mood tonight, and her illness has lessened, so she wants to sit in the courtyard drinking, eating meat, and admiring the moon!"
Yuepo nodded and walked to her side, whispering in her ear, "Uncle Zhao saw that Aunt Zhao was better, so he wanted to discuss with her how to prevent that flower from growing on the soles of her feet again..."
Yongye's face instantly turned bright red. He punched Yuepo in the stomach with an elbow and jumped away: "Aunt Zhao, starting today, we're going to begin our grand plan to make money and take revenge! I pawned the Tianhuang seal at Dachang Company for only twenty taels of silver, and then went to Jiguzhai for a job interview. You've also made a lot of money selling medicinal herbs. Let's stay in Shengjing for a year or two, and see if Prince Yan will still be checking the city gates."
Yuepo frowned upon hearing this and said, "Xinghun, you shouldn't go for the job interview. I sold fifty taels of silver worth of medicinal herbs, plus twenty taels for the seal I pawned. That should last us for several months."
Yongye pouted, unwilling to give up. She had just been hooked on revenge and had even successfully entered Jiguzhai. Besides, she was bored staying at home all day.
Seeing her resolute attitude, Yuepo sighed softly. She smiled and said, "Be careful when you go out. I'll disguise you."
For five consecutive days, Yongye disguised herself and went to Jiguzhai for job interviews. While working, she admired the calligraphy and paintings by famous artists in Jiguzhai's collection, secretly memorizing the characteristics of each artist's brushstrokes. In the evenings, she would stay up late at home, practicing and imitating the paintings.
Half a month later, the seal was completed. She looked at the seal of the hermit of the Water Margin on the painting, and then at the one in her hand. It was exactly the same as the one in the painting, and she couldn't help but feel extremely proud.
Yuepo clicked her tongue in admiration, then looked at Yongye with a hint of doubt: "When did you learn that?"
"I learned it at the Prince's Palace." Yongye's past life memories are a secret that belongs only to her. Could it be that she should tell Yuepo that she was a man in her past life?
Yuepo laughed, "Once you've vented your anger as a painter, don't show your face in public anymore. Do you hear me?"
Yongye was stunned. Yuepo pulled her into his arms and whispered, "Every time you go out, I worry that you will never come back."