Beggar Travels the World

Chapter 29

Yin Wuxiao couldn't help but take a serious look at Yuwen Cuiyu. This woman's words were so natural and skillful, she was truly impressive.

“My family does own several antique shops, and the craftsmen there are quite knowledgeable about the guzheng. If the two Miss Yuwen are interested, please come to the capital another day, and Wu Xiao will personally welcome you.”

“Since Miss Yin says so, I, Cuiyu, will not hesitate to trouble you.” Yuwen Cuiyu smiled gracefully. “It would be a waste to leave the zither here empty. How about I make a fool of myself and add to the fun?”

After speaking, she went straight to the zither and sat down, her delicate fingers touching the strings.

The piece "Spring River" flowed slowly and conventionally, yet connoisseurs could discern the remarkable skill of the zither player. Though not deliberately ostentatious, it revealed a certain self-confidence and arrogance.

Yin Wuxiao raised her eyebrows like smoke, smiled, and gently poked Cui Shenghan with a finger, asking in a low voice, "Sister Cui, what do you think of Miss Yuwen Cuiyu's zither playing?"

"You're slightly inferior, but there's still a chance to compete. You don't have a sure chance of winning," Cui Shenghan commented impartially.

"Hey, do you think I really enjoy competing with everyone? Playing the zither is just for enjoyment; there's no such thing as winning or losing," Yin Wuxiao said reproachfully.

Cui Shenghan paused for a moment.

"She looks a lot like you."

"Huh?" Yin Wuxiao was taken aback.

"You mean playing the zither?"

Cui Shenghan shook her head.

“Not only that.” She frowned slightly, glancing at Yuwen Cuiyu’s delicate white fingertips as she slowly twirled them, and suddenly trembled, her beautiful eyes showing disbelief.

※ ※ ※

The bright moon is full, the evening clouds have dispersed, and the night is as clear as day. The lingering effects of the wine gradually fade. The distant pavilion stands tall, and a cool breeze stirs in my sleeves.

Wearing only an outer garment, Yin Wuxiao stepped out of the side room.

In the night, a tiny, luminous light seemed to drift in the wind—a firefly. When I was little, Aunt Nan told me that after a person dies, their soul resides in a firefly. But I wonder whose soul resides in this one? Aunt Nan? Shi'er? Father? Mother?

Unable to fathom her own feelings, she could only follow the fireflies slowly forward. This wasn't the first time she'd been unable to sleep at night, but seeing fireflies was a first for her.

The Hundred Questions Manor was built in a valley, and at night it was like a silent forest, undisturbed by human presence. She followed the fireflies and vaguely arrived outside a side room, when she suddenly came to her senses.

This is Mu Wanfeng's room.

Although Mu Wanfeng regained consciousness once, showing that her life was not in danger and reassuring Zhang Baitong and the others, she still spent most of her days in a coma. Xuan Hegu and several young ladies had to take good care of her. However, Cui Shenghan was cold-hearted and pregnant, and Yuwen Hongying harbored hatred towards Mu Wanfeng. Therefore, the only ones truly taking care of Mu Wanfeng were her and Yuwen Cuiyu.

On the day Mu Wanfeng regained consciousness, she was still not quite clear-headed. As soon as she opened her eyes, she grabbed Qin Qiyun, who was standing by her bedside, and cried out, "Lang'er!" Later, she grabbed the real Qiao Fenglang and cried out again, "Lang'er, Lang'er, do you know where Li'er is now?" At that time, Qiao Fenglang's face was extremely ugly, and everyone present finally understood another layer of connection between the Qiong Sect and the Qiao Gang.

Everyone knew that Qiao Fenglang's father, Qiao Baiyue, had a dead first wife, but no one expected it to be Mu Wanfeng!

Twenty-six years ago, Qiao Baiyue was a rising star in the martial arts world. He met Mu Wanfeng, a young woman in her twenties who had come from the northern deserts to the Central Plains. The two fell in love and secretly pledged their lives to each other. Later, Qiao Baiyue discovered that his lover was actually a member of a heretical sect in the northern deserts. The concept of a righteous sect that he had been instilled with since childhood made him both ashamed and angry. Mu Wanfeng was also unwilling to leave the Qiong Sect to conform to Qiao Baiyue's prejudice. So, in a fit of anger, Qiao Baiyue, in accordance with his parents' wishes, got engaged to Ruan Yun, the second young lady of the Ruan family of the Hengshan Sect. At that time, the Ruan family had a great reputation in the martial arts world. Ruan Yun's eldest sister was the famous Wuyou Heroine Ruan Wuyou. This marriage gave Qiao Baiyue a lot of help and finally enabled him to successfully ascend to the position of leader of the Qiao Gang.

As for Mu Wanfeng, she was already pregnant at the time and soon gave birth to twin boys. Qiao Baiyue, upon learning this, was unwilling to let his own flesh and blood wander outside, so he sent people to demand the children back. Mu Wanfeng was weak after childbirth and alone, but fortunately, with the help of Zhang Baitong, she was able to deceive Qiao Baiyue into believing she only had one child. Thus, that baby boy was taken back to the Qiao Gang and raised, becoming the later Qiao Fenglang, while the other baby boy was taken back to the Northern Desert Qiong Sect by Mu Wanfeng and named Mu Li.

According to Mu Wanfeng, the mother and son suffered all kinds of contempt within the Qiong Sect. When Mu Li was ten years old, he escaped from the Qiong Sect and sneaked into the Central Plains to find his father and brothers. Mu Wanfeng wanted to go to the Central Plains to find him, but the Qiong Sect's rules were very strict and she was not allowed to enter the Central Plains again. Until a few years ago, she finally gained power in the sect and her status rose rapidly. She was finally able to send people to the Central Plains to investigate secretly, but she still could not find any trace of Mu Li.

"Lang'er, I know Li'er must have come looking for you. I don't ask you to acknowledge me, but tell me where he is, where he is!"

Yin Wuxiao stared in disbelief at everything. She remembered that when she was six or seven years old, her brother Fenglang had taken her to play in the Yunshan area. She vaguely recalled entering a large garden, with lush grass and colorful fruit trees, but no one was there. There were even uncles from the Qiao gang guarding the entrance. It was Fenglang who had cleverly sneaked her in. She had a great time playing inside, but always felt like someone was watching her. She quietly turned her head and saw two identical boys…

"You must be seeing things," Fenglang said later.

Perhaps she wasn't seeing things.

Arriving outside Mu Wanfeng's door, she couldn't help but feel a pang of pity. Mu Wanfeng was also a pitiful woman; she was too strong-willed, yet she encountered such a heartless man.

Moreover, Mu Wanfeng seems to know her mother.

How ridiculous, she herself doesn't recognize herself.

The door suddenly opened with a sound.

Yin Wuxiao was startled.

A dark figure flashed out from inside the door.

Idle clouds drift freely

The man in black had his face covered with a black cloth. He was agile and moved with light steps. If he hadn't seen him with his own eyes, Yin Wuxiao probably wouldn't have noticed his presence. When he came out and saw Yin Wuxiao, he was also taken aback.

In an instant, the black-clad man's eyes, visible through his black veil, revealed a sharp glint.

"Don't come any closer!" Yin Wuxiao took two steps back, staring at him warily. With so many experts gathered at Hundred Questions Manor, it was suspicious that this person had managed to sneak in so silently.

Seeing that she didn't seem to be calling for help, the man in black stood still, but his dark eyes remained fixed on her.

"The master of 'Traceless'?" After a long pause, she tentatively guessed. The Qiong Cult, the Qiao Gang, the Baili Manor—who in this world would dare to oppose all three at the same time?

Killing her would be easier for this man than crushing an ant. The wind was gentle, the moon was bright, the branches were bare, and the trees were small. It was late at night, and no one was around except for Wu Guo, who was sleeping in the next room. However, like Mu Wanfeng, he was severely injured and unable to resist the man before him. Yin Wuxiao's expression remained unchanged, but her heart tightened. She didn't want to die here!

"You're very clever." The man in black finally responded quietly. Yin Wuxiao suddenly trembled. The faint killing intent in his eyes enveloped her, making her feel cold all over.

“You…” She tossed her head and decided to use her negotiating tactics, “If you kill me, you won’t be leaving Hundred Questions Manor tonight.”

"How do you know?" the man in black sneered.

“If there’s even the slightest disturbance, someone will come running. You should know what kind of people live in Hundred Questions Manor right now.” Seeing that the man in black seemed about to change his expression again, she hurriedly added, “As long as you don’t kill me, I promise I won’t make a sound.”

The man in black glanced at her coldly, as if to say she was an insignificant nobody. He turned and leaped onto a large tree in the courtyard, then disappeared into the night with three leaps.

A soft whisper echoed in her ear: "I'll only spare you this time."

"Just this once?" Was this a question directed at her, or at himself?

She suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling completely exhausted, and collapsed to the ground with weak legs.

Another near-death experience...

But this time, she's afraid; she wants to live...

She sat on the ground, unable to stand up for a long time.

Since the owner of "Wuhen" was able to infiltrate Baiwen Manor, why did he neither go to Baili Qingyi nor Qiao Fenglang, but instead went to Mu Wanfeng's room?

Could it be?

The sudden realization that dawned on her terrified her. She didn't know where the strength came from, but she hurriedly jumped up from the ground and rushed into the room.

"Mu..." She wanted to call out, but fearing that Mu Wanfeng was unconscious, she could only grope her way to the bedside in the dark and reach under the nose of the person on the bed.

Thankfully, he was still breathing.

Yin Wuxiao breathed a deep sigh of relief, but her legs went weak again. She gasped and was about to fall onto the bed, but a pair of strong arms stopped her fall, and she fell into a broad and sturdy chest instead.

"..." She was startled and wanted to speak, but then she heard a familiar voice in her ear.

"It's me."

The rich, pleasant, and clean scent of Baili Qingyi wafted to my nose.

Her heart, which had been pounding with anxiety, finally settled down. She was about to speak when Baili Qingyi stopped her.

He helped her out of the room, closed the door, and then stared at her intently with a furrowed brow.

Why are you here?

"I was just about to ask you, why are you here?" She gave him a disgruntled look, the shock she had just experienced still lingering in her mind.

“I saw your door was open, but no one was inside, so I came out to look for you.” He finished quickly, still staring intently at her, waiting for her reply.

"I...I just can't sleep." She turned her head away with a strange expression.

"What happened?" He keenly noticed her unusual behavior.

Yin Wuxiao took a deep breath: "No, it's nothing." For some reason, she didn't dare tell him that she had just narrowly escaped death again.

He stared at her for a few seconds, until Yin Wuxiao thought she couldn't hide it from him anymore, but then she heard him sigh softly, saying with a hint of helplessness:

"Let me take you home."

Without warning, he picked her up and leaped onto the roof.

Yin Wuxiao hurriedly wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I... can walk by myself." Her voice was barely audible.

"Aren't your legs weak? It'll be faster if I take you." He spoke softly in a gentle voice, glancing down at her clothes, and added, "You're wearing too little." His embrace tightened, then tightened even more.

The cool night breeze ruffled her long hair, the ends tangling wildly with his tied-up hair. Yin Wuxiao looked up at his chin with a fascination.

This man is truly as handsome as an immortal.

This embrace couldn't be warmer.

A moment later, the two gracefully landed outside Yin Wuxiao's room.

"Go inside quickly." Baili Qingyi put down Yin Wuxiao, but his hand couldn't help but stroke her loose, silky black hair. The cool, smooth touch stirred his heart.

Yin Wuxiao stared intently at the wide-open door.

"I don't want to go back to my room." Startled, she was wide awake.

"What?" Baili Qingyi looked at her in surprise. These words were very likely to provoke thought at this moment.

Yin Wuxiao hurriedly explained, "I mean... I can't sleep, so why don't we find something to do?"

"Uh?" A faint smile began to appear on Baili Qingyi's face.

The more they try to explain, the worse it gets.

Yin Wuxiao hung his head in defeat.

"You... don't overthink it, I just want to stay outside for a while." She said through gritted teeth.

Baili Qingyi hurriedly raised her hands: "I absolutely did not have any wild thoughts."

“You…” She stomped her foot angrily, staring at the mischievous glint in his eyes.

Baili Qingyi smiled and reached out his large hand to grasp her soft hand.

"Come with me."