Beggar Travels the World

Chapter 42

She stared at the handle that could pull the fuse of the explosives, racking her brains with difficulty. Not to mention that she was covered in blood and had no strength at all, even if she were in good health, how could she destroy the explosive mechanism in this empty stone chamber?

In my thoughts, a familiar female voice seemed to softly call: "Xiao'er, Xiao'er..."

It's Aunt Nan.

Yes, perhaps she really had lived too hard. Maybe it's better for her to leave now. If she leaves now, she can see all her departed relatives again—her father, mother, Aunt Nan…

But how could she just leave like that...?

Yin Wuxiao tremblingly stretched out a hand, feeling as if it weighed a thousand pounds. With great difficulty, she took out the Blood Jade Pendant from her sleeve, the one she had asked Chou'er to give to Qiao Fenglang that day, which Qiao Fenglang then returned to her as a token of betrothal.

Even a simple action is incredibly difficult for her now.

She reached out and slowly tried to put the jade pendant into the slanted groove of the handle.

Meanwhile, Aunt Yun's strange martial arts had already injured Yuwen Cuiyu and Shi Mansi, leaving only Cen Lu, who, despite knowing he was no match for her, was still fighting fiercely.

Yin Wuxiao suddenly heard Mansi exclaim in surprise. She couldn't see what was happening behind her, but she already guessed most of it. There was a gust of wind. Was Aunt Yun coming this way? Could it be that even Cen Lu couldn't stop her for a moment?

With strength she didn't know she possessed, she suddenly sat up, inserting herself between the attacks and mechanisms behind her to block Aunt Yun's palm strike.

A powerful force, capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks, struck her back without reservation, and a mouthful of blood gushed from her mouth without restraint.

"Xiao'er!"

Yin Wuxiao seemed to hear Mansi screaming, and also Baili Qingyi's shocked roar. But she had no time to pay attention to them. She only heard the sound of the jade pendant falling into the slanted groove with a tinkling sound.

Aunt Yun burst into laughter: "You'll all die!" She reached out and pulled down the handle...

※ ※ ※

Did the explosives detonate?

Yin Wuxiao was unaware that, in her fragmented consciousness, she only felt herself being lifted up by a familiar, trembling arm.

"Xiao'er... Xiao'er..."

Why is even your voice trembling?

An enlarged face swayed before her eyes, very blurry, yet the person's identity could still be vaguely discerned.

"Baili Qingyi?" she murmured, asking in a daze.

"It's me. You're safe now. No one can hurt you anymore!" The other person seemed to be swearing an oath.

Yin Wuxiao wanted to laugh. Of course, no one could hurt her now, because she was about to die.

"I...have something...to...you...say..." It is said that a dying person's words are kind. As she was about to die, she suddenly realized that in her more than twenty years of life, she owed nothing to anyone. If she owed anything, it was to the man before her. She owed him a heartfelt confession. She was too cautious, and he was too mysterious and profound, so that even in death, she could not tell him that heartfelt confession in person.

"You're not allowed to say it! You're not allowed to say it! Do you hear me?!" As if sensing her thoughts, the man began to shout, "You'll be fine!"

Yin Wuxiao slightly curled the corners of her mouth. She could feel that the person was running, and the jolting motion of his movements made her wound feel as if it were being torn apart.

That's strange; that person usually doesn't shout like that.

"You... you're lying..." she accused him with her last bit of consciousness and strength.

"I'm not lying to you! Be good now and don't say anything. When you wake up tomorrow, I'll be by your side. I'll listen to whatever you want to say, okay?"

Yin Wuxiao thought about it carefully, then smiled: "...Okay."

What's wrong with giving him hope?

Her consciousness could no longer be maintained after she uttered that word, and she fell completely into boundless darkness.

The person by the wine shop is like the moon

Yin Wuxiao opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was a blinding white light.

"You woke up too quickly," a voice said calmly.

Wh...what?

Yin Wuxiao didn't react in time.

After a long while, the excessive light and shadow in front of her gradually dissipated, and she finally saw clearly that directly above her was the top of a tent.

Where is this? A yurt?

Or is she already dead?

The voice seemed to know what she was thinking and immediately answered her question: "You're not dead. This is a tent we've temporarily set up for the injured on the top of Wushan Mountain."

She's not dead?

Yin Wuxiao's first reaction was to try to open her mouth, but she found that neither her lips nor any other part of her body would obey her commands.

"You don't need to speak. Don't worry, you won't die. With my second brother here, this little injury won't kill you."

Minor injury? She's completely immobilized, and that's considered a minor injury?

A surge of anger welled up within her. She wanted to see who was so arrogant. Let them try paralyzing someone too.

"Women are so fragile," the man said with a hint of disdain. "My third brother can eat wounds like this almost every day and he's still full of energy. But you, woman, act like you're about to die. You scared my eldest brother half to death."

What do you mean by "eldest brother," "second brother," and "third brother"? Yin Wuxiao was getting a little dizzy from his words, so he simply closed his eyes and ignored him.

The voice didn't fall silent because of her coldness; instead, it became even more incessant: "I thought you'd be lying in bed for at least three months before waking up, given how badly you're dying. You're really lucky to be alive!"

Yin Wuxiao was furious. Hadn't he just said that "women are just fragile"? How come he suddenly said she was lucky to be alive?

Although she has suffered a lot over the years, as long as she still had a mouth to speak, she was confident that she could turn the tide. She had never experienced the predicament of being unable to speak and having nowhere to vent her anger.

This person, barring any unforeseen circumstances, is Baili Ziyi, the youngest of the four young masters of the Baili family, the one with the coldest personality and the most foul mouth.

"Ziyi, are you bullying Miss Yin again? Wait until your elder brother comes back, he'll skin you alive." Someone lifted the curtain and entered, their voice filled with laughter. It sounded just like the kind-hearted doctor, Baili Hanyi.

"Even you, Second Brother, do you really think that Eldest Brother would harm his own brother for a woman?" Baili Ziyi's voice was filled with deep dissatisfaction.

"Ziyi, first of all, you need to understand one thing: Miss Yin is definitely not just a woman..."

Yin Wuxiao was startled to find a pill being stuffed into her mouth. Her eyes widened as she stared at Baili Hanyi's smiling face that appeared above her.

Baili Hanyi reassured her knowingly, "Miss Yin, don't worry. This is medicine to neutralize the effects of the anesthesia on your body. You'll be able to speak after taking it."

Yin Wuxiao swallowed the pill and waited patiently. After a while, she could finally feel her lips and tongue. She moved her lips and tongue with difficulty: "..."

"What?" Baili Hanyi frowned and moved closer.

"..." Yin Wuxiao wasn't quite sure what to ask. Should she ask about her injuries? How was the fight between Qiao Fenglang and Mu Li going? What about Man Si and Cen Lu's condition? How was Aunt Yun?

"Where is Baili Qingyi?" She was startled when she asked the question.

Baili Hanyi glanced at her with some surprise, then replied, "After handing you over to us, my brother went back down the cliff to direct the rescue."

"Oh." Yin Wuxiao then remembered that there were still dozens of people hanging below the cliff, and rescuing them would be a huge undertaking.

"What about Mansi and Cenlu? How serious are their injuries?"

“Miss Shi only suffered some superficial injuries, but Manager Cen, who was protecting her, is in more serious condition…” Baili Hanyi pondered for a moment, hesitating whether to tell her about Cen Lu’s special circumstances. After thinking it over, she decided that it was not advisable for her to worry too much at the moment. “However, his life is safe.”

Yin Wuxiao felt somewhat relieved.

To avoid her asking one by one, Baili Hanyi simply said it all at once: "Both Chief Qiaos are still at the bottom of the cliff, but they have been subdued and the situation is under control, so Miss Yin doesn't need to worry. Although your injuries are serious, they are all injuries to the muscles, bones, and flesh, and have not damaged your vital energy. Given time, you will recover to normal, but you will have difficulty moving around for the next three months."

Seeing Yin Wuxiao remain silent, Baili Hanyi quickly added, "Are you still worried about your elder brother? Sigh, he said he wanted you to see him first when you woke up, and that you had something to say to him. But... but saving lives is urgent, and he only left after confirming that you were safe..."

"You don't need to explain, I understand." Yin Wuxiao's gaze was calm, and his tone revealed no emotion.

“Second Brother,” Baili Ziyi frowned, “what’s the point of you explaining to her in such a humble manner? Look at her arrogant demeanor, she doesn’t seem to care about even a little bit of your affection, eldest brother.”

Yin Wuxiao was taken aback. Baili Ziyi had never been very friendly to her, neither before nor after he learned her true identity. Was it because he thought she had betrayed his elder brother's deep affection?

Perhaps that's how it is. First, she pretended not to understand the meaning of Qingyi's words, then she disguised herself as a beggar to hide her identity, and later she announced that she would marry Muli. She really is a heartless woman.

But when it comes to matters of the heart, how can outsiders possibly understand?

"Hmph, in my opinion, my brother is nothing but a compassionate heart. If it weren't for the need to find out who's behind 'Traceless,' and for Old Master Qiao's request, how could my brother have gotten involved with her?"

"Ziyi!" Baili Hanyi hurriedly stopped him, but Yin Wuxiao still keenly grasped the information revealed in his words.

"What do you mean? What request from Old Master Qiao? And why is your elder brother involved with me?"

Baili Ziyi glared at her, glanced at Baili Hanyi, and remained silent.

Yin Wuxiao glanced at the two men, knowing he wouldn't get anything out of Baili Ziyi, so he decided to capture the leader first.

“Young Master Hanyi, even if you don’t tell me, I will always find out the truth. If I can’t find it today, I will find it tomorrow. However, I don’t know whether the truth I find out will be the same as what you said, or even worse.”

"..." Baili Hanyi stared at her helplessly, thinking over a hundred times whether he should just put her to sleep by pressing her pressure points. But he had a gut feeling that that would be the worst decision.

"...Fine, I'll talk." He gave in to Yin Wuxiao's intense gaze. How could this woman, with only her eyes and mouth still moving, be so terrifying?

He briefly explained the cause and effect, not forgetting to add: "Of course, these are only one of the reasons why my older brother approached you... I mean... the second, but I can guarantee that they are definitely not the main reason why he approached you, absolutely not."

Baili Ziyi sneered from the side: "That's right, we're not using you, absolutely not."

Yin Wuxiao took a deep breath.

So this was his plan? Everything he did was for the martial world, for the people, for punishing evil, for fulfilling his promise? Then where was his true heart? He cured her of the poison, sacrificing half of his own power; he saved her from danger time and time again; his kisses, his smiles, his sneaking up to 'Wuhen' just to catch a glimpse of her in the middle of the night—in all these things, was there any true heart?

Was his aloofness, allowing her to marry Mu Li, because he didn't want to ruin the plan, or because it was all just an act?

Or perhaps it's simply because she doesn't hold the same weight in his heart as justice or promises, so even if he loses her, loses her completely, it doesn't matter to him.

Yin Wuxiao closed her eyes, unwilling to think about it. But when he returned, she wanted to hear his explanation. She didn't want to waste any more time with him. If she were to die anytime soon, she would die with regrets because she had never been honest with him or with her own feelings.

Seeing her uncertain expression, Baili Hanyi smiled and asked, "Miss Yin, are you feeling unwell?"

Yin Wuxiao shook her head, then suddenly remembered something: "What about Aunt Yun? Where is Aunt Yun now?" Although she knew that Aunt Yun had orchestrated all of this, she still couldn't help but worry about her safety. Besides, she wanted to ask Aunt Yun herself why she hated even her only biological niece. Even if the whole world had wronged her, wasn't the sisterly affection between her and her mother enough to awaken her conscience?

Baili Hanyi and Baili Ziyi exchanged a glance but remained silent.

Yin Wuxiao's heart skipped a beat: "What? Aunt Yun... she's dead? Or..."

Baili Hanyi shook his head: "No, it's just that we can't find her whereabouts yet. We guess that she may have fled down the mountain when she saw that things were not going well."

"She escaped down the mountain?" Yin Wuxiao exclaimed in shock. "No, that's impossible. There are so many traps and secret passages in 'Traceless,' it wouldn't be difficult for her to find a hiding place..."

"Miss Yin, rest assured, we also suspected this possibility, so we ordered people to search everywhere, but we haven't found anything yet. However, I think if Madam Ruoyun's martial arts are really as superb as Qingyi said, then it shouldn't be difficult for her to sneak down the mountain, and she won't stay on the mountain waiting for us to find her..."