Luzhou Moon - Chapter 108
Lian Junchu remained silent, turning her head to look at her in silence.
"Look, when I arrived, I ran into that young man surnamed Wei. He was traveling a long way to find Master Hai Qiongzi of Shenxiao Palace, because it's said that only in this way can Yue Ruzheng be saved." She said with great enthusiasm, while keeping a close eye on Lian Junchu.
He pursed his lips, asked nothing, and after she finished speaking, quickly turned away and never looked at her again.
Just then, a faint drumbeat came from afar, one long beat followed by two short beats, repeated three times. Lian Junchu whispered, "Be careful."
Danfeng, Chongming, and the others held their breath and crouched low. Seeing this, Lian Junxin had no choice but to also lie prone in the grass. As night fell, several dim yellow lights flickered in the abandoned village, indistinct and eerie, like will-o'-the-wisps. In this desolate scene, a carriage slowly drove up from the barren hill behind the village.
As the carriage approached the collapsed houses at the village entrance, a lean man leaped down, a curved sword slung across his waist—it was Su Muchen, the protector of Bliss Valley. Danfeng, seeing this man who had once pursued her, felt a surge of anger. She was about to whisper something to Chongming beside her when he firmly pressed down on her wrist. She looked at Chongming suspiciously, noticing his tense expression and disbelief, and couldn't help but look in the direction he was looking.
A man in black slowly stepped out of the dark carriage. Beside Su Mucheng, someone held a torch, which illuminated the man's face. His face was pale and he looked sickly, but his every move exuded a certain elegance.
It turned out to be Mo Li, the Valley Master of Bliss Valley.
Danfeng had already heard the news of Moli's death. When she saw him appear in this deserted village, she was so shocked that she almost cried out. Fortunately, Chongming was quick-witted and covered her mouth.
Lian Junxin, who was lying next to him, also felt a chill run through her body. She glanced at Lian Junchu, who, although frowning, did not seem as surprised as the others.
Mo Li followed Su Mucheng slowly into the village. Although the village had been ravaged by war, some houses still stood under the cover of night. The people of Bliss Valley were probably on their way back to Ganzhou, which was why they were staying here temporarily. As they moved further away, Lian Junxin couldn't help but ask, "Lian Junchu, didn't you say that Mo Li was dead? Then what's this person in front of us?"
Lian Junchu continued gazing at the distant outline of the village, saying calmly, "You saw the corpse that day too."
"Although I've met Mo Li before, the corpse's face was swollen that day. What if it's just someone who looks similar?" Lian Junxin said, glancing at him. "You seem quite interested in Bliss Valley?"
Lian Junchu said coldly, "I told you long ago that when Chongming and his men came to the Huainan area, they were attacked by the Valley of Bliss. But when I questioned Mo Li at Chaohu last time, he claimed that our people killed his men first."
"Since that's the case..." Lian Junxin's phoenix eyes flickered as she looked across at the other side, "Why don't we investigate further?"
"You?" Lian Junchu had barely uttered a word when she turned to Bi Fang and said "Let's go." As soon as she finished speaking, she leaped out of the weeds and ran towards the abandoned houses.
Bi Fang hesitated for a moment, but Lian Jun could not stop it at first sight. She could only leave Chongming and Danfeng where they were, and she followed closely behind Lian Jun with Bi Fang.
Fortunately, it was already late, and the people from Bliss Valley had scattered throughout the abandoned village, so no one noticed their presence. Lian Junxin hid behind a low wall, only to hear Su Muchen's voice from afar: "The Valley Master should rest early. You all need to stay alert and keep watch."
The crowd agreed, and Su Muchen's footsteps faded into the distance. His subordinates whispered amongst themselves, accusing him of abusing his power. Lian Junxin seized the opportunity to observe, noticing that the people who had been sitting there lazily stood up and walked in another direction. As soon as they left, she used her lightness skill, moving forward as swiftly as a whirlwind.
Chapter Sixty-Nine
Seeing Su Mucheng enter the remaining ancestral hall in the village, Lian Junxin was about to follow when he seemed to sense her presence and turned back. Lian Junxin quickly shrank into the roadside ruins. After looking around, Su Mucheng slowly entered the ancestral hall and slammed the door shut behind him. Lian Junxin turned back and saw Bi Fang and Lian Junchu not far away, so she felt reassured and leaped onto the roof of the ancestral hall.
She crouched on the roof, quietly parting the tiles, and by the candlelight shining from below, she could vaguely see Su Mucheng sitting opposite Mo Li, seemingly talking to him. Lian Junxin was about to move closer for a better look when she suddenly heard a loud shout from the village entrance: "Who goes there?!"
The shout was particularly jarring in the quiet night. Before Lian Junxin could even see what was happening, Su Muchen in the ancestral hall suddenly stood up and rushed out the door. In an instant, figures moved and footsteps clashed in the previously silent abandoned village. Lian Junxin assumed that the guards from Bliss Valley had discovered Lian Junchu and Bi Fang, so she immediately flew over and landed in front of the ancestral hall, only to find that the two who had been nearby were gone. At this moment, Su Muchen had just rushed out the door. Without saying a word, she flicked her sleeves, and two sword lights crossed left and right, sweeping towards Su Muchen's lower back.
Hearing a gust of wind coming from behind, Su Muchen ducked to avoid it, drawing his curved blade with his right hand to parry the two swords. He turned around and saw that he had never met the woman before, and was slightly taken aback, but when he glanced at the pair of short swords in her hands, he understood what was going on.
"Seven Star Island?" Su Muchen retorted, his curved blade pressing down to block Lian Junxin's sword strike. Lian Junxin retreated, her twin swords spinning rapidly, shining like a full moon in the night. Su Muchen flipped backward, his curved blade swirling rapidly in front of him. Lian Junxin's twin swords slashed diagonally at his curved blade, sparks flying as they collided. Su Muchen's arm jolted, and Lian Junxin seized the opportunity to leap forward, grabbing the spinning short sword with both hands and striking Su Muchen's ribs with her elbow.
Seeing the situation was dire, Su Muchen swung his sword at Lian Junxin, simultaneously whistling to summon his subordinates. At that moment, Lian Junxin deflected Su Muchen's blade with her own, and before he could turn his momentum, she thrust her sword straight at his shoulder. Su Muchen retaliated, his blade gleaming coldly, slicing along the edge towards Lian Junxin's wrist.
Lian Junxin dodged the attack with a quick movement and was about to counterattack when she sensed an unusual aura emanating from the surrounding air. Knowing that Bliss Valley was famous for its poisons, she quickly held her breath, crossed her two swords to parry Su Mucheng's curved blade, and used the rebound force to leap backward.
Su Muchen sneered several times, brandishing his curved sword, and said, "This one looks to be the second young lady of the Lian family? What brings you here without warning?"
Lian Junxin stood far away, sheltered from the wind. Hearing the clashing of swords from the village entrance, she shouted sharply, "Summon Mo Li! I have questions for him!"
"The Valley Master is currently meditating and circulating his internal energy. If Miss Lian needs anything, I will inform her." Su Muchen replied coldly, but there was nothing unusual about it.
Lian Junxin raised her eyebrows high and said, "No need to trouble yourself. I just need to see Mo Li with my own eyes, and I will naturally tell him the rest."
"Then I'm afraid I can't comply!" Su Mucheng refused decisively, the curved blade in his hand trembling slightly, flashing a cold white light.
Seeing that he refused to back down, Lian Junxin immediately gripped her twin swords tightly, ready to force her way into the ancestral hall, but then she felt a tightness in her chest, her legs felt weak, and even Su Mucheng's face in front of her gradually became distorted.
"You..." Lian Junxin leaned against the wall, her face pale. Su Mucheng was about to leave when he suddenly saw a person rushing out from the ruins diagonally in front of him. Dressed in white, it was Lian Junchu.
Upon seeing him, Su Muchen stopped in his tracks. At this moment, the subordinates of Bliss Valley who were guarding the village entrance came running after him, but they were all injured, obviously having just fought with him.
"The surrounding area is poisonous!" Lian Junxin said with difficulty, her brows furrowed.
Lian Junchu stopped in her tracks. Seeing her pale complexion, she knew she had been poisoned. She then said to Su Muchen, "Protector Su, please hand over the antidote."
Su Muchen scoffed, "I thought Seven Star Island was something special, but it turns out it's nothing special. This isn't some deadly poison; you'll be safe as long as you leave this place."
"If you want us to leave, let Mo Li come out and explain!" Although Lian Junxin felt terrible, she was still unwilling to admit defeat.
What needs explaining?
The tightly closed door suddenly opened slowly, and Mo Li, dressed in black, appeared before everyone. He was as thin as ever, but apart from that, there was no other sign of injury.
Lian Junchu stared at him for a long time before slowly saying, "Valley Master Mo Li?"
Mo Li smiled faintly, "Young Master Lian is truly persistent, tracking me all the way here after our meeting at Chaohu?"
Lian Junchu was quite far away from him, and the surrounding light was dim, so she couldn't see him clearly. She vaguely felt that Mo Li seemed to have improved from his previous sickly appearance, but his voice was still weak.
"I just don't want you to leave with so many unresolved issues," Lian Junchu said seriously. "You still haven't given clear answers to the questions I asked in Chaohu that day."
Mo Li spread his hands. "I've said everything I needed to say. The conflicts between Bliss Valley and Seven Star Island were probably due to misunderstandings on both sides. Now that your subordinates have returned, I hope Young Master Lian will be magnanimous and refrain from further pressure."
Hearing this, Lian Junxin, who was adjusting her breathing on the side, couldn't help but say, "That's easy for you to say! You started this trouble, and now you're accusing us of being aggressive?!"
Lian Junchu glanced at Mo Li and said, "You think I came to see you just for this?"
Mo Li raised an eyebrow as if to ask a question, but did not speak.
"Was the person in the weeds of Chaohu that day Yu Hezhi?" Lian Junchu asked directly.