El cielo sobre los ríos y lagos está despejado

Capítulo 33

Qin Niang raised her head, and through the black veil, I could only see a pair of bright, beautiful eyes. She slowly shook her head and said, "The child the Holy Maiden is carrying is probably not the Palace Master's. I know that the Holy Maiden's true love has never been the Palace Master." Her eyes turned to Uncle Leng.

Master Gui looked at everyone in the room in shock. Yi Ge sat down next to him and patted his hand: "Master Gui, I just found out too. Maybe you were wrong before."

Gui Ye murmured, “But the Palace Master favored the Holy Maiden in front of everyone, and for a time imprisoned her in the underground palace, forbidding her from seeing anyone. Qin Niang, even you, who have always served the Palace Master and the Holy Maiden, were also forbidden from seeing anyone, right? Besides, before the Crimson Demon Palace was destroyed, it was the Palace Master who gave me the crystal starlight representing the Palace Master, asking me to find the Holy Maiden, saying that the Holy Maiden was pregnant and hoped that I would take good care of her after finding her. I thought, I thought… It was quite a coincidence that I saw the Holy Maiden in the side hall when the Crimson Demon Palace was about to collapse. She asked me very anxiously where the Palace Master was, and that concern was not feigned. So I never doubted that the child in her womb was not the Palace Master’s blood.” He then looked up at Uncle Leng: “Young Master Leng, you appeared once in the Ghost Palace, saying that you came to visit the old Palace Master, but you didn’t see him, did you? How could you be with the Holy Maiden… cough, no wonder, she has always refused to accept the crystal starlight and wouldn’t allow the young master to accept it, so I had no choice but to give it to the princess as a congratulatory gift.”

My hand unconsciously reached into my waist and took out the two tokens. One was the Palace Master's Token, and the other was probably the Holy Maiden's Token.

I took out the crystal cross star and handed it to Master Gui: "Master Gui, it turns out it has great significance. Now that Yi Ge's identity is clear, I can no longer keep it."

Gui Ye's gaze slowly shifted from the starlight in my hand to my face, his eyes somewhat lost. But after a moment of silence, he suddenly shook his head and said, "No, you should still take it. Even if the young master isn't the Palace Master's biological son, he's still the Holy Maiden's son. You must know, in the Ghost Palace, below the Palace Master is the Holy Maiden, and only the Holy Maiden is the Protector. Besides, the Holy Maiden is also the old Palace Master's adopted daughter, so the young master is still the young master."

I turned to look at Yi Ge, and he was looking at me too. Then, he walked over and gently took my hand.

Perhaps because he received shocking news, or perhaps because he had been talking for a long time, Master Gui was panting and his face turned as white as paper. Yi Ge hurriedly sat down behind him, pressed his palm against his back, and channeled his internal energy into him.

Uncle Leng stepped forward and said, "Ge'er, you haven't had a proper rest these past few days, let me do it."

Yi Ge silently stepped back. Uncle Leng's internal strength was profound, and Master Gui quickly recovered.

He looked at Yi Ge and said, "Young Master, the Ghost Palace still has some people left, and they are counting on you. I'm afraid I won't be able to escape this time and won't be able to help you anymore. Since you've found some things in the underground palace, you should take care of yourself."

He then turned to me: "Princess, please forgive me for my past offenses, as I am old and senile. The young master is deeply devoted to you, so please help him out of consideration for his feelings. I know you don't want to be associated with the Ghost Palace, and I know this is difficult for you. But I have watched him grow up since he was a child, can you understand an old man's love for his son?"

I looked at Yi Ge and slowly nodded. He suddenly reached out and put his arm around me, and when I looked into his eyes, they were misty with tears.

Grandpa Gui called a doctor, who examined the wound and shook his head, saying that the injury was serious and had not been treated in time. It was already good that it had lasted this long.

Uncle Leng also took Gui Ye's pulse and secretly said to Yi Ge, "Back then, although Gui Ye ranked fourth among the Four Protectors, his martial arts were still outstanding. How could he be no match for Sun Li? He was so badly injured because of old injuries plus new ones. I imagine he must have risked his life to protect your pregnant mother from the Ghost Palace back then. Now his heart meridian is broken. When I saved him, I transferred some internal energy into him. At that time, he didn't know your condition and was holding on to your breath while waiting for news of you. Now that he has received it, I'm afraid he really can't continue."

Author's Note: No updates on Saturday and Sunday. Next update on May 23rd.

Chapter Fifty-Four: Gift of Treasure

On the way back to the village, we were all somewhat silent.

Back in the room, Yi Ge hugged me tightly. I let him hold me and silently waited for his decision.

He lowered his head, lifted my chin, and quickly kissed me. He kissed me passionately, and I almost suffocated, but I could sense a hint of his unease and helplessness in his kiss.

After a long silence, he released me and said, “Wu Bao, ever since you told me who my biological father is, I’ve been planning to hand over everything in the cave to Master Gui after I’ve finished taking inventory, so he can handle it. Then I’ll go back to the capital with you. I only need to visit him a few times a year. But now, Master Gui is clearly failing, yet he has truly entrusted the Ghost Palace to me. I’m afraid I’ll have to break my promise again, Wu Bao. I’m sorry.”

I shook my head and sighed, "Forget it. I know you're not after power or money. I have no reason to make you abandon the entire Ghost Palace and come with me. I don't want a man without a sense of responsibility."

He called out, "Wu Bao," then scooped me up in his arms and threw me onto the bed, covering me with his body and kissing me passionately.

A series of light footsteps sounded at the top of the stairs, and Chunman's cheerful voice rang out: "Princess, wash your face and you can come downstairs to eat..." She swallowed the last few words, but then heard a loud "bang" as she knocked over a basin of water.

I sat up and saw her blushing as she said, "I didn't see anything, it was just an accident, I... I'll go get another basin of water." She turned and ran away in a flash.

Yi Ge reluctantly straightened my half-undone clothes, gave me a light kiss on the lips, and said, "Wu Bao, after we've settled things in the cave, I'd like to go back to Duwang Village to repair the house. Would you be willing to come back with me for a while longer?"

I smiled and said, "Anyway, I, as a princess, have nothing to worry about, so naturally I'll follow her wherever she goes."

He reached out and smoothed my loose hair, saying, "However, after this incident, the Ghost Palace will likely face condemnation from the entire martial arts world once again. Wu Bao, you're going to be implicated. But I will not let you go for any reason."

I buried my head in his chest and mumbled, "Go ahead and hold my hand, I won't run away anymore. I've thought about this for so long, and I've figured it out. Besides, they're willing to die for money, so they probably don't have a very good reason to go to such lengths to deal with the Ghost Palace. As for disliking it, when has the Ghost Palace ever been liked by them?"

His chest vibrated slightly. I looked up and saw him looking at me with a smile on his lips. I couldn't resist leaning in and giving him a light kiss on the corner of his lips. Sigh, I'm getting more and more lewd.

His eyes darkened, and he pressed his hand on my back before suddenly stopping and saying, "Uh, never mind, let's go downstairs quickly. I'm afraid we won't have anything to eat if this continues."

I didn't expect Chunman to fetch any more water, so I planned to go to the kitchen to scoop up some water and wash my face. As I turned to the water vat outside the kitchen, I heard Chunman say to Eunuch Jing in the kitchen, "The prince consort is like a different person after he came back from the cave. Just now, he was being intimate with the princess with the door open. So the prince consort is really this passionate. How fierce he is."

Eunuch Jing chuckled softly, "I was just worried that the princess's youngest daughter's composure would be affected in front of the prince consort. But it turns out that's fine."

Ziqian was absent from dinner. After they sat down, Zibu coughed lightly and said, "Wu'er, there's something I want to tell you."

I raised my eyebrows, waiting for him to speak. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Ziqian, he went to Zhilong Village to find Muying. He'll bring her over later. As for the Famen sect, now only Muying and two or three other unimportant disciples remain. Ziqian, he actually likes Muying."

Before I could even speak, Qianqian jumped up: "What? Ah Wu is your cousin, isn't she? Mu Ying hurt her like that, and you still want to bring her back. There are so many women of the martial world around Yitian Ridge, of all people Ziqian could like, why does he have to like her? And who knows if he'll even get anything in return? And if Ziqian likes her, let him like her, why bring her back?"

Zibu lowered his head and said, "Actually, a few days ago, when the matchmakers proposed marriage and asked Yige to take Muying as his wife, Ziqian was also in great pain. These past few days, things have been in complete chaos here, and Ziqian has sorted things out himself. I think Muying doesn't dislike Ziqian; she was just confused at the time. Firstly, she listened to her master, and secondly, she was eager to repay a debt of gratitude. At that time, she said she owed Yige and also owed you, so she was foolish enough to think of using this method. Now, she understands her own feelings. Wu'er, Ziqian doesn't dare to bring her back casually, so he asked me to ask you first. But since this matter is involved, you two will meet one day, so it's better to resolve it sooner. If you're unhappy, I will speak to them myself."

I raised my hand to gently stop him: "You just said that only a few unimportant disciples like Mu Ying are left in the sect? Sun Jing's whereabouts are unknown, and what about Fang Lan'er? Isn't she the senior sister?"

Zibu said, "That day when everyone entered the underground palace, Fang Lan'er was assigned to the outer perimeter. You should have seen it later. Eight or nine out of ten martial artists on the outer perimeter were shot dead, including Fang Lan'er. We found her when we were cleaning up the corpses at the entrance of the underground palace afterwards."

I wanted to ask, since Fang Lan'er was assigned to the outer perimeter, Mu Ying should have been with her too, so why was she unharmed? But it would have been impolite to ask that, so I kept quiet. Zi Bu explained himself, "That day, when she learned that you had been detained by the Ouyang family, Miss Qian went to Zhilong Village and caused a scene, hitting Mu Ying. She ran away, and Zi Qian went to chase after her and... to comfort her, so he didn't go to Yitian Ridge with Fang Lan'er."

Qianqian snorted and said, "Well, at least she escaped with her life. I really don't know if it was Ziqian who saved her or me who saved her?"

I couldn't help but laugh out loud: "You actually save people like that?"

Qianqian said, "If it's going to be blamed on me, it's better to blame it on you. I did it for you. Look, look, you saved her again."

I lowered my head and thought for a moment, then looked up and said, "Zibu, you can go and call them back. I don't really have anything to forgive or not forgive, since nothing really happened anyway. I just hope she'll treat Ziqian fairly in the future." I glanced at Yi Ge beside me, only to meet his gaze. Yi Ge has no feelings for her anyway, so why should I be upset?

As soon as she finished speaking, the door, which had been slightly ajar, was pushed open. Ziqian's pale white figure and Muying's pale yellow figure stood side by side. Muying walked up to me in a few steps and choked out, "Sister Qi, thank you for forgiving me. I was confused and didn't know what I wanted at all. It was Ziqian who brought me to my senses. I will never let Ziqian down again."

Our ragtag group of ten treasure hunters is now reunited. Perhaps we're the only treasure-hunting group that hasn't lost any members.

That night, in front of the beautiful father, I handed the Fog Token in my hand to Ayan.

Ayan asked in confusion, "Sister, what are you doing? Mother gave it to you, so just take it."

My mind was at peace, and I said calmly, "Ayan, your brother-in-law is the young master of the Ghost Palace. Do you know what that means? Well, your sister is now associated with the evil sect, so it's not appropriate for her to hold the Mist Token anymore. You're growing up now, and you are the rightful heir of the Dragon Mist Sect, so it's most suitable for you to hold it."

The beautiful father had been watching our handover ceremony with a sidelong glance, and finally said with a sneer, "Wu Bao, you're really becoming more and more like your mother. If it were your Kun Dad, he would definitely hold on tight and not care what side you belong to. But your mother is indeed calculating; she may not say it, but she'll be grumbling in her heart."

I turned my head and smiled, "Actually, I don't care, but I have to put my mother at ease. Besides, this thing is like a hot potato in my hands, forcing me to keep practicing. You said that women shouldn't be too good at kung fu, or they'll end up all alone. Let Ayan practice instead."

Ayan gasped and said, "Sister, you've ruined me!"

I laughed out loud and dashed out the door.

*******

Guiye did not survive seven days. We buried him in a mountain valley on the right side of Yitian Ridge, alongside the old palace master who was moved out by Yige and the inexplicable remains in the Crimson Demon Palace.

That day, we led the old members of the Ghost Palace to build several new graves in that place nestled against the mountain and facing the water. Yi Ge knelt quietly in front of those new graves, burning paper money. Looking at his back, which was slightly hunched from grief, I went up to him and knelt beside him. He silently reached out from behind and wrapped his arms around my hand, holding it so tightly that it soon became damp with sweat.

Shortly after returning to Songxi Village, Yi Ge sent messengers to meet the leaders of various sects, including Nanfengbao, Baimazhuang, Cheyuzhuang, Liuhezhuang, and Suyimen, who were still alive, at the newly cleaned underground palace.

Yitian Ridge had quieted down, and most of the sects had already left. Even those who were somewhat unwilling dared not act recklessly due to the presence of the garrison below the ridge. Larger sects, such as Nanfeng Fortress and Baima Manor, were more restrained due to the higher number of casualties. Upon receiving the message, they surprisingly arrived with their remaining members. Yi Mei, who had only been observing, and Nan Ya, who had previously only enjoyed stirring up trouble, also came. However, they refused to enter the underground palace; most wore wary expressions and remained silent at the entrance.

Seeing the expressions of heroic sacrifice on their faces, I almost burst out laughing.

Yi Ge said loudly, "The Ghost Palace has invited you all here today to fulfill a previous agreement. Those of you who entered the underground palace should remember the small storage room. Each faction is allowed to take one item from the collection there as a souvenir."

A slight commotion arose in the crowd. Someone whispered, "Could the Ghost Palace be using this as bait to lure us in?"

Yi Geqing coldly replied, "This gentleman thinks too highly of me. I am not capable of dominating the martial arts world. If you are not at ease, you may choose not to enter. The Ghost Palace will then choose one of your items as a souvenir."

Master Tao retorted, "Nonsense. If Young Master Yi had such intentions, he wouldn't have needed to give up the antidote a few days ago, nor would he have needed to release us."

Bai Xianglong sighed and said, "We are deeply indebted to the Ghost Palace."

When Yi Ge told me about this that day, I was initially surprised, but later I understood his thoughts.

Firstly, it was because of his unwavering commitment to keeping his word; secondly, it was a simple and easy way to quickly quell the situation. The beautiful father and Uncle Leng said nothing upon hearing this, only nodding in agreement.

We didn't reveal the secret of that stone chamber to anyone else, except ourselves.

Actually, dealing with the treasure itself is relatively easy, but the gold mine is a bit of a problem. According to the law, if the mine is discovered, it belongs to the government, and only the government can exercise the mining rights; there is no right to hoard it. Moreover, as the beautiful man's father said, the mine probably extends into the territory of Nandan, since Yitian Ridge is not far from the border.

After thinking about it, I wrote a letter and had Uncle Xu deliver it to my cousin by express courier.

Author's Note: Next update tomorrow.

Chapter Fifty-Five Palace Master

While we waited for the imperial decree, the sects that had obtained the treasure came one after another to say goodbye. Ziqian sent Muying back to the Mu family and then came to say goodbye with Zibu. As they left, Zibu said to me, "Wu'er, will you stay in Lingnan from now on? That's good, it's close to Nanjun, come back to visit your grandfather more often."

I paused for a moment, wondering if I really had to stay in Lingnan forever. How far away would that be from my parents and brothers?

With most of the people gone, Yitianling became completely quiet.

Aside from catching up with his beautiful father, Uncle Leng often spends his time standing in a daze under the eaves.

That afternoon, the sun was quite strong, but the tall banana trees under the eaves provided some shade, and behind them flowed a stream. A gentle breeze made it very pleasant, so I thought I'd go there to do some needlework. Ever since Chunman and Yige praised my embroidered purse, my confidence had soared, and I wanted to embroider a belt for Yige. The one I gave him when we first got married, though exquisite, was ultimately done by someone else. I carried my small bamboo basket to sit under the eaves, but I saw Uncle Leng already sitting with his back to the door at a small table, busy with something. His back looked somewhat lonely.

I went over to take a look, and there he was, carrying out the half-finished basin stand that had been piled up in a corner of the room, and he was carefully carving it there. Next to him was a finished washing mallet. I had seen that washing mallet before; it used to have only a few shallow lines carved on the handle, but now the handle had been carved into a cute cat's head.

Hearing my footsteps, he turned around. Seeing it was me, he nodded slightly and said, "I finished the half-finished utensil I made before." Seeing me looking at the washing mallet, he said softly, "Yiyi used to like all pretty things, so I wanted to make this mallet as exquisite as possible, but unfortunately I didn't finish it, and she never used it. Perhaps I can give it to you." After saying that, he suddenly seemed to remember something and shook his head, saying, "I'm confused, you won't need it."

I reached out and stroked the smooth surface of the washing mallet, smiling slightly. "Uncle Leng, don't underestimate me. Do you think I can't even wash clothes? I'm not some respectable princess. Maybe one day I'll just want to live a quiet life with Yi Ge. Why wouldn't I need it?"

His gaze, however, fell on the small bamboo basket I was holding in my left hand. After a long while, he said, "Yiyi was used to being waited on, so she doesn't really know how to do these things. This bamboo basket in your hand was made by cutting small bamboo from the stream when she was pregnant, saying she wanted to make some clothes for the baby and needed to do needlework. In the end, it was never used."

Well, I actually stumbled upon the right thing by accident.

The two were facing each other in silence when they suddenly heard footsteps coming from in front of the house. They seemed to be in a hurry. When they turned around, it was Aunt Qin who came.

After Master Gui passed away, Aunt Qin and Qi Yi took over Master Gui's former job and assisted Yi Ge with daily tasks.

She stopped when she saw us standing under the eaves. Her gaze suddenly fell on Uncle Leng's rolled-up sleeves. She seemed to be taken aback for a moment before saying to Uncle Leng with some hesitation, "Young Master Leng, these past few days, I've been thinking about some old things and would like to verify them."

Uncle Leng nodded, and then she turned to me and said, "I wonder if the princess could go and call the young master, as this old matter is actually related to his identity."

These words made my heart skip a beat. Could it be that Yi Ge is actually the son of the Ghost Palace Master?

Yi Ge was drawing in the room, saying he wanted to make the maze-like structure clearer so it would be easier to tidy up inside later. Hearing me say that, he looked at me with some doubt.

When we went downstairs, Aunt Qin and Uncle Leng were no longer on the corridor, but we could hear conversation coming from Uncle Leng's room at the east end.

She asked Uncle Leng, "May I ask, Young Master Leng, what was the purpose of your first visit to the Ghost Palace more than twenty years ago?"

Uncle Leng's answer was crisp and clear: "For Yao Zhen."

Aunt Qin then asked, "Do you know the old palace master?"

Uncle Leng said again, "I don't know."

Aunt Qin asked, "Then why did you come here? Are you seeking revenge for someone?"

Uncle Leng said, "No, I just want an answer. I want to know what kind of person Yao Zhen really is. It's a pity you told me he was dead."

Aunt Qin said, "It was the Palace Master who told you he was dead, right? You know, the Palace Master did something that surprised us a lot. You broke into the palace, and the Ghost Palace never shows mercy to those who break in. But that time, you left safely. It was just because you told the Palace Master that maybe your mother knew this person named Yao Zhen, or maybe this Yao Zhen wasn't the person you were looking for."

Uncle Leng hummed in agreement and said, "So what?"

Aunt Qin said, "At that time, I didn't understand, but I didn't take it to heart. It wasn't until later, when the Holy Maiden ran away, that I realized the Palace Master knew she was in Songxi Village and wanted the Grand Protector to bring her back. But after finding out who the Holy Maiden was with, he withdrew the order. That night, the Palace Master's bedroom in the Shura Palace was smashed, and the palace servants were all beaten. That's when I became suspicious, but before I could figure it out, the Ghost Palace was destroyed. When I heard that the martial artists from Yunyang broke through the traps at the foot of the mountain and entered, I also suspected that you led them in, until I saw Sun Li's actions later."

Uncle Leng suddenly said, "Ge'er and Wu'er are here? Come in."

Yi Ge has never called him "Dad" yet, and the two don't talk much, creating a slightly awkward atmosphere. Perhaps it's because they've never met, or perhaps it's because they are both taciturn.

I felt I should change my tune, but Yi Ge remained silent, so it seemed I was acting improperly. When I mentioned this to Mei Ren's father, he said, "Let nature take its course. Yi Wei has plenty of patience and will give Yi Ge time."