Asesino sin nombre

Capítulo 77

Yu Cuiwei said softly, "Little girl, you will kill Shengxiang."

Wenren Nuan blinked slowly and shook her head gently. "If there really is no way to escape, then please flee to the Prime Minister's residence—Master Jindan said that's what Shengxiang told him. The world is vast, and the world is wide, but besides Shengxiang, who will save you? Besides Shengxiang, who can save you?" She asked softly, "Do you want to die?"

Yu Cuiwei's voice grew even more tender: "I would rather die in a pigsty than in the Prime Minister's mansion."

"Is that so?" Wenren Nuan smiled. "I don't think you're a deserving person."

When she insisted with a smile, it was impossible to argue with her and there was no anger in her voice. Yu Cuiwei's tone became even softer: "To save Yu Cuiwei is to make an enemy of the whole world..."

Wenren Nuan gazed at Yu Cuiwei and slowly responded with a soft "Mm".

To save Yu Cuiwei is to make an enemy of the entire world.

Qu Zhiliang pursued Yu Cuiwei in the name of chivalry. If the eleven sects did not kill Yu Cuiwei, they would not be able to protect their reputation and honor. Yu Cuiwei had enemies everywhere in his early years. To save Yu Cuiwei would mean making an enemy of the whole world. Not only would they be isolated and helpless, but they would also be surrounded by enemies.

Shengxiang smiled and said to Wenren Nuan, "Don't worry, I'll save him."

The weight of these six words is heavier than Mount Tai.

When Zhao Pu returned home that day, two guests suddenly appeared in his mansion. One was said to be ill, and the other was a young girl. After listening to Sheng Xiang's story of how he bravely rescued a beauty in the martial world, and how the beauty had now brought a gift worth a thousand gold pieces to express her gratitude, he frowned deeply and sternly reprimanded him: "Find out which family this girl belongs to as soon as possible, and send someone to take her home. How can a young girl act like you!" Sheng Xiang did not reply for the time being, and Zhao Pu continued: "The Emperor will be viewing the scenery at Beiguzi Gate tomorrow and said he will bestow upon you the Lingzhi Precious Dew Soup. You should go tomorrow."

With a smile in her eyes, Shengxiang looked at Zhao Pu's deeply worried wrinkles and said, "I'm going to have tea and dinner with the Emperor tomorrow, Father, what are you worried about?" After saying that, she straightened her sleeves and put on a dignified and elegant appearance.

Zhao Pu showed no sign of a smile upon hearing this, staring blankly at Shengxiang, "Perhaps His Majesty..."

"Maybe what?" Saint Xiang blinked.

The words he wanted to say suddenly stopped. Looking at Sheng Xiang, who was smiling brightly, Zhao Pu couldn't utter a single word of the doubts and worries in his heart. After a moment, he said, "You... you understand yourself."

Shengxiang patted Zhao Pu's shoulder, rested her cheek on his shoulder, and hugged Zhao Pu like a child, "I understand, Dad, don't be afraid."

"Don't be afraid?" Zhao Pu sighed deeply, pushed away Shengxiang who was clinging to him like a child, patted Shengxiang's head, and turned to leave.

How could he not be afraid? The Emperor suddenly summoned Shengxiang to "view the scenery" at this time. Although Shengxiang had always been deeply favored by Emperor Taizong, once Shengxiang learned about her true parentage and that she was the late Emperor's illegitimate son, no matter how much Emperor Taizong had once doted on her, he would no longer be able to tolerate this child...

How could he not be afraid? This child had never been unlucky. From childhood to adulthood, no matter how happy he laughed or how much fun he played with others, he had always seen that... indescribable look in his eyes...

He never knew what Shengxiang was thinking, but he knew at least that he wasn't as happy as he appeared, perhaps not at all.

Li Lingyan was currently sitting cautiously in the bridal chamber of Liu Ji and Jiang Chenming. To his left sat the elegant Liu Ji, and to his right sat the fair-skinned, slightly bearded Jiang Chenming. Opposite him sat Madam Li, whom Jiang Chenming had captured. Madam Li bowed her head and chanted scriptures, seemingly oblivious to everything around her. Of the four people at the table, only three were speaking.

"So, Qu Zhiliang was indeed a powerful weapon under the command of Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty..." Li Lingyan's voice grew increasingly childlike as he spoke, but the content of his words was anything but childish, displaying only a composed and amiable demeanor. "In other words—the mastermind behind the murder of my father, Li Chenglou, was not Zhao Pu, but the late Emperor Zhao Kuangyin." He took a small sip from his cup and slowly continued, "No wonder Bi Qiuhan had to die; Shengxiang dared to frame Zhao Pu. It was truly unexpected..."

Jiang Chen, around fifty years old, was a refined and scholarly man with the air of a clerk. At that age, he wouldn't be considered young to be the father of Liu, the courtesan, yet he showed no shame as he gazed at the beautiful woman beside him. "So, I was delighted that you invited Young Master Li here. Young Master Li possesses talented individuals and the treasures of Leshan, and is intelligent and resourceful, without a trace of womanly compassion. If we join forces, what fear is there of the Song Dynasty's instability?" he said casually. "Hahaha… I'm joking. It is true that Young Master Li's father was assassinated on the orders of the Taizu Emperor. Young Master Li must not be fooled by that unreasonable and cunning man, Shengxiang. He is only trying to cover up the scandals of the Song court; this man is deeply scheming and must be guarded against."

Li Lingyan pondered for a moment, lightly tapping his fingernail on his wine cup, and suddenly changed the subject: "Actually, there is something I don't understand. Qu Zhiliang is highly skilled in martial arts, and there are almost no rivals in the martial arts world. Why did he willingly become the assassin of the Taizu Emperor, and why—" He smiled, "why did he submit to you, Jiang Chenming?" With this question, Li Lingyan's status was elevated, and he seemed to have the air of suppressing his host.

Jiang Chenming laughed loudly, seemingly unperturbed. “Young Master Li is a friend, so I won’t hide anything. But let me make this clear: although Qu Zhiliang is your father’s killer, he is of great benefit to our grand plan. I will eventually hand him over to Young Master Li for disposal. But before the important matter is accomplished, could you please show mercy and let him go for now?” He was trying to win over Li Lingyan, demonstrating the full extent of the principle of “trusting people without suspicion.”

Li Lingyan curiously lifted a few eyelashes from the corner of his eye, "What is his weakness?"

Jiang Chenming laughed heartily, “Qu Zhiliang, a hero of his time, never slept with women, because he had a penchant for homosexuality. This important figure who lived with Qu Zhiliang was originally imprisoned by the Taizu Emperor in Fengsheng Temple in Taiyuan. I happened to be passing through Taiyuan and stayed at Fengsheng Temple, so I captured him on a whim. Qu Zhiliang was caught off guard and fell into my trap.” He tilted his head back and drank a cup of wine, “Qu Zhiliang is known for his chivalry, but he is also a deeply affectionate man. He would do anything for this man, even kill and set fires, which I greatly admire.”

Li Lingyan let out a soft "ah," then seemed to remember something and didn't reply.

Jiang Chenming was somewhat puzzled, "Young Master Li?"

"Ah—" Li Lingyan came back to his senses, "Who is that person? Lingyan is very curious, may I see him?"

Jiang Chenming said, "Speaking of this person, he is quite famous. You, Young Master Li, might even know him."

Upon hearing this, both Liu Ji and Li Lingyan were very curious, exchanging bewildered glances. "Who?"

"Twenty-eight or twenty-nine years ago, there was a thief in the martial arts world who was as famous as Qu Zhiliang—" Jiang Chenming said with a smile, "The tokens were 'Panlong Jie' and 'Ghost Eye Stone'."

"'Bad things don't go out the door, but good things travel a thousand miles' Lianzhu Qianli?" Li Lingyan was surprised. "I heard that this person's whereabouts are mysterious. For decades, I have only heard his name but never seen him. Legend has it that there is no such person in the world. It is believed that the four characters 'Lianzhu Qianli' are also fabricated by others. There is no surname 'Lianzhu'. It turns out that there really is such a person."

Jiang Chenming nodded, "Lianzhu Qianli was once famous for his elusive nature, stealing countless treasures. His reputation was no less than that of Qu Zhiliang. Qu Zhiliang is so obedient, probably because he is afraid that his association with a notorious thief would tarnish his reputation as a great hero."

"Hehe, how do you know it's not because he's afraid of ruining Lianzhu Qianli's reputation?" Li Lingyan smiled. "I never expected such a strange thing to happen in the world. I admire both of them very much." Seeing that Jiang Chenming didn't mention taking him to see Lianzhu Qianli, he didn't bring it up either.

"Qu Zhiliang would never fail to kill Yu Cuiwei. Yu Cuiwei ruined the prostitute's plans; if he doesn't die, neither of us will save face. But Young Master Li, you are truly remarkable. With a single letter, you implicated Shengxiang, and with the help of the eleven sects, you used Qu Zhiliang to kill both Yu Cuiwei and Zhao Shengxiang. Truly killing two birds with one stone, eliminating people without them even realizing it!" Jiang Chenming laughed heartily, chatting and laughing merrily with Li Lingyan.

Li Lingyan winked and smiled, "You flatter me, you flatter me."

Liu Ji listened obediently from the side, then smiled sweetly, "I'll pour you some wine."

"Cough cough..." Yu Cuiwei took a sip of the medicinal soup Wenren Nuan brought him, coughing so hard he almost spilled it on the bed. He had suffered several serious injuries; anyone else would have died more than three times over, but he was still alive. Wenren Nuan took his pulse and said that he was originally twins in his mother's womb, a boy and a girl. Later, something went wrong, and the two grew together, resulting in the androgynous Yu Cuiwei. But it was precisely because his internal organs were different from others that he was able to live until now.

Shengxiang was very curious about Wenren Nuan's explanation. That day, she kept muttering that she would like to try marrying someone when Dayu was ready to have a baby.

Yu Cuiwei winked at him and said, "Why don't you marry me, Shengxiang?" Shengxiang replied, "Marrying you would cause the deaths of countless young women. I am kind, pure, loving, and tolerant. Therefore, if we're going to marry, we should all marry; if not, I won't marry anyone and will live a lonely life." Yu Cuiwei softly said, "I don't mind marrying someone else." Shengxiang glared at him and said, "But I'm afraid of being skinned alive by the person who wants to marry you." As a result, the three of them laughed in the room for half the day that day.

"Brother Yu." Wenren Nuan helped him sit up again, her brows slightly furrowed.

After Yu Cuiwei sat down, his expression was languid and charming. He was indeed a person who had captivated all living beings. His every glance exuded a captivating charm. "Ahem... If only this were a pigsty..." he said with a smile.

“Brother Yu, someone like you sometimes has to die, and sometimes you don’t.” Wenren Nuan gently stroked his smooth, long hair and said softly, “If you were still that 'ghost-faced demon' who had harmed so many people, I wouldn’t stop you from dying or leaving now. Even if Shengxiang were willing to save you, I would say he was just fooling around. But so many years have passed, and although I haven’t seen you back then, I feel that you have changed. You’ve become kinder, and you can be moved… You spent so much effort at Moqu Manor to save so many people. If you were to die under Quzhi Liang’s sword, at the hands of those you saved, if you were to accept your fate and let yourself die silently, where would your so-called conscience and justice be?” She gazed at Yu Cuiwei’s eyebrows and forehead. His eyebrows and forehead were delicate and smooth, very beautiful. “I don’t know if Shengxiang saved you for that reason, but this is what I think.”

Yu Cuiwei laughed, "I was never truly trying to save people."

“But in fact, you did save him.” Wenren Nuan smiled. “Even my life was saved by Brother Yu.”

“Young girl, for the sake of ‘conscience and justice,’ you pushed the sacred incense into an abyss of eternal damnation…” Yu Cuiwei slowly sat up and said, “Where are your conscience and justice?”

"I will save him," Wenren Nuan said softly. "I will help him. I have already sent orders home, instructing Yue Dan to dispatch men to help me kill Qu Zhiliang!"

Yu Cuiwei was slightly taken aback. "You are—"