Guía sobre viento y humo

Capítulo 30

"Alright, you come too. I need to explain things clearly."

Xinyue pulled Adi out of the room and together they went to find Xue Xiuluo to write down the prescription. After he left, Xinyue stared at him and said, "You know how toxic that poison is, right?"

Adi nodded slightly.

"Explain yourself clearly!" Although she had some suspicions, she still needed to confirm.

"That poison doesn't have a problem of whether it's poisonous or not. After you ingest it, it slowly erodes your body without you even realizing it. In just four or five months, it will completely destroy your body... The poisoned person won't feel anything unusual, but once they get sick or injured... even if it's just a minor cold, there will be no cure until they die."

Sure enough... this is practically an ancient version of AIDS...

"There are only three months to cure this poison. Once three months have passed, even if you get the antidote, your body will never fully recover." Adi looked at Xinyue, trying to see a glimmer of hope in her face.

However, Crescent Moon had no intention of giving him the light, saying, "You have no choice now, go and become the leader of the tower."

"You can't solve it!?"

"I already said I can't cure it—I can only prepare medicine to suppress the poison and stop it from further eroding my body. Although it could last for a few years, once the toxins are cleared from my body, it will revert to the same state once I stop taking the medicine. Even if I had the patience to take the medicine for the rest of my life, what if something unexpected happens? What if I can't gather all the necessary ingredients? That's a life-threatening situation. Only by obtaining the antidote can it be completely resolved. I don't have time to argue with you. Queyue, or Jun Yuqing, you choose." —Of course, if she dared to choose Jun Yuqing, she would kill him right now.

Adi remained silent; indeed, he had no choice.

Seeing Adi's gloomy face, Xinyue laughed heartily, "How about it, little brother, let's do it! Kill that damned eunuch!"—For Queyue, and incidentally for the revenge for her "first kiss," the revenge for jumping off the cliff, the revenge for her broken leg...

—Who exactly is the one who's "just passing by"?

In order to deal with Jun Yuqing, Adi ordered Xue Xiuluo to bring Liu Zhi, Leng Yu, and Zhou Shao over. However, only Leng Yu and Liu Zhi arrived. As soon as Zhou Shao saw that things were about to get complicated, he immediately ran away.

Crescent Moon cursed the dishonest businessman inwardly; he really wouldn't do a single unprofitable deal.

Turning her head, she saw the cold reception that had arrived, and her face immediately lit up with a radiant smile.

"Brother Leng..."

A familiar voice, a familiar tone, sweet and cloying.

Leng Yu stiffened for a moment, then turned around after a moment's hesitation—although he knew he would see Xin Yue when he came, actually seeing her was a different story... And Xiao Wuqing, who was standing leisurely behind Xin Yue, made him pause again. He could only suppress the complicated feelings in his heart—after all, he came here to help Duan Jin. Since he had to stand on the same side as Xiao Wuqing, he could only temporarily forget the hatred between Senior Brother Feng and this person and choose to turn a blind eye.

“Miss Zhuo, it’s been a long time—where’s Duan Jin?” He didn’t want to be bound by the past, anxiously searching for that familiar slender figure. Xin Yue’s smile froze slightly—Duan Jin? She knew that was Que Yue’s alias, but why…

"Brother Leng." Queyue walked up from behind, having changed out of the women's clothes he had worn for the past two days and was now dressed in a men's long robe.

Upon seeing her, Leng Yu's eyes lit up, and he quickly took two steps to greet her, "Duan Jin, how have you been these past two days? Qingzun Tower couldn't find you, could they?"

Crescent Moon smiled and shook her head. Seeing New Moon staring blankly at the strange pair—after all, they'd been sisters for years and their ability to cover for each other was already perfectly in sync—she immediately switched to a sweet smile and leaned closer, "Brother Duan~ You and Brother Leng are quite familiar with each other? What a small world~"

The intimacy between her and "Duan Jin" made Leng Yu feel extremely uncomfortable. Duan Jin... shouldn't he be interested in women?

"Ah Di, please take care of Brother Leng. I'm taking Brother Duan to get treatment..." Xin Yue cheerfully linked arms with Que Yue, leaving them behind as she headed into the house. Although she really wanted to have some fun with Leng Yu,... facing this person, she couldn't help but think of Feng Wuji and felt guilty.

She dragged Queyue away, while Leng Yu watched their retreating figures, a moment of disbelief washing over him—that figure…it seemed so similar! He hadn't noticed before that Duan Jin's appearance, and even her figure, were…especially when the two of them stood together; if Duan Jin were to change into women's clothing again, they could almost be mistaken for one another.

He shook his head inwardly and gave a self-deprecating laugh, thinking it was just an illusion.

—Once upon a time, the Cold Second Young Master was incredibly confident in his judgment. He would never mistake a woman he had ever seen, even just from her back—before he met Crescent Moon and Crescent Moon. Ever since he even mistook the woman he fell in love with at first sight, confusing Crescent Moon with Crescent Moon, his confidence had been completely shattered, and he could no longer trust his own judgment.

Duan Jin was just a bit slender; after all, he was a man. How could he mistake that? His eyesight was getting worse and worse.

Chapter 52

To find a cure for the poison in Queyue's body, several medicinal herbs were hard to come by. Xinyue dared not delay and planned to temporarily use acupuncture. However, after arranging a row of silver needles, she sat up straight and said to Queyue in front of her, "Take off your clothes."

Queyue hesitated for a moment, "...Could you tell Adi the acupuncture technique, and he can do the needling..."

As Crescent Moon was disinfecting the needle, it fell onto the table, staring at her with wide eyes—

"You—you—"

Queyue seemed to realize then that her words could easily be misunderstood, and her blood boiled instantly. Her composed expression was about to crumble when Xinyue wailed, "You actually have him and now you despise me—you don't want me anymore?!" Queyue's face contorted in a whirlwind of color, changing rapidly from red to white to blue. —Was it because she hadn't spent enough time with this girl, and was suddenly taken aback by her presence?

"Alright, I'll go call your darling Adi. You're so heartless when it comes to the opposite sex... Never mind, you don't need to explain anything. Sisters are meant to be discarded, right? I understand." She waved her hand, packed her things, and left the room, feigning sadness.

Queyue could only manage a wry smile; she simply didn't want Xinyue to see the scars on her body... Fortunately, Xinyue didn't delve into it.

Crescent Moon didn't intend to delve into it; what she was more interested in now was—had Leng Yu made this child stupid?

Stepping outside, I saw Adi, Lengyu, Liuzhi, Xue Xiuluo, and Xiao Wuqing discussing strategies to deal with Qingzunlou. To be precise, only Adi and Lengyu were discussing it. Liuzhi, being a bit of a troublemaker, kept coming up with bad ideas. Xue Xiuluo didn't offer any opinions and obeyed unconditionally. As for Xiao Wuqing, he was completely indifferent and didn't care. He just leaned there lazily, looking quite relaxed.

Crescent Moon walked over and asked, "How did the discussion go? Do you have a plan?"

Adi was somewhat at a loss for words with this straightforward girl, so he coldly answered on her behalf: "There shouldn't be any major problems with Qingzun Tower. One is the soon-to-be-retired tower master, and the other is the soon-to-be-appointed one. As long as the conflict isn't fully public, everyone else is easy to deal with. Besides, Jun Yuqing has always been accustomed to concentrating power in his own hands and has almost no confidants. Once we get rid of him, Qingzun Tower will naturally fall into Adi's hands—the problem is Jun Yuqing's martial arts skills, and the Dark Pavilion."

“Jun Yuqing…” Xinyue simply sat down and joined them in their worries; that guy was indeed a big problem. She still vividly remembered her confrontation with him. He was the first person to drive her, Xinyue, to the brink of jumping off a cliff.

"Hey, Adi, you're Jun Yuqing's younger brother, right? Can you fight him to a draw? You must know something about his martial arts, right? What are his weaknesses? What are his fatal flaws?"

Adi shook his head regretfully, "In order to ensure Qingzunlou's absolute control over the Dark Pavilion, the successive leaders of the Dark Pavilion are either blood relatives or confidants of the Qingzunlou leader, and they are absolutely not allowed to practice Qingzunlou's martial arts, so as not to let any weakness of the leader be discovered."

Leng Yu glanced at Xiao Wuqing, "Since Young Master Cangming is here, what is there to worry about in dealing with Jun Yuqing? Or does Young Master Cangming also admit that he cannot deal with Lord Jun?" He seemed somewhat dissatisfied with Leng Yu's indifferent and detached attitude. However, Xiao Wuqing obviously did not take his provocation to heart, and smiled leisurely, saying, "Whether I can handle him or not is none of your business. These matters are none of my concern." When he deliberately disregards someone, even if you jump around in front of him and provoke him with your words, he will only let it go in one ear and out the other, sitting leisurely.

What's remarkable is that Crescent Moon remained silent, glared at Xiao Wuqing, and said nothing.

Crescent Moon emerged from the house, having witnessed the entire scene, and was slightly puzzled. —Laughing Without Emotion seemed unchanged, still elegant and refined, moving with the grace of flowing clouds and lotus blossoms—however, since their reunion, he hadn't used his lightness skill. Even when Crescent Moon flew in from afar upon their reunion, he, though displeased, only approached slowly. Considering their disappearances from the martial world and the vanishing of Cangming Water Pavilion…could it be that something was wrong with the young master's health?

She cast a questioning glance at Crescent Moon, who understood, shrugged, and expressed her helplessness.

What happened after she left Cangming... that someone could actually injure the young master?

“Oh right,” Crescent Moon finally remembered why she came out, “Adi, I’ll teach you acupuncture, and you can insert the needles for ‘Brother Duan’.”

Leng Yu naturally didn't see anything wrong with this statement. Whether it was Xinyue or Adi doing the needlework, it was still the same; comparatively, he seemed to prefer Adi. However, Liu Zhi's eyes widened in surprise—"What!? Doing the needlework!? Doesn't that mean taking off clothes—"

Crescent Moon reached out and hooked her arm around his neck, silencing his unbridled mouth. "Yeah, yeah, two grown men, what's the problem?"

"Ugh—ooh!"

"If there's a problem, it's not your problem. If it's not your problem, then shut up and don't say there's a problem!" Xinyue tightened her grip on his arm, threateningly. Liu Zhi's eyes showed serious dissatisfaction—that was his master's wife! She couldn't just disappear like that!

Crescent Moon looked down at the little boy in front of her, as if discovering a new continent. She pinched his chin and examined him closely. "Little brother, where did you come from? Want to follow me? I guarantee you'll be a heartthrob who charms young ladies and wives everywhere..."

"..."

"..."

"……||||"

...Who can do something about this woman?

When Queyue rescued Liuzhi from Xinyue, Xinyue had already obtained everything she wanted to hear from Liuzhi—Qinlou, Yi Moran, and the Cold Pavilion Master. The young Liuzhi was no match for Xinyue.

This renowned but never-before-seen owner of the clothing store piqued Xinyue's interest—could he be the legendary second male lead? She had heard of Yi Moran's name before; she wondered how he compared to Adi? Ah, the dreamlike second male lead—gentle, selfless, and devoted!

She herself wasn't lucky enough to meet the second male lead, so she had to let Queyue have a good time.

(Are you treating Wuji and Xiaojiu as mere passersby?)

While teaching Adi acupuncture, she observed Adi from head to toe. Once she learned of the existence of the second male lead, she became very dissatisfied with the first male lead.

She has a good appearance and temperament, but I've heard that Yi Moran was also a stunningly beautiful woman in her youth. Adi's personality is gentle and kind, but she's not as composed and calm as someone over thirty. Most importantly...

"Adi, don't you think you're being too indifferent?"

"Huh?" Adi looked up, somewhat puzzled.

"You and Queyue are a couple... but you always have such a lukewarm attitude, like an old married couple of ten or eight years, no passion at all. How can this be? Aren't you afraid someone will steal her away..."

Adi just smiled faintly, "No, Queyue isn't that kind of person."

Xinyue paused slightly, then smiled with more approval at Adi. "You know how to talk. I've never seen Queyue express her own thoughts, let alone go after anyone... But she wants to be with you, and she's even willing to go against Jun Yuqing for it. It's rare for her to take the initiative to do this, so I'll help her no matter what. So if you dare to treat her badly, I won't let you off!" Xinyue grabbed his collar threateningly. Adi smiled faintly, "Just as Queyue said... you two have a very good relationship."

"—Sisters, after all."

Sisters are the kind of people who will help you when you're in trouble, stand by you when you're in trouble, and when you have a man... don't hesitate, just dump him.

Now is naturally the time for her to support Queyue.

"Miss Crescent Moon, I have a question. Please forgive me if it is presumptuous."

"Go ahead and ask. No need for all that 'Miss' stuff. Just call me Crescent Moon."

"I have some knowledge of medicine, and judging from Young Master Cangming's appearance... he seems to be slightly unwell?"

"You know medicine?" Crescent Moon immediately perked up. Usually, those who claim to know a little about medicine are quite influential. "How's the internal injury treatment going? I'm an expert in poisons and can also treat tonics, but internal injuries are too troublesome. Hey, since we've known each other, help me out! You see, Crescent Moon and I are sisters, and you and White Lotus are brothers-in-law. You can't refuse this favor..." She pulled Adi closer and closer as they talked. Just then, the door opened, and Laughing Without Emotion leaned against the door with a half-smile, coldly saying, "An incense stick's time is up. Go back to your [designated area]...—What are you doing?"

“I don’t need to add ‘door’ after this,” Crescent Moon released Adi and waved to him. “You can figure out the rest yourself. Don’t forget there’s another one here after you finish treating Crescent Moon.”

She turned and went out, grabbing Xiao Wuqing's long hair and dragging him away as she passed by. "Hurry up, hurry up! Just tie me to your belt!"

"...It's worth considering."

Xinyue spent some time preparing the medicine for Queyue. Liu Zhi went out to inquire and found that Qingzunlou had issued a notice that Jun Xiaoling had been kidnapped by villains and offered a reward of one million to kill him and rescue him.

Xinyue, Lengyu, and Liu Zhi gathered around and discussed the matter. Since Adi had nothing to do here now and would eventually have to go back to seize power, and staying here would only cause trouble for everyone if he were discovered, they decided to simply kick him back and consolidate their power base as soon as possible.

Seeing the three people hurriedly trying to get him out, Adi could only smile helplessly and gently squeeze Queyue's hand. "I'm going now, don't worry."

As soon as Queyue frowned, he said, "This time I will not be controlled by my elder brother. What are you worried about? He won't do anything to me."

"Yes, yes, don't worry, Jun Yuqing won't have time to do anything to Adi. Adi, just focus on consolidating your power. Leave Jun Yuqing to us—it would be best if we could deal with him, but if not, we'll stall him until you have the power, then we'll work together to resolve the issue." As long as the rift between Adi and Jun Yuqing isn't exposed in the martial arts world, everything will be fine. As for the reason for Jun Yuqing's [victimization]—who in the martial arts world doesn't know the relationship between Jun Yuqing and Xiao Wuqing? Anyway, Xiao Wuqing was involved, so it's not unfair to pin the blame on him, right? Cangming Shuixie's reputation is already bad enough, so we don't care about adding another one.

Chapters 53-54

Adi couldn't help but chuckle, "Looks like you've all figured it out?"

Crescent Moon shrugged. "While it's not the most appropriate method, it's the most time-saving and brain-free. As long as Cangming Water Pavilion takes the blame, you can clear your name and become the Qingzun Pavilion Master cleanly—isn't that what most righteous sects in the righteous path do in private? We're just borrowing it."

"But... there are only a few of you?"

Adi's gaze slowly swept over the remaining people—

Crescent Moon, formerly known as the "Number One Sword of the Demonic Path," is a fake. In a real fight, his defensive skills are nothing more than his mastery of poison.

Leng Yu was decent in martial arts, but not a master. His skill level was already at its limit when dealing with the two members of the Dark Pavilion.

Although Liu Zhi was trained by Yi Moran, she is still young and cannot be relied upon.

Then there's Xiao Wuqing... Based on his judgment and Xinyue's description... this person is practically nonexistent and can be ignored.

In the end, only the Blood Asura remained—

The moment his gaze fell upon Blood Asura, Crescent Moon and Liu Zhi jumped out to block his view. "Don't look! Don't take him away! It's already dangerous enough here. You should be able to handle things on your own. Don't take him away!"