Sueño de Jiangshan

Capítulo 46

"Then, Sister Xingyue, can you tell me where we are now?" Leng Jie coaxed.

Xingyue paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, completely disregarding her image.

"Giggle...giggle..."

Lying on the bed, Leng Jie stared blankly at the girl who was laughing so hard she was bent over. She was certain that her question hadn't been funny at all. Had someone acupunctured her? Unable to move, she could only patiently wait for the girl to finish laughing.

About five minutes later, Xingyue's laughter finally stopped. It took her a long time to be able to speak normally again.

"Yes, I'm sorry, Sister Leng. I wasn't laughing at you!"

Leng Jie smiled and nodded at her to show that she understood.

"I was laughing at my brother; he was right."

Seeing that she seemed about to burst into laughter at the thought of her brother, Leng Jie quickly asked, "What did he say?"

“My brother had to go out to take care of something, so he asked me to take care of you. I asked him what would happen if you woke up and found yourself in an unfamiliar place with a stranger next to you. But my brother assured me that you wouldn't be scared, and you wouldn't even show any surprise. He also said that you would chat with me first, and only after we got to know each other well would you ask where you were and how you got here. I didn't believe him at all at the time, and I even made a bet with him!”

Leng Jie suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. Putting aside how Duanmu Xingchen had brought her here from Longmen, and what his purpose was, could someone who had only met her twice by chance really know her to this extent? Could he even predict her expressions, what she would say first, and what she would say next? Was he a prophet? No one would believe that! That guy was definitely suspicious!

Leng Jie glanced at Xingyue, who was smiling brightly. A glint of insight flashed in her eyes. She smiled slightly:

"Hehe, what kind of bet did Xingyue make with your brother?"

After speaking, Xingyue's bright and cheerful face immediately clouded over. She seemed to only now realize she had lost the bet. Her previously excited voice suddenly became utterly listless.

"If my brother wins, I have to stay home for six months and I can't mention going out to play anymore!"

A barely perceptible smile flickered at the corner of Leng Jie's lips. She asked curiously:

"What if you win?"

"Then I can go out and play for half a year, and they won't allow anyone to follow me." Xingyue's eyes would light up when she talked about going out to play.

She was another cheerful girl who loved freedom, which suited Leng Jie's taste perfectly.

Do you really want to go out and have fun?

"Yes, yes!" Xingyue nodded vigorously.

Leng Jie smiled and said, "Perhaps I can help you."

"Really? Sister, you're really willing to help me? That's great! Brother said you can cure Father's strange illness, so he'll definitely agree to whatever you say."

The gloom on Xingyue's face vanished instantly. Even Leng Jie would be ashamed of her speed in changing her expression. However, she had at least gained a little useful information. It turned out they had stolen her to treat her illness. But why didn't he ask Qingfeng? Was he afraid he wouldn't agree? And how did he know she could treat people? Never mind, what's done is done!

"Can you tell me what illness your father has?"

"I don't know either. Two months ago, Father suddenly became terrifying! He would kill and beat anyone he saw. Later, my brother locked him up in the Morning Light Pavilion, forbidding me from seeing him or letting him out. After that, my brother went outside to find famous doctors, but many doctors came. They were all... all of them... killed by him..."

"I understand, Xingyue, don't say anymore. Don't worry, I will definitely find a way to cure your father!"

As Xingyue finished speaking, she could no longer speak, her face turned deathly pale, and her lips trembled slightly. Leng Jie thought that she must have been terrified by her father's sudden change of heart! She quickly interrupted her and comforted her.

Just then, a surprised and excited male voice came from outside the door.

"Is what Xiaojie said true? Can you really cure my father's illness?"

"Master Duanmu, you haven't been eavesdropping outside the door all this time, have you?" Leng Jie didn't answer, but instead asked in a mocking tone.

Chapter 82 Making a Plan

"Master Duanmu, you haven't been eavesdropping outside the door all this time, have you?" Leng Jie didn't answer, but instead asked in a mocking tone.

"Miss Leng, you've misunderstood! Xingchen rushed over to see you as soon as she returned from outside, and happened to overhear you saying you could cure my father's illness. I had absolutely no intention of eavesdropping!"

As soon as the voice rang out, Duanmu Xingchen slowly entered the room from outside.

Leng Jie looked up and was stunned.

The newcomer was tall and slender, clad in a black brocade robe that was all too familiar to Leng Jie, with the black gold sword at his waist—the very sword that had saved Leng Jie and Xuan Yuan Qingfeng's lives. His face was smooth as jade, clean and pure, with deep, dark eyes that shone like gleaming stones. His features were well-proportioned. While he lacked Xuan Yuan's handsome looks, Qingfeng's refreshing, bamboo-like temperament, and Shi Yu's resolute coldness, he possessed a unique aura—an aura that lay somewhere between good and evil.

Surprisingly, despite the horrific scar on his face, perhaps due to his dark skin, he exuded an aura of malevolence and tyranny.

Was this the same Duanmu the chivalrous hero she knew? A surge of anger, a feeling of being manipulated and tricked, welled up within Leng Jie and spread like wildfire through every cell of her body. She no longer cared whether she would be chopped up and steamed or braised; she only wanted to unleash the flames within her.

"Master Duanmu? Or should I call you the young master of the Green Robe Sect? Back in the capital, you used both self-inflicted injury and elaborate schemes to get close to me. Then you surrounded the Prince of Ying's mansion to lure us to Jianzhou. Now you've gone to the trouble of abducting me; it can't be just to have me treat your father, can it? Since you've followed me for so long, you should know my personality well! I hate being deceived and manipulated. If I don't want to do something, even if someone puts a knife to my throat, it won't work." (Because she's always the one playing and deceiving others.) Her sarcastic tone was laced with a cold, threatening edge, forceful and resounding!

Just moments before, Duanmu Xingyue had been immersed in the joy Leng Jie had brought her, but now she stared blankly at her brother and Leng Jie. Ever since her brother returned from the capital, he had constantly mentioned Leng Jie, intentionally or unintentionally. He spoke of how beautiful yet unpretentious she was, how intelligent and kind she was, how skillful she was, and how highly skilled she was in martial arts. She had always thought that even if they weren't lovers, they should at least be good friends! But what was going on now? Why did she sense such a strong undercurrent of hostility in Leng Jie's tone?

"Sister, you must have misunderstood your brother! I didn't kidnap you; I brought you back by force! Didn't you know someone wanted to kill you? If I had arrived any later, your heart would have been pierced. He was still shaken when he told me about it after bringing you back!" Her gentle and sincere voice left no room for doubt.

Someone wanted to kill her? Besides the Green Robe Sect, did she have any other enemies? Suddenly, a figure flashed through her mind, and Leng Jie blurted out, "It's not a woman trying to kill me, is it?"

Duanmu Xingchen exclaimed sincerely, "Miss Leng is truly exceptionally intelligent!..."

Then Duanmu recounted how he rescued her from the knife.

After hearing this, Leng Jie couldn't help but shudder, feeling a chill run down her spine! A woman's jealousy can truly drive someone mad! It seems she should continue pretending to be a man. Otherwise, she might inexplicably lose her life to some jealous woman one day; that would be too much of a loss.

Seeing Leng Jie tremble slightly, Duanmu Xingchen assumed she was frightened and quickly reassured her, "But don't worry, Miss Leng, I just received news that the woman has been sent to a brothel by Prince Ying."

"Sent to a brothel? Shi Yu's idea? They know she wanted to kill me too?" Wasn't she someone Shi Yu trusted? Leng Jie asked, somewhat incredulous.

"I only pressed her pressure points, and anyone could tell her intentions just by looking at the way she raised the knife to stab downwards."

Leng Jie rolled her eyes at Duanmu Xingchen and sneered, "Is that so? You kept her here so she could deliver a message to you? Let them know I was taken away by the Qingyi Sect, and then use me to blackmail them? I know very well what the Qingyi Sect's purpose is, but you've miscalculated this time."

“It seems Miss Leng has a deep misunderstanding about me. There are some things I still need to explain. I hope Miss Leng can give Xingchen this opportunity and let Xingchen finish speaking,” Duanmu Xingchen said sincerely.

Leng Jie couldn't help but despise him in her heart. She was now like a grasshopper in his hand. Wasn't she at his mercy? Besides, now that their identities were clear, there was no need for him to put on these pretentious act anymore, was there? She replied indifferently, "It's your territory, you make the rules."

The implication was that I didn't want to listen, but I had no choice but to.

Duanmu Xingchen shook his head and smiled bitterly, saying in an extremely helpless tone, "I know you can't forgive me for not telling you my true identity when I was in the capital. You thought I was putting on an act with the Great Protector and the others to deceive you, and that my injury was also fake."

Leng Jie raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "Isn't that right? Why are you still trying to argue now? Do you think I'm just an ignorant girl who can be easily won over with a few sweet words and then obediently cooperate with you to do some heinous things?"

Duanmu Xingyue was not having it. Her face darkened, her lips pouted, and she said in an extremely dissatisfied tone, "Miss Leng, when have we ever done anything immoral? So in your eyes, my brother and I are bad people! You really disappoint me. If I had known you looked down on us so much, I wouldn't have given you the Fragrant Dew! Look at all your injuries, it cost me a whole bottle!"

"Xingyue, you mustn't be so presumptuous! Miss Leng is unaware of the situation, so it's understandable that she has doubts about us. Moreover, Miss Leng was originally injured by the sword of my Qingyi Sect, so naturally she should be treated with the sacred medicine of my Qingyi Sect." Duanmu Xingchen reprimanded Xingyue sternly.

Are they playing the black-and-white card again? Leng Jie's sharp gaze swept back and forth between the brother and sister's faces. She couldn't help but ask with a hint of doubt, "What is Fragrance Dew? Did you give me some to apply?"

"Do you still feel pain?" Xingyue asked instead of answering.

After Xingyue reminded her, Leng Jie realized that she hadn't felt that excruciating pain since she woke up.

Having already gleaned the answer from Leng Jie's expression, Xingyue continued, "The swords of the Qingyi Sect contain a special substance, so any wound inflicted by a Qingyi Sect sword will be a hundred times more painful than a wound from another sword. Without the Qingyi Sect's specially made sacred medicine, Ningxiang Dew, applied to the wound, the healing time will be at least half a month longer than a normal sword wound. And after half a month, the injured person will most likely be driven to suicide by the excruciating pain."

A chill ran through Leng Jie. She knew best that Xingyue's words were not an exaggeration. She herself had nearly bitten her tongue to death from the pain! If Xuanyuan hadn't appeared in time, then… She involuntarily shuddered. Thinking of this, she realized that Xuanyuan had saved her several times already.

Seeing Leng Jie's expression, Xingyue knew she finally believed them. She pressed on, "Do you think my brother suddenly appeared when you went to raid the Qingyi Sect's branch altar that day? Because he was there to save you. He never touched Father's sword, but he knew only that sword could counter the Four Protectors' sword formation, so he took it with him. Later, when the Four Protectors were defeated, why didn't they stop you? Because they knew that those already wounded by swords wouldn't survive without the Fragrance Dew."

Leng Jie looked at Duanmu Xingchen in surprise. If what Xingyue said was true, then why did he do it? She suddenly remembered that day he said he had people surround the Prince's mansion to protect the Prince's family. But why did he send people to hunt down Shi Yu and her in the capital? Leng Jie's mind had never been so confused. She could only slowly unravel the mystery, shifting her gaze to Xingyue and asking, "But weren't Qingfeng and Xuanyuan also wounded by swords? How come they seem fine?"

Duanmu Xingyue winked playfully at Leng Jie and replied with a smile, "They're luckier than you!"

"You call this good luck?" Leng Jie unconsciously rolled her eyes at Xingyue!

Duanmu Xingchen glared at Xingyue and replied seriously, "Their injuries weren't severe, but they were in pain for most of the day. That night, I used acupressure to put them to sleep and applied the Fragrance Dew to them. I wanted to do it for you too, but your room was always occupied. I had no chance to get close. Until last night, when that woman returned to her room, I was about to go in, but the Emperor came out again, and I..."

"Wait!" Leng Jie suddenly interrupted Duanmu, asking urgently, "How do you know that Xuanyuan is the emperor? What exactly is your purpose? You don't intend to change the dynasty, do you?"

This is getting increasingly bizarre. If they surrounded the Prince's residence to lure the Emperor along with them, why did he save them when he clearly had the opportunity to strike?

Xingyue and Xingchen exchanged surprised glances at Leng Jie's question. Was she joking? A change of dynasty? Xingchen met Leng Jie's sharp, penetrating gaze and said seriously, "It's our fault for making you misunderstand, but such words should never be spoken carelessly. Anyone in this world is capable of rebellion, but our Duanmu family would never do so. This is a long story, but I think it will be simpler to explain to you."

If they won't rebel, then they're like the Shi family? Did they bring her here to discuss breaking the curse? If so, it all makes sense. Leng Jie asked seriously, "You're not also from the Dark Guard, are you?"

The brother and sister nodded in agreement.

So that's true. That makes things much easier. Leng Jie then asked, "Is your father's situation the same as Shi Yu's?"

The brother and sister shook their heads sadly.

As expected, because all the illustrations in that book were different. It seems that the founding emperor was truly extraordinary! Even the underworld was under the control of the royal family. However, there is still a question: "Why did you commit those earth-shattering massacres of several families? And almost all of them were members of the secret service. It's hard not to suspect your motives."

The siblings' faces suddenly turned incredibly grim. Their once bright eyes were now filled with a bloodthirsty and malevolent aura. Xingyue raised an eyebrow and said hatefully, "Hmph! Those things have nothing to do with our Duanmu family. It was all those traitors who took advantage of my father's illness and my brother's trip to the capital to seek medical treatment for him. They colluded with that Shangguan Chuxiong, using the name of the Qingyi Sect to do it. Their goal was to seize the assets of the secret service they controlled, while they left the blame to the Qingyi Sect. What's most despicable is that the person who issued the martial arts challenge was none other than that Shangguan Chuxiong."

At this moment, Xingyue's face was completely devoid of its usual elegance. She spoke with increasing agitation, her teeth clenched. Especially when she spoke of Shangguan Chuxiong, she looked as if she wanted to devour his flesh and drink his blood. Similarly, the evil and violent aura emanating from her brother Xingchen was also at its extreme. His clenched fists were so tight they were sweating, and his teeth were grinding together.

There wasn't a trace of falsehood in their expressions.

However, according to rumors circulating in the martial arts world that Leng Jie knew, the Shangguan family was renowned for their family's invisible sword technique. They also held a dominant position among the five great families of Jinghe due to their vast wealth. Currently, three of the five great families have been wiped out by the Green Robe Sect, leaving only the Ning family in Qizhou. Due to the recent plague, the Ning family suffered heavy losses and was unable to recover. The Shangguan family, the only one of the five great families unscathed, naturally bore the heavy responsibility of avenging the other three. The current head of the family, Shangguan Chuxiong, was a chivalrous, upright, highly skilled martial artist, and a respected figure in both the legitimate and illegitimate worlds. Would such a person really do something like crying wolf?

Of course, these were all hearsay and not to be believed. But could she completely trust the brother and sister in front of her? Leng Jie thought it best not to draw conclusions yet and to wait and see. After a moment of contemplation, she looked at Duanmu Xingchen and asked, "What exactly happened in this matter? Can you explain it to me clearly all at once? Also, you say that this whole thing is the Shangguan family crying wolf, do you have any solid evidence? I believe you, but it's not enough for me to just believe you! The martial arts tournament is starting in a few days, and the situation is very unfavorable for your Qingyi Sect."

"What more evidence do you need? We are the best evidence! Have you ever heard of someone killing their own family and then taking the blame upon themselves? They haven't spared any of our Duanmu family's distant or close relatives," Xingyue roared excitedly.

Leng Jie finally understood what was going on. She paused for a moment before asking, "Don't tell me that your Duanmu family is the same Duanmu family that was the first family in Cangyuan to be wiped out by the Qingyi Sect?"

The brother and sister nodded dejectedly, then replied in unison, "Exactly!"

Leng Jie gasped in shock. This was truly unexpected. Who would have thought that the first righteous martial arts family to be wiped out by the "Green Robe Sect" was the family of the leader of the underworld's Green Robe Sect? And who could have imagined that the mysterious and feared leader of the Green Robe Sect was actually the head of the renowned Duanmu family, a family of great renown in the righteous martial arts world!

Fortunately, the father and his two sons escaped unharmed. Otherwise, the truth would never have been known. This is probably why Duanmu had such an unsightly scar on his face! From then on, Leng Jie completely believed them.

Duanmu Xingchen suppressed his anger and earnestly recounted the whole story to Leng Jie: "The Duanmu family ancestors were royal shadow guards. After the establishment of the Dark Guard, they were sent to Cangyuan, simultaneously possessing both a righteous and a wicked identity. They managed both the legitimate and wicked sides of Cangyuan for the Emperor... After years of cultivation, the Qingyi Sect's influence had spread throughout the entire country... Two months ago, while the whole nation was celebrating the Emperor's wedding, my father told me about his triple identity and mentioned the curse that had never manifested but was undeniably real. At the time, I didn't believe it at all and didn't take it to heart. But I still appeared in the Qingyi Sect as the young master, as my father wished..."

Duanmu Xingchen paused for a moment, then continued, "But three days later, on the day of the Emperor's wedding, my father suddenly went mad, killing anyone he saw. The person beside him at the time was the son of the First Protector, one of the Eight Protectors. He was the first person my father killed with a single blow. Then the Third Protector, the First Protector's younger brother, tried to stop him... Later, several protectors arrived simultaneously and managed to subdue my father. That's when I realized the curse was real. To prevent my father from harming people indiscriminately, I chained him up with cold iron and sent him to a place no one knew, then handed him over to Xingyue... I temporarily entrusted the affairs of the sect to the protectors and personally went to the capital to seek the Emperor's help to break the curse on my father."

However, on my third day in the capital, I received a letter from the Second Protector, saying that the First Protector had betrayed us with two other protectors. They had divided up the territory. Two days later, I heard the news of the massacre of the Duanmu family. Then came a series of massacres, which turned out to be the work of the First Protector in collusion with the Shangguan family.

I stayed in the capital for over half a month, yet I couldn't even catch a glimpse of the Emperor. Just as I was preparing to head to Jianzhou, I unexpectedly ran into you and the Prince of Ying. You have no idea how excited I was when I learned that the child in the Qunying Tower was the Prince of Ying. However, when we were surrounded and attacked, I was genuinely injured because I couldn't use the martial arts of the Qingyi Sect. But later, after we returned to the fishing village, I did pretend to be unconscious. Because I could tell at a glance that the man who came out of the door was no ordinary person. What surprised me even more was that even the Emperor came to see you personally, and your relationship seemed quite close.

At that time, I thought that as long as I followed you, I would definitely have the opportunity to express our Duanmu family's loyalty to the Emperor.

But you actually left me with the landlord and then just left. I had no choice but to send people to the Prince Ying's residence... I was gambling at the time, betting that you would bring the Emperor back with you, so I had my younger sister and father brought along as well.”

"So, we've been under your surveillance since we entered Jianzhou?"

"Yes, you went into the Prince's mansion under the cover of night, caused the heavenly lightning, then went to the Shi family's old residence, and later to Yanglin outside the city. Then you went to the Qingyi Sect to rescue people. I have been following behind you the whole time."

Duanmu Xingchen answered without any ambiguity, so clearly that Leng Jie couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine and break out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, Duanmu meant no harm. If he had truly been a thoroughly evil villain, she wouldn't have even understood what happened before she died. This is what you call walking into a trap! This time, Leng Jie truly experienced the terrifying power of ancient tracking techniques! She was also quite shocked and felt her own inadequacy. She asked with dissatisfaction, "You really know how to choose who to follow! Why follow me instead of the Emperor or the Prince?"

"Of course it's because they're all revolving around you!" Duanmu thought to himself. He softened his expression and said in a half-joking, half-serious tone, "Because they're more alert than you. If I were with them, I probably would have been discovered long ago."

Leng Jie was once again deeply hurt. She, a master tracker from a thousand years in the future, was being looked down upon by an ancient relic from a millennium ago. This was utterly humiliating! Leng Jie changed the subject, saying, "You brought me here because you know Shi Yu's curse has been broken. So you want me to break the curse on your father?"

Duanmu Xingchen nodded in agreement: "Yes, you saw it that day too. Even the remaining four protectors didn't completely listen to me. If the curse on my father isn't lifted before the martial arts tournament, then the Green Robe Sect will be finished, and the Emperor will also lose a powerful organization."