Consultor de vida de la dinastía Song del Sur

Capítulo 19

"What does the young master mean?"

Ding Datong once said something like this.

"Forgive Yin Guang for his ignorance."

"At night, there are also the state's exclusive concubines—beautiful Hu women."

Everyone couldn't help but look up at the face of the young master in white before them. His face was reflected in the deep white snow behind him, like a vast glacier that never sees the sun, and even colder and more icy than the snow.

Qiu Yeyijian still coldly glared at the Dragon Pattern Sword, her words as indifferent as ever: "So when I go to bed, that's when the assassination begins."

20. Stealing the Sword

The cold white snow covered the earth, and the streets of Ruzhou were so quiet in the dead of night that there was not a soul in sight.

Snowflakes seem indifferent to human warmth and coldness, falling all over the fields, riverbanks, and desolate, deserted rocky hills.

Two streams of energy, one hot and one cold, clashed and tore at each other within Chu Yi's body. The cold energy, like a wild horse that had broken free, galloped through Chu Yi's body and finally, combined with the coldness of heaven and earth, forced Chu Yi to open his eyes.

Snow covered Chu Yi's entire body. He slowly raised his cool eyelids, looked up at the endless sky, and murmured, "Tianxiao, there's not much left I can do for you..."

Chu Yi struggled to his feet, leaning against a cold tombstone, and looked down at his wound: the sword wound on his chest was covered by snow, and cold water mixed with the scalding blood, freezing into ice crystals, a ghastly white expanse. "Qiu Ye Yi Jian used all his skills in that sword strike. If I hadn't been on guard, an ordinary person would surely be dead." Thinking this, he seemed to feel pain in his body and couldn't help but press his acupoints.

Chu Yi's other hand instinctively reached out and touched the coldness of his fingertips. A smile appeared on his face: "Luckily, luckily, the moonlight is still there."

The smile on his face hadn't faded when the swirling snowflakes landed on Chu Yi's cold cheeks, instantly piling up into small hills. Looking through the drifting snowflakes, Chu Yi couldn't help but recall a sentence his master had said to him when he was eight years old.

It was a snowy winter day. Chu Yi knelt stubbornly in the swirling snow. His master stared at him and said coldly, "Leng Shuangcheng, because you cannot die, I can only give you a body that is not afraid of being beaten and a pair of incomparably skillful hands. Therefore, you are destined to have a life of hard work and toil."

Thinking this through, Chu Yi gave a bitter laugh, gritted his teeth, and stood up, clutching his chest. After looking around, he recognized the way back to the city and headed towards the cold, snowy sky.

At night, soft, melodious music drifted from the courtyard pavilion, while the lights shone as brightly as day.

Leng Qi stood with his hands behind his back in the outer courtyard, his handsome face pale and ashen. His expression was slightly lowered, concealing the pride in his eyes, as if he were deep in thought: Chu Yi is dead, what am I still worried about?

Closing her eyes, Leng Qi recalled the nightmare that had happened today and couldn't help but shudder: Just as she was preparing to distribute the antidote to the guards, she heard a report. When she arrived at the location, she found that it was Chu Yi, whom she had failed to supervise properly, who was challenging the young master! Looking at the young master's cold eyes, and thinking about her two mistakes in the Heavenly Thunder Mission, she was afraid that the young master was also feeling uneasy and would not be satisfied until he was punished.

In the shadows, the proud young man's figure swayed for a moment.

A night breeze suddenly rises, carrying a sweet fragrance, the taste of which is like the hawthorn candy I imagined as a child, sweet and cloying with a crystalline, icy texture.

Leng Qi lowered her eyes and closed her nose. As the breeze passed, her figure suddenly shot towards the flower bushes beside her like a straight sword.

A dark figure sprang up, and the two exchanged two blows in a matter of moments.

The dark figure groaned, clutching its left chest and panting. Leng Qi's eyes, like those of a venomous snake coiled in the forest, emitted a chilling glint: "They've come after all."

The night traveler crouched on the ground, his palms braced against the earth, staring with some fear at the approaching shadow.

"Is it strange? I'm not poisoned?" Leng Qi chuckled coldly, drawing a short sword from his sleeve with one hand. "Is this how simple-minded your imperial guards are? They can only think of using flower powder to confuse people."

Upon hearing this, the man in black, who was crouching down, began to tremble without any wind, like a leaf about to fall, making a final, desperate struggle.

"The three elders surround you, young master, while Young Master Silverlight guards the entrance. I'll take care of clearing away any stray assassins. I'll send you on your way safely!"

A flash of white light, and Leng Qi raised the sword in her hand and slid it down from above.

The nightwalker tossed a slingshot with one hand, his body tumbling outwards. Leng Qi simply spun around, leaping onto the black-clad man's back, raising her short sword, and with a swift, deadly strike, the man fell.

The marbles crackled and sparkled in the air, illuminating the entire courtyard above the lonely and quiet state capital.

Accompanied by the sound of bullets, a shimmering sword light flashed before Leng Qi's eyes, its momentum swift and seemingly all-out, like a tiger leaping over a gorge to finish its task in one fell swoop.

Leng Qi was startled and hurriedly swayed, barely managing to regain her footing when someone behind her struck her pressure points with two fingers, rendering her immobile. A chill ran through her: Such a fast sword! A feint, its true target was me.

The person behind him was slightly out of breath and turned around.

Leng Qi glanced at him, wanting to grit her teeth and devour the person behind her alive, but her body was lifted up and sent flying towards a large tree outside the mansion, as swift as a shooting star as when she came.

Leng Qi's handsome face held a hint of authority as he strode toward the headquarters.

He passed through the gate and entered the central courtyard, where two rows of elegant bamboo groves stood. Guards on either side bowed to him. He walked with his head held high and followed the long corridor into the courtyard.

"Where is the young master?" he asked, grabbing the collar of a guard.

The guard, perhaps unaware of Leng Qi's inexplicable outburst of anger, replied somewhat timidly, "Restating in the courtyard..."

Leng Qi flicked her hand and turned to walk towards the central courtyard.

"Guard Leng, there's someone in the young master's room..." the guard whispered anxiously from behind.

Leng Qi ignored him and continued walking. Reaching the central courtyard, she found it filled with blooming flowers and a cool, sweet fragrance. In the center of the vast courtyard stood a solitary pavilion with carved railings and painted beams.

Leng Qi walked to the door, held her breath, and raised her hand to knock on the door.

A woman's soft, sweet voice drifted from inside the room, punctuated by faint moans: "Young master... please... young master..." Her voice was sweet and seductive, like a beauty in a master painter's painting, capturing the allure to the very core.

Leng Qi composed herself and whispered, "Young Master, I have something important to report."

"Come in." A cold yet perfectly warm voice rang out.

Leng Qi pushed open the door and entered, standing in the outer room with her head slightly bowed. The dim light in the inner room poured out like moonlight, exuding a subdued, hoarse, ambiguous decadence, and the room was filled with a misty dampness and fragrance.

"Speak." The calm voice came from inside again, drowning out the woman's seductive whispers.

Leng Qi couldn't help but raise his head slightly. A cold breeze swept by, and through the double-tasseled curtains, the scene revealed by the gauze curtains made him hesitate for a moment: a woman's fair and graceful body was fully exposed before him. Her eyebrows and eyes were not clear, but her body was like a ticklish and charming cat, crawling and twisting, her mouth uttering seductive words intermittently, "Young master... please..." — The woman was unable to move and could only moan and beg.

In a corner of the dark red carved bed, Qiu Yeyi's clothes were half-open, revealing the fair skin below her neck, which seemed as smooth as silk from Suzhou and Hangzhou. He sat wickedly in the corner, his hair hanging down his face, exuding an extremely decadent and sinister charm. He propped one leg up, his right hand hanging in front of his knee, and his left hand lightly lifting the tip of the woman's face. His eyebrows and eyes remained still, but his eyes flashed with a cold light as needles.

Leng Qi took a deep breath, feeling her face burning, but then, remembering where she was, she quickly suppressed her embarrassment and said in a low voice, "Two assassins have come to the waterside pavilion."

"Explain it clearly, and let her listen slowly." Qiu Yeyi's gaze and voice remained unchanged.

"Yang Wan was engaged in a fierce battle with the three elders, while a dazed young man stabbed Young Master Zhao."

The room fell silent for a moment. A heavy atmosphere filled the room, and Leng Qi felt her heart sinking deeper and deeper, almost to the bottom of a cold abyss.

"Did I say something wrong?" He broke out in a cold sweat as he pondered the question.

"Ignore it." Leng Qi felt as if a long time had passed before he heard a voice that brought him a sense of relief.

Before she could recover from the shock, a cold voice came from beside her: "Such a lowly woman." The voice was slightly raised, without a trace of pity.

The mocking voice was like a whip, lashing against the bed curtains.

The naked body before her seemed to writhe even more violently; the sound of tearing and ripping the brocade quilt could be heard. The woman, panting heavily, roared in hatred, "You demon...you're not human..."

With a "bang," a beam of light, as white as jade, was thrown into the outer room and landed right at Leng Qi's feet.

“Give this to Ding Datong, so he can see the shameful state of this slut who ingested aphrodisiacs.”

Leng Qi lowered his gaze, held his breath, and calmly pulled up his cloak, creating a gust of cool wind. He nimbly scooped up the unconscious woman's body from the ground, wrapped his arms around it, and strode away.

Qiu Yeyi pulled his robes tighter and slowly walked to the outer room, his expression dark and uncertain, like the cold light streaming through the snowy sky outside the eaves. He walked to the table and focused his gaze on it.

The dragon-patterned sword lay quietly in its black, ancient scabbard, the golden dragon on its hilt coiling and silently breathing, soaring between heaven and earth.

Qiu Yeyi's gaze suddenly sharpened, and she swiftly drew her dragon-patterned sword, coldly slashing it in a circle. Instantly, the room was filled with flowing blue light, dazzling and radiant.

The heavy feeling in his hand remained unchanged. Qiu Yeyi's eyes were fixed on the sword, examining it closely. In a flash, his gaze turned cold, as if he had shattered the fleeting light and shadow, his face icy. He swiftly stepped outside, leaping to the top of the highest roof of the camp. He pursed his lips and let out a sharp, loud whistle that pierced the howling, dark night sky.

Despite the pain in her chest, Chu Yi swiftly swept across the snow-covered eaves. Like a lone wild goose on the water, she rose and fell in an instant, disappearing into the swirling snow.

His left hand gripped a dark blue ancient sword tightly, while his right hand steadily peeled off his black brocade robe, discarding it into the wind and snow. He then raised his hand to remove the mask from his face, which he then tucked into his robes. As he leaped into the air, the black figure churned amidst the white waves, disappearing from sight beside the snow-covered peaks.

On the first day, he sneaked into the outer room of the Sihai Gambling House, leaped, and landed lightly on the third floor of the wooden building. Amidst the swirling snowflakes, he strode confidently to a dark room, kicked it open, and the door slammed open.

Without even glancing inside, he shouted in a deep voice, "Tang Xiaoshou, run!"

His figure continued to move swiftly like the wind, landing silently outside the casino gate in an instant.

Chu Yi concealed the sword in his sleeve and quietly entered the first floor of the gambling den. The gambling den was still dimly lit, bustling with noise, and surrounded by dark, bluish smoke. He pursed his lips and squeezed into the crowd without getting his clothes wet.

Above a cloud of smoke, Chu Yi steadily reached out and grabbed one of the men by the back of his collar, softly calling out, "Wu You, come with me."

The figure in the long robe turned around and, seeing Chu Yi's pale face glistening with sweat, was slightly surprised. —It was Wu Sanshou.

The Ruzhou government headquarters and the adjacent prefectural government were brightly lit. From the corridor of the headquarters to the courtyard of the prefectural government, lanterns were hung high. The light drove away the snow falling all around, but could not dispel the deep chill in the main hall.

Qiu Ye stood tall with his sword, dressed only in a single garment, his cold gaze sweeping over the crowd.

Anyone could see that this legendary, unparalleled martial arts master, with unmatched handsome looks, exuded a chilling aura. The surrounding guards all lowered their heads deeply, fearing that a single murderous glare would scare them to death.

At this moment, the Silver Light Prince's expression was also extremely solemn, and he stood beside the Prince with his hands at his sides, not daring to speak.

"Have any strange things happened in the city recently?" Qiu Yeyi's slender figure landed on the ground, becoming a silhouette, and it was a long time before he spoke coldly.

A guard in red robes and a black turban stepped forward cautiously, raising his hand in a respectful bow: "Reporting...reporting to the young master, the Red Girl on Willow Street...refused to receive guests last night."

Before she could finish speaking, Qiu Yeyi remained motionless on her sword, but the guard fell backward and lay motionless.

The breathing in the hall became even lower and slower, and the chill intensified.

Qiu Yeyi's eyes focused on the group of people in front of her, and she said coldly, "Is there a post station or gambling den here?"

Ding Datong, who was standing behind him, was already sweating profusely. Upon hearing the young master's words, he hurriedly stepped forward, trembling, and said, "Reporting... young master, there are only three gambling dens."

"Ding Datong, find a shrewd gambler to speak to me." Qiu Yeyi's eyes remained fixed on the person in front of her.

"Old Zhang! Old Zhang!" Ding Datong called out anxiously in his hoarse voice.

Sure enough, a person in front of Qiu Yeyi walked out hesitantly with their head down, seemingly unable to move their feet, and stood very far away.

"You were trembling the whole time, which means you know the consequences of not reporting the truth. Now I'm giving you a chance to redeem yourself, do you understand?" Qiu Yeyi stared coldly at his hands and said, word by word.

Old Zhang's hands were trembling, a testament to the fear that even seasoned gamblers couldn't control.

Which is the largest gambling den?

"Yes... young master, it is the Four Seas Gambling House."

"What rumors are circulating in the gambling den?" Qiu Yeyijian kept looking at Lao Zhang, then suddenly added, "If you keep babbling, you'll be dead."

"It seems a distinguished young master has arrived in the prefecture."