Roi céleste

Chapitre 22

"Senior, you've really made a mistake. The person closest to Palace Master Qing's room isn't me."

"How could that be? I checked, and you're definitely the closest person to me!"

“Senior, the person closest to Qingjiu’s room isn’t me, it’s Qingjiu herself. You’ve overlooked this, haven’t you…”

"..."

The mysterious senior seemed to suddenly shiver from the cold.

...

The moon sets, crows cry, and frost covers the sky.

On this dark and windy night, inside the Tian Shu Palace, a man and a woman landed silently, along with a gleaming sword.

I coughed twice and said in a low voice, "Senior, your hands must be sore from carrying this sword all the way. Why don't you put it down and rest? You're so skilled, and I can't run away."

The mysterious senior displayed the demeanor of a master, speaking sparingly and succinctly: "...Enough with the nonsense."

I had no choice but to keep walking forward and lead him to the so-called "Jiang Xinyan's detention location".

"Why are you heading towards Qingjiu's residence? Are you trying to pull some tricks?" A cold voice came from behind.

"How could I dare? The place where I'm being held is just on the other side of Qingjiu's house." Qingjiu, you must be having trouble sleeping again tonight, right? You must be sitting on the roof pretending to be cool, right? You must have seen me too, right? You're on your way, right? Yes!

The mysterious man pondered for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "...Go around it."

In the darkness, a pristine white eye rolled back, and I could only silently walk around it. Before I'd gone more than a few steps, a very faint noise suddenly came from the direction of the dilapidated house.

My eyes lit up, but before I could even make a move, the mysterious man grabbed me and dragged me up a tree, then grabbed me by the neck.

Looking down from the tree with anticipation, I didn't see Qingjiu, but instead spotted a petite figure sneaking towards us.

woman……?

The moment my doubts arose, the person next to me answered them in a deep but slightly excited voice: "...Jiang Xinyan!"

Ah!? This woman not only wasn't chased around, but she actually sneaked back to Tian Shu Palace! Well, the most dangerous place is often the safest place. Who would have thought she would dare to come to Tian Shu Palace? This woman is bold and meticulous.

Hearing the sound from the tree, Jiang Xinyan immediately looked up alertly. She instantly realized what was happening and turned to run away, but the mysterious person beside me had already struck my pressure points with lightning speed and jumped down.

Frozen in place, I could only squat on the tree, staring blankly down below. Neither of them dared to make a sound. As expected of a martial arts master who could subdue me instantly, they subdued Jiang Xinyan in just a few moves.

From the tree, I heard a woman's delicate voice, filled with boundless rage: "—Ziwei, it's you again!"

It was none other than Guanzhong Sword King Ziwei! This man had been famous for a long time, rarely having any rivals during the Qishan martial arts competition. Moreover, he was upright in his conduct and had a dignified appearance, earning him the title of a model of righteousness. Who would have thought he would have a connection with the female thief...

While I was still in a daze, Ziwei snorted coldly and said, "I'll be too lazy to chase after you if you return the Eight Extremes Scroll to me."

It turns out that Jiang Xinyan actually stole the Zi family's most prized possession. Truly... admirable! I thought Ziwei was going to save her.

As I was lost in thought, a pebble struck me, releasing my pressure points. Ziwei's cold voice rang out: "Aren't you getting down?"

I obediently jumped down, flatteringly saying, "Senior, you've succeeded so quickly! Now I'm all relieved of this, Senior—"

"You think I'd let you go back and report to us? Come with us, and I'll let you go then."

"We'll go together? You old bastard Ziwei, when did I say I was going to go with you?"

Ziwei laughed in fury, "You—"

Before I could speak, Jiang Xinyan suddenly began to break free from Ziwei's grip. I seized the opportunity and immediately escaped, yelling at the top of my lungs, "Help! Murder! —"

Footsteps followed behind me, but they weren't the footsteps of Ziwei that I had heard before. It seemed that Jiang Xinyan had taken advantage of my distraction to escape.

Damn it, she's going in the same direction as me! Could this infamous female thief be that stupid...? No, she wouldn't be—

"Ziwei, Ziwei, you actually threatened me! I'm going to find Qingjiu right now—" It was actually my voice that came from behind!

In a flash, I understood everything. Jiang Xinyan and I are similar in build, and she heard my voice. If she imitated my voice and called out, Ziwei would mistake me for Jiang Xinyan and come after me!

Startled, my breathing became erratic, and I slowed down. In that instant, the female thief, with her exceptional agility, overtook me. Just as I was about to catch up, a sharp pain shot through the back of my neck—

The last thing I saw before I fainted was that the woman in front of me seemed to have turned her head. If I'm not mistaken, that treacherous woman must have given me a smug smile!

Twenty-nine cups of Wenjun wine

Wenjun Wine - First, I drank Wenjun wine, then Cao Shen's cup. Mi Heng, after waking from his wine, overturned the spring bottle, just like a beautiful woman's jade face returning.

...

Sitting in the carriage, I stared blankly at the man opposite me.

The man's appearance was fairly decent, except that his eyes were a bit small and slightly sleazy. He also insisted on having two mustaches on his lips, which looked like catfish whiskers. To appear elegant, he had several large white clouds painted on his clothes, like clumps of cotton falling out of a torn rag.

This person was certainly not Ziwei; he was the dignified deputy sect leader of Changbai Sect, known as Bai Yunpiao!

Bai Yunpiao gave me a lewd smile, and even reached out his groping hand to hook my chin, saying, "Don't blame me for buying you up and taking you home to torture you. Who told you to look so much like my enemy?"

It's not just that it looks like something...

I looked down coldly at that short, stubby paw, thinking that it was truly a case of a tiger fallen into the plains being bullied by dogs. In truth, if I were to speak, the sentence I most wanted to say would be: "How could your second aunt, a strong and tough woman like me, be worth only thirty taels of silver! Even my undergarment isn't worth that much! You people are truly blind!"

Yes, I was sold, and I was sold in a brothel.

After being knocked unconscious by Ziwei, I woke up to find myself in a brothel in a small town on the outskirts of Wuling Mountain. The madam told me she found me on a country road. Clearly, Ziwei had run with me all night, and when he realized I wasn't Jiang Xinyan, he just dumped me by the roadside. His second aunt was truly a chivalrous woman! I vowed to personally express my boundless admiration to him someday, and I will never forget the clever and wise Jiang Xinyan!

So, after being locked up in the brothel, I was drugged and rendered powerless, preventing me from escaping. Although the drug was strong enough to render an ordinary person immobile for three days, it only took half a day to take effect on someone who had practiced martial arts for ten years. Although the madam wasn't entirely satisfied with my appearance, she still pushed me into the main hall. Before I could even witness any dramatic events, like encountering a white-clad figure and receiving a thousand-dollar sum with a wicked smile, I was spotted by the deputy head of the Changbai Sect, who bought me for only thirty taels of silver. The gap between fiction and reality is truly disheartening.

Now, I'll be able to move again in about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

My eyes darted around, and I feigned a girlish bewilderment, my voice weak and fearful: "I'm not an enemy..."

"Hmph, of course you're not," Bai Yunpiao sneered, his catfish whiskers fluttering. "That woman is a tigress. She's been deeply infatuated with me, and after I rejected her, she actually drugged me to get revenge. It's utterly unreasonable."

Baiyun Piao, you've never disappointed me once you open your mouth!

The Catfish Sect's deputy leader was clearly enraged by the memories. He glared at me fiercely, then suddenly lunged at me and ripped at my clothes. "Next time I run into that woman, I'll make her wish she were dead. I'll take you down with me first!"

I took a deep breath, gritted my teeth, and tried to keep my voice calm, "...Did that woman knock out three of your teeth?"

Bai Yunpiao was taken aback and asked, "You, how did you know?"

I stretched my arms and grinned maliciously at the person in front of me: "Hua Cui Tie Guanren, don't wait for next time. The worst kind of torture you'll experience is being served like this by me—"

Before he could finish speaking, a loud bang came from above, and his eyes lit up as the entire carport was torn up!

I stiffly looked up and was met with a familiar baby face.

Bai Ya stared at me and Hua Cuitie, who were both disheveled, his face contorting as he glanced at the smile that hadn't yet faded from my face. His voice was angry and contemptuous: "You slut! We've been looking for you everywhere, and here you are, doing illicit things with someone else. How can you even smirk at a man like that?"

The lewd woman's face instantly turned black, like a piece of charcoal under the blazing sun, and she was instantly burned to ashes.

...

After successfully making Hua Cuitie wish she were dead, on the way back to Wuling Mountain, Bai Ya looked at me with disdain the whole time. I ignored him and asked him how he found me. I learned that Tian Shu Palace had spies everywhere, one of whom was the pimp from the brothel who sold me. He reported it, and Bai Ya led his men to rescue me immediately.

I asked in surprise, "What? After I was kidnapped and taken down the mountain, you didn't send anyone to rescue me immediately?"

Bai Ya froze, his face full of apology, and said, "I'm so sorry, we didn't know you were missing until we heard news of that pimp."

I forced a smile through my teeth and said, "Looks like you've been quite concerned about me all this time." But thinking about it, it makes sense. Not a single guard appeared that night, so Ziwei must have taken care of them all. Not a single person from Tian Shu Palace saw me. And I went to the brothel in the morning, so everyone probably thought I was still sleeping. That's why no one came looking for me, and no one knew I was missing.

But when I think about it carefully, I feel that what happened last night is very unusual.

If Jiang Xinyan could sneak into Qingjiu's room to steal things, it means Qingjiu must not be in the room. So where did Qingjiu go? Was she wandering around because she had insomnia? Even the fact that Jiang Xinyan went to steal Qingjiu's things seems very suspicious, as if she knew Qingjiu was not there.

Furthermore, the timing of my and Ziwei's encounter with Jiang Xinyan was too coincidental. Was it really just a coincidence?

Ziwei is a strange person. Since he wants to get back the stolen goods, why doesn't he ask for them openly and honestly? Instead, he secretly kidnaps the person, making it seem like he's rescuing someone.

Finally, why did Qingjiu arrange for me to be placed in the place closest to his residence, and why did Ziwei arrive as soon as I settled in? Was it all just a coincidence? How could there be so many coincidences?

I was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Does Ziwei have some kind of grudge against your Tian Shu Palace?"

"Huh? How do you know?" Bai Ya was very surprised. "These are all secrets. I don't know the specifics. I only know that Ziwei has a grudge against our old palace master, and since then he has always been looking for some righteous excuse to oppose our Tian Shu Palace."

"What connection does Jiang Xinyan have with your Tian Shu Palace?"

Bai Ya was taken aback, then said disdainfully, "Didn't we take the job to catch her? You were there that day, how could you forget so quickly? What's wrong with your brain?"

I narrowed my eyes and didn't say anything more.

Bai Ya's reaction was normal, but the unnatural expression and evasive eyes he showed when he spoke did not escape my notice.

If it were a tilting object, I wouldn't be able to detect any clues at all.

When I returned to Tian Shu Palace and saw Qing Jiu, I suddenly had this thought.

Qing Jiu came over, looking quite concerned. Before he even got close, he hurriedly spoke, contrary to his usual calm and elegant demeanor, "Have you..." He stopped halfway through his sentence, carefully looked at my expression, and then breathed a sigh of relief, saying softly, "I'm sorry you've been wronged."

Looking at Qingjiu like this, still possessing an otherworldly beauty yet displaying a concerned expression, I didn't even know what I was thinking; my mind was a complete mess.

"...Where is Ziwei?" came the question, which seemed completely unrelated.

Then I learned that after abandoning me, Ziwei rushed back to Tian Shu Palace, but it was too late. Jiang Xinyan had truly been captured this time. Just as Ziwei was about to forcibly take her away, Qingjiu hinted to him that the reason they weren't releasing her was because of Shen Yufeng, not because Ziwei had any grudge against her. Therefore, Ziwei could simply hand her over to Shen Yufeng at Tian Shu Palace before taking action. At that time, Tian Shu Palace would definitely stand by and do nothing, and taking her away from the Shen family would naturally be much simpler than taking her away from Tian Shu Palace. In the end, Ziwei accepted this suggestion and left.

Logically, I should first offer my usual assessment of Qingjiu's wisdom and cunning, but then I noticed a problem. Jiang Xinyan was captured, most likely because I yelled at the top of my lungs, but didn't the people attracted by my noise notice that a third person was missing? Unless…

My hands are a little cold.

Just then, Qing Jiu's gentle voice came from beside me; "You haven't eaten anything yet, have you? I just told the servants to bring you some food—"

"...Qingjiu".

Qingjiu smiled faintly, looked down at me, her eyes filled with gentle light, "...What is it?"

"Actually, you were there last night, weren't you?"

I looked up from the sudden silence, calmly looked at the stunned man beside me, and slowly said, "Jiang Xinyan is your woman, isn't she?"

Qing Jiu stared at me intently before giving a slightly bitter smile: "...You know everything."

"I guess so."

For example, you might have had other motives when you initially sent Jiang Xinyan to steal the Bajiquan Scroll, but Ziwei fell in love with the clever and lively Jiang Xinyan during the chases; for example, the Bajiquan Scroll is definitely back in Ziwei's home now, and his fabricated excuse of chasing a female thief all over the world will inevitably cause a stir, and might even ruin his reputation; for example, you calculated that I would lead Ziwei towards you, and then Jiang Xinyan's appearance proved your alibi, while I would use insomnia as an explanation for going out, so it would seem that you had nothing to do with this; for example, in your plan, I should have personally witnessed Ziwei taking Jiang Xinyan away, and I, representing the Thousand Years Sect, and the Thousand Years Sect and Tian Shu Palace speaking in unison, would be enough to destroy Ziwei; and for example, the Shen family will be another good opportunity next.

Qingjiu, I can't help but wonder how long ago you started setting this up, and this is definitely not the first game I'll be in. It seems that you really got your money's worth by spending those ten thousand taels of gold.

I chuckled to myself, about to speak, when another thought flashed through my mind—if that's the case, why did Jiang Xinyan scheme against me? I initially thought she was running away, but now it seems she was saving Ziwei…

I was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

Humans aren't plants or trees; how can they be without feelings? Qingjiu, perhaps only you will never change.