Guide sur le vent et la fumée

Chapitre 26

He said he was leaving, but Xia Yi didn't move an inch. After waiting for a while, he finally asked, still unwilling to give up, "Don't you have anything else to say?"

Yun Chan's face suddenly turned red again. What's wrong with her! They've known each other for so many years, and now she's blushing in front of Xia Yi?! She scolded herself in her heart for a while, then looked up and said, "Come here. A little closer, um, bend over."

Xia Yi narrowed her peach blossom eyes and obediently bent down without hesitation. Just as she was thinking about whether to put her arms around him, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her shoulder. Xia Yi yelled, "What are you doing, you little brat?" and bit him again.

"If it hurts, we'll hurt together," Yun Chan said smugly.

Xia Yi turned her head angrily and saw Yun Chan's face flushed red as she secretly laughed. Her heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly pecked Yun Chan's cheek. Before Yun Chan could react, she walked away even more smugly.

---

When Ji Yue pushed open the door, she saw Yun Chan sitting at the table, holding her face and grinning foolishly. She couldn't help but be surprised: "Miss?" What's wrong with you?

Yun Chan was even more delighted to see Ji Yue. She had always been very open with Ji Yue, and she couldn't help but excitedly tell her that she and Xia Yi had made up.

"Hmm." Ji Yue seemed relieved after hearing this. "Miss, did you encounter any danger while you were out this time?"

"Of course I have! Wandering the martial world is dangerous. You know what? I even ran into people from the Qingtu Sect." Having finally managed to have some impressive experiences of her own, Yun Chan became excited and immediately started talking non-stop to Ji Yue.

She had just started talking about the fight between the henchmen and Xia Yi on Yanshan Mountain when Ji Yue suddenly interrupted her: "So that Master Lou is actually the head of the Mo Pavilion? Miss, you knew all along, didn't you? Why didn't you tell me last time when you asked me to steal the antidote for you?"

Yun Chan felt somewhat ashamed. She had never kept any secrets from Ji Yue, but this time she had kept so many things from her, which must have made her worry. She hesitated, unsure how to answer, but Ji Yue continued, "And then, after he was poisoned..."

Is he dead?

Yun Chan's expression immediately darkened, and she sighed, "He was poisoned, but he didn't die. However... I don't know why he thought I was the one who poisoned him."

Ji Yue's heart skipped a beat: "Then he didn't do anything to you, did he?"

"No, no. He ran away later."

Ji Yue noticed that something was wrong with her expression and said urgently, "Miss, you must not hide it from me anymore."

Yun Chan hurriedly replied, "It's true. Although he tried to kill me once later, Xia Yi came to my rescue, and I'm fine now."

"Hmm." Ji Yue couldn't put her mind at ease. "Miss, please don't run around these next two days."

"Don't worry, Mother ordered me to stay home and reflect on my mistakes." Yun Chan knew that Ji Yue was worried, so she didn't argue and acted completely obedient.

Seeing her like this, Ji Yue couldn't help but smile. After listening to Yun Chan ramble on for a while, she hurriedly left.

---

Yun Chan was forbidden from leaving her room by Qin Hu and dared not disobey. Feeling stifled in her room, she diligently resumed practicing the internal energy cultivation method Gui Yue had taught her. All the martial arts in the Thousand Gold Palace were specifically created for women, unlike the ones Yun Chan had practiced before.

Once you get up, this set of mental techniques is exceptionally easy to practice.

After circulating her inner energy for a full cycle, Yun Chan felt a light sheen of sweat on her face and body. When she opened her eyes, it was already late at night. She felt uncomfortable from the sweat, but she was too embarrassed to trouble Ji Yue any further, so she decided to boil some water herself.

She washed and dried herself. She happily got out of bed, tiptoed out of the yard and headed towards the kitchen. As she approached a rockery, she suddenly heard voices.

Who would be talking so furtively in the fortress in the dead of night? Yun Chan, being in her own home, was unusually bold, and unable to resist her curiosity, she stealthily moved towards the source of the sound. In the dim moonlight, two people talking were hidden in the shadows.

Behind the mountain, Yun Chan diligently controlled her breathing as instructed in the mental cultivation method, then peeked through the cracks in the artificial hill with wide eyes. What she saw, however, filled her with horrified horror.

Wow! It's Ji Yue... and Qing Qi? In the dead of night, are they having a secret rendezvous?

It must be a secret rendezvous! Yun Chan couldn't think of any other possibility. She couldn't help but feel angry. How wicked! She would tell Ji Yue everything, but Ji Yue and Qing Qi had gotten together, a huge secret, and she had kept it from her!

?

Yun Chan was furious, but she held her breath and started to walk back. No matter what, eavesdropping on other people's sweet nothings was never a good thing. But whether her ears were too sharp or not, a few words still drifted into her ears on the wind.

"...You don't need to worry about it. The master only instructed you to protect Miss Yun."

Huh, why does it seem like Xia Yi and her were mentioned? Yun Chan felt strange, so she crouched down, turned around, took two steps, and pricked up her ears.

Unexpectedly, Ji Yue suddenly knelt down on one knee in front of Qing Qi: "Your subordinate knows. However, I am afraid that the few people in the fortress are not enough to stop the Pavilion Master of the Ink Pavilion. Just in case, please inform the Lord of the Manor to send a few more people to Feiyun Fortress to protect Miss."

Qingqi asked curiously, "You mean the Pavilion Master of Mo Pavilion is going to deal with Miss Yun?"

Ji Yue nodded: "From what Miss said to me today, he seems to have realized that the poison was put in the antidote for the Dissolving Power Powder. He is probably convinced that Miss poisoned him. So I am worried that he will come to take revenge on Miss."

Qingqi pondered for a moment, then said in a low voice, "There's no need to worry too much about that. He's been afflicted with the Soul Devouring Technique. Even if he has immense abilities, he's probably on his last legs and can't pull off anything now. But your concerns are valid; without him, the Ink Pavilion..."

There are others too, so it's good to be on guard. I'll go back and report to the master; you yourself should also be extra careful these days..."

The voices suddenly stopped. Ji Yue looked up in confusion, only to see Qing Qi staring ahead with a stern expression, as if he had seen a ghost. She couldn't help but turn around and look too.

Under the hazy moonlight, Yun Chan stood stiffly in front of the artificial hill, staring blankly in their direction. Ji Yue was immediately horrified. How could this be? When did Miss arrive? Neither she nor Qing Qi had noticed?

Yun Chan's head was buzzing, and she felt cold all over. She looked at Ji Yue and said in a trembling voice, "Ji Yue, you are my girl. Why do you call yourself my subordinate in front of Qing Qi?"

How much did Miss actually hear? With a sliver of hope, Ji Yue feigned composure and said, "Qing Qi and I were just joking around. Miss, what are you doing out so late? Didn't Madam tell you to stay home and reflect on your actions?"

Yun Chan almost burst into tears: "That poison... you put it in the antidote for the Dissolving Power Powder?"

"She heard everything?" Ji Yue stared at her, unable to utter another word.

Seeing that neither of the two people opposite her spoke, Yun Chan suddenly said fiercely, "Fine! If you won't tell me, I'll go ask him myself!" She turned around and ran without regard for anything else, and with a graceful step, she had already floated several feet away.

Qingqi was shocked and quickly pulled Jiyue up, saying, "This is bad! Stop her! If she confronts the Master, we'll all be dead!"

Ji Yue said blankly, "What's the use of stopping her? Do you expect me to prevent Miss from ever seeing the Master again?"

Cold sweat poured down Qingqi's forehead: "Isn't there any way to appease her first?"

"It's too late." Ji Yue shook her head. "We need to go back and admit our guilt."

---

For the first time in her life, Yun Chan rushed up to Xiaming Manor in the middle of the night. Her heart was filled with panic and helplessness. She didn't even bother to go through the main gate and jumped over the wall.

One of the shadow guards of the manor sensed the commotion and was about to go out when another shadow guard grabbed him in time: "Are you blind? That's Miss Yun! How dare you stop her? Aren't you afraid the manor lord will chop off your hand when he turns around!"

Upon hearing this, Shadow Guard A rubbed his eyes and exclaimed, "Is it really Miss Yun? When did her lightness skill become so good?"

Shadow Guard B scolded him, "It's none of your business. If you want to live a few more years, just pretend you didn't see what happened!" Tsk tsk, rushing to his door in the middle of the night, it seems the Master's relationship with Miss Yun has progressed by leaps and bounds this time.

---

Although it was the middle of the night, the study in Xiaming Manor was still brightly lit. Qingzhu knelt on the ground, her tone more hesitant than ever before: "Does the Manor Lord mean to send those six people to kill Lou Guyan and destroy the Mo Pavilion?"

Perhaps realizing she was being a bit unreasonable, Xia Yi surprisingly asked, "Are you confident?"

"This..." Green Spider broke out in a cold sweat. Of course he wasn't confident! But he didn't dare say it outright.

Qingzhu couldn't understand it at all. The plan was progressing smoothly, and they had successfully pushed Moge into the eye of the storm. Now, all that was needed was a command from the manor to openly gather the various martial arts factions to besiege them. Why did the manor lord change his mind at the last minute?

So, you really have to switch to operating in secret?

Although there are twenty shadow guards in the manor, only six of them have never shown their faces in the martial arts world. The manor lord actually intends to rely on these six people to wipe out the Mo Pavilion without leaving a single survivor, just to ensure that not a single word of it leaks out.

If the Ink Pavilion were so easily dealt with, Xia Ming Manor wouldn't have had such a headache for so many years. Besides, he and Qing Qi had already experienced the skills of that Pavilion Master, Lou Guyan. Although he was now afflicted by the Soul Devouring Technique, he was still a force to be reckoned with.

Xia Yi pondered for a long time, then said with rare consideration, "Then, leave the others in the Ink Pavilion aside for now, and you all go find Lou Guyan and kill him. He's already been afflicted by the Soul Devouring Technique, that shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

A gust of wind approached from outside the door. Xia Yi frowned slightly, her peach blossom eyes narrowing in displeasure. Qing Zhu also quickly stood up, shouting sharply, "Who goes there!"

The door was slowly pushed open, and Qingzhu was completely stunned when she saw who it was. Could that person with red eyes and a deathly pale face be Miss Yun?

Xia Yi's expression changed slightly, but he quickly concealed it. He strode towards her: "Xiao Chan? What brings you here?"

Yun Chan stared at him blankly. What a wonderful person he was, her childhood sweetheart, who had made her angry, coaxed her, and spoiled her. The two of them had been playing together since they were six years old, and despite arguing for so many years, she had never truly hated him.

Seeing this, Qingzhu wisely withdrew immediately. Only the two remained in the study. Xia Yi suppressed his panic and reached out to touch her face: "Why are you crying?"

Yun Chan dodged his hand and said, word by word, "The henchman was poisoned by you. Give me the antidote."

Xia Yi's breath hitched, but after regaining her composure, she smiled casually and said, "You came over in the middle of the night just because you were worried about this? Don't worry, now that I know he has nothing to do with the Demonic Sect, I will naturally send someone to find him and give him the antidote."

Upon hearing this, Yun Chan felt an overwhelming bitterness in her heart, and even the voice coming from her throat seemed to be not her own: "You really believed what I said, so you let him go?" After a pause, she added with difficulty, "You damned Xia Yi, don't lie to me."

Xia Yi's smile was somewhat awkward: "Xiao Chan, why do you say that?"

She took a deep breath and finally looked up at him: "Regardless of whether he's from the Demonic Sect or not, you're going to kill him, aren't you? 'Leave the rest of the Ink Pavilion aside for now, go find Lou Guyan and kill him first,' right?"

His expression finally turned panicked: "You heard me?"

Yun Chan bit her lip: "Why?"

Xia Yi concealed her panic and argued, "Mo Ge is a remnant of the Demonic Sect. Even if it has nothing to do with the Qing Tu Sect, it is by no means a good person. You are naive and that's why you were deceived by him. Don't you remember who kidnapped you in the first place? Why are you still protecting him?"

Yun Chan could no longer hold back her tears: "Why did you lie to me! The poison in the henchman wasn't given to him by you at the Brocade Inn, but was put in the antidote for the Dissolving Power Powder! I gave it to him, that's why he hates me!"

She knew everything? Xia Yi felt as if she'd been stabbed in the heart, her voice trembling as if she were desperately trying to save her own life: "Xiao Chan, listen to me..."

Yun Chan refused to listen to anything and shouted almost in despair, "Even Ji Yue was someone you placed by my side!"

She and Jiyue were so close, like sisters. Jiyue would stand up for her whenever she was bullied, tell her all her secrets, and even take a whip for her. And what happened? What happened? How ridiculous, like a fool.

Xia Yi panicked completely: "Xiao Chan, I just, I just wanted to protect you."

"You made me trick Lou Lou into taking poison, was that also to protect me? You gave him the Soul Devourer, didn't you!"

Soul-Eating Poison, true to its name, devours a person's soul, leaving them utterly unconscious and crippled in martial arts. Yun Chan had heard her mother sigh, saying that administering such poison to someone in the martial world was less effective than feeding them arsenic; who would willingly choose to be a living dead?

Where are they?

After hearing this, she asked her mother: "Then is there no solution to the Soul Devouring technique?"

There is a cure, but only the person who administered the poison knows how. There are thirty-six different ways to prepare the Soul-Eating Elixir; only the poisoner knows which ingredient to use as the antidote, otherwise, using the wrong one will result in death. However, at this point, even a one-in-thirty-six chance is acceptable for poisoning...

Most people would rather try their luck.

One in thirty-six chance. Someone as ethereal as that lackey surely wouldn't want to become a living dead. Did he even try? Did he...die?

Her hand suddenly clenched, and Yun Chan spoke again: "Give me the antidote."

Xia Yi looked at her for a long time before finally saying softly, "I gave you the antidote, and then what?"

Yun Chan froze, the joy that had filled her heart for the past few days seemed to have vanished. She stared back at him blankly: "That's it. I don't want to see you again."

Xia Yi's face turned pale: "Didn't we agree that we would never fight again?"

Yun Chan covered her ears, stubbornly repeating only, "Give me the antidote."

"Is he that important to you? More important than me?"

"Antidote."

"I won't give it to you."

"You bastard."

"Once I give it to you, there will be no more." A ruthless glint finally appeared in Xia Yi's eyes. "Then why should I let him live?"

What is this? Threatening her? Doesn't he even realize he did anything wrong?