Shu Ke peut regagner une fortune perdue

Chapitre 12

"While there's some truth to what Palace Master Rong said in defending you, upon closer examination, it doesn't quite make sense. You studied medicine under your senior master in Hangzhou. But Palace Master Rong didn't know that, which is quite strange. And that time you made a bet with Mo Ran, those two pills were both poison—you don't deny that, do you?"

Xu Lianning nodded: "So what?"

"Mo Ran died from the poison on the spot, but you were unharmed. In other words, Qing Si may not be able to do anything to you either."

“My master is busy, so it’s not a big deal that I didn’t tell her. Besides, even if I’m immune to the poison of the Green Silk and know the antidote, I’d be guilty even if I’m innocent.” Xu Lianning looked at him and said softly, “Young Master Zhang, is that right?”

Zhang Weiyi smiled faintly, then said calmly, "Secondly, it's not difficult to make everyone take the poison at the same time. Just prepare the medicine beforehand, and add a medicinal guide. These two medicines are ineffective on their own, but they only cause the poison to take effect when combined. Besides, Qing Si's antidote is water, so it would be difficult to administer the poison."

Xu Lianning's face suddenly turned pale. She picked up her teacup, took a sip, and asked with a strong sense of evasion, "Anything else?"

"What were you thinking about just now?" Zhang Weiyi frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled.

“I know what you’re trying to say about the third point. I do know Mr. Xiao of the Tianshang Sect, and I also harbor hatred towards your beloved Uncle Xu. I never thought he deserved to be a father.” Xu Lianning’s expression had returned to normal, and he changed the subject. “If you say that, the charge of me colluding with the Tianshang Sect becomes even more certain.”

Zhang Weiyi lowered her eyes and said calmly, "But I also believe that, given your personality, you would never use someone else's hand. So I still trust you."

Xu Lianning stood up, too lazy to beat around the bush: "Then what was the point of all that you said before?"

“Because I don’t want to ever clash with you,” he looked at the other person, his tone slightly different from before, “and also because I’m… a little reluctant to part ways.”

The game is gradually revealing its secrets: each side is fighting fiercely, with unexpected formations being secretly laid out, and the game cannot stop until the final move that determines the outcome.

Six or seven days passed in the blink of an eye. Although the Tian Shang Sect made no unusual moves at the foot of the mountain, the people on the mountain tried to break out several times, but were forced back each time. The Wudang Sect had prepared enough food for this martial arts conference, but it was not enough to feed the several hundred people on the mountain for more than a month or two.

The Heavenly Sorrow Sect only needs to hold the foot of the mountain, and victory will be achieved without a fight.

The Wudang disciples patrolling the mountain took turns guarding the key passages day and night, fearing that the Tianshang Sect might take advantage of the situation to infiltrate.

Li Qingyun lost both her parents to a natural disaster in her hometown and was taken to Wudang by her master. Being young at the time, she didn't have a deep impression of the events surrounding her parents' deaths. She practiced martial arts diligently and was always praised by her master, but ultimately, she didn't experience much. Holding a lantern, she suddenly looked at the handsome man beside her: "I've always heard how Senior Brother defeated masters from five sects and eighteen schools on Junshan Mountain. It's a pity I didn't witness it myself."

Zhang Weiyi, dressed in a simple blue robe, looked even more handsome and elegant in profile under the moonlight. A slight smile appeared on his lips: "In the end, I didn't even have the strength to hold a sword. But they were all distracted by appearances and couldn't do anything about it." As he said this, there was a hint of sarcasm in his smile. If he had nothing and was just an ordinary disciple of Wudang, who would care about him?

Li Qingyun didn't expect him to say that, and couldn't think of a way to respond.

The moonlight was like a ribbon, and the insects chirped softly. It was such a beautiful night, yet she felt a slight sense of unfamiliarity with the person beside her. She only knew that she admired him deeply, but she could never get close to him.

Zhang Weiyi suddenly stopped, bent down, and examined the ground closely by the lantern's light. His tone was cold: "It's blood..." He took two steps forward and saw several faint dark brown spots on the ground. They were difficult to distinguish in the darkness, but with ants crawling all around, the bloodstains seemed fresh.

Li Qingyun followed him into the bushes, her strange feeling growing stronger. She suddenly remembered the terrifying dream she'd had a few days ago, and the current scene was beginning to resemble it. For a moment, she felt a little lost. But that slight sense of loss vanished completely when she saw the dark figure beneath the bushes disappear.

His plain clothes were completely stained red with blood, and his body and face were covered with crisscrossing wounds, the most fatal blow being to his neck. Fortunately, the blood was still wet, indicating that the assailant had not gone far.

Li Qingyun felt a chill run down his spine and trembled slightly: "This person... is already dead?"

Zhang Weiyi gave a soft "hmm," then suddenly blew out the lantern and moved forward. Li Qingyun knew he couldn't catch up, so he slowly followed behind.

As the surroundings grew increasingly quiet, Zhang Weiyi slowed his pace, his every step revealing no openings. Suddenly, a burst of sword energy erupted, hurtling straight at him like a dazzling light, illuminating even the deep night. Zhang Weiyi stepped aside slightly; the sword had almost grazed his cheek. He then flipped his hand, using his strength to try and dislodge the opponent's weapon.

But when the two swords clashed, he felt something was wrong. The previous sword strike was fierce, and he thought his opponent would be difficult to deal with. But once they started to exchange internal energy, he realized that his opponent had almost no strength left and was already at the end of his rope.

Zhang Weiyi frowned slightly, thinking that the other party was deliberately showing weakness in order to seize the opportunity to kill him, and did not withdraw his internal energy.

The man was sent flying, crashing into a tree trunk behind him before slowly sliding to his seat on the ground.

He stepped forward, and the Tai Chi sword in his hand flashed, suddenly revealing a bewitching red dot between the man's eyebrows.

Li Qingyun arrived, panting, and when she saw the person clearly, the lantern in her hand suddenly fell to the ground. She finally realized that the dream she had that night was no longer just an illusion.

In her dream, she saw a figure repeatedly slashing at another person with a sword, each strike filled with venomous intent. She crouched in a hidden corner, watching with a chill running through her body. Finally, the figure stopped, slowly turning around…

The Thousand Interconnected Links (Part 2)

The cold tip of the sword touched her throat, and a chill seeped into her heart.

Zhang Weiyi's hand holding the sword was very steady, but he did not move for a long time.

The vermilion was alluring, the laughter gentle and soft. It was impossible to discern the true feelings or feigned intentions. She stared intently at the sword in the other's hand, then suddenly chuckled softly, "If you're going to fight... you'll have to use a different sword... cough cough..." This Tai Chi sword was her father's, and it couldn't bear the stain of her blood. Her voice was weak, followed by a violent cough that made her furrow her brow slightly, as if she were in considerable discomfort.

A slight glint of emotion flickered in Zhang Weiyi's eyes, but he was also quite annoyed with himself for this emotional fluctuation. He reached out and pulled her up, saying, "Come with me."

Xu Lianning felt a sharp pain all over her body as he pulled her. Before she could even speak, Zhang Weiyi dragged her along at a brisk pace. Even with her strong will, she couldn't hold on any longer and wished she could just faint.

"Look for yourself." Zhang Weiyi stopped and released her hand without a trace of pity. Xu Lianning staggered, reaching out to steady herself against a nearby tree trunk, and looked at the pool of blood and flesh on the ground: "Senior Sister He...?"

She composed herself, a mocking smile playing on her lips: "So that's how it is. You suspect that I killed Senior Sister He?"

Zhang Weiyi remained silent. Instead, Li Qingyun stared at her: "If you didn't kill him, then produce the evidence."

Xu Lianning chuckled slightly: "Why don't you show us the evidence? Why are you so sure it was me who did it?" She leaned against the tree trunk and slowly straightened up, looking up at the crescent moon in the sky: "The moonlight is so beautiful tonight." She slowly closed her eyes, a faint smile appearing on her lips, subtle and lonely.

“Come back with us. Once Master and Palace Master Rong find out, they will naturally take action.” Zhang Weiyi extended his hand to her, his tone very calm. Xu Lianning was quite surprised, but simply smiled: “Why doesn’t Young Master Yujian just execute this heinous person who harmed his fellow disciples on the spot, instead of going through all that trouble by reporting to Master?”

Zhang Weiyi was outmaneuvered and retorted harshly, "I've never seen anyone who knows they're guilty of heinous crimes and deserves to be executed on the spot, yet still dares to joke like this."

Xu Lianning gave a soft hum, closed her eyes slightly, and said with a distant expression, "Smiling is always better than anything else. Even if someone hates you and wants to harm you, just smile at them, and maybe they won't be able to do it... cough cough, cough cough..." She was extremely exhausted from her severe injuries and, regardless of whether the other person was willing, slowly leaned closer. She felt the other person seem to stiffen slightly, but still reached out and embraced her. Then, she seemed to lose her balance, as if she had been lifted up horizontally. She continued to play dead without hesitation and soon fell into a deep sleep.

"...I don't think things are that simple. Let's postpone it for now and see how things go."

"What else is there to see? With a disciple like this, it's better to just finish him off with a single sword strike."

"Weiyi, come here..."

"...Master?"

In his half-asleep state, Xu Lianning seemed to hear someone moving around him and saying something. He pretended not to hear, knowing that in his current condition, he had no choice but to be at the mercy of others. The only consolation was that he had finally figured out Zhang Weiyi's kung fu, enough to make him vomit blood and suffer serious injuries.

In any case, I was incredibly lucky before.

Xu Lianning drifted in and out of sleep, sometimes feeling as if her body was on fire, and other times as if she had fallen into an ice cave. This alternating hot and cold made her too weak to even open her eyes. After a while, something seemed to approach, carrying a faint scent of laurel wood, much like the sachets she loved as a child.

To her dismay, the "sachet" grabbed her face and forced some kind of soup down her throat. She coughed painfully a few times, vomiting all over the person, finally managing to get rid of them. But before she could even settle down, the person restlessly dragged her out of bed again. This time the movements were much gentler, but after waiting a while, nothing more happened. Then she heard the door creak, followed by the sound of a porcelain bowl shattering. Xu Lianning felt as if she had been thrown back into bed, let out a dissatisfied groan, and went back to sleep.

Lying on the bed, Xu Lianning opened her eyes and first saw the light gauze curtains above her. Turning her head to look out the window, she saw only darkness. This was no longer a guest room in Chunyang Palace, so where was she?

She was puzzled, so she lifted the covers and found that her clothes had been changed to clean ones. After thinking about it carefully, she decided to lie back down.

Not long after, the door creaked open. Someone gently walked to the bedside, then reached out and gently wiped her face with a damp handkerchief. Xu Lianning was wondering who this person was when she heard them say calmly, "If you're awake, don't pretend to be asleep. You've slept long enough."

"Where is this?" Xu Lianning stopped pretending to be asleep when she realized she had been found out.

The other person gave her a half-smile: "This is the underworld. You'd better behave yourself and not do anything outrageous again."

“Since this is the underworld, why do you have to look like Zhang Weiyi? That man is both violent and treacherous, and not even good-looking.”

The other person didn't retort, but smiled and said, "You seem to be feeling much better."

Xu Lianning softly hummed in agreement: "How long have I been asleep? It must have been two or three days, right?"

Zhang Weiyi turned and sat down on the edge of the bed: "It's been three or four days. Are you hungry now? What would you like to eat?"

Although her stomach felt empty, the thought of food made her feel nauseous. Xu Lianning shook her head: "I don't really want to." After a slight pause, she added, "I can't leave this room right now, right?"

"Before Miss He's matter is clarified, you should stay here to recover from your injuries." Upon closer inspection, one could see the weariness on his face. "This is Fuzhen Temple. You have occupied my room, so I naturally hope that you will return to Chunyang Palace as soon as possible."

Xu Lianning, holding the quilt, said leisurely, "This crime of usurping someone else's place will probably last for some time."

Zhang Weiyi looked at her with a half-smile, then suddenly reached out and flicked her forehead: "I'm going to sleep. The night is long, you'll have to figure out how to pass the time yourself."

For the next two days, Xu Lianning focused on regulating her breathing, ignoring any movement outside. Most of those outside were Wudang disciples ordered to watch over her, but she didn't bother to argue, barely stepping out of her room. Zhang Weiyi, hearing of her disciplined manners, couldn't help but chuckle, then thought that Xu Lianning was far more adorable than usual while recuperating.

"What are you looking at?" Zhang Weiyi pushed open the door and saw her flipping through a thin booklet. Xu Lianning handed it to him. This booklet was brought to her by Ruan Qingxuan the day after she woke up to amuse her. It was a handwritten copy circulating among the common people at the time, which was nothing more than a story about a poor scholar and a daughter of an official.

Zhang Weiyi flipped through a few pages, then threw them back on the table, looking down on them: "This scholar is weak-willed and powerless, yet someone still looks up to him."

Xu Lianning slammed the book vertically on the table: "I only wish for peaceful years and to grow old with one person. Your Highness will have three wives and four concubines in the future, so naturally you won't look at me." Zhang Weiyi leaned slightly forward and also supported herself on the table: "If I truly care for one person, I will naturally not care about others."

“If the person you truly love falls off a cliff, you certainly won’t jump down after them,” Xu Lianning said incisively.

Zhang Weiyi's imposing manner softened slightly, and she smiled, "Of course, why would I do something so foolish?" Xu Lianning was about to speak when she suddenly saw the other woman approach, raise her hand to lift her chin, and lightly touch her cool lips. It was just a fleeting touch before they parted. Zhang Weiyi looked at her and said calmly, "For now... it'll be you."

By the time Xu Lianning came to his senses, he had already pushed open the door and left.

After recuperating at Fuzhen Temple for another day, on the third day, Li Qingyun came to visit. Xu Lianning was slightly surprised that she would come to see her again.

Li Qingyun said in a refined tone, "Miss Xu, please come with me to the Zixiao Palace."

Some things must eventually come to an end, and Xu Lianning naturally understood this. However, her game was already over, and whatever the outcome, she had no choice but to accept it.

Fuzhen Temple and Zixiao Palace are not too close. Li Qingyun was nervous, afraid that she would escape using her lightness skill, but she worried in vain and saw nothing unusual. Xu Lianning naturally knew what she was afraid of. Not to mention that she was still seriously injured, even if she had the will, she was not confident that she could escape.

Each lost in their own thoughts, the two unknowingly arrived at the Zixiao Palace.

Inside the Zixiao Palace stood the leaders of various sects, the atmosphere tense.

Rong Wanci stood in the middle, followed by her disciples and palace servants. She glanced at Xu Lianning and said sternly, "You all saw what happens to those who kill their fellow disciples." With a flick of her wrist, a soft sword gleamed faintly. Xu Lianning had anticipated this, so she wasn't too flustered, simply waiting for her master's sword to strike.

Rong Wanci raised her hand, but Ruan Qingxuan stepped forward and called out, "Master..." She raised her head, her expression very resolute: "Master, actually, there are still some suspicious things about Junior Sister He's death. May I have a word to say?"

Rong Wanci sneered, "I know you two have always been on good terms. Unless you have solid evidence, no amount of pleading will help."

"It's not that there isn't." Ruan Qingxuan's clothes fluttered, as if he was about to take something out.

Xu Lianning suddenly understood why, apart from Lingxuan Palace, everyone else present at Zixiao Palace today was a sect leader; and why she hadn't been killed by her master's sword immediately, but had waited until this day...

With a flick of her soft sword, Rong Wanci tore through the hem of her opponent's clothes, and a porcelain bottle fell out. She then lightly flicked the tip of her sword to pick up the bottle and said coldly, "Qingxuan, I have always treated you well, but I never expected that you would kill Wan'er and then join the Tianshang Sect."

Ruan Qingxuan lightly touched the ground with her toes, pulled Xu Lianning over, and held the sword blade to her neck: "Before I joined Lingxuan Palace, I was already the Cold Moon Hall Master of Tianshang Sect. Palace Master Rong, you discovered this too late."

This sudden turn of events left everyone except a few people in the know completely bewildered.

Rong Wanci opened the stopper of the porcelain bottle, took a sniff, and immediately a palace servant handed her some water.

"Palace Master Rong, is this Qing Si?" Liu Junru looked over.

“Exactly,” Rong Wanci said slowly, enunciating each word. “You killed Wan’er, was it because she discovered your identity?” The last sentence was directed at Ruan Qingxuan. Ruan Qingxuan slowly stepped back: “That’s right.” Seeing that she was distracted while answering, someone thrust their sword at her back. She didn’t even look; her sword flicked, a flash of light, and then she turned the blade back to Xu Lianning’s neck. A bloody gash appeared on the attacker’s throat, and he died instantly. Both the location and the force of the sword strike were exactly the same as the fatal wound on He Wan’s neck.

Xu Lianning was already seriously injured and unable to struggle, so she let Ruan Qingxuan lead her away. As they walked out of the Zixiao Hall, she heard Ruan Qingxuan whisper in her ear, "My original name was Shen Moyin. It was Mr. Xiao who brought me back to the Tianshang Sect. That day, I witnessed my family members die tragically, and the Shen family of Jinling was wiped out overnight."

"Could the extermination of the five great families really be related to Lingxuan Palace?" Xu Lianning asked.

Ruan Qingxuan remained silent for a long time before saying in a hoarse voice, "No..." She paused, then added, "I used to think so too, but now I understand that this rumor can never be true."

"It probably isn't the Heavenly Sorrow Sect either," Xu Lianning said after a long pause.

Ruan Qingxuan smiled slightly, but with a hint of sadness: "Our fate as fellow disciples has come to an end. You'd better start hating me from now on." Her tone suddenly turned vicious, and Xu Lianning felt a sharp pain in her neck. Before it could strike any vital organs, the sword stopped.

Zhang Weiyi reached out and grasped the sword blade, crimson blood continuously seeping from between his fingers: "Miss Ruan, why did you have to be so ruthless?"

Ruan Qingxuan smiled gently: "Young Master Zhang, I admit that my martial arts are inferior to yours. If you keep pushing me like this, I might lose my temper. Please don't take offense." She forcefully pulled the sword back from his hand: "I have never felt any kinship with the people of Lingxuan Palace. How can you call it being ruthless?"

She took a few quick steps back and stood at the entrance to the mountain path. If she turned and ran, it would be difficult for those behind her to catch up. Besides, there were people waiting for her at the foot of the mountain.

Suddenly, a figure flashed before their eyes, and a majestic voice roared, "Witch, surrender now!" It was Liu Junru. A gust of wind swept past, and Ruan Qingxuan pulled Xu Lianning to block it. Seeing that this sword was about to injure someone else, Liu Junru hurriedly withdrew her strength, managing to slash to the side and miss.

"It is truly an honor for Qingxuan to be praised as a bewitching woman by Sect Leader Liu. However, Sect Leader Liu, please refrain from making any rash moves, or you might injure Pavilion Master Xu." Ruan Qingxuan smiled slightly and spoke slowly.

Liu Junru was furious, but he suppressed his anger and said, "If you release this disciple of Lingxuan Palace, I will spare you this time."