Xie Yuanlan said, "That's right, that little poem is a quatrain, but the wording isn't particularly exquisite. The lines are: 'Don't ask my name, for speaking to you is futile. The tide rises, the sand chills my bones, my soul grieves in the autumn wind.'"
Yi Mei's lips moved slightly, and she silently repeated, muttering to herself, "What does this mean?"
A hint of desolation suddenly appeared between Xie Yuanlan's brows. He said, "When Miss Dong came to the outside of my manor, my son offended you, but it was not intentional. Two days ago, we received a letter from the manor." As he spoke, he took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Yimei, saying, "Please take a look, Miss."
Yi Mei took the stationery, unfolded it, and glanced at it. Her expression changed instantly. The stationery was elegant and beautiful, with only four lines of small characters written on it. The first two lines were a short poem:
Do not ask my name, for to speak of it is futile. The tide rises, the sand chills my bones, my soul grieves in the autumn wind!
Below the poem, the words "Xie Chuanli" were written. Below that, on the next line, was "March 16th".
Yi Mei frowned and asked, "What is this?"
Xie Yuanlan said, "A murder warrant!"
Yi Mei looked up at him, and Xie Yuanlan sighed deeply, saying, "A month ago, we also received a similar note with the signature Xie Chuanhua on it. At the time, we didn't know its meaning and were not on guard. Chuanhua was on her way home to visit her family when the carriage arrived, only to find that she was already dead. Seven days ago, the note was signed Xie Chuanshu. This time, the whole manor was on high alert, but when the date came, we still unfortunately met with misfortune."
Yi Mei asked, "Who are these two...?"
Xie Yuanlan said, "One is my eldest daughter, and the other is my third son." His voice was relatively calm, but the muscles on his face twitched uncontrollably a few times, and his eyes revealed a look of sorrow.
Yi Mei couldn't help but feel saddened. Suddenly, she remembered something and said, "Today is March 16th!"
Xie Yuanlan sighed, "Exactly!"
Yi Mei suddenly smiled and said, "The master invited me to the manor for tea, not just for the 'Mismatched Flower Painting,' is he?"
Xie Yuanlan readily agreed, saying, "Indeed, Miss Dong's swordsmanship is superb. If she stays in the manor, she will be an excellent helper."
Yi Mei sneered, "Why should I become your bodyguard for no reason?"
Xie Yuanlan said, "Miss Dong was originally an assassin who killed for money; this time I'm paying you to stay in the manor, and the reward is naturally generous. Isn't that much different from killing someone?"
Yi Mei thought for a moment and asked, "How much are you willing to pay?"
Xie Yuanlan said, "One thousand gold coins!"
Yi Mei immediately laughed and said with a smile, "Okay! It's a deal! However..." she said slyly, "I'm not very good at protecting people. If anything goes wrong, I won't be responsible."
Xie Yuanlan said with a wry smile, "Miss, you just need to do your best."
Yi Mei turned her head and glanced triumphantly at Su Xiaoying standing behind her. Xie Yuanlan then said, "Miss, you are a master swordsman. Please also come and see my son's body."
The Xie family's traditional martial art is swordsmanship, specifically the Divine Wind Swift Sword, which is renowned throughout the martial arts world. A person like Xie Chuanshu is not easy to kill, especially if you use his own sword, which he is skilled at, making it even more difficult.
Unfortunately, Xie Chuanshu still died. There was a small, smooth scar on his heart. The scar was so fine that it was almost impossible to tell that it was a fatal wound that had pierced his heart unless you looked closely.
Yi Mei pondered for a moment and said, "This wound is indeed a sword wound." She paused and then said, "Moreover, the sword technique was extremely fast, killing in one move, and there wasn't even much blood lost."
Xie Yuanlan suddenly asked, "How many people in the martial arts world can make a sword like this?"
Yi Mei said, "Well... I'm afraid there aren't many."
Xie Yuanlan said, "When Fu Daiyue commits murder, Mingji always sends gold foil first, but this time what she received was not gold foil."
Yi Mei thought for a moment and said, "If you doubt Fu Daiyue, you should ask someone."
Xie Yuanlan asked, "Who?"
Yi Mei turned to Su Xiaoying and said, "Come and take a look."
Xie Yuanlan couldn't help but be a little surprised, and looked at Yi Mei.
Yi Mei said, "A few months ago, he blocked Fu Daiyue's sword."
Su Xiaoying studied Xie Chuanshu's corpse for a long time. In fact, the only thing on the entire body was that small scar, but Su Xiaoying stared at it for a full quarter of an hour.
Yi Mei finally lost her patience and asked, "What do you think?"
Su Xiaoying laughed and said, "At first glance, I knew it wasn't Fu Daiyue who did it, but I was afraid you'd think I was being perfunctory if I spoke too quickly, so I looked a little longer."
Yi Mei asked, "You don't think so either?"
Su Xiaoying said, "No."
Yi Mei asked, "What's your reasoning?"
Su Xiaoying said, "Fu Daiyue's sword is very fast, but it is also very powerful. When that sword goes down, it will pierce a hole in a person, not leave a scar like this."
Yi Mei said, "That's right. An injury like this... well..."
Su Xiaoying said, "It's more like your sword."
Yi Mei suddenly turned to face Su Xiaoying, her expression becoming aggressive, as if she wanted to argue with him.
Su Xiaoying murmured, "I'm just helping you fill in the gaps."
Yi Mei exclaimed loudly, "How did you know I was going to say that? Huh? How did you know?"
Su Xiaoying had no choice but to remain silent.
Xie Yuanlan's face suddenly revealed an expressionless look, and he said coldly, "I do have an idea."
He spoke in a low voice, but Yi Mei was startled and suddenly shivered.
Xie Yuanlan said, "According to Miss Dong's opinion, twenty years later, the Mistake Flower Painting has reappeared in the martial arts world. This person knows the severity of the backlash, yet still wants to refine the Mistake Flower Pill. I'm afraid things are not that simple."
For a moment, everyone fell silent. Somehow, once the silence fell, the air seemed to become gloomy, pressing heavily on everyone's hearts.
After a very long time, Xie Yuanlan finally said, "To be honest, I have a very bad feeling. The wrong flower painting caused a huge uproar twenty years ago, but who exactly wrote the wrong flower painting has always been a mystery; no one knows whether that person is dead or alive now."
Yi Mei asked, "Do you think that the person who wields this sword is the one who took the wrong flower pill? Perhaps they are connected to that mysterious figure?"
Xie Yuanlan said, "The sudden reappearance of the Cuohua Dan (a type of medicinal herb) makes me suspicious."
After a long pause, Yi Mei said, "Let's put these matters aside for now. Is Xie Chuanli the one I just fought with?"
Xie Yuanlan shook his head, pointed to a quiet young man in the room, and said, "This is Chuanli, my second son; the one who fought with the young lady just now is Chuanle, my fourth son."
Yi Mei said "Oh," and asked, "Who was that lady who fought me to the death...?"
Xie Yuanlan said, "It's the Second Miss."
Yi Mei asked, "Who is she married now?"
Xie Yuanlan said, “She hasn’t married anyone. My daughter is very devoted. After Wuyifeng passed away, she even changed her name to ‘Wangyi’. If we don’t call her Wangyi, she immediately throws a tantrum, and even I can’t do anything about it.”
Yi Mei let out another "Oh," but then fell silent.
Xie Yuanlan said, "Don't worry, Miss Dong. She was just acting rashly. Our Xie family daughters know what's important."
mysterious death
It was past midnight. Xie Yuanlan said to Yimei, "Originally, since you have graced us with your presence, Miss, we should rest for a while. However, the circumstances today are truly exceptional..."
Yi Mei said, "No need to be so polite. I'm not a guest, just a bodyguard you hired. But..." Yi Mei coughed and said, "I always have a rule in business..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xie Yuanlan shouted, "Someone come here!"
A man in his forties walked in through the door. He stood ramrod straight, exuding a burly air, and a conspicuous thin-bladed soft sword hung at his waist. However, his demeanor was extremely respectful. He asked, "What are your orders, Master?"
Xie Yuanlan said, "Go and fetch three hundred gold coins!"
The man agreed and left. Xie Yuanlan said to Yimei, "Miss, you always pay half the deposit upfront when doing business, but five hundred gold coins is too much. My estate doesn't have any cash at the moment. How about paying three hundred first? What do you think, Miss?"
Yi Mei smiled broadly and said, "Sure, as long as you do a good job."
Xie Yuanlan smiled and said, "You flatter me, young lady."
Yi Mei looked towards the doorway and asked, "That person just now was quite skilled in martial arts. Who was he?"
Xie Yuanlan smiled and said, "Good eye. He is the manager of the manor, surnamed Xie, we call him Third Brother Xie."
Yi Mei was startled and blurted out, "Brother Xie, who ten years ago single-handedly defeated the thirteen strongholds of Qishan and forced them to scatter like birds and beasts?"
Xie Yuanlan remained calm and said indifferently, "That's right."
Xie Sange wasn't actually the third in his family. He was just surnamed Xie and named Sange. Although he shared the same surname, he had no familial relation to Xie Yuanlan. After the Battle of Qishan, Xie Sange's fame soared, but he suddenly disappeared from the martial arts world. No one knew where he went; it turned out he had become a minor steward at Banshao Manor!
Yi Mei didn't show much surprise on her face, but she was secretly on guard, immediately abandoning her underestimation of Banshao Manor. She hadn't witnessed the Divine Wind Swift Sword firsthand, but judging from Xie Chuanle and Xie Wangyi's swordplay, their swordsmanship was unique and quite formidable. There must be many skilled fighters in Banshao Manor, and to be able to kill Xie Chuanshu so easily with a single sword strike despite the heavy defenses meant the murderer's skill was truly unfathomable.
However, Yi Mei debuted very early and experienced many dangers. Therefore, although she had a vague sense of foreboding, she did not take it to heart and just smiled faintly.
Xie Yuanlan said, "Miss Dong, please have lunch at my manor first. We still need to discuss the various situations in detail."
Yi Mei said, "Okay."
Lunch was served in the main hall of Banshao Manor. On the way to the main hall, Yimei kept a close eye on everything, observing her surroundings. Although there weren't many people in the manor, the atmosphere was calm and normal, and she didn't notice any particular guardedness. However, this calmness was precisely what was unusual. Yimei remained silent and followed Xie Yuanlan to the main hall.
Upon arriving at the main hall, it became clear that dining there wasn't entirely out of politeness. The main hall was spacious and open, with only a few low vase stands and no tall furniture to obscure the view. Xie Chuanle, the fourth son of the Xie family who had just fought with Yimei, and Xie Chuanshi, the seven-year-old fifth son, were already waiting in the main hall.
Xie Chuanli, the second son, had been following his father since Hua Jian had specifically requested him. He greeted his two younger brothers and said to the man standing to the side, "Steward Feng, please serve tea."
Yi Mei sneered, "Heh, it's Manager Feng again this time. This manor has quite a few managers."
Yi Mei's words were quite impolite. Xie Chuanle, who had just suffered a loss at Yi Mei's hands, immediately wore a sneer. On the contrary, Steward Feng smiled and said, "I am the deputy steward, and I am Steward Xie's subordinate."
Manager Feng was in his early thirties, but his demeanor was quite different from Xie Sange's solemnity. He appeared very kind, and when he smiled, his right hand fingers were slightly bent, palm facing outward, with the back of his hand gently touching his lips, giving him a surprisingly graceful, almost feminine air. However, he was dressed as a proper man from head to toe, though his clothes were quite elaborate.
Yi Mei glanced at him quickly, but then heard Xie Yuanlan ask, "Where's Wang Yi?"
Steward Feng hesitated and said, "Well... Miss isn't feeling well..."
Xie Yuanlan's face darkened, and he was about to speak when Yi Mei waved her hand and said, "Alright, everyone knows she's upset, so it's no wonder she's upset."
Xie Yuanlan felt somewhat reluctant to have her daughter eat at the same table with Yimei, but her daughter's unexcused absence would make her seem like she hadn't been strict with family rules. Hearing what Yimei said, her expression softened slightly, and she said, "Since Miss Dong doesn't mind, let her be. Steward Feng, serve the dishes."
Yi Mei sneered, "Why would I complain? It's better that she's not here. After all this fuss, I'm starving and just wanted a peaceful meal." She turned her head and saw that Su Xiaoying was not there. Although she came from the martial arts world, she knew the rules of these wealthy families. Su Xiaoying was not allowed to sit at the table.
These past few days she'd been with Su Xiaoying every day. Although Su Xiaoying sometimes called her "boss lady," he always grinned and probably never truly considered her the boss lady. Yi Mei also considered him a companion, and now that he wasn't around, she felt inexplicably empty. So she said irritably, "You guys need to give my helper a proper meal too. Don't just give him leftovers; he's always cursing people inside."
Xie Chuanle's mocking expression deepened. He snorted, lowered his head, picked up his teacup, and pretended to take a sip. At this moment, the dishes were served, and Steward Feng, while tending to them, said with a smile, "Of course, Miss Dong, please rest assured."
Xie Chuanli had a very refined appearance and moved with a gentle, scholarly air. He ate his meal slowly without saying a word. Although he was calm, he showed no fear whatsoever, as if the name on the letter wasn't his own. Yi Mei felt a sense of admiration for him and suddenly remembered something, asking, "Master Xie, isn't your eldest son in the manor?"
Xie Yuanlan said, "Even if the eldest son dies at the age of ten."
Upon hearing the word "premature death," Yi Mei felt extremely uncomfortable. She picked up a piece of chicken and ate it quickly. Yi Mei guessed that wealthy families must have rules for dining, and the entire hall was surprisingly quiet. Now that she was being paid to do this, she had no choice but to be compliant and finish her meal rather perfunctorily.
After the meal, the remaining food was cleared away, and everyone sat down again, where tea was served once more.
Xie Sange was already waiting there. He came up and instructed two servants to bring three hundred taels of gold to Yi Mei for inspection. Two full plates, gleaming with a dazzling golden light, filled Yi Mei. She smiled broadly, nodding and saying, "Good, good, thank you." Her reputation as an assassin was already immense; she was no longer in the dire straits of receiving only twenty taels of silver for her first assassination of Wuyi Peak. But this much gold was still an unprecedented windfall, and she was overjoyed.
However, their joy was short-lived, and doubts quickly arose. Everyone in Banshao Manor remained calm, showing no sign of danger on the surface. However, the fact that Xie Yuanlan was willing to offer such a large reward showed that he was actually very worried deep down.