Su Xiaoying was also taken aback and asked, "Does the Misaligned Flower Painting have a neutralizing pill? Does that mean that anyone who has a neutralizing pill can practice the Misaligned Flower Painting?"
Fu Daiyue said, "I don't know."
A woman's piercing scream suddenly shattered the tranquil night sky: "Help—!"
Yi Mei and Su Xiaoying were startled. They recognized the voice as that of their neighbor, Aunt Guo. They rushed outside and saw a shadow darting out of Aunt Guo's house. The shadow moved very fast; in the darkness, it was almost impossible to tell that his feet were touching the ground. He seemed to float away as if he were flying.
Su Xiaoying was startled and said, "I'll go after him." Before she finished speaking, his figure was already several feet away.
As Fu Daiyue watched his retreating figure, she asked Yi Mei in a low voice, "Will you still be in business in the future?"
Yi Mei said, "Well...it depends on the situation."
Fu Daiyue said calmly, "The title of 'Number One Assassin' no longer seems suitable for me."
Yi Mei humbly replied, "Not at all. Who knows what will happen in the future? Your swordsmanship is already quite good! He's incredibly lazy and doesn't know how to work hard at all."
Fu Daiyue said, "Now that you say that, I'm even more certain."
Uncle Guo rushed out and saw Yi Mei. He cried out in alarm, "Thief! Thief! Such a long knife, gleaming silver! My wife just happened to see it! She's going to kill someone! She's going to kill someone!"
However, Yi Mei knew that the man did not intend to kill her; otherwise, he would have died before he even had a chance to cry for help.
Aunt Guo rushed out as well, her expression even more agitated. She shouted repeatedly in her loud voice, "Thief! Stealing! Thief!"
Lights came on in all the neighborhood, creating a buzzing sound. Yi Mei quickly went up and grabbed Aunt Guo's hand, saying, "Don't panic, the thief is gone. Go back inside and see if anything is missing."
The Guo couple snapped out of their daze and rushed back into the house, searching frantically for a while. Aunt Guo let out a long sigh of relief, saying, "Thank goodness I called in time, nothing's missing!" Uncle Guo's face turned ashen. He said, "Fool! What were you yelling about! What if someone had stabbed you? Would you still be alive?"
Aunt Guo seemed quite afraid of her husband, and after hearing this, she fell silent. However, thinking about how wronged she felt, tears welled up in her eyes.
Yi Mei could only pat her shoulder to comfort her and ask, "How did your house get thieves? I think this thief is unusual. Did you offend anyone?"
Aunt Guo wiped away her tears and said, "Our family is law-abiding; how could we dare to provoke such robbers? I think there have been thieves in town; your family should be careful too..."
Yi Mei nodded in agreement and comforted the couple for a while. Seeing that they had calmed down, she went home. Outside, Fu Daiyue was nowhere to be seen; she seemed to have already left. Su Xiaoying hadn't returned either.
After waiting for more than an hour, around 3:30 AM, the outside remained completely silent and still. Yi Mei's heart began to race, but there was nothing she could do but sit by the bed and wait. She suddenly regretted not going out with Su Xiaoying; otherwise, she wouldn't be here living in such fear.
As dawn approached, the sky began to lighten. Suddenly, the door creaked open. Yimei jumped up to greet her, exclaiming, "You're back!"
Su Xiaoying's face was pale, and he was covered in sweat, his shirt soaked through and clinging to his skin.
Yi Mei's heart skipped a beat, and she asked, "How is it?"
Su Xiaoying shook her head and said, "Such superb swordsmanship! I caught up with him, but I couldn't stop him."
Yi Mei paused for a moment, then said, "At least your lightness skill is better than his."
Su Xiaoying shook her head with a wry smile.
Yi Mei asked, "What kind of sword technique is it?"
Su Xiaoying said, "I can't tell which school or sect of swordsmanship it is. I made five sword moves, and he made five sword moves in return. At that time, I knew in my heart that I couldn't stop him. These five sword moves are not any fancy moves. Even if I showed them to you, you might not be able to tell them."
Yi Mei remained silent, lost in thought. Indeed, in a battle between masters, the most basic and unadorned moves often come into play. Yet, how many in this world can calmly escape a blow from a sword that even the most skilled assassin admits is inferior to?
Su Xiaoying said, "The moonlight wasn't bright today, so I couldn't see his face very clearly. I just felt his sword aura was chilling. I didn't feel anything when I attacked with all my might, but the more I thought about it on the way back, the more frightened I became, and I broke out in a cold sweat!"
Yi Mei's expression suddenly changed. After a long pause, she asked, "How did such a formidable character suddenly appear? How does his swordsmanship compare to Fu Daiyue's?" She spoke slowly and deliberately, her eyes fixed on Su Xiaoying.
Su Xiaoying said, "I'm afraid he has a slight edge. Besides, I don't know if he used his full strength. He seemed to be in a hurry to leave. I exchanged five moves with him and knew I couldn't stop him, so I let him go."
Yi Mei said, "Back then, there was actually such a person!"
Su Xiaoying said, "Well, there are always people better than you, and there's always something beyond your understanding. It's not too late to know this today."
After pondering for a long time, Yi Mei said, "Could it be the Lord of Wuyou Pavilion?"
Upon hearing this, Su Xiaoying was also taken aback and said, "According to what you've said, the Master of Wuyou Tower seems to be a grandmaster. Could it be that he's doing something sneaky in the middle of the night?"
Su Xiaoying wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve, his eyes fixed on Yi Mei. Then, seemingly casually, he asked, "Fu Daiyue is gone?"
Yi Mei responded with an "Mmm," indicating that she was starting to become somewhat distracted.
Su Xiaoying laughed and said, "Don't overthink it. We'll deal with whatever comes our way. Besides, this matter may not even have anything to do with us."
Yi Mei sighed and said, "I'll go boil some water. You should take a good bath and change your clothes!"
As the sky brightened a bit more, Yi Mei stepped outside and saw Aunt Guo hesitatingly pacing at the door. Upon seeing Yi Mei, Aunt Guo's face lit up with joy, and she waved to her repeatedly.
Yi Mei quietly walked over and asked, "Aunt Guo, what's wrong?"
"It's just a thief at night..." Aunt Guo sighed and said, "My husband said it's better to avoid trouble and not to report it to the authorities, but I still feel uneasy about it. Sister Su, what do you think we should do?"
Yi Mei said, “Reporting to the authorities… seems inappropriate. Think about it, nothing was stolen, and the neighbors didn’t even see a thief. If the thief isn’t caught, and no one can testify for you, the officials might accuse you of playing tricks on the government. Wouldn’t that be terrible?”
Aunt Guo was stunned for a moment, then stamped her foot and said, "Yes, yes, you're so thoughtful!" As she spoke, she sighed repeatedly, saying, "How unlucky I am! I bumped into something bad on my way out, sigh!"
Yi Mei said, "This is quite strange. You'll just have to accept your bad luck."
"I've been thinking about it, and it seems it might be because..." Aunt Guo stopped abruptly, gave an extremely awkward laugh, and hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "Actually... it wouldn't hurt to tell you... A few days ago, a fairy-like person came to my house and asked me to prepare a room for her to stay in, for which I paid her a sum of money. But it wasn't much money at all! It really wasn't much money! That thief was too clever; how did he know about this?"
Yi Mei's heart skipped a beat, and she said, "Who is it? They're quite mysterious. I think they're probably related."
Aunt Guo said, "I only knew her surname was Liu. I cleaned a room for her, and she came in the dark and stayed overnight. She left before dawn and never stayed there again. How was I supposed to know she could get into all this trouble!"
Yi Mei remained silent for a moment. Suddenly, Su Xiaoying's voice came from inside the house, "Yi Mei! Yi Mei!" Yi Mei was startled and said to Aunt Guo, "He's calling me. I'll go back and see." Aunt Guo sighed again and said, "You go back. I'll go back and make breakfast too."
Yi Mei nodded haphazardly and went back into the room. Su Xiaoying had already fetched water to wash herself and was now shirtless, rummaging around. She smiled at Yi Mei and said, "Where did you put my clean clothes? I can't find them."
Yi Mei sighed, found his clothes, and silently helped him put them on. After tying the last strap, Su Xiaoying suddenly whispered in her ear, "What are you thinking about? You seem to have a lot on your mind."
Yi Mei said, "I wasn't thinking about anything."
Su Xiaoying said, "Tell me, even if you're thinking about your old flame, I won't say anything."
Yi Mei laughed and said, "What can you say? What do you dare to say? You're not even good-looking yourself."
Su Xiaoying said, "He's only as good-looking as Fu Daiyue. So what if he's pretentious? People who don't know any better would think he's acting on stage. He can't compare to me at all..."
Yi Mei said, "Why does your voice sound so sour?"
As soon as she finished speaking, a rhythmic "knock knock" sounded on the door, the knocking extremely polite. Su Xiaoying paused slightly, released Yimei, and went to open the door. Standing outside was a young man in his early twenties, with a calm demeanor and deep, gentle eyes. Although he had just knocked, his hands were now tucked into his sleeves.
Su Xiaoying couldn't help but frown.
The young man smiled and said, "It is truly presumptuous of you to visit so early in the morning. My master recently visited your place, and I would be honored if you two could meet him. Please do not refuse."
Su Xiaoying's expression remained unchanged as she asked, "Are you a disciple of Master Wuyou?"
The young man smiled and said, "Yes."
Su Xiaoying asked, "What should I call you?"
The young man said, "I live in Wuyou Tower every day, so just call me 'Wuyou'."
Su Xiaoying said "Oh," quickly looked him up and down, then turned to Yi Mei and asked, "Do you want to go?"
Yi Mei thought for a while and said, "It wouldn't hurt to go."
The two exchanged a glance, both looking surprised. They were thinking: We were just talking about it, and he's here already. Could that mysterious swordsman really be the Master of Worry-Free Pavilion?
Worry-free landlord
It was still early, and the grove outside Guojia Town was even more tranquil. The only sound along the way was the soft footsteps of three people walking on the weeds and fallen leaves. As they walked deeper into the grove, the soil became damper than outside, and the trees grew tall, their branches and leaves blocking out the sun, making even the sunlight seem dim.
The three remained silent the entire way.
Su Xiaoying had been silently following behind Wuyou when she suddenly said, "Although I'm not very familiar with the affairs of the martial world, judging from what I've seen today, Master Wuyou must be an extraordinary reclusive master."
Wuyou said, "Oh? Young Master has not yet met my master, how can you say that?"
Su Xiaoying said, "Ordinary people like us usually meet guests in teahouses and hotels. Only reclusive masters would choose such a messy place."
Wuyou smiled slightly and said, "It's best not to say such sarcastic and arrogant words when you see my master later."
Su Xiaoying said, "I'm just saying what I think. Perhaps a master like yours would also like to hear the truth."
Wuyou smiled and said, "Young Master doesn't seem afraid at all."
Su Xiaoying said, "The Lord of Wuyou Tower may not have four eyes and eight hands."
Wuyou said, "You're right, but there aren't many people in the martial arts world as bold as you anymore."
Su Xiaoying said, "I'm not brave at all. I just don't like people who do so many fancy things."
Wuyou smiled and said, "It is already a great honor to meet my master. Assassin Yimei, don't you agree?"
Yi Mei had remained silent until he asked, then said calmly, "If your master were willing to give us a large sum of money, I would pretend to be very honored right now. What do you think?"
Su Xiaoying said, "Yimei, what you're saying is so shameful."
Yi Mei said, "Don't you like to tell the truth? I thought you liked to hear the truth too."
Su Xiaoying said, "This... is completely different."
Wuyou maintained a slight smile on his face, his hands tucked into his sleeves, and walked slowly at the front. He stopped under a pear tree that was much taller than ordinary pear trees, and turned to Yimei and Su Xiaoying, saying, "Please wait a moment, I will go and fetch my master."
Yi Mei nodded. Wu You smiled and walked forward, but suddenly turned a corner, and countless trees blocked his view, making him disappear from sight.
Yi Mei and Su Xiaoying exchanged a glance, their eyes conveying a mixture of surprise and wariness.
They waited a moment. Suddenly, a man slowly walked towards them from where the branches of the trees intertwined. He wore a large black cloak and a wide-brimmed hat, which shrouded his entire face in shadow. His hands were tucked inside the cloak, and his entire body was completely covered.
Yet, despite all this, one could still sense the elegance in his gait. He exuded a gentle, indescribable charm. Poets and writers, when describing the landscapes of spring and autumn, often use phrases like fragrant grasses in the setting sun, a flute playing in the empty mountains, lake waters and misty lakes, and the moon's radiant light—rarely touching upon spring or autumn, mountains or water. But this man before me seemed to encompass all of these elements, merging them into a single whole.
"Beautiful sword!" Both Yi Mei and Su Xiaoying thought of these two words at the same time.
Their spirits were raised to their most acute state, for they had finally grasped the true nature of this indescribable beauty. It was sword intent! The sword intent of the beautiful, carefree sword!
Su Xiaoying's palms were slightly damp with sweat, she didn't know when.
Yi Mei asked, "Master Wuyou?"
The voice of the Worry-Free Pavilion Master was gentle and pleasant, perfectly matching his sword intent. He said calmly, "It is I. You must be the assassin Yi Mei."
Yi Mei smiled slightly.
"Assassin Yi Mei has become quite famous in the martial arts world in recent years. You even did me a great favor last winter," said the Master of Wuyou Pavilion slowly, his tone unusually polite.
Yi Mei was secretly pleased and said, "It's just a business deal, it doesn't matter whether we help or not. What brings you to us today?"
The Worry-Free Pavilion Master said, "It's also for a business deal. But this deal isn't with you, it's with this young man."