Su Xiaoying smiled and said, "My name is Su Xiaoying."
“Well,” said the Worry-Free Pavilion Master politely, “I hope you can take on this business.”
Su Xiaoying said, "Well... that's hard to say. I've been very busy lately, and besides, I'm not an assassin."
The Worry-Free Pavilion Master said, "I'm not hiring you to kill someone. I just want to ask you something. If you're willing to tell me, I'll pay you a thousand taels of silver. What do you say?"
Su Xiaoying's eyes widened, and she said, "I never knew something was so valuable."
The Worry-Free Pavilion Master said, “You should know. I’m asking you about the whereabouts of someone named Shui Zhenhong, whose Jingyue Sword Technique is famous throughout the martial arts world. He has been missing for twenty years.”
Yi Mei was taken aback. Her thoughts instantly flew back to Banshao Manor. Xie Yuanlan said, "Those who gathered at Qile Hall back then were all top-tier masters... The Qile Hall Master, Tang Duoling, possessed unparalleled skill in the Left Finger Flower-Picking Technique... Among these masters, at least two were even superior to him... There was also Shui Zhenhong, whose Startling Moon Sword Technique was enough to shake the heavens and earth." Thinking of this, Yi Mei asked, "It is said that in the Qile Hall massacre in Zhongzhou twenty years ago, wasn't this Shui Zhenhong already dead?"
“I always thought so,” said Wuyou Louzhu, “until yesterday, I realized that was not the case.”
Su Xiaoying said, "I don't really know much about Shui Zhenhong or anything like that..."
The Worry-Free Pavilion Master fell silent. Although his eyes were invisible, anyone could sense that his gaze was fixed on Su Xiaoying. Su Xiaoying pouted and said, "If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do."
The Worry-Free Pavilion Master said, “Last night, when you were fighting, you used five swords. All five swords attacked at the same time, targeting five different places: Xuanji, Juque, and the other three swords struck Ruzhong, Tantu, and Feiliu. The five points scattered like flowers. If I am not mistaken, it is the ‘A Cluster of Flowers’ from the Jingyue Sword.”
Su Xiaoying said, "You described it so clearly, as if that person were you."
The Lord of Worry-Free Pavilion said, "Although that person is not me, he is my disciple, and you have just seen him."
Yi Mei was startled and looked at Su Xiaoying. Su Xiaoying smiled slightly and said, "Alright, I have to admit it. You're right, that is indeed 'A Cluster of Flowers'."
The Worry-Free Pavilion Master said, "So, what do you think of the business deal I just proposed? Tell me where your master is. It shouldn't be a secret. I have no grudge against your master; I just want to see him."
Su Xiaoying said, "He is not my master, but just someone who taught me a set of sword techniques. I do know where he is, but I don't want that thousand taels of silver."
The Worry-Free Pavilion Master asked, "What do you want?"
Su Xiaoying thought for a moment and said, "If I tell you something, you naturally have to tell me something too."
The Worry-Free Pavilion Master asked, "What do you want to know?"
Su Xiaoying asked, "Why did you kill Liu Xingxing? What is the Dissolving Pill?"
The Worry-Free Pavilion Master seemed to be taken aback for a moment, then he said, "That's easy, I'll tell you."
Su Xiaoying suddenly laughed and shook her head, saying, "No, no, if you just answer with something like 'Liu Xingxing is my enemy,' it's the same as saying nothing at all. Wouldn't I be at a huge disadvantage?"
The Lord of Worry-Free Pavilion suddenly laughed and said, "Very good, worthy of being the successor of the Moon-Shocking Sword. What would it take for you to feel like you're not at a disadvantage?"
Su Xiaoying looked at Yimei, who was also looking at him. Their eyes met, and although they were silent, they understood each other and reached a conclusion. So Su Xiaoying said, "Tell us what you know about the story of the 'Mismatched Flowers' painting."
The Lord of Worry-Free Pavilion suddenly fell silent. In that silence, his sword intent seemed to deepen even more in an instant.
Yi Mei's heart sank. She glanced at Su Xiaoying and saw that he was calm and composed, lost in thought. However, there was no trace of fear on his face. Yi Mei felt reassured again and looked at Master Wuyou.
The sword intent of the Worry-Free Pavilion Master wasn't particularly sharp, yet its profound gentleness was truly unsettling. Yi Mei had never imagined that someone could possess such compelling sword intent; if she were standing here alone, she might already be intimidated. Although Yi Mei was slightly unconvinced, she had to admit it in her heart.
After pondering for a while, the Worry-Free Pavilion Master said, "I do know a lot about the story of the Mismatched Flower Painting. But for my sake, that matter involves many secrets and is not convenient to talk about; for your sake, the Mismatched Flower Painting is a thing of the past, it happened twenty years ago, and you wouldn't really benefit much from knowing it."
Su Xiaoying said, "Are you saying that this deal is off?"
The owner of Wuyou Tower was surprisingly good-natured, and still politely said, "No, we can exchange the story for a different one."
After thinking for a long time, Su Xiaoying asked, "What if we refuse to change?"
The Worry-Free Pavilion Master said, "If the business is definitely not going to succeed, there's nothing I can do."
Su Xiaoying said, "You're a good person, you don't have the airs of a senior expert at all. Your humility makes us feel a little embarrassed."
The Worry-Free Pavilion Master said, "Since that's the case, why don't you make the effort and complete the business deal? Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"
Su Xiaoying said, "I'm sorry, no."
For a moment, a stalemate ensued. Yi Mei suddenly remembered that the person before her was none other than the legendary, beautiful swordswoman, Wuyou! Yet Su Xiaoying's attitude was utterly neither humble nor arrogant! She suddenly felt excited, as if her blood was boiling in that instant. Her right hand involuntarily grasped Han Guang.
Just as Yi Mei grasped Han Guang, the hand hidden in Wuyou Tower's cloak seemed to move slightly. Su Xiaoying's expression changed slightly, and she slowly took half a step forward, extending her left hand to lightly block Yi Mei's shoulder.
Yi Mei was shocked. She knew Su Xiaoying meant for her to step back. A thousand thoughts raced through her mind. Could it be that she was about to draw her sword in this short time? Su Xiaoying took half a step forward, half of her body standing in front of Yi Mei.
As expected, the Worry-Free Pavilion Master found the hilt of the sword. He twisted the longsword with his thumb, revealing a small section of the blade. In that instant, a gentle sword aura emanated from his body, merging into the world.
The sword's aura was calm, without a trace of sharpness, yet Yi Mei couldn't help but shiver and gripped Han Guang tightly. The sword, devoid of killing intent, felt oppressive to her, as if she had suddenly been burdened with a thousand-pound weight, making it hard to even breathe.
Su Xiaoying's heart was also gripped by something, but his face remained expressionless.
The Worry-Free Pavilion Master said, "It is widely known in the martial arts world that the Beautiful Sword Worry-Free is the best in the world. Although it is a bit shameless to claim to be the best, my Beautiful Sword does have its unique features. I will give you three moves of the Beautiful Sword, how about we do this business?"
Yi Mei was slightly surprised and looked at Su Xiaoying.
Su Xiaoying said, "When doing business, of course you have to inspect the goods first. Show us the three tricks first, and then we'll draw a conclusion."
Yi Mei suddenly sighed inwardly. She could only admit to herself that she was indeed inferior to Su Xiaoying. An ordinary person in this situation might have already broken down mentally, and even if they hadn't, they would never dare to say those words. — She herself couldn't say them.
With a flick of his fingers, the Master of Worry-Free Pavilion grasped the longsword in his hand. At this moment, the air in the countryside was under immense pressure, yet the sword aura still contained a sense of calm and tranquility.
The diluted sword energy spread out in all directions, and almost nothing could resist it. It felt as if nature itself had revealed its essence, and heaven and earth had condensed its quintessence. This was an ordinary sword energy that was anything but ordinary!
The carefree lord's cloak suddenly billowed out, and his longsword thrust out.
The swordplay was exquisite, truly like the setting sun in spring, willows swaying in the mist; like the ethereal sounds of nature, like pear blossoms and plum blossoms in snow, like a spring breeze and candlelight, like a lone swallow drinking wine...
How could such gentle sword energy possess such sharp sword techniques? How could such sharp sword techniques possess such elegant sword intent?
How could someone possess such captivating charisma!
Yi Mei was stunned. Her blood surged in her chest, and her inner energy almost burst forth. Suddenly, a hand quietly grasped her left hand. Yi Mei's heart skipped a beat, and her right hand, which had been tightly pressing on Han Guang's hand, gradually relaxed. An indescribable warmth welled up from within her. This warmth wasn't a powerful force, but it brought a slight smile to her face.
The carefree master's three moves, his hands still concealed within his cloak, yet his sword thrusts and turns were effortless and powerful, displaying the brilliance of three exquisite sword techniques with utter ease. He slowly sheathed his sword and asked, "How were these three moves?"
"Exquisitely beautiful." Su Xiaoying thought for a moment and said.
Yi Mei nodded involuntarily.
The Worry-Free Pavilion Master said, "That's good. Then there's hope for this deal."
Su Xiaoying's lips moved slightly, about to speak, when the cloak of the Worry-Free Pavilion Master suddenly billowed into the air with a "whoosh" and then slowly fell to the ground. It turned out that when he sparred with his sword, the sword energy had already severed the cloak's ties.
Within the cloak, he was dressed in the exact same clothes as the young man Wuyou from before, his right hand a deep crimson, strikingly so at first glance. However, the deep wrinkles on his right hand clearly indicated it was not the hand of a man in his twenties.
Yi Mei's eyes suddenly changed. She stared intently at the right hand of the Lord of Worry-Free Pavilion. After a long while, her whole body began to tremble violently, and then she cried out like a wild beast: "It's you! It's you! It's you!" Her voice was filled with anger, hatred and despair.
Su Xiaoying was slightly taken aback and turned her eyes to Yi Mei.
Even the Lord of Worry-Free Pavilion seemed slightly surprised and asked, "Do you know me?"
One of them screamed hysterically, "Of course I know you! How come your hair is black! Master Wuyou! How come your hair is black!"
Master Wuyou was taken aback. After a while, he asked, "How did you know the color of my hair?" He slowly took off his bamboo hat, revealing his face. He was none other than Wuyou, a young man in his twenties! He casually brushed his hair off, revealing a wig. The medium-length silver hair inside scattered and fell down from the top of his head with his brush.
Yi Mei gripped Han Guang tightly, two streams of hot tears uncontrollably flowing down her cheeks. Unlike before, she wasn't shouting with such intensity; she only murmured, "It really is you, Master of Wuyou Tower..."
The Worry-Free Pavilion Master asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Tears streamed down Yi Mei's face, dripping down her chin and rolling off her clothes. Yet, she managed a cold laugh, saying, "You've naturally forgotten me, and you've forgotten my sister. But I'll never forget those things: Chuzhou, Sanye Prefecture, the small country courtyard outside the prefectural city, the farmer and his wife, and that huge fir tree."
The owner of Wuyou Tower was immediately filled with doubt. Suddenly, an incredulous expression appeared on his face, and he blurted out, "You are that...! You! How could you!"
Yi Mei sneered and remained silent.
The look of shock on the face of the Worry-Free Pavilion Master remained unchanged as he exclaimed, "You're actually alive! You actually remember me!"
A flicker of light flashed in Yi Mei's eyes. Suddenly, she laughed, sneering, "I will never forget your hair and your hands! Even if I forget everything else, I will never forget you!"
Twenty years ago
The way Wuyou Louzhu looked at Yimei was as if she were a monster that could never exist. Yimei's excited, tearful expression also subsided, and the two stared at each other for a very long time.
Then the Worry-Free Pavilion Master sighed deeply and said, "Are you really that little girl?"
Yi Mei sneered, "Fortunately, you still remember that girl was me. You killed my sister with one palm, and killed my parents who chased after us. Silver hair and red hands, even if I forget my parents' and sister's faces and names, I will never forget you!"
A slight sadness appeared on the face of the Worry-Free Pavilion Master, who sighed, "You remember perfectly well. However, no girl who concocted the wrong flower elixir has ever survived. How did you manage to live?"
Su Xiaoying was startled and turned to look. She saw Yi Mei trembling uncontrollably, so she took her hand again.
When Yi Mei saw Su Xiaoying's gaze fixed on her, she smiled sadly and said, "You're right, the mark on my body is the lingering freckles!"
Su Xiaoying said, "It doesn't matter what it is."
Suddenly, tears welled up in Yi Mei's eyes again.
Su Xiaoying patted her on the head and said to Wuyou Tower Master, "So we have such a deep grudge. Well then, let's not talk about business anymore..."
"No!" Yi Mei suddenly interrupted him, sneering, "Of course we should do business."
The Worry-Free Pavilion Master exclaimed "Oh?" and asked, "What do you want to do?"
Yi Mei said, "Now we have two secrets. Xiao Ying will tell you where Shui Zhenhong is, and I will tell you how I survived. In exchange, you can tell me the story of the 'Mismatched Flower Picture'."
After thinking silently for a moment, the Worry-Free Pavilion Master said, "Okay."
Yi Mei sneered, "You agreed so readily. It seems that the information about how I survived is quite valuable."
The Worry-Free Pavilion Master said, "What you said is absolutely right."
Su Xiaoying said, "Since that's the case, you can start now."
Master Wuyou smiled slightly and said, "In this world, I'm probably the only one who knows about this. You've made a perfectly good deal. The one who wrote the wrong flower painting was a woman named Fu Wuqing. She was an exceptionally intelligent woman, and her beauty was truly breathtaking. Sometimes I think about it, and perhaps the reason she had such a tragic fate was because she fell in love with a man. Alas, what a pity." Master Wuyou paused here, a hint of helplessness appearing on his face, and sighed softly. This complex emotion, displayed on his young face who looked only in his twenties, made him seem all the more profound.
Yi Mei stared intently at his face and said, "There's nothing to regret about falling in love with someone. It's a pity if you never love anyone in your entire life."
The Worry-Free Pavilion Master smiled and said, "Fu Wuqing is different from you. Her falling in love with that person was entirely a misfortune, because that person is her biological brother."
Su Xiaoying frowned, and Feng Wuhua immediately came to mind.
The Worry-Free Pavilion Master said, "Fu Wuqing is a stubborn person. Since he loves his brother, he is devoted to him wholeheartedly, wishing he could melt his life into his lover."
Su Xiaoying was somewhat taken aback and interjected, "Your analogy is really good! How did you come up with it?"
The carefree pavilion master was taken aback by his reaction and looked at him. Yi Mei, who was originally filled with grief, excitement, and sadness, was also somewhat amused and exasperated by Su Xiaoying's question, and sighed.
The Worry-Free Pavilion Master said, "However, her brother, despite their sibling relationship, managed to remain calm. Although he understood the situation, he pretended not to hear. Until one day, Fu Wuqing served her brother a bowl of lily and white fungus soup. Naturally, her brother had no suspicions and drank it down in one gulp."
The tone of Wuyou Louzhu was very calm, but Yimei and Su Xiaoying couldn't help but raise their hearts, both thinking: What strange thing did that abnormal woman Fu Wuqing put in the soup?
Sure enough, the Lord of Worry-Free Pavilion said, "Fu Wuqing put an extremely potent aphrodisiac in that soup. After her brother drank it, he was immediately unable to hold back and had to consummate the marriage with her. This matter is already extremely tragic, but after this incident, Fu Wuqing was extremely happy, and even when she walked, she was skipping and jumping."
Yi Mei and Su Xiaoying looked at each other in horror.