Ruan Wuyou later died in childbirth. Her husband, Yin Yong, was also a devoted lover. He disregarded his vast fortune and his infant daughter, and committed suicide to follow his wife.
The daughter of the carefree heroine is none other than Yin Wuxiao, the most talented woman in the world.
At present, the sect leader Jiang Li has just passed away, and the one who has succeeded him is Mu Wanfeng, the daughter of Mu Huantao, who was stranded in the Central Plains and failed to take over in time. It is extremely difficult to judge what the Qiong Sect intends to do when it re-enters the martial world.
When the guards reported back, they specifically mentioned that when Mu Wanfeng passed through Huajianbao in Qinghai, for some unknown reason, he killed You Antai, the lord of Huajianbao. Afterwards, he also cut off the legs of each of the You family women and the arms of each of the men.
In the Baili mansion in the capital, only the two young masters, Baili Qingyi and Baili Hanyi, were present. Baili Hanyi, who had been quietly listening to the report, was suddenly startled and said, "Could it be that the calamity of twenty-seven years ago is about to be repeated in the martial world today?"
Baili Qingyi slowly said, "I have met You Antai before. He was a greedy and lewd man. I once hung him on the city gate for three days because he tried to rape a young girl. He probably did not repent and fell into Mu Wanfeng's hands."
"Brother, you said the Qiong Sect has re-entered the martial world. What exactly is their purpose? Father never told us about the entanglement between him and Jiang Li back then. How much do you know about it?"
Baili Qingyi pondered for a moment: "I don't know much about what happened back then. But my father once mentioned to me that the two most important scriptures of the Qiong Sect were lost in the Central Plains. The former leader of the sect, Jiang, was a man of his word. He promised my father that he would never enter the Central Plains, and he never broke his promise, so he never sent anyone to search for them."
"It seems that Master Mu has entered the Central Plains this time in search of those two scriptures. Brother, the Qiong Sect made countless enemies in the Central Plains back then. These people only refrained from seeking revenge in the Northern Desert because of Father's sake. Now that the Qiong Sect has entered the Central Plains again, I'm afraid these people will not let it go so easily."
Baili Qingyi nodded: "If we can find those two scriptures, we can solve this problem much more easily."
"But why were the two scriptures of the Qiong Sect lost in the Central Plains?"
Baili Qingyi glanced at him: "Do you remember the person Father mentioned, the 'Miraculous Poisonous Beauty'?"
Baili Hanyi's expression changed, and he said with a bitter smile, "How could I not remember? This person is truly my nemesis. There are thousands of poisons in the world, but I have no way to cure her poison."
"The one who entered the Central Plains with Mu Wanfeng back then was this skillful poison master Yu Nan'er. She and Mu Wanfeng each carried two secret manuals from the Qiong Sect: the Sacred Poison Scripture and the Soul-Destroying Killing Manual. The former is the culmination of the Qiong Sect's methods of making and detoxifying poisons, while the latter is a martial arts secret treasure that only the sect leader of the Qiong Sect could practice throughout the ages."
“Brother,” Baili Hanyi suddenly remembered something, “wasn’t the murderer’s method in the Yin family massacre the Soul-Destroying Killing technique?”
Baili Qingyi sighed, “Exactly. Since the Soul Extinction Kill is a martial art that only the leader of the Qiong Sect can practice, how could it be used to kill the entire Yin family? It must be that someone in the Central Plains obtained the Soul Extinction Kill and secretly practiced it. Hanyi, if we can find the Soul Extinction Kill, it will be of great help in solving the Yin family tragedy.”
After pondering for a moment, Baili Hanyi suddenly said, "Brother, if you really want to investigate the case, why don't you just ask Miss Yin directly, instead of letting her leave with Zhi Xiaoyao Bai Can?"
Baili Qingyi's eyes flickered slightly.
That day on the Slope of Delight, the master thief Bai Can suddenly appeared, and Yin Wuxiao actually stretched out his hands to Bai Can, asking him to take him away. Then, Yin Wuxiao fainted due to unbearable pain, and Baili Qingyi, who could have easily resisted Yin Bitong and Bai Can, suddenly let go and handed Yin Wuxiao over to Bai Can.
"Well... it was her choice after all," Baili Qingyi said calmly.
Baili Hanyi was puzzled: "Brother, investigating the case is the priority. If we can find out the whole story from Miss Yin, maybe the truth will come out! Why go through all this trouble? At a time like this, how can we care about her choice?"
Baili Qingyi's expression was somewhat unfocused: "You don't understand. If she doesn't want to, you can't force her. You'll only hurt her. Didn't you see her eyes? So resolute, so determined to die. It's not just about letting her go, it's about... even if she wanted to go with Yin Bitong, I would allow it."
Baili Hanyi was taken aback: "Brother, you always only care about the case, when have you ever cared about the feelings of the people involved? I really don't understand." He tried to prove that Baili Qingyi's behavior was abnormal, "Also, what you said about the poisonous incense in the inn was just to trick her into letting me take your pulse. Your painstaking efforts don't seem like you're investigating a case."
Baili Qingyi remained silent.
"Hanyi, when you took her pulse, did you notice anything unusual about her body?"
Baili Hanyi gave a bitter smile with a complicated expression: "I was just about to tell you this. Do you know what kind of poison she has in her body?"
"poison?"
Yes, what else could have turned her into this state but poison? Baili Qingyi gathered her chaotic thoughts. "What kind of poison?"
"It is that most prized poison of the skillful poisoner, which is sought after but not obtained."
Chapter Eight: This Day Last Year, West of the Apricot Wall (Part Two)
"Back then, the master poisoner was skilled in making poisons and even more adept at using Gu poison. Countless martial arts masters died at her hands. Her most prized poison was called 'Unattainable Desire'."
"'Unable to obtain what one desires'?"
"As the name suggests, a person who is poisoned must not have any desires, otherwise he will die instantly from the poison."
Baili Qingyi's body trembled, and she suddenly looked up.
Baili Hanyi continued, "But if we say that Miss Yin was afflicted with 'unfulfilled desires,' it doesn't seem like it."
Baili Qingyi stood up, a rare hint of agitation appearing on her face: "Hanyi, explain yourself clearly."
"Judging from her pulse, she should have been dead. But... but something protected her heart meridian, allowing her to move and live like a normal person."
"If something is protecting her heart meridian, why is she still bleeding from all seven orifices?"
“Brother, I believe there are very few people in the martial arts world whose medical skills surpass mine. However, even I do not know what is protecting her heart meridian. It seems to be a holy medicine for healing and a life-saving remedy, but it is also a kind of strange poison that can operate in the body according to a person’s seven emotions and six desires. The thing in Miss Shui’s body is very similar to ‘Unfulfilled Desire’, but not entirely the same. In the world today, I am afraid there is only one person who can diagnose what is in her body.”
"who?"
"What is the reason for the death of the 'Divine Physician Xuan'? 'Miraculous Poisonous Beauty' died at his hands." Baili Hanyi looked at Baili Qingyi's ashen face and quickly added, "You don't need to worry. Before she left that day, I managed to suppress the poison in her body. She should be safe in the short term."
Baili Qingyi remained expressionless, turning his head to look out the window where a small, bright red apricot branch was about to peek over the wall. He recalled the woman's gentle smile, which resembled that delicate yet untamed apricot blossom. He walked to the desk, picked up a brush, wrote a few words, circled them in a small paper tube, and summoned his guards:
"Send this out, using 'Pear Blossom White' as the message."
The guard was startled. "Pear Blossom White" was one of the carrier pigeons kept by Baili Prefecture, and it was well-trained. Every carrier pigeon in Baili Prefecture was assigned to one person, and no one knew who "Pear Blossom White" would deliver the message to, because "Pear Blossom White" had never been released to deliver a message before.
"Brother, are you really going to use 'Pear Blossom White'?" Baili Hanyi was also surprised.
Baili Qingyi nodded: "Only it can bring her to Baiwen Valley."
Baili Hanyi remained silent. Unless he was a fool, how could he not see that Miss Yin held a different meaning for Baili Qingyi? He stared intently at his elder brother and suddenly realized that the young master in green was just a human being after all. There were some things in this world that even the young master in green found difficult.
Baili Qingyi stood by the window, gazing at the red apricot branch outside, and suddenly said, "Hanyi, tell me, why is she unwilling to go with Yin Bitong, nor with me, but only willing to go with Bai Can?"
Baili Hanyi looked back in surprise, then a smile slowly appeared in his eyes:
"When a woman is willing to go with a man, is there any need to guess what the meaning is?"
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Baili Qingyi steady herself on the windowsill, then look up at the red apricot blossoms peeking over the wall.
A hundred miles away, Yin Wuxiao, who had just regained consciousness, sneezed violently.
Bai Can rushed to her side and asked with concern, "Are you feeling unwell?"
Yin Wuxiao stared blankly at Bai Can's worried face, then suddenly burst out laughing.
Bai Can stared at her blankly, then frowned: "Aren't you just making fun of me, miss?"
Yin Wuxiao ignored him and just laughed to herself. The laughter gradually widened and turned into a fit of laughter. She laughed so hard that she couldn't breathe and tears streamed down her face.
Bai Can then realized that something was amiss.
As if her joy had turned to sorrow, Yin Wuxiao burst into tears after laughing. She gripped the edge of the bed, lay on it, and cried and cursed, "Bai Can! You heartless bastard, what did you feed me?"
Why did she seem to have no control over her emotions? That slight emotion had become an overwhelming flood, impossible to control?
Bai Can was also utterly astonished. He stared at her blankly until she slowly stopped crying, then handed her a handkerchief. "I...I don't know what happened either." He thought for a moment, then asked, "Miss, how do you know my name?"
Yin Wuxiao paused in wiping away his tears: "Brother Bai, I am Shui Wu'er."
Bai Can's response was to stare blankly at Yin Wuxiao's face.
Yin Wuxiao sighed and told him the whole story, including her entanglements with Yin Bitong and Baili Qingyi, but she did not mention that she was Miss Yin.
Bai Can stood there for a long time, finally processing this shocking truth. He pointed at her with a trembling finger: "So you're the woman who took me away at the entrance of Zui Mo Lou! I clearly remember that it was Cui who took me away...you..." He suddenly crossed his arms, "Did you do anything to me?"
Yin Wuxiao held his head in his hands: "You heartless bastard, you should be asking me what you did to me."
Bai Can's face turned ashen: "What...what did I do to you?"
Yin Wuxiao glared at him: "If you try to molest me, I'll just grab the most convenient copper basin and beat you up."
"that's all?"
"that's all."
Bai Can, feeling greatly relieved, leaned on the chair and sat down shakily. "Well done, well done."
Yin Wuxiao clasped his hands together and scrutinized him: "Shouldn't you explain your affair with your Cui Cui to me?"
Bai Can hesitated for a moment, then obediently confessed.
The reason Bai Can was heartbroken and frequented brothels was because Cui Shenghan had drugged his water in the woods that day. Caught off guard, he slept soundly until dawn. When he woke up, Cui Shenghan had vanished without a trace.
"Do you truly love her?" Yin Wuxiao asked seriously.
Bai Can nodded: "Of course."
"What's the value of a womanizer like you?" Yin Wuxiao scoffed.
Bai Can retorted angrily, "Who's the womanizer! My lifelong dream is to marry a wife, have a bunch of kids, and nothing else! If I hadn't had a master who frequented brothels, how could I have ended up in such a disgraced state!"
"Your master?" Yin Wuxiao asked in surprise. "Weren't you self-taught?"
"Hmph, if it weren't for that old geezer insisting on having someone as his apprentice to be a womanizer..."
Yin Wuxiao suppressed a laugh; she was beginning to wonder what kind of extraordinary person Bai Can's master was. She really wanted to tell Bai Can that even without his master, just looking at his face, he didn't seem like an innocent young man.
I never expected that this person would be a hollow radish.
"What kind of drug did Miss Cui give you?" Yin Wuxiao asked deliberately.
Bai Can's eyes flickered, and his face turned as red as a boiled shrimp. He answered quickly, "Sleeping pills."
Yin Wuxiao sneered.
Bai Can said, "Let's go south to find her."
"Us?" Yin Wuxiao stared at him in a daze.
"Of course you have to find Cui Cui for me," Bai Can said matter-of-factly.
"Why?" Yin Wuxiao asked, his eyes wide.
"Aren't we friends?"
Yin Wuxiao was at a loss for words.
"Brother Bai, what would you do if you wanted to die but couldn't?"
"Pah, pah, pah, you poor child, what are you saying? I don't want to die, not at all." Bai Can's eyes widened.
A faint sorrow appeared on Yin Wuxiao's face: "If I still can't die after this, I really don't know what to do."
Bai Can smiled and said, "I think neither Baili Qingyi nor Yin Bitong will let you die easily. You are a lucky woman."
Yin Wuxiao sighed softly and remained silent.
Seven days later, Yin Wuxiao and Bai Can were already in Hubei Province.
"It's getting dark, we should find an inn to stay overnight," Yin Wuxiao nudged Bai Can.
Bai Can smiled at her with narrowed eyes, "Why are you looking for an inn? Don't you know the Yuwen family is in Hubei? Besides, the biggest event in the martial arts world is about to happen at the Yuwen family's place. How can we not go and see?"