Bâtir une dynastie de chansons harmonieuse

Chapitre 91

The older people get, the less they want to admit defeat.

Seeing that he was about to drink again, Yang Nianqing became anxious and didn't know what to say—no, she shouldn't think like that... She reminded herself again and again, but still couldn't help but tighten her grip on Nangong Xue's arm.

Nangong Xue looked at her and finally spoke: "Senior, please wait."

Judge Cao indeed put down his wine cup.

"So you were relieved that you wouldn't let this old man drink today."

"Drinking alone is too boring; it's better to talk while you drink."

Magistrate Cao found it amusing: "In that case, what shall we say?"

Nangong Xue smiled and said, "I have already told you what you wanted to know, but I also have something I would like to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Does the senior have any regrets?"

Nangong Xue looked at him, her smile still on her lips: "Back then, you knew that the Tao family was wronged, yet you still personally led troops to kill more than a hundred people. Did you ever regret it?"

silence.

Judge Cao suddenly burst into laughter.

To be honest, this is something that everyone present is probably curious about. Yang Nianqing also wants to know what kind of mood this ruthless old man was in when he completed that cruel task. For his own benefit, he gave up the opportunity to seek justice for the Tao family and personally took more than a hundred lives. Now, does he feel guilty for the mistakes he made back then?

The laughter abruptly stopped.

He looked at Nangong Xue, his old face remaining unchanged, but instead carrying a hint of sneer: "Since the deed is done, why regret it?"

He Bi frowned.

Nangong Xue remained silent for a moment, then smiled slightly and raised her glass: "This junior understands, please, senior!"

Judge Cao laughed heartily and also picked up his wine.

For some reason, that intense unease from before surged up again. Seeing that he was about to drink, Yang Nianqing didn't know whether she should speak up to stop him again. There had to be a reason, right?

How could you doubt him!

Yang Nianqing finally chose to remain silent, but a cold voice rang out from the side.

"Wait a minute!"

Nangong Xue slowly put down her wine glass and looked at He Bi.

He Bi also looked at him.

Cao Tongpan finally realized something was amiss, put down his wine cup, and looked at everyone suspiciously. Qiu Bailu, who was standing next to him, also stared intently at her wine cup, her brows furrowed.

He Bi said, "Let's not drink yet."

Nangong Xue said, "Waiting for Brother Li?"

He Bi remained silent.

Nangong Xue shook her head: "He's already here."

A white figure suddenly appeared at the entrance.

Yang Nianqing exclaimed, "Why are you back?!"

Li You stood at the door, looking somewhat tired, as if he had rushed back. Qiu Bailu's Nanshan Formation was not close, so what could have made him suddenly return?

Nangong Xue slowly stood up, her expression still calm, and quietly looked at him without saying a word.

An eerie silence.

Li You finally let out a soft breath: "I'm back."

"I know."

"I didn't go to the Nanshan Formation."

"You went to inquire about something." (Smiles)

Beneath his long eyelashes, a look of shame appeared: "Brother Nangong did not live in Nangong Villa when he was young. He was only brought back by Master Nangong when he was ten years old."

Nangong Xue smiled but remained silent.

Li You paused for a long time, and said with great difficulty, "Six or seven years is enough time for a child's appearance to change a lot."

Nangong Xue nodded: "That's right."

Li You then fell silent, staring intently at him, a rare look of melancholy appearing in his usually long and bright eyes.

Suddenly, he turned to look at Magistrate Cao: "Back then, Liu Ru and Tang Jingfeng framed the Tao family. The court sent Senior Cao to be in charge of this matter. I imagine that you must have been very cautious in your actions at the time."

Judge Cao nodded: "Indeed, in addition to the thousand imperial guards and fifty thousand rockets assigned by the higher authorities, I have also requested the assistance of thirty-two imperial guards. I am confident that everything is foolproof."

Such a force is more than enough. No matter how powerful Tao Clan is, it is just a Jianghu sect with only a little over a hundred people, not to mention the elderly, weak, women and children.

Li You sighed, "No matter how meticulous your actions were, you never expected that one child would still escape."

Judge Cao's face immediately turned pale.

Nangong Xue simply listened to him speak quietly.

"Back then, Master Tao had a pair of child prodigies known as 'Snow, Jade, Frost, and Ice,' who could memorize anything they read at the age of three. They were twin brothers, and the older brother was named Tao Xue."

As he spoke, Li You looked at him and smiled slightly: "Brother Nangong, are you not truly blessed with a photographic memory?"

Nangong Snow.

Tao Xue.

Yang Nianqing felt her heart slowly cooling down.

Magistrate Cao murmured, "No wonder...it looks so much like it..."

Li You looked at him and shook his head: "Senior has never dared to make this public. I just don't know what method you used when you asked people to identify the body. No one noticed any flaws."

Judge Cao remained silent, his face pale.

When he discovered that one of the officially designated corpses was missing, was he also terrified? To escape punishment and to protect his family, a man like him would think of any method and do anything.

Silence always makes time seem exceptionally long.

Nangong Xue finally looked at Li You and smiled: "That's right, I am Tao Xue."

Rockets filled the sky, accompanied by the sounds of fighting, screams, and splattering blood. A father's grief-stricken eyes and a mother's desperate cries echoed through the air. A child, not yet four years old, fled in terror. Betrayed by a friend, Tao's family was reduced to ashes overnight. He lost all his loved ones, survived, but was left with only his life.

Fortunately, he met Nangong Yu, the owner of Nangong Villa.

Nangong Xue sighed: "It wasn't until I was ten years old that my adoptive father took me back to the villa. He only told others that I was his biological daughter. He was afraid that I would seek revenge, so he asked me if I was willing to have my meridians destroyed. I agreed."

Such a prodigy should have achieved great success in martial arts, but he was unable to cultivate internal energy, which was a regrettable thing for everyone in the martial arts world. Unexpectedly, all the meridians in his body were destroyed by Nangong Yu himself.

He Bi said, "He is protecting you."

Nangong Xue nodded, her voice tinged with sadness: "If the court knew about this, they would certainly not let me off the hook. My adoptive father crippled my meridians, yet he still sighed and grieved until his death. I do not blame him."

True martial arts masters deeply respect martial arts. Encountering a child prodigy is an extremely rare occurrence. It would be very difficult for Nangong Yu to personally turn such a child into a cripple.

However, it was all a coincidence. Cao Tongpan dared not make a fuss at the time and tried his best to conceal the matter. Therefore, the court did not know about it and did not order an arrest. He cleared himself of his guilt, but just so happened to save Nangong Xue's life.

“You promised Master Nangong, but you didn’t do it.”

Nangong Xue remained silent.

Li You suddenly looked at him and smiled: "I remember that I first met Brother Nangong because of the Ping An Escort Agency case. Five hundred taels of silver were stolen. At that time, Lao He and I had not yet found out what happened. The creditors came to our door, and Chief Escort Wang was so anxious that he wanted to commit suicide. It was I who came up with the idea to ask him to beg you, which caused you to lose five hundred taels of silver."

From then on, the three people with completely different personalities became close friends.

Nangong Xue smiled, but her smile revealed an even deeper sorrow: "Although I lost money, I made two friends, so it's not too bad."

"Regardless, I, He Bi, have no regrets about having a friend like you." He said coldly.

The moment they saw this handsome young man, with his gentle and kind smile and the genuine compassion in his eyes, they knew he was someone they could be friends with.

Nangong Xue nodded: "Thank you."

Memories shared between friends are always beautiful.

Bright, melancholic, indifferent, and detached eyes were now filled with knowing smiles, and even the surrounding air seemed to warm up for some reason.

In that instant, Yang Nianqing felt as if something was stuck in her chest. The old magistrate Cao, standing beside her, also looked somewhat somber; was he thinking of his old friend?

However, time does not always remain in memory; eventually, everything returns to reality.

The expressions on each face gradually dimmed.

finally--

The air froze.

Volume Four: A Man in the Martial World with a Smile

Li You said softly, "Brother Nangong has never enjoyed killing. Now, in order to avenge himself, he has killed so many innocent people. Is it really worth it?"

Nangong Xue smiled slightly.

“Since it has already happened, whether it was worth it or not is no longer important,” he turned to the side, his gaze shifting to the window, his emotions unreadable. “I killed them and moved their bodies into my Nangong Villa.”

The Nangong Villa was heavily guarded. Apart from a master of lightness skills like Li You, no one could possibly bring a corpse in unnoticed, except for one person: Nangong Xue.

Isn't it easy to put things in your own home?

"You were the one who looked for Zhang Mingchu that night, but little did you know that Liu Yanyan was right next door."

Nangong Xue nodded.

Just in case, he ordered Hei Silang to kill someone to cover it up, but Hei Silang mistook her for someone else and mistakenly killed her twin sister Zhao Xiaochun. Liu Yanyan did not recognize his voice at the time, and by the time she realized it, it was too late to say anything.

Li You said sadly, "I should have realized that Lao Hei owes you a favor. In any case, I am grateful that you let him go, but you shouldn't have killed Yao'er and the others."

Countless people in the martial arts world owe Nangong Xueqing a debt of gratitude, and Hei Silang owes him one, which is why he killed for him. No wonder Hei Silang repeatedly begged them not to investigate further, because the murderer was their best friend, a friend worth protecting with his life.

In the end, Hei Shilang was able to leave in peace only because Nangong Xue personally returned the sword to him and told him to go.

Only Nangong Xue could make a move when Madam Leng, Jianghu Yao, and Tang Kesi were completely unprepared. Although he had no martial arts skills, he was skilled with a sword, and more importantly, he was quick to strike.

"You're the one looking for Madam Ye."

"That night I went to see her, only to ask her for my help, but I didn't expect to be discovered by Young Master Tang."