"I don't know yet. But the person who sent the secret letter is definitely not the one who stole the zither, because the person who sent the secret letter seems to have discovered the whereabouts of the zither, and the secret letter also specifically instructed me to bring along the beautiful girl who is as beautiful as the moon."
"As beautiful as the moon?"
The master put his hands together and kept chanting Amitabha: "I have sinned. When you were eight years old, you went up the mountain with your mother to burn incense. I took a liking to you at first sight. Not only were you agile, but your features were also very similar to Shangguan Qing'er, the fairy who flew to the moon. So I decided to take you as my disciple."
So that's how it is. No wonder Shen Ruosu said, "You really are the daughter of the Moon Goddess."
I smiled, an idea popping into my head: "Master, Ruyan has a plan, but I don't know if it's feasible?"
"Tell me about it..."
To prevent eavesdroppers, I whispered in my master's ear, "Do it this way, do it this way..."
When I went downstairs, I found that the weather wasn't very good; it was drizzling, and the fresh scent of dust wafted towards me. I took out a silver ingot and gave it to the waiter, saying, "Could you please go to the nearby town and buy me a zither?"
An aged female voice came from behind: "Why are you buying a zither on a rainy day, young lady?"
I turned around and bowed: "Madam Li, it must be quite boring at the inn. Why not buy a zither to pass the time and to bring some fun to the elders?"
"What is your surname, young lady?"
“I was picked up by my master, so I took his surname, Tian, and my name is Yanyan.”
"I see." Madam Li sat down to drink tea, but her eyes kept glancing at my face.
"Madam, you must be quite skilled in martial arts to have married such a master thief, right?" I asked, feigning innocence.
"How could a peasant girl like me know martial arts? I wouldn't even dare to dream of it. When I was young, I always hoped for a good harvest and to marry a good man." Madam Li lowered her head and smiled shyly. After a while, she looked up as if waking from a dream and asked, "Huh? Qing'er said she went to town to buy pastries. Why hasn't she come back for so long?"
I didn't answer and turned to go upstairs. The young man in white stood smiling on the stairs and spoke gently, "Did you rest well last night, young lady?"
"Very good, thank you for your concern, young master."
"My name is Dugu Leng. May I ask your name, young lady?"
These words struck me like a bolt from the blue, that name I had uttered countless times since childhood. My future husband, Dugu Leng, stood before me, yet he knew not that the woman before him was his fiancée.
"Tian Yanyan," I said.
"A nice name," he smiled. "Unfortunately, I already have a fiancée named Liu Ruyan. Is it true that all women named Yan are as beautiful as angels?" It was a very nice compliment, but I wasn't particularly pleased. This kind of trick to coax women wasn't very clever, especially for someone like me who had heard too many sweet words.
I changed the subject: "Did you hear the zither music last night, young master?"
“Yes, I once heard my master say that if the person playing the zither has murderous intent in their heart, the music of the ancient zither in chaotic times can kill people.” Dugu Leng said seriously, “My master does not actually have that zither.”
"Can I trust what my apprentice says?" I asked, but he just smiled and didn't answer.
Suddenly, the waiter rushed in from outside, his face ashen, as if he had been frightened: "Something terrible has happened! There's a dead body under the peach tree behind the inn!"
Madam Li rushed out first, followed by Dugu Leng and me.
Under the peach tree, a woman stood with her eyes wide open in anger, her face contorted, her arms cleanly severed, the blood mingling with the rainwater, staining the ground red—a horrifying sight.
It turned out to be Li Qing'er.
"Qing'er!" Madam Li threw herself into her daughter's arms, heartbroken.
Both arms were cleanly severed; no one but Shen Ruosu would do such a thing. Shen Ruosu was known in the martial arts world as the "One-Armed Young Master," as he always severed the arms of his victims. However, Shen Ruosu had never actually killed anyone; even after severing an arm, he would always apply pressure to acupoints to stop the bleeding.
6
Shen Ruosu hadn't returned by noon, and Shen Tianqi could no longer sit still. He came out of his room. He was tall and upright, much like Shen Ruosu. Upon seeing me, he involuntarily took two steps back, his face showing a hint of fear, but he quickly regained his composure. Madam Li sat in the main hall, sobbing softly. My master sat opposite her, while Wuwang and Dugu Leng sat drinking at the furthest table. Shen Tianqi went downstairs and sat at a table near the door, constantly glancing outside, hoping Shen Ruosu would return soon.
Madam Li looked up and saw Shen Tianqi, trembling with excitement: "You old poisoner, look what a fine son you've raised! Why did you kill my daughter?"
Shen Tianqi frowned, remaining silent.
The master twirled his prayer beads and murmured, "Amitabha, forgive me, Madam, please forgive my bluntness. I am deeply sorry that my daughter has suffered such misfortune. But how can you judge that it is Young Hero Shen's fault simply because both arms were severed?"
"Master, I don't know what grudges you had back then. Before I left, my husband carefully instructed me that it was all in the past and the grudges had probably faded. Besides, I don't know any martial arts, and my poor daughter only knows how to defend herself." After saying this, Madam Li couldn't help but sob again, thinking of the tragic scene of her daughter's death.
The shop assistant stood timidly to one side, not daring to say a word.
I called him over and asked, "Brother, have you bought my zither yet?"
"Yes, miss. It's already been purchased and is in the back room. Please come with me to fetch it."
The back room was actually where the waiters and other staff rested. I said, "Waiter, is there something you want to tell me?"
The waiter nodded in alarm and said, "I only said that to the young lady."
"Please feel free to speak."
“In the morning, when I went to the peach grove behind the inn, I saw not only Miss Li lying in a pool of blood, but also a figure flash by.”
"A figure?"
"Yes. Judging from the shadow, it's that young hero Shen."
I thanked the waiter and carried the zither to the main hall, where everyone was still sitting as before. Seeing me come out with the zither, my master smiled slightly: "Amitabha, I committed many sins in my youth and took countless lives. Fortunately, I have raised a good disciple. Yan'er, quickly play a tune on the zither to calm the elders' nerves."
I smiled and sat down: "The piece Yan'er will play for everyone is 'Peach Blossom Chaos'."
After saying that, she waved her slender fingers and a smooth and moving melody flowed out. The expressions on everyone's faces changed. Halfway through, she was stopped by "Ghostly Drifter" Wuwang: "Enough. I am curious about this girl's background. Tian Canghai, what are you trying to imply by bringing her here?"
The master simply shook his head: "It's a sin, hopeless. Back then, when Shangguan Qing'er jumped off the cliff, I went to the foot of the mountain to search for her remains."
Hopeless's body trembled slightly, then he burst into laughter: "Could this little girl really be your and Shangguan Qing'er's daughter? Since she can play 'Peach Blossom Chaos,' then the ancient zither of the Chaotic World must have been stolen by you two in collusion? So you've been having an affair all along?"
Shen Tianqi turned around and stared straight at my face, his expression shifting rapidly.
I stood up and curtsied to Wuwang: "Senior Wuwang, the 'Peach Blossom Chaos' that Yan'er played is not the real 'Peach Blossom Chaos,' but just a piece that Yan'er composed on a whim. I am indeed Shangguan Qing'er's daughter. My mother did not die after she jumped off the cliff, but my father is not my master."
With a crash, the teacup in front of Shen Tianqi fell to the ground: "Child, where is your mother?"
“My mother is in this inn.” I smiled slightly. “The secret letter was sent by my mother and my master because they both wanted to know who took the guqin thirty years ago.”
Silence. The wind carries the fragrance of peach blossoms into the lobby.
No sooner said than done, the sound of Dugu Leng drawing his sword was like a thunderbolt, and before the sound even faded, the tip of the sword was already thrusting towards me. I bent over, and the sword slashed straight past my chest. It seemed impossible for him to retract his sword, but the blade abruptly stopped in mid-air, then suddenly changed direction and thrust at me. His sword strike was exceptionally fierce, and it was precisely because it was so fierce that it created an opening. I gathered a surge of energy from my dantian and leaped up, landing on the tip of his sword. As he lowered his sword, I did a somersault and landed on the table. My master used his internal energy to push the table hard. Dugu Leng's sword was astonishingly fast, but with Madam Li right next to me, he thrust at me without any regard for the consequences. With a "clang," Dugu Leng's sword fell to the ground.
The sound was very faint, but everyone present was an expert with exceptional hearing.
Wu Wang clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Master Canghai, my disciple has offended you." Dugu Leng stared blankly at the sword on the ground, as if he couldn't believe that his sword had been knocked down by a tiny needle.
Shen Tianqi opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing more.
7
Shen Ruosu seemed to have vanished into thin air.
As night fell, the sound of a zither drifted in again, but unlike the night before, it was extremely mournful and heart-wrenching. I seemed to see a woman standing on the edge of a cliff, filled with sorrow, and I found myself involuntarily shedding tears, my emotions so devastated that I contemplated suicide. I was certain this was an ancient zither from a chaotic era.
The music was ethereal, and I couldn't find its source.
Strangely, Master, Shen Tianqi, and Wuwang's rooms were all very quiet, seemingly on a peaceful night. I went out dressed in black. Under the cover of darkness, I searched for the source of the zither music, but finally, the music was too ethereal and misleading, so I gave up.
"Young Master Dugu, how long are you going to stay with me?"
I sat under a peach tree when Dugu Leng emerged from the hidden flower bushes: "Young lady, your lightness skill is remarkable; I'm having a hard time keeping up."
"Is this the trick that the legendary amorous young master Dugu Liang used to win the hearts of girls?"
"Ha, how do you know I'm Dugu Liang and not Dugu Leng?"
"Dugu Liang, the number one swordsman in the world, is known throughout the martial arts world for his romantic escapades, where 'the sword is cold amidst the beauty of women.' Moreover, even if I am unaware of your romantic escapades, my master has told me about the 'Ghost Sword Technique' more than once. In addition, the only people in the martial arts world who can use this technique are the reclusive Ghostly Swordsman, who has been living in seclusion for many years, and Dugu Liang, the fourth young master of the Dugu family."
"It seems I underestimated you, young lady."
"Likewise, aren't you also using sparring with me to test whether Madam Li knows martial arts?"
"Clever." Dugu Liang had to admit my wisdom.
"It's illogical and unreasonable for an old woman to travel hundreds of miles with a young girl to this inn. First, Li Wuxin, knowing the dangers of the martial world, would never allow his wife and daughter, who are unskilled in martial arts, to take such a perilous journey. Second, Li Qing'er's arms were severed after her death. Since we were all in the inn at the time, she would have cried out in pain if her arms had been cut off, but we didn't hear a sound. This means she was killed instantly by a master, who then severed both her arms. I examined her body carefully myself; her eyes were wide open because a one-inch-long iron nail was inserted into her nasal cavity. This indicates that someone killed Li Qing'er to frame Shen Ruosu. Third, during our duel, when your sword was about to pierce Madam Li, she naturally dodged it. Even when my master pushed the table away with his internal force, she nimbly sidestepped. This shows that Madam Li lied."
"Then why would she lie? Who would use such an evil method as piercing someone's nose with an iron nail to kill someone?" Dugu Liang said, "Who has that guqin?"
I smiled slightly; the fox will always show its tail eventually.
The next day, as dawn broke, I woke up to find I had slept too soundly; the light gave me a splitting headache. The shop was deserted. I knocked on my master's door, and the waiter greeted me, saying, "Miss, the master left early this morning in a hurry, he seemed quite anxious?"
"What about the other senior colleagues?"
"Master Shen went out early this morning to look for Young Master Shen. Madam Li went to town to buy joss paper after breakfast. The other two have not been seen leaving the house."
“I see…” I said thoughtfully.
"Before the master left, he instructed me to prepare a few side dishes for you, young lady. I'll bring them to your room now." The waiter was attentive and solicitous.
There were four light side dishes: cucumber salad, tofu with scallions, stir-fried pork, and steamed carp. "How did you know I like carp, Master?" "The Master said carp has a delicate fragrance, so he asked me to prepare it for you, Miss." I smiled, "Excellent. Thank you, waiter. Here's your tip."
The waiter took the money and left happily.
About half an hour later, the waiter came to clear away the dishes, and I, feeling tired, lay down on the bed to rest. Suddenly, the door creaked open. I opened my heavy eyelids, and before me stood an old woman with a beaming smile.
"Mrs. Li?"
"Is Miss Yan sleeping well? I'm so sorry I accidentally went to the wrong door." Madam Li said sweetly, but she took a teacup, poured herself some tea, and slowly began to sip it.
"Although Madam Li is an elder, it is inappropriate for her to trespass into the room of a junior."
"I've only come to see you, young lady. I heard from the waiter that you were ill, so I came to visit you." Madam Li suddenly burst into laughter, laughing with great pride: "However, you will die in this bed, and no one will know the real cause of your death."
I struggled to sit up.
"It's no use. I put cartilage powder in those dishes. I lured those old geezers away. Even if you, you little devil, have great abilities, you can't escape my grasp."
I remained calm and instead smiled, "Madam Li, even if Yan'er dies today, she can't die unjustly. Could you please answer a few questions for me?"
“Speak, whatever I know, I will tell you without reservation.”
Why did you kill Li Qing'er?
How could a mother bear to kill her own daughter?
"That's true, which means she's not your daughter. No one would kill their own flesh and blood in such a cruel way as piercing their nose with a nail."
“You’ve certainly seen your share of the world, young lady, to know about piercing someone’s nose with an iron nail.” She sipped her tea elegantly. “Then do you know why I killed her?”
"The motive is very clear: to frame Shen Ruosu."
"oh?"
"If I'm not mistaken, Madam Li must hate Senior Shen Tianqi very much."