Апрель

Глава 57

She was still in surprise, unaware that the man surnamed Wei had walked up to her, taken the silver needle from her palm, and laughed, "A mere 'Refined Snow Silver Light' is enough to trouble Junior Sister so much. Could it be that Junior Sister lacks internal energy?"

Xiao Xiao sighed and said, "I was just careless for a moment, which gave that bandit an opportunity. I don't know what kind of evil magic he used to seal my internal energy. Otherwise, why would I be at his beck and call?"

After a moment's thought, the man said, "Junior Sister is indeed flexible and adaptable; I admire her greatly."

Xiao Xiao stood up, mustered her courage, and said, "Senior brother, you flatter me. But the world is dangerous, and it's not worth risking my life. Now that the silver needles have been removed, I need to find a place to recuperate and recover my inner energy. I wonder if it would be convenient for you, senior brother?"

The man nodded, "It's certainly convenient if Junior Sister asks."

He walked to Shen Chen's side and whispered a few words. Shen Chen nodded, reached out and opened a hidden door, leading the group forward.

Xiao Xiao was inwardly groaning. "Wow, I don't know how long I can keep up this act... If I had known this would happen, I should have learned internal martial arts!"

After walking for a short while, the group arrived at a large room, fully furnished with beds, tables, and chairs, seemingly intended for living quarters. What surprised Xiao Xiao was that there was another person inside. No, to be precise, not a person, but a corpse. Ling You's walking corpse son was indeed also in the underground palace.

The man instructed his attendants to place Yanji on the bed, and then said, "Junior Sister, you can rest and recuperate here. I have some things to prepare, and I'll come to pick you up later." After he finished speaking, he and Xiyuan led their attendants away.

Ling You and Shen Chen followed, and then closed the door.

Xiao Xiao frowned upon seeing this.

Preparing? Besides destroying the evidence, what else would they need to prepare? And… perhaps, murder to silence witnesses too… I wonder if Lian Zhao and the others have left yet. Wait, this is an underground palace; Shen Chen naturally has ways to trap them. Tsk, a miscalculation!

Xiao Xiao walked to the door and pushed it. As expected, the door was tightly closed. She turned her head helplessly, and then felt even more helpless. There were only three living people inside: herself, Zhao Yan, and Shen Yuan... This combination was clearly the man's way of testing her.

As she was thinking this, she heard Shen Yuan speak, asking her, "What exactly is going on? Who are you?"

Xiao Xiao glanced at Shen Yuan, then at Zhao Yan, and after thinking for a moment, said, "Didn't they make it very clear just now? I am the disciple of the 'Ghost Master,' which is a disciple of the Shenxiao Sect. They are my fellow disciples."

"So, you really were in cahoots with them. You weren't a maid, nor were you kidnapped, were you?" Shen Yuan's expression was somber.

“Miss Shen, are you questioning me?” Xiao Xiao smiled and said, “Yes, I am a liar, but I have never killed anyone. Compared to your father, I am much more honest.”

Shen Yuan's expression changed instantly.

Xiao Xiao walked to the couch on the side, sat down cross-legged, closed her eyes, pretended to be meditating, and said nothing more.

Shen Yuan was silent for a moment before speaking, "Where's Brother Li? Could it be that he's also...?"

Xiao Xiao felt a chill in her heart. What should she do? Should she drag Lian Zhao into this mess as well? She hesitated, about to speak, when she heard Zhao Yan laugh.

"Hehehe, Miss Shen, you're quite amusing." Zhao Yan walked up to Shen Yuan. "'Brother Li'? Are you perhaps referring to Lian Zhao, the young master of the Lian family, the legendary archer?"

Shen Yuan was startled, "Lian Zhao?"

Zhao Yan pursed her lips and smiled, "That's really funny. So, everyone around you has been lying to you. Have you ever heard a single truth from the bottom of your heart since you were a child?"

Shen Yuan looked at her, her gaze hardening, and said, "Miss Zhao, it is true that Shen Yuan is naive and has been deceived. But the fault lies with the one who intentionally deceived me. Shen Yuan treated people with sincerity and has nothing to be ashamed of. On the contrary, you have been spouting nonsense and distorting the truth. Don't you feel any remorse?"

"Feeling ashamed?" Zhao Yan repeated softly, "Miss Shen, have you forgotten that I was spouting nonsense, turning black into white, and protecting your father?"

Shen Yuan glanced at Yan Ji on the bed and said, "If my father hadn't done these things to bring your mother back to life, would you still be protecting him?"

Zhao Yan shook her head and said, "'If' what do you mean? Why make these assumptions, Miss Shen? Right now, your father is so concerned about my mother's life and death that he's willing to defy the world to bring her back to life. Could it be that you're jealous?"

Shen Yuan said, "Why be jealous? Even if your mother were to be resurrected, she would still be nothing more than a concubine."

Zhao Yan's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a chilling coldness. "Shut up! Shen Yuan, do you think you're so great just because you're the eldest daughter of the Shen family? Let me tell you, if my mother hadn't been switched by that scoundrel blacksmith, with her beauty and intelligence, she would have been the legal wife long ago!" Her tone was filled with deep resentment and hatred. "Shen Yuan, everything you have today belongs to me! When my mother is resurrected, I will take it all back!"

Shen Yuan's eyes held a hint of disdain. "If you covet the title 'Miss Shen,' I'll give it to you. But remember, the mills of God grind slowly but surely; retribution will come one day!"

"Retribution?" Zhao Yan chuckled. "I was kidnapped to this Jiyu Manor and almost used as a living Gu worm. I'm the victim, so how could I receive retribution?"

Xiao Xiao was initially ashamed of listening to the family disputes, but Zhao Yan's words made her open her eyes and take it seriously.

"I thought you had been colluding with them all along, but it turns out you're like me, a latecomer to this world," Xiao Xiao said with a leisurely smile.

Zhao Yan turned around and looked at her. "It's thanks to my kidnapping that I was able to see my mother. Isn't it the same for Miss Zuo? Now that things have come to this, the benefits outweigh the harms, right?"

Xiao Xiao smiled and said, "It's alright." After thinking about it carefully, Xiao Xiao realized that there were indeed more benefits than drawbacks. Even the silver needles in her wrist had been removed. However, some things cannot be settled simply by receiving benefits.

"It's a pity, Miss Zuo, the person you rescued with such care probably won't live long," Zhao Yan continued. "Young Master Wei and the others are probably going there to kill them and silence them."

Xiao Xiao sighed, "Life and death are determined by fate, there's nothing we can do about it. How could anyone in this world be foolish enough to be an enemy of the Divine Firmament Sect?"

"A wise man knows when to yield," Zhao Yan said. "But more than that, I'd like to praise Miss Zuo for being so adept at navigating social situations."

Zhao Yan's tone was calm, but Xiao Xiao detected hostility in it. Xiao Xiao smiled and said, "Playing both sides? Heh, how do you know this wasn't all arranged by me?... You must have your suspicions, right? Why did I know it was Jiyu Manor that kidnapped you, and why did I inform Mo Yun? How did I get the map of the underground palace today and find you? And why did I let Lian Zhao and his group go, leaving you alone... Let me tell you something else, I'm the one who put that feather on the Jiyu Manor plaque, on the very night I saw you being kidnapped..."

After Xiaoxiao said this, both Zhao Yan and Shen Yuan's expressions changed.

She chuckled inwardly. Why did everyone believe her every time she made up stories? And why did no one doubt her when she exaggerated her abilities to such an absurd degree? What kind of world was this? Couldn't she just be a good-for-nothing who was good for neither academics nor martial arts?

"So it was you..." Zhao Yan said in surprise.

Xiao Xiao smiled with her eyes narrowed. "Yes, it's me. Otherwise, why would you have so hastily arranged to sever ties, and why would you have revealed a flaw that gave me an opportunity to take advantage?" She got off the couch and said, "I'm too lazy to lie to you. Actually, I don't need to regulate my breathing at all. My internal energy has never been sealed."

Zhao Yan took a few steps back, "You..."

"As you said, Silver Owl is nothing but a pawn in my game. It's not that he commands me, but that I command him. Heh..." Little Xiao chuckled wickedly. "Now that you know everything, I naturally can't let you live." She raised her hand. "No one here can save you. Accept your fate!"

Xiao Xiao was about to threaten Zhao Yan to make her reveal everything she knew when Shen Yuan rushed over and blocked her way.

"Stop!" Shen Yuan said.

Xiao Xiao was somewhat puzzled, but still maintained her cunning demeanor, "Miss Shen, there's no need to rush to your death. I'll take it one step at a time!"

Shen Yuan showed no fear, her eyes unwavering. "What right do you have to kill someone?! Even if it's a crime, the authorities will punish you!!!"

Xiao Xiao laughed, "The government? Miss, are you trying to talk to me about the law?"

“Yes!” Shen Yuan said, “If you do this, how are you any different from… from my father?!”

Xiao Xiao withdrew her hand and said, "Does Miss mean that even if your father commits a crime, you would still put the greater good before your own family?"

Shen Yuan was silent for a moment, then looked up and said, "Yes."

In that instant, Xiao Xiao thought of Lian Zhao. They were so alike… completely untainted, pristine. Equally upright, equally kind, equally radiant… and both could speak of “officialdom.” So, when he learned her identity, he must have reacted instantly. Even if she were his wife, he would still uphold justice and turn against family…

Xiao Xiao smiled helplessly. She was a liar; her forte was lying. And this Miss Shen said: the fault lies with those who intentionally deceive. Was she really wrong...?

"...Even if he is my father, I can't let him continue down this wrong path. However, our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents. Shen Yuan will not live a life of dishonor..." Shen Yuan finished speaking calmly.

She glanced up slightly, a sense of admiration welling up within her. She had initially thought Shen Yuan was a delicate young lady from a wealthy family, but now it seemed her name truly reflected her personality. Shen Yuan's name wasn't the "Yuan" of "Mandarin Ducks," but rather the "Yuan" of "Soaring Eagle to the Heavens," meaning an eagle soaring through the nine heavens…

“Miss Shen has an extraordinary demeanor, which is admirable. Very well, I will give Miss Shen face.” Xiao Xiao leisurely twirled a strand of her hair. “As long as Miss Zhao is willing to tell me everything she knows, I will spare her life.”

Zhao Yan's face turned ashen. "What do you want to know?"

Xiao Xiao thought for a moment, "For example, what's the name of that man who claimed to be my senior brother?"

Zhao Yan replied, "He is the eldest son of Hero's Fortress, Wei Yingyang..."

Xiao Xiao was stunned. Hero's Fortress?! She had thought so too when Ling You called him Young Master Wei, but it really was?! ... Come to think of it, this made sense. Xi Yuan had colluded with Hall Master Fang to obtain the Nine Emperor Artifacts within Hero's Fortress—"Si Chen." How could anyone know about the Nine Emperor Artifacts within Hero's Fortress without a traitor? And given Hall Master Fang's status, how could he know the exact location of the forbidden "Crystal Chamber"? In other words, the biggest traitor within Hero's Fortress wasn't Hall Master Fang, but the eldest son of the Wei family, Wei Qi, Wei Yingyang?

Xiao Xiao tried hard not to appear surprised, and said with a smile, "I never thought that the mighty Hero's Fortress would submit to the Divine Firmament Sect. How laughable. Alright, let me ask you again, what is their purpose?"

Zhao Yan remained silent.

Xiao Xiao said, "The Divine Firmament Sect wouldn't make such a big fuss just to resurrect a few insignificant outsiders. There must be more to it than meets the eye. I suspect it's related to the Nine Emperors' Divine Artifacts, right?"

Zhao Yan thought for a moment and replied, "I don't know what their purpose is. I only heard Master Shen say that he was ordered to make a 'magnetic guide' according to the blueprints in order to control the 'Three Corpse Divine Needles'..."

Xiao Xiao lowered her eyes, deep in thought. "Magnetic guide," "Three Corpse Divine Needles"... Could these two things be related to the Nine Emperors' Divine Weapons? In just a moment, she had a clue. The Nine Emperors' Divine Weapons had two characteristics: first, they were all crafted by the Qi family; second, none of them were recorded in the Qi family's weapon manual.

She only knew about the "Three Corpse Divine Needles" from a picture book when she was a child. Clearly, the "Three Corpse Divine Needles" couldn't be one of the Nine Emperors' Divine Artifacts, and the "Magnetic Guide" was even less so. However, she had personally witnessed the power of the "Magnetic Guide" combined with the "Three Corpse Divine Needles." Could it be that the "Magnetic Guide" and the "Three Corpse Divine Needles" together constitute one of the Nine Emperors' Divine Artifacts?

Thinking about this, Xiao Xiao felt nothing but want to cry.

"Seriously? She can't just wander around and stumble upon the Nine Emperors' Divine Artifact? Why is her luck so bad? She doesn't ask for much, just enough to eat and wear, and occasionally do something mischievous. Why does she always get dragged into such big things?! Heavens!!!"

...

Three fists and four hands

Inside the underground palace, it was dark and cold, and even those with excellent eyesight could hardly discern the path. The group moved quickly through the intricate underground passages.

These people were naturally Xi Yuan, Ling You, Shen Chen, and Wei Qi, the eldest son of Hero's Fortress.

The four of them stopped in front of a stone wall. Shen Chen stepped forward and activated the mechanism in the wall. After the three of them went inside, he stood by the wall and looked back at the path they had come from.

"What's wrong, Master Shen?" Wei Qi asked.

Shen Chen frowned and said, "Young Master Wei, I still feel that letting those three share a room is too risky. What if something happens to Yan Ji..."

"Your Highness can rest assured..." Wei Qi said with a smile, "Miss Zhao will naturally keep Yan Ji's safety in mind. Your daughter doesn't know martial arts and would never be able to harm Yan Ji."

"What I'm worried about is that Miss Zuo," Shen Chen said, expressing his concern.

Ling You, upon hearing this, also spoke up, "That's right, that girl is very cunning. Even if she's one of our own, we can't be too careful."

"Hehe," Wei Qi said with a relaxed expression, "So, I'm quite curious to see whether she's closer to Miss Zhao Yan or Miss Shen. Of course, no matter which side she chooses, she can't leave that stone chamber now, can she?"

Shen Chen and Ling You looked at each other, puzzled.

Wei Qi sighed and said, "I just met this quirky junior sister, and I really want to know what she would do in that situation. However, if she is as cunning as you two say, I think she will obediently meditate and wait for us to return, and will not do anything."

"If it is as Young Master Wei guessed, then that would be even better." Shen Chen nodded after hearing this.

"Rest assured, both of you. Since I have promised to help you achieve your wishes, I will naturally keep my promise," Wei Qi said. "The most urgent task is to clean up those who have slipped through the net, so that the news will not leak and all our efforts will be in vain."

Without saying anything more, the group continued on their way. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they arrived at a spacious hall.

Shen Chen looked around and frowned, saying, "Impossible. I've already cut off the side roads. Those people should be here."

"Could it be that they stayed where they were and didn't move?" Xi Yuan asked.

“Even if they weren’t in a hurry to escape, they should have been doing their best to find us; they couldn’t have just stayed put,” Wei Qi replied.

At this moment, Ling You's expression suddenly changed, and he exclaimed in surprise, "An antidote incense?!"

The three were also surprised. There should be no one else in this underground palace, so where did the incense for exorcising poison come from?

"Master Lingyou's nose is really useful!" A delicate, ethereal voice came from the side corridor, where dim lighting illuminated the scene. A young girl dressed in Tang Dynasty palace attire slowly strolled out.

“It really is you, Pizi,” Lingyou said.

Indeed, the newcomer was none other than the lantern-bearing girl, Bizi, who had appeared in the peach grove earlier. And walking behind her was naturally the hideous-looking Onijiu, and the extraordinary and refined patriarch of the Shennong family, Shimi.

Shen Chen's face turned extremely ugly. "You...how did you get in?!"

Gui Jiu chuckled and said, "Since the male and female Gu attract each other, with the sect leader's skills, surely you can track down the whereabouts of your male Gu?"

"Hehe, actually, this underground area is quite winding and complicated, it's easy to get lost. Fortunately..." Bizi laughed, "Master Lingyou's Gu worms are really like living signposts!"