Апрель

Глава 62

She lowered her head slightly, remaining silent. Her self-reproach was too heavy a burden. Originally, she had assumed Shen Yuan would tell Lian Zhao everything. But she had forgotten how similar Shen Yuan and Lian Zhao's personalities were. The entire manor knew of their engagement, and Shen Yuan naturally knew as well. How could such a well-educated and reasonable young lady speak ill of his betrothed to Lian Zhao?

"Xiaoxiao, what's wrong?" Lian Zhao asked.

She raised her eyes slightly, shook her head, and said, "I'm perfectly fine." She laughed and added, "I was well protected; I don't have a single scratch!"

Upon hearing this, Lian Zhao's cheeks flushed slightly, and he said, "The situation in the underground palace earlier was critical; Lian Zhao had absolutely no intention of being presumptuous or offensive..."

Xiao Xiao laughed, "I know, Young Master Lian, you are upright and honest, and you abide by the law. You are truly a model of virtue in this world!"

Lian Zhao was taken aback for a moment, then laughed. "Even with such flattery from you, I don't feel happy."

Xiao Xiao blinked and said, "Really? But you seem to be smiling very happily, young master."

Lian Zhao's smile faded. "Did I?"

Xiao Xiao shook her head. "Sigh, how could I dare to disobey Young Master Lian's wishes? If Young Master says no, then there's no!"

Lian Zhao frowned. "Why are you suddenly calling me Young Master?"

Xiao Xiao, seemingly innocent, said, "You were born to be the young master."

"You..." Lian Zhao couldn't refute her, and could only look at her with dissatisfaction.

Xiao Xiao smiled slyly, "What's wrong, young master?"

Lian Zhao raised an eyebrow, crossed his arms, leaned down slightly, and said with a smile, "Young Madam, have you had enough fun?"

Upon seeing this, Xiaoxiao immediately lowered her head and apologized, "I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong, okay?"

"Alright," Lian Zhao said with a smile, "...Who told you to be the young mistress?"

She froze for a moment, then looked up at him. Oh no... he really is angry?

With a smile, she said earnestly, "Lian Zhao... I know I was wrong..."

Lian Zhao straightened up, smiled at her, and replied easily, "Didn't I just forgive you?"

"When did you say you forgave me..." Xiao Xiao said with a bitter face.

After hearing this, Lian Zhao stopped smiling and adopted a calm tone, saying, "I forgive you."

Xiao Xiao looked at him and asked, "What about me committing murder, arson, robbery, kidnapping, theft, and burglary...?"

Lian Zhao paused for a moment, then replied, "I forgive you..."

She chuckled softly, "Hmm..."

At that moment, she didn't even know what she was doing. But after that moment, she set herself a new deadline… to keep lying until the end of the month…

...

March is coming to an end [China]

Lian Zhao paused for a moment, then replied, "I forgive you..."

She chuckled softly, "Hmm..."

...

Seeing this scene from afar, Shen Yuan lowered her head, turned around, and walked away.

She walked slowly, as if each step was utterly exhausting. Only when she reached the door did she let out a slight sigh of relief. She pushed it open, went inside, and sat directly on the edge of the bed. She sat there quietly, tears streaming down her face.

At that moment, a slight noise startled her. She stood up and looked towards the source of the sound. Then, her fear deepened. She had almost forgotten that there was an entrance to the underground palace in her room. At that moment, the walls rippled slightly, as if someone was there.

Shen Yuan suppressed her fear. She reached for a hairpin on the dressing table, slowly walked to the hidden door, took a deep breath, and then opened it. In an instant, before she could even see clearly, her wrist, which was holding the hairpin, was firmly gripped. Then, the pressure on her throat caused her mind to go blank for a moment. Her eyes widened, and she stammered, "...Yin...Yin Xiao?"

Yin Xiao recognized her, released her hand, and sat down weakly. "So it was you... If I had known, I wouldn't have forced myself to muster my strength..." he complained with a smile.

Shen Yuan was about to shout, but then she thought better of it and held back. She asked warily, "What are you doing here?"

Silver Owl reached out and tapped the wall behind him. "This is the only exit I recognize..."

Shen Yuan put down the hairpin. "You can leave now."

Silver Owl leaned against the wall and chuckled, "If I could leave, I wouldn't have stayed here so long..."

Shen Yuan glanced at him briefly. His face was as pale as paper, and his breathing was shallow and rapid, indicating that his injuries were quite severe. Apart from his internal injuries, his left arm had been pierced by acupuncture needles, and blood was seeping slightly from his fingertips.

“…” Shen Yuan pondered for a moment and said, “Let’s go after we’ve rested.”

Yin Xiao nodded, then said, "Miss Shen, now that we've met, would you mind doing me a small favor?"

Shen Yuan lowered her eyes. "Go on."

Yin Xiao took out a feather from his pocket and said, "Ten miles east of the city, in Qufang. Just give the feather to the owner there."

Shen Yuan didn't reach out to take it. She sighed and said, "I'm afraid I can't help you... I'll be heading to Hero's Fortress to identify the real culprit shortly..." Her tone was calm. "However, I can pass on a message to that Miss Zuo for you..."

Before she could finish speaking, Yin Xiao interrupted, "You're going to Hero's Fortress to testify against the real culprit?"

Shen Yuan nodded, "Wei Qi is distorting the truth and shifting all the blame onto Ling You and you..."

Yin Xiao struggled to his feet and said, "Young Miss, don't be so naive. If I were you, just pretend you know nothing..."

Shen Yuan frowned, seemingly dissatisfied, and was about to retort when Yin Xiao continued, "Putting aside the fact that the real culprit is your father, even if you really have the ability to put justice before family, do you think Wei Qi will let you get to Hero's Fortress smoothly?"

Shen Yuan said angrily, "Why do you say that? Are you suggesting we do nothing and let the real culprit go unpunished?... Don't you want to clear your name?"

Silver Owl raised an eyebrow, "I don't really care..."

“You…” Shen Yuan was speechless.

Yin Xiao chuckled and said, "I am a notorious bandit who robs and plunders, and the righteous path of the martial world has never tolerated me. Even without today's incident, they would have wanted to kill me as soon as possible. ... What do justice and righteousness have to do with me? Once I recover from my injuries, I will kill Wei Qi and vent my anger."

Shen Yuan couldn't refute it. She frowned and turned to leave.

Suddenly, someone burst through the door and attacked Shen Yuan. Shen Yuan was terrified and hastily dodged. She saw three burly men, all dressed in black, clearly Wei Qi's subordinates. However, their eyes were numb and lifeless.

"Walking corpses?!" Yin Xiao frowned, took out several "Snow-Refined Silver Light" needles, and fired them. He was injured, so his needlework was naturally much weaker than before, barely hitting one person. The remaining two, completely disregarding their companion's injury, continued their numb attack on Yin Xiao.

Yin Xiao gathered his strength, gritted his teeth, and drew the soft sword from his waist.

The room was instantly thrown into chaos, and Shen Yuan stood in the corner, feeling completely helpless.

The two zombies weren't particularly skilled in martial arts, but Silver Owl, despite his injuries, was still locked in a fierce battle. Zombies are insensitive and incapable of feeling pain, making them impossible to kill using ordinary methods. Suddenly, one zombie threw a punch, aiming for Silver Owl's left shoulder. Simultaneously, the other struck with a palm towards Silver Owl's chest.

The perilous situation caused Shen Yuan to involuntarily close her eyes.

Such a pincer attack from both sides was impossible to dodge. Yin Xiao's eyes sharpened, and he instantly spun around, changing his position. He raised his sword with his right hand, thrusting it straight at the throat of the puncher. His left hand followed suit, raising a palm to meet the puncher's attack.

Everything fell silent in an instant. Shen Yuan slowly opened her eyes and saw the sharp blade pierce through the zombie's mouth, exiting from the back of its head, silently dripping blood. The man who had taken the blow staggered back several steps, his face filled with terror.

Silver Owl's left hand was already injured, so he couldn't possibly win with palm force. However, as the walking corpse fell to the ground, several small insects crawled out of its mouth and nose. There were faint bloodstains on the walking corpse's palm; the "Snow-Refined Silver Light" had entered its bloodline.

Yin Xiao knelt down, breathing heavily. The pain in his left arm spread to his shoulder, and his fingers were almost numb.

Seeing this, Shen Yuan ran over in a few steps. She had just squatted down, but before she could speak, Yin Xiao turned his head and said, "I told you long ago, he wouldn't let you leave alive..."

At this point, Shen Yuan had no choice but to believe it. Just then, the fighting intensified. Shen Yuan got up and rushed outside. The men in black who had died in the tunnel were now zombies, numbly fighting amongst themselves inside the manor.

"They don't even spare the corpses of their own people... The eldest son of the Wei family really makes the most of everything..." Yin Xiao said disdainfully after observing the situation.

Shen Yuan felt a sudden chill, a cold that seeped into her bones and she couldn't shake it off. Even their own people weren't spared… At that moment, Shen Yuan suddenly thought of something and ran out.

...

Xiao Xiao and Lian Zhao were walking slowly along the corridor when they suddenly heard a commotion inside the manor.

Lian Zhao turned around and saw several zombies rushing towards him. He was slightly startled, pulled Xiao Xiao up, and dodged them. Then, he drew his sword and fought back.

Xiao Xiao was terrified. Where did these zombies come from in broad daylight? And weren't they all dead in the tunnel just now? How could this be…? Besides Ling You, who else could control zombies? And what are the benefits of controlling such things?

The situation was critical, leaving no time for hesitation. She drew her sword and joined the battle.

Xiao Xiao was plotting how to strike the walking corpse's weak point when suddenly, the walking corpse in front of her collapsed, the Gu worms scattered, and it convulsed and died.

I looked up slightly and saw Morinda officinalis.

Ba Jitian frowned slightly and asked, "Are you two alright?"

Lian Zhao sheathed his sword, clasped his hands in thanks, and said, "Thank you for helping me out of this predicament, senior."

Ba Jitian shook his head. "The walking corpses are creations of my Shennong family, so naturally, my Shennong family should clean up their mess." He turned around, looked at the chaotic battle, and took a step forward.

Lian Zhao and Xiao Xiao exchanged a glance and followed.

Ba Ji Tian walked with unwavering composure, killing every walking corpse she encountered with a single palm strike. The fact that those seemingly unharmed walking corpses were so easily eliminated truly surprised Xiao Xiao.

Legend has it that the Shennong family was divided into four schools: "Needling and Stone Therapy," "Herbal Medicine," "Poisoning," and "Qi Circulation." Aside from the now-banned "Poisoning," the "Qi Circulation" school had the fewest practitioners. However, those who mastered this school could use their Qi to guide their breath and heal the wounded. Judging by the formidable power of Bajitian's palm techniques, he must be a top-tier master of "Qi Circulation."

Wow, this place is truly full of hidden talents! A small exclamation.

Ba Jitian walked straight to a room and stopped. Just as he was about to open the door, Zhao Yan suddenly rushed out of the room, crying out, "Help me!"

Behind her, a zombie lunged at her. Ba Jitian pulled her behind him, then struck the zombie dead with his palm.

Bajitian stepped on the Gu worms and walked inside.

Then, when they saw the scene inside the room, everyone was stunned. Shen Chen was covered in blood, lying in the room, barely alive.

Zhao Yan sobbed, "Please save the master, he's been killed by a walking corpse..."

Ba Jitian squatted down to examine Shen Chen's injuries.

Shen Chen looked up weakly and pointed at Zhao Yan.

Zhao Yan cried bitterly, saying, "Master, you can't die..."

Ba Ji Tian sealed several of Shen Chen's major acupoints, then stood up and looked at the burning incense on the table. He strode over, picked up the incense burner, poured out the incense, and extinguished it with tea.

In an instant, all the zombies in the manor stopped moving.

“Gu-attracting incense…” Ba Jitian frowned. “Gu-attracting incense is a substance used to manipulate Gu, how could an ordinary person control it? No wonder the walking corpses are fighting back…”

At this moment, the other people in the village arrived one after another, and they were all shocked when they saw what was happening.

"Father!" Shen Yuan squeezed through the crowd and exclaimed. She rushed to Shen Chen's side. "Father, what's wrong?"

Shen Chen's eyes burned with urgency, but he couldn't utter a sound.

Ba Jitian looked at Shen Chen on the ground and said, "Master, could you tell me how you obtained this Gu-attracting incense, and why you lit it?"

Suddenly, Zhao Yan knelt down and cried, "Master Shen... please stop doing these wicked things for my mother... I want my mother to be resurrected, but... I don't want to see anyone die..."