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She clearly didn't mean any harm by saying this, but her attitude towards Madam Ye seemed rather unfriendly, and her tone was full of sarcasm, as if she disdained to mention this person.

The group exchanged glances. Nangong Xue slowly stood up, straightened her clothes, bowed respectfully towards the window, and smiled, "Why doesn't Senior show herself to meet us?"

Before she could finish speaking, Yang Nianqing felt a blur before her eyes, and when she looked again, a white figure was standing in front of her.

She was a beautiful woman in her late thirties or early forties, holding a long, thin bamboo flute in her slender hands. Her beauty was ethereal and graceful; clearly, the passage of time had not diminished her charm in the slightest. Yang Nianqing secretly admired her; for a woman to remain so beautiful in her thirties or forties was truly a testament to her excellent self-care.

Women who like to wear white clothes are either particularly naive or particularly aloof. Sure enough, the middle-aged beauty's face was covered with a light layer of frost, which made her appear even more noble and indifferent.

Nangong Xue smiled and asked, "May I ask how you should address me, senior?"

“My humble name is not worth mentioning,” the middle-aged beauty suddenly interrupted him, “but I do know something about the background of the Madam Ye of Tang Jingfeng that you mentioned.”

Everyone immediately focused their attention.

“She wasn’t originally surnamed Ye,” the beautiful woman thought for a moment, “she should have been surnamed Bai.”

.

Yang Nianqing exclaimed, "Surname Bai?"

Everyone was excited; what a coincidence! After Yun Biyue's death, the cultivation manual most likely fell into the hands of Madam Bai. Although she had no descendants, the possibility that she might have passed the manual on to a collateral branch of the clan could not be ruled out.

“She wasn’t originally named Suiyu,” the beautiful woman glanced at everyone and suddenly asked an unrelated question, “Do you remember Tao Men from back then?”

Yang Nianqing was puzzled. (The eb)

Li You paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Back then, the Tao Clan was one of the seven major sects. Sect Master Tao Huayu was also a promising young hero. He, Tang Jingfeng, and Liu Ru were known as the 'Three Heroes in Arms.' Unfortunately, he was executed for treason, and it has been almost twenty-four years since then."

Nangong Xue remained silent, but He Bi suddenly sneered: "Treason, I'm afraid there's more to it than meets the eye."

“That’s right,” Li You nodded. “This matter caused a sensation in the martial arts world at the time. Many people initially suspected that he was framed. Tang Jingfeng and Liu Ru had vowed to thoroughly investigate the matter. However, many people had witnessed the imperial court digging up a large number of gunpowder weapons from the Tang family’s underground. The facts were undeniable, and there was no way to refute them, so the matter was shelved.”

Nangong Xue murmured, "Perhaps he really is plotting a rebellion."

Li You pondered and said, "Rebellion is not necessarily the case. I'm afraid that the bigger the tree, the more the wind will blow against it. Under the leadership of Master Tao Huayu, the Tao family's reputation has grown day by day, and it is possible that they have attracted the suspicion of the court."

The beautiful woman scoffed coldly, a look of sorrow appearing on her face. After a long while, she shook her head and sighed softly, "A man like Sect Leader Tao would never rebel. Poor two children."

Everyone was saddened, but Yang Nianqing was puzzled: "The child?"

“The Tao family prodigies could memorize anything they read at the age of three,” Li You sighed. “It’s a pity they were not even four years old when they died. If they were still alive, they would surely be promising young men.”

A three-year-old with a photographic memory?!

Yang Nianqing was speechless. (24)

Nangong Xue remained silent for a long time before smiling: "Whether it was treason or not is no longer important. Even if we were wronged, who will compensate for the more than one hundred lives lost by the Tao family?"

The beautiful woman fell silent.

.

He Bi said in a deep voice, "What does this have to do with Madam Ye?"

“It is related to nature,” the beautiful woman glanced at him coldly. “That Madam Ye was living in the Tao family at the time. Later, when the Tao family had a misfortune, she was fortunate that Sect Master Tao Huayu sent her away in advance, thus escaping disaster. After Sect Master Tao died, although she changed her name to Suiyu, she still married Tang Jingfeng.”

After saying that, she gave a soft, cold laugh, her face showing mockery and disdain.

Nangong Xue immediately retorted, "How did you know, Madam?"

The beautiful woman paused, then frowned: "Naturally, I heard it from an old friend."

"Since it's a rumor, there's bound to be some inaccuracies."

“His words are certainly true,” the beautiful woman said coldly. “Back then, he and Tao Huayu were good friends.”

silence.

Li You asked, "If her surname is Bai, how did she end up in the Tao family?"

The beautiful woman shook her head: "I've only heard about these things occasionally, but as for her past, I don't know anything about her."

It turns out that Madam Ye's surname is Bai, and she is related to the Tao family. After Tao Huayu died, she changed her name to Suiyu. Did she have an unclear emotional entanglement with Tao Huayu? Perhaps it was only because Tao Huayu died that she sought another home and married his close friend Tang Jingfeng.

Everyone thought the same thing, but what puzzled them even more was that if she was indeed the inheritor of the Ten Thousand Poison Blood Palm, killing others would be understandable, but killing Tang Jingfeng and Liu Ru was inexplicable. Back then, Tang Jingfeng, Liu Ru, and Tao Huayu were known as the "Three Heroes in Arms," as close as brothers. Since her relationship with Tao Huayu was extraordinary, why would she harm his brothers, especially since one of them was her husband who was deeply in love with her?

.

The room was very quiet, the lamp on the table seemed to be getting dimmer, and the sound of the rain outside the window seemed to be getting louder, with raindrops dripping incessantly from the eaves.

Nangong Xue broke the silence: "Madam Ye is gentle and virtuous, a fact known to everyone in the martial arts world. It's really hard to believe."

The beautiful woman gave a slight sneer.

Li You nodded in agreement: "To be honest, I don't believe it either."

He Bi said coldly, "The murderer doesn't necessarily have his face written all over his face so you can believe him."

Yang Nianqing was about to speak—

Suddenly, a white shadow flashed by like lightning, and in the blink of an eye, Li You on the chair had disappeared!

.

He Bi and Nangong Xue exchanged a glance, then opened the door and went out.

Seeing that the experts had all left, Yang Nianqing realized what was happening and immediately followed closely behind the beautiful woman in white, looking around cautiously as she moved towards the door. Seeing her like this, the beautiful woman in white paused, then smiled. Perhaps because she didn't usually smile, this faint smile seemed particularly kind, revealing a touch of elder's loving kindness.

Li You stood under the eaves.

He Bi frowned: "Gone?"

Li You smiled bitterly.

The wind and rain rustled through the trees, mingling with the whispering of the pines; no other sound could be heard! Yang Nianqing looked around, feeling extremely guilty—who was he? Why was he eavesdropping outside? Could it be that mysterious murderer again? Where was he hiding now?

He Bi said in a deep voice, "Who are you? Why don't you come out and meet me?"

There was no sound.

Anyone who has ever traveled the martial arts world knows that it is extremely easy to follow someone or escape on a rainy night, but it is the most difficult to catch someone, especially since that person's martial arts skills are obviously not weak, and he is probably already far away by now.

Volume Two: Forgetting Each Other in the Jianghu, A Startling Dream

Updated on Shuxiang Chinese Website: 2008-02-26 10:50:37 Word Count: 5340

Everyone went back inside and sat down, but they were all in a bad mood.

Yang Nianqing said, "Madam Ye's surname is Bai, but it's a pity we don't know her background."

Nangong Xue thought for a moment, then cupped her hands to the beautiful woman: "I wonder who you heard this from, senior? Could you take us to meet that friend? We have some things we would like to ask him in person."

The beautiful woman slowly walked to the window, gazed out in silence for a long time, then shook her head: "It has been many years since I last saw him..."

Everyone was puzzled. (58)

“I’ve guessed a bit, but I don’t know if I’m right,” Li You suddenly looked at her and smiled. “The ‘Cold Sword and Cold Flute’ were once famous throughout the martial arts world. Are you the cold and aloof Lady Leng Qing?”

The beautiful woman was indeed taken aback for a moment, then said calmly, "A sword is a sword, and a flute is a flute. They are different in nature, and putting them together would be boring. Nowadays, there is no such thing as 'cold sword and cold flute,' only cold flute and cold sword."

Her name was Leng Qing.

Li You smiled and asked, "Is the friend you mentioned, Madam, the chivalrous Chu?"

Madam Leng remained silent. (13)

Seeing her hesitation, Nangong Xue said, "It is said that the great hero Chu has retired from the martial world for many years, and his whereabouts are hard to find. If you have something to do, Madam, you might as well tell us where you live, and we will go and pay you a visit..."

“No need,” Madam Leng suddenly interrupted him, turning around. “I’ll take you there.”

.

The moonlight, vast and flowing like water, made the rooftops and ground appear as if covered in frost and silver, radiating a desolate whiteness. Lanterns swayed in the wind on the veranda, but remained unlit.

Although Yang Nianqing didn't quite understand, she still had a strong feeling that this must be the Mid-Autumn Festival.

This place looks so familiar...

Broken Heart Manor?

How could Broken Heart Manor have become like this? It wasn't like this during the day! Where are Li You and the others? Where is Nangong Xue? Where is Madam Leng? And that old man guarding the gate... It's unbelievable!

Had she wandered off and gotten lost? How could she get back to her room? Yang Nianqing looked around blankly, and unconsciously walked straight ahead along the corridor.

.

Bathed in moonlight, several osmanthus trees stood quietly in the courtyard, their shadows reflected in the water like a painting, and a fragrance seemed to waft through the air.

So there was such a courtyard in the Broken Heart Manor!

What a beautiful view! Yang Nianqing secretly admired it. In an instant, even the wariness she should have had disappeared. She just looked around and walked forward while looking at the scenery.

There were still people under the osmanthus tree.

A middle-aged man in his thirties, dressed in a blue robe, with a detached expression and handsome features, stood tall and elegant in the courtyard, holding a book, as if he were reciting poetry to the moon.

The moonlight was like a ribbon.

The full moon, the osmanthus tree, the scrolls, and the man together create a stunningly beautiful scene.

Everything was perfectly peaceful.

Yang Nianqing was almost stunned.

Someone walked slowly past me.

.

He was an elderly man in his fifties with kind eyes and brows.

Strange! She was clearly right in front of him, yet he seemed not to see her at all, walking past without even glancing at her. Yang Nianqing was secretly astonished; the more she looked at him, the more familiar he seemed.

Who is this?

Before she could even think of it, the old woman had already walked up to the middle-aged man, her expression full of affection for a younger person: "Wuyi, it's getting late, you should go to sleep early."