At first glance, he seemed much thinner than when they parted. Zhuang Su didn't need to ask to guess that he must be living a life of extravagance and debauchery, and unconsciously looked away. At this moment, Qing Chen's eyes lifted slightly, her gaze fleetingly falling on Zhuang Su before looking at Chen Jian, her eyebrows slightly raised: "Your Majesty, you've arrived."
Although he addressed the Emperor, there was not a trace of respect in his words. Shen Jian noticed this as well, but was not angry. He simply said, "I wonder if the Alliance Leader has any plans for the future?"
"Well..." Qingchen smiled faintly, took a sip of wine, and glanced at Zhuang Su out of the corner of her eye, her smile suggestive but she remained silent.
Zhuang Su was taken aback for a moment, but then she understood what he meant. She felt a little strange, but said, "Chen Jian, since you and the Alliance Leader have important matters to discuss, I will take my leave." She turned and left, leaving behind the gazes that watched her go, but Zhuang Su no longer cared about them.
Qingchen took another sip of wine, his brow furrowing slightly. The wine, which had been so fragrant just moments before, now seemed to have a strange bitterness. In Zhuang Su's words, one addressed him directly as "Chen Jian," while the other used the distant "Alliance Leader." It was truly unsettling. His casual expression gradually faded, his smile returning, and he asked in a gentle tone, "When do you plan to welcome Su Su into the harem?"
Although he had mentioned it before, Shen Jian frowned involuntarily upon hearing Qingchen bring it up so casually: "Why the rush?"
“You should know Su Su’s identity.” Qing Chen’s gaze fell on the sparse shadows of the trees, her expression unreadable. “The underworld probably wouldn’t dare to oppose the imperial court. However, although they might have reservations about the One Leaf Alliance, they will still take action.”
For a moment, the surroundings were completely silent.
"Alright." Shen Jian's voice rang out after a long pause. The instant he spoke, he saw Qing Chen take another flask of wine and gulp it down, the remaining liquid trickling down his throat, contrasting with the slightly translucent white of his skin. Shen Jian was about to say something when suddenly hurried footsteps sounded outside. His brow furrowed as a eunuch rushed in, asking in a panic, "What's going on?"
"Your Majesty... I just heard a commotion coming from Miss Zhuang Su's room, so I went to check, but found..."
"What did you find?" Shen Jian had already sensed that something was wrong and pressed for an answer.
“When we rushed in, we saw…nothing inside,” the eunuch replied.
Shen Jian's heart sank. He glanced back at Qing Chen, whose expression had also darkened. He threw the wine bottle to the ground, and as the wine cup shattered into tiny fragments, Qing Chen turned and walked hurriedly towards the door.
"Take me there to see." With a command from Shen Jian, the eunuch hurriedly pushed him along.
Several palace maids stood at the door of Zhuang Su's room, looking at the empty room with a somewhat helpless expression. Just then, a man brushed past them and walked in. They were momentarily stunned, but when they saw him clearly, their faces turned slightly red, and they even forgot their panic.
Qingchen looked around the room and noticed the mess around the dressing table. After a brief observation, he realized that someone had broken in and kidnapped Zhuang Su. However, these days, only the underworld would do something like this…
He glanced at the slightly ajar window, a hint of coolness in his eyes.
"What's going on?" Shen Jian had also arrived at this moment. Upon seeing the situation inside, he frowned and asked.
"I'm afraid what I feared has already happened..." Qingchen's low voice floated in the air, carrying a unique depth. However, when he turned his head, he slightly raised the corners of his lips and said, "Let me handle this matter." He turned and walked out of the room, leaving without looking at anyone else.
Shen Jian's expression was somewhat somber. He glanced back at the room; the door was slightly ajar, and he faintly caught a whiff of a delicate fragrance. It was very faint, very subtle, brushing lightly against his nose.
This is a common practice among gangsters called "heart-in-heart incense".
Chapter Thirty-One: As If We Were Face to Face (Part 1)
When Zhuang Su woke up, she felt a slight throbbing pain in her head. She gently rubbed her temples, and as she gradually regained her senses, she realized she had been poisoned. She vaguely remembered that after returning to her room, she stared blankly at the mirror, and in a daze, she suddenly saw a figure reflected in the bronze mirror. When she turned around, she suddenly fell unconscious…
"Awake?" A sudden, indifferent, and lifeless question made Zhuang Su realize that there were other people in the room, and she sat up abruptly.
The man wore a dark blue robe, and his expression exuded a sense of intimidation. Because of his exceptionally clear and handsome features, it was difficult to tell his age at first glance. Although Qingchen was also someone whose age was difficult to discern, it was because of her stunning beauty, while this man possessed an aura that subtly made people feel distant, as if he did not exist in this world.
Zhuang Su frowned, wondering why she had suddenly thought of Qing Chen again, and asked, "Where is this?"
"Wolongpo," the man replied indifferently, a lingering sense of estrangement on his lips. "We've tied you up."
When this person used the vulgar word "bind," he still exuded a sense of superiority, as if it weren't a shameful term. Zhuang Suxin paused, gradually realizing the situation. Her father was Shao Yu, the Shao Yu of the underworld. And Wolongpo was the hideout of the Soul Feather Alliance.
Back then, the Soul Feather Sect also relentlessly pursued Shao Yu for thousands of miles. Zhuang Su looked at the man with a deep gaze, seemingly guessing his identity. Within the Soul Feather Sect, there was a man who was said to be "immortal," existing within the sect since its founding, and now serving as the eleventh sect leader, still looking exactly the same as he did back then.
Heng Wen. Although he has never officially taken over the position of sect leader, in the eyes of the underworld, his status is higher than that of the sect leader, and even higher than that of the current ruler.
He's an enigmatic man.
Zhuang Su was surprised to see the person she had heard so much about, but she was even more confused about his thoughts. At this moment, she saw Heng Wen looking at her with a half-smile and asking in a low voice, "Someone in the underworld has put a bounty of fifty million taels of gold on your behalf. Tell me, should I sell or not?"
Zhuang Su frowned: "If I say I won't sell, will you really not sell?"
"Perhaps—yes." A hint of a smile appeared between Hengwen's ethereal eyes.
Zhuang Su felt inexplicably that he seemed to be mocking her, so she simply remained silent. Heng Wen looked at her lightly, his gaze sweeping over her: "Back then, Qingqing was at least an interesting person, someone who could amuse and entertain. How come she gave birth to such a taciturn person like you? Human genetics is indeed a very profound issue..."
"Genetic inheritance?" Zhuang Su was stunned.
"It's something very profound, you wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you." Hengwen swayed his long sleeves slightly, slowly stood up, and muttered as he walked out. "Alright, I'm not going to argue with you anymore. Actually, it doesn't matter whether I sell or not, those people are coming to me on their own. Frustrating."
Zhuang Su noticed that as he slowly walked out, the dust beneath his feet didn't disperse at all, as if he were simply floating in the air, weightless. She opened her mouth, but said nothing, only vaguely knowing that she was perhaps destined to die here. Strangely, she felt no sensation whatsoever at the word "death."
Hengwen stepped out of the room, and the door slammed shut behind him. He glanced at the person standing to the side of the door and couldn't help but ask, "Don't you want to go in and take a look? I remember Qingqing entrusted her to you, didn't she?"
Liu Rushu gave a soft sneer and said, "So what if it is? You know that I only chose to follow Qingyuan back then for the sake of revenge now."
"Oh?" Hengwen raised an eyebrow, reached out and gently stroked the thin wound on her face, teasing, "Is this revenge on Qingqing or on yourself? Look, this pretty face has been hurt like this by that clueless man, Mo Liyuan."
Liu Rushu awkwardly dodged his hand, vaguely feeling the lingering coldness of his fingertips, making him seem somewhat inhuman. Her expression darkened slightly: "Why did you go to Liuyun Manor to rescue me? I don't seem to have any use anymore, do I?"
"Because it wouldn't be fun without you," Hengwen replied with utter naturalness. "It's rare for the world to be in such chaos, how can we do without someone like you causing trouble?"
For a moment, Liu Rushu was at a loss for words. This man had appeared suddenly when she was fleeing with Zhuang Su, rescuing her and the infant Zhuang Su, allowing them to begin a life of anonymity. Heng Wen always seemed to possess an unfathomable mystery, capable of manipulating events at will, yet when it came to matters, his only criterion was whether they were "fun." She had heard he had lived for millions of years, yet the man before her was always breathtakingly handsome. Although Liu Rushu didn't believe it, she couldn't help but wonder if his long existence in this world, filled with loneliness, was why he was so passionate about these intricate schemes and entanglements…
Just then, a flock of birds suddenly took flight outside the courtyard. Hengwen smiled and said, "It seems the slaughter is about to begin." His smile was very faint, as if he were just saying that the weather was nice, but the content of his words was full of the smell of blood.
Upon hearing this, Liu Rushu's face turned cold, but Heng Wen didn't care. He glanced at her and said, "I saved you, so give me a chance to catch my breath, okay? If I weren't here, you would still be imprisoned in the water dungeon by Mo Liyuan, suffering a fate worse than death... Actually, I don't like fighting, but you've made the underworld target the Soul Feather Sect. How can I bear this?" He left a sigh at the end of his words, which sent a chill down Liu Rushu's spine.
Hengwen simply shook his head and walked out of the courtyard with a feeling akin to "floating".
A nameless fear gripped Liu Rushu's heart; she doubted whether everything she had painstakingly planned would truly proceed as scheduled. The contents of her private messages, and the recipients of those messages, could not possibly be known to anyone… Yet, Heng Wen spoke with effortless nonchalance, leaving no room for error.
This reminded her of a rumor. Someone had said that Hengwen might be... a god.
But regardless of whether he was or wasn't, although Liu Rushu didn't believe that one person alone could reverse the situation, she had a strange feeling that if Hengwen really intervened, things might not turn out well. She couldn't help but bite her lip slightly, feeling a slight pain at the corner of her lips.
However, Hengwen seemed to have suddenly disappeared and never appeared again.
A few days later, a man arrived at the gate of Wolong Manor. After presenting his invitation to the gatekeeper, he was welcomed into the courtyard.
Zhuang Su's residence had been undisturbed until that person's arrival. This was the second time someone had come to see her, but this time it was not Heng Wen, but Huang Tian, the eleventh sect master of the Soul Feather Sect.
"Come with me, the sect leader requests your presence," the maid said respectfully.
Zhuang Su was puzzled as to who could have alarmed the Soul Feather Sect Master. Surprised, she followed him. Once inside the hall, her face paled slightly. "Qing Chen?" she asked instinctively, quickly walking up to him. Her lips trembled slightly. "What are you doing here?"
Was he here because he was worried about her, or for something else? Zhuang Su noticed that Qing Chen hadn't brought any help, and her heart sank. How dare someone of his status as the head of the righteous path come to the underworld alone? Was this person… insane?
When Qingchen saw Zhuang Su, she merely glanced at her indifferently. Upon hearing this, she smiled instead, seemingly oblivious to the reproach in Zhuang Su's eyes: "I naturally have my own business to attend to. I just came whenever I felt like it."
Zhuang Su didn't know what to say for a moment.
Huang Tian coldly snorted: "Ye Chen, what exactly is the purpose of your visit?"
"What is my purpose, or yours?" Qingchen raised an eyebrow and said in a leisurely voice, "Now that the matter of ten years ago has been settled, does your family intend to bring up the past again with your current actions?"
“Shao Yu is a disgrace to the sect. Since he has left behind an illegitimate child, we naturally need to deal with him.”
"Oh?" Qingchen's smile deepened, and she pressed on with interest, "I wonder who it was that promised that the matter would end there?"
Zhuang Su knew from his tone that he was angry, yet she was filled with inexplicable emotions. Amidst this complex feeling, she suddenly heard several sharp sounds around her; the people behind Huang Tian had all drawn their knives. Huang Tian sneered, "You still have the nerve to talk? What were the One Leaf Alliance's explanations back then? And what about this bastard child?"
"Bastard?" Qingchen seemed oblivious to the flashing blades, pondering the word for a moment before something suddenly flew out of his hand amidst his laughter.
Huang Tian raised his sword to block, and immediately a "clang" sounded.
The leaf that Qingchen flicked out was just a green leaf. Huang Tian felt a slight numbness in the mouth of his hand, and his face immediately darkened: "Ye—Chen—! Are you planning to make the Soul Feather Sect an enemy of the Ye Alliance?"
"What do you think?" Qingchen's lips curled up slightly, completely unconcerned by his words.
A series of hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall, and a group of people had surrounded the area. Inside, a tense silence hung in the air, an atmosphere ready to erupt at any moment. Zhuang Su's lips were dry, making her voice hoarse, but it was still clear to those around her: "Alliance Leader, you should leave. We have nothing to do with each other anymore. You don't need to take care of me in place of my mother, and I don't want to see you again."
Qingchen turned to look at her, and saw that her plain face was calm, and when she smiled, it was impossible to tell her emotions. The look in Qingchen's eyes darkened slightly, but her voice was already calm: "The Emperor is worried about you. I need to explain to him."
“Then let Shen Jian come and save me himself.” Zhuang Su’s words were utterly ruthless and strange. “I’d rather die than be saved by you. Do you think this will please Shen Jian? You disgust me.”
“You…” Qingchen’s brows furrowed.
"Get out. I told you, I will never let myself be your tool again." Zhuang Su suddenly turned away from him and heavily flicked her sleeve, leaving only her back view, but not letting him see her heavy closed eyes.
For a long, long time, there was no sound. The surrounding silence seemed to carry only a sense of oppression, when she heard a detached voice behind her: "Since that's how it is, I understand."
The footsteps faded into the distance, and the tense situation instantly dissipated. The crowd, who had been on the verge of conflict, made way for Qingchen, allowing the white-clad figure to slowly depart. His back view appeared somewhat desolate, though his robes still fluttered gracefully.
"Someone, take this bastard back to his room and keep him under control," Huang Tian ordered angrily.
Zhuang Su obediently allowed herself to be led back into the house. The moment the door closed behind her, she stumbled and hurriedly grabbed the table to avoid falling. Her face felt slightly cold, and she felt powerless.
"Since you're feeling so bad now, how could you be so heartless just now?"
Zhuang Su was surprised to find someone inside. The sudden voice made her look up in a panic. She saw someone standing by the window with their hands clasped behind their back. The person turned to look at her and shook their head slightly, saying, "But what you did was right. Don't worry, he understands your good intentions, otherwise he wouldn't have left like that."
Zhuang Su lowered her eyes, not responding to Heng Wen's words. Heng Wen, who had been missing for several days, suddenly appeared in her room, but Zhuang Su had no interest in him at all.
Hengwen stared at her for a long time before saying, "In a few days, the underworld will gather at Wolongpo to discuss your final fate. Qingchen knew this, which is why he came here beforehand. He's not stupid; he wouldn't have come alone if it weren't for the difficulty in gathering manpower in such a short time."
Zhuang Su's tears paused slightly, and she abruptly looked up: "You mean..."
Hengwen shrugged and said, "If my prediction is correct, it's going to be quite lively." His expression was ambiguous, even somewhat gloating.
"However, what happens after that is something you can't change no matter what you do, so just relax and wait quietly."
Hengwen left a sentence, jumped out of the window, and disappeared again.
Zhuang Su sat down at the table, propping herself up, her mind in turmoil. Would Qing Chen come in a few days? The entire underworld would be gathered here then. If he came, could he really escape unscathed? Legend had it that he personally killed Qing Yuan for the safety of both sides. Would someone like Qing Chen really risk the world's wrath for her, a mere appendage?
On one hand, I hope he will appear, but on the other hand, I am so afraid...
If he doesn't show up, it means he truly has no feelings for her anymore. But if he does show up, she fears he will get hurt, fears he will be attacked by the entire world.
Zhuang Su bit her lip and secretly pulled a medicine pouch from her bosom. Besides medicines for healing, the medicine she carried also contained many highly poisonous substances…
If it were truly necessary, she might choose to kill herself. The wind outside suddenly howled, and Zhuang Su's face paled. She wasn't afraid of death, but she didn't want… him to die.
She never wanted to be a burden to anyone. She made her own choices.
Chapter Thirty-One: As If We Were Face to Face (Part Two)
After several days of leisure, Zhuang Su finally waited for that day. Led by her servant, she showed no panic, nor did she hesitate for a moment. She walked slowly and deliberately, the hem of her skirt trailing behind, tinged with a hint of dust. Zhuang Su was puzzled as to why she felt no emotion whatsoever about her own death. When she saw Huang Tian, she calmly met his gaze, smiled slightly, raised her chin slightly, and walked past him with her back straight. Zhuang Su knew her posture appeared somewhat arrogant, but she was quite satisfied with it.
Several men arrived and tied her to a frame with thick iron chains. Zhuang Su frowned slightly in pain and looked up. She saw that several individual seats had been specially arranged on both sides, each filled with a few people, while a large group of gang members stood below, a dark mass, and she couldn't tell how many there were.
Zhuang Su felt a sense of oppression and secretly exhaled. Could this be the power of the underworld? Indeed—not to be underestimated… At this moment, she hoped even less that Qing Chen would appear.
At this moment, a drumbeat from below, "thump, thump, thump, thump," seemed to resonate in everyone's hearts. The surrounding noise gradually subsided amidst the vibrations of the drumsticks striking the drumhead. Then, Huang Tian stood up from his seat, raised his hand to signal silence, and then announced loudly: "Thank you all for coming to our Soul Feather Sect. Let's get straight to the point. As you've probably all heard, although Ye Qing and Shao Yu, that adulterous couple, have been executed, it's unexpected that a bastard child is still alive. At the request of our fellow disciples, our Soul Feather Sect has captured and imprisoned this woman. We've invited you all here simply to discuss her fate."
"Thank you for your trouble, Soul Feather Sect." An old man standing to the side, fanning himself with a folding fan, glanced at the stake tied to the center with a smile and said casually, "Actually, there's no need to ask us anything. Shao Yu owed many of us in the underworld some things back then. Now that he has a daughter, it's only natural that she should pay off his 'debts' for him." Although he was smiling, he gave off a rather cold feeling.