Принцесса Сянси

Глава 23

“I went back to my room after I finished packing last night. I live far away, so I didn’t notice.”

The two walked and talked, and soon arrived at Tang Muhua's room. The bloodstains on the floor and window had already been cleaned up, and they didn't look anything special at the moment. Sikong Yu pointed to the bed: "Last night I put my uncle's body here."

Xu Lianning stood there for a while, then said calmly, "Let me go to the Tang Clan with you. Waiting here like this is not a solution."

Sikong Yu smiled slightly: "Alright, I'm just afraid that things might get complicated and implicate you."

Xu Lianning looked at him: "Perhaps this is related to what I'm investigating for Senior Sister Qingxuan?"

After settling the bill and asking for directions, the two headed towards the Tang Clan. Xu Lianning had been worried that Ye Zhao would throw a tantrum and refuse to leave, but her worries were unfounded. Ye Zhao lingered around her, and in the end, he even generously let her ride him, though he resolutely refused to let Sikong Yu touch him.

After traveling for most of the day, looking around, we could see a house with a red-lacquered gate in the distance.

Sikong Yu dismounted, stepped forward and knocked on the door, and someone immediately came to open it.

"May I ask if Brother Tang Xiao is in the Tang Clan? Tell him that Sikong Yu has something to ask me to see." He spoke in a gentle and refined manner.

The person who opened the door hesitated for a moment before saying, "The second young master only rushed back this morning and is currently taking a short rest."

Xu Lianning smiled slightly and said, "Then we'll just wait here. Surely that won't bother us?"

The man who opened the door had a slightly different expression: "Since that's the case... then you can wait a little longer."

"Uncle Tang, it's not right to make us wait at the door when our distinguished guests have arrived, is it?" A woman in scarlet robes approached gracefully. Her eyes were large, but her face was so pale that you could almost see the veins beneath her thin skin. She curtsied and smiled charmingly, "Please come in, both of you. My second brother is just taking a nap; it won't be long."

Sikong Yu smiled faintly: "Miss Qin."

Tang Qin tilted her head and looked at them. Her gaze lingered on Xu Lianning for a moment before she suddenly said, "This must be Pavilion Master Xu of Lingxuan Palace, right? I've heard so much about you."

Xu Lianning was surprised, but still smiled slightly and replied, "Miss Tang, you're too kind."

Tang Qin shook her head: "Please follow me, both of you." She took two steps, then looked back at Xu Lianning, frowning slightly, but said nothing. Xu Lianning naturally noticed as well, somewhat puzzled, while silently memorizing the inner courtyard route of the Tang Clan.

The three arrived at the main hall, where they saw red tiles and black lacquer, and carved mahogany doors. Although not extremely opulent, it was still very tasteful. Tang Qin invited the two to sit down, then looked at Xu Lianning and smiled, "What is the destiny of Pavilion Master Xu?" Xu Lianning looked at her and slowly said, "It belongs to the metal element."

Tang Qin laughed heartily: "That's wonderful. You know I've loved fortune telling and divination since I was little, and this cousin Sikong knows that."

Sikong Yu said with a wry smile, "You once predicted that I would break my leg one day, but I was fine by evening. In the end, you deliberately tripped me and I fell."

Xu Lianning immediately felt a deep respect and looked at Sikong Yu with sympathy.

Suddenly, a clear laugh rang out, and Tang Xiao turned around: "Qin'er just likes these strange and wonderful things. When we, the entire Tang Clan, recall the past, we can't bear to look back." He was still wearing a purple robe, exuding an air of elegance, with a gentle smile on his face: "I'm sorry to have kept you both waiting."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Sikong Yu suddenly changed the subject: "We've come to inform you of news about my uncle. Last night..." The rest of his sentence was cut off as he saw a figure approaching.

An elderly man stepped into the flower hall. His temples were gray and there were small scars on his neck and face. Who else could it be but Tang Muhua?

His mind raced as he stood there, staring intently at his uncle.

Xu Lianning stood up and said, "It was I who dragged Young Master Sikong around the Shu region. I heard that the Tang Clan's hidden weapons are unparalleled in the world, so I made a special trip to the Tang Clan to pay my respects."

Tang Xiao looked at her, his smile undiminished: "If Miss Xu likes it, I will lead the way. To be honest, our sect's hidden weapons are nothing special."

Tang Muhua walked over, not even looking at them directly: "I heard from Old Tang that we had guests, so I came to check on them. Xiao'er, you can take your friends for a stroll. I won't entertain you any longer." Then he walked towards the back of the hall.

Sikong Yu came to his senses and said, "I've been here before and I'm quite familiar with this place, so I won't accompany you again."

Tang Qin smiled slightly and said, "I'll stay here and talk with Cousin Sikong. It's just that I'll trouble Second Brother to walk around our own courtyard again."

Tang Xiao smiled and tapped her on the head, then stepped aside to let her pass: "Please, Miss Xu."

Xu Lianning glanced at Sikong Yu, then turned and followed Tang Xiao. "The flowers and plants here are just ordinary herbs. For example, lilacs may not look very appealing, but they have a lovely fragrance." Tang Xiao introduced the roadside flowers and plants as they walked along.

Xu Lianning replied casually, "Lilacs have male and female varieties, and they also have some medicinal properties that can cause numbness."

Tang Xiao laughed in surprise, "It seems that I, a half-baked expert, have met a professional."

She walked along the path, silently memorizing the route, occasionally glancing at him, paying little attention to what Tang Xiao said. After a few stops, they arrived at a cluster of interconnected huts. Tang Xiao said solemnly, "This is the secret of our sect's hidden weapons." He opened the door, revealing a dimly lit interior with several figures moving about: blacksmiths, grind iron sheets, add poison, and finally, assemble the hidden weapons. Each was busy with their own tasks, ignoring anyone who entered, not even glancing up.

Xu Lianning was dazzled by the sights when she suddenly heard Tang Xiao chuckle in her ear, "Sect Leader Xu, are you interested in knowing the blueprints and formulas for hidden weapons?" She looked at him and smiled slightly, "If I want to know, what price would I have to pay?"

Tang Xiao stared at her for a while, then spread his hands with regret: "I thought that the Pavilion Master had been looking at me from the beginning and was showing favor to me. It turns out that I was just being presumptuous."

Xu Lianning wasn't annoyed, but simply smiled and said, "Besides one person, no one else has ever dared to say such a thing to me. Young Master Tang's martial arts skills don't seem to be high enough to warrant such a joke."

He still smiled warmly, seemingly not caring at all: "It seems you belong to someone else, what a pity."

Xu Lianning suppressed her smile but did not respond.

Tang Xiao swiftly opened his folding fan and shook it: "Miss Xu, let's not beat around the bush. What exactly is the purpose of your visit to the Tang Clan? Brother Sikong was interrupted by you halfway through his sentence. What was he originally going to say?"

“Young Master Tang, why don’t you ask him directly? Even if I tell you, how much of it will you believe?” Xu Lianning walked out of the dark room, only to hear the other party chuckle softly: “Miss Xu, a woman’s charm and gentleness are enough. You’re not exactly popular.”

Xu Lianning turned around and smiled: "Why do I have to be liked? Relatively speaking, I prefer to be hated."

"What are you drawing?" Sikong Yu strolled over and watched her scribbling on the paper. Xu Lianning put down her writing brush and crumpled the paper into a ball: "I'm afraid I'll forget, so I'm drawing the map of the Tang Clan, just in case."

"You are so thoughtful," Sikong Yu said sincerely.

“That’s a habit I developed back in Lingxuan Palace. I knew how to get to places that others didn’t know.” Xu Lianning rested her chin on her hand. “But I really don’t understand this matter. Tang Xiao has already suspected the purpose of our trip, which is a bit troublesome.”

Sikong Yu also sat down at the table: "No wonder he was chatting with me indirectly just now. But what's really strange is how my uncle ended up in the Tang Clan again? I checked several times last night, and he was already lifeless then."

Xu Lianning said in a low voice, "There are two possibilities. Perhaps he only faked his death last night to fool someone. The second possibility is that someone impersonated Sect Leader Tang. If it's the second one, we just need to find solid evidence."

He said knowingly, "I remember Mother saying that Uncle was once seriously injured and almost had his abdomen cut open. We'll know whether it's him or not after we verify it."

She smiled slightly and said, "That would be good. Then I'll leave it to you. I'll go out for a walk and see if there's anything I can ask around." As she walked to the door, she suddenly heard Sikong Yu say behind her, "Miss Xu, thank you so much."

Xu Lianning walked around the front and back courtyards, but didn't encounter a single person along the way. As she turned to the side courtyard, she saw Tang Qin walking lightly towards her. Tang Qin seemed quite pleased to see her, her pale face slightly flushed: "Miss Xu, I was just looking for you."

Xu Lianning remained calm and smiled in response, "Is there anything you need, Miss Tang?"

Tang Qin turned her head to look at her, looking mysterious: "Come with me, I'll take you to a good place."

Xu Lianning readily agreed, "Okay." She was only skilled in swordsmanship and hidden weapons, so after joining the Tang Clan, she always carried her sword and was constantly on guard. The Flame Breath sword was only thirteen inches long, and since the clothes of the time were mostly wide-sleeved and wide-clothed like those of the Jin Dynasty, it was not very noticeable and would not seem impolite.

Tang Qin led the group towards the side courtyard. After exiting the side gate of the residence, the path became increasingly secluded, and they soon reached the mountains. She occasionally chatted about the customs of Sichuan, so Xu Lianning didn't find the journey too stifling. Suddenly, they came to a stone wall covered in moss. Tang Qin stepped forward, parted the vines and branches, and a hole appeared in the stone wall.

“This is where I used to come most often when I was a child, but I don’t come here as often now.” She bent down and entered the cave first. “My uncle, who is also the Tang Sect Master, has a biological son, but unfortunately his martial arts are not as good as my second brother’s. So my uncle had no choice but to agree to pass the position of sect master to my second brother. He probably doesn’t like me very much either, so he often punishes me by making me face the wall.”

"This place is quite quiet, a good place to meditate." Xu Lianning looked around the cave and saw crooked carvings on the stone wall saying things like "Uncle is a big bastard" and "Second brother is an idiot." She couldn't help but chuckle.

"Come here quickly and look, these are my treasures." Tang Qin squatted on a protruding rock, pointing to a pile of things on the ground. Xu Lianning bent down and quickly looked through them; they were tortoise shells, charcoal pencils, and some books on divination.

"I'm really accurate at fortune telling, do you believe me?" Tang Qin looked into her eyes and said seriously.

Xu Lianning didn't believe in these things at first, but seeing that she was serious, she replied, "I believe."

Tang Qin opened a booklet with many symbols drawn diagonally in charcoal: "This is what I just calculated for you. You said your destiny belongs to the metal element, so what is your birth date?"

Xu Lianning leaned closer to her and looked: "It was the summer solstice in the early years of the Chenghua reign, around the 22nd of June."

Tang Qin wrote and drew: "This person has an unusually clear bone structure, many hardships in his youth, but also many benefactors to help him." As she was calculating, she suddenly exclaimed: "You are about to face a great calamity, and there is someone who can help you overcome it. This person has a unique destiny, being a twin of the Sal tree."

"Twins of Saluo?" Xu Lianning frowned.

"That's from a story passed down from a foreign tribe. The Salar was originally two dynasties. The glorious one held the world in its hands; the withered one saw everything turn to dust. Just like Utpala and Kunya, they were clearly one, but Utpala was kind and compassionate, while Kunya was heartless and emotionless. The two were completely different."

Xu Lianning didn't reply. Tang Qin paused for a moment, then muttered to herself, "With such a fate, if this were in the Western Regions, she would be the reincarnation of an evil god, destined to be smashed to death at birth."

Xu Lianning looked at her: "You've been to the Western Regions?"

Tang Qin exclaimed "Ah!" and laughed somewhat awkwardly, "No, I met a traveler from the Western Regions here before when I was meditating. He told me this." She stood up and said, "We've been out for so long, it's time to go back."

The moon rises high in the sky, and evening falls at the long pavilion.

Xu Lianning returned to her guest room in the villa, washed up, and went to sleep, determined to explore the area again late at night.

Although I felt drowsy as soon as I lay down, my mind was still filled with the events of the past two days. I clearly saw Tang Muhua die with my own eyes, there was no doubt about it, yet I saw a living person again at the Tang Clan. Tang Qin's actions were strange and eccentric; she seemed innocent and carefree, but her words were full of profound meaning. Tang Xiao was even more enigmatic; his face was as gentle as a spring breeze, but deep down he harbored a hidden cruelty, yet he exuded an air of dashing elegance.

In that half-awake, half-asleep state, she suddenly felt someone gently approaching her. She heard it clearly, but couldn't fully wake up. She only felt that the person seemed to sigh softly, and seemed very familiar. Suddenly, she felt a tightness in her chest and struggled to wake up. Her fingers felt a slight warmth, but were gently grasped.

When I was fully awake, the moon was high in the sky, and I could faintly hear the watchman's drum outside. There was no one beside me; it must have really been a dream.

She had been avoiding thinking about it for the past few days. Zhang Weiyi was already seriously injured, and later he even lost an arm. How could he possibly have survived? But the warm touch at that time felt so real. She sat on the edge of the bed, slightly lost in thought, until she heard the third watchman's chime to bring her back to reality.

Xu Lianning placed a pillow under the blanket, went out the window, and headed straight for the main courtyard along the corridor. The Tang Clan's guards were far less tight than those of the Painting Shadow Pavilion, and she easily found her way to Tang Muhua's window. She chose a spot facing away from the mountain, where outsiders couldn't get in, so the guards wouldn't pass by.

Tang Muhua's room was still brightly lit. Peeking through the crack in the window, Tang Xiao could be seen standing in front of the bookshelf, occasionally pulling out a book to flip through, while Tang Muhua simply sat quietly at the table. After what seemed like an eternity, even Xu Lianning, who always considered himself very patient, was starting to lose patience. Finally, Tang Xiao spoke slowly: "Uncle, you don't need to hesitate anymore. Since they've come knocking, is our Tang Clan afraid of them?"

Tang Muhua poured himself a cup of tea but didn't answer. His hand holding the cup trembled uncontrollably. Not only Xu Lianning noticed, but Tang Xiao had also noticed it long ago, and sneered: "If Uncle is afraid, he might as well hand it over to his nephew, but the position of sect leader should also be handed over at the same time."

"Are you forcing me?" Tang Muhua slammed his hand on the table.

"How could I dare?" Tang Xiao smiled slightly. "It's just that I understand that you are getting old and tired of managing these things, so I'd rather share your burdens."

"That's enough. You can go out now. I'll think about it and make a decision later."

Tang Xiao walked to the door and suddenly turned around: "Uncle, your son is no match for me in anything. If you have to blame someone, blame him. This is a position that belongs to the capable."

After Tang Xiao left, the beaded curtain in the inner room moved, and a person suddenly emerged. Xu Lianning was secretly surprised to see this person. The person then mocked, "Sect Leader Tang, your position isn't very secure." Tang Muhua retorted angrily, "That brat Tang Xiao has already tried to pressure me several times; he's incredibly arrogant! I'll have to..."

"Oh, no need for you to do it, I can take care of it for you."

"Thank you very much, Young Hero Lin."

Upon hearing Tang Muhua's words, Xu Lianning was now completely certain that the person was Lin Zihan from Longtengyi. That day at Wudang, when he defeated Shifang with his strength and deliberately broke his sword to admit defeat during his sword duel with Yin Han, he was destined to become a remarkable figure in the future.

"No need to thank me right away. It was my master who asked me to come and help." Lin Zihan waved his hand. "I'll go now. You stay here so as not to arouse suspicion."

Xu Lianning frowned slightly. Lin Zihan was merely a disciple of Longteng Post Station, yet he spoke so rudely to the sect leader. The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. She then saw Tang Muhua rummage around for a while before finding a white jade bottle, which he handed to Lin Zihan: "Young Hero Lin, this is a sacred medicine from the Tang Clan. It can regenerate tissue and blood, and prolong life. Please trouble you to pass on a few pills to that person..." At this point, his voice suddenly softened.

Lin Zihan took the medicine bottle without even looking at it closely: "It's only because the young lady loves it so much, otherwise who would care about a cripple?" As he spoke, he pushed open the door and went out, heading towards the courtyard where Tang Xiao lived.

Xu Lianning quietly followed him, noticing that he was quite familiar with the layout of the Tang Clan residence, and could conveniently avoid the guards' patrol routes. She watched from afar as Lin Zihan tiptoed to Tang Xiao's room, suddenly kicking open the carved mahogany door and thrusting forward with his sword as one. A scream rang out, and Lin Zihan vanished in a flash, closing the door behind him and using his lightness skill to disappear into the distance.

Xu Lianning didn't go to check Tang Xiao's room, but turned and walked towards the guest room in the other courtyard. After taking a few steps, she saw a figure standing not far away, smiling warmly at her: "Miss Xu, shouldn't we have a good talk?" It was Tang Xiao.

Xu Lianning smiled slightly: "Okay, but I wonder where would be a suitable place?"

"This place is secluded, no one will come to disturb us." Tang Xiao brushed aside the vines and branches at the entrance of the cave.

Xu Lianning frowned: "Miss Tang has already brought me here, and..."

Tang Xiao had already entered the cave and immediately noticed the crooked words carved on the stone wall: "Second Brother is an idiot." He gritted his teeth: "I'll have to get someone to erase it another day."

Xu Lianning knew that this was redundant, but she still couldn't help but say, "That way, even more people will see it."

Tang Xiao snorted and said, "I don't know what your intentions are, but we're on the same side right now, so don't cause me any more trouble."

Xu Lianning asked with great interest, "I can't figure out why we're on the same side. Why don't you tell me?"

Tang Xiao forced a smile: "You're here for my uncle, do you really think I don't know that?"

"It turns out we really are in the same boat, like grasshoppers in the same ditch," she sighed.

Tang Xiao hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help but say, "Can you use a better analogy?" After a slight pause, she continued, "My elder brother is my uncle's biological son. He is physically weak, so his martial arts skills are not outstanding. Moreover, he doesn't usually manage the affairs of the sect, so he doesn't have the prestige to succeed him as sect leader. My uncle is quite helpless about this. I have always been careful to avoid sleeping with him, but I never expected that he would send someone to kill me this time."