Su Xiaoying smiled and said, "I am not a young master, I am just Miss Dong's helper. It would be strange if the master trusted me. However, since the master is here to watch over you, if the murderer appears, you will definitely be able to come to the rescue in time; if the murderer does not appear, like last time when there was not a trace of him, even if the master is by your side, it will be of no use."
The last sentence struck Xie Yuanlan like a whip, causing his facial muscles to twitch. After a moment, he said, "Alright, then we'll have to rely on you two for this."
Yi Mei's heart suddenly sank, as if a thousand-pound burden had been placed on her shoulders in an instant.
As they left the mourning hall, Su Xiaoying smiled and said to Yi Mei, "You seem rather awkward to me."
Yi Mei hummed in agreement and asked, "What if Xie Chuanle also dies? Should I still take the thousand taels of gold? If I take it, I'll feel too embarrassed. If I don't take it, then all my work will have been for nothing?"
Su Xiaoying said, "What are you busy with? You just stayed up half the night with us."
Yi Mei said, "What you say makes sense. How about this: if things don't work out, I won't return the three hundred gold coins he's already given me, and I won't accept the rest either. What do you think?"
Su Xiaoying couldn't help but laugh out loud, saying, "If Xie Yuanlan heard these words, he would have died on the spot without even needing to send a letter. There wasn't a single wound on his body, not even poisoning. The best doctors and coroners couldn't find anything wrong with him. It turns out he died of anger."
Yi Mei said, "How can you talk like that? We're out here, eating and sleeping, where do we not need money? Isn't it good to earn more?"
Su Xiaoying said, "Of course it's good. By the way, these three hundred gold coins have an excellent use!"
Yi Mei asked in surprise, "What?"
Su Xiaoying said in a serious tone, "When you marry me, this will be your dowry."
Yi Mei rushed forward and grabbed his arm tightly, gritting her teeth as she said, "Dowry? You still want a dowry? What about your betrothal gifts?"
Su Xiaoying laughed and said, "How about this, you give me half, I'll give you 150 as a betrothal gift, and you take 150 as your dowry, so neither of us will lose out."
Yi Mei suddenly fell silent.
Su Xiaoying asked curiously, "What? You should have told me if it was good or not."
Yi Mei said, "Su Xiaoying, I must have owed you a debt from my past life to have met you."
The open space that Yi Mei and Su Xiaoying chose was the square used by Banshao Manor for training its guards. The square was very flat and spacious. When Yi Mei saw this open space, she firmly believed that if Xie Chuanle could still be inexplicably killed here, then the murderer must not be human, but a ghost.
Starting at 9 PM on March 18th, Yi Mei, Su Xiaoying, and Xie Chuanle arrived at the center of the square. Xie Yuanlan, Xie Wangyi, Xie Sange, and Chief Steward Feng, along with dozens of capable men, formed a circle around the square.
The rows of torches illuminated the entire square, making the place appear exceptionally spacious in the darkness.
A plaster was applied to the spot on Xie Chuanle's forehead where a plum blossom had pierced him, and his face was ashen, making him look quite pitiful. Unlike his second brother, Xie Chuanle was not carefree. Although he sat cross-legged on the futon, his hands seemed to be searching everywhere, unable to find a place to rest.
Su Xiaoying held his Twilight Rain Sword in his hand, wiping the nick on the blade with a piece of coarse white cloth. "Don't be nervous," Su Xiaoying said slowly as he wiped the sword, "March 19th has only just begun."
"Hmm." Xie Chuanle looked up at him and forced a smile.
Su Xiaoying smiled slightly, her hands still moving, but she asked in a low voice, "Who do you think the murderer is?"
Xie Chuanle's lips trembled, and he said, "I..."
Su Xiaoying smiled and said, "Is it you?"
Xie Chuanle was taken aback and hurriedly said, "No...no...if I knew who it was, wouldn't everything be fine?"
Su Xiaoying said, "If the murderer is someone from your village, who do you think is the most suspicious? Is it Third Brother Xie, Steward Feng, Xie Wangyi, or even your father?"
Xie Chuanle seemed to have heard the most unbelievable words in the world. He opened his mouth wide and couldn't say anything.
Yi Mei frowned and said, "Xiao Ying, is Xie Yuanlan also suspicious?"
Su Xiaoying shook her head and said, "I don't know. According to what you said, the Divine Wind Swift Sword is very famous. It's possible that Xie Chuanshu really did stab him."
Xie Chuanle snapped out of his daze and cried out, "My father! How could this be! How could this be!"
Su Xiaoying said, "I was just guessing."
Yi Mei said, "It doesn't make much sense for a father to kill his own child."
Su Xiaoying said slowly, as if casually, "It's hard to say anything."
His words sounded particularly eerie in the darkness of the night, in the empty square. Xie Chuanle shivered, but forced himself to remain calm and said, "Absolutely not! My father has always loved us all. He is a very upright man who does good deeds. Not only the farmers in the vicinity, but many people in Ganzi City have benefited from his kindness. If he were the murderer, he would be truly insane."
Su Xiaoying smiled slightly and asked, "Your father had many wives and concubines. Was there one he particularly liked?"
Xie Chuanle suddenly looked a little embarrassed and asked, "Why are you asking this?"
Su Xiaoying chuckled and said, "Just asking."
Normally, Xie Chuanle would have stormed off long ago, even if he didn't physically reprimand such a rude question. But now, with his life hanging by a thread, he was already incredibly nervous, and he had this illusion that if he answered everything honestly, his chances of survival would be much greater.
So Xie Chuanle stammered, "No...no...of course, the newest one is more favored by my father, it's always been like this..."
Yi Mei sneered, "You're fickle and easily bored."
Xie Chuanle blushed and whispered, "He's good in every way, except... except he likes women..."
Su Xiaoying suddenly became suspicious and looked up at Yi Mei, saying, "What does Xie Yuanlan mean by insisting that you stay at Banshao Manor? Does he have ulterior motives?"
When Yi Mei saw him raise his head with a serious expression, she thought he had discovered some important clue. She didn't expect him to say such a thing, and she was so angry that she almost wanted to fight him.
Xie Chuanle chuckled and said, "How could that be? The women my father likes are all first-rate in appearance and figure. Miss Dong is probably a step below them."
Yi Mei was instantly enraged, roaring, "You fucking want to die!"
Su Xiaoying sighed inwardly, lowered her head, and continued to wipe her Twilight Rain Sword. As she wiped it, she thought that Xie Chuanle's kung fu was not very good, but he was really bold.
Dawn broke. Several servants brought hot water and food, placing them a dozen or so steps away from the three of them.
Yi Mei brought out breakfast, which was very simple: a pot of porridge without any pickles. The porridge already contained salt and lard. As Yi Mei had instructed, the steamed buns weren't whole; they were all broken into pieces and mixed into the porridge. Yi Mei ladled a bowl of porridge and was about to bring it to her mouth when suddenly a hand blocked the bowl. She looked up and saw Su Xiaoying taking the bowl from her, saying slowly, "Be careful."
Yi Mei asked, "Aren't we going to eat?"
Su Xiaoying said, "Of course we have to eat. I'll eat first, and if there's nothing else in half an hour, you can eat too."
Yi Mei said, "Why should you eat first? I just like to eat it hot, so I want to eat first."
Su Xiaoying glanced at her and said coldly, "Don't you know what 'a wife should be' means? As your wife, you should put the rice bowl in front of me and let me eat first. That's the proper etiquette."
Yi Mei was furious and said, "When did I become your wife!"
Su Xiaoying said calmly, "A wife who isn't married is the same." As he spoke, he brought the bowl to his lips. Yi Mei reached out to snatch it, and with that reach, her hand could transform into sixteen different forms, each capable of intercepting the bowl. However, all sixteen of her transformations were blocked by Su Xiaoying's left hand, and the porridge was already in his mouth.
Yi Mei stared at him blankly, then couldn't help but say, "Just one sip will do."
Su Xiaoying said, "If it's really poisonous, one sip will kill you. What difference does it make whether you drink more or less?"
Yi Mei jumped up, hands on her hips, and shouted, "I told you to take a sip, so you took a sip! Stop nagging! Don't you want your wages next month?!"
Su Xiaoying had no choice but to keep quiet and put down her porridge bowl.
Xie Chuanle was somewhat dumbfounded and quietly asked Su Xiaoying, "Is she really your wife? Does she pay you wages?"
Su Xiaoying whispered, "I can't help it, I'm afraid of my wife."
Half an hour later, Su Xiaoying's internal energy flowed smoothly, and she said to Yi Mei, "The porridge is fine." Xie Chuanle breathed a sigh of relief and was about to serve more porridge when Su Xiaoying stopped him, coldly saying, "What are you doing?"
Xie Chuanle was taken aback. Yi Mei said, "Are you looking for death? Then eat from that bowl!"
Xie Chuanle suddenly realized what was happening and broke out in a cold sweat.
The day passed peacefully; lunch and even dinner went smoothly. As the setting sun cast its beautiful red glow, Su Xiaoying looked up at the evening sky and saw a flock of birds flying back towards the hills near Banshao Villa.
Su Xiaoying suddenly smiled and said, "If something unexpected happens tonight, and this is the last time you'll see the sunset, are you scared?"
Although he was looking up at the sky and speaking alone, Xie Chuanle knew he was talking about himself, and his heart sank deeply. However, he refused to give up and said, "I'm not afraid!"
Su Xiaoying and Yi Mei exchanged a glance but neither spoke.
As dusk settled, night fell quickly, and countless torches were once again lit near the square. Xie Yuanlan stood outside the circle, staring intently at his son, lost in thought. Xie Sange, his right hand still resting on his sword hilt, was looking at Xie Yuanlan, then sighed softly.
The Wind Master stood nearby and asked, "Why are you sighing?"
Xie Sange asked, "Will Fourth Young Master die?"
The chief steward murmured, "No."
Xie Wangyi stood alone at the back, gazing at her younger brother in the center of the square. The evening breeze rustled her clothes.
It's past midnight!
The midnight drum echoed outside the square. The night watchman seemed quite excited, striking it ten or more times than usual.
However, Su Xiaoying stood up and raised her hand to tell people not to approach. It wasn't until 3:45 AM that he finally breathed a long sigh of relief and said to Yi Mei, "The murderer hasn't come."
Yi Mei said, "The person is not dead."
There was a slight commotion outside the square. A woman ran over, and Xie Chuanle went to greet her, calling out, "Mother!" A cheer erupted.
Su Xiaoying suddenly frowned.
Yi Mei asked, "Do you think something else will happen?"
Su Xiaoying asked, "If the letter is broken, what happens to the murderer, according to the custom of the martial arts world?"
Yi Mei said, "If the murderer is extremely arrogant, he will give up on revenge if he breaks his promise once; if he must take revenge, he will send another letter."
Su Xiaoying said, "Then does that mean we can't leave here?"
Yi Mei said, "We'll see how it goes."
Another tragedy
Xie Chuanle had never taken such a comfortable bath or eaten such a delicious breakfast in his entire life. The sunrise on March 20th was the most dazzling, brightest, and most unforgettable he had ever seen. Not only him, but the entire Banshao Manor was filled with a joyful exhilaration, making even those who had already died seem somewhat insignificant.
Even Xie Chuanshi, the fifth young master who was seven years old, was particularly excited and insisted on being with his older brother.
Steward Feng covered his mouth and chuckled, saying, "Fourth Young Master is tired, let him rest for a while..." Xie Chuanle laughed and said, "Not tired, not tired, how can I sleep now? Come on, Xiao Wu, let me go tie up your slingshot." Steward Feng followed behind them, laughing as he walked, "I'll go prepare some tea and snacks."
Xie Chuanle was halfway there when he suddenly remembered something, stopped and asked Director Feng, "Where did Father go?"
Steward Feng said with a smile, "The master instructed that Fourth Young Master should rest well. He and Miss Dong still have some matters to discuss, and he has probably gone to the side hall now. You two young masters, please go and have some fun. I will personally prepare some tea and snacks that you like."
As she spoke, she turned her body and looked towards the kitchen, but suddenly caught a glimpse of a blue hem of clothing swaying in the dappled shadows of the trees.
Xie Yuanlan did not show any particular excitement. He did not even say thank you, but he personally took the tea brought by the maid, offered it to Yi Mei, and then offered it to Su Xiaoying.
Yi Mei nonchalantly picked up the glass and drank it all in one gulp. Su Xiaoying smiled slightly and, on behalf of herself and Yi Mei, said, "I wouldn't dare."
Xie Yuanlan asked, "Is the sword in Young Master Su's hand the ancient sword 'Twilight Rain', forged by Master Yizeng three hundred years ago, the first sword to kill the Sage of Calligraphy, Tong Zi?"
Su Xiaoying smiled and said, "Not bad."
A solemn light immediately appeared in Xie Yuanlan's eyes. "Legend has it that the Twilight Rain Sword was passed down to the Su family of Chuzhou. The Su family's Langgan Sword Technique is unparalleled in the world, and it is said to be able to rival the Shui Zhenhong Jingyue Sword. Young Master Su must be a descendant of the Su family?"
Su Xiaoying was taken aback and said, "What? The Su family?"