Chapter Fifty-One: Allies in the Same Cause

The mountain forest was hushed, silence reigning save for the restless neighs of horses inside the inn, lanterns swaying in the gloom. The stout woman struggled out of the inn, hauling her heavy body upright and gripping a post for support. Seeing someone dozing atop the carriage in the courtyard, she instinctively lowered her voice. Yet, her bulk made stealth impossible.

Holding her breath, she approached the carriage, intent on shoving the sleeper off. But the person lying sideways atop the carriage did not stir, while her elbow struck something as hard as stone, sending waves of pain coursing through her. Wounded further, terror seized her. She hobbled away from the inn, dragging her injured leg. These demon girls—she must find someone to deal with them!

“Hey, that fat woman seems to have slipped away,” remarked Xie Yi, once she and Qing Shu had finished disposing of the innkeeper’s and servant’s bodies. Only then did they notice the struggling matron had vanished.

“She must be off to fetch reinforcements. I’ve heard their gang is formidable—this could be troublesome.” Qing Shu fell into thought.

“What are we afraid of? We have venomous insects. None who come will leave alive. Besides, Lord Yun and his party should arrive soon.” Xue Xue had already noticed the cook’s furtive escape and had followed her, but the woman had not lingered, fleeing in haste. She returned to her carriage and addressed her coachman, “Wake up. We must depart.”

No sooner had she spoken than the coachman stirred, his movements stiff and uncanny. Xue Xue boarded the carriage, facing the inn’s direction. This was no place to linger.

The carriage sped away, but soon slowed, moving with deliberate caution, as if probing for danger ahead. “Into the woods,” she murmured, and the carriage veered into a forest carpeted with fallen leaves.

The sounds around were a soft rustling, the wheels of the carriage adding an eerie note. The carriage crept forward, and soon, sounds of a skirmish echoed nearby. To call it a fight would be generous; true combat required both sides to be evenly matched. Here, one side seemed as feeble as a mantis blocking a cart.

At last, as the bloody storm subsided, corpses lay scattered. The swordplay had been swift and deadly—each stroke fatal, each throat neatly cut.

“Spare me, sir… young master, mercy! I promise to reform, to live anew. Please, grant me a chance to live,” pleaded a woman, her voice broken. She knelt, injured and frightened, her words barely coherent.

It was the fat woman!

Hearing her voice, Xue Xue recognized the cook from the black inn. But her plea was met only by a cold, emotionless sweep of sword energy. The cook collapsed, silent forever.

“Master, these were mere bandits and robbers—nothing suspicious among them,” a black-clad follower reported to the carriage, though none bore a trace of blood despite the carnage.

“Ha, then what is the purpose of our journey?” came a voice from within, the carriage curtain lowered, the man’s tone ethereal, like a leaf spiraling soundlessly to the ground.

It was Zuo Qiu. Of course, it was Zuo Qiu.

Though far from them, Xue Xue’s unusual eyes heightened her hearing, allowing her to catch their words with ease.

“Master, the young lord was nearly endangered. The elders will surely voice their concerns,” Yun Wu said carefully. Though they were not beholden to the elders, the young lord’s safety was paramount.

“This journey was never for her safety. Yun Wu, you know what we must do now.” Danger tinged his words.

Days had passed, and the blind girl had vanished, leaving no trace. Her escape skills were truly formidable.

“I admit my fault,” Yun Wu replied, hastily kneeling in apology.

Silence fell inside the carriage. Then, a slender hand lifted the curtain, and the man slowly emerged, standing atop the carriage. Moonlight spilled over his exquisitely beautiful face, its delicate features unable to conceal the underlying menace.

His long hair was swept by the night breeze, and his narrow phoenix eyes seemed to hide sharp blades, gazing toward the forest as if he could see deep within, pinpointing Xue Xue’s location.

Yun Wu sensed something amiss and signaled the shadow guards to investigate the direction of Zuo Qiu Liye’s gaze.

The woods murmured, wind rising gently. Xue Xue kept perfectly still, barely breathing, not daring to make a sound.

If discovered, flight would be her only option.

“Lord Yun, it’s us,” came a woman’s voice, crisp in the night.

A woman in violet stepped forward, her skirt trailing elegantly, her black veil fluttering in the night wind, adding layers of mystery. Two maids followed. Seeing them reveal themselves, Yun Wu recalled the shadow guards.

“So it is the young master,” he greeted respectfully.

Young master? Who commanded such caution from Zuo Qiu Liye’s personal guard?

“No need for formality, Lord Yun,” said the violet-clad woman, turning to Zuo Qiu Liye standing above. “It’s been a long time. How has Your Majesty been?”

Your Majesty—the Sovereign of Wu. Xue Xue was not surprised, for only the ruler who dared change the royal surname to Zuo Qiu was Wu’s king.

“Better not to meet,” Zuo Qiu Liye replied, casting her a glance. “I have more important matters than wasting time on you.”

At this, the violet-clad woman laughed softly. “Your words wound me, Your Majesty. We grew up together, after all.”

“If not for that, do you think… there would even be a Gong Shen Ling’er in this world?” Zuo Qiu Liye chuckled and retreated into his carriage, ignoring her.

“Please, young master, take a seat,” Yun Wu invited Gong Shen Ling’er, clearly suggesting she share the carriage with Zuo Qiu Liye.

“No, thank you. I fear for my life,” Gong Shen Ling’er shook her head, unconcerned by his attitude, mounting a fine horse with a brisk, spirited motion.

Yun Wu said no more. The party departed, leaving only corpses behind.

In the woods, Xue Xue’s carriage remained motionless. Should she rejoice or depart at once?

She hesitated, suspicious—how had none of these experts discovered her? It made no sense.

Or was this a trap?

Regardless of Zuo Qiu Liye’s schemes, as long as she was beyond his grasp, she was free.

Night draped the land, wind and shadows solitary, carriages speeding into the distance.

Onward, they came upon a ruined temple. The surroundings were pitch-black, the temple standing silently in the night. Its crumbling walls offered a temporary refuge from wind and rain, and Xue Xue felt a bit more at ease.

The sky’s strange change hinted at impending weather.

Sitting in her carriage, she touched her eyes. She no longer feared gloomy, rainy nights, but the sudden thought of Ji Wu Qing unsettled her.

That man knew her eye’s condition, knew what medicine she needed, understood her deeply…

Perhaps it was the weather, but her mood sank.

She was not alone in her unease. He stood atop the pavilion, clad in thin brocade, gazing at the dark sky, lost in thought.

Night covered the heavens, even the moon’s glow subdued, stars vanished, and the wind carried a cool omen of rain.

Without a sound, Miao Jian came up behind him.

“Put little Xi’er to bed,” Ji Wu Qing said, glancing at the sleeping girl sprawled on the table.

“Yes,” Miao Jian replied, picking up the little girl and carrying her to the sleeping chamber.

Soon, Miao Jian returned and stood quietly behind him. “Master, Qing He reports the lady’s location is confirmed—traces found in Qing Ling.”

“Qing Ling?” He snapped out of his reverie, as if recalling something.

In no time, the people of Yue Ji Teahouse were ready, bound for Qing Ling.

Blood, your king comes for you.

Xue Xue slept fitfully in the ruined temple, her head swollen and mind hazy, feeling chilled, as if cold wind blew beside her.

No—it was an eerie wind.

Suddenly alert, she lifted the carriage curtain and struck at the coachman outside. A sharp crack—

The coachman, wrapped tightly, fractured and toppled from the carriage, blending with the temple’s ruined walls.

Only then did Xue Xue exhale in relief. Her strange arts had been used too often lately, attracting uncanny things. Besides, the coachman had served to mislead others—a plan that had cost her some effort.

Should someone with ulterior motives discover this, she would repeat the disaster of her previous life.

She remembered well the covetous eyes within her family when she first displayed her extraordinary talents.