TWWDS - Chapter 21
Chapter 21
After parting from Ruan Shifeng, Chao Qingxiu returned straight to her room and sat at the table like a statue, motionless, silently staring at the oil lamp on it.
The flame flickered into shifting shapes, like the thoughts racing and changing in her mind.
Chao Qingxiu slowly closed her eyes.
She felt she could not keep thinking so much longer, or she would easily be drawn into it.
The internal power in her lower abdomen circulated slowly, calming the turmoil in her mind. She thought that if her practice had not begun with the Qingxin Formula, it would surely not have been so easy for her to cultivate vital energy.
Chao Qingxiu sat in silence for a while, as if she had merged with the shadows in the room. Only when the night watchman's call came from the street did she seem to awaken. She raised her palm and gave a light wave, and the oil lamp on the table went out, plunging the whole room into darkness.
Work on clearing the waterways in Gaofang Prefecture had not yet been finished. After dawn, Li Yao and Li Yi would still have to go out to work.
Before leaving, Li Yao asked carefully, "Miss, would you like to go into town for a stroll today?"
A crowd of strangers had suddenly turned up at the house, and many of them were martial artists. Even though Chao Qingxiu was composed and well versed in medicine, Li Yao still felt uneasy.
She simply did not know which side would make a move against the other.
Chao Qingxiu shook her head and smiled. "I'll hide in my room and read. It shouldn't interfere with their affairs, so don't worry."
It was not that she was especially confident in the safety of staying in the house either. What she mainly doubted was whether she would be safe on the street.
What if she went out to avoid the trouble and then, once outside, just happened to run into a case?
Li Yao was always sparing with words, so she did not try to advise her further at the time.
Still, in her view, although Chao Qingxiu looked no different from usual at first glance, Li Yao could not help feeling that something was on her mind that day.
After the Li sisters left, Chao Qingxiu indeed did as she had said and curled herself up alone in her room, flipping through the Medical Arts, determined to see her studies through in earnest.
Li Yi worried that Chao Qingxiu, with nothing to do, might start opening the wild fruit preserves before they had finished curing. So the day before, she had deliberately fried some extra river mussel meat and soaked it in oil for Chao Qingxiu to eat as a snack.
Chao Qingxiu accepted Li Yi's kindness and stayed quietly in her room, snacking while turning the pages of the book. Apart from the fact that she was reading a medical text, which made her seem a little too studious, everything else was much the same as eating potato chips and scrolling through videos at home before she crossed over.
She paid no attention to the outsiders in the house, having only a rough idea that they had either gone out themselves or sent their subordinates to buy a batch of incense, candles, and paper horses in the street.
Gang Leader Shangguan's memorial tablet was not in Mingsi Hall, but in the Yingjie Hall at the gang's Headquarters. They planned to burn some paper money in both places and make offerings to their former leader.
Ruan Shifeng put the offerings into a basket and got ready to go out. The Yingjie Hall had stood empty for years, its buildings long since overgrown with wild grass, but with her skills, getting there should be no problem.
However, at that very moment, she received an invitation.
Ruan Shifeng glanced at the signature on the invitation, closed her eyes briefly, then turned and walked toward the hall.
At noon, the former Zizhuo Gang members who had come to pay their respects gathered in the reception room of Mingsi Hall. The atmosphere was unusually solemn.
Yan Kaixian had ranked second in the gang at the time. Now she moved through the crowd and stood directly at the front. Yue Zhiwen glanced at her, sighed, but said nothing further.
Xiao Xiangyu asked, "Guardian Yan, you sent us an invitation telling us to come here. What instructions do you have?"
Yan Kaixian's expression was as cold as ice. She lowered her gaze to the long saber at her waist, then suddenly raised her head and said, word by word, to the others in the hall, "We once swore that we would never rest until we had avenged the late Gang Leader. Though more than a decade has passed, I, Yan, have not for a single moment forgotten the blood debt owed to the late Gang Leader."
Tian Changtian frowned. "Of course you haven't forgotten. Do you think we have forgotten what happened back then?" He ground his teeth until they clicked. "If we had, how would we be gathered here today!"
Yue Zhiwen also said, "If we had not remembered our duty to avenge the late Gang Leader, we could have gone on living our own lives, like the other members of the gang." He continued, "By the custom of the Wulin Alliance, the Zizhuo Gang has gone without a leader for a full twelve years, so the area around Gaofang Prefecture is considered unclaimed territory. I heard some time ago that the Baihe Gang already intends to establish a Branch Office there."
In fact, after the Zizhuo Gang's people had scattered, the Baihe Gang could long ago have swallowed up this territory. The reason they had remained inactive for years was not out of respect for martial world honor, but because their own organization had quite a few internal troubles. That was why they had made no progress in expanding their power for so long.
There were many gangs in the martial world, and the annexation of territory was commonplace. But back then, Gang Leader Shangguan had been wounded by a Baihe Gang expert. Remembering those events, Xiao Xiangyu and the others felt indignant and were unwilling to allow the Baihe Gang to establish a Branch Office there without hindrance.
Xiao Xiangyu said, "I understand what you mean, Fourth Brother Yue. You want us to set aside our prejudices for now, choose someone to lead us, and, once the Baihe Gang matter has been settled, investigate the murderer from that day in detail."
Had this happened when Shangguan Hui had just died, Xiao Xiangyu surely would not have agreed to Yue Zhiwen's proposal. But now, when she thought of the state of the Zizhuo Gang back then, a chill of desolation welled up in her heart, and her tone naturally softened.
Ruan Shifeng spoke. "While the late Gang Leader was alive, I was but the humblest member of the gang. Now that I have joined the Six Doors, I no longer count myself among the greenwood outlaws. I came today only hoping to find the truth. I dare not say much about anything else. Whether you choose someone to take charge or not, I, Ruan, have nothing further to say."
Yan Kaixian swept the others with a glance and said, "Then, in your opinion, whom should we appoint as Gang Leader?"
Tian Changtian looked at her. "After the late Gang Leader died, we found a handwritten document in her study that said that if she were to die, the position of Gang Leader would pass to Guardian Yan." He added, "I dare not disobey the late Gang Leader's instructions. So long as Guardian Yan is not the murderer, I, Tian, will nominate you as Gang Leader!"
Guan Cangwen angrily said, "What do you mean!"
Tian Changtian let out a cold laugh, turned his head away, and ignored him.
Yue Zhiwen watched the exchange, wanted to speak but held back, and after a moment let out a sigh.
Yan Kaixian said coldly, "Since I am the heir, I naturally stand to gain the most after the late Gang Leader's death, so I do not blame you for doubting me. In my humble opinion, there is no need to discuss the original will further. Whoever finds the late Gang Leader's murderer will be the next Gang Leader."
"..."
For a moment, everyone was silent. At last, Ruan Shifeng spoke. "Guardian Yan's words are very reasonable, but we are incapable. Over the past ten years or more, we have achieved nothing, and even now we still cannot make out what happened at the time. The Baihe Gang threat is imminent, too..."
Yue Zhiwen gave a bitter smile. "We all want to avenge the late Gang Leader, but as long as we cannot find the real culprit, the Gang Leader's position will remain vacant. If Baihe Gang comes to our door, are we really going to hand over the gang's inheritance for nothing?"
After a pause, Yan Kaixian said, "Then let us make an oath here. No matter who becomes Gang Leader, if they abandon the revenge owed to Sister Shangguan and refuse to make the effort to investigate the murderer, they will someday be torn apart by five horses and held in contempt by everyone in the martial world."
Yue Zhiwen immediately said, "Second Sister Yan's words are well put."
Yan Kaixian stood up. "Then let us swear an oath in blood here. Brother Guan, go fetch some water."
By custom, swearing an oath in blood required wine, but because of what had happened to the late Gang Leader, Yan Kaixian and the others did not touch a drop of wine. They therefore used water instead.
As Guan Cangwen was about to leave, Ruan Shifeng said, "Wait."
Yan Kaixian glanced at her and gave two cold laughs. "Chief Constable Ruan, what guidance do you have?"
Ruan Shifeng shook her head. "The murderer is unknown, and everyone is a suspect. It would be better to have someone else fetch the water."
Yan Kaixian did not object, only said, "There is no one else here... All right, we will have to trouble Miss Chao for a moment."
The others did not object either. Although the day before they had wondered why Mingsi Hall had been rented, Chao Qingxiu was not old yet, and more than ten years ago she had of course been even younger. She was plainly unrelated to the late Gang Leader's death, so they tacitly agreed to ask her for help.
After receiving the message, Chao Qingxiu thought it over and finally agreed to their request.
It was only a matter of pouring tea. If she did it herself, she could keep the situation under her own control.
In less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Chao Qingxiu entered the hall carrying a water pot.
The pot contained the cold tea Li Yao had brewed for her before leaving. Chao Qingxiu thought Yan Kaixian and the others probably would not mind what kind of drink it was, and since boiling fresh water again would take too much time, she brought it over as it was.
Ruan Shifeng took the pot and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Miss Chao."
Chao Qingxiu said, "It was nothing."
In front of the outsiders, Yan Kaixian also restrained the coldness from her expression and said politely, "Since you are here, you might as well stay and bear witness to what happens next."
Chao Qingxiu made a slight bow, picked any wooden chair near the door whose four legs were still reasonably sound, and sat down, watching the Zizhuo Gang members carry out their business with keen interest.
Yan Kaixian poured a bowl of tea, then drew a dagger, cut her finger, dripped blood into the bowl, and passed it to the next person. By the end, even the subordinates who had followed Yan Kaixian and Tian here did the same, dripping their blood into the bowl. Only then did each of them take a sip of the blood tea.
Tian Changtian wiped his mouth, then raised three fingers toward heaven and said, "I, Tian Changtian, swear here that from now on I will do my utmost..."
Before he had finished speaking, his body suddenly lurched, and he fell back into his chair.
At the same time, Xiao Xiangyu, Ruan Shifeng, and the others all lost their balance and showed expressions of shock.
Yue Zhiwen, who had always been known in the gang for his broad learning, tried to circulate his energy and found the vital energy in his lower abdomen utterly sluggish. In an instant, all his martial skill seemed to melt away like ice and snow; at most one or two tenths of his skill remained, making it difficult for him to fight anyone.
He raised his head and first looked toward Chao Qingxiu, only to see that the current owner of Mingsi Hall was looking at them too.
She was somewhat surprised, but it did not show; instead, there was a resigned certainty in her expression that what was bound to come would come after all.
...What is going on with this girl? Does she usually run into accidents this often?
Chao Qingxiu's gaze swept over the others one by one. She had been studying the Medical Arts for some time and had picked up a few basics of medicine. She found that every one of the Zizhuo Gang members now looked as though they had been poisoned. Seeing Yue Zhiwen looking at her, she looked back at him and said seriously, "Rest assured. I had no hand in this."
Xiao Xiangyu braced her right hand against the armrest, all the color draining from her face. After a moment she said, "I don't mean to suspect you, but... but if it wasn't you, who did it?" They could hardly blame the quality of the tea leaves for this, could they?
At that moment, Yan Kaixian's utterly cold voice came from the head of the hall: "Of course I did it."
Yue Zhiwen looked horrified. "Guardian Yan, you... how could you resort to poisoning?"
Yan Kaixian said coldly, "In the past, I would never have thought I would resort to poisoning. I, Yan, am incompetent. For more than ten years, I have been unable to avenge the late Gang Leader, so I could only resort to this desperate measure." She added, "At the time, only a few of us in the gang knew about the late Gang Leader's illness and the taboos surrounding it. If we all die together today, we can take that person with us to see the late Gang Leader." Then her tone softened. "As for the others, they are innocent people caught up in this. I have unjustly killed our own sisters and brothers in the gang and violated Zizhuo Gang's rules. By those rules, I must answer for it with my death."
After hearing her words, everyone was speechless, unsure how to respond.
After a long moment, Ruan Shifeng gave a bitter smile. "Enough. The late Gang Leader treated me with great kindness and loyalty. Even if I pay with my life here today, it will not be a wrongful death."
Yue Zhiwen said quietly, "So Guardian Yan swallowed poison herself?" He glanced at the blood tea in the bowl. "I didn't notice anything wrong with the tea earlier."
Yan Kaixian said, "I smeared medicinal powder on the invitation. The drug itself was actually harmless. If you did not come into contact with fresh blood within two hours of taking it, it would cause no harm whatsoever." Then, as though she had suddenly remembered Chao Qingxiu, she said to her, "Miss Chao, do not take offense. If I asked you to leave now, I would be afraid you might report us to the authorities. Please stay a little longer. I have some gold and silver on me. Afterward, I will give it all to you as compensation for the fright."
Chao Qingxiu shook her head slightly and said, "Guardian Yan's loyalty runs deep, and I admire it greatly. I merely sat here for a while; it caused no harm." Although she had had no intention of involving herself, by now she could no longer stay out of it.
Yan Kaixian regarded her for a while and said, "You have admirable courage, Miss. It is a pity that I, Yan, am about to die and cannot become your friend."
Tian Changtian suddenly said, "Guardian Yan's skill is higher than all of ours. If we all die from the poison and you are the only one who takes the antidote, what then?"
Yan Kaixian looked at him, drew her saber, turned the hilt toward him, and handed it over. "If you do not believe me, go ahead and strike."
Tian Changtian glanced at the saber and fell silent.
Chao Qingxiu spoke. "May I ask, Guardian Yan, how long after being poisoned does it take for the poison to take effect?"
Yan Kaixian said, "About an hour." Then she added reassuringly, "The poisoned person will gradually weaken and die. The process will not be painful, so you need not worry."
Chao Qingxiu thought that the others probably would not be feeling particularly happy after hearing Yan Kaixian's words.
She had not expected Yan Kaixian's train of thought to be so unorthodox. In one stroke, the plot had moved from an old acquaintance's return to old haunts to the point where they would all die alongside the late Gang Leader. Her expression remained unchanged; she merely smiled at Yan Kaixian and said, "Since none of us has anything else to do at the moment, we might as well talk about what happened in the past. Perhaps we can sort out some of the clues."
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