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In which some old friends appear again.
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Wenren Hengâs expression was very bad.
He had long already researched the Lantern-Extinguishing Poison.
If this thing was purely used as a poison, its strength wasnât too great; it was only a bit troublesome to cure. The Wang Patriarchâs case counted as this type of situation. Conversely, the other situation was being hit with the poison via the Lantern-Extinguishing Skill. The victim would then have all his organs rot, his death extremely wretched. Although his Junior Brother claimed to be only a little poisoned, it was still the monster who had used the Lantern-Extinguishing Skill, so he couldnât be at ease no matter what.
The reality was just as he had imagined.
They had not left Suiyun Sect for long when his Junior Brother began weakening. After accompanying him to buy a few things and returning to the carriage, the other slid sideways and fell right into his embrace in the next moment.
His heart sank. âAh-You.â
Ye You said in a low voice, âIâm taking a nap.â
Wenren Heng pinched his chin. âDonât sleep, wake up.â
Ye You seemed not to have heard, sinking into unconsciousness right after finishing that sentence, and even up until now, he still hadnât awoken.
Wenren Heng had held him and immediately instructed his subordinate to hurry towards Shaolin.
The subordinate was extremely anxious, since they werenât the least bit close to Shaolin, so if they werenât able to make it in time, itâd be terrible. If Manor Lord Wei once again sent people to kill them, itâd become even more dangerous. After finishing this thought, he struck wildly at the horses, frantically hurrying the carriage forward.
The sky had completely darkened, and when the carriage passed by a small village, it was already midnight[1].
The entire street was devoid of people; the only things around were lanterns hung up outside of a few stores, faintly swaying in the cold winter wind.
The subordinate didnât hear the Sect Masterâs order to stay overnight and so continued hurrying onward. At this time, a flurry of hoofbeats suddenly echoed through the air, seemingly striking directly at peopleâs hearts. His expression unknowingly changed at once.
Wenren Heng naturally was also able to hear this, and his gaze moved slightly away from his Junior Brother.
The subordinate waited and still didnât hear any kind of order. After a moment of hesitation, he asked if they should first hide a bit and see who was coming before doing anything else. After all, the road before them was an official one, with the horizon wide open. If those truly were people sent by Manor Lord Wei, they definitely wouldnât be able to run away.
Wenren Heng said concisely, âThereâs no place to hide. Steal their horses.â
Sure enough, in the time these two were talking, the people behind had caught up.
What was even worse was that it truly was a group of black-clothed men.
The two parties didnât mince words, and the moment they were face-to-face, they exchanged blows. Upon seeing that his Junior Brother still hadnât awoken, he didnât dare to leave the person behind in the carriage. Anyway, since the other party was able to catch up, they had definitely already considered the possibility of his Junior Brotherâs poison spreading, and itâd be useless for him to try to trick them. So he decided simply to carry the person off the carriage.
Those black-clothed men saw that that young sir had already lost consciousness, and their faces turned joyful as they hastily moved to attack Wenren Heng.
Holding his Junior Brother with one hand and carrying a sword that he borrowed from Suiyun Sect in another, Wenren Heng rapidly blocked the incoming attacks in quick succession before then leaping backwards to pull a distance away, sweeping his eyes over their horses.
The black-clothed men didnât give him an opportunity to catch his breath and once again surrounded him, wanting to take care of this person quickly.
The clashing of blades and the cries of murderous intent resounded through the dark night, and the the common people on both sides of the street were startled awake. Some bolstered their courage to open a slit in their windows to look outside before then immediately huddling back in fright.
In total, the black-clothed men had twenty people come, each and every one well-trained.
They had no need for discussion and, with one look, were able to make their judgments. They separated out half of them to do battle with Wenren Heng and his subordinate so as to prevent these two people from escaping. The remaining half conversely took the opportunity to circle around the back, and with only their colleaguesâ controlled breathing, they were then able to encircle these people.
The subordinateâs heart thumped, and he asked, âWhat do we do?â
Wenren Heng said, âRush them.â
The moment these words were said, almost simultaneously, the two people tried forcing their way out of the blockade towards the direction of the horses. However, the black-clothed menâs strength was great, their numbers overwhelming, and no matter how high Wenren Hengâs martial arts was, now that he was carrying his Junior Brother, he wasnât able to exert his full strength, only just barely managing to protect the person.
The Head of the black-clothed men observed for a while, and in the interval when Wenren Heng had just cut down one of them and was able to leap away, he finally found an opportunity. Like lightning, his figure flashed over directly in front of them, and the sword in his hand made straight for Ye You.
Wenren Hengâs pupils darkened slightly, and he turned around to dodge at once. In the next moment, the tip of the sword scraped across his arm, and fresh blood immediately sprayed out. He didnât even take a moment to frown and instead, with a turn of the wrist, launched a harsh counterattack with his sword.
The Head promptly dodged. His trusted subordinate had already long hidden behind him, and at this moment, the person jumped out, immediately matching the otherâs attack, while the Head once again making straight for Ye You. Needing only an instant to judge, Wenren Heng knew that he wouldnât be able to dodge and, without even needing to think, used his body to protect his Junior Brother.
The dense killing intent mixed with the sword energy swept over, and Wenren Heng tightened his arm. Right when he was about to meet this attack head-on, he saw the person in his embrace suddenly open those eyes.
Practically on instinct, Ye You reached out a hand to grab onto the other partyâs sword before then immediately straightening and sending out a palm strike.
That person was caught off guard and was hit dead-center with that untempered inborn energy. With a bang, he was sent flying, smashing into the ground, taking his last breath right then and there.
The scene instantly fell into a deathly stillness.
The black-clothed menâs movements immediately turned sluggish, and they collectively leapt five steps back, vigilantly looking at this person. Some of them had experienced what had happened during the day, while others had heard about what happened from their colleaguesâ mouths, which did not lessen their knowledge of how incredible this person was.
Wenren Heng didnât let go. âAh-You.â
Ye You wanted to pat the otherâs arm so that this person would let him go, but then he smelled the scent of blood and hastily looked at the still-bleeding injury. His expression darkened. âWho did this?â
Wenren Heng didnât reply and examined this person from up close. He wanted to know how his Junior Brother was doing, but he understood that now wasnât a good time, so the only thing he could do was take a look like this. With tacit understanding in his heart, Ye You met the otherâs gaze before then struggling free and moving towards the black-clothed men in front of them. âAh, itâs really lively. That surnamed Wei had all of you come?â
The Headâs heart was suspended in his throat, and he tried his best to see any issues from the otherâs face, but this person had on a disguise, and he was completely unable to see through it.
Ye You lazily walked forward a step and, seeing them still hesitating, he asked, âDid that surnamed Wei die?â
The Head still didnât reply and was struggling in his heart over whether he should make the gamble. After all, this person truly had been unconscious just now, and if the other actually was just bluffing, then they would be the winners.
Ye Youâs situation truly was a bit terrible.
He was still very tired, and the only reason he had been able to awaken just now was entirely due to perceiving that killing intent. But after he finished that one strike, he then realized that his internal energy wasnât in a good state. If they truly started fighting, then although he wouldnât absolutely be throwing his life away, itâd still definitely be a disaster.
But he didnât let it show on his face and held out a hand behind his back.
Wenren Heng understood and handed the sword over to him. Upon seeing this, those black-clothed men abruptly thought of that scene during the day, where this person had madly slaughtered everyone in his way, and their expressions all turned rigid, with even cold sweat beginning to pour down some of their faces.
Ye You flicked off the blood on the blade. âIf you arenât going to talk, then just die.â
When he finished speaking, he once again moved forward a step, and the black-clothed men once again retreated, fearfully looking at him and then collectively turning to look at the Head beseechingly. The latter bit his lips and was just about to attempt it when, at this time, a piercing sound echoed through the air, and a great number of figures seemingly dropped down from the sky, making straight for them.
Whose people are these?
This question flashed through everyoneâs minds simultaneously. Seeing these people head towards him with killing intent, the Head then understood that they were on Wenren Hengâs side, once again looking at the seemingly fine Sir Xiao, before then immediately taking his subordinates to retreat.
Wenren Heng hastily walked to his Junior Brotherâs side to support the other.
Ye You leaned his entire body against Wenren Heng and raised his head, while doing his utmost to suppress his sleepiness, Very quickly, the crowd slowly made way and two familiar people walked over from that side; these people actually turned out to be the Wang family head and Junior Academy Master Ge who hadnât been seen in a long time.
When the Wang Patriarch passed away, these two people had returned to Suzhou to take care of the funeral arrangements.
At the time, the Wang family head had said that heâd definitely return, but there was no telling what he had actually gone to do, seeing as he was only now showing his face after all this time, but regardless, they probably shouldnât have encountered any dangers.
Ye Youâs expression relaxed, and he fell over.
Wenren Heng used a hand to hold him. âAh-You.â
ââŚIâm fine,â Ye You said, âLet me sleep for a bit.â
Wenren Heng saw him once again lose consciousness and was worried to no end.
The Wang family head and Junior Academy Master Ge hurriedly ran over. âWhat happened to him? This is Sir Xiao, right?â
Wenren Heng said a, âYes,â and moved to carry the person in his arms. âWhy are the two of you here?â
âWe were planning on going to Wuyun City.â The Wang family head explained everything very briefly.
He knew that this chessboard was very large, and since their Wang family had already left Jianghu for this many years, although their family still had guards, their skills were still a far cry from those in the Jianghu sects. Thus, after he had taken care of his fatherâs funeral, he had run over to the assassinâs guild[2], threw down some money, and hired some people.
Wenren Heng glanced at the people behind him and nodded his head in clear understanding.
The Wang family head said, âAt first, some of them werenât actually present, so I had to wait for a number of days before finally coming over.â
Of course, this was simply an excuse. The truth was that he felt that this chessboard was too full of lies and tricks, and he didnât want to be treated as a chess piece, so he had waited until a conclusion seemed just about to be made before finally deciding to come out.
This conclusion was that the Alliance Leaderâs house had been burned down.
He had originally thought that the Alliance Leader was the white piece and so had rushed over with a chest full of anger in order to take revenge for his father. But then recently he had heard about the matter with that monster and Manor Lord Wei, and when he connected it to the fact that his father had been given the Lantern-Extinguishing Poison, his heart became even more filled with fury, so he had hurried even more on his way. Today, he had just reached this small village.
He said, âMe and Xiao-Ge are living in an inn nearby. When our subordinates heard the noise, we then hurried over to take a look. What happened to Sir Xiao?â
Wenren Heng said, âHeâs been poisoned by the Lantern-Extinguishing Poison.â
The Wang family head bitterly hated this poison, and his expression turned cold at once. âWho did it?â
Wenren Heng said, âThatâs a long story.â
Seeing that his arm was currently bleeding and that his subordinates had also suffered injuries, he hastily brought them back to the inn. He also took the time to take a look at Sir Xiao and, upon remembering the scene that they had happened upon just now, internally thought that even with no martial arts, this person still dared to take a sword and face the other party, and even scared them so badly that they didnât dare to come forward; Sir Xiao is truly incredible.
Junior Academy Master Ge also had the same thought, following alongside them with admiration.
Of course, if they had seen a certain person kill someone with one strike, then they wouldnât be thinking like this.
Â
Ye You slept until late in the morning the next day before he finally slowly awoke.
Wenren Heng had stayed by the otherâs side the entire time. He had been able to stay still only because of those words, âIâm fine,â from his Junior Brother, but those words wouldâve lasted him only until noon. If this person still hadnât woken up by noon, he wouldâve returned to hurrying towards Shaolin.
At this moment, upon seeing this person finally opening those eyes, he immediately grabbed hold of his Junior Brotherâs hand. âHow are you?â
âAll right.â Ye You sat up and looked around, guessing that they were probably in an inn.
He thought back to what happened last night and looked at his Senior Brother. âYour armâŚâ
âA small injury.â Wenren Heng sat down on the side of the bed and pulled the person into an embrace, pinching his chin. âReally all right?â
Ye You said, âYes. Did you forget that when we left Shaolin last time, I had Miracle Doctor Ji give me a pill that dispelled poisons?â
Wenren Heng said, âIs it effective even against the Lantern-Extinguishing Poison?â
Ye You said, âItâs unclear, but I feel better today than I did yesterday.â
Wenren Heng could also see that his Junior Brother seemed to have more energy than yesterday, but he also couldnât feel entirely at ease and asked, âShould we go to Shaolin, or should we send a letter to Shaolin and have Miracle Doctor Ji and them come over?â
Ye You said, âLetâs wait two more days before talking about this. Iâm hungry.â
Wenren Heng gave him a look and didnât continue insisting, going outside to instruct the waiter to make some food.
The Wang family head and Junior Academy Master Ge both hadnât left, and at this time, when they heard that Sir Xiao had awoken, they came to take a look. Immediately following, upon seeing that he had gotten rid of the disguise on his face, they both startled, simultaneously agreeing in their hearts that, No wonder Wenren Heng had always kept his entire face covered in bandages before!
Ye You gave them a word of greeting and said, âWeâve troubled the Wang family head for help this time.â
âIt was just a simple matter.â The Wang family head walked over and sat down. Seeing that his situation didnât seem to be too bad, the person asked, âWho was it that wanted to kill you yesterday?â
Ye You said, âWei Haide.â
The twoâs expression changed slightly.
The Wang family head sucked in a deep breath and asked in a heavy voice, âSo the white piece is him?â
Ye You sidestepped the question and instead stood up, walking over and sitting at their table. He said honestly, âWang family head, Iâm actually the black piece.â
Wenren Heng said, âMe as well.â
The Wang family head startled.
If he said that he wasnât the least bit resentful of the black piece, then thatâd be a lie. If it wasnât for the black pieceâs chessboard, then his father also wouldnât have become involved in these matters. But, rationally, he knew that they also truly werenât to blame, since after all, it was the white piece who used the poison.
He closed his eyes, suppressing the myriad thoughts in his mind, before once again asking, âWei Haide really is the white piece?â
Ye You was silent for an instant before taking three teacups from the table and placing them neatly one by one. âFengxian Manor, Lingjian Pavilion, and the Alliance Leaderâs faction. Over these years, theyâve always been mutually balancing each other out.â
The Wang family head said, âI know.â
Ye You said, âWang family head, when one family alone gets big, sooner or later, it becomes a target for the masses.â
âI also know thisâŚâ As the Wang family head spoke, his gaze strayed to those three teacups. Suddenly, he sensed an extremely terrifying possibility from those words, and he practically wasnât able to sit still and stood up. âDonât tell me thatâŚâ
âThatâs right.â Ye You looked at him, his gaze passing over to the Academy Master Ge who was still at-a-loss, completely unaware of the situation, and said, âThe Alliance Leader and Manor Lord Wei are both involved with that monster. Everyone already knows about this. But think about it, in this many years of equilibrium, if the Alliance Leader and Manor Lord Wei were working together, why havenât they made a move against Pavilion Master Ding?â
The Wang family head tried to justify it with a hoarse voice, âThis might be because they donât want to do anything bigâŚâ
âThen they completely couldâve caused Pavilion Master Dingâs collapse and then push the Alliance Leader into the position that Pavilion Master Ding is in right now. This would be even more reliable, and also more advantageous. Why didnât they make a move?â Ye You said, âWang family head, think back for a moment. When did Fengxian Manor and Lingjian Pavilion begin to grow big? It was when that monster was killed twenty years ago.â
The Wang family head opened and closed his mouth, unable to say a single word.
âAt that time, although those two sects could be counted among the top ten, none of these top sects were considered greater or less than the others. When those three influential families were massacred, Manor Lord Wei rescued one person from the Yang family and thus rose to fame. He thereby took the opportunity to set the âDemon Slaughter orderâ and then joined hands with Pavilion Master Ding to slaughter that monster. This matter thus pushed them to the top,â Ye You said, âHow exactly did they reach the positions they are in today? Itâs because, over these twenty years, there were a stream of tragedies, from monsters to qi deviating swordsmen, and they were always the ones to resolve them in the end, isnât that right?â
The Wang family headâs expression turned grave, and he still was unable to say a single word.
Junior Academy Master Ge conversely began slowly going through his memories, his expression turning paler and paler.
Wenren Heng stood at the side, speechless, not speaking a word.
He had already long guessed this matter while they were at Shaolin, and he also understood why his Junior Brother hadnât depended on their Martial Uncle at the time. Because although Martial Uncle was a general, with the power of Fengxian Manor, Lingjian Pavilion, and the Alliance Leader, one wave of the hand could unite the entire righteous faction against a common enemy, and at that time, even the emperor himself would need to be cautious. So his Junior Brother had chosen to carry this blood-soaked revenge alone and left by himself.
The Wang family head barely managed to retain his rationality and said with difficulty, âSo this balanceâŚâ
Ye You softly made a sound in agreement and said, âThese so-called twenty-years of balance was simply something they intentionally created themselves.â
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The author has something to say:
When one family alone gets big, it becomes a target for the masses â see chapter 10~
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[1] ä¸ć´ 11pm-1am, but pretty sure the author means midnight.
[2] 掺ćć¨ lit. killer/murderer/assassin house. Iâm not sure if this is a reference to an actual sect or not, but I just went ahead and translated it to an actual familiar term instead. If anyone has any other suggestions, Iâd love to hear it.
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Heheheh, here it is! The big twist! Did anyone guess?
I have to say, knowing about the identity of the white piece makes a huge difference when youâre reading some of the chapters, since seemingly innocuous-sounding lines take on new meaning when you consider it in light of this knowledge. If you like this story enough when we get to the end, Iâd definitely recommend rereading it again â itâs certainly a different experience!
Also, remember when I said that there was a hint to the white pieceâs identity many, many chapters back? (Which people promptly forgot about since like two chapters later Manor Lord Wei was revealed to be the Bad Guyâ˘.)
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<summary>Well, the hint wasâŚ</summary>
After Wenren Heng learns about the white pieceâs identity, he and Ye You exclusively refer to the white piece in the plural in all their private conversations. (Ye You also tends to think of the white piece in the plural too.) See what I mean about it being a small thing that gives a lot away once pointed out? <del>I also suffered a lot with translating pronouns during those bits, hahaâŚ</del>
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<summary>And, in case you donât get the quote (it took me a while to understand it too).</summary>
Itâs actually 1) a very clever piece of misdirection, since Chinese allows for ambiguity in numbers, but Ye You explicitly referred to âone familyâ which is what led most of the readers to believe that the white piece is one person.
However, 2) Ye You was actually referring to the fact that itâs impossible for the white piece to be one person precisely because of the position of power the white piece is in.
If the white piece was that powerful, heâd most likely try to get rid of any possible enemies secretly, especially so if they shared equal power with him. Since an equilibrium between these three powers have been maintained for so many years, it means that either the white piece is not in a position to get rid of those other people OR the white piece/this conspiracy involves all three of them.