Liu Piaopiao’s thoughts were not aligned with those of the three factions. She had been preoccupied with the scene of Fatty Nan secretly eating the immortal peaches, and pondering the matter of the peach orchard behind them. The sudden departure of the three factions had also left her completely bewildered.
She never expected them to vanish in a swarm without even saying goodbye. It took her a moment to blank out before she finally realised what had happened.
Well, that left only old acquaintances staring at each other in surprise.
After exchanging glances for a while, all four of them suddenly turned in unison to carefully observe their surroundings.
Only after confirming that everyone else had truly fled did the two sides experience a genuine reunion after a long separation. They walked towards each other and stood face to face.
They sized each other up. Liu Piaopiao still maintained her heroic and valiant appearance, with twin swords strapped to her back.
Nan Zhu asked curiously, “Chief Guard, why are you here instead of staying at Jianyuan Mountain?”
“Thanks to him.” Liu Piaopiao fixed her gaze on Yu Qing. “If he had not become famous again, Qianliu Mountain would never have traced things back to me. Yu Shiheng, what were you thinking? Do you not know that everyone believes you died in that ancient tomb? Why did you still go to that so called Wen clan in Ningzhou to attend a literary gathering, as if you were afraid people would not know you were still alive?”
Yu Qing was truly left speechless by her asking this the very moment they met.
Fortunately, Nan Zhu helped explain. “He had no choice. He happened to run into colleagues from the capital in Ningzhou and was recognised on the spot. By the way, how did his fame in Ningzhou lead Qianliu Mountain to investigate you? You did not say anything reckless, did you?”
“I have no idea where Qianliu Mountain obtained their information, but they found out about you posing as coolies from the Bihai Shipping Company to enter the ancient tomb. On the surface, I am the only survivor from that tomb, so who else would they come to for verification?” Liu Piaopiao fixed her gaze on Yu Qing again. “It is all thanks to you. If you had not insisted I help you get rid of that so called Qin Jue, I would never have mentioned meeting you in the tomb in the first place. When Qianliu Mountain came knocking, I had no idea how they got their information, so how could I dare deny having seen you? As for saying anything reckless, you are overthinking it. What could I possibly say? That I concealed information previously? All I saw were coolies from Bihai Shipping and three clerks from Jianyuan Studio. I did not know your true identities. I am no longer the Chief Guard of Qianliu Mountain. I have been transferred to Qianliu Mountain itself, and the purpose of coming with the team was to verify whether you, Shiheng, were among those who appeared in the ancient tomb.”
So that was how it was. The three of them immediately felt much more relieved, and the tight string in their hearts finally loosened.
Nan Zhu suddenly asked in surprise, “You have become a member of Qianliu Mountain?”
Liu Piaopiao slightly raised her chin and gave a soft “Hmm”.
The three sworn brothers exchanged a glance. Nan Zhu immediately beamed and cupped his fists in greeting. “Then this should be worth congratulating, surely. As a member of Qianliu Mountain, even if Hong Teng, the bandit king of Jianyuan Mountain, sees you now, he would probably have to treat you with respect, would he not?”
Liu Piaopiao gave a noncommittal response. “After leaving Jianyuan Mountain, I have not yet been to Qianliu Mountain. Since leaving the mountain, I have just been following them to search for your whereabouts.”
Nan Zhu was curious and was about to ask, “We felt our movements were quite discreet. How did you manage to find us?”
This was also what Yu Qing and Mu Aotie wanted to know.
Liu Piaopiao said, “As soon as I left Jianyuan Mountain, I went straight to Ningzhou with them and met that new female head of the Wen clan.”
Nan Zhu nodded. “Her name is Wen Xin.”
“Yes, Wen Xin. That young lady is actually quite remarkable…”
Upon mentioning Wen Xin, Liu Piaopiao recalled the scene of their first meeting. She was a young lady who had left a distinctly unexpected impression on her.
When she met Wen Xin, the latter was no longer in the capital of Ningzhou, but by the seaside.
It coincided with the long prepared grand ceremony for worshipping the gods. The Wen clan was presiding over it, and Wen Xin led the main rituals in her capacity as clan head.
Under the gaze of the crowd, Wen Xin wore fairly heavy makeup, with bright red lips that concealed the immaturity of her youth. While one could say she was heavily made up, it also brought out a distinct aura. She wore a long black dress trimmed with gold, embroidered with golden cloud patterns, a golden phoenix crown upon her head, and a jade tablet carved with ritual texts in her hands. Walking at the front, she led the procession, with the clan leaders of Ningzhou slowly following behind.
At that moment, as Wen Xin moved forward with calm assurance, her eyes fixed straight ahead, she carried an air of maternal grace befitting an empress.
Facing the sea and sky to recite the ritual text, her voice was clear and resonant, perfectly paced, like an empress proclaiming to the heavens and the ocean!
Tens of thousands of onlookers from various groups lined both sides, with the devout kneeling in prayer.
Liu Piaopiao had been among the crowd at the time. What surprised her was that such a young girl could lead such a grand occasion without the slightest sign of disorder. Her presence commanded respect and held the entire venue in check. What kind of broad mindset must she have possessed to handle all of this?
Later, Liu Piaopiao met Wen Xin alongside the people from Qianliu Mountain. She witnessed Wen Xin’s dignified and composed demeanour, which was truly pleasing to behold. This forced her to inwardly marvel that women raised in such prominent families were indeed different.
Nan Zhu nodded in agreement and remarked, “She is indeed quite beautiful.”
He and Mu Aotie both instinctively glanced at Yu Qing, and found that his expression was indeed somewhat off.
Liu Piaopiao continued, “After meeting her, Qianliu Mountain revealed their identity. That young lady was straightforward and directly informed them about your search for the address ‘Shiji Bay’ in the Wen clan’s library. Qianliu Mountain immediately dispatched people to rush towards Shiji Bay…”
Yu Qing did not hear a single word that followed. He only registered that Wen Xin had personally betrayed him.
He recalled the scene in the study where Wen Xin wept and pleaded. He thought of the tragedy he had likely brought upon the Wen clan. He assumed Wen Xin would have figured it out by now, and would probably hate him, this “liar”, to death.
At this moment, he felt deeply sorrowful.
After hearing this, Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie looked at Yu Qing’s reaction. Their eyes met, confirming their certainty. The relationship between this fellow and Wen Xin was definitely out of the ordinary. Given how callous and ungrateful the fifteenth brother was, mere unrequited love would not explain such a reaction.
“What is wrong with you?” Liu Piaopiao asked, staring at Yu Qing.
Nan Zhu reached out and patted Yu Qing’s face. “Your parents died long ago. Why the mournful expression?”
Yu Qing waved his arm and shoved him away.
Liu Piaopiao then asked what she had wanted to know. “I remember you are not afraid of miasmic energy. Are you fine after eating these immortal peaches?”
Hearing this, Yu Qing pulled himself out of his sorrow and nodded.
Liu Piaopiao was instantly energised. Who would not covet the rich spiritual energy within those immortal peaches? She immediately pressed on. “In the ancient tomb, I found it strange. Even with extraordinary talent, it is impossible for all three of you to possess it. Do you know some method to neutralise it?”
This question left the three of them feeling awkward, unsure of how to answer.
Liu Piaopiao grew increasingly suspicious. Pointing at the peach orchard, she said, “Tell me you are not planning to monopolise this entire orchard among the three of you. Do not bite off more than you can chew. Can you even handle it all? Be careful not to burst yourselves.”
Yu Qing sighed. “It is not that we want to keep it all to ourselves. We are afraid you might want to.”
Liu Piaopiao could not help rolling her eyes and retorted, “Then what do you intend to do? Let me be blunt from the start. I will definitely take a share of these benefits. Although these immortal peaches may not help me break through from the initial Xuan realm to the higher Xuan realm, they will certainly help me quickly reach the peak of the initial Xuan realm. You should understand the logic. The sooner you reach the peak, and the longer you remain there, the greater your chance of touching the threshold to enter the higher Xuan realm. With such a fine opportunity right in front of me, now that I know your secret, I absolutely cannot miss it!”
Yu Qing pressed his hands together. “Rest assured, we will definitely share these benefits with you. What kind of bond do we have? We have faced life and death together, and shared hardships. You saved my life, though admittedly I have saved yours more times. Last time, you helped us leave behind Jianyuan Mountain’s back and did not betray us. We trust your character.” He turned to his two senior martial brothers. “Would you not agree?”
Nan Zhu immediately puffed out his chest and said solemnly, “Of course! Lady Liu clearly looks like a good person, kind and beautiful. It is a pity about my appearance, which truly makes me feel inferior, otherwise… Never mind that. In this small world, apart from you, who else could the three of us trust? You are the person we trust the most.”
Mu Aotie nodded. “Exactly.”
Yu Qing picked up the thread. “Now that you know our secret, if it were ever exposed, the three major factions would inevitably force us to hand it over. And since you helped us behind Jianyuan Mountain’s back last time, it means you deceived Qianliu Mountain. If we were to expose it, your life would likely be in jeopardy as well.”
Liu Piaopiao immediately gritted her teeth. “Are you threatening me?”
Yu Qing flatly denied it. “Not at all. We cannot beat you in a fight, so how could we threaten you? I mean that we are in the same boat. We are friends already, so we should help each other. But my companion here might be thinking rather narrowly…” He pointed at Nan Zhu to indicate him, avoiding calling him a martial brother in front of an outsider.
Nan Zhu was stunned inside, looking at him, unsure of what he was about to say.
Yu Qing changed his form of address. “Sister Piaopiao, we discussed this before, but this fatty is afraid you might burn your bridges once you cross the river. Sister Piaopiao, you must understand us. Therefore, we definitely will not tell you the secret to neutralising the miasmic energy. However, we will certainly help you neutralise it. After all, you are our only helper here. If we wish to leave safely, we will still rely on your covert assistance. Rest assured, we will definitely let you fully enjoy the immortal peaches.”
Mu Aotie looked at Nan Zhu. “Although he is being narrow minded, there is some logic to it. It allows us to have the best of both worlds!”
Nan Zhu slowly looked up at the sky. He did not deny it, but his heart was filled with lingering resentment. He had risked his life to eat the peaches and test for poison, yet how had these two beasts treated him? Was there not even a shred of respect for him as their senior martial brother?
Liu Piaopiao stared at Yu Qing and sneered. “I helped you back then because I believed in your hollow reputation as a Tan Hua Lang. I thought a man who could write ‘when the people grieve, the nation declines’ could not possibly be a petty person. I assumed you would never betray anyone. I figured that by helping you behind the backs of Jianyuan Mountain and Qianliu Mountain, you would not sell me out. I never expected it to become a bargaining chip for you to threaten me. The number one talented scholar in the world, what nonsense. I truly was foolish to believe you. Fine, consider me blind. Tell me, how will you help me neutralise the miasmic energy?”
Yu Qing looked thoroughly embarrassed by her words. He sighed heavily. “Sister Piaopiao, I have long abandoned literature for martial arts, and tried to adapt to this jianghu. Otherwise, how could we have met here? That so called number one talented scholar is not worth mentioning. Just treat it like dog faeces. In any case, please try to understand. Our three lives are ultimately in your hands, so we cannot help but be cautious. I swear, as long as you do not betray us, Sister Piaopiao, we will certainly not betray you! Well, it is not convenient to neutralise the miasmic energy right now. We will need to find another opportunity later. Let us talk about that later. For now, please keep watch for us. While those people are not paying attention, we will go taste the immortal peaches to see if there are any other poisons.” Having said that, he was the first to dart away.
Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie exchanged a glance, then quickly vanished as well, rushing towards the immortal peach orchard.