Yanyan (1)
Yanyan flew away,
her feathers uneven.
This one went to be married,
she was sent off far into the wilds.
——
Xifeng City, Xiaoxiang Palace.
The morning sunlight fell through the latticed windows into the extravagant palace, casting a brilliant glow. Lin Wanxia slammed her teacup down heavily on the rosewood table. A circle of maidservants around her held their breath in trepidation, not daring to make a sound.
“Say that to me again?”
The beautiful lady sat in her chair with her legs crossed, her willow-leaf eyebrows raised, her sharp peach-blossom eyes narrowed to slits as she said in a dark voice, “The Sect Leader wants to send the Young Miss away to a branch stronghold!?”
The middle-aged maidservant standing before Madam Lin was somewhat unusual. Though also dressed as a maidservant, her expression and bearing had a sharp, fierce air about them, much like someone who practiced martial arts. Only from the humility shown when bowing toward the madam could one see a trace of a servant’s characteristics. “Yes, the transfer order came from Yangxin Hall this morning and has already been delivered to the Young Miss’s Shuiyue Hall.”
“There’s also news that… the Sect Leader has ordered Elder Xue to replace the Left Envoy as head of the Punishment Hall, also this morning.”
“What?” Lin Wanxia’s gaze grew even more profound, her expression changing unpredictably. “Then what about the Left Envoy?”
The unusual maidservant replied, “The Sect Leader has made no other arrangements, so the Left Envoy currently has no other actual position and no tasks assigned.”
Lin Wanxia made a puzzled sound through her nose. Her brow furrowed even tighter as she rose from her chair with a languid yet elegant bearing, slowly pacing in thought. The gold and kingfisher feather hairpins in her cloud-like coiffure moved with her steps, swaying silently.
This was too strange. Left Envoy Xiao Donghe had been doing perfectly well as head of the Punishment Hall, and Elder Xue Duxing had been Gate Master of Ghost Gate for decades—there was absolutely no reason for such arbitrary transfers…
Yun Changliu’s poison had already flared up three times now and could truly be called terminally ill. What did he mean by suddenly stirring things up like this?
——Wait, something’s not right!
Transferring Yun Chanjuan away… handing over Xiao Left Envoy’s duties to others… at a time when the poison has flared three times and he’s terminally ill…
Like numbing cold electricity coursing through her entire body, a shocking thought rushed into Lin Wanxia’s mind, instantly making her head swim!
Could it be——Yun Changliu intends to abdicate to Xiao Donghe? He would rather let the Zhuyin Sect Leader no longer bear the Yun surname than pass the position of next Sect Leader to Juan’er!?
A venomous cold light suddenly rippled through Lin Wanxia’s beautiful eyes. But then she suddenly heard approaching footsteps. Another maidservant hurried in from outside, walking near with lowered head and measured steps, her bearing equally unusual and fierce as the one who had spoken earlier.
“Report to Madam, the Sect Leader just returned to Yangxin Hall and transferred Yin Ghosts from Ghost Gate. According to our people’s investigation… it seems to be about a hundred.”
“A hundred Yin Ghosts?” Lady Lin gasped, her red lips trembling as she unconsciously repeated in a low voice, “A hundred…”
This truly was one strange occurrence after another. Though the number one hundred might not sound particularly impressive at first, Yin Ghosts were absolute death warriors forged with Ghost Gate’s full efforts—quality over quantity—each one a master capable of fighting a hundred men.
Any single Yin Ghost released would be a terrifying assassin; and a hundred Yin Ghosts would absolutely be a force that could alarm even the great powers of the martial world.
This number also meant that nearly all the Yin Ghosts on standby in Ghost Gate had been deployed, and it was even possible that some currently on patrol duty had been transferred as well.
What could Yun Changliu possibly need so many Yin Ghosts for? Lin Wanxia was completely perplexed and asked again, “What direction? Where are the Yin Ghosts heading?”
The two middle-aged maidservants standing behind her, the one who had entered later stepped forward to answer, “Southwest, seemingly intending to enter Zhuiri Valley.”
Zhuiri Valley! One of the five great perilous places renowned in the martial world, the most suitable dangerous terrain for ambushes and feuds. For hundreds of years, countless grudges had ended in this place, countless heroes and villains sleeping forever beneath the setting sun of Zhuiri Valley.
As the saying goes: Where the blood-red sun falls, heroes are buried.
The color drained completely from Lin Wanxia’s face. “Wait… which branch stronghold is Juan’er being sent to!?”
……
Moments later, a figure in a pink dress burst into Yangxin Hall.
“Brother Changliu!”
With a delicate shout, Yun Chanjuan charged forward furiously, throwing the transfer order stamped with the Sect Leader’s great seal onto the ground before Yun Changliu, raising her foot to stomp on it. “You tell me… what is the meaning of this!”
Yun Changliu had just finished personally writing a letter. On the desk before him were ink, paper, and inkstone not yet cleared away. He supported his temple with one hand half-curled into a fist, looking at Yun Chanjuan with eyes slightly unfocused.
At dawn, Yun Changliu had forced himself to move step by step from the Punishment Hall back to Yangxin Hall. Dispersing ninety percent of his internal energy while the Fengchun Sheng poison raged was no pleasant experience. The consequence of keeping up appearances was that he nearly fainted the moment he crossed the threshold.
In the end, he had bitten his tongue to force himself to stay conscious. He still had things he must do.
In just the few days since awakening from his last bout of unconsciousness, the Sect Leader had made two major decisions.
The first was to marry Ah Ku. Since he couldn’t give Ah Ku a true heart in this lifetime, he should at least repay the debt of gratitude and compensate him with peace and stability for the rest of his life.
The second was to give Wujue the Meridian-Sealing Origin-Suppressing Needles.
Actually, Yun Changliu had also considered that if he were truly a selfless Sect Leader, he should abdicate to Wujue.
But in the end, he still harbored selfish desires. Wujue’s temperament was ruthless, patient, and somewhat obsessive—too easily lost in fixation. Yun Changliu feared he would be trapped by his dying wishes, spending the rest of his life only knowing how to work himself to the bone for the Zhuyin Sect, draining himself of all strength. If that truly came to pass, even in the Yellow Springs below, beside the Naihe Bridge, he would not be able to close his eyes in peace.
In the end, he decided to use his entire internal energy to protect and heal Wujue, and after his death, let him leave. He still remembered what Wujue had said—if two people loved each other deeply but their love was not long-lived, the one who survived should make up double the peace and joy for the deceased. If this internal energy could add one more portion of happiness to the Protector, it would be worth it.
As for the rest…
Yun Changliu adjusted his breathing and closed his eyes to focus. When he opened them again, he looked deeply at his sister. “Didn’t you read the transfer order? Your mother has spoiled you rotten all these years. You need tempering. Go out and train for three to five years before returning to Xifeng City.”
“What?” Yun Chanjuan’s eyes widened in disbelief, her voice suddenly changing pitch. “What are you saying, Brother Changliu… Go out? By myself? Three to five years? Are you really going to drive me away!”
Yun Chanjuan had been dragged out of bed by Lin Wanxia this morning. Her dear mother had told her with an unprecedentedly cold expression that Brother Changliu didn’t want her to be Sect Leader, that Brother Changliu wanted to exile her, and would even send Yin Ghosts to kill her halfway to eliminate future troubles.
The Young Miss naturally didn’t believe it.
How ridiculous—how could Brother Changliu possibly do such a thing!
Though their sibling relationship had indeed grown much colder recently, how could Brother Changliu harm her? How could he bear to drive her out alone?
Yun Chanjuan thought: there must be some mistake, Mother is just trying to scare her.
She was both angry and aggrieved, secretly running over to question her elder brother behind her mother’s back. She had thought that once the misunderstanding was cleared up, everything would be fine. Who would have imagined that Yun Changliu truly wanted her to leave Xifeng City!
“Why? What did I do wrong!?”
Hearing his sister’s unwilling shouts, Yun Changliu’s heart sank heavily. He was about to speak, but before he could make a sound, his vision suddenly went black, stars bursting before his eyes.
The Sect Leader imperceptibly braced himself against the desk, breathing slightly labored. He thought that after a moment’s rest he would recover, but the uncomfortable feeling only grew more intense.
This is bad, this doesn’t look good…
Yun Changliu knew something was wrong. He raised his head, forcing himself to control the weakness in his voice. “Chanjuan… I’m very tired right now. We can discuss this matter another time…”
He rarely said such words showing weakness, but he really didn’t want to faint in front of this sister.
“Don’t think you can brush me off!” Yun Chanjuan hadn’t noticed her brother’s abnormality. She angrily put her hands on her hips, grinding the transfer order even harder under her foot. “Your grand order clearly says I’m to leave the day after tomorrow. If I don’t get answers now, what ‘next time’ will there be!?”
“Tell me, why on earth——is it because of Guan Wujue?”
For an instant, what that youth in the blue robe called Ah Ku had said to her last time flashed through Yun Chanjuan’s mind. However, the panic of being about to be swept out by her elder brother immediately overwhelmed all reason. Her eyes reddened as she said angrily, “Because I wanted to cause trouble for him, you want to drive me away?”
“For the sake of being with him, you’ve not only forgotten Brother Danjing, now you don’t even want me, your own sister!”
“Chanjuan!” Yun Changliu’s eyes turned cold. He suddenly stood up, but immediately had to support himself on the corner of the desk, bowing his head with brows tightly furrowed. “…You go back first. Stop throwing tantrums. I really am unwell…”
“I said I won’t go back!”
Yun Chanjuan pressed forward two steps, her eyes fixed on Yun Changliu. Not letting her be Sect Leader, driving her out of Xifeng City—it was all true… then could what Mother said about Brother Changliu wanting to kill her also be true? She still refused to believe it!
“Speak! Give me an explanation. I’m telling you, I’m also the dignified Young Miss of the Zhuyin Sect. If you don’t make this clear, don’t think I’ll meekly let you manipulate me!”
Yun Changliu’s hand bracing the desk trembled slightly. His loose black hair covered his face, and one could only hear his voice mixed with abnormally disordered gasps. “Don’t… don’t make noise…”
“Heh, does Brother Changliu think I’m in your way?”
When Yun Chanjuan said this, she only felt deeply wronged. The Young Miss raised her pointed chin and laughed coldly, mocking:
“That’s right, after I’m gone, you can freely do those shameless things with Guan Wujue day and night!”
“What brotherly or sisterly love, how could it compare to how comfortable and pleasurable that is!”
“…Juan’er.”
Yun Changliu suddenly raised his head very slowly, but the tiny bit of light remaining in his eyes dimmed with it.
With somewhat scattered gaze, he looked deeply at his sister’s face once more. “…Enough.”
Enough, enough.
That little girl who used to giggle while tossing wildflowers through his window all those years ago—in the end, she could no longer be found.
Yun Changliu slowly closed his eyelids, a light sigh escaping his lips, containing seven parts exhaustion and three parts relief.
“No need to say such things anymore.”
“The affection I owed you from childhood, I… have repaid it…”
“What are you talking about?”
Yun Chanjuan stepped forward two paces, reaching out to push him angrily, grabbing his lapels and yanking hard. “Brother Changliu, I’m telling you, if you dare send me one step out of Xifeng City, I’ll never in my life again——“
Unexpectedly.
Her force met not the slightest resistance.
Yun Changliu fell limply with her pull, collapsing headfirst into his sister’s arms, eyes tightly shut, face pale as paper.
Yun Chanjuan felt a weight on her body. Completely unprepared, she stumbled backward with unsteady footing and sat down hard on the floor of Yangxin Hall.
“Brother… Changliu?”
Yun Changliu was unconscious, his breathing so faint it was nearly nonexistent.
Miss Chanjuan stood with her mouth open, staring at her unconscious elder brother in a daze for a long time.
It was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her from head to toe. She suddenly shuddered all over and began shouting in panic, “Brother Changliu? Brother Changliu? …Brother Changliu!”
Yun Chanjuan frantically pushed and called to him, but received not the slightest response. Her fingers trembling, she reached out to touch her elder brother’s pale hand and cheek. The sensation she received was icy cold, not at all like a living person’s temperature.
“Wake up, wake up… wake up! What’s happening? What’s wrong with you? ——Heavens, what on earth is happening!?”
In that instant, an unprecedented massive panic swept over the pampered Young Miss like an overwhelming tide.
She had never imagined that her Sect Leader brother, who had always been aloof and formidable, calm and composed, would one day lie cold and pale in her arms, unable to be roused no matter how she called, his breath growing weaker and weaker.
It was almost as if, almost as if in the next moment he would…
——“Yun Changliu’s Fengchun Sheng poison has already penetrated his bones and corroded his organs. He won’t live much longer.”
This statement from her mother that she had never paid attention to, just at the edge of being forgotten, suddenly sprouted sharp thorns that pierced her bloodily, making her whole body tremble.
“No, no, no… Brother, don’t scare Juan’er!”
Yun Chanjuan’s tears flowed uncontrollably. She gripped Yun Changliu’s hand tightly, desperately channeling her internal energy, sobbing with trembling voice, “I was wrong, I was wrong! Don’t scare me like this…”
However, the internal energy she sent into her brother’s body dissipated futilely like a clay ox entering the sea.
The gap in cultivation between her and Yun Changliu was simply too great. The latter had dispersed ninety percent of his internal energy, triggering a flare-up of the Fengchun Sheng poison—how could the Young Miss’s power possibly suppress it?
“No, no, Brother Changliu, I’m begging you…”
In the blink of an eye, panic accompanied by tears covered Yun Chanjuan’s pretty face. Finally looking around, she cried out helplessly at the top of her lungs, “Someone… quickly, someone come! Help! Help!!”