The azure waters flow endlessly through the void of ages, while the vast skies remain desolate for centuries in crimson hues.
The halls of Azure Fall Palace were elegantly pristine, and within Orchid Visiting Residence, fallen leaves drifted through the air, deepening the autumnal atmosphere. The autumn orchids bloomed in full splendor, their fragrance growing ever more serene and ethereal. Fu Zhumei had cleaned Orchid Visiting Residence from top to bottom once again, wiping away even the last speck of dust from between the chair crevices. With nothing left to do for Wan Yu Yuedan, he sat blankly in a chair.
The poison in his body had been neutralized. Wan Yu Yuedan had arranged for him to stay in his favorite courtyard, provided him with attentive maids, and asked nothing of him. Yet, the longer he stayed, the more restless he became. Tang Lici had obtained the Green Enchantment Pearl and saved his life. According to news from Bianjing, five people had died that night—one of them being Wei Beiyin of the Nine Gates Path.
Had A-Li expended great effort and thought to acquire that pearl? He had ingested the powdered Green Enchantment to cure the Bright Yellow Bamboo poison, but his heart was filled with unease. A-Li disliked him—wouldn’t this incident only deepen that resentment? Though he had trained in formidable martial arts, he had never been one to make decisions. He felt indebted to Wan Yu Yuedan and guilty toward Tang Lici, yet he had no idea how to make amends.
There was little he could do, and no brilliant ideas came to mind. The only thing he could claim any proficiency in was the Imperial Plum Blossom Saber Technique—but when it came to killing, he was far inferior to Wan Yu Yuedan and Tang Lici. As for menial tasks like sweeping and dusting, those were clearly not things Wan Yu Yuedan or Tang Lici needed from him.
Perhaps he should leave. Whenever people recognized him as Yu Mei Zhu, he found himself in such awkward predicaments. Many expected him to make wise decisions or play a pivotal role, yet he never knew how. And whenever he hesitated or chose to leave, he only ended up disappointing more people.
All he wanted was to live simply. He didn’t need profound martial arts to survive, and he didn’t dislike himself for it. But… admitting his uselessness didn’t give him a reason to walk away.
Though he was useless, he never ran away—he just often made mistakes.
"Master Fu." The person who stepped into the room today was Bi Lianyi, startling Fu Zhumei into momentary stillness. "Xiao Bi." The last time he had visited Azure Fall Palace, Bi Lianyi had been a youth of seventeen or eighteen. Now, he was a dashing swordsman who appeared seven or eight years older than him.
Bi Lianyi bowed to him. "The Palace Master has asked me to relay a few matters to you."
"Is Xiao Yue busy?" Fu Zhumei rubbed his head. "I haven’t seen him in days."
"The Palace Master is indeed occupied. Many things have happened recently." Bi Lianyi still treated him with the respect due to an elder. "The Palace Master has instructed me to convey a few things and hopes that Master Fu will remain calm and not leave. He asks that you wait here at Azure Fall Palace for his return."
Fu Zhumei blinked in surprise. "Xiao Yue left?" Wan Yu Yuedan didn’t practice martial arts and had only just returned from Shaolin Temple. What could have happened to make him leave again so soon?
"Young Master Tang has gone missing," Bi Lianyi said gravely.
Fu Zhumei shot to his feet—only to collapse back into his chair with a thud. "How… what happened? How could A-Li go missing? Didn’t he take the Green Enchantment Pearl back to the Central Plains Sword Association?""In fact, he never returned to the Central Plains Sword Association," Bi Lianyi said. "Several unfortunate events have occurred recently. First, Young Master Tang took the Green Enchantment Pearl and sent it to the palace master via messenger bird before disappearing without a trace. Second, the Seventeen Shaolin Monks clashed with Liu Yan at the Apricot Sun Bookstore, and in the chaos, Liu Yan was abducted by a mysterious figure and has also vanished. Third, Xifang Tao left the Central Plains Sword Association, and on the fourth day after her departure, Shao Yanping was attacked and died from severe injuries."
Fu Zhumei grew increasingly alarmed as he listened. Upon hearing "Shao Yanping was attacked and died from severe injuries," he couldn't help but gasp, "Master Shao... who was it...?" Bi Lianyi shook his head. "It wasn't Xifang Tao. When Shao Yanping was attacked, Xifang Tao was staying temporarily in the small pine forest outside Shaolin Temple on Mount Song, congratulating Puzhu Shangshi on his ascension as the abbot of Shaolin Temple. Previously, both Young Master Tang and the palace master had suspected that Xifang Tao had infiltrated the Central Plains Sword Association as the mastermind behind the Dissolute Shop, intending to kill Shao Yanping and seize control of the association. Now Shao Yanping is dead, but the murderer wasn't Xifang Tao."
"So what the young master means is..." Fu Zhumei murmured, "that the Dissolute Shop is far more cunning than we thought. Besides Xifang Tao, they have other capable individuals who could kill Shao Yanping right under the noses of Cheng Yunpao, Yu Furen, Dong Hubi, and Meng Qinglei—both eliminating a thorn in their side and clearing Xifang Tao of suspicion." Bi Lianyi nodded. "Exactly. This removes much of the suspicion surrounding Xifang Tao." Fu Zhumei let out a bitter laugh. "But he... he truly is a villain." Bi Lianyi slowly shook his head. "Two days after Shao Yanping's death, Xifang Tao returned to the Central Plains Sword Association to pay her respects. In front of everyone, she killed Qiu Luo Po of the 'Spring Autumn Thirteen Swords.'"
Fu Zhumei's eyes widened. The "Spring Autumn Thirteen Swords" was an assassin as renowned as Shen Langhun. "Why did he kill Qiu Luo Po?" Bi Lianyi's expression darkened. "Because Qiu Luo Po was the one who killed Shao Yanping." Fu Zhumei shook his head repeatedly. "Qiu Luo Po alone couldn't possibly have killed Master Shao within the Central Plains Sword Association. Absolutely impossible." Bi Lianyi replied, "The palace master believes Qiu Luo Po couldn't have acted alone. Perhaps he was one of the killers, but his role wasn't to commit the murder... but to take the blame." He spoke calmly. "In any case, Shao Yanping is dead, Qiu Luo Po was the culprit, and Xifang Tao exposed the disguised Qiu Luo Po among the members of the Central Plains Sword Association, killing him in one move and preventing him from lurking within the association to kill again." Fu Zhumei was stunned. "So his reputation has grown even greater?"
Bi Lianyi nodded. "The Central Plains Sword Association already held Xifang Tao in high regard. He is a close friend of Abbot Puzhu, helped the association win the battle at Good Cloud Mountain, and saved many lives. This time, by avenging Shao Yanping, Abbot Puzhu sent a letter of gratitude, and Xifang Tao's name as a righteous and brilliant figure has spread far and wide." Fu Zhumei frowned deeply. "How can this be... how can this be... This is completely wrong..." Bi Lianyi continued, "Afterward, Xifang Tao used Qiu Luo Po as a lead to track down a hidden stronghold of the Dissolute Shop. The Central Plains Sword Association raided the stronghold, killed thirty-three enemies, and seized over a hundred bottles of the Ape-Demon Nine Heart Pill, which were burned to ashes." Fu Zhumei stared at him in shock, then after a long pause, exhaled heavily. "So he... so now he is...""He is now the one replacing Shao Yanping in the Central Plains Sword Association. Cheng Yunpao, Dong Hubi, and others follow his every word without suspicion, and more righteous individuals are joining the Sword Association. Among the sixty-nine new members, many are skilled masters," Bi Lianyi said. "The Palace Master asked me to relay these matters to you. He hopes you will wait for his return at the Azure Fall Palace."
"I won’t leave," Fu Zhumei declared firmly. "I absolutely won’t leave."
A faint trace of relief, almost a smile, flickered in Bi Lianyi’s eyes, though he did not actually smile. "That’s excellent." Fu Zhumei flushed red with shame, nearly unable to lift his head. "Actually, I..." He wanted to say that his staying wouldn’t make much of a difference, but Bi Lianyi gave a slight smile. "The Master of Plum Blossom Control standing firmly with the Azure Fall Palace at this time will provide immense support to the Palace Master and Young Master Tang. Do not belittle yourself, Fu-gongzi. You are the supreme master of the blade—your reputation is well-earned."
Fu Zhumei nodded, unable to utter another word. Bi Lianyi bowed and turned to leave when suddenly Fu Zhumei asked, "What about A-Li? Where... where has he gone? Does the Azure Fall Palace truly have no news of him? Is he in danger?"
Bi Lianyi turned back. "Young Master Tang... The only clue we have is that he disappeared after battling Wei Beiyin outside the palace walls. Beyond that, we know nothing." Fu Zhumei stared blankly as Bi Lianyi walked away. Would A-Li be alright?
Where could he have gone? The situation had grown so dire, with Xifang Tao gaining the upper hand. Shao Yanping’s death must have been a heavy blow to A-Li. At a time like this, he wouldn’t hide—so where would he go? He should do something, but what? Fu Zhumei suddenly stood and walked toward another courtyard beyond Orchid Visiting Residence—Xiuyue Pavilion, the residence of Plum Blossom Numerology and Raging Orchid No Trace of the Dissolute Shop.
The poison in those two had been neutralized, but they remained unconscious. Wenren He had said the potent toxins had damaged their minds, causing madness, and they should not be provoked lightly. Thus, few visited Xiuyue Pavilion.
Fu Zhumei stepped softly into Xiuyue Pavilion, where silence reigned, broken only by the sound of two people breathing. Listening closely, the internal force techniques of Plum Blossom Numerology and Raging Orchid No Trace were entirely different—one’s breathing was fast, the other slow, making them easy to distinguish.
He entered the bedroom, where Raging Orchid No Trace lay. Plum Blossom Numerology was in the guest room. Raging Orchid No Trace’s poison wounds and stab injuries were several times worse than Plum Blossom Numerology’s. The latter occasionally sat up in a daze, but the former had never regained consciousness.
Fu Zhumei pressed his fingers to Raging Orchid No Trace’s pulse point. The man’s Internal Force was profound, his foundation solid—his martial arts might even rival Fu Zhumei’s. Yet his joints and meridians had been severely damaged by the Poisonous Thorn, likely leaving him unable to walk in the future. Were it not for his formidable skills, the renowned Raging Orchid No Trace would have died long ago.
OpenNovel