"Is Miss Zhong Xue Xianzi's daughter?" Tie Jing's mind was in turmoil for a moment before gradually calming down. There must be some hidden story here. "Then why did he claim Miss Zhong was an abandoned infant he picked up? Only admitting to being her master?" Wan Yu Yuedan pondered for a while before suddenly smiling faintly. "Actually... Tie Jing, close the door and don't allow anyone to enter."
Tie Jing, puzzled, rushed over to shut the door. Wan Yu Yuedan stood up from his chair, paced around the room twice, then raised a finger to his lips. "Shh... wait until everyone has left." Tie Jing couldn't help but laugh. For all the palace master's composure, he could still be quite childish at times. "Is the palace master going to tell a story?"
Wan Yu Yuedan nodded. Instead of returning to his ornately carved chair, he sat down right where he was and patted the spot beside him. Tie Jing followed suit, sitting on the floor and looking up at the ceiling. "Palace master, this reminds me of when I was little."
Wan Yu Yuedan smiled warmly. "Miss Zhong being Xue Xianzi's daughter isn’t actually a complicated story. You know how Senior Xue has always had a fondness for beauties—his temperament was the same when he was young. Though he married a wife at thirty-six, his weakness for pretty faces never changed. And his wife... well, she was rather plain... So one time... uh..." He hesitated, struggling to phrase it delicately. "Once, he rescued a very beautiful maiden on the road. She offered herself to him in gratitude, and in a moment of folly, Senior Xue betrayed his wife."
Tie Jing found the senior’s romantic escapades quite amusing. "If he likes beauties, why did he marry an unattractive woman?"
Wan Yu Yuedan sighed leisurely. "He never told me that part. But given his martial prowess and temperament, who could have forced him if he wasn’t willing? In any case, he got entangled in a fleeting affair. The woman carried his child for ten months and gave birth to Miss Zhong. She then took the baby to Snow Tea Manor, insisting on becoming Xue Xianzi’s concubine. But his lawful wife flew into a rage, turned her back on him, and vanished without a trace.""This... this can only be blamed on Senior's own fault." Tie Jing both wanted to laugh and felt troubled for Xue Xianzi. "What happened after that?" Wan Yu Yuedan whispered, "Forced by circumstances—the child was already born—he had no choice but to take the beautiful woman as his concubine." Tie Jing sighed. Everyone knew Xue Xianzi was now alone, without wife or concubine. Who would have thought he once had a lovely wife and a beautiful concubine? Wan Yu Yuedan continued, "When his first wife heard the news of his marriage, in a fit of anger, she ventured alone into the southern borderlands and never returned. Xue Xianzi, missing his wife, went to the southern border to search for her. He was gone for two years. By the time he found her, she was already a skeleton—said to have died alone in the dense forest after accidentally inhaling poisonous miasma." Tie Jing fell silent, deeply saddened. Wan Yu Yuedan added, "After burying his wife and returning to Snow Tea Manor, he found his concubine waiting for him at the mountain's edge. Exposed to the high-altitude cold, she was already terminally ill, beyond any cure." Tie Jing was sorrowful, exhaling heavily. "Two years?" Wan Yu Yuedan nodded. "He was gone for two years, and within a month of his return, the concubine also passed away, leaving behind a two-year-old girl, Miss Zhong. He never acknowledged being her father. I think... perhaps it was out of guilt toward his first wife and concubine, or maybe he didn’t want his daughter to know her mothers died because of him. In any case..." He sighed softly. "Senior's life has not been a happy one."
"But how could Miss Zhong be mistaken for the Langya Princess?" Tie Jing asked quietly. "She probably doesn’t know her own origins. If the truth comes out, wouldn’t it be a crime of deceiving the emperor?" Wan Yu Yuedan shook his head. "This is a very thorny issue, one that could easily cause an uproar. Although Hong Guniang has no intention of returning, Liu Yan must know her true identity." He exhaled gently. "She is infatuated with Liu Yan and would surely confide in him completely. And if Liu Yan knows, perhaps Gui Mudan would also find out. Once Gui Mudan learns that Hong Guniang is the real princess, he would seize her to threaten Miss Zhong."
"Threaten Miss Zhong, Zhao Zongjing, and Zhao Zongying, using the Imperial Guards to aid Dissolute Shop?" Tie Jing’s voice grew even lower. "Is that possible?" Wan Yu Yuedan shook his head again. "The Imperial Guards would never involve themselves in Jianghu conflicts. Even if their power were to be used, it would be within the palace." Tie Jing was deeply alarmed. "What does Gui Mudan want?" Wan Yu Yuedan sighed. "I don’t know."
The two fell into silence, the earlier lighthearted atmosphere completely gone. After a long while, Tie Jing asked softly, "Would Young Master Tang handle something like this?" Wan Yu Yuedan smiled faintly. "He would." Tie Jing gave a bitter laugh. "There’s no room for us to intervene in such matters. Truly, Young Master Tang is constantly running around, never getting a moment’s rest." Wan Yu Yuedan was quiet for a moment. "He..." Tie Jing waited for him to continue, but after a pause, all he heard was Wan Yu Yuedan’s gentle voice: "If he didn’t have so many things to do, he would probably be even lonelier."
The two sat on the ground as a small white rabbit hopped over and nestled into Wan Yu Yuedan’s arms. He stroked its back lightly. "The Jianghu is full of blood and storms. I find it very lonely. But for some, without these storms, life would be empty...""Palace Master! Palace Master—" Suddenly, hurried footsteps rushed outside the door, followed by someone crashing in with a loud "bang." Tie Jing leaped up and shouted, "Who goes there?" Wan Yu Yuedan stood up and saw a blood-soaked figure in emerald green robes—a disciple of their palace—bursting in. Tie Jing caught him in his arms. The disciple had a gaping wound in his back and was clearly beyond saving. Clutching Tie Jing's robes tightly, he gasped, "Outside... someone... is storming the palace. We couldn't hold them off... Palace Master, be careful..." Before he could finish, his head slumped, and he died. Wan Yu Yuedan's expression shifted abruptly, and he strode outside. Tie Jing laid the body on a chair and followed closely behind.
The vast Azure Fall Palace was in chaos. Dozens of disciples stood with drawn blades, confronting a single figure. Bi Lianyi, his long sword unsheathed, blocked the intruder's path.
Wan Yu Yuedan couldn't see the intruder's face, but he could feel an icy, bone-piercing killing intent pressing against his chest, as if the figure standing before him was a demon who had cleaved through wind and rain. The air was frigid, yet within that demonic form, a scorching flame seemed to burn.
The one facing the dozens of Azure Fall Palace disciples with a halberd was none other than Raging Orchid No Trace. Moments ago, he had arrived at the palace gates. The guards recognized him as Raging Orchid No Trace, knowing he had been recuperating within the palace for some time, so they didn’t raise much alarm. But Zhu Yan struck without warning—his halberd pierced through one guard’s chest, killing him instantly and gravely wounding another.
"Wan Yu Yuedan?" Zhu Yan's voice was cold and imposing, carrying an indescribable grandeur, as if it could echo across the heavens and earth. Wan Yu Yuedan stood at the forefront of the crowd, his right hand clenched and tucked into his sleeve. "Indeed. You owe me your life, yet now you repay kindness with slaughter. Why?" His tone was neither loud nor aggressive, but his words were clear and unwavering, neither submissive nor overbearing. Zhu Yan thrust his halberd forward. "Prepare to die!" He ignored Wan Yu Yuedan's words entirely. The brown halberd swept through the air with a fierce wind, aiming straight for Wan Yu Yuedan's chest. Bi Lianyi roared and intercepted with his sword. The blade gleamed like a ribbon of light, twisting like a dragon or serpent as it clashed with the halberd midair. A resonant "hum" filled the air, forcing everyone to cover their ears as their heads spun and hearts pounded. Bi Lianyi's right hand, gripping the sword, split at the tiger's mouth, blood streaming down the blade. Blocking Zhu Yan's halberd, he flicked his wrist and unleashed three rapid thrusts toward Zhu Yan's chest.
"Brother Bi, fall back!" Wan Yu Yuedan shouted over the cacophony of clashing weapons. His voice was nearly drowned out by the halberd's piercing whistle, but Bi Lianyi heard him. With a swift motion, he retreated abruptly. Zhu Yan stepped forward, his sleeve suddenly flaring out—revealing a volley of nearly invisible silver needles embedded in his purple robe. He lifted his head, his gaze locking onto Wan Yu Yuedan with chilling intensity. Wan Yu Yuedan, holding an egg-shaped object in his right hand, gave it a slight shake and smiled faintly.
It was the "Five-Five-Four Split Needles," laced with deadly poison. This hidden weapon required intricate handling—most people couldn’t operate it even with both hands. Yet Wan Yu Yuedan had launched them all with just his right hand. Zhu Yan raised his halberd, its blade pointed directly at Wan Yu Yuedan's chest. Anyone could see he was calculating how to strike true—to first shatter Wan Yu Yuedan's ribs, then pierce straight through his heart.
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