Chapter 65: A Sunny Day Chapter 44: Two Offset Each Other, One Stroke Cancels the Debt

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Protagonist:

Shaowei

Liu Qi

Seeing the grey-robed man head straight into the bamboo grove, exposing his weak back, the two guards beside Liu Qi simultaneously pressed toward their sword scabbards, one casting Liu Qi a look asking for instructions.

Liu Qi watched that back, silently shaking his head.

Killing to silence was the safest course, but this person's martial arts were unfathomable; at present he had no certainty of taking their life in a single strike, and acting rashly would only completely turn them into enemies, a loss outweighing the gain.

The grey-robed man stepped into the bamboo grove, and the curtain of green bamboo closed behind him.

The two guards remained vigilant, Liu Qi turned back, bent down to pick up the jar of wine he had brought, and was about to unseal it when he suddenly heard a disturbance behind him.

The guards had already drawn their blades; one urgently swung his blade, knocking down the short crossbow bolt that flew out of the bamboo grove.

This short crossbow bolt was not unfamiliar—it was precisely the one Liu Qi had earlier shot into the grove to probe.

The guard who knocked down the bolt was somewhat astonished; the other side clearly did not possess a suitable crossbow mechanism to fire this bolt, yet they did not know by what means it had been launched, and its range and force were astonishing!

Fortunately there was only this one—

The guard's thought of relief had just surfaced in his heart when, in the next instant, he saw two more flying stones shoot out from the grove!

After two stones came two more; stones striking the sword hilts sparked fine sparks, stone powder flew into their eyes, and the two guards frantically blocked, but one stone slipped through, striking the wine jar in Liu Qi's hand—with a shattering sound, the jar broke and wine splashed everywhere.

Liu Qi gripped his unsheathed Chi Dragon Sanchi Sword, stepped back, tilted his head to one side, and held the sword before his eyes, blocking a piece of flying shattered stone that nearly scraped his eyebrows and eyes.

The situation of flying stones injuring people did not last long, but the attack was truly too dense.

The other side was apparently retreating while attacking them; the last few stones visibly weakened in range, and the final one barely managed to emerge from the bamboo grove, yet it also inexplicably seemed persistent.

One guard asked for instructions: "Young Master, shall we pursue...?"

"No need." Liu Qi interrupted the guard's words, glancing at the half wine jar still in his hand: "Offending first is only human nature."

The guard bowed and replied "Yes," looking toward the bamboo grove, but could not help thinking: Is this the measure of a renowned knight-errant? One moment turning and leaving as if nothing happened, the next moment madly picking up stones to throw at people for revenge? And throwing while running?

That image was truly not knightly.

But the other side's martial arts were indeed not to be underestimated—not to mention the force and speed of the stone-throwing, just the fact that they had approached the bamboo grove without anyone noticing... They had clearly scouted the surroundings in advance and had always been on guard against every sound.

The two guards each knelt on one knee, apologizing for their oversight.

Liu Qi said nothing, bent down, and picked up a stone.

This stone was smooth and hard, with no dust clinging to its surface, not like one casually picked up in the grove.

The youth's fair, slender fingers held the stone and examined it, bringing it near his nose, faintly smelling a trace of medicinal herbs.

He raised his eyes to look at the bamboo grove, his black eyes holding a trace of contemplation.

The person in the grove possessed peerless lightness skill, unmatched in ten thousand li.

And there were two such people in this grove.

It was just that one of them, though skilled, had a bad temper.

The reason that world-renowned knight-errant stepped forward was presumably to cover for this bad-tempered companion.

This bad-tempered companion was at this moment being carried on the shoulder by the knight-errant's household slave, fleeing from the bamboo grove like the wind.

Shaowei's expression was displeased, and she still held her Zhu Wood Slingshot in her hand.

Only after running five or six li was Shaowei set down.

"Why did you seal my acupoint just now?"

"How did you unseal your acupoint so quickly?"

The two faced each other, one looking up, one looking down; the former asked angrily, the latter questioned doubtfully.

Shaowei was too lazy to answer the other's question, but she thought it through—she had unsealed it so quickly probably because she often had to endure Jiang Fu's needle-prick acupoint torment, and her unwilling-to-lose body had gritted its teeth and trained resistance and tolerance in that suffering, plus long-term use of medicine and medicinal baths made her tendons and bones exceptionally sturdy.

The grey-robed household slave looked at the pair of eyes glaring at him, probably realizing she would not answer him, so he could only answer her words: "I saw you intended to impulsively take revenge, so I acted to stop you."

Shaowei was displeased: "Why can't I take revenge?"

"He merely mistook you for an assassin."

Shaowei: "But I am not!"

"He doesn't know you are not."

Shaowei: "But I know I am not!"

She was she, and she naturally had to be loyal to her own position; was she supposed to consider him? Whether intentional or unintentional, whether he took her for an assassin or a ghost, in short she had been offended, and she had to return it!

"..." The household slave fell silent for a moment, probably thinking there was some sense to it, turned to look at the road leading to the bamboo grove, and said with difficulty: "But now it's too late to go back; he has probably already left. Even if he hasn't, he must have people strengthen their patrols, and it's not so easy to approach anymore."

Shaowei certainly knew this, clutching her slingshot, and walked angrily back along the road home.

The household slave followed her, seeing she was truly angry, afraid she would complain to Jiang Fu, so he could only explain and comfort her: "If you go out to take revenge, you'll only end up bullied even worse."

This comfort obviously had no effect; Shaowei only continued walking forward with her head down, even walking faster.

The household slave quickened his pace to follow, and continued: "The guards he brought must be more than just those two; they just haven't all appeared yet. They have swords, blades, bows, and crossbows, while you only have a slingshot. No matter how brave you are, you will inevitably find it hard to escape."

Shaowei, though sulky, gradually calmed down, her steps slowing, and she finally spoke again: "You call him Sixth Prince, so he is Prince Liu Qi of Wuling Commandery?"

She had been thrown into the grove and had not been able to see the other's face clearly, only vaguely hearing their conversation.

"It is him," the household slave answered. "He should be privately paying respects to Marquis Changping. Wuling Commandery is hundreds of li from here; whether he came specially or was passing by is unknown. But since he came here late at night, he must not want his whereabouts known. If there had truly been a conflict just now, a little carelessness would surely make him think of killing to silence, and that would be very troublesome."

Shaowei neither agreed nor disagreed, and asked again: "I heard that before, one of his legs was injured and left aftereffects; is it still so now?"

"Mm, judging from his movements just now, his left leg indeed walks abnormally."

Shaowei said nothing more, only fiercely crossed out an entry in her heart.

Earlier she had heard that Liu Qi's leg had been crippled by an injury, and since this had not appeared last time, she couldn't help wondering: did this count as a change brought about under her Eight-Character Warning?

【1】 ·

【2】 ·

【3】 ·

【4】 Protagonist:

【5】 Shaowei

【6】 Liu Qi

【7】 Seeing the grey-robed man head straight into the bamboo grove, exposing his weak back, the two guards beside Liu Qi simultaneously pressed toward their sword scabbards, one casting Liu Qi a look asking for instructions.

【8】 Liu Qi watched that back, silently shaking his head.

【9】 Killing to silence was the safest course, but this person's martial arts were unfathomable; at present he had no certainty of taking their life in a single strike, and acting rashly would only completely turn them into enemies, a loss outweighing the gain.

【10】 The grey-robed man stepped into the bamboo grove, and the curtain of green bamboo closed behind him.

【11】 The two guards remained vigilant, Liu Qi turned back, bent down to pick up the jar of wine he had brought, and was about to unseal it when he suddenly heard a disturbance behind him.

【12】 The guards had already drawn their blades; one urgently swung his blade, knocking down the short crossbow bolt that flew out of the bamboo grove.

【13】 This short crossbow bolt was not unfamiliar—it was precisely the one Liu Qi had earlier shot into the grove to probe.

【14】 The guard who knocked down the bolt was somewhat astonished; the other side clearly did not possess a suitable crossbow mechanism to fire this bolt, yet they did not know by what means it had been launched, and its range and force were astonishing!

【15】 Fortunately there was only this one—

【16】 The guard's thought of relief had just surfaced in his heart when, in the next instant, he saw two more flying stones shoot out from the grove!

【17】 After two stones came two more; stones striking the sword hilts sparked fine sparks, stone powder flew into their eyes, and the two guards frantically blocked, but one stone slipped through, striking the wine jar in Liu Qi's hand—with a shattering sound, the jar broke and wine splashed everywhere.

【18】 Liu Qi gripped his unsheathed Chi Dragon Sanchi Sword, stepped back, tilted his head to one side, and held the sword before his eyes, blocking a piece of flying shattered stone that nearly scraped his eyebrows and eyes.

【19】 The situation of flying stones injuring people did not last long, but the attack was truly too dense.

【20】 The other side was apparently retreating while attacking them; the last few stones visibly weakened in range, and the final one barely managed to emerge from the bamboo grove, yet it also inexplicably seemed persistent.

【21】 One guard asked for instructions: "Young Master, shall we pursue...?"

【22】 "No need." Liu Qi interrupted the guard's words, glancing at the half wine jar still in his hand: "Offending first is only human nature."

【23】 The guard bowed and replied "Yes," looking toward the bamboo grove, but could not help thinking: Is this the measure of a renowned knight-errant? One moment turning and leaving as if nothing happened, the next moment madly picking up stones to throw at people for revenge? And throwing while running?

【24】 That image was truly not knightly.

【25】 But the other side's martial arts were indeed not to be underestimated—not to mention the force and speed of the stone-throwing, just the fact that they had approached the bamboo grove without anyone noticing... They had clearly scouted the surroundings in advance and had always been on guard against every sound.

【26】 The two guards each knelt on one knee, apologizing for their oversight.

【27】 Liu Qi said nothing, bent down, and picked up a stone.

【28】 This stone was smooth and hard, with no dust clinging to its surface, not like one casually picked up in the grove.

【29】 The youth's fair, slender fingers held the stone and examined it, bringing it near his nose, faintly smelling a trace of medicinal herbs.

【30】 He raised his eyes to look at the bamboo grove, his black eyes holding a trace of contemplation.

【31】 The person in the grove possessed peerless lightness skill, unmatched in ten thousand li.

【32】 And there were two such people in this grove.

【33】 It was just that one of them, though skilled, had a bad temper.

【34】 The reason that world-renowned knight-errant stepped forward was presumably to cover for this bad-tempered companion.

【35】 This bad-tempered companion was at this moment being carried on the shoulder by the knight-errant's household slave, fleeing from the bamboo grove like the wind.

【36】 Shaowei's expression was displeased, and she still held her Zhu Wood Slingshot in her hand.

【37】 Only after running five or six li was Shaowei set down.

【38】 "Why did you seal my acupoint just now?"

【39】 "How did you unseal your acupoint so quickly?"

【40】 The two faced each other, one looking up, one looking down; the former asked angrily, the latter questioned doubtfully.

【41】 Shaowei was too lazy to answer the other's question, but she thought it through—she had unsealed it so quickly probably because she often had to endure Jiang Fu's needle-prick acupoint torment, and her unwilling-to-lose body had gritted its teeth and trained resistance and tolerance in that suffering, plus long-term use of medicine and medicinal baths made her tendons and bones exceptionally sturdy.

【42】 The grey-robed household slave looked at the pair of eyes glaring at him, probably realizing she would not answer him, so he could only answer her words: "I saw you intended to impulsively take revenge, so I acted to stop you."

【43】 Shaowei was displeased: "Why can't I take revenge?"

【44】 "He merely mistook you for an assassin."

【45】 Shaowei: "But I am not!"

【46】 "He doesn't know you are not."

【47】 Shaowei: "But I know I am not!"

【48】 She was she, and she naturally had to be loyal to her own position; was she supposed to consider him? Whether intentional or unintentional, whether he took her for an assassin or a ghost, in short she had been offended, and she had to return it!

【49】 "..." The household slave fell silent for a moment, probably thinking there was some sense to it, turned to look at the road leading to the bamboo grove, and said with difficulty: "But now it's too late to go back; he has probably already left. Even if he hasn't, he must have people strengthen their patrols, and it's not so easy to approach anymore."

【50】 Shaowei certainly knew this, clutching her slingshot, and walked angrily back along the road home.

【51】 The household slave followed her, seeing she was truly angry, afraid she would complain to Jiang Fu, so he could only explain and comfort her: "If you go out to take revenge, you'll only end up bullied even worse."

【52】 This comfort obviously had no effect; Shaowei only continued walking forward with her head down, even walking faster.

【53】 The household slave quickened his pace to follow, and continued: "The guards he brought must be more than just those two; they just haven't all appeared yet. They have swords, blades, bows, and crossbows, while you only have a slingshot. No matter how brave you are, you will inevitably find it hard to escape."

【54】 Shaowei, though sulky, gradually calmed down, her steps slowing, and she finally spoke again: "You call him Sixth Prince, so he is Prince Liu Qi of Wuling Commandery?"

【55】 She had been thrown into the grove and had not been able to see the other's face clearly, only vaguely hearing their conversation.

【56】 "It is him," the household slave answered. "He should be privately paying respects to Marquis Changping. Wuling Commandery is hundreds of li from here; whether he came specially or was passing by is unknown. But since he came here late at night, he must not want his whereabouts known. If there had truly been a conflict just now, a little carelessness would surely make him think of killing to silence, and that would be very troublesome."

【57】 Shaowei neither agreed nor disagreed, and asked again: "I heard that before, one of his legs was injured and left aftereffects; is it still so now?"

【58】 "Mm, judging from his movements just now, his left leg indeed walks abnormally."

【59】 Shaowei said nothing more, only fiercely crossed out an entry in her heart.

【60】 Earlier she had heard that Liu Qi's leg had been crippled by an injury, and since this had not appeared last time, she couldn't help wondering: did this count as a change brought about under her Eight-Character Warning?

Shaowei's attitude toward this matter was quite a muddled complexity, but at this moment that complexity was wiped away entirely—that leg could be considered half her responsibility, but today he had struck her once, so she would forgo revenge for now, the two offsetting each other, the matter settled with a single stroke.

Shaowei did not care whether this idea made any sense; she acted only by her own heart, as long as she could convince herself—after all, she simply settled it herself like that.

The debt was settled, the anger faded with it, and her attention naturally returned; Shaowei began to look at the household slave beside her: "Liu Qi calls you a knight-errant; I do not know what name you go by?"

Household slave: "……Just a slave of the Jiang family."

Shaowei continued to probe: "Do you bear the Jiang surname? What is your name?"

"……Qian."

"Jiang Qian?" Shaowei frowned slightly, racking her brains, but could not think of such a figure; however, she had not truly entered the martial world yet, so not having heard of him was perfectly normal.

But that Jiang Fu's household slave was actually an existence known to the Liu Family Prince—just how formidable were her enemies? —Anything concerning Jiang Fu's origins and background, Shaowei would eventually circle back to this question.

Shaowei asked at this moment: "Do you know whom your master offended?"

This time the household slave answered much more readily: "This servant dare not speak recklessly of master's affairs."

Shaowei's probing failed, and she could only give up for now.

The two walked side by side for a stretch of road, both feeling quite unaccustomed to it.

Though they had chased each other for two years and were already very familiar, this was still the first time Shaowei had seen the other's face up close; she turned her head to look as she walked, and saw that this man had rough skin, well-proportioned bones, his cheeks half covered by a beard, yet it did not give a fierce impression, but rather an unbridled and carefree air.

He indeed looked like an unbroken knight-errant; just now facing Liu Qi he showed not a trace of cringing fear, but rather an air of utter nonchalance.

One just did not know how Jiang Fu had managed to tame him into a household slave?

Shaowei was curious in her heart, and so kept staring at him.

The household slave's expression grew increasingly uncomfortable; finally unable to bear it, he said in a hoarse, embarrassed voice: "Though this is our first meeting, there is no need to keep staring at me."

Shaowei felt this was only natural human behavior, and thus could be called fair and reasonable: "You can look at me the same way."

The household slave was silent for a moment, and declined: "……Is that really necessary?"

He finished speaking, and on his own quickened his pace.

Shaowei followed, and he walked even faster; after several such increases in speed, he finally employed lightness skill, inexplicably resuming the chase mode.

Shaowei chased him while thinking to herself that Jiang Fu's words "the household slave is shy and rarely lets people see him," though exaggerated, were not entirely without cause.

As they neared the small courtyard, Grey Shadow disappeared, indirectly sending Shaowei back home.

Shaowei no longer chased; she leapt swiftly on her feet, lightly kicked off the wall for leverage, her body flitting like a swallow, landing soundlessly in the courtyard.

The sky showed no sign of brightening; Shaowei walked toward the house, glancing up at the night curtain, grey clouds surging, not a single star in sight.

Liu Qi, sitting cross-legged on the grass by the water, withdrew his gaze from this canopy of dense clouds, letting it fall once more upon the quiet Qing Cui Duan Shan ahead.

The scent of wine permeated the area; though he had not personally unsealed the wine jar, the wine had in the end all been poured onto this land beneath.

The guards had all retreated back to their hiding places; the boy's seated back was especially silent, just like the silent green mountains he gazed upon.

Not long after, the confidant Deng Hu, who had been sent out, finally returned, carrying back a deep gray cloth bag.

The cloth bag was thrown onto the grass; the hemp rope was undone, and a short-bearded man wearing only a lead-white undergarment was dumped out.

The stout man with his hands bound behind his back was hauled up and made to kneel on the ground; a guard pulled the hemp cloth from his mouth, and after gasping for breath, he shook his buzzing, heavy head, while lifting his eyes to look at the person who had knelt on one knee before him.

What met his eyes was a youth; as this youth lowered himself, the unsheathed long sword held in his left hand also descended, the pitch-black sword scabbard thrust into the grass.

The man at first could not recognize him at a glance, but even if a person's features change with growth and their bearing shifts with experience, this person was still this person—especially someone originally so striking and memorable—

The man soon remembered; his breathing was uneven, his eyes shocked: "Sixth Prince……"

Though he had been drugged into unconsciousness, he had awakened midway; on the journey he had thought of many enemies' faces, but had never imagined he would see the Sixth Prince Liu Qi here!

In recent rumors, this Prince of Wuling Commandery had suffered leg injuries and become disabled, thereafter muddled and decadent, violent and tyrannical, with no one daring to approach him, and His Majesty had not uttered a word of inquiry; many had gradually begun to forget this prince, ruined in every sense, including himself.

But the fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth before him now—within his pitch-black brows and eyes, where was there any muddle or decadence? He leaned on his sword and gazed; the moisture by the lakeside surrounding him seemed like damp blood qi, and in the eyes of the one being gazed upon, he clearly resembled a ghostly monster walking out of a blood lake.

This youth who had brought him here directly, without a word of greeting: "Dare I ask Governor Qi, that secret letter accusing Marquis Chang Ping of colluding with the Xiongnu and the so-called evidence—whose hands did they come into yours?"

Governor Qi's body stiffened.

That year he had secretly handed that secret letter and evidence to his superior, Governor Chang Mo of Jizhou, and it was ultimately Governor Chang Mo who secretly presented them in the capital; and until Marquis Chang Ping's death, he had never exposed his involvement, and Chang Mo had died of illness last year……How could Liu Qi, abandoned in Wuling Commandery, have found out about him?!

"Too much time has passed; Governor Qi perhaps can no longer remember?"

As Liu Qi spoke these words, a guard exerted force in his hand and twisted off Governor Qi Qi Huaiwei's left arm.

Qi Huaiwei cried out miserably, his face turning snow-white in an instant, cold sweat beading on his face.

He knew that since the other had brought him here, denial was useless; only with a trembling voice did he shout: "……This humble official was merely carrying out his duty back then! Such a major matter—how could I treat it carelessly? If I did not submit it, was I to cover up for a traitor to the state?!"

These righteous words drew a laugh from the youth before him: "Governor Qi misunderstands; I am not questioning your loyalty. Whether you are loyal or treacherous, right or wrong, is none of my business—I only seek private revenge."

Utterly without regard for right and wrong or order, and with no intention of establishing a moral camp, Liu Qi simply said again: "I ask once more—where did you obtain that secret letter and evidence?"

As the question fell, Qi Huaiwei's right arm was also twisted off on the spot; this merciless threat was enough to make him understand that if he did not answer truthfully, there would be no path to survival.

No longer caring to play the part of loyal righteousness, Qi Huaiwei wept with pain, terrified to the point of losing his voice: "……This humble official does not know! I only remember that day walking into the study, and that secret letter and evidence appeared out of thin air on the book desk! This humble official investigated, but found nothing!"

Seeing that his demeanor did not seem as false as before, Liu Qi silently pressed his lips together.

"This humble official……this humble official in his early years had some unknown grievances with Marquis Chang Ping……" Qi Huaiwei dared not conceal anything now, and could only weep bitterly:

"Over these years this humble official has also thought: given Marquis Chang Ping's character, how could he collude with the Xiongnu? It is all because this humble official was muddled for a moment and scared out of his wits……Later, upon reflection, since that man wanted to use this humble official's hand to deliver the evidence, his status was clearly extraordinary and inconvenient for him to appear personally—it was highly suspicious, most likely a deliberate frame-up! This humble official, in recent years, whenever thinking of this, has been unable to rest or eat, filled with doubt and guilt!"

"I only beg Your Highness the Sixth Prince to give this humble official a chance to atone!" His arms bound behind his back were both broken, but the will to survive still made him strain with all his might to lower his upper body, struggling to kowtow to express his stance: "This humble official will certainly assist Your Highness with all his might in the future, at Your Highness's disposal……to seek to clear Marquis Chang Ping's name as soon as possible!"

He appeared with a look of sincere and heartfelt repentance, finally eliciting a raised hand from the youth.

But not acceptance or comfort—that hand with distinct bones fell beside Qi Huaiwei's neck, so cold that he could not help but shiver.

The youth's voice, without inflection, sounded at the same time: "Governor Qi, if you truly care so much about guilt, and know that I am in Wuling, why then dare to be so careless as to return to your hometown to sacrifice to your ancestors?"

"One without awareness or ability—what help can you be to me."

Qi Huaiwei wanted to answer and argue, but only had time to hear these last words, and the sound of bones breaking that accompanied them.

This time the sound of bones breaking was especially deafening, shaking his whole body, his eyes widening, but strangely he did not have time to feel any pain; even the pain in his arms disappeared, and what followed was the scenery before his eyes strangely shifting position.

Qi Huaiwei's head lolled to one side, just like the bamboo in the forest that, after being pierced by a bow and crossbow, bent and snapped.

Wind brushed from the bamboo grove toward the water; the long-brewing gloomy rain finally fell, the bamboo grove beaten into a rustling sound, and Qi Huaiwei's unfinished last words turned into a rain in the forest.