Chapter 594: Washing This Shame with the Sword

Pei Ye was silent for a while and did not answer.

The three characters just hung there quietly, without any change.

The handwriting was very sharp, and the structure was grand. He was somewhat familiar with the feeling of these characters. Looking at this curtain again, it was actually closer to a sheet of paper, with a bird shape with wings spread opposite each other tattooed on the two corners, the posture beautiful and relaxed, like the legendary immortal bird, lifelike.

Pei Ye thought about it seriously. This was the Cyan Luan Jade left to him by Grandpa Yue, which he said was the token of the Divine Capital's Cultivation Pavilion Master, and the Divine Capital's Cultivation Pavilion Master...

He frowned and drove his mind to reply with two characters on it: "Not yet."

This handwriting was quite straightforward, just saying it was as clear and recognizable as possible; there was no need to talk about aesthetics.

The opposite side paused, and after a while, a line of handwriting popped out.

"What are you doing?"

"Thinking about the case."

Pei Ye paused and sent: "And you?"

"Just had a dream and woke up."

"A nightmare?"

"... A beautiful dream within a nightmare."

"... Oh."

After pausing for a while, the sentence appeared again:

"Pei Ye, do you still often miss Yue Muzhou now?"

"..."

"It's okay, because I've been very busy for the past six months, so I don't have much free time... but I dream of him easily."

"How do you vent this longing?"

Pei Ye was quiet for a while.

"Longing... is impossible to vent," Pei Ye replied slowly. "Missing someone you can never touch again is like walking into a dead end. There is no air in this alley, and there are walls on three sides. You want to go back, but people cannot return to the past. You can only take out those memories of the past and stroke them, but that is also a trap. Every time you touch it, the suffocation will only become heavier."

"The only way is not to walk in," Pei Ye continued seriously. "Look more at other directions, look at other roads. Although Grandpa Yue has left, there are still many fellow villagers in Fenghuai. I still have to walk out of Bowang, walk out of Shaolong, and I still have to go north to kill the Prince of Yan. Sometimes I will think of Piaoqing, think of Miss Ming, think of other friends I can still see... There is always someone who can give me some support."

The opposite side was quiet for a long time. After a while, a line of handwriting slowly appeared.

"I don't know who to miss."

"..."

"Ah, I know you have many friends," this sentence carried a familiar smile, and said softly, "Thank you, Young Hero Pei. It's much better to talk to someone... It's just that I can't help but step into it... My life doesn't have as many roads as yours, Pei Ye. It only has two alleys in total. I not only have to walk into it again and again, again and again... and I have to walk until I walk through it."

Pei Ye was silent for a while: "I will help you."

"Mm."

"..."

"..."

"What exactly is this thing? How can you suddenly speak in my heart?"

"I didn't enter without invitation; you accepted it yourself."

"But it is indeed possible from now on," she added.

"What? Say it quickly."

"This pair of Luan Pendants is a pair of two. It is said that many years ago, they were held by the Tang Emperor and the late Empress when they had not yet ascended the throne. Later, they were passed to Yue Muzhou and Ying Su Yue. Twenty-three years ago, when Yue Muzhou left the capital, he cut off the connection with the other pendant. Later, Ying Su Yue gave this pendant to me, and I used it to communicate with Yue Muzhou," the handwriting appeared slowly. "Later, Yue Muzhou passed away, and this pendant lost its owner, until today when I wanted to care about your situation in the palace, I woke it up."

"You said you woke up from a dream, and now it's caring about me."

"Otherwise, why wouldn't I contact someone else?"

"..."

"This pair of ancient Luan Pendants is called 【Tying Heart · Knowing Meaning】. It is said that they were transformed from two pairs of cyan birds before the Queen Mother of the West. Within the range of the Divine Capital, they can almost be sent and returned at will. If they are far away, it will consume some effort, and the frequency is also limited."

"So that's it."

"You've been in the palace for a day, how does it feel?"

"It's quite uncomfortable not to be able to use True Qi, but everything else is fine. This palace is so cold and quiet; there isn't a single person who speaks loudly."

"The Ming Palace has always been like this. Those who liked to speak loudly at the beginning either learned to be silent or all died... I taught you many etiquettes before you went, and I thought you would be very uncomfortable."

"Those were not even half as hard to remember as the *Erya*."

"How is your memory of the *Erya*?"

"Not good."

"Good."

She said again: "Let me think, you should be living in Zhu Jingdian now."

"How do you know?"

"The Highness is polite to the virtuous, so naturally she wouldn't let you sleep in the servant's room."

"I didn't even get full tonight."

"..."

"Can't you find food yourself? Do you still need the Highness to feed you?"

"I'm just discussing it. She didn't remember to prepare a meal for me, which shows she may not be that 'polite to the virtuous'," Pei Ye explained calmly. "It's not that I'm dissatisfied because of this. Actually, I feel she doesn't care much about being polite to the virtuous. Even if she makes some easy-going gestures while looking down, it may not be sincere... I feel she is not like Liu Bei or Cao Cao, you know, she can't be friends with her ministers. Of course, I don't care. Even if I have to sleep in the woods on an empty stomach, I will still do my job well."

"..."

"Asleep?"

"No, you are very right. The Li Tang imperial children born with Qilin Blood are all like this." The handwriting on the opposite side appeared. "Even if they weren't born like this, they would always become like this... This is my other alley."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. After you live in the palace for a few more days, you will find that it is more cruel than you think... Do you have any other opinions about the Highness? You can say them all together."

"Hm?... What opinions could I have about her? I just feel she is cold. It's lucky you taught me some etiquette, otherwise, I'm afraid I really wouldn't be able to get along with her with my previous set."

"Mm, if you have any dissatisfaction, you can tell me at any time."

Pei Ye frowned, subconsciously feeling that this sentence was familiar, but didn't think much about it, and replied: "Mm."

"Stop chatting, I'm going to sleep. That Luan Pendant of yours is called 【Knowing Meaning】. It was held in Yue Muzhou's hands for many years. This pendant has an advantage: all the messages transmitted in the past are preserved in it, and they only disappear when the owner changes. Although you can't see them there, I have them here. I think Yue Muzhou wouldn't mind, so I'll send you one."

Pei Ye was slightly stunned, not reacting to what she was saying, when a long piece of handwriting had already been transmitted and appeared on his heart page.

At the same time, the cyan bird in the upper left corner folded its wings and dimmed, as if its soul had left.

Pei Ye cast his eyes and was stunned.

The woman's handwriting:

"Long heard of the senior's strange name, today I am fortunate to get this pendant from Dao Leader Ying. I am presumptuous to send my thoughts, please forgive me.

Senior left the country eighteen years ago. Most of the Divine Capital is as it was, but old friends are scattered like catkins. Prime Minister Xu passed away in prison, the merchant army is dormant in the forbidden palace, the public in the court are scattered, and the *jianghu* chivalry has disappeared from north to south. It is all because after the Mingyue people left and the building was empty, the heart and bones died and collapsed.

Today, the Five Surnames have returned to the Three Halls, and the innocent families have all become slaves. The Yan army controls the northern frontier, and the news of the barbarian tribes is all blocked. The Immortal Platform studies the *jianghu* and has gradually deviated from the great unification, forming its own system.

The wet nurse of that year has grown up, searching for old things everywhere, with fog blocking her eyes, and repeatedly seeing the senior's fragrant name. Looking back eighteen years ago, holding the crane, the sword was cold in the Divine Capital, trusted by the Empress, and the sword was worn in the Zichen Hall. It was a bright and colorful year.

Today, from north to south, the chivalrous traces are faint. The old plum in the Mingyue Palace is still there, but I don't know where the senior has gone.

What is the meaning of hanging up the seal and leaving after the bright moon? In the divine eyes, there should be many kinds of secrets. I ask here, hoping for an answer.

Divine Capital 【 】 respectfully writes."

Then there was a reply.

The same handwriting as on the case file, which Pei Ye had never seen before leaving Fenghuai.

"So it has been eighteen years.

I am not leaving the Divine Capital, but leaving everyone.

There is no such beautiful dream in the world where a fierce tiger can live happily and safely among the crowd.

I have already told Ying Su Yue about these things, and I don't want to talk about them again. The Mingyue assassination was the last case I handled. The Divine Capital couldn't handle it, so I handled it after I left office.

That assassin was named He Wujian, hiding behind that so-called secret realm. If you want to find him, you need to search all the way from the end of the Jing River. It is difficult to point out the details. He left a bloodline. If he is still alive, you can catch him and find the way with 'Seeking Blood Divination.'

I am used to writing some traces, and I have delivered them to you, which is enough to hide the connections behind them. But at that time, Empress Wei was already dead, and I had no intention of throwing myself into the tricks of the Divine Capital again.

Immortal power enters the world, and the mortal world is always a straw dog. This is why I left."

It ended here.

... Yes, the key point of the case's fracture is that the assassin disappeared without a trace.

The traces of twenty-three years ago had long since disappeared, leaving no clues for Pei Ye to pursue. He appeared suddenly and disappeared suddenly, so this case seemed to have no place to start. He could only wander in the palace first to see if he could encounter some plausible clues, or wait for some breakthrough in the Illusion Tower.

Pei Ye looked down, and the beginning of the so-called "traces" was:

"At the end of the Jing River, in an unknown mountain, follow the stream, and finally reach a water pool, diving more than two miles deep."

At the end of the Jing River, in an unknown mountain.

In a deep and secluded karst cave.

Zhu Gaoyang tied the bindings on his hands and feet, put away his bamboo hat and sword, and handed a small gourd to He Zhangge. He Zhangge didn't speak, used a small dagger to cut his wrist again, and dark red blood slowly filled it.

Zhu Gaoyang took it, drove the Spirit Profound according to the technique taught by Xing Zhi, and then dripped it all into the ice cave of the water pool in front of him.

The blood was like a silk thread, not spreading, but stretching into an extremely thin line and winding downward.

"Soul-chilling and bone-freezing, quiet and secluded, the realm is too clear, it is not suitable for long-term residence," Zhu Gaoyang watched the extremely clear water pool, and the blood line could still be clearly seen sinking several feet. "It must be extremely convenient for your father to reach the opposite side from the Spirit Realm. It is a miracle that we found such a place."

"..."

"If I see your father, will Dock He Wuzhu fight the enemy with me?" Zhu Gaoyang said calmly. "Speaking of which, it was exactly what he stepped into that tore the Fengshui Dock into pieces."

"Above the Eight Waters of Chang'an, it is not the *jianghu*," He Zhangge said expressionlessly. "Father told me twenty years ago, but I only understand it now. If I see Father, it is best for True Disciple Zhu to kill me immediately, otherwise, even if I bump into you from behind, it will be quite fatal in the battle."

"Hahahaha." Zhu Gaoyang glanced at him. In such a cold and clear cold cave, the man's laughter was still bright and warm. He sighed softly, "Dock He Wuzhu thinks too much. It doesn't really require you to choose anything."

He turned around, steadied the sword on his waist, leaned over, and jumped into the ice cave, as if he had left He Zhangge here. He Zhangge was silent for a moment, then took a step and stepped into it, his figure flowing as smoothly as a swimming fish.

Sinking for an unknown number of feet, he entered a secluded and curved passage from the bottom of the pool. The surroundings were completely dark, with no place to change air. Some cold-born water creatures wagged their tails on the walls or in the water. The water cave was extremely winding and had many secluded and curved forks. In many places, one had to squeeze in. It was easy to imagine that once lost in such deep underground, a master would also have the risk of being buried.

Zhu Gaoyang didn't use anything to illuminate. The only slight light in the water was his eyes, and only an extremely thin dark red line was reflected in the darkness.

How long this cold and lonely darkness lasted, Zhu Gaoyang forgot how many forks and windings he had swum through. After a full half-hour, he felt a thin stream flowing from behind him to the front.

Gradually, the red line began to be vertical upward, merging with the thin stream. Zhu Gaoyang jumped, clearly feeling the water flow suddenly disperse in all directions, and he was already floating in a place that suddenly opened up.

He Zhangge followed from behind a moment later. The two climbed out of this water pool, but the surroundings were not as dark as imagined. The stone walls all around emitted faint fluorescence, making the whole space barely recognizable.

Behind him was a small water pool ten feet in diameter, where some small cold fish could be seen floating. The stone terrain around was rugged, just a space of a few feet in size, and in front, there was a passage with obvious traces of human labor.

Zhu Gaoyang slowly pressed his sword, but didn't cover his footsteps, staring forward and stepping in. Behind him, He Zhangge's footsteps were a bit stiff.

This passage was much shorter than imagined, just like a porch before entering the courtyard. After a few steps, it was a stone cave that suddenly opened up.

The two stopped at the same time.

At the entrance of the passage, a few pieces of clothing hung on the stone, swaying slightly in the wind. It was a wind vent that didn't know where it flowed in from. One could imagine that the hermit washed the clothes and hung them here.

In the stone cave, a stone bed and stone table were carved, and tea sets and bowls and chopsticks were placed on them. Weapons and books were displayed on the right wall, but there was no stove. One could imagine that only cold food could be eaten.

This was naturally the hiding place of the master of the Chang'an water system, 【Four Water Repair Snake】 He Wujian. Twenty-three years ago, he entered the Great Ming Palace alone, crossed the guards of the contemporary Divine Heaven Dao Leader Ying Su Yue and the Grade One Crane Inspector Yue Muzhou, and stabbed a sword into the heart pulse of the late Empress, triggering the Qilin Blood Calamity that has affected the present.

Afterward, he disappeared, and no one in the *jianghu* had seen him again, leaving only some vague legends.

Now, twenty years later, someone had found this place again for the first time. Zhu Gaoyang raised his head slightly, but didn't move his steps. He Zhangge stood stiffly behind him.

Everything here had long since rotted.

He Wujian was still here, but he had also rotted.

A sword that pierced his chest, his own sword, nailed him to the stone wall one foot high. Before that, his right arm was cut off first. The bones and sleeves were still falling at his feet. There were three fractures in the bones on his body, all at precise joints, showing a kind of orderly slaughter.

To the right of the skeleton was a line of sharp sword carvings: "Spring, the fourth year of Suolin, the ninth day of the fifth month, Yue Muzhou killed He Wujian here."

That was the fortieth day after Yue Muzhou hung up his seal and left, and also the second month after Wei Qingju died. ===== CHAPTER 595 =====