Chapter 115: First Entry into the Iron Sword Sect, the Young Hero Who Lost His Beloved (Seeking Monthly Votes)

The moon hung above the willow tips, and the stars were scattered like dots.

Outside the mountain gate of the Iron Sword Sect.

"Da-da-da-da-da-da!"

Accompanied by footsteps as rapid as drumbeats, Gongsun Yi, with his large sleeves fluttering, led the way as hundreds of disciples dressed in white robes and carrying long swords on their backs filed out.

When he was only two or three meters away from Pei Shaoqing, he stopped abruptly, knelt on one knee, lowered his head, and shouted loudly: "Iron Sword Sect Leader Gongsun Yi, along with all disciples, pays respects to Young Master!"

"Pay respects to Young Master!" the boundless crowd behind him knelt on one knee in unison and shouted with one voice.

The sound was like a thunderclap, startling the birds in the forest into flight.

Sitting on horseback, Pei Shaoqing looked down from a high vantage point at the hundreds of people bowing to him; he could not help but feel a surge of heroic spirit, and he said in a deep voice: "All of you, rise."

"Thank you, Young Master." Gongsun Yi took the lead in standing up.

The disciples also said in unison: "Thank you, Young Master."

Only after standing up did they dare to size up Pei Shaoqing with all sorts of gazes, yet they dared not speak.

"Please dismount, Young Master." Gongsun Yi walked to the front of Black General, reached out to hold the reins, his tone respectful.

Pei Shaoqing flipped off his horse, looked at Gongsun Yi, and asked softly: "Has the mourning hall for Young Hero Ye been set up?"

"Yes." Gongsun Yi's face showed sorrow, and he cupped his hands and said: "Many thanks to Young Master for your help; otherwise, Yu'er would surely have been left to rot in the wilderness, his life or death unknown to anyone."

"Sect Leader Gongsun, please accept my condolences. I will go and offer him a stick of incense." Pei Shaoqing sighed and said.

Gongsun Yi hurriedly raised his hand to lead the way, "Young Master, please."

The disciples immediately parted to both sides like sea waves, leaving a stone path in the middle leading straight to the main gate.

"Regarding the death of Young Hero Ye, I have already gained some clues on my end." Pei Shaoqing said as he walked.

Gongsun Yi immediately pressed for an answer: "Could it really be the work of that courtesan named Cui'er that my Junior Sister spoke of?"

When he said this, he was both angry and ashamed.

Angry that a courtesan would kill for money, and ashamed that the disciple he had taught had fallen at the hands of a courtesan simply because of lust.

"That is correct..." Pei Shaoqing recounted the story of how Tian Erni had kept a Fox Demon to harm countless people, then offered his own analysis: "In the past, she would always lure people back to Tianjiaba and then have the villagers help kill and bury them, or she would kill them by force or poison; she was not restricted to any one method.

It should have been the same for Young Hero Ye, but perhaps because she knew he was a disciple of the Bazhou Iron Sword Sect and feared that luring him back to kill him would easily lead to complications, she colluded with the Fox Demon to murder him outside Tongzhou City and abandoned his body in the wilderness."

"What a vile woman! What a Fox Demon!" After hearing this, murderous intent was fully revealed in Gongsun Yi's eyes. He took a deep breath to suppress his anger, cupped his hands, and said: "Young Master, the Iron Sword Sect is willing to capture that heinous Fox Demon and present her to you."

Since the depletion of spiritual energy, no particularly powerful demons had been born in the world; those demons that had failed to take human form before the depletion of spiritual energy could neither practice martial arts nor use spells, and had been almost completely wiped out by Martial Artists.

They could only rely on crooked paths to increase their strength and seek to take human form, but doing so carried great risks—for instance, hadn't that Fox Demon drawn the attention of the Jing'an Guard?

"Good, dead or alive, it does not matter. The Jing'an Guard in both Tongzhou and Bazhou will also search for this demon with all their might." Pei Shaoqing nodded slightly; monsters were treasures from head to toe, and if Li Jiangjun hadn't met him, it would have been skinned and gutted by someone sooner or later.

Gongsun Yi replied solemnly: "Yes, I will mobilize my disciples to go down the mountain tomorrow to search for the Fox Demon everywhere."

While the two were talking, they had already arrived at the mourning hall.

"Young Master."

Liu Yuheng and Zhao Zhilan, their eyes red and brows furrowed with worry, came up to greet them, both bowing slightly in salute.

Jiang Yebai was also there, but perhaps due to excessive grief over his junior brother's death, he was kneeling blankly on the ground burning paper in a fire basin, completely unable to hear sounds from the outside world.

Pei Shaoqing took the incense sticks handed over by Zhao Zhilan, walked to Ye Yu's coffin, bowed, and inserted them into the incense burner.

He suddenly remembered a film he had seen in his past life, where the male lead used a woman as an incense burner to insert incense.

"Yu'er's spirit in heaven will surely feel honored to know that a person of your noble status, Young Master, came in person to pay your respects," Gongsun Yi said, not without flattery.

Pei Shaoqing shook his head and let out a breath, saying with a heavy expression: "Young Hero Ye was harmed by someone on my turf; it truly makes me feel quite uneasy."

"Young Master, please do not blame yourself for this." Gongsun Yi hurriedly comforted him, saying with heartbreak: "It is all because I, as his master, did not discipline him strictly, which led Yu'er to linger in those places of ill repute; otherwise, he would not have met with this disaster."

"Young Master, Senior Brother, Ye's death has nothing to do with either of you. If you must blame someone, blame that cold-blooded murderer," Liu Yuheng said, pursing her red lips.

"Junior Sister is right." Gongsun Yi nodded in agreement and looked at Pei Shaoqing again, "Young Master, you must be exhausted from your journey. The room and hot water for your stay have all been prepared; let Lan'er take you to rest first."

"I am indeed a bit tired." Pei Shaoqing nodded.

Zhao Zhilan raised her hand: "Young Master, please follow me."

"Respectfully send off the Young Master!" Gongsun Yi said while bowing in place. Only after he could no longer hear the footsteps did he lift his head, then turned to look at Jiang Yebai, who was burning paper before the spirit tablet, and said, "Yebai, tonight you and Aqiao will keep watch over the spirit for Yu'er. You are not to leave without permission, understand?"

He was doing this for Jiang Yebai's own good, to prevent him from running into Pei Shaoqing and Zhao Zhilan's intimacy and suffering a blow.

"Yes, Master." Song Aqiao, the junior sister who had just joined the sect, replied respectfully. She glanced at the silent Jiang Yebai and said: "Senior Brother also heard you."

"Keep a close eye on your Senior Brother; don't let him get drunk and burn down the mourning hall." Gongsun Yi shook his head and left.

Liu Yuheng followed him, "Senior Brother, I think Aqiao is just one-sidedly enthusiastic; Yebai has absolutely no such feelings for her. Are they really a good match?"

Gongsun Yi had mentioned this matter in his letter to her.

"With the orders of parents and the words of matchmakers, how could marriage matters be up to him? Once Yu'er is buried, this matter will be put on the agenda. Feelings are something that can be cultivated after marriage," Gongsun Yi said indifferently.

Liu Yuheng's delicate brows furrowed slightly; she felt that her Senior Brother was doing this entirely to prevent Jiang Yebai from getting in the way of Pei Shaoqing and Zhao Zhilan, without considering Jiang Yebai's opinion at all.

But looking at the thriving Iron Sword Sect, she found it hard to judge whether what her Senior Brother was doing was right or wrong.

However, thinking of the sweet and cute Song Aqiao, she felt it wasn't bad; she was more than enough to be a match for Yebai.

………………………

Water mist filled the air.

Pei Shaoqing lay in the wooden tub with a look of contentment.

Refreshing!

Zhao Zhilan sat at the other end. Under the steaming heat, her skin was white with a rosy tint. The moon-white embroidered bellyband on her chest was completely soaked by the water, and her rounded contours clung tightly to the silk, showing distinct curves; the partially hidden, partially visible sight was the most alluring.

At this moment, her hands were gripping the edge of the tub, and she was lifting her two white-silk-clad jade feet, which were also soaked through, to help Pei Shaoqing scrub his body; her slender little feet were exceptionally nimble.

Especially since there were some places that needed to be scrubbed thoroughly.

After all, it was an imported product; hygiene had to be ensured.

Pei Shaoqing quietly admired the beautiful legs within reach before him. Water meandered down the silk stockings, clinging to the graceful curves. The arch of her feet was even more soft and alluring under the semi-transparent wet gauze. Crystal-clear water droplets adorned her toes, round and ready to drip. Every light tremor of her toes seemed to be plucking at one's heartstrings.

"Jailer!"

"Come here." His breathing was slightly heavy.

"Splash." Accompanied by the sound of water, Zhao Zhilan lowered her legs and leaned forward, her whole body pulled into Pei Shaoqing's embrace face-to-face, "Young Master~"

Pei Shaoqing did not need to say anything.

She took a deep breath and buried her head into the water.

Silkworm eating and whale swallowing.

On the other side, in front of the mourning hall, the tear stains on Jiang Yebai's face had dried, and he leaned against a pillar, holding a wine pot and gulping down wine.

"Senior Brother, you've drunk too much; why not stop drinking?" Song Aqiao said with a face full of worry.

Jiang Yebai looked up at her, shook his head, and said, "You don't understand the bond between me and my Second Junior Brother; if it were Lan'er, she wouldn't try to persuade me."

Song Aqiao pursed her lips; although she was also a disciple of Gongsun Yi, to Jiang Yebai and the others who had grown up together, she always seemed like an outsider.

"You keep watch here." After saying this, Jiang Yebai stood up and walked out; his Second Junior Brother had been poisoned to death, and he was in great pain, so he wanted to find Lan'er to speak his heart.

Song Aqiao opened her mouth, originally wanting to remind her master not to let him leave without permission, but in the end, she did not say it, deciding to keep the vigil alone.

Jiang Yebai walked while drinking, stumbling to Zhao Zhilan's room; there was no response when he knocked, and fearing something had happened, he pushed the door open and walked in, only to find that Zhao Zhilan was nowhere to be found in the room.

Suddenly, he thought of how his master had just asked Lan'er to escort Pei Shaoqing back to his room to rest; could she still be with Pei Shaoqing? Surely it wouldn't take this long just to show someone the way?

Jiang Yebai could not help but worry that his Junior Sister was being bullied.

He hurriedly rushed toward Pei Shaoqing's room.

"Ah! Young Master, don't... don't..."

Just as he reached the door, he heard Zhao Zhilan's singing and weeping cries; what was happening inside was self-evident, and he felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his eyes instantly turning bloodshot and splitting, and he drew his sword, preparing to break in.

Scoundrel! To actually dare to bully my Junior Sister!

Lan'er, do not panic, Senior Brother is coming to save you!

"Don't... don't stop, Young Master."

Finally, Zhao Zhilan, whose breathing was rapid and voice trembling inside the room, finished this sentence with a sobbing tone.

Jiang Yebai, who had just been about to break down the door, stood frozen on the spot.

"Clang~"

The sword in his hand fell to the ground.

"Ah! Young Master, what was that sound outside the door?"

"Never mind it, it's probably a stray cat."

Jiang Yebai staggered backward, his teeth chattering, his mind a blank, feeling the world spinning, nearly blacking out and fainting on the spot.

Junior Sister... she is doing this of her own free will.

How could she... how could she!

In a single day, he had lost his closest Junior Brother and his most beloved Junior Sister; what kind of blow was this?

Jiang Yebai's anger burned, but soon the anger turned into grief; he wanted to barge in several times, but in the end, he gave up—to love someone is to fulfill their wishes.

Junior Sister, as long as it is your choice.

I wish you well.

Jiang Yebai did not break the door, nor did he leave.

He just sat at the door, listening to his Junior Sister's melodious singing voice, and took out the Jade Flute she had gifted him to play a tune.

The melody was melodious and moving.

It was like the sound of cicadas heard after waking from a nap in one's youth, like the chirping of insects heard on a midsummer night; everything was so beautiful, yet carried a faint trace of sorrow...

Inside the room, upon hearing the familiar tune, Zhao Zhilan's body stiffened, her expression complex; then, while shedding tears, she deliberately sang at the top of her lungs, letting all sorts of unbearable, filthy words spill from her mouth.

Since the Senior Brother had already caught them.

Then she would make him lose all hope for her.

Pei Shaoqing listened to the BGM and became even more energetic.

Afterward, he left behind the tear-stained, nearly fainting Zhao Zhilan, casually wrapped himself in a robe, and went out.

"Bang!"

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Jiang Yebai, who was immersed in the current grief and past memories, stopped playing abruptly and turned his head, staring at Pei Shaoqing with cold eyes.

He did not blame Zhao Zhilan for having a change of heart.

But he hated Pei Shaoqing for stealing his love.

Why do many people, when catching a spouse in an affair, subconsciously only beat the third party and not the original partner? This is the reason; there is still love left, otherwise, one wouldn't even bother to catch them.

"Young Hero Jiang plays the flute well; actually, Lan'er's flute skills are also very good, but it's a pity you don't know that."

Pei Shaoqing felt not a shred of shame or guilt for stealing another man's love; he met Jiang Yebai's gaze calmly, smiled with refined elegance, and swaggered toward him.

(End of this chapter)