Chapter Seven: The Bird's Chirping in the Secluded Valley

  Yuanwu handed me a bowl of "dead wind", I thanked him and slowly walked back.

  I walked while guessing what Yuan Feiyan wanted to convey to Song Mingyuan, but it was strange that Song Mingyuan didn't seem surprised. Was this Miss Yuan often conveying messages for him? Could it be like the secret meeting between Zhou Yingying and Zhang Sheng in "The Western Wing"? Although with Song Mingyuan being such an outstanding student exceling in both literature and martial arts, it wasn't strange that Yuan Feiyan had taken a liking to him. However, he was after all just a humble house servant without any official title or achievement.

  I'll ask Jinxiu, if Yuan Feiyun and Song Mingkui are not a match made in heaven, then the sweet plan of Biying's two daughters marrying one husband may turn into a nightmare for Yuan Feiyun and Xiangqin to bully Xiao Hanxin.

  I thought of Biying's bitter fate and sighed silently, choosing a small path to quicken my pace. The sky gradually darkened as I entered the dense Western Forest, where thick fog suddenly descended. Unable to see the direction clearly, I could only grope forward following the familiar route. The faint light of "Ghost Fire" flickered weakly in the wind, extinguishing and rekindling repeatedly.

  Suddenly, my foot tripped and I fell to the ground, with both hands supporting a wet patch - had I accidentally stepped into mud? I quickly steadied the lantern, stabilized the flame, and looked at my hands, only to be shocked: they were covered in fresh blood. Shining the lantern ahead, I saw that there was a person lying in front of me, their entire body drenched in blood, wearing a dark blue servant's uniform.

  I plucked up the courage to take a closer look at his nose, and he was already dead. I was trembling with fear, thinking of going back for help, when I heard footsteps coming from ahead. I blew out the "wind that kills" and crawled behind a big tree to hide. In the darkness, two figures emerged, one tall and one short. One of them was carrying a torch, and both were wearing black night-traveling clothes with their faces covered. They approached the corpse.

  The tall one looked at the dead man on the ground and said to the short one, "Having been hit by my Ninth-Rank Gut-Breaking Red, you can still hold on until now in this Western Forest, indeed a worthy person of the Netherworld Sect."

  The short man was very respectful to the tall one: "Sir is indeed clever and resourceful, no wonder Master trusts Sir so much."

  "Cut the small talk, how's the reconnaissance? Found anything?"

  "Inside and outside the Jade North Studio were thoroughly searched, but to no avail. As for that Western Maple... please forgive me, sir. The plum blossom seven-star array under Han Xiuzhu is indeed formidable. I'm afraid it's impossible for me to sneak in."

  "What's the use of that? Where is the Zi Garden on the upper floor?"

  "The brothers of the Zi Garden also returned with nothing to show for it, unless there was a secret room in the Zi Xiu Mountain Villa, they had planned to turn the entire villa upside down again, but Liu Yan Sheng accompanied his wife back, so they could only think of another plan."

  "The master will rise up with his troops soon, before that, we must find the 'Tearsless Scripture' one step ahead of the Youming Sect. Otherwise, when the army enters Xi'an City, it will be difficult to do so with many people and mixed eyes."

  "Yes! May I ask, milord, should this fellow be dealt with according to the old rules?"

  "Go."

  A strange hissing sound came from behind the tree, accompanied by a wave of foul odor. I stole a glance and saw that those two people had flown into the night sky and disappeared. Wow! Martial arts movie!

  But the corpse was undergoing some kind of chemical reaction, under the moonlight, the blood and water mixed with white foam hissed and melted away, my goosebumps all over! This is not some horror movie or anything! It's really happening right in front of me, extremely terrifying.

  I saw that the corpse had almost decomposed, so I quietly ran out. I shook my hand to light the fire starter and ignited the poisonous gas. In the original place of the corpse, only a patch of white foam was left.

  On a dark and windy night of murder, one lamp flickered out, a delicate and beautiful girl (lost in self-admiration), stood alone facing a river of corpses shivering like withered leaves in the cold wind, then a faint breath, without warning, blew into my ear, as if Kayako was standing behind me, I was even more frightened to death.

  "Did you turn him into a corpse?" A man's voice came from behind, colder than the deep winter night.

  I let out a loud cry and threw the Wind Slayer to the ground, jumping away from it. A tall figure emerged, with long black hair flowing behind him, wearing a white robe that seemed to glow in the dim light. His face was covered by a ceramic white mask, its contours sharp and expression cold, like an ancient Greek statue, without eyes, giving off an eerie aura, devoid of any human presence.

  I fell to the ground with a thud, opening my mouth to say something, but no sound came out for half a day. What is this, human or ghost? Could it be the ghost of that dead person from just now?

  That white figure floated closer and closer, I finally found my voice: "No, no, no, it wasn't me who killed you, you, you, are, are, who?"

  The white shadow suddenly disappeared in front of me, and just as I thought it was just a severe shock-induced hallucination, the breathing sound reappeared beside my ear.

  "Are you from the Netherworld Sect or from the Dali Kingdom?" He spoke up, his voice elegant but extremely cold.

  "I, I, I don't, don't, am sly, sly, thin, thin, what, what, what, what rascal scripture." I crawled open one meter far, foot that soft which.

  "Tell me honestly, who is your master and why are you looking for the Tearless Scripture? Otherwise, I'll make sure you can't even ask to live, let alone be granted life." He said it very lightly and softly, as if a restaurant waiter was saying, "Can I take this away now? Would you like me to pack it up for you?"

  I mustered up some courage, pointing at the "white mask": "You, you, what are you, wearing a mourning dress in the middle of the night, with a white mask on like a hanged ghost? Do you think you're filming a TV series?"

  As soon as I spoke out, I regretted it, and that mysterious white-clothed person was also a strange silence...

  After a long time, he stretched out the pair of hands that had been behind his back all along. They were slender and white, like those of a woman's soft skin. I couldn't help but have some improper thoughts, those hands! They were more tender and beautiful than those of the female celebrities in hand cream advertisements. Could it be that under that mask was a beautiful woman who intentionally used a man's voice to confuse me?

  "You're really interesting to talk to, it's just a pity that someone as interesting as you has to leave this world." The white-clothed person finally spoke up after a long silence, his calm voice shattering my fantasies.

  A flash of movement, and I'd already taken a hit to the chest. The pain was excruciating! That bastard actually punched me in my newly developed breasts, damn it, that hurts so much!

  I spat out fresh blood, his slender hand grasped my throat tightly, his pale mask seemed to be the face of the god of death, my breathing was getting weaker and weaker, just when I thought I would see the ox-headed horse-faced again, a figure flashed in front of me, a familiar voice shouted: "Let go quickly, who are you?"

  And I was completely engulfed in darkness.

  When I woke up again, the dazzling sunlight poured into my eyes. As in every morning, I was confused about where I was. The terrifying white mask from last night appeared in my mind, and I opened my eyes suddenly.

  "Mugun, are you okay?!" A fifteen-year-old peerless beauty stood in front of the window, combing her two braids, walking towards me with a surprised and delighted expression, her purple pupils shining like dazzling amethysts.

  I jumped up excitedly: "You little hoof, you've finally come back." She threw herself into my arms.

  This is my twin sister, Huajin Xiu. Unfortunately, she pinched my neck so hard that it hurt and I let out a soft cry. She quickly let go of me.

  I borrowed a copper mirror, and saw that my neck was completely purple, I remembered the terrifying murderous intention of the white-clothed person yesterday, I had a chill, Jinxiu painfully helped me rub my neck: "Why didn't you ask Song Mingyuan to send you yesterday? A young lady's road is not to be taken alone, why did you take such a remote path in Xilin, you almost died."

  "Was it you who saved me yesterday?"

  "Of course, who else would go to that dreadful Xiling for you?" She glared at me and I hastily asked: "Then you're not hurt?"

  She shook her head: "I'm with Chu Hua, that white-clothed person won't have any advantage, who is that person after all?"

  I roughly recounted the situation from yesterday, and she listened with her eyebrows getting tighter and tighter. At this time, Biying brought up a steaming bowl of porridge, my mouth watering profusely, while Jinxiu was still muttering something about Xilin being a forbidden place, how I had a big temper and didn't care about anything, but I didn't listen to any of it, only nodding like a fool, stretching out my hand like a dog begging for food from Biying.

  Jin Yu's face was cold, she swatted away my hand, put up a small table, and said to Bi Ying with a smile: "Third sister, let me feed this glutton!"

  "Hey! This girl is getting more and more unreasonable, but Biying smiled and nodded, passing over the porridge. I grumbled unhappily: 'Feed me? My hands are fine, I can drink it myself.'"

  "Ah, ah, you're doing well, still going to Xilin at midnight!" She blew on a spoonful and handed it to me, I drank with a straight face.

  Biying burst out laughing, "This wooden girl, don't be unhappy anymore. Fifth sister came back yesterday and rushed to De Xin's residence, heard that you went to the Western Camp and flew to the West again, then spent a sleepless night worrying." She climbed up onto the kang and helped me tidy my hair, skillfully unbraiding it and rebraiding it.

  I only just noticed that Jinzhu's eyes were dark and sunken, and I felt a pang of guilt in my heart. I grasped the bowl: "Don't feed me anymore, you hurry up and rest instead. When Madam Hui sends for you again to attend to her, how will your body hold up?"

  She shook her head: "It doesn't matter, I've already told Director Liu about last night's events and asked for leave with my wife. I'm worried that the man in white will recognize you and come to kill you to silence you, so I'll be accompanying you these few days."

  "What is this 'Ghostly Sect' and what's with the 'Great Li Kingdom'? The 'Rogue Scripture'? What are all these things?"

  Jin Xiu said, "That Youming Sect is the largest demonic sect in Jianghu, with a vast influence, and its headquarters is located in Miaojiang. Since it was defeated by the top ten masters of the Central Plains twenty years ago, it has rarely set foot in the Central Plains again. What you're talking about is the Wulei Jing, not the Wulai Jing." She gave me a white eye: "It's one of the five great secret treasures of the martial arts world, the Wuxiang Shen Gong, which is divided into two parts: the Yin Jing and the Yang Jing. The Wuxiang Shen Gong is an ancient and unparalleled martial art that can make its practitioner dominate the martial arts world and unify the world. It's every martial artist's dream. Legend has it that this Wulei Jing is the Yang Jing, but the Dali Kingdom may have made some recent moves, and Liu Zongguan has already discussed a good strategy with his wife." I listened, seeming to understand yet not understanding.

  Biying helped me finish my hair, then went down the well and said: "Mugun, I'll excuse you to Mrs. Zhou, you chat with Jinyou, rest well when you return." Then she went to the laundry room.

  Jinxiu finished feeding me, and then dragged me to the creek for a walk. The weather was still cold, but looking at the red plum blossoms of the western maple tree, I felt more relaxed than ever before. With full anticipation, I smiled and said: "It's almost New Year's, Jinxiu, let's spend the whole year together, just like this."

  Her purple pupils shone like water, gazing at me happily nodding her head, suddenly her face turned difficult: "Mukou, after the spring begins, the second young lady will go to the capital for the selection of beauties, so...so... maybe this year I'll have to accompany Madame and Miss to the capital for New Year's."

  I involuntarily froze for a moment, and my smile faltered. In fact, it had been three or four years since I last spent the New Year with Jinxiu. She was getting more and more spoiled by the year, always surrounded by her ladies-in-waiting, and opportunities for me to meet her were few and far between.

  As a sister, I am really happy, but as a family member, I involuntarily feel lonely and deeply understand the parents' desire for their children to come home often, not seeking great contributions.

  She saw me silent, pulled my hand: "Don't worry, Mukei, I'll think of a way to get you into the Purple Garden. Now Biying's body is also much better, even if we can't enter the Purple Garden, going to the third and fourth uncles' rooms is better than the laundry room, right?"

  I forced a smile and nodded, she suddenly remembered something: "Mugunghwa, we're both adults now, men and women are different, don't be alone with Song Minghui again."

  I smiled: "Little feudal lord, when did you become so undifferentiated in age? Don't call Song Mingwei, Song Mingwei, he should be called Second Brother Song. If others hear it, it will be another handle for them to scold you."

  She sighed and pulled out a piece of paper, "Is this your article?"

  This is what I wrote a few days ago, to commemorate Biying's gradual recovery. I officially renamed the dilapidated house where I have lived for six years to Dexin House. Inspired by literature, I wrote on the back Liu Yuxi's "Inscription of a Humble Abode".

  "Yes." I nodded with a silly grin.

  "When did it become Song Mingwei's masterpiece?" Jin Xiu's classmate raised an eyebrow.

  "The other day, he happened to see it and liked it very much. He asked me if I had copied it, but in fact, I had actively let Song Erge publish it under his name." I replied timidly, completely losing my sister's demeanor.

  She had a sullen look on her face, suddenly struck out like lightning, pinched my face, and I shouted: "You violent woman, what's wrong with you?"

  "What's wrong?! You, you fool, do you know that this article has reached the hands of the old master? He praised it to no end, saying that after years of war and chaos, the imperial court is in disarray, while the nobles are extravagant and corrupt, and the common people are suffering from the war. This article can be used as a family precept to teach children to be frugal and manage the household well. The emperor was also delighted when he read it. Now it's spreading throughout the imperial court, what else is wrong? What kind of person is Song Mingpei, how dare he plagiarize and deceive like this? Who does he think he is?"

  I smiled lightly: "It seems like another one of our Xiaowu heroes is going to break out of the Purple Garden and be sent directly to the Qingyun."

  She got angrier: "You're still smiling, I really don't understand. In this estate, how many people are trying to curry favor with the master by showing off their talents in various ways? But you, wanting to stay in this broken house and take care of a sickly person, and even willing to be used by those petty people."

  I smiled and said: "Miss Hua Er, be careful with your words. The person you're referring to as a 'disease' is actually your sworn sister, and that little man is actually your sworn brother."

  "What's the big deal? Fine, I won't mention Biying anymore. Let's just talk about that Song Mingkui, he really isn't a good person. What is your stupid brain thinking? Why don't you let me move all the things in your brain to General's wife, why are they all benefiting that little brat Song Mingkui?"

  "What misunderstanding do you have with Song Erge, how can things be fine one moment and then..."

  "Hum, we're now on our own separate paths. I'm in the main house, while he's already pledged his allegiance to White Third Master."

  I understand now, that's why Yu Ge went to the capital, but Song Minghui had to stay in Purple Garden. Even the humble abode poem couldn't get the general to transfer him, it was all because of his wife.

  I pulled Xiu's hand and sat on a withered tree, looking at Xiu lightly and said: "Xiu can think like this for Mu Ge, I'm very moved, but I have reasons for doing so. Has Xiu ever thought why I wanted to form the Five Little Tigers back then?"

  Looking at the creek water with a distant gaze, he said quietly: "Selling oneself into slavery, the future is uncertain, forming an alliance to help each other, and going through difficulties together."

  I nodded, and together we gazed at the babbling brook: "That's right, Jinxiu. We five are bound by a shared destiny, our fates intertwined like branches on a tree. When one of us prospers, we all prosper; when one of us suffers, we all suffer. Now that Song Minglei, Yu Feiyan, and you have gained the favor of the master of Purple Bamboo Mountain Manor, it's a blessing for our little group of five. We should support each other, not trample on each other."

  I stopped for a moment, with a look of disdain all over my face, just like a rebellious teenager in puberty. Humph! You little brat!

  "Even if you were to go your separate ways, the time for you and Song Erge to contend with each other is not now, but when the Yuan family was vying for dominance in the Central Plains, achieving hegemony." I intentionally emphasized my tone.

  "How did you know?" Jin Xiu asked in surprise, turning her head back around.

  To show off my wisdom as a sister, I decided not to tell him that Song Minghui had already confessed to me, but instead smiled freely and raised an eyebrow: "Because I'm Huamulan."

  She savored it for a long time, humming softly: "I didn't want to compete with him either, but I just couldn't stand how he shamelessly plagiarized your articles and deceived you with his hypocritical kindness."

  "This still makes sense, my heart warmed up a bit, I softened my voice and persuaded her gently: 'Jinxiu, do you know that this world is a man's world, and society can't tolerate women who climb over men? I gave him my article, first to conceal my sharpness, but also to help him rise to prominence. Second, among the five of us, you were the first to succeed, and since you're not often in the mountain villa, only he is always taking care of me and Biying, so it's only right that I repay his kindness as a sister would. Are you asking your sister to sacrifice herself for him?'"

  With a smile, the sharp light in her eyes was fully revealed: "If you really promise to marry me, it's not certain that Song Mingyue won't be unwilling."

  "That's right, with my humble appearance, the proud Song Er Gou would naturally look down on me." I smiled and nodded in agreement, but inside I was quite annoyed. This little girl, I may not be as beautiful as you, but do you have to be so direct? After all, I still have a woman's dignity.

  "Third Sister Biying also has a liking for him, and I've already considered him as my third brother-in-law. We must try every means to win him over. Fourthly, you are currently favored, but it's inevitable that there will be people who envy and resent you, speaking ill of you behind your back, trying to destroy your reputation. Since he has benefited from Sister's kindness, he will naturally take care of you in front of others." I stroked her long hair at the temples: "In short, Sister is still doing all this for you, you ungrateful little thing."