Chapter 83. Meddling in Affairs? The Wipes-Out-the-Entire-Village Kind (7)
“Palace Master, something doesn’t feel quite right,” Luyi said, stopping to get her bearings after they had been walking for some time.
Although they hadn’t been following the same path the entire way, she felt as if they were going in circles.
Bai Weiwei pursed her lips slightly, her beautiful eyes scanning the surroundings. She sniffed the scent of the tracking powder, confirming they weren’t off course. According to the concentration of the powder, this was the correct way to go. Luyi wasn’t wrong either; they did seem to be going in circles, but the circle was quite large, not easily noticeable in a short time.
“I feel we’re about to catch up to her,” Bai Weiwei said, very confident in the tracking powder she had concocted. “Let’s go see first, then we’ll talk when we find her.”
If Shen Wan had indeed gone in circles in this wilderness, where could she have bought the flatbreads? A doubt flashed through Bai Weiwei’s mind, but it was just a fleeting thought. She didn’t seem to want to delve deeper into it. Even now, her main concern was finding Shen Wan and ensuring her safety.
She wasn’t sure when she had started to care so much about that little girl’s well-being. Bai Weiwei inwardly scoffed at herself, but didn’t deny her feelings. Instead, she followed her instincts to find Shen Wan.
Half an hour later, Bai Weiwei found traces of Shen Wan.
In the midst of the wilderness, many martial artists had gathered. Bai Weiwei first noticed the crowd, then smelled a strong scent of the tracking powder. She thought something might have happened to Shen Wan.
Following the scent of the powder, she hurried over, only to find Shen Wan hugging a small bundle, leaning against a large tree. She was on her tiptoes, craning her neck to peer into the crowd.
Seeing this, Bai Weiwei felt relieved. She quickly walked over to Shen Wan and lightly tapped her on the forehead. “I wondered where you’d gone. You’re actually here watching the commotion. What’s so interesting?”
Bai Weiwei said this with a smile. Seeing Shen Wan safe and sound made her inexplicably happy. For some unknown reason, this once unfamiliar little girl who had stubbornly stuck by her side for just two short months had now found a place in her heart.
“Miss Bai, business has arrived,” Shen Wan hurriedly made room for Bai Weiwei, speaking softly.
Bai Weiwei leaned closer to Shen Wan and asked curiously, “What’s going on?” In fact, she had already caught the scent of blood. She was extremely sensitive to the smell of blood. It was because of this that she could always appear timely at scenes of conflict, taking the opportunity to make some money. If her main purpose this time hadn’t been to find Shen Wan, she would have gone straight into the crowd to see what was happening.
“The people over there are Meng Shan, Meng Xuan, and Yue Han and the others.”
Shen Wan had indeed planned to go out today to “buy” flatbreads and chicken legs for Bai Weiwei. Who would have thought she’d encounter something interesting on the way? She had secretly followed along and watched quite a show.
Since it involved major characters like Meng Xuan and Meng Shan, she guessed Bai Weiwei would definitely come over eventually. Even if she didn’t come on her own, someone would invite her. She really hadn’t expected Bai Weiwei to arrive so early. She didn’t know that Bai Weiwei had come so early to look for her. If she had known, she probably would have jumped for joy.
“Do you know what happened?”
“Meng Shan was kidnapped by a mysterious person. Meng Xuan and Yue Han happened to discover this and followed them to this wilderness…” Shen Wan explained while taking out flatbreads and chicken legs from her small bundle and handing them to Bai Weiwei. “Miss Bai, why don’t you eat while you listen?”
Bai Weiwei looked at the flatbreads and chicken legs in her hand. Though they had been wrapped and put in a bundle, they felt as if they had just been taken out of the oven. She had once packed such hot food into a bundle before, and when she took it out, it was noticeably different. The surface would have a layer of condensation, and the texture would have changed slightly.
How mysterious.
She only marveled at how mysterious it was in her heart, without intending to investigate further. She took a bite, chewed, and swallowed. Indeed, the taste was exactly the same as before. She gently raised her eyes to see Shen Wan watching her eat with a big grin. Those lively eyes seemed to sparkle like stars at night, causing her to be momentarily stunned.
“Is it delicious?”
“It’s delicious.” Bai Weiwei came back to her senses, swallowed what was in her mouth, but didn’t continue eating. Instead, she held the food in her hand. “Don’t go buy these anymore in the future.”
“Why? Are you tired of them? Don’t you like them anymore?”
“That’s not it,” Bai Weiwei replied. How could she be tired of something so delicious?
In all her life, she had never tasted anything like this. Though it looked ordinary, the taste was simply different. It was impossible to get tired of.
“Then why?”
Bai Weiwei’s lowered eyebrows rose as she smiled and said, “The jianghu is dangerous. Don’t risk your little life just to buy these things. No matter how delicious they are, they only satisfy the appetite. It’s fine not to eat them.”
“So, Miss Bai, are you worried about my safety?”
Shen Wan: “188, hohoho, did you hear that? Bai Weiwei is already starting to worry about my safety. It won’t be long before she throws herself into my arms with a blushing face, whimpering.”
[188: “I think you’re the one who’s going to throw yourself into Miss Bai Weiwei’s arms with a blushing face and whimper, Wan Wan.”]
“I suppose so,” Bai Weiwei answered frankly, not denying her current feelings. “You’ve been by my side for some time now. Even if I were raising a little sparrow, I’d have feelings for it.”
Shen Wan: Is she giving me face by not saying she’s raising a little puppy? Indeed, it’s her wife. So considerate. Little sparrow definitely sounds better than little puppy.
188: No integrity, no bottom line, brown-noser.
“Now that you understand, don’t go buy these things anymore in the future,” Bai Weiwei looked directly at Shen Wan. “Did you hear me?”
Shen Wan nodded quickly, “I heard. Whenever Miss Bai wants to eat them, you can just tell me casually.”
“Anytime?”
“Yes.”
Bai Weiwei paused, then leaned closer to Shen Wan and said in a low voice, “I really don’t know where you buy these from. It’s as if that shop selling flatbreads and chicken legs is specially opened for you.”
“No, it’s specially opened for Miss Bai,” Shen Wan seriously added. “The shop only opens when Miss Bai wants to eat.”
A breeze arose in the wilderness, carrying Shen Wan’s words into Bai Weiwei’s ears. At that moment, hearing those sincere, somewhat pleasing words, her calm heart skipped a beat violently. That feeling of palpitation was beyond her control. She instantly wanted to use her inner strength to suppress that uncontrollable feeling, but to no avail.
Even with her extraordinary medical skills and world-class martial arts, she couldn’t make her heartbeat steady.
Opened just for her, the shop only opens when she wants to eat? How strange these words sounded, yet she found them incredibly pleasing to hear.
“Really?” Bai Weiwei’s smile remained unchanged as she asked again. Her fragrance enveloped Shen Wan’s face. Her wife always smelled so good, like a flatbread. She really wanted to take a bite.
Shen Wan nodded, “Really.”
“Hmm.”
The smile on Bai Weiwei’s extremely beautiful face never faded. She shifted her gaze from the tender little face to the crowd. “Let’s go over and see if there’s anywhere they need me. Business has arrived, and I can’t miss it. After all, my grand Water Cloud Palace needs countless riches to maintain.”
Luyi: “……” Is… is that so?
Shen Wan: My wife isn’t wrong. Such a large Water Cloud Palace definitely needs money to support it.
Shen Wan followed Bai Weiwei into the crowd. Bai Weiwei’s reputation was great, and few in the jianghu hadn’t seen her before. Seeing her arrive, they quickly made way.
In the center, Meng Xuan was slightly bowing his head, Meng Shan was already unconscious, and Yue Han wasn’t in much better shape. The upturned parts of her black clothes were blood-red, indicating severe injuries.
“What happened here?” Bai Weiwei asked.
When Yue Han saw Bai Weiwei, she looked somewhat delighted. “Madam Bai, we must trouble you again. Please, quickly check on Young Master Meng.”
“I can,” Bai Weiwei replied indifferently. “The usual terms.”
Yue Han looked a bit troubled. Although she had never lacked money before, Bai Weiwei was simply a bottomless pit. Now she needed to save three people at once, and she feared she couldn’t afford it.
“Is anyone here from the Returning to Void Sect?” Shen Wan suddenly called out. “Have you sent someone to notify your Sect Master? Young Master Meng and the others are so severely injured. When will your Sect Master arrive? These are the last two survivors of Flying Crane Manor. Surely your Sect Master would be willing to pay any price to save them, right?”
Yue Han was stunned for a moment but didn’t stop Shen Wan’s words. She lowered her head and remained silent. Indeed, how could Yang Yanqing let Meng Xuan and Meng Shan die in front of the martial arts world? This time, he just wanted to test whether these two had that thing. Yue Han looked at her own injuries and frowned. Yang Yanqing really was ruthless.
It turned out that this kidnapping of Meng Shan just happened to let Meng Xuan discover that it was all Yang Yanqing’s plot.
Yang Yanqing just wanted to test if Meng Xuan and Meng Shan had any clues about the treasure map. No matter how he choked Meng Shan or threatened her with a sword, or how he slashed at Yue Han, Meng Xuan just looked confused and anxious, insisting he knew nothing about any treasure map.
Finally, an enraged Yang Yanqing gave Meng Xuan a heavy palm strike. Hearing footsteps approaching, he quickly left.
These footsteps were actually created by Shen Wan. The martial artists arriving so quickly was Yue Han’s doing. She was Yang Yanqing’s person, getting close to Meng Xuan for the treasure map.
Yang Yanqing probably didn’t know that his capable subordinate had given her heart to Meng Xuan, did he? If he knew that Yue Han couldn’t help but tell Meng Xuan the whole truth, Yang Yanqing would probably cough up blood.
Indeed, in the novel’s plot, many things were actually Meng Xuan, the male protagonist, playing along with Yang Yanqing’s act.
He had known very early on that Yang Yanqing was behind everything. But Yue Han told him that Yang Yanqing’s true martial strength was extremely high, and he was no match for him at all. As long as Yang Yanqing couldn’t find Meng Wenshu’s treasure map, he wouldn’t harm him or Meng Shan. Her suggestion was for Meng Xuan to lie low, bide his time, secretly improve his martial arts, and wait for the right moment to deliver a fatal blow to Yang Yanqing.
Did he care about Meng Shan? Yes.
Did he care about the original host, that silly girl who wholeheartedly liked him? He cared about her too.
But what he cared about more was avenging the three hundred people of Flying Crane Manor who had died, and avenging his master.
For the sake of revenge, he could smile at his enemy every day, showing eyes of respect. Knowing his own strength wasn’t enough, and aware that Yang Yanqing coveted the part of the treasure map in Fu Yunkui’s hands, he hid to the side, carefully plotting to let the two fight each other while he secretly strengthened himself.
Hadn’t Fu Yunkui already admitted to killing his master, Meng Wenshu? He wasn’t innocent either, so using him to openly fight Yang Yanqing was perfect.
When he learned that the original host, that little girl, wanted to infiltrate the Wuji Palace to avenge the people of her village, he didn’t stop her. Because a pure little girl like the original host would find it easier to infiltrate the Wuji Palace. He really hadn’t expected that the original host would become Fu Yunkui’s only weakness in the end, though of course, he made good use of this weakness later.
The grand finale was Yang Yanqing, in a fit of anger, kidnapping the original host, forcing both Fu Yunkui and Meng Xuan to hand over their treasure maps. Fu Yunkui handed his over for the original host’s safety, while Meng Xuan had his own scheme when he chose to hand his over, having poisoned his part of the map.
The final outcome was that Yang Yanqing died, Fu Yunkui died, and Meng Xuan emerged victorious alone. The original host’s father also appeared in the ending, severely injured from fighting Yang Yanqing and not long for this world, entrusting the original host to Meng Xuan.
Meng Xuan rebuilt Flying Crane Manor and also married the original host. But in Flying Crane Manor, there was another woman who held a transcendent position – Meng Shan. She chose to step back in the end, but it was precisely this stepping back that left people with a lump in their throats, unable to say anything.
Shen Wan stood beside Bai Weiwei, glancing at Meng Xuan, who was slightly bowing his head with a pale face. Indeed, those who could be male protagonists were all extraordinary. Just this level of endurance and scheming was incomparable to ordinary people. Who else could endure all this? And still keep a straight face while manipulating three women in circles. Not to mention Meng Shan and the original host, even Yue Han sitting beside him, covered in blood, would ultimately die tragically for Meng Xuan’s sake, and die willingly without regrets.
Perhaps Shen Wan’s gaze was too direct, causing Meng Xuan to suddenly raise his head. Shen Wan’s eyes quickly became unfocused, looking extremely confused.
She grabbed Bai Weiwei’s hand, her eyes vacant as she stared ahead, as if she were truly blind.
Bai Weiwei glanced at Shen Wan, who had suddenly gone “blind,” with a very strange expression.
However, with so many people around, she couldn’t ask, but she didn’t expose Shen Wan either. She swept her gaze over Meng Xuan’s looking eyes and had a sudden realization. This little girl was afraid of being discovered by Meng Xuan for pretending to be blind and kicking him that time, right?
Shen Wan: Let’s all understand this tacitly. Don’t expose me, please.
Seeing that Shen Wan really couldn’t see, Meng Xuan lowered his head.
Because Shen Wan was an inconspicuous character, and Yue Han didn’t know about the connection between the two, she hadn’t told Meng Xuan that Shen Wan was actually a very healthy person.
About another quarter of an hour passed before Yang Yanqing arrived.
As he walked into the crowd, Bai Weiwei smiled at him and asked, “Sect Master Yang, are you going to save these people? Why did you take so long to arrive? I’ve been waiting for you for quite a while.”
Shen Wan clearly saw Yang Yanqing’s expression sink, his hand trembling slightly.
“Of course we must save them,” Yang Yanqing said, quickly walking over and anxiously asking, “What exactly happened here?”
Shen Wan noticed that Meng Xuan’s fists were clenched tightly. He was probably gritting his teeth too. After all, his enemy was right in front of him, yet he couldn’t kill him. He had to play along with the act. It must be very painful.
After treating the three, Bai Weiwei left with Shen Wan.
Long after they had left the crowd, Luyi and Shen Wan suddenly heard Bai Weiwei burst into laughter. The laugh was full of mockery.
“Palace Master, what are you laughing about now? Have you made some new discovery?”
Bai Weiwei nodded, looking at Shen Wan as she spoke, “Meng Xuan most likely knows that Yang Yanqing is the real culprit. I really underestimated him. He’s so patient.”
Shen Wan: See that? This is my wife, brilliantly smart, immediately guessing the truth of the matter.
“Did you figure it out too?” Faced with the beautiful face suddenly leaning close, Shen Wan almost fell off her horse. Their eyes met, and she couldn’t deny it even if she wanted to. She could only nod.
“What else do you know?” Bai Weiwei reached out and pinched Shen Wan’s little chin. “Last time you pretended to be blind, I thought you were afraid of trouble. Now I have a guess. Shen Wan, you’re not some disciple of a fortune-teller, are you? I feel like you know everything, always avoiding trouble with Meng Xuan.”
Shen Wan: Wife, you’re so smart! She admired.
“I had a dream…” Shen Wan was about to make up an excuse to get by.
But Bai Weiwei interrupted her, “Enough, don’t say it. I don’t want to hear lies. Better not to hear anything than to hear lies. If you want to tell me, tell me. If you don’t want to, then don’t.”
“Miss Bai, you’re truly a kind and understanding good person.” …and a great beauty.
Bai Weiwei smiled at Shen Wan and asked, “Shen Wan, do you still want to stay by my side?” She had a look that suggested she had seen through all of Shen Wan’s little secrets, driving Shen Wan nearly crazy. She couldn’t control herself at all with her somewhat dark wife.
“Of course I do.”
“Then don’t regret it,” Bai Weiwei said with a smile. “Once you’ve made up your mind, there’s no turning back in the future.”
“Miss Bai, are you planning to force me to do something?” Shen Wan asked curiously.
Come on, she wouldn’t resist.
188: Yes, his host probably wished she could wash herself clean and lie flat… and so on…