Chapter 122
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“I don’t know how to ride a horse.” Xue Yao looked sincerely at the white horse in front of him and said to the person behind him, “I can help you lead the horse.”
As soon as the words fell, the blade against his back pressed with more force, accompanied by the threats from the little rascal behind him, “Can a dandy like you really ride a horse? Stop talking nonsense, get on the horse!”
“I really don’t know how to ride a horse. Dandies usually travel by carriage. Have you ever seen one?” Xue Yao pushed forward aggressively, easing the pressure of the blade, trying to buy time.
Why had Lu Qian not caught up yet? Did he go abroad to buy the plum juice?
“Keep blabbering, and I’ll bring your corpse back to claim credit.” The little rascal became impatient.
“Whether you bring back the corpse of the Sword Saint’s disciple seeking death or claiming credit, you must consider…” Xue Yao didn’t finish his sentence when he felt the blade behind him about to pierce through his clothes, so he immediately shut up and obediently mounted the horse.
The little rascal quickly mounted up behind him, sitting on the horse, and they galloped southward.
As Xue Yao felt himself getting farther away from Lu Qian, the hope in his heart became increasingly dim.
After a stretch of silence, sensing that the emotions of the little rascal behind him had stabilized, Xue Yao began to mutter again, “Why did you capture me? The sect master personally released me. Treating me like this will lead to the sect master’s punishment.”
This little rascal was the lackey who stole from passengers at the riverside last time. Xue Yao had just confirmed his identity.
Just sitting by the table, Xue Yao suddenly felt a blade pressed against his back. He initially thought it was an assassin from Xuanye Sect catching up.
But now, he didn’t think so.
If it were assassins from Xuanye Sect, they wouldn’t simply capture him. They would at least threaten Lu Qian to come back with them.
Logically, with such a significant event in the gang, they wouldn’t have informed the lackeys from various places so quickly.
Even if they were informed, it wouldn’t make sense for just one person to come alone to capture someone.
Therefore, Xue Yao believed that this little rascal didn’t capture him under orders but acted on his own accord.
“Looking at your disheveled state, I knew you escaped without permission,” the little rascal sneered. “You kept meddling, and now you’re caught in my hands!”
“How did I meddle? You’re the one meddling with the Sword Saint’s disciple. Aren’t you afraid of ending up in the Sword Saint’s hands?” Xue Yao clung to the hope that scaring this little rascal straight might work.
“Not meddling? You and your men chased me for five miles last time. I spent the whole morning’s hard-earned money, all taken by your men. You really have a short memory, noble man!” The little rascal gritted his teeth.
That day, he had stolen a good amount of silver in the morning. He was ready to call it a day when that damn Sword Saint’s disciple caught him. All the stolen silver was taken by those passengers.
“You’re the one with the short memory, Brother,” Xue Yao retorted. “It wasn’t me who chased you.”
The little rascal snorted. “Didn’t your mother tell you to choose the soft ones when picking persimmons?”
“Actually, I’m a banana, not a persimmon,” Xue Yao replied. “Squeezing too hard will make it mushy. The Sword Saint would surely be upset and wouldn’t spare those who squeeze me.”
“Stop with the smart talk!” The little rascal wasn’t buying it.
•••
Lu Qian sat in his original seat, patiently waiting.
The snow pear juice he held had turned yellow, and there was still no sign of Yaoyao returning.
The air around remained unchanged, confirming that there were no Xuanye Sect assassins in the shop. If there were, they would use Yaoyao to threaten His Highness. They wouldn’t leave with just Yaoyao.
So Yaoyao must have gone somewhere and would come back on his own.
From morning to noon, the snow pear juice fermented, producing bubbles and a sour taste. Lu Qian finally set down the teacup and stood up.
The shop assistant immediately approached, reminding the customer not to forget anything. In reality, he was reminding Lu Qian to settle the bill.
Lu Qian looked at the shop assistant expressionlessly, waved his sleeve, indicating he had no money.
“The silver notes are all with Yaoyao.” When His Highness left the palace, he handed over all the money to the little reader-in-waiting.
The shop assistant’s smile stiffened for a moment, then he asked with a forced smile, “Master, what do you mean? I don’t understand.”
•••
“Miss, the person has been captured!”
A’Zhu was startled and immediately stood up. “So soon? Bring him in!”
The little rascal outside didn’t allow anyone to touch the captive he brought back. He escorted Xue Yao into the main hall alone, wearing a flattering expression as he looked at the sect master’s daughter, awaiting a reward.
“Why only you? What about the Sword Saint’s disciple?” A’Zhu questioned Xue Yao bluntly.
Xue Yao, using his peripheral vision, identified the people in the room. He noticed the two boys standing to the left of the grandmaster’s chair, their gazes dark and fixed on him.
“I intended to bring him back as well, but this young man here objected.” Xue Yao nodded toward the little rascal behind him.
The little rascal stepped forward to explain, “Miss! The Sword Saint’s disciple is extremely powerful. I’m at a disadvantage, so I had to seize this guy first. With him in our hands, the Sword Saint’s disciple won’t hesitate to come looking for trouble!”
A’Zhu waved her hand, signaling the little rascal to step aside, then walked forward, her gaze filled with resentment as she stared at Xue Yao. “Where is my father now?”
Isn’t your father dead?
So, the man who wanted to exchange techniques with him wasn’t the real sect master after all?
It seemed Lu Qian’s speculation was accurate.
So, who was the man that died?
“Miss A’Zhu, we haven’t seen your father.” Xue Yao raised his hand, pointing to the two boys beside the grandmaster’s chair. “That night when we were told the sect master wanted to see us, we followed a guide here. These two attendants led us into a room and then through a secret passage where we encountered an individual wearing…”
“Nonsense!” one of the boys interrupted Xue Yao. “Miss, it was these two who unlawfully entered the secret chamber, stole our sect’s secret scriptures and treasures, killed the elder, and kidnapped the sect master!”
A’Zhu exclaimed angrily, “I thought you were a righteous and honorable person! The Sword Saint’s disciple actually committed such a heinous crime! If you dare harm a hair on my father’s head, we will annihilate your entire clan. Let the Sword Saint decide the fate of scoundrels like you!”
“Miss A’Zhu, calm down.” Xue Yao calmly observed the sixteen-year-old girl, whose mind was clouded by anger and fear. Gently, he spoke, “Consider this carefully. Initially, we had no idea where your sect was. How could we have known about a secret chamber here? Even if we did know, how could we kill your elder and abduct the formidable sect master of the Xuanye Sect so easily? If we had that capability, would we just sit idly and wait for Gu Qingyuan to come and exchange our freedom?”
“They feigned ignorance of martial arts!” one of the boys stepped forward and told A’Zhu, “The sect master and the elder believed they had no martial skills, so they let their guard down. But unexpectedly, these two suddenly attacked!”
Xue Yao sneered at the boy. “So, you’re saying we killed, robbed, murdered the elder, kidnapped the sect master, yet spared your lives for you to identify us? Does that sound logical?”
The boy hesitated at his words, his face turning pale. “Isn’t it because you’re planning to blame us?”
A’Zhu’s mind was in chaos at this moment.
From the events last night until now, she felt that something was amiss but couldn’t figure it out. Hearing Xue Yao’s words seemed to provide a bit of direction, yet she still couldn’t comprehend. “If my father wasn’t kidnapped by you, where is he now?”
“I really don’t know.” Xue Yao’s expression was sincere as he quickly recounted the events of last night to A’Zhu.
“Spouting nonsense!” The two boys accused together. “No wonder he spared us. It’s intentional, setting a trap to shift the blame onto us and clear himself.”
Xue Yao turned to the two boys. “If we wanted to clear our names, why leave only you two alive? Are you two the sect master’s attendants? Were you under the imposter sect master from last night? May I ask, where are the sect master’s attendants?
“We are only two people. Kidnapping a highly skilled sect master is already troublesome. It’s impossible to escape with the sect master’s attendants. If we couldn’t take them, why didn’t we just kill them directly? Where are the bodies of the sect master and his attendant?
“In the secret chamber, there should only be the body of the imposter sect master. The fatal hidden weapon in the forehead came from your hands. When meeting the Sword Saint’s disciple, why apply lethal poison to the hidden weapon? We couldn’t have known beforehand that your tiny silver needle could be deadly. If we truly wanted to kill, after using your silver needle to injure, we would have at least broken his neck. The fact is, we didn’t anticipate the silver needle being lethal!”
“Indeed sharp-tongued. You’ve already planned everything before taking action!” one of the boys insisted, accusing Xue Yao and the other of plotting for wealth, causing harm, and kidnapping the sect master.
A’Zhu frowned at Xue Yao. The deceased elder had a close relationship with her father. Though it wasn’t appropriate to doubt, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Xue Yao’s words made a lot of sense.
Xue Yao turned to A’Zhu. “I’ll speak bluntly, so please bear with me. As disciples of the Sword Saint, would we, with such malicious intentions and regardless of reputation, need to resort to such a devious plan to steal your sect’s scriptures? The Sword Saint’s lifelong teachings are more than we can learn in this lifetime. Would we waste our efforts stealing your sect’s secrets? The question is, who is more likely scheming to obtain your sect’s scriptures — the two of us or the imposter sect master who seeks to exchange them for the Sword Saint’s Tai Chi Mental Cultivation Technique? Please consider this carefully.”
“Spouting nonsense! Why would our master even consider your mediocre cultivation method?” one of the boys argued with a face full of grievance.
A’Zhu stared at Xue Yao, silent for a moment, then spoke with a grim expression, “Get the rope.”
Xue Yao’s heart sank, but she heard A’Zhu continue, “Tie up these two for interrogation.”
Immediately, someone stepped forward to restrain the two boys.
“Miss A’Zhu! We’re wrongly accused! These cunning individuals planned everything in advance, intending to frame us for their crimes!”
Ignoring the boys, A’Zhu looked at Xue Yao with a serious expression and continued, “Don’t think you can play any tricks. I won’t let you go. Have your companion surrender immediately. Until my father is found, the two of you won’t escape.”
Xue Yao replied calmly, “Since this matter involves me, and without proving my innocence, I can’t just let it slide. Otherwise, how can we face the Sword Saint and my senior brothers with the reputation of being murderers and thieves? Rest assured, Miss A’Zhu, I will do everything in my power to uncover the whereabouts of your father.”
A’Zhu was shaken by his resolute expression, her gaze growing uncertain.
“So, if they claim we killed and robbed, does that mean the scripture is missing?” Xue Yao said. “But when we fled, we didn’t take the scripture. Miss, have you searched the bodies of those two attendants?”
The bound boys immediately shouted, “Thieves shouting thieves! Come and search us! If you find anything, we’ll accept death as our punishment!”
Hearing this, Xue Yao speculated that the scripture was either stolen by someone else opportunistically or had been moved by these two boys after they stole it.
The latter seemed more probable.
Xue Yao addressed A’Zhu, “If they didn’t steal it, I suspect the scripture might still be in the secret chamber. May I request permission to investigate the chamber? Perhaps I can find clues about the sect master’s disappearance.”
“Miss, this person is eloquent. We shouldn’t trust her easily,” an elder cautioned A’Zhu.
A’Zhu asked, “Then, what do you suggest we do with him?”
The elder squinted maliciously. “Hand him over for my interrogation. I guarantee he’ll confess within two days.”
“Miss A’Zhu!” Xue Yao pleaded desperately, “Forcing a confession won’t solve the problem. With the sect master’s fate unknown and in imminent danger, it’s better to let me quickly trace any clues and rescue the sect master. Besides, I truly had no knowledge of this matter. Even if your sect resorts to torture, you won’t extract any useful information from me. Instead, it will delay the optimal time to find the sect master!”
“How do you plan to investigate?” A’Zhu asked.
Xue Yao pointed to the two boys. “I want them to accompany me to the secret chamber for a face-to-face confrontation.”
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