Bloodkiller - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Heart-to-Heart

After the two of them arrived at the main house, they saw a woman come out to greet them in the courtyard. Her appearance was plain, average in height, wearing a simple white robe. Her hair was tied up in a simple bun, held in place by a wooden hairpin.

Seeing Lin Yi dressed like this, the woman remained calm and greeted him with a respectful bow, “Young Fort Master, all matters in the fort have been arranged.”

Lin Yi nodded and replied with a smile, “Thank you, Sister Ying.”

He then turned to introduce her to Yao Chuan. “This is my father’s disciple, considered my sworn sister. She is now the second-in-command of Qingfeng Fort.”

Lin Ying smiled and said, “I’m but a lowly foot soldier in Qingfeng Fort—Young Master flatters me.”

She cupped her hands toward Yao Chuan and added, “You must be Hero Yao of Shuanglong Sect. Your name is renowned—I’ve long heard of your deeds. To meet you today is truly my great fortune.”

Yao Chuan, seeing her composed and confident manner despite her ordinary appearance, felt that her name suited her well. He returned the bow and said, “Lady Lin is a heroine among women. Meeting you today is my honor. I had visited Qingfeng Fort once to pay respects to the old Master Lin, but he never mentioned…”

Lin Ying explained with a smile, “I spent most of my youth deep in the mountains. Only returned recently to visit my master. He’s a man of few words, so my existence is known to very few in the martial world.”

Yao Chuan nodded in understanding, though he thought privately: A direct disciple, hidden away in the mountains, now acting as Lin Yi’s confidante—this woman must be a secret piece left behind by the old Master Lin.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Lin Ying excused herself, saying she had matters to attend to. Lin Yi nodded, and she saluted and left. Yao Chuan, watching this, became even more certain of his suspicions.

Though he had agreed to trust Lin Yi, he was still unhappy about being kept in the dark—especially when this involved Qian Qiongli’s life. He resolved silently: This time, I’ll get the truth out of him.

With this determination, he put on a cold expression and didn’t respond when Lin Yi invited him inside. Lin Yi noticed the change and waved a hand in front of Yao Chuan’s face. Yao Chuan seized the opportunity, grabbed his hand, and said, “I’ve underestimated you, Young Fort Master. Who knew you had such power to stir up trouble in Yao City?”

Lin Yi looked up, observing Yao Chuan’s expression. Seeing genuine anger, he felt a bit guilty and said, “If you want to scold me, at least come inside. We’re in my home—don’t tarnish my name out in the open.”

Yao Chuan nearly laughed at this: You returned home in broad daylight dressed like that—worried about your reputation now?

Still, he kept up his act, gripping Lin Yi’s hand and half-dragging him into the inner room.

Yao Chuan bound Lin Yi’s wrist in a clever hold, then gave him a light shove, sending him onto the bed.

Lin Yi tried to sit up, but Yao Chuan pressed him back down by the chest, pinning him to the bed.

Lin Yi didn’t resist—he simply propped himself up with one hand and smiled, “Looks like you’re not what you seem either, Brother Yao. Do you mean to ravish me in broad daylight?”

“Enough with the jokes. I have questions. Answer me honestly—”

“Oh? And these ‘important questions’ must be asked on a bed? I think you’re just feeling lustful.”

“You—!”

Yao Chuan was losing his patience and realized Lin Yi was just trying to dodge the topic, so he cut straight to the point, “I don’t want to pry into your family affairs. If you’re estranged from your mother and don’t wish to speak of it, so be it. But the Red Epiphyllum concerns Qiongli’s life—I must obtain it. They say to know your enemy is to win every battle. What is Lady Mei’s weakness? I need you to tell me.”

At Yao Chuan’s firm tone, Lin Yi finally stopped joking and asked, “Why are you so determined to save that Qian child?”

Yao Chuan frowned. “A human life is worth more than heaven itself. And this is just a child—not even a year old! How could I let him die?”

Lin Yi asked again, “Are you doing this because you’re unsure of Qian Ling’s innocence? What if I told you he was involved with the Bl00d-Drinker Blade?”

“What… do you mean?”

“Why was the Bl00d-Drinker Blade found in Qian’s pawnshop? That’s one.
In the Qian household massacre, why were all the servants killed while the couple’s bodies were never found? That’s two.
Qiongli’s poison is controlled by his mother, Bai Yulian, a known expert in poison arts. If she was coerced, why did she show no signs of distress? That’s three.
You’re a smart man, Brother Yao. You can’t tell me you haven’t considered these?”

Yao Chuan was speechless. Deep down, he didn’t want to believe it—after all, Qian Ling was his sworn brother.

Lin Yi saw through his hesitation and said, “I’ve already told you about the night we snuck into the inn, how I overheard those men talking and was then ambushed. But there’s one more thing I haven’t told you.”

He paused, then continued, “When I entered Nuangxiang Pavilion, I noticed something odd about the layout. A young servant hinted there were two secret rooms. Then I realized—the structure was almost identical to the hidden passages in Qian Manor.”

“Secret passages?”

“Yes—the same ones Qian Ling used when we first went to Hangzhou. I was suspicious then. It wasn’t an underground tunnel, yet it was hidden. And that whole market area is crowded—where could you hide such a thing? Brother Yao, you have close ties to the Qians—you must know. Those secret passages were built into the walls.”

“That’s right,” Yao Chuan muttered. “Walls.”

“Exactly. They bought many adjacent properties to hide the structure. If you shift one house’s layout slightly to the left, another to the right, add trees in courtyards to conceal the seams—it’s enough to hide a wall-passage. Ingenious, really. And in Nuangxiang Pavilion, the screens were just a ruse to disguise the secret rooms.”

Yao Chuan stared at him. “You knew back then this involved Qian Ling?”

Lin Yi shook his head. “Just a suspicion. After all, Bai Yulian also knew about the passages. But once I thought of the secret passage, I had to wonder: was the Qian couple truly killed? Or did they fake their deaths and vanish?”

Yao Chuan cut in, “But that would make things even more confusing. From what we know, Nuangxiang Pavilion and the Azure Dragon Sect serve Prince Huai. Bai Yulian claimed she wanted us to deal with Prince Huai—if she hated him, why share her family’s secret passage method with him?”

This question hit the heart of the issue—Lin Yi himself had wondered about it. After a pause, he said slowly, “Have you considered this—if Bai Yulian truly is behind all this, why choose us to go after Prince Huai?”

Yao Chuan didn’t understand.

Lin Yi continued, “If I had a deep grudge, I’d want to kill my enemy myself. Why rely on outsiders? Unless… unless I tried and failed, and was now being hunted. Then I might try a ‘set a tiger on a wolf’ strategy.”

It was a bold theory, but hard to refute—especially as Yao Chuan recalled what Lin Yi overheard that night: the mysterious men were searching for a traitor. Could that traitor be someone Bai Yulian sent?

The two of them fell silent in thought.

After a while, Yao Chuan sighed. “Even so, we still have to save that child. Even if our guesses are true—those are the sins of the parents. I can’t let a baby die for that.”

Lin Yi shook his head and laughed. “I knew you’d say that.”

Suddenly, he yanked Yao Chuan’s collar, pulling him onto the bed. Flipping on top of him, he pressed down with both hands beside Yao Chuan’s shoulders and whispered, “Hero Yao, so full of justice… how could you ever let a child die?”

Though used to Lin Yi’s disguise, Yao Chuan was still stirred by the closeness. He reached up, pulled the wooden hairpin from Lin Yi’s hair, and let the black locks fall across his chest.

He brushed Lin Yi’s hair gently and said, “Since you and I are so in sync, why not be kind enough to tell me—how do I get the Red Epiphyllum from Lady Mei?”

Lin Yi’s smile faded. “It’s not that I won’t tell you… It’s just that some things are shameful family secrets. Even in front of you, I can’t easily speak of them.”

He sighed. “I once hated her deeply. But lately, I’ve softened… perhaps because of you—I’ve picked up a bit of your chivalrous nature.”

Yao Chuan chuckled softly, but didn’t interrupt.

Lin Yi lay beside him, silent for a long while, before finally speaking. “I don’t know where to start… so I’ll begin with my father.”

“My father was a free-spirited man in his youth, disliking the fort’s politics and yearning for the martial world. Naturally, he ended up entangled in romance. Though he was flirtatious, he never let things go too far—until he met a certain woman.”

“She was a mere servant in the fort—plain, unremarkable, not nearly as striking as his past lovers. How they fell in love, I don’t know. But my father changed—he married her, abandoned his old ways.”

Yao Chuan interjected, “Sounds like you’ve inherited his charm.”

Lin Yi laughed. “Now, now—let me finish. My father was happy, but others were jealous. Many of his past lovers came to cause trouble. Most were dealt with easily—but one had powerful political ties. My father had to flee with his wife.”

“She was pregnant. He was overjoyed. But tragedy struck. Both mother and child died—just before the birth.”

Yao Chuan asked, “Did your father avenge them?”

Lin Yi shook his head. “I don’t know. And here’s the strange part: I couldn’t find any trace of the people involved—not a single clue.”

“What? Not even you?”

“No. Most of what I know came from my second uncle. He said my father was devastated. He took their ashes and wandered for over a decade.”

Yao Chuan asked, “Then why did he marry Lady Mei?”

Lin Yi sighed. “Fate. One year, near the New Year, he came home to see my uncle. On the road, he saved some civilians from bandits. Among them was the family of a newly appointed prefect—Mei Zhifu. That’s my mother’s father.”

“Wait,” Yao Chuan said, startled. “You mean… that Mei Zhifu? But he’s now…”

“Yes,” Lin Yi confirmed. “He’s the current Chancellor.”

Yao Chuan was stunned—no wonder Mei Manor held so much sway.

“Back then, Mei Zhifu was honest and poor—mistaken for a commoner and nearly killed. My father saved them. Mei Zhifu was grateful. They became friends. And then… he saw my mother. She looked so much like the servant he lost—similar face, same name.”

Lin Yi paused.

By now, Yao Chuan had guessed most of it and remained quiet.

Lin Yi went on, “My father was nearly forty. That maid had been dead for over ten years. He believed my mother was her reincarnation. He proposed. Mei Zhifu, moved by gratitude, agreed.”

“When I was little, they seemed loving. But as I grew older, everything changed. They fought constantly. My father grew silent. His health worsened. By the time I was ten, he was bedridden—and my mother rarely visited.”

“One day… I saw a man in her room.”

He clenched his fists. “Later, I learned she was pregnant—while my father lay dying!”

Yao Chuan was at a loss. He had never seen Lin Yi so emotional.

“But that wasn’t the worst. The night my father died… it was storming. I had a fever and got up, scared. I saw the door ajar—no servants in sight. I peeked inside. She was sitting by his bed, staring at him.”

“When the lightning flashed, I saw her face—dressed in red wedding clothes, makeup perfect. My mother. She muttered something, closed the window tight. My father stirred, murmuring, ‘Mei’er… Mei’er…’”

“She went mad. Screamed, ‘Who are you calling? Lin Lie! Who are you calling?’ She strangled him—over and over.”

“I ran in—but too late. She turned, tears streaked down her cheeks, red as bl00d. That woman wasn’t my mother—she was a ghost from hell.”

“I blacked out. When I awoke three days later, he was already buried. I never got to say goodbye.”

Yao Chuan gently wiped Lin Yi’s tears. “Her sins aren’t yours. Let go—don’t destroy yourself with hate.”

Lin Yi shook his head. “I faked amnesia, acted mad. She hated me—I looked too much like my father. She favored her illegitimate son instead. I lived in fear. Luckily, I had an engagement with Yun, and Uncle Fang protected me. Later, I found Ying—my ally. And then, I found the gift my father left me.”

He looked into Yao Chuan’s eyes, voice low.

“Soul-Refining Pill. The poison is hidden with Ying.”

“I gave it to both her lover and her son.”