The Affairs of the Martial World - Vol 3: Chapter 10

Zhu Que left Ci’en Temple, recalling that this trip had allowed Xie Tingyu to escape right before his eyes, something he truly had not anticipated.

Initially, he was filled with fury along the way; first, witnessing Meng Changling being killed in front of him and then seeing Xie Tingyu escape right before his eyes, a sense of helplessness rising within him. But after walking for more than ten miles, he completely came to terms with it.

He came here himself just to find out who the murderer is. Now that he knew, even though he couldn’t catch the person, he hadn’t lost anything either. Meng Changling was killed; who knows if it wasn’t his own way of seeking death?

Thinking about it this way, he really shouldn’t be angry; instead, he should be happy.

Despite this self-encouragement, he still couldn’t feel happy.

The sky had darkened, and Zhu Que arrived at Chang’an in Xi’an. The rain had gradually stopped.

Zhu Que’s clothes were a bit damp, so he went to a restaurant, took off his coat, and asked the owner to dry his clothes.

Once he seated, he ordered two small dishes and prepared to offer a sacrifice to the five internal organs (1).

At that moment, a young man who looked like a nobleman sat down across from him.

Zhu Que did not expect he was here to find him, so he just kept eating and ignored him.

This man spoke up and said, “I am Meng Xingyue, and Meng Changling is my father.”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Que suddenly found the food in his mouth difficult to swallow. He put down his chopsticks, looked at the other person, and said, “Do you know that tonight your father……?”

Meng Xingyue nodded and said, “I have received news that my father was killed by someone, so I came to talk to Hero Zhu.”

Zhu Que sighed, called for the shopkeeper to bring a pot of wine, poured a cup, and drank it, then handed it to Meng Xingyue, who also poured a cup and drank it.

The two drank several more cups of wine, and then Zhu Que said, “You want to ask me about that Xie Tingyu matter?”

Meng Xingyue said, “I know who Xie Tingyu is; he is the son of Qian Yan and Xie Tongxuan.”

Zhu Que couldn’t help but be curious and asked, “Who is this Xie Tongxuan? I am not well-informed and have not heard of this person.”

Meng Xingyue said, “It’s no wonder. This person is not a figure from the martial world but rather a scholar. His family is not very wealthy, so I don’t understand why Qian Yan took a liking to him. Moreover, my father’s death is mostly related to this person.” As he spoke, his words were filled with hatred.

Zhu Que asked, “Why is that?”

Meng Xingyue said, “My mother passed away two years ago due to illness, and my father was very heartbroken. One night, I accompanied my father to drink, and as the night went on, we both got very drunk. My father kept mumbling the name Qian Yan. I found it strange and asked him who that person was. In his drunken state, he told me some things. The next day, when we sobered up, I had forgotten most of what he said, and when I asked him again, he refused to say anything more.”

Zhu Que knew there was more to come, so he didn’t interrupt and quietly listened to him speak.

Meng Xingyue indeed continued, “I suspect that among those killed by Xie Tingyu, only my father voluntarily left Qian Yan. The others all tried various means to possess her but were rejected by her. My father once said that although these people were all from reputable sects, in order to win her favor, they would even go so far as to betray their sect’s interests, secretly teaching their martial arts to Qian Yan in hopes of winning her heart.”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Que recalled that Xie Tingyu understood the sword techniques of the Huashan Sect, Taishan Sect, and the Shadowless Sword and suddenly realized the cause and effect in his heart, thinking to himself, who knows if Meng Changling also did the same as the others?  

He nodded, signaling Meng Xingyue to continue speaking.

What Meng Xingyue said was partly what his father had said and partly his own speculation. Seeing Zhu Que’s response, he felt a surge of emotions and continued, “They all deserve to die, but my father was wrongly killed.” He said these inexplicable words, and seeing Zhu Que’s puzzled expression, he explained, “Qian Yan and my father knew each other because she wanted to use my father’s martial arts and the reputation of the Dual Ring Sect to escape the entanglements of these people. Later, one of them, or perhaps more than one, used despicable means to take away Qian Yan’s purity, resulting in her pregnancy, and she had no choice but to marry Xie Tongxuan. The child born afterward should be Xie Tingyu. He came to avenge his mother, but by then, my father had already left Qian Yan, and this matter had nothing to do with him. I don’t know why he still resorted to such cruel means. I must avenge this grudge!”

This was revenge for killing his father, and Zhu Que could not persuade him, but through Meng Xingyue’s narration, several mysteries in his heart were unraveled.

Xie Tingyu’s swordsmanship must have been taught by a master outside these sects, which was why his martial arts were terrifyingly high.

As for Meng Xingyue’s speculation, Zhu Que did not fully agree. First of all, if Xie Tingyu was born because these people defiled Qian Yan, then by killing them, wouldn’t he be killing his biological father as well? But someone like him, whose heart was filled with hatred, could not be measured by common reasoning.

Perhaps Qian Yan later endured endless suffering to raise him, and it was understandable that he would also harbor hatred for his biological father, whom he had never been raised by.

Zhu Que asked, “Now that you’ve told me this, do I need to do something?”

Meng Xingyue said, “In my father’s study room, there is a copy of the ‘Poems from the Thatched Cottage’ by He Shixin, with a piece of rice paper sandwiched in the center that says ‘Qilian Mountains, Wangyou Valley’ written on it. I think this is where Qian Yan is located.”

Zhu Que couldn’t help but say with some doubt, “The ‘Poems from the Thatched Cottage’ is just an ordinary book; how could it possibly be related to Qian Yan?”

Meng Xingyue said, “Because this piece of paper is tucked between the lines of ‘The Poppy: The Fallen Flowers Dance Before the Wind,’ it suggests that it should be the place of Qian Yan. When I saw this piece of paper, I asked my father about this place, and he said it was a very beautiful place. The Qilian Mountains are rugged and harsh; what beauty could there be? If we speak of beauty, it is naturally because there are people he finds beautiful there, so I deduce that Qian Yan is there.”

Zhu Que nodded slightly; this poem was poignant and stunningly beautiful, and it indeed had a high possibility of being Qian Yan’s location. A verse of the poem floated in his mind: “The fallen flowers dance before the wind, sending off the evening rain. At dawn, half the red remains in the courtyard; only the drifting silk threads stretch a thousand feet into the clear sky. With care, we walk hand in hand beneath the flowers, sharing the wine in our hearts. The beauty need not frown her delicate brows; I too am helplessly sentimental when the wine runs low.”

The only fallen flower he couldn’t let go of in his heart, the dance before the wind before it disappeared, had unknowingly captivated countless people.

It also said that beautiful women need not frown; wasn’t it precisely a hope that Qian Yan could cheer up? This has been made too conspicuous.

Zhu Que sighed and said, “The distance to the Qilian Mountains is more than a thousand miles; why don’t you go there yourself?”

Meng Xingyue said, “I need to find out Xie Tingyu’s whereabouts, and I can’t leave. So I’m asking you to go and ask her why she killed my father.”

Zhu Que declined, saying, “It’s not that I don’t want to go, but I have things to do here, so I’m afraid I can’t make it.”

Meng Xingyue said, “Is it because of Ji Wuyou and Murong Hanshan? Then you must go because both of them have gone there.”

Zhu Que exclaimed in surprise, “How did you know? Why are they going there? When did they leave?”

Meng Xingyue replied, “Listen to me as I explain this step by step. I heard this from the abbot of White Horse Temple the day before yesterday. Master Fahsang, the abbot of White Horse Temple, and Ji Wuyou are close friends. When Ji Wuyou arrived in Xi’an, he stayed at White Horse Temple. Master Fahsang knew that Ji Wuyou was going to Qilian Mountains to investigate the matter of Yin Wuxing’s murder, and it seems he already knows that Qian Yan is the one behind it all.”

Zhu Que hummed in response, thought for a moment, and asked, “This is Ji Wuyou, but what about Murong Hanshan?”

“Murong Hanshan had also been to White Horse Temple. He learned of Ji Wuyou’s whereabouts and immediately set off in pursuit. The two were bound to have a confrontation there.”

Hearing this, Zhu Que seemed to envision Murong Hanshan and Ji Wuyou in the valley of the Qilian Mountains, where the two were engaged in a fierce duel of unparalleled swordsmanship, fighting for their lives. He blurted out, “Alright, I’ll go there for a long trip. If you want to take revenge, a few more days won’t make a difference. Even if you find Xie Tingyu, don’t confront him directly.”

He knew that Meng Xingyue was no match for Xie Tingyu, so he subtly reminded him.

Meng Xingyue did not take it to heart and did not think Zhu Que looked down on him. He said, “My father isn’t even his match, so there’s no need to mention me. Don’t worry, for the sake of avenging this deep-seated blood feud, I won’t easily throw my life away.”

After the two had dinner, Meng Xingyue arranged a place for Zhu Que to rest at night.

Early the next morning, Zhu Que rode a fine horse that Meng Xingyue had brought over and headed towards the Qilian Mountains.

(1) offer a sacrifice to the five internal organs — Meaning to pay homage to his stomach and literally to fill up his hunger. The five internal organs are the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys.