The Affairs of the Martial World - Vol 3: Chapter 7

Jinan, the Shadowless Sword Yin Residence.

Zhu Que, Han Jinsong, and Yin Tianyun discussed the murderer of Yin Wuxing without reaching any conclusions. Zhu Que and Han Jinsong decided to take their leave. However, Yin Tianyun insisted on keeping them, so they stayed for a meal, but the atmosphere during the meal was quite heavy.

After dinner, it was already dark. It was inconvenient to go back at night, so Yin Tianyun invited the two to stay overnight at the Yin Residence.

Fortunately, the two didn’t leave; otherwise, they would have missed the clue about the murderer of Yin Wuxing.

That night, the moonlight was like water. Zhu Que gazed at the moonlight filtering through the paper window, thinking of how Yi Xue had once learned swordsmanship here with Yin Wuxing. Now, Yin Wuxing was dead, and she was nowhere to be found, but her white-clad figure seemed to be just a short distance away.

The thoughts in Zhu Que’s heart gradually began to stir, tossing and turning, and he could not calm his mind and fall asleep no matter what.

Feeling restless, Zhu Que got out of bed, put on some clothes, and went to the courtyard.

In the distance, a faint sound of low crying came from a room; the sound was both familiar and strange.

Zhu Que’s heart trembled as he wondered if Yi Xue was also at the Yin Residence. Throughout the day, he hadn’t seen her, and it seemed likely that she was also staying here due to the incident involving her master, Yin Wuxing. However, since there was a distinction between men and women, when Zhu Que arrived, Yin Tianyun had yet to arrange for her to meet him.

Since the host has no intention of letting them meet, he should refrain from greeting her.

However, knowing it was inappropriate, his feet revealed his thoughts, as if unconsciously, he walked towards the place where the sound of crying came from.

The door of that room had a small plaque above it, inscribed with the words “Study with Diligence,” indicating that it was the study room of the Yin Residence.

Zhu Que arrived at the door, listening to the heart-wrenching cries from inside. His heart burned with the desire to push the door open and comfort Yi Xue, but suddenly, he heard another voice inside. It turned out to be Yin Tianyun with her, both sharing their sorrows and expressing their hatred for the murderer. Zhu Que felt a deep discomfort as he listened from outside the door.

As a guest, eavesdropping on people talking was considered taboo. Zhu Que turned to leave but unexpectedly stepped on a branch, making a slight sound. The two inside heard it and stopped talking.

The study door opened, and Yin Tianyun stepped out, revealing a wary expression. When he saw that the person in the courtyard was Zhu Que, he relaxed and said, “I didn’t know Brother Zhu was still awake. Are you hungry?”

Zhu Que shook his head and said, “On this long, endless night, there are too many mundane worries in my heart, and I can’t sleep, so I came out for a walk. I hope I haven’t disturbed you.”

Yin Tianyun quickly said, “Not at all, Brother Zhu. Would you like to come in and sit for a while?”

Yi Xue was inside the room; one could see her as soon as one crossed the study room door. But for some reason, Zhu Que felt a bit timid again. He shook his head and said, “I’ll just stay in the yard for a while; you go ahead, don’t mind me.”

Yin Tianyun nodded and entered the room again, leaving the door open. Zhu Que casually tried to peek inside but didn’t see Yi Xue anywhere, so he had no choice but to turn around and walk to the center of the courtyard.

In the courtyard, there was a phoenix tree with dense leaves that covered half of the night sky. The moonlight was bright, as if it were daytime, casting the shadow of the phoenix tree on the ground and enveloping Zhu Que in the shadows of the leaves.

Zhu Que was filled with worries and unable to find a way to vent them. As it gazed at the almost full moon in the sky, lost in thought, a sigh suddenly came from behind.

Zhu Que didn’t need to look back to know who had made that sound. But he didn’t dare to turn around; the waves in his heart had already calmed, yet at this moment, an undercurrent surged uncontrollably.

Yi Xue didn’t know when she had walked out of the study room and came up behind him, saying, “Thank you for your mercy that day.”

She had already known that he was Zhu Que and naturally understood that she and her junior sister Murong Jiao could not escape with Zhu Que’s martial arts at the time. However, Zhu Que chose to forgo the opportunity to capture them. Furthermore, later on, Zhu Que even returned the roster to the White Lotus Sect; he had indeed become a benefactor of the sect, which meant he had done a favor for Yin Wuxing. Whether Yi Xue was part of the White Lotus Sect or not, she still had to account for this personal favor.

Zhu Que nodded and said, “Since the matter has already passed, there’s no need to bring it up again.”

Yi Xue then said, “This time, you came again to help investigate my master’s death. I, I am very grateful.”

The original intention of Zhu Que was mainly to prevent Murong Hanshan from dueling Ji Wuyou, but he couldn’t help but develop a longing for a chance to encounter her. However, this cause and effect had no real connection. But how could Zhu Que explain all this? Since she felt gratitude towards him, he could only accept it.

Zhu Que turned around and looked at Yi Xue. Her pure yet beautiful face appeared before him, but her expression was hard to read. Zhu Que didn’t know what she was thinking, so he had to change the subject and asked, “Why haven’t I seen your junior sister Murong?”

Yi Xue said, “She has something to do and isn’t here. On the surface, she seems very unconvinced by you, but I know she admires you a lot.”

Zhu Que thought, ‘With Murong Jiao being so spoiled and willful, how could she possibly admire me? It would truly be a sight to behold if one believed that. Yi Xue must have said that out of gratitude towards me. But what could Murong possibly be up to? The master was killed, shouldn’t she be here discussing revenge with the senior brothers?’

Zhu Que was usually clever and articulate, but for some reason, he seemed like a different person in front of Yi Xue, filled with thoughts he wanted to express but unsure where to begin. Though he constantly reminded himself to stay calm, when he opened his mouth, all he managed to say was “You…” and then he was at a loss for words. Should he convey his feelings for her directly, or should he be more subtle? Suddenly, he remembered that her master had just been killed not long ago, making it not the right time to bring up such matters.

Thinking of this, he sighed. It seemed that Yi Xue also recalled something and fell into silence. The two of them momentarily found themselves in a subtly awkward yet somewhat ambiguous situation.

After a long while, Yi Xue finally broke the silence and said, “I have no brothers. My parents raised me as a boy and sent me here to learn martial arts from a young age. I didn’t like practicing martial arts, but how could I disobey my parents’ wishes? Over time, I got used to it. My master is rigorous when he teaches us, and everyone is quite afraid of him, but we also respect him greatly.”

Zhu Que listened quietly.

Yi Xue continued, “After the master was killed, everyone was very sad and vowed to avenge him. Since the murderer possesses exceptional martial arts skills, we know we are no match for him, but no one cares about their own lives and wants to fight the murderer to the death. Just now, I heard that the master’s death might be related to a woman named Qian Yan. Is that true?”

Zhu Que nodded and said vaguely, “This is just a guess; the truth is still hard to say.”

Yi Xue said, “This woman must have known Master and Mistress before they met each other. I remember when I was young, I once overheard Master and Mistress arguing about something, and I vaguely heard Mistress mention this person. After that, there was a rift between Master and Mistress. At that time, I thought this woman named Qian Yan must be a bad person. Later, when I heard Mistress talk about it, I learned that Master had spent some time with Qian Yan, and he never forgot her after that. Even after marrying Mistress, he still couldn’t let go of her, which created a knot in Mistress’s heart, leading to her passing away from illness many years ago.”

Hearing this, Zhu Que couldn’t help but glance towards the study room where Yin Tianyun was, wondering if he was aware of all this. At the same time, he felt even more puzzled about Qian Yan’s actions. If she was a woman who was hard to forget, she shouldn’t be entangled with so many people. If she were a promiscuous woman, then someone like Yin Wuxing would not have kept her in his thoughts for a lifetime.

But why does she claim to be seriously ill and invite these people to meet?

Zhu Que couldn’t understand and casually said, “So many people find it hard to forget her; I think Qian Yan must be very beautiful, just like you.” After saying this, Zhu Que felt a bit regretful, realizing his words might have been somewhat offensive.

Who would have thought that Yi Xue, upon hearing this, did not get angry; instead, her face turned red, and she lowered her head, saying, “I know you will find Qian Yan. If you see her, please ask her, if Master loves her so much, why would she have the heart to kill him?”

Zhu Que nodded, although he did not know where she was. Yi Xue said nothing more, bowed to him and returned inside.

Zhu Que glanced at Yin Tianyun, who had not come out of the study room and thought he should be able to hear their conversation. He wondered what he was thinking. With a belly full of questions, Zhu Que returned to his room to rest.

Before falling asleep, Yi Xue’s expression after he had told her she was beautiful resurfaced in his mind, and his heart gradually found peace as he drifted into dreams.

In the morning, Yin Tianyun came to find him, saying that a person claiming to be from the Dual Ring Sect had come to inquire about the matter of the Shadowless Sword, Old Master Yin.

Zhu Que quickly came to the hall with him and saw the man from the Dual Ring Sect. He was a rugged-looking fellow with dark skin, resembling a farmer who had worked in the fields for years, showing no trace of the demeanor typical of martial artists.

The man saw Zhu Que and the others and immediately cupped his hands in greeting, but not knowing who the master was, he bowed to both of them.

Yin Tianyun also cupped his hands and said, “Brother, why not sit down and talk?”

The person hurriedly nodded, not waiting for Zhu Que and the others to sit first, and found a chair to sit down.

Yin Tianyun frowned at his lack of manners, gestured for Zhu Que to sit first, and then everyone else sat down.

The visitor introduced himself to Yin Tianyun, “I am Ding Sheng, a disciple of the Dual Ring Sect of the Northwest. I have come at the behest of my master to inquire about the cause of Master Yin’s passing.”

Yin Tianyun listened to his reckless nature of questioning but felt nothing hostility about it. It seemed that in the northwestern borderlands, there were fewer rules. He was curious about the purpose of the visitor’s arrival. Maintaining a calm demeanor, he asked, “May I kindly ask why your master sent you here to inquire?”

At this moment, Han Jinsong woke up and came over to join them. He greeted Zhu Que and Yin Tianyun and then sat down beside them.

Ding Sheng said, “My master mentioned that he has some speculations about Master Yin’s unfortunate death……” At this point, he felt his wording didn’t sound quite good.

Yin Tianyun listened intently, not minding that his tone was somewhat impolite, and quickly asked, “What speculation?”

Ding Sheng replied, “My master wants to ask if Old Master Yin Wuxing received a letter and then was killed after the appointment?”

Yin Tianyun and Zhu Que exchanged glances, then Yin Tianyun slowly nodded and said, “Indeed, may I ask how your master came to know?”

Yin wanted to know the truth, even speaking politely.

Ding Sheng said, “Because my master has also received a letter and wants to invite everyone to discuss a countermeasure.”

Zhu Que felt tight in his heart and asked, “Do you know the date mentioned in your master’s letter regarding the appointment?”

Ding Sheng said, “There’s still more than half a month to go.”

Zhu Que nodded, feeling relieved. There was plenty of time to travel from Jinan to Xi’an, where the West Ring Sect (1) was located. Yin Tianyun asked, “May I ask if you know what was written in the letter?”

Ding Sheng shook his head and said, “My master said you would know once you arrive. I wonder if you all would be willing to go with me?”

Before Zhu Que could speak, Yin Tianyun had already interjected, “Let’s tidy up today and set off early tomorrow morning. What do you think?”

After speaking, Yin Tianyun looked at Han Jinsong and Zhu Que, and the two nodded simultaneously.

Han Jinsong said, “Since we have plenty of time, why not invite the Taishan Sect, Huashan Sect, and others to join us? We can act together and advance or retreat as one.”

Yin Tianyun thought for a moment and agreed. Yin Tianyun had the housekeeper arrange food and lodging for Ding Sheng.

Zhu Que and others discussed some details for notifying others in the hall. Yin Tianyun instructed everyone in the Shadowless Sect to stand by and be ready to move out upon notice.

Zhu Que advised, “Since so many sect members are involved, bringing so many people along is unnecessary. The more people there are, the easier for the murderer to notice. It’s like stirring the grass to scare the snake; if the murderer hides away because of this, it would be a regrettable situation.”

Yin Tianyun listened to Zhu Que’s persuasion and decided to set off alone, but Yi Xue insisted on following him and was rejected.

The next morning, as they set off, Yi Xue looked at Zhu Que with eyes full of longing, clearly wanting him to speak up and take her along. Zhu Que steeled himself and pretended not to see.

The group mounted their horses, led by Ding Sheng, and headed west.

(1) West Ring Sect — The author meant Dual Ring Sect. It was located in the northwest. Hence, he wrote West Ring Sect here.