In a guest room in the Pei Mansion.
"I have failed Brother Mo. I am consumed by guilt!"
Even though several hours had passed since the massacre at dawn, the culprit, Gongsun Yi, seemed unable to move past it. He was so wracked with guilt he felt he could vomit blood.
"You were forced into it, my dear. It was all for Yebai and Lan'Er." Liu Yuheng's heart ached as she walked over and gently pulled her husband into her arms, consoling him as if he were a child. "Besides, the Mo Mansion has spent years annexing land and acting unscrupulously here in Tongzhou. In a way, you were serving justice. There's no need to blame yourself so harshly."
"It's different. It's not the same." Gongsun Yi clung to his wife, weeping bitterly. "Anyone else could have served justice to the Mo Mansion, but I had no right! Brother Mo never wronged me! And yet, I slaughtered his entire family for the sake of two disciples. My conscience will never be clear!"
"My love!" Other than when her own father passed away, Liu Yuheng had never seen him cry. Her heart broke for him, and she began to sob as well. "My love... my husband."
Though Gongsun Yi was crying, his eyes held no trace of emotion. He wiped away his wife's tears and said, "Yebai and Lan'Er must never know about this."
"Mm-hmm." Liu Yuheng nodded emphatically.
SLAM! The door was suddenly thrown open.
The couple looked toward the sound.
Pei Shaoqing offered a slight smile. "Apologies. It's a force of habit in my own home; I forgot to knock. Please forgive me. Though it seems I've arrived at an inopportune moment?"
"Ah!" Lady Gongsun belatedly scrambled out of her husband's embrace, a faint blush on her cheeks.
"Master! Mistress!"
Zhao Zilan walked into the room, supporting Jiang Yebai.
"Lan'Er! Yebai!" Forgetting all propriety, Liu Yuheng rushed forward in sheer joy and embraced them both.
Gongsun Yi was also excited, but he first rose, straightened his robes, and bowed to Pei Shaoqing. "Thank you, my lord!"
"Call me Young Master from now on," Pei Shaoqing said.
Gongsun Yi readily complied. "Yes, Young Master."
"Mistress... WAHHHH!" Filled with grievances, Zhao Zilan broke down and wailed in the arms of the woman she had always considered a mother, letting out all her negative emotions.
"It's alright, it's alright now." Liu Yuheng's heart twisted at the sight of the wounds covering Jiang Yebai. "Lan'Er, stop crying for now. Help your senior brother to the bed."
"I will have his wounds treated. You can all stay here for now. Once he has recovered, you may return to Bazhou." Pei Shaoqing paused, his gaze falling upon Zhao Zilan. "However, she will remain by my side to serve me and act as our liaison."
'Since the Iron Sword Sect had pledged their loyalty, it was only natural they send someone to serve by his side and act as a channel of communication.'
"I refuse!" Zhao Zilan blurted out, her face deathly pale. She shrank behind her mistress, trembling.
"Absolutely not!" Jiang Yebai, who had just lain down on the bed, bolted upright as if shocked back from the brink of death. He volunteered himself, "I'll stay!"
"I only want her," Pei Shaoqing stated firmly.
'Gongsun Yi is the Sect Leader of the Iron Sword Sect, so he can't stay by my side long-term. His wife is even less of an option. If I have to choose one of the four, then compared to a young Jianghu hero like Jiang Yebai, a beautiful young girl bursting with youthful energy like Zhao Zilan is much more to my liking.'
"Young Master, we've spoiled Lan'Er rotten since she was a child. She doesn't know how to attend to people, and her martial arts are mediocre at best. I implore you to reconsider." Liu Yuheng, not wanting to send her beloved disciple into the tiger's den, looked to her husband for help.
But after a moment of contemplation, Gongsun Yi replied, "To be personally chosen by the Young Master is Lan'Er's honor."
"My husband!"
"Master!"
Three people in the room cried out in shock at the same time.
"It is settled." Gongsun raised a hand.
Pei Shaoqing smiled faintly, left them with a "Come and see me later," and departed, closing the door behind him.
Zhao Zilan said frantically, "Master, I don't want to stay here! That bastard is up to no good!"
"Silence! Have you not learned your lesson?" Gongsun Yi snapped, then sighed. "Lan'Er, you have no idea the price your mistress and I paid to save you. Do you think we're in any position to bargain with him? Be a good girl and obey. Young Master Pei comes from a noble family and has received a strict upbringing. He may admire your beauty, but if you are unwilling, he certainly won't force himself on you. Besides, he needs the Iron Sword Sect to serve him, so he won't go too far. Set your mind at ease."
'Jiang Yebai couldn't believe those words. He had just witnessed Pei Shaoqing stick a finger into his junior sister's mouth and swirl it around. If she stayed here, he feared the next thing being stuck inside her wouldn't be a finger!'
"Master, I'm begging you, let me stay! We absolutely cannot leave my junior sister here! Please!" He was frantic to the point of tears, struggling to get out of bed to kowtow.
Gongsun Yi roared, "Silence! Haven't you caused enough trouble already? Are you the master here, or am I?"
'He sighed inwardly. Originally, Lan'Er and Yebai were a match made in heaven. But now that Pei Shaoqing had taken an interest in Lan'Er, it presented a golden opportunity for the Iron Sword Sect—one he could not afford to miss.'
"I'll stay behind as well!" Liu Yuheng said.
Stunned, Gongsun Yi whipped his head around to look at his wife.
Liu Yuheng gripped Zhao Zilan's hand, her red lips set in a firm line. "I'll stay with Lan'Er. If Pei Shaoqing wants to bully her, he'll have to get through me first!"
She simply couldn't leave the disciple she loved like a daughter with a man as devious as Pei Shaoqing. She couldn't rest easy, nor could she bear to see Jiang Yebai in such anguish.
"Mistress!" Zhao Zilan was deeply moved.
Jiang Yebai no longer objected. With his mistress there to accompany her, he was naturally less worried.
Although Gongsun Yi didn't want his wife staying behind and obstructing Pei Shaoqing's designs on Zhao Zilan, he couldn't refuse without ruining the facade. "That's fine as well."
'If Lan'Er throws herself into his arms willingly, my wife will have no reason to interfere, will she?'
.........
"Big Brother, why did you insist on keeping that girl?" Ye Hanshuang asked, her expression as frosty as ever.
Pei Shaoqing chuckled. "To keep a hostage, of course. And to serve as our line of communication with the Iron Sword Sect. What other reason could there be?"
"And here I thought you'd taken a liking to her," Ye Hanshuang said coolly, a stiff smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
Pei Shaoqing simply smiled without a word.
As they talked, the two entered the small courtyard he shared with Xie Qingwu, where they found her on a swing.
Strands of her dark hair fluttered in the breeze. A golden hairpin glinted, and jade ornaments chimed like a spring brook. A misty rose-colored, strapless dress clung to her delicate figure, her snow-white shoulders glowing softly in the sun. Her ample chest threatened to spill out, and her pert bottom was pressed against the wooden seat, slightly changing its shape. The layers of her skirt fanned out, revealing a glimpse of a slender ankle wrapped in black Ice Silk.
She tilted her head back and laughed, her eyes sparkling. Her laughter was as crisp as silver bells, her beauty simply beyond compare.
And the source of this picturesque scene was a cat standing on its hind legs behind the swing, panting with exhaustion.
"She bribed you, didn't she?" Pei Shaoqing asked, walking over to the fat cat who was panting like a dog, tongue lolling out.
'The last time I saw such a beautiful woman on a swing, it was Pan Jinlian,' he recalled. 'She was eating grapes while she swung.'
Gasping for breath, General Li pointed to his neck.
Only then did Pei Shaoqing notice that the Storage Jade Pendant was now hanging from the cat's neck, tied with a red woven cord.
Realization dawned on him. "Ah, the lady wove that cord for you, and in return, you push her on the swing."
General Li, still panting heavily, nodded again and again.
The swing came to a stop. Xie Qingwu, still seated, gripped the ropes, her small, embroidered-slipper-clad feet dangling in the air. She glanced at Pei Shaoqing before addressing General Li. "Hey, it hasn't been a full hour yet. Don't tell me you're as unreliable as your master."
"When have I ever been unreliable?" Pei Shaoqing, having caught a stray bullet, asked with an innocent expression.
Xie Qingwu just shot him a fierce glare.
Pei Shaoqing couldn't be bothered to argue. He turned to General Li, who had caught his breath. "Give me the book."
General Li nodded his little head. In the next instant, the Jade Pendant flashed with a white light, and a diary flew toward Pei Shaoqing.
Pei Shaoqing reached out and caught it.
"A Storage Magical Treasure!" Xie Qingwu cried out from the swing, her eyes wide. Losing her balance in her distraction, she pitched forward with a panicked scream. "Ah!"
The next moment, she felt herself collide with someone's chest as her vision went dark. Slowly raising her head, she was met with the sight of Ye Hanshuang's frosty face. The woman had caught her with lightning-fast reflexes.
"Thank you," Xie Qingwu murmured, her red lips barely parting.
Ye Hanshuang didn't respond, simply letting her go with a cold expression.
The encounter left Xie Qingwu with a strange feeling, but her attention was quickly recaptured by the Storage Jade Pendant. She turned to Pei Shaoqing, her face a mask of disbelief. "How do you possess such a treasure?"
'He has a talking demon at his side, as well as an exceedingly rare Storage Magical Treasure from ancient times. And that coverless book in his hand... could it be some kind of Secret Manual?'
'How could a mere mountain bandit possess all of these things?'
'She felt he was completely shrouded in mystery.'
'Perhaps he's far more than just a simple mountain bandit?'
"Found it," Pei Shaoqing replied with two words.
Xie Qingwu didn't believe him for a second. Staring at Pei Shaoqing's back, she huffed softly. 'I'm right here beside you. Sooner or later, I'll figure out just what secrets you're hiding!'
「At the same time.」
News that the Profound Yellow Sect was responsible for the annihilation of the Mo Family was spreading like wildfire throughout the city.
"Did you hear? The Mo Mansion was wiped out last night. They say it was the Profound Yellow Sect."
"If you ask me, the Profound Sect was just serving justice. Think of all the wicked things the Mo Mansion got away with because of their power and wealth!"
"But Old Master Mo often donated money to repair bridges."
"Ptui! So what if he repaired a bridge? Where do you think he got that money? By squeezing it out of poor folk like us!"
Some people cheered, while others bitterly condemned the Profound Sect.
Meanwhile, the members of the Profound Yellow Sect were apoplectic.