That Wu Run’s other disciple was He Yanzhen—this was truly unexpected.
Changling subconsciously looked at Ye Qi. Ye Qi gently shook his head, meaning he had only just learned this as well.
“Yue Rugou was my grandfather.” Changling asked directly without reservation, “Does this mean the other half of Grandmaster Wu Run’s folding fan is in the village chief’s hands?”
The village chief turned around and looked at them with an ambiguous expression. “So you truly came for the half folding fan.”
Changling didn’t deny it. Although before entering the mountain they hadn’t expected the Myriad Flowers Manual to fall from the sky, the possibility of Ye Qi practicing to the third level in just one or two months was extremely slim. If they could solve the Wu Run mystery, perhaps they could find another way out.
“I heard that Grandmaster’s dying command was that the fan must never be reunited,” Changling said. “However, we truly have other hidden circumstances. I wonder if, after we resolve your villagers’ corpse gu, we might borrow the folding fan to look at?”
Ye Qi hadn’t expected Changling to be so direct and was about to speak when unexpectedly the village chief said, “There’s no need for the young lady to say more about this. Back when Uncle He entrusted Yanling Village to me, he mentioned that if Yanling Village survived, one day someone would find their way into the village—possibly surnamed He, possibly surnamed Yue. As long as they could break the corpse gu calamity, they could take the other half of the folding fan.”
Changling was very surprised to hear this. Their visit to Yanling Mountain this time was purely coincidental. How had this He Yanzhen predicted the future?
She heard the village chief continue, “Moreover, Grandmaster indeed said the folding fan cannot be reunited, but he never said the three words ‘must never.'”
Changling paused, not quite understanding the logical relationship. The village chief said, “If that were the case, wouldn’t it have been better for Grandmaster to leave no dying wish at all? Why bother passing down the folding fan?”
Ye Qi thought for a moment and said curiously, “Could this dying wish be saying the opposite?”
The village chief gently shook his head. He looked at Changling and said, “Since the young lady claims to be Yue Rugou’s granddaughter, didn’t your grandfather or father tell you the exact words of the dying wish?”
Forget the exact words—her father had never even mentioned who Wu Run was before. Those meager clues came from listening to that old thief Jing.
Ye Qi, afraid Changling might let something slip, spoke for her, “To be honest, regarding Grandmaster Wu Run’s matters… this Miss Yue learned about them when her brother spoke of them in his dying moments. Unfortunately, he passed away before finishing, so we don’t know the complete truth.”
“That explains it.” The village chief nodded thoughtfully. “This dying command could only be passed to one person per generation, but the true heir is often difficult to know in advance…”
Now even Ye Qi was confused. “What’s the reason for this?”
“Grandmaster’s original words mentioned that this folding fan relates to the inheritance of his life’s work. However, the cultivation levels of Uncle He and Senior Yue back then were far from sufficient, which is why he made them swear a poisonous oath that they could not reunite the folding fan in their lifetimes…” The village chief paced slowly in the room. “But if among their descendants there is someone who by fate can cultivate supreme superior martial arts, as long as they bring the ring jade and find this place, they can make an exception and try.”
Changling asked, “Try? Try what?”
Just then, Jiagu entered carrying a pot of soup. Having overheard the conversation outside, seeing Changling still wore a confused expression, he said, “Didn’t the village chief say that He Yanzhen and Yue Rugou’s cultivation was insufficient and they weren’t qualified to inherit their master’s legacy? For this, Old Man Wu even made them swear an oath. This means that when the folding fan is reunited, they would very likely be unable to resist the temptation to explore its mysteries, causing catastrophic disaster… This doesn’t mean there are no suitable candidates among later descendants, which is why he established this rule… However, how to determine whether one’s disciples and grand-disciples have cultivated supreme superior martial arts—even Old Man Wu couldn’t say clearly, since he had already passed away and couldn’t witness it himself…”
“It just so happened that Great-grandfather He and the others suffered the corpse gu calamity, so resolving the corpse gu became the prerequisite?” Ye Qi said, “But I still don’t understand how Great-grandfather He calculated that we would…”
He suddenly got stuck here.
The reason they had traced their way here was through following the threads of clues about Jing Wuwei, and Jing Wuwei knew about Yanling Village… because of the Yue family heirloom in his hands.
In other words, the Yue family heirloom mentioned Yanling Village?
Then it wasn’t surprising that He Yanzhen anticipated descendants of the Yue family would come looking. But he also mentioned someone surnamed He… Could it be that the letter he sent to the He family back then also mentioned this matter?
Ye Qi asked, “Since the village chief holds the ring jade… were you the heir chosen by Great-grandfather He? Then is the other half of the folding fan also in your hands?”
“Uncle placed that folding fan inside the temple, but exactly where it’s hidden, no one knows. Although I am the village chief of Yanling Village, I have no accomplishments in martial arts. Uncle He only informed me of these circumstances. From beginning to end, I have never seen the other half of the folding fan.” The village chief said, “When he gave me the ring jade, he also said that if someone from the He family who could break through the Twenty-Eight Constellations Formation and enter the village could resolve the corpse gu, I should give this ring jade to them.”
At this point, he finally handed the ring jade to Ye Qi. Ye Qi took the ring jade, his heart trembling slightly: Great-grandfather He must have used Wu Run’s folding fan as bait to save his own clansmen. He just hadn’t expected that with constant warfare outside at the time, the He family never received the letter… But through a twist of fate, this ring jade that originally belonged to the He family had truly fallen into his hands.
Truly, Heaven’s will is difficult to predict.
The village chief circled around the room until he finally tired. “I think, no matter what, Uncle He never imagined that one day the people he predicted would visit simultaneously… If you two are determined, after expelling the poison, I can lead you to the temple… However, even if the corpse gu is resolved, whether you are the fated people Grandmaster hoped for, no one can guarantee.”
He left those words there and said no more.
No one present was stupid. However veiled the village chief’s words, they all understood that obtaining the other half of the folding fan would be far from easy. Otherwise, how could the village chief have endured all these years without peeking at the mysteries within the cave?
However, having come this far step by step, how could they let go?
Night was hazy. At this moment, torches blazed outside Yanling Mountain. The streets and alleys were heavily blockaded by official soldiers, and even Fuquan Tavern couldn’t escape.
A person quickly paced into the tavern. Upon seeing the middle-aged man in the hall, he knelt and said, “This subordinate greets the General.”
The kneeling person’s right arm hung empty—it was You San. The person seated in the high seat was Jing Wuwei.
“Rise.” Jing Wuwei toyed with the jade ring on his fingertip, not even lifting his head. “You mentioned in your letter that you’ve found Wu Run’s secret manual. Is this true or false?”
“This subordinate witnessed it with his own eyes,” You San said. “The secret manual is carved on a stone wall in the village, and a monk has already mastered this technique.”
“Oh? A monk?”
“This subordinate doesn’t know that person’s background, only heard the young marquis call him master.” You San said, “They are all highly skilled martial artists. This subordinate didn’t dare get too close to them, only knows they’re currently staying in the village specifically to cultivate this technique.”
“Very good.” Jing Wuwei nodded. “This time, you’ve accomplished great merit.”
Hearing this, You San’s face showed uncontrollable joy. “This subordinate dares not claim credit, but… Island Master Xu has not been seen until now. I’m worried he’s already met with some misfortune…”
Jing Wuwei waved his hand dismissively. “This person acts without following rules. I was originally worried he would cause trouble at a critical moment. This way is actually better…”
Seeing him speak so lightly, You San felt a chill instead. Fortunately, Jing Wuwei paid no attention to his expression and only said, “Alright, you may withdraw for now. Tomorrow there will likely be a fierce battle, and we’ll need you to lead the way.”
“Yes, General.” You San respectfully bowed and hurriedly scurried away.
At the same time, in a farmhouse courtyard not far from Fuquan Tavern, someone stood beneath a withered tree, looking up at the crescent moon embedded in the ink-blue sky.
That person wore scholarly robes, his clothes and hair flowing in a way somewhat incongruous with the village, appearing refined in features, yet the gleam in his eyes was more piercing than the moonlight. Behind him, an attending guard said, “My lord, now this Yanling Town is full of General Jing’s forces everywhere. I’ve heard there are also many expert companions. Should we send additional personnel, just in case?”
“No need. Jing Wuwei’s mind is completely focused on Yanling Mountain right now,” Fu Yangui said. “He won’t notice us.”
Hearing his lord say this, the guard naturally said no more, only asking, “When they attack Yanling Mountain tomorrow, Jing Wuwei will surely take this opportunity to eliminate Marquis He. Should we intervene then?”
Fu Yangui continued gazing at the sky, as if he hadn’t heard the question. After quite a while, he finally said leisurely, “We came this time to be the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. The play… just watch it. Why must we enter the play ourselves?”
The guard understood this statement and was about to acknowledge when he heard Fu Yangui suddenly say, “However, there’s one person we need to pull out of this play.”
When dawn first appeared, Changling woke from her dream with a start. Sitting up, she discovered Jiagu and the village chief were still leaning on their chairs dozing, but Ye Qi was nowhere to be seen.
Hearing some movement outside the door, she walked to the entrance and discovered Ye Qi had found a brush somewhere and was scrubbing something.
She asked curiously, “What are you doing so early in the morning?”
“Washing shoes.” Ye Qi held up a shoe washed snow white—it was the one she had lost last night. “I picked it up by the waterfall pool this morning. Those people got it dirty, and I was afraid you couldn’t wear it, so I washed it.”
At a time like this, instead of catching up on sleep, he had time to worry about one shoe?
“How can you pass five gates and slay six generals without shoes?” Ye Qi said without turning his head. “I actually woke up hungry and went to pick fruit. The fruit is on the table—fill your stomach first. The shoes will be ready soon.”
Changling: “How can I wear shoes when they’re wet?”
Ye Qi chuckled and set the brush aside. His right palm gently rotated over the shoe surface—he actually extracted water droplets from inside the shoe out of thin air. He stood up and smugly handed over the shoe. “This Myriad Flowers Manual is really useful. From now on, I won’t need to bring extra clothes when going out.”
Changling rolled her eyes. “That’s all you’re capable of.”
“Just this one capability, and I’m very satisfied.” Ye Qi stretched unconcernedly. “You don’t know—so many people are full of ambition, so many people aim higher than the sky, but in the end, they’re left only with hesitation, feeling the world cannot contain them…”
“The sky has no second sun, people have no second principle.” After putting on her shoes, Changling said coldly, “They just think too much.”
“Right. Wanting too much is why they cannot be contained by the world.” Ye Qi laughed lightly. “As for me, as long as I can protect those around me, I’m perfectly content.”
“Just protect yourself.” Changling looked completely indifferent. “I don’t need you worrying about me.”
Hearing this, Ye Qi teasingly glanced at her. “Eh, I didn’t say… who the people around me are… Ah ah ah, don’t step on me…”
Changling flicked her sleeve and returned to the room as if nothing had happened, leaving the young marquis hopping on one foot for the time it takes to drink tea. When she came out again, Ye Qi, seeing her unhappy expression, said awkwardly, “I was just joking. Are you really angry?”
Changling ignored him. Ye Qi limped over to her. “I just saw you didn’t sleep very soundly last night, so I tried to cheer you up…”
“How do you know I didn’t sleep well last night?” Changling frowned. “Did I talk in my sleep?”
Ye Qi waved his hands with a smile. “No, no, how could you talk in your sleep?”
Changling looked at him disbelievingly. “What exactly did I say?”
“Nothing much, just two words…” Ye Qi said, holding back laughter. “‘Save me’…”
Changling paused.
Ye Qi cleared his throat lightly. “‘Save me’—those two words really don’t sound like something you’d say… I’m actually quite curious what you dreamed about?”