A’Shui looked at his retreating figure, somewhat wanting to laugh but unable to laugh at all. Little Fu? A menial worker at Silver Horn Restaurant, a young man who had lived in Luoyang for many years and almost never spoke with people, keeping only a turtle for company—what important matter could he have to ask her about? Come to your house tonight to talk more? She had never known that Little Fu actually knew where her home was, and visiting late at night was truly improper… Of course, for a woman whose reputation was already ruined, propriety meant nothing, but she didn’t feel that Little Fu was suggesting visiting her home for that kind of reason. She sighed softly again, turned and went home. Some things she had originally thought she had already escaped from seemed to be… enveloping her again invisibly.
Was it truly “once entering the martial world, there’s no end in sight; turning back in confusion, return is also difficult”?
Walking out of Silver Horn Restaurant, she saw three carriages stopped in front of the door. The horses before the carriages had silver hooves and snow-white skin, truly magnificent steeds. She didn’t know what distinguished personages had come. Circling far around that convoy, with many people busy before and behind the carriages, she silently entered another alley, walking peacefully toward Xingyang Bookshop.
In the somewhat secluded small alley, afternoon birds perched on wall tops, tilting their heads to watch her walking alone. Her walking made no sound. After walking most of the way through the alley, her vision blurred slightly—white clothes floating ethereally, a white-clothed masked young woman gracefully blocked her path, hand on the curved blade at her waist, saying in an ice-cold, crisp voice, “These past few days have let you live quite happily, A’Shui.”
A’Shui’s heart grew slightly cold, and she stepped back. “You…”
“Come with me! Tang Lici letting you return to Luoyang alone is simply laughable!” The white-clothed masked young woman reached out with her left hand to grab her, calling out delicately, “Someone wants to see you!” A’Shui bit her lip slightly and didn’t dodge—escape was useless, she absolutely couldn’t escape the pursuit of martial world people. But Fengfeng… Before this thought was finished, a trace of surprised color flashed through her eyes, and she retreated three steps. She saw someone suddenly sweep down from the rooftop on one side of the alley—a black-clothed masked figure thrusting a sword toward the white-clothed young woman’s back. The sword wind was sharp and cold. The young woman suddenly became alert, drew her blade to parry, and with a “clang” both retreated. Seeing the situation was unfavorable, the white-clothed masked young woman gave a sharp whistle, leaped up and fled, disappearing after several bounds. The black-clothed person bowed slightly to A’Shui, then turned and left.
In an instant, the small alley was empty again, except that the birds on the wall tops had already flown away in alarm. A’Shui raised her eyes to look at the blue sky, stood quietly for a while, and sighed softly. She had never escaped from anything, and couldn’t escape. Tang Lici indeed still had people protecting her, still doing everything seamlessly and without trace… But what did that matter? It only made her feel that worldly affairs… were so helpless.
A’Shui returned to Xingyang Bookshop and took Fengfeng back from Old Lady Liu’s house. Fengfeng was safe and sound. Since that white-clothed masked woman could find her whereabouts, she must have been tracking her for a long time—how could she not have abducted Fengfeng? It was probably also thanks to the protection Tang Lici had arranged. Her heart suddenly startled slightly: Little Fu was coming tonight—would Tang Lici’s subordinates also treat him as an enemy and kill him?
“Wah—da da… mmm…” Fengfeng pointed and gestured in her arms, making sounds to indicate he was hungry. A’Shui brought out warm rice soup, feeding it spoonful by spoonful into Fengfeng’s mouth. Fengfeng obediently drank half, then suddenly turned his head away and refused to drink anymore. A’Shui looked down and saw that in the bowl of rice soup that had been warming on the stove, there was faintly a small white foreign object. With a spoon she picked it out—it was actually a butterfly with white wings spotted slightly, and she was immediately greatly startled. She set down the rice soup. This butterfly she had never seen before—it was probably poisonous! The people Tang Lici had arranged could withstand Wind-Flow Shop’s people, but couldn’t withstand the poisonous creatures Wind-Flow Shop employed. Fengfeng must be poisoned.
What should she do? She hurriedly rummaged through the medicine box for a bottle of antidote pills—those were given to her by Liu Yan when she was at Wind-Flow Shop. She poured out one pill, broke it in half, dissolved half the pill in warm water, and fed it into Fengfeng’s mouth. She didn’t know if this antidote was effective. Watching Fengfeng obediently drink it, after not much time he fell into deep sleep, his cheeks flushed with high fever. She didn’t understand medicine, holding Fengfeng with burning anxiety—what should she do? Should she carry him out to have the doctors at the medical clinic see him? Her thoughts turned over and over. She held Fengfeng and rushed out the door, opening her mouth to call for help.
Since Tang Lici had arranged protection around her, if she called for help, someone should respond. Just as she opened her mouth and was about to call out, someone hurried over from the distance. Seeing her rush out of the house holding a child, he raised his hand to rub his head, walked over with large steps, took Fengfeng from her hands, “Let’s go inside first. There are many people outside.”
“My child is poisoned, I…” A’Shui had been fairly calm just before, but now became somewhat at a loss, “It’s all my… my fault…” If she hadn’t been disturbed by that white-clothed woman who suddenly blocked her path, she certainly wouldn’t have failed to notice the butterfly in the rice soup. If she could have been more calm and careful, Fengfeng wouldn’t have been poisoned. It was all because she hadn’t fulfilled her responsibility as a mother. If something happened to Fengfeng, she would die with him and absolutely not live on. This person who hurried over was Little Fu. Little Fu messed up his own hair, habitually reaching out to rub her hair in comfort, “It’s alright, don’t worry, don’t be afraid. I’ll help you.”
Help me? You… how will you help me? A’Shui looked at him blankly, “You…” Little Fu picked up Fengfeng and closed the door. She saw him place one palm against Fengfeng’s small back. In an instant, Fengfeng’s skin turned red and steaming white mist rose. After quite a while, Fengfeng suddenly opened his eyes and cried loudly, his hands firmly grasping Little Fu’s clothes, “Ah… wu wu wu… wu wu wu… cough cough…” Such a small child actually coughed while spitting out the rice soup he had just eaten mouthful by mouthful, then continued crying loudly. Suddenly he bit Little Fu’s shoulder, “Ah ah ah… wu wu wu…”
This was the method of using internal force to expel poison! A’Shui’s body swayed slightly. The person she had admired for many years was actually also… “What kind of person are you?” The disheveled white-clothed young man hurriedly returned the biting Fengfeng to her, his large eyes looking at her apologetically, “My surname is Fu, called Fu Zhumei. It’s a very unpleasant name, I’m really sorry…” She took back Fengfeng and smiled slightly, “Master Fu conceals his abilities deeply. A’Shui has eyes but cannot recognize Mount Tai—I should be the one apologizing.”
“No, no,” Fu Zhumei waved his hands repeatedly, “I’m not a master, I didn’t come to tell you about this. I came to ask you… ask you…” Speaking of what he wanted to ask, he hesitated again. A’Shui held Fengfeng tightly, gently wiping the porridge from his tender lips, her emotions gradually calming. Hearing this, she sighed softly, “Are you wanting to ask whether Young Master Tang is well?” Fu Zhumei first nodded, then after nodding he rubbed his hair again, “How did you know?”
“Because A’Shui has no possessions and no relatives to turn to,” her light smile had a trace of very shallow bitterness, “Apart from knowing Young Master Tang, there’s nothing special about me.” Fu Zhumei shook his head repeatedly, though she didn’t know what he was shaking his head about, “How is he now?”
“I don’t know… perhaps… very well.” A’Shui said softly, “Young Master Tang has been very good to me. I’m very grateful and also very ashamed.” Fu Zhumei opened his eyes wide to look at her, “Very well? Do you know Chi Yun is dead?” A’Shui suddenly raised her head, greatly startled, “Master Chi is dead? How can this be? How… how can such a thing happen?” Fu Zhumei smiled bitterly, raising his hand to rub his head again, lifting it halfway then putting it back down, “Chi Yun is dead. Everyone is saying Chi Yun was poisoned with Spider Gu toxin, went mad and killed innocents indiscriminately. Tang Lici, to stop him from killing people, struck and killed Chi Yun.”
Tang Lici killed Chi Yun? How could… how could this happen? A’Shui’s face turned deathly pale, “I didn’t know such a thing had happened… How can this be?” Fu Zhumei walked two circles in the room and sighed, “He… his temper isn’t good, like a little child. Personally killing a friend would make him furious.” This sentence was still topsy-turvy. A’Shui suppressed the excitement in her heart, “You are… what relation to Young Master Tang? How could you condescend to work as a cook at Silver Horn Restaurant?”
“Me?” Fu Zhumei rubbed his head again, “I’m Tang Lici’s brother, but we haven’t seen each other for a long time. His temper isn’t good…” He said it again, “A’Li has a very bad temper. He can’t let go of anything. Personally killing a friend—even if he acts on the surface like nothing happened, his heart must be furious enough to go mad. And when he gets angry, he wants to kill people… Oh no!” He walked two more circles in the room, “Do you understand? I’m very worried about him. Since he arranged people to protect you, it shows you’re very important to him. So I thought if he has troubles in his heart, he might tell you. Maybe you would know whether he’s well now, but you don’t know anything.”
Tang Lici’s brother? Little Fu is Tang Lici’s brother? The things in this world are truly incredible. A’Shui looked at his anxious expression, “Are you really his brother? Then… then will you go see him? Young Master Tang…” Her voice lowered slightly, “Though I don’t understand him very well, I always feel he’s very lonely. He needs someone to accompany him. Previously Chi Yun was by his side. With Chi Yun dead, the blow he received must be very great.” Fu Zhumei nodded repeatedly, then suddenly shook his head repeatedly, “I am his brother, but he… but he hates me very much… I can’t go see him.” A’Shui was somewhat surprised, “He hates you?” Though Fu Zhumei was a martial world person, he was young in age and his actions weren’t necessarily mature and experienced. His speech was topsy-turvy, his walking reckless and bumbling, with almost no social interaction. Why would Tang Lici hate such an unremarkable and harmless person?
“He hates me,” Fu Zhumei inserted his five fingers into his own black hair, continuously grasping and rubbing it forcefully, “He just hates me. I can’t go see him.” A’Shui’s eyelashes lifted slightly, “Why does he hate you?” Fu Zhumei furrowed his brow, as if this question was very difficult for him to answer, “I…” He paused slightly, then sighed. When he sighed with that special voice of his, there was a breath mixing childlike innocence with vicissitudes, “Because I stole his things.” A’Shui’s elegant brows furrowed slightly. There must be another story beneath this sentence, but she no longer asked further, “If you’re Young Master Tang’s brother, then you… know Liu Yan?”
“A’Yan?” Fu Zhumei nodded, “Of course I know him. We’re also brothers. A’Yan is a good person.” A’Shui was speechless, then sighed softly, “Yes, I also feel he shouldn’t be a bad person, but…” Fu Zhumei’s warm palm rubbed her head when she said this, “A’Yan is a good person, but he… sigh… he’s someone who doesn’t plan for himself. He only looks at the surface of many things, and when making decisions he’s always very confused.”