Chapter 31: Kuanglan Wuxing 01

Azure waters fall through eternal emptiness, the vast sky lonely through a hundred years of crimson.

The halls of Biluo Palace were elegantly simple and clean. Inside Fanlan Residence, fallen leaves drifted down as autumn grew ever more intense, while the autumn orchids bloomed in full splendor, their fragrance becoming increasingly pure and ethereal. Fu Zhumei had scrubbed Fanlan Residence from top to bottom once again, wiping away even the last speck of dust from the crevices of the chairs. With truly nothing left to do for Wanyu Yuedan, he sat in the room’s chair, lost in thought.

The poison in his body had been cured. Wanyu Yuedan had let him stay in his favorite courtyard and given him understanding female servants, without requiring him to do anything. Yet he increasingly felt he couldn’t remain here any longer. Tang Lici had obtained the Green Enchantment and saved his life. According to news from Bianliang, five people had died that night, including Wei Beiyin of the “Nine Gates Path.”

Ali must have expended considerable thought and effort to obtain that pearl, hadn’t she? Though he had taken the Green Enchantment powder to cure the Bright Yellow Bamboo poison, his heart felt restless and uneasy. Ali disliked him, and after this incident, she would probably dislike him even more. Despite having practiced advanced martial arts, he had never been someone who could make decisions. His heart felt indebted to Wanyu Yuedan while also feeling he had wronged Tang Lici, but he didn’t know what he should do to make amends.

There was very little he could do, and he couldn’t think of any brilliant ideas. The only thing he could somewhat claim proficiency in was the Plum Imperial Blade technique, but when it came to killing, he seemed far inferior to both Wanyu Yuedan and Tang Lici. As for tasks like wiping tables and sweeping floors, those obviously weren’t what Wanyu Yuedan and Tang Lici needed him to do.

Perhaps he should leave. Whenever people recognized him as the Plum Imperial Master, he would fall into such an awkward position. Many people hoped he would make wise decisions and play a decisive role, but he didn’t know how to do so. And whenever he hesitated or decided to leave, he would only disappoint more people.

He only wished to be a simple person. He could survive without any profound martial arts, and he didn’t dislike this version of himself, but… acknowledging his own uselessness wasn’t a reason to justify leaving.

Though he was useless, he never ran away—he just often did the wrong thing.

“Young Master Fu.” The person who stepped through the door today was Bi Lianyi, which truly startled Fu Zhumei. “Little Bi.” When he had last come to Biluo Palace, Bi Lianyi had still been a seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth. Now he had become a handsome and elegant swordsman who looked seven or eight years older than before.

Bi Lianyi bowed to him. “The Palace Master wants me to tell you several things.”

“Is Little Yue very busy?” Fu Zhumei rubbed his head. “I haven’t seen him for several days.”

“The Palace Master is very busy. Many things have happened these past few days.” Bi Lianyi still treated him with the courtesy due to an elder. “The Palace Master instructed me to tell you several things. He hopes that after hearing them, you won’t get agitated and won’t leave, but will stay in Biluo Palace to wait for his return.”

Fu Zhumei asked in surprise, “Little Yue went out?” Wanyu Yuedan didn’t know martial arts and had just returned from Shaolin Temple. What had happened these past few days to make him go out again?

“Young Master Tang has disappeared,” Bi Lianyi said gravely.

Fu Zhumei suddenly stood up, then collapsed back down with a thud. “How could this… what happened? How could Ali disappear? Didn’t he take the Green Enchantment Pearl and return to the Central Plains Sword Association?”

“In fact, he never made it back to the Central Plains Sword Association.” Bi Lianyi said. “Several things have happened recently, none of them particularly good. First, after Young Master Tang obtained the Green Enchantment Pearl and sent it to the Palace Master via messenger bird, his whereabouts became unknown. Second, during the chaotic battle between the Seventeen Monks of Shaolin and Liu Yan at Xingyang Bookstore, Liu Yan was abducted by a mysterious figure and similarly disappeared without a trace. Third, Xifang Tao left the Central Plains Sword Association, and on the fourth day after her departure, Shao Yanping was attacked and died from severe injuries.”

Fu Zhumei grew more alarmed with each detail. When he heard “Shao Yanping was attacked and died from severe injuries,” he couldn’t help but cry out in shock. “Master Shao… who was it…”

Bi Lianyi shook his head. “It wasn’t Xifang Tao. When Shao Yanping was attacked, Xifang Tao was staying in the small pine forest outside Songshan Shaolin Temple, offering congratulations for Master Puzhu’s elevation to the position of Shaolin Temple Abbot. Previously, both Young Master Tang and the Palace Master had suspected that Xifang Tao had infiltrated the Central Plains Sword Association as the mastermind behind the Romantic Shop, intending to kill Shao Yanping and seize control of the Central Plains Sword Association. Now Shao Yanping is dead, but the killer wasn’t Xifang Tao.”

“Little Yue means to say…” Fu Zhumei murmured, “that the Romantic Shop is deeply hidden, and besides Xifang Tao, they have other capable people who could kill Shao Yanping right under the noses of Cheng Yunpao, Yu Furen, Dong Hubi, and Meng Qinglei, both achieving their goal of eliminating a thorn in their side while clearing Xifang Tao of suspicion.”

Bi Lianyi nodded. “Exactly. This would remove many people’s suspicions about Xifang Tao.”

Fu Zhumei smiled bitterly. “But he… he really is a bad person.”

Bi Lianyi slowly shook his head. “Two days after Shao Yanping’s death, Xifang Tao returned to the Central Plains Sword Association to pay his respects. In full view of everyone, he killed Qiu Luopo of the ‘Spring and Autumn Thirteen Swords.'”

Fu Zhumei’s eyes widened. The “Spring and Autumn Thirteen Swords” was an assassin as famous as Shen Langhun. “Why did he kill Qiu Luopo?”

Bi Lianyi’s expression was grave. “Because Qiu Luopo was the one who killed Shao Yanping.”

Fu Zhumei shook his head repeatedly. “Qiu Luopo alone couldn’t possibly have killed Master Shao within the Central Plains Sword Association. Absolutely impossible.”

Bi Lianyi said, “The Palace Master says that Shao Yanping’s killer definitely wasn’t Qiu Luopo alone. Perhaps he was one of the killers, but his role wasn’t to kill… but to take the blame.” He said calmly, “In any case, Shao Yanping is dead, Qiu Luopo was the killer, and Xifang Tao identified the disguised Qiu Luopo from among all the people in the Central Plains Sword Association, killing the enemy with one move and eliminating the crisis of Qiu Luopo potentially infiltrating and killing again within the Central Plains Sword Association.”

Fu Zhumei was speechless. “So his prestige became even higher?”

Bi Lianyi nodded. “The people of the Central Plains Sword Association already had great fondness for Xifang Tao. He’s a close friend of Abbot Puzhu and helped the Sword Association win the battle against Haoyun Mountain, saving many people. This time, by avenging Shao Yanping, Abbot Puzhu sent a letter of thanks, and Xifang Tao’s reputation for righteousness and intelligence became known throughout the world.”

Fu Zhumei frowned tightly. “How can this be… how can this be… this is completely wrong…”

Bi Lianyi continued, “Subsequently, Xifang Tao used Qiu Luopo as a breakthrough point, following the trail to discover a hidden stronghold of the Romantic Shop. The Central Plains Sword Association destroyed this stronghold, killing thirty-three enemies and capturing over a hundred bottles of the Crimson Ghost Nine Hearts Pills, which they burned to ash.”

Fu Zhumei looked at him in horror. After a long while, he let out a long breath. “So now he… now he is…”

“He is now the person replacing Shao Yanping in the Central Plains Sword Association. Cheng Yunpao, Dong Hubi, and the others follow his words without question or suspicion. More and more righteous martial artists are joining the Central Plains Sword Association. Sixty-nine new members have recently joined, including many skilled fighters.” Bi Lianyi said, “These are the things the Palace Master wanted me to tell you. He hopes you’ll wait for his return in Biluo Palace.”

“I won’t leave,” Fu Zhumei said with determination. “I absolutely won’t leave.”

Bi Lianyi’s eyes showed a hint of relief, almost approaching a smile, though he didn’t actually smile. “That’s wonderful.”

Fu Zhumei’s face immediately flushed red, feeling so ashamed he could barely lift his head. “Actually, I…” He wanted to say that actually, his staying wouldn’t be of much use, but Bi Lianyi smiled slightly. “The Plum Imperial Master supporting Biluo Palace at this time will give the Palace Master and Young Master Tang tremendous support. Young Master Fu must not belittle yourself. You are the supreme master of the blade—how could your great reputation be falsely earned?”

Fu Zhumei nodded, unable to say another word. Bi Lianyi bowed and turned to leave. Suddenly Fu Zhumei asked, “What about Ali? Where… where exactly did he go? Does Biluo Palace really have no news of him? Is he in danger?”

Bi Lianyi turned around. “Young Master Tang… the clues our palace has obtained can only confirm that he disappeared after his battle with Wei Beiyin outside the palace walls. Beyond that, we truly know nothing.”

Fu Zhumei stared blankly as he walked away. Ali wouldn’t be in trouble, would he?

Where could he have gone? The situation had become so dire, with Xifang Tao gaining every advantage. Shao Yanping’s death must have been a huge blow to Ali as well. At a time like this, he couldn’t possibly avoid showing himself, so where could he have gone? He should do something, but what should he do?

Fu Zhumei suddenly stood up and walked toward another courtyard outside Fanlan Residence—Xiuyue Pavilion, the residence of the Romantic Shop’s Meihua Yishu and Kuanglan Wuxing.

The poison in those two had also been cured, but they remained unconscious. Wen Renhe said the severe poison had damaged their minds, causing some mental derangement, so they shouldn’t be stimulated carelessly. Therefore, few people had visited Xiuyue Pavilion until now.

Fu Zhumei quietly entered Xiuyue Pavilion. Inside, all was silent except for the sound of two people breathing—nothing else seemed to exist. Listening carefully, the internal cultivation methods of Meihua Yishu and Kuanglan Wuxing were completely different, their breathing patterns also one fast and one slow, easy to distinguish.

He stepped into the bedroom. Lying in Xiuyue Pavilion’s bedroom was Kuanglan Wuxing, while Meihua Yishu was in the guest room. Kuanglan Wuxing’s poison and stab wounds were several times more severe than Meihua Yishu’s. Meihua Yishu would occasionally sit up in a daze, but Kuanglan Wuxing had never regained consciousness from beginning to end.

Fu Zhumei pressed Kuanglan Wuxing’s pulse points. This man had deep internal power and profound foundation—his martial arts might not be inferior to his own. Unfortunately, all his joints and meridians had been severely damaged by the poison and stabs. In the future, he would probably have difficulty walking. If not for his martial arts foundation, the famous Kuanglan Wuxing would likely have died long ago.