The old man’s voice quavered like seaweed floating on the ocean, filled with regret and sorrow for the deceased.
Mu Qingyan paced restlessly in the dim room, his anger unabated. He suddenly stopped, gripping the table firmly, and said in a low voice, “Why did Father live this way? He never once lived according to his wishes!”
Clenching his fist, he slammed it on the table. “I will never live like him. Never!”
“Young Master, has something happened?” Cheng Bo asked anxiously.
Mu Qingyan didn’t answer. He closed his eyes, deep in thought.
Most of the clues are now aligned. After Mu Yang completed his initial training, he snuck out of the Hanhai Mountain Range. Whether intentionally or not, he met Cai Pingshu. The man who accompanied Cai Pingshu to collect Snow Kirin Dragon’s saliva on the snowy mountain must have been him.
Moreover, Mu Yang had discovered in the Jiuzhou Treasure Pavilion’s records that Purple Jade Golden Sunflower could treat injuries caused by the Netherworld Cold Qi. When Shi Er Xia was injured, he informed Cai Pingshu of this.
Only two things remained unexplained:
First, why did Mu Yang try to snatch Mu Qingyan as an infant?
Second, if Mu Yang hated Nie Hengcheng for preventing him from returning to his ancestral home, why did he help Nie Hengcheng harm Cai Pingshu’s brothers?
Setting these questions aside, the most urgent matter was to prove his father Mu Ming’s innocence.
He had to let Zhaozao know that his father had always been indifferent to fame and fortune, and though he had been wronged, he had never wronged anyone else.
However, mere words wouldn’t convince Qi Yunke, Cai Pingchun, and others. They might not trust the words of someone from the “Demon Sect.”
He needed solid evidence.
Mu Qingyan suddenly opened his eyes and said, “Uncle Cheng, you mentioned earlier that a woman came to deliver Mu Yang’s belongings. Where are those items? I’ve gone through Father’s possessions many times but never saw them.”
Cheng Bo took a moment to respond, “Young Master, there’s a box in the Busi Study. He… he had everything else buried with him.”
“In Father’s grave?” Mu Qingyan hesitated.
Cheng Bo replied, “No, no, in the Master and Mistress’s grave.”
“Ah that’s fine then,” Mu Qingyan said.
He had been reluctant to disturb his father’s resting place, but he had no such qualms about his grandparents’ tomb. If they hadn’t been so caught up in their love and grudges, young Mu Ming wouldn’t have had to rely on Nie Hengcheng for survival. They wouldn’t have buried such great trouble as Mu Yang, leading to all the subsequent regrets.
Parents who failed to raise their children properly deserved to have their graves disturbed.
Arriving at the Mu family’s ancestral graves in the back mountain, they passed through two towering guardian stone beasts and a gloomy forest. Mu Qingyan led Cheng Bo and Lian Shisan to stand before Mu Chen and his wife’s grave.
Cheng Bo muttered, “Young Master, how can you dig up your grandparents’ grave?”
“You’re right, it’s not appropriate for me to dig,” Mu Qingyan said, handing the hoe to Lian Shisan. “Shisan, you do it.”
Cheng Bo was speechless.
Since Mu Yang’s belongings were buried years later, Lian Shisan quickly found a large stone box at the edge of the grave by following the different soil disturbance patterns.
Mu Qingyan split open the stone box with his palm force. Inside lay a purple wooden box about two palms long and three inches thick. He opened the peach blossom-shaped brass latch and carefully examined the contents—Mu Qingyan’s lips curled into a slight smile. He had found the evidence.
As they left the Mu family graveyard, Hu Fengge, Hui Yin, and others led by Lü Fengchun were waiting outside.
Impatient to discuss with them, Mu Qingyan said he had urgent business to attend to and instructed them to maintain their positions and watch over the Hanhai Mountain Range.
Before leaving, Mu Qingyan suddenly turned back and asked, “Where has Shangguan Haonan been recently?”
Hu Fengge bowed and answered, “Reporting to the Sect Leader, Altar Master Shangguan took leave, saying his beloved concubine is pregnant and he wanted to be with her.”
Seeing Mu Qingyan frown, Lü Fengchun smiled apologetically, “The Shangguan family has had only one son for eight generations, so, understandably, Altar Master Shangguan is anxious.”
Mu Qingyan turned and said, “Having children is a joyous occasion. Uncle Cheng, please send a generous gift on my behalf.”
Cheng Bo agreed to do so immediately and left with Lian Shisan.
After dismissing the others, Mu Qingyan summoned the Golden-winged Giant Roc, holding the purple wooden box under one arm, and sped towards Taichu Observatory.
The cold wind whipped his face, but his chest burned with a fire. He longed to step on Qi Yunke’s face for accusing his father and throw a bucket of cold water on Cai Zhao’s head to punish her for that moment of distrust in her eyes.
Several days later, Mu Qingyan arrived at the village near Taichu Observatory.
He dismissed the Golden-winged Giant Roc in the wilderness and traveled by night to populated areas to inquire about the situation of the Six Northern Sects. Everyone he asked said that “Taichu Observatory’s leader Wang Yuanjing was buried a few days ago, and they’re holding a memorial service at the observatory today.”
Mu Qingyan felt a surge of anxiety and infiltrated Taichu Observatory that night.
In the darkness, he quickly subdued a young acolyte and asked where Cai Zhao was staying. The trembling boy pointed to a place and said, “Miss Cai is staying next door to Master Cai and his wife.”
Mu Qingyan was skeptical, so he subdued a servant and a worker, receiving the same answer before believing it. With Cai Pingchun and his wife nearby, it would be difficult to have a detailed conversation with Zhaozao.
Inside the brightly lit room, Ning Xiaofeng was holding up a new piece of indigo silk brocade against her husband, chattering, “Zhaozao, do you think this fabric suits your father? Isn’t it both dignified and impressive? If I start making it now, it’ll be ready for your father to wear by autumn. Should I make a straight-collared robe or a crossed-collar wide-sleeved one?”
As Cai Zhao was about to speak, Cai Pingchun patted his wife’s hand affectionately, “Don’t make it yourself. Let the seamstresses do it. Remember how you pricked your fingers last time? Zhaozao, persuade your mother not to do it.”
As Cai Zhao was about to speak again, Ning Xiaofeng pouted, “But I like making clothes for you.”
Cai Pingchun said gently, “Most women in the world can sew, but how many can create a fragrance that repels snakes, insects, rats, and ants within half a mile? How many can make antidotes for ninety percent of the poisons in the world? You’re different from them. Among the countless women in the world, there’s only one Ning Xiaofeng.”
Cai Zhao rested her face in her hands, watching with little enthusiasm.
“You are unique and irreplaceable”—these were probably the words women loved to hear most. Who would have thought that her usually taciturn and aloof father had such a repertoire for pleasing his wife?
Sure enough, Ning Xiaofeng’s cheeks flushed, and she gazed at her husband with adoration. Cai Pingchun returned her loving gaze.
Cai Zhao stood up languidly. “I think I’ll go to bed. Father, Mother, please rest well.” Being a child was not easy; one needed to know when to make a swift and timely exit.
Mu Qingyan crouched silently outside the western pavilion for a moment. Across a slender corridor were two rooms: the left dark and seemingly vacant, the right dimly lit with shadows of a man and woman visible through the window paper—likely the Cai couple.
Hidden in dense foliage, the young man frowned slightly. Why weren’t the Cais asleep while Zhaozao was awake? This complicated matters.
After brief consideration, he decided to avoid arguing with the girl. He’d explain Mu Yang’s situation, leave the purple box, and depart without disturbing the Cais.
His Qingyun Leap technique had become ethereal and subtle, allowing him to move through the night like a fish in deep water. He gently broke the wooden latch with his palm force, opened the window slightly, and slipped inside.
The familiar scent of the girl’s sweet orange soap filled the room. Mu Qingyan smiled slightly; though he had no intention of stealing, he was quite experienced in sneaking into Cai Zhao’s room. As he took a few steps toward the round table in the dim moonlight, a chilling sensation suddenly washed over him, as if a fierce beast in the jungle had locked onto its prey.
Trouble! It’s a trap!
Mu Qingyan’s body reacted faster than thought. Just as he was about to leap back, a tremendous explosion rocked the room. Debris of stone, brick, tile, and wood showered down. With a series of clangs from above and all sides, five massive iron grilles forged from dark iron instantly closed around him, trapping him inside!
Blood oozed from cuts all over Mu Qingyan’s body. His ears rang, and a searing pain tore through his internal organs. Blood surged to his lips.
The room lay in ruins. Moonlight poured through the gaping hole in the roof. Ignoring his injuries, he quickly looked up. The four iron grilles were each taller than a man, with even larger iron surfaces at the top and bottom, enclosing him along with the table and chairs.
Amid uproarious laughter, a large group of armed men entered the shattered room, led by the various sect leaders.
Song Shijun was particularly gleeful, his laughter revealing even his back molars: “Haha! I knew you’d return! It wasn’t in vain that we posted men at every village entrance, watching day and night to send word by pigeon at first sight of you. Haha! You’re young indeed—in two hundred years, you’re the first Demon Sect leader to fall into our Northern Chen prison. Haha!”
Qi Yunke glared hatefully at the iron cage: “Someone, cripple this villain’s dantian meridians first!”
Song Shijun choked on his laughter, coughing repeatedly: “No, no! Brother Yunke, don’t be rash. Let’s talk this through!”
“Talk? What’s there to discuss? He’s harmed Pingshu and many brothers. What’s wrong with killing him to avenge them?” Qi Yunke’s eyes reddened as he thought of his sworn brothers who had died alongside Cai Pingshu.
“That’s right! Crippling him is too much trouble. Let’s just chop off his hands and feet. Wouldn’t that be quicker?” Yang Heying’s smile was venomous.
Song Yuzi, standing behind them, wore a complex expression. He stepped forward: “Master if you want to kill him to avenge our predecessors, I have nothing to say. But please think of Sister Zhaozao! You can kill him but don’t humiliate him to death. Otherwise, Sister Zhaozao will never forget him for the rest of her life!”
Qi Yunke hesitated.
“We’ve been at odds with the Demon Sect for two hundred years. Are we going to hold back because of one little girl? If you won’t do it, I will!” Yang Heying, thinking of the fame he’d gain by defeating the Demon Sect leader, raised his sword to attack.
Song Shijun grabbed him: “Lao Yang, have you lost your mind? Brother Yunke wants to avenge Cai Pingshu, why are you butting in? Yes, we’ve caught Mu Qingyan, but the Demon Sect is still intact! Have you forgotten how my father-in-law and your old master boasted about Nie Hengcheng’s death, only to face deadly retaliation from the Nie clan? It took three days to piece together your old master’s corpse. Can the Siqimen afford such a loss now?”
Yang Heying stopped in his tracks, his expression flickering.
Li Yuanmin glared at Mu Qingyan with hatred: “My senior brother was tortured into a human pig. Now that my Taichu Observatory is in ruins, this is heaven’s justice! Even if Lady Cai Pingshu were here today, she would agree!”
Song Shijun lost patience with him: “If you’re so capable, go catch people yourself! We carefully set up these traps and mechanisms! Get out of the way and stop babbling!”
Zhou Zhizhen suddenly spoke: “I never heard about what happened back then. Only now do I learn that Pingshu and the others didn’t have to die? With brothers like Zhuge, they could have lived well, married, and enjoyed life. Yet in their prime, they were brutally murdered by a villain, dying with eyes wide open. Such a great grudge cannot go unavenged. I’ll kill him myself, without involving the rest of you.”
He drew his gleaming long sword, his usually gentle face now ashen: “Sect Leader Mu, I bear you no personal grudge, but you must pay for your father’s sins. If you must blame someone, blame your father…”
“Don’t carelessly implicate my father!” Mu Qingyan sat on the round stool, gripping the iron bars. “I came here today to clarify this matter. The person who deceived and killed your comrades wasn’t my father, but someone else.”
Qi Yunke raged: “The man looked exactly like you. If not your father, who else could it be?”
Mu Qingyan’s cold gaze swept over him, “Sect Leader Qi, did the man have a blood-red brand on his neck…”
Qi Yunke’s pupils constricted: “On the left side of his neck, an iris flower!”
Mu Qingyan smiled coldly: “His name was Mu Yang. He and my father were twins.”
“Mu Yang?!” Qi Yunke’s expression was bewildered; Cai Pingshu had never told her the man’s name.
Zhou Zhizhen said coldly: “We’ve never heard of Mu Ming having a brother. You can’t shirk responsibility so easily!”
“Of course, I know no one would believe mere words. See for yourselves.” Mu Qingyan pointed to the purple wooden box on the windowsill. “This contains Mu Yang’s belongings, personally delivered to my father by Lady Cai.”
Though Song Shijun and Yang Heying were curious, they didn’t dare step forward as the matter involved Cai Pingshu’s personal effects.
Qi Yunke and Zhou Zhizhen exchanged glances. Finally, Zhou Zhizhen went to pick up the purple box. Noticing the brass latch in the shape of a peach blossom, commonly used in Luoying Valley, he opened it with trembling hands and looked inside…
He covered his face in anguish, his shaking body leaning against the broken wall, emitting low, painful groans.
Qi Yunke hurried to support him and took the box to look for himself.
The purple wooden box contained various items: a slightly yellowed pearl flower hairpin, a pair of translucent jade bracelets as clear as a calm pond, a bloodstained handkerchief, two different types of hair tied together with a silk ribbon, and a red engagement contract with gold embossing…
Qi Yunke picked up the pearl flower hairpin—for convenience, Cai Pingshu rarely wore accessories, but Qi Yunke had seen her wear this particular hairpin many times. The flower was made of nine thumb-sized pearls, while the pin itself was crafted from pure mutton-fat jade, carved into a twisted flower pattern.
Qi Yunke held the hairpin up to examine it in the moonlight. At the base of the pin was carved the character “Yang” in a flowing, slender style. With a “clink,” the pearl flower jade hairpin fell back into the wooden box. Qi Yunke seemed to have lost all strength, slumping down weakly.
As Cai Zhao was about to leave, she suddenly turned back: “We’ve been staying in the western pavilion all this time. Why did we suddenly move to this guest room tonight?”
Ning Xiaofeng lowered her head, examining the fabric.
Cai Pingchun’s expression remained calm, “You haven’t been eating or sleeping well these past few days. You’ve lost a lot of weight. Zhaozao, this isn’t good. Now that you know it’s a dead end, there’s no use in overthinking it.”
Cai Zhao frowned, looking at her parents suspiciously.
Suddenly, a tremendous explosion came from afar, as if the ground itself had bounced.
Cai Zhao lost her balance, her forehead striking the doorframe with a thud.
“What’s happening…” She rubbed her forehead, looking towards the direction of their former residence in the western wing.
As she turned a questioning gaze to her parents, Cai Pingchun and Ning Xiaofeng remained silent.
Cai Zhao felt a sharp pain in her head as if pricked by a tiny needle. A sense of unease washed over her. “What have you been plotting behind my back?!”
Shocked and anxious, she didn’t wait for her parents to answer. She flung open the bamboo curtain and rushed out!
Her Feihua Crossing technique was graceful; the Taichu Observatory disciples on guard barely glimpsed her before she flashed past.
The closer she got to the western wing, the more disciples she saw hurrying about. Cai Zhao paused to catch her breath by a secluded flowering tree. In her haste, she saw a large group of people approaching, surrounding something…
The moonlight was exceptionally clear that night. Cai Zhao saw eight strong disciples carrying a massive iron cage, surrounded by vigilant disciples with drawn weapons and the various sect leaders.
Why is he in the cage? Why are they treating him like a wild beast?
Why is he covered in blood? Was he badly injured by that massive explosion earlier? Are his internal organs damaged?
Where’s Mother? Where’s Fan Xingjia? Who will treat his wounds?
Cai Zhao covered her mouth, seemingly deaf to all sound except the chilling sight of the dark iron cage before her.
“What are you doing?!” Her voice came out hoarse as she desperately rushed forward, only to be caught from behind by Song Yuzi, who had just arrived.
“You can’t go now!” Song Yuzi frantically lowered his voice, tightly restraining the girl. “Don’t make this worse!”
Fan Xingjia arrived, out of breath. “Zhaozao, listen to me. You can’t act rashly now, with so many people watching! Before, your relationship with him was just rumors. If you rush out now, you’ll confirm the accusations of colluding with the Demon Sect! Don’t forget that Master Li is here too. He carries the Nine Yin Bone-Piercing Whip for executions!”
“Mind your own business! Let me go!” Cai Zhao was in a panic, unable to listen to reason. As she was about to struggle, she suddenly felt a numbness in her neck and collapsed limply.
Song Yuzi quickly caught her. He and Fan Xingjia turned to look behind them.
They saw Ding Zhuo standing there, his fingers extended. He said lazily, “If you two kept arguing, even the deaf would have heard.”