"Heh, is it really you kneeling here?"
Before the mountain gates, Wu Jinliang, who had just returned to Wukang Mountain, glanced back at the two kneeling figures, his voice full of surprise and incredulity.
Shi Chun, also looking back, took notice of the two who had knelt for so long without saying anything.
Xia Fuli, the group leader, wore a tight-lipped expression.
It was just a trip down the mountain, but they ended up bringing two more people back.
Leaving them in town would mean handing them over to Bian Weiying, and if anything happened, wouldn't that suggest it was intentional?
They didn't pass through the main entrance on their way down.
Naturally, they were aware now of who was kneeling there, but they couldn't pay them much attention as of now.
The kneeling Bian Weikang and Xiang Lan'er were bewildered.
They thought they had been seeing things.
Before they could understand the situation, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang had been taken through the mountain gates and up the mountain.
What's going on? The two kneeling were confused.
They hadn't even gone up the mountain yet, so how were those two getting taken up first?
Then there was the odd picture of their benefactors, barefoot and filthy, being escorted up the mountain.
Bian Weikang suddenly panicked and shouted loudly, "Elder Xia, this matter isn't related to them! All the blame lies with me alone. You don’t need to trouble them!"
He attempted to stand but his legs gave way from kneeling too long.
He had to brace himself with his hand on the steps.
Xiang Lan'er helped him steady himself.
The ones going uphill had vanished into the darkness, leaving the two kneeling ones at a loss, unsure if they should continue kneeling.
Xiang Lan'er wanted to first understand what had happened, but didn't want to get up alone and leave, so she convinced Bian Weikang to return to town with her.
When they reached the inn's entrance, it was clear something had occurred.
The innkeeper recounted the events to them.
Hearing this, Bian Weikang was furious and stormed off towards the City Lord's mansion.
At Xiang Lan'er's nod of agreement, the innkeeper quickly dispatched someone to follow and protect him.
Before long, Fengchi arrived hastily for a meeting.
There was a lot of exclamation and relief, thankful for not knowing how else to notify them sooner.
Xiang Lan'er ignored the fuss and inquired about the crux of the matter, "Was it really Bian Weiying who did this?"
Fengchi replied, "Who knows for sure? But from what that guy implied, it seems so."
Xiang Lan'er was puzzled.
"What would Bian Weiying gain from doing this?"
Fengchi shook his head with a wry smile, "Unclear. But openly killing a disciple from Wukang Mountain is a fact, one of Yin Huixin's personal disciples at that. Even if he doesn't get executed, Wukang Mountain can't possibly take them in. If we didn't have alternative plans, our Miss would be implicated this time too. Maybe it's for the best; he's too reckless. Either way, you just need to address the issue head-on, there's no need for public assassination. Staying on the mountain with someone so out of control is more dangerous than sending him away."
Xiang Lan'er pondered with furrowed brows and hesitated slightly, "Given his cunning plans behind buying and selling people, do you think he's such a rash and reckless person?"
Fengchi replied, "Whether he is or not doesn't matter now. There’s no other solution but to send him away."
Xiang Lan'er thought for a while longer before eventually letting out a soft sigh.
The sigh seemed nuanced, leading Fengchi to question with curiosity, "Miss, you don't want him to leave?"
There was no hidden intention in the query, but Xiang Lan'er reacted rather strongly, her voice firm, "No!"
Fengchi, accustomed to all sorts of faces at Graceful Cloud Pavilion, was slightly taken aback before quickly dismissing her own suspicions, reassuring her, "It shouldn't be an issue. The mountain will contact us. They'll let us know when it's suitable to retrieve them. If that brat hadn't left a back-up plan, we should've gotten rid of him directly!"
Just then, a flurry of hurried footsteps approached from outside, followed by urgent knocking.
The innkeeper's voice came through, "It's me."
Fengchi called, "Come in."
The innkeeper entered quickly, shutting the door and hurriedly reported to the two of them, "There's been a development. Upstairs, in one of the rooms, a body was found. It was a disciple from Wukang Mountain, someone from the City Lord's mansion."
Both women were startled.
What new trouble was this, one after another without end?
Given that Bian Weikang and Xiang Lan'er were staying here, any incidents occurring might lead Wukang Mountain to suspect them, which was frightening enough.
How could the plan continue under such threats?
Fengchi was both worried and puzzled, "What happened? Explain clearly. How could a disciple from Wukang Mountain die in your inn without reason?"
The innkeeper immediately explained in detail, "Apart from the damaged rooftop that needs repair, the inn's rooms had been searched multiple times by people from the City Lord's mansion, so I needed to account for everything. I sent an assistant to check each room, and they found a quilt missing in the corner room upstairs.
There was also a faint bloody smell. Upon thorough inspection, they found a corpse wrapped in a quilt under the bed. When they pulled it out, they saw it was someone from the City Lord's mansion.
I confirmed it myself. By the way, the outer garment was stripped from the body and also tossed under the bed."
Xiang Lan’er didn’t fully grasp the situation, but Fengchi, having witnessed the events personally, suddenly realized the truth.
She patted her chest with relief and said, "So that's what happened. I wondered why when they searched the inn they couldn’t find them, but now it's clear."
Xiang Lan'er immediately asked for clarification.
Fengchi quickly narrated her deduction, presenting what happened with Shi Chun killing someone and using the dead man's clothes to escape detection as if it were a plausible account.
Surprisingly, her assumptions were almost spot-on with what actually happened.
After listening, Xiang Lan’er was quite speechless.
The innkeeper smiled wryly, "Your ladyship’s speculation is akin to mine. That's probably what Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang did to evade the search. Those two truly have nerves of steel. If I let them stay longer, this inn surely wouldn't continue. With this pattern, even I'd be scared away by them."
Fengchi ground her teeth, "They're both lunatics! I can now understand the falling tile incident; the timing was too coincidental. They likely exposed themselves on purpose. If they didn’t draw attention now, being searched again would have been even riskier with a corpse found. They exposed themselves to prevent further searches. As for Wei Bian, why so eager? Without a second search, those two might have gotten away, and he wouldn’t have ended up dead. Truly seeking death. Shi Chun acts swiftly with vengeance, assassinating under everyone's eyes. That wretch banked on us saving him, didn’t he?"
Turning to the innkeeper, she urged, "These things aren't crucial now. With a missing body, the City Lord's mansion will know. If they suspect us, what then? You must quickly dispose of the corpse."
"Alright, I'll handle it right away."
The innkeeper promptly followed the order and left.
Fengchi then turned her attention back to cursing, "What is this mess? Forever cleaning up after him…"
Meanwhile, an infuriated Bian Weikang made his way to the City Lord's residence but couldn't find his sister, Bian Weiying.
The people at the City Lord’s mansion hadn’t lied to him.
At that moment, indeed, Bian Weiying was summoned by the sect leader up to the mountain.
In the serene abode within the Celestial Jade Pavilion, Yin Huixin sat calmly in her chair, her face impassive.
Bian Jixiong paced back and forth inside the hall.
After a while, Bian Weiying arrived dressed in fresh clothes with her hair tied in a ponytail.
She entered and greeted her parents as usual.
However, what she received was a shout of fury from Bian Jixiong, "Was it your doing?"
He had evidently been informed, learned the full details.
Bian Weiying hesitated slightly, glancing at her watching mother before admitting outright, "Yes."
She knew full well that had Shi Chun not brought up the dead assassin’s body issue, she might have concealed it.
But since it had been brought up, hiding it was nearly impossible, as that assassin was a disciple from Wukang Mountain—a living person vanishing without replacement.
Bian Jixiong's face darkened deeply, stepping towards her, he articulated each word solemnly, "Why?"
Bian Weiying replied calmly but indignantly, "The man is detestable. If it weren't for his meddling, how could my brother end up with a woman from a brothel!"
Her reasoning for the assassination was indeed reasonable on the surface.
The logic left Bian Jixiong in a rage, lifting his hand and restraining himself barely from striking, he pointed at her nose and chastised angrily, "This matter is for me to handle! Do you need to interfere?"
Bian Weiying, her eyes reddening, retorted with a shout, "That's my brother, with a lifetime of innocence! How can I just sit idly by?"
"You..."
Bian Jixiong's hand shook in frustration for a moment before he pointed outwards, "Get out!"
Bian Weiying turned and left, wiping tears from her eyes.
Yin Huixin, who had been silent in her chair, rose slowly and quietly left the room.
Bian Jixiong was left pacing the hall in anger, troubled by his daughter’s orders leading to the deaths of two Wukang Mountain disciples.
How could he possibly explain this to the sect? Would he truly have to severely punish his daughter?
Suddenly, a soft light appeared from the study to one side, illuminating the space with gentle warmth.
Who? He felt a little surprised and quickly walked over there.
Behind the thin curtain, a familiar figure in a loose white robe paced back and forth.
He quickly approached and saluted before the curtain, "Father, why have you come?"
The elderly voice inside asked, "Something changed about getting them up the mountain?"
Bian Jixiong sighed, "Publicly killing Wei Bian, how can we let Shi Chun stay on the mountain long-term after that?"
The elderly voice replied, "Better to keep plans unchanged. There's nothing indefensible here. Just explain it well."