Villainous Undercover (15)
Song Xuyi and two others extinguished the great fire at Guo Family Village. Seeing a situation identical to Song Family Fortress years ago, Song Xu’s eyes involuntarily reddened.
The destruction of Song Family Fortress was a thorn lodged in Song Xu’s heart, occasionally emerging to bring piercing, bone-deep pain.
Such a massacre, wiping out an entire clan, hardly needed investigation; it was clearly the style of the Demon Sect.
Gong Huan sent out a signal to notify nearby jianghu members, and soon after, Fu Xiyu returned as well.
“Couldn’t catch up,” Fu Xiyu said, characteristically concise.
The other two didn’t doubt Fu Xiyu’s words, but Song Xuyi glanced at her: Fu Xiyu’s Qinggong was considered formidable in the martial arts world, and Song Xuyi didn’t believe she couldn’t catch up to a member of the Demon Sect…
Fu Xiyu saying this… had she already begun the plan from the original plot outline to secretly contact the Demon Sect and gain their trust?
At that moment, Song Xuyi felt an increasing sense of urgency in her heart.
Beside her, Gong Huan also looked at Song Xu with a worried expression: Song Xu had once again fallen into memories of the past, his eyes red and his face stern, a complete change from his previous enthusiastic demeanor, becoming utterly silent.
Soon after, martial artists from the surrounding area also rushed to Guo Family Fortress.
Everyone searched extensively, and those familiar with Guo Family Fortress compared and identified the bodies one by one, finding that all the other corpses were within the fortress, except for the body of the handsome Guo Li, which couldn’t be found no matter how hard they looked.
Could Guo Li possibly still be alive? Perhaps the Demon Sect had spared Guo Li’s life due to his good looks…
As more and more people arrived later, everyone felt extremely heavy-hearted and indignant seeing the tragic state of Guo Family Fortress. Under the guidance of the elders, people divided into two groups: one to search everywhere for Guo Li, and another to stay within the fortress to help arrange funerals for the deceased.
No one expected that they would soon discover Guo Li’s body.
Guo Li’s corpse had been gnawed by wild beasts in the mountains until only bones remained, with only tattered clothing to confirm his identity.
But why was only Guo Li’s body abandoned by the Demon Sect in the mountains?
At the time, many people had this question in their minds, but they were more consumed by indignation at the Demon Sect’s rampant actions and didn’t investigate closely.
It wasn’t until three months later, when the Demon Sect killed another handsome swordsman renowned for his beauty, that people found his body in his quarters: the man showed clear signs of abuse before his death.
And this was just the beginning: a third, a fourth…
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
Everyone became extremely outraged, and the outcry against the Demon Sect reached unprecedented heights: “A man of seven feet, can be killed but not humiliated. Who would willingly suffer such degradation by the Demon Sect?”
Song Xuyi’s sense of crisis reached its peak: everything seemed to align perfectly with the original plot outline. The martial arts world became increasingly averse to the Demon Sect, with calls to attack them growing louder.
Meanwhile, handsome men in the jianghu began to fear for their safety. Various rankings of handsome men were gradually taken down. In this atmosphere, even Song Xu was affected, looking worriedly at his fair-complexioned brother Gong: “Brother Gong, why don’t you try dressing as a woman? Don’t worry, none of us will mock you…”
Gong Huan was stunned, both amused and exasperated by Song Xu’s suggestion. As Song Xu belatedly realized his offense and was about to apologize, Song Xuyi suddenly tugged gently at Gong Huan’s sleeve: “Young Master Gong, you might as well try it…”
Seeing the playful look in Song Xuyi’s eyes, Gong Huan understood her meaning. She smiled and turned to enter Song Xuyi’s quarters.
Watching his sister and Gong Huan’s actions, Song Xu’s heart suddenly sank. That sour, bitter feeling welled up again: Brother Gong actually listened to his sister so readily…
Soon after, Gong Huan emerged wearing Song Xuyi’s clothes, leaning against the doorway and smiling gently at Song Xu.
In that moment, Song Xu’s heart skipped a beat. He stared at Gong Huan, momentarily forgetting to blink… While Gong Huan, being gazed at so intently by Song Xu, began to blush more and more.
Seeing her brother’s foolish demeanor, Song Xuyi knew that Gong Huan likely understood Song Xu’s feelings now. It wouldn’t be long before Gong Huan would confess her true female identity to Song Xu. Not wanting to be a third wheel, Song Xuyi quietly slipped downstairs with Fu Xiyu.
Over the next two days, Song Xuyi clearly noticed Song Xu becoming somewhat shy around Gong Huan. She didn’t expose the truth, but to help Song Xu realize his feelings faster, Song Xuyi became increasingly friendly with Gong Huan, deliberately pulling her away from Song Xu. However, she failed to notice that whenever she talked with Gong Huan, Fu Xiyu’s eyes would become incredibly dark…
Although they had agreed to travel, for some unknown reason, Fu Xiyu began practicing martial arts more diligently with each passing day. Eventually, she even suggested to Song Xuyi that they change their route to travel to quieter, more remote places.
At first, Song Xuyi was incredibly conflicted: she knew Fu Xiyu wanted to go to those places just to practice her skills more conveniently. But the better Fu Xiyu became, the stronger her resolve to die together with Lu Dun might grow. Yet if Fu Xiyu didn’t train, she might not be able to resist Lu Dun in the future…
As the Demon Sect grew more rampant by the day, Song Xuyi feared that if Fu Xiyu stayed in bustling areas, her connection with the Demon Sect would become increasingly close. In the end, they changed their route.
The four first went to the coast. In a small wooden cabin by the sea, Gong Huan dressed as a woman at night and confessed her true female identity and her affection for Song Xu, who was drinking away his sorrows. Song Xu put down his drink in a daze, thinking he was dreaming, and couldn’t help but kiss Gong Huan…
After sobering up, the atmosphere between the two visibly became more intimate…
Having given advice to Gong Huan, Song Xuyi took Fu Xiyu onto a fishing boat, joining the fishermen out at sea.
The fishing boat set sail in the evening and returned.
Fu Xiyu would never refuse any suggestion from Song Xuyi.
It wasn’t until they boarded the boat that Song Xuyi realized Fu Xiyu seemed to be seasick. Her face turned somewhat pale, and she donned a veiled hat to block out the fishy smell, standing still on the deck.
As the sun set, orange light bathed the shimmering sea. Fu Xiyu wore a long veiled hat, the wind moving the gauze, revealing half of her unscarred face. She looked like an ethereal immortal about to drift away with the wind, incredibly serene and solitary…
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
That feeling that Fu Xiyu was a peerless beauty surfaced once again.
Song Xuyi’s heart skipped a beat, but after coming to her senses, she couldn’t help feeling regret: Fu Xiyu was the child of Lu Dun and Yu Rudie. Putting aside Lu Dun’s character, both he and Yu Rudie were exceptionally beautiful people. If Fu Xiyu’s face hadn’t been injured, she would undoubtedly have been a stunningly beautiful woman…
Looking at Fu Xiyu’s thin, solitary figure, Song Xuyi also felt somewhat guilty: she had been busy matchmaking Lu Dun and Gong Huan to help them avoid detours, but seemed to have neglected Fu Xiyu. Fu Xiyu was naturally quiet and reserved, and thinking back carefully, she had barely spoken during this time.
Feeling increasingly apologetic and sympathetic, Song Xuyi couldn’t help but step forward and hug Fu Xiyu’s arm: “Senior Sister, look how beautiful this sea is! We’ve only had a brief glimpse of the scenery this time. After we defeat the Demon Sect, let’s come back happily to see it again, just the two of us, without my brother and sister-in-law, okay?”
So in Xuyi’s heart, she was more important than her brother and sister-in-law?
Fu Xiyu didn’t know what had come over her lately. Seeing her junior sister smiling at Gong Huan and Song Xu, doing her utmost for them… she felt extremely uncomfortable. Even when she tried to avoid it by focusing on practice, not wanting to see or hear it, her junior sister’s image would involuntarily appear in her mind…
However, upon hearing her junior sister’s words, the unease that had been lingering in her heart somewhat dissipated, gradually filling with joy. Fu Xiyu couldn’t help but turn her head to look at Song Xuyi: the young girl’s fair face was filled with hope in her eyes…
Fu Xiyu’s eyes curved into a smile, and she suddenly felt a sense of longing for the future Song Xuyi had described.
Time flew by.
The four gradually traveled from the coast inland, experiencing the joys of righting wrongs and seeking justice, which had its own charm.
They were on their way, but there were more important matters at hand. Song Xuyi thought for a moment and decided to continue north with Fu Xiyu.
Fu Xiyu had been spending more and more time meditating lately…
Song Xuyi felt frustrated, thinking that Fu Xiyu hadn’t been moved by her efforts. However, she also understood Fu Xiyu’s stubbornness in wanting to kill Lu Dun. To increase their chances of success, Song Xuyi decided to contact the imperial court to join forces against Lu Dun.
Although the imperial court had been lax in overseeing the south, recently the old emperor had passed away and a new emperor had ascended the throne. It was said that the new emperor was extremely wise and would certainly not allow the Demon Sect to continue disregarding the law and slaughtering innocent people.
Song Xuyi had long since learned that a righteous imperial censor who despised evil frequented a certain teahouse. She bribed the storyteller at the teahouse to expose the chaos caused by the Demon Sect in the south during his performance…
Sure enough, a disciple of the imperial censor secretly came to invite Song Xuyi.
Fu Xiyu was unaware of Song Xuyi’s actions.
She had been staying in her room practicing martial arts for the past few days, absorbing the chaotic internal energy transmitted by Lu Dun, vaguely figuring out a way to defeat him… Her heart was filled with joy, and she inexplicably wanted to see Xuyi. Unable to resist, she pushed open the door, only to see the so-called disciple of the imperial censor—
Fu Xiyu’s eyes narrowed, the joy in her heart instantly vanishing as she gripped the sword at her waist.
However, Fu Xiyu didn’t startle the snake in the grass.
Using her internal energy, she forced out a mouthful of blood, her face immediately turning deathly pale. Leaning against the railing, she weakly called out “Xuyi”…
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
Song Xuyi was greatly startled by Fu Xiyu’s condition. Disregarding the meeting with the imperial censor, she hastily rescheduled with the disciple despite his embarrassed expression, and rushed upstairs to check on Fu Xiyu…
Fu Xiyu kept insisting she was “fine.” Although checking her pulse revealed that Fu Xiyu’s symptoms were indeed not serious, Song Xuyi was still worried and stayed by Fu Xiyu’s side all afternoon.
What Song Xuyi didn’t know was that Fu Xiyu, who had feigned disordered internal energy during the day, secretly took her sword at night and silently slipped into the imperial censor’s residence. After learning of all of Song Xuyi’s actions from the disciple, she slit his throat before his disbelieving eyes.
Lu Dun had also planted spies in the imperial court, and this disciple was one of them! He feared that if Song Xuyi contacted the imperial censor, the emperor would turn his attention to the south. He had planned to kill Song Xuyi to eliminate future troubles but didn’t expect Fu Xiyu to intervene and kill him instead.
Song Xuyi eventually managed to contact the imperial censor.
However, what Fu Xiyu had been worried about finally came to pass:
Fu Xiyu received a handwritten letter from Lu Dun, ordering her to bring Song Xuyi back to the Taiji Sect within half a month.
LP: Re-translated on October 20, 2024