Fish Meat – Chapter 86

The Ninth Year of Shenchu

Runing’s Winds and Clouds (Part 12)

Yan Ye lay dead on the ground with his eyes open, while Wei Tingxu leaned against the wall, unable to stand again.

            

The powerful strike just now had exhausted her last bit of strength, leaving her unable to move, and even her head felt too heavy to lift. The sharpness she displayed when facing Yan Ye had completely vanished, leaving only the fatigue that could cause her to faint at any moment.

After witnessing Wei Tingxu suddenly rise up and kill Yan Ye with one stroke, Zhen Wenjun’s heart, which was originally ignited with fervor, had now been scared half cold. She did not rush to embrace Wei Tingxu as she did before; instead, she was contemplating questions—

Are Wei Tingxu’s legs truly healed? Can she actually walk? What is she plotting? Does her scheme include me as well?

            

Thinking of this, Zhen Wenjun completely lost the courage to approach Wei Tingxu.

The emotions from the first meeting returned to Zhen Wenjun’s heart. Feelings of unpredictability, fear, and the uncertainty of when she might be killed by her intertwined, creating an extremely complex emotion.

Wei Tingxu’s weak smile gradually disappeared; she knew what Zhen Wenjun was thinking.

            

“My legs have only recently gotten slightly better,” Wei Tingxu understood Zhen Wenjun’s concerns and, without waiting for her to speak, explained, “Although I could stand when we first reunited, it required support to prevent falling, which was very laborious. I’m very sorry I didn’t tell you, because I couldn’t say, whether to you, Lingbi, or Xiaohua, I told no one. You are my closest people, and keeping silent from you doesn’t feel good, but I must do this. I must let the Wei family’s enemies, and the Grand Princess’s enemies, be careless with me, letting them think I am just a person with crippled legs, posing no further threat to them. Speaking of it, my legs are practically the same as crippled; they have some sensation but no strength. A while ago, the Grand Princess sent me a bundle of snake bone grass, which is an excellent medicine for treating leg ailments. When I went to Mengliang, I carried this medicine with me and continued to heal my injury, which led to significant improvement. I thought perhaps I could walk upon returning, as a surprise for you, but I didn’t expect to encounter such an event just upon returning. Younger sister…” Wei Tingxu sincerely asked her, “Are you afraid of me?”

It’s more than just fear of her.

At this moment, Zhen Wenjun’s feelings cannot be solely explained by “fear.” It turns out that Wei Tingxu’s legs weren’t very good either, which is why they were so thin and slender. Moreover, she never got down in front of outsiders; whenever she went anywhere, she was either sitting in a four-wheel cart or being carried by others, all to confuse the enemies. For instance, Yan Ye lost his life because of this deception.

            

Zhen Wenjun recalled how she once took the opportunity of helping her with bone-loosening massage to probe her legs. According to her own words, at that time, her legs also had sensation, but she endured it, leaving Zhen Wenjun with no suspicion. Just now, the consequences of that strike by Yan Ye, Wei Tingxu surely knew in her heart, yet she also endured it, all to launch a counterattack from a desperate situation. Coupled with the blade of counterattack hidden in the “sell-country” letters, Wei Tingxu is a person who can be ruthless to her dearest and even herself. Are the various reasons and forced circumstances she spoke of today really true? No one can easily draw a conclusion.

Originally, it was thought that of the words Wei Tingxu spoke, only half a sentence in ten could be believed, but now it seems even that half sentence might not be trustworthy.

Zhen Wenjun’s mouth corner moved slightly, yet she still managed to squeeze out a smile.

            

Her mother could not be brought back, and now with Yan Ye killed, she could not allow the remaining two attendants to return alive.

Zhen Wenjun picked up the golden cicada knife and walked to the paralyzed two people in front. They had not fainted and still had their eyes open. Because of the strong effect of the Sai Mafei drug, they couldn’t even blink, causing tears to continuously flow from their eyes, looking as if they already knew they were about to be killed, pleading for their lives.

“I have to kill you all, there’s no other way. If you hate me, then come find me at night, and we’ll fight to the death again.” It wasn’t the first time she killed someone; the feeling of taking a life was still cruel. But this time, she no longer trembled all over like when she first killed Xie Suishan. Zhen Wenjun was very certain that she needed to kill them; this was her means of survival. Since you all failed, then go fill the graveyard that supports the monument of the victor.

            

Even when the golden cicada knife cut open their throats, Zhen Wenjun easily avoided the fresh blood that sprayed out, not letting it splash on her face.

As for the corpses, do they need to be dealt with? Zhen Wenjun felt it was unnecessary to make extra efforts. After Xie Fuchen sent them out and saw no one return, what other possibility was there besides being killed? Unless Xie Fuchen could accept the absurdity of Yan Ye eloping with these two.

So Zhen Wenjun did not plan to handle their corpses.

            

“Lady!”

Outside the door came the sound of Lingbi knocking, and Zhen Wenjun stepped forward to open the door. Besides Lingbi, there was an unfamiliar Hu woman. Zhen Wenjun squinted her eyes to scrutinize this Hu woman, realizing she had seen this person before! This Hu woman was the very heroine who had saved her and Lin Yue’s lives during the ambush at the ruined temple that day!

The tall physique and invincible external martial arts were not symbols unique to Xiaohua alone, but when she stood alongside Lingbi, Zhen Wenjun understood—she was Xiaohua, the Xiaohua whose poison had been cleared and appearance restored! This face had completely transformed, with triangular eyes changed to beautiful almond-shaped eyes, the garlic-shaped nose magically becoming a handsome high nose, and full lips fitting perfectly. Only the skin’s condition wasn’t too good; even with powder, many unhideable scars could still be seen. Her appearance had completely changed, vastly different from the Xiaohua before, and no one would connect them. How could Zhen Wenjun have thought that in just two months, the dying Xiaohua would survive and completely change her face? Initially, she wanted to ask for her name for future gratitude when she was rescued, and Xiaohua must have felt much disdain in her heart.

            

Xiaohua looked at Zhen Wenjun with a somewhat strange expression, wanting to say something but forcibly suppressing it, bypassed her, and quickly ran into the room to check on Wei Tingxu’s condition.

Zhen Wenjun understood what her unspoken words contained.

Xiaohua probably did not follow Wei Tingxu to Mengliang; she was left behind by Wei Tingxu to secretly protect me—this thought quickly flashed through Zhen Wenjun’s mind, along with another deeper implication—to monitor me.

            

Zhen Wenjun actually never thought about the possibility that Wei Tingxu would send someone to continue monitoring her. Initially, when Wei Tingxu sent her to Li Yanyi, she said, “I will protect you in the dark,” which at first sounded like mere comfort, but unexpectedly, Wei Tingxu really left Xiaohua behind. Xiaohua’s skills were above Lingbi’s, and Wei Tingxu took Lingbi away but left Xiaohua to ensure Zhen Wenjun’s safety… or perhaps to more easily observe everything from the shadows without being discovered.

Zhen Wenjun turned her head to look at Xiaohua, and in a completely unguarded situation, she not only secretly connected with the Xie family but also plotted to kidnap Li Yanyi. Was Xiaohua closely watching her from the shadows the whole time? How much did she see?

When Xiaohua squatted beside Wei Tingxu, Lingbi’s face was full of tears. She carefully used her fingertips to lift the hair on Wei Tingxu’s face and tied her long hair back again, which was her favorite simple hairstyle.

            

Looking at the wounds on Wei Tingxu’s face and body, Lingbi’s heart ached, and tears flowed continuously. Especially the long one on her cheek, which was shocking. Lingbi carried medicine with her, wanting to help her apply it but didn’t dare to touch her, fearing it would hurt her.

“Go back.” Wei Tingxu’s voice was like cotton in the wind, at any moment likely to be blown away.

Xiaohua was just about to step forward to embrace her, but she did not lift her hand.

            

Xiaohua paused in her movement, understanding that Wei Tingxu did not want her.

“Younger Sister Wenjun.”

Zhen Wenjun heard Wei Tingxu’s call and saw Xiaohua and Lingbi stand up and move to the side.

            

She saw the battered Wei Tingxu weakly open both hands towards her. This was a hint and desire from Wei Tingxu; she would only entrust her fragile body to the person she trusted most. Reaching out was a demand; she wanted this person to swear allegiance to her.

Wei Tingxu is such a contradiction; even when weak to the point of almost fainting, her every move is irresistible.

Should she go over? Does Wei Tingxu already know about her interactions with the Xie family? Does she already know her identity? Should she step forward or leave directly?

            

Zhen Wenjun’s heart was extremely conflicted, with many thoughts tangled together, yet she had to make a decision immediately.

If she left at this moment, she would have no value to Xie Fuchen, and her mother would certainly be doomed. If she didn’t leave, perhaps she could still find a way to survive with Wei Tingxu. Thinking of Xiaohua’s earlier hesitation to speak, Zhen Wenjun felt there might still be a chance to gamble.

Zhen Wenjun passed by Xiaohua and squatted in front of Wei Tingxu.

            

Using Wei Tingxu to counter the Xie family, although the timing was not yet considered mature, she had to do so. Perhaps this was her last chance.

“Elder sister.”

Hearing Zhen Wenjun’s voice gently sound by her ear, Wei Tingxu’s face, full of scars, revealed a relieved smile.

            

“Take me back.” Wei Tingxu encircled her neck.

“Mm…” Zhen Wenjun’s arm carefully passed through the bend of her legs, her movements as light as could be. She had personally seen Wei Tingxu’s legs suffer severe injuries, not knowing if they were broken, but even if not broken, they were certainly badly injured.

She was already as careful as she could be, but when she truly embraced her into her arms, she still grasped Zhen Wenjun’s back collar tightly in pain.

            

Zhen Wenjun watched the person in her embrace close her eyes and clench her teeth, forcefully enduring this wave of pain, or perhaps, after becoming accustomed to the sensation of severe pain, tiredly opened her eyes again to confirm that the person holding her was Zhen Wenjun. Her clenched fist slowly loosened, her brow relaxed, and she tightened her arms, slightly moving to adjust to the most comfortable position. She closed her eyes again, like a baby, peacefully falling asleep in Zhen Wenjun’s embrace.

“Let’s head back first.” Lingbi patted Zhen Wenjun’s arm, and as the two were about to leave, Xiaohua said:

“You all go back first; I will clean up here a bit.”

            

“Mm, be careful with everything.”

Holding Wei Tingxu, they walked out of Qinfeng Pavilion. When they sat in the carriage, Zhen Wenjun was still full of questions.

“Why was elder sister abducted?” Zhen Wenjun asked Lingbi.

            

Fortunately, Wei Tingxu fell asleep; Zhen Wenjun had no courage to directly face Wei Tingxu in a one-on-one confrontation. Facing Lingbi, however, she had some confidence in being able to deceive. She originally thought that Wei Tingxu’s swap for Li Yanyi this time had deeper considerations, thinking it was a trap. But seeing her severely injured to this extent, even to the point of revealing the important secret of her legs, it was clear Wei Tingxu was not well-prepared. Something must have gone wrong.

Sure enough, Lingbi said: “This matter is quite miraculous. Hearing that Master Wei was trapped in prison, the lady urged us to quickly return to the capital. Today, I just arrived in Runing with the lady. Without Xiaohua following us, we suffered a lot in the north, not acclimated to the water and soil, and with the road bumps, both my elder sister and I vomited, constantly thinking of Da Yu’s food. Just a bowl of soup cake would be great! Finally arriving in Runing, the lady pitied me for being so thin from hunger, and said we should eat a meal before seeing the Grand Princess. Unexpectedly, just after entering the inn and ordering dishes, the lady’s expression changed. I followed her gaze and saw a woman wearing a veiled hat go to an upstairs private room, and that was exactly who she was staring at.”

“Lady, do you know that person?” Lingbi asked as she used her carry-on handkerchief to wipe the bowl and chopsticks clean one by one.

            

“That is Her Highness.” Wei Tingxu’s lips almost did not move, her voice lightly floated out from the mouth covered by her curled hand.

“Her Highness?” Lingbi realized the situation was special and lowered her voice along with Wei Tingxu. “How could Her Highness be here? With Runing’s situation so tense now, she actually dares to come to an inn, a place with so many people and prying eyes?”

The more Wei Tingxu thought, the more it seemed wrong: “Take me inside the private room to find her.”

            

“Yes.”

Li Yanyi had just sat down in the private room when Wei Tingxu and Lingbi came in.

“How could you be here?” Li Yanyi heard the door being pushed open and thought it was Ah Xin arriving, her smile already forming, only to see it was Wei Tingxu.

            

When Lingbi closed the door, Wei Tingxu asked her: “Why would Your Highness come here? Who is Your Highness waiting for?”

Li Yanyi had nothing to hide from Wei Tingxu, so she truthfully said: “I received Ah Xin’s letter; she invited me to this place to meet. Zizhuo, regarding your father’s matter…”

Li Yanyi suddenly couldn’t continue, her body tilted to one side, even her eyes blurred together. Both Lingbi and she herself tried to pull her body back, but the feeling of dizziness came too quickly. Li Yanyi slid down from the table, her rapid unconsciousness beyond comprehension.

            

“Lingbi, cover your nose!” Wei Tingxu then discovered that the room had already been filled with incense by someone, the scent very hidden and not easy to detect, roughly smelling like ordinary peach blossom. In the corner of the room was a decorative peach blossom, and Wei Tingxu, being careless, had not discovered the incense at first.

What is this incense… Wei Tingxu had just finished saying that when the world inverted, her eyes turned black, and her body, like a thousand-pound weight, could not control its direction, falling forward. When she fell from the four-wheel cart to the ground, Lingbi also found it hard to support herself, her body swaying, arms propped on the table, trying several times to open her eyes and lift her spirit, but her consciousness rapidly distanced. Lingbi, having practiced martial arts for years, was strong and had a higher resistance to the incense than Wei Tingxu and Li Yanyi. Having inhaled the same incense, she did not immediately faint and was still able to support herself for a moment.

At this time, Wei Tingxu was almost unable to speak, but she very clearly understood what would happen next. With her last strength, she pointed toward the screen in the room and said: “Hide…”

            

Lingbi, having followed Wei Tingxu for many years, understood what to do with just one word from her lady.

Dizzy terribly, Lingbi with great effort found where her own limbs were, while using her already tied tongue to call outwardly for help, and with effort like pushing a cow, pushed Li Yanyi behind the screen. Just at this time, the Teng brothers broke through the window and entered, and Lingbi spent all her remaining strength, lying on the body of the Her Highness the Grand Princess Li, and together with Li Yanyi, fainted behind the screen.

The Teng brothers entered and only saw Wei Tingxu unconscious on the ground, then tied and took her away.

            

After Lingbi woke up, Xiaohua also arrived, and together they shook Li Yanyi awake.

According to Li Yanyi’s shadow guards, the people who tied up Wei Tingxu ran to the black market, and without a token, they had no way to enter and catch them. However, Li Yanyi had a token and gave it to Lingbi. Lingbi and Xiaohua took people into the black market, quickly investigated, found eyewitnesses, and soon located them inside Qingfeng Pavilion.

Lingbi had a large handful of silver notes she didn’t know how to spend. Initially, the guards of Qingfeng Pavilion still didn’t let them in, even after Lingbi stuffed money. They had to let Xiaohua go up and handle them in no time.

            

After Lingbi finished speaking, Zhen Wenjun realized how unlucky she was. The inn she chose was randomly selected, yet she happened to encounter Wei Tingxu who just rushed back. Wei Tingxu was mistakenly caught and suffered greatly. In this matter, Wei Tingxu did not scheme against her.

According to Lingbi, she and Xiaohua met up in Runing, so Xiaohua staying behind to secretly protect or monitor her was already a certainty.

Wei Tingxu never released her, even while asleep, her arms still maintained the posture of tightly encircling her.

            

Zhen Wenjun couldn’t easily let go of her, even after getting on the carriage, she had to continue holding her. Wei Tingxu could only sleep peacefully in her embrace. Zhen Wenjun felt a bit awkward herself, while Lingbi, on the other hand, seemed unconcerned, having seen it all before. She didn’t stop talking all the way, discussing their journey to Mengliang, and how Xie Fuchen, that old thief, cunningly avoided all pursuits and rushed ahead of them back to Runing. She also mentioned how Liu Feng lost a leg and almost his life, but luckily, with the herbs previously prepared by Zhen Wenjun, he barely pulled through. However, he would be disabled from now on, and it was truly a pity for such a dignified Huben Lieutenant General.

Lingbi had a lot to say to Zhen Wenjun, who seemed to be listening seriously but was actually rehearsing her conversation with Wei Tingxu, anticipating all the questions Wei Tingxu would ask her upon waking.

There was also a more important and tricky matter.

            

Now that the attempt to kidnap Li Yanyi had failed, Li Yanyi would certainly be more cautious, and the chance to kidnap her again was almost impossible. Moreover, Yan Ye died at Qingfeng Pavilion, and Xie Fuchen would soon receive the news. Even if Xiaohua could perfectly clean up the aftermath, she couldn’t bring another Yan Ye back to Xie Fuchen. Yan Ye’s death signified Zhen Wenjun’s betrayal, and Zhen Wenjun couldn’t imagine how Xie Fuchen would treat her Ah Mu.

The carriage swayed as it traveled along the streets of Runing, and Zhen Wenjun no longer even had the strength to maintain her facial expressions. Her skin seemed like a piece of parched land, with countless cracks, and her facial features seemed to fall one by one on this dry terrain.

Once in Suichuan, at her Ah Mu’s side, she felt herself very smart and capable; no one was her opponent. Even when she came to Wei Tingxu’s side and competed with her, she could gain a little advantage, making her feel truly remarkable. But once she entered Runing, in this stormy place where life could be lost at any moment, among many great talents, she struggled greatly.

            

Stuck in interconnected schemes and fallen into a mind-bewildering maze, Zhen Wenjun understood that she was just a chess piece. She always thought of herself as a chess piece that could counterbalance and maneuver strategically. But facing the possibility of losing her Ah Mu today, she had to admit that she was just an ordinary chess piece, quietly held in someone’s hand, placed wherever they wanted. If she tried to forcibly rid herself of her destiny, the possible end would be the chess destroyed and the game broken, with both sides suffering.

What was Yan Ye to Xie Fuchen? To Xie Fuchen, she was even less. This spy’s failure meant at most training another, finding an opportunity to place them beside Wei Tingxu or Li Yanyi, something they had been doing for a very long time.

But to her, Zhen Wenjun, that was her Ah Mu’s life, that was her own life, her most important and only treasure.

            

Would she receive her Ah Mu’s head sent by the Xie family tomorrow? Zhen Wenjun simply did not dare to think about it carefully.

Coming down from the carriage, they returned to the Wei Mansion.

For the second time coming to the Wei Mansion, Zhen Wenjun’s mood was even more complicated.

            

When she carried Wei Tingxu down from the carriage, Ah Ran and a woman immediately approached, with a group of servants following behind them, lined up.

“Madam,” Lingbi saluted the woman, and Zhen Wenjun, by the light of the lantern, saw the woman’s appearance clearly. Ah Ran and she looked like the same person twenty years apart, except for the marks of time. From their features to height to demeanor and temperament, even the arc of their frown, the two were almost identical. This must be Wei Tingxu and Ah Ran’s mother. Zhen Wenjun wanted to salute, but with Wei Tingxu still in her arms, it was really inconvenient to move, so she had to verbally follow Lingbi in greeting:

“Madam.”

            

Wei Shi nodded worriedly at her and immediately shifted her attention to her daughter, tearfully looking at Wei Tingxu and sobbing:

“My Zizhuo, how have you suffered such heavy injuries again! I told her not to go to Mengliang, but she insisted on not listening! How could her body withstand that kind of snowy frozen ground! Zizhuo, everything about you is good except your love of being strong, and every time you return with severe injuries, it feels like cutting flesh from my heart! Now her father is trapped in the imperial prison, and she is seriously injured; how can I be okay!”

Wei Shi and Ah Ran almost simultaneously started crying, and Zhen Wenjun, who couldn’t bear to see people cry, consoled them by saying that the lady’s life was not in danger and that she just needed a good recuperation to recover. This mother and daughter continued to sob, while Lingbi and Xiaohua, unfazed, didn’t even try to console them and allowed them to sob.

            

“Ah Mu, Ah Jie, stop making noise.” Finally, it was Wei Tingxu who was noisily woken up; her eyes didn’t even open, and a small frown formed on her forehead as she said, quite dissatisfied, “I am not dead yet, but if you continue crying, it might become uncertain. Wenjun, take me back to my room.”

With Wei Tingxu saying this, her Ah Mu and Ah Ran immediately fell silent. Zhen Wenjun nodded to them to show respect, then immediately carried Wei Tingxu away. It seems Wei Tingxu is not only intimidating to her but even her Ah Mu and sister have to watch her mood.

The room filled with many musical instruments and books had already been tidied up, and the wooden incense Wei Tingxu was most accustomed to had been lit.

            

When Zhen Wenjun placed her steadily on the soft couch, she almost kneeled down together. Her hands and feet had no strength left, but Wei Tingxu’s injuries had not yet been treated, and she still couldn’t rest now, unable to persuade herself to just leave her. Moreover, from now on, it was the time to perform well in front of Wei Tingxu.

Dragging her already exhausted body, she went to find various external medicines and gave the internal ones to the Wei family’s maid to decoct. When Zhen Wenjun returned and pushed the door open, she saw that Wei Tingxu had already removed her blood-stained clothes and was lying on the soft couch.

The delicate blanket completely covered her slender waist, while her blood-stained long hair scattered over her exposed back, with the shocking scars on her back clearly displayed in front of Zhen Wenjun.

            

Zhen Wenjun’s movements slightly paused, momentarily unsure whether to enter or retreat.

Wei Tingxu looked back at her, her arm that had discarded the blood-stained clothes slightly paused in the air before retracting, and together with the other arm, supported her upper body.

“These injuries are from the year Xie Fuchen imprisoned me,” Wei Tingxu said.

            

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