The Seventh Year of Shenchu
Hot Springs
It turns out that the Xie family, including the Qingliu faction, made a critical mistake.
The most mysterious person the Wei family was searching for and trying to assassinate was not a man. Despite her ruthless actions and demeanor, she was indeed a woman.
No wonder Qingliu had never discovered her true identity; they had been looking in the wrong direction from the start. Whether it was Wei Zizhuo deliberately misleading them or Qingliu’s own stupidity, this was undoubtedly a fatal error.
All the seductive arts and the Nine Methods of the Mysterious Lady were entirely wasted. How could these tricks be used on a woman?
At this moment, Zhen Wenjun was filled with regret, feeling as though she had already lost half her life.
Wei Zizhuo had already seen her face and had clearly recognized her as her former savior. She had no way out and might as well admit it.
The Xie family had been planning for so long, painstakingly trying to get someone close to Wei Zizhuo, and now the heavens had provided an opportunity. Although all the seductive techniques were rendered useless due to the gender mistake and their original plans fell apart, Zhen Wenjun felt a sense of relief. At least she didn’t have to degrade herself like Yueniang and A Jiao.
Just as Zhen Wenjun was about to agree, she suddenly thought of an unusual detail.
According to the Xie family’s investigation, Wei Zizhuo had been searching for Zhen Wenjun for over nine years. They had met when they were young, and now they had grown up. Their faces must have changed significantly. How could she recognize her at a glance? Even if there was a distinctive birthmark to prove it, she was clothed at the moment, and Wei Zizhuo couldn’t see it. If she had a unique insight, it was more likely that her affectionate demeanor was just a test.
If the Xie family knew about Zhen Wenjun, others must know as well. Wei Zizhuo might have already discovered the mystery of the portrait being leaked and was using it to her advantage, waiting for the small fish to take the bait. Once the small fish exposed its intentions, she would catch them all in one go. If she agreed now, thinking it was time to reunite with Wei Zizhuo, her head might roll the next second.
Wei Zizhuo’s kind intentions did not receive a response. The expression on Zhen Wenjun’s face changed, and instead, she became even more frightened. She immediately crawled a bit further away and, trembling like a timid mouse, almost fainted. She banged her head on the ground and begged in a trembling voice:
“Your Grace, spare my life! Your Grace, spare my life! This servant knows nothing!” Clearly, she had the demeanor of an inexperienced servant.
Wei Zizhuo remained gentle and patient: “Young lady, do not be afraid. I just want to ask, what is your surname, given name, and where are you from?”
“Replying, replying to Your Grace, this humble servant’s surname is Zhen, given name Wenjun. I am from Jianzhang in Pingcang.”
“Oh? What a coincidence. I have an old acquaintance with the same name and appearance as you, whose ancestral home is also Jianzhang. However, we have been separated for quite some time, and appearances do change somewhat. Lift your head so I can take a good look.”
Sure enough, Zhen Wenjun was very glad she hadn’t stepped into the trap just now. She swallowed hard, mustering a great deal of courage before shakily raising her head again.
Wei Zizhuo bent down with some difficulty and touched her face. Zhen Wenjun then noticed that Wei Zizhuo’s legs seemed unable to stand, and she moved around in a wheelchair. Seeing Wei Zizhuo’s difficulty in movement, Zhen Wenjun sensibly leaned forward, placing her entire face in Wei Zizhuo’s hand.
Wei Zizhuo held her delicate chin with four fingers, and her thumb caressed Zhen Wenjun’s lips and cheeks. In her deep, lake-like eyes, there were emotions that Zhen Wenjun couldn’t quite understand; it seemed to be a mix of tenderness and a careful consideration of how to prepare the ingredients before her into a more delicious dinner. She slowly savored Zhen Wenjun’s face, making Zhen Wenjun feel a chill down her spine.
“Do you still remember our past?”
Zhen Wenjun carefully looked at Wei Zizhuo, her eyes darting as if trying to recall. After hesitating for a moment, she said:
“Replying to Your Grace, this humble servant grew up in the wilderness of Jianzhang from a young age. My parents died early, and I went down the mountain alone to make a living. Fortunately, I was adopted by foster parents. But soon after, we encountered a year of disaster, and our family was so poor that we couldn’t even keep the pot boiling. So, they sold me to a broker, and I ended up in an opera troupe. This humble servant does not have the fortune to recognize Your Grace, perhaps Your Grace has mistaken me…”
Wei Zizhuo pulled out a plain handkerchief from her sleeve, seemingly ignoring her denial: “Come, look at how dirty your face is.”
Zhen Wenjun hesitantly straightened her body, glanced around at the more puzzled crowd around her, and moved closer to Wei Zizhuo.
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As she approached, the strong woman who had always stayed by Wei Zizhuo’s side and had blocked Jiang Daochang’s twin knives with her bare hands clenched her fists, ready to strike. If Zhen Wenjun made any threatening moves towards her master, she would immediately smash Zhen Wenjun’s head.
Of course, Zhen Wenjun would not act rashly when in an absolute disadvantage. She obediently knelt and let Wei Zizhuo wipe the dirt off her face with the soft handkerchief.
Their noses were almost touching, and Wei Zizhuo’s hand was very gentle, as if afraid of startling a small, injured animal.
At close distance, Zhen Wenjun could see Wei Zizhuo’s flawless, icy skin from her face to her neck and down to her fingertips. Her long, thick eyelashes slightly curled up, and her lively yet steady gaze followed the handkerchief inch by inch across Zhen Wenjun’s face. The woody fragrance from Wei Zizhuo’s body made Zhen Wenjun’s heart restless.
After bending over to help wipe for a while, Wei Zizhuo seemed to struggle to maintain her posture. She straightened up, gently massaging her sore lower back. Seeing Zhen Wenjun’s small face cleaned and revealing her true appearance, Wei Zizhuo was very satisfied.
“No mistake, you are indeed the Zhen Wenjun I have been searching for.” Wei Zizhuo held her arm, indicating for her to stand up. “When I was young, I was in distress in the Suidong Mountains, and it was then that my legs were ruined. It was your father and you who saved my life. You may not remember, but I am not an ungrateful person. Do you know how long I have been looking for you? Heaven has blessed us to finally reunite. Wenjun, from now on, live with me.”
Zhen Wenjun was momentarily stunned, her mouth opened as if she finally remembered the past. She knelt and kowtowed in gratitude: “Your Grace’s kindness!”
Wei Zizhuo retracted her gaze, and the strong female servant beside her immediately understood and stepped forward to grab the horizontal handle at the back of the four-wheeled cart, slowly pushing it away.
The group from Liaoyuan Troupe knelt on the ground, shivering, and were just feeling relieved to have escaped with their lives when the four-wheeled cart suddenly stopped. Wei Zizhuo turned back and glanced at the remaining members of the Liaoyuan Troupe, casually throwing out, “Deal with them all.”
The surrounding shadow guards nodded in unison, causing a heart-wrenching chorus of cries and pleas for mercy.
Yueniang’s face turned pale with fear. She rushed forward to hug Young Master Liao’s leg, begging, “Young Master, save me! Young Master, save me!”
Young Master Liao looked back at her with a trace of reluctance. She knelt down, cupping Yueniang’s face in her hands, and her fingers gently stroked the face filled with infinite hope. With a tone of regret, she said:
“What a pity for such a beautiful face.”
After speaking, she stood up and left without a trace of attachment.
Zhen Wenjun was escorted out of the small house and heard the sounds of slaughter rising from the dark room behind her. The screams of the people she had spent day and night with echoed in her ears, making her whole body tremble with cold.
Wei Zizhuo was indeed cruel and ruthless, treating human lives as mere grass. A Jiao and Jiang Daochang were already dead, and to prevent revealing her identity, Wei Zizhuo wouldn’t even spare the remaining women and children. But how did she discover A Jiao and Jiang Daochang? Was it just because of that fleeting torchlight? Or had she already noticed them back when they were with the Liaoyuan Troupe? Or even earlier? Zhen Wenjun couldn’t help but hold her breath. Even top experts like A Jiao and Jiang Daochang met their end at Wei Zizhuo’s hands in an instant. How long could she last?
She had thought about rushing back to save the people in the house. With the Golden Cicada Knife in hand, maybe she could save one or two people, but she would definitely lose her life in the process. No matter how she thought about it, it was a losing deal.
She followed Wei Zizhuo, with an unknown future ahead.
Zhen Wenjun was overwhelmed with countless thoughts, respectfully escorted by four shadow guards into a black carriage parked in the night. These shadow guards dispersed to the sides and silently melted into the night.
Inside the carriage, there were some dried goods piled up; it seemed to be a cargo carriage. She stayed in the carriage for a moment, and a woman dressed as a maid lifted the curtain. As soon as she entered, she smiled warmly and said to her kindly:
“Lady, you must be terrified? These assassins deserved their fate, for if we weren’t ruthless to them, it would be us who died today. Besides, my lady is extremely kind to those around her, and you are her lifesaver. Meeting again today is truly a fate determined by the heavens. Stay by my lady’s side obediently, and you will have nothing to worry about for the rest of your life.”
Hearing this, Zhen Wenjun suppressed her anger and responded, seemingly both questioning and simply inquiring:
“Could it be that everyone in the Liaoyuan Troupe are assassins?”
The maid, bright and beautiful, with a pair of slender phoenix eyes, smiled like a fox:
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“Lady, do you understand the principle of ‘drawing the firewood from under the cauldron’ and ‘cutting the weeds and pulling out the roots’?”
Seeing Zhen Wenjun remain silent, thinking she was sad about her old acquaintances from the Liaoyuan Troupe, the maid comforted her:
“Lady, you don’t need to grieve. From now on, you are no longer the same kind of person as them. The carriage and mansion are ready, we should go. Go back, bathe, and change clothes, my lady is still waiting to reminisce with you.”
Zhen Wenjun saw that her speech and behavior were not like an ordinary maid, so she asked, “May I ask for your name, lady?”
The maid saluted and replied, “My name is Lingbi, sent by my lady to serve you. From now on, if you have any orders, just tell Lingbi.”
Zhen Wenjun understood that although Wei Zizhuo seemed to be happy to have found her benefactor, she was a person of deep scheming and would not trust her easily. The first sentence Wei Zizhuo spoke in the room earlier had confirmed her caution, and there would probably be more tests waiting for her.
Every word from Lingbi seemed to be comforting, but in fact, there was a hidden meaning, even a hint of warning. She was undoubtedly Wei Zizhuo’s spy. Zhen Wenjun, still a bit shaken, said to Lingbi, “Thank you, Sister Lingbi. It’s just that Yueniang took care of me a lot before. Now that she is dead, I… I feel sad, that’s all. I would never dare to question the noble one.”
Lingbi smiled and said, “You are kind-hearted, young lady.”
The coachman drove the carriage to a small courtyard in the east of Taojun City. It seemed unguarded, with only two female slaves in their forties standing at the door to welcome them.
Although this place was not as luxurious as the grand mansion of Young Master Liao, once stepping into the courtyard, one could feel a hint of warm spring. Zhen Wenjun followed Lingbi, and as she glanced sideways, she saw a green forest in the courtyard, like midsummer, with a few cherry trees blooming scatteredly. In her surprise, she heard Lingbi say that there was a hot spring in the courtyard. Her lady was frail and afraid of the cold, so she specially found this place to build a mansion to recuperate. So even in winter, without burning charcoal, it did not feel cold inside.
Zhen Wenjun was placed in the side courtyard, while Wei Zizhuo lived in the main courtyard some distance away from her. Lingbi led Zhen Wenjun along the way, telling her about Wei Zizhuo’s preferences and some rules of the mansion.
Zhen Wenjun originally thought that Wei Zizhuo would not live here. She must be hiding in a place as secure as a golden city and an iron pool (meaning an impregnable fortress), but she was actually here?
Lingbi asked her, “Young lady, do you have any living relatives?”
Zhen Wenjun shook her head and said, “I only remember living in the mountains with my father. Even if I have relatives still alive, I don’t know where they are.”
“Look at me, asking such pointless questions and making the young lady unhappy.”
Lingbi led Zhen Wenjun to the open-air bath. The water in the bath was sourced from hot springs, and the bath was even larger than the main bath at the Xie family’s main residence, with steam rising from it.
Lingbi stepped forward to help Zhen Wenjun undress. Zhen Wenjun knew she definitely wanted to check the birthmark on her body. Pretending to be shy and resisting a little, she then allowed Lingbi to proceed. As expected, Lingbi’s gaze casually swept over Zhen Wenjun’s collarbone, where she saw the “birthmark” that A Jiao had long since created. Collecting the clothes, Lingbi asked, “Would you like me to assist you with your bath, young lady?”
Zhen Wenjun hurriedly shook her head and said, “No need to trouble you, sister. I can manage on my own.”
After Lingbi left, Zhen Wenjun immersed herself in the hot spring. Wrapped in warmth, she finally dared to let her guard down a bit. She recalled a winter when she was still at the Xie residence in Suichuan. She and Ah Xun, who disliked practicing martial arts, ran out together to find the legendary mountain hot spring, where they bathed and played together. Crystal-like snowflakes fell on their heads, and the steam from the hot spring blurred their vision. At that time, even as a gardener at the Xie residence, she could stay by Ah Xun and her mother’s side, which was such happiness. Where are they now, and are they safe?
The longing made her nose tingle. She swam back and forth in the large pool twice, secretly observing if anyone was watching. She didn’t see anyone, but a few birds, stuffed like round balls, perched on the branches, tilting their heads to look at her.
After the bath, Lingbi dressed her in new clothes that had the same woody fragrance as Wei Zizhuo. Lingbi carefully dried and styled her long washed hair and prepared a table full of sumptuous dishes. The chicken soup and vegetables looked exceptionally appetizing. Having just experienced a terrifying bloody disaster, Zhen Wenjun didn’t have much appetite. However, if she were truly a disaster victim living a hard life, she wouldn’t be indifferent to such a table of dishes. With Lingbi watching, she had to fully immerse herself in the role of “Zhen Wenjun.” So she forced herself to eat, even though she felt nauseous. Lingbi, standing by, handed her a napkin and lightly and leisurely reminded her:
“Young lady, eat slowly. There’s no rush; there’s more after you finish. Don’t choke. Oh dear, you got food on your face. Ah, when will this famine finally end?”
After Zhen Wenjun had cleared the table of food, Lingbi led her outside.
“Sister Lingbi, what are we going to do?” Zhen Wenjun asked.
“We’re going to see the Lady. Our Lady has been waiting for a long time.”
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It was already very late, and Zhen Wenjun was actually very tired. But the moment she heard the word “Lady,” she immediately perked up.
Isn’t Wei Zizhuo supposed to be physically weak? Why is she still not sleeping so late? Could it be that she thinks the late night, when one is tired, is the easiest time to reveal flaws? So meeting at this moment might be a trap to extract information.
Zhen Wenjun pinched her thigh hard and gathered all her energy, following Lingbi through the meticulously cleaned and maintained long corridor.
The dim lights on both sides of the corridor reflected on her face, and suddenly she saw the full moon in the sky, reminding her of her mother’s most cherished Mid-Autumn Festival (a traditional festival celebrating the harvest and the full moon).
Her mother said that although the two of them, mother and daughter, were dependent on each other and living under someone else’s roof, as long as they were together, wherever they were, that place was home.
Stepping on the exquisitely crafted white oak-colored floor tiles felt like walking on the edge of a blade.
She walked with steady steps and a determined gaze, a fire burning in her chest.
In the brightly lit main courtyard at the center of the corridor lay a beast that had devoured many lives.
That beast was her prey.
