Chapter 58
Watchers of the Night
Yue Qi held the head of the black ninja, who looked pale but was breathing heavily. He removed the black ninja's mask and finally revealed his face. Yue Qi quickly tore open his clothes and examined the wound on his chest, where he found the same jade pendant like his, serving as a lifesaver for the young black ninja.
Yue Qi finally remembered the young brother he had left 12 years ago at Shangxi Port, Luoyang Shaolin Temple. How could he forget the jade he had given to his brother?
With no other choice but to save his brother, Yue Qi decided to turn back to Master Xie's wooden house. Zuo Zong's wound was not deep, but it still needed first aid to prevent infection.
After two days at Master Xie's, Chu Qiao left the Cangwu bird with him and said, "Master Xie, I cannot tell you the stories you would like to hear yet, but please take care of this bird for me. I will come back for it when everything is settled."
Master Xie, with his narrow eyes, did not object and took the bird. His calm expression reassured Chu Qiao that everything would be alright.
Chu Qiao, dressed in a half-hooded poncho and an ordinary dress, set off with uncertainty in her heart. As she listened to her horse's hooves echoing through the cold forest, she couldn't help but think about what she had done by leaving her husband's lodge.
Chu Qiao had never been so bold and certain of one thing: to return to the world of endless war, don her Xuili General uniform, and show the world who the true victor was. But at the same time, she thought of crushing Wei and bringing about its downfall by claiming the Wei crown princess position and ousting Xiao Yu's puppet.
She knew her husband had been seduced and eventually fell into their traps.
Ra Yue didn't even bother to tell her or be honest, merely asking her to leave so she wouldn't find out what had happened. No further explanation was needed.
She smirked and said, "Well, guess what? You will regret what you've done! Soon, you'll know who your wife truly is!"
After crying alone in the cold forest, Chu Qiao picked herself up. Though her marriage had not been consummated, she still felt betrayed and used by Ra Yue.
She had many questions about him, particularly about his brother Yue Qi, who resembled Master Zuo. But she never gave herself the chance to truly know Ra Yue, despite his claim that she would be with him for a lifetime.
During her brief stay with Master Xie, she frequently visited the Fourth Young Master's tomb, learning intriguing stories and rumors about the Cenotaph of Yuwen Yue.
She felt anger towards the rumors in Wei regarding a maidservant, Xinger, whom people seemed to associate with Chu Qiao, now the Wei crown princess.
She believed these stories were false because the real Chu Qiao stood right in front of them, yet no one recognized her, and she did not introduce herself.
She listened quietly to their tales, and they reminded her of past memories. Like autumn leaves falling, her memories returned, and even the bird on her shoulder couldn't forget Yuwen Yue and Xinger.
Chu Qiao hadn't been the same since leaving Ra Yue. The weight of her emotions, combined with the stories she had heard, made her begin to believe that she was Xinger, the reason behind the Fourth Young Master's untimely death. She listened to the story repeatedly.
Somehow, it was this tragic tale that drew people to Yuwen Yue's cenotaph. The common folk were inspired by the belief that an esteemed aristocrat like him could fall in love with a humble maidservant, demonstrating his different nature compared to others in the aristocracy. He was known to treat his slaves in Greenhills Courtyard with unusual kindness.
In contrast, his infamous cousin Yuwen Huai, though approachable, dealt harshly with his slaves. However, the cold and distant Fourth Young Master was reclusive and rarely seen in public, yet he occasionally listened to his slaves' requests and granted favors, as he had done for Xinger.
Chu Qiao felt the reality of it all, desperate to end her sorrow and learn more about Xinger's connection to the Fourth Young Master. She asked herself,Am I really Xinger?
Once again, standing in the cold forest, she closed her eyes and, using her Hing Ba Na powers, the ability to accept or decline, she decided to go back in time to when the Fourth Young Master was still alive.
The flower tattoo on her back was once again beginning to disappear in a flicker of light, a sign that she was giving up her immortality and powers to regain her past memories.
Suddenly, Viper shouted, "No! Mimi Gongzhu, come back!"
Chu Qiao snapped back to the present, and all the flickering light froze, suspended like shattered red-glowing pieces.
As the floating shards hung in front of her eyes, she opened them.
In an instant, like a swirling motion surrounding her, Chu Qiao was transported back to the last stand at the frozen lake, granting her the wish to relive all her memories with Yuwen Yue. Vividly, she watched the scene unfold, recognizing Yuwen Yue.
Her teardrops fell.
Tonight, Chu Qiao realized she was the real Xinger, and the face of the man who had haunted her nightmares finally became clear. It was Yuwen Yue, the Fourth Young Master.
Then, the red, broken pieces of the Higanbana flower began to change color, turning black.
Slowly, they settled on her back.
Chu Qiao was losing her life, unable to control the flower's power.
She was dying, and the afterlife was waiting. Her pulse slowed, and then her heartbeat stopped.
Chu Qiao had already emptied herself of her mortal essence and lost the flow of "qi" in her body.
Viper acted quickly. She grabbed the last piece of the Higanbana flower that was settling on Chu Qiao's back and, cutting her own wrist, let her blood drip into it.
Suddenly, Chu Qiao's life force returned. Her pulse slowly revived until it reached her heart.
The Higanbana flower turned red again.
Her "qi" flow was restored, traveling upward as she regained her breath, with Viper still holding the last piece of the Higanbana flower.
Finally, Viper blew gently, and the beautiful red petals engraved themselves onto Chu Qiao's body.
The secret princess was revived, and her body began to glow in the pitch-black night.
Viper's power, bestowed upon her when she first entered this world and inhabited a mortal body, now transformed Chu Qiao into her true nature, one of the most powerful underworld spies. Her abilities surfaced, instinctively, as she helped Mimi Gongzhu.
Viper hadn't even known her power could do this until she used her blood to save Chu Qiao, suspending the last piece of the Higanbana flower before it could fully settle into Mimi Gongzhu's back.
Viper approached Chu Qiao to check her pulse. Having passed the dangerous flatline, she lifted the secret princess, placing her on her horse, and they rode back to the Xuili army.
Not so far, Yue Qi arrived at Master Xie's wooden house, carrying his brother, Zuo Zong, on his back. In a desperate whisper, he called out to the smoking old man, "I came back. You can kill me after, but please, before you do, help me save my brother."
Master Xie, who had anticipated this night, waited on a tree branch like a bird, then descended to the forest floor. Looking at Yue Qi, he said, "Only a fool flees and comes back here. You saw what happened earlier; no one leaves this place alive."
Yue Qi, sensing Master Xie's anger for fleeing earlier, begged, "I know now, but my brother is with me, and he is wounded. You can kill me afterward, just help him, please."
Tears filled Yue Qi's eyes as he knelt in front of Master Xie, gently laying Zuo down to rest. Although Yue Qi had temporarily stopped the bleeding, the wound needed antiseptic to prevent infection.
Master Xie, not wanting to be deceived again but intent on teaching Yue Qi a lesson, was about to strike him when a strong, cold presence countered the attack with a sword.
Master Xie felt the resistance, the cold wind blowing against his face as a powerful force disrupted his meridians, rendering him unable to strike back.
The man in the brown hood, made of canvas material, stood coldly, his eyes fixed not on Master Xie, but on the two men. "Master, I beg you, we need your urgent help. Please..." His cold eyes then shifted to Zuo's wound, inspecting how long it had been exposed. The sight of the injury caught Master Xie's attention, and he asked, "How long has he been stabbed?"
Yue Qi, not minding the stranger's cold but somehow familiar presence, answered, "Maybe five hours."
Master Xie, with calm eyes, stood still but knew the wound was at risk of infection, which could lead to complications.
Sheathing his sword, he took the pale young man's body into his wooden house.
The two men followed behind, and Yue Qi sensed something familiar about the cold man beside him but couldn't place who he was.
Master Xie calmly placed Zuo Zong on a wooden table, and just as he had done for Chu Qiao the night she was shot with a poisoned arrow, he treated Zuo using only fresh, natural medicines.
Master Xie's skill in cutting the wound, pouring the antiseptic, and stuffing herbs inside it provided a fascinating sight for the two onlookers.
Yue Qi couldn't contain his curiosity and remarked, "Amazing!"
The cold man beside him, with a measured tone, added, "He wraps it with the precision of an alchemist, prolonging life in the way of a Daoist master."
This second-level treatment was simple, yet it had the potential to extend life for fifty years or more.
Master Xie was suddenly struck by what he heard, the phrase "Daoist master's way" echoing in his mind.
Without warning, Master Xie unsheathed his sword and waved it in front of the cold man. Staring at him intently, he demanded, "Tianshi Dao, reveal yourself!"
The cold man, unable to hide his identity any longer, slowly removed his brown hood, revealing his face.
Yue Qi was shocked and immediately bowed before him, while Master Xie stood frozen, his icy stare fixed on the man. His sword slipped from his hand, dropping in the cold man's presence.
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