Chapter 189: Burning Love Threads
A fine, silken rain drifted through the backyard of Tianshui Inn.
Xue Sui, wrapped in a dark cyan cloak, stepped over the slippery moss and turned down a corridor, finally stopping at a door with grey tiles and white walls.
The octagonal eaves lantern under the corridor illuminated her fair face, making her appear exceptionally cold.
“Dong—dong—dong—”
Three long, two short.
The door creaked open halfway in the sound of the rain.
The High Priest Amun Rah’s face was hidden in shadow, his brow furrowed, but the redness in his eyes could not be concealed.
“Young Lady, please come in.”
He stepped aside, inviting Xue Sui into the inner room.
The room was filled with the pungent aroma of strong liquor.
Alimu, kneeling to the side, and two Xizi attendants bowed and quietly withdrew.
Amun Rah invited her to sit, “Young Lady, have you brought Princess Saina’s Jade Pendant?”
Xue Sui nodded and sat down, gently pushing the Jade Pendant to the center of the desk.
Just as Amun Rah reached for it, she pressed it down with her palm.
“This is Princess Wen Jia’s souvenir. High Priest may examine it, but you cannot take it away.”
With that, a faint smile touched her lips, she released her hand, and made an elegant gesture of invitation.
“The golden finch of Xizi should not die in the golden cage of Shangjing,” Amun Rah said, his voice choked with emotion as he picked up the broken Jade Pendant with trembling hands.
“Princess Saina… before she passed, did she leave any instructions…”
“Before her death, the Princess thought of the sand jujube flowers in Chishui City and did not have time to leave any last words.”
Xue Sui’s voice was soft, like falling snow, yet carried an undeniable firmness.
“The true culprit who murdered Princess Saina is King Xizi, Ashina.”
Sparks flew from the brazier, flickering and casting an unsteady light on the pain on Amun Rah’s face.
He seemed to age ten years in an instant.
“Young girl, you are very wise and have seen through my predicament. You also know the great risk I am taking by entering Daliang. However, the internal strife within Xizi should be resolved by us, the descendants of the Wolf Tribe, ourselves. Although Ashina and I have our differences, I will not be easily manipulated by you into becoming a chess piece for others to use against him.”
“Princess Saina died because of the High Priest,” Xue Sui said, her words concise and powerful as she looked at him.
“If it weren’t for the High Priest’s sudden arrival in Shangjing and his assistance to Princess Wen Jia in rescuing Consort Wan, none of this would have happened.”
Amun Rah trembled all over, as if struck by a heavy hammer.
He couldn’t understand why such a frail, young girl possessed such resolute courage.
Xue Sui met his gaze and continued, “King Xizi fears not Princess Saina, but you, High Priest. He fears you will use Princess Saina’s name to foster good relations with Daliang and then, in league with the old Xizi clans, overthrow his throne. That is why he took her life and abducted Niu Niu as a threat…”
Amun Rah gave a bitter laugh, his aged face flickering in the candlelight. “You say all this, wanting to use my hand to sever King Xizi’s head. If Princess Saina knew from the underworld, would she thank you or hate you?”
“Whether you hate me or thank me, it doesn’t matter.”
Xue Sui smiled dismissively.
“Since I promised Princess Wen Jia that I would avenge Consort Wan and retrieve Niu Niu, I will certainly keep my word.”
“What a sharp tongue!” Amun Rah raised an eyebrow, a complex look flashing in his eyes. “Don’t you know that Xizi Death Warriors are all over Shangjing, omnipresent, and each one fears no death, making them extremely difficult to deal with?”
“I am also difficult to deal with,” Xue Sui replied.
Amun Rah threw his head back and laughed, his voice desolate and helpless.
“Young Lady, your actions this time are likely not solely for Princess Wen Jia, are they?”
Xue Sui nodded slightly, her gaze distant, as if she could see through these walls to a place far beyond reach.
“For the common people under heaven, for justice and righteousness, and for Princess Saina’s unfulfilled dream of returning home…”
With that, she flicked her sleeve, and a piece of plain paper quietly slid down.
On the paper, densely written in small, neat characters, was:
“Ashina ordered Death Warriors to set fire to the West Market, attempting to disrupt the livelihood of Daliang.”
Amun Rah narrowed his eyes. “Young Lady, what exactly do you want me to do?”
Xue Sui did not reveal her entire plan to Amun Rah, only uttering two simple words.
“Subdue the barbarians.”
To subdue the barbarians meant to cleanse foreign aggression, restore order, and bring peace back to the world.
Veins bulged on the back of Amun Rah’s clenched hand. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll betray you and send word to Ashina? After all, we Xizi people are all descendants of the Wolf Tribe, bound by blood…”
“High Priest, you have spent your entire life seeking peace for Xizi. You would not bear to see the Xizi people become sacrifices to Ashina’s ambition.”
Xue Sui slowly stood up, adjusted her cloak, and her gaze fell upon the dim, swaying light of the lanterns outside the window. A faint smile curved her lips.
“You also would not fail the spirit of the old King of Xizi.”
–
After bidding farewell to Amun Rah, Xue Sui boarded the carriage back to her mansion.
As the carriage wheels bumped along the blue stone slab road, she suddenly felt a surge in her chest, as if a tempest was raging within her. She quickly pinched her palm with her fingertips, barely managing to steady her emotions.
Xiao Zhao, seeing her pale face and the cold sweat beading on her forehead, was filled with worry.
“Young Lady, are you feeling unwell?”
Xue Sui shook her head and, forcing herself to speak, said, “We’ll discuss it when we get back to the mansion. Hurry…”
After returning from Pu Ji Temple, Xue Sui had gone back to the Xue Mansion.
Xue Ji was ill, and Old Madam Cui was also in low spirits. She had found an excuse to stay, and Li Huan pretended not to know, not sending anyone to rush her.
As soon as she returned to Li Xiang Courtyard, Xue Sui summoned Jinshu, pressed her throbbing temples, and asked in a low voice.
“Has there been any news from Senior Sister Yuheng?”
For the past two days, she had felt her qi and blood unstable, suspecting a backlash from the Love Silk Lure. She had asked Jinshu to find Yuheng.
Jinshu nodded, hastily supporting her feverish back, clutching a prescription in her hand.
“Yes. This maidservant received a reply from Miss Yuheng, and also got the medicine according to the prescription she gave. It was just brewed when you returned…”
Xue Sui unfolded the prescription.
On the plain paper, she saw Yuheng’s familiar handwriting.
“Love Silk burns, desire ignites. This prescription can alleviate the Gu Poison. I will visit you after I finish my work. Do not worry.”
“Where is Senior Sister?” Xue Sui stared at the ink smudges on the prescription, her fingertips trembling slightly.
Jinshu shook her head and replied truthfully, “This maidservant does not know.”
Xue Sui frowned thoughtfully. “Did Senior Sister mention what she was busy with?”
Jinshu lowered her head. “No, she only said she was busy.”
Xue Sui’s fingertips gently stroked the edge of the paper, and she suddenly sighed, “Senior Sister Yuheng is deliberately avoiding me.”
She wasn’t guessing; her tone was certain.
From the age of eight to Old Mausoleum Swamp, she had known Yuheng for ten years, living and eating together for eight years.
If there wasn’t something she was hiding from her, she wouldn’t deliberately avoid her, let alone use “busyness” as an excuse.
“Bring the medicine up,” Xue Sui ordered.
“Yes,” Jinshu replied.
The aroma of the medicine wafted, lingering in her nostrils, still quite hot.
Xue Sui gently blew on the rim of the bowl. Just as she picked up the spoon, she suddenly heard a faint sound of tiles shifting.
Her heartstrings instantly tensed, and she instinctively gripped the signal arrow in her sleeve.
A moment later, Tianshu leaned against the doorframe, his posture upright, the Ling Qiong Flute in his hand glinting coldly.
“Senior Brother?”
Xue Sui’s hand, stirring the medicine, suddenly stopped, a slight surprise on her face.
“Why are you here?”
“I received news that King Xizi intends to send troops to Daliang using Princess Saina’s death as a pretext. To echo King Xizi’s mobilization, the Xizi Death Warriors’ activities in Shangjing will become even more rampant, involving murder, arson, attacking officials, and creating chaos…”
Tianshu walked closer and felt the heat of her medicine bowl.
“Ping An, where are you feeling unwell?”
“Senior Brother,” Xue Sui did not answer his question. Instead, she suddenly let go, and the spoon fell into the porcelain bowl with a clear clink. “Master once said that the chess game at Old Mausoleum Swamp would take a hundred years to resolve.”
She raised her eyes and looked into Tianshu’s calm eyes.
“But I can’t wait any longer.”
“What do you intend to do?” Tianshu asked.
“Three days from now, when the Xizi Merchant Caravan crosses the Yongding River—”
Xue Sui gently pushed the celadon bowl away. The water stain on the stone table from the tea resembled a winding riverbed.
“I want this shipment to turn into yellow sand.”
According to intelligence from Old Mausoleum Swamp, that shipment from the Xizi Merchant Caravan was meticulously planned by King Xizi and carried a large amount of gunpowder into the city.
Tianshu’s Ling Qiong Flute tapped at a certain spot on the water stain.
“The river patrol inspector is Prince Duan’s man—”
He lowered his voice and added, “Consort Zhang, Prince Duan’s Mansion’s Consort’s elder brother.”
“So, this time, Consort Zhang will have to make a move,” Xue Sui said with a smile, picking up the medicine bowl, stirring it a few times, and drinking it down in one gulp.
Immediately after, in front of Tianshu, she dipped her brush in ink, wrote a secret letter, folded it carefully, and handed it to Xiao Zhao.
“Deliver it to the Eastern Palace quickly.”
