Chapter 24 024[VIP]

Shi Qingruo raised her eyebrows slightly. "If I didn't know Master Su's character, that would sound like flirting."

But Su Mengzhen clearly wasn't.

The night breeze rustled the strands of hair at the beauty's temples. As she reached out to gently stroke them, the silver jade bracelet on her wrist reflected the moonlight, casting a faint glow on her face, making the beauty mark on the side of her nose even more vivid.

Su Mengzhen looked slightly dazed, but her words were straightforward: "Ever since meeting Madam Shi, I've had a recurring dream."

Shi Qingruo's expression remained the same as always. "What kind of dream?"

Su Mengzhen couldn't describe it.

In that fragmented and hazy dream, the "Shi Qingruo" he had seen was similar to the one before him, yet different.

For example, she didn't wear her hair in a bun, as she did now, as the wife of the Holy Lord of the Misty Heaven Alliance. Nor did she wear the short, tight-fitting clothes common on the jianghu, instead wearing a brocaded silk dress that wouldn't be suitable for combat.

She also didn't act businesslike as she did now. Instead, she lazily leaned against the couch, chewing a candied torreya, and asked a question the Shi Qingruo in her dream would never ask: "What kind of girl does Master Su like?"

The man in her dream replied, "Beautiful, intelligent, and kind-hearted."

"Shi Qingruo" smiled. "In that case, your right-hand man, Yang Wuxie, quite possibly fits all three of those criteria. There's no doubt he shares your ideals."

Su Mengzhen was speechless when "Shi Qingruo" approached him. "Master Su, you have to understand clearly what it means to be compatible and what it means to like..."

"...Master Su?"

Su Mengzhen was brought back to reality by the voice.

The moonlight was slightly chilly, casting a thin layer of frost on Shi Qingruo's face, making her face, which should have been as beautiful as a peach, appear even brighter than spring snow.

Thinking about why he had been invited here today, he suppressed the words he was about to say. "I apologize for being so abrupt. I'll have someone investigate the matter of Wen Xue'an and Bai Choufei's meeting as soon as possible to prevent any complications."

Shi Qingruo raised the corner of her lips slightly. "Then I'll await Master Su's good news."

These words were spoken lightly. After Su Mengzhen disappeared from her sight, Shi Qingruo's previously calm expression was tinged with hesitation.

For a moment, her gaze remained fixed in one direction:

the direction of the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower on Tianquan Mountain.

At first, she had assumed that, although she had traveled through time with the system's cheat code, the world she had arrived in simply had a similar background to the game, allowing her to put some of the intelligence she had previously gathered to use. There was no actual "player" intervention to cause any deviation from her course.

Su Mengzhen's question sent a cold sweat down her spine.

If Su Mengzhen could see another development in her dreams, what would her current situation be?

Guan Qi followed silently behind her, his steady, near-silent steps reassuring to the ears.

When Shi Qingruo opened her game panel, she saw the steadily decreasing duration of her "white moonlight," as if it wouldn't disappear due to any external influence, providing complete assurance to her, a time traveler.

However, no matter how confused she felt about Su Mengzhen's question, the game customer service sign had already dimmed, showing no sign of lighting up to answer her questions. The

only changes were the number of her subordinates and their strength from her arrival in Bianjing to the present.

This offered some comfort.

If Su Mengzhen's interactions with her, or her altering of the plot, had slowly activated another memory, there was no guarantee that others wouldn't be affected as well.

The owner of the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower had at least managed to put his country first. While not always impeccable, he still maintained a moral compass, which was why she had fooled him with just one act.

But some people... weren't so easily dealt with.

Especially Gongzi Yu, who had reorganized the Qinglong Society, a major underground gang, and practically represented the emergence of a new hidden leader in the martial arts world. He wasn't so easy to deal with.

Shi Qingruo hadn't forgotten how, during the round she'd been trying to capture Gongzi Yu, his favorability remained at 99, from his apprenticeship on the island to his rise to leader of the Qinglong Society, unwavering, no matter what happened.

It wasn't until she, with the motto "If you want eternal life, you must face death head-on," personally pierced Gongzi Yu's heart with her own sword that her favorability unexpectedly reached full strength.

In a game, this would probably be called "failed to capture him, so why not kill him directly?" At most, she'd found an excuse before killing him...

If that memory were synchronized to reality...

Shi Qingruo looked up at the sky.

Even though the moon was bright tonight, she had a foreboding feeling.

She had to find a way to eliminate the destabilizing factors in Bianjing City, thereby strengthening herself and simultaneously increasing her own strength.

How could a bodyguard who couldn't be retained for a long time compare to her own strength?

After figuring this out, her initial panic subsided, and there was no trace of it.

At least when she entered the Misty Heaven Alliance's headquarters, from Wang Xiaoshi's perspective, she had her hands tucked into her sleeves, as if she was enjoying the flowers under the moonlight. It wasn't until she noticed the figure standing in the courtyard with a sword that she was suddenly startled.

If Guan Qi hadn't reached out and supported her, she might have really taken a step back at the sudden appearance of the figure.

Shi Qingruo reached out and rubbed her chest. "Sixth Saint Master, could you please stop being so elusive? Why are you here, up late at night, blocking the door?"

She had been contemplating her next plan, particularly whether she should use the personnel from the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower to investigate the recent movements of Baiyun City and the Azure Dragon Society, when Wang Xiaoshi startled her.

The young man before her pursed his lips, as if, by comparison, she was the one who had done something wrong.

Wang Xiaoshi lowered his gaze to the curved hilt of the sword in his arms and replied, "I'm not the only one who's been elusive and awake tonight."

"Someone who should have been recuperating in the Misty Heaven Alliance is not in his room, but has sneaked out. Someone who also has no need to be out at this dangerous time has gone for a walk. Can't I be here?"

Shi Qingruo took Guan Qi's arm. "It's not that dangerous."

Wang Xiaoshi's forehead jumped. "Madam Shi, there's no need to change the subject. I'm just not perceptive, but I'm not stupid. You two should leave one after the other, and don't tell me we agreed to go for an outing in the countryside."

He had originally intended to check on Bai Choufei's injuries, in case the antidote Tang Ling had seemingly cured the poison might actually have hidden dangers.

However, he saw Bai Choufei carefully avoiding the Misty Heaven Alliance guards and leaving his residence.

Following him were Shi Qingruo, Guan Qi, and Su Mengzhen.

He suppressed his curiosity and didn't follow, but that didn't mean he had no desire to learn more.

The reason why he didn't move before was simply because he was afraid that if he rashly followed him, it would ruin Shi Qingruo's plan.

Now that both the first person to leave and the person who had chased him had returned, he was determined to get to the bottom of it.

He'd seen the poor man's injuries at the Yellow Crane Tower in Hubei being caused by someone, and he'd been determined to get to the bottom of it, to find the culprit. He was just as stubborn now.

"Is Bai Choufei...doing something inappropriate?" Wang Xiaoshi asked solemnly.

Shi Qingruo released the hand that was using Guan Qi as a shield, and carefully looked at Wang Xiaoshi's expression, and slowly asked: "Why do you think that he did something wrong, and we don't want to plot against him?"

Wang Xiaoshi's young face was full of mixed emotions: "I came to the capital with him."

Shi Qingruo nodded: "I know this."

"Then Madam Shi should also know that when we first came to Bianjing, we had nowhere to seek promotion. In order to wait for the opportunity, we could only live in Bianjing City temporarily, and we had to arrange our own food, clothing, housing and transportation. One sold calligraphy and paintings on the street, and the other worked as an apprentice in a pharmacy." Wang Xiaoshi paused, then continued, "Life has been stretched to this point, and naturally there is no way we can have much spare money to afford another house."

Anyway, he and Bai Choufei are two men, so they save as much as they can.

"I've heard him talk in his sleep, or say some strange things. But at the time, I couldn't make out what they were, and I didn't take them seriously."

Wang Xiaoshi clutched the Wanliu Qijian a little tighter. "The first time I became suspicious of him was the first mission Madam Master assigned us. Before escorting Huo Xiu to the capital, I saw he'd secretly kept a copy of the Qingyi Tower's roster. Unfortunately, the Six Gates intervened, rather than the Misty Heaven Alliance handling the situation. Even if he had the roster, it would have been useless." "

The second time was when he asked the alliance members to go out and buy food for him. I know he's an extremely ambitious man, but he values money and sex over words. If he wants to quickly become one of the Five Saints of the Misty Heaven Alliance, as Madam Master hopes, there are some things he shouldn't do."

As he spoke, a hint of pain flashed in his eyes.

The sect he had apprenticed to was not as prosperous as others, with only a handful of members. Even he himself rarely set foot outside of Baixu Garden.

So when he stepped out into the martial arts world, he only felt that everything was interesting, and everyone was interesting.

For someone like Bai Choufei who had been through thick and thin with him, he was not only willing to call him "big brother", but also more willing to trust him.

But it seemed... things were always a little different from what he thought.

The young man standing in the courtyard was handsome and talented. If he had worked hard, he would not have had such a small reputation in the city of Bianjing.

Shi Qingruo also saw the situation on the ring that day very clearly. She even had some doubts. Tang Ling chose to challenge Bai Choufei because Wang Xiaoshi was a tougher scum than Bai Choufei.

But he was just like his ordinary and simple name, preferring to be a stone that moved forward steadily.

Shi Qingruo sighed, "If you hadn't discovered it, I would have kept it a secret for a while longer, but you've already discovered it. If I still want to hide it from you, it means I don't regard you as a capable and mature knight in the martial arts world. But I want to ask you a question first-" "

What would you do if Bai Choufei really did something against the will of heaven and earth?"

Wang Xiaoshi did not answer the question directly. "When my master first taught me sword, he thought I was too soft-hearted and would never amount to anything great. Even when I saw someone killing a fish, I felt the pain of the fish. In fact, I shouldn't practice martial arts at all." "

He said that a true martial arts master must be as ruthless as the world and as calm as still water. But it's strange that when I mastered the Acacia Blade and the Wanliu Sword and left for my apprenticeship, he gave me four words, which are called human life is of paramount importance."①

He didn't continue, but Shi Qingruo heard it clearly. This was Wang Xiaoshi's answer.

"Since that's the case, I'd like to trouble the Sixth Saint Master to do something. Before that..." Shi Qingruo gazed at the still-clear moonlight in the courtyard and the young man clutching a sword beneath it, saying, "I'll explain everything clearly."

...

Guan Chun had always been observant, and after becoming Guan Chun from Lei Chun and joining the Misty Heaven Alliance, she couldn't miss even the slightest change.

She was also a master at judging people.

When she met Wang Xiaoshi again a few days later, she noticed that the Sixth Saint Master, a fixture of the Misty Heaven Alliance, seemed to have changed.

Although he remained his usual cheerful and generous demeanor, having made many friends within the alliance, he would listen intently when he heard them talk, occasionally cracking a joke. But Guan Chun sensed that Wang Xiaoshi was... quite different from when they first met on the river.

"People always change, but no matter how long you stare at Xiao Shitou, he can't understand that you left us without saying goodbye on the boat that day, leaving only a tearful note on the boat. In fact, you were playing the emotional card with Bai Choufei."

Guan Chun was shocked and turned his gaze back to the present, then met Shi Qingruo's playful expression.

Shi Qingruo suddenly lowered her head again and continued to flip through the account book in front of her nonchalantly, "There's no need to be so nervous, I don't mean to bring up the past with you. You also admitted that you were not a rich lady returning home at that time, but one of the leaders of the Liufenbantang who was in trouble with the Mi Tian League. At that time, you were each serving your own master, and no one would say anything wrong even if someone shot a sneak attack on you."

"But now, Xiao Shitou is one of the holy masters of the Mi Tian League, and you are the eldest daughter of my Mi Tian League. You are considered to be from the same side. You should work together instead of doing useless things."

Guan Chun smiled softly: "What if I just care about the mood of my friends, or the mood of the members of the Mi Tian League?"

"Then your skills are still not good enough." Shi Qingruo replied gently, as if she was not angry at all about this spying and overstepping her authority, "You see, in order to express my love for my daughter, I just asked someone to change your seat and refreshments, but I won't stare at you all the time."

Hearing the four words "love for my daughter", Guan Chun almost couldn't breathe.

"Am I wrong?" Shi Qingruo raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Fang Geyin was tricked out of the capital by his adopted son, and now he's back, and Fang Yingkan, a man with ulterior motives, is there to greet him. Even with so many people watching, he still praises the deep father-son love. I feel I'm much more capable than he is at raising children, so why can't I brag about it?"

"..." Guan Chun was speechless.

She had been forced into the Misty Heaven Alliance before, and it was almost impossible to say she had completely given up some of her thoughts. It wouldn't be wrong to say she had ulterior motives.

Now, suddenly being compared to Fang Yingkan by Shi Qingruo, she felt the account book in her hands burn.

But the momentary surprise was overshadowed by another incident. "You said, the great hero Fang is back in Bianjing again?"

Shi Qingruo nodded. "Yes, he's back."

Fang Geyin had returned to the capital earlier than she had expected.

Aside from Fang Yingkan, who had received the letter from his adoptive father earlier, no one else had received the news earlier.

Upon returning to the Marquis of Shentong's mansion, Fang Geyin no longer possessed the imposing and heroic bearing he had possessed during his last visit to Bianjing.

Days of travel had left a trace of fatigue and frosting on his face, and beside him, Sang Xiao'e looked even more haggard.

Though she had used makeup to mask the marks, it was still clear that there was a hint of redness around her eyes.

Fang Geyin pressed his hand against his forehead, unable to deny his age.

In his youth, he'd been hunted and surrounded by enemies, poisoned by strange poisons, yet still encounter countless adventures and achieve remarkable feats. He'd never felt tired. But now, he truly felt that even with his reputation as a great hero, there were still many things he couldn't achieve.

For example, nearly six months had passed since the Changkong Gang massacre, and with no survivors from the gang, the perpetrators remained unknown to this day.

He'd intended to conceal the incident from Sang Xiao'e until the perpetrators were tracked down, but ultimately failed, earning him considerable resentment from his partner.

Just as he felt his headache ease, Fang Yingkan swiftly approached and abruptly knelt before him.

Fang Geyin exclaimed in surprise, "Xiaokan, what are you doing?"

Fang Yingkan's kneeling made Fang Geyin realize that her adopted son's complexion wasn't much better than theirs; he looked just as horribly haggard.

He was handsome, his eyes, once a pair of distinct black and white, were now bloodshot.

Facing Fang Geyin's sudden worried look at him, Fang Yingkan suddenly smiled, a smile of relief.

"Don't worry, godfather. Nothing happened to me. It's just that I've been investigating some things recently and haven't slept well for a while."

He hurriedly crawled forward a few steps and got closer to Fang Geyin, "But I finally lived up to your cultivation and found out something extremely important!"

Fang Geyin wanted to say that it would be better to wait until Fang Yingkan had a good rest before talking about this matter, but he heard his sonorous words, "It has a lot to do with the Changkong Gang bloody case."

Before Fang Geyin could react, Sang Xiao'e, who was sitting on the side, stood up quickly, stretched out her hand to pull Fang Yingkan up, "What did you say?"

"I..." Fang Yingkan took a breath, his eyes full of sadness and anger, "I found a person who is very likely the culprit of the demise of the Changkong Gang! But the entire Changkong Gang was wiped out, and I have nowhere to find evidence of accusation. I can only wait until my godfather and godmother return to Beijing before I dare to tell them everything."

"Don't worry, I'll tell you everything." Sang Xiao'e said hurriedly.

Not to mention that she couldn't see originally that Fang Yingkan had evil ambitions. Now, because of her concern, she couldn't see even more. Fang Yingkan's pitiful appearance was actually a disguise. His behavior after "finding the real murderer" was also deduced many times by him and Mi Youqiao.

Fang Yingkan continued, "After my adoptive father and mother left Beijing, the Mi Tian League came to my door, suspecting that I had secretly hidden someone from the Liufenbantang. However, they later discovered that I had not done anything, so they sent an invitation to mend the relationship between the two parties. This invitation invites me to the Mi Tian League to watch a ceremony and see how their two new disciples who have made great contributions overpower the other disciples in the league and take over the vacant positions of the Five Saint Masters and Sixth Saint Masters." "

My face was damaged at that time, and I didn't want to go at first, but when I thought of my adoptive father's teachings, I felt that, on the one hand, we should not underestimate the ruffians in the Mi Tian League, who would be arrogant just because they had the support of the Tianyu Sword Sect. On the other hand, some misunderstandings had to be resolved. In the end, I chose to go."

"You did the right thing." Fang Geyin praised.

He could hear a hint of resentment in Fang Yingkan's words when he mentioned the attack. He could also see that Xiaokan's cheek, despite the use of the finest medicine and internal energy, hadn't fully healed, leaving deep and shallow marks.

For Fang Yingkan, who always valued his appearance, this was definitely a significant blow.

However, according to Fang Yingkan, he didn't hold a grudge. Instead, to clear up the misunderstanding, he accepted the invitation from the Misty Heaven Alliance, which was a good move.

Fang Geyin pressed on, "What does this have to do with the Changkong Gang bloodbath you mentioned?"

Fang Yingkan's face was as gloomy as water. "I didn't think there was any connection between them, but in the arena fight over at the Mitian League, Tang Ling from the Shuzhong Tang Clan suddenly showed up and forced one of the contenders for the Saint Lord position to use all his strength. The finger technique he used was adapted from the Changkong Divine Finger!"

Almost the next moment after Sang Xiao'e said this, she grabbed Fang Yingkan's arm and asked sternly, "Are you sure you didn't see it wrong?"

But before Fang Yingkan could answer, the light that suddenly appeared in Sang Xiao'e's eyes suddenly dimmed. "No...similarities in martial arts don't count. In the early years, there was a finger technique called the Six Meridians Divine Sword that was circulated in Dali, which is similar in nature to the Changkong Divine Finger. You haven't really practiced this martial art, so you can't easily draw a conclusion."

Sang Xiao'e became increasingly powerless as she spoke, and slowly loosened her hand.

Fang Geyin hugged her from behind, preventing her from collapsing.

But a line of clear tears once again flowed down her cheeks.

"Adoptive mother!" Fang Yingkan's concerned face jumped into Sang Xiao'e's blurred vision. He defended himself, "If I had only guessed and felt that the martial arts were similar, how could I dare to report it to you. After I returned home, I still felt that there were many problems with this person's moves, so I hurriedly asked someone to investigate his background, so as not to wrongly accuse a good person. This investigation actually found out something."

"This Bai Choufei is 28 years old this year, but five years ago, his name was Bai Ming. He once killed more than ten enemy generals in the north and commanded more than 10,000 soldiers. Who knew that this person was greedy for merit and advancement, and fell into the enemy's trap by mistake. Thousands of elite soldiers were lost overnight, and he became a wanted criminal by the Ministry of War!" "

What?" Fang Geyin was shocked.

"In just five short years, Bai Choufei's appearance and figure can be changed, but there are always some characteristics that cannot be completely erased. I made a special trip to find someone from the Ministry of War to identify him, and only then did I confirm this. If it weren't for the fact that his superiors at the time also made mistakes in decision-making and had other bigger mistakes, he would have been executed by now, the wanted notice for him has been withdrawn, and he is now in jail."

Fang Yingkan gritted his teeth and continued, "So I followed this clue and found that it was not the first time for him to change his name and identity and return to the underworld. Before this, he had actually used the names Bai Youmeng, Bai Youjin, Bai Jinlong, and Bai Gaotang, and each time he appeared, his martial arts skills would be higher than the last time."

"Then he..."

"He did go to the Changkong Gang, but at that time, his name was not Bai Choufei, but Bai Yicheng!" Fang Yingkan's eyebrows had become more stern when he said this, "This name should have been mentioned in the letter that Gang Leader Mei wrote to his adoptive mother."

"Yes... I've heard of it," Sang Xiao'e murmured.

The name did sound familiar. She vaguely remembered Mei Xingfei mentioning it in a letter to her two years ago, saying he'd found a promising young man in the gang.

But the Changkong Gang was the leading gang in Hubei, with a steady stream of promising newcomers joining every day. There was no shortage of one or two. Later letters hadn't mentioned the man's name, and she had forgotten about it.

But now, Fang Yingkan had suddenly dug it up.

As if knowing what kind of questions Sang Xiao'e and Fang Geyin might raise, Fang Yingkan's tone was urgent and quick, "Do you remember, among the guards you left for me, some were from the Changkong Gang. In order to prevent myself from accusing the wrong person, I asked them to go secretly to identify him. Unfortunately, they came to my side three or four years ago, and it is impossible for them to have met someone who joined the Changkong Gang only two years ago." "

I thought the clues had been cut off here, but who knew, maybe Gang Leader Mei is still in heaven and he insisted on letting the real murderer of his murderer surface. The people who explored the Mitian League accidentally discovered that there was a person in the Mitian League who was very close to Bai Choufei. He was introduced to the League after he returned from business in Shanxi. And this person's name is Liang He, and he used to be a member of the Changkong Gang!"

Fang Yingkan said word by word, "He is indeed not among the remains of the Changkong Gang."

He wasn't there, not because his body had been poisoned, making it impossible to see its true form, or because he had been thrown into the river and lost to the fish and shrimp. It was simply because he and Bai Choufei were in cahoots, and he was Bai Choufei's accomplice.

Sang Xiao'e's lips trembled, and a ringing in her ears made her speechless.

Her instinct told her that she should be patient and investigate the matter piece by piece, just as Fang Yingkan had. If she couldn't investigate Bai Choufei directly, then she could investigate Liang He first. In any case, having a clue would be infinitely better than groping in the dark.

But when she thought of Uncle Mei, who had cared for her so much, having died so tragically, and of the Changkong Gang, which had been like home to her, being destroyed overnight, and of the murderer who had transformed herself and the Changkong Divine Finger, she couldn't suppress the rage that surged within her.

No, it wasn't just anger, it was also the flames of hatred!

She pushed Fang Geyin aside. "I'll just go to the Misty Heaven Alliance. Why bother? We'll know if it's the Sky Divine Finger after a try!"

Sang Xiao'e's skills were already impressive, and now, enraged, she'd barely finished her words before she'd already vanished. Before Fang Geyin could stop her, she'd soared into the air, vanishing from sight.

"Foster mother—" Fang Yingkan's expression suddenly changed. "You can't go,"

he said anxiously to Fang Geyin. "Foster mother left too quickly. I didn't have time to tell her! Bai Choufei came to the capital from Hubei, and so did the wife of the Saint Master of the Misty Heaven Alliance. Even more bizarre, you and your foster mother both knew about Wen Xiaobai's relationship with Guan Qi, and yet she's now missing. Guan Qi hasn't even come to meet her, and instead... I wonder if he's been bewitched by the demon woman, but the invisible sword energy that innately breaks through his body also carries traces of the Sky Divine Finger."

Fang Yingkan spoke with such conviction that even those familiar with him couldn't tell he was lying.

Fang Geyin, who already trusted him, was no exception.

Needless to say, he was exhausted from his previous travels, and now, worried about his beloved wife's well-being, his mind was in turmoil. How could he possibly have the energy to discern truth from falsehood?

Upon hearing Fang Yingkan's words, he dared not hesitate and immediately ran after him.

Fang Yingkan exchanged a glance with the young eunuch standing nearby and followed him. "Godfather, I'll go with you!"

...

The Misty Heaven Alliance was bustling with activity at that moment.

Bai Choufei's injuries, thanks to a consultation with renowned doctors and his own formidable internal energy, had already healed by 90%.

To prevent further complications, after Shi Qingruo's inquiries, he decided to postpone the inconclusive competition to today.

At most, he would have to go through one more formality, and he would truly take the position of Holy Leader of the Misty Heaven Alliance.

However, just when he was about to step onto the ring, a clear shout was heard in the distance, accompanied by two sword lights like the flapping wings of a silver swallow, flying from the sky above the crowd and slashing down directly at his head.

Bai Choufei raised his eyes suddenly, and saw Sang Xiaoe's two daggers coming towards him!