Chapter 5, Emotional Injury

Chang Xiaoyu seemed to be angry and said seriously: "Ah, old fox, don't bite the hand that feeds you—unable to recognize a good person's heart. Do you really think I am that foolish? Yan Wushuang actually likes you, old fox. Wherever you go, you attract bees and butterflies!"

Everyone seems to be waiting for Liu Rujun's explanation. However, Liu Rujun has not provided an explanation, nor does he need to, as someone will offer an explanation.

As the crowd stands atop this bell tower, they suddenly feel their hearts open and their spirits uplifted. At this moment, a streak of sunset in the west casts a red hue across half the sky, and the city of Chang'an appears extraordinarily tranquil and magnificent under the afterglow of the setting sun

... ...

Ziyun continued to listen quietly from the side

Ren Piaoping did not respond, nor did she even glance at Yu Furong. He had at least come to understand one thing: the familiar eyes of Yan Wushuang were now on the face of Yu Furong; Yu Furong was Yan Wushuang, and Yan Wushuang was Yu Furong.

At this moment, Murong Qiuyue pounded his chest incessantly, tears streaming down his face, and said: "I had no intention of killing Yan Liusheng; I merely wished to vent the anger in my heart... Alas, the grave mistake has already been made, what more is there to say?" At this moment, regret, self-blame, and despair surged within Murong Qiuyue, leaving him without hope for life. He then exerted his last ounce of strength to pull out Liu Rujun's sword, blood gushed forth, and he immediately breathed his last.

Murong Qiuyue seemed to have returned to the past, slowly saying: "Twenty-five years ago, a beauty emerged in the martial world, Murong Wanqu, who was the envy of all the prominent sects and noble families, eager to form alliances with her. For a time, martial heroes flocked to her, and wherever Murong Wanqu went, it was bustling with activity and constant conflict. At that time, Murong Qiuyue was already famous in the martial world, known as the Loyal Sword, and was a disciple of the same sect as Murong Wanqu, one being the elder brother and the other the younger sister, sharing an innocent childhood friendship. Murong Wanqu had long harbored feelings for her elder brother, but unfortunately, her brother, being young and ambitious, aspired to become the number one swordsman in the world, spending his years challenging renowned swordsmen, neglecting his younger sister. During this period, Yan Liusheng, a rising star of the Huashan Sect, showed great care for Murong Wanqu, regardless of how cold and mocking she was towards him; he remained devoted to her, and gradually, Murong Wanqu no longer disliked Yan Liusheng."

In the morning, upon not seeing Yu Furong, Ouyang Xiaodie already knew that Yu Furong had gone to meet Ren Piaoping. She also knew that Ren Piaoping was going to Chilong Hall today. In her heart, she was even more certain that Ren Piaoping's martial arts skills would not be inferior to Murong Qiuyue's. However, without seeing Yu Furong, she was unaware of the outcome of the battle, which left her feeling unsettled.

Chang Xiaoyu, upon hearing the call of "Brother Chang" once again, was suddenly awakened from her deep slumber. Infuriated, she bared her teeth and said, "Well, you two clearly knew all along, yet you chose to tease me." As she spoke, she raised her fist and swung it towards them, and the three of them began to chase each other atop the bell tower, filled with joy.

Yufurong said: "Seeing how delighted you all are, why doesn't Young Master Chang share his thoughts?" When it came to Young Master Chang, Yufurong naturally detected the insinuation in Ren Piaoping's words. She understood that with Ren Piaoping's intellect, she likely already knew that she was actually Yan Wushuang, but she was unaware of where she had let her guard down.

Ren Piaoping broke the silence and said: "Ahead is the Bell Tower, why don't we go for a visit?"

Little Die turned her head and sweetly asked, "Is my screen obedient?"

In the eyes of Yu Furong, there seemed to be a haze, as she gazed at Ren Piaoping. She truly could not understand such a man, nor could she comprehend why she was so infatuated with him. Aside from his martial skills being superior to Liu Rujun's, she could not think of any other aspect in which he surpassed Liu Rujun. He was merely a wayward son; why should she worry about him, or be concerned with his moods, or endure his temper?

She is waiting, waiting for Yu Furong to return. She knows that Yu Furong will not be back until at least tomorrow night, yet she continues to wait, wholeheartedly waiting, even if it means waiting forever

As Ren Piaoping was already smiling, she placed a hand on Chang Xiaoyu's shoulder and teased in a low voice, "Are you hoping that cat will scratch your back?" Ren Piaoping recalled what Chang Xiaoyu had said on the carriage and intended to say 'female cat,' but due to Yufurong's presence, she had to change her words.

Everyone present sighed in unison, and it became clear to all that the pitiful little girl was none other than the enchanting Yu Furong before them. At this moment, Ren Piaoping could not help but glance at Yu Furong, feeling a twinge of regret in her heart. How could she have brought herself to neglect such a beautiful woman with a tragic and sorrowful background?

Perhaps this is love, its arrival bears no signs, its existence has no reasons, yet its departure must certainly have a reason

Jade Lotus suddenly emerged from the forest, standing right in front of Murong Qiuyue, her eyes filled with resentment as she said: "Do you really want to know who wants to kill you?" Murong Qiuyue looked at Jade Lotus before her and replied: "Green Phoenix Hall... it is you. Killing fellow disciples is unforgivable; have you forgotten the rules of our sect? Aren't you afraid that the elder will... kill you?" Due to her severe injuries, at this point, she could not help but spit out a mouthful of fresh blood.

Before Ren Piaoping could comfort Yu Furong, Yu Furong had already wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and coldly said: "Today, I have avenged my great grievance. I dare not express my gratitude to all of you. In the future, I will certainly repay your kindness." As she spoke, she was about to leave.

At this moment, Ouyang Xiaodie is watering the flowers, specifically the cactus flowers. Ziyun has been standing by for quite some time, perhaps unwilling to disturb her, or perhaps she is too focused to notice Ziyun's arrival

After the crowd buried the old man Murong, a group of people walked along the streets of South Chang'an. Seeing that everyone was preoccupied with their thoughts, Chang Xiaoyu felt a bit of longing for Yan Wushuang. In truth, he was well aware that Yan Wushuang favored the old fox, but a man always needs to maintain a bit of pride. The way they called him "Brother Chang" still made his heart flutter, so he pretended to be nonchalant and said, "Why don't we pay a visit to the Qingyun Inn? Regardless of the outcome, we should express our gratitude for Lord Ji's generous hospitality." After saying this, he immediately regretted it.

Ren Piaoping supported the soon-to-be extinguished life of Murong Qiuyue with her own body. The injured old man tightly grasped Murong Qiuyue's hand and said: "Master..." The pain was beyond words

Before Ren Piaoping could speak, Chang Xiaoyu said: "There are at least twenty or so."

Ren Piaoping said lightly: "Although it is said that fate plays tricks on people, is it not also true that people are too greedy and infatuated?"

At this moment, Murong Qiuyue seemed to have awakened and said: "Please hold on."

How could Ren Piaoping not know that Liu Rujun only cared for a single word of love? She turned back to Liu Rujun with a smile, her expression still so sincere and genuine. Liu Rujun returned the smile, feeling a sense of relief in her heart

Murong Qiuyue seemed to be tired, stopping for a moment, perhaps to organize her thoughts, yet the expression on her face clearly conveyed her endless regret. Clearing her throat, Murong Qiuyue continued: "One day, Murong Wanqiu pretended to be disfigured, yet to her surprise, Yan Liusheng not only did not reject her but stayed by her side, telling her stories all day long to cheer her up, fearing that she might take drastic measures. Murong Wanqiu soon married Yan Liusheng quietly, while at that time, her senior brother was challenging the Wudang sect's 'Sword Without Trace', Xiao Shuihan, who is the current Wudang master, Wang You. Murong Qiuyue continued: 'One day, Murong Wanqiu pretended to be disfigured, yet to her surprise, Yan Liusheng not only did not reject her but stayed by her side, telling her stories all day long to cheer her up, fearing that she might take drastic measures. Murong Wanqiu soon married Yan Liusheng quietly, while at that time, her senior brother was challenging the Wudang sect's 'Sword Without Trace', Xiao Shuihan, who is the current Wudang master, Wang You. By the time her senior brother learned of this, it was already two years later. Although he was filled with extreme regret, he still found Yan Liusheng and arranged to duel at the Tianchi of Tianshan on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Although Yan Liusheng knew he was no match for Murong Qiuyue, he still gladly accepted the challenge. In less than twenty exchanges, Yan Liusheng was already at a disadvantage. When Murong Qiuyue's final sword thrust was aimed at Yan Liusheng, he found himself unable to evade it, and at that moment... Murong Wanqiu stepped in to block that sword for Yan Liusheng..."

She understood in her heart that the kite of Ping'er was made by herself, while her own kite was made by Ren Piaoping

Not seeing Ziyun's response, she turned around only to realize that Ziyun had already left. Ouyang Xiaodie then began to make a kite, following the instructions that Piao Ping had taught her. For some reason, the kite that usually took half an hour to make was taking her two hours today, and she still could not complete it

After hearing this, Chang Xiaoyu seemed extremely angry and made a move to hit Ren Piaoping, who laughed and ran away. All that could be heard was Chang Xiaoyu's distant voice: "A dog cannot spit out ivory." The two had already run to the east side of the bell tower. Once Ren Piaoping stopped with Chang Xiaoyu, she heard Chang Xiaoyu's distant voice again: "A dog cannot spit out ivory." The two had already run to the east side of the bell tower. Ren Piaoping, waiting for Chang Xiaoyu to stop, said: "It seems we still have to make a trip to Luoyang; the matter of Xiao Die must be related to Yu Furong." Chang Xiaoyu interjected: "Today's events are clearly a conspiracy; that Liu Rujun is probably just a pawn placed beside you." Ren Piaoping shrugged and said: "At least no one has used Xiao Die to threaten me yet, which means Xiao Die is at least safe for now." She frowned and added: "But until now, I still cannot understand the matter of Old Master Zhao's murder." Chang Xiaoyu chuckled and said: "Oh, there are things that you, this old fox, do not know; I believe the other party must be a vixen."

Everyone expected Ren Piaoping to vehemently refute, but to their surprise, he sighed, his face filled with sorrow, and said: "One is enough to cause a lifetime of turmoil, why have so many?"

Ziyun recalled: "She said it was an uncle who repaired the kite you made for her a few days ago, claiming it was something she had never seen before."

Yufurong remained silent; she certainly knew that Ren Piaoping was talking about her, yet she bit her lip and glared at him indignantly

Then Yu Furong also heard it, but she did not know what was going on, so she casually asked, "What are you laughing about? And what is the matter with that cat?" She was afraid that Ren Piaoping would ignore her, so she asked about "you all" instead of the earlier "young master," but naturally, her question was directed at Ren Piaoping.

Ziyun then realized that Ouyang Xiaodie had long known of her arrival, and replied: "Good, very good, but she keeps insisting that only one person can make a kite for her, saying that only the kite made by that person can fly the highest"

Ouyang Xiaodie felt her heart twitch suddenly. She certainly remembered how Ren Piaoping often repaired kites for her, and the repaired kites flew high against the backdrop of the golden rapeseed flowers. At this moment, her heart seemed to have gone along with that kite.

Yu Furong was aware that she had slightly lost her composure. She turned to face the south, standing with her back to Ren Piaoping, and with her delicate jade-like hands, she gathered her hair, saying: "I know you still have many questions in your heart; let us meet in Luoyang." She then turned to Liu Rujun and said: "A promise is worth a thousand gold; I will not let you down. Three days later, at Yajing Pavilion." After that, she bowed to Chang Xiaoyu and playfully said: "I have met you, Brother Chang." As soon as she finished speaking, her graceful and enchanting figure gradually faded away.

"Who is the vixen?" Yu Furong did not know when she had arrived in front of them

Everyone fell silent, even Yu Furong had no words at this moment. However, Ren Piaoping spoke up.

Chang Xiaoyu was taken aback; the lightness of Yu Furong's skills was indeed remarkable. However, Ren Piaoping laughed and said, "Of course, I was referring to that cat." Upon hearing this, Yu Furong replied, "Then I am even more confused; how can a cat clearly be transformed into a fox?" Ren Piaoping laughed heartily and said, "That fox is a fox that can change its appearance."

Chang Xiaoyu appeared very happy and said, "It seems that one should often stand a little higher; this way, the things one sees will be different"

Murong Qiuyue looked at Liu Rujun with a pair of powerless eyes, waiting for a reasonable explanation. At this moment, Ren Piaoping had sealed Murong Qiuyue's acupoints to stop the bleeding, while simultaneously using her internal energy to protect his heart meridian

After Ren Piaoping deliberately ignored Yu Furong and Liu Rujun, the two exchanged glances in silence. After a moment of quiet, Yu Furong began to walk towards Ren Piaoping. However, Ren Piaoping was preoccupied with thoughts of Ouyang Xiaodie and did not notice Yu Furong's approach. In fact, Yu Furong had only heard the words "fox spirit".

Ziyun did not know when she had already gone underground, while Ouyang Xiaodie seemed unaware and asked: "When will Sister Yufurong return?"

Yufurong smiled sadly and said: "Do you remember Yan Liusheng? I am his daughter. Now you understand, you must die today, for my deceased father and for my deceased mother"

Yufurong only said she wanted to leave out of spite; deep down, she truly hoped that Ren Piaoping would ask her to stay. Little did she expect that it would be Murong Qiuyue who wanted her to stay.

Yufurong certainly knew who the old man mentioned by Murong Qiuyue was. She also understood that the Red Dragon Hall held him in high regard. However, Yufurong laughed heartily, her laughter filled with immense resentment and pain, saying: "Red Dragon Hall, Murong Qiuyue, do you think I, Yufurong, am someone who fears death? You are mistaken. I only ask you, do you remember Murong Wanqiu?" At this point, Murong Qiuyue seemed to have taken a miraculous elixir, as a hint of vitality and excitement appeared in his eyes, saying: "What did you say? You... what is your relationship with her?" His speech regained its vigor, saying: "Red Dragon Hall, Murong Qiuyue, do you think I, Yufurong, am someone who fears death? You are mistaken. I only ask you, do you remember Murong Wanqiu?" At this point, Murong Qiuyue seemed to have taken a miraculous elixir, as a hint of vitality and excitement appeared in his eyes, saying: "What did you say? You... what is your relationship with her?" His speech regained its vigor, while Ren Piaoping knew that Murong Qiuyue would not last more than two hours.

At this moment, Ren Piaoping was indeed a bit curious about which one was her true self. Or perhaps neither of them was. Yu Furong's disguise technique was truly exceptional; he was confident that there were very few disguise techniques in the world that he could not see through.

Murong Qiuyue exclaimed at that moment, "What? She is dead?" Overcome with grief, she fainted.

Ouyang Xiaodie seemed to have finished watering the flowers, and she murmured to herself: "You must have something to say, amidst the vast layers of clouds, the evening snow on a thousand mountains, for whom does your solitary shadow depart..."

Then, Yu Furong's face was both shy and surprised, and her beautiful eyes glanced at Ren Piaoping, saying: "Oh, does the young hero Ren have confidantes all over the world?"

Yufurong looked at Ren Piaoping's indifferent expression, raised her head to gaze at the blue sky, and sighed deeply, saying: "Twenty years ago, on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, in a thatched cottage on the Tianshan Mountain's Mo Ya Peak, a two-year-old girl was waiting for her parents to return home. An hour earlier, her parents had said they were going down the mountain to the town to buy delicious food for the little girl, and she happily agreed. Little did the poor girl know that she would wait for two hours without seeing her parents return. The little girl was extremely frightened and began to cry loudly. At that moment, a long howl echoed from the mountain, growing closer and closer. The little girl leaned against the window to look outside, as the door was locked from the outside by her parents. To her surprise, the person approaching was none other than her father, and the little girl joyfully called out to him. However, her father seemed to be mad, hearing nothing, and placed her mother, whom he was holding, on the stone table in front of the house. He then walked straight to the pigeon cage and released all the pigeons. After that, he walked to the window and looked at the little girl with deep affection, then jumped off the Mo Ya Peak with her mother in his arms. The little girl was terrified and began to cry, only hearing her father's last four words: 'Murong Qiuyue!'" At this point, Yufurong was already in tears.

Ren Piaoping and Liu Rujun laughed heartily, while Chang Xiaoyu's face had turned red all the way to the base of her neck. However, Ren Piaoping was unyielding and said, "Let's have our Chang Xiaoge say a few words." As she spoke, Ren Piaoping deliberately cast a glance at Yu Furong.

Liu Rujun was originally in a terrible mood, only because his recent interactions with Ren Piaoping and Chang Xiaoyu made him realize that having friends like them is truly one of life's greatest joys. However, the sword at the Red Dragon Hall seemed to have ruthlessly severed the bond between them. He could not forget the astonishment on Chang Xiaoyu's face at that moment, nor the boundless disappointment in Ren Piaoping's eyes. Throughout the journey, neither of them had spoken to him directly, and at this moment, hearing Ren Piaoping's teasing made him chuckle softly.

Upon seeing Murong Qiuyue faint, Yu Furong turned to Ren Piaoping and said softly: "You must be very angry with me, young master. I do not ask for your forgiveness, only that you allow me to finish telling you a story."

Oh, Ouyang Xiaodie seemed to frown and pondered for a moment, then asked: "Who is Ping'er?"

Ren Piaoping had never looked at her since she came from Yufurong, and at this moment, she was not only taken aback. Murong Wanqiu was precisely the most beautiful woman in the martial world back then; how could she be involved in this matter?

Murong Qiuyue was utterly astonished, even more so than when Ren Piaoping had just vanished before her eyes; Chang Xiaoyu was bewildered, truly unable to comprehend why Liu Rujun would wield such a sword, as Liu Rujun did not appear to be the kind of person who would take advantage of others' misfortunes; in Ren Piaoping's eyes, however, there was boundless sorrow; and Liu Rujun's face was filled with pain and helplessness, looking nothing like someone who was in the act of killing.

Murong Qiuyue sighed deeply and said, "Child, let me tell you a story as well." It seems that Murong Qiuyue had already awakened and had listened to the story of Yu Furong in its entirety.

Clearly, Ziyun's words have unsettled her heart

The Bell Tower of Chang'an, originally built in the seventeenth year of the Hongwu era during the reign of the Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, is entirely constructed of wood. It stands nearly three zhang tall, featuring a double-eaved roof with bracket sets, a soaring spire, slightly upturned eaves, and an ornate and solemn appearance

Everyone is well aware that he is referring to Ouyang Xiaodie, and no one spoke, returning to the earlier silence

Ren Piaoping smiled and said: "In the eight years that I have known you, this sentence can be considered as human speech"

After a long time, she finally regained her composure