Cang Lan Dao - Chapter 25.2

Chapter 25.2
Accept All Her Conditions

“I rarely saw it.” Qin Jue frowned, “It has a tiny barb on the blade’s tip. This kind of barb, when you pull it out of the human body, will yank blood and flesh. Extremely vicious, the craftsmanship is very elaborate, and few people can do it. It should be some of a clan’s production. But, every clan’s blade is extremely confidential, and only their dead soldiers know about it. I once let people check but found no clues.”

No clues.
Xiang Sizi told her that the murderer was Xie Heng.
In her life, she killed many people to kill Xie Heng. She became a top assassin and even killed her lover’s entire family.
She was evil and full of sins.
But —

“This dagger belonged to Li Guiyu’s master.” Luo Wanqing murmured.

Qin Jue didn’t understand. In Luo Wanqing’s head were the words that Liu Xiniang said when she held this dagger, “You said he’s the Third Prince who became a commoner, then his mother is the current Empress from one of the four clans, the Wang Clan, so this should be a special dagger made by his mother’s clan.”

“Who is instructing the Feng Yu Pavilion to kill you?” Luo Wanqing looked back at Qin Jue.

Qin Jue frowned, “I don’t know.”

“Is it the Empress from the Wang Clan?” Luo Wanqing asked.

Qin Jue froze, then hesitated, “Most likely. Back then, we didn’t get along with the Wang Clan, so we retreated to Jiangnan.”

If it was the Wang Clan — If the person behind the Feng Yu Pavilion was the Wang Clan — If that broken blade belonged to the Wang Clan, then what was all that Liu Xiniang had done? She ruined her life for revenge, harmed so many people, and ended up serving her enemies, so what was she doing all this for?

Luo Wanqing strung together and came to a sudden realization. Why did the Liu Xiniang of the previous life resolutely go to the northwest after being captured by Xie Heng for assassinating Qin Jue, and why is she still going to the northwest this time? Because she was wrong from the start!

From the moment Xiang Sizi adopted her, her life was wrong. Sooner or later, she would know the truth. After learning the truth, how could she face everything she had done? She suddenly understood why Liu Xiniang said, “Hatred will fade with time. Don’t do things that go against your heart for revenge. Otherwise, you will regret it one day.”

It was because she had regretted it.
Maybe it was the moment she killed someone —
Maybe it was the moment she saw Qin Jue brewing wine for her —
Maybe it was the moment she saw the Qin family destroyed —
Maybe it was the moment she saw Qin Jue planning to commit suicide —
She has long been at the end of the road, just missing the last straw.
And that straw —

“If I help you settle your family and forbid you to do anything, do you still want to switch identities with me?”
“Yes.”
It was her. Luo Wanqing shuddered. She recalled every detail of her time with Liu Xiniang. Every time she raised her head, her eyebrows, every smile, every word. It was true that she regretted it. It was true that she had a death wish, but the one who made Liu Xiniang determined to die was her, Luo Wanqing. It was her word ‘switch.’ It was her sentence, ‘If I don’t kill Jiang Shaoyan, I’ll never be at peace.’

Liu Xiniang did not want to change her identity with her. She wanted her not to follow her path, but she, Luo Wanqing, insisted on it, so she used her life to fulfill her.
To fulfill a stranger!
To fulfill an accidental friend!
She was lying when she said she gave half of her internal force.
She was lying when she said that from now on, she was free like a bird in the sky.
She was lying when she said they’ll see each other again!

There was no such thing as a future meeting. In this life, in the last life, she chose to go to the northwest alone. Perhaps in her previous life, she knew the truth when she met Xie Heng, so she escorted Qin Jue into the Inspection Department, betraying the Feng Yu Pavilion, and when Qin Jue became an agent of the Inspection Department, she fled to the northwest. Fate never changed. It only took other forms. The only difference was that in this life, she would have her five senses gone, she wouldn’t make it to the northwest, and she might be halfway there, dying alone in a patch of darkness. But she didn’t even want to let her, Luo Wanqing, know about this favor until the end.

Afraid of what, her guilt?

Luo Wanqing clenched her fists, trying to restrain her emotions. She feared that Qin Jue would notice her difference and that this overwhelming emotion would disrupt her sanity. She suppressed all her feelings and analyzed the current situation of Liu Xiniang.

Liu Xiniang had given her all of her inner strength. But she promised her that she would save her family and deliver the dagger to the location she had specified. She believed that she would not break her promise. So, the last trace of Liu Xiniang was under the century-old tree of the Guardian Temple that they had agreed upon.

Three months, so she didn’t have much time. Every day could be the day of Liu Xiniang’s death. She had to find her. She had to go out and find her right away. She had to make sure that Liu Xiniang was safe. She had to figure out where the hell her family was.

Liu Xiniang didn’t have inner strength. How could she escape and save her family? Moreover, what exactly is her relationship with Zhao Yuyan, a.k.a Jiu Shuang? She told her to avoid Qin Jue on the way to the Inspection Department examination. Perhaps Liu Xiniang feared that she would know the truth from Qin Jue and that she would feel guilty if she knew that she had died for her.

Then why should she get close to Jiu Shuang? If Jiu Shuang wanted to kill Qin Jue, then she was an assassin from the Feng Yu Pavilion. Didn’t Liu Xiniang know? Or did she know and exchange something?

Luo Wanqing closed her eyes and asked, “How much time?”

Qin Jue sniffed and turned his head to look outside, “Soon.” Saying that Qin Jue calmly said, “Their target is me. I’ll stay here. After a while, you can go over there yourself.”

“Do you think they still have keys in their hands?”

Hearing this, Qin Jue froze. He raised his eyes to look at Luo Wanqing, who analyzed, “The two people I killed just now had keys on them. If they closed the dungeon door after they entered, it meant they were too late to hand in the keys. The others should have keys on them.”

“So?”

“I’ll give you these keys.” Luo Wanqing handed the looted keys to Qin Jue and calmly said, “There should be thirty of them here. With these keys, you can become a Shadow and live for at least another five years.”

“What about you?” Qin Jue frowned, “You don’t have a key. Even if you win the retest, you’re still become a Shadow. We’re just meeting in passing. Are you willing to do that?”

“Your life is important.” Luo Wanqing raised her eyes to look at him.

Qin Jue froze as Luo Wanqing gazed at the youth and solemnly said, “I know you don’t believe me, but she didn’t tell lies. She likes you. She wants you to live, so I’ll let you live.”

‘To become Liu Xiniang, you must pay the price of becoming Liu Xiniang.’ Luo Wanqing stood up, gripping the blade hilt in her hand, and calmly spoke, “I accept.”

Accept all her conditions, even though she did not have one. But her revenge, she would avenge. Her path, she would walk. Everything that Liu Xiniang carried, she would carry on for her.

She was Liu Xiniang.