Cang Lan Dao - Chapter 26.1

Chapter 26.1
This Servant Is Liu Xiniang

Listening to Luo Wanqing’s words, Qin Jue looked at her blankly, seemingly unable to understand.

“The purpose of the killers who entered the Inspection Department is to kill you. There may be some killers who will stay here to kill you later, but the top killers won’t.”

Luo Wanqing analyzed, “Feng Yu Pavilion has already lost thirty-one Xuan killers, including Zhang Jiuran, the Left Envoy. If I’m not wrong, Zhao Yuyan is Jiu Shuang, the mysterious Feng Yu Pavilion’s Right Envoy. Feng Yu Pavilion can’t afford to let her die. If she stays in the dungeon to kill you, whether as a death row inmate or as the Feng Yu Pavilion killers, the Inspection Department will not let her go. They will arrest and severely interrogate her, and she will die. So she should mix in the crowd, pretending to take the test and get out.”

She had fought with Silver Snake, who was only one step away from being a Feng Yu Pavilion Heaven-level killer. But Zhao Yuyan’s ability was far higher than Silver Snake’s. Zhang Jiuran and that other mysterious Right Envoy were the only people who could become a Heaven killer level by themselves. Only such a character could have killed the guardians sent by the Inspection Department to protect Qin Jue under their noses.

“Your task today is to hide yourself and survive. When I open the door, the people from the Inspection Department should come looking for you.” Luo Wanqing instructed, then got up and walked out. Before crossing the door, she suddenly remembered, “There’s one more thing.”

Qin Jue looked up and heard Luo Wanqing calmly say, “The things I talked to you about today, don’t mention them to the Inspection Department.”

“Who the hell are you?” Qin Jue frowned.

Luo Wanqing only said, “I’m harmless. But I saved you. You should be gracious enough to return the favor, right?”

Qin Jue said nothing, and Luo Wanqing stared back at him.

Qin Jue looked at the blade in her hand, and for a moment, he recalled that year when he and Zhang Jiuran first met. Zhang Jiuran was reclining in a tree with a wine jug in her hand and a long knife dangling from her waist. That day, the snow covered the mountains, the bright moon was high, and she was clad in silver. With a point of her toes, she landed in front of him with her back facing him, raising her hand to hold the knife. That figure was similar to the one in front of him, yet different. His heartstrings trembled.

For a long time, he lowered his eyes and said softly, “Okay, what you and I said in the underground place today, I will not tell anyone.”

“You are the one she sees. I believe her.” Luo Wanqing didn’t say much, turned around, and walked out, whispering, “May you not fail Zhang Jiuran.”

Hearing these words, Qin Jue lowered his head. After a long time, he closed his eyes and laughed in mockery, “It’s always her who has wronged me. When did I wronged her?”

Luo Wanqing exited the room, cleared her tracks, and jumped to the roof. She looked up and walked towards the tallest building in the center. As she walked, she pondered over the information from her past.

Liu Xiniang — or rather, Zhang Jiuran, already had a death wish from the moment she saw that dagger and realized the truth. When she met Xie Heng to report, Zhang Jiuran stayed alone in the water dungeon. She should have thought a lot. She might have cried bitterly against the wall, or maybe not. After all, she had cried in pain and despair too many times when she was young.

Later, when Luo Wanqing failed to report and return from meeting Xie Heng, she didn’t discover anything from her. During that period, she should have combed all the ins and outs and calmly accepted that she had come to a dead end. She cannot go back and has no place to go. Try to take revenge again? That enemy, who single-handedly raised her and taught her martial arts, is her master, her half-father. He held the lives of her mother and brother. She has the parasites planted by the enemy, not to mention that she couldn’t kill him. Even if she could kill him, it would be too much of a price to pay.

Was hatred really that important? Her father had died five years ago, and her mother and brother were still alive and well. They already had a new life. The only one stuck in the past was Zhang Jiuran. As long as she died, everything would be over. She didn’t dare to lift the blade again. At that moment, all the hatred and grudges in her life were extinguished, and she only wanted to go to the northwest. From dust to dust, earth to earth.

But then, she met her.
A person so similar to Qin Jue.
So, Zhang Jiuran’s kindness to her was pity and reimbursement.
She wished Luo Wanqing a good life, fulfilled all her wishes, and did everything to arrange her path. She was afraid that Qin Jue would recognize her, so she didn’t let her approach him.

Then, for her to seek Jiu Shuang, is Zhang Jiuran’s deliberate arrangement, or is it only a consideration that Jiu Shuang was an expert and that she would have a greater chance of success?

Feng Yu Pavilion’s people would conceal their identity from each other. Did Zhang Jiuran know Jiu Shuang was Feng Yu Pavilion’s Right Envoy, Zhao Yuyan?

As Luo Wanqing was thinking, the sound of mechanical twisting came from the surrounding area, and the ground shook. Luo Wanqing knew that this was the signal for the retest to begin. With a few vertical leaps, she jumped to the side of the tallest cylindrical building. When she landed on the ground, she saw Zhao Yuyan standing in the doorway with three people.

The door to the stone room was slowly opening. Zhao Yuyan turned around at the sound, and seeing Luo Wanqing, she was surprised: “Yo, Qin Jue isn’t here?”

“He’s running around.” Luo Wanqing sighed, “Got separated from me.”

“Got separated?” Zhao Yuyan smiled, “Then I’ll have someone help you look for him.” With that, she waved her hand, and the three people around her rushed towards the other canals in the underground place.

Holding a blade, Luo Wanqing walked forward, glanced at Zhao Yuyan’s blood-stained hands, and softly said, “Aren’t you going to take some weapons?”

“Weapon?” Zhao Yuyan glanced at the blade in Luo Wanqing’s hand and laughed, “There’s no point in taking these pieces of scrap iron.”

“Aren’t you a swordsman?” Luo Wanqing was curious.

Zhao Yuyan glanced at her and smiled, “Is Zhang Jiuran still the leader of the Salt Gang?”

She said ‘Zhang Jiuran,’ so she obviously knew that the woman before her was not the real Liu Xiniang.

Then —
“What’s the agreement between you and Zhang Jiuran?” Luo Wanqing directly asked.

T/N: this chapter is super lengthy. It has 10471 Chinese characters, so I split them into six parts.