Cang Lan Dao - Chapter 35.2

Chapter 35.2 

Ambushing Each Other 

Xiang Sizi asked this sentence to test if she knew about the news that the two had fallen apart. Luo Wanqing pondered and covered up, “I didn’t hear it. Li Guiyu discovered and injured me, so I ran away.” 

“Capable of escaping from him, Miss Luo’s martial arts are surely good.” 

Xiang Sizi listened and poured himself tea, then glanced at Luo Wanqing’s face, pretending to be careless: “Why did Miss Luo change back to her face?” 

“Xie Heng wanted to arrange pawns around Li Guiyu and asked me to go over.” 

Xiang Sizi moved as if thinking. Luo Wanqing stared at Xiang Sizi and asked, “Didn’t you say they would ally? But as I see it now, it’s not like that?” 

“Just playing with each other.” Xiang Sizi heard this and was sure that Luo Wanqing should not have heard anything, and said with confidence, “Li Guiyu has what Xie Heng wants, and Xie Heng has the power that Li Guiyu wants. They eventually will join together.” 

“What does Xie Heng want?” Luo Wanqing couldn’t understand and continued, “What things?” 

“I shouldn’t have told you these,” Xiang Sizi sipped his tea, and his complexion slightly cold, “But since you didn’t hear them, there’s no harm for me to tell you. You know that Cui Qingping committed treason five years ago, right?” 

“I know.” Luo Wanqing frowned, not expecting Xiang Sizi to talk about this. She couldn’t help but ask, “What’s the connection?” 

“Five years ago, when the Beirong begged for peace, Li Guiyu was a hostage and traded with the Beirong’s Prince. After they went to Beirong, Cui Qingping escorted Li Guiyu to discuss the alliance. However, the Beirong suddenly broke the contract and launched a surprise attack. Cui Qingping surrendered without a fight, so the Beirong took ten cities, yet to be returned. Later, the Cui family was indicted of treason, and Cui Qingping was given a cup of poison wine, leaving an intact corpse.” 

Luo Wanqing listened to these words, vaguely some memories. 

Cui family’s treason, ten cities. This matter was a big deal back in the day, and she remembered that the day her father rushed back from the border and took them out of Dongdu, people on the street still talking about it.  Those family and state affairs were too far from her to care about. Still, now that she thought about it and carefully searched for all the information related to Cui Qingping, she vaguely realized something was wrong. Cui Clan had rebelled against their country and surrendered without a fight. They should have gotten a high position at Beirong, but she remembered hearing the sound of someone shouting on the day she left Dongdu when she fell asleep in a daze.

“Lord Cui?!” 

“Lord Cui is back?” 

The day was still light then, and her family’s carriage stopped abruptly. Her father seemed to want to roll up the curtains and go out, but Yao Zelan held him down. 

Yao Zelan’s eyes were red. She wrapped one hand around her daughter, who was sleeping on her knee, while the other grabbed her husband, who wanted to go out. She desperately shook her head and suppressed her voice: “Qushu, let’s go.” 

Luo Qushu clenched his fists, trembling and unable to move. Yao Zelan gritted her teeth and spoke, ordering the horseman: “Go! Go immediately!” 

Luo Qushu closed his eyes and sat down in agony. She was young at the time, and when she got up in a daze, she watched her brother climb over towards the back window of the carriage. Curious, she followed her brother to look through the back window of the carriage. She saw a middle-aged man in rags, covered with wind and frost, with his still blood-stained sword hanging from his waist and a half-broken remnant of jade walking into the lofty, century-old capital city in the morning light. Later, according to the people in the restaurant, he walked to the front of the palace and knocked on the palace door. Some people said that when he knocked on the palace gate, he had raised his voice and shouted with a cry, “Sinful minister Cui Qingping returns and begs Your Majesty to send troops to the Beirong!” 

But many people didn’t believe this and thought it was a rumor. Because he was a sinful minister and because of his surrender, ten cities along the border fell, and Daxia lost all its opportunities. Fengming Pass, which used to be Daxia’s greatest advantage, became the biggest obstacle to Daxia’s counterattack on the Beirong instead. A surrendered minister like him, how can he talk about sending troops? How can he talk about the war? 

Five years had passed, and Cui Qingping’s name had already blurred in the world’s memory. At least those who did not care about dynasty politics, like Luo Wanqing, didn’t remember him well. However, now that Xiang Sizi purposely mentioned it, Luo Wanqing finally realized its subtlety and reacted, “Cui Qingping was wrongly accused?” 

“I didn’t say that.” Xiang Sizi smiled, then solemnly said, “But Xie Heng believes that he was.” 

That’s why he did not hesitate to remove his name from the Xie family and create the Inspection Department. Because the Xie family would not seek justice for Cui Qingping, but Xie Heng would. Luo Wanqing strung it together, then frowned, “Then what does this have to do with Li Guiyu?” 

“Li Guiyu is the only person at the border at that time. The one still alive today who holds all the confidential information at that time.” 

Xiang Sizi poured tea, his tone light: “Xie Heng wants to know what happened back then, and only Li Gui Yu can tell him. Xie Heng has paid so much for this result. What reason does he have for not being aligned with Li Guiyu?” 

Luo Wanqing didn’t say anything. Li Guiyu and Xie Heng didn’t have an alliance. She lied to Xiang Sizi that she didn’t know. Xiang Sizi thought she didn’t know, so Xiang Sizi tried to lie to her, letting her believe that they were testing each other now and would have an alliance sooner or later. But in this deception, it was mostly the truth. The probability that Xiang Sizi was willing to tell her so much was because he didn’t intend to let her live. If Xie Heng dies, she must die. But why did Xie Heng refuse to cooperate with Li Guiyu? For the sake of Luo Wanqing? On what grounds? Li Guiyu had what Xie Heng wanted most. In the last life in the dream, they became ally. Why did he refuse in this life?  Was it because she shouted that she liked him, and Xie Heng paid attention to her family’s case, so he promised to overturn the case, but she died? Did he feel that Li Guiyu was evil, or did he feel guilty about her? But they were only met by chance; if he gave up such an excellent opportunity because of guilt, with this kind of character, how could they cooperate for so long in the last life? Why did he die? Why did he die by a thousand cuts? 

Thinking of Xie Heng’s ending, Luo Wanqing was suddenly slightly confused. Based on their current contacts, Xie Heng’s character, and methods, how could he reach that step in the dream? 

Luo Wanqing’s thoughts were far away, but her face did not move. She tapped on the desktop and calmly said, “I understand what you mean. If Xie Heng and Li Guiyu were bound to be allies, I would kill him, but now I can contact Li Guiyu. Why don’t you let me kill Li Guiyu first?” 

“Killing Li Guiyu is simple,” Xiang Sizi smiled, “You are a good sword, it’s not worth it to kill him. You kill Xie Heng, and we’ll help you kill Li Guiyu.” 

Luo Wanqing raised her eyes to look at Xiang Sizi, “You won’t lie to me, right?” 

“Even if I lie to you, do you have a choice?” Xiang Sizi said thoughtfully, “I’m your only ally, and you’re an orphan girl who wants to take revenge. Who will you rely on if you don’t rely on me?” 

 “You!”