Chasing the Villain with a Confused System (GL) - Chapter 10
Song Qi was in a very good mood. Thinking about how she could obtain the sword tassel today, even her footsteps became lighter.
“Sister, what are you so happy about?”
The disciples of the Divine Sword Sect were eating together in the cafeteria. Seeing the constant upward curve of Song Qi’s lips, Song Tianxing couldn’t help but ask.
“It’s my first time meeting so many fellow martial artists; I’m just so happy!”
Song Qi replied to Song Tianxing with a grin, and he gave her a doting smile. Song Qi had loved interacting with people since she was a child. Having been stuck on the mountain practicing for all these years with rare chances to descend, she must have been stifled.
“But you must also remember to stay warm. Don’t catch a cold.”
Song Tianxing’s thoughtfulness made the nearby Bai Luoyin and Duan Qingyi slightly envious of Song Qi. Duan Qingyi was a man of few words; if he could say something in one word, he would never use two. Thus, his responses to Song Qi throughout the journey consisted only of “Yes,” “Mm,” and “Right.”
Despite this, Song Qi spoke to him persistently, and Duan Qingyi had long grown used to her flighty personality.
They said Song Qi loved to bicker and cause trouble, calling her a “demon of the world.” However, after spending time together recently, they found that while she was a bit mischievous and occasionally said bizarre things, she had a good sense of propriety. The rumors within the sect were clearly exaggerated.
Duan Qingyi poured tea for the other three, still silent, only listening to them talk. Song Qi glanced at him; the fact that he was willing to pour tea for her meant he didn’t dislike her, which made her happy.
In the book, Duan Qingyi was a man of silence, but his pursuit of swordplay bordered on obsession. He spent his entire life practicing. In the end, if one judged solely by sword skills, even Song Tianxing was no match for him. He was a pure swordsman.
Song Qi disliked overly complicated things. For someone as pure as Duan Qingyi, she was naturally willing to be friends.
“Hey, have you heard? Xu Yan of the Taixu Sect got beaten up.”
The table next to them belonged to the Tianshan Sect. The four disciples were eating and gossiping quite loudly, not caring who overheard. Since the Taixu Sect people weren’t there, they spoke without restraint.
“Could it be…”
The four disciples glanced at the Wu City table. The Wu City members didn’t look at them, quietly eating and remaining out of place amidst the cafeteria’s clamor.
“Maybe he provoked someone again and brought a grudge upon himself.”
“He just relies on his good looks to mess with girls everywhere.”
“Alright, stop talking.”
The lead disciple told the others to stop gossiping, rebuking them righteously: “Do not speak of others’ faults behind their backs.”
Oh, so you didn’t stop them earlier, and only jumped out to say these noble words once they were almost done?
Bah!
Song Qi recognized that lead Tianshan disciple; he was the Chief Disciple known as the “Gentleman Bamboo,” Shen Zhuran. In the book, Shen Zhuran was a hypocrite. He maintained his “gentlemanly” image on the surface while being intensely jealous of anyone more capable than him, committing many foul acts in private.
Song Qi remained a mere spectator this time. Those Tianshan disciples weren’t wrong; Xu Yan was no good either. Let the two sides tear at each other; she didn’t need to wade into those muddy waters.
Song Qi withdrew her gaze, only to find Bai Luoyin watching her from the side.
“Why are you looking at me?”
Bai Luoyin’s eyes were filled with scrutiny, as if trying to find any clue within Song Qi’s reactions.
“Nothing.”
Bai Luoyin quickly looked away, feeling her thoughts were a bit absurd. Although Xu Yan’s martial arts weren’t elite, he shouldn’t be unable to handle a junior. She could see Song Qi was hiding her strength, but if she had beaten Xu Yan, he surely would have recognized her martial style and come knocking this morning to demand justice.
It’s embarrassing for a senior to lose to a junior, but if he insisted Song Qi had ambushed him, she would be heavily punished. After all, ambushes are not the way of the righteous path and damage one’s reputation.
Song Qi wouldn’t be stupid enough to do that.
“Tianshan is heavily guarded. To injure someone without being noticed, the attacker’s martial arts must be quite high,” Song Tianxing analyzed in a low voice. “And since Xu Yan hasn’t come forward to identify anyone, either he’s unwilling to identify them, or their style didn’t resemble any sect disciples he knows.”
Song Tianxing’s analysis was very logical. In a normal script, there would be no flaw. However, the person involved was Song Qi—the one here to throw the script off the rails.
“Is that Xu Yan known for being a flirt?”
Having read the book, Song Qi naturally knew what kind of man Xu Yan was. In the early stages, he was sweet with the villainess, but after being scared witless by Wu Ye, he lacked the face to approach Wen Wanxi ever again. Later, he was seen with several girls, but nothing came of it. Finally, he joined Song Tianxing’s call to crusade against Wen Wanxi, only to end up being slain.
After asking the question, Song Qi felt it was a stupid one. Bai Luoyin and Duan Qingyi didn’t gossip, and Song Tianxing wouldn’t know. Her question was destined to go unanswered.
Just then, another person walked into the room—a man with a cold, piercing expression. His features were deep, his profile as sharp as if carved by a knife. He was tall but appeared slightly frail, with a morbidly pale complexion.
Song Qi knew him; he was Wen Wanxi’s junior brother, Xiao Sheng. He was the representative of the younger generation sent by Wu City this time. He deserved much of the credit for Wen Wanxi seizing control of Wu City.
In the novel, Xiao Sheng was always cold-faced—a man of ruthless action and few words. He was fiercely loyal to Wen Wanxi and knew her deepest secrets. Though he acted with lethal cruelty, he had a soft spot for cats and dogs, treating them better than people.
At his waist hung a jade flute, his favorite instrument. But when it played, it rarely signaled anything good.
One flute of death, to hook the spirit and seize the soul.
Yet Song Qi didn’t hate him. Ultimately, it was just a matter of different perspectives.
Seeing Wu City’s Xiao Sheng arrive, the people who had been gossiping about Xu Yan immediately shut their mouths. They didn’t dare splash dirty water on Wu City for fear of offending this dangerous character.
After Xiao Sheng arrived, the other Wu City disciples stood up. They only sat back down after Xiao Sheng took his seat, showing strict discipline.
Once seated, a disciple poured him tea. Xiao Sheng then announced: “Our City Lord is in high spirits today. At the start of the Hour of the Dog (7 PM), she invites all fellow martial artists to the central courtyard to watch fireworks.”
Wu City was known for three things: fireworks, fine wine, and Wen Wanxi.
No one expected to see fireworks brought by Wu City at the Tianshan summit. In the world of Tian Xing, the only people who possessed fireworks besides the Imperial Court and high-ranking officials were Wu City.
Wu City manufactured various types of fireworks. Many merchants would travel there to buy them and sell them to the nobility in the capital. Fireworks were usually only set off for birthday banquets or major festivals and weren’t affordable for just anyone; thus, commoners rarely saw them.
Since Wen Wanxi offered to set off fireworks, some were naturally suspicious, wondering what the “Enchantress” was planning. However, others were simply excited and nervous at the prospect, as many had never seen them before.
The one with the most complicated thoughts was Song Qi. She had planned to act tonight. Although Tianshan was heavily guarded, if she was careful, she should be able to sneak into the East Courtyard. Now that Wen Wanxi was inviting everyone to see fireworks, the vast majority of disciples would gather in the central courtyard, significantly lowering the difficulty of her infiltration.
Xu Yan certainly wouldn’t show up tonight. If everyone was watching fireworks while Xu Yan had his arm broken by her, wouldn’t Wen Wanxi end up taking all the suspicion?
Oh well, Wen Wanxi was smart; she’d have her own ways to handle it.
She just hadn’t expected Wen Wanxi to be willing to bring out fireworks just to help her. As expected of the wealthy City Lord of Wu City.
“Then we thank City Lord Wen!”
“We will surely arrive on time!”
“Our thanks to City Lord Wen!”
The crowd was enthusiastic. In private, they called her an enchantress; now, it was “City Lord Wen” this and “City Lord Wen” that. Song Qi just wanted to laugh.
But that was human nature. Whether in the real world or this one, learning to be a hypocrite was a mandatory course for everyone.
“Wu City has an objective.”
Duan Qingyi frowned slightly, clearly not buying into Wu City’s sudden kindness. He had always suspected his parents died at the hands of Wu Ye, and thus he had no good feelings toward Wu City.
“Regardless, everyone should just remain cautious,” Song Tianxing said, and the others agreed. Song Qi naturally pretended to be well-behaved and agreed as well, while her mind raced with how to break Xu Yan’s arm. Of course, she wasn’t going to cut it off; she wasn’t Guo Fu [1], and she couldn’t stand the sight of a bloody mess. Breaking a bone was doable.
The fourth style of the Wine Immortal Seven Styles, Laughing Away a Cup of Wine, was the most direct and fierce attack. If the user’s inner qi was strong enough, they could break bones with sword intent alone. Song Qi wasn’t there yet, but if she used this move to strike Xu Yan’s arm, his bone would definitely snap.
[You women are too ruthless.]
Hu Tu’s voice chimed in, giving the daydreaming Song Qi a start.
[If the strike isn’t ruthless, the foundation isn’t stable.]
[What foundation do you need?]
[I only said it because it rhymed in my head.]
Song Qi rolled her eyes but suddenly felt someone watching her. It was a martial artist’s instinct—being particularly sensitive to the gaze of others.
She turned and saw Xiao Sheng looking at her. Even though the eye contact lasted only a second, Song Qi clearly saw the scrutiny in his eyes.
It was as if he recognized her.
It was impossible for Xiao Sheng to know her unless Wen Wanxi had told him.
To think Wen Wanxi would talk about her to someone else… Song Qi didn’t know if it was a good or bad thing, but it didn’t stop her from feeling a strange, tiny spark of excitement.
Night fell, and people from the Tianshan summit gathered one after another in the central courtyard. Even the female disciples of the Water God Sect, who usually kept to themselves, came out.
The central courtyard was bustling with people looking at beauties and chatting, everyone looking forward to the fireworks that were about to bloom in the sky.
Song Qi had more important things to do. She wanted to wait until Bai Luoyin left the room so she could change clothes and sneak into the East Courtyard. But that “dog woman” was actually staying in the room, refusing to leave!
“Senior Sister Bai, aren’t you going out to see the fireworks?”
“And you?”
Bai Luoyin didn’t answer, but threw the question back. Song Qi suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. She felt this woman had definitely caught onto something.
“I… I am going out, but I need to wait a bit. You go ahead!”
“I’ll wait for you.”
“No need, you go first.”
“Song Qi, what are you trying to do?”
Song Qi was stuck. This woman’s intuition was terrifying. She couldn’t afford to waste the perfect opportunity Wen Wanxi had created for her!
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Reffshark
I feel like Wen Wanxi and Bai Luoyin are the same person (눈‸눈) or is it just me?