Song of Everlasting Regret - Chapter 10
At the fifth watch, the world was still deep blue and veiled in thin mist. Zhongwu Hall remained brightly lit and had yet to settle into silence.
In a hazy daze, Yu Jingqiu saw a field of white mist before her. A vague figure stood beside her, bending down to look at her.
She could not move. No matter how she strained her eyes, she could not make out the person’s face. She only felt that the figure’s lips moved as she smiled faintly and said something.
When Yu Jingqiu finally broke through the restraint on her body, she abruptly reached out and sat upright.
Her vision cleared, and her surroundings came into view.
She was inside a guest room, lying on a bed in only her undergarments. A solitary lamp flickered beside her.
Still uncertain where she was, she rose and put on the outer robe lying nearby.
A knock sounded at the door.
Someone called tentatively in a low voice, “Senior Sister?”
Yu Jingqiu recognized Di Hou’s voice and told him to enter.
When Di Hou saw that she was awake, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. His shoulders relaxed.
Only then did Yu Jingqiu learn from him that she was back at Zhongwu Hall.
After Lang Ye reported the matter to Martial Uncle Yu the previous night, he had also gone out in pursuit.
He saw Caoliu Manor’s signal and followed it to Apricot Blossom Heaven. When he found Yu Jingqiu, she was lying unconscious on the floor. He hurriedly carried her back.
As Di Hou explained what had happened, the events of the previous night gradually became clear in Yu Jingqiu’s mind.
“Has Jing’er returned?” she asked.
Di Hou frowned.
“No one knows where she ran off to. When they saw you were injured, Senior Brother and Martial Uncle became worried that something might have happened to her, so they went out to search. They still have not returned.”
Hearing this, unease began to grow in Yu Jingqiu’s heart.
The previous night’s events had been exceedingly strange.
While caught in the middle of them, she had regarded it as an ordinary theft. Now that she had calmed down and considered it carefully, she felt as though the entire matter were entangled in countless fine red threads.
She pondered for a moment but could make no sense of it, so she temporarily set it aside.
“Where is Yao’er?”
Di Hou replied helplessly, “She drank herself senseless and is sleeping soundly right now.
“Senior Sister, what happened to you yesterday? How did you end up unconscious inside Apricot Blossom Heaven? When Senior Brother carried you back, we were badly frightened. Fortunately, your injuries were not serious.”
“This matter… I do not entirely understand it myself.”
Yu Jingqiu remembered the woman who had called herself Xuanying. Everything about her had been strange.
Yu Jingqiu herself was still confused, so she offered only a vague explanation: she had pursued the thief to Apricot Blossom Heaven, encountered the person behind the theft, and been overwhelmed by superior numbers. Someone had struck her acupoints and knocked her unconscious.
Neither the Jade Buddha’s Hand nor the thief was anywhere to be found afterward.
Di Hou said, “Hall Master Mu already knows that the Jade Buddha’s Hand was stolen and has sent people to search throughout the city. Many fellow martial artists have also offered their assistance out of righteousness. The thief will not escape, so Senior Sister need not worry.”
Yu Jingqiu stared toward the gradually brightening sky and fell into a daze.
The woman had said that the Jade Buddha’s Hand originally belonged to her.
She had also said that she needed it to prolong her life.
Yu Jingqiu felt ashamed that the Jade Buddha’s Hand had been taken from her, yet she was also anxious that the people of Zhongwu Hall might truly capture that woman.
Her emotions remained complicated until the first faint light of dawn appeared.
Lou Jing finally returned to the courtyard behind Lang Ye.
She was in a miserable state. Her outer robe was gone, her entire body was dripping wet, and her face was deathly pale.
Di Hou asked, “Where did you go? How did you end up like this?”
Yu Jingqiu said, “Jing’er, change into dry clothes first. We can speak afterward.”
Lou Jing went to change.
By the time she returned, Yu Xiu had also come back.
Yu Xiu’s expression was extremely poor. He entered in a great hurry, and the moment he saw Lou Jing, it seemed as though a breath of anger swelled inside his chest.
“You…”
In the end, he said nothing more.
He merely sighed.
“Quickly pack your belongings. We are returning to the sect immediately.”
The decision was so sudden that everyone was confused.
The theft of the Jade Buddha’s Hand had not yet been resolved, and they had completed only half of their journey through the martial world. Why were they suddenly returning to the sect?
Yu Xiu urged them, “Do not ask questions now. Once we are on the road, I will explain everything in detail. Hurry, hurry!”
They could only obey.
They packed their bundles, woke Yun Yao, and followed their martial uncle to the main hall to bid farewell to Hall Master Mu.
On what should have been a joyous day for Zhongwu Hall, a fire had broken out, followed by a theft. The nephew who had gone in pursuit of the thieves had also disappeared.
Mu Yunsheng had remained in the main hall, directing the efforts to extinguish the fire and locate the missing people. He had not slept all night.
At daybreak, Yu Xiu brought Yu Jingqiu and the others to bid him farewell.
“Hall Master Mu, we have troubled you for a night. I must now leave with these children.”
Mu Yunsheng looked sincere.
“You are leaving already? Why not remain another two days?”
Yu Xiu replied, “Something has happened at the sect. A message arrived this morning instructing us to return as soon as possible.”
“In that case, I will not keep you.”
Mu Yunsheng smiled bitterly.
“Several incidents have occurred in the residence, and everything is in confusion. I fear I have failed to receive you properly.”
The two exchanged a few more courtesies.
Yu Xiu then led the disciples out of Zhongwu Hall and hurried toward the Salt Gang.
Lou Jing and the others had been filled with alarm upon hearing that something had happened at the sect. Since Yu Xiu had been speaking with Mu Yunsheng, they had not been able to interrupt.
The moment they left Zhongwu Hall, they hurriedly asked, “Martial Uncle Yu, what happened at the sect?”
“The sect is perfectly fine.”
Yun Yao asked, “Then why did Martial Uncle say…”
“That was merely an excuse to leave.”
Yu Xiu fixed his stern gaze on Lou Jing.
“Jing’er, answer me. Did you clash with Cao Ruxu last night and fight him?”
Lou Jing replied frankly, “Yes.”
She briefly explained how they had pursued the wrong person, disagreed over what should be done, and eventually fought.
However, she omitted the part where Cao Ruxu had called her a bastard.
Even mentioning those two words before others made resentment and anger twist inside her. Her face felt as though it were being pricked by needles.
Yu Xiu said, “Cao Ruxu is dead.”
Lou Jing’s mind went blank for an instant beneath Yu Xiu’s stare.
“I did fight him, but I only injured him. I did not kill him.”
“Zhongwu Hall and Caoliu Manor are now related through marriage. If Zhongwu Hall takes their side and conflict breaks out between us, it will already create an ugly situation.
“If they refuse to listen to any explanation and insist that you repay one life with another, we may not be able to stop them from taking yours.
“It is better to avoid them for now. Once we return to the Qianyuan Sect, we can report everything clearly to the sect master and decide what to do next.”
The group went to the Salt Gang residence, immediately obtained several fast horses, and left the city.
Along the journey, Lou Jing described everything that had happened the previous night in detail.
When she explained that Cao Ruxu’s subordinates had died from palm strikes, Yu Xiu said, “Cao Ruxu suffered a sword wound. He was killed by a single thrust.”
Shortly after they departed, the people of Caoliu Manor carried Cao Ruxu’s body back to Zhongwu Hall.
The moment they entered the courtyard, they angrily demanded that the culprit be seized.
Only after meeting Mu Yunsheng did they learn that the people from the Qianyuan Sect had escaped.
One of Cao Ruxu’s uncles said bitterly, “The monk may flee, but the temple cannot!”
“My Xu’er was in the prime of his youth, yet his life was ended by a single sword. If we do not demand justice from the Qianyuan Sect, we swear never to let this matter rest!”
The group of subordinates echoed loudly, “We demand justice!”
They immediately purchased a coffin and prepared the body to be transported back to Caoliu Manor.
At the same time, they sent a rider at full speed to deliver the news ahead of them.
When Manor Master Cao Bo received the message, he could not believe it at first.
He rode there personally. Upon seeing the coffin, he was overcome with grief.
He ordered his people to escort the coffin carefully back to the manor, while he himself departed for the Qianyuan Sect, determined to demand an explanation.
Although Lou Jing and the others had begun traveling toward the Qianyuan Sect before Cao Bo, they could not hurry because Yu Jingqiu was injured.
Cao Bo, however, was consumed by the unbearable pain of losing his beloved son. He traveled day and night without rest.
Thus, despite departing at different times, the two groups arrived near the Qianyuan Sect at almost the same time.
Yu Xiu reasoned that once Caoliu Manor received the news, Cao Bo would certainly come personally to the Qianyuan Sect to seize Lou Jing.
If Lou Jing were present when he arrived, Cao Bo would see his enemy directly before him. In his fury, he would never let the matter rest. The two sides would only tear away all courtesy and create an even greater disturbance.
It would therefore be better not to return to the sect immediately.
They would remain at the foot of the mountain and allow Lou Xuanzhi to deal with Cao Bo first. After Cao Bo departed and the uproar subsided, they could return.
Yu Xiu arranged for the five disciples to stay at Di Hou’s family home below the mountain.
Unexpectedly, this decision allowed them to avoid the Caoliu Manor party that arrived behind them.
The people of Caoliu Manor ascended the mountain that very day and met Lou Xuanzhi.
Inside the study, the atmosphere was exceptionally tense.
Cao Bo’s face was ashen. His fingers struck the chair’s armrest with dull, repeated knocks.
“Sect Master Lou, what do you have to say about this?”
Lou Xuanzhi replied, “The dead cannot return to life. Manor Master Cao, please restrain your grief.”
“Restrain my grief?”
Cao Bo’s face twisted in fury.
“Sect Master Lou! My son possessed exceptional talent. After my death, I expected him to uphold Caoliu Manor!
“Your daughter was truly ruthless. She has severed the very foundation of my Caoliu Manor! And all Sect Master Lou has to say is that I should restrain my grief?”
Lou Xuanzhi said slowly, “Manor Master Cao, the facts of this matter have yet to be verified.”
“My son’s body is not yet cold, and a sword wound lies upon him. Is that not evidence?
“My subordinate personally witnessed Lou Jing attack my son with killing intent. Is that still not evidence?”
Cao Bo pointed at a man standing beside him.
The man was one of the servants who had followed Cao Ruxu in pursuit of the thief that night.
He had seen that the situation was chaotic and feared that the Feihua Alliance members might escape or that Cao Ruxu might be injured. He had returned to Zhongwu Hall to summon reinforcements and had therefore narrowly escaped death.
“This matter is too serious to rely solely upon one side’s account,” Lou Xuanzhi said. “When my daughter returns, I will question her thoroughly. I will naturally give Manor Master Cao an explanation.”
“I hope Tower Master Lou will not show favoritism and pervert justice merely because she is your own daughter!”
Lou Xuanzhi rose and clasped his hands behind his back, his expression composed.
“Manor Master Cao is correct. Since they are our children, we must both understand their dispositions extremely well.”
Cao Bo frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“My daughter has an unruly temperament and cares greatly about victory and defeat, but she has never used her strength to bully the weak.
“If there had been no cause, why would she attack your son without reason?”
Cao Bo looked toward the servant standing nearby.
The man then roughly recounted the dispute that had occurred in the abandoned garden that night.
After hearing the account, Cao Bo demanded, “Sect Master Lou, your daughter attacked fellow righteous martial artists in order to protect members of the Feihua Alliance. What possible justification is there for that?”
“You say my daughter argued with your son because she would not permit you to harm a woman in labor, and that this was why they began fighting.”
Lou Xuanzhi paced slowly before the desk and considered the matter.
“What justification was there?
“Grudges should not extend to the elderly, the weak, women, or children among one’s relatives.
“I have heard that the woman came from a respectable family. Although becoming involved with Long Chou was wrong in every possible way, I have never heard that she personally committed any evil deeds.
“Furthermore, she was pregnant. What crime had her unborn child committed?
“There were many ways to capture Long Chou’s trusted subordinate. Yet in his eagerness for success, your son chose to endanger two innocent lives.
“Manor Master Cao, tell me—what justification was there for that?”
“Evil must be completely eradicated! Should we leave that future scourge alive so it can seek revenge one day?”
Lou Xuanzhi swept his sleeve.
“Would it not have been better to bring the child back and teach her to follow the path of goodness?”
Cao Bo seemed to recall something and sneered.
“Lou Xuanzhi, every word you speak is biased because you wish to protect your daughter. Even when dealing with the Feihua Alliance, you have suddenly developed a woman’s softhearted mercy!”
Lou Xuanzhi glanced sideways at him.
“Manor Master Cao, we are discussing the matter itself.”
“You have no intention of surrendering Lou Jing!”
Cao Bo no longer wished to waste words.
He struck the table and shouted.
“If she committed a wrong, she will naturally be punished. But if she did nothing wrong, no one should even think of dumping this blame upon her!”
Lou Xuanzhi was already somewhat angry. His words became sharp and unyielding, every sentence striking painfully.
“So you intend to deny everything to the very end!”
“If matters truly occurred as your trusted subordinate described, and the conflict began because she protected a woman in labor, then it was hardly a serious offense.
“She was merely overcome by momentary indignation. She would never suddenly rise up and murder someone!”
“You move your lips and say whatever you please. You claim she would never kill anyone. What will you use to guarantee it?”
Lou Xuanzhi’s gaze darkened.
A mighty aura like that of dragons and tigers arose from him.
He slapped his own face and declared in a voice that struck the floor like metal:
“I guarantee it with the head of her father upon his shoulders!”
“Good! Good, good, good.”
Cao Bo swept his sleeve and stormed away.
“Lou Xuanzhi, you have disregarded justice to protect your daughter. I will remember what happened today!”
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Thank you so much for the translation! I really like this author’s works, and this novel is no exception.