Song of Everlasting Regret - Chapter 20

When Lou Jing woke up again, she did not know how many days had passed. Through a single stone window, she saw the sky was dim, the wind was whistling, and a mountain storm was brewing.

Someone came to the Black Jail again, which brought a slight sense of comfort to Lou Jing’s heart. This time, the visitor was not Li Changhong or Wu Qingtian, but Yun Yao.

Yun Yao arrived carrying a food box with wine and dishes, as well as some medicinal salve.

Lou Jing had suffered internal injuries from Li Changhong’s palm strike, and with her acupoints sealed, she was physically weak and mentally exhausted. She stared at Yun Yao for a long time before calling out, “Senior Sister.”

Yun Yao pursed her lips and said softly, “How could you still try to fight Martial Uncle Li?”

Lou Jing grabbed Yun Yao’s sleeve, the intensity in her eyes fixing her in place. “They said something utterly outrageous. I don’t believe it. Senior Sister, I want you to tell me the truth.”

“A’Jing…” Yun Yao knew exactly what she was referring to. Her heart felt wretched, but she could not hide it from her. “Master has indeed… passed away.”

Lou Jing’s hand fell limp. She let out a low groan, and her face, already pale, turned deathly white.

For some reason, her heart felt even calmer than it had the day before—as if it had rusted over, turned numb, and could feel nothing. No tears would fall, but her throat felt as if it were burning. She looked toward the grey, overcast sky outside the window and said hoarsely, “Senior Sister, Senior Sister, I want to be alone.”

“A’Jing, you must pull yourself together now. I know you are grieving, but this is not the time to drown in sorrow. You are imprisoned; you must prove your innocence, and you must find the real killer to avenge Master.” Yun Yao pressed down on Lou Jing’s shoulders. “Tell me clearly, what exactly did you do after you went down the mountain that day?”

Lou Jing’s expression was weary. Yun Yao felt a pang of pity, but she had to ask. “A’Jing, this concerns your innocence. You cannot hide anything.”

Lou Jing lowered her eyes. After a long silence, she recounted everything in detail: going to Xinyang, secretly investigating Caoliu Mountain Manor for half a month, entering the cemetery at night, her chance encounter with Shen Zhongyin, her secret tracking of him, and finally, Lou Xuanzhi finding her after receiving her message.

Yun Yao asked anxiously, “And after Master and Shen Zhongyin exchanged blows? What happened next?”

Every time Lou Jing tried to recall, her head felt like it was being pricked by needles; her mind seemed to be rebelling against repeating this memory. With a ghastly face, she said, “I was knocked unconscious by the shockwave. When I woke up again, I was here. After that, Martial Uncle Li and Martial Uncle Wu came and accused me of the ultimate betrayal… of killing my father…”

Lou Jing let out a hollow laugh. “I killed my father…”

Yun Yao paced back and forth in front of the bed. She stopped and asked, “Was there nothing else unusual? Something small that could serve as evidence? A’Jing, you must think hard…”

Lou Jing knit her brows. A moment later, her eyes widened slightly. “I remember then, just before I lost consciousness, Second Uncle arrived. He should know what happened afterward. Yes—Senior Sister, where is my Second Uncle?”

Upon hearing this question, Yun Yao’s expression changed. She hesitated, looking at Lou Jing with eyes full of pity.

Lou Jing immediately sensed something was wrong; a sudden numbness crept over the back of her head. “Senior Sister, what happened to my Second Uncle?”

“A’Jing.” Yun Yao’s gaze flickered away, but she ultimately couldn’t ignore Lou Jing’s direct stare. She said heavily, “Uncle Lou was severely injured by Shen Zhongyin. He is still in a coma… his life hangs by a thread. A’Jing, you—don’t worry. Martial Uncle Yu is consulting the ancient medical texts, and the sect has sent people down the mountain to find renowned doctors. They will surely save him. Uncle Lou is a good man favored by heaven; he will be fine.”

Lou Jing sat frozen like a stone statue. After a long time, she regained her senses, feeling exceptionally parched. She asked in a raspy voice, “Senior Sister, why are Martial Uncle Li and Martial Uncle Wu so certain that I killed my father?”

Yun Yao sighed. “After Master learned you were in Shen Zhongyin’s hands, he hurried to Xinyang. Before leaving, he instructed Uncle Lou to gather disciples to prevent any traps or ambushes from the Feihua Alliance. Uncle Lou was worried about Master being alone and chanced upon Martial Uncle Li; he entrusted the task of gathering disciples to him and went to catch up with Master alone. Martial Uncle Li arrived a step behind them. I heard from the disciples who went there…”

“They said what?”

“They said that when they arrived, they found Uncle Lou critically injured and dying. You were unconscious from minor injuries. Master was half-kneeling beside you, leaning on his sword, already breathless… and Shen Zhongyin was nowhere to be found.”

“And that’s it? Just because I didn’t die there, they suspect me?”

“No. It’s because Master’s fatal wound was a sword strike.”

Lou Jing froze, staring at Yun Yao.

Yun Yao hesitated for a moment. “It was our Qian Yuan Sword Technique. The move ‘Dragon Hibernation’ from the Qian Formula… a single strike, fatal…”

The move ‘Dragon Hibernation’ wounds the neck and leaves a unique mark that is very easy to identify.

This meant the killer had to be someone from within the Qian Yuan Sect. Lou Xuanzhi had practiced for many years; his mastery of the Qian Yuan Sword Technique was complete, and he knew the strengths and weaknesses of every move. In the entire sect, no one surpassed him. This was the problem.

To take Lou Xuanzhi’s life with ‘Dragon Hibernation’ right in front of him, one would either need a level of power far exceeding his, or strike when he was relaxed and distracted to catch him off guard. Otherwise, with his cultivation, he would surely have parried it.

Among those who practiced the Qian Yuan Sword Technique, who could rival Lou Xuanzhi? For such a strike to kill him, it must have been delivered when he was unguarded. And the only people who could face him directly and find him unguarded were those closest to him.

At that time, there were only four people in the inn. Excluding Lou Xuanzhi, the only person who used a sword was Lou Jing.

Furthermore, ‘Dragon Hibernation’ was a move Lou Jing was deeply familiar with and used habitually.

In her youth, driven by a need to prove herself, Lou Jing had resolved to master ‘Dragon Hibernation’ to the absolute limit. It wasn’t just to surpass Yu Jingqiu; it was to prove to herself that even if her natural talent was inferior, her achievements needn’t be. Through double the effort, she had mastered the move that had once moved Lou Xuanzhi so much that her execution of it was not inferior to Yu Jingqiu’s.

She had mastered it through bitter practice, but she could not have predicted it would lead to her ruin today.

Yun Yao said, “Shen Zhongyin habitually uses palm techniques and does not know our sect’s martial arts. Uncle Lou hasn’t worn a sword for years; he only uses a folding fan when fighting. Aside from Master, you were the only one using a sword… and there was blood on the sword you took… Martial Uncle Li says you conspired with Shen Zhongyin, took advantage of Master and Uncle Lou’s lack of suspicion, and succeeded in a sneak attack. He claims Uncle Lou fought Shen Zhongyin to the death until both were heavily injured, and when the sect reinforcements arrived, Shen Zhongyin couldn’t take you with him and fled alone.”

“That’s absurd! I…” Lou Jing’s chest heaved. Even though she and her father had frequent friction, what father and daughter in an ordinary family don’t? How could Lou Jing possibly conspire with a stranger she’d known for only a few days to murder her own father?

This was too deviant, simply unheard of.

Lou Jing said, “There’s no guarantee that no one else was there before Martial Uncle Li arrived.”

Yun Yao shook her head. “You were captured by Shen Zhongyin, and Master went to save you. This was a sudden development. Martial Uncle Li followed Uncle Lou and arrived at the inn almost immediately. Who could have known to lie in ambush and succeed in a sneak attack on Master in such a short window of time?”

Lou Jing looked up at Yun Yao, her gaze chilling. “After Second Uncle arrived, Martial Uncle Li was the first to reach the inn.”

Yun Yao froze, immediately understanding her implication. She shook her head. “Impossible. Martial Uncle Li was with a group of people; they arrived at the inn together. How could he strike in front of everyone? And… Martial Uncle Li? How could he… how could he do that to Master…”

Yun Yao’s voice trailed off. Yet, the fact remained: the sword technique proved the killer was from within the Qian Yuan Sect. To make Lou Xuanzhi drop his guard, it could only be a direct disciple or an elder.

No matter how hard it was to believe that a senior who had raised them could be the killer, she had to admit it was a possibility.

Once the thought took root, Yun Yao couldn’t help but suspect.

If Martial Uncle Li intended it, the disciples he gathered to go with him could have all been his trusted confidants…

Yun Yao shuddered. If things had reached the point where she had to suspect even those closest to her, was there anyone left in the world to trust?

At the thought that a monstrous heart might hide beneath a benevolent face, she felt a chill through her entire body, as if standing in the depths of winter.

Yun Yao’s eyes grew hot with unshed tears. Just yesterday, the sun had been bright and life was carefree. Even being scolded by Master felt good—it was the feeling of being cared for. Avoiding Master to slack off had been so joyful. The world was clear; even if the sky fell, Master and the Uncles were there to hold it up. Why was it that in a single turn, the world was now storm-tossed? Master was gone, and the bright, beautiful surface of the world had peeled away, leaving only conspiracies, plots, and internal strife.

The two sisters shared the same doubts, standing in mutual silence.

Lou Jing said, “Senior Sister, I want to go keep vigil over my father’s coffin.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

“Why? Even if my crimes are heinous, am I to be stripped of even the right to mourn my father? My father is dead, and Second Uncle is critically injured. Who is in charge of the sect now?”

“Master didn’t have time to appoint a successor. The position is vacant. For now, it is being managed collectively by Martial Uncle Li, Martial Uncle Wu, and Martial Uncle Yu.”

Aside from those three, the only ones with actual authority were Lou Yan and Lu Yuanding. Lou Yan was unconscious, and Lu Yuanding had not yet returned. It was expected that the three elders would manage the sect.

Lou Jing opened her mouth and asked dully, “Then who is keeping vigil for my father now?”

She was asking a question she already knew the answer to.

Yun Yao said, “It is Senior Sister (Yu Jingqiu). Martial Uncle Wu believes that although Master didn’t formally appoint a successor, he had a preferred candidate, and he thinks that candidate is Senior Sister. Furthermore, Senior Sister is Master’s first disciple; her talent and ability are unmatched among the younger generation. By all logic and sentiment, she is the one qualified to be the new Sect Leader. So, Martial Uncle Wu intends to support her succession.

Martial Uncle Li, however, disagrees. He says choosing a Sect Leader is a major matter, and since Master didn’t appoint anyone, we must elect one ourselves. The candidate must not only be talented but also command the respect and hearts of the entire sect. The two Uncles have different views, and Martial Uncle Yu is indifferent, so they agreed to wait for Martial Uncle Lu to return before further discussion.”

Yun Yao’s expression was downcast. “But even so, Martial Uncle Wu has had Senior Sister begin handling sect affairs and learning the ropes. The funeral arrangements, the announcements, and receiving guests are all being handled by her. She has to keep vigil at night as well. She hasn’t closed her eyes in days and simply cannot get away to see you. That’s why she sent me here to check on you and find out the truth.

Since Martial Uncle Li led the men to the inn, he supposedly knows the situation best. And Martial Uncle Wu is in charge of sect law, so the two of them are interrogating you. They aren’t allowing anyone to visit you; I had to sneak in.”

Before they could say more, a sound came from outside the cell. Li Changhong and Wu Qingtian had arrived, catching Yun Yao red-handed.

Yun Yao immediately took on an apologetic look and obediently followed the two out of the cell.

Wu Qingtian glared at Yun Yao. “I said no one is allowed to visit Lou Jing without permission. You are knowingly breaking the rules. Without rules, there is no order. Master spoiled you all far too much.”

Yun Yao ran over and grabbed Wu Qingtian’s arm, saying coaxingly, “Uncle, don’t be angry. Yao’er just thought something was strange and wanted to see what my Junior Sister had to say.”

“What is strange?”

“Uncle, think about it. Junior Sister and Master are father and daughter. How could she murder her own father for a stranger she’s known for only a few days? For what? To ruin her reputation and rot in the Black Jail? it defies all common sense.”

“I know that as well, but…”

Li Changhong, with his hands behind his back, interjected, “She has been defiant and aggressive since childhood, talking back to the Sect Leader hundreds of times. Is it really so ‘strange’ for her to do such a thing?”

Yun Yao said solemnly, “Yun Yao begs to differ, Uncle. Though A’Jing is fierce and often made Master angry, it was always the bickering of siblings. We, her senior brothers and sisters, have all seen A’Jing’s deep love and respect for her father. A’Jing would never draw her sword against her own dad.”

Li Changhong snorted. “Her own dad? That’s hard to say.”

Yun Yao frowned. “What do you mean by that, Uncle?”

Li Changhong said, “Whose child she actually is… I’m afraid only Shen Zhongyin knows now…”

Wu Qingtian’s face went cold, and he interrupted, “Senior Brother! The Sect Leader already settled this matter while he was alive. Do not mention it again!”

Li Changhong glanced toward the cell. “Junior Brother, things have come to this; why bother covering for her? I say Shen Zhongyin revealed her true parentage to this wicked disciple and then slandered our sect and the Sect Leader. This ungrateful wolf ignored years of upbringing and joined forces with Shen Zhongyin to murder the Sect Leader and avenge her mother. I’d say her wild, cold-hearted temperament is exactly like Shen Zhongyin’s. Truly his biological daughter!”