Song of Everlasting Regret - Chapter 20

When Lou Jing awakened again, she did not know how many days had passed.

The daylight beyond the small stone window was dim, and cold wind whistled through the air. A mountain storm seemed imminent.

Someone came to the black prison again.

Lou Jing felt slightly comforted when she saw that the visitor was neither Li Changhong nor Wu Qingtian, but Yun Yao.

Yun Yao had brought food and wine, along with medicine for her injuries.

Li Changhong’s palm strike had caused Lou Jing internal injuries, and her acupoints had also been sealed. Her entire body was weak, and her spirits were extremely low.

She stared at Yun Yao for a long while before calling softly, “Senior Sister.”

Yun Yao pressed her lips together.

“Why did you fight Martial Uncle Li?”

Lou Jing caught hold of Yun Yao’s sleeve.

The light in her eyes was so intense that it stopped Yun Yao in her tracks.

“They told me something utterly outrageous. I do not believe it. Senior Sister, I want you to tell me the truth.”

“Ah-Jing…”

Yun Yao knew exactly what she was asking.

Her heart ached, but she could not conceal it from her.

“Master has indeed passed away.”

Lou Jing’s hand dropped weakly.

A low groan escaped her.

Her face had already been pale, but now not the slightest trace of life remained in it.

For some reason, she felt calmer than she had the previous day.

It was as though her heart had rusted and become numb, incapable of feeling anything. No tears remained in her eyes.

Only her throat burned painfully.

She looked toward the gray sky beyond the window and said hoarsely, “Senior Sister… Senior Sister, I want to be alone.”

“Ah-Jing, you must pull yourself together.

“I know you are grieving, but this is not the time to lose yourself in sorrow. You are imprisoned, and you must prove your innocence.

“You must also uncover the true murderer and avenge Master.”

Yun Yao gripped Lou Jing’s shoulders.

“Tell me clearly. What did you do after descending the mountain that day?”

Lou Jing looked exhausted.

Yun Yao could not bear to press her, but she had no choice.

“Ah-Jing, your innocence is at stake. You cannot conceal anything.”

Lou Jing lowered her eyes.

After a long silence, she recounted everything in detail: how she had traveled to Xinyang, secretly investigated Caoliu Manor, spent half a month scouting the area, entered the cemetery at night, encountered Shen Zhongyin by chance, and followed him in secret until Lou Xuanzhi received word and came searching for her.

Yun Yao asked anxiously, “After Master fought Shen Zhongyin, what happened? What happened afterward?”

Whenever Lou Jing attempted to remember, her head felt as though it were being pierced by needles.

Perhaps some part of her resisted replaying the event again and again.

Her face was ghastly pale.

“I was knocked unconscious by the force of their battle. When I awakened, I was already here.

“After that, Martial Uncle Li and Martial Uncle Wu accused me of monstrous disobedience and said I killed my father…”

Lou Jing gave a hollow laugh.

“I killed my father…”

Yun Yao paced back and forth before the bed.

After some time, she stopped.

“Was there truly nothing unusual? Even a tiny detail that could serve as evidence?

“Ah-Jing, you must think carefully.”

Lou Jing frowned.

A moment later, her eyes widened slightly.

“I remember that before I lost consciousness, Second Uncle arrived. He should know what happened afterward.

“That is right. Senior Sister, where is Second Uncle?”

The moment she asked, Yun Yao’s expression changed.

She hesitated to speak and looked at Lou Jing with pity.

Lou Jing immediately sensed something was wrong. The back of her head went numb.

“Senior Sister, what happened to Second Uncle?”

“Ah-Jing…”

Yun Yao avoided her gaze, but ultimately could not ignore Lou Jing’s direct stare.

She said heavily, “Martial Uncle Lou was severely wounded by Shen Zhongyin. He still has not regained consciousness and remains in mortal danger.

“Ah-Jing, do not worry. Martial Uncle Yu is searching through the medical texts, and the sect has sent people down the mountain to find renowned physicians.

“They will certainly save Martial Uncle Lou. Good people are protected by Heaven. Nothing will happen to him.”

Lou Jing stood frozen like a stone statue.

After a long while, she returned to herself.

Her throat felt painfully dry as she asked hoarsely, “Senior Sister, why are Martial Uncle Li and Martial Uncle Wu convinced that I killed my father?”

Yun Yao sighed.

“After Master learned that you were in Shen Zhongyin’s hands, he hurried to Xinyang.

“Before leaving, he instructed Martial Uncle Lou to gather disciples in case Shen Zhongyin had laid a trap or members of the Feihua Alliance were waiting in ambush.

“Martial Uncle Lou was worried that Master would have no one to support him. He happened to encounter Martial Uncle Li, so he entrusted the gathering of the disciples to him and pursued Master alone.

“Martial Uncle Li arrived one step behind them.

“I heard the disciples who went with him say…”

“What did they say?”

“When they arrived, they found Martial Uncle Lou gravely wounded and near death. You had suffered minor injuries and were unconscious.

“Master was half-kneeling beside you, supported by his sword. He had already stopped breathing.

“Shen Zhongyin was nowhere to be found.”

“What does that prove? They suspect me merely because I was the only one who did not die there?”

“No. It is because Master’s fatal injury was inflicted by a sword.”

Lou Jing froze and stared at Yun Yao.

After hesitating, Yun Yao continued, “It was the Qianyuan Sword Art—the Qian Formula’s Dormant Dragon.

“One sword strike killed him…”

Dormant Dragon struck the neck and left behind a highly distinctive wound that was easy to identify.

This meant the murderer had to be someone from the Qianyuan Sect.

Lou Xuanzhi had cultivated for many years and had long since brought the Qianyuan Sword Art to completion. He understood the advantages and weaknesses of every technique.

No one in the entire Qianyuan Sect surpassed him.

That was precisely the problem.

To kill Lou Xuanzhi with Dormant Dragon, the attacker either needed cultivation far exceeding his own or had to strike while he was distracted and unguarded.

Otherwise, given his abilities, Lou Xuanzhi would certainly have countered the move.

Who among those who practiced the Qianyuan Sword Art could surpass him?

For the strike to be fatal, it must have been delivered while his guard was lowered.

And when facing someone directly, only a handful of people close to him could make Lou Xuanzhi relax his vigilance.

Only four people had been inside the inn at the time.

Apart from Lou Xuanzhi himself, Lou Jing was the only one who wielded a sword.

Worse still, Dormant Dragon was a technique Lou Jing knew intimately and frequently used.

As a child, Lou Jing had determined to perfect Dormant Dragon merely to preserve her pride.

She had not wanted only to surpass Yu Jingqiu. She wanted to prove to herself that even if her talent was inferior, her achievements did not necessarily have to be.

If she trained twice as hard, then she too could master the technique with which Yu Jingqiu had once moved Lou Xuanzhi.

She could perform it no worse than Yu Jingqiu.

Her bitter practice had indeed made the technique excellent.

But she could not have foreseen that it would one day become the source of such a catastrophe.

Yun Yao said, “Shen Zhongyin habitually uses palm techniques and does not know the martial arts of our Qianyuan Sect.

“Martial Uncle Lou has not carried a sword in many years and fights only with a folding fan.

“Apart from Master, you were the only person there who used a sword.

“The sword you took with you was stained with blood…”

Yun Yao’s voice grew quieter.

“Martial Uncle Li said you colluded with Shen Zhongyin and exploited the trust that Martial Uncle Lou and Master placed in you to ambush Master successfully.

“Martial Uncle Lou then fought Shen Zhongyin to the death, and both were gravely wounded.

“When the sect’s reinforcements arrived, Shen Zhongyin could not take you with him, so he fled alone.”

Although Lou Jing and her father had occasionally clashed, what ordinary father and daughter did not?

How could Lou Jing conspire with an outsider she had known for only a few days to murder her own father?

It was far too abnormal—almost unheard of.

Lou Jing said, “Before Martial Uncle Li arrived, there is no guarantee that someone else had not entered the inn.”

Yun Yao shook her head.

“You were captured by Shen Zhongyin, and Master went there to rescue you.

“The incident occurred without warning. Martial Uncle Li followed closely behind Martial Uncle Lou and soon arrived at the inn.

“Who could have known in advance, hidden nearby, and successfully ambushed Master during such a short interval?”

Lou Jing raised her head and looked at Yun Yao with a chilling gaze.

“After Second Uncle arrived, Martial Uncle Li was the first person to reach the inn.”

Yun Yao froze.

She immediately understood Lou Jing’s meaning and shook her head repeatedly.

“That is impossible. Martial Uncle Li arrived with a large group of disciples.

“How could he attack Master before so many witnesses?

“And Martial Uncle Li… How could he possibly do something to Master…”

Her voice gradually weakened.

Yet the fact remained that the sword technique proved the murderer was a member of the Qianyuan Sect.

Aside from Lou Xuanzhi’s personal disciples, only the elders were close enough to make him lower his guard.

No matter how difficult it was for Yun Yao to believe that one of the relatives within the sect—someone who had taught them and watched them grow—might be Master’s murderer, she had to admit that it was possible.

Once the thought arose, Yun Yao could not help becoming suspicious.

The disciples Martial Uncle Li had gathered could all have been his trusted followers, had he deliberately selected them…

Yun Yao shuddered.

If she became suspicious of everyone and even doubted those closest to her, was there anyone left in the world whom she could trust?

The thought that a monstrous heart might be concealed beneath a familiar, benevolent face made her entire body turn cold, as though she had been thrown into the depths of winter.

Tears gathered in Yun Yao’s eyes.

Only yesterday, the sunlight had seemed bright, and they had lived without worry.

Although Master sometimes reprimanded them, it had felt good to have someone watching over them.

Hiding from Master and lazily wasting their days had seemed wonderfully carefree.

The world had been bright, and even if the heavens collapsed, Master and their martial uncles would have supported them.

How had everything changed the moment she turned around?

Now the sect was battered by storms, Master was dead, and the beautiful, false skin covering the world had peeled away to reveal nothing but conspiracies, schemes, and struggles for power.

The two martial sisters shared the same doubts and remained silent as they faced each other.

Lou Jing said, “Senior Sister, I want to keep vigil beside my father.”

“I am afraid that is impossible.”

“Why? Even if my crimes are monstrous, must I be deprived even of the right to keep vigil for my own father?

“My father has died, and Second Uncle is gravely wounded. Who is currently managing the sect?”

“Master did not have time to formally appoint a successor, so the position of sect master is vacant.

“At present, Martial Uncle Li, Martial Uncle Wu, and Martial Uncle Yu are jointly managing the sect.”

Apart from those three, the only people who held real authority in the sect were Lou Yan and Lu Yuanding.

Lou Yan remained unconscious from his severe injuries, while Lu Yuanding had not yet returned from his journey.

The remaining martial uncles held largely ceremonial positions.

It was therefore unsurprising that those three were now governing the sect.

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

She already knew the answer.

Yun Yao said, “Senior Sister Yu.

“Martial Uncle Wu believes that although Master did not formally name the next sect master, he had already chosen someone in his heart. Martial Uncle Wu believes that person was Senior Sister Yu.

“She was also Master’s first disciple. Among the younger generation, no one equals her in aptitude or ability.

“Whether by emotion or reason, she is qualified to become the next sect master. Martial Uncle Wu intends to support her succession.”

“Martial Uncle Li disagrees. He says selecting a sect master is a major matter. Since Master did not appoint anyone, the sect must hold its own selection.

“The candidate must possess not only ability but also the respect and support of everyone in the sect.

“The two martial uncles have different opinions. Martial Uncle Yu does not favor either side, so they agreed to wait until Martial Uncle Lu returns before discussing it further.”

Yun Yao looked dejected.

“Even so, Martial Uncle Wu has already instructed Senior Sister Yu to begin familiarizing herself with the sect’s affairs and learning how to manage them.

“She has been responsible for arranging Master’s funeral, sending notices of his death, receiving guests, and handling everything else.

“At night, she must also keep vigil beside Master. She has barely closed her eyes in several days and could not spare the time to visit you.

“That is why she sent me to ask what happened.”

“Martial Uncle Li was the one who led the group to the inn and therefore supposedly understands the situation best.

“Martial Uncle Wu has always overseen the sect’s laws, so those two are responsible for interrogating you.

“They forbade anyone from visiting you casually. I slipped in here secretly.”

They had spoken only a little longer when sounds came from outside the prison.

Li Changhong and Wu Qingtian had arrived and caught Yun Yao in the act.

Yun Yao immediately assumed an obedient expression of contrition and followed the two men out of the cell.

Wu Qingtian glared at her.

“I said no one was permitted to visit Lou Jing without authorization, yet you knowingly violated the rules.

“Without rules, nothing can be properly governed. The sect master spoiled all of you far too much.”

Yun Yao hurried over and wrapped her arms around Wu Qingtian’s arm.

“Martial Uncle, do not be angry. Yao’er merely found the matter suspicious and came to test Junior Sister’s account.”

“What is suspicious about it?”

“Martial Uncle, think about it. Junior Sister and Master were biological father and daughter.

“Why would she murder her own father for an outsider she had known only a few days?

“What would she gain? A ruined reputation and imprisonment in the Qianyuan Sect’s black prison?

“It goes completely against reason.”

“Do you think I do not understand that? But…”

Li Changhong clasped his hands behind his back and interrupted.

“She has been rebellious and perverse since childhood, loves violence, and has contradicted the sect master hundreds of times.

“Is it truly so unusual that she would commit such an act?”

Yun Yao’s expression became solemn.

“Forgive Yun Yao for speaking boldly, Martial Uncle, but those words are incorrect.

“Although Ah-Jing has an intense temperament and frequently angers Master, it was always over minor quarrels between fellow disciples.

“All of us senior brothers and sisters have seen how deeply Ah-Jing reveres and loves her father.

“She would never draw her sword against him.”

Li Changhong gave a cold snort.

“Her father? That is difficult to say.”

Yun Yao frowned.

“What does Martial Uncle mean?”

Li Changhong replied, “Whose child she truly is may now be known only to Shen Zhongyin…”

Wu Qingtian’s face turned cold, and he interrupted sharply.

“Senior Brother, the sect master settled this matter long ago while he was alive. Do not mention it again!”

Li Changhong glanced toward the prison.

“Junior Brother, after everything that has happened, why continue concealing it for her?

“In my view, Shen Zhongyin revealed his identity to that wicked disciple and then slandered our Qianyuan Sect.

“He must have told her how terrible the Qianyuan Sect was, how terrible the sect master was, and claimed that together they caused Jiao Lan’s death.

“This ungrateful wolf disregarded years of care and upbringing. She joined forces with Shen Zhongyin to murder the sect master and avenge her mother.

“Her rebellious, coldhearted temperament greatly resembles Shen Zhongyin’s.

“She is indeed worthy of being his biological daughter!”