Song of Everlasting Regret - Chapter 23

Lou Xuanzhi’s body had been placed in the ancestral hall. According to custom, it had to remain there for seven days before burial.

Everyone in the Qianyuan Sect wore mourning white. The sect grounds were solemn, and even the mountains seemed steeped in grief.

Yu Jingqiu, dressed in plain mourning clothes with a white band tied around her forehead, knelt before Lou Xuanzhi’s coffin.

After thanking the heroes of the martial world who had come to pay their respects, she saw Wu Qingtian standing outside the ancestral hall with his hands clasped behind his back.

Yu Jingqiu rose and approached him.

“Martial Uncle, how did it go?”

Wu Qingtian looked toward the distant forest.

Evening was approaching, yet the world remained strangely bright.

“The innkeeper identified her in person. He has no conflict of interest with Lou Jing, nor does he bear her any grievance. He has no reason to slander her.

“At present, every sign points to her as the murderer.”

Yu Jingqiu’s face was pale, and her brows drew together slightly.

“But with her temperament, even if she hated Master enough to kill him, she would never join forces with Shen Zhongyin.

“She would confront Master face-to-face and fight him openly.”

Wu Qingtian sighed.

“One may know a person’s face but not their heart. This concerned a lifelong hatred and matters of life and death. Who can say she would not behave contrary to her usual nature?”

“As Martial Uncle said, it concerned life and death. If they intended to murder Master, how could they have failed to prepare an escape route beforehand?

“Even if Jing’er did not think matters through, Martial Uncle has said that Shen Zhongyin is meticulous, cunning, and unpredictable. Why would he act impulsively?

“Master would never have gone alone to answer his challenge. That was an obvious problem. Could they truly have failed to anticipate it?

“If the murder was premeditated, why did Shen Zhongyin not gather members of the Feihua Alliance in advance and arrange an ambush to help them escape?”

Yu Jingqiu gently shook her head.

“Yet Martial Uncle Li said that no trace of any other Feihua Alliance members was found at the time.

“Martial Uncle, neither Jing’er nor Shen Zhongyin is a fool.”

Wu Qingtian said, “That is also what I cannot understand.”

Hearing this, Yu Jingqiu knew that he had not stubbornly decided Lou Jing was guilty.

She quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Wu Qingtian was obstinate, but he could be reasoned with and valued evidence above all else.

Once one understood his temperament, he was not difficult to persuade.

Yu Jingqiu asked, “Martial Uncle, could the innkeeper have been threatened?”

Wu Qingtian shook his head.

“Lang Ye and I escorted him back personally. We never allowed him to come into contact with anyone else.”

“Perhaps it happened before you found him. If we wish to uncover the truth, we may need to begin with the innkeeper.”

If the murderer made no move, there would be no trail to follow.

But the moment they acted, they would inevitably reveal a flaw.

Wu Qingtian said, “I understand. Lang Ye and I will keep a close watch on him.”

Yu Jingqiu studied his expression.

Seeing that his attitude had softened and that his face was no longer as dark as when he arrived, she hesitated before saying, “Martial Uncle, Master will be buried tomorrow. Tonight is the final night.

“Please allow Jing’er to keep vigil for him.”

“You know your junior sister’s temperament better than anyone.

“The ancestral hall is where generations of our masters rest. If she creates a disturbance, she will disrupt the peace of our ancestors’ spirits!”

“Martial Uncle holds some prejudice against her…”

Yu Jingqiu pressed her lips together, the faint trace of color fading from them.

She stepped backward and bowed deeply.

“Shanjun has spoken presumptuously.”

Wu Qingtian lowered his hands and turned toward her, pointing angrily into the air.

“You are correct. I am prejudiced against her!

“The sect master is dead. Even if she was not the murderer, she bears an inescapable responsibility.

“She may avoid death, but she cannot escape punishment.”

Yu Jingqiu raised her lashes and pleaded, “If she cannot enter the ancestral hall, then at least allow her to accompany Master’s funeral procession tomorrow.

“Master was always concerned about her. They shared more than ten years of affection as father and daughter. At the end, he would surely wish to see her once more.”

The rise and fall of Wu Qingtian’s chest gradually calmed.

After a long silence, he sighed.

“Very well. I will discuss it with the other two elders.”

Yu Jingqiu said, “Thank you, Martial Uncle.”

At dusk, cold wind began to rise through the mountains, and white lanterns were hung outside the ancestral hall.

Yun Yao returned from below the mountain, covered in dust from her journey.

After changing into mourning clothes, she bowed before Lou Xuanzhi’s coffin.

“Senior Sister.”

Although neither woman avoided speaking before Lou Xuanzhi’s coffin, their voices unconsciously became quieter.

Yu Jingqiu asked, “How did it go? Is there any news from Di Hou?”

When Lou Jing was brought back to the sect, Yu Jingqiu had discussed matters with the others and sent Di Hou and Lang Ye down the mountain.

Lang Ye accompanied Wu Qingtian in searching for the innkeeper, while Di Hou traveled to Jiangnan with several disciples to notify Lu Yuanding.

Lu Yuanding and Lou Yan had always been Lou Xuanzhi’s most trusted supporters.

Now Lou Yan was gravely wounded, and the sect needed Lu Yuanding to return and stabilize the situation.

Furthermore, Lu Yuanding was tolerant and clear-minded. If he returned, Lou Jing’s circumstances would improve considerably.

“The latest message says Di Hou reached Jiangnan, but he still has not contacted Martial Uncle Lu.

“That little monkey is never useful when it matters most.”

Yun Yao complained about him for a while, then changed her expression and asked with concern, “Senior Sister, I heard Second Senior Brother returned. How did the search for the witness go?”

Yu Jingqiu wearily closed her eyes and shook her head.

The sorrow in her chest emerged in a quiet sigh.

“The innkeeper claimed he saw Jing’er attack Master with his own eyes.

“We found the witness, but the situation has become even worse for her.”

“Impossible! Someone must have instructed him!”

In her shock and anger, Yun Yao unconsciously raised her voice.

She quickly restrained herself, glanced toward Master’s coffin, and lowered her voice again.

“With Ah-Jing’s temperament, now that she has been falsely accused, I fear…”

Yu Jingqiu said, “We will visit her shortly.”

Yun Yao replied gloomily, “After I slipped in to see her last time, Martial Uncle Li became furious and forbade me from visiting again.”

“I will go with you.”

“What about Master?”

“Ah-Ye has returned. We can ask him to keep vigil for a while.”

Yun Yao’s brows relaxed in delight.

“Good. I will call him!”

She thought Martial Uncle Li would at least have to show Senior Sister some consideration.

Yun Yao had barely stepped outside the ancestral hall when a disciple in mourning clothes approached along the mountain steps, carrying several registers.

The moment Yun Yao saw him, she guessed what they were and scrunched her brows, eyes, and nose together in frustration.

As expected, the disciple came to the ancestral hall and presented the registers to Yu Jingqiu.

“These record the condolence gifts presented by the various sects today, along with the supplies purchased and expenses incurred. Senior Sister is requested to verify them.

“There are also tomorrow’s lodging arrangements for the guests. Martial Uncle Wu said they must be completed before the Hour of the Boar.”

The disciple’s timing could not have been worse, disrupting their plans.

Yun Yao had already been carrying a stomach full of anger with nowhere to release it. Her brows rose sharply as she pointed at him.

“How can there be so many things to do?

“Even when my master was alive, there were never this many matters!

“Are you deliberately trying to work my senior sister to death?

“Who handled these things before? Let that person continue doing them!”

From the moment Lou Xuanzhi’s body returned to the sect and his coffin was placed in the ancestral hall, his disciples had been required to keep vigil.

Lang Ye and Di Hou had gone down the mountain on important business.

Lou Jing was imprisoned and forbidden from attending.

That left only Yu Jingqiu and Yun Yao to keep vigil.

Aside from that, Yun Yao had also gone down the mountain to receive news from Di Hou and already felt exhausted.

Yu Jingqiu, however, had to manage the sect’s countless minor affairs while keeping vigil. She had scarcely been given an opportunity to breathe.

Yun Yao understood that the sect had undergone an upheaval and that the present situation was unlike ordinary times.

But her master was dead, her junior sister imprisoned, and her senior and junior brothers exhausted from running errands.

They did not even have enough time to grieve for their master before a cold spring rain forced their tender branches to grow into supporting pillars.

Naturally, sorrow and resentment accumulated in her heart.

Yu Jingqiu gently reassured her.

“Why are you angry with him? He is only following the rules.

“Master is dead, Jing’er is imprisoned, and the sect has lost its central support. Everyone is also occupied with finding the murderer. Naturally, matters are more disorderly than usual.”

Yu Jingqiu accepted the registers and said to the disciple, who stood awkwardly beside her, “You may leave.

“I will complete the room arrangements before the Hour of the Dog. I will verify the other records afterward.”

The disciple looked immensely relieved and quickly took his leave.

Yu Jingqiu lowered her eyes toward the registers.

After a moment, she said to Yun Yao, “You go ahead. I will come later.”

“What about Martial Uncle Li?”

“Ask Martial Uncle Wu to speak on your behalf.”

“All right. I understand.”

After Yun Yao left, Yu Jingqiu released an almost inaudible sigh.

She returned to the ancestral hall and had a disciple place a long table against one side.

Then she opened the guest registers.

The ancestral hall was silent.

Blue smoke curled upward, and a single lamp burned with a flame as small as a bean.

No one knew how much time had passed when a bell suddenly sounded beyond the mountain.

Its deep toll spread across the sky and echoed throughout the wilderness.

When the sound entered the ancestral hall, Yu Jingqiu’s heart shook.

Her hand slipped, drawing a long line of ink across the snow-white page.

The mountain gate bell was rung only when something serious occurred.

A terrible premonition arose in her heart, and she hurried outside.

Night had already fallen.

A solitary moon hung in the sky.

After a long while, a disciple came running toward her.

Yu Jingqiu asked, “What happened?”

The disciple reported, “Lou Jing wounded the guards and escaped!”

Yu Jingqiu’s heart sank.

“Where is she now?”

“Her whereabouts are unknown. Elder Li rang the mountain bell, and the entire sect is searching for her.”

Yu Jingqiu’s thoughts surged.

“Go to the main peak and summon Lang Ye. Have him guard the ancestral hall.”

“Yes.”

Yu Jingqiu called him back.

“Wait! Give me your sword.”

Weapons were forbidden inside the ancestral hall, so Yu Jingqiu’s own sword remained at Chengxin Waterside Pavilion.

The disciple had no time to think and obediently offered her his weapon before turning away.

Once he left, Yu Jingqiu changed direction.

Like a white bird among the mountains, she moved lightly toward the rear mountain.

A narrow trail descended from the rear mountain.

It was steep and winding, lying behind Xiangri Peak.

Apart from Yu Jingqiu and her fellow disciples, almost no one knew of it.

Yu Jingqiu was certain Lou Jing would choose that path.

When she reached the mountainside, she spotted a figure.

Gathering her qi and lightening her body, she rose and fell through the air, passed over the person, and landed upon a boulder.

Turning around, she said, “Jing’er, where are you going?”

The person hurrying down the narrow trail stopped.

She was lean and tightly gripped a long sword.

Several strands of black hair at her temples and forehead thrashed wildly in the wind. Her lips were dry, and her expression was cold and fierce.

Only her eyes were exceptionally bright, flashing with the chill of sharpened steel.

The night concealed the blood vessels filling those eyes.

The Lou Jing before her resembled a trapped beast newly escaped from its cage, claws extended and spine arched, prepared to attack at any moment.

Lou Jing said, “You already know.”

Yu Jingqiu said, “You cannot leave.”

“If I do not leave, should I remain here and wait for them to frame and kill me?”

“Your case is still under investigation. I will prove your innocence.

“If the witness Ah-Ye brought back was threatened into falsely accusing you, he will eventually reveal a flaw.

“Martial Uncle Yu has already made some progress in finding a way to treat Martial Uncle Lou. Once Martial Uncle Lou awakens, he can testify for you.

“Di Hou has gone to Jiangnan. Martial Uncle Lu will return to the sect before long and take charge of the situation.

“Jing’er, you cannot act foolishly at this moment…”

Her case was still under investigation?

She was not going to be executed the next day?

Lou Jing froze.

She studied Yu Jingqiu’s expression.

She knew what Yu Jingqiu looked like when she lied: her face turned entirely red, and she did not know where to put her hands or feet.

Yu Jingqiu was calm now.

That meant she was telling the truth.

Yet her words contradicted what the mysterious man who entered the black prison and released her acupoints had said.

Lou Jing wavered slightly, but then her gaze darkened.

Whether the words were true or false no longer mattered.

“Senior Sister, do you believe me?”

Yu Jingqiu assumed Lou Jing was frightened and needed reassurance.

She did her utmost to comfort her, and she genuinely believed Lou Jing was innocent.

“I believe you would never harm Master.”

Lou Jing’s gaze was sharp and cold.

“But I do not believe you. I believe no one.

“If I am not the murderer, then the murderer can only be someone within the sect. The elders are the most likely suspects.

“Are you capable of investigating Elder Wu?

“Could you imprison Elder Yu in the black prison?

“Could you interrogate Elder Li for all twelve hours of the day?

“Would you dare suspect Elder Lu?

“And what if Second Uncle never awakens?”

Yu Jingqiu stood frozen, unable to answer.

“You would never suspect them. The thought would not even enter your mind.

“That is simply your nature. You believe all your relatives, friends, masters, and elders are good people.

“What use is your belief in me?

“You are still a fledgling whose feathers have not fully grown. In a storm, you cannot even protect yourself. How could you help me?”

“But Jing’er, have you considered this?

“Master had countless close friends and possessed enormous prestige throughout the martial world.

“If you leave now, it will be regarded as fleeing out of guilt and will confirm everyone’s suspicion.

“When that happens, not only will the sect pursue you, but the entire martial world will refuse to let you go.

“Those with violent tempers may attempt to kill you immediately.

“The path before you is not a road to survival. It is a mountain of blades and a sea of fire!”

“I am not afraid of dying. I am only afraid of dying without knowing why!

“I am not afraid of being killed by outsiders. I am afraid of being stabbed in the back by my own people!”

Facing Lou Jing’s fearless gaze, Yu Jingqiu refused to yield for the first time.

“I will not allow you to leave.”

Lou Jing drew her sword.

“If you stand in my way, then you are my enemy!”