Song of Everlasting Regret - Chapter 26

This long snake was vibrantly colored, its body shimmering like a stretch of emerald water—clearly a venomous serpent, coiled and lurking. Lou Jing, with her sharp ears and keen eyes, heard the subtle movement. The moment she abruptly turned her head was the exact instant it launched its attack.

A streak of chilling green lightning lunged straight for her face. Lou Jing’s fingers snapped out; three fingers, like eagle claws, swift and powerful, clamped down on the snake’s head.

Outside, the two people from Caoliu Mountain Manor were still talking. The woman gave a mocking laugh. “Shen Zhongyin is elusive. The Manor Lord sent the manor’s masters out to catch him before—so many people, yet they couldn’t catch one man. Instead, he slipped into our home without a sound, making a joke of us. This time, Shen Zhongyin killed Lou Xuanzhi, and the martial world is incensed. Would he not hide for a while to avoid the storm? To try and catch him now—I’m afraid we won’t even find his shadow.”

Lou Jing, crouched in the gap of the half-collapsed eastern corner of the inn, felt her gaze darken at the mention of Lou Xuanzhi’s death. Unconsciously, her fingers tightened, crushing the snake’s head into a bloody pulp. The emerald body writhed in a final struggle, coiling around her arm.

The man said, “It is said that this is where Shen Zhongyin and Lou Xuanzhi exchanged blows. The one surnamed Shen fled with heavy injuries; in his panic, he must have left clues. I don’t believe we can’t catch his fox tail…”

The woman lightly raised a fair, soft hand, cutting the man off.

The man inquired with his eyes. The woman’s eyelids lifted slightly, her gaze darting toward the east. “There’s a mouse.”

The moment her voice fell, the man’s sword snapped out. The sword qi surged across, shredding the dilapidated wall of the eastern corner into fragments.

Lou Jing didn’t know how she had been exposed. To dodge the sword qi, she was forced to roll out from the dust.

The moment she appeared, the people of Caoliu Mountain Manor formed a perimeter, cornering her in the eastern corner. An attendant barked, “Who is there, acting so stealthily!”

The man, as tall and thin as a bamboo stalk with a long face and five strands of long beard, squinted at the half-kneeling Lou Jing. He asked coldly, “Who are you, sir? Hiding in the shadows—what are your intentions?”

Lou Jing lowered her voice, making it sound muffled and thick. “This lad was just passing by, looking for a place to stay.”

“If that’s the case, why hide and eavesdrop on our conversation!”

Lou Jing stealthily scanned her surroundings and spotted a man standing by the counter in the distance.

Ill luck. Seeing that the lead man and woman from the manor were strangers she had never met, she had hoped to bluff her way through. Who could have known that “enemies meet on narrow paths”? The attendant by the counter was the very one who had been at Cao Ruxu’s side—the man who had fled the derelict garden to deliver the news on the night of the wedding.

They had seen each other two or three times. Even if they weren’t well-acquainted, they at least remembered each other’s faces.

Cold sweat broke out on Lou Jing’s back. She knew she couldn’t panic now. Forcing herself to remain steady, she said, “This lad ran away from home; I mistook you for my elders coming to chase me, so I hid.”

The seductive, bewitching woman scrutinized her from head to toe. Folding her arms, she smiled. “Since you’re a girl, why dress up as a smelly man?”

Lou Jing knew the martial world was full of talented people, but being exposed at a single glance still startled her. Fortunately, her habit of talking back had gifted her with a nimble tongue. “Dressing as a man is more convenient when traveling the martial world.”

This was indeed true, and no fault could be found with the logic.

But the two before her had spent decades in the martial world; they weren’t so easily fooled. The bearded man tilted his chin and said, “Enough hiding. Take off that bamboo hat.”

Lou Jing didn’t move. The man took a step forward as if he intended to remove it for her. Only then did she lower her head slightly and raise her hand to the hat. Her movements were as slow as a snail; in those fleeting moments, a thousand thoughts flashed through her mind.

If she took off the hat and was recognized by that attendant, the people of Caoliu Mountain Manor would never let her go. But if she refused, their suspicions would be confirmed, and they wouldn’t let the matter rest either. It would be better to strike first—but this man and woman’s martial arts were unfathomable; escape would be difficult.

Lou Jing gripped the edge of the bamboo hat, took it off, and revealed her sallow, mud-stained face. She decided to gamble.

Her gaze involuntarily drifted toward the attendant by the counter. Out of a guilty conscience, she couldn’t help but overthink; she felt the attendant was staring at her face as if he had recognized something. Consequently, she grew even more nervous watching his expression.

Lou Jing didn’t notice that the woman’s eyes were like torches, catching her every subtle look. With a smile on her lips, the woman gestured to the attendant by the counter. “You, come here.”

The man obeyed, immediately walking to the woman’s side and standing behind her, waiting for further orders.

Now that he was closer, he could see much more clearly.

Lou Jing grew even more tense, but she realized her gaze just now had been too obvious, allowing this woman to see the discrepancy. That was why she had called the attendant over. Gritting her teeth, Lou Jing forced herself not to look at him.

The bearded man asked, “Which sect’s disciple are you?”

Lou Jing replied, “My family taught me a few random moves, just some routines for health and fitness. Nothing famous.”

The man pondered for a long while, glancing at her sideways, his dark pupils reflecting an inner sharpness. “Judging by your accent… you seem to be from the north.”

Lou Jing’s heart jumped. “My hometown is indeed in the north…”

Lou Jing’s gaze swept toward the woman. She saw the attendant behind her listening to the man’s questions; it was as if he had found inspiration. His eyes were now fixed on her, vastly different from before. The light flashing in his eyes was like the dawn, sweeping away all the disguises of the night.

Lou Jing’s heart sank straight to the bottom. She knew he had recognized her.

The attendant’s lips parted slightly as if he were about to speak.

Lou Jing lost her patience. She abruptly drew her sword. If she waited for the attendant to reveal her identity, it would be too late to act. Though she knew she couldn’t defeat this pair, by seizing the initiative, she might gain some small advantage.

Lou Jing unleashed a surge of sword qi, forcing the two into a temporary defensive stance, and immediately retreated.

The attendants around them were forced back by the fierce momentum.

The man pursued her like a shadow.

His sword moves were sharp and ruthless. He also used the Zhengyang Sword Technique, but he was far beyond Cao Ruxu’s level; his power was profound and exquisite.

Lou Jing knew that in a head-on clash, she would surely lose. She couldn’t use the Qian Formula; she had to use the Kun Formula to counter strength with softness and use cleverness to face the enemy.

It so happened that the sword she had snatched was specifically designed for practicing the Kun Formula.

As the man’s heavy sword pressed down, Lou Jing held her sword to block. Her long sword bent like a willow branch, the blade curving around the heavy sword to strike at the man’s chin. This strike was unpredictable, attacking where the enemy was unprepared.

Startled, the man jerked his chin back. Though he dodged the blow, a lock of his long beard was sliced off by Lou Jing.

Seeing this, the woman giggled. “Old Second Cao, at your age, having a section of your beard cut off by a little girl—have you no shame?”

The man touched his chin, his expression turning grim. “Qian Yuan Sword Technique.”

“Lou Jing! It really is Lou Jing!” The attendant’s eyes lit up, and he shouted, “Second Master, Lady Snake, she is Lou Jing!”

Everyone’s expression changed. Snake Lady said, “My, hasn’t this little girl been locked in the Qian Yuan Sect’s Black Jail? How did she get out?”

This Old Second Cao sneered. “Looking at her, she probably snuck out. If she didn’t have a guilty conscience, why run? I fear this brat truly is in league with that man surnamed Shen. Perhaps she knows where he is hiding. Snake Lady, take her down first.”

“If she knew, why would she run here?” Snake Lady said leisurely.

“You mean…” Once Old Second Cao knew Lou Jing’s identity, he stopped being polite. He swung his heavy sword, the blade vibrating with a sound like a swarm of bees. Facing this ten-tenths power, Lou Jing merely used her sword to block, and immediately felt her internal organs shudder, as if struck in the chest by an iron hammer.

Snake Lady flicked her fair hand, firing an iron lotus seed. Lou Jing had just dodged Old Second Cao’s sword when her path was blocked by the seed. She flicked her long sword, slicing the iron lotus seed in two.

Lou Jing was, after all, new to the martial world and lacked experience.

As the iron lotus seed was sliced open, seven or eight tiny iron beads burst out from inside. This sudden development caught Lou Jing off guard. Though she hurriedly defended, she was still struck in the right shoulder by two iron beads, nearly causing her to drop her sword.

Defending the left, she couldn’t guard the right.

Old Second Cao was lurking on the side like a tiger. Seizing the opening, he struck a palm against the center of Lou Jing’s back.

Unable to defend in time, Lou Jing spat out blood on the spot. She fell to her knees, her vision going black, with no strength left to fight.

Blood flowed from the corner of her mouth; the yellow mud hid her deathly pale complexion.

Old Second Cao barked, “Take her away.”

Two attendants from the manor came from either side and bound her.

Old Second Cao said to Snake Lady, “Regardless of whether she knows his location, catching Lou Jing means we didn’t come for nothing since we can’t catch Shen Zhongyin.”

Old Second Cao left men at the inn to continue searching for Shen Zhongyin’s trail, while he and Snake Lady escorted Lou Jing back to Caoliu Mountain Manor.

As soon as they passed through the gates of the manor, Lou Jing was escorted directly before Cao Bo.

This wasn’t the first time Lou Jing had seen Cao Bo, but this time, he looked different. Within his swollen eyelids, a glint of sinister gloom flickered. He stood before her, as silent as a deep abyss.

He stared at the kneeling Lou Jing for a long time. With a half-smile, the skin at the corners of his eyes wrinkled. “To think Lou Xuanzhi refused to admit you killed my son, even going as far as breaking off relations with my manor and offering his own head as a guarantee.”

Cao Bo looked to the sky and laughed coldly. “Who knew he would reap the bitter fruit he sowed, murdered by his own daughter in league with an outsider? The snake charmer is eventually bitten by the snake. And now, you have fallen into my hands.”

Lou Jing said, “I did not kill Cao Ruxu.”

Cao Bo said, “When criminals fall into jail, which of them doesn’t cry ‘Your Honor, I am wronged’? Naturally, it wasn’t you alone, Lou Jing. I imagine Shen Zhongyin did most of the work.”

Hearing his tone, it was clear he was certain of her guilt. She knew she wouldn’t have a good ending in the hands of the Cao family. She wasn’t afraid to die, but having just escaped the Qian Yuan Sect without figuring anything out, she was truly unwilling to die like this. But if he expected her to beg for mercy, she would rather die. “Kill me if you want! It’s just a pity you’re so foolish that you’re being kept in the dark, never knowing the real killer of your son!”

Suddenly, someone rushed from the side and delivered a sharp slap to her face. The blow made Lou Jing’s ears ring, and her cheek swelled instantly. She licked her back teeth with her tongue and looked up, her gaze like that of a hawk or a wolf, her killing intent cold and sharp.

The man who hit her looked somewhat familiar.

After thinking for a moment, she realized she had seen him at the Zhongwu Hall wedding banquet. Among the people the Cao family sent with the bride, he was at the very end, seemingly of low status and unimportant—unnoticeable.

The reason Lou Jing remembered him was that he shared a slight resemblance to Cao Ruxu. This man had more of a frail scholar’s air, but his slaps were exceptionally ruthless.

He pointed at Lou Jing and said, “You worthless thing! A traitor to your sect, an ungrateful white-eyed wolf, nothing more than a stray dog that everyone in the martial world wants to beat—how dare you speak to my father like that!”

So this man was also a son of Cao Bo.

Cao Bo glanced at the man, who then retreated to the side. “Father, forgive me. This woman’s words insulted you; your son truly could not bear to listen.”

Cao Bo flicked his sleeve, clasped his hands behind his back, and turned to leave. His voice drifted back eerily: “Regardless of whether you killed him or not, you made things difficult for my son. I will not let you have it easy.”

Cao Bo stopped by a screen and looked back at Lou Jing. His gaze was the obsessive malice of a middle-aged man who had lost his son. “A tough bone who isn’t afraid of death. Once we grind her down, she’ll go soft. Snake Lady, she’s in your hands. Take good care of her.”

The person following behind Cao Bo said in a low voice, “Manor Lord, what about the Qian Yuan Sect…?”

Cao Bo sneered. “I’m helping them clean up their traitor. What can they possibly say?”