Song of Everlasting Regret - Chapter 43

The carriage continued south, crossed the river, and entered Jiangnan.

The scenery and customs gradually changed, becoming gentle and enchanting, refined and tranquil.

Although it was the season of frost and snow, plum blossoms were already blooming throughout Jiangnan, their cold fragrance drifting secretly upon the wind.

Inside a warm room, wisps of incense curled through the air.

Zhan Sanxiao reclined upon a heated couch with her eyes closed, seemingly dozing. A musician plucked a zither and sang softly.

The song went:

«Longing for you brings endless remembrance;
Brief longing becomes infinite sorrow.
Had I known how deeply you would bind my heart,
I would rather we had never met at all.»

The voice sounded like weeping and lamentation, mournful and pitiful.

Two cups of hot tea stood upon the small table, as though someone was expected.

Outside, the wind and snow were light.

A person approached with quick but orderly steps. Before she had even entered, her voice came from outside.

“Ah-Xue.”

She was clearly in an excellent mood.

A jade hairpin adorned her head, contrasting with her long black hair. Her brows and eyes were sharp, her features elegant and noble, and she possessed an authority that made others instinctively lower their heads and bow.

A black cloak covered her body. A dark bird embroidered in golden thread stretched across one shoulder, its slightly open beak holding a bloodred gemstone that served as the clasp.

Smiling, she sat opposite Zhan Sanxiao.

“The factions of the Central Plains have gradually begun extending their influence into Jiangnan.

“The moment Long Chou died, they assumed the Feihua Alliance had suffered a devastating blow and eagerly stretched out their feelers to test us.

“The Qianyuan Sect is undergoing a transfer between old and new leadership. Caoliu Manor has lost its young master. Zhongwu Hall… heh.

“They have not even cleaned up their own messes, yet somehow they still possess the leisure to interfere in other people’s affairs.”

She reached toward the cup of tea.

“The snow came early this year. Had those people not caused trouble, I could have arrived sooner to enjoy it with you.”

Zhan Sanxiao extended the book in her hand and pressed it against the lid of the teacup, blocking the woman’s hand.

“You reek of blood. Do not ruin my tea.”

The woman paused in surprise, raised one arm, and sniffed it lightly.

“Is the smell that strong? I will wash and return.”

As Zhan Sanxiao watched her leave, a trace of concern appeared between her brows.

“Have Banxia examine you.”

The woman’s brows relaxed, and she smiled.

“It is not my blood. I accidentally got someone else’s scent on me while fighting. I thought it was nothing serious, but I still could not escape your nose.”

The woman familiarly made her way toward Zhan Sanxiao’s bathing pool.

Servants had already poured hot water into it. Steam filled the room as they lowered the curtains.

One attendant stepped forward and helped the woman remove her clothes.

Her body was pale and unblemished.

She entered the water only to wash away the smell of blood.

A long while later, she emerged wearing an inner robe. Her wet hair hung loosely over her shoulders, and her bare feet stepped upon the soft carpet.

Two maids followed her into the outer room, one carrying her clothes and the other drying her hair.

Footsteps came from outside.

The woman glanced over and saw two maids leading a young woman toward the warm room where Zhan Sanxiao waited.

She saw only a brief side profile, but the young woman left an impression of striking beauty.

The woman continued staring at the now-empty doorway.

“Who was that?”

One maid answered, “A young woman the Tower Master rescued outside.”

“Oh?”

The woman narrowed her long eyes, the end of the sound rising.

She lifted one foot and began walking toward Zhan Sanxiao’s room.

The two maids hurried after her, still carrying the clothes and towel.

“Cult Leader!”

Meanwhile, Lou Jing had been rescued from the snowy forest by an unfamiliar woman.

The moment her mind relaxed, it was as though the pillar supporting her body had been removed, and everything collapsed.

She remained only half-conscious throughout the journey. Although she opened her eyes several times, her thoughts were never clear.

By the time she finally recovered a trace of strength, she was already inside a courtyard in Jiangnan.

Today, she had come to bid farewell to Zhan Sanxiao.

A maid led her through the grounds.

Silver snow covered the earth. Green leaves emerged from beneath the shrubs, while red berries looked especially charming against the winter landscape.

Despite the cold weather, many birds were being raised within the estate.

Kingfishers possessed delicate figures, their vivid colors dazzling against the snow.

After passing through a covered corridor, Lou Jing arrived at the warm room.

A deep, subtle fragrance lingered within. Moon-shadow gauze swayed gently.

Upon a golden-threaded sea-willow table stood a blood-jade vase filled with clear water, holding a single white magnolia.

A strange fragrance filled the room, spreading from a small purple-gold incense burner shaped like a beast’s head.

A mysterious thread of scented smoke entered through Lou Jing’s nose, and warmth spontaneously arose within her organs.

She did not know what kind of incense it was.

It was extraordinarily unusual.

“Miss Zhan.”

Hearing her, Zhan Sanxiao turned around.

A smile touched her brows and eyes.

People addressed her by many titles, but this was the first time anyone had properly called her “Miss Zhan.”

The form of address sounded indescribably strange.

When Zhan Sanxiao smiled, the words Lou Jing had prepared caught in her throat, and a third of her confidence immediately vanished.

Lou Jing had faced wolves, jackals, tigers, and leopards without her legs weakening in the slightest.

Yet the woman before her concealed unfathomable depths.

Beneath the appearance of a lotus flower lay an endless sea.

Lou Jing had thrown stone after stone into it, attempting to test its depth, but every one vanished without a sound.

Unable to find the bottom, she felt like rootless duckweed suspended in emptiness.

It unsettled her.

“Miss Zhan, thank you for saving my life in the snowy forest.

“I came today for two reasons. First, to express my gratitude. Second, to bid you farewell.”

Zhan Sanxiao rose, still holding the book.

She studied Lou Jing for a moment.

“You are an observant person. I imagine you have already realized that we belong to the Feihua Alliance.”

Lou Jing said nothing, tacitly confirming it.

“After you leave, what do you intend to do? Return to the Qianyuan Sect, or search for Shen Zhongyin?”

Lou Jing’s expression darkened abruptly.

Cold light burst from her eyes and shot toward Zhan Sanxiao.

This woman knew who she was?

“I know many other things as well.”

Zhan Sanxiao glanced sideways at her.

“The question is whether you wish to hear them.”

“But ill fortune dogged your path. You encountered Cao Bo, who pursued you relentlessly to avenge his son.”

The more Zhan Sanxiao spoke, the worse Lou Jing’s expression became.

How could a member of the Feihua Alliance recount her affairs as though reading from a familiar ledger?

“How do you know all this?”

“Shen Zhongyin told me half. I guessed the rest.”

Lou Jing immediately seized upon the most important detail.

Her voice became urgent and forceful.

“You know Shen Zhongyin. You have seen him! Where is he now?”

Zhan Sanxiao answered without haste.

“I do not know.

“But I know you wish to discover the true murderer of your father.

“Finding Shen Zhongyin and forcing him to explain what happened that day is one possible method.”

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

Lou Jing stared at her, now filled with open hostility.

“Everyone in the Feihua Alliance knows that Shen Zhongyin’s whereabouts are unpredictable.

“Apart from Helian Que, the master of Yanzi Tower, who remains in contact with him, Shen Zhongyin has always been the one who finds others. No one can find him.

“If you wish to locate Shen Zhongyin, you must approach the Feihua Alliance.

“And merely entering the alliance will not be enough. You must gain access to Helian Que, possess enough leverage to negotiate with him, or develop enough power to force him to compromise and reveal Shen Zhongyin’s whereabouts.”

Zhan Sanxiao raised one arm in invitation.

“Join my Fengyu Tower. I can help you.”

So after saying all this, she merely wanted Lou Jing beneath her command.

But why would she help her?

Lou Jing sneered.

“Since you know who I am, you should also know that the Feihua Alliance and I can never coexist.

“You expect me to join you? What an enormous joke.”

Every word and action from Lou Jing seemed to fall within Zhan Sanxiao’s expectations.

Her expression remained calm.

“The righteous factions of the Central Plains no longer have any place for you.

“The Qianyuan Sect seeks to arrest you. Caoliu Manor hunts you.

“Sect Master Lou had friends throughout the martial world. Most of them have probably seen you before.

“Once you leave the Feihua Alliance’s territory, you will find it difficult to take a single step.

“Forget finding someone. Even preserving your own life will be difficult.”

She had struck directly at Lou Jing’s greatest concern.

Every sentence reached a vital point, creating a tiny crack in Lou Jing’s resolve.

Zhan Sanxiao continued, “At present, your wings have not fully grown, and your martial arts remain incomplete.

“With your strength alone, you cannot oppose the full power of an entire sect or faction.

“Even if you withdraw from the world, hide inside a mountain cave, and train bitterly until the day your cultivation matures and you stand unmatched beneath heaven, you will still remain prey if you lack careful planning, worldly experience, and eyes capable of seeing through the human heart.”

Lou Jing had no answer.

“Return to your room and consider it carefully.”

Zhan Sanxiao’s tone suddenly shifted, revealing a quietly mischievous streak.

She teased, “However, even if you refuse, you will not be able to leave this estate.”

Lou Jing’s expression stiffened.

This woman had never truly been negotiating with her.

She combined soft persuasion with hard coercion, leaving Lou Jing no way to respond.

“Ah-Xue, what is this person’s background? What makes her worthy of your attention and all this effort to bring her into Fengyu Tower?”

No one had noticed another person enter the room.

When her voice sounded, it was as though she had suddenly appeared there.

Only Zhan Sanxiao remained completely unruffled.

She turned around.

The woman stood behind her with wet hair and bare feet, wearing only an inner robe.

The lines of her collarbones were faintly visible beside the hollow of her neck.

Although improperly dressed, she showed no concern.

She had wanted to come, so she had simply walked over in that state. Everyone along the way had lowered their eyes, not daring to look directly at her.

Zhan Sanxiao took the towel from a maid and used it to absorb the water from the woman’s long hair.

“Why did you come out without putting on your clothes?”

The dampness in the woman’s hair had turned cold during the walk.

She took the towel and began drying it herself.

“I heard you brought someone back.”

Zhan Sanxiao accepted the cloak from another maid and draped it around her shoulders.

She did not attempt to conceal the truth. Concealing it would be useless; this woman could investigate it effortlessly.

“Lou Xuanzhi’s daughter.”

The woman’s movements stopped.

Her brows lowered, and an oppressive presence arose around her.

“The Feihua Alliance may be large, but it has no room for an ungrateful wolf who murders her own family.”

Those words immediately ignited Lou Jing’s fury.

Her gaze became sharp as a blade.

But after spending half a year in the Dragon Pit among cold-blooded serpents, she had become far more capable of endurance.

Her instincts had also grown more acute.

She understood that she was not this woman’s match and restrained herself.

Yet although Lou Jing did not attack, the two points of cold light in her eyes provoked the woman into acting.

The woman’s figure shifted.

A palm suddenly arrived, spreading a chill that made the bones tremble.

Lou Jing rapidly circulated her inner force, gathered true qi, and met the strike with her own palm.

The woman moved quickly, but Lou Jing responded just as fast.

Their single exchange was entirely a contest of internal cultivation.

Lou Jing was defeated and crashed into a grand chair.

The woman retreated one step and looked at her own palm.

“Shen Zhongyin?”

Zhan Sanxiao called, “Shao Yan.”

The woman called Shao Yan restrained her aura and walked back to Zhan Sanxiao.

She placed one hand upon Zhan Sanxiao’s shoulder and looked sideways at Lou Jing.

“Ah-Xue, a wolf remains a wolf even after a collar is placed around its neck. No one knows when it may turn and bite its master.

“If you wish to accept her, you must beat her until she tucks her tail between her legs, understands fear, and willingly becomes a dog.”

Lou Jing wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and flipped upright.

Cold snake blood had nourished a gloomy and vengeful disposition within her.

Her eyes remained fixed upon Shao Yan.

Zhan Sanxiao shifted at the appropriate moment and stood between them.

“Banxia, take her back and examine her injuries.”

Lou Jing did not move.

Zhan Sanxiao said calmly, “I am not your enemy.

“But if you attempt to use force here, you will inevitably suffer.

“Would it not be better to return to your room and quietly devise some brilliant plan to escape?”

Lou Jing lowered her eyes and considered it.

If she fought, she could not win.

Acting would certainly feel satisfying, but it would also destroy every possible path ahead.

A noble person could wait ten years to take revenge. Why rush at this moment?

She glanced at Zhan Sanxiao.

The woman remained as calm and unconcerned as ever.

At last, Lou Jing turned around, accepted the path Zhan Sanxiao had provided, and returned to her room.

A bird inside a cage could grow wings from its ribs and still remain unable to fly.