Song of Everlasting Regret - Chapter 6

The group chased the thief for two full streets. Ordinary petty thieves are guilty-minded and shun the light, darting into dark corners like rats. But this thief was cunning; he fled into the bustling night market, daring to run directly under the brightly lit lanterns. The middle of the street was a marketplace, and the two sides of the canal were lined with brothels. The night was extremely lively, with people coming and going non-stop.

The thief escaping into the crowd was like a drop of water vanishing into the ocean; catching him became a hundred times more difficult. Indeed, without some guts and skill, how could one steal from the Zhongwu Hall? They just didn’t know what background this person had to dare to make trouble there.

Lou Jing could tell that the thief knew he had pursuers behind him and was deliberately circling to shake them off. If it had been anyone else, they might have been distracted by the passing pedestrians and the red lanterns everywhere. But Lou Jing had once played a game of “catching the fish” with her senior and junior brothers and sisters.

The Chengxin Lake was home to countless red carp. They would select a carp with a distinct pattern, and whoever caught it first won. This game wasn’t for everyone. It required remembering the carp’s unique markings, being a skilled swimmer, having excellent eyesight, and acting swiftly yet carefully—catching the fish without injuring it.

Through this, Lou Jing developed a pair of piercing eyes.

While fleeing, the thief swiftly changed his disguise into a stooped old man carrying a pole, fooling Cao Ruxu’s group, but not Lou Jing’s eyes.

Lou Jing gathered her qi, stepped lightly a few times on thin air, and flew onto a public viewing pavilion. No matter how the thief disguised himself, he was like that red carp; the “pattern” on him would not change.

The thief was carrying a banner, which folded up into a spear-like weapon but unfolded into a flag. He wouldn’t abandon his personal weapon, but the weapon was too bulky to conceal well. The thief was clever and used it as the pole of a carrying-basket, covered by two bamboo baskets. However, there were still flaws. Secondly, martial artists move lightly and quickly, and it is difficult to abruptly change their pace. The stooped old man’s footsteps were far too agile.

Lou Jing locked her gaze on him and followed quietly, avoiding alerting the snake. Cao Ruxu, alerted by her movements, also noticed the old man’s abnormality and trailed him stealthily. However, there were simply too many people, and the thief eventually noticed them. The thief simply abandoned his disguise and fled at full speed.

The thief was more familiar with Xuzhou City’s alleyways than they were. Even surrounded by so many people, he slipped through a gap in the encirclement. He turned a street corner and vanished without a trace.

The group followed, finding no one. Before them stood only one building: a large restaurant named Apricot Blossom Inn (Xing Hua Tian). They realized the thief couldn’t have vanished into thin air and must have escaped inside.

The Apricot Blossom Inn was the largest restaurant in Xuzhou City, consisting of five interconnected towers—East, South, West, North, and Central—linked by overhead bridges. At night, a thousand lamps burned brightly, making it as bright as day. Its carved beams and painted pillars were so opulent that no other building could rival its grandeur.

Inside the restaurant, every seat was occupied. There were singers performing beside the tables, and vendors selling fruits and snacks passing through the aisles. The clientele was mixed, and the noise was deafening. Cao Ruxu sent four men to guard the four sides of the restaurant to prevent the thief from escaping, and the rest searched inside.

The first floor was easy to search, as the guests were seated without partitions. The second and third floors, however, were difficult. They contained private rooms and elegant chambers, with curtains drawn and doors and windows closed. To search them, one had to intrude awkwardly.

Cao Ruxu was bold enough not to fear offending anyone. He searched room by room, determined to capture the thief.

Lou Jing followed behind him, holding her sword, her eyes cold.

After finishing the search on the east side of the second floor, Cao Ruxu and his group turned around and bumped into Lou Jing. “Go, go, go! Why are you tagging along to join the excitement!”

Lou Jing’s attitude was cold. “Is this restaurant yours? If you can walk here, can’t I?”

Cao Ruxu stepped past her, heading west, and said as he walked, “I don’t care where you go, as long as you don’t interfere with my catching the thief!”

“Coincidentally, I’m here to catch the thief too.”

Cao Ruxu was impatient. “What thief are you catching?”

“Is this thief one of your family’s, too? If you can catch him, can’t I?” Lou Jing sneered, her eyes fixing on the attendant beside Cao Ruxu with an icy glare. “If my Senior Brother hadn’t blocked that person, you probably wouldn’t even see a shadow of him now. If I catch that person, I must ask him properly who the mastermind is. When I bring the person to Hall Master Mu for questioning, I also ask that this attendant beside you please explain clearly what he meant by, ‘Could the Qian Yuan Sect people possibly be involved with those thieves!'”

The attendant was stunned, not expecting his earlier words to have been overheard by Lou Jing. He looked at Cao Ruxu, who currently prioritized catching the thief and did not want to dwell on this matter. He simply said, “Suit yourself.”

They began to search the private rooms on the west side of the second floor one by one, acting extremely aggressively. They broke down doors that wouldn’t open, and curses and shouts rose one after another.

In the middle of the second floor, one room had its door slightly ajar. A pair of eyes peered out for a moment, then closed the door.

The person peeking out was a burly man, dressed in coarse black linen, covered in dust from travel. Inside the room was a woman, holding her waist, her belly protruding—she was heavily pregnant.

The man said, “A group of martial artists has arrived and is searching room by room. They will likely reach our room soon.”

The woman’s face was full of worry. “How many of them are there?”

The man said, “Four in total. Though they aren’t the old masters, the newcomers look young, but their depth is unknown. They might have more people guarding outside the restaurant. If we truly fight, it’s hard to say.”

“What should we do then?”

The man pondered for a moment, then spoke decisively. “If they are truly coming for us, we can only escape. Madam, don’t worry. I will protect you and escort you back to Jiangnan, even if it costs me my life.”

The woman held her belly, her face pale. “We shouldn’t have come into the city.”

The man looked at the woman’s belly and sighed. “Madam is nearing labor and should not travel further. Coming into the city was truly unavoidable. Who would have thought that the Mu family’s grand wedding would draw so many martial artists, making every step difficult? The reinforcements from the Alliance haven’t arrived, and now, at this critical time, our whereabouts have been exposed.”

The woman was about to speak, but the man raised his hand, signaling her to be quiet, and whispered, “They are coming.”

A knock came from outside. At first, it was two gentle taps. “Customer, here is the hot water.”

When there was no response for a long time, the knocking became rough. Finally, the door bolt was shattered, and as Cao Ruxu and his group broke in, the night wind hit their faces. They saw the window facing the street wide open.

Cao Ruxu rushed to the window and saw a figure holding something, dressed in black, almost blending into the night. The figure used light-body skill to leap down and fled into the alleyway.

Cao Ruxu slammed the windowsill. “You thief! Do you think you can escape!”

He immediately led his men in pursuit. Lou Jing, blocked by Cao Ruxu’s men, stood at the back and couldn’t even see a shadow of the person. She only knew that the person in the room was guilty and fled out the window. Since Cao Ruxu furiously chased after him, she followed suit.

After leaving the Apricot Blossom Inn, Cao Ruxu fired a signal, summoning the guards posted on the four sides, and chased the black shadow westward.

Yu Jingqiu had been delayed. When the thief led Lou Jing’s group in a circle, she lost their trail and couldn’t find any sign of them while searching. She was just considering turning back when she suddenly saw a red star shoot up into the night sky. Someone had fired a signal. She recognized it as the signal used by the Caoliu Mountain Manor to communicate and headed in that direction.

She found the location, a bustling and opulent restaurant. She walked in, but the chaotic flow of people made it impossible to search.

Yu Jingqiu walked to the central courtyard, used a boost of light-body skill, soaring up like a celestial crane straight into the sky, landing on the roof of the central tower. From there, her vision was much clearer and broader. The players are often confused, while the onlookers see clearly.

She was about to leave and give up the search when the corner of her eye caught a figure on a flying bridge to the southeast. Her departing steps immediately halted.

Looking closely, wasn’t the figure on the flying bridge the very thief who had fought Lang Ye and stolen the Jade Buddha Hand?

Searching high and low yields nothing, but the prize comes effortlessly.

Although the thief had changed clothes and removed his painted mask, his walking posture and build remained the same. Most importantly, his weapon was unique, which was how Yu Jingqiu recognized him. He was carrying a package under his arm, following a waiter, as if heading somewhere specific.

Yu Jingqiu flew forward and blocked his path. “Brother, you took something that doesn’t belong to you. It would be best to return it quickly.”

The thief was startled when he suddenly saw her. Then, he looked past her at the waiter, and when he looked back at Yu Jingqiu, he remained silent and took out the weapon on his back.

Seeing this, Yu Jingqiu knew that further persuasion was useless. She drew her long sword, her sword intent vast and powerful. The thief moved his long spear/banner like a black python leaving its lair, striking directly at Yu Jingqiu’s face. Yu Jingqiu parried with her sword, shifted her feet, avoided the attack, and moved to close the distance.

Unexpectedly, as Yu Jingqiu deflected the spear with her sword, the blade’s edge sliced the cord holding the banner furled. The dark black banner suddenly unfolded above Yu Jingqiu’s head, like a black cloud covering the sky. Thin strands of golden light shimmered within the banner. This banner was not ordinary; it was woven with special silk threads and could resist the sharpness of blades. Yu Jingqiu felt the fierce wind from the passing banner sting her cheek.

The banner was soft and pliable. The sword advanced an inch, and the banner retreated an inch, just like a blade entering water; it couldn’t be cut. The thief’s moves were tricky. As Yu Jingqiu shifted, she could never escape the banner. This small banner seemed to enclose an infinite space.

If Yu Jingqiu had Lou Jing’s temperament, she would have used her spear to break the shield, violently breaking through the encirclement with the force of her sword. But Yu Jingqiu’s sword technique was always gentle, not as fierce as Lou Jing’s. So, she simply contemplated the flaws in the man’s moves, her gaze eventually locking onto the man’s feet.

The banner was limited in size; it could cover the head but not the feet. No matter how fast he moved, there was always a momentary gap somewhere during the shift. Yu Jingqiu seized the moment. As the banner drifted, revealing a gap on his left side, she struck like thunder, pouring true qi into her sword, causing the banner to flutter violently.

The thief was weak in defense. Struck by Yu Jingqiu’s sword qi, he leaped back several steps, clutching his injured waist, cold sweat streaming down. Although it was a minor surface wound, it made his hair stand on end, and he became extremely vigilant. The person before him was not to be underestimated.

Regardless of whether she was his match, continued fighting would be detrimental to him. He glanced backward, feigned an attack, and immediately retreated. Yu Jingqiu chased closely. If the thief had abandoned the Jade Buddha Hand, Yu Jingqiu would not have pursued him so relentlessly, but the thief remained obsessed, refusing to put down the package even when he was at a disadvantage, to free up a hand for better movement.

They fought and retreated all the way to the central tower.

The guests in the Apricot Blossom Inn seemed accustomed to such scenes, merely moving aside to watch the excitement, showing no panic.

Meanwhile, since the beginning of Lou Jing and Cao Ruxu’s chase into the Apricot Blossom Inn, someone had been secretly observing the commotion.

It was by the gallery on the second floor. A graceful woman, seemingly boneless, leaned against the railing, watching Cao Ruxu and his group searching the first floor. She laughed flirtatiously. “What drama is this? A few greenhorn youngsters dare to cause trouble in my Apricot Blossom Inn.”

A man who looked like a manager came up behind the woman and whispered in her ear, “Sister Yan, the Little Immortal has arrived.”

Sister Yan straightened up, gasping. “Who did you say arrived?!”

The man quietly repeated, “The Little Immortal. She is waiting in the secret floor.”

The woman completely lost her previous relaxed demeanor. She didn’t even wait to see what Lou Jing and Cao Ruxu were looking for. She turned and walked away in a hurry.

The Apricot Blossom Inn appeared to be three stories high from the outside, but it actually had four, the illusion created by cleverly staggered windows. One floor was a secret level, located between the second and third floors. If one didn’t know the trick, it was difficult to find the way up.

Sister Yan hurriedly went up to the secret floor and entered an elegant room. The room was warm and fragrant. Behind a pearl curtain, a person was seated on a couch. Her skin was snow-white, and despite the warming weather of April, she was still wrapped in sable fur. Three attendants stood by her sides.

Sister Yan pushed the door open, her beautiful face almost twisted in a grimace. She pointed at the three attendants and exclaimed, “You! You only brought these three with you?”

The person held a tea cup, taking a sip. “The tea is good.”

Sister Yan almost choked on her breath. “The Zhongwu Hall and Caoliu Mountain Manor are holding a wedding; Xuzhou City is packed with martial artists! That young brat from the Caoliu Mountain Manor is causing a scene right now downstairs! My dear ancestor, if anything happens to you, do you want the Lodestar to skin me alive and burn down my Apricot Blossom Inn?!”

The person behind the pearl curtain set down her tea cup and slowly said, “She doesn’t know I’ve come here.”

Sister Yan’s expression changed, and she calmed down, her willow eyebrows slightly furrowed. “You kept it a secret even from her? Why did you come to Xuzhou City?”

“To retrieve something.”

“Do you need my help?”

“They will come to the Apricot Blossom Inn after they succeed. Just make sure your staff knows the secret signal and attends to them carefully.”

“That’s standard procedure. Even without my instruction, my staff wouldn’t be negligent.” Sister Yan fiddled with a lock of hair dangling over her forehead. “That enemy, Long Chou, and his subordinate are here in my establishment. How do you want to handle them?”

“Now that Long Chou is dead, they are of no use.”

“Leave them be?” When the woman didn’t answer, Sister Yan knew she meant yes. She smiled slyly at the person behind the curtain. “That Long Chou was a famous… infamous character in his time. He was arrogant for half his life, turning his hand to clouds or rain, but I never thought he’d finally be defeated by a woman.”

Sister Yan sighed lightly. “He used to travel through the Central Plains freely, coming and going as he pleased. Even when martial artists discovered him, he always escaped safely. After repeated successes, he naturally let down his guard and fell for the trap. The ancients spoke well: If you often walk by the river, how can your shoes not get wet? (i.e., you will eventually slip up).”

“Do you pity him?”

“I just thought that he fought desperately to protect his woman and the child in her womb. Although he committed many wicked deeds, he was still a man. If that woman had been willing to return to Jiangnan with him earlier, none of this would have happened.” Sister Yan laughed. “Those so-called righteous sects were quick to act once they got the news.”

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and a voice came through. It was the innkeeper. Sister Yan did not open the door and asked through it, “What is it?”

The innkeeper said, “Someone gave the secret signal and wants to see the guest on the secret floor, but a girl from nowhere suddenly appeared and started fighting him. The man can’t handle it and wants the guest to intervene.”

The person behind the pearl curtain raised a hand, about to instruct one of the three attendants beside her to go help, when the three attendants’ expressions suddenly changed. Their bodies tensed, ready for action, and they all looked up at the roof. The roof above them was the third floor of the Apricot Blossom Inn.

The floors were supposed to be soundproof, so no sound should have carried, but the three attendants had excellent hearing, and the noise above was increasing rapidly.

In an instant, there was a loud crash on the roof. A hole was broken open, true qi swept through the room, making the pearl curtain rattle violently, and two figures fell down one after the other.

The person in front tumbled down, covered in numerous sword wounds, though none were fatal. The other person stood holding a sword pointed at the one who had fallen, the sword light fierce.

It was Yu Jingqiu, who had been chasing the thief.