Chapter 59

Using Each Other, Restraining Each Other

Before nightfall, instead of attackers, they were greeted with rumors from the martial arts world. Tales of Bai She assassinating Elder Duan, stirring up a storm of blood and violence in the martial arts community, spread wildly, detailed and convincing.

Hearing these rumors, Shi Mei stamped her foot in frustration, "Rumors like these are mostly malicious slander. It's always the bad things that get spread, never the good."

After hearing this, Bai She pondered for a moment, then called out, "Qin Quan."

"Yes?" Qin Quan looked up.

"Take Red Leaf back to the Ghost Blade Sect first."

"What?!" Qin Quan cleaned out his ears, disbelief in his voice, "You want me to leave you two behind and go back now?"

Bai She nodded, "Exactly."

"No way," Qin Quan adamantly refused. "With Xue Xian at the Ghost Blade Sect and the Scented Powder Residence, we needn't worry..." He halted mid-sentence, opening his mouth as if he remembered something, then looked at Bai She, "Are you sure?"

Bai She countered, "What do you think?"

"Hey, what's with the riddles? Bai She, what are you planning?" Red Leaf was confused, but Qin Quan swiftly pulled her away, "Let's go, pack up."

"I need to take care of Little Mei Zi!" Red Leaf resisted leaving, but Qin Quan showed his teeth, "With your limited skills, staying would only add to Bai She's burdens!"

"You... you're annoying!" Red Leaf chased after Qin Quan, hitting him playfully, successfully lured out of the room, and brought back to the capital.

Bai She also asked Red Leaf to take her sister-in-law and relatives along, creating a tense atmosphere. However, an amusing incident lightened the mood. Fu Ying actually sent someone with silver, and Shi Mei, holding the silver note beside Bai She, couldn't help but chuckle in delight.

Shi Mei instructed Red Leaf's sister-in-law to keep the silver, planning to buy a nice property in the capital to raise children.

Meanwhile, Bai She and Shi Mei stayed alone in the large mansion.

That evening, the mansion was brightly lit, all lanterns blazing, as if everyone was still there.

In the room, Bai She and Shi Mei sat close together on the bed, chatting.

"I just made a mistake," Bai She suddenly said, holding Shi Mei's hand.

Thinking Bai She had forgotten something important, Shi Mei quickly asked, "What happened?"

Bai She looked at her and smiled, "Well... we shouldn't be sitting on the bed. At times like this, it's easy to have wandering thoughts."

Shi Mei stared at him, puzzled by his implication.

"I mean this..." Bai She leaned in, gently pressing Shi Mei down onto the bed...

Shi Mei's eyes widened in shock, but she didn't move... Just as she braced for a close moment, faint noises came from outside.

Shi Mei felt Bai She stop and sigh slightly in disappointment.

"They're here?" Shi Mei tensed up.

Bai She gently stroked her ear, "No need to be scared, shall we continue?"

Shi Mei pushed him away, frustrated. This is not the time for such thoughts!

Reluctantly, Bai She flicked his sleeve to extinguish the candle, plunging the room into darkness and silence.

There were indeed assailants outside the house, but the current situation inside left them baffled. With such a large mansion empty, were they dealing with a bluff, or was this a trap waiting to be sprung?

Moreover, the scouts returning reported that Qin Quan and Red Leaf had left first, and the inhabitants of the old residence had been escorted away. This meant that only Bai She and Shi Mei were left in the mansion. The attackers couldn't help but feel apprehensive... what was Bai She's game?

After waiting for a while with no disturbance from outside, Shi Mei realized Bai She was using a diversionary tactic. While this could buy them some time, it wouldn't hold up if intruders decided to forcefully enter.

"Any plans?" Shi Mei knew Bai She wouldn't just sit and wait for doom; he must have a strategy.

Bai She shook his head, "No, just improvising as we go."

Shi Mei narrowed her eyes, "Keep pretending, but be careful of incoming arrows."

This drew a low chuckle from Bai She.

……

While they were talking, the sound of whooshing arrows filled the air. Several fire-tipped arrows hit the door frame, with one even shooting through the window.

In the darkness, the light of the fire was particularly glaring.

Startled, Shi Mei was hushed by Bai She, "Jinx!"

"What should we do?" Shi Mei clutched Bai She's arm. "If they keep shooting, the house will catch fire!"

"It's okay," Bai She reassured her as they hid behind a table. "This attack doesn't seem like they're just testing my condition."

"Right..." Shi Mei realized something was amiss. "Why use such drastic measures as fire arrows? This isn't probing; they intend to kill us!"

Bai She playfully poked Shi Mei's waist.

"Hey!" Shi Mei hit him lightly. "Stop it."

"Do you still have the map of the Ghost Fox Forest we drew earlier?"

"Yes." Shi Mei quickly pulled out the map she had sketched earlier.

Bai She examined it, "This is terribly drawn."

About to pinch him, Shi Mei was quickly embraced by Bai She, who then leaped out of the window... They hurried along a pre-arranged escape route and dashed through the alleyway.

"Did you prepare the way?" Meizi was somewhat surprised. The seemingly random planks and straw strewn across the alley had perfectly blocked the incoming arrows.

Baishuo, holding her hand, rushed out of the courtyard... Indeed, they were ambushed. Shimei saw two figures in black charging towards them, not uttering a word or revealing their identities, but attacking with their swords.

Baishuo, feigning an injury with one hand while protecting Shimei, wielded his sword with the other, repelling the attackers. Without lingering for a fight, he pulled her into a narrow alley where a white horse awaited. Mounting the horse with Shimei, they galloped away.

Their pursuers followed... but they hadn’t gone far when someone suddenly appeared, blocking their path.

The assassins saw a figure in white, face veiled with white silk, holding a silver knife, bearing a slight resemblance to Baishuo.

"Get out of the way!" barked the men in black, not wishing to entangle with him. Their mission was to kill Baishuo and Chen Shimei.

The man in white remained silent, stepping aside as if to block the way... and when the assailants ran forward, he swiftly drew his blade, striking with the speed of a whirlwind and the ferocity of a tempest, aiming for their vitals. In a moment, all the assassins lay dead.

The man in white sheathed his sword, looked over the corpses scattered on the ground, and sneered, "...These two, they cannot die yet."

After speaking, he turned and vanished into the dense forest.

In the distant woods, Fu Si, lying in ambush with his men, also noticed the man in white and frowned involuntarily. He had harbored doubts about whether Baishuo was pretending to be injured, but to his surprise, upon arriving, he found others laying in ambush. Observing closely, he couldn’t discern the martial arts style of the men in black, but it seemed Baishuo was genuinely injured.

But who were those men in black?

Fu Si's subordinates wanted to give chase, but Fu Si stopped them. This person's martial skills might not surpass Baishuo's, but they could well be on par with his own. Mysterious in movement, there seemed to be more to this situation than met the eye.

……

After a frantic dash, Bai She and Shi Mei paused in the forest, looking back to see that no one was following.

Shi Mei glanced back, puzzled, "Why did they stop chasing us halfway? It's like they lost their nerve."

Bai She remained silent, his brows slightly furrowed as he stared into the distance. After a while, he shook his head and turned the horse around to proceed slowly.

"Were those Fu Si's men?" Mei Zi speculated. "Or is Fu Ying upset about being swindled and seeking revenge?"

Bai She chuckled, "Of course not... but things will probably get heated tomorrow."

"You mean rumors in the martial arts world?" Shi Mei frowned. "It's good we evacuated Hong Ye's sister-in-law and her family earlier. Otherwise, there could have been many casualties. These people are ruthless."

……

That night, they found a flat spot in the forest to rest. Bai She meditated, while Shi Mei leaned against him and quickly fell asleep.

Shi Mei had a distressing dream — she dreamt that she and Bai She were married, but on their wedding night, she suddenly found herself back at her old home, crawling out of a collapsed ancestral hall. Bai She and Hong Ye Zan Yue were gone, leaving her with her indifferent father and estranged sister, who forced her to marry a man she detested.

"Mei Zi? Little Mei Zi?" Bai She woke Shi Mei.

Opening her eyes to the bright morning light, Shi Mei saw Bai She looking at her with concern. "What's wrong?"

"Huh?" Shi Mei sat up, realizing it was just a nightmare. She rubbed her eyes, inadvertently wiping away tears.

Bai She used his sleeve to dry her cheeks, "You've been crying since before dawn, what dream made you so sad?"

Shi Mei rubbed her eyes again, murmuring, "Nothing... just a scary dream," then sighed, leaning into Bai She's embrace — what a fright!

Bai She opened a nearby steamer, revealing hot breakfast, "Hungry?"

"Where did this come from?" Mei Zi was surprised.

"A disciple of the Ghost Knife Sect brought it this morning," Bai She explained as he wrung a clean cloth from a wooden basin to help Shi Mei wash her face. "I sent someone early to inquire about the situation. As expected, there are rampant rumors spreading in the martial arts world."

"What? Someone tried to assassinate you?" Shi Mei said indignantly. "Now those people in the martial arts world should realize that this is all a plot against you!"

"Quite the opposite," Bai She replied, to Shi Mei's surprise. "The rumor is that I fled out of guilt, murdered Hong Ye's family, and even kidnapped the princess."

"Nonsense!" Shi Mei jumped up in anger, only to sit back down, rubbing her numb legs, which Bai She helped massage.

"Who would twist the truth so blatantly?!" Shi Mei grew increasingly frustrated.

"This could be linked to the Duan family," Bai She said, his attention on a map. "They've moved the date of the assembly to condemn me forward to three days from now, changing the venue to near the capital. And since I've 'abducted' you, I expect a royal decree for my arrest in a few days!"

"This is..." Shi Mei pondered frantically, "I'll write to the Empress Dowager to declare that I willingly went with you. You are my... um."

"I am your what?" Bai She teased her, "Your prince consort?"

"Be serious! Someone is trying to ruin your reputation and kill you, and you're still joking?!" Shi Mei was cut off as Bai She handed her breakfast, "Forget about that now. It's useless to talk. After eating, we'll send a message to that old tree woman, then hurry back to the capital to strategize."

"What if we're ambushed on the way?" Shi Mei worried. "Should we disguise ourselves?"

"No need," Bai She smiled mysteriously, "Didn't you notice yesterday no one came after us?"

"True," Shi Mei said, massaging her sore neck. "I thought they were out to kill us."

"There are indeed those who wish us dead on this journey, but others will block them for us," Bai She said coldly. "Some want me dead to serve as their scapegoat, while others hope I stay alive to fulfill their plans."

"Why should they use you for their selfish desires?" Shi Mei said resentfully. "You've done nothing wrong. The ways of the martial arts world are unjust!"

"If it were just, it wouldn't be the martial arts world," Bai She said, poking Shi Mei's cheek with a smile. "Don't worry, this is fate. Without them, I wouldn't have met you. I couldn't be happier."

Hearing this, Mei Zi couldn't help but feel delighted!