Sang Chencao laughed lightly. She pressed her hand lightly against her own chest and crooked her finger. “Come here. I’ll tell you something interesting.”
The inn’s common room was nearly filled with the newcomers. Feng Yun’ai felt uneasy. Although she knew the indigo-clothed woman was up to no good, she still moved over to sit with her.
Sang Chencao’s smile deepened. With her hand still over her chest, she leaned in. “It’s fine. I know what’s going on even if you don’t answer. Your heart is beating so fast it’s making my own chest feel numb.”
Feng Yun’ai looked at the indigo-clothed woman’s chest in shock. “How do you know?” she whispered through clenched teeth.
Sang Chencao laughed. “The two gu are connected. Whether you’re cold or hot, happy or in pain… I naturally know it all.”
Feng Yun’ai was speechless. She had underestimated this woman’s gu.
“It seems you’re not on good terms with the Hantian Alliance,” Sang Chencao whispered. If her lips hadn’t been right next to her ear, Feng Yun’ai probably wouldn’t have heard her.
Feng Yun’ai remained still.
The waiter brought the food, and Sang Chencao pulled back. She laughed. “Is it possible you were driven away? It would seem that important person truly has met with misfortune.”
She kept her words vague, so as not to be overheard by others. Feng Yun’ai still didn’t respond.
One of the Jianghu people who had just sat down suddenly let out a long sigh. “How could Alliance Leader Feng have died? The Hero Recruitment Meet is almost here. Could someone be trying to seize the Hantian Alliance?”
Alliance Leader Feng… that would be Feng Rong.
Sang Chencao frowned, turning her head slightly to listen, unconvinced.
“Was it truly at Wen Lanxin’s hand?”
“The body was found with needles and poison. That poison has never been seen before; it most likely came from Wen Lanxin.”
“The Hantian Alliance summoned us precisely to march on Yellow Sand Cliff, didn’t they?” The speaker looked at the group of heroes in indigo-grey robes. “I imagine the Hantian Alliance already has conclusive evidence, even if they aren’t ready to share it yet.”
The leader of the group nodded coldly but said nothing.
Sang Chencao leaned in close to the white-clothed woman again, her eyes nearly touching the white silk. She stared intently, needing to be this close to catch the cold fury in the other woman’s eyes.
Feng Yun’ai didn’t want to arouse the suspicion of the newcomers. She slowly relaxed her clenched fists, allowing Sang Chencao to stare.
Sang Chencao stopped smiling. She turned and put on an act. “You say Feng Rong is dead?” she asked.
The various heroes who had been summoned looked sorrowful, and several of them nodded.
“To think it was Wen Lanxin’s doing. She hasn’t left Yellow Sand Cliff in years. It seems she wasn’t living in seclusion, but was actually developing deadly poisons.” Sang Chencao feigned anger, letting out a cold laugh.
Feng Yun’ai looked at her in alarm, unsure of what she was planning.
Sang Chencao surveyed the group. “The Chuanyun Sect, the Guanfeng Gate, and the Hengshan Sect are all here. Since you all hail from prestigious righteous sects, I wonder if a wandering rogue like myself might have the honor of joining you in the campaign against Yellow Sand Cliff?”
Her tone was no longer lazy; she sounded exactly like a righteous young hero.
The leader from the Hantian Alliance said, “Of course. This is a major event for the entire Jianghu. Anyone can answer the Hantian Alliance’s call.”
Only then did Feng Yun’ai realize that the indigo-clothed woman intended to follow them. She grew increasingly puzzled: what exactly were this woman’s feelings toward Wen Lanxin? She didn’t see a hint of respect or affection, but was it hatred?
It didn’t quite seem like hatred either.
The corners of Sang Chencao’s mouth curled slightly, and she suppressed a sneer. “When did Alliance Leader Feng meet with her end? What’s the story behind the poison and the needles?”
A hero from another sect looked at the Hantian Alliance member. After a moment of hesitation, he sighed. “The Alliance Leader met her end on Listening Goose Peak. Because she hadn’t responded to messages for a long time, the elders went up the peak to find her. You must know that Listening Goose Peak is a restricted area of the Hantian Alliance; only the Alliance Leader can enter. She was obsessed with swordplay and preferred to practice there undisturbed.”
“When the elders reached the summit, the Alliance Leader was already…” The man paused, sighing. “The wounds on her body were caused by poisoned needles, but there was no one else on the mountain. Whoever did it must have incredible lightness skills.”
Sang Chencao raised an eyebrow. “I heard Alliance Leader Feng had a disciple hidden away on Listening Goose Peak. Was that just a rumor?”
“No one has ever seen such a person. It was likely just a rumor.”
Feng Yun’ai lowered her eyes, her breathing becoming slightly heavier.
“May I ask who this lady beside you is?”
Sang Chencao sneered. “Like me, she has no sect.”
Feng Yun’ai quickly lowered Solitary Gall to her side, using her leg to hide it. Fortunately, few people had ever seen Solitary Gall; they only knew it emitted a purple light. With a casual glance, they couldn’t recognize it, and so they didn’t care.
Sang Chencao suddenly said, “However, you all seem quite aggressive. If Wen Lanxin catches wind of this, she surely won’t return to Yellow Sand Cliff. You might all come away empty-handed.”
“We still can’t let the others at Yellow Sand Cliff go unpunished,” the Hantian Alliance leader said.
“Fair point,” Sang Chencao nodded nonchalantly.
Feng Yun’ai thought to herself that this woman was acting as if she weren’t from Yellow Sand Cliff at all. She wondered what Wen Lanxin would think if she knew.
