Chapter 100: Dispute over Purity
Quite a few items in the teahouse had been destroyed. At Han Yan’s clear indication, the disciples of the Cloud Appreciation Mountain Sect left in a hurry. The people of the Jianghu watching outside laughed heartily. Han Yan tidied her Taoist robe, put the guqin on her back again, her gaze never leaving Diwu Miaofu.
Stared at by her, Diwu Miaofu felt countless holes appearing all over her body. She looked away unnaturally and curled her lip resentfully.
If Sister Xue and Sister-in-law weren’t still here, she would have run away long ago.
“How about this, let’s go to an open place and have a good talk.” Xue Mu made the decision. Han Yan said calmly, “Maiden Xue Mu, do you know everything your sister did?”
Xue Mu couldn’t grasp her attitude, not knowing whether to say “know everything” or “know a little bit.” However, she had heard some from Yuan’er, so she said, “Maiden Han Yan, what I know is only that Miaofu bullied you. Rest assured, there will be an explanation for this matter!”
Han Yan was bent on killing Diwu Miaofu, but this girl was eccentric, and her internal kung fu was profound and unfathomable, so she was already somewhat anxious. Seeing Xue Mu promise like this, she wasn’t in a hurry to kill Diwu Miaofu immediately.
Seeing Dugu Yuan’an still walking with double crutches, she looked quite surprised. “Do you have a leg ailment?”
Dugu Yuan’an smiled. “Maiden Han Yan, I have had a leg ailment since I was young.”
“Yuan’er, let’s get in the carriage first.” Xue Mu witnessed the destruction of the teahouse and couldn’t sit idly by. The disciples of the Cloud Appreciation Mountain Sect didn’t have much silver on them. It was she who took out two ingots of gold to compensate the shopkeeper. Seeing this, Han Yan’s expression softened a lot, and she agreed, “Okay, I can go with you, but I need to leave early.”
Diwu Miaofu had already jumped onto the carriage, helping Dugu Yuan’an inside, and said, “Then leave quickly!”
Xue Mu frowned. “Miaofu, you are not allowed to speak to Maiden Han Yan like that!”
At this moment, Dugu Yuan’an grabbed Diwu Miaofu’s back heart inside the carriage, placing her palm on her acupoint. Diwu Miaofu didn’t expect Dugu Yuan’an’s internal energy to increase so much suddenly. Caught by her, she dared not move recklessly, obediently listening to her teaching.
“You took her purity, and she took your purity. You are still confused until now, not knowing why she is chasing you desperately, and even mocking her. If I were Maiden Han Yan, I would chop you too. When we get to a quiet and uninhabited place, you must apologize to the maiden. You can’t be rude like this anymore.”
“Ruined purity…” Diwu Miaofu was stunned. “I didn’t!”
“You kissed her, bit her, and touched her, yet you say you didn’t?” Dugu Yuan’an didn’t know whether to be angry or laugh. Internal force was quietly expelled. Diwu Miaofu trembled and hurriedly begged for mercy, “I know my mistake, Sister-in-law!”
Xue Mu invited Han Yan into the carriage, but Han Yan shook her head. So Xue Mu let her ride her own steed, while she dragged over the horse Diwu Miaofu rode away and mounted it herself.
Dugu Yuan’an sat on the wooden board outside the carriage, shouted softly, and the wheels rolled on the stone slabs.
Under the gaze of everyone, the group headed towards Cloud Appreciation Mountain. The foot of Cloud Appreciation Mountain was two miles away from the town entrance, separated by a long river. After the carriage crossed the stone bridge, Diwu Miaofu secretly lifted the curtain, peeking at Han Yan’s back riding the horse ahead.
Intending to resolve this matter, Xue Mu found a topic to chat about. “Maiden Han Yan, when will you set off for Huangding Mountain?”
“Eleventh of the tenth month.” Han Yan looked straight ahead and replied calmly, “Is Maiden Xue also going to Huangding Mountain?”
Xue Mu smiled. “Huangding Mountain gathers so many heroes. The Discourse on the Dao Conference is held once every fifteen years. My wife and I naturally cannot miss it.”
“It’s a pity Maiden Xue’s sister can’t go,” Han Yan said.
Xue Mu said, “Sister Miaofu is my sworn sister. She wandered in Jiangnan since childhood and only half-understands many worldly matters. Damaging Maiden Han Yan’s reputation was her mistake. As her sworn sister, I should teach her a good lesson.”
Han Yan sneered silently and said nothing, but Xue Mu could guess her thoughts. What was damaged was not only reputation, but also a woman’s purity.
Seeming to sense something, Han Yan turned back to look, but saw a finger quickly retract into the curtain. Thinking of losing her reason and purity after being poisoned by the Gu that day, hatred surged in her heart, and she said coldly, “Heroine Xue, your sister won’t live, because I will kill her with my own hands.”
“…Why should you kill me!” Diwu Miaofu suddenly poked her head out, ignoring Xue Mu’s glare, looking indignantly at the grim-faced Han Yan, and shouted, “At worst, I’ll marry you just like my Sister-in-law married Sister Xue!”
Han Yan concentrated on cultivation on Cloud Appreciation Mountain. Although she had encountered rude people, she had never seen a lunatic like Diwu Miaofu who shamelessly threatened to marry her. Her face turned ugly instantly, and she shouted, “Who wants to marry you, you shameless villain!”
Diwu Miaofu shouted, “You bullied me too! We’re even!”
Han Yan trembled with anger, her eyes becoming colder and sharper. Xue Mu hurriedly smoothed things over, “Maiden Han Yan! I have something to tell you! A very important matter. Ignore this shameless villain for now.”
Hearing Xue Mu call her that too, Diwu Miaofu opened her mouth to refute, but received a warning glance from Dugu Yuan’an and shut her mouth listlessly.
Han Yan said, “What is it?” Her tone was still indifferent.
Xue Mu said, “Did Maiden Han Yan practice in the Cloud Appreciation Mountain Sect since childhood? Do you have sisters at home?”
Han Yan frowned slightly and replied faintly, “Han Yan has had a hard life since childhood, with no father or mother, wandering alone in the Jianghu. Fortunately, Sect Leader Qing Lan took pity on me and accepted me as a disciple, allowing me to stay in the mountain gate and learn martial arts. Since the day I became a disciple, I vowed to repay my master’s kindness with this body and swear to protect the reputation of the mountain gate.” Towards the end, her tone became hateful again. Diwu Miaofu ruined her purity and reputation, bringing shame to the Cloud Appreciation Mountain Sect because of her!
“Maiden Han Yan, the Jianghu is perilous with ups and downs. You and I are often trapped in it, inevitably facing some helpless situations. But Maiden, your heart holds righteousness, and your original intention to protect the reputation of the sect has never wavered. How can outsiders easily shake your original intention?” Xue Mu said, “I don’t mean to persuade you lightly to let this matter go. If you want to kill Sister Miaofu, I won’t stop you, but I hope you think it through.”
Han Yan was a reasonable person. Xue Mu secretly rejoiced. If other women lost their purity inexplicably, they would have chopped Diwu Miaofu into eight pieces long ago. How would they listen to her, the so-called sworn sister’s persuasion? But she could at most persuade. If Han Yan wanted revenge, she naturally couldn’t stop her.
Han Yan snorted coldly. “Your sister’s martial arts path is strange, and her internal energy is profound and unfathomable. How can I kill her easily?”
Diwu Miaofu’s voice came from the carriage: “Since you can’t kill me, don’t kill me!”
Han Yan shouted angrily, “Shut up!”
Interrupted like this, Xue Mu almost forgot the main business. She hurriedly said, “I know someone who looks very similar to Maiden Han Yan! I wonder if she is your blood relative—”
Han Yan was stunned instantly, her pupils trembling slightly. “Who?”