[GL]Whose Wife Is Always Acting Pitiful? Oh, It Turns Out It’s Mine 59

Chapter 59: Grudges of the Past

Horse hooves struck the stone slabs heavily, splashing countless drops of water. The Xue Star Tower had suspended business, its vermilion main gate tightly shut. The Guardian Stars outside wore bamboo hats and cloaks. Rainwater splashed by the wind onto their cold silver masks, sliding slowly down to their chins.

Xue Mu lifted the curtain and carried Dugu Yuan’an in her arms. Xue Chang and Zi’ang held umbrellas to shield them from the rain. Only a small portion of the candles in the main hall of the main building were lit, making it much dimmer than usual.

Xue Mu placed Dugu Yuan’an on a long bench. A shop girl promptly brought a pot of hot tea. Xue Mu asked, “Where is Mu Ruo?”

The shop girl said, “Young Mistress, Maiden Mu Ruo is currently in the private room on the third floor where you usually stay.”

Xue Mu was silent for a moment, then said, “Yuan’er, wait for me here first.” With that, she ran up the stairs. Dugu Yuan’an watched her figure, then turned her head slightly and asked Xue Chang, “Xue… Show me the account books of the Xue Star Tower.”

Xue Chang was stunned. “Ah? Young Madam, this…”

Dugu Yuan’an said, “Can the other two accountants calculate the accounts well?”

Xue Chang suddenly realized, thinking that the Young Madam was so considerate. After Xue Duanhun passed away, the task of managing and calculating accounts in the Xue Star Tower would fall on others. The Young Madam was worried about problems with the Xue Star Tower’s operations, so she asked to see the account books.

“Okay, I’ll go ask the accountant for the account books right away.” Xue Chang said and ran off. Zi’ang looked at Xue Chang’s retreating back and whispered to Dugu Yuan’an, “Master came here, what if something happens?”

“Do you think Mu Ruo will hurt me, or the other mysterious person will hurt me?” Dugu Yuan’an said faintly.

Zi’ang whispered, “Whether it’s Maiden Mu Ruo or the mysterious person who hurt Xue Duanhun, both could potentially hurt Master. After all, Maiden Mu Ruo is—” Dugu Yuan’an raised her hand slightly, and she shut her mouth, speaking no more, cautiously scanning the surroundings of the main hall with her peripheral vision.

At this moment, Xue Mu pushed open the door of the private room on the third floor. It was chilly inside. The windows were wide open, and cold wind and rain poured into the room. She saw Mu Ruo standing by the window, looking up at the gloomy sky outside.

“A-Ruo,” Xue Mu called.

Mu Ruo didn’t turn back, but was willing to speak. However, what she recited was a passage similar to song lyrics.

“Injustice like a tide, sorrow layered ten thousand fold. First light of dawn, severing old dreams. Raising the sword to ask the heavens, oaths permit no tolerance. Grudges of the past, engraved in the heart. Here today, reliving old pain.”

Xue Mu didn’t speak. After Mu Ruo finished reciting that passage, she turned around, gazing quietly at Xue Mu, her expression as indifferent and gentle as before.

“You… you didn’t hurt my master,” Xue Mu said softly.

Mu Ruo smiled faintly. “I can’t beat her, so how could I lack self-knowledge and go assassinate her?”

“Someone else hurt my master.” Xue Mu took two steps forward, took a deep breath, and said slowly, “Do you know who that person is?”

Mu Ruo suddenly smiled, bright and moving.

“Neither you nor Dugu Yuan’an knows who did it, how would I know? I’m not some divine constable or detective,” she said.

Xue Mu was stunned for a good while before murmuring, “You recognized my master, right? You recognized her as the initiator of the Yu Clan extermination case back then—one of them.”

Mu Ruo lowered her eyes, her voice pressed very low. “Little Treasure, you respect and love your master, and I am not an ungrateful person either.” She took out a wooden sword. Xue Mu recognized it as the one Xue Duanhun often used. “Your master saved your little life, helped you run the Xue Star Tower, taught you all she learned in her life, and she also took care of all the women in the Xue Star Tower—took care of me.”

“You treat me as a biological sister, and I treat you as a biological sister too. Little Treasure, your birthday is on the seventh of the ninth month, and mine is on the ninth of the ninth month. I’m only two days younger than you. Head Manager Xue is your master; you respect her as you would an elder sister. Haven’t I also treated her as an elder sister with whom I have no blood relation?”

“Little Treasure, the moment I recognized her, many thoughts ran through my mind. My heart was full of disappointment and despair. Hatred, anger, sorrow, and regret all poked at my heart like knives. It hurt so much that I wanted to take revenge and kill her immediately. To hide my identity, I have worn a mask for too long, so long that none of you could detect the turbulent waves in the bottom of my heart.”

Speaking like this, Mu Ruo leaned against the window with a poignant expression. The smile on her lips shook Xue Mu fiercely, reminding her of the tragic smile frozen on Xue Duanhun’s lips after death. Not knowing what to say, she could only murmur, “A-Ruo, A-Ruo, I know you wouldn’t act so easily…”

“I didn’t act immediately for the sake of my little life, because Xue Duanhun was just one of them!” Mu Ruo’s voice suddenly turned cold, and sharp cold light burst from her eyes. “It would be best if she were alive! Because I need to trace clues to other accomplices from her. If I want revenge, I must find out the identities of all the culprits before killing those few people. But what did your master do—?”

She straightened up and said sternly, “She committed suicide! She chose to end her own life! I didn’t even interrogate her, didn’t even let her know my identity, yet she committed suicide inexplicably, completely cutting off the clues for me to investigate further. She used her own life to cover for other accomplices!!!”

The cold wind blew her jet-black long hair into a wild dance. The cuffs, hem, and belt of the pink wide-sleeved dress she wore also fluttered continuously with the wind. Xue Mu saw the deep hatred Mu Ruo tried hard to suppress in her eyes. She still retained her reason. After shouting these few sentences, her chest heaved violently for a moment, then she calmed down.

“Little Treasure, things have come to this. You know my identity, Dugu Yuan’an’s identity, and Madam Dugu’s identity. I’m afraid Dugu Yuan’an has also told you the truth about how you got the Fire Poison. You can no longer escape the blood feud of the Yu Clan of Jin Mountain. You are destined to be led by the nose by hatred together with us.”

After saying these words, she suddenly pushed her palm forward. Xue Mu instantly felt a chill on her face, but she didn’t dodge—that cold force bypassed both sides of her body to the rear, hitting the blue and white porcelain vase on the cabinet. With a “bang,” it shattered into a pile of fragments instantly.

“That move just now was the fourth form of the Soul Cold Palm—’Falling Abyss Cold Tide.’ I only used a tiny bit of internal energy,” Mu Ruo said calmly. “I am the last orthodox heir of the Yu Clan of Jin Mountain. I won’t attend Xue Duanhun’s funeral because I can no longer have any feelings of closeness towards her… Let it be, Little Treasure.”

Xue Mu clenched her fists, then released them, saying in a deep voice, “I just want you to tell me one more thing.”

Mu Ruo just stared at her. Xue Mu said, “Xue Duanhun went up to Jin Mountain and killed members of the Yu Clan. How did you recognize her? Which people did she kill in front of you?”

Mu Ruo laughed lightly. “Does it matter?”

“It matters—I want to know if Xue Duanhun did it for revenge or to vent hatred. Since there were several people involved in the extermination, was the person who made the decision to exterminate the clan really Xue Duanhun who wanted revenge?” Xue Mu said. “If Xue Duanhun wanted revenge, killing people of the Yu Clan as an eye for an eye is justifiable in itself. She only killed those who had a grudge against her. The villain who truly exterminated the entire Yu Clan of Jin Mountain might still be at large!”

Mu Ruo’s face darkened. “I won’t discuss these absurd conjectures with you!”

Without moving a single finger, an even more turbulent cold air suddenly hit Xue Mu’s chest, knocking her flying!