The woman pondered seriously for a while, then parted her lips in a smile. “You mean Shifu? Back then, he saved my life, so I should repay him.”
“I remember some time ago, the Western Regions sent several fierce hounds, very good at biting, to the tower? Since autumn is already here, release them all. Let them bite for as many days as they can. Don’t let the old man die too quickly.”
The Reed Pavilion had a total of thirteen yards, all bathed in blood.
From then on, the entire Reed Pavilion fell into the hands of the Thirteenth Yard Master.
That Yard Master was named Nan Jin. But later, very few people knew her name. Because her other identity had even surpassed her original name.
All the people of Yao Kingdom knew that Emperor Chu Xuan had reigned for a mere seventeen years before abdicating the throne in favor of the Prince Duan Chu Yu.
The following morning, the new Emperor Chu Yu ascended the throne, granted a general amnesty, and changed the era name to Yongning.
At the same time, he bestowed upon Nan Jin the title of Imperial Preceptor.
Xiao Jin truly hadn’t expected that the notoriously villainous traitor had such a past.
What surprised her even more was that three years later, the seventeenth-generation disciple of Horizon Sect descended the mountain.
In the third month of spring, peach and willow trees were lush and splendid.
In early spring, the sunny days in Great Yao were always abundant, so much so that the Imperial Preceptor Nan Jin found it intolerably bothersome. She even feigned illness and skipped court, hiding in the Imperial Preceptor’s Mansion, leaning against a peach tree to avoid the sun.
The spring sunlight was very warm, very fine.
It was just a pity that Nan Jin’s confidante, Ling Shiyi, stood beside her, chattering endlessly, making a lengthy report.
Nan Jin’s already irritable mood became even more irritated.
After all, she had no desire to hear how many memorials the old pedants of the Censorate had submitted to impeach her, nor did she want to hear how the Imperial College students were again speaking of her abusing the law for personal gain, or how she had amassed wealth and taken bribes.
Having listened to about seventy to eighty percent of it.
Nan Jin waved her hand, as if whisking away a gust of wind, lightly sending Ling Shiyi out.
The courtyard returned to silence.
Once it was quiet, Nan Jin very much wanted to grab a few ignorant Imperial College students to vent her anger.
After all, those students were truly foolish, merely seeking momentary verbal satisfaction, being used as pawns by others.
But thinking that she was now the Imperial Preceptor, no longer the Pavilion Master of Reed Pavilion roaming the martial world, she discarded that idea.
Since becoming the Imperial Preceptor, Nan Jin had gradually transferred all of Reed Pavilion’s power. The former stronghold had become a brothel under her name, doing business that didn’t violate the law.
At this moment, Nan Jin realized that perhaps she should do something else to soothe her mood.
And then she discovered that everything that should be done, and everything that shouldn’t be done, she had already done.
On the very night the Late Emperor abdicated in favor of a worthier man, Nan Jin stood to the side and watched her blood-related cousin, his hands trembling, shakily stamp the Imperial Jade Seal on the edge of the edict.
After he stamped it, she drew her sword and sliced off his head.
The next day, the New Emperor ascended the throne. He had no confidants beside him, nor any capable ministers. Even Consort Ning, who held sway over the inner palace, was someone Nan Jin had procured from the Ning family.
Logically, her great vengeance had been achieved, and she had become the Imperial Preceptor. There should be nothing left to be dissatisfied with.
Yet in Nan Jin’s view, being the Imperial Preceptor was just like watching Consort Ning. As beautiful as Consort Ning was, even she became tiresome after looking too long.
Having sat in this position for a long time, Nan Jin was exceedingly bored.
When bored, she would take the jade flute from her waist, bring it to her lips, and casually play a tune.
The melody drifted through the courtyard, slow and long, as constant as the heavenly light.
As an unnoticed transparent observer, Xiao Jin sat on the peach tree, listening to the tune, basking in the sun, nearly falling asleep amidst the courtyard’s full spring scenery.
Only when someone stepped upon the black roof tiles and stood atop the wall did she regain some clarity.
The newcomer possessed high martial arts skill, infiltrating the Imperial Preceptor’s Mansion with restrained aura—no one had noticed.
Xiao Jin saw that the expert held a silver-blue longsword and looked down at Nan Jin, who was playing the flute under the peach tree. Even dressed in plain clothes, her ethereal, cold detachment was hard to conceal.
If it wasn’t Shen Ronglian, who else could it be?
As an invisible observer, Xiao Jin could see Shen Ronglian standing on the wall with her sword and could also easily decipher what tune Nan Jin was playing.
The reason this melody was so distant and prolonged lay in longing.
What is called longing—even a thousand, ten thousand layers of mountains and rivers obstructing the way—is difficult to sever.
Listening to such a tune, Xiao Jin seemed to understand why Rong Lian hadn’t immediately struck out to kill Nan Jin.
She probably wondered too: how could someone as ruthless and cold-blooded as Nan Jin play such a gentle melody?
It was just that even Nan Jin herself hadn’t noticed this gentleness hidden when playing the flute, nor did she know the profound meaning within the tune.
After all, she had only been playing this boring tune because she was bored on a boring spring day.
When the tune ended and Nan Jin put down the jade flute, the attacking silver-blue cold light reflected her shock.
She knew that what was thrusting towards her was a sword.
A sword that was fundamentally impossible to dodge.
Although the Reed Pavilion had always been famous in the martial world for its fast swords, it was not faster than this sword’s light.
Nan Jin understood she couldn’t avoid it. Subconsciously, she raised her jade flute to block, but it was still futile. That sword still pierced into her heart.
Just like that carefully laid out assassination on the long street.
Nan Jin first saw the blood spurting out, then felt the pain of the white blade piercing through flesh and surging from her chest.
Although she hadn’t seen clearly who exactly had assassinated her, Nan Jin knew that the other party wielded a silver-blue sword and was an expert she alone could not match.
Only, what a pity.
Such a formidable expert would also make a slight deviation.
Two months later, late spring had arrived.
Nan Jin lay on the bed, holding a bowl of medicinal broth. She looked at Ling Shiyi, who was wrapping bandages for her. “Shiyi, has the matter been handled?”
Ling Shiyi nodded. “Except for Shen Lang and Shen Lan, whose martial arts are high and who managed to escape by luck, not a single one was left alive.”
Nan Jin frowned. “Eldest Shen and Second Shen escaped? What about the Third Miss of Shen Manor?”
“Third Miss Shen’s martial arts seemed exceptionally strong. She took Shen Lang’s sword and single-handedly held off many experts in the tower,” Ling Shiyi replied.
Nan Jin laughed. “To think Shen Lang claimed to be incomparably righteous, traveling thousands of miles to assassinate this traitorous minister, and in the end, even abandoned his sword, leaving his younger sister to guard the manor alone.”
“It seems the First Sword of Great Yao is nothing more than that, not even as good as his younger sister, Third Miss Shen. Right, where is Third Miss Shen now?”
Ling Shiyi said, “Third Miss Shen was severely wounded and fled westward. In the end, she was picked up by Consort Ning’s people.”
“Consort Ning?” Nan Jin, a smile in her eyes, asked thoughtfully, “Why is she meddling?”
Ling Shiyi thought for a moment and explained, “Probably because the Shen family abandoned Consort Ning back then, sending her to the Ning family. Consort Ning still harbors resentment against the Shen family to this day.”
Nan Jin asked, “What does Consort Ning intend to do?”
“Consort Ning wishes to send Third Miss Shen to the Reed Pavilion.”
Nan Jin knew Consort Ning was no good person. However, fortunately, she herself was no good person either.
After hearing Ling Shiyi’s words, Nan Jin smiled. “But given that Third Miss Shen’s temperament, I’m afraid she won’t be willing to submit to others’ control. When the time comes, whether the fragrant blossom withers, no one can say.”
Ling Shiyi: “My Lord need not worry. Consort Ning fed Third Miss Shen Kunlun Drunk. Now, she no longer remembers who she is.”
Nan Jin’s expression didn’t change. She merely revealed a trace of regret. “She was actually willing to use such a precious medicine on an irrelevant person.”
She didn’t care about the life or death of her enemy’s younger sister. However, watching caged beasts fight each other seemed to hold some amusement.
Nan Jin took a spoonful of medicine. The thick, medicinal juice was slightly bitter, and she furrowed her brows.
Only once the medicinal taste in her mouth had largely dissipated did she smooth her brow and say casually, “Let her be.”
Only after this, Nan Jin would often recall that piercing sword light aimed at her under the peach tree.
Nan Jin felt that not grinding Shen family’s entire household’s bones to dust had truly been far too merciful.
Still, whenever she thought of Shen Lang, she inevitably thought of Shen Lang’s younger sister—the one who, relying solely on a single sword, had guarded Shen Manor and caused her to lose many subordinates.
Thinking of this, Nan Jin summoned Ling Shiyi. “How is Third Miss Shen doing in the Reed Pavilion?”
Ling Shiyi truthfully reported, “She was just registered today. It’s likely she’ll start receiving clients tonight.”
Nan Jin smiled and decided to go watch the excitement.
Crossing the Xiaoxiang River by boat, one could see a tall building brilliantly illuminated.
