Feng Yun’ai’s current state—boldly intruding into another’s room—was a world apart from her earlier behavior when she had specifically asked the innkeeper before leafing through the ledger.
She knew in her heart that this was the only way to deal with such an overbearing and insolent person. Otherwise, she would be the one forced to suffer in silence.
The many lessons her Master had taught her seemed utterly useless in the face of this woman. She couldn’t tell if her Master had taught her wrongly or if she simply hadn’t learned them thoroughly enough.
Sang Chencao merely gave a light, mocking smile, appearing far from surprised. Given that she carried gold and silver needles and was the last guest to check in, it was only natural for her to be a suspect.
“What I fear is not the suspicion, but that as a member of the Knife-Lending Sect, I have a duty to act when the martial world is in peril. It is only right to find the killer,” Feng Yun’ai said as she sat down. She did not remove her veiled hat even after entering the room, her voice flat and devoid of emotion.
“So cold. I don’t hear a shred of ‘duty’ in that tone.” Sang Chencao let out a soft laugh and sat on the opposite side of the table. Lighting the oil lamp, she asked, “Tell me, do you think it’s because the Alliance Leader, Feng Rong, is gravely ill? Perhaps her martial arts aren’t what they once were, and she doesn’t want to be usurped during the Hero Recruitment Meet, so she resorted to murder?”
Feng Yun’ai remained silent. Though her expression was hidden, her aura grew perceptibly cold.
“The one who succeeds in Plucking the Blossom earns the chance to duel the Alliance Leader. If she doesn’t want her secrets discovered, she would have to find a way to avoid the fight,” Sang Chencao continued, her reasoning sound and logical.
“Words without proof,” Feng Yun’ai replied, her speech turning sparse again.
“You seem very protective of Feng Rong. You avoided answering me about her not long ago.” Sang Chencao poured herself some tea. “If what you say is true and the Central Plains’ martial world is about to descend into chaos, then the leader must surely be held accountable. Am I wrong?”
“No. How could it be the fault of the Alliance Leader alone?”
“If Feng Rong had sensed something beforehand and nipped it in the bud, why would the Hantian Alliance be in such disarray? Why would the martial arts world be in danger?” Sang Chencao gave an intrigued smile. “Am I wrong about that?”
This point wasn’t impossible to argue, but Feng Yun’ai had never been silver-tongued. Consequently, she fell back into silence.
Sang Chencao continued, “As a descendant of the illustrious Knife-Lending Sect, if you wanted to stop this, why not just reveal your identity and offer your services directly? That would be much simpler than finding some expert capable of Plucking the Blossom and using them to infiltrate the Hantian Alliance.”
“The Knife-Lending Sect has been secluded for a long time; it’s practically a legend now. Only I remain. I cannot distinguish friend from foe, nor can I easily command belief,” Feng Yun’ai said tonelessly.
“At least you’ve given it some thought.” Sang Chencao’s praise sounded like she was talking to a simpleton. “But what if I am the enemy? By laying everything bare now, aren’t you just seeking your own death?”
After a moment of silence, Feng Yun’ai spoke coldly, “I never laid everything bare. These are all your own speculations.”
“I can’t coax a single straight answer out of you.” Sang Chencao took a small sip of tea and stood up. “I’m heading to bed. Do as you please.”
True to her word, Feng Yun’ai remained sitting motionless by the table.
Sang Chencao sat on the edge of the bed and removed her veiled hat. Pointing to half of the bed, she said, “Since you’re unwilling to leave, why don’t I lend you half the bed for the night? That way, you can see for yourself if I open my eyes in the middle of the night to harm anyone.”
When the hat came off, it was revealed that she wore yet another silk veil over her face. She had gone to extreme lengths to hide her features.
However, her eyes were exposed. They were narrow and sharp, with the outer corners slanting upward. They didn’t look like a fox’s eyes, but rather a snake’s. Most notably, she had a pair of perfectly symmetrical moles just beneath her eyes, which added to her eerie appearance.
She was beautiful yet sharp, looking as though she could deliver a fatal blow when one least expected it.
Feng Yun’ai’s gaze flickered. She hadn’t expected another veil beneath the hat.
Such secrecy made the woman seem even more sinister, as if she were hell-bent on hiding something.
Could it really be her?
Sang Chencao didn’t even remove the veil to wash up. Even as she lay in bed, the lower half of her face remained strictly covered.
Feng Yun’ai had nothing to say. After all, she wasn’t willing to take off her own hat either. In the eyes of others, she was likely just as suspicious.
For most of the night, they remained in silence. The figure at the table didn’t move, while the one on the bed slept with an easy, carefree air, seemingly without a worry in the world.
But when a rustling sound echoed outside the door, both turned their heads simultaneously. Clearly, neither had truly been asleep.
After a brief exchange of looks, Feng Yun’ai stood up abruptly. She didn’t open the door to investigate immediately, but instead poked a small hole through the paper door-screen.
A figure approached silently behind her. Feng Yun’ai remained still, focusing on the person drawing near in the corridor.
The footsteps grew clearer. They didn’t sound like someone possessed of internal power. Then, a shadow passed the small hole. It was—
Lin Yaoyao, the innkeeper.
In the dead of night, the innkeeper’s movements were strange. Judging by the sound of her soles hitting the floor, she had clearly just returned from outside; the yellow sand on her shoes hadn’t been fully rubbed off.
Feng Yun’ai was certain: Lin Yaoyao had gone out.
Before coming upstairs, Feng Yun’ai had seen the workers clean the inn inside and out. There shouldn’t have been that much yellow sand remaining on the floor.
But what was Lin Yaoyao doing out there?
Before she could act, the person standing behind her reached out and pulled the door open.
Sang Chencao leaned against the doorframe with a yawn. Lifting her eyelids, she stared at the passing innkeeper and said, “Don’t blame us for being like startled birds. With the Hero Recruitment Meet approaching and Hu Cheng suddenly dead, I doubt anyone can sleep soundly.”
Lin Yaoyao hadn’t expected someone to appear so suddenly. Her footsteps faltered, but her expression remained natural. “I was thirsty. I went downstairs for a cup of water.”
“Hearing the manager’s footsteps, I thought someone with ill intent was making their move,” Sang Chencao said with a tired, meaningful glance.
“How could that be?” Lin Yaoyao let out a sigh of relief. “Hu Cheng’s body is still lying down there. When someone suddenly opened a door in the middle of the night, my heart nearly stopped.”
“Is there no water stored in the inn?” Sang Chencao asked.
Lin Yaoyao looked surprised. “Of course there is. There’s a well in the backyard. The water is clean, so there’s no need to go outside to collect any. If you need water, you can go to the backyard.”
Sang Chencao nodded slightly and asked no more. After closing the door, she smiled at Feng Yun’ai and whispered, “You’re watching the wrong person. Everything I said was the truth, whereas the innkeeper is half-hiding and half-lying.”
Feng Yun’ai had stayed hidden behind the door to avoid making Lin Yaoyao suspicious. Fortunately, the innkeeper had already walked away.
“You must have heard it too; she definitely went out. I’m just not sure why she’s hiding it.” Sang Chencao raised her hand, her fingertips brushing lightly against Feng Yun’ai’s shoulder.
Feng Yun’ai intended to go out and investigate, but she glanced at Sang Chencao, uneasy about letting the woman out of her sight. She pulled out a hair ribbon and tied it around the other woman’s wrist, tethering them together.
The one being tethered looked down at her wrist with great interest. She didn’t seem offended at all; instead, she allowed the act, merely shaking her wrist as she asked, “Does this mean I’ve cleared my suspicion?”
“No.” Feng Yun’ai heard the sound of a door closing upstairs and estimated that Lin Yaoyao had entered her room. Only then did she lead Sang Chencao out the door.
Both were practitioners of martial arts. Once they circulated their internal power, their footsteps became almost nonexistent.
Following the direction from which Lin Yaoyao had returned, they indeed found scattered sand along the path, leading all the way to the outer door.
As expected, Lin Yaoyao had gone out but refused to admit it.
However, the wind and sand outside were heavy, and the footprints had already been covered, leaving no way to track where the innkeeper had gone.
Feng Yun’ai turned back and lifted the white cloth covering Hu Cheng’s body in the courtyard. She said with some confusion, “But the innkeeper has no internal power. How could it be her?”
“Precisely because she has no internal power, she would need to use poison to kill,” Sang Chencao whispered in her ear.
“Weren’t you suspicious of the Alliance Leader just a moment ago?” Feng Yun’ai looked back at her.
“As you said, everything I say is baseless speculation. Why take it so seriously?” Sang Chencao replied, her voice laced with a smile.
