Quick Wear Dream Qiqi

Chapter 427: The Heroic Knight 8

The night dew condensed into frost. Meng Qiqi lay on the carved bed in the bedroom of Yihua Palace. The moonlight outside the window shone through the gauze curtains onto her face, making her brows full of sorrow.

The grudge between Shui Bingxin and Tang Wuying was like a tangled mess in her heart. As she tossed and turned, she kept thinking of the distracted look in Shui Mier's eyes when she was crazy, and the embarrassed and frightened look of Tang Wuying before he was taken away.

Three days later, when the news of "the wedding of the young master of Shenshui Palace" exploded like thunder in the martial arts world, Meng Qiqi was holding the osmanthus cake handed to her by Qinglan.

The sweet aroma of pastries mixed with Qinglan's exclamation exploded in the air: "Have you heard? Shui Mier is going to marry Tang Wuying!" Qinglan's voice was full of disbelief, and the teacup in his hand was almost knocked over.

Meng Qiqi froze in place, the osmanthus cake slipping from her fingers.

The sound of the storyteller banging the gavel in the Jianghu teahouse seemed to be right next to my ears: "Do you know that Tang Wuying, the abandoned disciple of the Tang Clan, once stole the treasure of the Shenshui Palace, causing the young master of the Shenshui Palace to lose his mind..." But now, this pair of old enemies are going to get married?

In the main hall of Yihua Palace, Yaoyue played with the gilded wedding invitation, a meaningful smile on her lips.

On the vermilion invitation, gilded with gold, Shui Bingxin's handwriting was as sharp as a knife: "Specially invited to celebrate the wedding with Yihua Palace." "Shui Bingxin's trick..." Yao Yue tossed the invitation into the air, "not only fulfilled my daughter's wish, but also trapped Tang Wuying in Shenshui Palace. Brilliant."

Lian Xin sighed softly: "It's just a pity for Shui Mi'er. She is not in her right mind now. How could she know that she is going to get married?"

"There's no such thing as a perfect world in this martial arts world." Yao Yue stood up and walked to the window, looking at the layered palace walls in the distance. "Meng Qiqi, Qinglan."

She suddenly spoke, startling the two men who hurriedly saluted. "You two are representing Yihua Palace to watch the ceremony. Remember..." She paused, a cold glint in her eyes, "Watch the show."

----

On the wedding day, Shenshui Palace was decorated with lights and red silk was spread from the palace gate to the main hall, but it could not conceal the eerie atmosphere in the air.

Meng Qiqi and Qinglan, dressed in the crimson robes specially made for the Yihua Palace, were led by a welcoming disciple through the winding corridor. Along the way, guests chattered and discussed.

"This Tang Wuying is clearly a heartless man, how could Shui Bingxin..."

"I heard Shui Mi'er keeps saying she wants to marry Young Master Tang. What's going on, Palace Master Shui..."

In the main hall, wedding candles flickered.

Shui Mier was wearing a wedding gown embroidered with a golden phoenix, with a pearl hairpin pinned between her long loose hair. She was smiling foolishly with her head tilted.

Tang Wuying was bound by chains and kneeling on the wedding carpet, his face covered in bruises, his eyes filled with despair and fear.

When Shui Mi'er was supported and walked towards him, he suddenly struggled violently: "Shui Bingxin! You are crazy!"

"Pah!" Shui Bingxin's jade flute hit Tang Wuying's shoulder hard, sneering, "From the moment you deceived Mi'er, you should have thought about this day."

She turned to look at her daughter, whose eyes were dazed, and a rare tenderness flashed in her eyes. "As long as you put on your wedding dress and call me 'husband', everything will be worth it."

Meng Qiqi stood in the viewing area, clenching the handkerchief in her hand.

She saw Shui Mi'er reaching out to touch Tang Wuying's face, mumbling incoherently: "Aying..."

But Tang Wuying turned his head away, his face full of disgust.

At this moment, she suddenly realized that this wedding was not redemption, but a carefully designed punishment.

Qing Lan was so angry that she was shaking all over. She whispered, "Tang Wuying deserves what he got, but Shui Mier..."

Before he finished speaking, joyful sounds suddenly rang out. Shui Bingxin personally placed her daughter's hand in Tang Wuying's palm and said loudly: "Bow to heaven and earth!"

Tang Wuying suddenly raised his head and laughed out loud, his laughter was shrill: "Great! What a great Shenshui Palace! You let me get married today, and one day I will make Shenshui Palace pay for its blood debt with blood!"

Before he could finish his words, he was forced to kowtow by the disciples of Shenshui Palace.

Meng Qiqi looked at Shui Mier's innocent smile and Tang Wuying's distorted face, and felt that the red color in the room was stinging her eyes.

When the ceremony was over, light rain suddenly began to fall from the sky.

Meng Qiqi looked at the red silk wet by the rain and listened to Shui Mier's cheerful laughter coming from afar.

This shocking wedding ultimately trapped Tang Wuying in a cage woven of love and hate.

The vermilion lacquered gate of Shenshui Palace slowly closed in the twilight, isolating the noise and drizzle in the courtyard.

Qinglan and Meng Qiqi walked side by side on the mountain path back to Yihua Palace. The sound of horse hooves crushing the puddles mixed with the chirping of insects in the mountains was particularly clear in the silent night.

Qing Lan finally couldn't contain the emotions surging in his heart anymore. He pulled the reins and turned to look at Meng Qiqi: "Qiqi, do you really think this wedding... is over?"

Meng Qiqi looked up at the moonlight obscured by dark clouds, the pearls and jade on her temples swaying gently with her movements.

She reached out to catch a falling raindrop, a chill spreading from her fingertips to her heart. "Senior Sister, do you still remember the old pine tree in the back mountain that was struck by lightning last year?"

Seeing Qinglan's puzzled expression, she continued, "At that time, everyone sighed with regret, but within half a month, new shoots sprouted from under the charred stump."

Qinglan frowned: "You mean..."

"All living things in this world reap what they sow." Meng Qiqi withdrew her hand, letting the water droplets slide down her sleeves. "Tang Wuying deceived Shui Mier first, and now he is trapped in the Divine Water Palace as a son-in-law. This seemingly absurd wedding may be the retribution he deserves. And the Water Palace Master insisted on promoting the marriage even though she knew her daughter was unconscious..."

She paused, remembering the complicated look Shui Bingxin had when she looked at her daughter. "Isn't this her way of paying back the guilt she felt for not being able to protect her daughter back then?"

The bamboo forest beside the mountain path rustled softly in the wind. Qinglan was silent for a long time, then suddenly laughed at himself, "I was too impulsive. Looking at Shui Mi'er's expression, I only thought that Tang Wuying deserved death, but I forgot that the world of martial arts is not black and white."

Meng Qiqi turned her horse around and rode side by side with Qinglan. "It's a good thing that Senior Sister has a sense of justice, but the Jianghu is complex and complicated. What we see and hear may not be the whole picture."

She remembered that when the original owner first entered Yihua Palace, she was also frightened by Yaoyue's ruthless methods.

But in this world where the strong prey on the weak, mercy and thunder are often just a thought away.

When we reached halfway up the mountain, a gust of night wind blew up fallen leaves all over the ground.

Qinglan suddenly pointed at the mountain path in the distance and exclaimed, "Look!"

In the hazy rain, a white shadow was rushing towards the Shenshui Palace.

The moment the moonlight penetrated the clouds, Meng Qiqi saw clearly the jade flute swaying at the person's waist - it was Shui Bingxin.

At this moment, the Lord of Shenshui Palace had lost the majesty she had during the day. The silver ornaments in her hair were disheveled, and she looked flustered, like a mother eager to return home.

"She probably went to see Shui Mier." Meng Qiqi said softly.

Qinglan opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.

The two watched the white shadow disappear in the rain and fog, and the mountain road fell into silence again.

When I returned to Yihua Palace, the night watch drum had already sounded three times.

Meng Qiqi took off her heavy and gorgeous clothes and looked at herself in the bronze mirror, who looked a little tired. Suddenly, she remembered Shui Mier's silly smile with her head tilted.

Perhaps in that crazy world, she really thought she was marrying the one she loved, and this brief perfection was the last tenderness Shui Bingxin could give to her daughter.

The rain outside the window stopped at some point, and the moonlight once again fell into the courtyard.

Meng Qiqi blew out the candle and let the darkness envelop her.

In this world full of calculations and betrayal, she has long learned to bury her true emotions deep in her heart.

Just as she said to Qinglan, the cycle of cause and effect has its own destiny, and all she has to do is to keep her original heart and forge her own path in this turbulent situation.

----

The morning mist in Yihua Palace had not yet dissipated, but the crisp sound of weapons clashing could be heard from the martial arts field.

Meng Qiqi moved and turned with the soft sword in her hand. The strong wind brought by the sword blew away the loose hair on her temples. Sweat dripped along her jawline onto the blue bricks, leaving dark marks.

For the past month, she has been practicing sword here every day at the hour of Mao, striving to improve every move from basic sword techniques to the secret mental skills of Yihua Palace.

"Good!" Qing Lan cheered from behind. She approached with a stack of files in her arms, her hair still stained with morning dew. "The Grand Palace Master is looking for you. He said there's some progress on the Lingxi Grass matter."

Meng Qiqi sheathed her sword, her heart still beating fast.

Two months ago, the treasure of Yihua Palace Medicine Garden, Lingxi Grass, was stolen. This grass blooms once every ten years and is also the key ingredient in refining the healing medicine "Rejuvenation Pill".

Yao Yue was furious at the time and sent out elite disciples to track him down overnight, but now...

In the main hall, Yao Yue leaned on the agarwood couch, and her gilded armor tapped the teacup, making a crisp sound.

Lian Xin stood aside, fiddling with a broken branch covered in mud. "The disciples we sent out earlier found some traces in the Shu Mountains, but unfortunately they lost their lead when they reached the cliffs."

"So the two palace masters want us to continue investigating?" Qinglan stepped forward with a puzzled tone.

Lian Xin tossed the broken branch onto the table. The dark red sap on the dead branch had not yet dried up. "Indeed. This branch was found under the rock wall where the Lingxi grass once grew. The head of the medicine hall has identified it and found that it does have traces of the unique sap of the Lingxi grass."

She turned her gaze to Meng Qiqi, "Besides, Qiqi is very meticulous in her work of snatching supplies, so perhaps she can find any clues that we've missed."

Meng Qiqi lowered her eyes and saluted, but doubts arose in her heart.

Two months is enough time for any trace to disappear. How can it be easy to do it now with just a broken branch?

But she knew the rules of Yihua Palace very well, so after receiving the order, she and Qinglan hurriedly packed their bags.

As dusk fell, the two men had galloped to the edge of Shu.

The mountain path was rugged and difficult to navigate. Qinglan pulled the reins in, looked at the mountains in the distance and sighed, "In these vast mountains, finding a single blade of grass is like looking for a needle in a haystack."

Meng Qiqi dismounted and squatted to check the weeds on the roadside.

In the moonlight, the crooked directions of a few wild grasses looked strange, as if they had been pressed by a heavy object.

"Let's go to that cliff first." She pointed to the misty mountain. "Since our disciples lost their clues there before, perhaps..."

Before he could finish his words, a wolf howl suddenly came from the distance.

Qinglan drew his sword and warned, "Be careful, there are often wolves in this area."

Before he finished speaking, seven or eight pairs of green eyes flashed from the bushes, and hungry wolves surrounded him with low howls.

Meng Qiqi drew out the soft sword with her backhand, and the sword reflected the ferocious faces of the wolves.

He immediately activated his mental skills and swung his sword moves like flowing clouds.

A cold light flashed, and the leading wolf fell to the ground with a wail, but the smell of blood instead stimulated the wolves, and they pounced even more frantically.

"Back to back!" Qinglan shouted.

The two formed a sword formation, and the sword lights intertwined into a net, forcing the wolves back several steps.

When the fierce battle was in full swing, Meng Qiqi caught a glimpse of a black shadow rushing past from the direction of the cliff. It was so fast that only the fleeting shadow of its clothes was left behind.

"There's someone!" She pointed the tip of her sword, and Qinglan immediately understood.

The two men tacitly swung two sword moves to force back the wolves, then turned and chased in the direction where the black shadow disappeared.

The night was deep, and fog was rising in the mountains and forests. The mysterious figure had long disappeared.

"Could it be the person who stole the Lingxi grass?" Qinglan bent down and gasped, his hair sticking to his sweaty cheeks.

Meng Qiqi looked at the empty mountain road, her fingertips stroking the hilt of the sword: "It's hard to say. But this is a coincidence..."

She frowned and looked around, and suddenly found a half-blurred footprint on the moss on the roadside. The shape was strange, as if it was wearing specially made soft-soled boots.

Qing Lan came closer to examine it, his expression solemn: "These footprints... don't look like those of an ordinary Jianghu person."

The night wind blew through the mountains, bringing a chill.

Meng Qiqi straightened up and stared at the dark sky. The mystery of the Lingxi grass theft hadn't been solved yet, and now mysterious shadows and strange footprints had appeared. This investigation seemed like someone was deliberately targeting Yihua Palace.

It seemed as if there was a pair of eyes coldly watching a chess game and every move of Yihua Palace.