On the way back, I weighed my options. If I were to tell him the truths I had seen regarding the events of three years ago directly, he would likely think I was spinning a tale to deceive him. While I had no intention of keeping him in the dark, I needed evidence to make him believe it was all real.
"A-Tan," I asked, cutting straight to the point, "how did Qin Kezou die?"
Ye Tan’s pace faltered. After a long silence, he said, "...It seems it truly was I who killed him."
I pressed my palm to my forehead. "No, tell me the whole story from beginning to end—tell me what you believed happened before you saw those remains yesterday."
Ye Tan nodded and began to recount the events of that day as best as he could. He finished just as we reached the inn.
"So, Qin Kezou died from the poison of Taihang Valley," I summarized.
Ye Tan nodded.
I asked, "Could anyone have poisoned Master Qin Seven in front of you without you noticing?"
"No," Ye Tan replied.
"When Master Qin Seven met with Gu Ciqu, were you always present?"
"He never asked me to withdraw," Ye Tan said.
Progress was smooth. I followed up with, "Then when would he ask you to withdraw?"
Ye Tan’s brow furrowed slightly. "...When he practiced swordsmanship with Master Yun Bizhi."
There it was. Perfectly consistent. I asked casually, "Why?"
"The first time I was asked to withdraw, it was Master Yun’s suggestion," Ye Tan explained. "Perhaps he was afraid I would discover he was a member of Taibai Pavilion. After all, Taibai Pavilion and the Qin Mausoleum are ancestral enemies."
I stumbled over my own feet. Ye Tan caught me with practiced ease.
So this man *did* understand? Should I call him brilliant or a fool?
"You... you knew?" I stammered.
"I recognized their martial forms." Ye Tan nodded, then dropped another bombshell. "Master Yun Jiangli is also a member of Taibai Pavilion."
I felt like I was seeing stars. "Did... did Qin Kezou know this? Did Qin Chenyuan know?"
Ye Tan paused, answering honestly, "...I never thought about it."
...This man. He had clearly noticed everything, yet he had allowed himself to be led around by the nose. It was enough to make my blood boil.
"Intelligence is a precious thing," I said mournfully. "I truly hope you have some."
Ye Tan looked bewildered. "Ah? ...Is it necessary?"
I nearly laughed out of sheer frustration and waved my hand, deciding not to argue. "In that case, only Yun Bizhi had the opportunity to administer the poison." Ye Tan frowned, seemingly disagreeing but remaining silent. I continued, "Open the coffin."
On the left forearm of the skeletal remains, there was indeed the mark left by Gu Ciqu’s blade before her death. Thinking of that poised, graceful young girl filled me with a mixture of gratitude and regret.
"A-Tan, look at this spot on the arm. Was Master Qin Seven ever injured here?" I guided him gently.
He had been too shocked yesterday and had clearly missed this detail. Seeing it now, his face clouded with confusion. "How is that possible? A strike like this would have severed the meridians; the left hand would have been useless. Besides, I inspected his body thoroughly before burial. There was absolutely no such wound..."
"Then that proves these aren't Qin Seven's remains," I said quickly. "Think back. Did you see anyone with an injured left hand that day?"
It had been a long time, and I didn't hold much hope, but Ye Tan’s pupils suddenly constricted. "When I turned back to deliver a message to Master Yun that day, his left hand wasn't forming the sword seal. It looked very unnatural."
His memory was so sharp I almost wanted to praise him. I helped him piece it together. "Could you infer it this way? Yun Bizhi of Taibai Pavilion approached Qin Kezou to gain his trust. His original plan was to use a poison unique to Taihang Valley to murder Qin Kezou in public, intending to incite conflict between Taihang Valley and the Qin Mausoleum so his own sect could profit as a third party. Because he couldn't act while you were present, he made sure you withdrew every time, making it natural for him to poison the tea that day. The atmosphere was so sensitive then that as long as one side struck, the truth wouldn't have mattered even if it were discovered later. He didn't expect Qin Kezou to realize he was poisoned and turn to you for help. You, by your own strength, suppressed the matter, causing Yun Bizhi’s painstaking schemes to fall at the final hurdle."
Ye Tan listened intently and thought for a long time. Suddenly, his eyes brightened. "What you say makes sense." He paused, then added with sincere admiration, "Master, you are so clever."
I said hurriedly, "I don't want to lie to you. I didn't deduce these things. I... well, I knew through other means. But I can't tell you what those means are." I thought to myself that enough people had deceived him already; I must never be one of them.
Ye Tan nodded. "Oh."
He was incredibly obedient.
I couldn't help but reach out and pat his head. "I also learned what the 'Ye Sha' of his prime was like."
Hearing this, Ye Tan peeked at me through his messy hair and my fingers.
"He was fierce, with a face that looked like he wanted to stab everyone in the world." His neatly tied hair had been rubbed into a bird's nest. Feeling a bit guilty, I tried to smooth it out, but it didn't help much. I pulled my hand back, pretending nothing was wrong. "The current Ye Tan is much cuter."
"Is that so?" Ye Tan murmured.
"Let's go up first. The wound on your hand needs to be cleaned again," I said.
Ye Tan leaped lightly from the carriage and helped me down. He stared blankly for a moment at the crude bandage I had wrapped around his hand.
"What is it?" I asked with concern. "Does it hurt?"
Ye Tan’s face flushed, and he shook his head quickly.
Back in the guest room, I called the attendant for a basin of fresh water, medicine, and bandages. When it came time to remove the cloth, for some reason, Ye Tan refused to let me touch him. I never liked to force him, so I stood by silently and watched.
"But there is one thing I can't figure out," I said. "Why use Yun Bizhi’s body to replace Qin Kezou’s?"
Ye Tan had certainly never considered this question, and he clearly didn't intend to start now.
At the time, both Taihang Valley and the Qin Mausoleum were kept in the dark, so it shouldn't have been them. Could it have been someone else from Taibai Pavilion? Although Yun Bizhi had failed, his personal mistake wasn't that great. If it were his own sect, why would they throw away a valuable fighter?
I feared that besides Taihang Valley, the Qin Mausoleum, and Taibai Pavilion, there was a fourth party present.
"I feel... if the first half of this affair was targeted at Taihang Valley and the Qin Mausoleum, the second half seems targeted at you." I couldn't hide my worry. "A-Tan, you must be careful from now on."
Though full of doubts, Ye Tan asked nothing and simply nodded.
I was also confused.
What was there to gain from plotting against a minor, blunt-headed little guard who believed every lie he was told?
Then I realized: it was this very blunt-headed guard who, at the center of a storm involving at least four factions, had derailed a meticulously planned conspiracy and survived the pursuit of everyone to keep the truth hidden.
I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.
Impulsively, I gave him a hug.
Ye Tan, who was halfway through applying medicine to his hand, froze instantly, not daring to move.
"A-Tan, don't be afraid," I said, patting his shoulder reassuringly. "The injustices and suffering Ye Sha endured—I will never allow anyone to make Ye Tan go through them again."
***
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Fatal to Pretend With a Cheat | Chapter 28 | Unraveling the Conspiracy | Novela.app | Novela.app
