“Ruo’er,” Bai Zhier teased, her eyes fixed on the approaching figure in red. “You certainly are popular.”
Chu Ruo felt a wave of awkwardness. “You know it’s only because of Muxue…”
“I couldn’t care less what that Little Scorpion is up to,” Bai Zhier replied. As Lin Jianghong reached them, she playfully and deliberately linked her arm with Chu Ruo’s. “Does the Alliance Leader have business with us?”
Chu Ruo tried to pull her arm away, but Bai Zhier held on with a subtle, practiced strength, her smile radiant and defiant. Lin Jianghong stared at them, her expression a mixture of speechlessness and disdain. She likely saw a "man" and a young woman being far too intimate in public.
“Your master went to great lengths to invite me here to help, yet here you are, cuddling and clinging to others,” Lin Jianghong huffed. “In broad daylight, no less. How the world has fallen.”
“Please,” Chu Ruo said, lifting her arm slightly. “Is this really ‘cuddling and clinging’? Your eyesight must be failing you.”
“Hmph. No need to explain to me. It’s none of my business anyway.”
*This woman is truly something else,* Chu Ruo thought. *If it’s none of your business, why do you look like you’ve just swallowed a lemon?* “Fine then. Why are you here?”
“To take you down the mountain.”
Both Chu Ruo and Bai Zhier froze. “Down the mountain?”
“Palace Master Nan said so,” Lin Jianghong explained. “She wants you and your master to take us all down for a look around. Her exact words were that the elders are getting old, so the youngsters should go off and talk amongst themselves. Consider it a gesture of hospitality.”
“Where is my master?”
“She’s already prepared and waiting. Who knew you’d be here flirting and dallying with Miss Bai of the Divine Physician’s family? It seems I’ve interrupted your little tryst.” Having said her piece, Lin Jianghong turned and walked away with the haughty air of a pampered heiress.
“You—”
Bai Zhier pulled Chu Ruo along to follow, her pace leisurely. She maintained a faint, gentle smile that masked a sharp edge. “We certainly did interrupt. No wonder the Alliance Leader had to come in person; I suppose everyone else had the sense to stay away?”
Chu Ruo nearly burst out laughing. She had always thought the Little Scorpion’s tongue was lethal enough to kill, but the lady beside her was clearly no slouch either. She had only seen Bai Zhier snap like this once before—when she had thrown banknotes at Muxue to prove she didn't lack money. *What extraordinary women,* Chu Ruo thought, her mood lifting considerably.
It took Lin Jianghong a few seconds to process the jab. When she did, she spun around, fuming. “You!”
Bai Zhier merely tilted her head, her hands behind her back. It was a provocative gesture, yet it possessed a peculiar charm. “What?” she asked, her voice tinged with disdain. “Are you planning to start a fight? You know better than anyone how you became the Alliance Leader. Do you truly believe you’re invincible?”
“Hey, now,” Chu Ruo stepped between them as the atmosphere soured. “Ladies, please, stay your hands. You’re both here to help me, and I’m incredibly grateful. For my sake, let’s not bicker, alright?” She gave Bai Zhier a pleading look, and the physician’s daughter immediately softened, turning her head away in silence. Chu Ruo then turned to Lin Jianghong. “You said I saved your life after the Martial Arts Assembly, right? Let’s call it even for today, okay?”
Finally, the two women fell quiet, though they pointedly ignored each other. Chu Ruo, stuck in the middle, tried to strike up a conversation. “So, Alliance Leader, I heard someone ambushed you on your way back after the assembly?”
“Just some small fry,” Lin Jianghong replied, her simple nature resurfacing as she took the bait. “I took them down in a few moves. However…”
“However?”
“Shh.” She glanced at Bai Zhier, who scoffed and moved a few paces away. Lin Jianghong then grabbed Chu Ruo’s ear and pulled her close. “I’ll tell you, but only because it’s you. Don’t tell anyone else—especially not that girl surnamed Bai.”
“Sister, take it easy! This is a real ear, not a stone. I promise, I won’t tell a soul.”
“On the way back, someone tried to steal the Alliance Leader’s Command Token!”
Chu Ruo feigned shock. “What? That’s a serious matter! Is the token still safe?” *I knew it,* she thought. *With her skills, it would have been stolen before she got ten miles. Good thing I swapped it out beforehand.*
Lin Jianghong shook her head. “I’m warning you, don’t tell anyone. If Nan Muxue hadn’t promised to help me find it…”
“What? My master promised to help you find the—” *The token is literally in my pocket,* Chu Ruo realized. *She’s ‘helping’ her find it just so she can return it later and claim a favor. As expected of my Little Scorpion—devious, cunning, and utterly brilliant. I love it.*
“I told you to keep your voice down!” Lin Jianghong shrugged. “She gave me the idea to use a fake one to fool people for now. Not many people have seen it up close anyway, and it’s rarely used. Nan Muxue is quite impressive. If I didn’t already have suspects in mind, I might have thought she was the thief herself—otherwise, how would she know I’d lost it?”
“You have suspects?”
“Of course. Don’t take me for a fool. First of all, the attackers came in two waves, but they were all men. Everyone in your Hundred Flowers Palace is female, except for you. Besides, we weren’t traveling the same way. I was heading north to Green Willow Villa, while you were heading south. By then, you should have been nearly home. But the Sword-Forging Villa is in the same direction as you, yet their Master dawdled and took twice as long to get back. The other sects all returned on schedule—any leader away for that long would be in a hurry to get home. The only other late arrival was Feipeng Fort. So, it’s highly likely one of those two.”
“I’m starting to see you in a new light.”
Lin Jianghong rolled her eyes. “I told you I have brains. Both those sects have representatives here now, so I’m using this chance to investigate. Besides, Nan Muxue promised to duel me three times. Any time, any place. The loser has to do one thing the winner demands. Just you wait, I’ll definitely beat her.”
Chu Ruo frowned. “She’s providing the manpower and effort to find your token, and she has to duel you, all because you’re here to put on a show of proposing to me? Do you have a conscience, kid? Know when to stop.”
“What kind of gibberish was that last bit? Whatever.” Lin Jianghong waved her hand dismissively. “Go take it up with her then. I didn’t suggest those terms; she offered them herself. It’s all for your sake anyway. A grown man needing others to propose to him—honestly, have you no shame? I have no idea what Nan Muxue sees in you, especially when you’re so… indecent with other women.”
*Linking arms is indecent?* “I—”
“Just shut up and move. They’re already waiting.”
She dashed ahead without looking back. Chu Ruo moved to Bai Zhier’s side. “Zhier, I’ve rarely seen you be so biting toward someone.”
Bai Zhier blinked innocently. “Because she was speaking ill of you. If I weren’t trying to maintain my lady-like image, I would have fed her some ‘medicine’ long ago.”
The two shared a smile. Mentioning medicine reminded Chu Ruo of something. “Zhier, I wanted to ask… the Heavenly Demon Palace captured several martial artists to turn into Medicine Men. Do you know if Lin Jianghong’s father or the elders of their villa were among them?”
Bai Zhier shook her head, her expression turning somber. “The people from Green Willow Villa were not among the Medicine Men.”
“Oh, well that’s a relief…”
“Ruo’er, stay out of this,” Bai Zhier said, slowing her pace to increase the distance between them and Lin Jianghong. “Lin Jianghong’s father, her uncles, and the villa’s elders… they aren’t Medicine Men because they defected. They reached an agreement with the Heavenly Demon Palace. In other words, they’ve secretly joined them. They are traitors to the martial world.”
“What…?” This was an explosive revelation. How could such a thing happen?
“Ruo’er, don’t get involved. You can’t stop it anyway. A bloodbath is coming to the martial world.” As she turned her head, a faint red mark beneath Chu Ruo’s collar caught her eye. Her expression darkened. “Ruo’er, you… here…”
“Huh?” Chu Ruo followed her gaze and realized what she was looking at. She laughed awkwardly and pulled her collar tight. “Is it… is it very obvious?”
Bai Zhier shook her head. “Only from my angle. Would anyone else on this mountain dare get close enough to see? As for Nan Menghua, she always looks down on you from above. This was clearly a message from your Little Scorpion to me. She asks for my help, yet she still does this…”
“What were you saying before? About Lin Jianghong’s father…”
Bai Zhier gave her a look of feigned annoyance and tender reproach. “Are you that afraid of me speaking ill of your Little Scorpion?” She then chuckled softly. “You’re still too naive. How else do you think that girl became the Alliance Leader?”
Chu Ruo was stunned. This was even more shocking than the father’s defection. “You mean… it was the Heavenly Demon Palace’s doing?”
“Ruo’er, did you never wonder why someone with such mediocre martial arts had such a smooth path? You must have noticed her group during the assembly—there wasn't a single Medicine Man from start to finish. While other sects had Medicine Men returning to them, Green Willow Villa was just like your palace—not a single one. Even her eventual loss was my foster father’s arrangement. If she had made it to the final round, it would have drawn too much suspicion. We just didn't expect your Little Scorpion to be secretly pushing for her as well. And we certainly didn't expect someone from the Sword-Forging Villa to cooperate, so we simply went with the flow.”
“Your foster father is terrifyingly brilliant. And the people who stole the token…”
“That, I don’t know. He doesn’t tell us everything.”
Chu Ruo smiled. “Zhier, you didn’t have to tell me any of this. It’s a secret of the Heavenly Demon Palace. If anyone found out you told me, your foster father would…”
“It’s fine. I only told you because it’s you. Even now, I can’t figure out the true relationship between my foster father and the Hundred Flowers Palace. During the assembly, Shanshan hoped the Hundred Flowers Palace would win so we could pin the Medicine Men incident on you, but my foster father had other plans. He only told us after the fact. I don’t know if that’s why that girl got so angry and went off to cultivate in seclusion. Sigh.”
“She’ll be fine. Your sister is the one who troubles others; no one dares trouble her. Zhier, I have to ask… can the grudge between you and Muxue truly never be resolved?”
A cool breeze ruffled Bai Zhier’s hair. “Ruo’er, what kind of person do you think I am?”
“Gentle, kind, warm to everyone… you never seem to care about personal gain. It’s just that whenever you mention Muxue or her mother, you… you become like a different person.”
Bai Zhier looked down with a soft smile. “Everyone has a knot in their heart, things they cannot let go of. Some things can never be changed. Have you heard the saying? ‘The physician cannot heal themselves.’ Hatred is a difficult thing to lay down.”
“Then,” Chu Ruo asked tentatively, “is there another reason you came? Do you… want to kill Nan Menghua?”
Bai Zhier looked at her with amusement, but also a hint of admiration. “This is why I always tell Shanshan that the person I like isn't a fool.”
“You…” Chu Ruo sighed. “Don’t do it. It’s too dangerous. Her martial arts are unfathomable. When she tested me last night… if she had truly meant to kill me, I wouldn't have lasted five moves before heading to the Yellow Springs.”
“I’m curious, how did you guess my intention?”
*Did I even need to guess?* Chu Ruo thought. Because of her, Bai Zhier wouldn't move against the Little Scorpion yet—if something happened to Muxue, Chu Ruo would be finished too. Furthermore, the true power behind the Hundred Flowers Palace was Nan Menghua. Since they insisted both mother and daughter were enemies, it must have been Nan Menghua who ordered Muxue to do whatever caused the grudge. Between the mastermind and the executor, the mastermind was always the more loathsome one. “Well…”
“We’re here.” Without realizing it, they had caught up with the group. Seeing Nan Muxue, Bai Zhier deliberately linked arms with Chu Ruo again. “So sorry to keep everyone waiting.”
The three Protectors wore amused expressions. Shen Ruoxuan was making faces behind their backs, while Liu Shaopeng’s gaze was unreadably complex. Lin Jianghong rolled her eyes, and finally, there was the cold, indifferent face of the Little Scorpion. *Gods, what have I done to deserve this?* Chu Ruo lamented.
Once they were down the mountain, Liu Shaopeng made an excuse about having business and bolted. He was clearly terrified. Since returning to Feipeng Fort, he had wanted to tell the world that Nan Muxue had captured him, but his father, Liu Songhe, had scolded him into silence and forced him to come propose. Now, just looking at Nan Muxue made him break into a cold sweat. Fearing he might fall into her hands again, he fled as fast as his legs could carry him.
With others around—and knowing Nan Menghua’s spies, likely including Nan Yunshuang, were nearby—Chu Ruo was forced to walk sandwiched between Bai Zhier and Lin Jianghong. She couldn't get a word in with Muxue, but a moment later, her attention was diverted.
“Awoo! Awoo!”
Someone was selling puppies. They were round, fluffy little things. Chu Ruo walked over and crouched down to pet one. “So cute! Snow—Master, let’s buy two and raise them.”
Nan Muxue stood still, staring into the distance. “No.”
“Then just one? One is fine…”
Muxue frowned. “I hate furry things.”
“If she won’t raise them, we will,” Bai Zhier said, crouching down beside her. “Ruo’er, let’s each pick one. Consider them our love tok—er, love dogs.”
Chu Ruo didn't actually want to raise a "couple" of dogs with her, but she truly loved the little yellow one. She asked tremulously, “Can I…?”
Later, as Chu Ruo sat at the table clutching a puppy while everyone else ate, she found herself unable to eat a bite. All she could think about was whether she could sneak the dog a little scrap of food…
***
