Mei Qianluo

This answer was far beyond what Chu Qing and the black-clothed man had expected.

"Utter nonsense!"

The black-clothed man couldn't believe it. He said coldly:

"Who exactly are you? Why did you infiltrate the Chu Family?

"Do the people of the Chu Family... know that I'm in Heavenly Dance City now?

"If you tell me the truth, I might still spare your life tonight... otherwise, don't blame me for showing no mercy."

That was obviously a lie meant to fool a fool.

He'd hired assassins, dressed in black and covered his face, and even launched a sneak attack just moments ago.

He was clearly trying to kill her to silence her. How could he possibly spare her life?

Junior Sister Wen's cool expression barely changed, though confusion flickered in her eyes.

"I'm Wen Rou, the fourth disciple of Cui Buno, the Wrathful God Fist of Taiyi Sect.

"An infiltrator in the Chu Family? No... I went there with my Third senior brother.

"My Third senior brother had finished his training and was returning home. After that, he planned to venture into the martial world to find his Third Brother. He said he could take me home along the way, so Master had me go down the mountain with him.

"He also told me to listen to my Third senior brother...

"I don't know whether the people of the Chu Family know you're in Heavenly Dance City.

"But you don't look like a good person, so even if I did know, I couldn't tell you.

"Oh, right, mister, who are you anyway?"

As the black-clothed man listened to Wen Rou, a thoughtful look came over his eyes.

He had the feeling this girl wasn't very bright... Would any normal person answer every question from a black-clothed stranger whose identity was unknown?

Could she... be a little crazy?

A thought stirred in his mind, and he decided to test her.

"Little girl, I was joking with you just now.

"I'm actually a good person."

"...But you just said you were going to kill me."

"Eh? You and I have no old grudges, nor any new ones. Why would I kill you?"

The black-clothed man said:

"How about this? You asked who I was, so I'll tell you. But to be fair, I'll answer one of your questions, and you answer one of mine. How does that sound?"

Wen Rou's eyes immediately lit up.

"Are you trying to be friends with me?"

"Friends... right!"

The black-clothed man hurriedly nodded.

"I want to be friends with you!"

Chu Qing blinked, sensing that something was fishy.

Hadn't Wen Rou seemed unfathomably mysterious before? Why did she suddenly look like a silly girl?

Or was it that she'd seemed mysterious because she'd said so little... and the more she spoke, the more her innocent, silly side showed?

The black-clothed man was clearly trying to fish for information, but he didn't know how much Wen Rou knew.

At this point, should he stop her?

Chu Tian and the others wanted to play a game of chess, and this matter involved the struggle between Ten Thousand Night Valley and Heavenly Dance City.

The black-clothed man's origins were unknown, but he was obviously up to no good.

Wen Rou had picked up his fan. He thought she'd learned his identity, and that was an identity the Chu Family absolutely must not discover.

That was why he'd come to silence her tonight.

Could he be an undercover agent Ten Thousand Night Valley had left in Heavenly Dance City?

If so, then Chu Qing really couldn't let him leave the courtyard.

This matter not only involved the safety of the Chu Family and Heavenly Dance City, but also concerned a major deal of his own.

As he thought this, he saw Wen Rou nod.

"Sure. You go first. Who exactly are you?"

The black-clothed man was delighted. He'd planned to make up a name on the spot, assuming the girl wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

But after hesitating, he decided not to be so careless. He spoke in a low voice.

"My surname is Mei. Mei Qianluo!"

Chu Qing's eyes narrowed slightly. Mei Qianluo... Flying Cloud Sparrow Fan, Withered Leaf Thousand Falls!

This man was the Third Boss of Shashen Gang, Flying Cloud Withered Leaf, Mei Qianluo.

But... why was he in Heavenly Dance City?

And why had he appeared while the city was sealed?

Shashen Gang bordered Ten Thousand Night Valley and had always been at odds with them, yet now it had appeared in Heavenly Dance City at this critical moment.

What was going on?

Wen Rou, however, widened her eyes.

"Your name is 'No Money'?

"How pitiful. I have some loose silver on me. Do you want it?"

"..."

I want your damn grandpa!!

Mei Qianluo's face darkened. Qianluo wasn't his real name, but Flying Cloud Sparrow Fan and Withered Leaf Thousand Falls were a famous calling card. People in the martial world had taken to calling him Qianluo instead of using his name.

For more than twenty years, no one had ever dared to mock him over it.

Yet today, he'd been ridiculed like this by a girl who wasn't even twenty.

He drew a deep breath and forced himself to speak.

"Little girl, enough with that. You've asked your question, so now it's my turn.

"I want to know: did Chu Yunfei really die?"

Chu Qing drew his aura in even tighter. This question was crucial.

He watched Wen Rou in silence, unsure how she would answer.

"I don't know."

Wen Rou's voice was still cool and uninflected.

"Master said that when you're a guest in someone else's home, you shouldn't cause them trouble.

"So every day, as soon as I wake up, I go wandering outside. I only come back at night.

"The Chu Family has been busy these past few days, and nobody's looked after me. I haven't even seen my Third senior brother for several days.

"Eh? Are you saying Uncle Chu died?"

"..."

Who the hell was asking whom?

If I knew... why would I have bothered asking you?

Just as he was considering what to ask next, Wen Rou spoke up.

"No, no. I don't want to know the answer to that question, so it doesn't count. I'll ask another one.

"How many friends do you have in this city besides me?"

The moment she asked this, Chu Qing's expression turned strange.

He'd thought Wen Rou really was a silly girl, but... her first question had drawn Mei Qianluo's name from him, revealing his origins.

And her second question... was less about his friends than about how many people Shashen Gang had hidden in Heavenly Dance City, waiting for a chance to act.

"Hm?"

Mei Qianluo froze.

"Wait. You said you didn't know just now. By rights, I should get to ask one more question."

"That's not right."

Wen Rou shook her head.

"'I don't know' was my answer. I answered truthfully.

"That question is over now. It's your turn to answer mine.

"Or... do you not actually want to be friends with me? Are you just..."

Her voice suddenly turned even colder.

"...deceiving me?"

Mei Qianluo's pupils contracted sharply.

"Bold!"

He'd spent his life hunting geese, only to have a sparrow peck out his eye today!

The little brat had played dumb and turned the tables on him.

In a fit of rage, he raised his hand to strike, but Wen Rou's finger was already upon him.

That only made him angrier. With a casual flick of his wrist, he snapped open his folding fan. His fingertip tapped the fan's surface, like a pebble dropping into water.

As ripples undulated across the fan, Mei Qianluo flicked his wrist, then swept it closed.

Wen Rou arched backward to dodge, then tapped the ground with the tip of her foot—Tai Yi Divine Leg!

But when she used the technique, it lacked the crushing power of Chu Fan's. Instead, it was light and nimble, with a different kind of subtle variation.