The Awkward Man on the Beam

Before an imposing residence, Song Qingshu finally came to a stop.

"I heard the Wan family is a prominent household in Jingzhou. What has Uncle come here for?" Madam Hu calmly withdrew her hand and looked at Song Qingshu.

"Sister-in-law, tonight we're sneaking into Wan Mansion." Song Qingshu's eyes gleamed as he smugly thought, As long as I find out whether Qi Fang has become the Wan family's Young Mistress, won't everything be clear?

"Isn't it rather improper to break into someone's home in the dead of night?" Madam Hu asked awkwardly. At that moment, she was gripping Song Qingshu's shoulder as the two crouched atop the beam of a bedroom.

"I know this Wan fellow. His martial arts may be mediocre, but he's full of dirty tricks. Right now, they're in the open and we're in the dark. If we paid them a proper visit, the positions would be reversed. Having to worry about being plotted against at every moment wouldn't feel very good." Song Qingshu spoke with perfect confidence and not the slightest guilt, while his body deliberately—or perhaps not so deliberately—leaned closer to the beauty beside him.

Madam Hu lightly pressed a slender jade finger against Song Qingshu's waist, preventing him from moving even an inch closer. "Quiet. Someone's coming."

Song Qingshu looked down as well and saw a man and a woman enter the room. The man was handsome, and the little mustache above his lips lent him an added air of maturity. The woman was dressed like a young mistress, a delicate and beautiful young wife. Song Qingshu secretly praised her. In truth, her figure was nimble, and she was not necessarily frail; it was simply the timid air about her face that instinctively made people think of her as weak.

His long-held doubts had been answered. Song Qingshu sighed inwardly. It seems Qi Fang has already married Wan Gui. Then Di Yun must be suffering in prison alongside Ding Dian.

What happened next left the two of them exceedingly embarrassed. The moment the young couple returned to their room, Wan Gui began pawing at her, and Qi Fang half-resisted, half-acquiesced as she fell onto the bed...

Madam Hu spat under her breath and turned away. Seeing Song Qingshu watching with keen interest, she could not suppress her anger. She wanted to take him away, but doing so would inevitably alert the pair below, leaving her in a difficult position.

A sharp pain came from Song Qingshu's waist. He turned to see Madam Hu glaring at him with frost in her lovely face. Her lips seemed to be warning him, "Don't look!" He could only reluctantly turn away.

The room fell quiet for a time, with only the sounds from the couple below remaining. Madam Hu and Song Qingshu felt even more awkward atop the beam. Thinking of herself listening to a married couple's private affairs here with another man, Madam Hu regretted it bitterly.

Song Qingshu, however, felt differently. Though he could no longer watch the live show below, seeing the beauty beside him lightly scolding him, her cheeks flushed red, was a thoroughly delightful sight.

"Wan Zhenshan, get the hell out here!" Unfortunately, the heavens did not grant his wish. Fierce sounds of fighting suddenly erupted outside. Wan Gui and Qi Fang could no longer bother with intimacy and hurriedly dressed before running out.

Madam Hu secretly let out a breath of relief and seized Song Qingshu, flying out with him.

"Wait, let's see which hero has come looking for trouble with Wan Zhenshan. He might be a potential ally of ours..." Madam Hu could not persuade him otherwise, so she wrapped an arm around his waist. After several leaps, they crouched atop the courtyard wall and observed the commotion within Wan Mansion.

The soft, full sensation against his ribs made Song Qingshu freeze. He immediately lost his earlier chattiness, and his face instead turned a little red.

Madam Hu did not notice that she had her arm around Song Qingshu's waist, allowing him to take full advantage of her. Her attention was wholly drawn to a raggedly dressed man in the courtyard.

Several dozen members of the Wan family surrounded him, yet could not harm him in the slightest. Instead, he struck them with fists and kicks, sending them sprawling in heaps.

Wan Zhenshan could sit still no longer. Drawing his sword, he charged forward.

"Liancheng Swordplay?" The newcomer gave a cold laugh, snatched a sword, and met him using the same techniques.

"Hold on!" After exchanging several moves, Wan Zhenshan hurriedly leaped out of the fight. "Who are you, sir? Why do you also know my sect's supreme art?" Yet inwardly, he was already afraid. After only a few exchanges, he could tell that the other man's martial arts were far superior to his own, and he also knew Liancheng Swordplay. Could it be that he would never uncover that great secret in his lifetime?

"Mei Niansheng was my senior brother. Who do you think I am?" The man suddenly sneered.

"Beggar of the Snow Wu Liuqi!" Wan Zhenshan finally remembered that his master had once mentioned another junior brother. His face changed drastically, and he clasped his hands in salute. "Greetings, Junior Martial Uncle. What are you all standing around for? Put away your weapons! This is your grand martial uncle."

Wu Liuqi frowned and raised a hand to stop him. "Cut the act. I came this time to investigate my senior brother's murder. Rumors in the martial world say that the three of you disciples betrayed your sect, murdered your master, and seized his treasure. Yan Daping and Qi Changfa have both vanished without a trace, so I had no choice but to start with you."

"I've been wronged!" Wan Zhenshan looked utterly incredulous. Having noticed the flaw in Wu Liuqi's words earlier, he thought he might as well take a gamble. "Junior Martial Uncle, you just saw my martial arts. My fellow disciples and I were evenly matched. Do you truly think the three of us had the ability to harm Master in the slightest?"

"Senior Brother's martial arts were peerless, and he had also mastered the Divine Light Scripture. There truly was no reason for him to be injured by your hands." Wu Liuqi became doubtful as well. He did not know the truth of the matter; he had merely heard that Mei Niansheng had died at the hands of his three disciples and come to investigate. Seeing Wan Zhenshan's poor martial arts just now, he had already begun to suspect the rumors. "Then how did your master die?"

Delight flashed across Wan Zhenshan's face. He glanced around before hurriedly putting on a troubled expression. "Junior Martial Uncle, this is not a suitable place to talk with so many people about. Shall we speak in an inner room?"

Wu Liuqi was highly skilled and bold. Unafraid of any tricks, he nodded.

"Let's follow them!" Song Qingshu said instinctively. Madam Hu shot him a glare, thinking, Does he really take me for his maid? Still, she led him around to the back of the house, where they began listening in.

"Forget the tea. Speak quickly. How exactly did my senior brother die?" Wu Liuqi impatiently waved away the servants.

"Alas, alas, alas..." Wan Zhenshan sighed three times. Seeing Wu Liuqi about to lose his temper, he hurriedly said, "I wonder whether Martial Uncle knows of the Liancheng Jue?"

Wu Liuqi gave him a wary look. "I heard Senior Brother mention it before. Isn't it the sword formula for Liancheng Swordplay? What about it? Does this have something to do with it?"

"Of course it does!" Wan Zhenshan slapped his thigh. "Somehow, the Jingzhou prefect learned that the Liancheng Jue concealed a treasure. After plotting for so long, he finally caused Master to fall victim to his schemes." As he spoke, he squeezed out a few muddy tears.

"Jingzhou's prefect, Ling Tuis?" Wu Liuqi was startled. That was a powerful figure who controlled an entire region... Yet Wu Liuqi did not entirely believe Wan Zhenshan. Instead, he asked, "Although Ling Tuis has many soldiers and generals, given Senior Brother's martial arts, even if he could not defeat him, he should still have been able to escape. How exactly did he die?"

"Has Martial Uncle heard of the Golden Wave Poison Flower?" Wan Zhenshan carefully watched Wu Liuqi's expression.

"The Golden Wave Poison Flower, said to have no antidote?" Wu Liuqi was an old hand in the martial world and had heard of certain rare poisons.

"Precisely!" Wan Zhenshan sighed mournfully. "That day, Ling Tuis invited Master to a banquet. Master let down his guard and was poisoned by it. Seventy or eighty percent of his abilities were lost, and he was eventually captured. But Master would rather die than yield. Even at the point of death, he refused to reveal the Liancheng Jue's secret. In his rage and humiliation, Ling Tuis killed him..."

"Lies!" Wu Liuqi slammed a hand on the table. "If you were not present, how would you know all these details? And if you were present, why would Ling Tuis have spared your life?"