Guilt and Atonement

"Su Yuan, what are you still pretending for?"

At those words, everyone present except Yun Xu froze.

"Su, Su Yuan? Senior Sister, you can't be joking, can you?" Ji Haoyang thought she must have lost her mind.

What was wrong with Senior Sister?

Why did she call everyone she saw Su Yuan?

The thought made his heart feel even heavier.

"Miss, this is no laughing matter. Watch your tongue. How could a Liang lackey like Su Yuan be compared to me?" Su Yuan said coldly.

Yun Xu snorted with laughter, moved close to Su Yuan, and looked him up and down. "Su Yuan, I still underestimated how thick-skinned you were. You insult yourself without your heart even beating faster. That punch just now used both Golden Vajra Horse-Head Strength and the techniques of Heavenly Horse Flying Star Fist. Who else in Ji City besides you could have mastered both?"

Of course, the most important reason was that she knew Su Yuan's hands very well.

But she didn't say so.

Su Yuan's face darkened.

Yun Xu really did know him inside and out.

Only she knew that Su Yuan had practiced the Golden Horse-Head Technique.

Su Yuan had assumed the master of Xingyun Pavilion was gravely wounded and the rest posed no threat. He hadn't expected Yun Xu to be so powerful and sharp-eyed, seeing through him at once.

Catching sight of Ji Haoyang's stunned expression, he laughed inwardly.

So much for keeping his disguise intact.

But he remained defiant. "Hmph, haven't you heard that there's always someone better? Miss, you're standing so close that you're making me uncomfortable. Perhaps... I should raise my voice?"

Yun Xu gave a coy laugh and feigned alarm. "Please forgive me, Senior. I was out of line. This young woman knows her mistake. Please, don't shout."

Her melodramatic performance reminded Su Yuan of when they had first met.

"When Senior Green Ghost agreed to meet us in private, that meant he trusted us. Naturally, we trust you too. You must be a good person."

Her tone shifted. Her eyes reddened, and tears glistened in them. "Have you really forgotten everything that happened between us?"

Su Yuan couldn't bear her act any longer. He simply took off his mask, revealing his clear, handsome features, and smiled. "Miss Yun, long time no see. But why are you wearing my clothes?"

The moment the mask came off, Ji Haoyang felt as if he'd been struck by lightning. His whole world collapsed.

Green Ghost really was Su Yuan!

All the admiration and rose-colored illusions he'd built up shattered on the ground.

The rebel who secretly slew Liang People, whom he'd regarded as a role model—how could he be the traitorous lackey Su Yuan?

His face flushed red, his breathing grew ragged, and he couldn't accept the truth.

Su Yuan's next words twisted his heart even more, and he couldn't help looking toward Yun Xu.

When had Senior Sister changed clothes?

He hadn't even noticed.

Caught out by Su Yuan, Yun Xu's cheeks suddenly flushed.

Ji Haoyang's heart broke even more at the sight.

Could it be... they really had...

In his heart, Senior Sister had always been a cool, pure moon shining in the night.

Even though those humiliating works had circulated, he'd always believed she'd been forced into them. But seeing this...

His vision darkened, and his legs went weak. Fortunately, Zhou Xing caught him from behind.

Zhou Xing wasn't as emotional as he was, but her heart was still a tempest.

Su Yuan had only come to everyone's attention four months ago. How could he already have reached the middle stage of External Force?

What kind of heaven-defying talent was that?

Was he really of inferior aptitude?

What a joke. She had average aptitude, yet it had taken her two and a half years of hard work to reach the middle stage of External Force.

A flush spread across Yun Xu's face. "My previous clothes were torn, so I had no choice but to change."

"This one hasn't been washed yet," Su Yuan said out of the blue.

Everyone froze again.

Yun Xu instinctively sniffed beneath her nose, and the blush on her cheeks deepened.

"Does it smell nice? Isn't it fragrant?" Su Yuan pressed his advantage, taking back the initiative.

"You! You reek!" The teasing was unmistakable. Yun Xu immediately snapped back at him.

"If you think it stinks, take it off."

Yun Xu knew she couldn't let the conversation drag on. She was already flustered, so she put on a serious face. "Let's talk business. Why did you come looking for us tonight?"

"Come on, you're the ones who hid in my house." Su Yuan spread his hands.

But now that the teasing was over, it was time to discuss business.

He took out Duan Hongyan's blood letter and handed it over. "I was only joking earlier. This is Hongyan's final letter. I brought it back. As for him... my condolences."

Hearing that it had been a joke, Yun Xu felt an inexplicable pang of disappointment.

She took the letter and read it. A surge of grief and outrage welled up inside her, but her thoughts gradually settled. "You're not to blame. Hongyan was a good boy, a hero. We'll all remember him."

Before taking his own life, Duan Hongyan had added a passage to explain Su Yuan's actions.

She handed the blood letter to the two behind her.

Her gaze passed once more over Su Yuan's handsome profile and long fingers, and regret welled up inside her.

She really had lost her composure just now.

She couldn't make sense of what had come over her. Was it the excitement of seeing Su Yuan again?

She didn't know when she'd started caring so much about him. Even during the month they'd been apart, she'd kept a quiet eye on him.

Perhaps it was because when she had been ready to give up and die, he had left her a thread of life and hope.

Or perhaps it was because, after months of holding the line, he had finally broken through it himself, with those daily, punctual kneadings.

Or perhaps it was the silent comfort and companionship they had shared in the hell of the execution ground.

And above all, it was the guilt buried deep in her heart. Su Yuan had ended up where he was now because of her, and she owed too many people...

But at this moment, she could only suppress her tangled thoughts.

With the nation in peril, she could only keep moving forward, hoping to make amends for her past mistakes.

Once they had calmed down a little, Su Yuan spoke again. "I came to ask one thing of you: help me destroy the Shan Family and rescue Gao Mian."

He had weighed the matter carefully before revealing his identity. Besides, he still had an ace up his sleeve.

From what he'd seen, the master of Xingyun Pavilion was gravely wounded, but perhaps he could help stabilize his life.

And his purpose—destroying the Shan Family and rescuing Gao Mian—was too obvious to hide any longer.

Gao Mian?

The name stirred ripples in Yun Xu's heart, but they quickly stilled. "You don't need to ask for our help. The Shan Family has always been our enemy, and we've never stopped wanting revenge. But the Shan Family still has three Vein Splitting Martial Warriors, as well as support from other factions. To topple the Shan Family, we'll have to shake all of Ji City. Su Yuan, join us. Join the Jiguang Society and help us restore Ji City!"

"How strong is the Jiguang Society?" Su Yuan had been curious about this for a long time.

Yun Xu was about to answer, but Ji Haoyang cut in. "He hasn't joined yet!"

Yun Xu paused, then gave a brief answer. "At present, we have seven Internal Force Martial Warriors."

"Seven?" That sounded like a lot, but it was still fewer than half the Liang People's Vein Splitting Martial Warriors, and that didn't even count the forces that had surrendered.

Seeing him hesitate, Yun Xu continued. "Don't worry. We have support in the open as well. Besides, the Jiguang Society is only a hidden piece on the board. The key is the Great Jing army marching north. The rumors going around are true. Ji City lies far to the south, and its recovery is imminent."

He said, "If Great Jing really does recover Ji City, won't my identity be finished?"

"That's all right. As long as you join, we can all testify for you and say you were an undercover agent we planted. Then you'll not only clear your name but earn great merit as well." Yun Xu painted a bright future.

Su Yuan fell silent.

What if, by the time the army marched north, he had already reached Vein Splitting? Then he could rescue Gao Mian and leave for good.

Su Yuan glanced at Ji Haoyang again and thought of the Ji Family. Was he playing both sides?

Perhaps he could do the same.

But before that, he still intended to stick to his original plan: keep drawing resources from both sides for now. Reaching Vein Splitting as soon as possible was the way forward.

He said, "Yun Xu, I can trust you, but I can't trust anyone else."

He deliberately glanced at Ji Haoyang and Zhou Xing.

"You know I'm a practical man. No need for empty promises. The Chai Family offered me three hundred taels a month."

"Three hundred taels a month! Don't try to gouge us!" Ji Haoyang snapped.

With supplies running short, his own monthly cultivation allowance was only a little over a hundred taels.

He still couldn't accept the truth. "Su Yuan, you're a carpenter. You must have made that mask yourself! You're just pretending to be Green Ghost. If you have the guts, fight me!"

Su Yuan's expression cooled. He suspected that this man had been behind quite a few of his earlier troubles. This was the perfect chance to teach him a lesson.

"Come on."

Yun Xu stepped between them. "Don't fight."

She turned to Su Yuan and said solemnly, "I accept your terms. I know we've caused you plenty of trouble, and I apologize. As compensation, while the Chai Family gives you three hundred taels a month, we'll give you five hundred.

"I also know you need to keep your identity secret. I stake my life on everyone in this courtyard keeping it under wraps today. That includes the Jiguang Society. I can put you in touch with them, and you can join using only your Green Ghost identity. The merit you earn in the Society can also be exchanged for all kinds of resources."