He Xiaolan 3
Under He Xiaohui's helpless gaze, He Xiaolan continued, "Leaving aside Shan Gudao's mysterious faction, I've fought his junior brother. His martial arts were impressive; I doubt he has many worthy opponents in the martial world now.
"His expression was clear and open, and he didn't seem like a bad person, but who knows whether he might take his anger out on Heavenly Secret Manor? Until I've dealt with these troubles, you should be careful."
He Xiaohui gave He Xiaolan an annoyed smack. "What troubles are you going to deal with? Do you think Heavenly Secret Manor is afraid of them? Shan Gudao was in the wrong, so killing him was killing him. But you should rein yourself in and not take your anger out on innocent people."
He Xiaolan nodded. "Don't worry, sister, I know where to draw the line. But sorry for the trouble, could you investigate Shan Gudao's faction? I suspect they're Nanyin people. I saw Shan Gudao looking into Nanyin secrets before.
"As for me, I'll go to Mount Yun Yin tomorrow and see what Shan Gudao's sect is made of. If none of them are any good, I might as well settle things once and for all."
Besides her medical skills, He Xiaolan had also claimed that she had once obtained a martial arts manual. Now that her martial prowess had greatly increased, no one doubted her.
Of course, she had given He Xiaohui a copy of the manual too. Unfortunately, it demanded a great deal of talent, and even getting started was quite difficult. So far, no one but He Xiaolan had mastered it.
On the couch, He Duobing bit his lip hard, unable to contain his shock. Just who on earth was his mother in this life? She had killed his father on a whim and could even fight Li Xiangyi without getting hurt. Wasn't that a little too awesome?
Although He Duobing had never met his birth mother in his previous life, after hearing what she had done, he was certain that his present mother was not the same person.
As for Shan Gudao's death, he had done so many wrongs in their previous life that He Duobing felt no grief at the news. Instead, it was as though he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
He Xiaolan was as good as her word. After making sure He Xiaohui was well and filling her in on Shan Gudao, she picked up her sword and headed straight for Mount Yun Yin.
She truly had little affection for He Xiaobao and usually only played with him when she had a moment to spare, so she had not noticed anything unusual about him.
He Xiaolan soon reached Mount Yun Yin. At its foot, she summoned her inner force and called out, "He Xiaolan of Heavenly Secret Manor has come to pay a visit to Senior Qi Mushan."
After a while, Li Xiangyi came down, his face dark, and led He Xiaolan up the mountain.
Ever since he had discovered at the inn that he was no match for He Xiaolan, Li Xiangyi had finally learned that beyond the heavens lay more heavens. Much of the pride he had taken in creating his own profound inner cultivation method and swordsmanship had faded.
But none of that mattered. Most important was finding out the truth of what He Xiaolan had said. If his senior brother was innocent, then even if Li Xiangyi was no match for her now, whether it took one year, five years, or ten, he would avenge his senior brother as long as he lived.
As for the possibility that his senior brother had deserved his fate? Li Xiangyi instinctively ignored it.
Although He Xiaolan had said the main reason she killed Shan Gudao was that the ugly man had dared to betray her, what caught Li Xiangyi's attention was her claim that his senior brother had tortured a child to death.
He had parted ways with his senior brother in Luoyang because, soon after coming down the mountain, he had rescued an orphan of the He Household of the Long Horse Saber. The head of the He Household had entrusted the child to him, asking him to take the household's only surviving orphan to his maternal relatives in Luoyang.
When they reached the outskirts of Luoyang, his senior brother had volunteered to take the child the rest of the way, leaving Li Xiangyi to wait outside the city.
But a night had passed without his senior brother returning. Worried that the He Household's enemies had caught up with them, Li Xiangyi followed their trail and found his senior brother's body. Later, he asked around about the missing He child and learned where He Xiaolan was.
After He Xiaolan left, Li Xiangyi first paid for the damage caused by the fight. Then he confirmed with the innkeeper and the waiter that He Xiaolan had indeed brought a child covered in wounds when she arrived the previous night. It was the waiter who had fetched a physician to treat him.
Because He Xiaolan had instructed them to entrust the child to Li Xiangyi before she left, they took him to the child's room when he asked where the boy was staying.
When Li Xiangyi entered the guest room, the He orphan opened his eyes and saw him. The boy immediately began trembling all over and kept shrinking back into the corner of the bed, crying, "I've told you everything I know. Please let me go. The cloud iron is in the secret room in the old residence. I didn't lie to you. Spare me, please. It hurts."
As he spoke, he could not help bursting into loud sobs. "Auntie, Auntie, there's a bad man! Help me!"
After crying for a while, he glared viciously at Li Xiangyi. "Even as a ghost, I won't let you get away with this."
Seeing how agitated the He orphan was, Li Xiangyi pressed the child's sleep acupoint, sending him to sleep.
He himself sat motionless at the bedside, like a stone statue.
There was no need to ask further. When they had first rescued the He child, Li Xiangyi and his senior brother had appeared together, and the two of them had escorted the child the whole way.
Now the child had become so agitated at the sight of him. That proved what He Xiaolan had said: his senior brother really was the one who had done it, and the child saw Li Xiangyi and his senior brother as being in league.
He Xiaolan, on the other hand, had become the straw he clutched at to save his life.
Li Xiangyi let out a long sigh. Senior brother, how did you become like this?
When the He orphan woke again, he was already at his maternal grandfather's home.
Li Xiangyi was a man who owned up to his actions. He took the sleeping child to the Luoyang Wang Household, explained the whole affair from beginning to end, and promised that if the He orphan ever faced trouble, he could come to him at any time.
He also promised to help identify the killer who had wiped out the He Household, to atone for his senior brother.
After dealing with the matter, he placed his senior brother in a coffin and left it temporarily at a mortuary, then hurried off without pause to find Su Wencai of the Ten Thousand People Register.
Ordinary people in the martial world had never heard of Mount Yun Yin, but Su Wencai was a know-it-all of the martial world and had naturally heard the great name of Qi Mushan. Though Li Xiangyi was still a nobody, his master's name carried considerable weight with Su Wencai.
And Li Xiangyi did learn from Su Wencai that He Xiaolan and Shan Gudao had indeed been lovers. He Xiaolan had made no attempt to hide it at the time, and quite a few people had seen them traveling the martial world together.
Later, however, something unknown had happened between them, and they had gone their separate ways.
He Xiaolan had also shut herself away in Heavenly Secret Manor and never gone out again.
Thinking of Li Xiangyi's relationship with Shan Gudao, Su Wencai spoke cautiously. "Not many people know about this. I only learned of it because I have some ties with Heavenly Secret Manor.
"Three years ago, He Xiaolan gave birth to a son. The father is unknown."
Li Xiangyi nodded. All right, the lesser reason He Xiaolan had given was confirmed too. As for her assessment of his senior brother's looks, well, he declined to comment.
He had never expected to encounter something so earth-shaking to his worldview just as he entered the martial world. After thanking Su Wencai and taking his leave, he hurried back to Mount Yun Yin without stopping.
He needed to tell his master about his senior brother. Although he had exchanged blows with He Xiaolan only once, Li Xiangyi knew she was someone who acted as she pleased. He did not know whether she might come fighting her way up Mount Yun Yin, so he had to warn his master.