Chapter 18: The Endless Sky and the Underworld.
This stone temple, built amidst the wind and sand, was completely serene.
The only sound was the whistling of the wind through the hall.
The graceful, dark-haired woman looked up in disbelief. "Is my senior brother dead?"
"How could he be dead? Isn't it said that bad people live a thousand years?"
When he looked up, he saw the woman, with a high nose and deep eyes, and a deep, delicate face, resembling a woman from the Western Regions. Her figure was graceful, and she looked no more than twenty-one or twenty-two years old.
"Sometimes bad people don't live a thousand years," the miserable old man said with a hissing laugh.
"Although that traitor was nothing, I cannot bear to see him die in the Central Plains in such an unclear manner."
"I plan to go to the Central Plains."
"You stay here and take care of the family, Ningxia."
With these words, Ningxia stepped forward and fell to her knees. "Absolutely not! Master, you still have old injuries, and the Han people in the Central Plains are treacherous and cunning. If anything goes wrong, I will die."
The sorrowful old man looked up at Ningxia kneeling with amusement. The woman's body, draped in a soft gauze dress, formed a graceful arc on the gravel floor of the palace. "Could it be that Ningxia, you want to go on this journey in your place?"
Ningxia bowed her head and knelt on the ground. "If Master allows it."
The sorrowful old man laughed so hard that the sand in the palace fell.
"Let Master teach you another technique."
Ningxia looked up in surprise and called out, "Master.
...
...
And in the Central Plains, spring was blooming in Luocheng.
After Qingming Festival, the air of late spring gradually intensified, but the Xiaohun Inn remained open daily, opening early and closing at night, just as nature intended.
The people of Luocheng gradually became familiar with this inn with a strange name. They also learned that it had a bright and charming proprietress who was rarely seen all day, a delicate cook, and a nimble waiter who single-handedly managed the entire inn. While the food was simple, it wasn't bad.
While the rooms were spartan, they were very clean.
As a result, business at the Xiaohun Inn gradually picked up.
As for the assassination attempt on Ning Huaiyuan, it was over. The secret manual Ning Huaiyuan left behind wasn't the legendary Zixia Divine Art. After all, the information released by the Huashan Sect was merely speculation, intended to intensify the hunt for Ning Huaiyuan.
That secret manual was actually just a Huashan Sword Manual, a high-level manual for the swift and powerful sword. The only difference was that it was quite complicated to practice. While it didn't require advanced internal skills, it did require a solid foundation in swordsmanship.
Xue Ling lost interest after just a few glances. Fang Bie, on the other hand, took it and looked at it for a few days before throwing it back.
However, up to this point, all Xue Ling had seen of Fang Bie practicing was the same boring, continuous sword swinging every night. He had never seen any unnecessary movements.
But after the battle with Ning Huaiyuan, Xue Ling no longer dared to underestimate Fang Bie.
After all, he had used the strength of a ninth-grade warrior to manipulate Ning Huaiyuan, a powerful third-grade master, into his own hands, and in the end, he had killed him without anyone noticing.
Xue Ling had recently been wearing the flexible sword Fang Bie had given her, called the Rolex. However, practicing with it proved incredibly challenging, as its movement relied entirely on a flick of the wrist. Even if one could imbue the sword with internal energy, executing smooth moves was difficult.
When Xue Ling complained to Fang Bie about this, he reassured her that the most important aspect of practicing such a unique weapon was dedication and hard work.
For example, even when I still had my fingers, I loved this flexible sword.
This remark nearly infuriated Xue Ling, who nearly turned and walked away.
But she couldn't leave. She had finally adapted to her life as a cook. The Jianghu was more authentic than she'd imagined.
She was now an assassin for the Beehive, and had just participated in the assassination of Ning Huaiyuan, a master far superior to her expectations. Her life in the Jianghu couldn't be more immersive .
However, her daily life wasn't filled with fighting and swordplay. Instead, Xue Ling dealt with the daily necessities of life, and her Emei swordsmanship was now obsolete, even for peeling radishes.
But it must be said that when diners praised Xue Ling's thin and white radish peels, Xue Ling actually felt a little happy.
In the blink of an eye, several months passed, and Xue Ling sometimes wondered—wouldn't it be nice to be an assassin like this forever? Of course only sometimes.
...
Changqing Bathhouse was the largest bathhouse in Luocheng.
Because taking a hot bath at the Xiaohun Inn wasn't convenient—after all, as a mere cook, Lin Xue couldn't possibly use that agarwood barrel to bathe, and even if she could, her side room wouldn't have room for a bathhouse.
So, they could only bathe in the Xiaohun Inn's courtyard?
This way, Fang Bie would practice swordplay here, while Xue Ling bathed there.
It was a scene so beautiful I couldn't bear to watch. And so, every two weeks, Xue Ling would come to the Changqing Bathhouse without fail for a bath.
She used her monthly allowance of four taels of silver. Changqing Bathhouse could be considered a hot spring bathhouse, with separate baths for men and women, as well as separate bathrooms.
Relatively speaking, the private rooms were definitely more expensive than those in the lobby.
Xue Ling requested a private room.
She placed her clothes in a wooden tub and immersed herself in the warm spring water. She looked up at the ceiling, painted with vibrant frescoes, feeling the comfort and ease radiating from every limb.
In that moment, Xue Ling felt like she'd regained the feeling of the Jinyiwei noblewoman she once was. But she might never be able to go back.
Girls always take ages to soak in the hot springs. But Xue Ling didn't need that much time. She soaked in the springs for only half an hour before getting up, donning a loose white linen bathrobe. Barefoot, she gently pushed against the wall of the hot spring bath, revealing a dark, hidden passage.
The girl had locked the bathroom stall door; no matter how daring, no one would dare enter a bathroom occupied by a female patron.
The passage was long and dark.
But Xue Ling's footsteps were silent, like the calmest and most nimble of cats.
At the end of the passage, another door appeared. Xue Ling stood before the door, her hair damp, wearing only a loose white linen bathrobe. She placed her index and middle fingers together and knocked on the door.
Three long, three short.
The door creaked open, revealing a single, dim candlelight.
This was thirty feet underground, the place where the heavens lead to the depths of heaven and the underworld descends.
This was the underworld.
Xue Ling entered the room and bowed to the gaunt old man, whose back was to her.
"Xue Ling, Captain of the Imperial Guard, greets Mr. Zou."
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(End of this chapter)