Chapter 63: The Ring Does Not Match

  I rushed along the road, never having trained my lightness skill to this extent before. My legs ached, but I didn't dare stop. As we reached the mountain waist, just as we were about to rest, suddenly there was movement in the thicket. Duan Yu also opened his eyes. I pulled him into hiding and raised my sword, only to see someone emerge from the moonlight, their face obscured by the backlight, wearing a strong outfit and holding a long sword, calling out in a low voice: "Is that Wood Maiden up ahead?"

  "I coldly said: 'Who comes?'"

  That man immediately put down his long sword and knelt on one knee to pay respects: "A vassal of the Yuan family, Zhang Demao pays his respects to the Fourth Master."

  He took a closer look and it turned out to be Zhang Demao, whom he had not seen for a long time.

  I was overjoyed, relaxed all over, and walked over with a gift in hand.

  I wanted to give him a big hug, but unexpectedly Zhang Demao nimbly jumped aside, his single eyelid's small eyes staring at the reward in my hand.

  I awkwardly put the compensation back, and he smiled again, bowing deeply to me. He whistled, and a sleek black horse ran over, which was actually Wula. I hugged Wula and was about to cry loudly, but Wula suddenly stood up straight, ignoring me and running to Zhang Demao instead.

  I took three steps back and sat down beside Duan Yueyue, feeling a pang in my heart. Zhang Demao pulled Ula: "Please get on the horse, miss."

  I was about to walk over, but my hand was caught by someone. I turned back, and those purple eyes stared at me deeply, as if with a thousand words. His hand added strength, and I froze.

  Zhang Demao said coldly, "Duan Shizi, I'd rather you let go now. My wife's status is noble and in this world only my master can have her, definitely not a degenerate demon who destroys families and clans."

  "What did you say?" Duan Yue Rong's voice was as gentle as a cloud, but her purple pupils shot towards him coldly.

  "Duan Shizi is probably still unaware, but in the past few days, your father, the king, has been defeated and fled to Bozhou. His life or death is unknown. Zheng Lan, the first great general under Yu Gang's command, was captured by Guangyi Wang and executed by being torn apart by carts a few days ago in Bozhou. His head will be sent to the six departments of Nanzhao as a warning. It has already been sent to Ye Yu."

  Duan Yue Rong's purple pupils seemed to be spewing out flames, just as he was about to say something, but instead spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, and his hand gripped me even tighter.

  Zhang Demao sneered and slowly raised his long sword, walking towards Duan Yu: "Zhang certain admires the heroic blood of General Duan's son, but unfortunately some people, no matter how great your skills are, you can only watch. Moreover, the general's life is not long now, never mind, Zhang is a warrior, one knife down, and it will be considered that the general died gloriously on the battlefield, thus also fulfilling your name as a heroic general."

  Duan Yue's mouth curled up in a sneer as he looked at Zhang De Mao and said, "You think you can?"

  "Wait," I blocked Zhang De Mao's way and pulled up Duan Yue Rong, "Zhang brother, help me put him on Wula's body."

  Zhang Demao looked puzzled, and I smiled: "Please rest assured, Zhang brother, I haven't actually defected to Duan Shizi like the rumors say. He's just going to be a useful pawn for us to restrain Nanzhao. Taking him in will bring benefits to both Third Master and Xiao Wu, with no harm done."

  The girl's clever plan.

  So we put Duan Yue Rong on the horseback, but he refused to let go of my hand, Zi Tong stared at me tightly.

  I looked into Duan Yue's eyes: "Duan Shizi, if you want my third uncle to help you, let me go first." Duan Yue's purple pupils looked at me and silently released me.

  I turned back and asked: "Is Third Master and Little Wu Yi and everyone else all right?"

  "Everything is fine, Young Master Song has woken up."

  Before he could finish speaking, I grabbed him and asked in a trembling voice: "What did you say, Second Brother, isn't he dead?"

  Zhang Demao's eyes were filled with tears: "Heaven bless, Song Er Ye fell to the bottom of the valley, fortunately still alive, but has been in a coma all along, only woke up two days ago. The first thing he asked after waking up was about Mu Gu Niang's whereabouts."

  I couldn't help but burst into tears of joy, knelt down and kowtowed three times to the heavens.

  Zhang Demao said: "Jue Siye has returned safely to Xiyu, only three."

  I wiped away tears and asked in surprise: "What's wrong with Biying?"

  "On his way to Western Regions, his old illness recurred and he passed away."

  I was as if struck by lightning, stunned and standing there, staring at Zhang De Mao, not daring to believe what I had just heard.

  He sighed: "The large army was ambushed all the way, and San was originally not in good health. He was frightened and scared along the way, and he didn't make it to the Western Turks' tent before he died."

  "I won't," I shouted loudly: "Then that scoundrel Goro promised me he would definitely protect her completely."

  Zhang Demao just looked at me silently, I fell to the ground and burst into loud wails.

  I still remember the day when we saw off Fei Yan outside Xi'an City, Bi Ying's sweet smile, her amber eyes shining with colorful lights, she said gently to us: "As long as you brothers don't despise me, this most useless person, I will endure any suffering and find it as sweet as honey."

  Those words still linger in my ears, but now the beauty has vanished like a fallen jade. How can I believe that Biying was only seventeen years old? Such a young and beautiful life, yet she had hardly any good days in her short seventeen years. From being sold by her own family to being sent to a distant land, she suffered for five years, lying on the ground, and finally lost her life in the vast desert, without even leaving behind her remains.

  Bì yíng, bì yíng, is it really true that beauties in this world are destined to have short lives?

  When we parted ways, I said we would meet again. But now, as the years go by and Qingming Festival arrives, where should I go to pay my respects to you?

  I sat there crying, Zhang Demao didn't comfort me either. After a while, he sighed and said: "Please, miss, put the bigger picture first, let's leave this place of right and wrong for now."

  I choked back a sob and stood up to see Duan Yue Rong, my anger surged, I fiercely slapped his head, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

  It's all your fault, you demon!

  But he was panting heavily there, looking at me, speechless.

  "Miss, this is something Third Master asked me to bring to you."

  I rubbed my eyes and took over a cold object, but it was a jade ring all along.

  Zhang De Mao said: "He told me that I must hand over this jade ring to you personally, and after you see it, you will understand his sincerity."

  I hastily felt the dragon-shaped carving on the agate ring, and it was indeed similar to the one that Xie's wife showed me in my dream, which was hanging on a Western-style handkerchief.

  Suddenly, my hand touched a place and I shuddered all over. Zhang Demao looked at me with a dull expression under the faint moonlight, which gave him an air of mystery. He asked me with concern: "Miss, are you okay?"

  I smiled at him with tears streaming down: "It's all right, Brother Zhang, I'm just overjoyed."

  I pulled Ula, but Ula still didn't want to get close to me. I let out a sigh.

  After descending the mountain, I had Zhang De Mao take us to a medical clinic first, where they bandaged up Duan Yu Rong's entire body. The doctor sighed and said, "What a pity, such a good physique has been ruined. From now on, it's likely that you'll never be able to practice martial arts again."

  Then he asked in surprise: "This person who made the move seems to be someone who understands medicine, what kind of person would be so ruthless?"

  I remained silent, and Zhang Demao said to me: "There is a relay station ahead, why not rest there first and set off again for Xi'an tomorrow?"

  I nodded in agreement.

  The night was quiet, but outside the inn, the watchman struck the fifth watch. Several black-clad men sneaked into the courtyard of the inn, and at the leader's command, they rushed into each room, blowing in a daze, setting fire to the house. Anyone who escaped was killed by the black-clad men.

  I stand on the hillside, silently gazing at the thick smoke rolling across from me.

  "As soon as he approached me, I smelled the stench on his body, exactly like the smell in that prison cell. Hmph!" Baoduo-like Duan Yue Rong sneered and Zitian looked at me again: "How did you know your family member had a problem?"

  "It's that Jade Ring!" I turned around: "The Dark God told me before, if the Ying family comes to find me, unless they bring the Jade Ring, no one will believe them."

  I let out a sigh: "Zhang Demao is one of our Xiaowu Yi people, and we owe him for taking care of us at Xifengyuan. He's someone I trust, but the jade pendant he took out actually made me suspicious."

  I took out the jade ring and placed it under the moonlight, only to see a tiny gap on the exquisitely crafted jade ring that was so small it couldn't be any smaller. It's said that a jade ring is a complete circular piece of jade, if there's a gap in the jade ring then it's called a yuè.

  I pulled Duanyue Rong: "Huan Tong still sounds, but the ring is absolutely soundless. If he hadn't shown me this jade, it would be fine. But now that the jade ring is in my hand, if it's really Bai San Ye who asked him to give it to me, then San Ye has obviously been controlled by someone else, telling me not to believe this person at all."

  "There's also Ula, Ula was given to Su Hui by me, originally extremely gentle, now so disobedient, must have been possessed."

  "To be honest, I didn't believe it when I found out about the jade ring. I didn't expect him to not only send someone to kill me but also burn down the inn. It wasn't until then that I had no choice but to believe." I said gloomily, pulling over the two horses that had been led out and helping Xiang Yue onto one of them, secretly hating Zhang De Mao for being ruthless.

  "Why did you want to rescue me from the Meiying Mountain Villa?" Duan Yuerong's face was wan and tired, his voice had endless fatigue, and also a hint of doubt. The dark wind blew up a strand of my black hair, blocking my eyes, making it hard for me to see his expression. I sighed silently, cleared my throat, and said loudly: "I treat prisoners of war well."

  He hummed softly, but his voice had a hint of relaxation. After running for a while, I said, "I want to discuss a business deal with Duan Shizhi."

  He looked at me with a faint smile: "You send Ben Gong to Bozhou to explore the truth, and Ben Gong will naturally think of a way to send you back to your White San Ye's side. Isn't this what you want to say?"

  I smiled slightly: "Duan Shizi is indeed straightforward."

  "Aren't you afraid that I will go back on my word?" His purple pupils shone with a fondness for novelty and a dislike for the old, under the faint starlight, emitting a dim, eerie glow like a beast.

  "Duan Shizi is a man who distinguishes between public and private matters," I said with a firm smile. "I have poison on me, Duan Shizi must have lost interest in Mu Ge by now. Moreover, doesn't the Yu Gang family want to form an alliance with my third uncle to unify Nanzhao?"

  More intense, I saw Qing Duan Yue's eyes, he didn't say anything, just silently gazing at the galloping horse hooves for a long time.

  The boundless darkness swallowed us, my face immediately fell down, holding the jade ring in my hand, my heart was cut like a knife. Why did Zhang Demao want to assassinate me? And why didn't he see me and Duan Yuerrong together and kill me right away, but instead chose to make his move in the inn, it's very likely that he wanted to let the world see the evidence of me being with Duan Yuerrong, which would be a devastating blow to Yuan Fei and the Yuan family.

  Who benefited from this? The Dugu family or the Guangyi King of Nanzhao?

  Or is it the mysterious and elusive leader of the Yuanyang Sect?

  I was smiling on my face just now, but I know how desperate I am in my heart. Now I'm afraid even Fei Bai himself suspects that there's a traitor among us, and it's only when we can't protect ourselves that the Dark God will let me out of the original family. And he told me not to trust anyone unless they have the ring as proof. What happened to Fei Bai after all? How did Xiao Wu Yi mix with Zhang De Mao's gang? Is what Zhang De Mao said about Song Er Ge and Bi Ying true?

  Zhang Demao is also good at disguise, and it's possible that the assassin just now was disguised as Zhang Demao. My heart is full of doubts, and now I can only take a gamble and tie my fate with Duan Yue's. Anyway, his martial arts skills are already crippled, so he won't pose a threat to me. On the contrary, he's the safest choice. If someone else comes to make an assassination attempt, I can also use him as a shield.

  The boundless darkness swallowed us up, and only the firelight from the inn at the foot of the mountain pierced the sky.