Chapter 87 - 86: We Meet Again
Chapter 87: Chapter 86: We Meet Again
"Miss Mu? It’s you!"
When Chen Shouheng saw who it was, the vigilance on his face instantly melted into a joyous surprise, his eyes flashing with a brilliant light.
He stared, momentarily dazed, at her face—framed by red plum blossoms, white snow, and her crimson clothes—a visage of delicate beauty infused with a piercing, sharp aura.
"Chen Shouheng!"
Mu Yuanying’s red lips parted, releasing a puff of white breath, but her eyes held not a trace of warmth.
She casually snapped off another plum branch. With a flick of her wrist, the dead branch hummed as if it were a finely tempered True Sword.
"Watch out!"
Before her voice faded, she was already in motion. Like a blazing flame, she tore through the frigid air, the plum branch Longsword in her hand tracing a sharp arc as she closed in to attack again.
Her Sword Techniques were swift as lightning and as nimble as a butterfly flitting through flowers, yet each move was infused with a sinister, ruthless Power and a bone-chilling Sword Intent. She mercilessly targeted the joints and vital points all over Shouheng’s body.
Seeing her fierce and pressing assault, Shouheng was initially surprised, but it also ignited his fighting spirit.
With a long cry, he suppressed his distracting thoughts and fully channeled the Dragon Suppressing and Tiger Subduing True Skill within him. The Tiger Subduing Fist Intent surged and roared as his fists struck out like heavy hammers. He met her hard with hard, countering skill with raw power, and engaged Mu Yuanying in a fierce battle.
In an instant, the secluded courtyard was a blur of fists and swords, the sound of colliding Qi Strength echoing without end.
Snowflakes and plum petals were whipped up by the rampaging Qi Strength, dancing chaotically in the air.
Mu Yuanying’s Swordsmanship was exquisite and seasoned. In her hand, the pliant plum branch was like a Divine Weapon, often evading his heavy fists by a hair’s breadth.
The tip of the branch struck like a viper’s tongue—dotting, stabbing, flicking, and swiping—as it aimed with vicious precision for the pivot points of Shouheng’s attacks. Every strike carried a cold fury, as if she wanted to tear him to shreds.
Shouheng, however, relied on the fierce, domineering power of his new Cultivation Technique and his abundant vital energy. His movements were wide and powerful, his fists stirring the air as his Tiger Subduing Fist Intent roared in counterattack, forcing even Mu Yuanying to constantly dodge and reposition to deflect his force with skill.
Their figures crisscrossed rapidly among the plum trees and snowy ground, moving at a dizzying speed.
Fine snow and ruined blossoms flew as one, the glint of the sword mingling with blades of grass.
Shouheng could clearly feel the deep anger embedded in Mu Yuanying’s Sword Techniques. They were so sharp and fierce, it seemed she truly intended to cut him down with that plum branch.
A chill went down his spine, and not daring to be the slightest bit careless, he focused all his energy on defending and maneuvering.
Their intense struggle continued for about half an hour.
Chen Shouheng felt his Inner Qi draining at an unprecedented rate. His blood boiled, and his entire body was drenched in sweat.
Steam rose from his green robes, and his muscles trembled faintly. He was on the verge of collapse.
Just as he was about to give out, Mu Yuanying suddenly retracted her "sword" and retreated. Her breathing was steady, her expression as cold as ever, save for a faint blush on her cheeks from the exertion. Against her red robes and the white snow, it created a stunningly beautiful contrast.
Chen Shouheng stumbled, bracing himself with his hands on his knees as he gasped for breath. Beads of sweat fell like raindrops, melting small pits into the snow.
"Your progress isn’t slow."
Mu Yuanying nodded slightly, her tone indifferent.
"Miss Mu, you... you’ve broken through to the Spirit Realm?"
Chen Shouheng asked, still breathing heavily. He had already reached the Qi Realm, yet she had pushed him into such a sorry state, leaving him to guess.
"A stroke of luck."
Mu Yuanying didn’t deny it.
Chen Shouheng gave a wry smile. "Miss Mu, for a moment there, I really thought you were going to kill me."
"Of course I was going to kill you."
Mu Yuanying snorted, her gaze turning frigid. "You left me to face the Sect’s thousand-li pursuit all by myself. I barely escaped with my life. I wish I could take yours right now."
Chen Shouheng could only manage another wry smile.
’My father stopped me from going with her back then, but no matter what, this debt falls on my head.’
He changed the subject. "Miss Mu, why did you suddenly come here?"
"Take this."
Mu Yuanying took a flat, palm-sized sandalwood box from her robes and tossed it to Shouheng.
"What is this?"
Chen Shouheng paused, catching the box. It felt slightly heavy in his hand.
He opened it to find a simple, antique-style, dark bronze medallion resting on a red silk lining.
"A third-class medal of merit from the Court."
Mu Yuanying said nonchalantly, "For discovering the stolen government grain when we investigated the Water Bandits’ lair. Although the Magistrate of Mirror Mountain County interfered and ruined our plans, my father reported the truth, and the Court ultimately awarded this. With it, you can use it once during the Martial Examination’s Provincial Examination."
"Thank you, Miss Mu!"
Chen Shouheng was both surprised and delighted, and he thanked her earnestly.
"It was nothing."
Mu Yuanying waved her hand, as if it were of no concern.
Chen Shouheng looked at her more closely and noticed a faint, finger-length scar near her ear on her fair cheek. A pang of guilt struck him, and he couldn’t help but ask about her journey back to Jiangzhou after leaving Mirror Mountain.
Mu Yuanying only briefly described the Sect’s pursuit in a few words.
Her tone was flat, but Shouheng could sense the immense danger she had faced.
It turned out that after they had parted ways, the Sect had relentlessly sent people after Mu Yuanying on her way back to Jiangzhou, demanding that she hand over Yama’s Account Book.
She didn’t dare to stay and fight, so she hid and fled the entire way. She narrowly avoided seven assassination attempts and was fortunate enough to run into a team from the Riverway Government Office in Bi County, which allowed her to return safely.
"They came to my house once, too, but after I took care of them, they never came back."
The mention of Yama’s Account Book made Chen Shouheng suddenly remember the letters and ledgers hidden in his house.
He immediately said, "Miss Mu, your timing is perfect! My father recently acquired some things that seem to be related to Yama’s Account Book, but we can’t make heads or tails of the key details. Come with me to see him."
"Alright."
Mu Yuanying was taken aback for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
Chen Shouheng led Mu Yuanying into the residence, heading straight for the inner courtyard.
Just as they reached the courtyard gate, they saw Chen Li sitting in a lounge chair under the corridor, playing with young Shoucheng alongside Liu Yun.
Hearing footsteps, Chen Li looked up. His calm gaze fell upon Chen Shouheng and Mu Yuanying walking side by side, and as if he had known they were coming, he smiled slightly. "Miss Mu, it’s good to see you are well."
Mu Yuanying nodded in acknowledgment.
Chen Shouheng walked up quickly and, in a low voice, briefly explained the reason for Mu Yuanying’s visit, the matter of the merit medal from the Court, and his hope that she could help them identify the mysterious ledgers.
After listening, Chen Li nodded. He handed the squirming little Shoucheng to Liu Yun, then stood up and said to Mu Yuanying, "Miss Mu, please follow me to the study."
The three of them entered the study. Chen Li retrieved an object tightly wrapped in oilcloth from the depths of a wall cabinet. He untied the cord, revealing the stack of ledgers and letters inside, and handed them to Mu Yuanying.
Mu Yuanying took them and began to look through them with intense focus.
Her gaze was sharp, her fingers quickly flicking through the seemingly jumbled information on the pages. Soon, she looked up, a flash of understanding in her eyes.
"These letters and ledgers aren’t complete on their own; they’ve been deliberately split up. You have to cross-reference specific letters with entries from different ledgers to understand the full text."
She then pulled out one letter and two ledgers. Tapping her finger on three separate places, she explained, "If you look at these three entries together, the meaning becomes clear: On the seventh day of the sixth month, Black Ghost hijacked a ship of grain from Zhenwei Trading Company and transported it to Black Fish’s Mouth."
But then her fine brows furrowed. Pointing to several strange symbols and coded words in the text, she said, "However, these markings... they are a secret language and encryption method used by the Sect’s upper echelons. It’s extremely obscure. I can’t decipher them either. I’m afraid they’ll need to be sent to the Riverway Government Office to have a Veteran Criminal Investigator who specializes in cracking codes take a look."
Comprehension dawned on Chen Li. It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered a connection between the letters and ledgers, but they were filled with jargon and slang, making them difficult for him to even read, let alone decipher their meaning.
A look of pleasant surprise flashed in Mu Yuanying’s eyes. She asked, "Uncle Chen, these ledgers are crucial for my father’s campaign to suppress the bandits. I wonder if I could take them back to the Riverway Government Office?"
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