https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-136-A-Major-Event-is-About-to-Unfold-in-the-Jianghu/12536174/
Chapter 137: Returning to Xingyun Manor
Chapter 137: Returning to Xingyun Manor
When You Longsheng's group returned to Baoding Prefecture, everyone was gone.
Shangguan Jinhong and Jing Wumiao had disappeared, as had Li Xinhuan. As for Master Tianji and Sun Xiaohong, they had never shown themselves to begin with.
However, when they visited Xingyun Manor again the next morning, Lin Shiyin personally received them.
"Sister Ding has a kind heart and speaks her mind. Though we've never met, she stood up for me," Lin Shiyin said, holding Ding Baiyun's hand gently, her face soft and eyes filled with gratitude. "I am deeply thankful."
"Mrs. Long... I mean, Lin... you're too kind. I merely spoke the truth," Ding Baiyun replied, unable to bring herself to address Lin Shiyin as Mrs. Long out of her disdain for Long Xiaoyun. Simply calling her 'Mrs.' seemed inappropriate, so she settled for a vague term of respect.
A hint of sadness and regret flashed in Lin Shiyin's eyes as she pulled Ding Baiyun's hand and sat down. "If Sister Ding doesn't mind, please call me sister. I would be honored."
Lin Shiyin's gentleness, elegance, and dignity reminded Ding Baiyun of Madam Bai, but Lin Shiyin was even more beautiful and delicate, lacking the latter's calmness and magnanimity.
Bai Tianyu and Li Xinhuan indeed had similar tastes in women.
However, Lin Shiyin lacked a bit of courage and decisiveness, which is why her story with Li Xinhuan didn't end as happily as Bai Tianyu and Madam Bai's.
Ding Baiyun had always admired this type of woman, as they knew how to capture a man's heart.
Look at Bai Tianyu—a peerless martial artist and a suave charmer. Yet, he respected Madam Bai immensely and never dared to bring another woman home. And then there's Li Xinhuan, a wanderer of the jianghu, who couldn't forget Lin Shiyin even after all these years, his heart still pining for her.
These two men were not the type to be tied down by women, yet their hearts were bound by these ladies.
Having already sought advice from Madam Bai in the border town, Ding Baiyun now intended to learn from Lin Shiyin as well, determined to completely capture You Longsheng's heart.
Ding Baiyun glanced at You Longsheng, who had moved closer to Long Xiaoyun. "After we left yesterday, no reckless jianghu people came snooping around, did they?"
"Zhuge Gang and the three hall masters of the Gold and Silver Society all perished here. Who else would dare enter the manor?" Long Xiaoyun said. "A few people poked their noses in, but none dared to step inside."
With four of the top ten masters from the "Weapon Registry" present in yesterday's battle, one of whom died, Xingyun Manor was now akin to a tiger's den or a dragon's lair to the average Jianghu people—a place of no return.
The treasures and secret manuals of Xingyun Manor belonged to Li Xinhuan. As long as he was missing, others might dare to harbor ambitions. But now that the rightful owner of these treasures had appeared, any attempt to forcefully take them would be no different from the acts of banditry.
Even bandits knew to pick on easy targets. How foolish were those who dared to provoke the infamous Li's Flying Dagger, known for never missing its mark?
Thus, when Li Xinhuan reappeared, those with ill intentions mostly left. Although a few remained, unwilling to have come all this way for nothing, they couldn't cause any real trouble.
Ximen Rou asked, "What about the Gold and Silver Society? Didn't they come either?"
Four hall masters of the Gold and Silver Society had died in Xingyun Manor. Hadn't anyone from the society come to retrieve the bodies?
Long Xiaoyun shook her head. "We sent the bodies to a morgue outside the city, and many people in the city saw this. As for whether the Gold and Silver Society went to the morgue to collect the bodies, I don't know."
Ding Baiyun turned to Lin Shiyin and asked, "Did Li Xinhuan not come by yesterday?"
A hint of resentment, relief, and pride flashed across Lin Shiyin's face as she replied, "He came by last night and said that Xingyun Manor is temporarily safe. He mentioned that he needed to leave for a while to meet a friend."
"Meet a friend?" Ding Baiyun's eyes narrowed. "I thought he would be investigating the mastermind behind that letter."
Lin Shiyin, however, didn't seem concerned and merely smiled gently.
In truth, Lin Shiyin was somewhat grateful to the instigator who wrote that letter. If not for that, how could Ding Baiyun have accompanied You Longsheng to Baoding, and coincidentally encountered Li Xinhuan, whose sharp words had awakened him, leading him to seek her out and speak with her?
Aside from Li Xinhuan's moral dilemma, Lin Shiyin herself struggled with the same. Moreover, she now had her child, Long Xiaoyun, who was her entire world.
Lin Shiyin's desires were simple; just being able to see Li Xinhuan and exchange a few words was enough to brighten her mood for a long time.
With the misunderstanding cleared up the night before last and another conversation last night, Lin Shiyin felt better than she had in the past two years, despite Li Xinhuan's departure.
She knew it wasn't right, but she couldn't help herself.
Hearing Lin Shiyin's words, Ding Baiyun was puzzled. Li Xinhuan had a friend he urgently needed to meet. "Who is he going to meet?"
"A Fei," Lin Shiyin answered.
"A Fei? He knows where A Fei is?" Ding Baiyun's pupils contracted, and she couldn't help but ask.
Lin Shiyin trusted both Ding Baiyun and You Longsheng, so she confided, "He said that A Fei trusted the wrong person, and he wants to meet him."
As Li Xinhuan could only spend a day with Lin Shiyin before leaving, he naturally wanted to provide her with an explanation, so he added that extra bit of information.
"A Fei trusted the wrong person?" Ding Baiyun's eyes flickered. The person Li Xinhuan referred to was, of course, Lin Xian'er.
Could it be that Lin Xian'er had deceived A Fei, failing to leave the martial world with him, and was still causing trouble in the martial arts community?
Ding Baiyun turned to look at You Longsheng.
You Longsheng shrugged, evading the question. "Master Tianji always seems to know a lot of information mysteriously. It's not surprising that he knows A Fei's whereabouts."
Ding Baiyun understood. Clearly, Lin Shiyin was unaware of Lin Xian'er's actions, and neither Li Xinhuan nor You Longsheng wanted to tell her, as there was no solid proof.
However, Lin Shiyin wasn't foolish and sensed something amiss. She turned to You Longsheng with a worried expression. "Will... will he be in danger?"
You Longsheng shook his head and smiled. "Regarding his martial arts skills, you should have a good idea. When someone opposes him, the one who should be worried is definitely not him."
Lin Shiyin smiled, though her concern was evident. She knew that she must never let a man see her worries, as it would distract him from his tasks. She had understood this principle since over a decade ago.
(End of Chapter)
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