Chapter 220: Sharing Information

As soon as Ding Songyan returned to the estate’s side courtyard, he saw Grand Elder Wang Zhou waiting for him on a stone stool.

"Master Granduncle, what brings you here?" Ding Songyan knew perfectly well why his elder had come, but made himself sound thoroughly surprised.

The black-haired Wang Zhou glanced around, unconsciously lowering his voice.

"Evil Beyond Measure Sun Feiyang is dead.

"Was it you?"

Strong enough to kill the wounded Sun Feiyang outright, unwilling to reveal his identity, a longsword wielder, not a Heaven-Man, and with ample motive. Wang Zhou had thought it over and concluded that only one person in the whole Flame Capital met all five conditions.

The young man standing before him!

"Master Granduncle, I was eager for revenge but didn’t want to involve the sect. That’s why I didn’t tell you beforehand," Ding Songyan admitted at once.

Dear Little Sister, I didn’t mean to let the Brightnight Sect find out. I can’t help it if someone guesses.

Wang Zhou was touched, but could not help sighing.

"The thought alone was enough. You didn’t have to take this risk here in the Flame Capital.

"But you were right to hide your identity. The Accumulated Evil Way avenges even the slightest offense. Sun Feiyang was their strongest member below the Four Dread Gods, one of their trump cards. A sect without a Heaven-Man really couldn’t withstand their revenge, whether open or covert."

Then Wang Zhou asked in puzzlement, "How did you find out where Sun Feiyang was hiding?

"From that Chef Shi at the Cheap Wine Shop you mentioned?"

Master Granduncle, I’ve been waiting for you to ask! You really are an old hand at the jianghu. Straight to the heart of it... Deeply moved, Ding Songyan shook his head, then answered quietly, "Infighting among the heretical factions. Someone knew the Brightnight Sect had a grudge against Sun Feiyang and secretly passed me the information."

Wang Zhou’s eyes flickered.

"And you believed them?"

"I had no choice." Ding Songyan hinted as hard as he could without saying it outright. That would anger his darling little sister.

Wang Zhou fell silent, considering what Ding Songyan had just said.

If the heretical factions wanted to use the Brightnight Sect to kill Sun Feiyang, why give the information to Songyan rather than me? As far as the world knows, I’m the Grandmaster awarded first rank for killing Bai Zhaolin, the one with the strength to do it. Songyan is only at the perfected Great Proliferation Realm...

I spend most of my time cultivating at the residence and rarely go out. Could they only reach me through Songyan?

Or do they know Songyan is a Grandmaster, not much weaker than Sun Feiyang?

How could they know...

He had no choice...

Suddenly, a name came to Wang Zhou.

Nine-Evils Demoness Ji Hanyi!

The Sage-Severing Way’s leader consumed Chaos’s remains too. Did that let her discover Songyan’s true condition while trying to pass us information? Did she use it to force him to kill Evil Beyond Measure Sun Feiyang? Wang Zhou kept his concern off his face and asked thoughtfully, "What do you intend to do now?"

"Stay calm and hold steady for now. If there’s no way out, I won’t go down alone." Ding Songyan kept his answer vague.

Wang Zhou nodded slightly.

"Then I’ll wait and see how things develop."

He gave a small laugh.

"Of course we trust you."

Ding Songyan left the subject there. He told Wang Zhou what he had learned, including the Accumulated Evil Way’s cooperation with the Returning Abyss Order and Shamanism Order, then added, "Master Granduncle, please don’t report any of this yet. We can’t explain the source. I’ll find another way to let the Martial Prohibition Bureau know."

"All right." Wang Zhou said no more. He rose and left the side courtyard.

He had also intended to ask Ding Songyan, "What’s going on between you and Twelfth Madam Luo of the Cheap Wine Shop? Aren’t you and Zhuxi a couple? How have these rumors even reached my ears?"

Now, serious matters came first. There was no need to ask about such obvious gossip.

After watching Master Granduncle Wang leave, Ding Songyan sat in the courtyard, outwardly relaxed but inwardly tense. He feared Little Sister Qingyan might suddenly appear to punish him.

She led the Sage-Severing Way, not the Brightnight Sect. She needed no evidence to act. Once she made up her mind, nothing could be dismissed as a misunderstanding or an innocent mistake.

No amount of clever wording or carefully framed excuses could stand against her deciding the truth for herself.

Ding Songyan knew full well that using these little tricks to test his sister’s limits was like a child playing with fire. He could burn himself alive at any moment.

But simply submitting, without trying to save himself and break free, was not in his nature.

Charitably put, he was tenacious and resolute. Less charitably, he was stubborn and refused to learn.

When a good while passed without incident, Ding Songyan quietly let out a breath.

It seems Little Sister isn’t watching me every moment. The leader of a top-tier faction surely can’t have that much time to spare...

Relaxing in body and mind, Ding Songyan waited for the servants to bring dinner.

Fan Chunlin arrived before the servants did.

The Shadowkill School disciple, whose forehead bore black leopard markings, looked at Ding Songyan with conflicting emotions.

He sat opposite Ding Songyan and hesitated for a long time without speaking.

"If you’ve got something to say, just say it." Ding Songyan smiled.

Fan Chunlin faltered, "Did... did you go out with Twelfth Madam today?"

"Yes," Ding Songyan admitted without hesitation.

Disappointment and hurt deepened on Fan Chunlin’s face.

"What... what’s between you two now?"

Ding Songyan gave an amused laugh.

"Twelfth Madam is sick of people pestering her, you and Wu Mo included. She asked me to help put on an act so you’d all give up and stop trying to take liberties with her. Tell Wu Mo and Li Baima later too."

"Oh, I see..." Fan Chunlin’s expression eased, but his disappointment remained.

After dinner, Ding Songyan returned to his room, lit the oil lamp, spread out some paper, and resumed writing his story.

"Writing a book is a fine thing. I must keep at it," he mused as he wrote.

Not only could he use it to exchange martial insights with Hero Ou, but he could also use it to please his little sister.

Second Brother has always remembered how you loved hearing my stories before bed. Look, I’m writing one for you...

If testing her limits meant playing with fire, he needed a way to make amends when something went wrong.

Besides, Demoness Ji was mercurial. Her limits might shift often, and would probably differ with her mood. This was not a game with fixed dialogue and choices. Her affection for him was not a score that changed only in response to his actions, untouched by anything else.

Appealing to her feelings was one way to give himself more room for error.

But that could not mean mere words or talk of the past. He had to act, to do something real.

......

The next morning, Ding Songyan and his three companions stood guard at the southeast corner gate, watching people come and go.

Autumn was drawing to a close, and the weather had turned cold. When clouds covered the sun, it felt as though winter had already arrived.

Ding Songyan suddenly found himself rather enjoying gate duty. He did not have to think about the heretics’ schemes or worry about Demoness Ji’s threats. He could empty his mind and simply stand watch.

After a while, he noticed maids from the outer courtyard, older women who did the heavy chores, and female household supervisors leaving one after another, all dressed up prettily.

"Are they going to a temple fair?" Ding Songyan asked Li Baima, who stood opposite him.

Li Baima blinked.

"You don’t know?"

"No." Ding Songyan shook his head honestly.

For the past two days, killing Sun Feiyang and dealing with his undeserved sister had consumed all his attention. He truly had paid little heed to anything else.

Li Baima smiled.

"Yu Chongyuan of the Five Saints Sect arrives in the capital today."

Nine Firmaments Phoenix Cry Yu Chongyuan? The only Heaven-Man on the Martial World’s Jade Tree Rankings, and upright, chivalrous, courteous, and virtuous to boot... No wonder he’s so popular. Heh, will they toss him enough fruit to fill his carriage? A pity he’s too strong to be stared to death... Ding Songyan understood at once.

None of the four felt any urge to go and watch. Someone from Peerless Beauties of the Jianghu would have been another matter.

The court’s own Supreme Masters, Supreme Master Hong, those at the Kitchen King Order’s headquarters and Dangkang Temple’s headquarters, plus sect Supreme Masters like Yu Chongyuan... There must be at least ten orthodox Heaven-Men in the Flame Capital... Ding Songyan recalled.

When his watch ended, he headed south instead of returning to the side courtyard.

"Where are you going, Brother Ding?" Wu Mo asked curiously.

"The Cheap Wine Shop," Ding Songyan answered openly.

Fan Chunlin and the others fell silent. They kept looking as though they wanted to speak, only to think better of it. None followed him.

At the Cheap Wine Shop, Ding Songyan saw no sign of Twelfth Madam and casually asked the server, Seventh Yu, "Where’s the shopkeeper?"

"In the rear courtyard." Seventh Yu made no secret of it.

As comfortable as if he were coming home, Ding Songyan followed the familiar path past the kitchen.

A glance showed him Chef Shi watching with an unreadable expression.

Ding Songyan gave him a friendly smile.

As he watched Ding Songyan enter the rear courtyard, Shi Wuyan suddenly recalled the news he had received last night.

Evil Beyond Measure Sun Feiyang, killed on Fengjia Lane in the eastern city...

The killer wore a Golden Boy mask...

Twelfth Madam... she was gathering information for him and keeping it from me... He must have the strength of the perfected Dharma Realm too. A good match for Twelfth Madam... Shi Wuyan sighed softly.

In the rear courtyard, Twelfth Madam Luo sat on a swing in a dark-red pleated skirt, swaying gently in the breeze. Her gaze was far away.

When Luo Mingyin looked over, Ding Songyan smiled and spoke before she could.

"Contemplating heaven and earth?"

"Daydreaming," Twelfth Madam Luo answered tartly. "What are you here for this time?"

Ding Songyan smiled.

"I owe you so many favors, Twelfth Madam, and haven’t had a chance to repay them. All I can do is come every day to ask how you are. Otherwise, I’d feel guilty."

"Every day... I’m not your mother! You don’t need to pay your respects morning and night!" Twelfth Madam Luo could not help snapping.

Ding Songyan changed the subject, glancing toward the kitchen.

"Chef Shi seems to have the wrong idea about me."

Something flickered across Twelfth Madam Luo’s face. She sighed.

"Let him. Just don’t get the wrong idea yourself."

"See? I can still be useful to you, Twelfth Madam. I can save you quite a few troubles," Ding Songyan boasted shamelessly.

Twelfth Madam Luo gave him a sidelong look and hopped lightly off the swing.

"Since you say so, I do have something for you to do."

Without asking what it was, Ding Songyan cupped his hands.

"Just say the word."

......

Du Province, Changhua Prefecture.

Zheng Ziming was writing beside a window when a bird suddenly landed before him.

The bird had bright-red eyes and a tawny body pieced together from wooden parts. No larger than a palm, it was a mechanical construct.

Zheng Ziming picked up the wooden bird, opened its belly, and took out a letter.

"Father, urgent news from the Flame Capital?" Zheng Zhuxi, who had been keeping him company while reading, rose from her seat.

Sensing sinister yin qi from the mechanical bird, she used the Candle-Star Pupils. Sure enough, a bird’s ghost was attached to it.

Isn’t... isn’t this Qu Zhongheng’s idea? Zheng Zhuxi blinked in surprise.

Seeing his daughter studying the mechanical bird, Zheng Ziming explained with a smile,

"It’s a joint creation of the Ingenious Mechanisms Bureau and the True Spirit Sect. They say it was inspired by Qu Zhongheng of Dingjiang Prefecture. Of course it looks familiar to you."

As he spoke, he unfolded the letter. His expression gradually changed, satisfaction mingling with a sense of loss.

Zheng Zhuxi was about to speak when her father said, almost to himself, "Evil Beyond Measure Sun Feiyang was killed in the Flame Capital yesterday afternoon."

Evil Beyond Measure Sun Feiyang... Zheng Zhuxi’s double pupils widened slightly.

The name remained fresh in her memory, a name she dared not forget.

Sun Feiyang, who arranged for Bai Zhaolin to go to Alpine Lake Mountain, is dead? In the Flame Capital? Could it have been... Zheng Zhuxi’s starry eyes shifted as a sudden suspicion came to her.

Emotion surged through her. Just then, Zheng Ziming added, "Sun Feiyang’s killer wore a Golden Boy mask."

A Golden Boy mask... Zheng Zhuxi froze, then blinked.

Her tangled emotions seemed to flow in two directions: some gathering in her eyes, the rest settling at the corners of her lips.

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