Chapter Eighty: A Scandalous Romance

“Master of the Tower, Yin Su seeks an audience.” A man knelt on the ground, head lowered. Not far ahead of him was a shadow—a dark silhouette, the shadow of Ji Muyu. Ji Muyu gave a slight nod, and the man withdrew.

After a while, Yin Su appeared, clad in white. She glanced at Ji Muyu’s back and half-knelt, saying, “Master, I have urgent matters to report.”

“Rise and speak,” Ji Muyu turned to face her.

“Chu Suyi and Gu Xinyu have temporarily entrusted me with the management of Lingyu Pavilion. Both of them have left. Gu Xinyu is cooperating with a man named Li Su to seize the Shang Lotus; as for Chu Suyi’s purpose, I’m not yet certain—I need to investigate further. However, I suspect it’s related to Silver Yao, since she came to see him yesterday.” Yin Su laid out all she knew.

“The management of Lingyu Pavilion?” Ji Muyu seized upon the crux of the matter. The authority over Lingyu Pavilion was a powerful tool—having it would make many things much easier.

Yin Su nodded, “Yes. It seems they fully trust me now.”

Ji Muyu clapped his hands in delight. “Excellent! I expect you know what to do with this power. Do not, under any circumstances, betray the trust Chu Suyi and Gu Xinyu have placed in you!”

Ji Muyu emphasized the word “betray.” Yin Su understood—he wanted her to wield this authority well and seek out every advantage. She thought, when Chu Suyi and the others realized, she would stand against them as Yin Su herself.

“I understand,” Yin Su bowed her head, concealing the myriad emotions in her eyes.

Ji Muyu crossed his hands behind his back, pacing. “You are still to assist Lie, as previously arranged. I hope you make perfect use of your management of Lingyu Pavilion to shield Lie’s actions. I trust your intelligence has guessed my focus is on the Shang Lotus whose location remains unknown. As for the one already located, let Silver Yao and Ji Xuanyu send their people to seize it.”

“Yes,” Yin Su obeyed.

“Very well, you may go. Remember your tasks.” Ji Muyu dismissed her—after all, she could not vanish without reason for too long, or else the news would surely reach Ji Xuanyu.

Yin Su nodded and withdrew.

...

In the teahouse, Silver Yao and Chu Suyi sat by the window as always, gazing at the bustling streets outside. Calmly, they observed those around them, confirming there were no spies of Ji Muyu nearby, before speaking quietly.

“Silver Yao, based on my deductions, Wu Ming might—might be the traitor, or she’s been the hidden mole in Lingyu Pavilion all along.” Chu Suyi was still unconvinced, but facts forced him to confront the possibility.

Detecting his hesitation, Silver Yao smiled. Chu Suyi’s doubts were reasonable—Wu Ming had joined Lingyu Pavilion from its inception, making her a founding member. She had accomplished much, earning trust through countless deeds, even at the cost of many lives. There had never been any sign she betrayed Lingyu Pavilion.

But fatefully, her impatience gave her away, discovered only because Silver Yao and Chu Suyi happened to overhear a critical conversation. Of course, Silver Yao had known her identity long before, though Chu Suyi and Gu Xinyu had only now begun to suspect her as the leak.

“Still don’t believe it?” Silver Yao laughed, questioning Chu Suyi. She remembered how he always treated his companions with utmost loyalty. Wu Ming had earned his trust, and now she was telling him he had trusted the wrong person—no wonder he could not accept it so easily.

“Mm,” Chu Suyi nodded.

“How about this? Didn’t you have Gu Xinyu plant false information in our cooperation plan? Let’s see if Ji Muyu discovers the contents of that fake plan. If he does, you’ll know without me saying more. If not, then our suspicions are wrong.” Silver Yao opened her hand, proposing a practical solution.

In truth, Silver Yao knew Wu Ming would do everything to obtain the plan and relay it word for word to Ji Muyu. She suggested this only for Chu Suyi’s sake—she preferred not to tell him directly, and it was more amusing to let him discover it himself.

After considering Silver Yao’s words, Chu Suyi nodded in agreement. “We’ll do as you say.”

“So, what do we do next?” Chu Suyi asked Silver Yao, leaving all decisions to her.

Silver Yao tilted her head in thought, then spoke. “Aren’t they investigating the Shang Lotus’s whereabouts? I must arrange matters carefully so they won’t easily obtain any information about it. And I absolutely won’t let them have it—neither Shang Lotus will I leave to Ji Muyu.”

Hearing Silver Yao’s confident declaration, Chu Suyi smiled faintly.

“Besides, isn’t he trying to cure Wan Youxue? Tell me, if I heal her completely, do you think he’ll come to thank me? Ha!” Silver Yao laughed heartily, unconcerned about attracting attention.

Sensing the sarcasm, Chu Suyi chuckled quietly.

Suddenly, Silver Yao’s laughter ceased, and she looked at Chu Suyi with grave seriousness. “I want to ask you something very important.”

“What is it? Go ahead.” Chu Suyi was curious—what could Silver Yao possibly want to ask him?

“Do you know how the family of the divine healer Wan was wiped out? Or why?” Silver Yao’s curiosity was about the memory Wan Youxue had lost—perhaps there would be an unexpected surprise.

Chu Suyi buried himself in thought. The event had happened a year or two ago, requiring careful recollection.

Seeing him deep in thought, Silver Yao didn’t disturb him, sipping her tea as she surveyed the surroundings.

After a while, Chu Suyi began to recount the story of Wan’s family’s demise. “That event caused quite a stir at the time—after all, it was the family of the divine healer, and he was always kind and helpful, saving many lives. When news spread that the Wan family had been wiped out, many in the martial world organized themselves to hunt for the culprits and avenge the family.”

“But nearly a week passed with no clues, so they buried all the Wan family dead. While checking the numbers, they found Wan Youxue missing—the one rumored to inherit the healer’s mantle. They thought she might still be alive and searched for her, but failed. Until a month later!”

“Ji Muyu’s Twilight Tower suffered a devastating blow, nearly annihilated. Some claimed to have seen Wan Youxue, clad in mourning attire, with red hair and red eyes. The rumor grew wilder, some saying her spirit had returned for vengeance. Thus, everyone believed Ji Muyu was the culprit behind the Wan family’s destruction—but they couldn’t find any reason.”

Hearing this, Silver Yao felt her earlier suspicions confirmed. She had always believed the two events were directly linked, and now Chu Suyi’s account validated it.

“From what you say, Ji Muyu seems to have had no motive to destroy Wan’s family. Do you know something others don’t?” Silver Yao suddenly thought Chu Suyi must possess knowledge others lacked.

Chu Suyi smiled and continued, “You’ve asked the right person. Perhaps outsiders don’t know, but before Ji Muyu decided to eliminate the Ji family, their relationship with the Wan family was quite good. Ji Muyu naturally knew Wan Youxue, and there was even a romance between them—mutual affection. But after Ji Muyu killed his kin for power, I heard the divine healer forced Wan Youxue to sever ties with him.”

“After learning what Ji Muyu had done for power, Wan Youxue met with him and told him their love was ended. Too heartbroken, Ji Muyu let her leave without stopping her. What happened next, I suppose you can guess.”

Silver Yao’s question gave Chu Suyi clarity—he finally saw the connection between the two events and the memory Wan Youxue had lost.

Silver Yao’s jaw nearly hit the floor—she never expected there would be such a melodramatic romance between Ji Muyu and Wan Youxue. Heaven and earth, how could this be?!

Uncertain, Silver Yao looked at Chu Suyi with utmost seriousness, asking, “Are you sure you’re not mistaken?!”

Chu Suyi shook his head with a bitter smile. “Who else but Ji Muyu would kill all his kin for power?”

At his reply, Silver Yao had to accept the fact—she herself now became unwilling to believe the truth.

“Fine,” Silver Yao sighed as she spoke—she could hardly believe such a story happened to Ji Muyu.

“Rest assured, I wouldn’t lie to you! It’s a secret—I wouldn’t tell just anyone!” Chu Suyi, seeing Silver Yao’s reaction, couldn’t help but smile. Did she really see Ji Muyu as utterly devoid of emotion?

“Alright, alright, I believe you! Looks like the memory Wan Youxue lost is indeed a huge surprise. Tell me, when I help her recover it, what do you think her reaction will be?” Silver Yao accepted reality and began to imagine the future.

Chu Suyi smiled but did not answer, instead asking, “What reaction do you hope for?”

“Ha! Naturally, I want her to see Ji Muyu as an enemy and stand with me. Then we’ll witness Ji Muyu’s rare expression!” Silver Yao finished her thought, but Chu Suyi did not immediately agree, for in his mind, Wan Youxue truly loved Ji Muyu. In the end, whether it would be love or hate would only be revealed at that moment.

“Perhaps,” Chu Suyi replied softly.