Chapter Forty-Three: Sinister Intent

“So it was you!” Xu You repeated, the multitude of questions that had plagued his mind along the journey finally finding their answers at this moment.

Behind the curtain, Yuan Qingqi seemed to sense something and spoke in a calm tone, “What does Seventh Lord mean by this?”

Xu You suddenly rose to his feet and strode towards the curtain. Shui Xi, who had been kneeling quietly nearby, separated from Xu You by several paces, now moved with a flicker of her figure, blocking his path. Her eyes, dark and fathomless, gazed at him as she spoke gently, “My lord, please do not proceed further.”

Xu You halted, staring into her clear, bottomless eyes. His brows arched slightly as he remarked, “I misjudged; I never expected a delicate young lady like you to possess martial skills…”

With little effort, Shui Xi simply stood, yet her presence transformed utterly. She became like a tranquil, eternal pool, reflecting the moon in the void above—the wind could not stir a ripple, nor could rain raise a wave. The depth, the origin, the destination of the water could not be discerned.

Gentleness overcoming strength, weakness prevailing over force!

Xu You shuddered, not so much from the height of Shui Xi’s martial arts—she was but a novice—but the technique she revealed was strikingly similar to one he had witnessed before. Intent on testing her, he stepped forward until he was nearly close enough to touch her.

Shui Xi raised her right hand, fingers together like a blade. A gentle, peaceful force—free of hostility—formed between them, light as a woman's touch, inviting and sweet. “My lord, please do not proceed.”

“The highest virtue is like water, benefiting all without contention—thus none in the world can contend with it!” Xu You’s astonishment could no longer be concealed, and he exclaimed, “You are using the Ruoshui Technique from the Celestial Master’s Palace of Crane Cry Mountain!”

“Shui Xi, do not be disrespectful to our lord! Step back!”

“Yes, madam.”

Shui Xi smiled sweetly at Xu You, her previous aura fading instantly. She lowered her head and retreated obediently to the side.

“The wind is strong here; Seventh Lord, you may come closer so our words may be heard clearly.”

Xu You exhaled slowly, calming himself. The unexpected turns had unsettled him, but after a moment, composure returned. He stepped to where the curtain was within reach and spoke solemnly, “Lady Yuan, who exactly are you?”

“Oh? Seventh Lord’s question leaves Yuan quite perplexed…”

“If you are perplexed, then I shall explain each part. Should I err, please correct me without hesitation.”

Unexpectedly, Yuan Qingqi played coy, laughing, “Can I choose not to listen?”

Xu You nearly choked, his voice rising, “No, you cannot!”

“Very well, I’ll listen. Why so fierce?”

Xu You felt the weight of it all, but thanks to two lifetimes, he quickly realized Yuan Qingqi was purposefully diverting the conversation, trying to muddle through with banter. That meant he was close to the truth.

“When I arrived at Yixing, among the crew was a captain named Deng Tao. He appeared to be of the ninth rank, yet wielded an expensive single-handed spear. Even Feng Tong, who usually looks down on servants, treated him differently. Later, I discovered Captain Deng was actually a sixth-rank master, hiding his strength for unknown reasons, mingling among the Yuan household’s soldiers as a mere captain.”

“If that was all, I might not have thought much. The world is full of oddities, unrelated to me. But when faced with the threat from Fei Yao, I had an honest conversation with Deng Tao. It was then I learned he had been tasked to investigate me—not once or twice, but dozens of times, traveling between Yixing and Jinling after our betrothal, conducting a thorough, secret inquiry.”

“At first, I assumed the one behind this was Lord Yuan. But when mentioning Deng Tao in the household, Lord Yuan didn’t even know him. Moreover, if Lord Yuan had ordered it, he would have investigated my character before the betrothal, not after, as a belated remedy.”

“I began to suspect the mastermind was another member of the Yuan clan—those elders who dislike the Xu family, dislike me, and are unwilling to see you wed into Yixing. They have motive, and if they found unforgivable faults in me, they could force Lord Yuan to stop the marriage. Also, only they have the clout, for someone like Deng Tao, with his mysterious origins, wouldn’t obey just anyone.”

“I had let the matter go, planning to leave Jinling, and whoever was behind it would have nothing further to do with me. Yet today—just now—you mentioned that information about me is three feet high. Suddenly, it all made sense.”

Xu You shook his head, genuine admiration in his tone. “So, Deng Tao is yours!”

Yuan Qingqi remained silent for a while before replying, “Seventh Lord’s mind is indeed sharp, but to reach such a conclusion from a single phrase may be somewhat hasty.”

“The phrase ‘three feet high’—Deng Tao used it too. Don’t tell me that’s a coincidence?”

“It’s just a metaphor. As you said, my father naturally conducted inquiries before the betrothal. Why couldn’t I have seen the information about you from him?”

“No,” Xu You replied firmly. “Because Lord Yuan agreed to the match, but you may not have—or rather, you certainly did not. He’d be too busy hiding such information to let you review it.”

Yuan Qingqi laughed, “Why must you be so modest, Seventh Lord? You are not me; how can you know I must disagree?”

Another Zhuangzi argument: ‘You are not a fish, how do you know the joy of fish?’ Xu You had no patience for her philosophical banter, so he smiled, “I neither overestimate nor underestimate myself. Self-awareness is precious. You, Lady Yuan, are famed and exquisitely beautiful; surely your ideal suitor is not a rough barbarian like me.”

“Is that so?” Yuan Qingqi’s smile faded, her words layered with meaning. “But to me, Seventh Lord resembles a refined scholar more than anything…”

Xu You’s heart tightened. The fact that his martial arts had been crippled was still a secret; unless one was a master of the fifth rank or above, it was difficult to discern without him making a move. Even if his steps were light and his breath weak, others would only attribute it to recovery from severe injury, not suspect loss of martial prowess.

Was Yuan Qingqi merely making a casual remark, or was her insight already on par with the masters?

Xu You did not wish to linger on this topic. “Lady Yuan has yet to answer me: are my deductions accurate or not?”

The wind blew from the river, causing the curtain to flutter and roar. Time passed—a tea’s time, perhaps a quarter of an hour—before Yuan Qingqi spoke quietly, “Yes, Deng Tao is indeed mine.”

Though he had guessed it, hearing Yuan Qingqi confirm it left Xu You incredulous. No matter how favored Yuan Qingqi was, she was only one of many children in the Yuan household, secluded in the boudoir, and her social circle would never intersect with someone like Deng Tao.

Then the question arose: how did these two, from different worlds, connect?

“Seventh Lord must wonder why Deng Tao obeys me. It’s nothing complicated: I instructed Feng Tong to arrange, through Ye Xianzhi, a captain’s position for Deng Tao in the Yuan household. I also told Feng Tong not to mention it to anyone—not even my father.”

Ye Xianzhi was the head of this division in the Yuan household. Since Feng Tong knew of Deng Tao’s connection to Yuan Qingqi, his preferential treatment made sense.

“As for how I met Deng Tao, that’s another story, unrelated to Seventh Lord. I trust your magnanimity will not force me to reveal it, correct?”

Xu You smiled wryly. “It is my own slow wit; compared to the Yuan elders, you are the one most determined to investigate me thoroughly. Such is the gravity of marriage. Now that it’s clear, let us leave it behind; I have no interest in the rest—nor need to know.”

Yuan Qingqi spoke softly, “Whether you believe it or not, Seventh Lord, I harbored no malice in having Deng Tao investigate you. It was not hesitation over marriage. Once my father decided upon the alliance with the Xu family, I would not oppose it, nor attempt to stop it by exposing your faults.”

Xu You found this hard to understand—why send Deng Tao if not for idle curiosity? But knowing she would not explain, he did not press the matter, instead glancing at Shui Xi. The Ruoshui Technique was a closely guarded secret of the Celestial Master’s Dao; aside from the current Celestial Master Sun Guan and his seven direct disciples at Crane Cry Mountain, no one else should know it.

“How did Shui Xi learn the Ruoshui Technique?” Xu You suddenly asked.

Yuan Qingqi released her first long sigh since their meeting. “Had I known Seventh Lord was astute enough to discern Shui Xi’s technique from her flow of energy, I might not have chosen to meet you today at all!”

To have cornered this extraordinary woman so, Xu You felt a measure of pride and laughed, “It’s not my acuity, but years ago, when I hit a bottleneck with the White Tiger Strength, my late father took me to Crane Cry Mountain, where I experienced the wonders of the Ruoshui Technique firsthand.”

“Ah, yes—I almost forgot!” Yuan Qingqi muttered in annoyance, showing a rare girlish demeanor. Then her tone shifted, cold and sharp. “Xu You, now that you know this secret, I fear you cannot leave the Wind-Thatching Pavilion alive today!”