Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 130 Rashomon

While Sheng Yuanyao was facing a major life crisis at Qingyao Garden, Pei Chuyun was also encountering an important turning point in her life.

The Charming Maidens' Joyful Union Sect has a latent influence in the capital... not in brothels, but in the private residences of many officials, which have been invaded by them.

Among them was the matriarch of the Marquis's mansion, who appeared to be highly respected but was actually a high-ranking member of the "Charming Maidens' Joyful Union Sect." She first became the mistress and caused the death of the first wife, then, after becoming the first wife, she drained the old Marquis's power to death. She then "endured hardship" to raise the young Marquis, who now regards her as his mother and is extremely filial. She controls the entire Marquis's mansion.

The Cha Nu He Huan Sect used similar tactics to infiltrate the imperial court, and this was not an isolated incident.

Other demonic sects also had similar tricks. The court, which was still considered salvageable in Lu Xingzhou's eyes because of Meng Guan, Meng Li and others, was already riddled with holes in the eyes of the major demonic sects.

Following Lu Xingzhou's advice, Pei Chuyun originally intended to visit the old lady of the Marquis's mansion and subtly inquire whether she knew about Pei Qingyan's past.

As soon as he climbed into the backyard of the Marquis's mansion, he felt a shiver run down his spine.

In the backyard, a woman sat leisurely sipping tea. She made no special movements and her clothes were very ordinary, yet even as a woman, one could feel her terrifying allure.

The leader of the Hehuan Sect, and Pei Chuyun's master.

Their names are often unknown; people simply refer to them as "Xuan Nu" (玄女).

Suppressing her shock, Pei Chuyun bowed and said, "Greetings, Master. What brings you to the capital, Master?"

"Now that you've entered the Pei residence, of course I had to come," Xuan Nu said calmly. "Otherwise, would you be disloyal to us by letting Pei Qingyan spout nonsense?"

Pei Chuyun quickly said, "Master, you're overthinking it. How could Yun'er possibly listen to only one side of the story?"

"But you have doubts, which is why you came to Madam Su's place to try to hear different perspectives, isn't that right?"

Pei Chuyun remained silent.

Xuan Nu said calmly, "What did Pei Qingyan say? Did he say we killed your mother?"

Pei Chuyun hummed in agreement, then added, "I didn't believe it."

Xuan Nu scoffed, "There's no need to hide the truth from you now. Your mother is my junior sister. Back then, she did deliberately approach him, wanting to be like Madam Su... The difference is that Pei Qingyan's first wife died in childbirth when she gave birth to Pei Yu. He didn't have a legal wife by his side. As long as he could successfully marry into the Pei family and raise the infant Pei Yu, he could seize power in the Pei family. This is our usual tactic."

"and after?"

“Back then, Pei Qingyan’s cultivation level wasn’t as high as it is now. Your mother’s Charming Maiden Technique was well hidden, and he didn’t discover it. Later, the two did become ‘close friends,’ and your mother also seized an opportunity to use some tricks to make him mistakenly believe that he was infatuated and ended up in bed with her.”

Pei Chuyun's heart stirred slightly: "Now that it's done, why not simply use the Charming Maiden Mystic Art to control him?"

“The Pei family is a large clan with countless powerful members. If Pei Qingyan returns to the Hedong clan, it will be easy for people to discover that she is being controlled. So your mother took a different approach…” Xuan Nu smiled slightly: “Do you know when a man trusts you the most?”

Pei Chuyun didn't know before, but now she understands: "He was wary of you using the Charming Maiden Mystic Art, but in reality you didn't use it; you were just genuinely making him feel comfortable."

"Not bad." Xuan Nu nodded approvingly. "Pei Qingyan is no ordinary person. It's true that the Charming Maiden Mystic Art initially fooled him, but once you're intimate, you can't hide it from him at that moment. And your mother knew he had discovered it and was on guard, but she never used her technique. What do you think Pei Qingyan would think?"

Pei Chuyun pursed her lips. Logically, she should have been very touched, and even felt a great sense of accomplishment, having actually won the heart of the enchantress of joy. But things didn't seem to turn out that way…

Xuan Nu sneered: "Pei Qingyan was indeed very moved, and then promised your mother a position in the outer quarters."

Pei Chuyun: "???"

"The head of a top-tier family, with generations of distinguished officials, to take in a demonic sect girl like you as a concubine, don't you think that's a great favor?" Xuan Nu laughed heartily, "We've thought of everything, calculated every aspect of a man's heart, yet we've fallen for this aristocratic scion's different value system... He genuinely thinks it's perfectly reasonable, and that he's showing exceptional favor to your mother, hahahahaha..."

Pei Chuyun: "..."

Although her mother wasn't truly in love either—it was just a gold digger who met a scumbag and was cursed by him—it still sounds really hard to believe.

“Your mother was furious, but she accepted her fate and they parted ways. Then, two months later, she found out she was pregnant…” Xuan Nu sighed, “For the sect, it’s really too shameful for someone to go out and deceive a man and end up pregnant. She was too ashamed to return to the sect, but she couldn’t bear to abort you, so she secretly gave birth to you outside.”

"How did she die? Was it also a difficult childbirth?"

"To be honest, how she died is a mystery," Xuan Nu said. "Your mother was highly cultivated, so she shouldn't have had a difficult childbirth. Besides, she wasn't short of money, and even though she hid herself, her conditions weren't that poor... But when I found her, there was no midwife by her side, only you stuck there, already dead... I suspect it was caused by the Pei family coming to 'clean house,' otherwise why would a group of people from the Demon Suppression Division suddenly hunt me down as soon as I arrived?"

Pei Chuyun remained silent.

"I only had time to carry you away, and I don't know what happened after that." Xuan Nu sneered: "As for whether it was Pei Qingyan herself who 'cleaned up the house,' or someone else from the Pei family that Pei Qingyan herself didn't know, to be honest, I have no evidence. If you insist on saying that she died in childbirth, that might be true, but I have no evidence anyway."

Pei Chuyun remained silent for a long time before speaking wearily: "It's more likely that it's someone else from the Pei family... so I think he really didn't know about the child he had with Pei Qingyan... and the message he passed on to Pei Qingyan was that the Hehuan Sect killed him. Perhaps from his perspective, it was you who was cleaning up the sect. So the two sides' stories match up."

Xuan Nu nodded: "After discussing it, we also feel that this possibility is more likely... This is a question you should explore. If it is indeed so, whether or not to avenge your mother is also something you should consider." Pei Chuyun composed herself and asked: "Then why didn't Master just tell me directly and let me find my relatives and infiltrate the Pei family to plot?"

"Do you think Pei Qingyan is a fool? No matter what excuse you use to come looking for your family, he will definitely investigate your background. How can you hide your Charming Maiden Technique from him? Then don't even think about gaining his trust." Xuan Nu sneered: "The best solution is, of course, for even you to be unaware of it. After you debut, do something else, and when your reputation reaches Pei Qingyan's ears, he will become suspicious and seek the answer himself... At that time, even if he finds out that you were adopted by us from childhood and possess the Charming Maiden Technique, his mentality will not be the same."

This is why she was still allowed to take the surname Pei, and why she was taught some useless cultural knowledge from a young age, but the reason why the authorities refused to tell her the truth clearly...

Pei Chuyun's eyes changed: "Master means... that way he might feel more sorry for me being kept in the dark and recognizing a thief as his father, and he would try to tell me the 'truth' so we can take revenge together?"

“That’s right. That’s how people are.” Xuan Nu said calmly, “So why don’t we follow the usual practice of creating a reputation for you as a talented woman? It’s because that would be too contrived, and Pei Qingyan might still become suspicious. On the contrary, if he thinks that you have great talent but are being suppressed by us, it will solidify his judgment.”

Pei Chuyun stood there blankly, her mind a bit empty.

"As for not giving you any authority..." Xuan Nu's lips curled slightly, seemingly in a cold smile: "Yun'er, you have to prove... that if you enter the Pei family one day, you won't curry favor with a top-tier wealthy family and turn against us. This is not only the general opinion of the higher-ups, but also my opinion."

Pei Chuyun left the Marquis's residence as if in a dream, and returned to the inn in a daze.

When they returned, Lu Xingzhou and his apprentice were still having dinner at the Sheng family's house. Pei Chuyun waited for a long time but he didn't come back, and she felt increasingly anxious.

It's like they've lost their backbone...

She desperately wanted to discuss this with Lu Xingzhou; at this moment, only Lu Xingzhou's words could calm her chaotic mind.

She was still vaguely thinking that if her mother hadn't used the Charming Maiden Mystic Art to move Pei Qingyan, and the result was still the same... then how reliable was the tacit understanding and attraction between herself and Lu Xingzhou?
Lu Xingzhou's lover was Shen Tang... never Pei Chuyun. She was just a beautiful woman he coveted.

A light rain suddenly began to fall, pattering softly into the courtyard.

Pei Chuyun tilted her head slightly, letting the drizzle wash over her face, trying to clear her mind.

What kept echoing in my mind was Lu Xingzhou's line, "Endless drizzle, fine as sorrow."

Pei Chuyun took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

After an unknown amount of time, the sound of a wheelchair rolling across the floor came from outside the door. Pei Chuyun opened her eyes and looked at the smiling master and apprentice as they entered the room. Suddenly, she felt as if she had been in another world.

"Huh..." Lu Xingzhou walked up to her and waved his hand in front of her, puzzled. "Why do you look preoccupied... sitting alone in the rain, don't tell me you haven't eaten yet?"

Pei Chuyun forced a smile: "Where did you go? I've been waiting for you for so long."

Lu Xingzhou's expression turned serious, and he pulled her into the house, saying, "Come in and let's talk."

Once inside, the wind and rain were kept out, and it felt a bit warmer.

Lu Xingzhou got up, took a towel, and gently wiped Pei Chuyun's face. He then let down her long hair and slowly dried it, asking, "Who bullied my little maid?"

Pei Chuyun stared intently at the bronze mirror not far away, which reflected his gentle appearance. Finally, she spoke, "I saw Master directly... and Master told me the truth directly."

"Hmm." Lu Xingzhou said, "Judging from your appearance, you seem to be in a state of turmoil... Why don't you tell me about it?"

Pei Chuyun slowly and deliberately explained everything in detail.

Lu Xingzhou pondered for a moment, then chuckled and said, "The Pei family thinks your enemy is the Joyful Union Sect, while the Joyful Union Sect thinks your enemy is the Pei family."

Pei Chuyun pouted and leaned against him somewhat resentfully: "Actually, what grudge is there? I'm even wondering what it has to do with me..."

"That's a good way to think about it. As long as we slack off, no one can take advantage of us, right?" Lu Xingzhou said with a smile. "Besides, on the surface, both sides' stories seem to match up, but there's another problem here. I wonder if you've thought about it..."

Pei Chuyun knew that talking to him would bring new ideas, so she perked up and asked, "What?"

"According to your master, your mother had no contact with the sect... But why does she know so many details? Not only does she know the subtle changes in mindset regarding whether or not to use the Charming Maiden Mystic Art, but she even knows that your mother was afraid of losing face afterward if she witnessed it? This little essay is written as if she personally experienced it..."

Pei Chuyun stood there, stunned.

"If you ask me, this is actually quite simple. If you really want to just give up and not think about revenge..." Lu Xingzhou combed her hair and said leisurely, "You just don't take the initiative or refuse, and wait for Pei Qingyan to discover your identity and come to acknowledge your family. Be a comfortable Pei family young lady and a comfortable Hehuan Saintess. Don't do what both sides want you to do... One day, someone will be unable to hold back, and then you will know everything."

Pei Chuyun was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing.

After he says a few words, everything seems to become very simple.

(End of this chapter)