Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 381 Greed (7,000 words)
Practice!

Practice!

Practice.

For Song Jing now, cultivation has almost become the only thing in his life. Anything that prevents him from cultivating will subconsciously make him feel irritable, or even disgusted. It's only because Song An has a lot of influence among the brothers, and because Song An has invested money in him, that Song Jing can barely tolerate Song An's words.

I have no idea what's wrong with the fourth brother. He usually travels all over the country and is nowhere to be seen for a year or two. Why did he come to Dongling City this time and stay for almost a month? He even gathered his brothers together, saying that he had important matters to discuss, which disturbed his cultivation. It's really annoying.

Some strange thoughts surfaced in his mind again. When he first copied the "Vajra Arhat Kung Fu", he felt something was wrong. He felt that some of the incantations were incoherent. However, after trying to practice it for a while, he found that his progress was very fast. Only then did Song Jing believe that this manual was real.

As for the so-called "going astray in cultivation," Song Jing didn't really care about it...

His heart is as firm as a rock.

Even a thousand troops cannot shake it.

The idea of ​​him going mad from practicing qi cultivation would never happen to him.

The wind was still howling.

A chill seeped in through the cracks in the doors and windows.

The flickering campfire on the ground tilted, and thick smoke fell onto Song Jing's face, making his already irritable mood even worse. He poked at the fire with the fire-stirring stick, but seeing that it was useless, he muttered, "Damn it." But his fingers couldn't help but tighten, and with a snap, the fire-stirring stick broke in two.

Song An glanced at Song Jing with some suspicion, his brows furrowed. He felt that in the six months since they last met, his third brother's temper seemed to have become much more volatile, and he got angry at the drop of a hat.

However, Song An didn't think much of it. On the one hand, Song Jing was a hot-tempered person and a martial artist, so it was normal for him to curse a few times when things didn't go his way. On the other hand, in less than a year, the eight Song brothers had really had a lot of bad luck. Now only five of the eight brothers were left, and one of them had become a one-eyed man. It was understandable that he was upset.

As for the matter of the manual being rewritten, even though Song An was intelligent, he never thought of it in this way. After all, who would have nothing better to do than rewrite the manual?
"Alright, let's put those minor matters aside for now." Song An pursed his lips, warmed his hands over the campfire, and said, "Now we need to talk about Song Yan's matter."

Upon hearing this, Song Huai's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and Song Yi's remaining eye blazed with intense hatred. Even Song Jing suppressed the turmoil in his chest, his face grim. He also harbored great malice towards Song Yan, wanting to torture and kill that bastard for no reason.

“For a while, I was mostly active in Songju Prefecture and Ningping County.”

"Some things from before have gradually come to light, and it's basically certain that the deaths of Mother, Song Zhen, and Song Yun were all orchestrated by Song Yan."

"Song Yun died in Songzhou Prefecture."

"Song Yan happened to be in Songzhou at that time."

"The two even attended the same poetry gathering. At the gathering, Song Yan deliberately framed Song Yun, causing Song Yun to be antagonized by several sons of officials in Songzhou. I visited everyone at the time, and from the information I received, although these sons of officials participated in the beating, it was only punching and kicking, not fatal. The injuries on Song Yun's body clearly showed that his limbs were broken by stones, and he eventually died in the pouring rain, either from the pain or by drowning."

"But a torrential downpour occurred that night, and no eyewitnesses could be found. Even some traces left by Song Yan were washed away by the rain."

"But the only person capable of such a heinous act is Song Yan, who utterly despises Song Yun."

Song An's voice was very calm.

It's like telling a story in a straightforward manner, without any emotional fluctuations.

However, Song Huai, Song Yi, and Song Jing's eyes all turned slightly bloodshot, and their breathing became rapid. They could roughly imagine how desolate and desperate the Seventh Prince's death must have been.

"Damn bastard."

"It's a pity we didn't kill him sooner, and that bastard has become a force to be reckoned with."

The curses carried a hint of regret. If they hadn't just bullied Song Yan back then, but had instead killed him outright, perhaps none of this would have happened. However, they seemed to have forgotten that when Song Yan was young, they had tried to kill him several times. If Song Yan hadn't possessed some skill, he would likely be dead long ago.

"As for Mother and Fifth Brother, judging from the information released by Fang Hai, it seems that Mother colluded with the Japanese pirates, using them to create chaos and take the opportunity to enter the dungeon in order to rescue Fifth Brother. However, she did not expect that these Japanese pirates would be ambushed and suffer heavy casualties. Some of the Japanese pirates harbored resentment towards Mother, so they sneaked into the county town and killed Mother and Fifth Brother in the dungeon..." Song An's voice continued.

The brothers naturally didn't believe that.

My mother was of such high status; she was the legitimate daughter of the Yang family.

How could they possibly have any connection with the filthy, beast-like Japanese pirates?
"But according to my investigation, Song Yan did indeed take some people to the dungeon in Ningping County that night."

"It's almost certain that Song Yan killed Mother and Fifth Brother."

As soon as these words were spoken, heavy breathing filled the air, and the sound of teeth grinding could be heard.

"Then can we use this to get Song Yan in there?" Song Huai frowned. "Once Song Yan is in jail, it will be much easier to kill him."

Song An shook his head: "It's basically impossible."

"On the one hand, too much time has passed, and many remaining traces and evidence have disappeared."

"On the other hand, there are only a few people who saw Song Yan go to the dungeon, but there are hundreds or thousands who witnessed Song Yan fighting against the Japanese pirates. If we report this as evidence, Song Yan might even turn around and accuse us of buying witnesses to give false testimony."

“Falsely accusing the Marquis of Champion and the Prince Consort is a crime we cannot bear… Think of Song Zhe’s fate. Old Ninth is now ruthless and will not show any mercy to us brothers.”

“Even appealing to the emperor would be useless, Mother. The deaths of the fifth and seventh sons were just a trivial matter half a year ago. Emperor Ninghe would never break his own sword over such a trivial matter.” Song An’s voice was somewhat suppressed: “Who doesn’t know that Song Yan killed Zhao Gaizhi’s wife and son?”

Has Song Yan been punished?

Upon hearing this, a heavy silence fell over the surroundings.

"Have you noticed that Song Yan, that silly boy, has completely changed since he left the Duke's mansion and married into the Luo family?"

"You mean, his previous honesty, stupidity, and forbearance were all an act?" Song Huai suddenly raised his head: "What a vicious bastard, so despicable at such a young age."

Song An sighed: "Yes, we all underestimated this little bastard. He is more cruel, shameless and difficult to deal with than we imagined. In Songzhou Prefecture, he has a close relationship with Fang Hai and is protected by Luo Yuheng. It would be as difficult as climbing to heaven to kill him."

"At that time, I planned to bring Song Yan to Dongling. Once he was here, under the watchful eyes of the Yang family, killing a mere son-in-law would be a piece of cake. But I never expected that not only would the Yang family not gain any benefit from Song Yan, but my sixth brother would also be killed by him, and my third brother would lose an eye because of him."

Song Yi's face was gloomy, as if he felt a stinging pain in his eye sockets.

Song An's eyes were also somewhat suppressed. At the time, he felt that Song Yan, an illegitimate child whose mother had died early and whose father had neglected him since childhood, must have an obsessive longing for family affection. So he left a note with the words "Dongling" written on it, hoping to provoke Song Yan to go to Dongling to find his relatives. After all, Song Yan's mother's surname was Mei, and there was an old man named Mei in Dongling. The surname Mei was relatively rare, and Song Yan could find out about it with a little investigation.

Unfortunately, although Song Yan has arrived in Dongling, things are not developing in the way he planned.

“Song Yan’s purpose is very clear: he will kill anyone who has bullied him and his mother. Several of us are already on his death list.”

"You all know the current situation in Dongling City. All the civil and military officials have been tormented by Song Yan and want to get rid of this jinx. Perhaps in just a few days, someone will bring up the matter of having Song Yan leave Dongling and return to Pingyang."

“Song Yan is also smart, so he can naturally see this situation.”

“Song Yan will definitely be unwilling to leave like this.”

"Eldest brother, second brother, third brother, Song Yan knows about what happened to you three in Dongling. According to my guess, Song Yan will definitely find a way to make a move against you before he leaves."

As Song An analyzed the current situation, a hint of fear appeared in the eyes of Song Huai and Song Yi, clearly recalling Song Yan's appearance when she went mad.

“Song Jincheng has clearly set his sights on Song Yan’s future and wants to climb this high branch. He will no longer provide protection for us brothers. He’s a fence-sitter and can’t be relied on.”

"The Yang family has temporarily reconciled with Song Yan, so at least for now, there won't be any more conflicts with Song Yan. They might even help Song Yan deal with us. If we continue to stay in Dongling, the situation will be extremely dangerous, so I suggest we leave immediately."

By the end, Song An's voice had become extremely solemn.

The three brothers also frowned, and when they looked at each other, they could see the resentment in each other's eyes.

Since being dismissed from office, Song Huai and Song Yi have been active in Dongling City, investing a lot of energy and money in building connections everywhere, all in the hope of making a comeback someday. If they leave now, all their previous investments will be wasted.

Song Jing was the commander of the Imperial Guard, with three thousand soldiers under his command.

Leaving now would mean losing everything I'd worked so hard for, and that would be even more painful.

Seeing the expressions on his three elder brothers' faces, Song An could tell what they were thinking, and he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed in them.

What time is it, why are you still concerned about these things?

The eldest brother is talented, and the third brother is strong, but their personalities are too indecisive. Don't they know the saying that hesitation leads to trouble?
"Think about it, given the current relationship between Song Yan and Emperor Ninghe, do you still have a chance to restore him?"

“You must understand that as long as Emperor Ninghe is still on the throne, you will have no chance of becoming officials.”

"Third Brother, you are the same. Don't think that just because you are the commander of the Imperial Guard, your situation will become more and more difficult in the future. Perhaps it won't be long before all sorts of troubles and unfounded charges fall on your head. At that time, you won't be able to escape even if you want to."

"Now, the only way out for us brothers is to wait... wait for a change of dynasty."

"Only when Emperor Ninghe passes away and a new emperor ascends the throne will you have a chance to rise above others."

Song An reprimanded him without any politeness.

His words sent a chill down their spines.

But after a little thought, it became clear that Song An was right.

The reason I was unwilling to admit it before was simply because a sliver of hope still lingered in my heart.

"Then where do we go?" Taking a deep breath, Song Huai asked in a low voice, "Back to Songzhou?"

“No, we absolutely cannot go back to Songzhou. That’s Fang Hai’s territory.” Song An immediately shook his head. “Moreover, our father must have already reached some kind of agreement with Song Yan. Although I don’t know the reason, it seems that our father wants to use Song Yan to get rid of all of us brothers.”

“Returning to the Song family would be like walking into a trap.”

"You can follow my caravan, change your appearance, and go anywhere in the world."

Song Huai stood up and said, "Alright, since we've already made this decision, we can't waste any more time. Let's go back and pack our things..."

“No, your stuff isn’t worth much.” Song An shook his head. “I’ve already taken care of the guards. They can leave right away.”

Song Yi and Song Jing exchanged a glance and then stood up together.

Song Jing was probably the most unwilling one.

However, he knew he wasn't particularly bright and had become accustomed to having his brothers make decisions for him. Yet, this disheveled departure from the capital only made Song Jing increasingly irritable.

He gritted his teeth and followed behind the three.

For some reason, looking at the backs of his eldest, second, and fourth brothers, a violent urge to tear them all apart surged in his chest.

Shaking his head vigorously, Song Jing desperately tried to control his impulse.

Perhaps, it was just that he hated Song Yan so much that it affected his other brothers as well.

……

Song Yan, who was preparing to use the secret letter forged by Yang Rui to thoroughly humiliate Song Yi, was unaware of what was happening in the outer city and was still fast asleep in bed.

In the next room, the two sisters slept in each other's arms.

It was unclear what they were saying, but occasionally one could hear Luo Tianxuan's coquettish laughter and Luo Tianyi's reproachful voice.

In the latter half of the night, the wind and snow gradually stopped.

As dawn broke, a rosy orange-red hue, like egg yolk, could be seen on the distant horizon. Sunlight shone on the pristine white snow, making it seem as if the snow itself was covered in a layer of gold.

Song Yan got up very early... Actually, it wasn't that early. Many court officials had already entered the palace for court before dawn, and many common people had already gotten up early to start their busy day. Someone like him was a typical lazybones.

Push the door open.

The sunlight felt warm on my skin, but it didn't bring much warmth; I felt even colder than yesterday.

After stretching her arms and washing up, Song Yan went to Bu Yu's place as usual. However, as soon as she entered the bedroom, she met a pair of dark eyes that looked weak.

Song Yan's face lit up with joy: "Finally awake."

Bu Yu's face was pale.

The lack of regular food intake over a long period of time resulted in a thin body and sunken eye sockets, making the eyes appear exaggeratedly large.

Her long eyelashes trembled slightly. Upon seeing Song Yan, she instinctively struggled to sit up.

"Don't move around, your wound hasn't healed yet." Song Yan quickly stepped forward. Lying in bed for a long time, her stiff body was naturally very uncomfortable, which Song Yan understood. So she carefully supported Bu Yu's shoulders, helping her sit up straight and lean against the headboard.

"How long have I been unconscious..." Bu Yu's pale lips moved, but as soon as she opened her mouth to speak, she was startled by her own words. Her voice was hoarse, like the friction of rusty metal.

"It's been a few days."

She moistened her lips with her tongue and looked down at herself. Naturally, she could see the clothes she had changed into and feel the bandages on her skin.

"Young Master saved me?" Her eyes looked at Song Yan, and a faint blush appeared on her delicate, pale cheeks.

Song Yan nodded.

Bu Yu's face turned even redder.

The young master saved her, so does that mean he saw her body completely? Especially the injured areas on her chest and lower abdomen... The intense shame was unbearable for Bu Yu, and for a moment she even had the urge to crawl back into bed.

Although Bu Yu is quite capable and has a small reputation in the martial arts world, she is ultimately just a woman.

But Bu Yu is wronging Song Yan.

She was covered in blood at the time, and Song Yan didn't have time to care about anything else.

"How are you feeling? Is there anything particularly uncomfortable?" Song Yan didn't notice Bu Yu's expression and asked softly.

Bu Yu felt it for a moment. Apart from a slight stinging pain in the wound, everything was fine. Just as she was about to say that she was okay, her stomach started growling.

Ah ah ah ah ah.

What on earth is going on today? Bu Yu's eyes were filled with tears, and her body writhed slowly on the bed like a worm until the blanket covered her nose before she stopped.

Seeing Bu Yu's expression, Song Yan smiled knowingly.

Bu Yu usually has a blank expression on her face, so it's really rare to see her so shy now.

Is this considered a special skin condition during a period of weakness?

"Wait here, I'll go prepare some food for you."

Bu Yu nodded slightly, watching Song Yan leave, her gaze lingering on the doorway for a long time.

On her small face, there was a hint of struggle and confusion.

Song Yan was right. Compared to being bound by someone's side, Bu Yu did indeed prefer the freedom of the martial world.

In Yu Buyu's view, helping Song Yan kill Sun Hao this time was a way of repaying Song Yan's previous kindness in not killing him and taking him in. Returning to Dongling was just to inform Song Yan and return the weapon Song Yan gave her... One should always see things through to the end.

Being attacked and falling into a coma is an accident.

She hadn't expected that the first person she saw after waking up would be Song Yan. In Song Yan's eyes, she felt a deep, genuine concern.

He probably really cares about himself.

Bu Yu couldn't even remember how long it had been since she had felt the warmth of care.

Her family of origin treated her like a money-losing proposition, selling her to a paralyzed man who could only lie in bed all day with an exorbitant dowry.

The mother-in-law was probably dissatisfied with the high bride price; she looked at her as if she were an enemy, and she was tormenting her relentlessly.

There was no concern; she had to take care of her paralyzed husband, her parents-in-law, do laundry and cook, and work in the fields. It was as if she wanted to put all the responsibilities on her shoulders.

She's just a woman.

A petite and thin woman.

She has no idea how she survived those years.

Every day feels like there's never enough to do, leaving me exhausted to the point of near numbness.

After her husband's death, her situation did not improve; in fact, it worsened.

Her in-laws felt that she had failed to take good care of her husband, which led to his death. They beat her frail body relentlessly with thorns, rattan, and carrying poles, and even considered selling her again to at least get some money.

It's like a piece of merchandise.

Her husband's relatives even wanted to defile her in front of the funeral hall.

In her desperate struggle, she knocked over the candlesticks, set the mourning hall ablaze, and finally escaped from the den of evil.

After that, she embarked on the path of martial arts and became one of the Six Villains... Her life did get a little better, but there was no affection between the Six Villains.

She could clearly sense the lewdness in the gazes of the four men among the six villains as they peered at her.

She had felt all kinds of gazes: disdain, hatred, envy, desire... but she had long forgotten the only one that showed concern.

Suddenly feeling such warmth in the young master's eyes, Bu Yu was surprised to find that she didn't dislike it at all; on the contrary, a trace of longing gradually emerged from the depths of her heart.

What a greedy woman.

Greedily wanting to have more.

Without a sound, the desire to be free and fly away has become less intense.

She is truly a very simple woman. She never asks for much; all she wants is a hug, a word of concern, a bit of warmth... She just wants someone who truly cares about her.

He would feel sorry for him if he got hurt.

He would be sad if he died.

That's enough.

Ugh... what am I even thinking?

She was just a widow.

How can we be qualified to ask for so much?
My mind is in turmoil.

Feeling uncomfortable lying in bed, Bu Yu struggled to throw off the covers and slowly moved her body. She accidentally aggravated her wounds, causing her lips to twitch. Finally managing to get to the floor, she tried to stand up, only to realize that her legs were sore and numb, as if they didn't belong to her at all.

His legs trembled so badly that he couldn't even stand up.

Just then, the door creaked open.

But Song Yan had already returned, carrying only a bowl of thin porridge with a little salt and a little sugar in it, so the taste might be a bit strange.

He put the bowl down and asked, "Want to go for a walk?"

She gently bit her lip with a row of neat, white teeth: "Hmm, it's a bit stuffy in the room, I want to get some fresh air."

Song Yan did not refuse this small request. He took out a wide, long and thick coat from the cabinet next to him and draped it over Bu Yu. Seeing that she was wrapped up like a dumpling, Bu Yu puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

Girls are always very concerned about their image.

Song Yan didn't care about all that. It was very cold outside. If Bu Yu caught another cold, given her condition, it would be very troublesome.

Supporting Bu Yu's arm, they slowly walked out the door and sat down in the pavilion.

A cool breeze gently caressed my cheek.

It's cold.

Bu Yu felt that her energy level was much better than before.

Song Yan brought over another bowl and fed him spoonful by spoonful.

Bu Yu was a little embarrassed, but since she couldn't move her arm, she could only let it be.

She had barely taken a bite when her face contorted in pain: "What did you add?"

"Sugar and salt."

Okay, now she roughly knew where this strange sweet and salty taste came from. She knew that her young master wouldn't deliberately tease her, and it was probably good for her health, so she ate it bite by bite.

A small bowl of thin porridge was finished in no time.

With her one hand, which could barely move, she gently placed it on her lower abdomen, as if she could feel her belly still pitifully wriggling. Her large, watery eyes looked at Song Yan, but who would have thought that her young master was so heartless, merely ordering the maid to take away the bowls and spoons, completely ignoring the longing in Bu Yu's eyes.

"Now can you tell me what exactly you encountered?" Song Yan asked. "How exactly did you provoke the Ghost Cave?"

Bu Yu's delicate brows furrowed: "Ghost Cave? I have no grudge against Ghost Cave, I've only heard of its reputation, but this is my first time in Dongling City, how could I possibly provoke it?"

"Have you encountered anything unusual or strange people?" Song Yan asked again. He wouldn't feel at ease unless he killed the people around him who dared to harm him.

The Ghost Cave has been destroyed.

But the Ghost Cave is at best just a knife.

I cannot have peace of mind until the one who wields the knife is eliminated.

Bu Yu pondered deeply: "After killing Sun Hao, I went all the way to Dongling and almost never spoke to anyone... nor did I have any conflicts with anyone." Bu Yu suddenly exclaimed: "If we're talking about special people, there really seems to be one."

"It was a caravan that rested at the same inn before I attacked Sun Hao." Bu Yu searched through his memories, having been lying down for a while and his recollections were somewhat disordered: "I remember the caravan's manager was a young man in his twenties."

"He once greeted me and asked if I was a martial artist, whether I would be willing to travel with the caravan, and offered to pay me."

“I refused, and he didn’t press the issue.”

This was probably the only interaction Bu Yu had with others along the way, which is why it left a deep impression.

Song Yan's eyes narrowed: "What's the caravan manager's name?"

"I don't know, but the caravan was flying the flag of the Song family's caravan."

Song Yan's body suddenly leaned back.

The Song family caravan?

Song An?

Could it be that the mastermind behind commissioning the Ghost Cave murders is Song An?
……

Fang family.

Room.

Neither Bu Yu nor Song Yan noticed that in a room behind them, a slender figure was quietly standing at the window.

My sister has passed away.

Although the matter was resolved, her sister still didn't plan to make a public appearance, leaving Luo Tianyi alone in the room. Her dark eyes quietly stared at the two figures in the pavilion, especially the way they had fed each other earlier, which made Luo Tianyi stomp her foot in frustration.

The atmosphere was calm and tranquil, with a touch of warmth.

The madness of passionate love has faded, replaced by the natural ease of an old married couple.

He just confessed his feelings to me last night.

(End of this chapter)