Wuxia: Start with max-level Nine Yang Divine Skill

Chapter 266 Did Tang Ling escape from the Tang family? (Two chapters combined)

Song Feizhang's voice grew softer and softer as he spoke, but he eventually managed to voice his concerns.

There must be many secret places within the Tang Clan that outsiders are not allowed to explore.

He genuinely wanted to save Tang Ling, but feared that Li's nighttime infiltration of the Tang Clan would cause a misunderstanding, leading to internal strife and weakening both sides.

Li Fu showed no blame, but simply turned his head to look at this devoted man and said, "Do you really completely believe Tang Clan's one-sided story?"

Song Feizhang was taken aback.

Li Fudao said: "They said that a group of people who were hiding came to ask for the peacock feather. When the deal failed, they became angry and kidnapped Ninth Sister."

Besides that, what about eyewitness accounts? What about physical evidence? What about traces of the incident? There's nothing.

From beginning to end, it was just a few mouths from the Tang Clan talking.

He paused, then said, "I know you think they have no reason to lie about such an important matter."

Those handling cases should trust the evidence; otherwise, they should doubt all suspicious persons.

There were some things he didn't say aloud. Li Fu even suspected that Song Feizhang might have harmed Tang Ling for some reason and was now pretending to be afraid of the Tang family's revenge.

Anxiously investigating to clear his name of suspicion.

However, having observed the journey together, he had already discerned that Song Feizhang was indeed deeply in love with Tang Ling, and that this affection was genuine. Therefore, he had long since ruled out this possibility.

But if these words were spoken, it would only make the foolish scholar anxious to prove his innocence, causing him unnecessary trouble, so he kept quiet about it.

Song Feizhang was stumped by his words, and opened his mouth before replying.

"But they are Ling'er's family."

Even tigers don't eat their cubs, so how could they possibly—"

He stopped mid-sentence.

Song Zhaoxue gently shook her head from the side.

Relatives?

She and Song Feizhang were both from the imperial family, so she should have understood better than anyone else how rare it was for powerful families to have fratricide and betrayal among their own children.

A layer of frost settled in her eyes, but she ultimately remained silent.

Li Fu stopped looking at Song Feizhang and only gazed out of the courtyard, saying...

"Moreover, I am not just guessing."

The flowers and trees in the villa were trimmed so badly that even the basic dignity of a noble family could not be preserved.

Were those quick-handed old servants of the Tang Clan executed for angering their master?

Or was he silenced because he knew some secret?

Song Zhaoxue ignored her cousin and walked to Li Fu's side, saying, "I'll be with you tonight."

"No need—"

Li Fu glanced at her, about to say something.

"I know you are highly skilled in martial arts, but the Tang Clan is not like other places. There may be traps and poisons everywhere here."

Being highly skilled in martial arts does not necessarily mean being knowledgeable about mechanisms.

As for poisons, although you possess an immune system to all poisons, the Tang Clan is the originator of poisons in the world, and there's no guarantee that there aren't a few rare and unusual poisons that even your internal strength can't withstand.

Song Zhaoxue raised her hand to interrupt, her voice soft but her tone serious, her concern undisguised.

Ever since Song Zhaoxue learned about that past event, her guilt towards Li Fu has grown day by day. She has devoted almost all her attention to him, and her words are full of feelings of indebtedness and a desire to make amends.

"I am knowledgeable in some mechanical arts, and I possess a Heavenly Centipede Pearl that can counteract potent poisons and venomous creatures; it can be of assistance to you."

"The Heavenly Centipede Pearl, what is that?"

Li Fu raised an eyebrow.

"This—this is all thanks to the Five Poisons Token you gave me."

Song Zhaoxue bit her lip and said.

Li Fu remembered that he had obtained a Five Poisons Divine Token from Yi She, one of the Twelve Fierce Killers, and then casually handed it to Song Zhaoxue.

"I heard long ago that the Five Poisons Sect has a secret medicine that can cure epilepsy by mixing the five poisons with it, and I want to obtain it to cure my father's madness."

When I saw the Five Poisons Divine Token, I had a thought in my mind—

I secretly controlled some people in the Five Poisons Sect by using the Five Poisons Token, and the Heavenly Centipede Pearl is one of the sect's most precious treasures.

It is said to be a kind of insect-like substance formed from the corpse of a very powerful, exotic centipede after its death. When placed on the skin or wounds, it can absorb the potent venom from the poisoned person and repel all kinds of snakes, insects, and rodents.

Night deepened.

After the drumbeats rang three times inside Tangjia Manor, all was silent.

As Li Fu was preparing to leave, he heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw Song Zhaoxue standing three steps behind him, wearing a dark blue bodysuit and a half-covered black veil, revealing only a pair of calm, watery eyes.

He frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "You—you really want to come with me?"

"More people means more protection. My martial arts skills have also improved since we parted ways, so I won't become a burden to you."

Li Fu glanced at her and said, "Stay close to me, don't stray more than three steps away. If there's any movement, I'll take action, and you'll have to protect yourself."

A hint of a smile flashed in Song Zhaoxue's eyes, and she nodded slightly.

Without another word, the two, one in front and one behind, took advantage of the shadow of the rooftop, and with a leap, silently disappeared into the night like falling leaves.

He used the Soul Transfer Technique, and wherever he went, the night patrol disciples looked over but seemed to see nothing. In their eyes, it was no different from usual.

Li Fu then walked as if he were in an empty place, with his hands behind his back and his steps unhurried, passing through many courtyards and heading straight for the flower garden courtyard he had seen during the day.

Song Zhaoxue followed behind, greatly surprised.

"What kind of martial arts are you using?"

Although Song Zhaoxue had heard that Li Fu's martial arts had improved so much since their separation that it was like a myth, she was still surprised to see him make people feel like they were in a dream with his every move.

"The Soul Transfer Technique," Li Fu replied simply.

They traveled without hindrance and soon arrived at the small flower garden courtyard they had visited during the day.

The two landed in the shadow of the east corner of the courtyard wall. Li Fu listened for a moment. The courtyard was quiet. He lightly touched the ground with his toes and silently climbed over the wall, landing in the shadow of an osmanthus tree.

Song Zhaoxue followed closely behind, her clothes fluttering as she landed without disturbing a single fallen leaf.

Under the moonlight, the flowers and trees in the courtyard were shrouded in a hazy mist.

A gentle night breeze carries the fragrance of flowers, adding a touch of tranquility compared to the daytime.

Li Fu glanced around and saw a figure sitting on the stone steps.

It was the same maid named Xinghua from earlier that day.

She did not rest. She was dressed in old cloth clothes, with a copper pot on her lap and several pots of epiphyllum blooming at her feet. The white petals were almost translucent in the moonlight.

She didn't look at the flowers, but instead tilted her head back, gazing absently at the starry sky. She gripped the handle of the copper kettle, but forgot to water it. Her lips moved slightly as she murmured something.

Li Fu strained his ears and vaguely heard her calling, "Miss—Miss—"

The voice was extremely soft, filled with unspeakable hesitation and pain.

Song Zhaoxue and Li Fu exchanged a glance and nodded slightly.

She straightened her clothes, removed the black veil from her face to reveal her true appearance, and then slowly walked out from the shadows of the flowers and trees.

Xinghua was lost in her thoughts when she suddenly heard footsteps coming from the other end of the flower path. Startled, she turned around abruptly. When she saw who it was, she recognized Song Zhaoxue, the one the eldest young master had told her during the day who was the daughter of the King of Chu and a noble lady of the royal family. She was speechless and almost dropped the bronze pot in her hand on the stone steps.

"You—you're here in the middle of the night?"

Xinghua hurriedly got up and was about to bow.

"Greetings, Miss Song!"

Song Zhaoxue quickened her pace, offered her hands in a gesture of support, and said gently, "No need for formalities. I apologize for the intrusion in visiting so late at night; I'm sorry to have startled you."

o

Xinghua stood there helplessly, her gaze darting nervously behind Song Zhaoxue.

She saw Li Fu standing under the osmanthus tree, the moonlight illuminating half of his face, making it appear snow-white, while the other half remained hidden in shadow. His expression was calm and still.

Seeing her surprise and doubt, Song Zhaoxue softened her voice.

"During the day, I saw you raise your eyes several times in this courtyard, as if you wanted to say something but then stopped."

Both Officer Li and I saw it.

Is there something you want to say to us?

Xinghua trembled all over, her lips quivered, and her hands gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, her knuckles turning white.

Her gaze lingered on Song Zhaoxue's gentle face for a moment before quickly falling back down. After a long pause, she managed to squeeze out a sentence from her throat: "This servant—this servant has nothing to say."

Song Zhaoxue stepped forward, no more than three feet away from her, her voice even lower and softer.

"Don't be afraid. There's no one else here, the young master isn't here, and we won't tell anyone what you said. Just speak."

"Miss, she—no, I have nothing to say."

Xinghua raised her head, her eyes already filled with tears. Her lips moved a few times, her voice trembling with sobs. Her hands trembled like autumn leaves in the wind, and tears fell in a downpour, but she could not utter another word.

Song Zhaoxue saw this and her heart sank.

I still dare not speak of the apricot blossoms.

The ruthless methods of the Tang Clan are widely known in the martial arts world.

If a maid reveals a secret she shouldn't, her fate will likely be worse than death.

Fear was ingrained in this maid's bones and could not be dispelled by a few kind words.

She turned to look at Li Fu, her eyes filled with a hint of helplessness, and shook her head slightly.

Li Fu stood quietly under the osmanthus tree, taking in all of this.

Seeing that Song Zhaoxue had done her best, but Xinghua's defenses were not easily broken by ordinary words, he stopped waiting and stepped forward.

"My lord, I—"

As Xinghua saw him approaching, she thought she would be tortured if she didn't speak up, so she instinctively took two steps back, her back pressed against the flower stand, with nowhere left to retreat.

Li Fu spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice seemingly carrying some strange, magical power that pierced through her panic.

Don't be afraid.

Look into my eyes.

Xinghua froze, her eyes meeting his without her having time to think.

But in Li Fu's eyes, a dark light swirled, and deep within his pupils seemed to be two vortexes slowly rotating, from shallow to deep, from slow to fast.

Within that vortex, stars seemed to flicker, yet it also seemed to contain a dark vortex, drawing one's mind in inch by inch.

The look of panic on Xinghua's face froze at first, then faded away inch by inch, leaving only an empty and soft blankness.

Her hands stopped trembling, her tears stopped, and she stood still, as quiet as a clay sculpture.

Song Zhaoxue, who was watching from the side, was deeply shocked.

What... what kind of strange martial art is this?

A living person looked like a lost soul at Li Fu's gaze.

Seeing that she was completely under control, Li Fu finally spoke up and asked a question.

"What do you want to say to us during the day?"

Xinghua spoke in a flat and slow voice, carrying a long-suppressed sorrow.

"Miss—it's about Miss—it's about Miss, it's related to Miss's disappearance—"

really----

Li Fu's heart skipped a beat. He exchanged a glance with Song Zhaoxue and then asked, "What's wrong, Miss?"

Xinghua stared blankly and spoke.

Before she disappeared, the young lady was filled with anxiety, extreme pain, and utterly terrified, as if she knew something was about to happen.

She used to be unable to sleep all night and would often sit by the window in a daze for one or two hours at a time.

When the maid asked her what was wrong, she wouldn't say, only shaking her head and weeping. During the day, she was like a frightened bird; the slightest footstep outside the door would make her tremble all over.

She paused here, as if the memory was too heavy, and even her mind, which was under control, needed to slow down before continuing.

"Miss is wary of people. She seems afraid of being harmed. I have served her for seven years and have never seen her like that before."

Before she left, she said to me—

Xinghua's voice trembled with a sob: "She said—if there's a chance, you must leave the Tang family. You can't stay in the Tang family any longer; staying any longer will definitely be dangerous."

As she spoke, she held the servant's hand, which trembled violently, and her eyes were full of tears.

When the maid asked her where she was going, she just shook her head and said she didn't know, but she had to go, or it would be too late; she had to do something—

There's something I absolutely have to do.

Li Fu frowned.

"And then?"

"Later, the young lady packed a small bundle, took only a few changes of clothes and some silver, and left overnight."

I originally thought that Miss ran away because the head of the household was unhappy with the marriage arranged by the emperor.

Two days later, news came from outside that the young lady had been kidnapped at the gate of the Tang family's residence.

As Xinghua spoke, her expression remained blank, and tears streamed down her face again.

She murmured, "Miss treats me extremely well, she has never hit or scolded me, and she treats me like a younger sister."

She always thought of saving some of the best food and clothes for her maids.

But this servant—this servant is afraid, afraid that if I say these things, the Tang family will beat this servant who betrayed her to death—this servant is cowardly, this servant deserves to die, this servant is sorry, Miss—”

She kept repeating "This servant deserves to die," her voice growing softer and softer until only her lips moved, barely audible.

Li Fu and Song Zhaoxue exchanged a glance.

The original news about this case was that Tang Ling, the ninth young lady of the Tang Clan, was kidnapped at the entrance of the Tang Clan's territory as usual, and her whereabouts were unknown.

However, what Xinghua said was completely different.

Tang Ling did not go out normally; instead, she packed her bags and fled under cover of night. She escaped from the Tang family and that's when she "disappeared."

Thoughts raced through Li Fu's mind.

If Tang Ling wanted to escape from the Tang family on her own, then the claim that she was kidnapped is highly questionable.

Why did Tang Ling run away from her home?

Why did the Tang Clan claim their daughter's escape was abduction? What were they trying to cover up?

What happened to Tang Ling?

Did they escape and hide, or were they actually kidnapped?

Or perhaps—the Tang family themselves kidnapped her and then fabricated a kidnapping story to silence outsiders.

Li Fu pondered for a moment, then asked, "Do you know why Tang Ling wanted to leave? Whom does she need to be wary of in the Tang family? And what kind of danger is she referring to?"

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