Fairy, you call this repaying a debt of gratitude?

Chapter 98 The Taste (4k)

Everything had come to an end. After paying their respects to Gu Lengyue's mother together, the two prepared to return to the small town where they had lived for several months and resume their peaceful lives.

But just then, a voice stopped them.

"You can't leave yet."

Gu Lengyue was slightly taken aback by the sound, a look of confusion and bewilderment appearing on her face. She subconsciously looked in the direction of the sound.

Upon hearing this, Shen Wei frowned immediately, then turned around and replied with an unfriendly expression, "I didn't expect it to be you."

"Even now, you still haven't given up your wicked intentions."

The figure slowly emerging from the end of the snowstorm was none other than Zhang Jingchu.

The moment she finished speaking, almost instantly, Shen Wei's sword was already at her side, and at the same time, his cold voice came from behind her: "I have no desire to fight anymore, and I don't want to hurt anyone."

"But if someone insists on harassing me and won't even let me live such a simple life, then I can't guarantee that his life will be spared."

The sword was held against her neck, and she could even feel its chill, but Zhang Jingchu showed no fear and appeared quite calm.

She seemed to have calculated that Shen Wei wouldn't dare kill her.

In fact, Shen Wei would not kill her, not because he was afraid.

It's just because it's troublesome. Zhang Jingchu is a member of the imperial court and has a special status. Killing her would only attract more attention from the court.

He just wants to live a peaceful life now and doesn't want to openly confront such a behemoth.

My decisive sword strike was merely intended to scare her and make her back down.

If she knows when to back down, then the matter will be over. But if she insists on being unreasonable and obstructing things, then he wouldn't mind adding another bloody incident to the mix.

"So, you're planning to retire from this life?"

Shen Wei replied indifferently, "More or less."

"I can help you," Zhang Jingchu said frankly.

Shen Wei's gaze turned slightly cold, carrying a hint of mockery: "You'll help me?"

"Leaving aside why you offered your help and how you intend to help, do you think I would need the charity or assistance of someone from the imperial court?"

Zhang Jingchu did not answer him directly; her gaze fell on Gu Lengyue: "You should know her identity."

Shen Wei's expression darkened slightly.

Gu Lengyue's lineage from the previous dynasty's royal family had already been told to him personally when they first came into contact with the Dragon Imprisoning Formation.

"Not only do you know this, but His Majesty the Emperor also knows it. That's why we're here before you."

"Even if you kill me today, there will be a constant stream of stronger people coming to harass you in the future. You will not be able to escape in the end."

Just then, a voice came from the mountainside: "What's your identity? I don't know you at all!"

Then, a figure appeared before everyone, hands on hips and panting heavily; it was Qiu Wuhen.

He looked up and saw that his companion's neck was being held by a sword, and the difference between life and death was just a hair's breadth away.

"Hey! Young hero!" Qiu Wuhen quickly spoke up to dissuade him, "Let's talk this out! My companion just has low emotional intelligence..."

Being too blunt can be annoying, but does it warrant taking a life?

Shen Wei's grip on the sword did not loosen even slightly.

Zhang Jingchu completely ignored Qiu Wuhen and continued, "Do you think His Majesty would let this go so easily, given her status?"

Shen Wei fell silent. Gu Lengyue was a descendant of the previous dynasty's royal family. Although she herself had no thoughts about the restoration or the struggle for imperial power, she was even full of resistance to it.

But as long as Gu Lengyue lives, the current emperor will be restless day and night. If this continues, the two of them will never be able to live a truly peaceful life.

After a brief silence, Shen Wei looked up at Zhang Jingchu's slender figure and spoke: "You offered to help, and it's not just out of simple altruism. Tell me, what is your purpose?"

Shen Wei didn't ask her how she could help him first, because he was more curious about why she wanted to help him.

"Of course, it's not just about simply helping you."

She paused, then continued, "I want to confirm some things with you."

"Something?"

Shen Wei raised an eyebrow, his doubts growing stronger.

"Some past events."

"Just for this?"

"Just for this?" Zhang Jingchu frowned, urging him, seeing his tense expression. "You're usually so decisive, why are you being so hesitant and indecisive? Can't you be a little more efficient?"

Shen Wei remained silent for a moment, then slightly tightened his wrist, and the long sword hanging high slowly returned to its sheath.

If it's just asking about past events, there shouldn't be any problems.

Rather than completely antagonizing each other and inviting endless trouble, it's better to accept this deal for now.

"Okay, go ahead and ask."

Zhang Jingchu turned around, her pretty face was extremely heroic, her eyebrows and eyes were sharp and cold, her features were distinct, and the wind blew through her black hair, revealing a unique temperament.

Zhang Jingchu lowered her eyes, seemingly organizing her thoughts. After a moment of contemplation, she voiced the question that had been weighing on her mind for many years: "Seven years ago, on the day of the massacre at the Lu family mansion in the capital, what exactly happened?"

Shen Wei was stunned upon hearing this.

He knew perfectly well that the person in front of him was referring to the massacre that had befallen his family, a secret hidden deep within his heart.

His gaze and tone, which had just softened somewhat, turned completely cold again: "Just who are you?"

Seeing Shen Wei's extreme reaction, Zhang Jingchu frowned as well: "What does my identity have to do with what happened back then?"

"If there's no connection, why are you insisting on asking about this?"

Zhang Jingchu sighed helplessly. She knew that if she didn't explain the reason clearly, the conversation would not be able to continue.

"Lord Lu was the foremost Confucian scholar of his time, possessing profound knowledge and upright character. He was highly regarded by His Majesty and was a virtuous minister of great importance in the court. However, seven years ago, the Lu family was tragically wiped out overnight, with no one surviving."

Listening to others calmly recount the tragedy that wiped out their families, Shen Wei felt a strange and surreal feeling, as if it had happened to someone else, but he knew it was something that had truly happened to him.

"The murder of a favored minister at the foot of the capital was enough to shake the foundations of the nation. Yet, after the incident, the entire capital was eerily silent; no one dared to mention it or submit a memorial. Even His Majesty deliberately avoided the topic and remained completely silent."

"Isn't that suspicious?"

Zhang Jingchu recounted her findings from her investigations over the years.

Shen Wei keenly picked up on the phrase "not a single person survived" from Zhang Jingchu's words.

This suggests that she was unaware of her own identity, so why was she so certain that she knew the truth about that matter?

"So, you're just curious about the truth of what happened back then?"

"It's not just curiosity."

"When I was young, the Zhang family was implicated in a wrongful case and framed. All the men were convicted, and the remaining women, children and infants were to be exiled to the far north and into the bitter cold."

"At that time, the court and the public were silent, and no one dared to speak out for the Zhang family. It was Lu Wengong who, with his benevolent heart and under pressure from the court, secretly petitioned and cleared our name, thus avoiding the fate of being exiled to the far north."

"Everyone says that Lu Wengong is upright and cautious by nature and does not get involved in old cases of factional strife. No one knows that he originally had no intention of getting involved in this complicated old grudge in the court. It was only after he accidentally heard a secret truth and learned about the injustice done to the Zhang family that he resolutely took action."

"He saved my Zhang family's life and is someone I admire and respect all my life. I have been looking forward to growing up and repaying his kindness since I was a child. But just a few years later, the Lu family was brutally wiped out overnight. Since there is no way to repay his kindness, the only thing I can do is to do everything I can to find out the truth of what happened that night."

Shen Wei was stunned. He had never imagined that Zhang Jingchu's motives would be like this.

Moreover, her words reminded him of events from several years ago. He vaguely remembered that when he was young, he lived in the Lu family mansion and overheard servants gossiping about secret injustices in the imperial court.

When he found out, he casually mentioned it to his father at the dinner table.

He never took it to heart, but he never expected that his father would secretly investigate and work tirelessly because of his casual remark, ultimately saving this innocent family.

But Shen Wei did not intend to tell Zhang Jingchu these things, as that would undoubtedly expose his identity.

So he remained calm and feigned confusion, speaking again: "But why did you specifically come to me? What makes you so sure I know the inside story from seven years ago?"

"Based on the taste."

"The taste?" Shen Wei frowned slightly, puzzled.

"smell?"

"It's a unique perception of mine," Zhang Jingchu explained slowly. "I have a special constitution that allows me to perceive different 'scents'."

I can distinguish different things. Of course, this doesn't mean that I can actually smell things that ordinary people can't smell. Everything in front of me has its unique characteristics. I just figuratively call it "smell".

"I once visited the old residence of the Lu family, many years after that tragedy. No one repaired it, and no one dared to encroach on or damage it."

"It has remained unchanged, standing tall at the foot of the imperial city, giving people an indescribable feeling. At the same time, there is a very unique smell that has not been able to dissipate even after a long time."

"It's the scent that's constantly emanating from you right now."

"Therefore, I am certain that what happened back then must be related to you."

But seeing Zhang Jingchu's confident and certain demeanor, he knew she wasn't lying. That aura that had lingered around him for years...

The answer to the chilling aura that originated from the same source as the Lu family mansion was already obvious—it was the evil dragon that had been entrenched within him and accompanied him as he grew up.

Shen Wei was stunned. He had never heard of such a strange constitution in his life, but if she was so certain that she possessed a scent that was the same as the scent lingering in the Lu residence—

It's not impossible.

As for the taste she mentioned, it must have originated from the evil dragon that resides within him and has accompanied him ever since.

But Shen Wei remained silent at this moment, because he didn't know how to answer.

Should I tell her my true identity and everything that really happened that day, or should I continue to hide the past and keep my secret?

But if he were to deliberately conceal it, how would he explain the "smell" on his body?

"I've finished explaining, it's your turn."

Seeing that Shen Wei was still pondering, she seemed to see through his concerns and said, "I don't care what role you played in what happened back then. You just need to tell me everything you know."

"But what if I tell you the truth, and you later change your mind?"

Shen Wei had been traveling alone for many years. He was cautious by nature and rarely trusted people easily.

"I mean what I say," Zhang Jingchu said crisply. "If you don't believe me, this deal is off."

Shen Wei was surprised that Zhang Jingchu was so decisive.

He closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, carefully weighing the pros and cons, and finally nodded slowly, agreeing to the deal.

He thought about it and realized that there seemed to be nothing wrong with telling her about those past events.

He then slowly revealed the inside story he knew from back then, deliberately concealing the existence of the Evil Dragon Fiend and also hiding the fact that Gu Hanfeng was the real culprit who wiped out the family back then.

"So this is the secret behind that tragedy."

Qiu Wuhen listened silently from the side and said with some emotion.

After listening, Zhang Jingchu didn't speak immediately. She carefully processed his account of the massacre, then looked up at him and asked, "That's all?"

That's all.

In fact, he couldn't say he fully knew the cause and effect of that tragedy.

Moreover, he belatedly realized that the massacre of his entire family was far more complex than it appeared on the surface.

There seems to be a much larger and more secretive conspiracy behind it all, but Gu Hanfeng, the old man, and everyone he knew who was involved in the matter were all dead, and there was no way to verify it.

Moreover, he had already promised Gu Lengyue that he would let go of the past and no longer dwell on old grudges.

Zhang Jingchu crossed her arms and gave him a meaningful look.

"Well, it's not like we gained nothing at all."

"So, how are you going to help me?"

He was quite curious and wanted to see what this woman was capable of that could make the suspicious emperor completely let go of his fear of the previous dynasty's descendants and spare him and Gu Lengyue.

"I'm only promising to help you. As for how, I don't need to tell you."

"Very well." Shen Wei nodded slightly.

Now that things have come to this, he can only hope that she will keep her word.

""

If she can't do it, he's not afraid; he'll just deal with whatever comes his way.

"The deal is done, let's go."

As soon as Zhang Jingchu finished speaking, she turned around and was about to leave.

Qiu Wuhen was completely confused and quickly followed, muttering under his breath, "A deal? What deal? Hey, I just came up here and I'm leaving already? I should have waited for you down here."

The two gradually disappeared at the end of the mountain.

Shen Wei stared at the two figures as they walked away, lost in thought. After a moment, he turned back to Gu Lengyue's side.

"What happened?" Gu Lengyue raised her beautiful eyes to look at him, a hint of worry in them.

The two had just drawn their swords at each other after a disagreement, and she couldn't help but worry about them.

Although she knew Shen Wei was incredibly powerful, and few in the world could harm him in the slightest, she still couldn't feel at ease. Only when the two sides finally reconciled did her anxiety subside slightly, but she couldn't help but wonder what exactly had happened between them.

Shen Wei gently explained the whole story to her.

"So that's how it is."

The girl murmured softly to herself.

Shen Wei continued, "That way, no one should bother us anymore."

Gu Lengyue softly replied, "I hope so."

Shen Wei nodded. From now on, he just needed to live a peaceful life with her; as for the rest—

Let it all quietly dissipate along with this snowfall in the mountains.