Chapter 2 (1/2)
FRS: Chapter 2 – Unknown Murderer (2)
Translator: Momoe Pom
TLC: Puissansa
Editor: Isabelle
First Published on Ainus.h.i.+.
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The night was deep and quiet.
Fan JiJing tossed and turned in his bed, unable to fall asleep.
In this dark night, past memories flowed inside his head like a river. Bu LouLian's voice and figure had never been clearer, as if he was standing right there in the darkness watching him in silence.
But he would never see him again.
He felt like something was squeezing his chest, making him unable to breathe.
Bang.
A small stone hit the window lattice.
Fan JiJing pushed aside the blanket, threw on a robe, and got up.
The window was half open. A thin ray of moonlight slipped in and s.h.i.+ned on him, creating an illusion of transparency. He walked to the window and saw a solid figure bathing in moonlight with his back to him. The unbound hair appeared white under the moon.
”s.h.i.+di…” whispered Fan JiJing, looking puzzled.
s.h.i.+ JiZhong slowly turned his head.
He was not a good looking man; he had a hooked nose, a long chin, and sharp facial features that stood out even more in the moonlight. Although he was only sixteen, he looked more like someone who was already thirty-six years old. Every part of him revealed a kind of steadiness that could only be found in elders.
”Third s.h.i.+xiong.” His voice sounded hoa.r.s.e, indicating his transformation from a boy to a man.
JiJing rubbed his chest gently, as if trying to rub away the knot there. ”Still awake?”
”I can't fall asleep.”
Fan JiJing sighed. His face turned gloomy. ”Because of what happened to Master? Same here.”
”No.” s.h.i.+ JiZhong paused for a moment, then said, ”I ate too fast tonight, still feeling choked.”
…..
”Oh.” Fan JiJing replied after a long silence: ”Then eat more slowly in future.”
”Okay.”
The air that was once heavy became neither here nor there.
”Was it you who knocked on my window?” Fan JiJing asked.
”Yes.”
”What's the matter?”
”It was an accident. I was throwing stones.” s.h.i.+ JiZhong lied without the tiniest change on his face.
Fan JiJing blinked. He seemed to believe him. ”The wind is strong at night. You should go back now and rest early.”
s.h.i.+ JiZhong pressed his lips together, then spoke in a low voice: ”Master had never planned to teach you Xianlian Sword.”
Fan JiJing, who was just starting to go back inside, suddenly halted and turned around slowly to look at him.
s.h.i.+ JiZhong continued without turning a hair: ”Eldest s.h.i.+xiong asked me to tell you.”
Fan JiJing looked at him with a pair of eyes that had never looked more serious. ”I lost my parents when I was young, and it was Master who raised me. His kindness is unmeasurable. To me, being able to learn Xianlian Sword or not was not important. The only thing in my mind right now is to arrest the murderer, so that I can comfort Master's soul.”
Seeing the determination in his eyes, s.h.i.+ JiZhong nodded emotionlessly and said, ”I see. I’ll go back to my room now.”
Fan JiJing had long been used to his indifference.
When Bu LouLian was still alive, he once evaluated all of his disciples. Guan Xing is calm enough, but he has no motivation. Zhu LiaoDa is ambitious, but he is too tactful. ShangGuan DingNing is clever on trivial matters, but she tends go blank on serious issues. s.h.i.+ JiZhong is calm, but he is too indifferent like a piece of ice. As for him…
Fan JiJing looked up at the moon and let out a soft sigh.
The next day.
A light grey tinted the eastern sky, and all creatures were still struggling around half asleep when Song BoLin arrived with the rest of disciples in the Jiuhua Sect.
Fan JiJing slept late last night. After he woke up, all he could feel was his head spinning and his ears ringing. ShangGuan DingNing had to call him twice before he could hear her.
Zhu LiaoDa was anxiously pacing in the yard.
Both Guan Xing and s.h.i.+ JiZhong looked at him indifferently, as if it had nothing to do with them.
”Third s.h.i.+xiong, you are the only one here who is free of suspicion. Quick! Think of a way for us to prove our innocence.” ShangGuan DingNing urged.
Fan JiJing smacked himself on the head, as if he was trying to slap the befuddlement out of his head. ”I already told s.h.i.+shu yesterday that different things may share similar appearances. It's the same for skills. Maybe the move that the killer used was just similar to 'Wan Hai Kuang Chao.' Insisting that the killer belongs to the Jiuhua Sect solely based on this… It's too arbitrary.”
Like a drowning man clutching a straw, Zhu LiaoDa nodded furiously, saying, ”That's right.”
Guan Xing said, ”What you just said would be possible if it was any other move. However, the wound created by 'Wan Hai Kuang Chao' is unique.”
Fan JiJing was taken by surprise.
Out of all the people here, he and ShangGuan DingNing were the only two who had never learnt Xianlian Sword. Therefore, they had no idea what kind of move 'Wan Hai Kuang Chao' was.
Zhu LiaoDa's face tensed up again. He gave Guan Xing an angry look. ”Eldest s.h.i.+xiong.”
Guan Xing responded nonchalantly, ”Only solid evidence can purge oneself of suspicion. Desperately clutching at any straws will just make oneself more suspicious.”
Zhu LiaoDa tried hard to stay calm, asking, ”Then, does eldest s.h.i.+xiong have any countermeasures against this?”