Chapter 12 (1/2)
FRS: Chapter 12 – Unknown Truth (3)
Translator: Momoe Pom
TLC: Puissansa
Editor: Isabelle
Quality Check: Kai
First Published on Ainus.h.i.+.
Fan JiJing dumbly followed up with a question: ”What kind of improper desires?”
Laughter flashed across Guan Xing's eyes, then he looked at Hua HuaiXiu.
Hua HuaiXiu turned his head while making a few dry coughs.
Fan JiJing looked perplexedly at the two of them. Suddenly, he realized something and hurriedly added, ”Well, it's not like we are dead things with no sympathy. As long as it doesn't stand in the way of others, whether it's a man or a woman isn't a big concern.”
Right after he started to talk, he saw Hua HuaiXiu staring at him with sparkling eyes. He immediately explained superfluously: ”If eldest s.h.i.+xiong and fifth s.h.i.+di are fond of each other, it will be a nice thing.”
”But after Master knew about it, he flew into a rage like a thunder.” Guan Xing let out a sigh and pulled up his sleeve, revealing a sword wound on his arm. ”This wound was inflicted by Master.”
Hua HuaiXiu asked, ”Was it because that you insisted to not give up on s.h.i.+ JiZhong that your Master wanted to kill him?”
Guan Xing's pupils slightly contracted, faintly revealing a sign of self-condemnation. He shook his head and answered, ”No. I swore to Master on that day that I would desist my thoughts for fifth s.h.i.+di henceforth.”
Fan JiJing asked with confusion, ”If that was the case, why did Master still decide to teach fifth s.h.i.+di the incomplete Xianlian Sword?”
Hua HuaiXiu darted him a sour glance and said, ”Is a relations.h.i.+p something you can give up on just by saying so?”
Fan JiJing said, ”But eldest s.h.i.+xiong had already sworn.”
Hua HuaiXiu said, ”If I swear to you that I will not like you anymore, that would surely be a lie as well.”
Fan JiJing's face suffused auburn, like the color of livers.
Guan Xing was not the even slightly surprised by Hua HuaiXiu's sudden confession. ”You're right. The only reason why I swore was because of my fear of Master harming fifth s.h.i.+di, but if Master really intended to do so, how was my little oath able to stop him? Afterwards, when he said that he would teach us three Xianlian Sword at the same time, I sensed something queer about it.”
All of a sudden, Hua HuaiXiu interrupted: ”It seems like you were always on guard against your master?”
Guan Xing looked at Fan JiJing meaningfully.
Fan JiJing sighed, ”Master was always strict with his disciples.”
He said it euphemistically, but how could the two people here not understand what he had implied?
Guan Xing said, ”Master taught each of us the Xianlian Sword separately, saying that he wanted to test our talent in learning martial arts. But I knew it could not be that simple, so I asked fifth s.h.i.+di to show me what he had learned in private and thus found out that Master did not teach him the last move. I had asked Master several times, beating around the bush, and finally learned that the last moves were the finis.h.i.+ng moves. If one doesn't learn them before practicing, it can easily cause them to lose control over their qi.”
Hua HuaiXiu softly gave his forehead a few knocks with his fingers. ”After hearing this, I would say that your master really gave much thought to it.”
Fan JiJing asked, ”Gave much thought to it?”
Hua HuaiXiu replied, ”He made such a roundabout just to harm his own disciples, can you say that he hadn't given much thought to it?”
Guan Xing said, ”Master has always valued his reputation greatly. Not to mention a crime as serious as killing one’s own disciples, even for a minor misunderstanding, he would usually explain it over and over till the other party agrees to never mention it again.”
Hua HuaiXiu slowly put down his hands and rested them on the table, but his eyes remained fixated on Guan Xing. He said steadily, ”But in this way, your motive for murdering your master becomes quite clear.”
As long as Bu LouLian was alive, not only could Guan Xing not be together with s.h.i.+ JiZhong, but even s.h.i.+ JiZhong's life was in danger. Under such pressure, both Guan Xing and s.h.i.+ JiZhong had motives to kill Bu LouLian.
Guan Xing nodded without changing his expression: ”I've already thought it through before I came. I’m not the murderer, but neither do I have evidence to prove it for sure.”
Hua HuaiXiu's face suddenly relaxed as he laughed: ”Actually, I'm willing to believe in you.”
Guan Xing said, ”To me, the position of zhangmen is only something of little value. But if I say that I don’t want it, there were indeed a few years when I looked forward to it; if I say I want it, it’s actually a hot potato.”
”A hot potato?” Hua HuaiXiu listened carefully.
Guan Xing explained, ”There is only one position of zhangmen, but there's more than just one person coveting it.”
Fan JiJing said, ”Perhaps, second s.h.i.+xiong is just momentarily confused right now.”
”It’s not just him,” said Hua HuaiXiu. ”Don’t forget that I mentioned your s.h.i.+shu before as well.”
Guan Xing fell silent, which equaled acquiescence.
Fan JiJing asked uncertainly, ”Then what should we do?”
Guan Xing pondered for a long time, then slowly opened his mouth: ”I don’t have proof of my innocence, but s.h.i.+shu and second s.h.i.+di don’t either.”
Hua HuaiXiu felt a sudden pulse in his heart, as if he had thought of something. The pair of his slender eyebrows immediately wrung into a twist.
Guan Xing turned a blind eye to him and continued, ”The succession of the position of zhangmen permits no delay, but at the same time we can't let anyone in suspicion get their way. After thinking over it a couple times, there’s only one solution.”
Hua HuaiXiu uttered abruptly, ”No way!”
Guan Xing looked at him apathetically.
Hua HuaiXiu said, ”Even if you agree, you s.h.i.+shu might not agree.”
Guan Xing replied leisurely, ”You are not my s.h.i.+shu, how can you tell whether they’ll agree or not?”
Hua HuaiXiu asked, ”Didn’t you just say that they had ambitions as well?”