Chapter 2

“The deerskin map,” Meng Xin Yi reminded.

“Oh right, what’s that?” Compared to earlier, Shen Yao Xing was obviously asking with some distraction, her eyes constantly surveying the dishes on the table.

Hmm, better tasting than those in the capital.

Meng Xin Yi didn’t mind, took a sip of tea and continued to explain to her: “Before the Four Directions Society and the Eternal Life Pavilion, there was an old predecessor who was at the top of the jianghu. She was the only person to date who could summon the various heroes of the jianghu and have them obey her commands. It is said that before her death, she hid her life’s work in a place, and this place was drawn on deerskin, divided into five pieces.”

“Initially, these five deerskin maps were in one person’s possession. After that person was killed, the five deerskin maps were fought over by the world, until now, two of them were obtained by the Eternal Life Pavilion, one fell to the Four Directions Society, and the other two are still missing.”

“Everyone would stop at nothing for these maps, killing for them was not uncommon, until the suppression by the Eternal Life Pavilion and the Four Directions Society somewhat calmed this turmoil.”

Although people had different intentions, they didn’t have the guts to go and rob, they could only restrain their restless ambitions and wait for an opportunity. Now that the Four Directions Society is so generous to give up the map, their purpose is probably not simple.

Shen Yao Xing took a bite of the shortbread in her hand and said indistinctly, “In that case, hasn’t this thing become a troublemaker?”

Meng Xin Yi made no comment.

“Eat more.” Seeing the person opposite only drinking tea and not eating, Shen Yao Xing picked up a piece of chicken breast and put it in her bowl.

Meng Xin Yi glanced at the meat in the bowl, slightly raised her eyebrows and looked at her, “Are you full?”

“How could I be? I haven’t even started eating yet.”

After saying that, she picked up another chicken leg and started gnawing on it. It’s a pity there’s no chili, otherwise dipping it in soy sauce and chili would be the best.

“By the way.” Shen Yao Xing wiped her mouth, the greasiness on her hands made her a bit disgusted, she wiped hard, then curiously asked, “Since so many people are fighting for that deerskin map thing, what’s hidden in it must be some kind of treasure, right?”

“Naturally.”

“Then what exactly is it?”

What is it? Meng Xin Yi hesitated for a moment, slowly put down her chopsticks: “I don’t know exactly what it is, or perhaps, no one knows, because no one has ever found that place. I’m afraid only that old predecessor and the person who once held all five maps know what’s inside.”

Huh?

Shen Yao Xing forcefully swallowed the mouthful of food, somewhat incredulously: “You don’t know anything, yet you’re fighting to the death over it?!”

These people must have gone mad, actually able to kill over an unknown thing. For Shen Yao Xing, who was quite satisfied with being able to eat, sleep, and live freely, she expressed that she couldn’t understand at all.

Isn’t it good to live and eat a few more mouthfuls of food?

“It’s all human desire at work.” Meng Xin Yi said softly. After saying this, she was silent for a moment, looking at the woman’s face full of disbelief opposite her, her eyes as clear as those of a young lady who had grown up sheltered by her family, ignorant of worldly affairs.

Shen Yao Xing felt uncomfortable under her direct gaze, clenched her fist and put it to her mouth, coughing lightly twice: “Why are you looking at me?”

She thought she would restrain her gaze because of this, but she still underestimated this woman’s thick skin. Only to see Meng Xin Yi’s smile at the corner of her lips deepening, half-jokingly saying: “Naturally because you’re good-looking. It’s just a pity that we’re both women. If you were a man, I would certainly marry you and live a happy life in the jianghu with you.”

“……”

The fist Shen Yao Xing was holding faintly showed blue veins, her greasy hand slowly reached out to grab the woman’s collar, pulling her close, revealing a ferocious smile on her face.

Her expression was so amiable that it made one’s heart tremble.

“If you dare to joke like this again in the future, I’ll let you know what true happiness is.” Every word seemed to be spat out from between her teeth. Meng Xin Yi knew she was really angry, and immediately stopped, repeatedly begging for mercy.

“Alright, alright, I won’t say it again in the future!”

It’s strange to say, this person doesn’t seem to have a sturdy build like those women, delicate and tender just like those young gentlemen, but her strength is extraordinarily great. Plus her excellent martial arts and profound internal energy, Meng Xin Yi really is no match for her.

Shen Yao Xing snorted lightly, only then releasing her.

Meng Xin Yi sighed, raised her hand to smooth out her collar, and continued: “I really don’t know what’s inside, only because it was left by that old predecessor. It’s rumored to be an inexhaustible treasure, or perhaps a divine weapon that could shock the martial arts world. Some even say there’s a medicine inside that can make people immortal.”

Sigh, the terrible thing about rumors is that they spread from one to ten, ten to a hundred, plus some people’s deliberate exaggeration. In the end, even a toothpick can be said to be a sea-calming magic needle. Just think about it, if there really was such a medicine, how could that old predecessor have died.

“However…”

Before Shen Yao Xing could finish her thoughts, Meng Xin Yi’s voice paused slightly.

“However what?”

Meng Xin Yi lowered her eyes, her gaze falling on the tea in front of her. She lightly tapped the table with her finger, causing a ripple in the calm tea: “However, there is a more reliable rumor that what’s hidden in there… is the Jianghu Decree that can command the jianghu!”

Jianghu Decree?

Just as Shen Yao Xing was about to ask more, she saw the person who had been composed suddenly stand up, walk a few steps to the window and stand still, her gaze falling on the first floor hall.

Shen Yao Xing followed her silhouette and looked back, her expression quite puzzled.

What’s going on?

“You……” Shen Yao Xing opened her mouth, but the words on the tip of her tongue stopped abruptly. It was only then that she realized that the inn, which had been as noisy as a market, was now unusually quiet. She could faintly hear the hawking sounds from the distant street.

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Realizing that something might be happening, Shen Yao Xing quickly wiped her hands clean, with a look of not wanting to miss out on the excitement, she leaned on the window sill to look down at the first floor.

The people who had been whispering to each other were now as quiet as chickens, most had lowered their heads, only a few women were staring intently at a certain place. Shen Yao Xing’s curious gaze followed where they were looking, falling on the counter directly below. She saw two figures, one in black and one in white, standing there, and could clearly hear the innkeeper’s voice, trembling with fear and slightly stuttering.

Shen Yao Xing propped up her head, tilted it, and looked at the tops of their heads.

The exposed skin of the person in black clothes was unusually fair, especially against the black fabric, it was pale to the point of being bloodless. Shen Yao Xing shook her head secretly, her gaze falling on the person in white clothes behind.

Snow-white robe with silver thread pattern trim, jade belt at the waist, all white but with a blood-red jade pendant hanging at the waist, shaped like a crescent moon, very eye-catching. From above, the face couldn’t be seen clearly at all. Even Shen Yao Xing, who had no interest in the men of this world, was somewhat curious about what the man’s face looked like.

Listening to the innkeeper’s increasingly stuttering voice, could these two be background killers?

Are they extremely ugly or breathtakingly beautiful? But looking at those women’s expressions, Shen Yao Xing had already guessed it was the latter. Having lived in this world for so many years, her aesthetic vocabulary had unconsciously changed, and she no longer thought any man was handsome.

A man breathtakingly beautiful……

Thinking of this, Shen Yao Xing couldn’t help but think of that neither-male-nor-female person she had bumped into today, and felt a chill in her heart.

That couldn’t even be called a man.

The curiosity that had risen instantly wilted.

“Who are they?” Shen Yao Xing still asked Meng Xin Yi beside her in a low voice. However, before the person beside her could answer, the person she was curious about suddenly raised his head without warning, his cold gaze colliding directly with hers.

A pair of long, narrow phoenix eyes entered her sight, the shape of the eyes extremely beautiful, inwardly hooked and outwardly upturned. From her angle, she could clearly see the dense and slightly curled long lashes and the mole below the outer corner of his left eye, which, matching those soul-stirring phoenix eyes, added a touch of bewitchment. However, those pitch-black pupils were like a bottomless abyss, showing no ripples or emotions, and the gaze that seemed to be looking at a dead person made one unconsciously shudder.

Because he was wearing a face veil, Shen Yao Xing couldn’t see his features clearly, but the exposed eyebrows and eyes were enough to make one amazed. Even Shen Yao Xing couldn’t help but praise, “Strangely beautiful.”

The man’s gaze only stayed on her face for a second before moving away, as if it was just a casual sweep.

Watching the two being personally escorted into the adjacent private room by the sweating innkeeper, Shen Yao Xing smacked her lips: “Who are those two? Why are you all like this?”

Meng Xin Yi silently looked at the adjacent room, seemingly not hearing her question. It wasn’t until she called several times that she hazily reacted: “What did you say?”

Shen Yao Xing repeated her previous question.

Meng Xin Yi frowned slightly, seeming somewhat disbelieving: “You don’t recognize him?”

Shen Yao Xing didn’t know whether her “him” referred to the man in black or the man in white, she just honestly shook her head.

“Snow-white clothes on the body, blood moon hanging at the waist. Even if not a person of the jianghu, everyone should know…”

“……” Shen Yao Xing found that this person was becoming increasingly long-winded. She was neither his father nor his mother, nor the worm in his belly, did she have to know him?

Meng Xin Yi sighed imperceptibly and slowly said: “He is the Young Master Ming Yue I mentioned to you before.”

Young Master Ming Yue?

This name was extremely familiar. Shen Yao Xing frowned in deep thought, vaguely remembering that along this journey, she seemed to hear this name mentioned from time to time by some people. There was also a title…

It seemed to be called something like the number one… beauty of the jianghu?

The two words “beauty” rushed into Shen Yao Xing’s mind, making her dizzy. Before she could digest this, she saw Meng Xin Yi continue.

“He not only has the reputation of being the number one beauty, but he is also the young master of the Eternal Life Pavilion. The master of the Eternal Life Pavilion is his mother.”

Huh? Shen Yao Xing’s motion of holding her forehead paused.

Isn’t that the modern version of a rich and handsome (rich and beautiful) official’s second generation? He’s already at the peak of life in a minute.

Shen Yao Xing listlessly grabbed a piece of sugar shortbread from the table and took a bite, drooping her shoulders, saying softly: “Whatever, it has nothing to do with me anyway. Let’s hurry up and finish eating and leave.”

“Leave? Where to?” That puzzled expression was as if she had said something stupid.

Shen Yao Xing suddenly had a bad premonition, her expression strange as she pointed at the ground with her index finger: “You don’t want to stay here, do you?”

“Of course not.”

Shen Yao Xing was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when she heard her say.

“In a while, I’ll go down and ask the innkeeper to open two rooms for us, we’ll rest in the rooms.”

“……” Shen Yao Xing was a bit annoyed, irritably scratching her hair: “Didn’t we agree to go play in Plum Blossom Creek for a few days? What are we doing staying here!”

Although sometimes she liked to watch the excitement, she really didn’t like staying in places with too many people for too long.

“We can go to Plum Blossom Creek later.” Meng Xin Yi sat down at the table, picked up the blue and white porcelain teacup, her gaze slowly turning towards her: “The treasure-hunting competition is in a few days, don’t you want to go and see the excitement?”

Shen Yao Xing didn’t listen to her persuasion, covering her head, her voice filled with resentment: “Since when did you become interested in this kind of thing?”

She remembered that this woman lived even more carefree than her, not even bothering to give an eye to things that had nothing to do with her. In the past, it was always Shen Yao Xing dragging her to see the excitement.

Meng Xin Yi lowered her eyes to look at the tea in the cup, a smile of interest curling at the corner of her lips: “Indeed, I’m not interested, but it’s not impossible to go and take a look.”

Shen Yao Xing helplessly waved her hand: “As you wish.” She said as she turned and left the private room, leaving with a final instruction: “I’ll go out for a while first, and come back later.”

The so-called “going out for a while” was actually running to a tall tree outside the city to take a nap. When the sky darkened, she leisurely strolled into the city. Unexpectedly, even on the sparsely populated street, she encountered a scene of commotion.