TDSDE 15

15. Are you stupid?

When Bai Yuanxiu first heard that the boy had bought several live chickens and geese from the village, he had already guessed that the boy likely had a place to stay somewhere in this snowy mountain. Otherwise, if he only wanted food, wouldn’t it have been much easier to just buy flatbread or dried meat?

But what he hadn’t expected was that this wasn’t just any temporary shelter—it was a full-sized mansion, complete with a backyard garden!

At first, Bai Yuanxiu thought it might be something like a roadside hut, and the boy was only taking a break inside. But after observing for a while, he had to abandon that guess.

The boy cleaned the place with practiced ease—it was obvious he had lived here for quite some time.

There were no servants around. In fact, aside from the boy himself, it seemed there was no one else at all. Perhaps that was why the place had fallen into disrepair—the entire backyard was overgrown, with weeds reaching Bai Yuanxiu’s waist.

That night, the sky was mostly clear, but the moon was just a sliver—a crescent hanging at the edge of the heavens, offering barely any light. It was perfect for Bai Yuanxiu’s movements.

He crept along walls and around corners, hiding and observing for an entire day until he figured out the boy’s routine.

Most of the time, the boy was tidying the mansion room by room. Only at mealtimes did he carry a basket into the innermost room, stay for about half an hour, and come back out. Bai Yuanxiu guessed that must be where Xiao Qing and Su Wusi were being held.

The boy was extremely cautious—he always looked around before entering the room. Bai Yuanxiu didn’t dare get too close.

He still had no idea how the boy was managing to restrain the two of them. If he acted rashly, he might fall right into a trap. So he counted the time, planning to sneak in once the boy fell asleep that night.

But what surprised Bai Yuanxiu was that during dinner, the boy stayed in that room for almost two hours—his legs were going numb from squatting so long.

When the boy finally came out, his eyes were red, like he’d just been crying.

Bai Yuanxiu: …?

What the hell was going on?

Soon after, the boy led a horse out from the yard, locked the gate, mounted up, and rode off into the night.

Bai Yuanxiu was thrilled by this rare stroke of luck. He tested the area with a few copper coins and pebbles, and once he was sure there were no traps, he pushed the door open.

Inside, the tables and chairs were neat and clean. A tall cabinet that almost touched the ceiling displayed many porcelain and jade ornaments.

Bai Yuanxiu didn’t know much about such things. All he saw was that there wasn’t a speck of dust on them. Judging by the sheen, they had just been wiped clean—not a single sign of any mechanism.

Using his past experience, he started from the outside and examined each decorative piece one by one. Nothing.

He remembered that when the boy came out earlier, there had been a small opening on the bed that hadn’t fully closed. But he had never actually seen how the mechanism was triggered.

Just as he was about to take the bed apart, his hand accidentally brushed the corner of the cabinet—and with a clicking sound, that expensive-looking bed split open down the middle, revealing a dark passage leading underground.

What a weird place to put a mechanism, Bai Yuanxiu thought. He drew his sword and leapt down without hesitation.

The tunnel was pitch-black. As the opening above closed, Bai Yuanxiu was swallowed by darkness.

He pulled out a fire striker and lit it. As he turned a corner, he was suddenly startled to see someone standing completely still at the end of the passage, so rigid it made his skin crawl.

The figure didn’t move at all. Bai Yuanxiu’s Adam’s apple bobbed several times before he finally worked up the nerve to walk forward.

His hand holding the fire flickered with tremors, and under its shaky light, everything looked even more eerie.

The tunnel was ice-cold. The person in white ahead of him stood with their head lowered, face hidden. Bai Yuanxiu’s heart was pounding in his throat.

Suddenly, a voice called out from somewhere—“Hey.”

Bai Yuanxiu let out a scream, slipped, and rolled right into a nearby sloped gap.

The floor of the tunnel had been coated with something slick—he couldn’t even get a grip. Before he had time to react, he crashed to the bottom with a loud thud.

That impact hurt. Bai Yuanxiu genuinely thought he might’ve cracked his tailbone.

Just as he was about to struggle to his feet, he saw a familiar figure standing a few steps away, looking at him expressionlessly.

“Ah Qing!” Bai Yuanxiu called out instinctively, joy completely unhidden in his voice.

The man’s eyes widened slightly for a brief moment before returning to their usual calm. He walked over slowly, looked down at Bai Yuanxiu, and said—

“Are you stupid?”

Whatever joy Bai Yuanxiu had vanished instantly. He practically bounced up from the ground. “I went through all that trouble to find you, and you call me stupid!?”

Xiao Qing ignored his anger, lifted a hand, and pointed ahead.

Bai Yuanxiu followed his gaze and recognized the place he’d just fallen from. Realizing something, his face flushed. “Well—it’s your fault for suddenly talking and scaring me!”

The corners of Xiao Qing’s mouth tugged up in the faintest smirk. He spread his hands and let out a dramatic sigh. “What a shame. Because of some idiot, now neither of us can get out.”

His tone dragged with sarcastic drawl. Bai Yuanxiu was usually infuriated whenever he spoke like that—but right now, another thought struck him, and he managed to hold back his temper.

“How’s Hall Master Su?” he asked instead.

“In the cell over there.” Xiao Qing tilted his head in the direction. “She was just fed muscle-softening powder and knockout medicine. She’s probably passed out again by now.”

Bai Yuanxiu furrowed his brows and pressed further, demanding to know exactly what that boy had done to them.

“Nothing much—just the usual tricks you see in the martial world,” Xiao Qing replied calmly, sitting down in the corner of the room.

The “usual tricks” of the martial world were nothing more than luring, drugging, threatening, and coercing. Bai Yuanxiu was determined to get a clear answer, so he didn’t care about Xiao Qing’s tone. He found a spot to sit as well and asked, “What did he threaten you with? Hall Master Su?”

Xiao Qing glanced at him, propped his elbow on his knee, rested his chin in his hand, and tilted his head as he looked at Bai Yuanxiu. “What if I said yes?”

Bai Yuanxiu thought Xiao Qing’s attitude was a little strange, but then again, the Vermilion Bird Hall Master had always looked after Xiao Qing for years. It only made sense that Xiao Qing would care about her.

He swallowed that brief stab of jealousy and said, “If that’s the case, then so be it.”

Xiao Qing looked at him for a moment, then slowly let the slight curve of his lips fade. “He has a special kind of sedative. Supposedly, it’s a family recipe. Just being near it is enough to be affected—dizziness, weakness, and a complete loss of inner energy.”

When Hall Master Su Wusi had gone to buy rouge, that powder shop had always smelled of fragrance, so she hadn’t noticed anything strange.

Later, when Xiao Qing heard about Su Wusi’s disappearance, he said a word to the Sect Leader and immediately went down the mountain to search for her.

He did find Su Wusi—but by then, she couldn’t speak, unable to warn Xiao Qing not to come closer. The drug on her had been doubled, and within a few breaths, Xiao Qing couldn’t move either.

They were later both fed large doses of muscle-softening powder. Even after they woke from the sedative, they couldn’t do anything. Su Wusi, naturally fiery in temperament, was furious at being tricked and didn’t hold back her tongue. The boy, annoyed by her noise, had just kept feeding her knockout medicine.

“Hall Master Su, really! Couldn’t she have kept quiet and saved herself some trouble?” Bai Yuanxiu couldn’t help but say, but then sighed, “Though, if she could do that, she wouldn’t be the Vermilion Bird Hall Master.”

In truth, some of what people said in the martial world wasn’t wrong.

Women had it harder than men—princesses, even, often ended up being married off like gifts. So what about ordinary women?

The world was like this, and the martial world was no exception. Women as formidable as Su Wusi certainly existed, but people like her were destined to be different from the rest.

Bai Yuanxiu glanced at Xiao Qing. He wanted to ask how the two of them had become so close, but he worried that asking now would make it seem like he was jealous.

No way he’d act that petty!

He turned the words over in his mind for a while before finally asking, “That boy… does he know you?”

Xiao Qing looked at Bai Yuanxiu—and suddenly let out a laugh, though there was no mirth in it. “Why beat around the bush like that? Just ask me straight—what kind of grudge does he have against me?”

Bai Yuanxiu didn’t answer. Xiao Qing leaned back against the wall as if he’d lost all interest. His eyes were dull, staring at the oil lamp beyond the black iron bars.

Just as Bai Yuanxiu thought Xiao Qing wouldn’t speak to him again, he suddenly heard his voice.

“Bai Yuanxiu, do you know why I’ve stayed in the Demonic Sect all this time?”

Of course Bai Yuanxiu didn’t know. In fact, not just him—the entire martial world had no idea why Xiao Qing would choose to remain in the Demonic Sect.

Xiao Qing’s martial techniques were strange and unorthodox, but when paired with his palm strikes, there was an uncanny grace to them.

People often said that the Demonic Sect’s Left Protector, dressed in white, looked like a fairy carved from frost. His temperament was reserved and respectful—completely at odds with the style of the sect.

Xiao Qing was incredibly skilled. Before Yunhua Sect became the number one sect, the top orthodox master of the time had once tried to recruit Xiao Qing, offering him a position as an elder—with a status equal to the vice-sect leader, and far better treatment than in the Demonic Sect. But Xiao Qing had declined.

Later, when Zi Yuan led her disciples to challenge and overtake Yunhua Moutain, claiming the sect as her own, the former top orthodox sect blamed Xiao Qing. They came to settle the score multiple times—but were all defeated.

Bai Yuanxiu remembered it well. Back then, Xiao Qing had simply fought and left, not saying a word more than necessary—especially not to him, someone he never got along with.

And now, in this freezing prison cell, Xiao Qing spoke to Bai Yuanxiu with an unexpectedly gentle voice.

“I went to the Demonic Sect when I was twelve… to kill the Sect Leader.”