Chapter 40: Confrontation (Five Thousand Words, Packed with Substance)

“!?”
Mei Qinghe was so stunned by Liu Baiyun’s answer that she couldn’t speak.
Who!?
The Plum Blossom Thief!?
No matter how wildly Mei Qinghe let her imagination run, she could never have connected this to him!
Liu Baiyun spoke: “Fifteen years ago, I found you in the mountains and brought you back to Mount Hua Sect.”
“Did you ever wonder, with Mount Hua close to the western border of Dashuo, why I would appear in the land of Qilu?”
“It was a remote wilderness, no one around for miles, not near any village or road. Why would I so coincidentally run into you?”
Mei Qinghe had never considered this before; she’d always thought it was fate between her and Liu Baiyun. But now, as Liu Baiyun spoke, she immediately realized—
Yes, Qilu and Mount Hua sit on opposite ends of Dashuo’s realm, and she had been in a deserted mountain forest. How could Liu Baiyun have just happened to appear there?
No matter how coincidental, unless he knew beforehand, what would bring Liu Baiyun to such a desolate place?
“Do you know why I agreed to that Embroidered Uniform Guard’s request just now, and so quickly at that?”
Mei Qinghe was again taken aback.
Yes, Liu Baiyun was not the weak-willed type. To serve the court was to sever all ties with comrades of the martial world, and even risk having his own sect’s legacy confiscated by the authorities.
Even if forced by the situation, why would Liu Baiyun agree so easily? As if he’d already decided in his heart.
Liu Baiyun did not keep her guessing and spoke plainly: “Because I am afraid, too.”
“More afraid than Zuo Lishan, and earlier than the Taishan Sect.”
“Because, if you really want to talk about colluding with the Ming Sect… Mount Hua was the first to stick its neck out.”
“Fifteen years ago… I already had dealings with the Ming Sect…”
“Drinking poison to quench thirst, bargaining with tigers—how could it last long… Siding with the court was always one of my plans to protect Mount Hua.”
Liu Baiyun continued.
“Fifteen years ago, it was someone from the Ming Sect who brought the Plum Blossom Thief to me, giving me a version of the Mount Hua inner cultivation manual, improved by the Plum Blossom Thief to allow for even swifter progress, and a disciple whose talent surpassed my own.”
“That’s how I was able to find you.”
Mei Qinghe stared fixedly into Liu Baiyun’s eyes.
She suddenly found this master, who had saved her from the forest and raised her, a stranger.
Was she a gift from her mother’s killer to her master? If none of this was fate, but rather calculation and manipulation, could the master-disciple bond of these past years still be trusted?
How was she to face herself?
After a long silence, Mei Qinghe rasped, “Master… Tell me everything…”
Liu Baiyun sighed, and began from the start.
The decline of Mount Hua did not begin with Zuo Lishan’s rise to power; the signs were there fifteen years ago. Otherwise, Zuo Lishan would not have targeted Mount Hua for suppression from the beginning.
Back then, Liu Baiyun, lacking in talent, had just reached the level of a first-class expert. The sect suffered a generational gap; apart from Liu Baiyun, there was no other master.
The winds and rain threatened to topple the house.
One day, a middle-aged man came to visit the mountain, claiming to bring a great gift for Mount Hua, requesting a private discussion with Liu Baiyun.
After the others left, the man revealed his identity—he was Lan Lechuan, Left Envoy of the Ming Sect.
The Ming Sect’s leader, Ji Tianrui, had been slain by the Embroidered Uniform Guard in Miaojiang, along with most of the Ming Sect’s top fighters. The sect itself was in dire straits.
To evade the imperial manhunt, the Ming Sect needed a sect’s territory to hide and cover for them. Mount Hua, remote and far from the capital, with an established base but on the verge of collapse, was the ideal target.
Liu Baiyun, of course, refused at first—dealing with the Ming Sect was far too dangerous and would invite the court’s enmity. Though Mount Hua was in trouble, it was not facing annihilation, so there was no need to muddy the waters with the Ming Sect.
But when words failed, there were fists.
Lan Lechuan, Left Envoy of the Ming Sect, was a supreme master. Apart from the leader Ji Tianrui, he was the strongest in the sect.
At that time, Mount Hua had only one first-class expert, Liu Baiyun, unable to resist. Subdued by Lan Lechuan, Liu Baiyun was left compromised and had no choice but to cooperate.
Later, Lan Lechuan said he needed Liu Baiyun to accompany him to Shuntian Prefecture to do something important. Liu Baiyun, with no alternative, went east with him.
When they reached the Qilu region, Lan Lechuan met another person, who told him that the Shuntian plan had been discovered by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and failed. The survivors had already retreated.
Thus, Lan Lechuan and Liu Baiyun had no reason to go to Shuntian.
Lan Lechuan told Liu Baiyun he needed to meet someone in Qilu—a man known as the Plum Blossom Thief.
This person was crucial to the Ming Sect, and nothing could be allowed to happen to him.
So the two went to Yanzhou Prefecture and found the Plum Blossom Thief.
Just then, the Plum Blossom Thief handed Liu Baiyun the improved inner cultivation manual and revealed Mei Qinghe’s whereabouts.
Smiling, he said that though the Ming Sect’s plans in Miaojiang and Shuntian had both failed, and most of their people were gone, there was no longer any need to borrow Mount Hua’s territory. But there would be future uses for Mount Hua; this was a gift prepared in advance, and he asked Liu Baiyun to accept it.
And so Mei Qinghe was later brought back to Mount Hua, trained in martial arts, descended the mountain for vengeance, and met Li Miao.
“The Plum Blossom Thief’s real name is Yun Zelin. He was born with terrible natural aptitude, and by his twenties was only a third-rate fighter.”
“But his understanding was unmatched in all of history, rivaling even the legendary Bodhidharma.”

He could casually create a martial art worthy of a third-rate sect’s legacy, or revise our Mount Hua techniques and innovate further.
He had long since joined the Ming Sect. After the failure at Shuntian, he fled to Qilu. There, he found your talent exceptional, and thus deliberately committed the atrocity of killing your mother.
First, he used Zhao Dehua as a smokescreen. Even if exposed, those aware of the truth would focus on Zhao Dehua, thinking he was merely a disciple chosen in desperation, never noticing the five-year-old you.
Second… he killed your mother before your eyes to shape your temperament, ensuring it matched the requirements of his revised techniques.
Liu Baiyun let out a long sigh: “After those two left, I found you in the forest and brought you to Mount Hua.”
“My insight was decent, but compared to Yun Zelin, I was worlds apart. I failed to spot the flaw in that cultivation method.”
“And with Mount Hua’s decline, I was desperate and passed this rapid-progress manual to you.”
“A few years later I noticed your temperament growing increasingly rigid and extreme. But by then, your internal energy was already established; with my skills, I couldn’t supervise or help you retrain.”
“I decided to wait until you reached the pinnacle of martial arts to reveal the truth. By then, with your talent and accomplishment, you could switch to another method. And if you sought revenge against Yun Zelin, without top-level skills you’d never get past the Ming Sect’s guardians.”
By now, the hilt of Mei Qinghe’s sword was creaking under her grip.
“So… the Plum Blossom Thief is still alive?”
Liu Baiyun nodded: “He is. Back then he left behind numerous traces of a faked death—manuals, disciples.”
“I didn’t see it with my own eyes, but the one who so carelessly died at the hands of the Embroidered Uniform Guard all those years ago was certainly not him, just a lookalike double.”
“Now… he should still be with the Ming Sect. Given how much Lan Lechuan valued him, he likely holds a high position in the sect. His natural talent may even have been improved by their methods and rare treasures.”
“With his intelligence, if no longer hampered by his constitution, his progress in martial arts must be unimaginable. Fifteen years have passed—I have no idea what level he’s reached now.”
Upon hearing this, Mei Qinghe closed her eyes.
She felt her whole life had become a colossal joke.
Upstairs, Li Miao nodded to himself and thought, “Heh… Plum Blossom Thief, Yun Zelin…”
“Back then, I really misjudged, only focused on killing those with obvious martial prowess, and overlooked a figure like him.”
“It all matches, all the pieces fit.”
The world is vast, but nothing is livelier than this. He had no lofty moral principles stopping him from eavesdropping while the pair poured their hearts out below.
Though they’d said they’d dine separately, and Gao Ling was silent, Li Miao couldn’t help but employ his hearing technique to listen in on Mei Qinghe and Liu Baiyun’s conversation. Little did they know he could hear every word through several doors.
Now, Li Miao had found the last piece of the puzzle—every encounter since he’d entered Qilu now made sense.
Even he himself was enmeshed in it.
Fifteen years ago, the Ming Sect’s leader Ji Tianrui entered Miaojiang, merged their martial arts with witchcraft, and created the techniques Zuo Lishan now practiced.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard received word, and all rushed south to Miaojiang, hunting Ji Tianrui.
Seeing the plan fall apart, the Ming Sect split their forces—one to reinforce Ji Tianrui in Miaojiang, the other carrying his witchcraft techniques and Miaojiang sorcerers to Shuntian, hoping to act while the Embroidered Uniform Guard were away.
Li Miao, as a trusted aide to Commandant Zhu Zaifan, took the mission to annihilate the Ming Sect masters at Shuntian and rescued Xiao Si from the Miaojiang shaman.
After a fierce battle, Li Miao was gravely wounded, the Ming Sect nearly wiped out, and the unremarkable Plum Blossom Thief escaped.
Because of this, Li Miao was promoted to commander of a thousand in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, forced Zhu Zaifan to sign the “eight-hour workday” labor contract, and began to use his golden finger to train freely.
In Miaojiang, the Embroidered Uniform Guard were victorious; the Ming Sect survivors fled, and Lan Lechuan was among them.
The Ming Sect, devastated, needed a refuge, so Lan Lechuan targeted Mount Hua, threatening and bribing Liu Baiyun into compliance.
He then took Liu Baiyun to assist the Shuntian plan.
Upon reaching Qilu, they heard that Li Miao had foiled the Ming Sect’s scheme in Shuntian, leaving their experts nearly annihilated. They went to Yanzhou Prefecture to rendezvous with the Plum Blossom Thief.
The Plum Blossom Thief, upon learning Mount Hua had sided with the Ming Sect, began revising the inner cultivation manual.
He found Mei Qinghe, killed her mother before her, leaving a psychological imprint to mold her temperament for his technique.
In passing, he taught his claw technique to Zhao Dehua, creating the illusion of a disciple to explain his own disappearance and cover his fake death.
You Zi’ang’s internal and lightness skills were also part of this plan; his double must have practiced these, hence the identical birthmark.
Twelve years ago, the double was discovered and killed by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the body delivered to Shuntian. The faked death succeeded.
Eleven years ago, the Embroidered Uniform Guard wiped out the Miaojiang witch-sorcerers; their villages no longer dared contact the Central Plains and became more isolated. This gave the Ge Pu clan fantasies about the outside world, so they escaped and became a concubine to Master Wu of Pingshan.
Five years ago, the Ming Sect colluded with Zuo Lishan, gifting him the insect and the technique created by Ji Tianrui.
Now,
the Embroidered Uniform Guard received word of Zuo Lishan’s collusion with the Ming Sect, and Li Miao took the assignment to Qilu.
Mei Qinghe, having learned the Plum Blossom Thief was supposedly killed, went to Qilu to seek vengeance on Zhao Dehua, and encountered Li Miao on his mission.
Li Miao slew the Ge Pu clan woman who’d escaped Miaojiang.
Li Miao gravely wounded Zuo Lishan, forcing him to start practicing the Ming Sect’s technique.
Liu Baiyun, worried by the leverage the Ming Sect held over him, immediately agreed to serve the court to rid himself of this danger.
Everyone Li Miao met after arriving in Qilu—Mei Qinghe, Liu Baiyun, Zuo Lishan, You Zi’ang, Xiao Si, the Ge Pu woman, Zhao Dehua—
Witchcraft, forbidden techniques, vengeance.
Taishan Sect, Mount Hua, the Five Peaks Sword Alliance, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Ming Sect—
Everything, every thread, was tied to a single person.

The Plum Blossom Thief, Yun Zelin.
Li Miao gave a low laugh, flashing white teeth, a deep, heavy murderous intent flickering in his eyes. Gao Ling, sitting beside him, felt a chill run through her, as if plunged into an icy cavern, her very qi freezing in her veins.
“Well, well, well.”
“Back then I underestimated you, thought I’d only let a small fish slip away—but you turned out to be quite the figure!”
“Since you escaped my grasp, you’ve accomplished so much. I can no longer pretend I don’t see you.”
“Once the Five Peaks Sword Alliance business is settled, I’ll come for you myself…”
“I hope you’re still alive…”
Gao Ling trembled, not knowing why Li Miao radiated such killing intent, nor what could have provoked such pure, weighty malice. She lowered her head, not daring to look at him.
Meanwhile, on Mei Qinghe’s side, after hearing Liu Baiyun’s words, an unnatural flush rose to her cheeks.
Pfft—
She suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, splattering the floor.
Already at a critical moment of retraining her internal skills, it was all too easy to lose control. Hearing the truth of her own origins, she felt her life was nothing but a toy in the Plum Blossom Thief’s hands, a cosmic joke—how could she remain calm?
Now, with rage surging through her heart, she was on the verge of qi deviation; her vital energy ran askew, harming her heart meridian, and blood spurted from her mouth.
“Qinghe!” Liu Baiyun hurried forward to support her.
But Mei Qinghe raised a hand to stop her.
“Master!” Mei Qinghe wiped the blood from her lips.
“My heart is in chaos; I don’t know how to face you…”
“I am already at the brink of deviation, my mind unsteady. That fiend’s technique already tends to make my temperament extreme. Please don’t come near, or I… I fear I’ll hurt you…”
Now Liu Baiyun noticed that Mei Qinghe’s grip on her sword was so tight that blood trickled down her hand.
Mei Qinghe closed her eyes, tried to regulate her breath, and only after a moment exhaled, though blood still stained her lips.
“Master, please return to your room and rest…”
“Your kindness in saving me and raising me, I dare not forget. Every moment of these fifteen years, I remember with gratitude.”
“But… my very survival was the result of a plot between my mother’s killer and my master, and my mother’s tragic death was just so I could be delivered as a gift to Mount Hua… I do not know how to face you, Mount Hua, or my mother’s spirit…”
“Even the martial arts I’ve devoted myself to for more than a decade are the work of that fiend… Truly, I do not know how to go on…”
“My heart is in chaos… Master…”
“Let me be alone for a while… just a little while…”
Liu Baiyun gazed at Mei Qinghe and sighed deeply.
With a sudden movement, she drew her sword and slashed it at her own left forearm.
Squelch—
Blood gushed, and her arm fell to the floor.
“Master!?”
Mei Qinghe couldn’t stop her in time, but rushed forward and pressed acupoints to staunch the bleeding: “Master, I never blamed you! Why are you doing this?”
Liu Baiyun looked down at Mei Qinghe’s tear-streaked face and gently drew her into an embrace.
“It’s nothing, it’s nothing… Your master wields the sword with her right hand—without my left, I am still a first-class fighter…”
“Qinghe, what happened back then—Mount Hua, I, Liu Baiyun, owe you and your mother…”
“When the time comes for you to storm the Ming Sect for revenge, your master will go with you…”
“Don’t let me, your master, leave a flaw in your heart. With a flaw in your heart, your martial arts will never be whole—how can you take vengeance on that fiend?”
“It’s nothing, truly… just a small injury. I am the White Cloud Sword, after all…”
“Let’s leave it at that for now… Help me sit down…”
Tears streamed down Mei Qinghe’s cheeks as she helped Liu Baiyun to a seat, regret and sorrow welling in her heart. She wrapped her arms around Liu Baiyun and wept uncontrollably.
Liu Baiyun’s face was pale, but she smiled gently, stroking Mei Qinghe’s hair.
Suddenly, the door swung open.
Li Miao strolled in, looking over the two embracing women, and smiled: “Finished talking?”
“Really now, I’ve never seen a mother and daughter’s conversation end in self-mutilation before. There’s a first time for everything.”
Then, stretching out his hand like a claw, he drew the severed arm from the floor with a surge of internal force. Approaching them, he grinned at Mei Qinghe.
“Lucky for you to have run into me.”
“Come, Little Mei, step aside.”
“Any later, and that arm won’t be able to be reattached.”