eak. He couldn’t help but sink to his knees. If he didn’t exert all of his energy to keep himself straight, he would have kowtowed to her. Finally, he managed to cry out, “Dear goddess! I…I have been so miserable, dreaming about you! Master, your disciple, Duan Yu, pays respects to you!

The girl in front of him looked totally identical to the jade statue of the jade cavern. There were no differences whatsoever. Although Madame Wang looked very similar to the jade statue, she was obviously older, and was not as beautiful. But the girl in front of him, aside from her choice of clothes, looked exactly the same as the statue. Face, eyes, nose, lips, ears, skin color, body figure, hands, feet; there was not a single difference. It was as though the jade statue had come to life. In his dreams, he had longed for the jade statue a thousand or ten thousand times. Now, seeing her before his own very eyes, he really did not know where he was. Was he on earth, or was he in heaven?

The young maiden thought he was a lunatic. Letting out a soft cry, she retreated two steps. Shocked, she said, “You…you…”

Duan Yu rose to his feet. His eyes remained locked on the young maiden, and now he saw her even more clearly than before. Only now did he realize that there were still some differences between the girl in front of him and the jade statue. The jade statue was gorgeous, seductive, and arousing; it had the power to entrance one’s senses and steal one’s soul. The maiden in front of him, on the other hand, was dignified and sedate, with a hint of childishness. In terms of appearances, the jade statue actually appeared to be more animate and alive than the girl in front of him. He said, “Ever since that day in the jade cavern, when I kowtowed to your celestial statue, dear goddess, I felt that I was the luckiest of men. I never would have imagined that today, I would be able to see your appearance with mine own eyes. Goddesses really do exist on earth. The world isn’t an empty place at all!”

The maiden said to Xiaoming, “What is he talking about? He…who is he?” Xiaoming said, “He’s that bookworm which Ah Zhu and Ah Bi brought. He claimed to know how to plant camellias. The madame actually believed his rubbish.” The maiden said to Duan Yu, “Bookworm, did you overhear the conversation I had with her just then?”

Duan Yu laughed, “Your humble servant has the surname of Duan, with the given name of Yu. I am a citizen of Dali, not a bookworm. Dear goddess, I accidentally overheard the conversation between you and sister Xiaoming. But neither of you need to worry; your humble servant won’t leak a single word of your conversation. I guarantee that I will not cause sister Xiaoming to be blamed by Madame Wang.”

The maiden’s face sank. “Who are you calling your ‘dear goddess’? You refuse to admit you are a bookworm? When did you ever meet me?” Duan Yu replied, “If I’m not to call you ‘dear goddess’, how should I address you?” The maiden said, “My family name is Wang. You can just call me Miss Wang.”

Duan Yu shook his head. “No way. There’s hundreds of millions of Miss Wang’s in the world. Miss, how could I address a celestial personage such as yourself simply as ‘Miss Wang’? But how am I to address you then? This is a really tough problem. How about Celestial Maiden Wang? That seems too vulgar. Princess of the Camellias? But the Great Song, Dali, Liao, Tibet, and the Western Xia all have many princesses. Which one can compare to you?”

The maiden felt as though his words were filled with poetic diction. She all the more felt he was a total bookworm. Nonetheless, seeing him so enraptured by her and hearing him pour forth so many praises of her beauty, she couldn’t help but be a little delighted. Smiling she said, “Your luck is not bad at all. My mom didn’t chop your legs off.”

Duan Yu said, “The madame’s looks are comparable to yours, dear goddess. Only, her temperament is a bit too weird, and she randomly wants to kill people. It’s really a bit at odds with her goddess-like appearance.”

The maiden knitted her eyebrows slightly. “Hurry up and go plant camellias. Don’t just stand here and jibber jabber. The two of us have important things to talk about.” Her attitude indicated that she thought of him simply as a common gardener.

Duan Yu didn’t think about disobeying. He just wanted to exchange a few more words with her and cast a few more glances towards her. He thought to himself, “The only way I can lure her into being whole-heartedly willing to chat with me is by discussing young master Murong. Aside from this, she won’t care about anything else.” He said, “Shaolin is the Mt. Taishan and the Big Dipper of the martial community [meaning, holds an utmost position of height and power]. Within the monastery itself, if there aren’t a thousand eminent monks and expert fighters, there are at least eight hundred. Many of them have practiced the 72 Ultimate Techniques. Recently, Master Xuanbei was violently murdered in Dali’s Luliang prefecture, within the Shenjie Monastery. The many monks there were firm in their assertion that it was Gusu’s Murong family which did the deed. For young master Murong to enter such an extremely risky situation by himself is very unwise.

That maiden’s body actually trembled. Duan Yu didn’t dare look directly at her face. He thought to himself, “She cares so much about that little brat, Murong Fu. If I see her expression, I might be so pissed that I would start crying.” He watched the lower hem of her pale, pinkish grey dress gently tremble. He heard her insurpassably gentle voice say, “Why do the monks of Shaolin falsely accuse Gusu’s Murong family? Do you know? You…hurry and tell me.”

Hearing her beg him in such a trembling voice, Duan Yu’s heart softened, and he wanted to immediately tell her everything. But then, he reconsidered. “Actually, my knowledge in this matter is limited. All I really know is that master Xuanbei was killed by a blow from the ‘Great Veda Sceptre’ technique, and that everyone agreed that only the Murong family ‘uses the opponent’s skills, exercising them upon the opponent.’ I would finish explaining all of that in a few sentences. After I’m done explaining, she’ll shoo me off to go plant camellias again, by which point it will be very difficult to come up with any other topics of conversation. I need to make a mountain out of a molehill and spend a long time talking about a simple matter. I’ll just tell her a little bit each day, but also talk about all sorts of random matters and ramble on and off. I’ll stretch the conversation out as long as I can, so as to get her to come talk to me every day. If she can’t find me, her heart will itch and she’ll be discomfited.”

Duan Yu coughed and said, “I myself do not know martial arts. I don’t even know the most basic of techniques, such as ‘Golden Pheasant Stands Alone’, or ‘Black Tiger Stealing the Heart’. But I know a family friend by the surname of Zhu, whose full name is Zhu Danchen. His nickname is ‘Student of Calligraphy’. He might look like a weak and scholarly bookworm like me, but he really is very good at martial arts. One day, I saw him fold his fan, invert it, then with a puffing sound, point the fan towards the shoulder of this big muscular fellow. That fellow immediately curled up into a ball, as though he had turned into a puddle of mud, totally unable to move.”

The maiden said, “Right, this is the ‘Cool and Refreshing Fan’ technique’s acupoint sealing skill. It is the thirty eighth technique, the ‘Bone-Piercing Fan’ technique. Invert the fan, then diagonally attack the shoulder acupoint. This Mr. Zhu belongs to a branch of the Mt. Kunlun school of martial arts, and is a disciple of the Three Reasons Temple. Practitioners of this school of martial arts are even more formidable when using judge pens as opposed to fans. Let’s get back to the main topic. There’s no need to discuss martial arts with me.”

If Zhu Danchen himself had been here and heard these words, he would have admired this girl from the depths of his heart. Not only had the maiden properly identified the technique he had used, she even managed to discern the origins of his martial arts and clearly explain where he had studied it. If another famous martial arts expert, such as Duan Yu’s uncle, Duan Zhengming, or his father, Duan Zhengchun, they would have been astonished as well and wondered, “How is it that such a young girl has such a broad, deep, and incisive understanding of martial arts?” But Duan Yu did not know martial arts at all, so when the girl casually made those comments, he just casually listened, without even knowing if her words were correct or not. He stared at her thin eyebrows as they rose and her red lips as they moved. Whether or not her words were correct, he did not care one bit.

The maiden asked, “So what about Mr. Zhu?” Duan Yu pointed at a bluestone bench near the bamboo plants and said, “This story will take some time in the telling. Miss, why don’t you move over there and take a seat? Then, I’ll slowly report the events to you.” The maiden said, “You ramble on and on. Why can’t you just speak casually and quickly? I don’t have the energy to listen to you.” Duan Yu replied, “Miss, if you don’t have the time today, you can come find me tomorrow. If you don’t have free time tomorrow, it’ll be fine if we wait a few more days. As long as the madame does not chop off my tongue, all you need to do is ask and I will tell you what you want to know.”

The maiden lightly stomped her foot on the ground, then turned around and ignored him. She asked Xiaoming, “What else did the madame say?” Xiaoming replied, “The madame said, ‘Hmph, the problems are becoming bigger and bigger. He’s become foes with the Beggar’s Clan and enemies with Shaolin. I’m afraid that Gusu’s Murong family will die…die without even a place to be buried.” The maiden hurriedly said, “Mother clearly knows that my cousin is in a dangerous, critical situation. Why doesn’t she care?” Xiaoming said, “Right. Miss, I’m afraid that the madame will go looking for me. I need to leave! No matter what, please don’t tell the madame what I told you. I want to be alive to serve you for a few more years.” The maiden said, “Put your heart at ease. Why would I harm you?” Xiaoming paid her respects and left. Seeing a look of dread and fear on her face, Duan Yu thought to himself, “To Madame Wang, killing people is as big a deal as cutting the grass. She really does make others swoon with fear.”

The maiden slowly walked to the bluestone bench, then lightly and elegantly sat down, but did not ask Duan Yu to sit as well. Duan Yu naturally did not dare to rashly sit next to her. One of the white camellias was situated very close to her, only two branch-lengths away. A beautiful woman and a famous flower; the two brought out the best of each other’s beauty. Duan Yu sighed, “‘The beautiful flower collapses the country, but both are beautiful.’ Inferior, far inferior. In the past, the poet Li Bai used peony flowers as a metaphor for the beauty of Precious Consort Yang [Yang Guifei]. If he had the fortune to see you, miss, he would realize that although the flower is very beautiful, it is not tender when angry, does not have a soft voice, has no joyful laughter, and is without worries and cares. The flowers are far inferior!”

The maiden quietly said, “You keep on telling me that I am beautiful, but I don’t know if it’s true or not.” Duan Yu was totally astonished. “Only those who have no eyes cannot see beauty when beauty is placed before them. If this is the case for men, how much more must it be for you? I imagine that you have been called beautiful too many times in your life, and are bored of hearing it.”

The maiden slowly shook her head, revealing a look of loneliness. She said, “No one has ever told me whether or not I am beautiful. Within the Highland Manor of the Camellias, aside from my mother and myself, everyone here is a servant. They only know me as the young missus. Why would they care if I am beautiful or ugly?” Duan Yu said, “What about outsiders?” The maiden said, “What outsiders?” Duan Yu said, “When you go outside and others see your goddess-like beauty, surely they are startled and gasp in admiration, then prostrate themselves in reverence?” The maiden said, “I never go outside. Why would I go outside? Mother doesn’t allow me to, anyhow. When I go to my aunt’s house to read at the ‘Water Pavilion of Bestowal and Repayment’, I don’t meet any outsiders there either. Although, some of his friends, like big brother Deng, second brother Gongye, third brother Bao, or fourth brother Feng, they…they aren’t dull-witted fellows like you.” As she spoke, a small smile appeared.

Duan Yu said, “Can it be that young master Murong…that he too has never told you how beautiful you are?”

The maiden slowly lowered her head. An indescribably soft, almost inaudible sound could be heard, followed by a few more. A few teardrops fell onto the grass, crystal clear and sparkling, appearing as though they were the early morning dew. Duan Yu no longer dared to ask any more questions, nor did he dare to say any comforting words.

After a long time, the maiden let out a quiet sigh. “He…he’s a very busy person. Every day of every year, from dawn til dusk, he is always busy, without a single moment of free time. When we are together, either we are discussing martial arts or important affairs of state. I…I hate martial arts.”

Duan Yu slapped his thigh and declared, “Not bad, not bad! I hate martial arts as well. My uncle and my father both told me to learn martial arts, but I refused to learn no matter what, and chose to sneak away from home instead.”

The maiden let out a long sigh. “In order to be able to often meet with him, despite hating martial arts, I forced myself to not only read boxing treatises and sabre manuals, but also to memorize them, so that if there was something he did not understand, I could explain it to him. But I myself do not learn them. It isn’t very refined for girls to brandish sabres and wave cudgels about…” Duan Yu agreed from the bottom of his heart. “Right, right! How could a girl like you, a peerless beauty, get into physical battles with others? That’d really be totally inappropriate. Ack!…” He suddenly realized that these words he said were offensive to his own mother. The maiden didn’t really pay much attention to what he said and continued, “All of the political leaders of every dynasty have always been engaged in power struggles. Today, I try to kill you; tomorrow, you try to kill me. I really don’t want to know about those things. But he loves talking about those matters, so I have no choice but to read those types of books to be able to tell him about these things.”

Duan Yu asked curiously, “Why is it that you have to read books and then explain them to him? Can’t he read them himself?” The maiden glanced at him. “What, you think he’s an idiot? That he doesn’t know how to read?” Duan Yu hastily said, “No, no! He’s the best person in the whole wide world, alright?” Although Duan Yu said these words, in his heart he felt sour.

The maiden smiled beautifully. “He’s my maternal cousin. Aside from my aunt, my uncle, and him, very few people come to visit this place. But after my uncle passed away, my mother got into a spat with my aunt. Now, my mother doesn’t even allow my cousin to come visit. I honestly don’t know if he’s the best person in the whole world. I am not able to get to know the good people or the bad people of the world.” Duan Yu said, “Why not ask your daddy?”

The maiden said, “My father died a long time ago. He passed away even before I was born. I…I’ve never seen his face.” As she spoke, her eyes reddened as though tears once more wanted to emerge.

Duan Yu said, “Right, so your aunt would be your father’s older sister, and your uncle is your aunt’s husband, so he…he…he is your aunt’s son.” The maiden laughed out loud. “You are so muddle-headed. I’m my mother’s daughter, and he is my cousin.”

Seeing that he was able to coax a laugh from her, Duan Yu was very happy. He said, “Oh, I know! It must be that your cousin is too busy to read books, so you have to read them for him.” The maiden said, “You could put it like that, but there’s another reason as well. Let me ask you, why is it that the monks of Shaolin are falsely accusing my cousin of having killed one of their people?”

Duan Yu saw that a single tear still quivered at the end of her long eyelashes. He thought to himself, “The ancients wrote, ‘Pear flowers blossom when the spring brings rain.’ This is a metaphor for a beautiful woman crying. But although pear flowers are all very beautiful, pear trees themselves are too fat and heavy. In addition, after a rainstorm, every pear flower would have ‘tears’ on them. That’s an excessive amount of sadness. Miss Wang is like a camellia flower covered with faint dew; only this can be considered truly beautiful beauty.”

The maiden waited for a while, but Duan Yu still did not reply. She stretched her hand out and gently tapped the back of his hand. “What’s wrong with you?” Duan Yu’s entire body trembled, and he shot to his feet, calling out, “Aiyo!” The maiden was frightened for a moment, and asked, “What’s wrong?” His entire face burning red, Duan Yu replied, “When you tapped your fingers on the back of my hand, it felt as though my acupoints were being sealed.”

The maiden opened her eyes wide, not knowing that he was joking. She said, “There’s no acupoints on this side of the hand. The ‘Ye Men’ [Liquid Gate], ‘Zhong Zhu’ [Central Islet], and the ‘Yang Chi’ [Yang Moat] acupoints are all on the palm of the hand. The ‘Qian Huo’ [First Opening] and the ‘Yang Lao’ [Providing For the Elderly] acupoints are on the wrist. All of them are very far away.” As she spoke, she used the back of her own hand to demonstrate.

As Duan Yu watched as she pointed towards the tender, delicate, snowy-white back of her hand, he felt his throat become dry. His head felt dizzy and he asked, “Mi…miss, what is your name?”

The maiden smiled. “You are a really weird fellow, you know that? Fine, I guess there’s no harm in telling you. Even if I don’t tell you, those two little rascals, Ah Zhu and Ah Bi, will tell you.” Stretching a finger out, she drew three characters on the back of her own hand: “Wang Yuyan.” [Yuyan means ‘Beautiful Speech’ or ‘Beautiful Language’]

Duan Yu called out, “Wonderful, wonderful! Beautiful smiles and speech, and a kind, amiable personality.” He thought to himself, “Let’s make things clear from the start. If she’s like her mother, being perfectly fine one moment then suddenly angry the next and having me go plant flowers, then the name is insuitable for her.”

Wang Yuyan smiled. “People always have nice names. All of those vile, wicked, evil people in history had beautiful names as well. Cao Cao did not necessarily display any upright conduct [De Cao means Upright Conduct], and Zhu Quanzhong was totally disloyal [Quanzhong means Totally Loyal]. Your name is Duan Yu. Is your name, Yu, such a good name? I’m afraid you’re a little ‘buying fame…’[Gu Ming]” Duan Yu interjected, “…and fishing for praise’ [Diao Yu]!” The two of them laughed loudly together. [The phrase, ‘Gu Ming Diao Yu’, means fishing for compliments and praise.]

Wang Yuyan’s beautiful face had always seemed to carry a hint of anxiety, but now, caught in the midst of joyful laughter, she became all the more charming and beautiful. Duan Yu thought to himself, “If I can spend the rest of my life making her laugh and wreathing her face in smiles, there would be nothing more I would ask for from life.”

Unexpectedly, she was only happy for a brief period of time before once again that faint look of sorrow and worry settled across her face. She quietly said, “He…he’s always so serious. He never talks about such silly things with me. Alas! The nation of Yan, the nation of Yan…is it really that important?”

‘The nation of Yan, the nation of Yan’; these words, upon entering Duan Yu’s ears, suddenly interlinked with many previously separate terms and phrases. The ‘Murong lineage’, the ‘Basin of Swallows,’ the ‘Canhe Manor’, the ‘nation of Yan’…Duan Yu suddenly blurted out, “Is this young master Murong the descendant of Murong clan of the Xianbei people, who carved out the ‘Yan’ empire during the time when the five Hu minority nationalities spread chaos in China? He is of the Hu minority, and is not a Chinese person?”

Wang Yuyan nodded. “Right. He is the descendant of the former princes of the Murong family which ruled the nation of Yan. But that was centuries ago. There’s no need to constantly bear in mind ancient history and the affairs of your ancestors. He wants to be a Hu person, not a Chinese person. He doesn’t want to learn Chinese characters or read Chinese books. But I don’t see what’s so bad about Chinese books. Once, I said to him, ‘Cousin, if you say that Chinese books are bad, what books do the Xianbei people have? I want to take a look.’ But he immediately flew into a rage because there’s no such thing as Xianbei-language books to begin with.”

She slightly raised her head, staring at the lazy, distant clouds in the sky. In her soft voice, she said, “He…he is ten years older than me. He’s always just thought of me as a younger sister. He thinks that I don’t know anything aside from reading books and memorizing martial arts techniques. He has never realized that I read books for his sake, memorize martial arts for his sake. If it weren’t for him, I’d rather raise a few chicks to play with, or play the zither, or practice calligraphy.”

In a quivering voice, Duan Yu said, “He truly doesn’t know that you…that you are this good to him?”

Wang Yuyan replied, “Of course he knows that I am good to him. He’s always treated me very well as well. But…but it’s as though we are actual brothers and sisters. Aside from serious matters, he never discusses anything with me. He never tells me what he is thinking, nor does he ever ask me if I have anything on my mind.” Her jade-like cheeks blushed a faint red, and a bashful look appeared in her eyes and on her face.

At first, Duan Yu wanted to tease her and ask her, “What sort of things do you have on your mind?” But seeing the tender, bashful look on her beautiful face, he didn’t dare run the risk of offending this beautiful lady. He said, “You don’t need to always discuss history and martial arts with him. Aren’t there a lot of evening songs and love poems in the books you read?” As soon as he said this, he felt regretful. “Just let her continue to stare at him with soft eyes and tender glances, but be unable to communicate with him. Isn’t that a good thing? Why should I teach her techniques to communicate with him? I really am a total idiot.”

Wang Yuyan became all the more bashful. She hurriedly said, “How…how could I do that? I am a prim and proper maiden. How could I bring up these…these poems and songs, and have my cousin look down upon me?”

Duan Yu let out a long breath, then said, “Absolutely, you are absolutely right.” In his heart, he cursed at himself, “Duan Yu, you bastard, you really aren’t an upright and honest gentleman.”

Wang Yuyan had never revealed these thoughts of hers to anyone else. She kept them in her heart, examining and re-examining them many times over by herself. Today, by chance, she ran into a fellow like Duan Yu, who was naturally easygoing and unrestrained in temperament. For some reason, she felt that he was very trustworthy and divulged to him all of the tender and soft feelings she had towards Murong Fu. Actually, the likes of Ah Zhu, Ah Bi, and even Xiaocha, Xiaoming, and Youcao all naturally knew that she was secretly in love with her cousin. It was just that none of them spoke aloud regarding it. After talking for so long, the gloomy feeling in her heart dissipated slightly. She said, “I digressed a lot in our conversation, and we didn’t get to the main topic. Why, exactly, is Shaolin making things difficult for my cousin?”

Knowing that he was unable to dodge the question any longer, Duan Yu said, “The abbot of Shaolin is known as master Xuanci. He has a junior martial-brother named Xuanbei. Master Xuanbei is most proficient at using the ‘Veda Sceptre’ style.” Wang Yuyan nodded. “That is the forty-eighth fighting style amongst Shaolin’s 72 Ultimate Techniques. Within the style, there are only a total of nineteen individual stances, but all of them are very fearsome and overpowering when executed.”

Duan Yu continued, “When master Xuanbei came to Dali, he was somehow killed by someone within the Shenjie monastery in Dali’s Luliang prefecture. Moreover, the technique which the killer used against him was the technique which master Xuanbei himself was famous for; the ‘Veda Sceptre’ technique. They said that only Gusu’s Murong family harms others in such a manner, which they called ‘using the opponent’s skills, exercising them upon the opponent.’” Wang Yuyan nodded. “That’s not unreasonable.”

Duan Yu said, “Aside from Shaolin, there are others who also are seeking revenge upon the Murong lineage.” Wang Yuyan said, “Who else?” Duan Yu said, “Within the Hidden Ox sect, there was a man named Ke Baisui who specialized in a technique known as the ‘Thousand Ruptures on the Soul of Heaven’.” Wang Yuyan said, “Oh! That is the fourth variation of the ninth stance of the Hidden Ox sect’s ‘Ever-Victorious Soft Whip’ technique. Although the technique is extremely strange, it can’t really considered a top-tier martial arts technique; all that can be said in its favor is that the force it unleashes is extremely hard and fierce.” Duan Yu said, “This person was killed by the ‘Thousand Ruptures on the Soul of Heaven’ technique. His martial-brother and his apprentice are naturally seeking revenge upon the Murong family.”

Wang Yuyan mumbled to herself, “It’s possible that my cousin killed Ke Baisui, but he definitely did not kill Xuanbei. My cousin doesn’t know the ‘Veda Sceptre’ technique. It is extremely difficult to learn. But if you ever meet my cousin, don’t tell him that he doesn’t know this technique, and definitely don’t tell him that I told you so. Otherwise, he’ll fly into a rage.”

Just as they spoke to this point, the sound of two pairs of feet rushing towards them could be heard. It was Xiaoming and Youcao.

There was look of dread on Youcao’s face. Totally flustered, she said, “Miss, bad…bad news! The madame ordered that Ah Zhu and Ah Bi…” Her voice choked, and for the moment she couldn’t say anything. Xiaoming stepped in, “That their right hands be chopped off, to punish them for their offense of arrogantly barging into the Highland Manor of the Camellias. She also said that if she ever sees them again, she’ll immediately have their heads chopped off. What…what are we to do?”

Duan Yu hurriedly said, “Miss Wang, quick, you’ve got to think of a way to rescue them!”

Wang Yuyan was very anxious as well. Knitting her eyebrows, she said, “Ah Zhu and Ah Bi are my cousin’s trusted servants. If I allow them to be crippled, how can I face my cousin? Youcao, where are they?” Youcao, Ah Zhu, and Ah Bi were extremely good friends. Hearing that Wang Yuyan seemed inclined towards helping them, she felt a ray of hope. She hurriedly said, “The madame ordered that the two of them be taken to the ‘Flower Fertilizer Shed’. I begged granny Yan to delay the execution of the sentence by an hour. If you go beg the madame immediately, there’s still a chance.” Wang Yuyan thought to herself, “Most likely, begging my mother to show mercy is useless. But except for this, there are no other options.” She immediately nodded, then left with Youcao and Xiaoming.

Watching her slim and graceful back disappear, Duan Yu wanted to run after her and say a few more words to her. But after taking a single step, he felt as though he had no words to say. As he stood there, stupefied, he began to reminisce about the conversation he just had with her. He couldn’t help but go crazy over it.

Wang Yuyan walked swiftly to the main rooms. Seeing her mother reclining on a bed, lost in a trance while staring at a camellia painting that was hanging on the wall, she called out, “Mother!”

Madame Wang slowly turned her head. A grim expression was on her face. “What do you want to talk to me about? If it has to do with the Murong family, I don’t want to hear it.” Wang Yuyan said, “Mother, Ah Zhu and Ah Bi didn’t come here on purpose this time. Can’t you let them off the hook, just this once?” Madame Wang said, “How do you know they didn’t come here on purpose? Are you afraid that if I chop their hands off, your cousin will never speak to you ever again?” Tears began to gather in Wang Yuyan’s eyes. “My cousin is your nephew. Why…why must you hate him so much? Even if my aunt offended you, you don’t need to resent my cousin.” She had summoned up all her courage to say these words, but as soon as she did, her heart began thumping wildly in her chest. Even she herself was shocked at how daring she had been in directly contradicting her mother.

Frozen lightning was in Madame Wang’s eyes. She swept her gaze across her daughter’s face a few times, but did not immediately respond. Following this, she closed her eyes. Wang Yuyan didn’t dare to so much as take a loud breath, unsure as to just what exactly her mother was planning.

After a long time, Madame Wang opened her eyes. She said, “How do you know that your aunt offended me? How did she offend me?” Hearing how icy her mother’s tone was, Wang Yuyan was so frightened that she couldn’t even speak. Madame Wang said, “Go ahead and tell me. You are growing older, and no longer need to obey me anyhow.” Both angry and anxious, Wang Yuyan began to cry. “Mother, for you…for you to hate her family so much, she must have offended you somehow. But you never told me how she offended you. Now that she’s passed away, you…you don’t need to cling to y