Chapter 121: The Green Hills Remain, the Flowing Waters Endure

After parting ways with Qin Cheng and his companions, the Guo sisters and Xiao’er—who was carrying the Jiaowei zither—walked back along the street.

With Qin Cheng no longer present, the three women no longer needed to feign indifference toward the day's failed operation. Xiao’er remained as calm and composed as ever, while the Guo sisters appeared somewhat despondent.

They walked in silence for an indeterminate amount of time until Guo Xixi finally broke the quiet. "Why did you attack Xue Ping? What have you been hiding from us?"

Xue Ping was the young nobleman who had been drinking with Li Li.

After a long silence, Xiao’er looked at Guo Xixi. Although a faint, almost imperceptible trace of apology flickered in her eyes, her tone remained level. "You kill Li Li; I kill Xue Ping."

Guo Xixi sneered at Xiao’er’s lukewarm demeanor. "If you wanted to kill Xue Ping, why didn't you say so earlier? Now you’ve ruined our entire plan!"

"I couldn't kill Li Li at the time, but I had a chance to kill Xue Ping. Had those people not appeared so suddenly, I would have succeeded," Xiao’er said indifferently.

Xiao’er’s martial arts were unremarkable, merely on par with a common swordsman; naturally, she could not hope to defeat Li Li, who required the combined efforts of the Guo sisters to overcome.

"You could have told us beforehand, but you didn't," Guo Xixi retorted. "If you had, even if we failed to kill Li Li tonight, we could have helped you take out Xue Ping first. Now, we’ve failed to kill either of them, and we’ve made them alert. It will be even harder to strike in the future! This was our only chance, don't you understand?"

Facing Guo Dongdong’s aggressive tone, Xiao’er’s expression remained unchanged. She looked at Guo Dongdong, her voice turning cold. "If not for your 'Brother Qin' interfering today, how could we have failed?"

Xiao’er was dissatisfied because the day’s events had spiraled beyond her control. No one had anticipated Qin Cheng’s sudden appearance. Now, seeing Guo Dongdong—who had been so intimate with Qin Cheng—acting so aggressive, how could she feel anything but resentment?

"You are shirking responsibility!" Guo Dongdong’s temper flared, and she practically hissed the words.

"Does it matter?" Xiao’er countered, her gaze dropping to the zither in her arms. "This cooperation has already failed. From here on out, we simply go our separate ways."

After speaking, Xiao’er shifted her gaze from the zither to Guo Dongdong, her previously bright eyes cooling at the transition. She seemed indifferent to whatever Guo Xixi might do to her, treating the entire situation as a trivial, passing matter.

"Business failed, but the friendship remains," Guo Dongdong interjected, unable to let the argument escalate further. "Even though this collaboration didn't succeed, there’s no need for us to turn from friends into enemies. Let’s part on good terms. The green hills remain and the rivers flow on; we shall meet again."

Before Xiao’er could reply, Guo Dongdong grabbed Guo Xixi and walked away. Clearly, she too was dissatisfied with Xiao’er for hiding the true target of her assassination attempt.

As they were dragged along, Guo Xixi tried to break free but failed. "She lied to us! She clearly intended to kill Xue Ping—why didn't she say so earlier?!"

Guo Dongdong kept walking, pulling her sister along. "What’s the use of dwelling on that now? Do you intend to kill her?"

"If I don't kill her, I should at least teach her a lesson, otherwise how are we supposed to make a name for ourselves in the martial arts world?"

After turning a corner, Guo Dongdong stopped and looked at her sister, stating something that caught Guo Xixi completely off guard: "You cannot kill her, nor can you teach her a lesson."

"What?" Guo Xixi scoffed. "With her third-rate skills, I could easily handle both of them by myself."

Guo Dongdong looked at her sister’s flushed face and said earnestly, "Xixi, you are underestimating her. Think about it: she has been wandering the martial arts world alone since the age of thirteen, with no one to rely on and only mediocre skills. Yet she has survived until today. Don't you find that strange?"

Struck by this realization, Guo Xixi, however unwilling, began to understand.

"Xixi, this is our first time wandering the world on our own. We can't be like we were when our brother was with us, acting without thinking. You must realize that one slip could cost us our lives," Guo Dongdong said solemnly before pulling her sister along once more.

Guo Xixi remained silent for a while, still feeling a sense of lingering resentment. "Is this Xiao’er truly that formidable?"

"I don't know if she is formidable, but I know she is not as simple as she appears," Guo Dongdong said gravely.

The sisters did not speak again, walking in silence until they reached their lodging. The night air swallowed their figures. That year, they began their journey in the martial arts world; that year, they were seventeen.

...

After the sisters left, Xiao’er stood in place for a moment, her eyes calm as she watched them depart. Under the crescent moon, her silhouette appeared exceptionally lonely.

After a long while, she reached up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, withdrew her gaze, and carried the Jiaowei zither into a small alley.

Her expression was ordinary, showing no signs of anger over the sisters’ rudeness. To her, whether she disclosed her target was unimportant, provided the problem could be resolved. According to their original plan, that objective had been easily within reach—had Qin Cheng and his men not intervened.

In the alley, Xiao’er moved with light, nearly silent footsteps. Her thin figure wove through the chilled streets, flanked by cold walls and the occasional closed door.

She kept her head slightly bowed, her gaze fixed on her feet, though her restless eyes betrayed her thoughts. No woman walking the night streets alone would be without vigilance, and it was clear that Xiao’er was exceptionally cautious.

She walked for perhaps an hour, leaving behind the grand architecture of the central city and arriving at a dilapidated district on the outskirts of Chang’an—a place where the lowest classes resided.

After winding through several turns, she stopped before an old, worn-down courtyard. She stood motionless for a few breaths before plucking a string on her zither.

The instrument emitted two soft notes.

She remained standing there, watching the gate. Moments later, the gate creaked open just enough for one person to pass, and a dark shadow lunged out toward her.

Had Guo Xixi seen this, she might have cried out in alarm.

It was a large black dog, half the height of a person, muscular and fierce. Its powerful limbs and sharp, massive fangs would make anyone shudder at the thought of being bitten—a sensation no one would care to experience.

Yet, upon seeing Xiao’er, the dog became remarkably docile. It nudged against her shins, whimpering softly as if expressing its longing.

Xiao’er pulled her hand from her long sleeve and stroked the dog’s head, a hauntingly beautiful smile gracing her lips—one destined to be seen by no one. She entered the courtyard and locked the gate behind her. The old wooden door creaked, sounding as if it were groaning under the weight of its own age.

Inside, Xiao’er went to the kitchen, fetched a plate piled with meat, and set it down. The dog whined with excitement, its thick tail wagging as it ate. Every so often, it would look up at Xiao’er, who sat crouching beside it, and after a soft whimper, return to its meal.

Since her arrival, the dog had not barked once, only emitting low whimpers.

Xiao’er stood, entered the room, set down the Jiaowei zither, and sat in the darkness, lost in thought. Neither the courtyard nor the room was ever lit by a lamp.

After finishing the meat, the dog drank from a basin in the corner and then curled up before the door, its body heaving rhythmically as it panted. In the house, Xiao’er made no sound, as quiet as if the room were empty. The dog would occasionally turn its head to peer into the pitch-black room.

Half an hour later, Xiao’er stood up to prepare water for washing. In the darkness, her face remained obscured, casting an air of mystery over her entire being.

...

Gongsun Ce, upon learning that Qin Cheng was staying at the relay station, insisted on tagging along, though there was little to see there. Wei Qing, naturally, could not stay at the station with Qin Cheng, so he took his leave after seeing them off.

Qin Cheng did not know the way, and if not for Gongsun Ce acting as his guide, Wei Qing would have had to escort him back personally.

When they arrived, the station was still lit. During the days Qin Cheng had been at the palace, Qin Qingzhi and the two guards had grown restless. Knowing Qin Cheng would return, Qin Qingzhi had allowed the two guards to explore the city while he stayed behind to wait.

Qin Cheng learned that the two guards had been out all day and had just returned, drenched in sweat and laden with various bundles, looking as if they had gotten lost.

Gongsun Ce, who had intended to spar with Qin Cheng, decided to postpone it, promising to return the next day to accompany Qin Cheng in seeking guidance from the Guo sisters.

When Qin Cheng returned after seeing Gongsun Ce off, the two guards stood with their heads bowed, looking embarrassed and expecting a scolding.

"Next time, remember to let Qingzhi have a turn; you shouldn't keep him cooped up," Qin Cheng said with a smile.

Relieved that they weren't being punished, the guards relaxed. They had merely been out buying local specialties for their families—a trivial matter, but one they worried might violate the strict discipline Qin Cheng maintained. They hadn't expected him to be so lenient.