Bamboo Chest Chapter Eleven: The Arrow on the String
Two distinguished guests arrived at the Moonlit Pavilion, and to everyone’s surprise, the pavilion master granted them an unprecedented audience.
At the summit of this most enigmatic tower in the Kingdom of Baiyuan, An Luo and Shui Ze stood outside the door, hesitant to enter.
“Brother, can we really trust him?” Shui Ze asked with some concern.
“Our grandfather has spoken; we have no choice but to trust him,” An Luo replied, recalling the boy’s eyes and smiling softly. “Besides, I think he’s probably not a bad person.”
“Phew, if it weren’t for Chang Qi breaking the rules this time, we wouldn’t be running all over the place,” Shui Ze sighed, her voice tinged with annoyance when mentioning Chang Qi.
“Brother, you have no idea how disgusting his gaze was when he looked at me!” Shui Ze complained.
An Luo laughed and gently ruffled her hair. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you gouge out his eyes when the time comes.”
Inside the pavilion, Lu Yun sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, watching the woman before him clad in Daoist robes, eyes closed in meditation.
She was neither beautiful nor unattractive—her features plain, yet she emanated a unique aura.
“Do you know why you were allowed in?” the woman asked, still with her eyes shut.
Lu Yun’s mind moved slightly as he answered, “Luo Zecheng?”
The pavilion master opened her eyes and chuckled, “Not dumb. No wonder you’re still alive.”
With that, she raised her hand and poured a cup of tea for Lu Yun.
“Please, you’re worthy of this tea.”
Lu Yun didn’t move, simply watching her silently.
She smiled faintly, unfazed, then after pouring tea for herself, took a small sip.
“Speak. What do you wish to know?”
“I want to know the whereabouts of Chang Qi and Yuan Bai. You should know them,” Lu Yun said.
The pavilion master shook her head. “Chang Qi, the Lord of Beiyun City, wields considerable influence among the thirty-seven cities of Baiyuan Kingdom. As for Yuan Bai, his identity is far from simple.”
“Related to Qianjing City?” The youth’s intuition sharpened.
Her eyes gleamed with admiration. “Yes.”
Lu Yun fell silent.
“You want to know their whereabouts, don’t you? I can tell you about Chang Qi, and I can tell you about Yuan Bai. One Chang Qi is still cheap here; two will cost extra. But as my new guest, I can throw in some things you might need.”
She looked at Lu Yun calmly.
“What must I give in return?” he asked, frowning.
The pavilion master slowly curled her lips.
“One promise.”
---
“Lord Lu, you’re out?” An Luo’s voice brimmed with excitement as he saw Lu Yun push open the wooden door.
“So? Did you get any answers?” he asked.
Lu Yun nodded, then awkwardly scratched his head. “I want to step out for a while… There’s someone I want to see if I can kill.”
An Luo and Shui Ze were stunned.
They never expected such words from the youth.
---
Under the blazing sun, Yuan Bai casually tossed aside his straw hat, lying back on his horse’s saddle, unbothered by the glaring light as he gazed at the sky.
Leading the horse was a silent man.
“Hey, Zhique, how much longer until we reach Qianjing City?” Yuan Bai crossed his legs arrogantly and demanded like a master.
“Master, at most ten more days,” the man called Zhique replied.
“Ten days? Too slow!” Yuan Bai snapped. “What are you even doing? Hurry up!”
Zhique said nothing, only continued leading the horse.
Suddenly, he and the white horse halted abruptly.
Yuan Bai furrowed his brow, about to scold again, but then sensed a familiar presence.
“You dare come back?!”
Before them stood a boy who had been waiting for some time.
The youth wore simple cloth garments, wielded twin blades, and fixed a fierce gaze on Yuan Bai atop the horse.
Yuan Bai grinned menacingly and leapt down.
“Who gave you the confidence to come back and seek death?!”
The boy said nothing, stepping forward to charge.
Zhique frowned and raised his hand, but before Yuan Bai could speak, a flying sword shot toward them.
Zhique had to retreat to avoid it. He glanced at the robed woman and coldly questioned, “Qianjing City has long endured the Moonlit Pavilion, but you dare to assassinate a prince? Aren’t you afraid of the consequences?”
The Moonlit Pavilion master chuckled softly. “You said it yourself, he’s just a prince. I suppose even you have long since forgotten he was once the crown prince of Baiyuan Kingdom. To me, though he’s a prince, he was merely a hostage sent to another country early on. Killing him is no great loss.”
She smiled wryly. “And who in Baiyuan Kingdom could punish me? That old man in Qianjing City? He probably doesn’t have the time anymore.”
---
“Impudent!”
Zhique’s anger flared as a long sword appeared in his hand. “Moonlit Pavilion must be in league with the Sword Qi Great Wall!”
The pavilion master yawned. “Such tedious accusations.”
---
Seeing Zhique held back by the pavilion master, Yuan Bai’s expression darkened.
“Are you afraid?” Lu Yun suddenly asked. “Are you scared because our Baiyuan Kingdom’s hostage prince no longer has guards to swagger at me?”
Yuan Bai’s face darkened, twisting into a bitter laugh.
“Do you think having a flood dragon on your side lets you act without restraint?”
Lu Yun remained impassive but raised his short blade.
Yuan Bai wielded a short knife as well, taunting, “Remember this blade? You were stabbed through the heart with it.”
Lu Yun narrowed his eyes and suddenly asked, “Do you remember our deal?”
Yuan Bai was stunned, clearly unable to recall.
At the Moonlit Pavilion, he had promised Lu Yun that after he found Chang Qi and obtained the antidote, he would reveal his true identity.
The antidote was obviously a lie, but Lu Yun still went to find Chang Qi.
So Yuan Bai had to pay the price.
“I already know your identity—not from you, though—so I’ve decided to change the terms. That is…”
Like a released arrow, Lu Yun surged forward toward Yuan Bai.
Both had been waiting for the right moment; now Lu Yun believed it had come.
“Your life.”
Lu Yun’s voice whispered into Yuan Bai’s ear.
---
On a distant hill, someone set up a wooden bow.
“Brother, even if he’s a hostage, he’s still the prince of Baiyuan Kingdom. If he doesn’t return to Qianjing City, our Luo Ze City…”
Faced with his sister’s worry, An Luo’s lips curved into his trademark smile.
“Qianjing City won’t have time to care about the fate of a hostage… Besides, I quite like this little brother’s spirit!”