Heaven's Silence

Chapter 68 – Burning knife

"Honey?"

Wen Chaoshen pondered for a moment. Although he wasn't very familiar with this world, he knew that honey couldn't possibly seep from the ground.

A Shui had gone to a sparsely populated area earlier. The chances of someone passing by with a box of honey, accidentally spilling it on the ground, not having it wiped away by ants or insects, and then having A Shui step on it were too coincidental to be an accident.

"Did someone deliberately leave honey on the soles of your shoes?"

A Shui nodded.

"There wasn't much honey. If there had been more, it would have picked up more dirt and sand, making it noticeable even on muddy ground."

Wen Chaoshen thought carefully.

"What could be done by putting honey on your shoes?"

"Tracking?"

A Shui seemed unconcerned, not even bothering to scrape the honey off her shoes. She said to Wen Chaoshen:

"The dark night is perfect for killing. You'd better sleep next door tonight."

Wen Chaoshen shook his head:

"Don't go to Mr. Lü's courtyard today. Clean the honey off your shoes first. I won't go either, to avoid bringing trouble."

A Shui looked at the distant gallery bridge, her words carrying a deeper meaning:

"Actually, to the Mr. Lü you mentioned, our trouble might not even count as trouble."

Wen Chaoshen's heart stirred at her words. He glanced at A Shui and asked:

"Is Mr. Lü's cultivation higher than yours?"

A Shui replied:

"Madam Lü's cultivation should be a bit higher than mine. As for Mr. Lü... I'm not sure. Sometimes he seems as elusive as clouds and mist, other times he seems like an ordinary person without cultivation."

"Why don't you ask him yourself if you're so curious?"

Wen Chaoshen replied:

"I did, but Mr. Lü didn't say."

A Shui nodded:

"That's normal. Some cultivators hidden in the world don't like to discuss matters of cultivation."

The two chatted intermittently, crossing the gallery bridge and entering the inn Wen Chaoshen frequented. The proprietress was a middle-aged woman in her forties or fifties, plump and talkative, but always with a smile on her face.

"Oh, you're that... that Chaoshen!"

Seeing Wen Chaoshen, the proprietress cheerfully asked:

"Still two jars of peach blossom brew?"

Wen Chaoshen raised his hand slightly and turned to A Shui:

"Do you smell it? What do you want to drink?"

A Shui sniffed, her eyes lighting up, and whispered:

"Baodaozi."

"This inn is good; their spirits are pure."

Wen Chaoshen immediately shouted to the proprietress:

"Two jars of Baodaozi."

The proprietress went to fetch the liquor. The two had spoken softly, so she hadn't heard them. As she handed the liquor to Wen Chaoshen, she smiled and nodded at A Shui:

"Chaoshen, young people shouldn't think about drinking all the time. Spend some quality time with your girl. You're out and about, and still buying liquor!"

"Don't blame me for saying this, but next time you bring a girl out, take her to the Silken Wash Pool in the north of the county. It's much more fun there!"

Wen Chaoshen's face stiffened at her words. Without turning around, he could feel the gaze from behind. His mouth twitched involuntarily as he recalled A Shui's deadly precision with a blade. He coughed awkwardly:

"Proprietress, you've got it wrong. This is my sister... my sister."

He quickly paid, somewhat embarrassed, and hurriedly left with the liquor. A few steps away, he could still faintly hear the proprietress muttering:

"Young people these days, why are they getting shyer..."

Wen Chaoshen quickened his pace, returning to the courtyard. He placed the two jars of liquor on the table and said to the eager A Shui:

"Wash your shoes first, then drink."

A Shui ignored his warning, already seated at the table. Her seemingly delicate fingers lightly flicked, and the jar's lid popped open, releasing a rich aroma mixed with a hint of danger.

"Forget washing the shoes."

"Are you drinking or not?"

She had already emptied her tea cup and poured in the liquor.

Wen Chaoshen earnestly said to her:

"You're injured. You could hide and recuperate. Why not take it easy?"

"You said it yourself, you've cultivated the Ageless Spring. You can heal wounds others can't."

"At least in ten days or half a month, you'll be much better off than now."

A Shui took a swig, feeling invigorated, and said:

"You don't understand the snakes and rats of the Martial World."

"If you keep running, they'll think you're easy prey and will only get bolder."

"Only by making them bleed during their probing will they be cautious and afraid."

"Precisely because I'm injured, I need to put on a show..."

She paused, realizing her choice of words, and corrected herself:

"I'm not just putting on a show. Whoever comes to kill me, I'll kill them."

"What's that saying... better to strike first than be struck a hundred times."

Wen Chaoshen asked:

"What if you can't win?"

A Shui took another gulp, thought for a moment, and replied straightforwardly and confidently:

"Then I'll die."

Faced with A Shui's answer, Wen Chaoshen silently sat across from her, poured himself a cup of Baodaozi, and mimicked her by downing it in one go.

The next moment, under A Shui's slightly surprised gaze, his face suddenly flushed, and he coughed violently:

"Cough, cough..."

Unlike the usual liquor, this Baodaozi carried a potent aura, like a sharp sword piercing his insides, then turning into flames, threatening to burn his organs to ashes.

Seeing his predicament, A Shui clicked her tongue:

"You thought you were drinking peach blossom brew?"

"This liquor has a strong aura. If you can't handle it, drink slowly, or you'll end up with a burned stomach."

Wen Chaoshen didn't bring up the honey on A Shui's shoes again.

He conceded.

Because he had no better solution.

He was too weak, and the whirlpool he found himself in was too terrifying. In the midst of it, Wen Chaoshen felt like a drifting leaf.

"The life of a Martial World person is truly unbearable. It always feels like every day is the last."

A Shui laughed:

"Do you really think people in the Martial World are as carefree as the storytellers make them out to be?"

"Riding through the world, drinking to their heart's content, or wielding power and enjoying beauty?"

"This Martial World is a mess. Those who seem glamorous might be drowning in debt, and some hide to maintain their Tianji Tower ranking, fearing a single battle could ruin them... A person's reputation is like a tree's shadow. Those living for fame and fortune rarely find true freedom."

She clinked her cup with Wen Chaoshen's, drank, and asked:

"What do you plan to do about Chun Qiong?"

"Today the case is closed. According to you, Lu Chuan and the people from Wangchuan are likely to make a move against him."