Chapter 130: No Bait, No Hawks

In the main hall of the summit, the gazes of all the major figures were fixed upon Ling Yanfeng. His clothes were soaked through, and his usual sharp-witted air had vanished, leaving him staring blankly at his ancestor. The Grand Elder Ling was so infuriated he felt like striking him dead with a single blow.

"You fool! Tell the truth: did you see that poetry anthology at the Yu family residence in Dongling?" Once the words were out, Grand Elder Ling realized his mistake; he had effectively confirmed that Ling Yanfeng had colluded with the Wu family to destroy the Yu household of Dongling.

Ling Yanfeng, feeling dizzy and confused, stammered, "I never saw it. I don't know if the Wu family found it."

Grand Elder Ling quickly added, "Is it possible it fell into the hands of Yu Shiyu?"

Prompted by his ancestor, Ling Yanfeng was just about to frame Yu Shiyu when Sect Master Ying interrupted: "How would Yu Shiyu have any chance of knowing the secret of 'The Old General's Campaign'? Never mind him; even Ruoshuang and her mother were unaware. If they had known, that girl Yu Youwei would never have let it slip today."

"Perhaps she just misspoke," Grand Elder Ling suggested, deliberately playing devil's advocate.

"That girl is like a cunning fox; would she really let something slip by accident?" The old man in hemp robes shook his head with a chuckle, then changed his tone: "It is possible the poetry anthology was originally in the Dongling Yu household, but neither Yu Shiyu nor his wife and daughter understood its importance to our sect."

"Then how did Ling Yanfeng know it was there? To the point of colluding with the Wu family to annihilate them?" Though he asked Ling Yanfeng, Sect Master Ying looked directly at Grand Elder Ling. He knew that Ling Yanfeng only dared to target the girl because this old man was backing him. He was certain the attack on the Yu family had been instigated by this old fellow.

In this, however, Sect Master Ying wronged Grand Elder Ling. Ling Yanfeng had acted entirely out of resentment because Yu Shiyu had repeatedly thwarted his schemes, leading him to conspire with the Wu family to trap and destroy the Yu household. Grand Elder Ling had been completely unaware of the plot beforehand.

"The Wu family had a private grudge against the Yu family, and Yanfeng was merely helping his cousin. The Yu family's fate was also due to the wariness of the Imperial Court of the Sword Sect; they feared the Yu family was becoming too powerful, and Emperor Qian fanned the flames." In order to absolve his favorite, Ling Yanfeng, Grand Elder Ling had to explain patiently, and his reasoning sounded plausible enough.

Sect Master Ying seized the opportunity to bring up the unresolved issue: "I will not interfere in the grievances between Ling Yanfeng and the Yu family. But he must provide an accounting for what happened to Ruoshuang. Two paths—he must choose one."

In this setting, Grand Elder Ling could not go back on his word. Clenching his fists in frustration, he said, "If it is a uxorilocal marriage, let it be into the Ying family." The Ying family had no sons; a son-in-law's status would not be low!

At any other time, Sect Master Ying might have been tempted to recruit a son-in-law into his own house for his granddaughter, but at this moment, his sole intention was to crush the arrogance of Grand Elder Ling. This old man from the Ling family had been holding him back for too long, and he had long wanted to put him in his place. "No. Ruoshuang is a daughter of the Yu family; if Ling Yanfeng is to marry into a family, it must be the Yu family. If I were truly seeking a son-in-law for my own house, I would not marry my daughter into the Yu family." Watching the old man’s face twitch, he felt a surge of satisfaction.

"Then let Ling Yanfeng marry into the Yu family and be done with this wretched business," the old man in hemp robes declared, finalizing the decision. The faction he represented held the most delicate position; despite having the least power, they acted as arbiters. Once he spoke, neither Sect Master Ying nor Grand Elder Ling offered any objections.

Just then, Yu Ruoshuang was sent a piece of paper by her younger sister, containing the middle portion of "The Old General's Campaign," with the beginning and end omitted.

Even Grand Elder Ling forgot about Ling Yanfeng’s affairs, joining the others to crowd around the paper, the ink of which was still wet.

The characters on the page were elegant and graceful, with a hidden spiritual essence in every stroke. Though written by the same hand, they revealed several different artistic conceptions, deliberately divided into three sections.

The first six lines formed the first part, beginning with "A sword turns the tide across three thousand miles," possessing a spirit of heroic vigor that suddenly shifted into a state of melancholy and stagnation. The ten lines in the middle, starting with "Since being cast aside, I have withered," carried a chilly and desolate mood. The final six lines, starting with "Clouds of battle beneath the Helan Mountains," exuded a tragic sense of unfulfilled ambition.

"She has infused sword intent into the calligraphy!" the old man in hemp robes said, stunned. How old was that girl to have grasped several kinds of sword intent?

"Are you certain she hasn't seen the ancestral master's calligraphy before?" someone in Grand Elder Ling’s faction asked, only to be nearly drowned in scorn; even those in his own camp were too stirred to let it pass.

"If seeing the ancestral master's calligraphy were enough to grasp sword intent, pray tell, how many types have you grasped after seeing it over a hundred times?" the old man in hemp robes mocked, making the speaker wish he could crawl into a hole.

Yu Ruoshuang stared blankly at the elders, who had lost their usual composure, wanting to speak but hesitating.

"Ruoshuang, if you have something to say, speak," the old man in hemp robes said kindly.

"My sister said that if anyone is willing to listen, I should explain this poem to them; it might help them grasp the sword intent," Yu Ruoshuang said timidly. Everyone present was a senior of the sect; for a junior like her to lecture them was one thing, but if she ended up getting her grandfather scolded, that would be a disaster!

"Speak!" Sect Master Ying commanded in a deep voice.

Wang Wei, the founding master of the Sword Sect, had set the record for ascending to the heavens in three hundred years, a feat yet to be broken. A thousand years ago, the sect suffered a great catastrophe, and many sword techniques were lost. The ancestral master’s masterpiece, "The Old General's Campaign," contained the "Sword Art of Breaking the Barbarians," a technique the master had created in his prime, with which he had swept across the entire Eastern Continent.

As the Sect Master of the Sword Sect, Ying had dreamed of seeing the "Sword Art of Breaking the Barbarians" come to light once more.

Yu Ruoshuang’s beautiful eyes swept across the room, and she pouted, "I don't want to explain it to Ling Yanfeng and the others."

Grand Elder Ling suppressed his anger and said, "Ruoshuang, child, Yanfeng is about to marry you; what does it matter if he listens?"

"It is not a marriage; it is a uxorilocal union!" Yu Ruoshuang corrected.

"A uxorilocal union it is, then. Little Ruoshuang, you have my support to bully this boy however you like in the future," the old man in hemp robes said, beckoning to her warmly. "Tell us your sister's words, word for word."

"Ruoshuang, speak quickly," Sect Master Ying urged impatiently.

"But I have one more question, my sister said I must ask," Yu Ruoshuang said, looking troubled.

"Speak!"

Not only did Sect Master Ying speak, but nearly half the people present urged her in unison, while Ling Yanfeng had been unceremoniously tossed out of the hall by an elder.

"If I explain 'The Old General's Campaign,' does that count as a great service to the sect? What reward can I get?" After asking, Yu Ruoshuang said shyly, "My sister said, 'Don't let the hawk fly until you see the rabbit.' Besides, I only needed to deliver the poem she wrote—it's not as if I absolutely have to explain it."

Grand Elder Ling said irritably, "What else did that little fox say? Can't you say it all at once?"

"My sister said she will definitely finish the beginning and end of the poem, so please rest assured." Just as everyone felt a spark of joy, Yu Ruoshuang added, "However, she said the most important things must only be said once the 'rabbit' is seen."