- by Moonblossom -
Half a
month later.
He was extension
of the shadows and moved swiftly like a bird of the night. If someone caught sight of him, he would have
thought it was just a shadow and not a cause for alarm.
He leaped up
a building where the dark roof tiles would provide further camouflage. After he left Bai Ming Sect six years ago, he
has retained a vague map of the place in his mind. Thankfully, his lack of direction sense was
not acting up today and he was able to locate the dungeon after only half an
hour.
Crouching,
he removed a roof tile carefully.
Yup, it
was indeed the dungeon below.
Listening
to a faint voice which floated up from below, he moved twenty steps forward to
where he thought was directly above the voice, and removed another roof tile.
“Master
He, are you awake?”
He Zai leaned
against his cage and muttered a sound in response but did not open his
eyes. Deng Hai Tang was worried. “Miss Huang Fu, no, Miss Jiang has been
brought away. Do you think she will be
fine?”
On top of
them, the man’s eyes gleamed.
“Since it
is not ordered by Sect Leader, she should be fine.”
“Do you
think it is because Che Yan Yan has discovered Miss Jiang’s true identity? What good thing can happen when she gets her
Sky Slaves to bring her away in the middle of the night?”
“Miss is
very good at enduring. She will be fine.”
“But…”
The man on
top of the roof straighten soundlessly.
After thinking about it, he took out a small woven pouch, placed a piece
of broken jade inside and flicked it to the cage below.
He Zai was
awake in an instant and caught the pouch.
Deng Hai Tang nearly gasp but controlled herself in time and moved
forward to peer at the pouch.
Inside
were two pills and a broken piece of jade.
She was
confused, especially when He Zai passed her one of the pills. At the same time, He Zai said rather loudly:
“Protector Che asked many questions about Gentleman Xian Yun before taking Miss
away. Given the character of Protector
Che, Miss must have been taken away because of this man.” He smiled as he looked at the jade piece. “I
have seen this before. The original
jade was a good piece but Miss has broken it into four. Who would have thought the jade would find its
way back to its original owner?”
When the
person on the roof remained silent, He Zai continued. “Since Protector Che wants a private
inquisition, it would naturally be held at her private quarters. To go there, just turn east from the dungeon
until you see a red house.”
Back on
the roof, the man headed east without pausing to check if the people below have
swallowed the pills.
After more
roof hopping, he finally found the red house.
The house and its courtyard were dimly lit, but he could see about ten
Sky Slaves standing neatly in a row inside the house. Since he had no clue what Che Yan Yan was
thinking, he removed yet another roof tile to better observe what was going on.
Under the
flickering light, Che Yan Yan pursed her lips.
“You don’t like him either? Hey,
I am giving you a chance, Jiang Wo Bo.
Although these Sky Slaves are a choice of the moment and they have
tattoo on their faces, but they are definitely on par with Xian Yun.”
“Since
Protector Che thinks that they are on par with Xian Yun, why not let them
accompany you instead?”
Both women
were seated. Jiang Wo Bo stifled a yawn,
but was unable to control her smile when she saw Che Yan Yan’s serious face, so
she asked: “What is so good about Xian Yun that you are fixated on him?”
“Humph. The man I want must also fall for my charms.”
“That is
simple.” Jiang Wo Bo stifled another
yawn. “Do you best to chase after him. I
promise I will not stop you.”
“It s not
my style to rob another woman of her man.
When I wanted any man in the past, he would be mine once I captured him
and if he does not yet have anyone in his heart. But if he already has someone, to make him
fall for me would be a test of my powers.
However, I will not shortchange their sweetheart and will always
compensate them. Since I am intent on
compensating you, you take a good look at these men, choose someone you like,
and finish the deed tonight.”
Jiang Wo
Bo nearly fell off her chair. “You call
this compensation? Are you sure you are
not engineering a betrayal before you come between a couple?”
Che Yan
Yan was so angry that she stood up. “You
sounded annoying familiar and the more I hear you speak, the more detesting you
get. If you do not choose a Sky Slave
tonight, I will personally pick one for you!”
Jiang Wo
Bo can only sighed to herself. A few
years back, she has heard about Che Yan Yan’s method of seduction. She must get the man she wanted and yet do so
in a way that maintained her image as a female fetale. On the surface, she would not resort to robbery
or murder in order to get her man if the man already has a sweetheart. Who would have guessed a mere listener like her
to become a victim tonight? Luckily, she
was very good at endurance. She could stand
this, no problem.
Taking a
closer look at Che Yan Yan’s Sky Slaves, they were actually quite good looking
without their masks. No wonder this
Right Protector wanted to keep them around.
Rubbing
her nose, she stifled another yawn. She
blamed her sleepiness on the bad habit she formed at Cloud Manor. To remain healthy, all must sleep early. If her head touched a pillow now, she would
be dead meat. If there ever was an
occasion to showcase her endurance, it would be tonight.
Che Yan
Yan gave her a cold smile: “Actually, how can you and Xian Yun be suitable for
each other? Before I caught you the
other day, he was happily chatting with the young Miss from Tang Manor.”
Jiang Wo Bo replied politely: “Protector Che, did you use the wrong phrase to describe what happened?”
“Huh?
Wrong phrase? I shall not keep it from
Miss Jiang. Your rescuers are already
gathered at the foot of the mountain and I am sure Xian Yun is among them. However, he has been inseparable with Miss
Tang for the past two weeks. Do you get
my drift?”
It was
impossible to discern the expression of Jiang Wo Bo under the dim candlelight,
but she said suddenly: “I do recall a Miss Tang at the wedding. She is about eighteen years old and very
pretty. I have wondered why she is dressed
differently from the current trend, so it is because she is trying to outshine
me. If it is her and Xian Yun, they are
indeed well-suited.”
As the man
on top of the roof glared at her, she stood and continued. “Since he is heartless, I shall not remain
true either. Come, come everyone! Line
up so that I can take a look who is better!”
A true
heroine can bend with the tide. Rather
than blatantly opposing Che Yan Yan and risk a forced encounter, it would be
better to choose someone easy on her eyes.
She circled the men and reached out from habit for her jade flute. A pity she has passed it back to He Zai
before she was escorted from the dungeon so it was not with her now. Sigh!
Each man had his own merit, but there was none who could set her heart aflutter. In any case, she just had to find a way to delay this till dawn. Once the rescuers reach the mountain, she would have passed this hurdle.
Che Yan Yan tried to hurry her to pick one when she came to a stop in front of a youth who bore multiple whip wounds on his body. Just when she was about to say that she will choose him, all the lights suddenly went out and the house and its courtyard was engulfed in total darkness.
“What happened?” Che Yan Yan hollered. “Men! Light the candles
immediately!” Some Sky Slaves rushed to
the candle stand but found that the tip of the candle had been cut off. When they tried to turn, someone sealed their
meridian points and they were immobilized.
Before
Jiang Wo Bo could react, she felt someone grabbing her waist and into his arms. The sound of wind whistled in her ears as she
was carried past several motionless Sky Slaves and landed a secluded spot far
away. Next she knew, her chin was lifted
and a pair of lips forcibly parted her own as she was devoured in a kiss.
She froze
at the familiar scent.
The kiss
was intense and seemed to go on forever.
Was he making use of the fact that she could not see his expression, to
be kissing her with such abandon?
She eyelids
fluttered close, and open. Close and open.
Her heart was racing a little fast but she thought her control was still
intact. She has seen such passion….
alright, she has to admit that although she has seen bit in her twenty years,
she has only encountered such things once, which was in her erotic dreams.
But she could
hold back.
No,
wait. What was she holding back
for? Some matters need not hold back. Just when she has decided to go ahead and make
lemonade to repay his gift of papayas*, she found that he has pushed a pill to
her with his tongue and stepped back.
She
touched her moist lips and swallowed the pill.
“Are you
alright?” he whispered hoarsely.
“I am
still ok, except that my heartbeat is a bit faster than normal. Did you just feed me poison?”
In the
darkness, she could hear his suppressed laughter. In the next instant, she was in his arms
again as he held her very, very tightly.
Has she been too focused on being alone that she overlooked his fear of
not being able to save her time and time again?
Although he was holding her very tightly, it did not feel like a
passionate hug. Rather, it was as if he
was afraid he would fall off a cliff again.
This man was so upright, anyone could put themself safely in his hands. But why did she get the feeling that she was comforting him at this instant?
This man was so upright, anyone could put themself safely in his hands. But why did she get the feeling that she was comforting him at this instant?
“You need
not feel apologetic since I would have come back for He Zai sooner or
later. This time was merely going along
with the flow.”
He only
made a non-committal sound.
She lifted
her head and the movement brushed her cheeks against his smooth forehead. She could imagine his forthright smile and
she suddenly felt a lot happier. It was
weird, but she found herself remembering how he would smile at home frequently
in the last two weeks. Her next thought
that follow, was that it was not good to indulge since it could easily lead to
disappointment.
She did
not know how he did it, but there was a faint light suddenly. Taking a quick look around, she found that
they were behind a boulder and on his palm was a short candle stub. She lifted her eyes to his and felt her heart
quake. He was dressed in black and his
hair was not tied up in his customary bun atop his head. Instead, he has pulled
his hair to a knot behind and some tendrils had fallen over his forehead, giving
him a rather rakish beauty.
So it was
not that he actually favoured whites; He probably wore white to accentuate his aloof
exterior instead of wearing other colours that would bring out his warmth and
steal people’s souls away. This devil.
Her heart thought that her endurance training was really all for
tonight.
He did not
look anywhere else except at her, as if he could never looked enough. She
licked her lips and asked softly: “I figured you are not here to rescue us
tonight?”
His lips
curved. “No.”
“So what
was the pill you fed me?”
“Miss-you-like-crazy
pill.”
She
blinked at his answer and took in his enticing look again. The seductive scent of spring…. she swallowed
her saliva.
“That…”
“If you
have a question, you need to ask quickly.”
She gave
it two seconds before she started laughing.
What questions could she ask? What was there to ask? Perhaps she should
ask him how he felt about Miss Tang?
That would be a truly useless question.
“Nothing
much. I just want to tell you that I am
well and you need not worry about me.”
At her
words, he smiled and snuffed the candle.
As darkness engulf them once more, he said “When you return to your
cell, try to exercise your qi. The pill will help to protect your major
arteries.”
She wanted
to protest that she was not that weak but he continued. “I cannot bring you away now. Since Bai Ming Sect dares to abduct the bride
of the martial arts scholar, its aim is to rouse the court officers present at
the wedding to stage a rescue. They are
at the foot of the mountain as we speak, and will arrive up the mountain in the
morning. Per our ancestors’ teachings, Cloud Manor disciples are not allowed to
interfere with the happenings of the wulin.
Although I have never met Bai Ming Sect Leader, you have mentioned before that
he gone off the deep end and should anything happen tomorrow, you would be the
first to get hit. I may not be able to
protect your well-being but with this pill, it will at least help protect your
heart.”
“So you
are here to send me medicine?”
“Correct.”
She
smiled. “I understand.”
He hugged
her again before releasing her. “You
take care. Let me send you back.”
She suddenly reached out to pull him down by the neck and touched the corner of his lips.
As she guessed,
his lips were not curved and it was his aloof look.
She
figured his warm look a few moments ago was put on for her benefit. Beneath his calm surface, he was actually agitated
and could not help but to rush up at the earliest opportunity to check out if
she was alive, if she was safe?
When she
was fighting Che Yan Yan and her Sky Slaves at the wedding, it was inevitable for
some to get hurt, for blood to be spilled.
As he stared at the blood stains after the fight, did he also wondering
whose blood was it on the floor?
She felt
something very foreign, but the strange feeling also brought a wave of
happiness to her heart. Surely, even a
poppy flower is allowed to lose a little, little bit of control especially when
the other poppy flower around her is radiating its poison like crazy? So she
stood on her toes and gave him a small peck on his lips.
“This will
really be the last time.” He whispered.
“There will never be such happenings ever again.”
She was a
bit skeptical but she decided now was not the time to delve further so she
smiled. “Xian Yun, at this very moment,
I am thinking it is not too bad to eat the nutritious meals at Cloud Manor.”
“You will
come to know the pain in future.” This
time, she could finally hear the smile in his voice.
She was held in a tight embrace and the next she know, she was back at the hall. He brushed his finger gently over her forehead and in the next instant, he hit her meridian points and rendered her immobile. As his familiar scent floated away, she found a faint smile lingering on her face.
She was held in a tight embrace and the next she know, she was back at the hall. He brushed his finger gently over her forehead and in the next instant, he hit her meridian points and rendered her immobile. As his familiar scent floated away, she found a faint smile lingering on her face.
From
outside the hall, a Sky Slave stumbled in and started lighting the
candles. She heard him shout for
Protector Che and from the corner of her eye, she saw that Che Yan Yan and all
her Sky Slaves where immobilized too.
The Sky
Slave quickly freed Che Yan Yan, only to earn a slap from her. “Useless fools! How could you allow someone
to waltz in and grab my… wait, you are still around?”
Jiang Wo
Bo gave Che Yan Yan her most innocent look.
While Che
Yan Yan was suspicious as she went around releasing everyone’s meridian points,
she finally came to Jiang Wu Bo and freed her.
Jiang Wo Bo took a deep breath. “That was so scary! I thought it was you who struck me.”
“Why would
I do that for?”
“I only
know you were lamenting that I was not a man the other day. How would I know what you wanted to do with
me?”
Che Yan
Yan gave her a furious stare, before turning around and barked. “Why are you all still standing here? Go seal the roads immediately! I want to see
who dares to challenge Bai Ming Sect.
Men, bring her back to the dungeon!”
*Wang Yun has mixed up her idioms as usual. What she wanted to say is something along the lines of “making lemonade when life gives you lemons”.
So, was that swoon worthy enough for you? The image of Xian Yun keep changing every other chapter - from an aloof deity from the nine-heavens (do you recall he is always referred to by his full title "Gentleman Xian Yun" in the early chapters?), to a cheerful man who smiles a lot at home, to an ordinary man who can get lost, to Mr Hot Pants tonight... I must admit that this is the best I have seen of him yet although I am a bit skeptical how he intends for this to be "the last time" when he has said it before? I'm so looking forward to the showdown between the orthodox and unorthodox sects next chapter. Until then, have a nice weekend! - Mb.
Chapter Links:
Ahh! I've truly & finally fallen for Xian Yun but it's awesome that I love Jiang Wu Bo more. She's totally a kickass heroine! Hmm, why didn't Che Yan Yan push Wu Bo & He Zai together as compensation?! Imagine what would it be like if Xian Yun came to see that? Haha!
ReplyDeleteTwo more chapters left? Gah, I can't wait! =)
Nice idea! Xian Yun has a very healthy sense of jealousy but I think he will go over the roof if it is He Zai. I was laughing aloud at the part he glared at her while she ask all the guys to queue up as if she was at a market and shopping for fish. If Xian Yun has not intervene, I wonder how she intended to wriggle her way out of this one.
DeleteA man of a thousand faces indeed. Great way to begin the weekend, thank you!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome. Have a great weekend too!
DeleteSqueeeel!! I don't want the story to end yet! I want mooore Xian Yun xD
ReplyDeleteGlad you like the story. The positive part is there are still some kick-ass parts to come I have just finished the first round of translation for Chap 9 this morning. Once I am done with the editing, I think you guys will love it. : )
DeleteThank you for your lovely translations moonblossom :)
DeleteDo you have any recommendation of a similar novel? I love this light clever romance story
You could check out 万万万岁 by same author as GFFC, or try Xi Meng (another author who has different style for light-hearted pugilist novels) who wrote 我家妖孽 or 大瘟神.
DeleteI don’t have fluffy recommendations for modern novels, but light, warm-hearted ones are easy to recommend, like 报恩那么难 by Xi Juan, or 美女符咒师 by Mi Bao. Hopefully the link in this reply works so you can check out the summary of the books.
Squeal squeal! While reading this chapter I was in a burst of happiness. Thanks for brightening my day! It's been pouring cats and dogs here.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend moonblossom !
This is a nice chapter. Happy weekend too!
DeleteMoonblossom thanks :) today i read with smile because there is kiss kiss haha. Oh now already chapter 8 ... After this are u planning to translate other c.novel?
ReplyDeleteHa.ha! Excuse me, it is a HOT kiss. I love it that he kissed her so hard because he is worried about her :)
DeleteNo plans yet. Now just concentrating on getting it nicely out. :)
Thank you, can't wait for the next chapter :)
ReplyDelete