Chapter 27: The n.o.ble Gentleman – Part 10
Translated by: Kestrel
Edited by: Rita
Unexpectedly, the next instant Ming ChangYan suddenly lost strength, head crashing into the crook of his neck – he was already sound asleep.
Huai Yu"s breathing stopped for a moment, before he let out a sigh.
Ming ChangYan"s clothes were loose, the struggle from before having pulled it down to reveal a large portion of his skin, and under the light of the moon, Huai Yu noticed a faint shadow on his shoulder. Removing his clothes to look at his back, Huai Yu realized this wasn"t an injury as he"d a.s.sumed. On his clean, porcelain-white back was a pattern of five little moons, from new moon to full, plus a series of complicated and primitive characters – most likely the language of ancient Tokhara.
He bent Ming ChangYan"s shoulders, helped him put his clothes back on, and pushed him upwards. After a moment, he belatedly remembered to feel shamed into anger, and viciously pinched Ming-shaoxia"s handsome face to let off some steam.
The next morning, Ming ChangYan pushed open the door, rubbing his face, and LiMin-Jun said, "So you"ve sobered up, have you? Your Huai Yu"s already long gone."
Ming ChangYan, "Gone? Why didn"t he tell me, I could"ve seen him off!"
LiMin-Jun, "Hehe, you sure are tasteless. You walk out of a person"s room, and have the nerve to ask why they didn"t say goodbye. Ming ChangYan, you"re really a ruthless guy – I bet you were coveting his charms last night, and had the evil intentions but not the guts to do it, so you got drunk and went to have your way with him!"
Ming ChangYan turned around, and sure enough, the room behind him wasn"t his, but Huai Yu"s.
"Oh, I did drink a little wine–can"t remember what happened after that. Sss, LiMin-Jun, get me a piece of ice, my face really hurts."
LiMin-Jun spat, "Most likely that"s from getting slapped in the face. My guesses are never wrong – do you see this, YuLou, you"d better not learn from your Da shi-xiong."
Zhong YuLou was eating breakfast, and hurriedly nodded as he stuffed his face, "I know!"
Ming ChangYan swore as he collapsed himself over the mouth of the well, cupping water in his hands to cool himself off. As he tended to his wounds, he didn"t forget to keep exchanging insults and jabs with LiMin-Jun.
At 1pm, GuiFeng Sect"s visiting card was sent to the entrance of XiYue Mountain. The outer disciples delivered it to LiMin-Jun, who handed it over to Ming ChangYan – he skipped over the punctiliously polite greetings at the beginning, moving straight to the very end of the note.
"When does it say they"re coming?"
"The fourth of the fourth month. Go find a good place for the meetup, I think the sh.o.r.e of the west lake should be good. Oh yeah, ask Maiden Hua how she"s faring, if she"s doing well she should come over, if she can"t get out of bed then have YuLou send food over to the small pavilion terrace."
LiMin-Jun, "Should we change out the weapons at the training ground?"
Ming ChangYan said, "Change them for new ones. Add some more swords, GuiFeng Sect has a lot of sword users. Also, take down all the snack stands next to the grounds."
Zhong YuLou tilted his head at that, "Da shi-xiong, you"re the one who put up those stands."
Ming ChangYan coughed, "Normally it"s no problem, but if the people from GuiFeng Mountain see it I"m afraid they"ll say a big sect like us is lacking in discipline. Do you get it?"
Zhong YuLou pondered this for a moment, then honestly replied, "I don"t get it."
Ming ChangYan gently pinched Zhong YuLou"s ear, saying in a stern voice, "We"re opening the mountain gates here, and we won"t be able to avoid a few "hunters" showing up for the bounty. Who knows what kind of tricks they might use from the shadows? Little snack stands like this are exactly the kind of thing they"ll want to take advantage of."
The boys of TianQing"s inner circle stared attentively at Ming ChangYan, as Ya YuNan asked, "Da shi-xiong, who"ll be fighting when the time comes?"
Whoever came out to fight this time around would inevitably be representing the face of TianQing, so naturally it"d have to be the most outstanding inner disciple with the greatest martial arts – this choice would also be a show of respect to their opponent.
Ming ChangYan said, "YuLou"s it. Also, it"s fine if you don"t get it, hurry and go practice your swordplay, I don"t want you making any mistakes when the compet.i.tion comes around."
Ming Yue pursed his lips and balled his fists, his gaze lowering slightly.
YuBao asked, "Da shi-xiong, you"re picking YuLou shi-xiong again?"
Ming ChangYan, "Yeah. YuLou"s got great talent, and good comprehension." He then turned around and continued: "YuLou, when you"re fighting, don"t forget to watch and memorize the other guy"s fighting approach, I"ll be checking on you at night."
With the meeting finished, they all headed for the training grounds.
On the way there, they met the outer disciples. Ming Yue was walking at the very back; the outer disciples all cupped their hands towards him in twos and threes, then joined the group in their forward procession.
One said, "It looks like Zhong YuLou"s taking the stage again for this compet.i.tion with GuiFeng Sect."
Another picked up where he left off: "Everyone knows he"s Da shi-xiong"s favorite. He"s beautiful to boot, seriously how could a boy grow a face like that, he looks like a sissy!"
"Zhong YuLou"s cousin is Wan QianQiu"s wife, who else would be fighting besides him? He"s totally leaning on relationships. Ai, it"s really unfair…"
"What"s so unfair about it? If you"ve got what it takes, why don"t you become an inner disciple yourself? After all these years at TianQing, have you caught even one glimpse of Da shi-xiong"s face?"
"Aside from those few in the inner circle…n.o.body else has seen it."
"Da shi-xiong spoils Zhong YuLou way too much, the way I see it the next head of TianQing is already obvious at a glance. You"d be better off doing some more toadying up to him!"
"Having people with power and influence to back you up sure must be nice – unlike us, we"re never gonna be able to get into the inner circle!"
One of them lowered his voice and said: "To tell the truth, getting into the inner circle isn"t actually as great as you think, just look at that Ming Yue. Da shi-xiong rescued him from outside a few years back didn"t he? He was barely alive back then, relying entirely on Da shi-xiong using inner circle mantras to keep him going; in the end, he conveniently picked up those mantras for himself, so they had no choice but to take him into the inner circle. His att.i.tude isn"t all that great, barely better than you or me, and even that little boost is from Da shi-xiong"s personal directions! Lemme tell you, if Da shi-xiong taught me a technique or two one of these days, I bet I could be even better than him!"
"Haha, me too – too bad we don"t have that kind of luck!"
As they chatted and laughed, they reached the training grounds.
Ming Yue sat up in a tree, listening to these outer disciples crack jokes, and curled his hands into fists, an incredibly nasty frown on his face. Just as he was busy fuming, his train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a burst of light laughter; lifting his head, he saw a strange woman looking up at him from the foot of the tree. Ming Yue quietly let out a curious noise, then asked in a stern voice, "Who are you?"
But the woman didn"t answer Ming Yue"s question, only directing an ever-more-deepening smile towards him.
After dinner, Ming Yue was stopped by Zhong YuLou.
"Hey, where"ve you been all day? Why didn"t I see you at the training grounds?"
Ming Yue coldly replied, "Why don"t you look after yourself more and leave me alone."
Zhong YuLou humphed, "Who wants to look after you, don"t pretend we"re friends! I just wanted to ask, how"s your foot?"
Ming Yue"s expression changed immediately. He and Zhong YuLou had each broken a leg when their last fight sent them rolling down the mountain. By now, Zhong YuLou"s leg had already healed, whereas he still had a slight limp, making him look incredibly comedic when he walked.
This matter hit a sore spot for Ming Yue, and he said, "What about it? Whether it"s better or not is none of your business, are you just here to make fun of me?"
Zhong YuLou gave him a funny look, then pulled a small porcelain bottle from his shirt and tossed it towards him. Ming Yue caught it without thinking, and hear Zhong YuLoud say, "My family sent this medicine. It works pretty well, try using it!"
Ming Yue gritted his teeth, "I"m not using your leftovers, do you think you"re giving alms to the poor!?"
Zhong YuLou"s eyebrows twitched, "You"re such a pest, I haven"t even used this medicine, I finished mine already. Forget it, I can never get a word in edgewise when I try to talk to a yin yang-face like you, if you want to use it then use it, if you like being a cripple then go ahead and be one. Oh, while I"m at it, your limp is hilarious to watch!" He let out a few forceful laughs, "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"
Ming Yue"s face was green one moment and white the next, "You!"
Zhong YuLou made a face at him before galloping far away.
A few months later, on the sixth of that month, GuiFeng Sect arrived as scheduled. The disciples which Wan QianQiu brought with him were all well-known figures in his sect; Ming ChangYan understood this was to ease the tense relation between TianQing and the rest of the martial circles, and so was particularly thankful towards him. TianQing Sect had expanded too quickly, attracting criticism and envy within the central plains. As a result of this, they garnered discrimination and scorn from a great many older sects; add to that was the fact that he was the wielder of the Common People"s Order, yet refused to pay any attention to the King of h.e.l.l situation. These past two years especially have seen their reputation plummet like a rock, but the King of h.e.l.l problem really was a terrible mess, and Ming ChangYan had enough problems of his own to give him a terrible headache – he honestly didn"t have the energy to go play the "warrior of justice".
In short, no matter how hard Ming ChangYan tried to pull against the tide, it was about as useful as a cup of water on a burning cart of firewood. GuiFeng Sect was a sect of good moral standing and reputation among the martial circles, and with the added backing of Wan QianQiu"s unparalleled benevolence and righteousness, they were respected by all. Wan QianQiu"s current methods, therefore, were meant to announce to the world: TianQing isn"t as arrogant or morally corrupt as you think.
Zhong YuLou ran up from the foot of the mountain, almost late for the banquet because he"d been too busy playing around; as soon as he arrived he saw Wan QianQiu and his wife Hua XiuYuan, excitedly calling out, "Cousin!" As she caught sight of him, Hua XiuYuan smiled and said, "Did you roll your way up the mountain? Your face is a mess, hurry and go wash." Zhong YuLou then disappeared to go wash his face.
At the banquet, TianQing"s inner disciples each took their seats one by one. Everyone exchanged greetings and raised their cups for a toast; as soon as the cups were lowered, a girl carrying a lantern appeared at the door, saying with a smile: "Xiao Chai has met all of you."
The moment she spoke, a woman in red suddenly appeared from behind her, delicate and gentle, her face pale; with Xiao Chai to support her, she gave a nod to the seated crowd.
Ming ChangYan stood up, hurrying down from his seat, "Maiden Hua."
Hua YunChang said, "ZhaoZhao, have I disturbed your meal?"
Ming ChangYan smiled, "Of course you haven"t. Your health isn"t good, why did you come here? Xiao Chai, help the maiden sit down."
Hua YunChang covered her mouth with a kerchief and suddenly began to cough. LiMin-Jun immediately pulled out a chair for her to sit, as she sucked in a deep breath, "I came to see all of you."
LiMin-Jun said, "Running around with your health like this, you"re making us worry for nothing."
Hua YunChang said, "I apologize."
Her body was like a catkin willow; having lingered in a sickbed for many years, there was a lack of vitality in her complexion, looking extremely thin and pallid.
"Alright, let"s not talk about this. YuLou, spoon up a little light congee for Maiden Hua."
Hua YunChang shook her head, "I"m not staying to eat. I came to send you a little something – the osmanthus flowers bloomed a few days ago, so I had Xiao Chai make some osmanthus cakes. After you"ve all finished your meal, you can have them for dessert."
She looked around at everyone, then continued, "I"m returning to the small pavilion terrace."
Ming ChangYan worried her health might suffer some problem, and let out a sigh of relief at hearing she would be returning to small pavilion terrace. He repeatedly warned Xiao Chai that she absolutely must keep a close watch on Hua YunChang, and make sure she didn"t trip or b.u.mp into anything on the way back.
Wan QianQiu spoke up, "Lord Ming, this Maiden Hua…"
Ming ChangYan introduced her, "She"s a good friend of mine – we were playmates as children, then ran into each other again in the central plains. I saw that her health is a lot worse than it used to be, so I had her brought back to XiYue Mountain so she"d be easier to take care of."
Wan QianQiu said, "Lord Ming is truly caring."
Ming ChangYan waved his hands, then heard Lady Wan said, "Has Maiden Hua always been like this? You must have sought out doctors before."
Ming ChangYan said, "She wasn"t born this way. I met her a few times when I was little; my father told me to compete with her, her father said to go easy, and I a.s.sumed he meant I shouldn"t bully girls. But in the end, it turns out he was reminding her not to beat me up too bad."
Wan QianQiu said with astonishment, "Lord Ming lost?"
Ming ChangYan said with a smile, "I sure did. What are you so surprised for, it"s not like I was born number one. Before I got that t.i.tle, I obviously would"ve had to go through being second in the world, and third, and fourth, and all the rest."
Wan QianQiu by now was already used to Ming ShaoXia"s running-wild, mouth-full-of-nonsense personality, so all he did was smile as he replied, "The way Lord Ming speaks is truly interesting, and perceptive as well."
Hua XiuYuan said, "If it isn"t a natural condition, then I may know of a solution. Ming ShaoXia must have heard of KuFei Mountain Range"s Grandma Sang."
Ming ChangYan said, "I have. Isn"t KuFei Mountain Range in Mimi Valley? I"ve had a few little conflicts with Mimi Valley recently."
Hua XiuYuan said, "Mimi Valley is the steepest mountain in the central plains; poisonous insects and wolf packs frequently appear there, making it impossible for ordinary people to set foot there. Those who call themselves Mimi Valley are just a bunch of show-off swindlers who set up their barracks outside of Mimi Mountain, built a few buildings, and started taking the valley"s name for their own."
Grandma Sang, on the other hand, was the only living person inside of Mimi Valley. This old woman was already around sixty years or more, and there was no-one in the world who could compare to her skill in the medicinal arts. But she had an eccentric personality, only saving five people a year – and besides that, she had three rules to who she saved. The first was that she wouldn"t help the owner of the Common People"s Order, the second was that she"d help no-one over fifty, and the third was that she wouldn"t help dogs of the imperial court. Grandma Sang never took a single step out of Mimi Valley; if anyone wanted to meet her, they had to risk their lives pa.s.sing through the treacherous valley themselves. Most people would be scared off at the entrance by the poisonous creatures there, so those who could actually enter, let alone reach the depths of KuFei Mountain Ridge, were fewer than few.
Ming ChangYan, after hearing all this, "I appreciate your good intentions, Lady Wan, but you"ve said yourself that she won"t help the owner of the Common People"s Order. There"s no way she"d be willing to meet me."
Wan QianQiu said, "There"s no need to worry about that, Lord Ming. I"ll make the trip to Mimi Valley, and will not fail to bring the request for Grandma Sang to come treat Maiden Hua."
The two sat apart from each other, raising their cups in a distant toast.
After eating and drinking to their hearts" content, Wan QianQiu said, "Lord Ming, there is one more thing I wish to say."
Ming ChangYan smiled, "Then go ahead and say it."
Wan QianQiu said, "While investigating the King of h.e.l.l Adorned in a Wedding Dress affair with a few elders of GuiFeng Sect, we discovered a few points of suspicion."
Ming ChangYan said, "Go on."
Wan QianQiu said, "I suspect that there are two people causing mischief. Although they both use needles, one kills people using the silver thread those needles are strung on, while the other the needles themselves, their victims often a mess of punctured guts…furthermore, I believe these two have no relation to each other."
Ming ChangYan said, "In other words, they"re each killing separately? Well that"s just great, they could"ve used any weapon out there, and they decided to use the same as me – because of them, the old b.a.s.t.a.r.ds have been all over me, clamoring constantly that I"m the one doing it."
Wan QianQiu, "Naturally I trust you, Lord Ming. You understand as well that they only speak this way in hopes that you will take the risk in sorting out the King of h.e.l.l; it"s just that the country is full of rumors right now, and with opinions flying everywhere, some people have really come to believe it. Because of that, your reputation really isn"t all that good right now."
Ming ChangYan laughed, "When has my reputation ever been good?"
Wan QianQiu said, "Don"t worry, Lord Ming, as GuiFeng has begun our investigation on The King of h.e.l.l Adorned in a Wedding Dress, we won"t be returning empty-handed. If we can truly solve the issue, it will lessen a lot of the burden on you."
But Ming ChangYan replied in a stern voice, "Wan ShaoXia, I"m really thankful for your kindness, but while I didn"t put much importance on investigating the King of h.e.l.l before, after that visit to Banpo Village, I"d definitely prefer you not to do this."
Having had his wholehearted enthusiasm get hit with a subtle splash of cold water, Wan QianQiu couldn"t help frowning slightly, "And why is that?"
Ming ChangYan continued, "The rumors say that the Joyful King of h.e.l.l only kills people when it rains; if you ask me, I think this King of h.e.l.l doesn"t like an overly strong smell of blood. They kill too many people at once, and the people they kill aren"t any common fighters either. They"re extremely powerful, so strong that even when I went to visit a few days after the rain, every last silver needle was still stuck firmly as ever into the marrow of the victims" bones – their bodies were already rotted, but the needles looked like they"d only just been stuck in. This has nothing to do with my thoughts on Guifeng Sect, it"s just…as a friend, I don"t want you to take this risk."
After hearing this, Wan QianQiu actually shook his head and smiled, "Lord Changyan, I never would have thought that someone as fearless as you could still have moments where you are unwilling to press forward. We"ve already made the decision to get involved in this matter, and are most definitely prepared for what may come. Those sects that were eliminated before weren"t particularly large, and their strength couldn"t compare to GuiFeng; seeing as we"re resolved to do this, you can be a.s.sured we have faith in that much."
Ming ChangYan was speechless. Wan QianQiu normally wasn"t this stubborn; he felt as if he must have worded things poorly and irritated the man, to have achieved the opposite effect of what he"d intended, and so decided to ease things a bit by changing the subject. Rubbing his nose, he said, "Let"s not talk about this anymore—on my way back from HuaTing a while earlier, I saw there were a whole bunch of XiaoHan Temple baldies, both old and small, all stationed there. Do you know what they"re doing?"
Wan QianQiu said, "Probably XiaoHan Temple has finished deciding on a location. I saw it mentioned in the National Daily News that they"d relocated their temple to the burned-down Zhuang family property. Right now I"d a.s.sume they"re renovating the courtyard, so naturally there"d be a few more people around."
Ming ChangYan replied, "The Zhuang family? You mean that family that got wiped out in a fire?"
Wan QianQiu nodded, "That"s right, now that you mention it what happened to the Zhuang family really was a pity. Young Master Zhuang was a very handsome and honest young man, both benevolent and kind, and his wife was the descendent of a j.a.panese princess, named Zhu ShiYing; she knew a strange form of martial arts that used music to control people"s minds."
Ming ChangYan was curious at this, "She used music? What kind of music?"
Wan QianQiu said, "I don"t know the specifics. But Zhu ShiYing was born to a sect which was extremely well-known at the time – they say her beauty could topple cities, she was good at music, and she was accomplished in the four arts as well. The Zhuang clan husband and wife were masters one in the literary arts and the other in the martial; the literary one was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with artistic talent, and the martial one had the highest attainments, making them a truly ideal couple, as happy together as if their marriage was chosen by the heavens themselves."
Zhong YuLou asked, "In that case, what happened? If they were both so good, who in the world could manage to hurt them? How"d the Zhuang family manage to get annihilated in a single day?"
Wan QianQiu replied, "Not long after Lady Zhuang gave birth to the young master, her health permanently declined, and her foundation wore down. Then one day she and the young master disappeared halfway on the road to her parents" home. A few months later, the head of the Zhuang family caught wind of the lady and young master"s location, gathered a good number of martial artist friends, and all went to save them together. The young master was returned safely, but it seems as if Lady Zhuang was…"
YuBao was clutching tightly to Zhong YuLou, and having listened this far, looked incredibly sick at heart, "Did Lady Zhuang die?"
Wan QianQiu let out a laugh, drank a cup of wine, and didn"t speak further.
When the moon began to climb the willow branches*, Guifeng Sect and its people took their leave. Ming ChangYan saw them all off to the foot of Xiyue Mountain, debated a bit more with Wan QianQiu, then finally turned back to his room to sleep.
(TN: Around dusk)
Unexpectedly, an accident happened barely a few days after this meeting with GuiFeng.
At first, GuiFeng Sect"s disciples came down with a low-grade fever. As luck would have it, all these disciples had been guests that day, and were the backbone of GuiFeng Sect. Many disciples collapsed one after the other, causing GuiFeng Sect to immediately descend into chaos.
The sect elder a.s.serted that Ming ChangYan was the one who"d poisoned them, with the intent of ensuring that GuiFeng Sect would be consigned to eternal d.a.m.nation. Having said this, he wanted to head immediately over to XiYue Mountain to wring a confession out of him. Despite everyone"s dissuasions, Wan QianQiu stubbornly continued to speak for Ming ChangYan, and arranged for a doctor to come up the mountain to treat them.
But after many days of medication, the feverish disciples showed no sign of improvement; rather, something even stranger made itself known. The doctor discovered that after their fevers had pa.s.sed, they began to show signs of organ failure throughout their bodies. To make matters worse, after another few days pa.s.sed, the disciples" bodies began to age; their skin hardened and lost its moisture, and they became unable to move or eat, forced to simply starve to death. For some of them, the hardening symptom reached all the way to their brains, making them entirely impossible to save. The way they died was terrifying, with no hope of reversing the situation. Everyone was helpless to do anything about it, able only to watch as their fellow disciples died.
Watching as the brothers he"d seen every day took their last breath one after the other, Wan QianQiu was dismayed and sorrowful to the extreme. When TianQing Sect learned of the situation, they"d sent people multiple times to GuiFeng in the course of half a month, but every time they were beaten by the GuiFeng elder hard enough to leave serious injury and then expelled from the premises, with the threat that he wanted TianQing to pay this debt in blood. This misunderstanding caused a great fissure in the relationship between the two sects as well.
The situation grew ever-more serious, until finally reaching a point where it could no longer be controlled. One evening, Lady Wan pushed open the door to see her husband with bloodshot eyes as usual, not having had a good rest in quite a few days, and said with distress, "Is there truly a need for this? If you suspect them, you could simply go straight to TianQing to ask for an explanation."
Wan QianQiu"s voice was hoa.r.s.e as he asked, "Do you think it was Ming ChangYan"s doing?"
Hua XiuYuan said nothing.
Wan QianQiu slammed his fist against the table, "If it really was him…if it really was him! I treated him with so much favour, why would he harm me to such a degree! I even…I even helped him investigate The King of h.e.l.l Adorned in a Wedding Dress, helped him sort out that terrible mess he was in…!"
Hua XiuYuan wrapped her arms around his, laying her head against his shoulder, "You sound so sure that Ming ChangYan did it. You saw yourself that day, he never once took a single step away from his seat – how could he have used any tricks? Maybe this actually has something to do with The King of h.e.l.l, instead?"
At the mention of The King of h.e.l.l, Wan QianQiu went silent, seemingly unable to acknowledge that this could have anything at all to do with that case, and said, "If he wanted to poison us, he"d have other ways to go about it."
"Or perhaps…he, he actually is…so that"s it, I see how it is! No wonder he didn"t want me to investigate Wedding Yama, it all makes sense now!!"
Hua Xiuyuan shook her head as she said: "If you"ve already decided in your heart that he is the culprit, then what was the point of asking me?"
Wan QianQiu"s chest heaved, breathing heavily as he looked at Hua XiuYuan, and didn"t manage to calm down for a good while; eventually he let out a sigh, gently saying, "You"re still with child, you shouldn"t sit too long; go lie in bed for a while."
Around 11pm, Wan QianQiu returned home through the front garden. He poured himself a bowl of tea; Lady Wan had forgotten to warm it, the liquid pouring ice-cold down to his stomach. Getting into bed, Wan QianQiu lay on his side and embraced his wife, only to notice that she was even colder than the tea.
In an instant, Wan QianQiu"s mind felt as if it had taken a great blow, his thoughts a total blank.
Hua XiuYuan"s body was stiff, her belly bulging, like she was carrying a rock.
"XiuYuan…"
"XiuYuan…XIYYUAN, XIUYUAN! XIUYUAN!!!"
Wan QianQiu turned Lady Wan over to look at her; she"d already stopped breathing a long time ago.
Unwilling to give up, he reached out again to check if Ha XiuYuan was breathing, immediately following which he let out a cry and burst into heartrending tears. Wan QianQiu was grief-stricken, and for a moment was overwhelmed with hatred; once he"d cried out all his tears he went charging out of the house with sword in hand, swearing to cut Ming ChangYan into a thousand pieces.
To his surprise, a figure appeared in the courtyard.
Wan QianQiu was mad with grief, completely lacking any sense of rationality, eyes practically bulging out of their sockets as he cursed, "Get out of my way, or I"ll kill you!"
The visitor cupped his hands: "Wan ShaoXia, I came to give you a present; if you wish to kill me, there is no harm in first seeing the gift."
Wan QianQiu hesitated a moment. The stranger suddenly took the bundle off his shoulder and threw it to the ground; the white cloth fell open, and a girl in white rolled out from inside it. Her face looked pale in the moonlight, and her breathing was weak.
Wan QianQiu roared, "Ming ChangYan!"
The visitor said, "You have it wrong. This is Ming ChangYan"s younger twin sister."
Wan QianQiu turned his head quickly around to glare at him, "What is the meaning of this!"
The visitor said, "I can have no say in the things Da shi-xiong has done, but neither can I stand idly by and watch. All I can do now is bring his sister here. There is no other way besides you using his sister to threaten him."
Wan QianQiu was choking with sobs as his gaze fell upon Yi Yue. His right hand was shaking slightly, instinct and morality at war with each other inside him; after a moment he backed up a few steps, clenching his teeth as he said in a voice filled with regret, "I, I can"t…"
Suddenly, his expression stilled, breath stopping, all sound around them falling completely still.
A flash of silver shone beneath the moonlight.
This was translated by , any repost of this is stolen. Please don"t steal work!!
Nothing much to say….
(Not related to this novel but have you guys watched The Untamed??? I saw the ending ahead of time and had to deal with it for a whole week before being able to cry together with my friends. What did you think about the drama as a whole? I"m personally very satisfied with the ending and the drama as a whole. Best summer of my life.)
If you see any grammatical errors/mistranslations, please notify me! Comment your thoughts and opinions before I got torture myself once again with chapter 28.
Have a great day~