Chapter 28: The Helpless Gentleman – Part 1
Translated by Kestrel
Edited by Ritpoppy
Warning: Some really angsty stuff in this chapter, so beware.
At XiYue Mountain, one of TianQing"s outer disciples ran all the way from the bottom of the mountain to the top.
LiMin-Jun hurriedly stood up from his seat, asking, "How"d it go?"
The approaching outer disciple said, "Er shi-xiong, it"s no good, GuiFeng Sect still refuses to see us. Some of the smaller seniors even got beaten up."
Zhong YuLou slammed a fist against the table, "This is ridiculous! We aren"t the ones who poisoned them, so why are they putting the blame on us!"
LiMin-Jun said, "What can we do about it, they refuse to believe it was anyone other than us this time around! What about YuNan, how"s that situation I sent him to investigate?"
Zhong YuLou paused a moment before letting out a sigh, "Still no results."
As LiMin-Jun walked another circle around the room, Ming ChangYan returned.
The outer disciple said, "Da shi-xiong! They told me to give you something, too."
Ming ChangYan was vexed beyond belief at the moment, ma.s.saging the s.p.a.ce between his brows as he answered, "What thing."
These past few days had been anything but comfortable for TianQing. Ming ChangYan sat on a stool, refusing to take a single step. The outer disciple lifted his head to glance around at everyone, then stepped forward and opened up an elaborate handkerchief; they all looked to see that inside were four silver bracelets of exquisite craftsmanship.
Zhong YuLou said, "What"d Wan QianQiu send us silver bracelets for?"
Just as he spoke, Ming ChangYan"s entire body froze, his face paling in an instant.
He grabbed the bracelets, pinching them in his palms, and for a long time didn"t say a word.
These four silver bracelets were none other than the ornaments Yi Yue had worn ever since she was a child; there was even a delicate silver bell hanging from each one. He had four identical ones as well, so he could recognize them at a glance. But how did these silver bracelets make their way into Wan QianQiu"s hands, and why did Wan QianQiu send them to him? A chill began to spread from the pit of his stomach.
He pondered over it, his mind a confused mess: Does this mean Yi Yue came to the central plains? No, she might have guts, but not to that degree. I haven"t revealed information about Yi Yue to anyone else, either, so how did Wan QianQiu find out!
Ming ChangYan left Tokhara for the central plains when he was 15 years old; all these years being secretive, refusing to reveal his true face to people, had all been because he didn"t want to involve Yi Yue due to their similar appearances. If something happened to her…
He couldn"t bring himself to follow that line of thought any further, and put away the bells.
LiMin-Jun noticed something off about his mood, and asked, "ChangYan, what"s wrong?"
Ming ChangYan said, "I"m heading over to GuiFeng Mountain."
LiMin-Jun, "Well that"s a weird thing to say, what"s the point of going to GuiFeng Mountain–hey, ai! Ming ChangYan! f.u.c.k! What"re you running for!"
LiMin-Jun chased him a few steps, but Ming ChangYan had already disappeared into XiYue Mountain. His qinggong had always been world-renowned, and no one present was capable of catching up to him; add on to that the fact that n.o.body there could figure out what had set him off, and there was really no point in trying. LiMin-Jun could only wait for him to come back and explain it himself.
Ming ChangYan didn"t stop once on the way, making a beeline for the entrance to GuiFeng Mountain. When the two disciples at the door saw that the man approaching them was covered with a black veil and had a longsword at his waist, they immediately guessed he was the n.o.ble Gentleman, and made to block him. Ming ChangYan didn"t say another word, dispatching them in two moves, and headed straight up the mountain.
Wan QianQiu knew he would certainly come, and had already been waiting for a good while, standing in the courtyard with a cold look on his face.
"You"re here. Where"s the antidote."
Ming ChangYan kicked over a stone stool, a sign that he wasn"t here out of good will, "Where"s my sister."
Wan QianQiu let out a hearty laugh at that, "Lord Ming, your att.i.tude truly disappoints me."
Ming ChangYan"s expression froze even more, turning cold as frost, as he spat out his reply one word at a time, "I"ll ask you once more, where"s my sister."
Wan QianQiu laughed grimly; Ming ChangYan"s body tilted to the side as he moved his hands, and in an instant was clutching Wan QianQiu"s neck, leaving him unable to move.
Ming ChangYan"s tone of voice was frightening, "Last time, where is she."
Wan QianQiu"s face was swelled a bright red, clearly unable to breathe. Ming ChangYan loosened his grip a little, and he vomited a mouthful of blood before smiling, "I"ll ask you a last time as well, where"s the antidote."
There was a miserable shriek as, just when Wan QianQiu finished speaking, he was smashed violently into the stone wall before collapsing in a heap to the floor. After a moment, his body moved a bit, and he let out a miserable laugh, "Your sister"s life is a life, but does that mean my shidis" lives aren"t?"
The noise he made was like a laugh but not, like crying but not, forcing himself up into a swaying stand, his appearance like that of a madman with bloodshot eyes and noticeably burstin veins, "My wife"s life! My child"s life! Do neither of those count as lives!?"
"I really should have trusted you…I should have listened to you! You told me not to provoke Wedding Yama, and yet I insisted on doing it—I never realized you were warning me! How could I have known that you were King of h.e.l.l Adorned in a Wedding Dress all along!"
Ming ChangYan was as alarmed as he was surprised, replying, "What the h.e.l.l kind of crazy talk is that? The situation wasn"t my doing, and even less so TianQing"s. I already explained to you a long time ago, and since it wasn"t my doing, how am I supposed to have an antidote! This past month your people have refused to even see me, and now you"re blaming me for not having an antidote?"
"Hahahahahahahaha! Ming ChangYan! Ming ChangYan!" Wan QianQiu sat down, poured himself a cup of wine, and downed it in one gulp. After being pressured by the GuiFeng elders and suffering through the successive losses of his wife and disciples, his hand was shaking terribly, but the man himself was abnormally calm, as if he were no more than a walking corpse: "Ming ChangYan…all I want is the antidote. I don"t care where you go looking for it, that"s your problem, not mine. If I don"t get the antidote, even if you kill me, or slaughter my entire sect, you"ll never find your little sister."
He drank another cup, then wiped his mouth, "I know I can"t beat you in a fight, but against your sister I have more than enough—"
Before he could finish speaking, Ming ChangYan lifted his foot and kicked him in the stomach, sending Wan QianQiu flying a few meters away and causing a scream to let loose from his throat.
"If you do anything at all to her before I find the antidote, I"ll never let you get away with it."
He hurriedly left, heading back to XiYue Mountain. After reaching TianQing, he wasn"t in the mood to eat dinner, instead bursting straight into Xiaoxie Terrace.
Xiao Chai was startled as she said, "Lord ChangYan."
Ming ChangYan asked, "Where"s Maiden Hua?"
Xiao Chai had never seen a time when Ming ChangYan lost self-control to this degree; normally he was always happy and lighthearted, making those moments he turned serious seem especially frightening. Xiao Chai said, "Maiden Hua just went to bed…"
But to her surprise, the door screen was pushed aside, and Hua YunChang came walking leisurely out.
"I"m already up. Zhao Zhao, you don"t look well, what happened?"
At the sight of her, Ming ChangYan got straight to the point, "Yi Yue"s come to the central plains."
Hua YunChang"s hands stopped in the middle of lifting a cup of tea, "Xiao Yue"er?"
Ming ChangYan nodded, "I don"t know how she got here. This morning Wan QianQiu sent two pairs of silver bracelets to XiYue Mountain. They were hers."
Hua YunChang took the bracelets, lifting them up for a closer look, "I remember you had two pairs of the same—when we first met as children, you wore them on your hands and feet, and were always jingling when you walked, very lively."
Ming ChangYan spoke up, "Wan QianQiu is dead-set on believing we poisoned them, and wants me to get him the antidote, or else he won"t let Yi Yue go. I…I don"t know where Yi Yue is, and I don"t know whether or not he"s tricking me, but I"m seriously too afraid to gamble on it."
Hua YunChang said, "I know. I recently heard YuLou say that the poison afflicting GuiFeng Sect is incredibly potent, beyond what I"ve ever heard of."
Ming ChangYan"s expression wavered, looking noticeably fl.u.s.tered, "Is there really nothing you can do?"
Hua YunChang nodded, "I have no solutions. If I did, I would have given them to GuiFeng Sect long ago, rather than letting things turn into such great discord."
Ming ChangYan sucked in a deep breath, sitting in silence.
Hua YunChang loved him dearly, and was just about to console him when Ming ChangYan stood up, "I"ll look for someone else."
Hua YunChang said, "Who will you look for?"
Ming ChangYan, "Anyone who can help me."
Xiao Chai interrupted, "Lord ChangYan, forgive this one for speaking bluntly, but TianQing"s reputation among the martial circles isn"t at all good, and people outside have all sorts of misunderstandings about you; I"m afraid a single cure will be difficult to obtain."
Hua YunChang said, "She"s right. I know you"re a proud and arrogant man, and you won"t be able to avoid suffering grievances while beseeching others. Zhao Zhao, if they don"t help you, you aren"t going to kill them, are you?"
Ming ChangYan waved his hands, "I"m asking them for help, so of course I won"t attack them. If the first time doesn"t work, I"ll ask a second time; the world"s a big place, surely someone out there will be willing to help me!"
But on the first day, Ming ChangYan found himself rejected at the door.
Every sect"s head would treat him with respect and fear at first, pouring him tea and whatnot, all of them polite as could be. But no matter how sincere Ming ChangYan acted, all of them politely declined. He couldn"t just pressure them into it by force, so after hitting a wall, all he could do was look for a different sect. Unexpectedly, the news that the n.o.ble Gentleman Ming ChangYan was running around begging people for help took flight over night, spreading all throughout both sides of the Yangtze River. Some were derisive, some were astonished, some looked on with interest, still others viewed it all with indifference—but not one of them was willing to offer help.
Half a month pa.s.sed without any results. There was more gossip about him spreading through the country than there were sects he"d gone to visit. The story of his grievances with Wan QianQiu grew increasingly distorted, until it became a huge knot that couldn"t be untied. The martial circles only helped to fan the flames; those enjoying the show who didn"t think the situation was that dire went on to add details to the story, saying that Ming ChangYan really was the type to kick a benefactor in the teeth, poisoning his good friends to death, and consequently causing TianQing sect"s reputation to suffer a sudden, devastating decline.
It all got to the point that, as soon as Ming ChangYan was seen coming in the distance, the sect heads would rush like someone had lit a fire under their bottoms, immediately closing the front gate and rejecting all visitors. By the time Ming ChangYan reached the foot of the mountain, the doors up above him would already be shut tight; the wind blew, dried yellow leaves twirled past him, and suddenly, it began to rain.
He stood staring blankly at the great door, until the servant boy sweeping the entranceway – having watched him for a good while – got up the courage to call out to him, "Ming, Ming ChangYan! It"s raining, you should go home!"
Ming ChangYan said, "I want to meet your sect head."
The boy shouted back, "The sect head said, if you come here, we"re absolutely not to open the door for you. He, he warned me a bunch of times, so now that I"ve told you, you"d better not let him know I told you. anyway you should go, if you stay out in the rain like this, you"ll catch cold, so you really should go home!"
Ming ChangYan kept standing there a while longer, and the child let out a sigh, saying, "XiaoHan Temple"s master already told everybody that you"re not a good guy, and that none of us are allowed to help you."
Ming ChangYan asked, "XiaoHan Temple?" He nodded: "It"s definitely something that bunch of old baldies would do, they"ve always been targeting me."
The child said, "If you know, why do you keep trying!"
Ming ChangYan didn"t answer, and continued standing at that door for the rest of the afternoon. The sky gradually darkened, the rain only coming down harder; when his lips had turned a ghastly white and his skin had grown ice cold, already a portent of a serious illness, only then did he turn around.
Unexpectedly, he"d only just turn around when the servant boy called out to him again, "Ming, Ming Chang-Yan!"
Ming ChangYan looked back to see him dash forward a few steps, then stop, hesitating as if afraid to go any farther. Although he"d stopped moving, the boy still hesitantly opened his mouth, his quiet voice just loud enough for Ming ChangYan to hear.
"The, the sect head says, this time…you must have gotten targeted by the King of h.e.l.l, and if you have, there"s n.o.body who can escape that calamity, not even you."
"If we start relations with you, all of us will be doomed."
"You…you can"t blame the sect head for this! If you need to blame anything, blame your own bad reputation, blame the fact you refused to help everybody take care of the King of h.e.l.l Adorned in a Wedding Dress before…that"s why n.o.body will help you now!"
Just then, the servant boy finally began to move forward again, all the way until he was standing right before Ming ChangYan; he handed the umbrella in his hand over to Ming ChangYan, then hurriedly backed up a few steps, saying, "I won"t help you either! I"m really weak, I can"t even protect myself properly! You can take this umbrella, you don"t have to return it, what I"m trying to say is…do your best on your own!"
On the road home, with no one to hold up an umbrella for him, Ming ChangYan walked forward with sword in hand. At the sound of thunder, he dodged to hide beneath the eaves of a nearby building. A young woman had already been standing there for a long time, hiding from the rain. When Ming ChangYan entered the s.p.a.ce, he simply cupped his hands toward her, to show respect. Unexpectedly the woman suddenly spoke, "Are you having troubles?"
Ming ChangYan, "Is there anyone in the world who doesn"t?"
The woman said, "I am a nun, and harbor mercy in my heart; if you have troubles, and fate brings us together, then I am bound to help you."
Ming ChangYan was curious, "You"ll help me? You don"t even know what my problem is, so how will you help me?"
The woman gave laughed with a smile, "That"s up to you."
Ming ChangYan gave her a pensive look, and after an incense stick"s time, told the woman about GuiFeng Sect"s poison. The woman smiled slightly, "That"s nothing so difficult. He"s wrongly accused you of using poison, but I have a way to ensure he will never be able to accuse you again."
Ming ChangYan felt a chill run through his heart, and thought to himself: Judging by her look, she must have some trick up her sleeve; does she really have a plan? Inwardly he thought he was getting muddled in his worry, if these days even a few words from some random Daoist priest could make him want to believe her. But aside from this, Ming ChangYan had been unable to find anyone else willing to help him, and every day Yi Yue stayed with Wan QianQiu was another day he was filled with unease. Fine, if she had a plan then he"d let her try it, Yi Yue couldn"t wait any longer.
He only pondered over it for a little while before deciding that anything was worth trying in a desperate situation, and led the woman to GuiFeng Sect.
Ming ChangYan was already desperate, seeming almost to be burning in his hurry, and demanded that Wan QianQiu hand over the hostage the moment he arrived at GuiFeng Sect. Wan QianQiu saw that he"d brought a women with a very spiritual demeanour about her, and felt a measure of doubt in his heart. Ming ChangYan said, "I"ve brought someone who"ll save your entire GuiFeng Sect by tonight. As for the poison, I"ll say the same thing I did before; it"s because of me that you ran into this disaster, but I"m not the one who did it to you, and my saving you is already a great kindness on my part. Give her back to me."
Wan QianQiu"s voice was still hateful, "If you"re—"
Ming ChangYan coolly replied, "I wouldn"t make jokes with her life."
They stayed in a deadlock for a moment, before Wan QianQiu said, "All, all right, alright, Ming ChangYan, you"d best make sure not to forget what you just said, and I"ll trust you one more time. Once the members of my sect have all recovered, I"ll return your sister to you."
The woman said, "Why don"t you go home, and leave this to me. No one will wrongly accuse you again, soon enough."
Ming ChangYan took his leave, his form disappearing once he reached the bottom of the mountain.
Wan QianQiu looked at the woman, then cupped his hands, "DaoZhang, please follow me."
The woman smilingly said, "May I ask how many there still are for me to save?"
Wan QianQiu led her to the main hall, "A few elders have been poisoned, and according to my observations, it seems to be contagious. But the outer disciples have yet to be infected."
The woman checked the pulse of one of the victims, then nodded, "There"s still hope."
Wan QianQiu"s eyes lit up, wild with happiness, "DaoZhang, he—"
There was a flash of white as the woman suddenly pulled a dagger from her sleeve and ruthlessly punctured the elder"s throat, blood spattering everywhere; as she licked off a drop that had landed near her mouth, the elder made a gurgling noise, and died with his eyes wide open.
While Wan QianQiu was still staring blankly at the sudden turn of events, the woman shook a meter-long strip of white silk from her sleeve, and tied him to a pillar within the hall. It was only then that he finally reacted, shouting and screaming, his eyes so red they seemed about to drip blood.
The woman smiled slightly, nodding as she said, "Benefactor Wan, I am truly sorry, but my promise to Ming ChangYan comes first, and that promise is to scrub him clean of unjust treatment. This poor Daoist is terribly ignorant, unable to think of any solutions to the problem, and could only come up with this clumsy method: If I kill you all, there will naturally be no one left to wrongly accuse Ming ShaoXia."
She made a patrol around the hall, with all the air of someone taking a stroll through a quiet courtyard.
Suddenly, the woman stopped, full of interest as she opened a chest in the corner. Within the chest lay a white-clothed young lady covered head-to-toe in blood, eyes serenely closed; she"d already stopped breathing a good while ago.
The woman let out a "wow", before facetiously saying, "Wan ShaoXia, oh Wan ShaoXia, I"d thought you were an incomparably righteous man, but here you"ve killed someone"s little sister, and even tricked him into helping you look for medicine. You"re truly capable of carrying the t.i.tle of chivalrous hero."
She promptly bowed to him, laughing as she continued, "Aiya, that was rude of me, excuse me."
Wan QianQiu"s yelling was miserable to the extreme, jolting the woman so hard her ears hurt, so she simply found a piece of cloth and plugged his mouth with it.
She smiled, "Just sit back and watch as I slaughter your entire sect. That"s right, I won"t kill you; this task was entrusted to me by Ming ShaoXia, so if you want an answer, you can go find him for it!"
As she spoke, the woman"s dagger rose and fell, blood spashing all around.
On XiYue Mountain, Ming ChangYan had gone a full day and a night without sleep.
Hua YunChang poured him a cup of tea, saying in a soothing voice, "You"ve found someone who can save GuiFeng Sect, and Wan QianQiu isn"t the type of person to break his promises; once morning comes, I"m sure Xiao Ming"er will come back to us. You"ve always wanted to bring her to the central plains, haven"t you? Now that she"s here, you should be happy, not frowning and worrying like you are."
Ming ChangYan rubbed at his temples, "I"m not thirsty."
Hua YunChang sighed, "You won"t drink, you won"t eat – you"re making me worry."
LiMin-Jun tried to persuade him, "Ming ChangYan, you can at least eat a little."
Ming ChangYan absent-mindedly gulped down a bowl of tea, after which Hua YunChang cleared it away for him.
Just then, Ming Yue called out from the doorway, "Da shi-xiong! Someone"s coming up the mountain!"
Ming ChangYan immediately stood up, his body swaying a moment as if he were seriously ill, but he stubbornly hurried forward regardless.
He walked all the way to the foot of the mountain to see that the person had already left, leaving XiYue Mountain"s entrance completely empty save for a white lump of sackcloth on the ground, which appeared to have something wrapped within it.
Ming ChangYan"s feet were unsteady, and he almost fell over, leaning against a pillar for support; after taking in a deep breath, he ran stumblingly forward, practically crawling on the ground on all fours by the last few steps.
He pulled open the sackcloth, only to have Yi Yue"s lifeless face appear in his vision; a check for breath showed she was dead.
Ming ChangYan hurriedly dug her out of the bag, distraught, his movements confused and fl.u.s.tered as he pulled his sister into his embrace, tight against his chest.
Hua YunChang gasped in shock when she came upon this scene.
She"d known since childhood that Ming ChangYan and his sister were incredibly close, and that Yi Yue was practically the entirety of his resolve in coming to the central plains and working so hard. Ming ChangYan, his mother and sister had only had each other to rely on throughout his life; as children they lost their mother, and now he"d lost his sister, his years-long cherished desire destroyed in a single instant, forever separated from the people most precious to him—how could he not go mad?
At this moment, his mind was a total blank, unable to think anything at all.
Ming ChangYan was like a child, a confused look in his eyes, completely out of his mind, trembling in fear as he asked, "Why isn"t her heart beating?"
Hua YunChang paused, then said, "Zhao Zhao…"
Ming ChangYan"s hands gripped tighter, shutting his eyes, almost seeming to have stopped breathing, as a trace of terrifying, bone-chilling hatred arose from within him.
"Wan QianQiu, I"m going to make it so you"re unable even to become a ghost."
This was translated by , any repost of this is stolen and if you steal our work I"m going to poison your entire sect then yourself.
YI YUE!!! I"VE KNOWN YOU FOR ABOUT 1 CHAPTER AND A HALF AND NOW YOU"RE LEAVING ME????!! UNACCEPTABLE!!!
I"m so sorry for the angsty chapter ;^; It had to be done.
I"m so packed with school right now, I"m contemplating whether I should find another translator or not. I guess if anyone"s interested, they can email me if they want.
Don"t worry ya"ll! Fluff will be coming soon so stay tuned! I promise it"ll give you cavities because of how sweet it is.
If you see any grammatical/translation errors, please notify me or comment! I love reading your comments so much, they make my day ♡ඩ⌔ඩ♡
Have a great day~~