Chapter 8: Fallen Gentleman – Part 7
Translated by: Ritpoppy
Edited by: Ren
Zhao XiaoLan replied, "Teacher Liu has always been very kind towards everybody, Elder Brother Lu got number 1 on the exam, teacher always liked you the best. If someone were to ruin the reputation of the academy, I"m sure with Elder Brother Lu"s competence, you"d be able to pull yourself from the crisis!"
Lu XingJiu"s complexion was a switching from red to white, seeing how Zhao XiaoLan had said this without a change in his expression, it"s doesn"t seem like it was said to satirize him, but the speaker hat said it so unintentionally, that it caused the listener to think he was deliberately trying to mock him. He angrily thought: Absurd! Simply absurd! The empress merely pampers him, yet this stupid idiot that depends solely on women, dares to straddle over me!
Zhao XiaoLan cupped his hands in respect, "Elder Brother Lu, I still have stuff to do, so I"ll have to leave first."
Seeing that his back was turned, Lu XingJiu took this chance to kick Zhao XiaoLan into the Golden Pond. He had just lifted his leg when he suddenly let out a blood-curdling scream, "Ow!"
His close friend Zhong said, "Elder Brother Lu?! What"s wrong? Ah! Your leg!!"
Lu XingJiu looked down and saw that on his right leg, there pierced a needle that had come out of nowhere, currently dripping blood. Then all of a sudden, his two legs wouldn"t listen to his commands and began running wildly into the Imperial Golden Pond.
The people around him shouted, "Elder Brother Lu! Holy mother! Why are you running!"
Lu XingJiu cried, "I don"t know! My legs are moving on their own!"
A person screeched, "It can"t be a ghost, right?! I heard that recently, the Imperial Palace has been haunted!"
Another person exclaimed, "It"s Ming ChangYan! Look at the needle that"s coming out of his leg! It"s definitely Ming ChangYan"s vengeful spirit!"
Zhao XiaoLan"s complexion changed, raising his voice, and said some harsh words that rarely come out of his mouth, "You, you guys are all saying nonsense!"
Lu XingJiu was running around wildly, in one moment he was jumping around, then was whirling around for the next. He howled till his throat became dry, "Save me! Save me!! Zhao XiaoLan!!"
Zhao XiaoLan widened his eyes, "It"s not me!"
A cla.s.smate of his that was in Lu XingJiu"s gang of scoundrels suddenly pointed his finger at him and accused, "It was Zhao XiaoLan, that person loves to mimic that something gentleman"s corrupted practices, always using needles. All day long idolizing some Jianghu hero, if it wasn"t you then who else could it be!"
"The words you said are terrific! Zhao XiaoLan, you"re really too malicious, you merely learned a few useless, no good techniques and yet here you are bullying your fellow cla.s.smates. Do you not have any sense of shame?! Here you are bantering about becoming a chivalric hero, I pei!"
"You"re right, this kid adores Ming ChangYan, too bad that they"re number 1 for being the best in the entire world, and he"s number 1 for being worst in the entire world!"
Zhao XiaoLan was extremely embarra.s.sed hearing these words, but without a doubt, he truly was the worst in the entire world, thus he was unable to refute and could only dully stand there with a red face.
Lu XingJiu danced like a madman on the sh.o.r.e of the Golden Pond for a while, looking as if he had been possessed, before finally falling forwards into the pond. As he choked on the water, Lu XingJiu yelled, "I don"t know…I don"t know how to swim…I don"t know! I…*gurgle*"
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Zhao XiaoLan turned his head around, Ming ChangYan had appeared from behind a rock garden, laughing uncontrollably. When he finally finished, he said, "I want you to see for yourself how high the water level is in the Imperial Golden Pond!"
Lu XingJiu struggled for a while before he slowly stood up: The water level in the Imperial Golden Pond had only reached his waist.
Ming ChangYan saw this scene, and began to laugh even more savagely. Lu XingJiu was ashamed to the point of anger and cursed, "Who are you!"
Ming ChangYan, "Me?" He turned his head, "Zhao XiaoLan, you? You"re Zhao XiaoLan, right? Look closely, today I"ll teach you a move, this move is one of TianQing Sect"s six major sword techniques called: Beating a drowning dog."
Zhao XiaoLan widened his eyes, Ming ChangYan picked up a stick from the ground, situating it in his hand and tapped it a few times, then proceeded smack the b.u.t.tocks of the Lu XingJiu that had just crawled out from the pond. Lu XingJiu has been alive for this long and has never been hit on the b.u.t.t by anyone. His face immediately turned deathly pale, it seemed as if he had been knocked out of his adolescence, and lay dead on the ground, dazed*.
(*TN: Don"t get it? Here"s a gif to help you get a better mental image: )
Everyone who had been around them said, "You, You, You, You, You really have the guts!"
Ming ChangYan cheerfully smiled, "You, You, You, You, You, when did you become a stutterer?"
Lu XingJiu repeated tried to crawl back to sh.o.r.e but every time he would be smacked back into the water by Ming ChangYan. He tried to restrain his anger before finally cussing, "Zhao XiaoLan! Do you have a mental disorder?!"
Zhao XiaoLan touched his nose, feeling as if he"s been wronged, he corrected him, "Elder Brother Lu, I"m not the one hitting you, you"re accusing the wrong person!"
After the pulverized Lu XingJiu was spanked by Ming ChangYan a few more times using the stick, he finally admitted he was wrong, crawling out of the pond, and scrambled away with his body trembling.
Ming ChangYan threw the stick aside and patted his hands together. Promptly, Zhao XiaoLan stepped forward and cupped his hands together in respect, "Many thanks to this…this…"
Fu Ling replied, "This is Yan ShaoShi."
Zhao XiaoLan respectfully exclaimed, "Many thanks to Yan jie-jie for lending your hand to help."
Ming ChangYan said, "Don"t mention it, don"t mention it!" He heedlessly paused before asking, "Are you a student at Egret Academy?"
Zhao XiaoLan nodded his head. Ming ChangYan seemed to mutter something to himself before unexpectedly making a bright, smiling expression, "XiaoLan-xiong*, I heard from your fellow cla.s.smates that you really like Ming ChangYan?"
(*TN: "兄"; this is the same character that Zhao XiaoLan uses to address Lu XingJu, but I thought to have Ming ChangYan call him "Elder Brother XiaoLan" just didn"t fit too well, so I"ll just use the ping yin. Please tell me if you want me to change it if you guys dislike it. Xiong is a term of respect towards an older male friend.)
This was translated by , please do not read this any other websites except this. And if you do, then what a sad life you have.
Zhao XiaoLan"s eyes lit up, "Yes, Ming ShaoXia is the number 1 hero in the entire world, I…I really admire him!"
"What a coincidence!," Ming ChangYan patted his hands together eagerly and said, "I also really like Ming ChangYan!"
The n.o.ble Gentleman Ming ChangYan, the junior that was famous worldwide, who made a name for himself for ten years. There were many who hated him, and even more of those who loved him. His position in Jianghu was exceptionally high, his cultivation prominent, unrivaled even by the heavens. For a period of time, he retained The Common People"s Order and commanded TianQing sect. He was only twenty-four years old when he accomplished these tasks so naturally, he would possess some brainless followers.
Zhao XiaoLan had always been alone within the palace. The imperial ancestral temple had always been lofty and as a result, he had never met such a person in the palace that had the same mindset as him, thus he excitedly said, "You also like Ming ShaoXia?! What do you like about him?"
Ming ChangYan shamelessly replied, "Me? I like his handsome face!"
Zhao XiaoLan let out a laugh and innocently answered, "But no one has ever seen the appearance of Ming ShaoXia?"
After listening to this, Ming ChangYan mysteriously responded, "Who said that no one"s ever seen his appearance? You? Me? Or him?"
Zhao XiaoLan was puzzled.
Ming ChangYan s.n.a.t.c.hed a fan from Fu Ling"s hands, putting on an act that gave him an aura of profound mystery, and said, "In reality, I"m actually Ming ChangYan."
Zhao XiaoLan"s had his mouth opened wide. Ming ChangYan calmly continued, "—foreign Shidi"s Aunt"s Son"s younger sister."
"Little sister?" Zhao XiaoLan asked.
"Correct, that"s right, little sister! Come, come, come, now that we"re mentioning this, I actually know quite a few pieces of information regarding Ming ChangYan, do you want to hear them?"
Zhao XiaoLan"s grip tightened around his books, his Adam"s apple bobbed, a blush slowly made its way on his face. Immediately, like a little chick pecking at rice on the floor, he viciously nodded his head.
Ming ChangYan smiled, "Now that"s right! But since I"m informing you about Ming ChangYan"s affairs, as retaliation, shouldn"t you exchange some information with me as well?"
Zhao XiaoLan, "No problem, I am aware of everything everyone is doing!"
Ming ChangYan nodded, "Alright, then begin."
Zhao XiaoLan tilted his head, questioning, "But you haven"t said anything yet?"
Ming ChangYan astonishedly replied, "I"ve already said it!"
"What?"
Ming ChangYan grinned, "Little sister. I"ve already told you, Ming ChangYan has a little sister."
After hearing this, Zhao XiaoLan restrained the impulse to jump up in excitement, and asked in a trembling voice, "Ming ShaoXia has a little sister?"
"Mn! How could he not have one? A twin little sister that looks exactly like him, isn"t that surprising! Ai, what"s with that expression, stop it, even though he has a little sister, she would never marry you."
Zhao XiaoLan shook his head, "I, I didn"t say…"
He eagerly opened the booklet that he was holding, took out his writing brush, licked it twice, then proceeded to record something down on the newest blank page in the booklet: On some year, some month, and someday, It turns out that Ming ShaoXia has a younger sister born from the same parents that are identical in appearance to him. They must surely be a very distinct beauty.
Ming ChangYan began, "What are you writing down?"
He directly reached out his hand and seized the book from Zhao XiaoLan"s grasps. Flipping it over, on the front cover were four large characters:《The n.o.ble Gentleman Way》
Ming ChangYan took one look at it and began roaring with laughter. He wiped away his tears, asking, "Where did you get this thing?"
Zhao XiaoLan s.n.a.t.c.hed the booklet back, flipped over the treasured object and said, "I bought it at the Jeweled Pavillion."
The book《The n.o.ble Gentleman Way》was something that Ming ChangYan carelessly made up when he was bored. There weren"t many words in it. Who would"ve thought Xiu LingLong brought the book to the Jeweled Pavillion and sold it to Zhao XiaoLan. He rummaged through the book, the majority of the context in the book was complete nonsense, filled with frivolous phrases and unbridled descriptions of his outstanding life. It was a lousy book that he wrote in a short period of time that shouldn"t be taken seriously.
Zhao XiaoLan exclaimed, "This was personally written by Ming ShaoXia, in it there contains his personal experiences in the past few years, I spent several thousand taels to purchase it. After I"ve finished studying the contents of this book, I will be able to become part of the new generation heroes, and become number 1 in the entire world!"
After hearing the price of that book, Ming ShaoXia"s heart ached, saying, "It looks like you really like Ming ChangYan. But it seems that your foundation is very weak, it may be difficult to become number 1 in the entire world. Someone like you must"ve been constantly beaten up when walking the path towards Jianghu."
Zhao XiaoLan quickly answered, "It"s alright! I have this very good friend of mine, he"s very powerful. I"ve never been beaten up before!"
Ming ChangYan felt embarra.s.sed for him, thinking: Little children truly don"t understand the immensity of heaven and earth, so adorable.
Zhao XiaoLan continued, "Yan jie-jie, the tricks that you had performed on Elder Brother Lu a few moments ago, how did you do that? How did his legs move on their own?"
Ming ChangYan fished out a few threads of string from his bosom, laying them on his hands for a while to show him, "Of course it"s with a needle and thread."
Since he was using the strings as a weapon, the thin object is difficult to detect, attaching themselves to Lu XingJiu"s two legs. Manipulating them, making the receiving party unable to do anything to stop it.
"The thread and needle!," Zhao XiaoLan exclaimed, "This is Ming ShaoXia"s weapon of choice!"
"This little child seems to be worthy of being taught. Seeing that you really want to learn, since I"m not a stingy person, I will teach this technique to you for the time being. But before I can teach you this trick, I need you to help me inquire about a place and a person."
Zhao XiaoLan looked attentively at the needles and thread in Ming ChangYan"s hands, repeating, "No need to be worried Yan jie-jie, leave it to me. Who is it that you want to inquire about?"
Ming ChangYan replied, "The Ninety-Ninth Temple"s Immortal Yun Qing, ah, that Young Prime Minister."
Zhao XiaoLan stared at him blankly, blurting out, "Huai Yu ge-ge?"
After listening to this, Ming ChangYan"s smile froze on his face, paused for a full 3 seconds and repeated, "Huai Yu?"
Zhao XiaoLan asked, "Why does Yan jie-jie want to inquire about Huai Yu ge-ge?"
Fu Ling witnessed this scene. Seeing how Ming ChangYan was standing there foolishly, she thought that his old habit of forgetting names had once again flared up. Thus she walked forward and reminded, "ShaoShi, this is the Young Prime Minister"s birth name."
Ming ChangYan suddenly turned around, his face turned pale from fear, it seemed like thunder had crashed down upon him, "Huai Yu? He, he he he he he"s Huai Yu?!"
Zhao XiaoLan was puzzled and questioned, "Could it be that Yan jie-jie knows Huai Yu ge-ge?"
Ming ChangYan"s heart was in turmoil, he bitterly yelled in sorrow in his mind. Why is it that instead of good things happening to me, they"re always bad things?! It really is this little brat!
Not only did he know him, when the two had met all those years ago in XianYue Mountain, Ming ShaoXia had lost one of the biggest faces in the history of his life since he had been born!
This was translated by , please do not read this any other websites except this. And if you do, then what a sad life you have.
And now we shall be entering cute flashback scene~
I"m freezing over here (curse you polar vortex), but I don"t have to go to school tomorrow so ԅ( ˘ω˘ԅ)
I"m kinda happy that the number of translator notes for each chapter is getting less and less (?) Anyway if you find any translation/grammatical errors, please comment down below! We love every comment that you all post~
Please stay warm and be cautious when driving!
Have a cozy day!