FRS: Chapter 26 – Unknown Love (8)
Translator: Momoe Pom
Editor: Me3, Isalee
First Published on Ainushi.
Extra 1: Celebration of Longevity on Wudang
It had been three months since Hua HuaiXiu followed Fan JiJing back to the Jiuhua Sect.
These three months were long enough to let everyone in the Jiuhua Sect realize Hua HuaiXiu"s status in the sect.
Because Fan JiJing did two things.
First, he put Hua HuaiXiu"s luggage in his own room.
Second, he put him in charge of the sect"s money.
As for the first point, everyone just kept one eye closed and let him have his way. After all, life went on regardless of the person you lived with. Since there were quite a few cases like this already in the pugilistic world, everyone simply accepted it after the initial astonishment. But the second point involved their own interests. Song BoLin and the others protested several times both in public and in private. At first, Fan JiJing only took out his sword, let it get some sunshine, and made a few moves. Later, as more people showed up, he simply performed a set of sword arts and covered the ground with the twigs he chopped. Since then, the entire Jiuhua Sect had finally come to an agreement with their zhangmen.
Hua HuaiXiu settled down like this, and the Jiuhua Sect"s wallet bulged day after day just like he had promised earlier. Of course, that was another reason why the Jiuhua Sect tacitly agreed to it.
To humans, it was s.e.xual desire that would come up once they were fed and warm, but for sects, it was aggression.
Ever since Lanyan League and Xuetu Hall were wiped out one after the other, and the Demonic Sect and the Huihuang Sect joined hands, the pugilistic world had stayed undisturbed for too long, so long that it was time for the WuDang"s zhangmen LingYun DaoZhang"s birthday party again.
Hua HuaiXiu"s first reaction after receiving the invitation was, "Let Guan Xing and Shi JiZhong go together."
Guan Xing glanced at him indifferently. According to how well he knew him, the reason that Hua HuaiXiu sent them together probably had nothing to do with helping him to fulfill his wish. Moreover, besides the actual party that was involved, everyone else had more or less sensed something regarding his relationship with Shi JiZhong.
Song BoLin argued, “I’ve heard that both Mingzun and Anzun of the Demonic Sect will show up at the birthday party this time. If we only send Guan Xing and Shi JiZhong, I"m afraid it won"t seem like we"re serious enough.” There was some satire towards Guan Xing implied in his words. Even though the person who was currently in charge of the Jiuhua Sect was Fan JiJing, his grudge with Guan Xing did not disappear because of it.
"What Song Shishu said is very true. Therefore, could zhangmen please attend it personally in order to show our seriousness?" Guan Xing indifferently glanced at Song BoLin. His eyes seemed to say that they were simply two birds of a feather, why was there the need for a pot to call the kettle black?
Song BoLin"s beard shook, but he endured it silently and did not vent out his anger.
Fan JiJing looked at Hua HuaiXiu.
Hua HuaiXiu curled his lips, saying, "The Hua Family will send someone too." After all, having him stay in the Jiuhua Sect was already not legitimate enough. He was fine with it, but because of the Hua Family"s tradition of keeping a good image in public, they would definitely think of it as a shame. Besides, he was also extremely unwilling to separate with Fan JiJing to let him go by himself.
Fan JiJing said, "When Master was still alive, he had taken you as his last disciple. Therefore it"s fine if you attend the event together with me as my shidi."
Song BoLin and the rest all stared at him with wide eyes, watching him lie through his teeth.
Hua HuaiXiu as well.
Fan JiJing continued, "It"s just that he had taken you as a disciple quite hastily, and there was not enough time to notify all other sects. If you are willing, we could make up a ceremony for you."
Hua HuaiXiu categorically refused, "I don"t want to be his disciple."
His words were extremely impolite, because everyone present was either Bu LouLian"s shidi or his disciple. However, none of them showed even the tiniest unhappiness, they rather appeared as if the words had struck a responsive chord in their hearts.
Fan JiJing thought for a moment, then suggested, "What about Song Shishu?"
Song BoLin, whose name was mentioned, had a rather mixed feeling.
Deep in his heart, he was unwilling to take Hua HuaiXiu as his disciple, but thinking about it the other way around, he was even more unwilling to hear Hua HuaiXiu"s declination. He stared at Hua HuaiXiu with wide eyes while in his mind, thoughts were wavering and surging in an unprecedented manner.
Hua HuaiXiu pondered for a long time, then slowly said, "I’d rather take Bu LouLian." At least he was dead, so Hua HuaiXiu wouldn"t be bothered since he was not going to see him.
Song BoLin hammered the table and left.
The annual celebration of longevity for Wudang"s LingYun Daozhang had already become a great event that everyone in the martial arts world would partic.i.p.ate in.
Even Ji WuDi, who often got sick around this season had personally attended it two years in a row, it was enough to show the appeal and influence of this grand meeting.
When Hua HuaiXiu and Fan JiJing arrived at Wudang, it was already dark, but everywhere on Mount Wudang was brightly lit.
The little priest who ushered them in was introducing the scenery on Mount Wudang as he led the way. Since the people attending the event were not the same each year, they had to repeat these words each time.
Hua HuaiXiu and Fan JiJing had both heard it before, but they still seemed to find it very interesting.
They arrived at the guest rooms. As expected, the two people shared one room.
The little daoist priest felt rather sorry as he apologized, "There aren"t many houses on Mount Wudang. Sorry for putting two distinguished guests to great inconveniences."
How was it inconvenient?
Fan JiJing basically longed for it. He laughed and repeated that it was nothing as he saw the little priest who was still feeling guilty out the door.
After he had left, Hua HuaiXiu worriedly said, "I wonder who the Hua Family sent here."
Seeing how he was concerned, Fan JiJing suggested, "Why don"t we just shut the door and stay inside for these several days except for the birthday dinner? This way we won"t encounter other people." Anyway, there were lots of things two people could do even if they stayed in.
He just had a taste of the pleasure of lovemaking [1]. Now was the time when he simply couldn"t get enough of it.
Hua HuaiXiu didn"t pay attention to these thoughts of his. He was still unable to come out from the dead end in his own mind. "Even if we don"t go out, people will still come to our door." With the gradual emergence of power and position of the Jiuhua Sect, naturally there would be observant people who would come to fawn on them.
Not long after his voice faded, FanJiJing heard footsteps outside. He couldn"t help but smile bitterly, "Cousin truly is a prophet."
They opened the door. It was Cheng ChengCheng and Lu QingYi.
Despite the fact that he was stunned on the inside, Fan JiJing concealed it well. "So it"s Brother Cheng and Lu Zhangmen."
Cheng ChengCheng greeted them at once.
The only reason Fan JiJing befriended him back then was because of his outstanding talent in martial arts. Fan JiJing believed he would certainly become a very capable person in the future. However, no one had expected that within a short year, he would have become the zhangmen of the Jiuhua Sect himself. Worldly affairs sure were unpredictable.
Lu QingYi was tired of standing outside, so he invited himself into the room and took a seat.
Cheng ChengCheng was already used to it so he was not surprised at all. He casually said, "Excuse us, we have been rude," with courtesy and then walked in together.
Fan JiJing muttered to himself, "It was the zhangmen of Taishan Sect who was being impolite, why did he apologize for the intrusion?"
Teacups, teapot, and hot water — everything needed for tea was available in the room. Hua HuaiXiu took out tea leaves from his cloth bundle and poured four cups of tea.
Cheng ChengCheng and Fan JiJing were old friends. Meeting again after a long period of separation, they naturally had endless things to talk about.
On the other side, however, Hua HuaiXiu didn"t have much of a friendship with Lu QingYi. Not to mention that one of them had loads of concerns in his mind, while the other didn"t feel like exchanging conventional courtesies. As a result, after a short conversation, they quieted down and listened to Fan JiJing and Cheng ChengCheng talk in high spirits.
"It"s a pity that Brother Duanmu joined the Demonic Sect. Otherwise, it would be even better if the three of us could gather together!"
Lu QingYi narrowed his eyes. "The three of us?"
Cheng ChengCheng knew he had slipped his tongue, but he couldn"t say anything in front of Hua HuaiXiu and Fan JiJing. He was forced to cover it with a laugh, "Does Brother Lu feel tired? Why don"t we go back to our room first?"
Lu QingYi was very cooperative and yawned, "That sounds fine too."
Cheng ChengCheng was already standing while he was still talking, but Lu QingYi"s b.u.t.t was still firmly glued to the surface of the chair.
"Hehe." Cheng ChengCheng casted a glance at the seemingly pensive Hua HuaiXiu, then he urged in a low voice, "Brother Lu?"
Lu QingYi stretched his legs, then faced upwards as he looked at him. "I"m old. Too tired to walk."
Cheng ChengCheng: "…"
Both Fan JiJing and Hua HuaiXiu seemed to have made out something. When Cheng ChengCheng looked at them again, they intentionally looked away.
Cheng ChengCheng smiled bitterly, "Then what"s Brother Lu"s opinion?"
Lu QingYi reached out his arms.
"…" Cheng ChengCheng glanced towards the side.
"Every family has their own family matters." Lu QingYi paused for a second, then tossed out an even more profound sentence, "Whose family doesn"t, right?"
Fan JiJing smiled at him slightly as they reached a tacit mutual understanding.
Cheng ChengCheng had no other choice but to lower his body.
Lu QingYi threw himself onto his back with ease through experience.
Only after Cheng ChengCheng felt the familiar weight totally shift onto his back did he get up and say goodbye to Fan JiJing and Hua HuaiXiu.
Fan JiJing specially accompanied them for some distance before coming back. As soon as he entered the room, he saw Hua HuaiXiu sitting by the table, staring blankly at the candle light.
"Relax. The people from the Hua Family won"t come to visit." He thought he was worried about this.
Hua HuaiXiu lifted his head and asked in a low voice, "Lu Zhangmen and Cheng Chengcheng are… right?"
Although there was a word missing the between "are" and "right", Fan JiJing still understood it. He slowly nodded.
For some relationships, other people couldn’t tell because they had never experienced them. Once you had the experience, you could clearly see it. Weren"t Lu QingYi"s words also implying this?
Hua HuaiXiu wondered, "Could it be that cut-sleeves [2] is really becoming a fashion that will prevail in the pugilistic world?"
Fan JiJing laughed, "I don"t know about others. But at least we are."
"And Ji WuDi and Yuan AoCe. I"ve heard that Mingzun and Xueyi Hou are as well." Hua HuaiXiu suddenly found it absurd. "Maybe I would even feel strange if some man and woman were to marry now."
Fan JiJing walked over and sat next to him. "Isn"t it a good thing?"
"A good thing?” Hua HuaiXiu gazed at him.
"In this case, you marrying into the Jiuhua Sect would be justified, and n.o.body will criticize you anymore." Fan JiJing replied, grabbing Hua HuaiXiu"s hand.
Ever since their relationship became clear, Fan JiJing liked to get fresh with him.
The sound of footsteps came from outside the door.
Hua HuaiXiu hastily withdrew his hands.
"Fan Zhangmen," the little daoist priest who greeted them earlier said behind the door, "I brought hot water for you two to take bath."
"Take a bath?" The unhappiness on Fan JiJing’s face immediately turned into a smile. He opened the door and said amiably, "Thank you for going through all the trouble to bring it."
The daoist priest replied with a succession of "I don"t deserve it." In the end he said, "I"ll bring another bucket in a moment."
"There"s no need. " Fan JiJing interrupted him at once.
Both Hua HuaiXiu and the little daoist priest stared at him.
Fan JiJing coughed and said, "I don"t like to bathe. So letting my cousin have it is enough."
"…" The little daoist priest tried his best to control his facial expression so that he would not show any disgust.
As soon as the door was closed, Fan JiJing immediately took off every piece of clothing on him.
Hua HuaiXiu was rendered speechless by him. He looked at Fan JiJing, and then said, "Didn"t you say that you weren"t going to wash?"
"I"ll help you wash." Fan JiJing stuck out his face and moved closer.
"No." Hua HuaiXiu coldly refused. "Unless you agree to let me stay on top."
Fan JiJing answered without even thinking about it, "Okay!"
His readiness unexpectedly aroused Hua HuaiXiu"s suspicion, fearing that he had some other tricks up his sleeve.
Hua HuaiXiu"s anxiousness was soon confirmed.
Water dashed back and forth in the bath.
The water temperature gradually decreased, but their bodies became hotter and hotter.
"The top I said was… not me sitting on top, you let it… Oh!"
The disputes over the problem of top or bottom ended on a painful yet delightful long note, and next would be the problem of time.
Translator’s Notes:
[1] Original word is Cloud and Rain, a Chinese term vaguely referring to lovemaking. [back]
[2] How ancient Chinese people refer to h.o.m.os.e.xual relationships. [back]