This is the last free chapter on JJWXC. In related news, JJWXC is apparently undergoing a purge on Danmei thanks to the Chinese government being up to its usual censoring shenanigans, so I"ve been somewhat busy trying to preserve all the raws I can before they get taken down. I made sure to have the best possible VRS raws down pat at least.
Please let me know where my translations can be improved!
Chapter 35 – Sharing Affection
For him, this girl was different than other people.
Back in the day, there had been good relations between the Solar Envy Sect and the Feng family, especially due to their close proximities. As a result, Feng Qiu and Yun Xie had been acquainted very early on. Given how Jiang Xunyi was as inseparable from Yun Xie as his shadow, he was naturally very familiar with her as well. In addition, he had always held some strange feelings towards her.
This wasn"t because Jiang Xunyi himself adored Feng Qiu or anything, but because the 《Rising Clouds, Billowing Skies》book"s setting influenced his emotions: Feng Qiu, the eldest daughter of the Feng family head Feng Xue, had held unrequited love for Yun Xie since childhood. She was also the only woman Jiang Xunyi ever loved. She was later defiled through Jiang Xunyi"s crafty scheming, and met her end sacrificing herself to save Yun Xie. She ultimately became the eternal white moonlight1 in the protagonist"s heart, and was one of the major reasons behind the falling-out between the pair of sworn brothers.
Although Jiang Xunyi was not as infatuated and obsessed as described in the novel, whenever he saw her he would always subconsciously want to treat her well. Perhaps this was that so-called "connection decreed by fate." Unfortunately, the horrible matter of raping the other party was a task a.s.signed to him by the system. Jiang Xunyi had straight-up resisted this idea and refrained from going through with it, but for some unknown reason the story had still progressed to this point.
He knew he hadn"t done anything to Feng Qiu, but when faced with those eyes br.i.m.m.i.n.g over with glistening tears, he still felt his heart throb with pain.
Jiang Xunyi slowly put down the sword aimed at Feng Xue, and softly said: “…….Qiu-shijie.”
Feng Qiu nodded, but her gaze subconsciously drifted over to Yun Xie.
Yun Xie"s face was frosty as he avoided looking at her. On the other hand, the surrounding sect leaders were feasting their eyes on this dramatic spectacle, and had even forgotten to denounce and condemn the traitor—Anyway, no matter what Jiang Xunyi had done, they hadn"t suffered any harm from it. When there was nothing else to do, following along and yelling a couple sentences to show off their righteousness was enough. Now as they got to see the full show of grievances and hatreds entering the stage, no one had the presence of mind to manage that!
Who could have expected that Feng Xue, who just now still had the appearance of a kindly father anxious and indignant on behalf of his daughter, suddenly changed expression at the sight of Feng Qiu walking out. He reached out and yanked her back to his side, and scolded: "A disgrace like you still dares to come out and make a fool of yourself, have you no shame?!"
Jiang Xunyi coldly said: "Mind your speech."
Yun Xie couldn"t bear it any longer: “Jiang Xunyi, you should first mind yourself!”
As the scene erupted in chaos, the center players were entangled in a back-and-forth, while the bystanders on the side also began to discuss among themselves:
“Why is this Feng family head so ferocious? Just now I thought he loved his daughter very much!”
“What do you know? That Feng Xue has always regarded men as superior to women2, and looked down on this daughter of his. Before, he had the desire to use her to climb3 onto Sect Master Yun, so he seemed pa.s.sably tolerant on the surface. Then when that Jiang Xunyi disturbed the situation, he became ashamed and resentful—Just look at that huge temper tantrum. The way I see it, he"s currently yielding to Sect Master Yun, intentionally or otherwise, because his idea of recruiting a son-in-law still has not disappeared.”
The person who had started the questioning was stunned: “Feng Xue dares to try that? Without even mentioning the character and origins of that Yun Xie… in the beginning before this trouble with Jiang Xunyi, this Feng Qiu still wouldn"t be a worthy match for him. Anyway, what surprises me the most is how closed-minded4 this eldest young master Jiang must be, to ignore all those beauties chasing him in favor of insisting on forcing himself on this kind of woman and bring shame and ruin upon himself."
His companion didn"t answer, probably because he couldn"t understand it either. That man"s gaze flickered between Yun Xie, Jiang Xunyi, and Feng Qiu. He then whispered to his companion: “You see, life is so much easier when you"re good looking. Miss Feng clearly admires Sect Master Yun, and even after suffering such a big loss, she looks like she actually holds no resentment towards Jiang Xunyi. In the end, it"s just because he looks handsome…. Ow, what are you pulling me for?”
The companion smiled bitterly, itching to clamp that blabbering mouth shut. He could only lower his head to hide his face, and vaguely mutter: "Wanderer Zihui5 is watching you!”
Hearing that name, the man shivered from terror. Trembling with fear, he looked up and indeed saw a woman dressed as a Daoist nun in the middle of glaring at him. This woman"s appearance was very beautiful, but her brows and eyes were suffused with an intimidating murderous aura. This was precisely the current head of the West Hidden Spirit Sect, as well as the Shimei6 of the deceased Elder Jinghai.
It was common knowledge that she most hated hearing other people praise Jiang Xunyi, no matter the context.
Only when the other party finally shut up did Wanderer Zihui scoff coldly and shout: “Jiang Xunyi is just a traitor who defied his superiors. No matter how good his appearance, it can"t make up for his dishonorable morals! Since he has entered my sight today, I shall clean my sect of this stain! "
Her voice rang out loud and clear over the whole scene. Yun Xie looked over at Wanderer Zihui and sneered: “I want to see who dares to strike the first blow. If you hurt a single strand of hair on his head today, I will make you wish for death!”
Wanderer Zihui grew angry: "Yun Xie, there really is something wrong with you! Such erratic capriciousness is the behavior of lowly villains! Back when we were capturing this traitor from our sect, you obstructed us time and time again, hindering our plans. Later when the news came that you had killed him, I still had my doubts. Us now seeing him standing here perfectly alive and well must be due to some trickery and fraud on your part! Hmph, what falling-out between the Dual Jades of the Spirit Stage? It now looks more like two sc.u.m acting in collusion. Fancy all those young disciples idolizing you two as G.o.ds back then, aren"t you ashamed?!"
Hearing this speech, Yun Xie"s anger gradually grew more serious instead. He shut his eyes, and actually responded: “What you said was correct, I once committed many wrongs, but the past is in the past…. No matter how much bitter remorse and regret I feel, it"s useless. But today, I swear to the heavens: From henceforth, if I, Yun Xie, ever have the slightest hint of intent to hurt Jiang Xunyi, may the heavens and earth strike me down, and my soul fly away and scatter!”
His words were spoken to Wanderer Zihui, but his eyes were looking at Jiang Xunyi. The phrase "May the heavens and earth strike me down, and my soul fly away and scatter” may be just a joke or exaggerated rhetoric to a mundane person, but every cultivator on the path towards immortality knew this was the heaviest possible vow.
The events of the past did not rest quietly, but always arrived at the moment when one was most unprepared. Jiang Xunyi looked towards the resolute-toned Yun Xie, only to feel countless scattered pictures flooding his heart. Among them were scenes from the previous life and from this life, coming in a continuous stream without any guiding threads, so in this moment he actually had difficulty distinguishing between reality and memory.
Jiang Molou grabbed Jiang Xunyi"s arm: "Don"t believe him!"
Jiang Xunyi: “……I wasn"t going to, don"t grab so tightly. What"s the point in each of you wrangling over every tiny annoying trifle from the past? Are we running away or not?”
He was growing anxious too——according to Jiang Xunyi"s usual methods, improper words should be met with a fight. If he can"t beat the opponent, he"ll take advantage of the chaos to escape. If he can beat the opponent, he"ll vent his anger with a thorough thrashing. Here he had been about to strike on several occasions, yet there was always someone popping out of nowhere to block his way——This really wasn"t good for his pent-up resentment.
Jiang Xunyi and Jiang Molou managed to briefly converse, but before they even had time to come to a conclusion, they spotted a blue ray of light shooting straight up into the clouds through their peripheral vision. In the blink of an eye, the darkening twilight sky was abruptly illuminated once more. The blue light cast shadows on everyone"s horrified faces, like the haunting of demonic ghosts.
Jiang Xunyi abruptly looked up, his voice jumping up an octave: "Yun Xie! Are you crazy? Hurry and stop!"
The Yun Xie who had always been docile and obedient towards him… didn"t stop this time. Just now, when Jiang Xunyi and Jiang Molou were whispering to each other, Wanderer Zihui had sneered at Yun Xie: “I don"t care how exactly you resurrected him. But since he could be killed once, he can be killed a second time!”
As she spoke, a magnificent light burst from her hands, revealing the splendid Sharing Affection Banner7 she was holding.
The Sharing Affection Banner was a device of divine condemnation——it was unclear how it had come into her possession. This thing had the power to call forth heavenly lightning. It was particularly specialized at striking down those beings who shouldn"t be in this world yet defy the natural order to remain, such as those living on a borrowed lifespan, those who had seized another"s body for possession, and those whose soul had returned from the grave.
Yun Xie had always been unsure of how Jiang Xunyi had resurrected from the dead. He had always been on tenterhooks, unable to sleep soundly at night. Now seeing this taboo object on top of hearing the opponent say “can be killed a second time”, the greatest hidden pain in his heart was stimulated once again. Murderous intent instantly rushed into his chest, and without saying another word, he immediately struck back.
The biting cold sword aura was still in the distance, but all those present had already been forced to retreat by this indiscriminate killing intent. The hurricane gales whipped people"s robes and sleeves. The Sharing Affection Banner seemed to have sensed the danger too, as it let out a low humming sound and trembled uneasily in Zihui"s hands.
With a rumbling bang, the originally crumbling thatched house to the side was the first to be unable to withstand such tremendous pressure, and actually exploded.
Those present at the scene finally put down their desire to watch the fun. They involuntarily revealed expressions of surprise and agitation, as if they had just realized that Yun Xie had been called a genius since he was a child, and it was not without reason that he stood at the peak of the cultivation world at such a young age——His true strength was actually terrifyingly powerful to this extent!
As everyone retreated back, only Jiang Xunyi raised his sleeves to protect his eyes. He struggled to take one step forward at a time against the power of the wind, and shouted towards Yun Xie: "What are you doing?! You……"
He still wanted to yell out a few more words, but his throat choked on the incoming gust. He couldn"t speak anymore, but his heart grew even more anxious. A divine device like the Sharing Affection Banner could no longer be called any ordinary artifact. It was even on the verge of possessing its own consciousness. Given its ridiculous and tyrannical strength, even if struck with an earth-shattering mortal blow8, it would not receive an iota of harm. It was an existence that absolutely could not be provoked. And Yun Xie actually dared to fight this thing head-on with the intent to ruin it… Besides complete and utter madness, one couldn"t find any other reason for his behavior. Don"t look at his majestic and imposing manner, appearing to hold the upper hand; Jiang Xunyi understood Yun Xie"s weight cla.s.s too well. Unless today was the finale of《Rising Clouds, Billowing Skies》, even if Yun Xie had just eaten eighteen pounds of spinach9, it was impossible for his strength to be boosted to that extent.
But did such a stupid ending exist in the world? Wouldn"t the author get beaten to death?!
What exactly is Yun Xie trying to do?!
Jiang Xunyi finally understood what other people in the past must have felt when they lectured him to control his impulses and calm down——People who don"t listen to advice and persuasion are simply way too d.a.m.n annoying!
Footnotes:
1. 白月光 lit. "white moonlight" is a term referring to one"s first pure love, usually one with a tragic ending.
2. 重男轻女 lit. "placing heavy weight on males, only giving light weight to females" is one way of referring to the s.e.xist tendencies in ancient Chinese society, especially the practice of favoring sons over daughters.
3. 攀附 literally refers to a plant/vine climbing, but here it"s used in the context of social climbing.
4. 想不开 lit. "can"t think open"
5. 自慧(zì huì) is her name, which ironically means something like "self + wisdom". 散人(sǎn rén) is a type of t.i.tle that literally translates to something like "Scattered person". In the context of cultivation novels, it usually refers to independent/self-taught/unaffiliated cultivators who don"t a.s.sociate with a particular sect. Zihui here may have been an independent cultivator at some point who later joined the Hidden Spirit Sect. However, since she"s not actually independent, I translated the t.i.tle to Wanderer.
6. 师妹 lit. "disciple + little sister". Yep, she"s a.s.sociated with Elder Jinghai and Jingzhou.
7. 诉情 is the t.i.tle of this chapter, as well as the name of this magical banner. It literally translates to "telling/saying/speaking" + "feelings/affection/love". I randomly translated it to "Shared Affection"
8. 斧钺加身 literally means something like "the executioner"s axe chopping on one"s body". I went for a more liberal translation since no one"s executing banners around here.
9. This is probably a reference to the Popeye the Sailor cartoon, who grows progressively buffer the more spinach he eats.