Not much of a humour in this chapter but it"s still finger-licking interesting.
Chapter 18 – The s.h.i.+tty Youth Translated by HaruOngy (If you can see this line, you must have read this in the aggregator site which illegally steal various. Be shameful of yourself for not appreciating the translator"s hard work. Don"t think only you want to have it the easy way. Support the fanbase!)
At the end of the matter, Chu Xun"s inner heart was not nearly collapsed but utterly broke and scattered to a thousand li.
Furthermore, the details of that time inside his mouth were like this: After Mei Qian Deng inserted her finger into his mouth, Chu Xun unconsciously compelled for a moment. His tongue was stiff and his lower jaw couldn"t move. He didn"t understand what had just happened! As for the next moment, he actually sucked that finger. He even swallowed that fragrant, salty saliva that somehow was slightly bitter.
Truly, Mei Qian Deng"s surprise attack was too sudden. Chu Xun almost unconsciously did this series of movements on his mouth. It was not an act on his own. However, for the Crown Prince who quickly recognised his actions earlier, he at least understood that Mei Qian Deng had did something towards the Crown Prince. Undoubtedly, it had created a devastating trauma.
"Pah!" Chu Xun spitted out Mei Qian Deng"s finger. He faced the ground and vigorously spitted out saliva. The rim of his eyes instantly were moist. It was not known if they were because he was worried until he cried or he was too angry until he cried. In any case, his face was hideous. Amidst the hideous look, he had the air of a young married woman grieving. It was like the humiliated look of a pure, innocent lady after she was raped.
Mei Qian Deng was, "????" She as the chief culprit didn"t have a shred of criminal guilt. She used the most direct method to tell Chu Xun about the truth of the gunnysacks. Of course she didn"t feel like she did something wrong.
"Mei Qian Deng!" Chu Xun"s qi and blood had already rushed to the top of his head. He pointed at the calm as usual Mei Qian Deng and shouted, "You boor! You—you—you—you are dead for sure!"
"You can"t even recognise salt." Mei Qian Deng had never been afraid of the Crown Prince. She impolitely exposed that Chu Xun had no general knowledge. Female hero, did you still remember what you promised to your father before leaving your house?!
Chu Xun"s pitch-black piece of heart was first blasted by Mei Qian Deng a period of lightning flas.h.i.+ng and thunder booming. But, he very soon recovered his calm. He felt this situation was much serious than he imagined. Chu Xun squatted again to check the remains of the gunnysack. His eyebrows were deeply creased and his expression was very ugly. He personally used his finger and put some of the powdery matter from the sack into his mouth. It was truly the salt. Ever since the founding of the dynasty, including the previous dynasty and the even previous dynasty, salt and iron were ran by the government.
As the proverb said, the endowment of the world, salt holds half of the profit.
Chu Xun his family"s money, half of it was from the tax of this seemed to be normal yet couldn"t be missed daily salt. Selling salt illegally was undoubtedly trying to s.n.a.t.c.h money from his family. Although the current Emperor was politically enlightened and bestowed reduced tax for the civilians, he would never allow people to exceed the political baseline.
It looked like Imperial Father had knew this for a long time. Since Imperial Father knew, it naturally would not be a small illegal thievery. The situation was truly serious. He wanted to see who had such huge guts to have an intention towards his family"s national treasury.
"In these two days of you stalking, did you discover any suspicious people move any suspicious things out of the inn?"
Chu Xun asked Mei Qian Deng while standing up, preparing to turn his body towards her.
Suddenly, a black shadow appeared. Chu Xun was dragged by an external force to the entrance area. At the same time, he heard Mei Qian Deng softly said, "There is someone coming here." Her hearing sense was extremely good. Chu Xun looked around the outside but he didn"t see anyone coming here. Mei Qian Deng originally wanted to return using the same route but quickly, she stopped her steps and brought Chu Xun retreated backward. "No, there are people coming from both sides. We will be found."
Then, what should they do?
Chu Xun tugged into Mei Qian Deng"s hand. He was very anxious to death in his heart. He had never encounter such pincer attack situation. It was good that his mind was still quite clear. "Mei Qian Deng, you didn"t lock the door." Even if Mei Qian Deng and he managed to slip away without a hitch, if that warehouse"s door was wide opened, the people behind the scenes must had discovered. Before they found more clues, they must not beat the gra.s.s and startled the snake.
With the highest speed, Chu Xun ran back into the warehouse. He left Mei Qian Deng with, "You lock the door and keep watch from outside." Although Mei Qian Deng"s martial art was good, he however didn"t know a single thing. If she didn"t bring along him who was the hindrance, Mei Qian Deng surely could conceal well.
This seemed like a change that happened in a flash and Mei Qian Deng rarely was stunned a little. Soon after that, she really locked the warehouse"s door without caring the Crown Prince"s safety. With a clunk sound, the door was locked and the people were hidden, leaving behind only the night breeze and moonlight.
The silence didn"t remain for long. Soon, two well-built men appeared from two sides in succession. They walked until they met each other in front of the warehouse Chu Xun was hiding. One of them took out a string of keys and opened the door. They didn"t get suspicious which meant there was not only one string of keys for the warehouses.
Mei Qian Deng stared from the secret place and silently sighed in relax.
"How much more of the goods still missing this time?" The one who was much older big man among those two asked with the slightly hoa.r.s.e voice.
The other one replied, "We had took advantage of the snow disaster to mix illegal salt inside the disaster relief goods. After these few warehouses had gathered everything, it will be not far off."
"You have quite huge guts to even dare to make use of the disaster relief goods."
That person laughed haughtily. "It has always been the cowards died from hunger while the big guts died from binge eating." Then, he brought the other person to enter the warehouse.
Inside the warehouse, it was normal. The people who came didn"t light up the lamp. They relied only on the moonlight to check around. On their left side, various disaster relief goods were stacked there while on their right side, some sundries were stacked there. Chu Xun covered himself in a manure gunnysack and hid at the deepest corner. At that time, he turned back into the warehouse alone and saw the gunnysack that Mei Qian Deng and he studied together earlier. He simply did not have much time to think further as he covered his whole body inside it. Just as he drew back, those people had entered.
Chu Xun who was hiding in the sack had his heart beating loudly. It was pure darkness before his eyes. In a short time, his back had been soaked wet yet his train of thoughts was still sober. He was thinking: What if those two people found him. How should he escaped from those villains" evil claws? Fighting recklessly would be impossible. He could only outsmart them……What should he do in that split second of life and death to rely solely on a few words to protect his own life……Chu Xun suddenly felt his own IQ was not enough.
He felt extremely useless. When he felt useless to the limit, he entered a desolate and hollow state. His ears turned deaf and his body turned numb as if he had returned to among the placenta of his mother. Then, in the darkness before his eyes an illusion of Mei Qian Deng suddenly appeared. That obviously pale like the mists and clouds yet made others gnashed their teeth nonstop face. When he thought back that Mei Qian Deng was outside, Chu Xun"s heart became calmer.
Chu Xun believed with Mei Qian Deng around, tonight he would not die. At most, he would beat the gra.s.s and startled the snake and returned to be reproved one round by Imperial Father.
En, just like this.
He didn"t know that two well-built men was doing outside. Chu Xun heard a creaking sound. It seemed that was another door but he obviously didn"t hear a walking sound. Lastly, that hoa.r.s.e voice big man clapped repeatedly, seemed like he was clapping the dirt on his hands as he said, "Very good." Then, he stood up and walked towards outside.
Chu Xun was delighted. Finally, they were going!
However, that big man suddenly stopped. His sight landed on a stack of gunnysacks written with "Manure" word. He frowned. "With these manure so stinky, the salts will not be turned stinky by them right?"
"Don"t worry, it absolutely will not."
Chu Xun"s mouth twitched. "……" The world most perfect Crown Prince hiding in a pile of manure. It was truly after all an edition of a flower poked into a pile of manure.
Mei Qian Deng returned to the warehouse again. She had searched one round yet she couldn"t find Chu Xun. Mei Qian Deng was surprised. The Crown Prince really knows how to hide.
"Little Long……" She lightly called out.
At the corner of the walls, there was a gunnysack moved. Mei Qian Deng"s eyes were sharp. She instantly ran over to help Chu Xun remove the gunnysack. Chu Xun"s hair was quite messy. His small face was still stiffy and ghastly from when he found himself in an extremely nervous situation. It made him appeared to be delicate and charming.
Mei Qian Deng too didn"t know what witchcraft had affected her for she suddenly remembered she got injured after practising martial arts when she was still small. She didn"t even cry yet her father hugged her while crying furiously. Then, she felt Chu Xun must had wanted to have a comfort. So, she followed her father"s manner as she hugged Chu Xun and patted his back.
"Don"t cry."
How do I look like I"m crying?!
Chu Xun was very angry.
And yet he didn"t have strength stronger than Mei Qian Deng and such, he couldn"t struggle free out of her.
He used up the imperial family"s prestige as he gnashed his teeth and split, "Let go."
Mei Qian Deng obediently let go.
Chu Xun instantly jumped away but he didn"t leave the gunnysack. He clearly heard there was a weird stirring sound. There must be something fishy among these gunnysacks. Chu Xun encircled the area those two people mentioned earlier. Some of the sundries had traces of being dragged before. He said, "Boor, come here and remove these."
Mei Qian Deng obediently removed the things.
Sometimes, she really didn"t understand why the Crown Prince would [raise his fur] at her. Look at how obedient she was. Whatever the Crown Prince told her to do, she would do it.
Underneath the sundries, there was a square well which was even and flat on the ground. It was covered with a piece of plank. Mei Qian Deng removed the cover. It might be due to being left for several years as the revolving part was emphatically not flexible, producing the creaking sounds. The sound Chu Xun heard previously was exactly this sound!
The opened dark hole had been modified by stone materials all on all sides. There was a layer of white snowflakes. Chu Xun squatted and touched it. Picking some of it, he used his fingers to caress it. Then, he prepared himself to put that finger into his mouth to taste it. It was at that moment, a slightly cold, long hand stretched over and stopped Chu Xun.
"Xiao Jing Zi said I must not let you eat randomly."
After that, Mei Qian Deng bent her body and approached him.
Chu Xun with lightning speed shouted, "NO!"
Mei Qian Deng used the finger on her other hand to pick some of the "snowflakes" on the wall and put it inside her mouth to taste it. It was also salt. She tilted her head and blankly asked, "What did you say?"
Chu Xun"s whole ears turned thoroughly red.
He thought this unabashed, cold-tempered and shameless Mei Qian Deng would lick his finger again after he licked his finger.
It turned out that it was him who was the unabashed and cold-tempered one……
Chu Xun felt awkward. Thankfully, the lighting was not well and they couldn"t see clearly. He immediately freed himself from Mei Qian Deng"s hand. He bent down his body to study the dark hole and pretended to be serious as he asked, "This is salt cover?"
Mei Qian Deng nodded.
The smuggling trader brought the salt over here and then from this secret pa.s.sage they moved it far away. No wonder, they only entered without coming out, causing them to be unable to catch any clue. Look at this project level, three feet of ice did not form in a single day[1]. Presumably, before Imperial Father"s men found out, this place had already been a gigantic crude salt den.
"Let"s go."
Mei Qian Deng didn"t understand. "We"re not going to check where this pa.s.sage leads to?"
Chu Xun shook his head. He had just considered striking a pose. A pose of the two-faced Crown Prince who was planning strategies. Unexpectedly, the back of his collar was grasped by someone and his whole body had been lifted.
Mei Qian Deng this boor!!
Did he lock the door already or not?!
"Little Long, why do you have a whiff of smell on your body?"
[1] Idiom which means the same as Rome was not built in a single day
Translated by HaruOngy (If you can see this line, you must have read this in the aggregator site which illegally steal various. Be shameful of yourself for not appreciating the translator"s hard work. Don"t think only you want to have it the easy way. Support the fanbase!)