w.a.n.g YunFeng and Han Yi Fan were not familiar with each other, one of them was anofficial of the Zhao imperial court, the other was an elder of the Zhaopaternal grandmother’s family.
However,one in bureaucracy, one in the Jianghu, the people do not fight the officialsdoes not fit them at all, in contrast, Han Yi Fan’s impact in the imperialcourt was clearly greater than an imperial censor, and he personally lookeddown upon w.a.n.g Yun Feng considerably. To w.a.n.g Yun Feng, a wife is his beloved,Han Yi Fan believed a wife is a chess piece on his chessboard, he would onlycontrol her, he would not lose his rationality for unreal love.
These twopeople’s approach to the nature of affections were different, making theirconversations quite unpleasant.
After thetwo had gone through the motions, w.a.n.g Yun Feng got straight to the point:
“Excuse me Lord Han, is my wife self-cultivating at your home?”
Han Yi Fancoldly said: “Shouldn’t the wife of a senior official Imperial Censor be socialisingin the rear court of bureaucracy, rushing about for the future of her husband?If you ask me if my wife is here, I actually would reply, as to your wife, whatbusiness is that of mine.”
“I haveinformation, after she fell off a cliff she came to Xian Yun manor. She is adaughter of the Xia family, as the Zhao paternal grandmother’s family, youwould naturally provide her a place to stay in your home. Please Lord Haninvite her out, I need to take her home.” An unyielding tone, and anoverbearing att.i.tude with undeniable evidence, making people feel entirelyunwell. Han Yi Fan suddenly took two drags of his pipe, smiling yet not smilinghe said: “You apparently am very confident with yourself, you think from a fewwords, I will let you take away my guest?” This could be considered asindirectly answering the question just now.
w.a.n.g YunFeng expression was cold, beckoning Juan Shu to offer a list of gifts: “Myfamily’s mistress has been harmed by villains, it has caused Lord Han a lot oftrouble, please kindly accept this very small gift.
Han Yi Fanlaughed, not looking at the gift lift at all, softly: “Lord w.a.n.g apparentlyyou’ve misunderstood, I really do not want to stop you from seeing each other.Only, as the former owner of Xian Yun manor, I feel Lady Xia is much moreuseful at the manor than returning with you to w.a.n.g residence.”
w.a.n.g YunFeng did not bat an eyelid.
Han Yi Fancontinued: “Lord w.a.n.g does not seem to be aware of the changes in Lady Xia overthese years. She has already turned over a new leaf long ago, she is no longera woman of an influential family who stays in the bedroom and looks at men asthe sky, rather than locking her up at home every day worrying about what thisshould be given to who, how much to give, how much she should smile, watch afew plays, trifle things like what tea to drink, why not let her spread herwings and travel, exert a bit of effort on behalf of Dayan’s landscape. Lordw.a.n.g doesn’t know, these several years, the glorious achievements of Lady Xiaabroad, she really is a hero amongst women, a match for men.
Occasionallycoming ash.o.r.e, when she travelled around the Jianghu she would also help mewith many things behind the scene, apart from being a hero amongst women, sheis also a very rare great general.”
Apparentlyw.a.n.g Yun Feng had never seriously pondered over why Xia Ling Mei was trulywilling to drift about at sea for these seven years than come home. He knew shewas outstanding in martial arts, and knew she was brave and scheming, what morehe knew of her daring and compet.i.tive temper, but, even if she was moreoutstanding in martial arts, even greater abilities and wisdom, in the end shewas still a woman, how could she gain the sincere admiration of that group ofbloodthirsty men on the battlefield?
He hadalways thought, she was avoiding his infatuation, by no means blaming herselftreating the sailors as brothers, shed blood not tear.
Smokerising, Han Yi Fan expression was somewhat secretive, like a bloodthirstydevil’s b.l.o.o.d.y mouth wide open like a sacrificial bowl: “Right, she also has anickname that has been spread around for a long time, when she was abroad itcould strike terror in the pirates, children would weep.” He leaned closer, lookingw.a.n.g Yun Feng in the face: “the pirates call her the sea witch.”
w.a.n.g YunFeng only felt a cold air rise from the soles of his feet, sliding along thecalf of his legs directly rising up, making him shiver coldly by surprise.
“This sortof girl, how can she follow you back to the depths of the home and actsentimental with you, what’s more let’s not talk about those treacherous mindedand offering false friendships upper-cla.s.s women pretending to be polite andcompliant.”
w.a.n.g YunFeng’s fist tightened under his sleeve: “Xia Ling Mei is very good at thingsshe does, she has also received the teachings of the influential families sinceshe was young, she never does anything wrong, even if the pirates are scared ofher, when she returns to Beiding City, her temper will naturally dissipate,properly take on the traditional role of a good wife.”
“Stubborn.”Han Yi Fan criticised him, “you can even speak of ignorantly burying a preciouspearl.”
w.a.n.g YunFeng was angrier. As the other person was a relative in a roundabout way, hehad originally decided to have a nice discussion, in the end the other personhad approached with severity. An outsider, how can he interfere with thepersonal matters of a husband and wife!
“She’s aprecious pearl, but she’s still a pearl which is enclosed in my w.a.n.g Yun Feng’smouth and drawn in my heart, what business is it of yours!”
Han Yi Fanblinked blankly, he could have never imagined the majestic and grim facedimperial censor Lord w.a.n.g would actually blurt out such words of love, he hadthought of him still as an immature boy. Again thinking of that crying like achild Zhuang Sheng, having a second thought he seemed to have thought ofsomething, profoundly he said: “Lady Xia is in the rear courtyard, if you reallycan persuade her to go with you, I will naturally send people to accompany youtwo on your journey back.” Having spoken, he called for a guard to take w.a.n.gYun Feng to Xia Ling Mei’s courtyard.
Xia LingMei had been bothered by Zhuang Sheng for half the night, she was sleepy andtired, she went to take a bath. The small leopard Xia Fen became the emissaryprotecting the flower, guarding in the middle of the courtyard, his pair of bigeyes looking everywhere with great attention. He grew up on a ship, all yearround the sea was misty at night, howling winds and torrential rain rolling upocean waves, everywhere there were submerged rocks and sharks emerging from thesea, over time, Xia Fen had also learned the ability to look for things atnight with the sailors, furthermore taking the place of guarding Xia Ling Meiwas something he did every day, not thinking it was troublesome but ratherbelieving it was right.
When w.a.n.gYun Feng was only five or six li away,Xia Fen had already climbed up the courtyard wall, from above watchingattentively that shadow which was coming closer and closer.
Henaturally knew who it was. He still didn’t make a noise, only waiting for theother person to enter, suddenly jumping down onto the other person’s shoulders,clutching w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s ear wanting to bite down. The guard who had lead w.a.n.gYun Feng here was exceptional in martial arts, with extremely quick skills hegrabbed one of his arms wanting to pull him off.
Xia Fen wasshort and small, turning around under the guard’s armpit he struggled free, rumblingaround the back and rolling to the front. Crouching on both legs, one handtouching the ground, the other hand secretly touching the back of his waistwhere he unexpectedly held the handle of a knife.
w.a.n.g YunFeng returned to his senses, borrowing the weak light of the lantern he sawclearly the child in front of him, momentarily not knowing what expression touse to face him.
Quite awhile after, he only hoa.r.s.ely asked a sentence: “Is your mother here?”
Xia Fenwrinkled his nose, not hesitating at all in replying: “She’s not here.”
w.a.n.g YunFeng looked towards the door of the courtyard, probably only seeing the littleray
of light through the crack in the door.
Xia Fen sawhis expression, standing up to block the other person’s line of sight.
w.a.n.g YunFeng stepped to the left and he jumped to the left, w.a.n.g Yun Feng stepped tothe right and he jumped to the right, looking exactly like a small leopardpouncing on a b.u.t.terfly, only missing the swinging of his tail twice to revealhis childishness. w.a.n.g Yun Feng was interest rose, complex feelings within hisheart, a bit of pain and tenderness
showing in his eyes.
The smallleopard was extremely sensitive, feeling something wrong with the atmosphere,immediately he stopped, his whole body bending forward prepared to rip apartthe other person at any moment.
The adultand child stood together, anyone could see the little similarities of facialfeatures. For example those pairs of pitch-black eyes, when confronting others,the pupils were a little bit lighter than the darkness of the underworld,resembling the white membrane of a black pearl, less mysterious and more coldand alienating; again for example their broad forehead, when their eyebrowslocked together, the same serious expression carved deeply into the bones,extremely looking like the w.a.n.g family.
w.a.n.g YunFeng with interest compared Xia Fen’s appearance with his own as a child,looking more and more he felt that apart from the other’s somewhat untameablewildness, extremely different from his own cultured and refined, theirappearance was sixty, seventy percent the same, guessing in the dark it waseighty, ninety percent.
Xia Fen,maybe he really was his w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s child!
This news,when Xia Ling Mei had fallen off the cliff, at the alarmed cry of Xia Fen`mother`, it had always lingered in his mind. Happy, nervous, hesitant,restless, anxious, afraid and so such emotions nearly drowned him entirely ashe was looking for her, this made his plans to win back Xia Ling Mei even moreresolute.
Theirchild, this was simply the greatest gift the heavens have given w.a.n.g Yun Feng.
The smallleopard on high alert became aware of the changes in the other person’sexpression, subconsciously taking two steps back, again thinking it was wrong,he bared his teeth once more snarling twice towards the other person.
“Fen Er.”Unknowingly, Xia Ling Mei had already walked out of the house, long wet hairloosely draping over her shoulders, lazily leaning on the side of the door,beckoning Xia Fen over: “Return to your room, you should rest.”
Xia Fenlike a wild animal scuttled in front of Xia Ling Mei, her hand patting him onhis back: “Apart from when you’re practicing martial arts, normally don’t makeyourself into a wild leopard.”
Xia Fensimply didn’t care about that, holding onto Xia Ling Mei’s clothes and swingingit to and fro: “I don’t like him.” Finger pointing at w.a.n.g Yun Feng.
Xia LingMei nodded indifferently: “I also don’t like him.”
“Ling Mei!”w.a.n.g Yun Feng approached the mother and son, he couldn’t help sweeping over theother person from top to bottom with his eyes once: “Are you injured?”
Xia LingMei gently said: “No, gentleman Zhuang Sheng saved me, I’m not injured in theslightest.”
w.a.n.g YunFeng frowned, the thought in his head was unpleasant: “You blame me?”
Xia LingMei smiling: “What can I blame you for? You are a scholar, I am a martialartist, is it possible for me to still count on you to save me when I wasfalling off the cliff? I’m not demanding of people, further my temper is nolonger rude and unreasonable, not understanding logic as before, I don’t blameyou.” She lowered her head half way, lightly saying: “I’m used to it already,when I needed you the most, you’re not by my side.”
“Ling Mei.”w.a.n.g Yun Feng found it painful to understand, he couldn’t help holding onto herwrist, hesitating as he said: “Sorry.”
Xia LingMei let him hold her, the two people, Xia Ling Mei having just bathed wasentirely from head to toe nice and warm, w.a.n.g Yun Feng had arrived looking forher after making a long and difficult journey worried for her safety, his bodyemitted the heavy night air, the ice-cold had long ago seeped into his bones.
One fierilywarm, the other cold as ice.
“You don’tneed to blame yourself, really.” Xia Ling Mei eased his anxiety, “that instantas I fell off the cliff I suddenly thought it through, I lead a wanderingexistence, it’s hard to be sincere with people, even more it’s difficult tohave complete faith in any man. I always encounter danger easily, and I’m alsoused to the days of wandering at the edge of blades, I like being free and atleisure with no care.” She looked down, “You’re different, you’re formidable inthe imperial court, your family is at Beiding city, your responsibility is thecommon people of Dayan. Your life shouldn’t be wasted on only me alone, I can’tbear the responsibility, I also cannot give up my days of leisure and followyou to socialise amongst the large and influential families…”
“Ling Mei,”w.a.n.g Yun Feng was terrified, undoubtedly a few days ago she had with greatdifficulty started to believe in him, they definitely already started to tryand open their hearts, how has the heaven and earth changed in a split second?
Xia LingMei struggled to get her hand free, w.a.n.g Yun Feng panicked, he couldn’t helpusing both hands to firmly grab her.
“Let go!”She said.