Wife, I Want to Eat Meat

Chapter 9

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Thirdquarter of chou,black clouds already covered the moon tightly. On the quiet streets, not asingle person could be seen.

The sereneand hidden depth of darkness followed relentlessly spreading even further straightahead, mysteriously pushing down heavily on a person’s pit of the stomach.

w.a.n.g YunFeng felt his chest constrict unbearably, he weakly coughed twice. Juan Shuseized the wine cup from his hand: “Master, we should return.”

Bai Yanstood at the tavern threshold with one foot propped up, both arms crossed, shejeered: “Don’t go back, just get a room here, let him sleep holding a beauty inhis dream.”

w.a.n.g YunFeng absent-mindedly fantasied Xia Ling Mei in his arms, not sure whether hisface was more red or white.

Juan Shu atthe side was coy for a little white: “Master if you don’t like beautiful woman,you

can hold Juan Shu in your arms.”

Bai Yanwith a squeeze shattered the wine cup in his hand, holding the back of JuanShu’s neck, directly speaking to the bodyguard protecting in the dark: “Takethe master back to the residence”

w.a.n.g YunFeng belched twice, in a daze he opened his eyes, looking in the direction ofthe distant staircase, for quite some time before saying: “Randomly gather a fewpeople to come back with me, the rest stay here and protect the mistress.”

Juan Shueyes shone: “Then I will escort the master back to the residence, Bai Yan youstay here to protect the mistress, ow!”

Bai Yanpunched Juan Shu in the head, gnashing his teeth: “Do you still wish todirectly escort the master back to his bed?”

Juan Shusmiled: “That’s not a bad idea.” Then, he revealed his thoughts bashfully,

“Actually,I’ve been secretly in love with master for a long time.”

The secretguards subconsciously smoothed down their goose pimples.

Bai Yanimmediately kicked his bottom, making the other directly roll through thedoorway and under the carriage: “You fool with your illusions, master is mine.”

The secretguards couldn’t help but roll their eyes, automatically leaving behind half of themto protect Xia Ling Mei, the other half lifted the half intoxicated, half-awakew.a.n.g Yun Feng

into the carriage. As Juan Shu and Bai Yan were chattering away`striving for favour` they followed the dark road slowly heading into darkness.

“Lady, Lordw.a.n.g has left.” Xiu Yu retreated her head from the small crack in the window,speaking to Xia Ling Mei who was lying on the bed with her eyes closed like shewas asleep.

Ying Shimoved the only candle flame to the small table by the bedside, looking at XiaLing Mei’s fl.u.s.tered eyes as they moved under her eyelids, she sighed, tuckingin the corners of her quilt: “It’s still early, we’ll leave again once Lordw.a.n.g gets a bit further away.”

Xia LingMei made a grunt sort of noise, as if to accept the other’s reasoning.

At noon,she had thrown a huge tantrum at w.a.n.g Yun Feng, she cursed him until her mouthdried, the web between the thumb and forefinger of her hand was also extremelypainful from whipping him, by the time she had vented her feelings enough tocalm down, after she only then discovered w.a.n.g Yun Feng was already covered incuts and bruises on the verge of collapsing. For a moment, she wasn’t sure ifshe was happier or in more pain. The two faced each other drearily for anafternoon, without speaking again.

w.a.n.g YunFeng did not ask for a reasonable explanation to his hara.s.sment, Xia Ling Meialso did not give an excuse for her rage.

“I don’twant to see you again.” When she put her long whip down, she calmly said: “Nomatter when, no matter where…this lifetime, we make a clean break from now.”

At first,she deliberately ignored his suffering, forcing marriage; that year, it was shewho neglected his desperation, turning away alone; now, it was also she, wholoathed his affection, determined to cut off all ties.

Her heartwas already apathetic; it could not feel any pain.

She couldonly hide inside the very small tavern of this foreign land, holding herselftightly,

relying on her own to hands to warm her body, swallowing down all thetears.

In thefirst quarter mao,Xia Ling Mei got up, she wore her clothes and cleaned her face alone, waitingfor the water clock to hit four am, she then gently said: “Let’s go.”

Xiu Yusaid: “Do you need Hei Zi to lure Lord w.a.n.g’s secret guards away?”

“No need” XiaLing Mei said, “This time, we will leave just and honourably.”

Xiu Yu andYing Shi glanced at each other, carrying their precious luggage, following XiaLing Mei out of the doors.

The secretguards of the w.a.n.g family expressed sufficient suspicion and worry towards thisbehaviour of their mistress as it was the first time she had run away withoutmaking a secret of it. The head of the secret guards was already familiar withHei Zi these past years, noiselessly he jumped to Hei Zi’s side, pushing theother’s arm to ask: “Where does the mistress plan to run to this time?”

Xia LingMei lifted her head, saying to the head of the guards hanging upside down onthe roof: “I’ve been to over half of Dayan’s lands, Xiao Bai Zi do you have any newsuggestions?”

The head ofthe guards ---- Bai Zi, scratched his head: “There’s nothing worth suggesting,as long as you don’t run off to a place where there is money laundering.Otherwise my monthly paywould not arrive in my hands on time, the peoplebeneath me will become lazy.”

Xia LingMei asked without intention: “It’s been so many years, has your monthly payrisen?”

Bai Ziimmediately felt wronged: “No. The master has been busy, I guess he forgot.”

“Yes, butHei Zi’s monthly pay has risen quite a lot, these few years it must havedoubled right.”

Hei Zicomfortingly patted Bai Zi’s shoulder: “Brother, you are doing life sacrificingwork, accepting the monthly pay of a farmer.”

“No!” BaiZi cried out, “Then, do we need to first go and discuss about a rise in monthlypay, before coming back to protect the mistress?”

Hei Zigenerously slapped the other person: “Go, anyway we’ll leave behind a note foryou. When you get a rise in monthly pay remember to immediately follow after,treat your brother

to a drink.”

Thekind-hearted, loyal, with the love of a sibling, the secret guard of Xia familywaved his hand, watching as the secret guards of the w.a.n.g family ran into thedarkness one by one, taking large strides on their way, heading towards theirmaster to ask for a raise, their face smiling splendidly, so simple minded.

Xia LingMei ma.s.saged her forehead: “Bai Zi is still as foolish as before, our family’sHei Zi is as sinister as before.” Hei Zi was embarra.s.sed, Xia Ling Meicontinued speaking: “I just now understood, I have never escaped from thesecret guards of the w.a.n.g family all these years, it’s because there’s aninsider.”

Hei Zisimpered: “Lady spare me. If Xiao Bai didn’t follow us, we would have beeneaten by those treacherous Jianghu people that not even our bones wouldremain.”

Banteringfor a while, Xia Ling Mei mood finally lightened, riding on an already preparedquick horse, she went the complete opposite direction of where Xiao Bai went.

The streetsin the middle of the night, apart from the occasional two lamps hung outside ofrich family’s doorways, wherever one went it was all dusky. Every now and thenyou could see round like mouse sliding across the streets, followed by thecries of cats, dogs whistling, accompanied by the clattering of horse hooves onthe green flagstones, as if it was the nocturne music of the ghost world,making people feel melancholy and fearful.

The smallTibetan Mastiff in her arms occasionally stuck its head out looking left andright, its clammy nose sniffing here and there, now and then growlingthreateningly a few times at the busying mouse, before again nestling in itsmistress’ arms acting like a spoiled child looking for praise.

This timethere was no need to hide like they did before, therefore the group walked notrushed, not slowly, until Hei Zi who was leading the way in front suddenlystopped.

Xiu Yu andYing Shi took two steps forward, splitting up so Xia Ling Mei was in betweenthem, quietly asking: “What’s going on?”

“There’s acarriage ahead.”

Xia LingMei moved: “Whose?”

The secretguard urged his horse forward to take a look, he quickly turned back, his facewas moon white in the darkness, it was a little scary. Hei Zi spoke brieflywith the others, he only said to Xia Ling Mei: “We’ll go down another road.”Not saying whose family it belonged to, and not saying how many people theyhad, it was very strange.

Xia LingMei rose above everyone’s shoulders and looked into the distance, she only feltthe shape of that carriage was somewhat strange, the carriage lamp was also nothung up, it was like a mound of smoke was emerging out of a deep fire, faintlyflashing, sometimes bright sometimes dark. The night wind blew over, the peoplefelt the hair on their scalp cool, smelling a faint trace of blood in the air.

Hei Zi knewXia Ling Mei was oversensitive, he could only explain: “It must be a vendetta,it’s best for us to avoid.”

There weremany types of vendettas. Xia Ling Mei had the most contact with thea.s.sa.s.sinations inside the royal court, and the power of official influentialfamily’s influence to crush people, these years she had spent in the Jianghu,she had come across Jianghu vendettas the most. Most of the time they decidedto avoid them, not bringing trouble to

themselves.

Everyoneturned their horse around, Hei Zi went forward to open up a path entering intoanother street in a fork road, Xia Ling Mei was surrounded by everyone in the centre,it was all strangely quiet, there was only the `woo, woo` sound of the smallTibetan Mastiff stirring uneasily.

Xia LingMei held it tightly, hearing the young dog hissing, not long after, there was atender mew from afar coming closer. The secret guards started to split up tosurround them, those in the outer circle dispersed to survey all the shadows,those in the inner circle concentrated on protecting Xia Ling Mei by her sidemotionless, Xiu Yu and Ying Shi even drew out long swords.

Again therewas a cry of a cat, a very small ball of darkness fell down from a tree.

The horsewhined, blades flashed coldly under the moonlight. As if the Tibetan Mastiffwas responding to the cat, its sounded more and more urgent, occasionallytrembling as it whined.

A hiddenguard used his pike to pick up the kitten, delivering it to Hei Zi. The kittenwas very small, around three months old only, white fur around its four legs,long tail swinging, its tip top furs were even more conspicuous, looking at it,it was somewhat familiar.

“It’s thekitten Lord w.a.n.g is raising.” Xiu Yu said.

“It’simportant to protect the lady, let’s return to the tavern.”

They hadjust left, how could the return. Everyone was asking questions, but their allyear round career as bodyguards made the secret guards understand what was mostimportant.

At times like this, even Xia Ling Mei felt leaving the city was notsafe. Outside the high walls was the wilderness, to martial artists it was theeasiest place to hide for a sneak attack, it was better off to stay at thetavern, not changing was better than changing too much.

“Whosecarriage is that?” Xia Ling Mei asked Hei Zi.

He couldn’tlie to her, at most he was taciturn.

“w.a.n.g YunFeng, am I right?”

“Inside thecarriage there’s only the corpse of the coachman and the lamp holder, thereisn’t

Lord w.a.n.g’s.” Hei Zi paused a moment, “Lord w.a.n.g has people to protecthim, he should have escaped long ago.”

This couldbe considered as having indirectly answered Xia Ling Mei’s question.

Shehesitated for a little while, the dark horse’s hooves wandered around in acircle impatiently, puffing out a snort.

“This roaddoesn’t lead to the w.a.n.g residence.”

“It canlead to the government office. Lord w.a.n.g left very late, maybe he was afraid ofmissing the morning roll call, therefore he went directly to the office.”

Xia LingMei had been vexed out of the question by w.a.n.g Yun Feng these past days, sheonly knew opening and closing her eyes she would see the person she didn’t wantto see the most swaying in front of her, she couldn’t chase him away, she hadthought w.a.n.g Yun

Feng had nothing to do, it turns out he had long ago alreadyreported to the office. That is, she was unaware when, during every day whendid he take care of these government affairs.

Just as sheturned her horse around, the ground began to shake, right there horses weregalloping over, scaring the kitten who was curled up under the TibetanMastiff’s belly shivering with cold.

Hei Zi tookthe lead, changing his long sword to a lance and heng sword promptly he stoodin the middle of the road.

The soundof hooves got closer and closer. As if a gale was rolling up ocean waves, thepower scaring people.

The persontaking the lead on the other side barged through, yelling through the air toBei

Zi: “Hand our lord over.”

Hei Zistared blankly: “Bai Zi?”

“Hei Zi?”

Bai Zigasped for breath: “Have you seen our lord?”

“Didn’t youreturn to w.a.n.g residence?”

“I took thewrong road, half way I sudden received a letter with a cry for help that’s whenI knew Lord w.a.n.g went to the office.”

Xiu Yu hadalready run over: “Take the letter out.”

Bai Zihesitated for a moment, he took a slip of paper from his sleeves.

Xiu Yuhanded it over to Xia Ling Mei, using the remote fire to look at it, there wasonly one

word `three`.

Xia LingMei touched that word, placing her fingertip under her nose and lightlysniffing: “It was written in blood.”

Severalpeople’s complexion changed, Xiao Bai said: “This was the information about thethird road, also so far there’s been no news of the men and horses from theother two

roads.”

“It seemsw.a.n.g Yun Feng is being protected by those in the third road.” Xia Ling Meishook out the slip of paper, unable to tell the seriousness as the word fromblood had coagulated into a lump: “He’s been gone for two hours, right now itcannot be sure…”

Xiao Baicried out in pain: “I need to rescue the master.” Having spoken, he alreadymadly urged his horse on forwards, the secret guards of the w.a.n.g family alsowithout exception followed closely. Xia Ling Mei watched the street becometranquil again, without speaking.

“Lady, letus first leave.” Don’t worry about Lord w.a.n.g.

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