Chapter 85: Nian Nian

Chapter 85: Nian Nian

Yuwen Xuans gaze fell onto the two young people, and he looked them up and down for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter, saying, You people of Da Liang are real characters, you two look like elegant gentlemen of noble birth, where did you pick up the tempers of the Northern Yan resorting to fists when words are not to your liking? I beg your pardon, you two are.

His assistant immediately bent and whispered in his ear.

Oh, so it is the Young Masters Xiao and Yan, what an honour, what an honour.

Xiao Jingrui and Yan Yujin were both on the Langya Lists, and so it was natural that Yuwen Xuan should know their names, but for some reason, the words what an honour coming from his mouth coupled with the expression on his face carried with it an undeniable sense of mocking.

Do you dare fight me or not? If not, say so and be quick about it, no one likes listening to you sharpening your teeth, Mu Qing said angrily.

Of course I dare, whyever would I not? Yuwen Xuans gaze turned suddenly cold, as he reached out a hand to stroke the pendant dangling from his cap. But we are gathered here today to see the Princess off, and should this disintegrate into a fistfight, that would be disrespectful to the Princess. Everyone in my humble nation knows that I would dare to do anything, except offend a beautiful lady. And so, for today even if the ladies and gentlemen present were to carve me into eight pieces, I would not lift a hand.

If you dont dare face me, then say you dont dare, why be so long-winded about it? Mu Qing glowered as he turned to pull at his sister. Lets go up to the pavilion and ignore this person with a mouth but no guts.

I have not finished speaking, why is the little lord Mu in such a hurry to leave? Is he afraid that, if he is not careful, I might accept the invitation? Strangely, there was a wide smile on Yuwen Xuans face, and stranger yet, there was no hint of a smile in his steady gaze.

Hunh, Mu Qing glared at him. You are really only a little skilled at provoking people with words, Ive gotten used to it by now, so if you have no new moves to show, then I fear I will not linger long to keep your company.

Seeing how quickly Mu Qing had controlled his emotions and stopped letting Yuwen Xuan rile him up as he pleased, the corner of Princess Nihuangs lips lifted, and Xia Dong, who had stood by observing silently also nodded in approval. The masters Xiao and Yan were not by nature driven by their emotions, and they had only spoken up just now in Mu Qings place to lend a hand, and seeing that he had calmed down, they saw no reason to continue this pointless argument, and so turned away. Yuwen Xuan looked at one, then at another, and suddenly burst into laughter again. Fascinating, how fascinating, do you all truly believe I cannot put my words into action? Although I will certainly not lift a hand today. As he spoke, he turned his gaze onto Xiao Jingrui and smiled. I have a friend who has long since admired the name of Master Xiao and would cherish this opportunity to learn from him, I wonder whether he would do us the honour?

His attention had shifted so suddenly that everyone was a little taken aback. Yan Yujin cocked his head and stared at his friend. When did you become so famous? Xia Dong jiejie is standing right here, but they didnt challenge her, and chose to challenge you instead? Even if they win against you, what prestige could they gain?

You dont get it, Xia Dong glanced over and put a hand on Yan Yujins shoulder, saying with a smile, Xiao Rui may not be on the Langya List of Martial Artists, but regardless he is still a master of the first tier, so naturally there will be jianghu visitors of the second tier who are seeking to make a name for themselves by defeating him, what is so strange about that?

Oh Yan Yujin widened his eyes in understanding as he nodded. Jianghu visitors of the second tierthat makes sense, it makes a lot of sense.

As the challenged, Xiao Jingrui took this much more seriously than the other two, and he stepped forward slowly and said, his face solemn, I am at your service.

Yuwen Xuan gazed at him steadily for a moment, his smile disappearing abruptly, and his tone grew solemn as he answered, Our thanks to Master Xiao. Nian Nian, Master Xiao has already accepted, come on out.

There were eight others in total who had accompanied Prince Ling of Da Chu to the city gates, and from their attire, two were carriage drivers and five were guards. The last was dressed in a blue-green archers robe, a slender figure with a golden hoop in his hair and no other accessories except an exquisitely embroidered tassel around the waist, and from attire alone, it was impossible to guess at this persons identity.

At first glance, this person appeared to have average features and a rather wooden expression, but as he stepped closer, Nihuang and Xia Dong, who had their share of jianghu experience, saw quickly that he wore a face mask of real human skin that hid his true features. Xiao Jingruis eyes narrowed, as if he too had noticed the abnormality.

With regards to human skin masks, no matter how intricately they were made, the material was still dead skin and could not replicate the delicate and subtle changes of a living persons face, therefore it was very difficult to fool the truly observant. For this reason, since the creation of these masks, jianghu persons seldom used them, and when they did so, it was only as a sort of face veil that was particularly difficult for enemies to remove, as if to say, I dont care that you can tell Im wearing a mask, as long as you cannot see my true face.

Master Xiao, please.

Please.

The two turned to face each other, unsheathed their swords, and took up a starting position as they bowed. Yan Yujin couldnt help laughing. Jingrui has always been one for manners, who could have guessed this Nian Nian would be just as concerned about etiquette?Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com

But Xia Dong and Nihuang exchanged a glance, their expressions serious.

Thats right, Xia Dong cocked her head. Didnt you notice?

Yan Yujin turned to Xiao Jingrui, dumbfounded. Jingrui, did you notice?

Although Xiao Jingrui did not give off a stupefied appearance, he was just as shocked as Yan Yujin, and at his question, he shook his head numbly. II wasnt paying attention.

Nevermind, Mu Qing said consolingly. I didnt notice either.

Yan Yujin eyed the little lord, clearly thinking, of course you didnt notice, but as they werent too close, he swallowed these words and didnt speak them out loud.

Alright, the hour is late, the Princess ought to be leaving. It is said that one can escort a king a thousand miles, but in the end, he must still depart. Let us part ways here. Xia Dong reached out and pinched Yan Yujins cheek out of habit, and then turned finally to Nihuang, saying lowly, Princess, take care on the road.

Xiao Jingrui heard her words and said apologetically, We came to see the Princess off, and instead this turned into a pointless fight, and delayed the Princess journey, Im so sorry.

Princess Nihuang laughed brightly. I am not in such a hurry that a little bit of time like this would make any difference, what is there to apologize about? Besides, the excitement of that fight makes for a good start to my journey.

Jiejie, Mu Qing looked reluctant to let her go. Since you want to see the duel between Tianquan and Eyun, why not stay a few more days before leaving?

What nonsense. Although Princess Nihuangs words were scolding, her gaze was warm as she reached out to caress her brothers head. I have reported my departure to His Majesty, how can I change it on a whim? Since I cannot watch myself, you will have to watch it for me, and that will be just as good.

Yan Yujin laughed and pulled Mu Qing over to him, purposefully lightening the atmosphere as he said, Then we will have to gang up on Jingrui! The fight between Yue Xiuze and Uncle Zhuo will be a private one, and if we dont have Jingrui reporting back to us, who knows where or when it will happen!

Xiao Jingrui answered seriously, Only if my Zhuo dad gives his permission.

Yan Yujin turned to him. Never mind, I know you well, although Uncle Xie has always been strict with you, Uncle Zhuo treats you like a treasured jewel, so as long as you beg a little and throw a tantrum, I know hell agree to anything.

During this distraction, Mu Qing had managed to get his emotions under control, and in order not to cause his sister worry or grief, he bravely gathered his spirits and smiled sweetly, Thats true. I think it wont be long before the Emperor lets me return to the South, so jiejie doesnt need to worry.

Nihuang smiled and patted her little brother on the shoulder, then gently brushed back the hair that had blown into his face. The iron will of the lady general held back the turmoil of emotions just beneath the surface, and she took a few steps back, and then turned and jumped onto her horse, a faint smile lingering at the edges of her lips.

Yunnan is not the end of the world, until we meet again.

And with a light echo of horse hooves, the caravan officially departed for Yunnan. Princess Nihuang turned for a last look at the capital, then turned her horse and nudged it gently into a trot, following the yellow road away from the city.

one of those things where I couldnt think of the English idiom so I just translated it literally (lol Im out of practice)

it is literally impossible to translate this its part of the jianghu / dueling etiquette, and its what you say to be polite after you win. Its not that you actually think the other person let you win, if you see what I mean.

Translators Notes:

I hate translating sword fights. I hate translating sword fights. I hate translating sword fights. And all action scenes in general, actually. (This bodes well.)

Also, I dont even know why, its hardly the most emotional scene in the book so far, but Nihuang and Mu Qings farewell almost made me cry.

ADDENDUM: I realize I forgot to mention this and Im not sure how many of you know this, but the comments reminded me in Chinese, he and she sound the same when spoken aloud. Theyre (slightly) different characters when written down, but theyre pronounced the same. I followed the text and had them using the male pronoun until Nihuang used the title Miss, but thats the text being deliberately tricky. (The original text also didnt use any gendered pronouns when first describing Nian Nian because in Chinese you can say things like the hair instead of his/her hair without it being weird.) Anyway, my point is, the text uses male pronouns for so long because XJR and YYJ think Nian Nian is a boy, and the text wants the reader to think so as well. But Xia Dong and Nihuang knew all along she was a girl.