CH 26

Dan Yi looked at Chen Ziqi, who was applying himself seriously to huffing and puffing on his wound. His heart melted a little, and he poked Chen Ziqi’s puffed out little cheeks. “It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt any more,” he said.

Chen Ziqi sat back. He looked left and right, confirmed that everyone’s attention was focused on the two assassins, then took out the rusting dagger for Dan Yi to see. “What’s so special about this thing?” he asked. Earlier, Cheng Zhou had called this a Bloodblade or something. Did this rusty blade Laizi picked up in Jiuru Town have anything to do with a murder case?!

“This dagger is called a Bloodblade, and it’s a weapon used exclusively by the Bloodblade Tower,” Dan Yi said. He was too tired to sit up any more, so he leaned back on a big cushion. He gestured to Linghe to wipe the dagger clean.

Linghe took the dagger and started wiping the blood off it with a handkerchief.

“The Bloodblade Tower is a mercenary group,” Dan Yi said. He saw that Chen Ziqi had a blank look on his face, so he simplified his explanation. “Basically, they will kill anyone if you pay them money.”

Linghe was done cleaning the dagger. She rotated the dagger handle vigorously, and a thin blade detached itself with a sharp snapping sound.

This Bloodblade was split into two parts – the blade and the blade holder. The assassins of the Bloodblade Tower usually carried one blade holder and a large number of blades. The blade was made thin so that it had unparalleled sharpness, but it was also precisely because it was so thin that it had to be replaced very often. It wore out when used too many times to cut flesh and bone, and had to be changed when that happened.

“Because the blade is held by a holder, it makes three lines when used to cut – one line made by the blade, and two lines made by the two edges of the holder. This is why Cheng Zhou was able to recognise the dagger,” Dan Yi said. He snapped the blade back into place and returned it to Chen Ziqi. “Keep it with you to protect yourself, but don’t show this to people unless you absolutely  have to.” The Bloodblade Tower did not have a good name, and there was no telling what misfortunes would come out of being associated with it.

Meanwhile, someone had thrown water on Cheng Zhou’s face to rouse him. He struggled to sit up. He first looked around at the group of people surrounding him before his gaze fell on the silent Berry Brown. “Cheng Mo!” he exclaimed.

Chen Zimo looked at him, then slowly opened his mouth to greet him. “Uncle,” he said.

“Why are you in the palace?” Cheng Zhou was shocked. Wasn’t this child supposed to be living with the Suxin Sect?

Jiuying Mountain Sect’s leader was a man in his fifties named Cheng Ji, courtesy name Qianli. Cheng Zhou was the Sect leader’s youngest brother, and had been rebellious since he was a young boy. He refused to learn his family’s heritage martial arts, choosing to go gallivanting around the world instead. He learnt his martial arts from the various martial arts masters that he met on his travels. In recent years, he had managed to make a name for himself in the martial arts world. It could be said that Cheng Zhou was the most accomplished member of the Jiuying Mountain Sect.

Even though the Jiuying Mountain Sect Leader often praised Cheng Zhou to the skies in front of Brown Berry, Cheng Zhou was essentially no better than a stranger to him. He grew up in the Jiuying Mountain Sect when he was little, and lived there until the Sect had been wiped out three years ago. He had never met Cheng Zhou during this time. After that, he had been sent to the Suxin Sect. The first time he met Cheng Zhou was in the early part of his first year in the Suxin Sect. Cheng Zhou’s search for surviving members of his family had led him to the Suxin Sect, and Cheng Suyao had clutched at this youngest uncle of hers when she saw him, sobbing loudly. That was how Brown Berry even knew that he had a relative called Cheng Zhou.

“My father is the Emperor,” Chen Zimo answered simply. He had only met this uncle of his once, and he didn’t feel anything for him. Chen Zimo actually had no feelings for anyone in the Jiuying Mountain Sect.

Chen Zimo’s memories from his childhood were not happy ones. Before he was four, he remembered being laughed at and bullied. After he turned four, he remembered being starved and overworked.

Even though these memories weren’t clear, he could still recall what happened that fateful day three years ago when the Jiuying Mountain Sect was wiped out.

That day, the Jiuying Mountain Sect had received a wax-sealed envelope. When the Sect Leader broke the seal and opened it, all he found inside was a thin blade. There was no letter in the envelope.

Sect Leader Cheng Ji’s hands trembled as he held the blade between his fingers. “A Bloodblade…” he whispered fearfully.

It was said that before the Bloodblade Tower sent its assassins, it would first send a Bloodblade as a warning. If the Bloodblade was sent to one person, then its target was only one person; if the envelope containing the Bloodblade was addressed to the family, then its target was the entire family.

The Bloodblade was always sent on the very day of the intended assassination. Receiving one meant that the Bloodblade Tower would certainly take action that night. You were allowed to try to make a run for it. But even if you ran, the Bloodblade Tower would find you and kill you. You might even die an earlier death if you tried to escape, falling prey to the Bloodblade Tower assassins who were already stationed near your home. If the terror of waiting for death to knock on your door was too much for you, you could also choose to take the Bloodblade in the envelope and slit your own throat.

The Sect Leader had summoned the entire sect urgently to the front hall, and told everyone to run. The faster and further, the better.

“Where can we go? The Bloodblade Tower’s assassins are obviously nearby. The moment we leave, we’ll be killed!” someone shouted, sobbing.

“If you don’t try to escape, you’ll die. If you try to escape, you might be able to live.”

Chen Zimo had always remembered the Sect Leader’s words. He left with a few aunts and cousins on a horse carriage bound for the Suxin Sect, but before they had gotten very far, all his aunts and cousins had been killed. He only survived because he didn’t have the right to sit in the carriage, and had been squashed into the luggage compartment under the carriage. He remembered the Sect Leader saying that he had to get to Suxin Sect and look for his mother – the one who had been taken in by the Suxin Sect as a direct disciple immediately after he was born.

He begged for food the entire way, and finally met a Suxin Sect disciple in one of the towns. That disciple brought him back to the Sect.

This was the first time Cheng Zhou knew these details about Brown Berry’s life. “When I last saw you in the Suxin Sect, why didn’t you tell me all this?” he asked, looking at Chen Zimo in confusion.

Chen Zimo remained silent. He’d dreamed about a blissful reunion with his mother,  but when he actually met her, his dreams were all shattered. His mother did not treat him well, and in fact saw him as an embarrassment. When he met the uncle that his mother practically worshipped, he, as the object of her embarrassment, naturally chose to say nothing out of prudence.

“How dare you speak like this to the Sixth Prince!” One of the guards standing at the side kicked Cheng Zhou.

Cheng Zhou staggered from the kick. He looked at Xue Lang, who was still out cold, and pulled himself out of his misery. “Today, the Invincible Duo recognises that we should pay for our sins with our deaths, but I am unwilling to die before I avenge my family… Your Majesty, if you can spare both our lives, we will both commit to working for you for ten years. This poor peasant only asks for the mercy of being allowed to avenge his family’s unjust deaths.”

“You tried to assassinate the Cloud Palace’s Young Master, but you’re asking for mercy from the Emperor? That’s the most illogical thing I’ve heard,” Lan Shanyu said, stepping forward immediately. “Your Majesty, affairs of the martial arts world remain in the martial arts world. The Cloud Palace should be allowed to deal with this matter. If the Imperial Palace gets involved in this, it would make a laughingstock out of the Imperial family.”

To begin with, the Zhenlong Emperor greatly desired to have powerful warriors like the Invincible Duo serve him, and after listening to Cheng Zhou’s emotional speech, he was very moved. He wanted to accept Cheng Zhou’s offer. However, what Lan Shanyu said made sense; the whole of the martial arts world would probably agree with him. The Emperor couldn’t help feeling irritated. “These people came to the Imperial hunting ground to carry out their assassination! How can you say that this is purely a martial arts matter? This obviously concerns the Imperial family!” he said angrily. He was the Emperor of this entire empire! Why should he give way when he wanted very badly to be the master of this Invincible Duo?

Dan Yi suddenly spoke up. “The Emperor can deal with this matter if he so wishes. However, the Cloud Palace will also be taking its own action,” he said decisively. He motioned to Lan Shanyu.

Lan Shanyu understood. He moved forward and faced the Second Prince. “Dianxia, may I borrow your sword for a moment?” he asked.

The Second Prince was training to be a swordsman, and always carried a sword at his hip. He thought Lan Shanyu was trying to get close to him and was very pleased. He smiled as he extended his sword to Lan Shanyu.

“Shing!” Lan Shanyu drew the sword from its sheath, then stabbed smoothly at two of Cheng Zhou’s meridians, one in his hand and another in his foot. 

“AH!” Cheng Zhou screamed in pain and fell to the ground. He could only watch in horror as Lan Shanyu did the same to Xue Lang.

“You…” The Emperor exhaled angrily, blowing his whiskers askew. He had preserved their lives so that they could be his faithful warriors, and Lan Shanyu had damaged their meridians! What use were they now that their martial arts ability was either gone or greatly reduced?

“Since the Emperor wishes to pardon you, the Cloud Palace has only broken one hand and one foot. From this day forth, the Cloud Palace will also not entertain any questions that either of you have,” Lan Shanyu said calmly. He wiped the sword and sheathed it with a flourish before handing it back to the Second Prince.

The Emperor nearly had apoplexy then and there, but Lan Shanyu paid him no heed. He left the two half-invalids with the Emperor, and carried his Young Master back to the camping ground to rest. 

Back in camp, Chen Ziqi was still disconsolate. “We nearly died! How can those two be let off so easily?” he complained.

“We only said we wouldn’t kill them. We never said we’d let them off,” Lan Shanyu said with a cunning smile. “What I said earlier still holds.”

“You mean that thing about the crimson waves and throes of passion?” Chen Ziqi asked, his eyes shining. “Big Brother Lan, could you find me some blades that look like the ones used in the Bloodblade?”

“What do you want them for?” Lan Shanyu asked curiously.

“If my Father Emperor keeps them as guards, then let’s send them a blade once every few days,” Chen Ziqi said with an evil little laugh.

Lan Shanyu gaped at Chen Ziqi. This idea was truly sinister; how did this Seventh Prince come up with it? He looked to be only six or seven years old! He then looked questioningly at his Young Master. Why did his Young Master choose such a frightening person as his partner?

Dan Yi pressed his lips together and smiled faintly. “Do as he says,” he said.

Lan Shanyu rubbed his chin, then suddenly gave a brilliant smile. “Dianxia is most wise. I’ll send it over in two days. I have some more interesting ideas on how to torment these two people. Dianxia, would you like to hear them?” he said.

Chen Ziqi nodded immediately, and went off excitedly with Lan Shanyu.

Dan Yi: “… …”

Dan Yi had a bad feeling that he might have opened a really big can of worms.

Dan Yi and Chen Ziqi left the Autumn Hunt early because of this attempted assassination. The two of them headed back to the Imperial Palace before the others to recuperate in the Danyang Palace.

“I’ll take this for you – it’s not good for you to get wet.” Chen Ziqi’s nagging filled the quiet Danyang Palace every day. He ran with short little legs to stop Dan Yi from plucking a lotus flower from the pond, and tiptoed to pluck that lotus bud for Dan Yi himself. He thrust the flower bud into Dan Yi’s hand.

“Don’t move! I’ll feed you.” Dan Yi’s injury was on his right arm, and he couldn’t use his chopsticks properly. Chen Ziqi didn’t even let him use a spoon to eat, insisting on feeding him personally. He held a spoonful of food next to Dan Yi’s mouth. “Open up,” he said.

Dan Yi had no choice but to open his mouth and let Chen Ziqi feed him. At the start, Chen Ziqi didn’t really know how to do this, and they both ended up with rice all over them. He got much better at it after a few days.

Chen Ziqi mixed the sauce from the meat dishes and some vegetables together evenly, then scooped up a big spoonful and stuffed it in Dan Yi’s mouth. As Chen Ziqi watched Dan Yi chew on his food, he too felt hungry, and he scooped a mouthful for himself to eat before feeding the next spoonful to Dan Yi.

Linghe couldn’t stop Chen Ziqi in time. She could only watch helplessly as the two children happily ate alternate mouthfuls of food from the same spoon and bowl.

“Qiqi…” After dinner, Dan Yi looked at Chen Ziqi, who was helping him to wipe his chin in a most careful manner. He felt a pang of reluctance in his heart. “I’m leaving,” he said.

“Huh?” Chen Ziqi’s hands stopped suddenly. “Where are you going?”

“Back to the Cloud Palace,” Dan Yi said, looking at the four palanquin bearers outside. 

Lan Shanyu came in. “The Cloud Palace Master has summoned the Young Master back urgently. Dianxia, if you need anything, you can come and look for me at the Peacock Wing in the Capital,” he said in warm tones.

Chen Ziqi lowered his head silently.

Dan Yi felt strangely melancholy looking at Chen Ziqi. “I’ll come back and play with you again sometime,” he promised.

Author’s Note: Mini-theater

Birdie Gong: I’ll come play with you another day

Qiqi: Another day? I don’t even know whether you’ll be back in a year! I might be all grown up by then. Play, my ass

Birdie Gong: Playing with your ass is good too

Qiqi: …. Scram