CH 44

Chen Ziqi thought that Dan Yi would give him two subordinates like Linghe and Lingguan – pretty ladies who were gentle and affectionate but also had high martial arts skills.  If not, he expected someone like Lan Shanyu, who perhaps might not help him with his daily ablutions or give him foot massages, but had great prowess in the martial arts and was good looking to boot. Having that kind of subordinate with him would certainly add greatly to his own prestige.

The next day, Chen Ziqi went to meet the two subordinates Dan Yi lent him with these great expectations. The two persons he saw, however, were two solidly muscular men, one of whom was tall and the other of whom was short. 

The short one wore a black shirt and pants, had a pair of dull-looking eyes that drooped downwards at the corners, and a face that looked like it was permanently dejected. His name was Wu Bujian.

The tall one didn’t have the inauspicious air about him that Wu Bujian did, but he looked very fierce. His hair was worn loose and messy, held in place only by a piece of string at his forehead. He had a gleaming bald spot right in the centre of his head that was impossible to ignore. His neck was also particularly long, longer than the average person’s, and from afar, he looked like a bamboo pole topped with a messy grass ball. His name was Tu Buxian.

The two were highly skilled martial artists, and their skills complemented each other well. They had also worked together for many years and had great teamwork, so they were the ideal choice for Chen Ziqi’s subordinates. However… they were really ugly. Really, really ugly.

“So you’re Wu Bujian, and you’re Tu Buxian,” Chen Ziqi said, pointing at them in turn. He didn’t say anything else for a long while. 

“Wu Bujian is from the Crow Wing, and he is skilled at passing messages and pathfinding. Tu Buxian comes from the Vulture Wing, and is very skilled at combat. Wang ye, please use them as you will. If you find that anything is lacking, I can switch them out for you,” the Dark Cloud Envoy, Diao Lie said. He took his responsibility in introducing these two subordinates to Chen Ziqi and explaining their specialities very seriously. He also had great faith in these subordinates of his.

Well, to begin with, I find their looks lacking… Chen Ziqi pursed his lips as he looked at Wu Bujian. Just looking at that inauspicious looking face of his gave him a toothache. He quickly averted his eyes and looked at Dan Yi instead, soothing his eyes with Dan Yi’s exquisitely handsome face.

“I’m very tied up today, so I can’t go with you. Please send my regards to niangniang,” Dan Yi said. He didn’t see, or chose to ignore, the pained expression on Chen Ziqi’s face, and walked him sedately to the palanquin. “If anything comes up, get Wu Bujian to send me a message immediately.”

These affectionate words were said in Dan Yi’s magnetic, mesmerizing voice, and all of Chen Ziqi’s misgivings immediately evaporated. Chen Ziqi couldn’t help smiling. “Got it,” he said.

As he turned to get on the palanquin, he felt someone seize his wrist. “Qiqi…”

“Nn?” Chen Ziqi stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Dan Yi questioningly.

Dan Yi pressed his lips together and pulled him aside. “If you have time, come to the Cloud Palace to… uh… practice your martial arts,” he said.

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“Sure. So long as you don’t feel that you’re wasting your bamboo rice on me, I’ll definitely come over to mooch a meal,” Chen Ziqi said, grinning widely at Dan Yi. He slung a friendly arm over Dan Yi’s shoulders by way of farewell.

When Chen Ziqi got to the foot of the mountain, he found that the Cloud Palace staff were waiting for him there. They handed a horse’s reins over to him, and Chen Ziqi got on the horse. He turned back to look at the Cloud Palace. He was too far away now, and could no longer see that familiar patch of scarlet clothing amidst the mists and trees. He suddenly felt like he couldn’t bear to leave, then shook his head vigorously to clear it. Right now, he had to focus on saving his little fairy. That was what was most important. In future, when he had time, he’d be back to have fun with Dan Yi. He flicked the horse’s reins lightly and galloped away.

The Cloud Palace’s information was that Chang Er and company had been held against their will near Millstone Mountain. To get to Lu City, one had to pass by Millstone Mountain. As its name suggested, it was a small mountain shaped like a millstone. The road leading to Millstone Mountain was thickly forested on both sides, and it was easy to imagine that mountain bandits operated here with ease. 

The puddles in the road gradually increased in number the closer Chen Ziqi got to Millstone Mountain. Shining droplets of water hung from the leaves and grasses around him. It seemed like it had rained here last night.

“The messenger said that they were being kept in a Temple of an Earth God. Do you think they’re still there?” Chen Ziqi asked Wu Bujian.

Wu Bujian blinked his dull black eyes, which looked like black-eyed peas. “Does Wang ye wish for them to still be there or not?” he asked.

“Of course I hope they’re still there. Otherwise, where would I even begin to look for them?” Chen Ziqi asked, giving Wu Bujian a strange look. 

Wu Bujian scratched his head and looked like he was struggling to find an answer. “This subordinate doesn’t know,” he said, after a long pause.

“Huh?” Chen Ziqi raised his eyebrows. This fellow was really tactless! He already said that he hoped that they would still be at the temple, and everyone obviously didn’t know what the situation was like now. Shouldn’t Wu Bujian have just said something reassuring? Wasn’t that the appropriate response in this situation? How was it appropriate to say that he didn’t know?!

“Wang ye, he has a ‘crow mouth’. Whatever bad things he says will come true, and anything good that he says will go wrong. That’s why he doesn’t dare to say anything,” Tu Buxian said, bending his long neck toward Chen Ziqi as he explained this in a serious voice.

“Huh?!” Chen Ziqi turned his gaze toward Wu Bujian and found him nodding vehemently. He felt his temples start to throb. These subordinates that Dan Yi had assigned to him were just too weird! 

A run-down looking temple came into view in the distance. They could hear indistinct sounds of what sounded like people fighting. Shit! Chen Ziqi thought, spurring his horse to gallop faster toward the temple.

In the dilapidated temple, Chen Zimo was surrounded by three women carrying nine-jointed steel whips. Their attacks were fast and furious, and they used so much force that when the whips contacted a small puddle, the water splashed up three feet into the air. Chen Zimo brandished a huge axe, holding them off all on his own using the axe techniques of ‘Open the Heavens’. Unfortunately, his unwieldy axe was not very effective against the lithe, snake-like steel whips, and his arms were already bleeding profusely from many wounds.

The temple had no gates, and Chen Ziqi galloped straight in. “Everyone, STOP!” he yelled.

The people engaged in bloody battle stopped for a second to glance at him briefly, then continued fighting. 

Chang Er was hiding in a corner, and she peeked out from behind a broken door. When she saw Chen Ziqi, she immediately shot him a meaningful look. Two men leapt out and pointed their swords at Chen Ziqi. “Identify yourselves!” they shouted.

“This is insubordination!” Wu Bujian said angrily.

Tu Buxian leapt off his horse lithely like a roving dragon, almost seeming to fly. The two sword-wielding men saw something flash before their eyes, then heard two loud clattering sounds. They looked down at their hands and found that their swords had been stolen. When they looked up again, they saw their swords in Tu Buxian’s hands, and that Tu Buxian was already standing unwaveringly next to Chen Ziqi’s horse.

The activity on Chen Ziqi’s side drew the attention of the people battling, and the fighting stopped. Chen Zimo retreated and positioned himself in front of Chang Er with his axe at the ready. The three whip-bearing women also backed off a little. All eyes were fixed on Chen Ziqi. 

“Are you from the Lushan Sect?” the leader of the three women asked, raising her chin and staring coldly at Chen Ziqi.

Chen Ziqi got off his horse and raised his chin even higher than that woman’s. “I… am the Sub-Wing Leader of the Crow Wing of the Cloud Palace, Chang Qi,” he said. Earlier, Chang Er’s look had warned him not to reveal who he was. His status as a Wang Ye was likely to not only be useless, but might even bring him trouble in this situation.

The Twelve Golden Wings of the Cloud Palace each had a Wing Leader and a Deputy Wing Leader, and below them, there were three Sub-Wing Leaders. A Sub-Wing Leader was not a particularly high-ranking position. The names and appearances of the Sub-Wing Leaders were not something people ordinarily paid attention to, and the only people who would know these details were people within the Cloud Palace itself.

The moment Chen Ziqi finished speaking, Wu Bujian immediately displayed his black waist pendant, which had the picture of a cawing crow carved on it. 

Everyone present immediately looked flustered on hearing the Cloud Palace’s name mentioned.

Chen Ziqi looked at the three women. One of them was watching the space where Chang Er was hiding carefully. It was obvious that her target was the woman behind the door, and would strike the moment she was given an opportunity. The little fairy didn’t know martial arts at all, and Ah Mu wasn’t any better. They wouldn’t be able to withstand even one blow.

“So you’re Sub-Wing Leader Chang,” one of the sword-wielding men said. He seemed to be the leader of this band, and he stood forward and clasped his fists in Chen Ziqi’s direction. “We are disciples of the Changjian Sect, and these ladies are from the Suxin Sect. Brother Chang, what business have you here?” he asked.

Changjian Sect was one of the small satellite sects of the Lushan Sect, and its headquarters were near Jianyang City. 

“Ahem. My men and I accepted King Lu’s business, but we were unable to meet up as planned for quite some time. When we found out that Dianxia was here, we came to ask him to settle the bill,” Chen Ziqi said in all seriousness. He led his two subordinates forward, walking toward where Chang Er was hidden.

The author has something to say: Mini-theater

Qiqi: Why do I suddenly feel like I can’t bear to leave?

Birdie Gong: This is called being lovesick (⊙v⊙) 

Chang Er: No, this is called underage love (╰_╯)#

Qiqi: Then what should I do?

Birdie Gong: All will be well if you just marry me

Chang Er: All will be well if I just give you a sound beating 

Qiqi: _(:з」∠)_