CH 50

The Suxin Sect’s appearance in Lu City again could only be for one thing. They were here to take Cheng Jiazhen away by force.

The day before, Chen Zimo met the Wind Wing’s people by chance on the way back to Lu City with Cheng Jiazhen. They passed by Bailu Mountain and went to have a look at the Wangchuan Cliff. The winds were cold and the roads were icy now, and the Wind Wing people had actually only come to tell him it wouldn’t be possible to go down the cliff with the weather like this. He would have to wait until early spring for them to do the task he had hired them for. Unexpectedly, they met some Suxin Sect people, and the two groups somehow started fighting… 

“Why are the Suxin Sect people so hell bent on getting Cheng Jiazhen?” Chen Ziqi asked, frowning. If the Suxin Sect didn’t know that Cheng Jiazhen was a fake, then how Chen Zimo wanted to treat his own mother was none of their business. It was Chen Zimo’s own personal matter, and it was not their place to tell him what to do. “I’ll bet they know something.”

Could it be that they were afraid the Suxin Sect would be disgraced if their dirty deeds were exposed?

Dan Yi dismissed the black-clad men with a wave of his hand. “Perhaps,” he said.

“Huh?” Chen Ziqi turned to look at the calm and composed Dan Yi. “Is there something else afoot?” 

“Reputation is certainly very important to the well-known and well-respected sects,” Dan Yi said, taking off the wide-sleeved outer layer of his clothes and revealing the narrow sleeved martial outfit underneath. He was preparing for martial arts practice.

Chen Ziqi set down the box containing the sword and followed Dan Yi out. “And?” he asked, deliberately asking this question in a very innocent, natural fashion.

And… Dan Yi stopped in his tracks and looked at Chen Ziqi, who had a most ingenuous look on his face. He had very nearly let his guard down and answered that question. Some amusement crept into his eyes despite himself. “That’s a heaven-class question,” he said.

Damn, he didn’t buy it! Chen Ziqi pursed his lips in annoyance. “You’re so petty. What do you want in exchange for the answer?” he asked.

“I want…” Dan Yi’s gaze came to rest on Chen Ziqi’s tender, pink lips. The bewitching feel of those lips was still vividly emblazoned in his mind, and he couldn’t forget it no matter how hard he tried.

“I won’t tell anyone. I’ll be the only one who knows, so give me a discount,” Chen Ziqi said, shamelessly nuzzling against Dan Yi.

“Absolutely not. If the Return Tablet is someone’s life, then can you kill him halfway?” Dan Yi said. He pulled Chen Ziqi toward the Wutong forest as he spoke.

“No, in that case, you should reduce it to killing that person’s dog.” 

“That’s too much of a discount.”

… …

They continued bantering in this nonsensical manner, straying further and further away from the original question in the process.

The target Dan Yi set for Chen Ziqi was that he had to master the third level of cultivation by the time he was twenty. Chen Ziqi had been progressing slowly thus far, and had to be really hardworking from today onwards if he intended to reach that goal. 

Channel qi. Strike the opening stance.

Chen Ziqi first used the Roving Dragon Follows the Moon to counter Dan Yi’s Cloud Dispelling Fists as a warmup exercise. They now used neili to attack each other, and their duels were no longer the dumbed-down, neili-free version of the moves they did when they were children. The dragon wound around the phoenix, which in turn spread its wings wide and flew high into the sky. Their bodies were a blur, moving faster than the eye could see.

Their moves became faster and faster. Chen Ziqi’s neili was far less than Dan Yi’s, and he slowly fell behind, suffering a few blows when he couldn’t keep up. He bared his teeth and suddenly changed how he used the move, winding up Dan Yi’s arm to jab straight at his eyes. Dan Yi countered this quickly, and Chen Ziqi immediately moved his other hand swiftly to… grab his crotch!

Gjc Tl uba j rtbmx. Lf lwwfvljafis mjeuta tbiv bo atf tjcv atja kjr agslcu ab qijs j vlgas aglmx, jcv qlccfv la yftlcv Jtfc Ildl’r yjmx. 

“Yk bk bk, la tegar!” Jtfc Ildl mglfv bea. Llr jgw kjr aklrafv yftlcv tlr yjmx, jcv Gjc Tl tjv erfv remt obgmf atja tlr ktbif ybvs tjv rqec jgbecv. Gjc Tl delmxis ifa ub atf wbwfca Jtfc Ildl sfiifv lc qjlc, jcv lc atja rfmbcv, Jtfc Ildl ktlgifv yjmx jcv ugjyyfv Gjc Tl’r mgbamt.

Cheep!

Bullseye.

“Nngh…” Dan Yi groaned softly. Thankfully, he had reacted very quickly and caught hold of Chen Ziqi before he had done any real damage. However, that very mischievous hand was still clutching on to that all-important part of the male anatomy. 

“Hehe, all’s fair in love and war! I’ve told you this a hundred times – don’t be soft-hearted when fighting,” Chen Ziqi said, grinning wickedly as he groped Dan Yi through his clothes.

Dan Yi’s breath caught in his throat, and he pushed Chen Ziqi away vehemently.

“Aiyo!” Chen Ziqi exclaimed, falling over and hitting his head against a Wutong tree root that poked out from the ground. He wasn’t prepared for Dan Yi’s push at all. He clutched at his head as he sat up. “I didn’t even use much force! What’s with the big reaction? You petty creature…”

Dan Yi took a deep breath. That part that Chen Ziqi had just groped was now hard, and his breath was a little ragged… He didn’t know what to say as he looked at Chen Ziqi, who was still crying blue murder over the whole incident and refusing to get up. He stared stiffly at Chen Ziqi for a moment, then walked over to pull him up. 

Dan Yi couldn’t continue practicing his martial arts in this state, so they headed to the pavilion to have some tea.

Dan Yi’s ears were red. Chen Ziqi looked at them and grinned mischievously. He draped himself over Dan Yi’s shoulders and let the latter drag him along, blowing out warm air at one of those little red ears. “Your ears are red from the cold. I’ll help you warm them up,” he said.

Chen Ziqi’s warm breath brushed against Dan Yi’s ear and made it turn a deep shade of crimson. Dan Yi couldn’t endure this any more. He pulled the human taffy off his back, slung him over his shoulders, then walked in great strides toward the pavilion.

“Oof, put me down! You’re digging into me, ow…” 

Lingguan was hanging wind-blocking curtains in the pavilion, and Linghe poured two cups of freshly brewed tea for them before passing them hot towels that had been nicely wrung out.

Chen Ziqi put a piece of dianxin into his mouth, then supported his chin with a hand as he silently watched Dan Yi sip at his tea elegantly. He then looked away, picked up a piece of green bean cake, broke it, and put a small piece next to Dan Yi’s mouth. “Eat some dianxin,” he said.

Dan Yi nodded instinctively, lowering his head and eating the little piece of cake from Chen Ziqi’s hand.

He seemed to be very familiar with this mode of eating… Chen Ziqi frowned slightly and was about to pull his hand back when he felt a warm tongue slide across a fingertip. His hand shook a little at the touch. 

Dan Yi froze after he licked that warm little finger. He realised then that he wasn’t in bird form, and looked over at Chen Ziqi in a bit of a panic. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary with Chen Ziqi; he had already retracted his hand and was drinking tea noisily with his head down.

The pavilion became quiet, and the atmosphere turned a little strange. The only sounds came from the kettle on the coal stove, which rattled a little as the water inside started to boil, and the sound of softly falling snow outside the pavilion.

… …

It wasn’t urgent for Chen Ziqi to go to Lushan to formally greet the Lushan Sect leader, so he stayed a few more days in the Cloud Palace, thinking to leave when it stopped snowing. 

Two days later, the Suxin Sect’s Zhao Surou suddenly appeared at Jade Mountain with a group of younger disciples to demand an explanation. They shouted angrily at the foot of the mountain for some time before Lan Shanyu happened to pass by on his way back from a mission.

Lan Shanyu wore a thick royal blue robe with wide sleeves edged in white foxfur. His hands were folded elegantly in front of him, and one of his subordinates followed behind him carrying an umbrella. He walked slowly toward the noisy group of ladies. From afar, he looked like someone who had stepped out of a fine brush painting.

“Wanrou xian’gu, are you here to present New Year’s gifts to the Cloud Palace on behalf of the Suxin Sect?” Lan Shanyu said, smiling as he spoke to Zhao Surou.

“Pei! Your bloody Cloud Palace killed my beloved disciple for no rhyme or reason, and you still have the gall to celebrate the New Year?” Zhao Surou spat, glaring fiercely at Lan Shanyu. 

“It’s very inauspicious to seek revenge this close to the New Year,” Lan Shanyu said, still speaking in a calm, languid manner. There was actually still more than a month to the New Year.

A blue sedan floated down from the mountains above. Lan Shanyu didn’t bother with Zhao Surou any more, and he turned to get on the sedan. Zhao Surou blocked his path, refusing to let him leave.

“Xian’gu, your actions are rather improper. I have to go back to report to the Cloud Palace after finishing my task. If you let me through, I can also help to report that you’re here,” Lan Shanyu said politely. He was a gentleman, and he didn’t want to attack a woman.

“Shifu, let Lan gongzi go and report then. Refusing to let him through doesn’t seem to be a solution anyway,” Yuquan said softly to Zhao Surou. She was standing to Zhao Surou’s side. 

Zhao Surou scowled at Lan Shanyu. “If there’s no response after we let you through, tomorrow, the whole of the martial arts world will know that the Cloud Palace people are a bunch of cowards who shrink their heads back into their shell like frightened tortoises and didn’t dare to give an answer when we, the Suxin Sect, came to call,” she said menacingly.

Lan Shanyu smiled and didn’t say any more as he sat down on the sedan and floated up the mountain. After he arrived at the Roosting Platform, he channeled his qi and used the Cyclone Step to move quickly into the Cloud Palace.

Lan Jiangxue and the Dark Cloud Envoy were discussing a matter in front of the Qingyun Palace when they saw Lan Shanyu speed in.

“Qinghan, eat this, quick,” Lan Shanyu said, pulling out a hot oilcloth packet and thrusting it into Lan Jiangxue’s hands. “That old hag was such a nag. This will get cold very soon, so eat up.” 

Lan Jiangxue opened the oilcloth packet, and the fragrance of roasted chestnuts immediately wafted out, steaming in the cold air. The contents of the oilcloth bag were still very warm, almost too warm to hold comfortably.

“Zhao Surou tried to stop you?: Lan Jiangxue said, offering a chestnut to the Dark Cloud Envoy, who promptly refused.

“I don’t eat this,” Diao Lie said, frowning. He only liked to eat meat.

Lan Jiangxue had only offered to be polite, and he cracked open the offered chestnut himself, popping it into his mouth without more. “The Palace Master has already given orders. I’m looking for someone to give our reply, so your timing is just perfect,” he said. 

“I just got back, and you’re sending me off again?” Lan Shanyu said, a little displeased. Just as he finished speaking, Lan Jiangxue put a peeled chestnut next to his lips. He opened his mouth and ate it. The sweet taste immediately lifted his spirits, and after warming his hands for a bit, he ran off happily to do the task.

“Your younger brother’s very easy to please,” Diao Lie said, tilting his head as he looked at Lan Shanyu’s retreating back.

“Easy to please? You try pleasing him,” Lan Jiangxue said, giving Diao Lie a sideways glance. He turned elegantly, still holding the bag of warm chestnuts, then walked off at an unhurried pace, the long train of his robes trailing behind him.

Diao Lie scratched his head, not knowing how he had offended this fellow again. 

“Is it okay to give this kind of response?” Chen Ziqi asked, looking at the nonchalant Lord Palace Master next to him. He’d heard with his own ears what Dan Yi had instructed the White Cloud Envoy to do, and felt that how Dan Yi dealt with it might cause some trouble.

“I’m already being very polite,” Dan Yi said, making a snowball and tossing it at Chen Ziqi’s neck.

“Oy! A sneak attack!” Chen Ziqi said, shivering from the cold. He shook out the snow that had collected between his neck and collar, then grabbed a handful of snow and chased after Dan Yi to counter-attack.

At the foot of the mountain, Zhao Surou had already been waiting for an hour in the wind and sleet. They finally got a reply from Dan Yi, which was repeated verbatim to her by Lan Shanyu. 

“According to the rules of the martial arts world, it is entirely appropriate for us to kill your disciple, because you provoked us first.”

The author has something to say: Mini-theater

Birde Gong: You’ve damaged it with your groping. You need to take responsibility

Qiqi: I didn’t use any force at all 

Birdie Gong: But now it’s scared stiff

Qiqi: How can that thing even get scared?

Birdie Gong: Look, it’s actually scared stiff

Qiqi: … you pervert