Chapter 76

ATTENTION!

[If you are one of the several people that had sent me an email since… well, since I first opened this blog, and I hadn’t replied, I am very, very, very sorry. I genuinely forgot I had set up a contact box and wasn’t checking my email. At all. I do this crap in real life too with not answering people’s texts. I’ll do better and check it every Sunday. Anyways, thank you for reading!]

Jinzi held Xiao Zhu, covering them up within the tree. As he heard the voices go from far to near, he stopped breathing, and concentrated on listening. There seem to be three or four men wearing black diving clothes who are searching along the underbrush, but they aren’t being at all urgent, saying some idle words amongst each other. A few of them intermittently float to Jinzi’s ears.

“…caught by Zhang Qinglian…secretly gestured to his brothers not to save him…”

“The guy’s a sorry asshole by nature, what good is saving him? On purpose? …not like his life’s in danger anyways, at most it’s that… heard those two had a fling before…” One of them was an eccentric gossip.

Then some leaderly-looking man in black chided him. “Shut up, that’s Young Master Yuan you’re talking about! Are you thinking you’ll live through all that getting into our Lord or Gentleman Wei’s ears?”

That person shut his mouth and stopped talking. Another said, “Okay, let’s find that surname Zhou now. We need to do things right, not to care about Zhang Qinglian and whatever else!”

“The Holy Dragon of the Northern Desert [1] is at that Zhou guy’s side, he won’t be easy to deal with!”

“…Heh-heh, it’s just another strong person. We went with Gentleman Wei’s plan by putting a hole in the ship to split them up, and now Jindiao isn’t with them. What’s there to be afraid of?”

After listening to them for a long time, Jinzi had an epiphany. A lot of what had originally been only vague feeling came together, merging and connecting; the entire process and reason for the conspiracy cleared up, and he understood it thoroughly. His heart stirred, a though rushing forth, and then he nabbed Xiao Zhu as he jumped down from the tree.

Xiao Zhu’s cheeks had puffed up in an effort to not breathe so as to avoid ruining Jinzi’s work. Now that he’s taken the initiative to show themselves in front of those bad people, she can’t help but be greatly alarmed. “Young Master Yao, you—”

Yao Jinzi gave her an unseeing glance as he swiftly fell before the people in black.

Someone abruptly floating down from the sky naturally made those people scared out of their wits in an instant. When they waited until they properly saw who had landed, and then heard the young lady call “Young Master Yao,” they turned even more pale and trembling with fear, all of them simultaneously retreating back several steps as if they’d just encountered a powerful foe.

Jinzi also said nothing, countenance as deep as water and his hair black as ink, a few strands hanging beside his face flying gently in the wind as he deliberately blocked their way.

The leader man-in-black barely braced himself, speaking fiercely while actually wanted to turn tail. “Jindiao, what do you want?”

Jinzi spoke mildly, “No need to be scared. I don’t want anything. Go report to Prince Liang that I want to meet him.”

The expressions on the men in black changed greatly, one among them saying, “What Prince Liang? We don’t know him! You want to find him, do it yourself!”

Jinzi felt it beneath him to refute, smiling joylessly and boredly. “Okay then. Go get ‘Wanton Sword’ Wei Guanliu to come here.” [2]

Those people’s turn even more green, whispering among themselves as they discussed, until one of them ultimately ran off into the grove, probably to go notify someone. Jinzi doesn’t care anymore, sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed and breath even, completely ignoring the people eyeing him like prey. Xiao Zhu, who had been watching this and that from the side, can’t wrap her head around this.

A short period of time later, the same person ran back and said a few things into the leader’s ears. The leader’s attitude underwent a huge change, and he said respectfully, “Young Master Yao, please come with us.”

Jinzi nodded slightly, stepping forward to follow. Xiao Zhu hesitated, not knowing whether she should keep up. The black-clothed leader saw this, and asked Jinzi, “This little girl… who is she?”

Jinzi said blankly, “Zhang Qinglian’s maid.”

The black-clothed person oh-ed, then made a slicing gesture. “We can…”

Jinzi shook his head. “I still have a use for her. Lock her up somewhere for right now, don’t let her run out.”

Xiao Zhu was terrified, lips trembling as she looked at Jinzi disbelievingly. Her voice trembled, “Y-Young Master Yao, you…”

“Shut up!” Jinzi heartlessly interrupted her. “Don’t talk so much if you want to stay alive!”

Xiao Zhu obediently shut up. A black-clothed man came and picked her up to carry her away. She didn’t struggle, only watching Jinzi with wide, fearful, doubtful eyes the whole time.

Jinzi didn’t give her another look, turning back to follow after the black-clothed leader. The rest of the ones in black scattered off to places unknown.

Jinzi followed him into the city, then was led into a tiny courtyard gate with a lot of parasol trees. The leader said something to the domestic servant at the gate, who then nodded. The man in black turned and said respectfully, “Please, Young Master Yao, Gentleman Wei is inside.”

Jinzi went with him into a very plain study. There was a dark-clothed literati standing before the window, and upon hearing them, he turned his head, smiling as he saw Yao Jinzi. “You’ve come, Brother Yao.” He lightly waved at the black-clothed man, who retreated and closed the door.

Jinzi calmly stared at him, expressionless and voiceless.

The dark-clothed man cupped his hands. “I heard that Brother Yao wanted to meet this lowly one. It is truly a grand honor.”

Jinzi lightly returned the gesture. “Brother Wei is modest,” he said indifferently.

Wei Guanliu spoke cheerfully, “Only, I don’t know why Brother Yao is? Is it to spar with this lowly one?”

Jinzi calmly sneered. “You really don’t know my reason for coming?”

Wei Guanliu put away his smile, fixing a burning glare at Jinzi’s face, only speaking after a long time, “Are you serious?”

Jinzi bowed his head, then a bit after, raised it to gaze at him, tone flat. “You only need to think of what I’ve gone through to know if I’m serious or not.”

A thread of sympathy flows onto Wei Guanliu’s expression, but he very quickly resumes his tranquility. “This lowly one’s heard that the Qingliu already sent people to get in touch with you, and were refused. I’m wondering if you could clear up that bit of confusion for me?”

Jinzi’s gaze swept over his face, and he smiled coolly. “Bookworms just study and can’t plan well. What good would come of that?”

Wei Guanliu’s eyes brighten, and his voice has some eagerness to it. “What could you be planning?”

Jinzi turns his gaze to stare out the window, saying slowly, “Ambitious men, to stand in this world, will seek the positions of general and minister, and the titles of Prince and Marquis.”

Something twinkled in Wei Guanliu’s eyes. “Can the Qingliu not give you all that?”

“My family’s matter, and matter I came across myself… how could I stand grandly in the palace hall? They would only have me do a few sneaking missions, shady business like taking people’s skulls for secret messages. If I go to the border to hoard military achievements, how many years will that be? If Shao Qing is there, when will my talent stand out?”

Wei Guanliu was overjoyed, grasping Jinzi’s hands. “You are a forthright man of forthright words; to be so bold and assuming, this Wei admires you. Since you believe me trustworthy, I will inform the Prince. For a stunningly talented young hero like you, My Lord will naturally be eager for your potential.”

Following that, a carriage sent him to see Prince Liang. After one day and night of travel, Jinzi met with him in the water pavilion in Prince Liang’s read garden.

Prince Liang’s complexion wasn’t good. He leaned upon an imperial concubine’s couch, looking as if his disease had reached his vitals. He seems to be quite young.

He also doesn’t say very much, only asking him, “Being granted an aristocratic title… after evaluating merits and bestowing awards once this event is over, that would be par for the course. Is there anything else you would want?”

Jinzi didn’t even stop to think about it. “Zhang Qinglian. I want Zhang Qinglian’s life. For him to be mine to deal with.”

“I heard your martial arts have been reinstated already. If you wanted to kill Zhang Qinlian, it does not seem to be difficult. Why do you not just do it?”

Jinzi smiled, a trace of chilling viciousness in his eyes, each of his words bound in ice? “You think I’m just looking to kill him? If he doesn’t receive ten times of what I’ve suffered, I won’t be able to close my eyes when I die.”

Prince Liang looked at him thoughtfully, ultimately nodding. “I promise you.”

Jinzi thereupon stayed there. So as to prevent his identity from being revealed, there was a master of disguise in the residence that could alter his appearance and stature. After a few days of having nothing to do, Wei Guanliu came to find him, saying there were no top-experts guarding at Prince Liang’s side an inviting him to fill the post.

From that point on, Prince Liang suddenly gained a shadow-like youth at his side named Xiao Tu.

JINZI YOU EMOTIONALLY CONSTIPATED DUMBASS. YOUR FAMILY IS WORRIED

[1] 北漠神龙 = pretty much exactly how I translated it. Ah-San’s got a badass title.

[2] 如意剑 = lit. As-one-wishes Sword