CH 23

“How long have you been in here?” Wen Chan hurriedly tried to divert his attention on seeing that he was going mad from anger.

With the change in the topic, Zhong Wenjin’s mood changed as quickly as it had emerged. He slowly calmed down and said, “It’s been four or five days. I can’t remember clearly.”

“You have been here for so long. Why didn’t you think of escaping? Besides, you stole other people’s steamed buns to eat. In any case, you are also a young master. Why did you become a robber?” This lecturing of Wen Chan made Zhong Wenjin somewhat guilty.

Who would have known that he would become angry again? He glared at the thin and weak man who was crying and sneered, “That’s what he deserves! I am already being benevolent by not breaking him into pieces today. He spat on my two steamed buns yesterday.”

“Did you eat those steamed buns?” Wen Chen couldn’t believe it.

“How could I eat such a disgusting person’s saliva!” Zhong Wenjin was extremely disgusted1. His handsome face almost wrinkled into a folding fan.

Wen Chan felt that Zhong Wenjin shouldn’t have ever suffered so much grievance since he was born. In the past, he was a harsh and unreasonable crab2 in the capital. No matter who he bullied, he would smash their teeth and make them swallow it3. No matter where he goes, there would be people to support him on his call. Not for any other reason. But because he was from the Zhong family. Even more, he was the son of the first wife of the Zhong family.

And the present him was a mess all over. Working as a coolie in the scorching sun during the day, and going to grab other’s steamed buns at night. But he expressed nothing other than disdain and disgust.

“He ate two of your steamed buns, but you only grabbed one from him. That can barely be even.” Wen Chan sighed in a low voice. Sure enough, there were many things in this world that couldn’t be determined by just what the eyes saw.

Just by the scene he saw just now, Zhong Wenjin was a gangster who bullied the weak. But once he understood the inside story, Zhong Wenjin was very innocent.

“Heh, eat my two steamed buns? In his dreams!” The corners of Zhong Wenjin’s mouth curled obliquely, and he said with disdain, “I threw the steamed buns on the ground and smashed them into a pulp. Not only did he eat nothing, but he also got punched by me. Pei!”

After speaking, he raised his head slightly in pride.

Wen Chan “……” He said in his mind, I am taking back what I thought just now. Zhong Wenjin is actually a hooligan. He is not innocent at all.

He took two steamed buns from Shu Hua and handed one to Zhong Wenjin. He whispered, “Fill your stomach first. If we escape tomorrow, you will come with us.”

In any case, Zhong Wenjin was still the darling of the Zhong family, and he could not be ignored and allowed to suffer here. Not to mention that he was still a soldier who was loyal and devoted to the Wen family during difficult times in the country.

After going out, Wen Chan tried to persuade him to return to the capital. In his previous life, Zhong Wenjin died in the hands of the demon clan leader, and nothing could make him repeat the same mistakes4. Although he couldn’t understand why Zhong Wenjin came to Wuyue Island at this time.

Zhong Wenjin didn’t refuse Wen Chan’s good intentions and quickly ate up the steamed buns. After chatting a few words with him, he fell asleep after leaning against the iron pillar. He seemed to have been tired from working all day. As soon as he closed his eyes, he started to snore as he was exhausted to the extreme.

Wen Chan didn’t eat anything else after eating a steamed bun. He left the rest for the other three including Ah Fu. After eating their share, Qin Qi and Shu Hua took off their outer clothes to cushion the ground for Wen Chan and asked Wen Chan to go to sleep. Wen chan refused a few times. But due to them insisting, he finally laid down.

After Wen Chan’s breathing became steady, they closed their eyes and rested around Wen Chan.

There was no sound in the cell for a long time. And they were captured there as prisoners, so who would be in the mood to chat, play and make noise? The prison was ventilated on all sides. Fortunately, it was June and the summer season. So the night wasn’t very cold. It’s just that Wen Chan has not slept on such a hard floor for many years, and it was inevitable that he wouldn’t be able to sleep well.

Just after the first glimmer of light, the mountain bandits came knocking on the iron bars with a rod, “Get up, get up! It’s time for work!”

On hearing this, the people inside the prison sat up in fear, like a bird that was startled by the mere twang of a bow[/footnote]fig. sb who frightens easily, due to past experiences[/footnote]. After the mountain bandits opened the door, they lined up to go out. Zhong Wenjin was obviously used to it. He stood up reluctantly and followed after everyone with a black face5.

Wen Chan and the others followed them to go out too. But they were stopped by a mountain bandit at the doorway. He swept a glance at the four of them and said in a rough voice, “You guys follow me!”

Wen Chan paused for a moment and then turned his steps to follow the mountain bandit.

On his way there, he found that the stockade was indeed severely burned, and many places were burned to ashes. There was almost no trace of women in the stockade. All of them were rough men and the captured coolies.

The mountain bandit took Wen Chan to an area with a slightly higher terrain, where there was a seat carved from stone and a snakeskin-like sparkling thing hung on top of the seat. And these braziers with thick wooden legs were placed on both sides of the seat.

At this time, the leader of the mountain bandits was standing beside one of the braziers.

“Boss, I brought them.” A little brother of the mountain bandit6 yelled.

He turned around. With a simple and honest look, he said to Wen Chan while smiling, “I have prepared new clothes for you. You can go to work after changing into them.”

On saying that, he raised his hand and a person walked up to Wen Chan with clothes in his hands. Wen Chan asked, “Now? here?”

“What are you afraid of? There are no women here.” The leader of the mountain bandits pulled out an ambiguous smile that was full of ridicule, and the eyes of the mountain bandits around him were even more wanton and they swept around Wen Chan.

Wen Chan didn’t care about these. But he was carrying something in his clothes that could not be shown to others. If these mountain bandits discovered it, he was afraid that something bad would happen.

What you are scared of is what would happen. The leader of the mountain bandits saw Wen Chan acting coy, “Young boy, are you hiding any treasures in your body? Find it out for me!”

As soon as the bandit near him heard the order, he immediately moved toward him aggressively. But before his fingers could touch Wen Chan, Shu Hua lifted his leg and sent him into flying. After falling to the ground and rolling over a few times, he started howling in grief without an end. With a cold face, Shu Hua said, “Don’t think about touching our young master.”

“The courage isn’t little. I originally thought of keeping you alive. But you guys courted your own death.” The leader of the mountain bandits was furious and he shouted sharply. He took out a Ma Dao blade7 from under the stone seat and rushed to strike Shu Hua’s head with it.

The surroundings immediately changed into a pot of porridge8. Shu Hua was hostile toward the leader of the mountain bandits who was wielding the Ma Dao blade. Qin Qi surrounded Wen Chan from behind, protecting Wen Chan on both sides along with Shu Hua.

Ah Fu couldn’t do martial arts. But he also stretched out his hands to protect Wen Chan9. His eyes changed directions at the speed of light as he searched for a place to escape.

On seeing that they were having a disagreement, Wen Chan suddenly felt it to be not encouraging. There were no weapons in the hands of Qin Qi and Shu Hua. It was already difficult to fight against so many mountain bandits. Besides, they had to protect themselves and Ah Fu at all times. If they fight like this, they will definitely get injured.

Zhong Wenjin, who was working as a coolie below, saw Wen Chan and the others fighting above. On thinking that it was a signal to escape, he swung the long wooden board that he was holding in his arm and ruthlessly slapped the mountain bandit who was standing beside the supervisor. The mountain bandit passed out with just a slap and he snatched the broadsword that he had in his arms and went towards Wen Chan while wielding it.

“Stop, stop!” Wen Chan shouted at the leader of the mountain bandits at the top of his voice, “Didn’t you just want us to change our clothes? We will change!”

It just so happened that the leader of the mountain bandit was hit by Shu Hua. He felt that his ears were ringing and his vision dimmed. He felt a lot of pressure in his lungs, and blood gushed from his throat. He immediately understood that this person had outstanding internal strength. After hearing Wen Chan’s words, he took a few steps back and struck the Ma Dao, “All stop!”

Wen Chan yelled to stop, and the leader of the mountain bandits also yelled to stop. So the fight stopped in an instant. Qin Qi and Shu Hua could injure people like this even when they were unarmed and defenseless10. So they momentarily didn’t dare to approach them.

Zhong Wenjin who didn’t know the facts was the only one who was still wielding the broadsword, “Wayayayaya —”

Wen Chan started to undress his clothes, revealing his snow-white innerwear. He reached into the cloth bag in front of his chest, took out a snow-white jade pendant, and then handed it forward, “This is it.”

The leader of the mountain bandits was still feeling dizzy. He propped up by exerting himself and then gave a meaningful glance to the person who was standing beside him, asking him to bring the jade pendant.

The jade pendant was just about the size of the hollow of one’s palm and amidst the snow-white color, there were patterns of cloud. The jade pendant was inlaid with shining golden threads, a small bead and short golden strings strung on the top, and a slightly larger bead underneath. Golden tassels fell down from it, and the jade’s body glowed with a warm and flawless light. With just a look it looked like a luxurious treasure.

The leader of the mountain bandits blinked his eyes and took a closer look. To his surprise, he saw three big characters in the middle of the auspicious cloud patterns carved on the front of the jade pendant —Ninth Royal Highness.

A bad premonition bubbled in his heart, and he quickly turned the jade pendant over. On the back, there was a circle carved in the middle, with golden threads pressed on the edge of the circle. There was only one word composed of golden threads in the middle — Emperor.

The leader of the mountain bandits who had read a few books before, suddenly felt his knees soften and almost knelt on the ground. Even if he smashed his head, he would have never thought that such a prince would appear on his territory on the Wuyue island, which was thousands of miles away from the capital.

The bandit dared to fight against the government, but he did not dare to fight against the imperial power.

He instantly felt as if the jade pendant in his hand was a piece of burning iron, and he started trembling all over.

The little bandit looked at his boss who was staring at the jade pendant with his eyes wide open, but he didn’t dare to ask questions without permission. But Wen Chan couldn’t help being surprised when he saw his reaction: I didn’t expect that he will be a literate mountain bandit.

At this moment, a person suddenly ran over and shouted mournfully, “Big brother! Big brother! Bad thing!”

The scene that had been frozen loosened up. Everyone turned their heads to look to see the mountain bandit who had been called Er Pi earlier come rushing over while rolling and crawling. He had a horrified expression and a lot of snot and tears were flowing from his face.

Before the leader of the mountain bandits could say anything, a vermilion figure suddenly appeared, looking as if it had fallen down from heaven. The clothes fluttered gracefully and the long hair swayed in the wind and fell on the shoulders of Er Pi who was running. Er Pi screamed miserably as if he couldn’t stand the force and fell on his stomach onto the ground.

The person who came was dressed in red clothes like a Chinese flowering crab apple and there were golden threads on the edges. The ebony-like hair was tied by a white hairpin. The pretty and flirtatious color matched the fair and clear skin. He wore a pair of silver-patterned black brocade boots on his feet. His eyebrows were like ink paintings, and his eyes were like stars.

There was a smile like the spring breeze on his handsome face, and the moment his gaze touched Wen Chan, the ends of his eyebrows were gently raised, revealing a little surprise. It was an outstandingly charming look that was unparalleled in the world.

As the saying goes, the young man will look absolutely alluring when the spring breeze blows on his handsome face.

After Wen Chan clearly saw the handsome face of the person who arrived, his heartbeat seemed to be knocked hard by someone. It started beating frantically and his whole body was filled with dryness and heat. At this time, his originally calm face couldn’t hide his emotions anymore and an Earth-shattering shock attacked him. It wasn’t because of anything else but it was because of the reason that the handsome young man who fell from the sky in front of him was the person he thought he would never see again — Liang Yanbei11.

With the bristling of the warm breeze, the red clothes and the black hair fluttered lightly. The surprised face of Liang Yanbei flashed past and the long sword held in his right hand pulled out a sword dance. His lips were curled up into a smile and his black eyes gazed at Wen Chan. The gleaming reflection of waves flickering, “It seems like we are really brought together by fate, Ninth Highness.”

Me too, buddy. Me too.

Crabs are said to give a domineering and ferocious feeling to people. Mr. Lu Xun once praised that the person who eats crab for the first time is very admirable. Who dares to eat it if it is not a warrior! And there are some interesting legends about crabs in Chinese. But I personally think that they are cute.

Guys, calm down. Don’t freak out. He actually doesn’t do it. *whispers*I mean the swallowing part. The meaning of getting your teeth smashed on by someone and then swallowing it is “suffering something and then keeping it to yourself”.

lit. to follow in the tracks of an overturned cart (idiom) / fig. to follow a path that led to failure in the past / to repeat a disastrous mistake

gloomy face

A young bandit who follows the leader.

It is a type of a thin blade with a wide back.

Yummy~ JK. It means (fig.) a complete mess

Awww

empty hand, empty fist (idiom); having nothing to rely on / unarmed and defenseless

Sorry to disappoint you. But, I don’t think that it is possible.