Yan Ming took a deep breath, suppressing his anger with his inner strength. "Don't rush," he thought, "Dongqi Pavilion won't be able to cause trouble for long. I've already assigned the task to that woman. That woman, Xue Qing, is different from these useless fools. She'll definitely help me get rid of the obstacles in my path." In the dimly lit room, Yan Ming smiled wickedly. It was time to prepare to bring Nangong Luoluo back.
Seeing Nangong Luoluo becoming more and more energetic thanks to the antidote Xue Qing brought back, Xue Qing herself seemed listless, delaying giving Pavilion Master Cheng the answer he expected. She was a city girl who grew up reading moral stories in her school textbooks. Although she loved watching martial arts films, she had no real interest in the fighting and killing in the martial arts world. She was far more attracted to the life of a landlady in the countryside. She really wanted to abandon everything and escape this place. If Yan Ming didn't hunt her down, he wouldn't let anyone who didn't act according to his will get away with it.
Speaking of Master Cheng of Xilin Pavilion, he was a man of great misfortune. From birth, he was not easily able to conceive. No matter how many women he had relationships with during his thirty years of life, he had no children of his own. When he was thirty, his father, on his deathbed, held his hand and said, "Never forget the ancestral teachings, rebuild Qilin Pavilion." At that time, Xilin Pavilion was gradually declining, while Dongqi Pavilion was thriving. Master Cheng had a premonition that he might not be able to fulfill his ancestors' last wish even if he devoted his whole life to it. He longed for a son so that when he died, he could pass on the responsibility of rebuilding Qilin Pavilion to his son, just like his father had done.
Three years after his father's death, Master Cheng finally got his wife pregnant. However, after an anxious wait, she gave birth to a girl, a devastating blow. Daughters are raised to marry, and his grand ambitions, his ancestors' wishes—was the Xilin Pavilion destined to have no successor? He could no longer place his hopes on a child. Before he grew too old to move, Master Cheng decided to personally fulfill the generations-old wish of his ancestors—to rebuild the Qilin Pavilion. Just as Kunlun Palace was locked in a grueling battle with the Wudang Sect, Xilin Pavilion extended a hand to Kunlun Palace with a charming smile: "Come on, baby, let's kick its ass together!" Kunlun Palace readily accepted, sending disciples to bolster Xilin Pavilion's fighting strength. However, this wasn't enough. Kunlun Palace also had its own ulterior motives and wouldn't go all out to help Xilin Pavilion. Moreover, Dongqi Pavilion, under Xiao Guiying's leadership, was powerful and influential. Just when Xilin Pavilion was feeling humiliated, Mingyu extended a hand to Xilin Pavilion: "Come on, baby, I can have ten rounds in one night without ever falling down, and shipping is free!"
Just as Pavilion Master Cheng was making his own schemes and waiting for the arrival of the savior woman the messenger from the Underworld had spoken of, Xue Qing suddenly appeared on auspicious clouds, entering his world. One can imagine how excited Pavilion Master Cheng was; he was eagerly awaiting the Underworld to fulfill its promise and immediately raze the Eastern Qilin Pavilion. However, after Xue Qing swindled a bottle of medicine from him, she vanished without a trace. Pavilion Master Cheng was filled with rage. "You heartless bastard, abandoning me! Then I won't keep my promise to you either!"
At this moment, Xue Qing was completely unaware that both Yan Ming and Pavilion Master Cheng were plotting against her. After carrying Liu Ying back to her room to sleep with Xiao Guiying, she received a letter from Mingchong, in which Anluo invited her to meet at the old site of the Qilin Pavilion on the main peak. Xue Qing was torn between continuing to eke out a living in Yan Ming's shadow or simply seeking refuge with her second senior brother, who was likely to become the leader of the martial arts alliance. In the end, Xue Qing decided it was best not to provoke Yan Ming. Betraying her second senior brother might allow her to regain his forgiveness, while offending Yan Ming meant certain death.
It just so happened that Liu Ying was too drunk to wake up anytime soon, so Xue Qing could sneak off and come back quietly. For some reason, Xue Qing really didn't want to involve Liu Ying. Xue Qing walked alone along the rugged path towards the main peak. After passing through the heavily guarded area of Dong Qi Ge, Xue Qing opened the bamboo tube and released a moth. The main peak was a dangerous area, and since it was free labor, she figured she might as well use it. It was better to have Qi escort her.
In just a short while, Qi emerged silently from behind the tree. It was unclear whether he was fast or had been lurking nearby all along.
"Hey, brother, long time no see!" After greeting him, Xue Qing realized that Qi couldn't speak.
Qi seemed not to hear Xue Qing's words, or perhaps he did hear them but simply chose not to respond.
“Anluo asked me to meet her at the old site of Qilin Pavilion. I think I need you to escort me there,” Xue Qing had no choice but to say bluntly.
Qi nodded. Because he was younger than Xue Qing and looked even younger than his actual age, if Xue Qing hadn't witnessed his abilities, she would definitely have thought he was unreliable. Qi was rather thin, while Xue Qing was much more robust than him, looking more like a desert dweller. Xue Qing felt a pang of guilt for bullying him.
Qi was a competent guard, leading Xue Qing and using his dagger to cut away the prickly weeds. Xue Qing followed behind, lifting her skirt. Her clothes were all luxury items that screamed "easy money," perhaps she really should buy a couple of more understated and practical outfits. They forged their way up to the mountaintop, where the large, somewhat dilapidated building was the former site of the Qilin Pavilion. The Qilin Pavilion was clearly of excellent construction quality; the blue bricks on the ground, though cracked, remained sturdy. Xue Qing's footsteps echoed even louder in the long-abandoned pavilion. Why only mention Xue Qing's footsteps? Because Qi walked silently. Liu Ying's footsteps were already very light, but Qi was almost completely silent. Xue Qing really wanted him to take off his shoes and see if he had cat-like paw pads on the soles of his feet.
To avoid being seen, Anluo arranged to meet Xue Qing in a secret underground chamber. Xue Qing released the moth that had delivered the message to Anluo; the moth would return to its master, and Xue Qing could find Anluo by following it. Besides the garden-style buildings above ground, Qilin Pavilion also had a sizable underground palace. Digging such a large pit on the mountaintop—let alone building the palace—would have required enormous manpower and resources just to bury coffins. This massive structure had remained dormant for a century, covered in spiderwebs and insect corpses, a sight that even Xue Qing found regrettable.
Following the moth down into the underground palace, they found Anluo. Anluo was sitting alone on a chair in the palace, looking somewhat forlorn. It was easy to guess that Yanming was taking his anger out on her again because he missed Nangong Luoluo. When Xue Qing arrived, Anluo stood up, her expression turning as cold as her master's.
"Take this back and share it with Nangong Luoluo secretly." Anluo handed a small porcelain bottle to Xue Qing.
"What is this!" Xue Qing's hands trembled as she gripped the bottle. It couldn't be poison. An Luo must be driven mad by jealousy and wanted to kill Nangong Luoluo. If she gave the medicine to Nangong Luoluo, wouldn't she become an accomplice? She wasn't a lesbian. Why would she offend Yan Ming for a stranger?
"It's medicine for treating colds. The Domain Lord asked me to bring it over," Anluo replied.
Xue Qing unscrewed the bottle cap and smelled the opening. It smelled of ginger, which was indeed like something used to treat a cold. Just to be on the safe side, she would have the old doctor examine her again when she got back. Being Yan Ming's lover would at least mean a quick and painless death, but if she became Yan Ming's enemy, she couldn't guarantee that Yan Ming wouldn't tie her to a red-hot iron pillar and slice her flesh piece by piece.
"And then? Do you want to talk to me about the Xilin Pavilion?" Xue Qing put away the medicine and said with a serious face. Before coming here, she had speculated many times about An Luo's purpose in inviting her to meet. The most likely reason was that An Luo wanted to question her because there had been no progress on the Xilin Pavilion matter. She had already prepared thousands of words of excuses to absolve herself.
“It’s gone,” Anluo said coldly.
"That's all?!" Xue Qing swallowed back the thousands of words of denial she was about to utter, her face turning pale.
“That’s all,” Anluo repeated coldly.
She traveled thousands of miles, wading through mountains and rivers, her delicate skin scratched in several places by wild grass, and getting covered in dust in the dilapidated palace, all just to bring back this tiny bottle of nun's cold medicine? Yan Ming, you bastard! You're ruthless!
"I'll go down the mountain directly through the secret passage. You guys go back." Anluo wasn't joking; she really only gave Xue Qing one bottle of medicine.
"Come on, buddy," Xue Qing waved to Qi, thinking of it as a way to lose weight, as this body seemed to have really gained some weight since she stopped practicing martial arts.
Qi's face remained expressionless, but Xue Qing's inferiority complex made her feel that he was mocking her. She felt stupid for being made a fool of by their great domain lord, running around for a bottle of dog-shit cold medicine. Even lions in circuses get a piece of meat after jumping through hoops of fire. Even the most stingy private business owners provide three types of insurance. If this continued, Yan Ming would really train her into a masochistic type!
Emerging from the old site of the Qilin Pavilion via the same route, a bustling scene unfolded before me. Swords clashed, blades flashed, and screams and shouts filled the air. A group from the East Qilin Pavilion and a group from the West Qilin Pavilion were locked in a fierce, bloody battle. Damn it, had Pavilion Master Cheng launched another attack before I could even get a word in? This was no small-scale skirmish; they were truly fighting tooth and nail!
Qi grabbed Xue Qing's arm, pulling her away from the stray blades. Both groups were in a bloodthirsty frenzy, caring nothing for whether you were from the Lingyu Sect or Wudang Mountain. They didn't know you; anyone who wasn't one of their own was slaughtered. Xue Qing was tragically caught in the middle; she was neither from the East Qi Pavilion nor the West Qi Pavilion, making her an enemy to both sides. Qi was finding it difficult to dodge the stiff Xue Qing, so he simply held her tightly. Just as Xue Qing was terrified, Qi tumbled to the side with her in his arms, rolling down the slope of the mountainside.
Author's Note: I'm blushing as I share some unfortunate news. I always thought that sending points deducted from author earnings meant I could send them as much as I wanted. Last night I learned that I need to ask the editor first. I sent 300 points yesterday, which seems to be a typical author's monthly quota OTL. The editor doesn't work over the weekend, so sending points is temporarily suspended. I'll ask the editor on Monday when they're back at work. If they say it's okay, I'll make up for it. Of course, the editor might also give me a good scolding… TAT
I'm so stupid 5 ...
To soothe everyone's wounded hearts, here's a short skit featuring supporting characters. The background to this skit is this message:
[-Collapse] #3 User: glassmirror111's comment: "The Female Supporting Character is Innocent" Rating: 2 Published: 2011-08-22 00:16:04 Chapter reviewed: 24
Personally, I think there seems to be something wrong with the burn setting.
For a family that makes swords, going into the furnace room should be commonplace. They should be skilled at both getting burned and treating burns. A family doctor should be standard equipment, and even if they don't have one, common burn medication should be a basic necessity.
The whole village shouldn't act like they've never seen a burn before; they should wait for the female lead to bring out an introductory booklet about Emei to teach them.
[1] Author's reply published on: 2011-08-22 06:50:15
That makes sense! But we can't change that part, so we'll just set it up that their family doctor just happened to die.
[2] Netizen: hunhun Rating: 0 Posted: 2011-08-22 14:15:25
Poor family doctor... completely innocent victim... Amen...
[3] Author's reply, published on: 2011-08-22 15:02:15
I will give him a funeral!
The following is the main text of the funeral:
Just as an elephant finds a quiet place to die before it dies, it seems that people, after living a certain amount of life, also have a premonition of impending death. Doctor Wang recently had this feeling. Doctor Wang was the personal physician of Broken Sword Manor. He came to Broken Sword Manor as a medicine apprentice at the age of ten, and now, over eighty years old, he had served three generations of manor lords for more than seventy years. Sensing that his time was drawing near, he stumbled alone with his cane to the ancestral hall of Broken Sword Manor, where the memorial tablets of past ancestors were enshrined. Doctor Wang walked to the two tablets currently in the center and lay down on the ground in front of the ancestral hall. These were the tablets of the former manor lord and his wife, the people with whom he had spent the most illustrious decades of his life.
"Master, Madam, the eldest young master is managing the manor very well, increasingly showing the same flair you had in your youth. It's just that he refuses to marry, which is giving this old man a real headache. I have no hope of ever seeing which noble lady will become the manor's wife. The second young master is still the same, always making the eldest young master angry, and he's never home. I really hope the second madam can marry into the family soon and keep him in check. Speaking of the second madam the second young master always talks about, I probably won't even get to see her. Madam, the youngest young master looks just like you, especially his eyes. Remember how Master always said your eyes were like a spotted cat's? I never said it because of our status, but I think they look alike too. Every time the youngest young master secretly comes to ask me if there's any medicine that can make him grow up faster, I always think of you, Madam… I… I won't have the chance to see him grow up…"
The frail old man spoke to the memorial tablet, and slowly, slowly, he closed his eyes...
Corpses everywhere
Qi grabbed Xue Qing and rolled down the hillside. If it had been a grassy area, after rolling around 365 degrees, there would generally be two outcomes: Xue Qing would be lying on top of Qi with a flushed face, or Qi would be lying on top of Xue Qing with a blank expression. Unfortunately, the hillside wasn't grassy; it was a lake. Splash, splash, two big splashes of water appeared on the lake's surface, and the two of them rolled into the lake one after the other.
Fortunately, Xue Qing knew how to swim. After blowing out a few large bubbles, she used a combination of breaststroke and doggy paddle to float upwards. At this moment, she saw Qi's body sinking straight down as if it were a heavy iron weight. It seemed that he could only fly on grass but not on water. How could someone with such high martial arts skills not know how to swim?
Xue Qing swam over using both hands and feet, grabbing Qi's waist with one hand—damn, he's so thin—and using the other hand to propel the water so that the two of them floated upwards together.