Valle del Hombre Salvaje de Qingshan

Capítulo 17

Chu Junfeng seemed surprised by Mo Xibei's strong reaction. After a while, he awkwardly lowered his arm and said, "Strengthening defenses and fearing unforeseen events may not be the real reason. It's more likely that everyone is monitoring each other and harboring suspicions. What happened last night was already troublesome. Are you sure you want to insist on moving out at this time and needlessly arouse suspicion?"

“But I’m used to sleeping in a big bed, I can’t sleep with other people.” Mo Xibei widened his eyes and came up with a reason.

"It's alright, I'm not picky about where I sleep. It's strange for two men to squeeze into one bed anyway. I'll just sleep on the floor." Chu Junfeng nodded, pointed to the floor, indicating that this would be fine.

“I often get up at night, and—you’re sleeping on the floor, it would be so embarrassing if I stepped on you in the dark.” Mo Xibei turned around and took a few steps, then thought of another excuse.

"I'm a light sleeper at night, and as someone who practices martial arts, my hearing is pretty good. If I hear you getting up in the middle of the night, I'll carefully dodge and definitely won't delay your landing." Chu Junfeng smiled, his eyes pure and without any hint of mockery, yet he said something that left Mo Xibei speechless, as if he had thrown a punch but landed in a pile of cotton, unable to find any leverage, and extremely frustrated.

“I’m most afraid of noise when I sleep at night, so if you snore, breathe too loudly, or keep tossing and turning, it will affect my sleep. If I don’t sleep well, I won’t be able to control my behavior at night, and I can’t guarantee I won’t throw you out.” Mo Xibei thought of a third reason.

"Don't worry about that. First, I never snore at night. Second, my breathing isn't loud. Third, I'm used to staying in one position all night while practicing martial arts, so turning over is basically not an issue. Naturally, you can sleep peacefully at night, just pretend I'm not here." Chu Junfeng answered quickly, as fluently as if he were reciting an answer. Seeing Mo Xibei glaring at him, he could only rub his forehead and say innocently, "Brother Mo, actually, in a few days it will be your wedding night with Miss Murong, and then the two of you..." He didn't finish his sentence, but the undisguised smile in his eyes said it all.

"You... why bring up such a sore subject!" Mo Xibei was immediately annoyed and wanted to slap him, but the person in front of her had fair skin like jade, bright eyes like stars, and was extremely handsome. She pondered for a long time but couldn't figure out where to hit him. So, after sighing a few times about how beautiful women are a source of trouble, she finally gave up.

Just as he had expected, the person who couldn't sleep at night and kept tossing and turning was none other than Mo Xibei himself.

From modern times to ancient times, she couldn't figure out exactly how many years she had traveled through, but no matter how time and space changed, one thing remained constant: no one else had ever slept in her room. For someone accustomed to living alone, even the faintest breathing in the quiet of the night was unbearable, let alone the fact that the person sleeping right next to her was a man, a handsome man who was impossible to understand.

"Can't you sleep?" Chu Junfeng suddenly asked Mo Xibei in a very soft voice as she turned over for the nth time.

"I was asleep, not telling you to be quiet," Mo Xibei replied muffledly, covering his head with the blanket.

"Alright then, it's me who can't sleep. How about we chat for a bit?" Chu Junfeng hadn't known Mo Xibei for long, but based on his analysis and observation, insufficient sleep would make the person in front of him extremely anxious and irritable. However, he had no choice but to risk waking her up, because having someone constantly making noise in his ear would also be very painful for him.

"What did you say?" Mo Xibei pouted at himself and answered angrily.

"Tell me about yourself. There are all sorts of rumors in the martial arts world, but I don't think I've ever heard anyone mention you. Who did you learn your martial arts from? Where do you live? Hmm... do you have any family members?" Chu Junfeng propped his head up with his hand and turned to look at the large bed where Mo Xibei was lying. Although he was lying on the ground, he still looked as if he were lying in the arms of a beauty, and he was very pleased with himself.

"It's not like we're getting married. Why are you asking such a personal question? I have no comment." Mo Xibei glanced at him, then lay back on the bed. "I think we should talk about you. Who exactly are you? What are you here for? At this crucial moment, you're willing to give up a beauty for the leader of the martial arts alliance. Are you really that confident? Aren't you afraid of ending up empty-handed and with nothing?"

“Brother Mo, I suddenly realize that I like you more and more, but you are not a woman, so I can’t marry you. What should I do?” Chu Junfeng suddenly laughed, his voice slightly frivolous, yet seemingly revealing a hint of helplessness. “If you don’t say it, I won’t say it either, hehe. Actually, from the first moment I saw you, I felt that we were the same kind of people and would always be together. You probably think that someone like me, who can use anything as a bargaining chip, is not worthy of calling himself the same kind of person as you. But I still have to say it: just from the fact that we both live only for ourselves, we are indeed the same kind of people.”

"Really? I've never thought of it that way before," Mo Xibei was taken aback by Chu Junfeng's twisted logic. She had always considered herself someone who consistently stood on the side of truth and whose arguments were always reasonable, but recently she had found herself quite helpless whenever she encountered Chu Junfeng, who had ten times more twisted logic than her and who often used falsehoods as arguments. She really didn't understand why such a guy was seen as a chivalrous hero by outsiders. What was most infuriating was that she had been deceived by him in the first place. So she thought for a moment and said, "Actually, everyone does live for themselves, and everyone chooses to do what is most suitable for themselves. So from this point of view, you can't be considered despicable; you're just making the choice that is most beneficial to yourself." After a pause, Mo Xibei added, "However, I don't think I'm the same kind of person as you. Although we both live for ourselves, I understand the principle of 'do not do to others what you would not have them do to you' better than you do to others."

"For example?" There were no candles in the room, and Mo Xibei couldn't see Junfeng's expression clearly in the darkness, but he asked casually.

"For example, I wouldn't go to someone's martial arts tournament to find a husband if I didn't want to marry that girl." Thinking of this thorny problem, Mo Xibei felt very depressed, and his tone became a bit harsh.

“I knew you wanted to marry Miss Murong,” Chu Junfeng said quickly, ignoring Mo Xibei’s frustrated reaction as he sat up abruptly in bed after realizing his words hadn’t been clear enough. He continued, “It’s precisely because Brother Mo is a better person than me, someone who can help others in times of need, a true hero, that my defeat at your hands isn’t shameful. Miss Murong marrying you would be a fulfillment of her wishes, a win-win situation, so why not?” He paused, then added, “Miss Murong is deeply in love with you, and you are equally devoted to her. In a few days, you will be married, and you will surely be a harmonious couple, growing old together. I must drink this wedding wine; we can drink a few more cups then, making the wedding night even more fun.”

"Cough cough cough cough..." As soon as he heard the words "bridal chamber," Mo Xibei, who was already sitting on the bed, choked on his own saliva and hurriedly leaned over the edge of the bed, coughing violently.

"Are you alright? No wonder, we young people are bound to get excited when we hear about getting married." Chu Junfeng seemed to be startled by Mo Xibei's reaction as well. He sat up, leaned over, and saw that most of Mo Xibei's body was hanging off the bed. With his violent coughing, he looked like he was about to fall down, so he couldn't help but reach out to support him.

"What are you doing?" When Chu Junfeng's fingers were still half an inch away from Mo Xibei's arm, Mo Xibei suddenly stopped coughing, sat up abruptly, and stared at the approaching fingers.

"I wanted to help you; it looked like you were about to fall." Chu Junfeng chuckled inwardly, quickly retreating to his makeshift bed. He had clearly seen a flash of rage in Mo Xibei's eyes, as if she would have chopped off his fingers if he hadn't pulled his hand back so quickly. Men don't usually give each other such men such menly looks, Chu Junfeng thought.

Of course, Chu Junfeng also had things he couldn't understand. Why did no one ever think that Mo Xibei was a woman? Was it because he did better business than any man, because his martial arts were better than most men, because his temperament was more cheerful than any woman's, or because he dared to step onto the martial arts alliance leader's only daughter's marriage contest stage?

Why couldn't she be a woman? Chu Junfeng wondered. He had held hands like that before. Although there were thin calluses on her fingertips and the base of her thumb from years of wielding a sword, it didn't detract from the smoothness, delicacy, and boneless softness of her entire hand. Before the attack on the ship, they had lay head to head on the bed. Although they were bound by silkworm silk and on the verge of death, a faint fragrance lingered around them, a scent that was clearly not something a man would have. Sometimes the eyes can deceive us, but the nose cannot.

"What are you laughing at?" Mo Xibei suddenly asked, and Chu Junfeng realized that he had actually laughed. Because of the wonderful thoughts in his head, he had thought about many things over the years, and rarely had he felt so relaxed and comfortable at night. He had never had a night like this, where he let his heart run wild and let the weeds of lust grow. If Mo Xibei knew what he was thinking, he would probably draw his sword and come at him, he thought happily.

"I wasn't laughing at anything, I just thought about the fun we'd have in the bridal chamber, and I find it very interesting. No matter what happens then, you can't get angry." Chu Junfeng lowered his head slightly, trying hard to control his lips, which were beginning to curve upwards, but he wasn't very successful.

"If you really want to laugh, just laugh it off. I don't mind. Holding it in will only cause you internal injuries." Mo Xibei had been watching Chu Junfeng's expression closely. Seeing that Chu Junfeng had retreated to his makeshift bed and then smiled thoughtfully after a moment of contemplation, Mo Xibei guessed that his actions had probably aroused suspicion in this intelligent man. Suspicion is suspicion, Mo Xibei thought. He had been speaking cryptically and pressing forward all night, trying to confirm his own thoughts. Anyway, he wasn't a man, so no matter how he pretended, he couldn't be without any flaws. It was better to be exposed sooner rather than later.

"I don't really feel like laughing anymore." Mo Xibei didn't expect that after he finished speaking, Chu Junfeng's smile would freeze. After saying this lightly, he lay down on the floor, turned over, and turned his back to him. After a while, his breathing gradually became light and steady, and he actually fell asleep.

"Strange person." She uttered these two words silently, then drew the curtains again and lay down. The breathing sounds were still a few steps away, and listening to them for a while didn't seem to disturb her sleep. However, she couldn't fall into a deep sleep. Chu Junfeng's breathing seemed to go straight into her heart without passing through her ears, and each breath made her heart tremble slightly.

——————

For the sake of plot development, the new character's appearance is delayed by one chapter. Sigh, sigh again, and I'll crawl back down to continue...

Volume One: Ten Years of Wandering the Jianghu, Chapter Thirty-Four

The next day, just as dawn broke, the courtyard became bustling with activity. Martial arts practitioners were used to getting up early, and they lined up at the well to fetch water for washing. Familiar faces and unfamiliar faces alike would greet each other and exchange a few polite words.

Before the sun was high in the sky, the arena was already packed with people. The competition would begin as soon as Murong Songtao and the leaders of the various sects arrived. The first to step onto the stage was Sun Hongliang, the Emei disciple who had won the day before yesterday.

"I humbly request your guidance, fellow martial arts enthusiasts." On the stage, Sun Hongliang held his wrists to his chest, his gaze fixed on the audience below.

"I am..." A middle-aged man dressed in blue leaped onto the stage, but his voice was abruptly drowned out by a burst of laughter from outside the crowd. The laughter was neither the roughness of a typical male voice nor the gentleness of a woman's; rather, it was a strange mix of both, neither yin nor yang, lingering throughout the hall. Hearing it, one felt a sharp, abrupt unease that instantly sent chills down their spines.

"The arena for martial arts competition is off-limits to unauthorized personnel." Sun Hongliang frowned. Although he was standing on high ground, he couldn't pinpoint the source of the sound. The strange laughter startled him, making him feel extremely irritated, and he blurted out the words.

"What kind of thing dares to be so arrogant?" The laughter stopped abruptly. When he said the word "arrogant," Sun Hongliang on the stage staggered and coughed up a mouthful of blood. He collapsed to the ground. When others rushed to the stage to help him up, they found that his tendons and veins had been severed and he was dead.

With thousands of eyes below the stage, no one saw the figure, and naturally no one saw which move had taken Sun Hongliang's life. For a moment, everyone looked at each other in astonishment, because the commotion caused by Sun Hongliang falling to the ground quickly subsided into silence. No one spoke, and everyone gripped their weapons tightly, watching their surroundings.

Mo Xibei had been standing beside Murong Songtao. At this moment, he saw Murong Songtao calmly stand up, leap onto the stage, and stare at the direction of the courtyard gate, saying, "I wonder which friend has arrived. I am sorry for not greeting you properly. Please show yourself."

"Haha..." Someone outside the courtyard laughed loudly, "Since Alliance Leader Murong has invited us in, then we shall respectfully accept." As soon as the words fell, the courtyard gate and a section of the wall collapsed and flew in all directions, with bricks and tiles shooting towards the crowd. Those from various factions who were unable to dodge in time were not injured, but they were covered in dust and dirt.

As the dust settled, the sound of approaching hooves abruptly stopped outside. Mo Xibei looked around and saw that there were two or three thousand people outside, and the banners fluttering on them were actually those of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Imperial Guard.

"By imperial decree, Murong Songtao, Alliance Leader Murong, please accept the decree." The soldiers at the front of the procession darted to the sides, and a eunuch in his forties, dressed in a bright red brocade robe with gold cloud patterns, wearing a soft turban, with a white face and no beard, rode out from the crowd holding a bright yellow imperial decree. Judging from his voice, he was the same person who had laughed loudly just now.

"I am but a commoner, a rough man from the countryside. I do not know why His Majesty would issue an imperial edict to a mere commoner like me?" Murong Songtao jumped off the stage and stepped forward, but did not kneel.

"Alliance Leader Murong is too modest. Although you have not been officially appointed by the court in the past, you have led the martial arts world for many years and your fame has spread far and wide. His Majesty greatly admires and respects you, but has never had the chance to meet you. Now that he has heard that you are holding a martial arts conference, he specially sent me here. Firstly, to extend his greetings to you, and secondly, to hope that Alliance Leader Murong can recommend some talented people to the court. I just don't know if Alliance Leader Murong can accept His Majesty's intentions?" The eunuch smiled slightly, still holding the imperial edict high in one hand, and spoke softly. As he spoke, his eyes had already scanned everyone present.

Mo Xibei hurriedly turned her head slightly to the side, only to feel that after the eunuch's gaze swept past her, it seemed to intentionally or unintentionally move back quickly, lingering on her again and again.

Volume One: Ten Years of Wandering the Jianghu, Chapter Thirty-Five