Valle del Hombre Salvaje de Qingshan

Capítulo 35

Feeling his clothes quickly getting soaked, Mo Xibei sighed, gently pried Murong Lianyun's fingers apart, turned around and hugged the sobbing girl. He didn't say anything to comfort her, just patted her gently. He didn't know how long he stood there, but he felt the weight on his shoulders getting heavier and heavier. When he looked down, he realized that Murong Lianyun had fallen asleep standing there with tears in her eyes.

"Sweet dreams!" After settling everything in Murong Lianyun's room, Mo Xibei tucked her in and said softly. He was about to get up and go back to his own room when Murong Lianyun grabbed his clothes tightly. His movement woke her up.

"Please don't leave, okay?" Lian Yun asked Mo Xibei, her eyes pleading weakly. "Can you stay with me?"

“Okay, I won’t leave.” Mo Xibei nodded, and then Murong Lianyun moved her body further into the bed to wait for Mo Xibei to lie down.

"Isn't this a bad idea?" Mo Xibei shook her head. At this moment, she was still disguised as a man. Although everyone else knew, it seemed that Murong Lianyun had not yet noticed. She should not give her the wrong signal anymore.

“I’m yours, and I’ll be yours sooner or later. Do you despise me?” Murong Lianyun’s tears fell in torrents, her previous arrogance completely gone. “You don’t want to be with me, I said the wrong thing, so you hate me?” “Don’t think nonsense,” Mo Xibei comforted her, turning over and lying down on the edge of the bed, letting Murong Lianyun rest her head on his shoulder. Neither of them spoke anymore. Mo Xibei originally intended to leave after Lianyun fell asleep, but unexpectedly, in this tranquility, he couldn’t help but fall asleep himself.

"How long are you going to keep putting on this fake phoenix and fake dragon act?" someone asked her in the hazy light.

"Do you think I want to?" Mo Xibei opened his mouth to answer, but suddenly woke up. It was still Murong Lianyun's bed, but now there was a person standing by the bed, wearing a silver metal mask. Who else could it be but Mu Feinan?

"Why are you here?" Mo Xibei was startled and looked at Murong Lianyun beside him, only to find that she was sleeping soundly and had not been disturbed.

"Don't worry, she won't wake up until dawn." Mu Feinan chuckled softly. "I couldn't find you anywhere and thought you had run away in fear. Turns out you were hiding here, drunk on a chaise longue. How about it, this beauty's favor is hard to bear, isn't it?"

"You came to me just to spout this nonsense?" Mo Xibei got up, pushed open the door and went out. Looking around, he realized it was already dark. He was about to turn back and call out to Mu Feinan when he found that Mu Feinan was no longer in Lian Yun's room. Only Lian Yun was still fast asleep.

"What the hell?" Mo Xibei shook her head and sighed. She returned to her room, and as soon as she closed the door, she felt a cold breeze pass by. She casually swung out a palm with all her might, but someone grabbed her wrist.

"Woman, are you trying to murder your husband?" It was Mu Feinan's voice.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Mo Xibei angrily waved his hand. "Why are you like a ghost, coming and going like a gust of wind? Stand there and don't move. Let me see if you have any feet."

“If you had landed a solid blow just now, I probably wouldn’t have any legs left by now. But luckily I was quick-witted, so I still have legs now. Don’t try to back out.” Mu Feinan said, pulling Mo Xibei’s hand and turning her towards him.

"What debt did I default on?" Mo Xibei's mind automatically focused as soon as he heard the word "debt".

"Well, I was in such a hurry yesterday that I forgot to tell you something important," Mu Feinan said seriously.

"What's going on?" Mo Xibei was also a little nervous.

“That’s right,” Mu Feinan said. “I swore a solemn oath that the first woman to see my face would either marry me or kill me. And you are the first lucky woman to see my true face without being killed by me.”

Chapter Fifty-Two: The Proposal (Part Two)

"You mean I should be grateful and buy an altar to worship you, and offer you incense three times a day, morning and evening?" Mo Xibei didn't take it seriously, but maliciously imagined an altar, a memorial tablet and an incense burner.

"Well, that depends on whether you can give me a son. Anyway, you have no chance. I've already thought it through. After you marry me and we live together for decades, if I'm about to die, I'll definitely kill you before I die myself." Mu Feinan understood Mo Xibei's meaning as soon as he heard it, but he didn't take it seriously. He just looked around the room and then sat down on Mo Xibei's bed in a grand manner. Because he was wearing a mask, Mo Xibei couldn't see his face, but hearing him speak so casually, he couldn't help but feel angry.

"Don't give me that nonsense. I know why you're here. To tell you the truth, I don't know where Lian Yun is hiding the map right now, but I'm planning to take her back to Jiangnan tomorrow. Before we leave, I'll persuade her to hand over that thing, and then she can stop bothering us." Mo Xibei frowned. Although she said that, she had no confidence at all. Putting aside whether Lian Yun was willing to hand over the map, no one could verify its authenticity. Furthermore, the map had been in Lian Yun's hands for so many days. Would Huang Jin think that she had already memorized the map or kept a backup, or even that she had altered the map or hidden the real one? If that happened, would Huang Jin let Lian Yun off easily? Would he let her or the others staying at the inn off? Mo Xibei had no idea about any of these things, so she still needed to think about how to best use the map to save her life.

“Northwest, you’re not Murong Lianyun. You can’t be so naive as to think that handing over the map will guarantee your safe passage, can you?” Mu Feinan said calmly, leaning back on the bed. He casually wiped his face, removing his silver mask and placing it on the pillow, revealing the face that had captivated him throughout his life in the mountain village. He gently patted the bed, beckoning Mo Northwest, “Walls have ears. I know Chu Junfeng lives on this floor. If we speak any louder, we might disturb him. Come, sit here, and we can speak more quietly.” Seeing Mo Northwest didn’t move, he added, “What are you afraid of? We’ve shared a bed before. Do I have a habit of forcing women?”

"Then tell me, what do you want in return for letting us go?" Mo Xibei naturally knew that Mu Feinan wasn't lying. His eyes darted around, and he walked a few steps to the bedside, sitting down on it. He leaned forward, bringing his face close to Mu Feinan's. He blinked hard.

"Hmm," Mu Feinan was momentarily taken aback by her sudden action. His handsome face remained expressionless, and he hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I always knew that Murong Lianyun was more beautiful than you, but I didn't expect to see her so closely. You are so much less beautiful than her. It seems like it's not too late to regret it now. Otherwise, I might as well kill you and marry her."

"Is that really what you think?" Mo Xibei bit her lip, revealing a few pearly white teeth, her eyes full of innocence. She leaned closer to Mu Feinan and smiled. She had always known that her smile would instantly brighten her otherwise plain features, and this time was no exception. She saw herself in Mu Feinan's eyes. Mu Feinan had very beautiful eyes; once his cold indifference was gone, his dark eyes twinkled like stars in the night. They were so close that they could hear each other's breaths. Mo Xibei felt a ache in her back, but she maintained the position and kept smiling.

After a long while, Mu Feinan's eyes gradually became somewhat confused. He suddenly reached out and yanked off Mo Xibei's hair crown. He had wanted to do this for a long time. He wanted to see the woman in front of him with her hair disheveled. Then, he slipped his hand into the hair behind her head and pulled her closer. He didn't want to do this and frighten her so early, but he realized that he had clearly underestimated the woman in front of him. If he didn't frighten her, he was afraid that he would be frightened by her sooner or later.

Everything happened so fast. Mu Feinan didn't touch the red lips that were tempting him. He was just a little bit away. He thought, just a little bit away. Mo Xibei's fingers pressed on his body. They were several major acupoints on the body. They wouldn't cause injury or death, but would only temporarily block his blood flow and stiffen his body.

"What are you doing?" Mu Feinan was not alarmed. He still smiled as he looked at the woman in front of him who had quickly straightened up and tied her hair up.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just feel more comfortable talking to you like this." Mo Xibei snorted and moved a stool over to sit on the edge of the bed. "Young Master Mu, now tell me, how can I get out of here?"

“You can always get away because you haven’t seen that map,” Mu Feinan said. “You can go back to your Jiangnan anytime, but Murong Lianyun can’t. Whether she has seen the map or not, from the moment she picked it up, she decided that she couldn’t leave. Oh, I forgot to tell you, the inn is now surrounded by the Imperial Guards. You might try to break out, but the others here probably won’t be able to leave.”

Mo Xibei was startled. She had felt that it was unusually quiet outside tonight, but she did not expect the Eastern Depot to come up with such a move so quickly. No wonder she did not hear the sound of the night watchman's drum all night. So that's why.

"All land under heaven belongs to the king. Do you think we can run away? Why bother so many people?" Mo Xibei sighed, feeling a sense of desolation and helplessness rising within him as he tried to find peace but the wind wouldn't stop.

"Silly girl, with me here, you'll be fine. At worst, I guarantee your maid will be alright too. Of course, if Miss Murong is willing to cooperate, then she and her maid will also be fine. However, have you ever thought about why Murong Lianyun, who clearly had a chance to escape when we were trapped at the bottom of the cliff, stayed here? You're not familiar with the Eastern Depot's way of doing things. Doesn't even the seasoned swordsman Chu know this?" Mu Feinan casually threw out these words.

"So you're trying to say that Chu Junfeng has always had ulterior motives, is that right?" Mo Xibei sneered.

"That's the truth, do I need to say it?" Mu Fei blinked, seemingly a little indignant, and said, "Why do you think Chu Junfeng is a good person and I am a bad person? Is it because you saw me hurting people but didn't see him hurting or killing people? Don't be silly. In the martial arts world, how many people have clean hands? Who doesn't have the blood of innocent people on their hands?"

“Perhaps,” Mo Xibei nodded, pressing his temples with his fingers. The veins there were throbbing, bringing waves of suppressed pain. “You’re not wrong about one thing. In the martial world, no one is clean. So, whether it’s me, Honglu, Lianyun, or Mengmeng, if we want to live, we can only rely on ourselves. I don’t need your promises.”

Seeing Mo Xibei get up and walk out, Mu Feinan felt a surge of irritation and called out to her, "Where are you going?"

"Don't worry, I'm not stupid. Since I know I can't escape, I won't waste my energy. I won't let you go either. Your kung fu is better than mine, and your pressure points will be released soon. I'm going to sleep for a while; it's still early before dawn." After saying this, Mo Xibei gently pushed open the door and left. The night outside was beautiful. If it weren't for the large armor reflecting the moonlight through the window, making it appear silvery, it would be even more perfect. Thinking this, Mo Xibei fell asleep on the bench in Murong Lianyun's room.

The next morning, Murong Lianyun took out a piece of cowhide that looked quite old and said to Mo Xibei, "This is what you said I should take out. Now that I have, you can do whatever you want with it." Mo Xibei frowned, but didn't say anything. He just grabbed the cowhide and went downstairs to the inn. Huang Jin was actually drinking tea at a small round table on the first floor. He looked very relaxed, holding the cup with his little finger raised high in a delicate gesture. When he saw Mo Xibei, he seemed to be pleasantly surprised, and his face was full of smiles.

What they said, no one but themselves knew. All that everyone knew was the result: Honglu and Mengmeng set off early that morning to leave Henan Prefecture and return to Jiangnan to continue managing the business on the fourth floor for Mo Xibei, while Mo Xibei, along with Lianyun, followed the people from the Eastern Depot to the capital.

Volume 1 Completed

Volume Two: The Wind Leaves a Trace, Chapter One: Like a Fish in Water (Part 1)

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That autumn, the capital city appeared outwardly calm and peaceful, but beneath the surface, undercurrents surged. The Jiajing Emperor, who had inherited the throne as a prince, was young but shrewd and capable. He had long resented the court officials' disdain for his birth and their constant obstruction of his affairs. After only a few years of diligent governance, he had firmly grasped power. That year, he clashed with his ministers over the matter of bestowing honorary titles upon his biological parents. At the beginning of the year, several ministers who had submitted memorials opposing the granting of titles were found guilty and imprisoned by the Imperial Guard. Some were beaten, some punished, and some killed. The ministers, who had previously calculated that the law wouldn't punish everyone, finally realized the gravity of the situation and dared not speak out again.

Feeling stifled in court, the officials longed to find some amusement in private. One day after court, several officials who were on good terms with each other agreed to go out for drinks to relieve their boredom. However, after changing into plain clothes, they went to their usual restaurant, only to find it deserted and business was slow. The food and drinks they ordered were delayed, and when they finally arrived, they tasted far worse than usual.

The men, unaccustomed to such treatment, were naturally enraged. The innkeeper, who had been waiting at the door, crawled inside, tears streaming down his face, and recounted how his head chef had been poached by a newly opened restaurant called Chunfeng Ruyi Lou. Chunfeng Ruyi Lou, only open for a few days, had already snapped up all the head chefs from the major restaurants on the street, leaving them with no way to survive. Intrigued, the officials got up and, as the innkeeper had suggested, headed straight for Chunfeng Ruyi Lou. There, they found a cluster of old-fashioned restaurants several streets away, now completely renovated and decorated. From afar, wine flags fluttered in the breeze. Even as dusk fell, a row of neatly arranged glazed palace lanterns illuminated the entire street, further enhancing the restaurant's grandeur. Upon closer inspection, they noticed two rows of young women dressed in bright red gauze dresses standing on either side of the entrance to Chunfeng Ruyi Lou. Their striking looks were secondary; what was most remarkable was that the twelve girls were all the same height and build. Their hair was styled in identical flowing buns, adorned with gold hairpins. Upon seeing someone approach, they would give a slight curtsy and say in a sweet voice, "Honored guest, please come in."

One of the officials suddenly slapped his forehead. He said to the others, "Look at my memory! I heard a few days ago that a fancy restaurant has opened in the capital. It caters to the rich and powerful. If you don't have a hundred or so taels of silver in your pocket, you won't dare to enter. I vaguely remember the name of the restaurant. Could this be it?"

"Whatever it's called, it's just a place for men to relax. How arrogant can it be?" Another official frowned and snorted coldly, clearly unconvinced.