Cueillir des fleurs et sourire

Chapitre 15

“I was only fourteen when my sister got married.” Wan Yuyuedan smiled gently. “At that time, I didn’t understand why Father and Mother didn’t stop my sister. For a while, I even thought they were being unreasonable because my sister was… a very gentle and beautiful person.” He said softly, “I hated that they made my sister get married.”

Bi Qiuhan snorted, "The Ghost-Faced Demon is infamous. If the Grand Palace Master wasn't too kind, how could she have been so easily deceived by him? And in the end..." He stopped talking and didn't finish his sentence.

“What is a pit of fire, what is misfortune…” someone slowly interjected, “What is wickedness, what is being deceived… only the person involved can say. Even if you die for him, it may not be a sad thing…” The one who spoke was Sheng Xiang. He didn’t look at anyone when he spoke, and no one could tell where his eyes were looking.

Everyone stared at Shengxiang in a daze, bewildered, and astonished gaze, with all sorts of strange and surprised looks. Why would this spoiled young master say such a thing? Shouldn't he be jumping up and cursing how hateful the masked demon was and how stupid Wan Yuyuedan's sister was?

“If my sister is happy, then she is happy.” Wan Yuyue Dan finally turned her gaze away from the moon. “I only understood this after my sister died.”

"The Grand Palace Master was killed by Yu Cuiwei," Bi Qiuhan said coldly. "Has the Palace Master forgotten that everyone in Biluo Palace swore an oath to be irreconcilably opposed to Bingzhu Temple because of this? The old Palace Master was also angered to death by Yu Cuiwei because of this. Has the Palace Master really forgotten?"

Wan Yuyue's face reflected the moonlight, faintly filled with a gentle sorrow. "My sister died willingly, for whatever reason, she felt she had no regrets."

"Hmph!" Bi Qiuhan said indifferently, "I cannot agree."

Wan Yuyue smiled, her eyebrows curving upwards. "Well... that's because Qiu Han has a stronger stance than I do."

Just then, with a loud crash, their ship, surrounded by enemy vessels on all sides, had its hull crushed, and the deck was rocking violently. Wan Yuyue was standing by the ship's side when suddenly, a surge of river water splashed up, soaking half of his sleeve.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry." The boat that crashed into the gunwale, splashing water everywhere, was the long, narrow speedboat that Wan Yuyue had spotted by sensing the current. A flash of light, and four boats wedged their own in the middle. Lanterns were lit on each boat, and a woman in black with a dimple at the corner of her mouth stood on the speedboat. "Yulang, is this your kind and gentle brother-in-law, the young master of Biluo Palace, Young Master Wan Yu?"

On a boat with a single lantern, a person lifted the cabin curtain, holding a round fan in his hand, and walked out wearing a long robe that trailed on the ground. "A-Wan, I told you from the beginning that you should stay in the palace. The martial world is not like the Azure Palace. People won't forget to cut you just because you are gentle and considerate. They might find it amusing and harm you."

The man was wearing pajamas, the sleeves unusually wide and the hem unusually long. The pajamas were pure white and soft, with a large black moth embroidered on the back, yet his shoulders were slender and delicate. The unusually wide robe, with its large moth, casually draped over his shoulders but slipped down, revealing half of his shoulder, where his collarbone was clearly defined and his skin delicate. In the firelight, his face was strikingly strange: a horrifying line ran from the corner of his left eye to the corner of his left mouth; the right side of the line revealed a large portion of his face with delicate, white skin, his features as beautiful as the groan of a dying flower petal; the left side of the line was a bloody, grotesque mess, as if he had been doused with boiling oil.

This was Yu Cuiwei, the "Ghost-Faced Transvestite" who had been hunted and loathed by the martial arts world seven or eight years ago! True to his name, his appearance was neither male nor female, but breathtakingly alluring. Although he spoke in a masculine tone, his attire and the round fan he held made him resemble a top courtesan—extremely alluring, yet sending chills down one's spine. It was said that such a appearance was most attractive to young women. Old Man Weng and Nan Ge, seeing the infamous Yu Cuiwei for the first time, shook their heads inwardly, truly baffled by the hearts of young girls. What was so appealing about this transvestite?

"Brother Yu," a young, almost childish female voice chuckled from a small boat at the stern, "Xiao Jingjing was killed by the sect leader, aren't you sad?" A girl of about sixteen or seventeen, dressed as a maid, with her hair in two buns and wearing a pink dress, emerged from the boat. She pointed to the mast, where Xiao Jingjing, who had been so arrogant just yesterday, was now hanging. For a woman who had once been the tyrant of Furong Manor to meet such a fate was truly lamentable.

Yu Cuiwei glanced casually at Xiao Jingjing's corpse, gently fanning himself with his fan, and said softly, "Only your death will make me sad. Isn't it good that she's dead? I've long been disgusted by such a sentimental old woman." He spoke softly, his voice a mixture of five parts gentleness, two parts dashing charm, two parts ruthlessness, and one part indifference. These words made the man want to punch him to death, but the women on the other boats laughed, "Yu Lang is still so wicked, he has no conscience at all."

"She risked her life for Brother Yu, and you, you really are a ruthless killer." The maid smiled and said, "If Xingxing spends too much time with you, she might be bewitched by you too. You heartless and ungrateful man."

"I feel disgusted just looking at this kind of person." A man in white on the large ship that was crashing into them said coldly, "I really don't know what Ling Yan thinks is so good about this kind of person, that he has to win over such people no matter what."

Yu Cuiwei slightly raised her round fan, gracefully covering half of her face, and said softly, "You'll know what's so good about me when you come to my room tonight."

Upon hearing this, Bi Qiuhan frowned deeply, unable to bear it any longer. This man was morally corrupt, lewd, and vicious; every word and action he had taken since his appearance was utterly repulsive. But not only did many women laugh, even Sheng Xiang burst out laughing. Turning her head, she saw this young master staring wide-eyed at Yu Cuiwei, as if he found him quite amusing.

"Brother Yu, stop teasing him. The Master hates it when people joke with him." Xingxing sat at the bow of her boat, clapped her hands, and said with a grin, "Dear brothers and sisters of Bingzhu Temple and Furong Manor, the Master has ordered that if you kill anyone on that boat tonight, he will bestow Brother Yu upon you and let you play with him for a day. Brother Yu is the most esteemed abbot of the temple, with a beautiful face and a charming personality. Normally, you wouldn't even be able to dream of him. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so you'd better try your best."

What... is this? Bi Qiuhan and Nan Ge felt a chill run down their spines. Li Lingyan actually used such a method to "offer a reward"! The person who was to be the prize didn't care at all. He stood there biting his lip and smiling, as if he himself found it very amusing.

Li Lingyan entrusted the matter to this young girl, but what about himself? Bi Qiuhan was horrified by the ugly scene of the Blood Sacrifice Ceremony in front of her, and a sense of unease slowly crept into her heart—Li Lingyan wasn't here, so where was he?

"Qiuhan, it looks like we need to seize the ship." Nange stood beside Bi Qiuhan and transmitted her voice, "Li Lingyan isn't here. I bet he's gone to Junshan to set up an ambush so we can wipe out all the heroes tomorrow!"

Bi Qiuhan nodded. "We shouldn't stay here any longer. Let's split into two groups. If either of us can seize a boat, we don't need to worry about the others. Let's go to Junshan to warn them first!"

Nan Ge nodded, and suddenly a long laugh shook the heavens and the surrounding area, making everyone's ears ring. "You demons, what a disgrace! If you want to offer rewards and compete for favor, draw your swords first! If I accidentally hurt your handsome young master's beautiful face, you won't even have time to cry!"

With a loud shout, several hidden arrows and darts flew from behind Yu Cuiwei, clearly indicating that some of the people from Bingzhu Temple who had submitted to Yu Cuiwei were dissatisfied.

This attack was like igniting a barrel of explosives, causing countless figures to leap from the four surrounding ships. Amidst flashing blades and swirling sword shadows, all sorts of unusual weapons were employed, each move ruthless and merciless, demonstrating the extraordinary power of Yu Cuiwei's magic.

The battlefield on the ship was in complete chaos, with shouts of killing audible for miles around. Everyone was busy killing or defending themselves, except for Young Master Shengxiang, who was busy with something on the ship.

Two women behind Yu Cuiwei carried over a large willow-woven chair. He sat comfortably, fanning himself gently, watching the battle unfold before him, completely unaware of the bloodshed and sacrifice of those around him. Suddenly, he noticed a young man in yellow robes pacing back and forth on the other boat. Yu Cuiwei looked at him with interest. While everyone else was fighting, this young man was the only one on the boat, looking around and rummaging through boxes and cabinets, as if searching for something. After watching for a while, he asked with amusement, "What are you looking for?"

The boy in yellow looked up, and Yu Cuiwei exclaimed in admiration, "What an adorable child!"

The boy in yellow blinked and said with a smile, "I'm looking for Little Gray."

"Little Grey?" Yu Cuiwei asked softly. "What's that?"

“A big rabbit,” the boy in yellow gestured, “this big.”

"A rabbit?" Yu Cuiwei seemed surprised, then he laughed. "Is it this one?" He pulled something out from under the chair. A large gray rabbit bared its teeth at him unwillingly. It was Shengxiang's Little Gray.

"This guy is a fickle opportunist, a traitor to his country, a womanizer who forgets his principles, and a philanderer who values women over friends." The boy in yellow was overjoyed and ran straight towards him, hugging the big, fat rabbit. He even pulled a stool from Yu Cuiwei's boat and sat down, feeling much calmer. He and Yu Cuiwei watched the battle on the opposite boat with smiles on their faces.

“That old man is in big danger. I bet he’ll be cleaved in two in less than twenty moves.” Yu Cuiwei shook his fan. “Aren’t you going to help? He really will die if no one helps him.”

"Help?" The young man in yellow glared. "I hate swords, spears, and clubs the most. People say swords and spears don't have eyes. What if I accidentally get hurt? I'm weak. If I die after being injured, who will compensate me? Besides, excitement is for watching. It's not fun if you join in and let others watch." He watched the battle on the other side with great interest. "Moreover, Xiao Bi is very chivalrous. He would rather die himself than let the old man be hacked to death."

Yu Cuiwei chuckled softly, a laugh that was captivating and alluring. "Aren't you afraid that Xiao Bi will get hurt?"

With a "snap," the boy in yellow unfolded a gold-rimmed folding fan from his sleeve, pointed at Bi Qiuhan who was standing back to back with Nan Ge, and said, "If they still get hurt like this, they can't blame others for being strong; they can only blame themselves for being weak."

Yu Cuiwei glanced at him sideways, her eyes smiling and watery, and said softly, "A-Wan doesn't know martial arts, and his eyesight is bad. Aren't you worried?"

The boy in yellow smiled and fanned himself, "Anyway, Anan and Xiao Bi will save people, why should I worry?"

"What a strange child." Yu Cuiwei shook his fan. "What's your name?"

"My name is Shengxiang. I am a truly exceptional and universally loved person, unparalleled in history." Shengxiang smiled at Yu Cuiwei. "Da Yu..." He suddenly covered his mouth with his fan and whispered something to Yu Cuiwei.

Yu Cuiwei laughed heartily upon hearing this, "Of course."

Shengxiang smiled and continued to whisper to him while covering her face with her fan.

Yu Cuiwei thought for a moment, then pursed his lips and said, "No."

Saint Fragrance continued to whisper in his ear.

This time, Yu Cuiwei looked at Shengxiang with a smile and said, "I don't believe it."

Shengxiang said with a smile, "Are you scared?"