Roi céleste

Chapitre 2

Although I thought I could manage it, the thought of being killed by four such powerful people instead of those already wiped out made me regret not running away earlier. I couldn't help but wipe the sweat from my forehead before it even appeared...

These four young men, who were probably veterans of the martial arts world, thought they had only loosened their muscles by shaking their hands and didn't care at all. The baby-faced boy closed his iron fan and put it back on his waist, picked up the kettle and poured himself a cup of tea, but the beautiful woman snatched it away and drank it, completely ignoring the boy's angry, wide-eyed stare.

The young man, whose gaze was hard to look away from, smiled faintly at the sight, making his perfectly sculpted features even more gentle, like a fine wine aged in a cellar, or a piece of jade nurtured for a long time. He didn't seem like a江湖人 (jianghu person, someone from the martial arts world), but rather like a refined gentleman.

But his inherent aloofness and the indifferent light in his eyes could not escape my all-seeing, invincible eyes.

Then the muscular man finally reacted, his face darkening as he roared, "You bunch of brats, stop being so arrogant! That old bastard Qinglang is dead, and Tian Shu Palace will be swallowed up sooner or later. Let's see how long you can be so cocky!"

Wait, heavens, the Heavenly Pivot Palace!

My Jade Emperor, Queen Mother, and Red Boy! What sins and good deeds have I committed to deserve this encounter with the ruthless Tian Shu Palace, one of the three giants of the martial arts world! How unlucky I am to have fallen for such a terrible misfortune!

It was only then that I realized I had underestimated this muscular guy. Not everyone has his kind of impulsive and fearless spirit, which made me want to give him a little red flower...

The beautiful woman seemed completely unconcerned, and lazily smiled, "This is none of your business, you're already in your coffin."

The muscular man's face contorted with rage. He glared at his dead men, gripping his massive axe with trembling hands, and roared at the beautiful woman, "You little bastard—"

The beautiful woman's face instantly turned cold. She reached for her waist and untied the soft whip, saying coldly, "Your tongue is even dirtier than a slut's—"

A sharp whip shadow shot straight towards the muscular man's mouth. A flash of blood appeared, and the whip was pulled back, revealing a severed tongue pierced through the end of the whip!

The femme fatale flicked her tongue into the baby-faced boy's teacup and said casually, "Just something to go with your drinks." She wiped the whip, flicked it lightly around her waist, and with a clever twist, the whip wrapped itself around her slender waist.

At this moment, my only contempt for that beauty vanished. How precise and ruthless must the force have been to pull out the tongue instead of dragging the whole person over? And it was a whip with extremely difficult force to control!

Caught off guard by having his tongue ripped out, the muscular brute finally went mad, raising his giant axe high and charging towards the table of monsters, his bloodshot eyes filled with a crazed light.

The group of monsters at the table clearly thought that Muscle Tuo's desperate attack was not worth mentioning, and no one paid him any attention. However, Muscle Tuo stopped abruptly about half a zhang away from the group. A bloodstain appeared on his forehead, but he seemed unaware of it, his eyes still filled with murderous intent.

The muscular mass, still bearing a ferocious expression, crashed to the ground.

I was dumbfounded.

I saw it. A flash of sword light appeared from the sleeve of that peerless young man, disappearing in an instant, yet cleaving the muscular man and the giant axe in two. The distance was half a zhang, indicating he used sword energy to cut it open.

She actually used a sword meant for thrusting to cleave! And it was just sword energy! Even if I were wielding a divine weapon, I couldn't cut an iron axe in half so easily! Fast, accurate, and ruthless—this is practically a divine sword technique from his second aunt! Okay, I'm going crazy!

I've finally realized that I might not be able to defeat any one of these four even if I used the first two moves of the Sword Technique. Yes, I haven't even mastered the third move yet, let alone four people! Moreover, these four people all look to be only around twenty years old. Did these prodigies grow up eating peaches of immortality?

The ordinary people, who had almost never seen swords before, had never witnessed such a scene. They couldn't help but steal glances while trembling with fear. I even smelled a strong stench of urine. Holding my nose, I looked over and saw a group of once-proud martial arts heroes, who had been shouting orders at us, now lying dead on the ground, their eyes wide open in death. Then I looked at those monsters who had killed without batting an eye, now calmly sipping tea. I was struck by a sudden realization—

How could the world of martial arts not be treacherous!

...

At this moment, besides the four people drinking tea, the only other survivors in the entire teahouse were this group huddled in this corner. We all stared in terror at the four martial arts masters who held the power of life and death, unsure if we would survive.

The baby-faced boy put down his teacup, stood up, and walked towards us. He smiled and said to us, who looked on in panic, "We're not like those people just now. We don't kill people who don't know martial arts, but killing someone in town is a bit troublesome. I'll put a silencing acupoint on each of you now to avoid making a fuss. Then we'll leave first, and you can leave later. The silencing acupoints will automatically release after an hour. What do you all think?"

Upon hearing that they could live, and that it was said by a seemingly kind-looking young man, everyone nodded vigorously. While I feigned elation, I muttered to myself, "People who don't know the dangers of the martial world are so easily fooled. How could they possibly let us go? They'll just silence us and make us easier to kill."

Seeing that we had no objections, the boy smiled again, revealing two dimples that made him look even more innocent. "Since you all have no objections, I will begin. Please do not resist." He then pointed two fingers at a woman on the outermost edge of the room—

"Ah—murder—" I screamed at the top of my lungs when no one was looking.

The young woman was startled and immediately screamed as she stood up and ran towards the door that the cold-faced man had slammed shut with chopsticks. Chaos erupted as everyone screamed and rushed towards the door. The boy and the three seated men were momentarily stunned, then immediately grabbed their weapons and gave chase.

I didn't have time to watch the bloody scene. Instead, I stood up and, after the four people had turned around, immediately pushed open the window next to me. To pretend I didn't know martial arts, I even stood on a stool for support and flipped over. I didn't close the window behind me to block their view. Most people would be too panicked to think of this. Once they found out I knew martial arts, they would definitely stop at nothing to kill me and silence me.

Before even landing, I used a stealthy step to disappear into the crowd, walking unhurriedly down the street like a passerby, ignoring the few curious people who noticed my movements and gathered around the teahouse. The whole thing took less than two breaths, and since I was wearing the most inconspicuous gray clothes, even if they did react, they shouldn't have noticed me.

The thought of the purple-clad youth's casual swing, which was almost comparable to the old man's sword strike on Luowu Mountain, sent chills down my spine. Yet, I maintained the expression of a typical young woman glancing curiously at a roadside stall selling trinkets.

Then suddenly a person appeared in front of me and stood there.

...

I slowly moved my stiff neck and raised my head, only to be met with a pair of slightly curved phoenix eyes, making the upturned corners of the eyes appear even longer, and the lashes covering them concealed the flickering light flowing in the depths of the pupils.

Even someone as experienced as my second aunt, who has seen it all, was completely mesmerized by those phoenix eyes.

The man, whose face was as smooth as jade, looked down at me, a faint smile on his lips, and spoke:

"Young lady, haven't we just met?"

...

Note: Lotus green, a deep bluish-purple, is a typical cool color. Physiologically, cool colors have shorter wavelengths and generally tend to create a receding effect.

Three cups of wine with three flavors

Three Flavors Wine - At the Sunset Pavilion, let's share three flavors of wine. We'll compose poems by planting peonies in the garden, and drink wine in the dogwood pavilion in a drunken stupor. Only the setting sun evokes thoughts by the stream, as the wine flag's shadow falls in the spring breeze.

...

This is exactly what I feared...

If I hadn't been wearing a mask, my face would definitely be charcoal-colored right now, and I could probably burn for five days and five nights if I were thrown into the stove.

I know I must not show any panic or fear right now, even though no expression will be too obvious through a mask.

Calm down, calm down, let me think. If it were an ordinary young woman, and such a handsome young man came to chat her up, she would probably feel slightly annoyed at being taken advantage of, but she would also feel shy and unconsciously delighted.

I tried my best to hide my embarrassment, quickly averting my eyes and pretending to be embarrassed and annoyed that I had looked directly at a strange man. I said in a soft, embarrassed voice, "No..."

The other party did not respond immediately, so I had no choice but to bite the bullet and look up timidly. I saw him squinting and observing the expression on my face as if he were considering something. His eyes were deep and his gaze was cold.

As I pretended to be shy and lowered my head abruptly, I heard the faint voice of the peerless man, who was not wearing a crown and should not have reached adulthood: "Then I must have made a mistake. Please forgive my intrusion." His voice was like flowing water splashing jade, and the transition between words seemed to contain rhythm.

Hearing this, my stiff back slowly relaxed. The other person was indeed unsure and was just testing the waters. I still didn't dare to relax and said in a forced tone, "I see..." My voice carried a hint of doubt, as if I had been teased, and an unconscious regret.

Even I, listening to myself, think that acting skills might actually be my best asset...

From some subtle clues, it's clear that the other party is very intelligent; it's probably not a case of talking to a brick wall.

I guess I can leave now. I pretended to want to say something but hesitated several times, and finally left reluctantly because of my reputation as a young lady.

I tried my best to hide my cheerful footsteps...

His back, exposed to the person behind him, was taut, as if something was amiss, and he began to ponder.

An ordinary young woman, usually confined to her home, nearing the blossoming age of sixteen, encounters such a stunningly handsome man. He seems to initiate conversation, but then suddenly nothing happens. Hmm… she probably can't let it go immediately. She might even be feeling a flutter in her heart. It's unlikely she'd just walk away so easily…

I stopped in my tracks, took a deep breath, and, feigning composure, straightened my appearance. With a flick of my sleeves, my flowing black hair and graceful glances, I turned around without a smile, my eyes sparkling with charm and my brows conveying emotion—it was the very look that startled me!

...

The cobblestone streets were bustling with pedestrians. The sunlight after the rain, like pale flower juice, slanted across the cobblestones, filling the air with fragrance.

Not far away, a man was gazing intently at her, as graceful as a tree in spring, as lush as grass in the morning. His hair was jet black, his features exquisite, and his purple robes were captivating. His silhouette was even more refined in the sunlight, and passersby couldn't help but steal a few glances at this handsome young man.

When he saw my shy look as I turned around, his eyes narrowed, his long eyelashes drooped, and his phoenix eyes were shrouded in a faint shadow, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.

Looking into his deep, unfathomable eyes, I knew that my girlish infatuation, which I'd dug out from who-knows-where, hadn't been in vain. I couldn't help but marvel at how this seemingly charming man was so cautious and meticulous; wasn't he afraid of getting constipated with all those scheming thoughts in his mind?

Mission accomplished, I pretended to turn around and found the other person looking at me too. I panicked and turned away, finally leaving happily as I had hoped...

...

If I had known this wasn't the end, but the beginning of everything, I definitely wouldn't have cared so much about appearances. I would have charged forward and, for the sake of my future bitter tears, yelled at him, "Go to hell with your second aunt!"

...

Having narrowly escaped death, I deeply understood the importance of not risking my life to save money. So, I checked into the most expensive inn in Buxian Town. The first thing I did after entering the room was to change my appearance. Since I was wearing a veil, I wouldn't arouse the waiter's suspicion. Don't think I have a dozen; I only have two. They're treasures Li Yiyao gave me, essential items for home, travel, murder, and silencing witnesses in the martial arts world.

As a result, problems arose even with this.

I was awakened in the middle of the night by noises on the roof. Out of caution, I jumped onto the roof to eavesdrop and discovered that a group of people were plotting a sinister scheme.

"...The tea...it must have poisoned them by now..."

"……yes."

"We received word that they're in this inn... but we couldn't figure out which room... so we might as well go all the way... and kill everyone here... Shut up... we'd rather kill a thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go free..."

"...Check for any oversights...You guys each take charge of five rooms...Be quick and efficient...Be careful, don't alert them...Finish them off with a fire...Destroy the evidence..."

"You may go."

"yes."

My face darkened when I heard that.

Is it possible that today is an inauspicious day, bringing misfortune and death?

The tea was poisoned! Martial arts practitioners are different from ordinary people; they can go a day or two without water. I didn't drink it, but others...

How many innocent people will die today? These people, who know a little martial arts, are so audacious that they openly commit murder and arson. They deserve to die.

I had no choice but to continue squatting on the beam, waiting for some unlucky fellow to enter my room.

Through the half-open window, one can see the shadows of clouds and the light of the sky, while the desolate moonlight from beyond the heavens is now painted on the floor.

The faint chirping of insects is a midnight song.

The door was slowly pushed open, and a figure flashed in. I raised my right hand.

As the figure lunged at the bed, I flicked my wrist, and a dark shadow flashed between my fingers, piercing the man's throat. The assassin fell to the ground silently.

I yawned, jumped off the roof beam, checked the man's breathing and found he was no longer breathing. I pulled the object from his neck, wiped the blood off the sheets, and tucked it into my sleeve. Then I took off the mysterious man's outer garment and put it on myself, stuffing the clothes I had taken off and the corpse into the bed.

After waiting for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he finally swaggered out the door.

I leaped from the corridor onto the roof. The moonlight filled the room, clearly illuminating several figures. I pulled up my mask and approached.

"Is everything packed up?" It was the voice of the person who had given the order earlier.

I nodded. I subtly raised my hand—

At this moment, two more figures joined them.

I gritted my teeth and decided to give up, choosing not to cause trouble.

"Alright, everyone's here. I've poured the oil. Scatter and light the fires. Remember, you must come back here. This is the only gap I haven't poured oil on. If you can't leave, you'll burn to death here. Disperse!"

I had no choice but to jump behind a pillar not far away and stay there for a while. When I saw the flames rising, I came out again and jumped back.

Once everyone was gathered, the leader waved his hand and said, "Let's go!" He then turned and leaped outside.

Everyone followed. Judging from their lightness skills, this team was much better than the shoddy team that was wiped out during the day. I deliberately lagged behind.

I jumped over the courtyard wall and ran for a while, gradually falling to the back. Seeing that no one was turning around, I immediately turned and slipped into the alley next to me.