Ne vous appuyez pas contre la rambarde ouest pour profiter pleinement de l'automne clair - Chapitre 5
In a dark and secluded alley, seven men in black surrounded and attacked a man in a white robe.
"What a bunch of fools! They actually dared to mess with me, Chu Xuyao! They've got some nerve!" Chu Xuyao brandished his soft sword, his moves were fierce and ruthless, and in an instant, three out of the seven men in black fell.
"Speak! Who sent you here?!" The icy tone was like a demon from hell, sending chills down the spines of the four men in black! The wind billowed Chu Xuyao's robes, making them flutter wildly; Chu Xuyao's unruly hair danced in the wind, and coupled with his cold, expressionless face, he looked truly eerie and bewitching.
Suppressing his inner fear, the leader of the men in black gave a wink, and the other three understood. They simultaneously stepped back and sprinkled a packet of white powder at Chu Xuyao.
Holding his breath, Chu Xuyao dispersed the poison powder with his sword energy and sneered, "These are just child's play! Bring on whatever other tricks you have up your sleeve!"
Unexpectedly, the leader of the men in black burst into laughter: "Chu Xuyao, you think you're so skilled in martial arts? You still fell into my hands! Hmph, Chu Xuyao, this day next year will be your death anniversary! Brothers, charge! The master said that as long as we deal with him, he'll set us free!"
Freedom—a word unattainable for those who live in darkness year after year. Who enjoys licking blood from the edge of a knife, living a life of constant uncertainty? Who enjoys living in the dark depths of the earth, cut off from the bright sunlight? Who enjoys being controlled by others year after year, becoming a mindless puppet? Freedom, something they once dared not even dream of, is now beckoning to them from not far away. How could they not be excited and thrilled?
These words acted like a stimulant, making the men in black's blood boil. Their iron swords, as if sensing their master's excitement, hummed and whistled in harmony with the wind. They drew their swords, already poised to strike, and viciously thrust them at Chu Xuyao.
"You're courting death!" Chu Xuyao revealed a cruel sneer and immediately drew his sword to meet the attack. But at that moment, a sharp pain shot through his chest, and his sword-wielding hand fell limply to his side! Damn it, he'd been poisoned!
He narrowly avoided a fatal sword strike, but his slow movement caused the sharp blade to pierce his shoulder. Bright red blood gushed out, staining his moon-white robe crimson, forming glaring red flowers.
I tried to circulate my qi, but the pain in my chest only intensified! I've been poisoned... How could this be...?
Chu Xuyao's suspicious expression only made the leader of the men in black even more smug: "Trying to figure out how you got poisoned? Haha, indeed, you didn't inhale the Poison-Eating Powder into your lungs, but a little bit did get on your skin! Normally, this wouldn't have any effect on you at all, hehe, but for someone who just drank the Western Regions' 'Beauty's Lament' wine today, it's very effective! The Poison-Eating Powder reacts with 'Beauty's Lament,' causing temporary loss of martial arts skills and weakness in the limbs..."
A beauty's tragedy, a beauty's tragedy...
"Master Chu, have a taste, this is the treasure of the Western Regions, Beauty's Lament..."
"Beauty's Lament... Hmm, the wine is mellow, refreshing, and invigorating, with a sweet and fragrant aroma that lingers on the lips and teeth. A fine wine! Truly worthy of the title 'treasure among wines'..."
It was her! Chu Xuyao's eyes narrowed, gleaming with cold light, as if he wanted to tear her to pieces! How dare she betray me! If I, Chu Xuyao, am alive to return today, I will make sure that person who betrayed me knows just what kind of person she has messed with!
Chu Xuyao's bloodshot eyes and wide-open glare reminded the man in black of a wolf in the wilderness! That bloodthirsty gaze, cold expression, and arrogant aura made the man in black hesitate to approach.
"What a coward! What are you afraid of! He's nothing but a trapped beast now!" The leader of the men in black encouraged himself, pointing his sword at Chu Xuyao and feigning composure, "Chu Xuyao, stop wasting your energy! You're going to die anyway, so you might as well end it all. That would be a more dignified death, and it wouldn't dishonor your title of Cold-Faced Young Master..."
"Do you desperados intend to defy the imperial court? You know my relationship with the emperor. Release me, and I will petition the emperor to grant you respectable status, and from then on, wealth and honor will be yours for the rest of your lives! But if you kill me today, you will be defying the imperial court! Even if you gain your freedom, what then? You will be wanted for life, no matter where you are..."
"Shut the hell up!" Seeing his companion wavering, the leader panicked and shouted, urging the other men in black, "Brothers, don't listen to this kid's smooth talk! He talks a good game but doesn't deliver! They're all hypocrites! They say one thing and do another! Chu Xuyao, you think you can use that dog of an emperor, Dongfang Lie, to intimidate us? You've got it all wrong! You're not getting away today! Brothers, kill him! Kill him, and we'll all be free!"
The faint sounds of fighting coming from the alley made Rongyue pause slightly, but she quickly continued forward, searching for Dongfang Yao. A dark and windy night is a murderous night; professional habits aren't something you can easily break. Blood and darkness stimulated her senses, making her blood boil!
Taking a deep breath to suppress the restless unease in her heart, Rongyue looked at the few pedestrians on the street and murmured worriedly: Dongfang Yao, where did you go...?
"...Dongfang Lie...the dog emperor...he can't escape..." Huh? Dongfang Lie?! Rongyue stopped abruptly in surprise. The person being sniped in this alley was actually...Dongfang Lie?! And judging from the commotion, his situation seemed dire...
What does it have to do with her! What does the life or death of the Emperor of the Eastern Dynasty have to do with her? She doesn't even know him! Besides... Rongyue touched her right cheek; this emperor still harbors a grudge against her for slapping him! Shaking her head angrily, she continued her journey to find her husband.
Wait, no, that's not right! The Eastern Dynasty only has two royal bloodlines: Dongfang Lie and Dongfang Yao. If Dongfang Lie were to pass away, wouldn't Dongfang Yao become emperor? Wouldn't she... become empress? Her son would be the crown prince, and her daughter a princess? They always say on TV that crown princes are meant to be assassinated, and princesses are meant to be sent for political marriages! Wouldn't her children be born with a tragic fate? And that's not all; Dongfang Yao is an idiot. How could she possibly govern? If a group of ministers were to jointly petition for her to rule from behind the curtain as empress, wouldn't she spend the rest of her life getting up earlier than the rooster and sleeping later than the dog? Working like a slave, and thanklessly so?
Thinking this through, Rongyue secretly came to a conclusion: the emperor cannot die...
Volume One, Pear Blossom Courtyard, Melting Moon, Chapter Eight, An Encounter in the Alley (Part Two)
With his last ounce of willpower, Chu Xuyao dispatched two of the men in black. His strength gradually drained, Chu Xuyao braced himself on the ground, breathing weakly, his eyes icy cold. Was he, Chu Xuyao, truly going to perish here today?
Unwilling! Staring coldly at the two men standing before him, swords drawn and eyes gleaming with glee, Chu Xuyao was filled with resentment! A true man should die a worthy death! Since he rose to fame at sixteen, Chu Xuyao had prided himself on being invincible, possessing unparalleled martial arts skills, yet now he was to die an inexplicable death at the hands of these cowards… Alas, how unwilling he was!
The remaining two men in black were overjoyed to see that Chu Xuyao was truly exhausted. They exchanged a smile and then flanked him from the left and right.
Carelessness led to the loss of Jingzhou; who can be blamed for all this? So be it, it's all fate! With a final, sorrowful glance at the world, Chu Xuyao closed his eyes in despair, awaiting death…
After a while, the expected pain didn't come. Chu Xuyao opened his eyes in confusion and was surprised to find that the two assassins had somehow gotten into a fight with a woman!
The woman was unarmed, fighting bare-handed against the assassin wielding a longsword. Though petite, her martial arts skills were formidable! Her moves were chaotic yet ruthless, each strike deadly, every punch and kick targeting vital points! Her kung fu was entirely aimed at killing; her attacks were vicious and precise, without the slightest hesitation!
Who is this woman? Chu Xuyao looked at her with suspicion, but due to the darkness and the distance, he could only discern from her blurry outline and thin figure that she was a young girl. To kill someone at such a young age without batting an eye or trembling hands—it seemed she had received training from a young age, had killed before… Could she… be an assassin…?
This body was worlds apart from her body in her previous life! Rongyue, hands on her knees, squatted on the ground, panting and cursing under her breath. She had overestimated this body! Rongyue rubbed her sore arms and legs, constantly complaining. Just two people, and she was already panting like an old ox! But that aside, what made her, the top mercenary, even more humiliated was that she had actually been kicked twice! Twice! This was something that was less likely than Halley's Comet hitting Earth in the past! A disgrace!
Spitting angrily, Rongyue felt an unprecedented sense of defeat. She'd already been reduced to this state by just two people; what would she do if there were seven or eight? Would she be a laughingstock to the King of Hell?
Rongyue abruptly raised her head in resentment, meeting Chu Xuyao's eyes, which were filled with interest and amusement. This woman was truly fascinating! She'd won a battle, yet she looked so aggrieved, muttering to herself while twisting her neck and stretching her legs. And just moments before, she'd even spat in a rather unladylike manner—completely lacking any semblance of femininity. Unconventional, impulsive—truly a unique woman…
Huh? Why aren't those eyes Dongfang Lie's peach blossom eyes?! To confirm her guess, Rongyue got up and strode towards Chu Xuyao.
Seeing Rong Yue slowly walking towards him, Chu Xuyao's smile faded, and his hand instinctively reached for the soft sword beside him. Although he admired her straightforwardness, it didn't mean he could let his guard down around her! One can never be too careful! Moreover, this woman, who seemed to have fallen from the sky, had a mysterious identity; her allegiance was unclear. How could he afford to be careless?
"I must have stepped in dog shit!" When Rongyue realized that the disheveled man in front of her was not Dongfang Lie, that stinky man who liked to hit women, she couldn't help but spit fire in her eyes and roar at Chu Xuyao through gritted teeth!
Damn it! Heaven knows how furious she is! She was just enjoying a nice shopping trip, and then she lost Dongfang Yao! She was already incredibly anxious and guilty! She searched every street and alley for ages, asked around, called out countless times, practically running herself ragged and shouting until her voice was hoarse, but she still hadn't seen a single trace of Dongfang Yao! The world isn't peaceful; heaven knows how worried and anxious she was! But fate still wasn't satisfied with her chaos, her busyness, or her fun, forcing her to intervene when everyone was engrossed in their killing spree, turning the tide of the battle! Even worse, she had her proud, top mercenary of the Fiend Sun Hall humiliatingly kicked twice, making her realize just how 'weak' her body was! That wouldn't have been so bad, as long as her efforts were worthwhile! But... but why wasn't it him?! It turns out all her hard work was for nothing!!!
The speaker was just venting unintentionally, but the listener took it to heart! Rongyue yelled at Chu Xuyao, saying she stepped in dog poop, but Chu Xuyao interpreted it in a completely different way! Naturally, he took it personally, assuming the dog poop referred to him, Chu Xuyao.
"What do you mean?!" Chu Xuyao's face immediately turned cold, his sharp, sword-like gaze sweeping fiercely towards Rong Yue, whose almond-shaped eyes were wide open. He, Chu Xuyao, descended the mountain at sixteen, defeated the self-proclaimed 'Number One Martial Artist Under Heaven' Wu Suanzi at seventeen, began traveling the world at eighteen and earned the title 'Cold-Faced Young Master,' and at twenty-two, he started from scratch, establishing Qilin Manor and developing it into the number one manor in the world in just three years! To put it bluntly, his current wealth and power could rival the current imperial court! He could calmly accept people's respect, admiration, worship, or even fear, because he, Chu Xuyao, had the capital and the ability to do so! Except for Dongfang Lie's occasional harmless jokes, no one had ever dared to disobey him, let alone insult him! But now, this ignorant woman, unaware of her own limitations, had actually compared him to dog shit! How could he, with his proud and arrogant nature, tolerate this?!
"Literal meaning! Are you stupid? Can't you understand human language?!"
"You—say it again if you dare!"
"You're an idiot, you can't understand human language!" This time it was even worse, skipping the questioning and directly stating the fact.
"What an ill-mannered woman! A country bumpkin! A woman like you, so vulgar and shrewish, will never get married..." Chu Xuyao cursed viciously through gritted teeth. If Dongfang Lie were to see Chu Xuyao's hateful expression at this moment, he would surely be astonished, his jaw dropping to the ground, and exclaim in surprise, "So even my deadpan senior brother can have such an expression!"
"Bullshit!" Damn it! What kind of world is this?! She, Rongyue, risked her life to snatch him back from the jaws of death, and he, acting all high and mighty, didn't even utter a single word of thanks. Fine, fine, but why is it that good deeds go unrewarded these days? (Fairy: Good deeds? You saved the wrong person, didn't you?) She clearly saved him, so why is he still glaring at her with those deadpan eyes?! Glaring is one thing, but why is he threatening her, viciously cursing her? Look at him, acting like she was just a dog chasing a mouse!
"How could there be a woman like you in this world?! The world is going to the dogs..."
"None of your business! My mouth is my own, I can say whatever I want!" Rongyue crossed her arms, straightened one leg and spread the other leg outward at an angle, her toes constantly bobbing on the ground, causing her body to tremble in front of Chu Xuyao; her chin was raised high in a defiant manner, her mouth stretched to one side, almost reaching the back of her head, and she looked down at Chu Xuyao squatting on the ground with a condescending gaze, perfectly playing the role of a female thug!