Un cœur pur dans un pot de jade

Chapitre 28

Yan Chaohong glared at me, "I'm hungry."

"Didn't you eat enough for dinner?"

"...I'm so angry I'm full of anger."

Upon closer inspection, Yan Chaohong's eyebrows were rather thin, which is why I found his oval face to be quite striking. When he raised his eyebrows, his eyes and nose resembled those of a concubine who had swallowed a bellyful of bitterness, lacking status and unable to grace the table, with a melancholy expression.

“Sun Qingshan, let me ask you something,” Yan Chaohong tapped the table with the end of her chopsticks, then glanced at me and asked, “Are you a concubine who ran away from some wealthy family? Have you gotten your indenture back?”

"A concubine?" I was taken aback. "A contract of servitude? You mean me?"

Yan Chaohong's beef noodles were served, steaming hot. Yan Chaohong stopped talking and looked down at the clear broth, beef, and greens in the white porcelain bowl.

There was a brief silence on his part, but I understood what he meant. What he wanted to tell me was a problem that had been ignored for a long time, that we had both avoided for a long time, and that we would eventually have to bring up and face if we wanted to meet peacefully.

"I'm not a concubine," I finally said, holding my breath. "I'm not a courtesan, a dancer, a geisha, or a prostitute. I didn't sell myself. I just had a brain injury from the fall and it happened randomly. Actually, I quite like you..."

“I finally understand.” Yan Zhaohong interrupted me, still looking at the untouched bowl of noodles. “You mean ‘play’? You mean play.”

“Yan Chaohong, think about it,” I racked my brains to find a reason to comfort him, “we had only just met back then, we didn’t know each other well, and there was no real affection between us. But I really thought you were a very good person, otherwise there wouldn’t have been that incident with the stack of melon seeds. But that time was just an experiment, an exploration… Anyway, what I said beforehand wasn’t for nothing. Didn’t you also say that we should just enjoy life while we can?”

"Who says otherwise!" Yan Chaohong slammed his fist on the table, furious. "I've never taken that kind of thing seriously. I'm not just living for the moment; to tell you the truth, I live for pleasure every day, surrounded by beautiful women, and I'm enjoying myself to the fullest!"

"Daily pleasures?" I was stunned for a moment, then shouted, "Yan Chaohong, back then—you, you, you dared to cheat on me with other women?!"

"What are you saying?!" Yan Chaohong wanted to strangle me. "What happened back then?! I didn't say you were seeing savages behind my back, so why are you saying I was cheating on you with other women?!"

"That's different!" I glared at him. "I said from the beginning that it was a mutually beneficial arrangement, but you're different. I know you're serious, so you can't say things like that, otherwise it's unfaithful to the relationship—Yan Chaohong, I thought I knew you!"

"Sun Qingshan!" Yan Chaohong slammed her hand on the table, but then deflated. She glared at me one last time, then suddenly buried her head and started munching on her noodles.

He didn't say a word as the noodles steamed hot, stuffing them all into his mouth.

"Cough cough..." and then he choked.

Helpless, I reached for the table to pour him tea, pushing the cup towards him. "I was just kidding," I said. "I just wanted you to know that we both misunderstood from the start. I never imagined you were so innocent; no wonder you suspected I was someone else's concubine—"

Yan Chaohong suddenly looked up, and I dared not say another word.

"But I'm serious about the savage... Yan Chaohong, I'm sorry..." This time she was sincere, looking directly into his rather exquisitely handsome nose and eyes, "I've figured it out. Our relationship was just a lesson learned. There's probably no other woman as self-righteous as me, who thought you were like me..."

silence.

This does not mean that he has calmed down.

"sorry……"

Yan Chaohong ignored me and started eating her noodles.

When I looked up again, he reminded me with a cold, oval face, "Don't forget to return my ten taels of silver!" He paused, then said impatiently, "I called you out to explain to you about what happened today when your husband hired a prostitute."

The matter of the alliance leader...

"The night rain at Jinchi," Yan Chaohong said, "made her famous overnight."

Nine years ago in Bianliang, the capital of the Eastern Kingdom, outside the Xinzheng Gate in the west of the city, at the Lotus Pavilion and Jinming Pond, the master of the Chen Gang Hall of the Demonic Sect challenged Shi Youfeng, the then leader of the martial arts alliance. However, Shi Youfeng was suffering from an old ailment and could not accept the challenge. A nineteen-year-old youth of unknown origin stepped forward to fight in his place and severely injured the master of the Chen Gang Hall in one battle, rendering him unable to get out of bed for a year and unable to condense his internal energy for five years. This battle was a legendary feat that had not been seen in the martial arts world for nearly thirty years, and it made the nineteen-year-old youth famous overnight.

"Nineteen years old?" I waved my hand. "You can't really be considered a young man, you're more like a teenager."

Yan Chaohong glared at me, and I dared not say another word.

“That man is the current leader of the martial arts alliance, Shao Yanhe.” Yan Chaohong said solemnly, “Six years ago, when he took over as leader, he was only twenty-one years old, but he only served for two years. Four years ago, he mysteriously disappeared, along with the sword in his hand that symbolized his position as leader and was able to command the martial arts world today—the Divine Weeping Sword.

The Divine Weeping Blade, like the Dragon-Slaying Saber, is described by Yan Chaohong as being able to cut iron like mud and shave hair in two. Even more miraculously, it can command the world, and none dare disobey it.

However, it wasn't that the knife contained a treasure; rather, it was always a symbol of the martial arts alliance leader's status. In other words, without this knife, even if the missing leader had long since died in obscurity somewhere on Earth, ten years later, a hundred years later, there would still be no next leader in the martial arts world. So that person became arrogant, remaining silent, and instead became the martial arts alliance leader for all time, a figure unparalleled in history.

The problem now is that the current leader of the alliance, Shao Yanhe, is missing, and the God's Cry Blade, which disappeared with him, has reappeared and ended up in the hands of the third young master of the Nangong family, who is a collector.

Therefore, the Divine Catcher Owl's visit to Chengdu this time was on a secret imperial decree to retrieve the knife.

Because the martial arts world is not pure, various forces collude with the Liao people, and even willingly act as lackeys of the Khitan. If a treacherous person were to obtain this knife and incite the world, then the borders of the Song Dynasty would not be at peace.

To be honest, I really want to say that although I don't know much about history, the borders of the Great Song Dynasty have never been peaceful, have they?

However, judging from Yan Chaohong's tone, their Liangshan stronghold had obviously been recruited by the imperial court many years ago due to a special event.

Only then will there be assassins, secretly eliminating those who are an obstacle for the authorities and government.

“But I can’t be considered a real assassin.” Yan Chaohong looked at me with a bitter smile. “Actually, the one who has always completed the missions is Mingming… He just gave me some of the big credit, making me the second-best assassin in the world, so that my father wouldn’t break my legs.”

"I see," I thought to myself. "That makes more sense." But I said aloud, "These things aren't easy to pass around. If he just gives them away casually, his enemies might find out and put you in a deadly predicament."

"Don't you think Mingming is pitiful?" Yan Chaohong frowned and asked. "Mingming believes in Buddhism because he is kind-hearted, but he kills because his life belongs to Liangshan Village. There are some things he has to do..."

“It’s precisely because he’s kind-hearted,” I interjected, “that he didn’t want you to get your hands dirty. You should thank Mingming properly; he’s a good person.”

Yan Chaohong nodded, finished her sigh, and returned to the main topic—the reason she brought the savage to the brothel this time was because retrieving the knife from the Nangong family was a hundred times more difficult than retrieving a treasure from the palace. First, she couldn't do it openly, because the imperial court shouldn't interfere in the affairs of the martial arts world, otherwise it would provoke angry figures in the martial arts community to rise up in rebellion; second, she couldn't do it secretly—buy it with money? The owl had no money, and the imperial court hadn't allocated him any funds, not to mention that who was so wealthy as to be able to afford the price of the world's number one Divine Weeping Knife? Except for the Nangong family—hire someone to steal it? There wasn't a single master thief in the world who could steal even the smallest thing from the Nangong family, not even a small steamed bun.

That's why there's a lack of talent in this generation of martial arts practitioners. There are many skilled practitioners of hard qigong, but few who practice unorthodox methods. It's so difficult to find a specialist with unique expertise when it matters most.

So the three decided to target the courtesan most beloved by the Third Young Master Nangong. However, they hesitated to make a move, and since they were all semi-public figures and didn't want to cause trouble, they turned their attention to the slightly healthier savage.

Initially, Yan Chaohong disagreed, but then came up with a terrible idea: if they could find a way to lure Meiji out, and then do it without anyone noticing—

"Wait!" I raised my hand to interrupt Yan Chaohong. "How can you say it's done without anyone noticing? Savages can't talk. Even if a beauty takes a liking to him and is willing to appear with him, it doesn't necessarily mean she can get anything out of him, unless—tell me the truth, did you make a last-ditch effort to have the savage offer himself to you?!"

"What are you saying!" Yan Chaohong quickly waved her hand. "How could that be?! I wouldn't dare, and besides, even if I did, he wouldn't agree!"

“So there’s another question,” I squinted at Yan Chaohong, “How exactly did you manage to get that savage to go to a brothel with you? He’s the purest of men; he would never go to a place like that for no reason!”

"Isn't that simple?" Yan Chaohong raised an eyebrow at me, smiling smugly. "I just told him that it was Sun Qingshan who said, it was Sun Qingshan who told him to do this—"

"You damned bastard!" I roared, punching Little Red squarely in the nose.

...

When Yeren woke up early in the morning, I first reported to him: "Last night I went out with Yan Chaohong while you were asleep, but we didn't do anything. He explained to me about you hooking up with prostitutes, and we ate a bowl of beef noodles with chili water. That's all—are you angry?"

The savage had just woken up, his eyes not even fully open, when he heard me earnestly admitting my mistake. He smiled, raised his hand and gently tugged at my hair, then shook his head.

"I knew savages were the best!" I leaned in and gave him a quick kiss, then sat up straight. "Alright, time to get up. Today I'm going to earn one tael of silver. My goal for five days from now is ten taels. If I earn another tael on the sixth day, we'll move to an inn and stop hanging out with them, okay?"

The savage laughed, and this time he nodded.

"The weather's nice," I patted his bed, "Get up!"

He squinted and remained motionless for a long time, pretending to be dead on the bed.

"Savage?" I raised my voice.

He reached out and grabbed my fingertips.

"I need you to get up," I said, feigning annoyance as I pulled my hand away. "The sun's already high in the sky—didn't you hear me?"

So he changed his approach and opened his arms to me.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

"You, hug, me..." The savage lay straight on the bed, his expression dazed, and moved his lips as if talking in his sleep.

If I weren't so observant and hadn't developed a habit of reading lips, I really wouldn't have known what his thin lips were moving around so much.

"You think I'll just hug you because you tell me to?" I said coyly. "If you're so capable, come and hug me then."

The savage sheepishly withdrew his hand, and I pretended to turn my head away, saying, "Fine, don't hug me then, who cares!"

Then someone grabbed my arm. I laughed. He didn't even need to use any force. I fell backward into his arms.

...

So the two lingered in bed, touching and making love for almost half an hour. When they got up, it was time for brunch, and when they went out, it was already a bright afternoon.

At the Chengdu market, I held hands with Yeren and enjoyed the pleasure of strolling around with a man.

Shouldn't we be thinking of ways to make money? — I paused in my joy, and the savage turned to look at me.

"Your glance back was truly graceful!" I exclaimed. "If only you smiled a little more."

Then the savage smiled, his slightly upturned lips curving into a smile, his eyes clear and peaceful.

I glanced to the side, but my blissful mood suddenly came to an abrupt halt, because behind the bustling crowd on the long street, two men who looked all too familiar walked towards me.

Yan Chaohong and Mi Shenbu were both dressed in commoner's clothes, intentionally or unintentionally trailing behind a rich young man in fine clothes. As for the identity of that rich young man, it was easy to guess that he was the third young master of the Nangong family, who had a collecting hobby.

Almost at the same time, I tried to pull the savage away.

The key lies in what Yan Chaohong said to me last night. Nothing happened without a reason. She gave me her entire fortune, so naturally she needs my help.

It is said that the Third Young Master of the Nangong family will hold a "Sword Debate Conference" at the North Training Ground in Chengdu in five days. The secret of the appearance of the Divine Weeping Sword will surely be revealed to the public at that time. Therefore, it will be even more difficult to seize the sword. After all, the dispute has already begun, and no matter what, there will definitely be people with ulterior motives who will track down the whereabouts of the sword.

Just like many years ago when the leader of the martial arts alliance disappeared, triggering the most magnificent search for people and treasures to date, the effect lasted for four whole years. Countless major martial arts sects fell apart in this effect, while countless ordinary people also grew infinitely stronger by taking advantage of this upheaval. Its negative impact was comparable to the subprime mortgage crisis that affected the world a thousand years later. The leader's disappearance led to the collapse of the "Liangfeng Manor" under his command, and the Wufu Gang, the largest gang in Jiangzuo under the leader, was torn apart. The direct result was that countless insightful people borrowed huge sums of money from banks, shops, headquarters, branches, halls, superiors, and layer upon layer to invest in the search for the leader. The indirect impact, however, was that Mingming told me that the price of chicken in the Chengdu market had fluctuated again.

Overall, it was a catastrophe for the people.

Therefore, the favor Yan Chaohong asked me to do concerns the well-being of all people, a great and practical matter for the country and its people. Even the operation itself is quite simple: just get close to the third young master of the Nangong family by taking advantage of one of his special hobbies, and then try to obtain the knife.

As for that special preference, it's not that special at all—the Third Young Master isn't picky, he can't resist women, and he'll show affection to any woman with even a little bit of knowledge or understanding. So Yan Chaohong had already figured it out for me: just use seduction.

So, seduction is all it takes?!

If I didn't think Yan Chaohong was a huge debtor of ten taels of silver to me, I would have stripped him naked on the spot. If he's so capable, why doesn't he go find Xu Jinwan? Xu Jinwan is much younger and more beautiful than me.

So, within five days, I wanted to raise enough money and no longer associate with these influential figures.

Although it's not easy to travel through time once, it would be a disservice to myself not to do something spectacular. But the savage's body is what it is, not to mention that not only his body, but his mental state cannot be fully restored to stability in a short time. Even if I'm heartless, I know that I can't send the savage into the limelight. Nothing is more important than the savage. Holding hands and strolling around every day can actually be quite comfortable.

However, it was too late. On the street, they heard the Third Young Master of the Nangong family shouting "Robbery!" The crowd panicked and ran for their lives, fearing that they might not get far enough away and run into the robbers, blocking their path to survival while finding their own death.

I tried to pull the savage away, but he stood still. As the fierce robber charged towards us, the savage slowly walked forward, carefully positioned himself, and then, body to body, collided with the robber.

How painful that blow must have been! My heart pounded, but I was even more worried that the desperate criminals, lacking any moral compass, might actually harm the savages.

However, robbers are all focused on robbing, and bumping into a savage probably made him feel very uncomfortable. But it seemed too late to turn around and kick the savage again. So he continued to run while cursing "Damn it." Behind him, the Third Young Master of Nangong was in hot pursuit, and behind the Third Young Master, the Divine Constable Mi Dang sped away with his light-footed skills.

All three of them flashed past me in an instant. I thought to myself, how can there be so many extraordinary people in the world? Without thinking too much, I ran forward. The wild man, who had just recovered, was now pressing one hand to his shoulder, his lips were white, and he was covered in cold sweat.

"Did you do that on purpose?!" I helped him up, wanting to say something harsh, but I couldn't bear to see him uncomfortable. "Does it hurt a lot?" I used the back of my hand to wipe away his cold sweat, asking incessantly, "Where did you bump into? Where did you bump into? Where does it hurt?"

The savage pulled my hand down, looked up, smiled at me, shook his head, and mouthed, "No, it doesn't hurt..."

"It doesn't hurt, my foot!" I really wanted to give him another whack, but just then Yan Chaohong walked up to me and asked, "Is he alright?"

"Ask him yourself!" I said irritably, first glaring at Yan Chaohong, then at the savage. Helpless, the savage simply reached out and handed a jade pendant to Yan Chaohong.

Yan Chaohong was stunned, and so was I.

"Is this what that person just stole?" I asked. I had guessed a little, though. Wild men don't run into robbers for no reason, but I still didn't expect that they would actually succeed and get the stolen goods back so easily.