Guards! Catch the Assassin!
Xingzhou Island is not far from Lijing Country. The originally uninhabited desert island suddenly began to carry out construction projects, which naturally attracted discussion among the people. It was said that the master behind all this looks handsome and luxurious, has a huge fortune, and a very mysterious identity. One could tell that he would do something big in the future – it is worthwhile to take advantage of the time now to hurry up to marry their daughter to him, so that they could become his family when one day he becomes famous and prosperous.
But some people say that although the master behind the scenes is handsome, he is extremely violent and cruel. He used to have a wife, but later she couldn’t stand the beatings and scoldings, so she secretly ran away taking her son with her who was just one month old. There has been no news of her for all these years. It is probable that she may already have died at sea.
As Duan Yao washed the dishes, he thought to himself, the woman from Da Chu who escaped from the island, was homeless and had her one-month-old son with her – could she be the one that his second brother had rescued from a tiger in the back mountain?
Maybe she really is! The more he thought about it, the more likely she seemed so. Duan Yao felt excited. Just as he was thinking, the plate and bowl in his hands fell into the bucket and shattered into pieces.
“Ah!” The boss hurried over to check and stamped his feet, “Why are you so careless?”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Duan Yao quickly apologized, “I’ll clean it up now, please deduct the loss from my wages.”
“No need.” Someone behind said, “I will pay for him.”
Duan Yao suddenly turned his head.
Chu Yuan smiled and put a banknote on the table: “Is this enough?”
Duan Yao: “…”
“Yes, yes.” The boss was overjoyed. He was originally from the Chu country, so he naturally knew that the bank note came from a subordinate bank of Riyue Villa. It had an excellent reputation and could be exchanged for money wherever he goes, so he hurriedly collected it.
“We haven’t seen each other for so long, why are you so miserable?” Chu Yuan joked, took out a handkerchief and came forward to wipe Duan Yao’s wet hands.
Young Prince Duan wanted to cry again, although…but…sister-in-law!
Sikong Rui also jumped out of the boat holding the washboard, followed by Nan Moxie, Sixi, and a woman whose face was covered by a gauze. It was Jin Niang.
“Okay, let’s go back to our residence first.” Chu Yuan said, “This is not the place to talk.”
Duan Yao nodded: “En.”
Since his identity is a homeless guy, the place he lives in can’t be very good. It’s just a dilapidated fisherman’s shack. The owner granny and aunt like him because he is handsome and sweet-mouthed, thinking that they might be able to recruit a next door son-in-law. So they are willing to let him stay for free.
Duan Yao brewed a few cups of sweet tea. Then he pulled up a small bench and sat down. He placed his hands neatly on his knees and explained: “Brother is not back.”
Chu Yuan said: “I know.”
Duan Yao also suggested: “The washboard can be kept for future use.”
Chu Yuan agreed: “Okay.”
Nan Moxie: “…”
Sixi: “…”
Sikong Rui thought in his mind that maybe he could go out and get a few more washboards. After all, the price here was cheap.
I’ll be a good loyal brother. If you want to kneel down, I will buy the boards for you.
It’s deeply emotional and very moving.
On the Desert Island, Duan Baiyue was standing on the training platform, watching the soldiers below changing their formations. At this moment, he sincerely wanted to thank his master – the moves that he is teaching right now is the combination of the strengths of many schools as well as a unique one in itself. Even those who were familiar with his martial arts skills, could not detect the anomaly. The spiritual energy used in these moves is extremely evil. If you keep practicing, your mind will change a little, and you will be actually ruining your skills. If there is a real war in the future, it will be easier for these people to become the vanguard.
“Teacher Wang.” At noon, a guard came forward to report, “The master is here.”
“Now?” Duan Baiyue frowned.
“Yes.” The guard said, “He also brought a few guests.”
Duan Baiyue followed him off the training platform and headed to the port to see what happened.
Chu Xiang walked towards him from a distance, followed by someone with a stooped figure and a black mask. It was the Qiu Ji who was shot down the cliff that day.
Duan Baiyue paused as he didn’t expect to meet him here.
Chu Xiang smiled and said, “Teacher Wang.”
“I thought the master would only come next month.” Duan Baiyue lowered his head slightly and looked away from Qiu Ji.
“It just so happens that a friend wanted to come.” Chu Xiang said, “This is Mr. Qiu, and he is also a top martial arts master in the Central Plains.”
Duan Baiyue asked: “Mr. Qiu will stay here in the future?”
“No.” Chu Xiang said, “To be honest, I came here because I wanted to discuss something with Coach Wang.”
“What’s the matter?” Duan Baiyue asked.
“Mr. Qiu will return to Dachu soon.” Chu Xiang said as he walked, “I wonder if teacher Wang would like to go with him?”
Duan Baiyue was surprised: “Now?”
“I know that Dachu is a sad place for teacher Wang.” Chu Xiang said, “It’s just that if you want to achieve great things, it’s better to let go of these personal grievances.”
Duan Baiyue asked again: “Why do we have to go to Dachu?”
“Teacher Wang is not an outsider either.” Chu Xiang glanced at Qiu Ji, “Tell him your plan, there’s no need to hide it.”
“Yes.” Qiu Ji nodded, and then said: “I got news some time ago that the emperor of Chu Kingdom is not in the palace recently.”
Duan Baiyue asked: “Where did he go?”
“He seems to be in the South China sea, and somewhere in the southwest. His whereabouts are kept secret.” Qiu Ji said, “It doesn’t matter if we can’t find him. No matter where he will go, there are only a few roads back to the royal city.”
Duan Baiyue frowned slightly.
Qiu Ji added: “I have sent assassins to Da Chu before, but there are so many experts around Chu Yuan that there is no guarantee that something will not go wrong. This opportunity is rare, so I will personally go north this time and ambush on the only way back to the royal city. I heard that teacher Wang has great martial arts skills, so I came to ask if you would like to come with us?”
Duan Baiyue asked: “You want to assassinate the emperor?”
“Teacher Wang is also a smart person. I don’t think it’s possible to guess who these soldiers, horses, food and grass will be prepared to deal with in the future?” Chu Xiang stopped and turned back to ask coldly.
Duan Baiyue said: “Are you relying only on these people?”
Chu Xiang sneered: “Does teacher Wang think that my only territory is this deserted island and Xingzhou?”
Duan Baiyue hesitated for a moment, and then said: “I’ll go.”
“Very good. What I like most in my life is straightforward people.” Chu Xiang patted him on the shoulder, “Don’t worry, when things are done, there will be people in the great Chu Kingdom who will bow down to teacher Wang, no matter who they are. All the masters of Chu kingdom regardless of princes and nobles would be killed and chopped into pieces at will.”
Duan Baiyue nodded: “Okay.”
Two days later, a black pointed boat left the desert island. Duan Baiyue was still blindfolded, but this time it took only one day and one night to drive out of the foggy area. He thought that when he landed on the island before, the big ship must have made many rounds of the sea to confuse everyone, so it took ten days.
Qiu Ji has been sitting in the cabin, practicing with his eyes slightly closed. He doesn’t talk much usually.
In the daytime, Duan Baiyue asked: “Where is Xingzhou?”
“Replying to Master Wang, we are still three or four days away from there.” The boatman knew that he was a popular figure in front of Chu Xiang, so his attitude was very respectful, “You just have to go towards northeast.”
Duan Baiyue nodded, turned around and returned to the cabin.
Qiu Ji opened his eyes.
Duan Baiyue sat opposite him and said, “Master Qiu.”
“What does teacher Wang want from me?” Qiu Ji asked.
Duan Baiyue said: “Where did all the assassins of Emperor Chu come from?”
Qiu Ji said: “They are all the master’s people. Eighteen killers have been secretly training on the island for many years.”
Duan Baiyue continued: “When are they sent to Chu kingdom?”
Qiu Ji said, “Half a month ago.”
Duan Baiyue asked again: “Are they familiar with the Central Plains martial arts?”
Qiu Ji shook his head: “No, the operation has failed once. Outsiders can’t be trusted, we can only trust our own people.”
Duan Baiyue said: “Apart from this, are there any other assassination plans?”
Qiu Ji frowned in displeasure: “Teacher Wang seems to have a lot of problems.”
Duan Baiyue replied: “Since I agreed to take this mission, I naturally have to ask more questions.”
Qiu Ji closed his eyes again: “If teacher Wang wants to know anything else, you can just ask Master if you have an opportunity in the future. Forgive me for not being able to elaborate any further.”
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a chill on his neck, and he suddenly opened his eyes.
Duan Baiyue’s gaze was like a sword.
Qiu Ji knew that something had changed, and he could no longer move his hands. It was as if there were tens of millions of ants biting into his blood, his remaining consciousness fading bit by bit.
Duan Baiyue threw away the poisonous worm in his hand, and reached out to take off his mask.
Qiu Ji looked at him, and a trace of panic flashed in his heart. Those eyes hidden behind the silver mask no longer hold the timid avoidance as before, without wind or waves. Instead, the calm was replaced by the familiar killing intent and blood-red fierceness — exactly the same as when he was on the cliff that day.
“Southwest King.” Qiu Ji spoke with difficulty.
Duan Baiyue said: “Despite your blood being invaded by Qian Er, you can survive until now without being confused, you can be regarded as a master of Gu1.”
Qiu Ji had difficulty breathing, and asked, “Why?”
Duan Baiyue said: “Because you don’t know your own abilities.”
Qiu Ji fell to the ground, panting heavily, and soon fell into darkness.
The ship turned its sails and rushed to Lijing kingdom day and night without rest.
In the courtyard of the fisherman’s house, Chu Yuan was flipping through the pile of newspapers in front of him, all of which were the news that Duan Yao had inquired about these days. Xingzhou Island, Feimian Kingdom, Chu Xiang and Liu Jinde.
Nan Moxie smiled and knocked on the door with a bowl of egg white wine: “Master.”
Chu Yuan didn’t even raise his head: “I won’t go back.”
“No.” Nan Moxie sat across from him and said earnestly, “Master, I swear to you that as soon as that bastard shows up, I will kidnap him and send him to the royal city. He will not be allowed to do anything again. This time I will definitely not stand on the wrong side, okay?”
Chu Yuan said: “I won’t leave until I can get the Tianchensha.”
Nan Moxie looked out the window and looked at Da Chu in the distance. He tried explaining him with emotion and moving him with reason: “Though His Majesty is here to get Tianchensha, but in fact the situation is of a war between Chu Kingdom and Feimian Kingdom. This matter is not trivial. As the saying goes, a country cannot live without its king even for a single day. The affairs in the court are complicated, and the people are still eagerly waiting for Your Majesty to return to the court. Now that the whereabouts of Tianchensha are known, and it is confirmed that the Feimian Kingdom is colluding with the rebels, it is possible to return to the royal city openly and honestly to dispatch the troops and army. Why does Your Majesty has to personally make the conquest, right?”
Duan Yao listened attentively outside the door. He was very touched—Master did not recite a single word wrong this time, and his tone was very sonorous, which was quite gratifying.
Nan Moxie turned around with a smile on his face, full of expectations.
Chu Yuan rested his chin on the table and was sleeping soundly.
Nan Moxie: “…”
I saw this sleeping position when Yao’er was eight years old.
“How was it?” Seeing him coming out, Duan Yao and Sixi in the courtyard asked in unison.
Nan Moxie looked haggard, and beckoned to his little apprentice: “When you marry a wife in the future, you must find someone who can listen to advice.”
Duan Yao’s eyes were full of sympathy: “Oh.”
Eunuch Sixi’s brain was hurting — if the Southwest King continues to stay in the Feimian Kingdom during this period, the emperor will continue to wait.
It was a cold moonlit night. After Duan Yao comforted his master, he went back to his small courtyard. As soon as he opened the door, he suddenly heard the sound of rushing wind behind him. So he instinctively leaned over to avoid it and launched a row of darts with his backhand.
Duan Baiyue smiled: “Your hidden weapon is pretty good.”
“Brother?” Duan Yao’s eyes widened, “Why are you here?”
“The situation has changed.” Duan Baiyue said, “Qiu Ji is in my hands, and I don’t need to guard the Xingzhou for the time being. You take him back to the southwest immediately, and after you hand him over to Master, let Duan Nian take all the people in the mansion with him.” The assassins went north and are guarding the three official roads leading to the royal city. Chu Xiang has already sent someone to assassinate the emperor. The situation is critical, and you will have to work hard on this journey.”
Duan Yao said: “Ahem.”
Duan Baiyue frowned slightly: “What’s wrong?”
Duan Yao pointed behind him and said cautiously: “You can talk to His Majesty yourself.”
Duan Baiyue’s whole body suddenly stiffened.
Duan Yao shrank his neck, quietly turned around and went back to his room. The moment he closed the door, he quickly lay on the crack and peeked through it.
It was very quiet all around, only the sound of waves could be heard.
Chu Yuan said: “How long do you plan to stare at that door panel?”
Duan Baiyue clenched his hands, gritted his teeth and jumped to the roof.
Sikong Rui rushed out diagonally, stopped him halfway, and forced him back.
Duan Baiyue: “…”
Duan Yao opened the door a little bit, beckoned Brother Sikong to squeeze in, and generously gave him half of the crack.
Chu Yuan said: “Keep running.”
Duan Baiyue still had his back to him.
“You think you were very good looking in the first place.” Chu Yuan approached him step by step, “Even if this face is not ruined, could it make the Emperor of Chu fall in love at first sight?”
Duan Baiyue closed his eyes.
“If you don’t want to see me, I won’t force you.” Chu Yuan stopped behind him, “Think about it carefully, you have been forcing me for so many years, when have I ever forced you?”
Duan Baiyue felt a dull pain in his heart.
“Go back to the southwest.” After a long time, Chu Yuan said coldly, “I will get the Tianchensha for you, and then we will have nothing to do with each other. What will happen to the South China Sea in the future, and what will happen to me in the future, have nothing to do with you.”
Duan Baiyue’s lips trembled, but he still couldn’t say the word “okay”.
Duan Yao was worried in the room. Is his brother possessed by evil spirits? He is pretending to be a boring gourd. Shouldn’t he cry and hug his sister-in-law? Even if he was poisonous and couldn’t be hugged, he still had to explain the reason with tears streaming down his face. After all, this is what is written in all storybooks.
Sikong Rui regretted: “It’s a pity that those washboards are all in my room.”
“No, we have to think of a way!” Duan Yao stood up, “I’m a little nervous, you think about it!”
“Okay!” Sikong Rui looked very confident.
Duan Yao was stunned when he agreed so simply: “Really?”
“Never mind!” Sikong Rui opened the door. Anyway, the situation couldn’t be worse than the current situation. A dead horse was treated as a living horse2.
“Hey, hey, hey!” Duan Yao was shocked and stretched out his hand to pull him back.
“Your Majesty, to be honest, Brother Duan has been a little bit out of his mind recently.” Sikong Rui said with a startling expression of sincerity, “He has gone crazy.”
Duan Baiyue’s face turned livid and he punched him back.
Sikong Rui covered his chest and coughed, thinking they are no longer brothers.
Duan Yao quickly closed the door. He is now very pessimistic about the future – because whether it was his biological brother or brother Sikong, it seemed that something was wrong with their brains.
Chu Yuan turned around and walked out of the small courtyard. The sea breeze was strong and cold.
Duan Baiyue stood in the courtyard for a long time.
Sikong Rui and Duan Yao squatted behind the door, sighing and staring at each other.
“Silly apprentice.” At dawn, Nan Moxie reminded him from behind, “The emperor is about to go to sea, why don’t you stop him?”
Duan Baiyue’s voice was hoarse: “All I wanted earlier was to make him forget me. Now I will be asking for forgiveness, how can I stop him?”
“If he could forget you, and found someone to live a good life again, then it would have been okay.” Nan Moxie said, “But if he could find someone again, why would he have to come south several times in person, and even go out to the sea by boat. He is the King of a country, and a King whose name will go down in history. But in his heart, you are even more important than the country.”
Duan Baiyue clutched his hands tightly.
“What the hell is Brother Duan thinking?” Sikong Rui was almost puzzled, “He is not Hua Kui3, so how does it matter if his face is ruined? I don’t even dislike his appearance.”
Duan Yao said: “But my brother is poisonous.”
Sikong Rui said: “At least he watch over him from a distance.”
Duan Yao said: “Will you remain with someone at a distance for a lifetime?”
Sikong Rui said: “Which is better, to happily watch over your beloved for the rest of your life, or to be pissed off by your beloved and resentful for the rest of your life?”
Duan Yao continued to speak: “But master has said that if the emperor leaves this time, maybe he could forget my brother and find someone to live with again.”
Sikong Rui asked: “What if he can’t forget him?”
Duan Yao said firmly: “Anyone can be forgotten. Brother feels that the Emperor can forget. Even if he can’t now, after a decade or so, he can.”
Sikong Rui said: “They have been separated for three or four years now, and the emperor still did not hesitate to send troops south for brother Duan. According to this situation, it will take at least another ten years to let go of the love and hate in his heart. After another ten years, maybe he will stop thinking about him. If he can completely let go, most of his life will be passed by then. But if he is obsessed with someone for most of his life, even if he have completely let go, it will not be easy to find someone he may really like again in that deep palace. The best result will be nothing more than waking up one day when he gets old, filling the harem with beautiful women, and drunkenly dreaming of being an emperor day after day. If Brother Duan can wait until this day, I’m sure he will definitely be quite happy.”
“That’s not bad.” Duan Yao pouted, “If he can’t forget him for the rest of his life, he will become miserable. No matter if he loves or hates at that time, he will be alone. If he is in love with him, he can’t see him. If he hates him, he can’t beat him. He’ll just keep suffocating until he dies.”
Duan Baiyue’s heart was in a mess. He turned around and rushed out of the courtyard.
Duan Yao and Sikong Rui high-fived each other.
Nan Moxie also breathed a sigh of relief.
“Your Majesty.” Eunuch Sixi wrapped the cloak for him, “It’s windy outside, let’s go back.”
Standing at the bow of the boat, Chu Yuan looked at the port moving farther and farther away from, and his eyes became colder and colder.
Eunuch Sixi sighed in his heart.
Chu Yuan closed his eyes slightly, and finally turned around and returned to the cabin.
A moment later, the ship shook suddenly, and Eunuch Sixi exclaimed outside: “Southwest King4?”
Chu Yuan didn’t hesitate for a moment, and said coldly: “Guards! Catch the assassin!”
==========================================================
Notes:
poison or parasite. Let’s keep it as is. ↩︎ the situation is treated like there is nothing wrong and the person has no issues. ↩︎ a famous beauty ↩︎ The chinese term of Southwest King is “Xinan King“. I regret using the english term now. The chinese term would have been much more effective in such situations… ahhh… What a painful yet sweet chapter… ↩︎
Guards! Catch the Assassin!
Xingzhou Island is not far from Lijing Country. The originally uninhabited desert island suddenly began to carry out construction projects, which naturally attracted discussion among the people. It was said that the master behind all this looks handsome and luxurious, has a huge fortune, and a very mysterious identity. One could tell that he would do something big in the future – it is worthwhile to take advantage of the time now to hurry up to marry their daughter to him, so that they could become his family when one day he becomes famous and prosperous.
But some people say that although the master behind the scenes is handsome, he is extremely violent and cruel. He used to have a wife, but later she couldn’t stand the beatings and scoldings, so she secretly ran away taking her son with her who was just one month old. There has been no news of her for all these years. It is probable that she may already have died at sea.
As Duan Yao washed the dishes, he thought to himself, the woman from Da Chu who escaped from the island, was homeless and had her one-month-old son with her – could she be the one that his second brother had rescued from a tiger in the back mountain?
Maybe she really is! The more he thought about it, the more likely she seemed so. Duan Yao felt excited. Just as he was thinking, the plate and bowl in his hands fell into the bucket and shattered into pieces.
“Ah!” The boss hurried over to check and stamped his feet, “Why are you so careless?”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Duan Yao quickly apologized, “I’ll clean it up now, please deduct the loss from my wages.”
“No need.” Someone behind said, “I will pay for him.”
Duan Yao suddenly turned his head.
Chu Yuan smiled and put a banknote on the table: “Is this enough?”
Duan Yao: “…”
“Yes, yes.” The boss was overjoyed. He was originally from the Chu country, so he naturally knew that the bank note came from a subordinate bank of Riyue Villa. It had an excellent reputation and could be exchanged for money wherever he goes, so he hurriedly collected it.
“We haven’t seen each other for so long, why are you so miserable?” Chu Yuan joked, took out a handkerchief and came forward to wipe Duan Yao’s wet hands.
Young Prince Duan wanted to cry again, although…but…sister-in-law!
Sikong Rui also jumped out of the boat holding the washboard, followed by Nan Moxie, Sixi, and a woman whose face was covered by a gauze. It was Jin Niang.
“Okay, let’s go back to our residence first.” Chu Yuan said, “This is not the place to talk.”
Duan Yao nodded: “En.”
Since his identity is a homeless guy, the place he lives in can’t be very good. It’s just a dilapidated fisherman’s shack. The owner granny and aunt like him because he is handsome and sweet-mouthed, thinking that they might be able to recruit a next door son-in-law. So they are willing to let him stay for free.
Duan Yao brewed a few cups of sweet tea. Then he pulled up a small bench and sat down. He placed his hands neatly on his knees and explained: “Brother is not back.”
Chu Yuan said: “I know.”
Duan Yao also suggested: “The washboard can be kept for future use.”
Chu Yuan agreed: “Okay.”
Nan Moxie: “…”
Sixi: “…”
Sikong Rui thought in his mind that maybe he could go out and get a few more washboards. After all, the price here was cheap.
I’ll be a good loyal brother. If you want to kneel down, I will buy the boards for you.
It’s deeply emotional and very moving.
On the Desert Island, Duan Baiyue was standing on the training platform, watching the soldiers below changing their formations. At this moment, he sincerely wanted to thank his master – the moves that he is teaching right now is the combination of the strengths of many schools as well as a unique one in itself. Even those who were familiar with his martial arts skills, could not detect the anomaly. The spiritual energy used in these moves is extremely evil. If you keep practicing, your mind will change a little, and you will be actually ruining your skills. If there is a real war in the future, it will be easier for these people to become the vanguard.
“Teacher Wang.” At noon, a guard came forward to report, “The master is here.”
“Now?” Duan Baiyue frowned.
“Yes.” The guard said, “He also brought a few guests.”
Duan Baiyue followed him off the training platform and headed to the port to see what happened.
Chu Xiang walked towards him from a distance, followed by someone with a stooped figure and a black mask. It was the Qiu Ji who was shot down the cliff that day.
Duan Baiyue paused as he didn’t expect to meet him here.
Chu Xiang smiled and said, “Teacher Wang.”
“I thought the master would only come next month.” Duan Baiyue lowered his head slightly and looked away from Qiu Ji.
“It just so happens that a friend wanted to come.” Chu Xiang said, “This is Mr. Qiu, and he is also a top martial arts master in the Central Plains.”
Duan Baiyue asked: “Mr. Qiu will stay here in the future?”
“No.” Chu Xiang said, “To be honest, I came here because I wanted to discuss something with Coach Wang.”
“What’s the matter?” Duan Baiyue asked.
“Mr. Qiu will return to Dachu soon.” Chu Xiang said as he walked, “I wonder if teacher Wang would like to go with him?”
Duan Baiyue was surprised: “Now?”
“I know that Dachu is a sad place for teacher Wang.” Chu Xiang said, “It’s just that if you want to achieve great things, it’s better to let go of these personal grievances.”
Duan Baiyue asked again: “Why do we have to go to Dachu?”
“Teacher Wang is not an outsider either.” Chu Xiang glanced at Qiu Ji, “Tell him your plan, there’s no need to hide it.”
“Yes.” Qiu Ji nodded, and then said: “I got news some time ago that the emperor of Chu Kingdom is not in the palace recently.”
Duan Baiyue asked: “Where did he go?”
“He seems to be in the South China sea, and somewhere in the southwest. His whereabouts are kept secret.” Qiu Ji said, “It doesn’t matter if we can’t find him. No matter where he will go, there are only a few roads back to the royal city.”
Duan Baiyue frowned slightly.
Qiu Ji added: “I have sent assassins to Da Chu before, but there are so many experts around Chu Yuan that there is no guarantee that something will not go wrong. This opportunity is rare, so I will personally go north this time and ambush on the only way back to the royal city. I heard that teacher Wang has great martial arts skills, so I came to ask if you would like to come with us?”
Duan Baiyue asked: “You want to assassinate the emperor?”
“Teacher Wang is also a smart person. I don’t think it’s possible to guess who these soldiers, horses, food and grass will be prepared to deal with in the future?” Chu Xiang stopped and turned back to ask coldly.
Duan Baiyue said: “Are you relying only on these people?”
Chu Xiang sneered: “Does teacher Wang think that my only territory is this deserted island and Xingzhou?”
Duan Baiyue hesitated for a moment, and then said: “I’ll go.”
“Very good. What I like most in my life is straightforward people.” Chu Xiang patted him on the shoulder, “Don’t worry, when things are done, there will be people in the great Chu Kingdom who will bow down to teacher Wang, no matter who they are. All the masters of Chu kingdom regardless of princes and nobles would be killed and chopped into pieces at will.”
Duan Baiyue nodded: “Okay.”
Two days later, a black pointed boat left the desert island. Duan Baiyue was still blindfolded, but this time it took only one day and one night to drive out of the foggy area. He thought that when he landed on the island before, the big ship must have made many rounds of the sea to confuse everyone, so it took ten days.
Qiu Ji has been sitting in the cabin, practicing with his eyes slightly closed. He doesn’t talk much usually.
In the daytime, Duan Baiyue asked: “Where is Xingzhou?”
“Replying to Master Wang, we are still three or four days away from there.” The boatman knew that he was a popular figure in front of Chu Xiang, so his attitude was very respectful, “You just have to go towards northeast.”
Duan Baiyue nodded, turned around and returned to the cabin.
Qiu Ji opened his eyes.
Duan Baiyue sat opposite him and said, “Master Qiu.”
“What does teacher Wang want from me?” Qiu Ji asked.
Duan Baiyue said: “Where did all the assassins of Emperor Chu come from?”
Qiu Ji said: “They are all the master’s people. Eighteen killers have been secretly training on the island for many years.”
Duan Baiyue continued: “When are they sent to Chu kingdom?”
Qiu Ji said, “Half a month ago.”
Duan Baiyue asked again: “Are they familiar with the Central Plains martial arts?”
Qiu Ji shook his head: “No, the operation has failed once. Outsiders can’t be trusted, we can only trust our own people.”
Duan Baiyue said: “Apart from this, are there any other assassination plans?”
Qiu Ji frowned in displeasure: “Teacher Wang seems to have a lot of problems.”
Duan Baiyue replied: “Since I agreed to take this mission, I naturally have to ask more questions.”
Qiu Ji closed his eyes again: “If teacher Wang wants to know anything else, you can just ask Master if you have an opportunity in the future. Forgive me for not being able to elaborate any further.”
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a chill on his neck, and he suddenly opened his eyes.
Duan Baiyue’s gaze was like a sword.
Qiu Ji knew that something had changed, and he could no longer move his hands. It was as if there were tens of millions of ants biting into his blood, his remaining consciousness fading bit by bit.
Duan Baiyue threw away the poisonous worm in his hand, and reached out to take off his mask.
Qiu Ji looked at him, and a trace of panic flashed in his heart. Those eyes hidden behind the silver mask no longer hold the timid avoidance as before, without wind or waves. Instead, the calm was replaced by the familiar killing intent and blood-red fierceness — exactly the same as when he was on the cliff that day.
“Southwest King.” Qiu Ji spoke with difficulty.
Duan Baiyue said: “Despite your blood being invaded by Qian Er, you can survive until now without being confused, you can be regarded as a master of Gu1.”
Qiu Ji had difficulty breathing, and asked, “Why?”
Duan Baiyue said: “Because you don’t know your own abilities.”
Qiu Ji fell to the ground, panting heavily, and soon fell into darkness.
The ship turned its sails and rushed to Lijing kingdom day and night without rest.
In the courtyard of the fisherman’s house, Chu Yuan was flipping through the pile of newspapers in front of him, all of which were the news that Duan Yao had inquired about these days. Xingzhou Island, Feimian Kingdom, Chu Xiang and Liu Jinde.
Nan Moxie smiled and knocked on the door with a bowl of egg white wine: “Master.”
Chu Yuan didn’t even raise his head: “I won’t go back.”
“No.” Nan Moxie sat across from him and said earnestly, “Master, I swear to you that as soon as that bastard shows up, I will kidnap him and send him to the royal city. He will not be allowed to do anything again. This time I will definitely not stand on the wrong side, okay?”
Chu Yuan said: “I won’t leave until I can get the Tianchensha.”
Nan Moxie looked out the window and looked at Da Chu in the distance. He tried explaining him with emotion and moving him with reason: “Though His Majesty is here to get Tianchensha, but in fact the situation is of a war between Chu Kingdom and Feimian Kingdom. This matter is not trivial. As the saying goes, a country cannot live without its king even for a single day. The affairs in the court are complicated, and the people are still eagerly waiting for Your Majesty to return to the court. Now that the whereabouts of Tianchensha are known, and it is confirmed that the Feimian Kingdom is colluding with the rebels, it is possible to return to the royal city openly and honestly to dispatch the troops and army. Why does Your Majesty has to personally make the conquest, right?”
Duan Yao listened attentively outside the door. He was very touched—Master did not recite a single word wrong this time, and his tone was very sonorous, which was quite gratifying.
Nan Moxie turned around with a smile on his face, full of expectations.
Chu Yuan rested his chin on the table and was sleeping soundly.
Nan Moxie: “…”
I saw this sleeping position when Yao’er was eight years old.
“How was it?” Seeing him coming out, Duan Yao and Sixi in the courtyard asked in unison.
Nan Moxie looked haggard, and beckoned to his little apprentice: “When you marry a wife in the future, you must find someone who can listen to advice.”
Duan Yao’s eyes were full of sympathy: “Oh.”
Eunuch Sixi’s brain was hurting — if the Southwest King continues to stay in the Feimian Kingdom during this period, the emperor will continue to wait.
It was a cold moonlit night. After Duan Yao comforted his master, he went back to his small courtyard. As soon as he opened the door, he suddenly heard the sound of rushing wind behind him. So he instinctively leaned over to avoid it and launched a row of darts with his backhand.
Duan Baiyue smiled: “Your hidden weapon is pretty good.”
“Brother?” Duan Yao’s eyes widened, “Why are you here?”
“The situation has changed.” Duan Baiyue said, “Qiu Ji is in my hands, and I don’t need to guard the Xingzhou for the time being. You take him back to the southwest immediately, and after you hand him over to Master, let Duan Nian take all the people in the mansion with him.” The assassins went north and are guarding the three official roads leading to the royal city. Chu Xiang has already sent someone to assassinate the emperor. The situation is critical, and you will have to work hard on this journey.”
Duan Yao said: “Ahem.”
Duan Baiyue frowned slightly: “What’s wrong?”
Duan Yao pointed behind him and said cautiously: “You can talk to His Majesty yourself.”
Duan Baiyue’s whole body suddenly stiffened.
Duan Yao shrank his neck, quietly turned around and went back to his room. The moment he closed the door, he quickly lay on the crack and peeked through it.
It was very quiet all around, only the sound of waves could be heard.
Chu Yuan said: “How long do you plan to stare at that door panel?”
Duan Baiyue clenched his hands, gritted his teeth and jumped to the roof.
Sikong Rui rushed out diagonally, stopped him halfway, and forced him back.
Duan Baiyue: “…”
Duan Yao opened the door a little bit, beckoned Brother Sikong to squeeze in, and generously gave him half of the crack.
Chu Yuan said: “Keep running.”
Duan Baiyue still had his back to him.
“You think you were very good looking in the first place.” Chu Yuan approached him step by step, “Even if this face is not ruined, could it make the Emperor of Chu fall in love at first sight?”
Duan Baiyue closed his eyes.
“If you don’t want to see me, I won’t force you.” Chu Yuan stopped behind him, “Think about it carefully, you have been forcing me for so many years, when have I ever forced you?”
Duan Baiyue felt a dull pain in his heart.
“Go back to the southwest.” After a long time, Chu Yuan said coldly, “I will get the Tianchensha for you, and then we will have nothing to do with each other. What will happen to the South China Sea in the future, and what will happen to me in the future, have nothing to do with you.”
Duan Baiyue’s lips trembled, but he still couldn’t say the word “okay”.
Duan Yao was worried in the room. Is his brother possessed by evil spirits? He is pretending to be a boring gourd. Shouldn’t he cry and hug his sister-in-law? Even if he was poisonous and couldn’t be hugged, he still had to explain the reason with tears streaming down his face. After all, this is what is written in all storybooks.
Sikong Rui regretted: “It’s a pity that those washboards are all in my room.”
“No, we have to think of a way!” Duan Yao stood up, “I’m a little nervous, you think about it!”
“Okay!” Sikong Rui looked very confident.
Duan Yao was stunned when he agreed so simply: “Really?”
“Never mind!” Sikong Rui opened the door. Anyway, the situation couldn’t be worse than the current situation. A dead horse was treated as a living horse2.
“Hey, hey, hey!” Duan Yao was shocked and stretched out his hand to pull him back.
“Your Majesty, to be honest, Brother Duan has been a little bit out of his mind recently.” Sikong Rui said with a startling expression of sincerity, “He has gone crazy.”
Duan Baiyue’s face turned livid and he punched him back.
Sikong Rui covered his chest and coughed, thinking they are no longer brothers.
Duan Yao quickly closed the door. He is now very pessimistic about the future – because whether it was his biological brother or brother Sikong, it seemed that something was wrong with their brains.
Chu Yuan turned around and walked out of the small courtyard. The sea breeze was strong and cold.
Duan Baiyue stood in the courtyard for a long time.
Sikong Rui and Duan Yao squatted behind the door, sighing and staring at each other.
“Silly apprentice.” At dawn, Nan Moxie reminded him from behind, “The emperor is about to go to sea, why don’t you stop him?”
Duan Baiyue’s voice was hoarse: “All I wanted earlier was to make him forget me. Now I will be asking for forgiveness, how can I stop him?”
“If he could forget you, and found someone to live a good life again, then it would have been okay.” Nan Moxie said, “But if he could find someone again, why would he have to come south several times in person, and even go out to the sea by boat. He is the King of a country, and a King whose name will go down in history. But in his heart, you are even more important than the country.”
Duan Baiyue clutched his hands tightly.
“What the hell is Brother Duan thinking?” Sikong Rui was almost puzzled, “He is not Hua Kui3, so how does it matter if his face is ruined? I don’t even dislike his appearance.”
Duan Yao said: “But my brother is poisonous.”
Sikong Rui said: “At least he watch over him from a distance.”
Duan Yao said: “Will you remain with someone at a distance for a lifetime?”
Sikong Rui said: “Which is better, to happily watch over your beloved for the rest of your life, or to be pissed off by your beloved and resentful for the rest of your life?”
Duan Yao continued to speak: “But master has said that if the emperor leaves this time, maybe he could forget my brother and find someone to live with again.”
Sikong Rui asked: “What if he can’t forget him?”
Duan Yao said firmly: “Anyone can be forgotten. Brother feels that the Emperor can forget. Even if he can’t now, after a decade or so, he can.”
Sikong Rui said: “They have been separated for three or four years now, and the emperor still did not hesitate to send troops south for brother Duan. According to this situation, it will take at least another ten years to let go of the love and hate in his heart. After another ten years, maybe he will stop thinking about him. If he can completely let go, most of his life will be passed by then. But if he is obsessed with someone for most of his life, even if he have completely let go, it will not be easy to find someone he may really like again in that deep palace. The best result will be nothing more than waking up one day when he gets old, filling the harem with beautiful women, and drunkenly dreaming of being an emperor day after day. If Brother Duan can wait until this day, I’m sure he will definitely be quite happy.”
“That’s not bad.” Duan Yao pouted, “If he can’t forget him for the rest of his life, he will become miserable. No matter if he loves or hates at that time, he will be alone. If he is in love with him, he can’t see him. If he hates him, he can’t beat him. He’ll just keep suffocating until he dies.”
Duan Baiyue’s heart was in a mess. He turned around and rushed out of the courtyard.
Duan Yao and Sikong Rui high-fived each other.
Nan Moxie also breathed a sigh of relief.
“Your Majesty.” Eunuch Sixi wrapped the cloak for him, “It’s windy outside, let’s go back.”
Standing at the bow of the boat, Chu Yuan looked at the port moving farther and farther away from, and his eyes became colder and colder.
Eunuch Sixi sighed in his heart.
Chu Yuan closed his eyes slightly, and finally turned around and returned to the cabin.
A moment later, the ship shook suddenly, and Eunuch Sixi exclaimed outside: “Southwest King4?”
Chu Yuan didn’t hesitate for a moment, and said coldly: “Guards! Catch the assassin!”
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Notes:
poison or parasite. Let’s keep it as is. ↩︎ the situation is treated like there is nothing wrong and the person has no issues. ↩︎ a famous beauty ↩︎ The chinese term of Southwest King is “Xinan King“. I regret using the english term now. The chinese term would have been much more effective in such situations… ahhh… What a painful yet sweet chapter… ↩︎