Jiu Yue Ying Fei (Flying Eagles in the Ninth Month) - Unabridged

[atlantean0208]

Chapter 21: Great wild goose guest inn - TRANSLATED BY FASTCLOCK

Ye Kai really left
Shangguan XiaoXian unexpectedly had not tried to keep him. She accompanied him and held his hands until the end of the street corner, and then let him leave.

Anyone who saw them would certainly think that they were matching couples.
But were they really sweethearts?
Or friends?
Or an opponent and a foe?
This was not something anyone could fathom clearly.

Shangguan XiaoXian was silent for a long time, she appeared worried.
Ye Kai was leaving, was it possible for him to return to her side?
Could they be together in the future?
Who knew about such future matter?
Who dared to make a prediction?

Ye Kai suddenly said, "I had thought for a long time, but I still could not guess who Die-er-bu and Bu-da-la, the great princes, are."

Shangguan XiaoXian softly smiled, "Since you cannot guess, why do you have to continually think about them?"

"I have no other alternative."

Shangguan XiaoXian gently sighed, "Why do people always want to think about something he really should not think about?"

Ye Kai did not dare to reply, so he did not reply.
He just kept silent. After a very long silence, he actually could not bear saying, "I thought that, 'Die-er-bu ' the prince was certainly a person who planned a very good strategy, 'Bu-da-la' the prince must certainly be very arrogant."

Shangguan XiaoXian nodded, "The name they have taken in the Devil Sect certainly must have some truth in it."

Ye Kai said, "To you, who is the wisest man in Chang An city right now?"

“You!"
Shangguan XiaoXian continued, "Not only wise, but also you wield a sharp dagger."
- Only your sharp dagger could cut the tie of your emotion with me.
She had not said these words, but she didn’t really need to. Ye Kai certainly could understand.

He gave a forced smile, "The wise often appears slow-witted, a true smart person may look like a fool."

Shangguan XiaoXian had also smiled, "In Chang An city, there are many people who look like fools, and the actual fools may also be plentiful."

Ye Kai said, "You thought about who is the most arrogant person?"

"You!"
Shangguan XiaoXian lightly said, "Only the most arrogant person can reject someone else' true feelings and good intention."

When she said "someone else", that certainly was herself.
- Did she really have true feelings towards Ye Kai?

Ye Kai had turned away, gazing at the remote white clouds. How many people in the world could have a life like the white clouds, carefree and unrestrained?
For each person, wouldn’t there be a close link with someone else?

Shangguan XiaoXian suddenly also asked, "Besides you, perhaps there are also 1 or 2 individuals."

Ye Kai said, "Who?"

"Lu Di, Guo Ding."

"They certainly are not the Devil Sect’s leaders."

“Just because their family backgrounds are fine, that does not mean they cannot enter the Sect, right?"

"I only feel that they do not seem to have the perverse trend of the Devil Sect."

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "No matter what, Die-er-bu and Bu-da-la are both already in Chang An city. Although you cannot guess the two of them, usually because their whereabouts are always kept secret, now at last truly this place could become the evil place because of the Devil Sect."

Ye Kai sighed, he was also unable to restrain his utmost worry.

The Devil Sect never revealed themselves unless it was absolutely necessary. Sometimes you had to actually die under their hands, before they would reveal their true colors. This time, they came to Chang An city, what was their purpose?

Was it for Shangguan XiaoXian?
Or Ye Kai?

Ye Kai reluctantly said with a smile, "As long as they indeed arrive at Chang An city, sooner or later, I will find them."

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "But first, you must arrive at the Great wild goose guest inn today to have a drink." Her beautiful eyes were full of sharp happiness, "Because if you do not go, there are many people who will be sad!"

But Ye Kai actually did not go straight to the Great wild goose guest inn. He did not appear at the Great wild goose guest inn until dusk...

*****

Lunar New Year's Day, afternoon.

At noontime, the weather was unexpectedly very sunny, small white clouds across the blue sky, the sunlight shone, the earth had the scenery of spring.

Guo Ding’s look on his face seemed to convey that he was much better. "A person before his marriage celebration, would have a crisp spirit", the old saying of several hundred years ago always had some truths.

Ding LingLin was holding a bowl of herbal soup, feeding him.
They spoke very little, nobody knew what to say, whether the heart felt very sweet or not?
Was it sour?
Or bitter?
How could life be giving this kind of hardship?
Arranged by the destiny, nobody could revolt against it, then why?

Ding LingLin also got swept by the raised spirit, the smiling face was just like the sun during the winter. Guo Ding wanted to look at her several times, but he did not dare, he could only look down at her pair of hands. He suddenly said, "This ginseng is not very expensive?"

Ding LingLin nodded.

"We can afford it?"

"No."

Guo Ding said, "Then you are... "

Ding LingLin suddenly smiled, "This is something I buy on credit, because I thought that today there will be many people who will give us presents. In this Chang An city, there are certainly many people who will come and had a couple of cups of our celebration drinks. These people certainly could not all be mean-spirited persons."

Guo Ding hesitated, "Do many people know about us?"

Ding LingLin nodded, "Therefore I have told the innkeeper to prepare 12 tables of celebration drinks for us."

Guo Ding looked closely at her. He really did not know whether to be sad or glad. "Actually, you do not need to do such things, I... "

Ding LingLin did not let him continue, instead she had gripped his hands and said, "You should just focus on strengthening your spirit and quickly recuperate your wound. Surely you do not want to let me become a widow."

Guo Ding had also smiled, although it was bitter, actually there was some part of happiness as well. No matter what, he had made the resolution that he would look after this lovable woman, look after her for a lifetime. Based on this determination, he simply could not die.

When a person’s heart wield the fresh fighting spirit, that was very often more effective than any medicine.

The old innkeeper suddenly summoned from outside the door, "Miss Ding, you should come out and dress up. I have also asked someone to help Mr. Guo wash and take a bath."

Ding LingLin patted Guo Ding’s hand and pushed the door to go out. Looking at this good old person, she could not bear to gently sigh, "You are really a good person." In this world, there were still good persons everywhere.

The old innkeeper smiled, "Today is the lunar New Year's Day, I only hope that everyone’s plans will go smoothly, then everyone will be happy."

He was a good person, that was why he could have this kind of desire, but could his desire be realized?

Ding LingLin’s heart suddenly welled up with strong feelings, and the teardrops almost started to flow. Therefore, she cheered up herself and smiled reluctantly, "Now, are there some people who have already given some presents?"

The old innkeeper said with a smile, "There are already many people who give presents. I have already recorded the account, does Miss Ding want to have a look?"

Ding LingLin really wanted to have a look.
She felt that there must be many strange people who would give some strange gifts.

Ding LingLin might have expected many things, but she had certainly not expected that the first person who gave a present was "the flying fox" Yang Tian!
His name was the first in the book!

"Yang Tian: Present four items. A pair of pearl hair ornaments, a pair of blue jade bracelets, a complete set of pure gold headdress, 40 pure gold coins, total altogether 400 taels."

The meaning of the pure gold coins were obvious. He performed this delivery on behalf of the Gold Coin Clan, also on behalf of Shangguan XiaoXian.

Ding LingLin clenched her hands, her heart was unable to restrain from sneering. She hoped Shangguan XiaoXian would not come in the evening for the celebration drink.

Lu Di unexpectedly also gave a present. Besides the present of four packages from “Eight Sides Escort Bureau”, there was also "a medicine bottle of best quality ".

Ding LingLin was unable to restrain from sneering.
She had determined that she would not use this bottle of medicine. Even if Lu Di really had good intention, she could not take this kind of risk.

There were also some other people's names who Ding LingLin seemed to have met before. But they seemed to be old friends of Ding’s reputable family. Ding’s family was a well-known family in the martial arts world. They had old friends all over under the sky, so certainly there were plenty of them also arriving in Chang An city.

But what about the people from Ding’s family themselves? This celebrity of the martial arts world, would they also turn up and come?

Ding LingLin did not dare to expect them at all.
She continued to peruse the list and then she also saw a familiar name.

Cui YuZhen.
Unexpectedly, she had not died.
She came, but she did not appear, why? Had she also heard the news of Ye Kai’s death?

The old innkeeper smiled beside her, "I really did not know that Miss Ding have so many friends in Chang An city. Tonight, it would certainly be very lively."
Their celebration of marriage seemed to have truly caused a stir in Chang An city.

Ding LingLin suddenly realized that she had become a celebrity maybe because of Ye Kai?
She forbid herself from feeling depressed again. In any event, she could not think of Ye Kai today, at least today... Today she would not think of him.

She saw the last name on the list and her heart suddenly sunk.
"Nangong Lang, a calligraphy and painting set."
She knew this name, and also this person.

Each powerful family would have 1 or 2 specially fearsome members of the family. Nangong Lang was the most fearful person of "Nangong’s family". He was a discredited big robber, the family’s prodigal member of the later generation.

At the same time, he was also Nangong Yuan’s uncle. Nangong Yuan was wounded by Guo Ding. That Nangong Lang suddenly appeared here, for what purpose?

Ding LingLin could not bear asking, "Do you have the calligraphy and painting which this person deliver?"

The old innkeeper shook his head and said, "If Miss Ding wants to have a look, I shall go and get it."

Ding LingLin certainly wanted very much to have a look.
The picture scroll was opened, that was only a drawing of two people.

A man powerfully grasped a long sword, standing in front of a pair of red candles, the sword was dripping some blood. The decoration of his attire was vividly drawn, but the face was left as a blank. This person had unexpectedly no face.

Another person was lying under his sword, the person resembled Guo Ding.

Ding LingLin complexion had changed.
Nangong Lang’s meaning was very obvious, he was coming to take revenge for Nangong Yuan. Tonight he wanted to have Guo Ding under his sword, dying in the banquet hall, right in front of the altar.

Guo Ding was still seriously injured, he would have no strength to fight.

The old innkeeper saw her fear, and he was anxious to take this set of picture aside, but then suddenly someone outside asked, "Is this the Great wild goose guest inn?"

The one who asked the question was a middle-aged person with yellow gown and black hair. The long gown covered down to the knee. The yellow color shone like the gold, but the face was very sad, without an expression.

His appearance was already very strange. What was stranger, was that there were three more people behind him whose attires and facial expressions were just like him.

The old innkeeper’s heart felt a little scared, but he had no alternative but to give the smiling face, "The place is precisely the Great wild goose guest inn."

The person in yellow said, "The marriage celebration of Master Guo Ding and Miss Ding LingLin will be here?"

"Right, it will be here."

The old innkeeper secretly looked at Ding LingLin. Ding LingLin’s face also had a very surprised expression. Obviously she did not recognize these four people.

Since she had not responded, the old innkeeper could only asked further, "Are you looking for Master Guo?"

The person in yellow said, “No."

“Giving a present?"

“No."

The old innkeeper reluctantly gave his smile and said, "Not giving a present is also fine, you may equally drink the celebration drink. The four of you please sit behind and have some tea first."

The person in yellow said, "We do not drink tea, we also do not drink the celebration drink."

Ding LingLin had suddenly smiled and said, “Is it possible that you want to come and see the new bride then?"

The person in yellow looked at her coldly and said, "Are you the new bride?"

Ding LingLin nodded, "Therefore if you must see, now is a good time."

The person in yellow flipped a supercilious look and said, "We do not come to see the bride '"

Ding LingLin said, "What then?"

The person in yellow said, "We must make sure there is no one who dares to stir up trouble here."

Ding LingLin winked briefly, "If there is?"

The person in yellow coldly said, "We must make sure nothing happens."

"Why?"

"Because we are following our order to protect the security of the place, to protect the newly-weds to enter the nuptial chamber."

"Once you are here, no one can stir up trouble anymore?"

The person in yellow said, "If someone dares to, there will be one more dead person in Chang An city tonight."

Ding LingLin said, "If 100 persons dare to, there will be 100 more persons dead in Chang An city?"

The person in yellow said, “Then, there will be 104 more dead persons..."
The meaning was very clear. These four people would not be able to survive 100 persons attacking, but those people would not survive the fight either.

Ding LingLin gently sighed, "On whose order you come today?"

The person in yellow no longer said anything, putting on a stern face, and enter the banquet hall. Then, the four people divided into four directions, moving forward until they stood still on the four corners.

The old innkeeper was also unable to restrain a sigh, but he also did not say anything.

Suddenly there was someone outside who were asking, "Is this the Great wild goose guest inn?"

This time the one who came was unexpectedly a beggar with tattered clothes that had a hundred of miscellaneous pieces sewn into the original robe. His hair was dishevelled, but he was also carrying a big tattered gunnysack.

He could not be a beggar who was giving a present. In this world, there were only beggars who begged for money to have something to eat, not ones who gave away presents.

The old innkeeper wrinkled his brows and said, "You came very early in the morning, and now you are not enjoying what you had."

This beggar had actually sneered, "How did you know I already earn some money?"

The old innkeeper was astounded, "You did not?"

The beggar coldly said, "Even if you gave me this inn, I would not necessarily look at you like a king," the beggar's voice was not humble at all.

The old innkeeper said painstakingly with a smile, "Are you planning to join the celebration drink?"

“No."

"What are you going to do?"

"Giving a present."
He did not ask for something, instead he is delivering a present.

The old innkeeper sighed, "Where is the gift?"

"Here."

The beggar threw the torn gunnysack from his back on the counter. Several crystal clear pearls slid and rolled out from the gunnysack.
The old innkeeper was astounded.
Ding LingLin was also startled.

Only these several pearls were already very, very expensive. Even though she grew up in a rich family, she had rarely seen something like that.

Who knew that there were more things in the gunnysack. As soon as the gunnysack was tilted over, the counter was littered with jewels, pearls, agates, cat eyes, and green emeralds. These were rare treasures, and there were quite a number of them that it was hard to count.

The old innkeeper’s eyes were wide open, the mouth was hung open, never in his dream had he seen so many stone jewelries.

The beggar said, "These are all gifts for Miss Ding, please accept."

The old innkeeper had finally breathed some air, and turned sweetly with a smile, "What is Master’s surname?"

The beggar coldly said, "I am not a master, I am just a poor beggar begging for food."

He turned around and was quickly beyond the yard. His levitation skill was excellent, quite a rarity in jiang-hu.

Ding LingLin wanted to stop him, but by the time she followed him there was not even a shadow of him in the crowded street. Actually who was he? Why did he have to give such an extravagant present?

The old innkeeper suddenly said, "There is a name card here."

The bright red congratulatory card had this writing, “Wish great happiness to Master Guo and Miss Ding! From celebrating guests: Die-er-bu, Duo-er-jia, Bu-da-la and Ban-cha-ba-na.“

Ding LingLin was astounded.

The old innkeeper said, "Does Miss Ding know them?"

Ding LingLin smiled painstakingly, "Not only do I not know them, but I also have never heard of their names." Such strange names were truly not often heard of.

The old innkeeper knitted his brows, "If Miss had not heard of their names, how can they give such an expensive present?"

Ding LingLin also could not guess why.

The old innkeeper smiled bitterly, "No matter what, when other people give a present, they must always have a good intention."

Ding LingLin sighed, but did not say anything..

Suddenly there was someone asking again outside, "Is this the Great wild goose guest inn?"
Exactly the same questions, but they were coming from three different parties.

The first two parties already exhibited some strange people, but this one actually exhibited an even stranger person.

In the severely cold weather, this person unexpectedly just had a blue robe, and a tall ancient hat. The face was yellowish with a sparse beard, as if he had only recovered from a sickness, although he was as if unaffected by the cold.

His left hand was holding an umbrella, the right hand was carrying a box. The umbrella was very worn-out but the box was actually very attractive. It did not seem to be made of leather or wood, but it was clear that the box was worth a lot of money. Moreover, the handle of this special box was covered with jades.

Although his body seemed frail, his manner was actually very arrogant. He coldly said, "Is this where a person surnamed Guo is hosting the marriage celebration?"

The old innkeeper nodded, looking at the box in his hand probingly asking, "Is the customer giving a present?"

“No."

“Planning to have the celebration drink?"

“No."

The old innkeeper only gave the forced smile, he could not asked anymore.

Ding LingLin actually suddenly asked, "You are Nangong Lang?"

The person in blue sneered, "As if Nangong Lang counts for anything..."

Ding LingLin breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled, "Indeed he is nothing."

The person in blue said, "I am a thing."

Ding LingLin was surprised, she had never seen someone referring to himself as “a thing”.

The person in blue said seriously "Why don't you ask what thing am I?"

"I am thinking."

"I am the gift."

Ding LingLin said, "You are surnamed Li?" (Li=gift)

“Not surnamed Li, I am the gift."

Ding LingLin opened her eyes big. Looking at him, this person was like a monster. A monster that could speak and walk.

"You are Ding LingLin?"

Ding LingLin nodded.

"Some people want to deliver me as a congratulatory gift, do you understand?"

Ding LingLin did not really understand, "You said you are someone else’s gift for me?"

The person in blue finally sighed, "You have finally understood."

"I still do not understand."

The person in blue knitted his brows: "Why?"

Ding LingLin smiled painstakingly, "Why do I want such a gift as you?"

“I am certainly useful."

"Of what use?"

"I can rescue a person's life."

"Whose life?"

"Your husband, Guo Ding."

Ding LingLin changed her countenance and said, "You can rescue him?"

The person in blue coldly said, "If I cannot rescue him, that means there is no one else in the world that can rescue him."

Ding LingLin looked at his strange attire, the waxy yellow face, looked at the umbrella on his left hand, and the box hanging on his right hand. Her face suddenly became flushed with excitement.

The person in blue calmly said, "I come not to look at you, nor do I like you when you stare at me."

Ding LingLin’s eyes sent a glint and said, "I know you."

"Who am I?"

"You are surnamed Ge, you are 'Wan Baoxiang, the universal umbrella, the one god of death cannot repress' Ge Bing."

"You have seen Ge Bing?"

"I have not seen him but I heard Ye Kai mentioning you."

"Oh?"

"He said Ge Bing had been sick very often since his childhood, moreover nobody could treat his sickness, therefore he thought of probable cures for himself. Unexpectedly he afterwards became the world’s finest doctor. Even the god of death could not conquer him, because he frequently revived even dead people."

The person in blue suddenly sneered, "What thing is Ye Kai again?"

Ding LingLin said, "He is not a thing, he is your friend, I know... "
She suddenly came closer and tried to grip his hands while panting for breath, “Did Ye Kai ask you to come? He has not died?"

The person in blue coldly said, "You are looking for the wrong person."

"I am not."

"You are the newly-wed bride, you should go find your husband, why are you holding on to me?"
His words obviously had the deeper meaning.

- Since you are marrying Guo Ding, why should you still hold on to me, you also should not look for Ye Kai anymore...

Ding LingLin's hands slowly loosened her grips, dangling downwards without any energy. Low-spiritedly she said, "Perhaps I am really looking for the wrong person."

The person in blue said, "But I have not actually looked for the wrong person."

"You... You must find Guo Ding?"

The person in blue nodded, "If you do not want to be a widow, quickly lead me to him."

The jewelry were still piled on the counter, the person in blue had not noticed it, but the cold wind from outside the door had blown the blood red congratulatory name card to under his feet.

He had not picked it up, and only lowered his head to look at it. After looking at briefly, his face had became really strange, as he suddenly said, "Who sent this?"

Ding LingLin said, “A beggar."

"What kind of a beggar?"

Ding LingLin hesitated, she cleared her mind but her heart was too chaotic.

The old innkeeper soberly said, “The beggar was not too old, he had a haughty manner, when he spoke, it was as if he wanted to make a quarrel."

Ding LingLin had also remembered, "His levitation skill was very high, moreover very strange."

"What is so strange?"

"His body spinned like a top."

The person in blue remained calm. After a very long time, he suddenly asked, "Among these jewelry, are there four blocks of jade with some devil signs on them?"

"Yes."

The old innkeeper had examined them very quickly, the engraving was of four-handed god, a hand holding a wisdom rock, a hand holding a law enforcement stick, a hand holding a mountain peak, but also a hand unexpectedly holding a naked woman. The person in blue clothes looked at this signs on the jade sign, the pupil seemed to be contracting.

Ding LingLin could not bear asking, "You know who the person is?"

The person in blue had not replied, instead he just sneered.

*****

Unexpectedly, Guo Ding could really stand up now. This person in blue really had some magical powers, which even the god of death could not suppress.

But, by the time Ding LingLin wanted to thank him, he had disappeared and Ding LingLin did not know how to find him.

Then, she put on the new bride set of fortuitous clothes, while the old innkeeper’s happy mother was putting the last dab of rouge on her.

There were many guests already, but were there some acquaintances in the crowd? Had Yang Tian and Lu Di come? Ding LingLin was completely ignorant. She certainly could not go out now and looked around, so she just sat on the bed, the whole body seemed to have become completely numb.

There was a happy melodious sound outside. The happy mother came in running from outside as she said, "The seats had been filled with the guests, the bridegroom’s party is already waiting to do obeisance, now the bride should also come out."

Ding LingLin had not moved.
- Was Ge Bing sent by Ye Kai? Ye Kai had not died?
Her heart was in chaos.

If Ye Kai were outside the door, she would have flown outside like a swallow.
Ye Kai?

Ding LingLin was reluctantly hardening her heart, trying to control herself and not let the tears fall. This was something she was willing to do. Guo Ding was a good person, moreover he was also adept and perhaps held an even deeper sentiment towards her than Ye Kai.

Ye Kai had always been warm and cold all the time towards her, careless. Moreover, Guo Ding had rescued her life. She was certainly not the first woman who repaid a debt of gratitude by marrying him. She comforted herself, urging herself, but in her heart she could not bear asking herself, "Actually is this right? Or wrong?"
Nobody could ever answer this question.

The crowd became anxious, there were some urging noises outside. Ding LingLin finally stood up. Only as if after she had totally exhausted herself could she then stand up. The happy mother helped her up and walked her along slowly.

They passed through the corridor, passed through the courtyard. There were sounds of conflicting noises in the hall, all kinds of sound. It was a pity that they did not have the kind of sound she wanted to listen the most - Ye Kai’s laughter.

Now, whether Ye Kai lived or not, it was totally irrelevant.
She walked to the place beside Guo Ding, and heard the happy official said loudly, "As soon as ready, do obeisance to the world."

The happy mother were preparing to help her do the obeisance, when suddenly a call of alarm was heard, a rustle of clothes came before her.

Nangong Lang?

Ding LingLin had remembered that picture immediately, remembering the person without a face that held the bloody sword. She could not ignore this. She suddenly lifted her hand and raised the red veil on her face. She immediately saw a person.

A person in black who looked deathly pale, who suddenly appeared like a spirit. This person stopped in front of her, his hand held a sandal wood box. The four defenders in the yellow clothes started to come forward, Guo Ding’s face had also changed color.

Ding LingLin suddenly sneered, said, " Nangong Lang, I know that you are coming."

The person in black shook his head, "I am not Nangong Lang."

Ding LingLin said, "You are not?"

"I am giving a present."

"Why wait until now to give a present?"

"Although the delivery is late, it is always better than not delivering this."

Ding LingLin looked at the sandalwood box in his hand and said, "This is the gift you are delivering?"

The person in black nodded, with one hand he picked up the box and the other hand lifted the cover. The happy mother that stood beside Ding LingLin gave a loud cry and fainted. What she saw in that box, the gift from this person in black, was a bloody severed head.

The long red candles burned bright, bright red. The blood was also red, and not dried yet. Ding LingLin's face was actually very pale.

The person in black looked at her and lightly said, "If you think I deliver this gift with a bad intention, you are wrong."

Ding LingLin sneered, "This is your good intention?"

"Not only it is with good intention, moreover I may guarantee that no other guest can come with a gift more precious than this one."

"Oh?"

The person in black pointed at the box and said, "Because if this person does not die, it will probably be very difficult for the two of you to be safe until you are through your wedding festivities night."

Ding LingLin said, "Who is this person?"

“The person who wholeheartedly wanted to take revenge on you."

Ding LingLin’s face changed color, “Is this Nangong Lang?"

“Right, it is him."

Ding LingLin gently spoke, "Who are you?"

The person in black said, "I am also Nangong Lang’s enemy."

Ding LingLin said, "And now?"

"Now that I have given the present, I will join the guests to drink the celebration drink."

Ding LingLin looked at him, before realizing she no longer could ask anything else.

In the hall crowds, there were all kinds of person. Suddenly someone said with a sharp voice, “I am afraid it’s not convenient to drink the celebration drink using a mask...”

Although the person in black face did not show any expression, the pupil suddenly contracted. He said sternly, “Who are you?”

That voice sneered, "You will never know me, but I actually know that you are Nangong Lang."

The person in black suddenly moved. He threw the box with the head to Ding LingLin’s face, revealing a sword behind it.

With a quick flash the sword thrust straight at Guo Ding’s chest.
This change was really too quick, he attacked so quickly.

That Guo Ding could stand was already a miracle; how could he evade this quick lightning sword?

Ding LingLin could also only watch. The bloody head fell away from in front of her face to the floor. Anyone who was eating at the time would be startled. By the time it went past her, the sword had moved only a foot away from Guo Ding’s chest.

Even if her hand had the life-snatching golden bells, it would not be quick enough to prevent the attack. Moreover, she was wearing the bride’s dress. She certainly could not hide any weapon in that dress – that person without the face would hold that bloody sword soon.

Seeing the sword got nearer, it seemed certain that Guo Ding would die under his sword.
There was almost nobody in the world who could rescue him.

But in that flash of time, suddenly there was a glitter of a dagger.
Bright shiny dagger, which was as quick the lightning, brighter than the lightning, shooting forward as if coming from the left side window.

As soon as the dagger flew, Ding LingLin had quickly gone through the window. She left the full-house of wedding guests, she also left Guo Ding who was threatened by the sword. She just left them all!

Because she knew that the dagger would surely rescue Guo Ding! It would surely repel this person in black.

This was a dagger which saved lives! It had rescued so many people's life!

She knew that there was only one person in the world that could send this dagger away.
Only one person!

She could not let this person walk away like that. Even if she died, she must see this person again.

END OF CHAPTER 21

[atlantean0208]

Chapter 22: Four great princes - TRANSLATED BY FASTCLOCK

The night grew deeper as the light became dimmer.
There were only a few stars here and there.
Under the dim star light, the shadow of the person ahead seemed to glimmer in the distance.

Although she pursued quickly, this person was actually quicker.
By the time she went through the window, this person had moved away by ten meters.
But she certainly did not want to give up, she knew perfectly well that she could not force this person to stop but she must pursue him anyway.
She used her whole strength to move forward.

The distant place was darker, and nothing clear could be seen.
In the intersection there was an ancient oak building with a single burning lamp.
There were many such buildings in this ancient Chang An city, worn-out, desolate, with nobody.

She suddenly stopped and shouted loudly!
"Ye Kai, I know it was you, I know that you have not walked far, and you certainly can hear me speak."

In the lonesome darkness there was no response, only some branches sighing in the cold wind.

"Even if you do not want to see me, you should listen to me."

She bit her lips and restrained her tears from falling.
"I have not apologized to you... if you do not want to say goodbye to me, I will not blame you... But I will die .... !"

She suddenly rip the front of her clothes, revealing the naked chest.
In such darkness, her chest was like sending a satiny light, even in the cold wind.
Her body started to tremble uncontrollably.

"I know that perhaps you will not believe me, I know... But you can see that I will actually die in front of you!"

She stretched out the shivering hand, took out the eight inches long golden hairpin, and with her whole strength, thrust it towards her own chest.

She really wanted to die!

For her, there was really nothing in this world that she was reluctant to part with. Her family had met with a disastrous incident, brother and sister had fallen and faded away, there was only one person that she could rely on in this world.

She had determined to spend her lifetime with this person, but at present this person did not even want to say goodbye to her.

The golden hairpin pricked her chest, the blood splashed.

At this moment, a flit of the shadow jump away from the darkness and stopped her hand from continuing.

"Ting", the golden hairpin fell in the ridge. The bright red blood had flowed on the fair chest.

She finally saw this person, the cause of her worry, the unforgettable no-matter-how-hard-you-try person.

She finally saw Ye Kai.

The dim night was still very chilly, as the dim star light shone on Ye Kai’s face.
He looked like his usual appearance, the bright eyes, his smile.

But if you looked carefully, you could discover that his eyes shone only because of the tears. Although he was smiling, the smiling face was actually filled with misery and sadness.

"You should not have done that," he gently sighed, "Why do you have to injure yourself?"

Ding LingLin looked at him like crazy, her whole appearance seemed to have become uncontrollable.
... Why did the heaven have to set up this goodbye? Why?

Ye Kai obviously also tried hard to control himself, "I know you feel sorry for me, you do not need to apologize, I am the one who should."

"You... "

Ye Kai did not let her continue, "You do not need to say anything, I already know."

"You... You really know?"

Ye Kai nodded, low-spiritedly he said, "If I were you, I would certainly do the same thing that you do. Guo Ding is a fine young man who has a bright future, moreover he is a very good person. You certainly cannot just look at him dying in front of you because he has saved you."

Ding LingLin’s tears gushed out, "But I... "

"You are a very good girl, therefore you know what you have to do, and you cannot let Guo Ding’s hope disappear." Ye Kai sighed, "If a person no longer wants to live, there is absolutely no one in the world who can save him, even Ge Bing cannot do it."

Indeed he understood Guo Ding, understood her intention.
There was nothing more precious in the world than this kind of sympathy and understanding.

Ding LingLin was like a child who had received some injustice and had to suffer through it. She threw herself in his bosom, loudly weeping bitterly.

Ye Kai let her cry.
Crying was also a way to vent the frustration. He hoped that the sorrow and the grief in her heart could flow out along with her tears.

But what about him?

He could not cry, even a few silent tears would not be good at all. He knew that between the two of them, there must be someone who was strong, and he certainly wanted to be the strong one. No matter how big was the grief and the sorrow, he certainly felt he could bury them in his heart.

With the gritted, clenched teeth, he could endure them.

*****

The night went deeper, the wind was colder.

After a long while, her bitter weeping had finally become calmer. Ye Kai pushed her gently away and said, "You should go back."

Ding LingLin said in consternation, "You want me to go back? Go back where?"

"Back to the place where you came out a moment ago."

"Why?"

"The others are certainly waiting and worrying about you very much."

Ding LingLin's body became suddenly ice-cold stiff, "You... You want me to go back and marry Guo Ding?"

Ye Kai’s inside felt like it got turned upside down, "You cannot go back on him. You should also know that as soon as you walk out on him, then he would no longer have the desire to live anymore."

Ding LingLin had no alternative but to acknowledge that, Guo Ding’s fighting spirit to claw back into the land of the living was motivated by her.

Ye Kai’s heart closed the door tightly, "If Guo Ding really dies, not only I cannot forgive you, you also can never forgive yourself."

- Although these two people were together in the same place, they felt the stabbing pain of separation of a lifetime. Although he had not spoken the words, he knew that Ding LingLin would certainly understand.

Ding LingLin hung her head low. After a very long time, she said miserably, "I go back, and you?"

"I will get by." Ye Kai wanted to force himself to smile but he could not, "You know that I am always a strong person."

"Won't we later be able to say goodbye?"

"Certainly we can."

Ye Kai’s heart was stabbed with pain, this is the first time he lied to her, but he had no alternative to say such things. "... As long as the matter is over, we can certainly say goodbye."

Ding LingLin suddenly came closer and stared at him, "Good, I promise you that I will go back, but you must also comply on one thing."

"Tell me."

"If the matter is over, and I cannot find you, you must tell me where you are?"

Ye Kai avoided her eyes, "As long as the matter is over, you can look for me, I can also look for you."

Ding LingLin said, "If all the matters go well, Guo Ding can live well, will you come and find me?"

Ye Kai nodded.

"You are saying the truth? You really have not deceived me?"

"Yes."

Ye Kai’s heart had broken to pieces.
He knew that his words would not stand, but Ding LingLin had completely believed him.

Why did people always want to deceive the person who trusted him the most?
Because he had no alternative.

Why was there no alternative to sadness and pain in this life?
He did not know, and he also could not understand it.
He only knew that he had to walk this long and lonely road.
- A real man, if it became necessary, must fulfill his duty to help other people.

Ding LingLin finally set her resolution firmly, "Good, I will leave now, I believe you."

"I... I later will find you."

Ding LingLin nodded, slowly had turned around, she has not dared to look again at him.
She feared that she would change her mind.

She had turned around, leaving the star lights behind, also the life she wanted behind. She clenched tight her fists and with all her strength she said, "See you again..."

Ye Kai stood still.
He could not say anything anymore. He did not dare to say anything. He had used up all his strength as well to control himself.

The cold wind felt like knife as he dashed against the wind, rushed forward headlong for a very long time. Finally he stopped and bent down, and then started to vomit uncontrollably.

Ding LingLin was also vomiting.
She did not stop vomiting until everything was out, including the bile.

But she had set her own firm resolution. Since Ye Kai had not died, she could not marry anyone else.

Even if in a situation where she would not marry someone might cause his death, she still could not do it. She had determined that she would go back and tell Guo Ding what she felt, in her pain she would tell Guo Ding.

Guo Ding was a really good man, he should understand, he should be able to continue to live his life.

She believed Guo Ding was a real man.
She believed that this all matters could be solve satisfactorily. By that time, Ye Kai would certainly come and find her.
She felt confident that all this misery would heal and pass away quickly.

*****

In the Great wild goose guest inn hall, the light was still as magnificent as before, but there was also some intermittent melodious sound of music.

Here she came.

Now that black-clothed person had certain ran away, Guo Ding would certainly be alive, and everybody would certainly be waiting for her.

She leapt over the ridge and walked into the hall.
She suddenly stood shocked still, her body felt very cold like she suddenly had plunged into a cold dark abyss. Like she had entered into hell.

The hall had become even more fearful than hell.
The hell was filled with the burning flame that would never be extinguished, filled with the red flame.

This hall was also filled with red color, only this red color did not come from the red candles, nor from the clothes that people wore, but... from blood.

Blood!

She tried to identify the person whose melodious sound she heard outside, but there were pools of blood everywhere in that hall. There was only one person left alive, that person was playing a flute.

His face was completely pale, without the healthy blush. The eyes looked straight, the body was still, but he did not stop blowing the flute. Although he lived, it seemed that he had lost his soul.

Nobody could describe Ding LingLin’s feeling as she heard this melodious sound. Nobody could ever imagine it.

Guo Ding now could never listen to her explanation and her difficulties as he was lying in the pool of blood, lying in the same place as that black-clothed person, as well as that good old person, as well as...

Ding LingLin could not see anymore. She could only see the bright red blood, already blind to any other vision.

Actually who committed these murders? For what purpose?
She could no longer think about them....

*****

Ding LingLin opened her eyes once more and opened them wider. The first thing she saw was the open lid of that expensive and fine box.

Ge Bing.

That tall old person in blue stood in front of the bed, staring at her, his eyes were also filled with sorrow and pity.

Ding LingLin struggled to sit up, but Ge Bing had actually held her down. She could only lie down again. She knew that this old person had rescued her, but...

"Guo Ding? Can you save him?"

Ge Bing low-spiritedly shook his head. With a long sigh he said, "I got here too late... "

Ding LingLin suddenly greatly shouted out, "You got here too late? ... Why did you have to sneak off?"

Ge Bing said, "Because I must catch up with someone I must find."

Ding LingLin shouted again, "Why do you need to find this person? Why?"

She was totally unable to control oneself, Ge Bing sunk his voice, "Because I must ask this person to stop this from happening."

"You already knew that this will happen?"

Ge Bing said sadly, "When I saw that bag of jewelry, when I saw those four people's names, I knew."

"You knew who those four people were?"

Ge Bing nodded.

"Actually who are they?"

“The four great princes of the Devil Sect."

Ding LingLin fell back, like she had been clobbered by an iron club, but actually she could no longer move at all.

Ge Bing said slowly, "At that time I did not say anything, because I was afraid that if you knew, you would be instilled with fear. I did not want to ruin your marriage celebration."

Marriage celebration!
What kind of marriage celebration was that?

Ding LingLin wanted to jump up and shouted wildly, but she did not have any strength anymore.

Ge Bing said, "Moreover when I saw the four messengers in yellow, I thought since the Golden Coin Clan had interfered in this matter, even the four great princes of the Devil Sect would hesitate to do anything further."

He low-spiritedly sighed, "But I actually did not expect that things could change so fast in the midway."

"You thought Ye Kai would be able to take care of things in secret?"

Ge Bing acknowledged.

"Therefore you did not expect that Ye Kai would leave, nor did you expect I could go after him."
Ding LingLin's voice was very weak.
She felt her body became empty.

Ge Bing said bitterly, "I think he left because he had not seen that jade sign, also because he had not seen that bag of jewelry."

Ding LingLin could not bear asking, "That bag of jewelry, was there a special meaning to it?"

"Yes!"

"What was it?"

Ge Bing said word by word, "They deliver that bag of jewelry to buy the people’s lives."

Ding LingLin said with amazement, “To buy lives?"

Ge Bing said, "The princes from the Devil Sect always commit very few killings."

"Why?"

"Because they believe in the hell after life, nor do they want to owe some debts in their next life. Therefore each time they have to commit the murders, they need to pay the price in advance, to buy the people’s lives."

Ding LingLin suddenly also asked, "How did you know that when I left, Ye Kai also left?"

"Someone told me."

"What person?"

"The person that blew the flute."

Remembering that miserable melodious sound, Ding LingLin was unable to stop herself from shivering. "He saw this matter with his own eyes?"

Ge Bing gave a deep sigh, "From the beginning to the end, he stood there looking, therefore if he had not met me, he would have turned crazy for his whole life."

Anyone who saw something like this, would be frightened to insanity.

Ding LingLin also asked, "He also saw that four great princes’ faces?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because when the four princes committed the murders as a revenge, they would always wear the mask of the devil on their faces."

"Revenge? Revenge for whom?"

"Priest Yu Xiao." Ge Bing said, "Priest Yu Xiao died under Guo Ding."

"Priest Yu Xiao is also one of the four great princes?"

"He was the Desire Prince, Ban-cha-ba-na."

Ding LingLin clenched both hands together, her body had not stopped trembling.

"Guo Ding killed Priest Yu Xiao for me."

"I know."

"If I did not pursue him, Ye Kai would not have left." Ding LingLin burst into tears, "If Ye Kai had not left, perhaps this nightmare would not have happened."

Ge Bing shook his head and said, "You cannot blame yourself, this is all in their plan."

Ding LingLin did not understand.

"That person in black was certainly not Nangong Lang, I know Nangong Lang."

Ding LingLin was startled, "Who was he if he was not Nangong Lang?"

"He was also from the Devil Sect."

"He suddenly appeared to force Ye Kai to come out?"

Ge Bing said bitterly, "They had already calculated that Ye Kai would rescue Guo Ding, and that once you knew about Ye Kai’s presence, you would certainly pursue him."

They certainly had also calculated that when Ding LingLin pursued him, Ye Kai would certainly leave the place. The four great princes of the Devil Sect really planned this thoroughly and perfectly. Therefore, once they started their plan, it would only almost always succeed.

Ding LingLin bitterly said, "So, it looked like the person who intentionally said that he was Nangong Lang, was very possibly one of the great princes."

“It is very probable."

Ge Bing suddenly also said, "Did you listen carefully to his voice?"

Ding LingLin could not say so.

"I only felt that person’s voice was more grating than the sharp needle."

"Could you tell whether he was a male or a female?"

“A male. When he spoke, the Adam’s apple was moving prominently."

Ge Bing slowly said, "When a man becomes an adult, his voice membrane became coarser, therefore whenever a man speaks, his voice is always lower and deeper than a woman."

Ding LingLin had not really paid attention to these things, but she believed him totally.
Because she knew that Ge Bing was the best unparalleled doctor in the world, therefore he definitely knew more about the human’s body structure better than anyone.
She had also heard that the Devil Sect’s princes could cause a person’s voice to change.

Ge Bing said, "Therefore when a man speak normally, his voice cannot be too incisive, only if... "

Ding LingLin interrupted, "Only if he was speaking with the falsetto voice."

Ge Bing nodded, "You know why he spoke using the falsetto?"

"Because he was afraid that I might recognize his voice."

"Because you have definitely listened to his voice before." Ge Bing continued, "That day what kind of people give congratulations to you? Did you see some of them?"

Ding LingLin did not know that, "I simply did not have the opportunity to look." She clenched her teeth and said, "And the people who had the opportunity to see them, had all been killed to eliminate any potential informant."

Ge Bing was also unable to restrain clenching his fists.

The Devil Sect’s plan was conducted thoroughly and viciously.

"But they have left behind a clue." Ge Bing pondered along.

"What clue?"

Ge Bing said, "The killer of this massacre was certainly in that banquet hall at that time."

"Certainly."

Ge Bing said, "The only people that survive the banquet hall must certainly be the killer, and the killer isi very possibly the four great princes."

Ding LingLin’s eyes brightened, "Therefore, as long as we can find out who were present in the banquet hall at that time, and also who are still alive at the moment, then we actually know who are the four great princes."

Ge Bing nodded, his eyes were not shining as well because he knew that although this issue was a simple one to discuss, it was not easy to execute. "It is a pity that we did not know who gave the presents at that time in that banquet hall? That person also died?"

Ding LingLin said, "Each person who gave a present were all recorded in the gift book."

Ge Bing’s eyes also shone. He asked immediately, "That gift book?"

"I think it would still be in the Great wild goose guest inn’s ledger."

Ge Bing said, "Now it is not dawn yet, those corpses must still be in the banquet hall."

“It is not that far to the Great wild goose guest inn." Ding LingLin jumped up and said, "What are we waiting for then?"

Ge Bing looked at her anxiously. She had received a big shock just now, if she now returned to that banquet hall, and saw the blood and the corpses, she might become unhinged and gone mad. He wanted to convince her to stay behind, but before he opened his mouth, Ding LingLin had run out. This girl, unexpectedly, was much stronger than what he had imagined.

*****

There was no bodies or dead corpses in the banquet hall at all. Ge Bing’s worry was completely unnecessary.

When they arrived at the Great wild goose guest inn, they discovered that all the corpses had been moved out, the ledger was also empty. There was nobody, no gift book, and also all the gifts had all been taken away.

Ding LingLin was astounded. At that moment, the night was still very dark, how long she had left this place, she was not certain. But the movement of the Devil Sect turned out to be so much quicker.

Ge Bing suddenly asked, "The bag of jewelry from the four great princes was also placed in this ledger."

Ding LingLin nodded.

"Then this cleaning was not done by the Devil Sect’s people."

"Why?"

"Because that bag of jewelry was intended to purchase the lives. Now that the lives had been purchased and taken, they cannot take back these jewelry."

Ding LingLin said, "Therefore they were not the one who remove the corpses?"

Ge Bing said, “No."

Ding LingLin said, "Who then? Besides them, there are also some people with such quick hands and feet?"

"If someone wants to remove the corpses and the gifts quickly, that is indeed not an easy matter, it is also not completely useful to remove the corpses for anyone."

Ding LingLin really could not understand, nor could Ge Bing.

The wind blew in from the window, blew on her body. Suddenly her inner soul shivered, as the wind blew, there was a distinct notes of sound in the distant.

The whistling sound was miserable and sorrowful, Ding LingLin remembered the person that blew the flute and his pale face immediately. She could not bear asking, "You have not carried him off a moment ago?"

Ge Bing shook his head.
"Why did he stay here?"

"What did he see?"

Ge Bing and Ding LingLin both simultaneously looked out of the window. They both knew that the person that could answer the question was only that person.

They certainly must find the person who played the flute.

END OF CHAPTER 22

[atlantean0208]

Chapter 23: The person who played the flute - TRANSLATED BY FASTCLOCK

No one there.
Not even the dead people.

Some lights still remained alight, some lights were extinguished.
The desolate inn, the desolate courtyard.
Although the corpses had been removed, the courtyard was still filled with the smell of the blood. The cold night breeze could freeze a person’s blood.

The person that played the flute?

In the dim light, the indistinct whistling sound seemed near, yet far away.

When they were inside, the whistling sound seemed to be in courtyard. Once there, the whistling sound seemed to come from outside the wall. Outside the wall, the night was as dark as the black ink.

They passed over the wall gently and swiftly swiping the snow at top of a wall. In the boundless darkness, there was only one single lamp, glimmering like the jack-o'-lantern.

Under the lamp there was a shadow of a person, as if he was playing the flute.

Who was this person?
Was it the one who blew the flute a moment ago?
Why did he play the flute under the single lamp? Was it possible that he was waiting for them?
In this darkness, why did he stay there alone to wait for them?

These questions could only be answered by that person.
The hanging solitary lamp swayed with the wind.

Ding LingLin had looked at this kind of lantern before, it was the reception lantern of the Great wild goose guest inn that evening. But she actually could not see this person clearly.

She wanted to run over there, but Ge Bing held onto her, she could feel the cold sweat indicating that this old person's control was shaky. When a person got older, he would be closer to death anyway, why did he fear death more?

Ding LingLin bit her lips, and lowered her voice, "You might as well return first to the inn, I will go and have a look."

Ge Bing sighed.

He knew she had misunderstood his intention, he was certainly not worried for himself, but for her.

"I am already an old person, I have no fear, but... "

Ding LingLin had interrupted him, "I understand your intention, but I must certainly go and have a look."

The whistling sound suddenly stopped, in the darkness suddenly someone coldly said, "I know that you have tried to find me all this time, now why is that?"

His voice was incisive, more grating than a sharp needle.

Ding LingLin felt the cold sweat coming down.
She had heard this voice before.
Anyone who had listened to this voice would never forget it.
Was this person one of four great princes of the Devil Sect?

Ge Bing’s complexion had changed, he said lowly, "Actually who are you?"

The person under the single lamp sneered, "Why don’t you come nearer and see me?"

Ding LingLin certainly would go.
Even if she knew clearly that to go would bring death, she would be sure to go, not to have a look was simply impossible.

But Ge Bing had shook her hand repeatedly and interrupted, "I will meet you sooner or later and find out who you are, I am certainly not worried."

Ding LingLin said, "I am worried."
She suddenly turned around, and aim her fist at Ge Bing’s ribs, she suddenly broke through.

*****

The light was suddenly extinguished.
The cold wind blew strongly, covering the darkness of the earth.

But Ding LingLin had rushed forward to the front of this person, saw clearly this person's face. The pale twisted face, with a pair of eyes filled with fear, the protruded eyes like the dead fish were staring at Ding LingLin.

Ding LingLin had seen this face before.

This was precisely that person that had stood like crazy in the pool of blood, driven into insanity with fear, blowing the flute away; He was the only living person in the banquet hall.
Was he the murderer?

Ding LingLin clenched both of her fists, but she suddenly detected a drop of blood was slowly seeping from the corner of his eye, flowing down his pale face.

The cold wind had blown harder, she could not help shivering in her spirit.
She suddenly discovered that this person was unexpectedly already dead.

How could a dead person speak?
How could a dead person blow something?
A dead person could not speak, nor could he play the flute.
There was no flute in his hand.
Then, from where did the whistling sound come a moment ago?

Ding LingLin stepped backward, step by step, when suddenly a hand stretched out like lightning and gripped her hand.

The ice-cold hand, ice-cold and stiff.
Could a dead person also made an attack?

Ding LingLin's hands were also already ice-cold, she nearly fainted.
She had not fainted, because she discovered that this hand stretched out from the dead person’s body.

But this hand was really too cold, also colder than a dead person's hand.
Not only cold, moreover it was hard, harder than the iron.
This really did not feel like a live person's hand, Ding LingLin exhausted all her strength to release herself, but she could not get loose.

The dead person behind spoke again in that grating voice, "Don’t you really want to see me?"

Ding LingLin bit her lips hard, causing them to bleed.

"If you know who I am, you must die." His hand shook her, "Now, do you still want to see me?"
Ding LingLin suddenly nodded.

If a person had to survive this situation, what was to fear from the death?
She was staring at this person's hand, this hand, in the darkness, looked like a shiny metal.

His sleeve was of green color, and embroidered with a green mountain peak.
"Bu-da-la" the Prince.
Gu-feng (the solitary peak).

Ding LingLin's heart felt suddenly cold.
She even hoped that she had met a ghost instead.

In jiang-hu, the four princes of the Devil Sect were really more fearful than the demon.

She did not fear death.
But she also knew, that if a person fell under the spell of the Devil Sect, the painful experience could even be more fearful than death.

She saw from this person's hand sleeves, slowly she looked upward... She finally saw his face.
A pale indifferent face of a dead person.

In Ding LingLin’s eyes, this face was even more fearful than a dead person’s. She finally cannot bear to shout loudly, “Is it you?"

"You did not expect me?"

"You... You are Bu-da-la?"

“Right, I am Bu-da-la, or Gu-feng (solitary peak) the Prince. The unattainable, isolated solitary mountain peak. Anyone who has seen my true face can only have two options."

Two options? Besides the blind alley, there was unexpectedly another option?

"If you do not persist in being stubborn and enter our sect willingly, you may forever live."

"Forever live?" Ding LingLin suddenly sneered. "I had at least seen 7 or 8 persons from your Devil Sect, and they have been cast aside like stray cats by the leaders."

"Even if they die, they die happily."

"Happy? What happiness?"

"Because the persons who kill them, they all have paid the price."

Thinking about the pools of blood and the corpses in the banquet hall, Ding LingLin nearly could not stop herself from vomiting.

Gufeng the Prince said, "Now although you live, you live less happily than if you die. But when you enter our sect, even if you die, you live. Nobody will dare to bully you."

Ding LingLin bit her lips hard, these words had moved her.
Recently she had received the utmost grievances.

Gufeng the Prince looked at her, the sharp hawkish eyes had some mockery in them, as he coldly said, "I know that you certainly do not really want to die, nobody really wants to die."

Ding LingLin had dangled her head downward.
She was still young, but she had not truly enjoyed her life, why did she have to die?
A girl who had to suffer so much grievances now had the opportunity to let others suffer, wouldn’t that be a very happy matter.

This enticement was really too big.
There were not many girls in the world who could reject this kind of enticement, moreover Ding LingLin was originally a girl who always strived to win.

Gufeng the Prince certainly knew this point, as he lightly said, "You might as well consider that, but I also must remind you about two things."

Ding LingLin was listening.

Gufeng the Prince said, "To enter our sect, is certainly not an easy matter. You can have such an opportunity, it really is your luck."

He slowly continued, "Only because at the present, the Sect is precisely opening up the sect again, then you can join up. If you miss this opportunity, you will certainly regret it for your whole life."

Ding LingLin suddenly asked, "You do not want me to do obeisance as your disciple?"

Gufeng the Prince proudly said, "It is your luck that you can do obeisance to be my disciple."

"I am not useful to you?"

Gufeng the Prince had not denied it.

"What will you use me for?"

"Later you will know it."

"And now... "

Gufeng the Son of Heaven had interrupted her, "You are useful to me, I am more useful to you, between people, they will use each other. Moreover I also must remind one thing."

Ding LingLin hesitated, "You said you must remind one thing?"

"You do not need to wait for Ge Bing to rescue you, he cannot rescue you, he does not dare."

Ding LingLin could not bear asking, "Why?"

"Because he is a member of the Sect, many years ago he was initiated."

Ding LingLin was astounded.

"You do not believe me?"

Ding LingLin really did not believe him.
She just met Ge Bing for a while, but she had always had a lot of respect for this person.
Because she knew that Ge Bing was Ye Kai’s friend, he was an extremely arrogant, extremely capable person.

She did not believe that Ye Kai’s friend could be a mean villain whose face continuously wore the mask of a hypocrite.

But Ge Bing came closer. Hanging his head, he stood close to Gufeng the Prince, like a lackey standing beside the leader.

Ding LingLin's heart had sunk.

Gufeng the Prince coldly said, "Now do you believe me?"

Ding LingLin had no alternative but to believe, but she could not bear asking Ge Bing, "You really belong to the Devil Sect?"

Ge Bing unexpectedly acknowledged.

Ding LingLin clenched both of her fists as she coldly said, "I thought you continuously care for me, help me, I also think of you as a friend. I did not expect you to be such a shameless villain."

Ge Bing’s face was devoid of expression, like a deaf ignorant person.

Ding LingLin said, "Did you know that I had always respected you a lot, not only for your medical knowledge, but also as a gentleman, why do you want to wallow in this shameful degeneration?"

Gufeng the Prince said, "Joining the Sect is actually not wallowing in degeneration."

Ding LingLin gave a long sigh, "Good, very good, you can quickly kill me."

Gufeng the Prince said, "Your have decided?"

“Right."

"You would rather die?"

“Yes."

Gufeng the Prince was also unable to restrain appearing very surprised: "Why?"

"Because I know that once a person join your Sect, he would become a shameful mean villain."

Gufeng the Prince's pupils contracted as he slowly said, "You do not want to reconsider?"

Ding LingLin decidedly said, "I do not need to reconsider."

Gufeng the Prince looked at her, he suddenly sighed, "Ge Bing."

"Yes."

"Her life, seems like you had saved it."

“Yes."

"Now you might take back her life again."

Ge Bing said, “Yes."

He slowly laid down the box and the umbrella and pointed it to Ding LingLin’s chest.
The box was to rescue someone, the umbrella was to actually murder someone.

When he killed people, the movement was quick and accurate, completely did not look like an old person’s move. Of all people, he understood better what the genuine fatal points on the body. The chest was a genuine fatal point.

Nobody could receive this strike and live, but Ding LingLin had not fended, instead she sneered while welcoming the oncoming strike, because she knew already that she was unable to fend.
Her hand was also still grasped in Gufeng the Prince’s steel and iron hand.

The umbrella moved like the lightning arriving in front of her. She could see the flash of the cold shiny metal, as she suddenly heard the "zip" soft sound, as if two steel needles had made the hits.

Realizing something was happening, she quickly tried to find out but could not see clearly what was going on.

She only felt that Gufeng the Prince’s hand sudden released her as he suddenly jumped up. She also saw that as Gufeng the Prince leaped away, he struck the back of Ge Bing with his hand. The move was so swift that she really could not see clearly.

The way she looked at it, Gufeng the Prince had left that place, while Ge Bing had not. And she was actually standing in good well-being unwounded.

Actually what had happened?

*****

The night became darker, the wind was colder.
That worn-out lantern was no longer swaying.
The corpse of the person who blew the flute was also no longer swaying

Gufeng the Prince had actually vanished in darkness.

Ge Bing’s body was bent down. He did not stop coughing, every time he coughed, there was a splash of blood spurted out.

The wind had blown against his back, suddenly a part of his clothes on his back was blown by the wind, revealing heavy blood flow.

Bright red blood flow.

Ding LingLin had never seen such fearful palm strength, but she finally had understood what was happening.

That she was still living, and did not suffer anything, was only because Ge Bing not only had not killed her, instead he had rescued her.

He braved his life in danger to rescue her. But Ge Bing himself at the moment, his life was hanging on a thread. This kind of saving her life debt, was simply like a sharp needle – stabbing her heart with the utmost pain.

Sadness could be a good thing, gratitude was also good. When someone’s sentiment was too intense however, it could really pierce the heart like a sharp needle.

She squatted down, grasping Ge Bing’s hand.

Her heart was in stabbing pain, the stomach was contracting, but she actually completely did not know how to help the benefactor who had saved her life.
Her tears already fell on his body.

Ge Bing was panting for breath, finally he stopped coughing for a while, as he suddenly said, “Quick... Quickly bring on my box."

Ding LingLin grasped the box immediately and opened it.

Ge Bing said, "Inside, do you see a black wooden bottle?"

Inside there it was.

Ding LingLin's just found it, Ge Bing had snatched it, opened it by biting on the bottleneck, and poured out all the content of this bottle of medicines in his mouth.

Then his respite gradually subsided.

Ding LingLin also breathed a sigh of relief.

"Fragrant box, universal umbrella, the god of death could not interfere."

No one could interfere with his cure including the god of death. Since he could rescue other people’s life, he certainly also could rescue himself.

But Ge Bing’s fearful complexion had all but decreased in appearance.
Now his complexion was how many times more attractive than the person who blew the flute.

Ding LingLin was unable to restrain her anxiety for him, "I will bring you back to the inn, is that allright?"

Ge Bing nodded. He just stood up, tumbled, spitting a spat of blood.

Ding LingLin clenched her teeth tightly, and said bitterly, "Why did he have to be so cruel-hearted, why did he commit this violent act?"

Ge Bing reluctantly smiled, "Because I had committed a violent act to him first."

Ding LingLin did not understand. She simply had not seen how Ge Bing attacked Gufeng the Son of Heaven.

Ge Bing said, "You have a look at my umbrella."

Ding LingLin took a look.

"Look at the umbrella handle."

Ding LingLin now at last discovered that the umbrella handle was empty, there was a big hole of needle-sized at the point.

She finally understood, "There were hidden weapons inside it?"

Ge Bing was smiling, the pain actually caused his smile to look like he was crying sadly.
"Not only it has hidden weapons inside, moreover they were very poisonous."

His universal umbrella was intended to kill.

"When I attack you, the handle of the umbrella pointed to him."

Ding LingLin completely understood that, "When you point the umbrella at me, the handle shot the hidden weapons at him."

Ge Bing nodded, as if wanting to laugh, "He would never have dreamed that I could have attacked him. After all, I was working for him."

Ding LingLin’s eyes had brightened, "Your hidden weapons had hit him?"

Ge Bing nodded, "Therefore, although his palm strength was fearful, we also did not need to fear him now."

*****

The light in the banquet hall was gloomy and dim, but that was the only place in the Great wild goose guest inn that still had the light.

Therefore Ding LingLin brought Ge Bing here. Although there was no bed, there was the table. She took several cotton-wadded quilts from the ledger desk and pad the table under Ge Bing.

His complexion was very fearful, as long as he coughed, the corners of the mouth continued to seep some blood.

Luckily he had the fragrant box which could save someone’s life.

Ding LingLin looked at the painful expression on his face, and could not bear asking "Is there any other medicine in the box that could help you be more comfortable?"

Ge Bing shook his head, painstakingly said with a smile, "There are many kinds of saving-a-life medicine, but the one that can truly save a life is only one of a kind."

Ding LingLin reluctantly had also smiled and said, "No matter what, you have finally saved your own life."

Ge Bing looked at her, slowly closing his eyes. He seemed to want to say something, but he had not actually said it.

Ding LingLin said, "I know you can recover very quickly because you are really a good person."

Ge Bing smiled.

Ding LingLin actually would rather him not smile, his smiling face showed all the pain in the world.

*****

The cold wind cut like the knife.

Ding LingLin had closed all the windows and the doors, but the sharp cold wind still found cracks on the doors and the windows and intermittently deliver the sharp cold jabs.

She suddenly said, "You know what I am thinking?"

"You want to drink?"

Ding LingLin had smiled, this time she really had smiled, because she saw there were some well-known wines hanging from the roof.

She moved quickly, and broke open the seals of the wine containers.
The wine was very fragrant. Ding LingLin smelled the fragrant wine, her heart actually felt a sudden stabbing pain. This originally was her celebration drink, but now?
Although the wine was fragrant, how could she be cruel enough to drink it?

She remembered Guo Ding, remembered Ye Kai, remembered Han Zhen who had tried so hard to buy Ye Kai some wine.
- She certainly did not know that Han Zhen had not died.

She only knew that he had been pierced by a knife for Ye Kai, then Han Zhen would certainly die. She also knew that had it not been for the Devil Sect’s plot, she would never have plunged the knife on Ye Kai, even if she had to die.

"The Devil Sect... " She could not bear asking, "A person like you, how could you become the Devil Sect’s person?"

Ge Bing was silent, finally he gave a long sigh and painstakingly said with a smile, "Because I am such a person that I could become the Devil Sect’s person."

“Were you willing?"

“Yes."

"I cannot guess it." Ding LingLin also gave the forced smile: "I really cannot guess it."

Ge Bing said, "This is perhaps because you simply do not know me."

Ding LingLin said, "But I know that you are not the type of a vicious villain."

Ge Bing was silent again for a very long time, only then he slowly said, "I studied medicine originally to rescue myself, because I discovered that among the famous doctors in world, nine of them in ten are really fools."

"I know."

"But afterwards, I studied medicine not really to rescue myself, nor to rescue anyone else."

"For what then?"

"Afterwards, I studied medicine because I was already too fascinated by it."
Regardless of anything, if things got deeper, it would become fascinating.

"Therefore you were fascinated with the Devil Sect?"

Ge Bing said, "The Devil Sect’s leaders, although they have many fearful evil techniques to kill people, they actually also have many mysterious secret recipes to save lives. For example, their calling-back-the-soul-of-the-dead skill, if someone uses it correctly, can be used to cure the illness or wound, and often may get the unexpected curative effect."

The water energy could float the boat, but it could also capsize the boat. It was just a matter of appearance.

"If you use it correctly, the poison could also become a good medicine that can save a life."

"But the calling-back-the-soul-of-the-dead skill can also be used to treat an illness?"
Ding LingLin did not understand.

Ge Bing said, "The duality of medicine, you do not understand it?"

"No."

"This means that depending on the strength of a person’s willpower, that may often lead to whether he lives or dies."

With this more glaring explanation, with the example fresh on her mind, he knew that Ding LingLin would not fail to understand.

Therefore he explained further, "In other words, a seriously ill person cannot be easily cured if he had not done his part in his mind."

Ding LingLin had finally understood, because she had suddenly remembered a very good example, she remembered Guo Ding. If she had not stimulated his will to live, even without the Devil Sect’s revenge, he would have already died earlier.
Her heart was in the stabbing pain, she could no longer just hold the wine pot, and had drunk a big gulp out of it.

Ge Bing suddenly said, "Let me drink as well."

Ding LingLin said, "Your wound is so heavy, can you drink?"

Ge Bing had smiled, "Since it is all the same, why not drink?"

Ding LingLin's heart sunk.

"Why is it all the same? Your medicine that you had a moment ago is ineffective?"

Ge Bing did not reply, he did not need to.

Ding LingLin suddenly discovered that his pale face had turned very red, boiling hot like being burned under the flame. That bottle of medicine a moment ago obviously could not rescue his life, only temporarily increased his spirit.

Looking at his more and more fearful complexion, Ding LingLin's tears had flowed again, "You... How do you feel?"

"I feel just fine." Ge Bing closed his eyes, "I had said already, I am an old person, I have no fear now." He certainly did not fear death.

Ding LingLin suddenly understood that just now he was not worried for himself, but rather for her. This though, like a needle, had pierced her heart. She did not know what to say, also she did not know how she could repay this kindness.

Ge Bing had suddenly smiled and said, "I had said that I had been fascinated by the medical knowledge, therefore I do not have friends, nor family, because I was never nice to anyone else."

But he was actually being nice to Ding LingLin.
She knew it as she could clearly see it, but she did not know why?

In any event, he was already an old person, their ages were very different, certainly there could not be that kind of sentiment which she did not dare to think. He cared about her, perhaps like the father to be the daughter.

But Ge Bing had opened his eyes again as he was staring at her.
His face was redder, with burning eyes, the fiery look caused him to lose his usual indifference and calm look. He had gradually lost the control of his own.

Ding LingLin felt unexpectedly that she must avoid his eyes, and did not dare to look at him again.

Ge Bing had suddenly smiled, smiles very miserably and said, "I am already an old man, our ages are really different, otherwise... "
Otherwise what? He had not said it, he did not really need to.

Ding LingLin had understood him, as well as his sentiment.

An old person was also a person. As long as he was a person, he had the right to love someone. Old men were also similar to young men, they had sentiments, sometimes their emotion were even more sincere compared to young men’s, and more profound. Because they understood the true value of the sentiments, because their sentiments were readily affected by personal gains and the heartbreak of losses. When love could not be obtained, the feeling of hopelessness could be lessened.

But Ge Bing was not an ordinary person after all, he never lose that consciousness at all.

Therefore he only sighed and lightly said, "No matter what, you don't need to worry about me, I have mentioned a moment ago that I don’t really have family or friends... My hard work requires me not to be in touch with the others."

- But relationship was important
- Ding LingLin’s heart was deeply pierced.

If not for her, he simply would not die. If not for him, she would have already been dead; For all his hard work, how could it be not related to her, how could she just look while he was dying? What could she do to save his life?

- A seriously ill person could not be saved, unless at least half of his mind was willing.

These speeches suddenly resounded in Ding LingLin’s head, she knew he now certainly was not really trying. He was already an old person, he did not have friends nor family, even the intimate sentiment for a close friend, he did not dare to say it. If you were him, was that kind of life worth having?

Ge Bing’s eyes closed as he suddenly said, "You go... Quickly go away... "

"Why do you want me to go away?"

"Because I do not like other person to see me dying."

Ge Bing’s body started to convulse, obviously he was unable to control himself. "Therefore you certainly must go away."

Ding LingLin made an effort to get a hold of her own hand, the left hand had gripped the right hand, like she feared that her own determination would falter.
"I will not go!" She suddenly said loudly, "I will not go."

"Why?"

Ding LingLin's hands tightened, "Because I must marry you."

Ge Bing had suddenly opened his eyes, looking at her startled, "What did you say?"

"I said I must marry you, certainly I must marry you." She really had made her resolution.

In this flash, she had forgotten Guo Ding, forgotten Ye Kai, simply had forgotten all other people, all other matters. In this flash, she only knew one thing.
- She could not just stood by, looking at Ge Bing dying in front of her.

As long as she could rescue him, even if she were to marry for pig, or a dog, she would just agree to it readily. She was originally a very emotional girl. She often conducted things regardless of the consequences. When other people bullied her to harm her, she could forget the deeds very quickly, but as long as you had benefit her in some ways, she would forever remember you in her heart.

She did things that were perhaps very confusing, even very absurd. But she was actually a very lovable person, because she had an absolutely golden heart.

"You must marry me?" Ge Bing smiled, the smiling face had three parts of bitterness, three parts of gratitude, and what else? He did not know exactly himself, he could not distinguish it clearly. At the moment, he was not an extremely lucid person.

Ding LingLin jumped up, she suddenly discovered the light came from the red candle. The one that was originally prepared for her and Guo Ding’s marriage. In front of this red candle, the blood of the groom, from Guo Ding’s body had been poured out. Now, this red candle had not burnt through, and she actually had to marry someone else.

If someone else tried to figure out what to do, she would think that the older person was an absolutely absurd heartless lunatic. But Ding LingLin was not anyone else. Anyone who took pity on her and sympathize with her, was not heartless, therefore she could feel her own emotion arose. Not with retaliation, but as a sacrifice. She did not spare herself as long as her benefactor would be repaid for the kindness. In addition to that, she really did not know what else to do to help rescue Ge Bing.

This method was not necessarily effective, this idea was very absurd and weak. But if a person was willing to devote herself in rescuing someone else, then no matter how absurd or weak it was, it was worthy of respect.

Because this kind of sacrifice was the true sacrifice, which could only be achieved as a voluntary gesture.


END OF CHAPTER 23

[atlantean0208]

Chapter 24: The vicissitudes of life - TRANSLATED BY FASTCLOCK

The candle’s light had been ignited. It had not burnt completely.

The candle would be depleted, but only after the candle had provided the light, and then it would turn into ash. All this trouble was in order to illuminate the others.

How could such a proceeding be called stupid? If people were willing to make such kind of stupid matters, wouldn’t this world be more magnificent and brighter?

Ding LingLin helped Ge Bing up, standing in front of the altar she said simply, "Now I must marry you, I am your wife, who depends on you all life-long, therefore you must certainly take care of me."

Ge Bing looked at her, the pair of ashen eyes suddenly picked some light, the face produced a smile, and became serene and tranquil.

Ding LingLin’s tears had become stains on a dry face, as she had also smiled. She knew what he would do now. Now that he had a family, had another person as the family, therefore he would not die. She held back the tears and said with a smile, "Although it is not completely official, but we may as well do obeisance to the heaven. So long as we two people want to do it, it is all the same as if other people are here to witness this."

This was certainly not a child's play. It was not absurd, because she was proceeding with this wholeheartedly.

Ge Bing nodded with overwhelming joy. When he looked at her under the candle’s light, his face was lit up. Marrying such a woman, wouldn’t that be precisely a man’s greatest desire?

He smiled, "In my life, I continuously hope for such a day... I originally thought that there could never be such a day, but presently... "

Now he had finally achieved his desire. His talking voice became serene and tranquil, but he was not really saying anything. It was very sudden.

Death could also be quicker than the lightning.
He completely could not resist it.
Nobody could.

*****

Before daybreak was always the darkest time.

Ding LingLin kneeled down by herself, kneeling in front of Ge Bing, in front of the corpse, the tears was like water gushing down the river. At this exact same place, in front of the same altar, in the same evening, she had two different preparation for weddings, but actually what happened?

This crushing blow was too big. Perhaps the two men would die some time, but because of her, they had died quickly instead. So she actually could not help but think of herself as a specific kind of woman, a woman who brought disaster and death to other people.

Guo Ding, Ge Bing had died, Ye Kai had also almost died by her knife. Instead, she was alive and well.

Why did she still want to live?
What was the purpose to live in this world?
What kind of world would it be?

Every time she knew someone, it turned out that the person would very possibly be a member of the Devil Sect. Starting from Auntie Tie, Priest Yu Xiao, Ge Bing, but also that callous-like-devil Gufeng the Son of Heaven. She did not expect such people to adhere to the Sect. In this world, who else could she trust?

Only Ye Kai!
But where was Ye Kai now?

The wine within her body was a strong wine, the one that could ignite a large fire. She continued to drink

"Ye Kai, you said that as long as this matter is all resolved, you would come back to me. Now that it is like this, where are? ... Why? ... "

She shouted out loudly, and suddenly she pounded here and there using the wine pot in her hand. When she smashed the pot, the strong wine flowed out on the floor.

The red candle on the table was shaken greatly, before it finally fell on the floor, on the strong wine that immediately started to emit the fire. The fire was also heartless, even more heartless than the death, even compared to dying quickly. This kind of violent intensity of fire, also no one could resist. Nobody could resist!

But Ding LingLin just kneeled there, not moving at all. Looking at the burning flame, her heart suddenly felt brutally pleased. When this burning flame had burnt everything, she would no longer have to think about what happened, would forget everything. Was this destroying instinct a way to give vent to her problems? She needed to release herself. She wanted to destroy.

The wood pillars that divided the main hall was instantly engulfed by the flame. Everything now had been resolved, really everything had all been resolved.

But Ye Kai?
Ye Kai. Where was he?

*****

When the raging fire had burned red under the sky, daybreak finally came.

Ye Kai had not come.
Where was he?

He was seldom drunk, nobody else could get him drunk, as the only person who could get him drunk, was only himself.

He wanted very much to get drunk by himself. Getting drunk with liquor was certainly not a very happy occasion, especially with the next day hangover, and not being lucid to anyone else at that point.

But yesterday evening, he actually got drunk by himself, so drunk he could not come to save someone else’s matters. Because he was not the all-knowing sage after all. Knowing that his own sweetheart was doing obeisance to the world, while the bridegroom was actually not himself, was there anyone who could maintain clear soberness and just took a stroll outside on the street happily?

Therefore he took a walk to the first store that sold some liquor, and got more and more liquor inside him. But he still could not get drunk. It looked like the store had become too thrifty and exchanged the wine with some water.

Therefore he took another walk to the second wine store, walking with very unstable footsteps. How did he fare after that, he was not clear himself. Or, did he go to the third store? He was not sure. Vaguely, he remembered meeting a hoodlum, who was called by a prostitue, who then kicked him in the gut.

When he woke up, he discovered himself lying in a pile of trash. Dirty smelly pile of trash, which nobody would be willing to lay down on, even a wild dog. He would guarantee that this was not the kind of place he was accustomed to lay on. Surely, that hoodlum who hit him must have thrown him there after he punched him. He would soon confirmed this matter.

Because when he stood up, not only the head felt like it would split with headache, moreover the whole body was aching everywhere. Those heavy fists must be working hard to reduce his appearance to this level, and he must have learned how to hit him not in such a place as the First Academy of the society. Then he discovered that the headache did not come entirely from being drunk, as he found some bruises also on the head.

Anyone who found himself in such a complete mess in that pile of trash would be very angry and uncomfortable. The desire was simply to punch back at the person who caused this pain, to inflict some pain back.

Going out of the lane was a busy main street, just like many other big streets in Chang An city, ancient and obsolete. There was a family tavern on the opposite of the street with a very big liquor gourd hanging at the entrance.

Ye Kai suddenly remembered that the place he fought for his drink yesterday evening was this small wineshop. Behind the wineshop, there seemed to be "the unlicensed prostitute", and that hoodlum who pummeled him was from this prostitute.

From here, if you turned counterclockwise, and walked two streets further, was the Great wild goose guest inn. For his whole lifetime, Ye Kai probably could never go to the Great wild goose guest inn again, because of the painful event there.

Where should he go now? What should he do?

Ye Kai did not bother to think deeply about it. He decided that he would not think too much at the moment, as his brain was in a haze. He knew that he should not walk to the left.

Today was unexpectedly also a cloudless day, sunny, warm, very pleasant weather.

People on the street people all put on their new clothes, their faces were all happy, as they bowed to each other, saluting “Congratulations” unceasingly. Ye Kai now remembered at last that today is the second day of the year.

But what if this was the second day of the year? Parents just brought their children to pay the new year’s visit to the relatives, then went home again. Then they prepared the food and gifts, waited for other people to visit, and then give the new year’s money to the children. On this day, everybody did not say any bad things, did not quarrel with each other.

But what if someone did not have any family or friends in the faraway places, just a wanderer. What should he do on this day?

Ye Kai took a stroll on the street, looking around without actually seeing anything. His mind did not capture anything as he thought only of one thing. What was Ding LingLin doing now? He had originally decided that he would never think of her again, but he did not know why, the hazy brain in this early morning, was simply filled by only her.

He also had decided a moment ago that no matter what he would never go to the Great wild goose guest inn, but at the present, as he lifted up his head, he found himself walking there. What was strange was that he could not see the gold-lettered signboard of the Great wild goose guest inn that was usually hung up high. He only saw a big group of people, making a circle, some were discussing secretly in a low voice, some were shaking their heads and sighed, even there were also some who were wailing and crying. Actually what had happened there?

Ye Kai could not bear to walk forward to take a look. As soon as he saw beyond the fat person, his entire body suddenly felt ice-cold, like he had been dipped into a fathomless cold well.

The biggest inn in style in Chang An city, the Great wild goose guest inn had now completely turned into rubbles. There was a massacre last night in the Great wild goose guest inn: but only some people knew about it at the dawn, because yesterday was a very special day, the lunar New Year's Day.
In the lunar New Year's Day evening, everybody usually stayed in his home, nobody walked about strolling in the street. Even if anyone walked about, they would be drunken gamblers, who would not go to an inn. A person staying at home, would mostly just drink and gamble, not really caring about what was happening outside.

The people who came to the celebration drink was mostly homeless hoodlums, who no one cared about. Because this was a special day, therefore only such special thing happened. This was certainly not a coincidence. Each matter that occurred or existed, had each own reason.

"There is nothing here. What happened?"

"I do not know."

"Yesterday night I was in the gambling place “Leaf signs”, even if the sky collapses, I will not know."

"I heard there was a marriage celebration here yesterday evening?"

"It seems so."

"Then where are the people who celebrated, why aren’t they here?"

"I do not know."

"Then the newlyweds?"

"I do not know."

Although this place had been reduced to rubbles by the fire, actually there was no human remains found in the place.

"The old innkeeper?"

"I do not know."

Actually regarding what had happened yesterday evening, no one simply had a clue.

"Other things might not be strange, but the strange thing is why the newlyweds and the old innkeeper had all disappeared."

Everybody was discussing the matter back and forth, some said positively, "Did the people here became spirits yesterday evening? Becoming ghosts?"

Ye Kai knew that it was not a ghostly issue, he never believed this kind of fantasy. But this matter actually really looked like related to some mystical world. His head was splitting with headache and he could not analyze what had happened. He only felt that the whole people that were there had turned into blocks of wood, that were chopped and burned.

How actually did the fire start?
Where did Ding LingLin and Guo Ding go?
He certainly wanted to ask their whereabouts, but he did not know whom to ask.

At this moment, there was a person tugging the lower hem of his robe from behind the bush. When he lowered his head, he saw a beautiful and delicate hand, a woman's hand.

Who was pulling him?
Was it Ding LingLin?

Ye Kai walked closer towards the person who tugged him. She wore a pitch-black phoenix cloak, with flowing long hair, tied with a jade ring.

Was she actually Ding LingLin?
Ye Kai could not see.

He had to go out of the crowd following her. Looking at her lithe movement, his heart suddenly jumped with excitement, hoping that she was Ding LingLin, but also hoping she was not.

If she were Ding LingLin, after meeting with each other, what would the hearts feel? What were the things to say? But, if it was not Ding LingLin, who could it be?

Ye Kai had not turned away nor flinched from this thought. He knew that even if she was not Ding LingLin, she certainly would have many things to say to him.

She slowly walked in front, not stopping, nor turning her head. After passing through this long street, suddenly they came to a small intersection. The lane was very narrow.

Ye Kai hesitated a bit, when he saw her shadow flashed inside into a narrow door. The door was not latched. Looking from outside, this house looked very ordinary, while the snow outside the door had accumulated as if it had not been cleaned for a while.

Ye Kai walked through the entrance, as his heart jumped. He suddenly remembered this place as he had been there. Now, without entering, he already knew who she was.

Cui YuZhen.

This house was precisely the place she had brought Ye Kai to recover from the wounds. Remembering that matter, Ye Kai’s heart felt an unknown surge, actually what it was? Was it joy? Listlessness? Or disappointment?

Delighted because Cui YuZhen was alive.
Listless because of the past events, and that there were some things needed to be taken care of.
Disappointment? His morally deep nature, or was he hoping that she was Ding LingLin?

The old dream certainly could not come again, at least in this early morning cold wind of winter, but there might be a trace of it.

The wind blew from behind the kitchen, blowing through this small, lonesome and quiet yard. There was an elegant fragrance in the wind.

Ye Kai could not help remembering that early morning, when he smelled the fragrant gruel, hoping for that bowl of gruel, which fragrance greeted the nostrils, that was held by the gentle, beautiful and delicate pair of hands.

Who knew that the gruel would disappear very quickly. He had not seen her gentle beautiful hands, instead he saw the bloody hands of a killer.

From that day on, he had never said goodbye to her, also he had never thought of saying goodbye. He originally thought that he and Ding LingLin would forever accompany one another, instead they might have to say goodbye forever. In one’s life, meeting and parting brought sorrow and joy, but who could have forecasted what was going to happen?

Ye Kai sighed, opened the door, and entered the room. That bed, that small closet, was still there. Even the crossbars that supported the roof, was still similar to that early morning.

Ye Kai did not know whether he felt weak or that his heart had become tender. When he entered, he lay down on the bed. The pillow unexpectedly also had the same fragrance. In any event, this place brought calm, peace and comfort, so that one would never forget.

He thought over the things. That day, if she had not gone outside, would he still accompany her here until now?

There was a sound of light footsteps outside the door. She held the steaming hot bowl of gruel while entering. Her beautiful face was happy and smiling.

That was precisely what Ye Kai had hoped to happen that early morning. Only now, there had been so many other big and important things that had happened in between. The present situation might be similar or not to that early morning, but the mood was totally different. If there was such an opportunity to return to a previous state, would one then return to that time?

Ye Kai had reluctantly smiled, "Morning."

"Morning." Cui YuZhen smiled gently, "The gruel is ready, would you lie down on the bed and eat?"

Ye Kai nodded.

Thereupon, the fragrance of the hot gruel greeted the nostrils, as the bowl was held by a pair of gentle, beautiful, and delicate hands. Now, he needed such a bowl of gruel very much, his stomach was empty, the entire body felt empty. The taste of gruel was the same as before, but Ye Kai could only sip a few. Then, he could no longer swallow it.

Cui YuZhen was staring at him as she gently said, "Yesterday evening, you were very drunk."

Ye Kai had reluctantly smiled, “Being drunk is simply being like a dead dog."

Cui YuZhen looked at him for a very long time before she gently sighed, "If I were you, I would also have gotten myself drunk."

Ye Kai said, "You knew about what happened yesterday evening?"

"Originally I did not know."

Her beautiful eyes suddenly betrayed some hidden bitterness as she narrated the past events, "That early morning, I was compelled by Yi Yeku to return to Priest Yu Xiao... Once there, there was no way I could come out again."

Ye Kai’s spirit fell. He knew that she had undergone so much pain. Even if she had not said it, he could see that.

"In my whole life, I never thought that that devil would finally die, however powerful you are, another one is more powerful than you.”

"As soon as Priest Yu Xiao died, you came here?"

Cui YuZhen said, "Once we heard the news of his death, everyone felt like a bird being released, wishing to fly away as far as possible. Each person had walked her own way, until the last one who remained was me.”

She hung her head and did not speak again.

She had not walked far away, because she could not forget Ye Kai, therefore she came here again, wanting to retrieve the old dream from the former days. She would not say such things, but without her saying it, Ye Kai already knew.

"I stayed in this room only for one day. Once I found out about some things, I could no longer rest."

She was smiling, smiling very bitterly, "Actually I also knew that you would never come here again."

Ye Kai’s heart never felt more sour. He suddenly felt that he was indeed a very heartless person, that he had not thought of coming here again.

"Yesterday morning, I heard the firecrackers sound outside, only then I remembered that it’s the new year already."

She slowly continued, "I could not stay inside, being stuffy in the room, also felt hungry and nervous, not accustomed to going outside. But I did not think too much and finally just walked out. But then, I heard a very frightful news."

"What news?"

"I heard that Miss Ding was getting married."

Ye Kai smiled very reluctantly, "This news was certainly not frightful."

"But... " Cui YuZhen hung her head, "At that time, I thought she... she must be marrying you."

When a girl heard the news that one’s beloved was getting married, this news must indeed very frightful. Ye Kai understood her sentiment, he also had had this kind of sentiment. He could not help sighing.

"I heard that the person Miss Ding was going to marry, was an injured person, I thought that he was you." Cui YuZhen reasoned, "At the time I heard it, although uncomfortable, I actually hoped that I could say the last goodbye with sincere happiness for you. Therefore, I bought some presents for the wedding and delivered it to the Great wild goose guest inn."

Ye Kai smile forcedly. He also gave a present, a very special present. After he heard of Ding LingLin's marriage, he was determined to find a way to Guo Ding’s wound. What a pity he had not fully recovered from his own wound, therefore at that night, he had to go back and forth for more than 700 miles, before he caught up with Ge Bing.

Cui YuZhen bit her lips as she said, "But when I got there that evening, I did not dare to drink and celebrate."

"You did not dare?" Ye Kai could not bear asking, "What did you fear?"

"I... I was suddenly afraid that I would see you."

"At that time you did not know that the bridegroom was not me?'

"I did not know." Cui YuZhen softly said to him, "Therefore I shut myself in this room, bought some liquor, and drank it while hiding, pretending that I was drinking your celebration drink."

Ye Kai looked at her, he could not stop himself from gently gripping her hands. In the world unexpectedly there was also such a girl, who had such loyal sentiment to him. He unexpectedly did not realize it.

Ye Kai only felt a stabbing pain in his heart, "If I knew that you were here, I would certainly have accompanied you."

Cui YuZhen finally smiled, after a very long time, only then she continued, "After having drunk the liquor, I felt I had to have a look at you."

"Did you go?"

"I hesitated for a very long time, many times I could not follow through. I was afraid I could not bear to look at you, but not seeing you again, was not something I was ready for."

Ye Kai also understood this kind of sentiment. There was nobody in the world comparable him in understanding this kind of sentiment.

Cui YuZhen said, "Finally I made up my mind."

"What was it?"

"I did not have to come inside for the drink, just look secretly at you from outside."

"Did you go?"

Cui YuZhen nodded and said, "Yesterday was the lunar New Year's Day. That evening, there was nobody on the street, I took a stroll back and forth for a very long time on the street, before I finally had the courage to slip inside the inn. As soon as I went inside, I knew things were not right."

"What wasn't right?"

Cui YuZhen said, "The big inn did not have any sound, not only it did not look like some people was holding a wedding reception, even if it was for a funeral, it would not be that quiet."

Ye Kai also realized things were not right, so he asked immediately: "I know that there would be a lot of noise in the party, how could there be no sound at all?"

"I finally found that hall for the reception, as soon as I looked inside from the window... "

Her face suddenly looked extremely frightened, like seeing a horrible scene at the time.

Ye Kai’s heart sank as he could not bear asking "Whom did you see?"

"I... I... " Her voice was trembling. After a very long time, she could only say, "I saw blood everywhere in that banquet hall, all dead, none lived."

Ye Kai was astounded. His whole body seemed to shrink into fathomless darkness.

"At that time I thought you were there too, therefore I rushed in immediately regardless of any consequences." She gently sighed, "Only at that moment, I realized that the one Miss Ding was going to marry was not you."

"You... You saw the bridegroom?" Ye Kai’s voice was also trembling, "He was dead too?"

Cui YuZhen nodded, low-spiritedly said, "He died very miserably."

"Ding LingLin?" Ye Kai with trepidation, actually could not help asking: "She was not also... "

"She had not died, at that time she simply was not in that banquet hall."

Ye Kai also unable to restrain giving a sigh, actually he felt strange as once he and Ding LingLin said goodbye, hadn’t she gone back at the time? How did Guo Ding and the others died? Who committed these murders? With so many people in that banquet hall, the person who could commit these murders were not that many.

Cui YuZhen said, "At that time, although I was startled and afraid, but not seeing you inside, I finally breathed a sigh of relief."

Ye Kai suddenly asked, "Did you see four corpses in yellow clothes?"

"I had not paid attention to the others, and did not dare to look carefully." She thought further and said, "Among these corpses, there seemed to be several who wore yellow clothes."

Ye Kai’s eyebrows were raised. "If they had died as well, who could the murderer be?"

"I felt suffocated, how in the world could there be such cruel and merciless people. At that time, I only wanted to leave quickly. Who knew just as I wanted to leave, suddenly I heard the rustling noise of several people walking."

She continued, "Because that place was really too quiet, therefore I could hear very clearly that there was more than one person, moreover their skills were very high."

“Was it possible that the murderers came back?" Ye Kai asked.

"At that time, that was also my thought, therefore I was so frightened I could not leave. Yet, I did not dare to stay there, lest they saw me. Luckily with my little wugong and some desperation, I could jump higher than expected."

Ye Kai said, "You jumped up to that crossbeam in the hall?"

Cui YuZhen nodded, "I hid above, not daring to breathe heavily, yet I was so curious that I had to look underneath."

"What did you see?"

"I saw several people in yellow clothes working quickly on the corpses, throwing them outside the window. It seemed that there were some more people outside, who caught them and evacuated them. So, they were unexpectedly transferring the corpses away."

Ye Kai’s face had turned green. "You looked clearly that they wore yellow clothes?"

"I was certain, because their yellow clothes were very special, because under the light, it seemed to turned into golden color."

Ye Kai clenched both fists and said, "So it was really they who committed the murders."

"But I had not seen them actually kill people."

Ye Kai coldly said, "If they had not killed the people, why did they have to gather up the dead bodies for other people?"

Cui YuZhen said, "After they killed people, they also wanted to destroy the corpses and leave no trace?"

Ye Kai bitterly said, "Killing potential witnesses, destroying the corpses and leaving no trace, was consistent with the habit of the Golden Coin Clan."

"Golden Coin Clan? ... What person is Golden Coin Clan?"

“They are not a person."

Cui YuZhen looked at the anger on his face, as she did not dare to ask further. She hesitated for a while before she finally said, "Afterwards, I saw Miss Ding."

Ye Kai was surprised, "Where did you see her?"

"In there."

"She went back?"

"After the people in yellow clothes evacuated the corpses, she showed up."

Ye Kai said, "At that time, you had not left?"

Cui YuZhen said, "At that time, my entire body felt weak with fear, I was delaying there for a while, when after letting out a long sigh, they suddenly came."

"They? Not just her?"

"There were two people."

"Who was with her?"

Cui YuZhen said, “It was a grotesque old man, in the middle of the night he was holding an umbrella."

Ye Kai suddenly said, “It was Ge Bing."

"You know him?"

"Not only do I know him, he is an old friend."

Cui YuZhen was unable to restrain a sigh, "Then you are short by an old friend now."

Ye Kai changed color, "He died?"

Cui YuZhen low-spiritedly said, "He died very miserably as well."

"Who had killed him? Who committed this murder?"

"They saw the corpse disappeared, they were trying to find out about it, but they did not stay for very long as they did not find anything."

"Afterwards?"

Cui YuZhen said, "As soon as they left, I slid down. I suddenly heard someone playing a flute outside. They heard the tune, followed it through the courtyard and over the wall."

"You?"

"I stayed behind, hiding at the wall looking outside."

"What did you see?"

"Outside there was an individual standing under a lantern that was hanging on a tree."

"What person?"

Cui YuZhen said, "I was too far away and could not see clearly. Luckily, there was no sound from the four directions, so when they said something, I could hear everything."

"They said something."

"When Miss Ding came closer, she gave a sound of alarm. Then she asked about him, and it was bu... bu...”

"Bu-da-la?"

Cui YuZhen nodded immediately, “Right, Bu-da-la, Miss Ding said these three characters."

Ye Kai closely examined further, "What did that person say?"

"He acknowledged it and said that he was a very high mountain peak."

Ye Kai said, "Gufeng the Prince."

Cui YuZhen said, "Afterwards I realized that he was one of the four great heavenly kings of Devil Sect."

"Ge Bing also died in his hand?”

Cui YuZhen said, "Venerable Ge rescued Miss Ding, only he sustained a powerful injury, but Venerable Ge also managed to hit him with the hidden weapons. Venerable Ge told Miss Ding, that it was a very poisonous hidden weapons."

She sighed and said, "But his palm strength was more fearful, Venerable Ge had only been gently patted by his palm, and he could not be rescued."

Ye Kai was again astounded. He knew Ge Bing’s wugong skill and his medical knowledge. By this combination, even if some people could wound him, he could still save his own life. Ye Kai really could not believe that there was such fearful palm strength in this world, a palm that could disperse Ge Bing’s soul so powerfully.

"But I saw Venerable Ge drop down with my own eyes, at the place where the first bridegroom had fallen."

She mentioned about the first bridegroom, was there the second one? No one in his dream would imagine such things.

But Ye Kai had given it a thought. He knew Ding LingLin like the palm of his own hand, therefore when Cui YuZhen recounted the things she had seen, Ye Kain unconsciously absorbed it. The one that was bewildered was instead Cui YuZhen. She originally thought that anyone who heard this kind of matter would unavoidably give some special responses.

But Ye Kai only was gently sighed, said, "I knew she could do such things."

Cui YuZhen could not bear saying, "You do not blame her?"

Ye Kai shook his head and said, "If you were her, I would believe that you would do such things as well, because you are both good-hearted girls. You like to devote yourself wholly towards other people so they do not suffer hardships." His voice suddenly became gentle, because his heart only had love and concern, certainly not envy or complain.

Cui YuZhen certainly knew whose love and concern it was for. She could not stop herself from giving out a gently sigh and said, "It is a pity that I am not her, I..."

Ye Kai did not let her continue as he anxiously asked, "When you left, she was still in that burnt place?"

Cui YuZhen nodded as she reluctantly said with a smile, "But you may feel relieved that she must be alive now."

"Because there was no remains of her in the burnt place?"

"Also because she is a good girl, a good and virtuous person would be fine, therefore you will meet her again and you can start saying goodbye now."

Ye Kai had turned his head around, not daring to look at her face. Outside the window the sunlight was bright, as if it would be a cloudless day.

He suddenly stood up, walked over and shoved open the window while muttering, "No matter what, I am finally certain about two things."

Cui YuZhen was listening.

Ye Kai said, "No matter what kind of person Bu-da-la the Son of Heaven is, now he is certain ly seriously injured, therefore it is not difficult to find him."

"You must find him?"

Ye Kai nodded, "But I also must find another person."

"Who are you looking for?"

"That murderer."

Cui YuZhen bit her lips and said, "You... You must go now?"

Ye Kai hardened his heart and said, "I must go now, you... You may wait for me here, I will come back." His heart was not too steady, his voice was already hoarse.

Cui YuZhen hung her head, looked at her own toes. After a very long time, she suddenly said, "You do not need to come back."

"Why?"

"Because of I... I will not wait for you here." Her voice was also hoarse and trembling.

Ye Kai looked at her quickly, "Why?"

Cui YuZhen hung her head lower, word by word she said, "Because I am not her, I... "
She did not have to say anything anymore. Only this sentence had made all of her heart break into pieces.

Ye Kai’s heart also felt the stabbing pain, "Where are you planning to go?"

"I can go to many places. I have already thought of a place. But everywhere I go, there will be a future... "

She had reluctantly withheld the tears and made the smiling face. " Perhaps I can find an honest man, marry him, bear many, many sons for him, also perhaps I can open a wineshop, make a living as a liquor proprietress... "

With the rambling talk, her heart had broken into many pieces, each time she spoke a word, the pieces became into more pieces.

Ye Kai said with a smile, "I can certainly find you in your hotel at that time and get greatly drunk."

He was smiling as he had no alternative but to smile. He feared that as soon as he stopped smiling, the tears would fall.

Cui YuZhen smiled, "By that time, I can boil a pot of chicken gruel for you, even chicken gruel with the bird nest."
She was also smiling. But as she smiled, the tears trickled down the cheek...

The sunlight was bright.

Ye Kai strode under the sunlight. Although there was no tears on his face, but he knew that tears were similar to blood, it could flow very quickly under the sunlight.


END OF CHAPTER 24

[atlantean0208]

Chapter 25: A frightening dagger - TRANSLATED BY FASTCLOCK

The tears were over, the blood flow was over as well. The tear stains could no longer be seen, but the traces of blood stayed behind, that could only be washes clean with the tears of blood.

"Tit for tat, blood begets blood."

Ye Kai always applied "to forgive" instead of to take revenge, his dagger was never a killing dagger, but now his heart was completely filled with anger and hatred.

He suddenly realized that he was like a ridiculous small puppet, continuously being handled by an unseen person, the hands were all raised up and down by the tune of that persons. He would never be deceived by such person again. Nobody was willing to be a puppet, anyone had his limit of tolerance, Ye Kai was the same.

*****

The snowy earth, under the sunlight was revealing the bald patches.

Outside, in the main street of Chang An city, the mud had caused not many people to hurry along. Nobody was willing to hurry along in the second day of this new year.

Only Ye Kai.

He was looking for a vehicle, but he actually could not find the cart driver. But he did not care about it, he just sat down in this large coal-carrying cart, and immediately the cart-pulling donkey proceeded along the main road. On that cart, all part of his bodies felt the pain, but he did not care about the pain.

The cart-pulling donkey was expectedly slow. When nobody drove it with the whip, it plodded along instead of its usually more energetic canter. A donkey had this kind of temperament. What was strange was that there were many people in this world who had this kind of temperament, completely similar to a donkey.

Ye Kai had unexpectedly bought a package of peanut, while laying down he was slowly peeling them on the vehicle, threw the skins exhaustedly, used the mouth to meet the peanuts and slowly chewed them. He did not know that this was a fostered habit, perhaps he had not forgotten that person who must eat some peanuts before the murder, Lu Xiaojia.

But it was a pity that he did not have the liquor, he forgot to buy it. After being greatly drunk, on the next day one could drink several cups of liquor "to come back to life", the person could then feel immediately comfortable.

As he thought about the liquor, he saw a black banner of a wineshop, across the road in the forest. Even if it was just the second day of the new year, somebody still wanted to make some money.

Ye Kai smiled and muttered to himself, "It looks like my luck have gradually improved."

When someone wanted to drink and the liquor was immediately available, his luck must be really good. He jumped down, tied the donkey cart nearby, and slowly walked into the woods. There was a small wine pavilion in the woods, but there were also about 7-8 persons who were motionless standing outside the pavilion. The eyes looked straight forward, the mouth opened, they looked like a collection of clay figures.

When a person who wore plain white clothing saw Ye Kai walk closer, his face showed a panic-stricken color. Ye Kai actually smiled. He recognized this person, the hoodlum who had worked on him yesterday evening.

"Tu Baozi, eldest brother Tu."

Ye Kai suddenly remembered how the others called him, walking with a smile he said, "Eldest brother Tu, you have drunk some liquor?"

Tu Baozi’s complexion turned green. He wanted to nod, but the neck actually seemed to have hardened, the entire body was stiff like it could not be bend anywhere. Not only him, the other 6-7 individuals were also the same.

Ye Kai smiled, "The person who took a beating is not afraid, instead the guys who punched the person is afraid? Are my bones too hard, the people who hit me had some pain? I am really sorry."

He had not guessed wrongly, these people's hands had turned blue and swollen. Once a person’s wugong had reached Ye Kai’s level, even when being dead drunk, the self-defense continued to protect him.

Ye Kai said with a smile, "But everyone has his own fear, I certainly did not ask you for trouble. That resting in a pile of trash for an evening was also an interesting matter, I want to thank you very much."

He had patted Tu Baozi’s shoulder and said, "Come, let me drink two cups with you."

Tu Baozi’s facial expression actually showed fear.

Ye Kai said, "What do you fear?"

Tu Baozi finally said, "Sir, we know that you have guts, but we are not afraid of you."

Ye Kai was astounded. He bantered for a while, but the other party was not originally afraid of him.

Ye Kai said with a bitter smile, "What are you afraid then?"

Tu Baozi said, "We are only afraid that you bump down the thing on us, then we really have nowhere to go."

Ye Kai at last discovered that there was a copper coin on top of these people’s heads. The copper coin flashed under the sun, like gold.

"Golden Coin Clan."

Tu Baozi sighed, "Since you also know the Golden Coin Clan’s custom, I feel relieved."

Ye Kai waited for a short period of time and said, "What custom?"

Actually he certainly knew about the Golden Coin Clan’s custom. This copper coin was their symbol, that when they put the copper coin on you, you could not move at all.

Tu Baozi said, "You really do not know? As soon as you bump down the copper coin on us, we must die, you also must die, everybody here would have nowhere to go."

Ye Kai had smiled, shook his head and said with a smile, "Who has such a pompous custom? I do not believe it."

He suddenly stretched out his hand, took Tu Baozi’s copper coin down and muttered, "I do not know whether this piece of money can actually buy a cup of wine or not."

Tu Baozi was stunned, he was like a person who had been whipped, the two legs had both become weak, suddenly he knelt down.

Ye Kai did not appear to notice him, he said, "A copper coin is not enough to buy some wine, fortunately there are some more." His body suddenly jumped forward and plundered the copper coins on 6-7 other people, gathering them all in his hand. These people were all stunned, in their lifetime they had never seen such a quick skill.

Tu Baozi suddenly knelt down and shouted, "This is his doing, it is not our fault.”

Ye Kai smiled, "This is really not related to you."

He picked up a peanut, and put it in Tu Baozi’s hand, "Do you know what it is?"

Tu Baozi certainly did not know.

"This means that you can stand up, drink and get drunk, whatever you want. If the Golden Coin Clan’s person dares to look for you, say to them that the Peanut Gang Leader will see to this matter."

Tu Baozi could not bear asking "Who is Peanut... peanut gang leader?"

Ye Kai pointed at his own nose and said, “It’s I."

Tu Baozi was astounded.

Suddenly someone coldly said, “Very good, then who we want now is you."

Icy voice, icy tone. This person was also icy, the waxy yellow face, the cat eyes, the hawkish nose, with a line of very deep scar of knife wound, causing him to look like he had murder written all over his face.

Ye Kai had not paid any attention to his face, only to his garments. Very bright yellow garments that under the sunlight was similar to the gold. He stood on the stone steps of the wine pavilion, but there were also three people standing near him, wearing the same kind of garments.

Ye Kai was smiling again and said, "Your garments looked straight, I do not know whether you can take it off and give it to me, so I can take it and put it on the donkey."

The person in yellow clothes stared at him, his pupils had been contracting, unexpectedly he could suppress his anger and coldly said, "You know the Golden Coin Clan’s basic custom?"

"I heard it a moment ago."

"For 40 years, nobody in jiang-hu dares to offend the Golden Coin Clan’s custom, do you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because anyone who dares to offend the Golden Coin Clan’s custom, must surely die."

Another person in yellow sneered and said, "Whether you are the Peanut Clan’s leader or a Claw Clan’s leader is just fine, but you will surely die."

Ye Kai sighed, "But sooner or later, any custom will be violated, just like a maiden sooner or later will marry a man."

The persons in yellow looked at each other, calmly they had gone down the stairs step by step. The footsteps of the four people were very steady, very purposeful, in particular that person with the scar wound. Both sides of his temple gave faint bulges, visible blue veins present in both hands, showing that he was obviously a master of very deep internal strength.

Ye Kai looked at his hand and suddenly said, “Is it possible that your excellency practices the exceptional eagle claw skill?"

The person in yellow sneered.

Ye Kai said, "Looking at your excellency’s scar wound on the face, is it possible that you are the north of the Huaihe River ' the iron-faced hawk '?"

"Your eyesight is good."

Ye Kai suddenly sunk his face and said, "Do you know who Guo Ding is?"

The iron-faced hawk said, "It seems so."

Ye Kai said, "He is a friend of mine."

The iron-faced hawk said, "So what?"

Ye Kai said, "Do you know the Peanut Clan’s custom?"

The iron-faced hawk said, "What custom?"

Ye Kai said, "The Peanut Clan’s custom is no one could ever kill a friend of mine, otherwise... "

The iron-faced hawk said, "Otherwise what?"

Ye Kai said, “This!"

He suddenly made his move, unleashing the fist attack fiercely at the iron-faced hawk's face. The iron-faced hawk's certainly was not a rookie nor an incompetent person. He made his reputation in the area north of the Huaihe River, because he was a solidly skilled person in jiang-hu. His eagle claw skill was descended from the "eagle claw king".

One of the upper echelon in the former weapon list by the name "north of the Huaihe River broadsword" had struck his face with his sword, but unexpectedly had not hacked him to death, instead the north of the Huaihe River broadsword would die under his eagle claw skill. Therefore he got his nickname " the iron-faced hawk". The eagle claw was quick, the eagle eyes were also quick.

But he hardly needed to wait when Ye Kai’s fist arrived at the center of his nose. He suffered pain unconsciously. Even being able to feel the pain was a very nice skill already. Now he only felt upcoming darkness suddenly, with innumerable stars floating above, slowly expanding and capturing his thought.

He did not fell down immediately, instead he flew backward more than ten feet as he hit the doorframe of the wine pavilion, and only then he dropped down. He had not heard the cracking sound of the breaking bone, but other persons could hear it clearly.

Ye Kai looked at his disrupted face and lightly said, "It turns out his face is not really iron-faced, his face can actually be mashed."

The other three persons in yellow clenched their teeth, their faces had not turned back at their the companion. With quick flashes, the three people had simultaneously revealed their weapons, a knife, a sword, and a pair of judge pens. These four pieces of weapons suddenly attacked Ye Kai from behind.

After these two moves, Ye Kai found out that the person with the best wugong skill was not the iron-faced hawk, nor the old man with the judge pens, but the young person who used the sword.

His quick swordstyle was sharp, changing directions a lot, his sword was also of high quality. After 13 moves, Ye Kai had not attacked. When he attacked, he would never fail.

Now that he had made his attacks, there were some shrill sound of alarms, and the sound of the broken ribs. The old man with the judge pens had the accupoints selected, the guy with the knife was holding his ribs, blood pouring, and the knife was broken into two pieces.

Only the young person with the sword had not fallen, but his face was drained of the blood.

Ye Kai nonchalantly disposed of the two pieces of the knife, and he suddenly asked this young person, "Do you know why I have to break off his knife?"

The young person shook his head.

Ye Kai lightly said, "Because he attacks viciously, he is not worthy to use the knife."

The young person gripped his sword tightly, as he could not bear asking "You also use a dagger?"

Ye Kai nodded.
Perhaps nobody in this world could understanding a dagger like him, also nobody could understand the value of a dagger better than him.

"I always put high value to a dagger," Ye Kai said. "If you do not respect your dagger, you simply are not worthy of it. If you value your dagger, you should be more discrete with time."

The young person looked at him in astonishment.

He saw that Ye Kai was not an ordinary person, an ordinary person absolutely could not say this kind of truth. He could not bear asking, "Actually who are you?"

"I am surnamed Ye, called Ye Kai."

The young person’s complexion had changed: "Ye Kai!"

“Right! Ye for leaf, Kai for opening."

The young person suddenly jumped up, turned around and fled towards outside the pavilion. But just as his foot found the next foothold, suddenly he heard a squealing sound and a flash of a dagger. The flashy dagger had flown above his head, traveling 50-60 feet further before burying itself in a tree. Oddly, the dagger entered the wood but did not enter wholly to the handle.

The young person was startled and paused. His hair hung loosely as the tying golden ribbon had been severed. His whole body had stiffened. He had never seen such a quick dagger.

Flying dagger!
The hilt was still swinging. Ye Kai went forward, drew it out and with a very quick turn, the dagger had disappeared.

The young person at last heaved a sigh, "You really are Ye Kai?"

"I am truly Ye Kai."

The young person said painstakingly with a smile, "Why didn’t you say it earlier?"

Ye Kai smiled and suddenly asked in reply, "Are you the Jintan Mr. Duan's disciple?"

The young person was startled: "How do you know?"

Ye Kai smiled, "The iron-faced hawk said it just a moment ago, my eyesight is always good."

The young person acknowledged that, "Your excellency really has good eyesight."

Ye Kai asked him again, "You are Mr. Duan’s disciple?"

"The third one."

"What is your surname?"

"Shi is the surname, Shi Ming."

"Have you ever driven a donkey cart?"

"No."

"I also know that you have not." Ye Kai lightly said with a smile, "But as in anything else, there is always a first time."

*****

Lead me to your clan leader Shangguan-leader, wherever she is, you must lead me to find her."

Ye Kai rode that donkey cart, laying down with shut eyes.

He knew that this young person would not run away, also could be nothing but obedient. Anyone who had seen his flying dagger would no longer try some stupid things. Shi Ming had truly never ridden a donkey cart, this was indeed his first time. With someone urging it on, the donkey instead walked slower than just a moment ago.

Ye Kai had peeled more peanuts, threw them up, and swallowed them into his mouth. He suddenly said, "I heard that Jintan Mr. Duan is the most meticulously attired person."

Shi Ming said, "Mmm!"

"I heard when he receives a disciple, he has to come from a very good family background."

"Mmm!"

"You too?"

"Mmm!"

He was obviously reluctant to talk about it, Ye Kai queried him further,. "You are reluctant to talk about it because you are embarrassed?"

Shi Ming finally could not bear saying, “Why should I?"

"Because you also know that with your Shi Men’s family background, you should not be just a lackey in the Golden Coin Clan."

Shi Ming’s face become flushed, he said, "I am not a lackey."

"I also know that you work in the Golden Coin Clan, originally to disregard your family background and come out on your own, each young person everywhere thinks like that." He smiled as he lightly continued, "But what you are doing now, is just what a lackey would do."

Shi Ming blushed, "This is because of you."

“Right, I told you to do it, but putting the copper coin on top of other people’s heads, aren’t those the thing that a lackey would do?"

Shi Ming closed his mouth.

Ye Kai said, "Moreover, I told you to do this, because you are already a lackey in the Golden Coin Clan, otherwise I would rather replace the donkey with myself and let you ride on my body."

Shi Ming’s face became redder, unable to restrain the painful look.

Ye Kai suddenly also asked, "Do you know why I had to throw that dagger a moment ago?"

Shi Ming was hesitating before he slowly said, "I also have heard that your dagger does not kill someone, instead it rescues him."

“Right, I threw that knife so that you know that in the Golden Coin Clan, you can never do something important in the future."

Shi Ming clenched his teeth and said, "That is only because my wugong... "

Ye Kai interrupted him, “To command respect from someone, it is not necessarily dependent on someone’s wugong. If you can do honest and upright deeds, nobody will look down on you, and my dagger will not fly to you ever." He sighed, and also said, "Otherwise even if I do not kill you, sooner or later there will be someone who will."

Shi Ming had closed his mouth. Now he had understood Ye Kai’s meaning,

Ye Kai also knew that he was not a stupid person. "I believe you will not disappoint me." Ye Kai had peeled another peanut, threw it up, and waited for it to fall. He knew that this peanut since it was thrown up, would certainly fall down again.

*****

*****

The donkey cart crawled along the same street in Chang An city. Only on this street, the Great wild goose guest inn had not been reduced into rubbles. The Great wild goose guest inn looked like it glittered with gold under the sun. Ye Kai felt a distinct uneasy feeling, like seeing a dead person being alive again. In fact, he actually saw the dead being alive again.

In life, some matters appeared as if in the dreamland, only in imagination, and only a few people could obtain it. Ye Kai sighed happily, with a smile, he realized that the people on the street were looking at him.

The time was noon, not many people were on the street as most people in Chang An city were eating lunch with their family. But the persons taking a walk on the street all had very serious expression, like they were anxiously waiting for something important to occur with unspeakable ominous heart.

Ye Kai also knew that something important would occur, and he also knew that this something important was of his doing. Now that he had arrived here, he did not really like it, but he went out anyway.

The donkey cart stopped outside the Great wild goose guest inn.

As soon as Ye Kai entered it, he saw Shangguan XiaoXian sitting on the counter, turning the book. Indeed, she really looked like the hotel’s proprietress, only a lot more attractive than most proprietresses. She heard Ye Kai’s footsteps, and she immediately smiled, "I knew you would come, I have been waiting for you."

Ye Kai stood in front of the counter, looking at her. He did not know why, but he suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his heart. Regardless of her imagination, she had been really good to him. They were together for several days, was also something he would never forget. He really did not hope that they would become enemies. In spite of everything, Shangguan XiaoXian did not look like his enemy.

She smiled gently and charmingly, like a proprietress whose boss had come back. "I have prepared several vegetables that you like, now I will prepare to serve the meal quickly."

Ye Kai coldly said, "I am not eating any meal."

Shangguan XiaoXian charmingly said, "But everybody must eat something, you cannot be an exception."

Ye Kai certainly did not want to argue with her, instead he suddenly asked "You are doing the accounts?"

"Mmm."

“You were not calculating how many people you killed yesterday evening?"

Shangguan XiaoXian had smiled, "If I were calculating how many people I killed, I would definitely not record it in the book."

"What is the bookkeeping account then?"

"This is the wedding present book," Shangguan XiaoXian said. "It records many strange people who had given many strange presents."

"Including you?"

Shangguan XiaoXian sighed, "I do not have such good fortune." She suddenly said with a smile, "You want me to read these records to you?"

Ye Kai had not rejected her.

"Cui YuZhen, gives an old hen and a catty of birdnest; Nangong Lang, gives a picture; Ye Kai, gives a live person."

Ye Kai’s face lost its color, he realized whose wedding present book it was.

Shangguan XiaoXian continued smiling, "Why did Cui YuZhen give a chicken? Did she think the bridegroom was you, so you could make some hot chicken gruel, to eat during that wedding night?" She did not let Ye Kai speak, as she also said with a smile, "Perhaps the strangest gift was yours, but the most precious gift... I’m sure you can't you guess correctly whose is it."

Ye Kai could not bear asking, "Whose?"

“From four people." Shangguan XiaoXian slowly read four names, "Die-er-bu, Duo-er-jia, Bu-da-la, Ban-cha-ba-na."

Ye Kai’s complexion changed "What did they give?"

“A bag of jewelry, with a jade symbol inside." Shangguan XiaoXian also said, “This jade symbol."

She had taken out the jade symbol from the four Devil Sect leaders from behind the counter. She obviously had prepared it to show Ye Kai. The jade symbol was crystal clear and beautiful, the Devil Sect engraving was actually a surprise to Ye Kai.

Shangguan XiaoXian was asking, "Do you know what is the meaning of this jade symbol?"

Ye Kai did not know.

"This is the jade symbol about taking revenge." Shangguan XiaoXian said, "When the Devil Sect takes a big revenge for one of the Princes, this kind of jade symbol will certainly appear."

Ye Kai bundled both of his fists tightly, "They are taking revenge for Priest Yu Xiao?"

Shangguan XiaoXian nodded and said, "That bag of jewelry is to let they buy lives."

"Why do they buy lives with money?"

"The four princes, before committing the murders, must initially buy these people's life first, because they do not want to be in debt in their next lives." Shangguan XiaoXian sighed, "They deliver quite a lot of jewelry, because they really kills many, many people."

Ye Kai could not bear asking, "They are the killers?"

Shangguan XiaoXian also sighed, "You are stupid to know who committed these killings."

Ye Kai said, "But the one that gathered up the dead bodies was actually you."

Shangguan XiaoXian lightly said, "The killings was a bad deed, gathering up dead bodies is a good deed."

"Why do you have to gather up the dead bodies for them?"

"Because I want to find out a matter."

Ye Kai closely examined, "What matter?"

"Actually I wanted to find out who were Duo-er-jia and Bu-da-la."

Ye Kai coldly said, "It is a pity then that the dead person cannot speak, your corpses were not useful then."

"But they were!"

"Useful?"

"I concluded that they were here at that time in that banquet hall."

Ye Kai acknowledged that. If they were not in that banquet hall, how could they have done the killings.

"Therefore if there were 100 people in that banquet hall, only 98 had died."

"The two that had not died was certainly Duo-er-jia and Bu-da-la."

Shangguan XiaoXian smiled, "I know that you are not stupid."

"Therefore you had taken back all the corpses to see who had died and how many people had died?"

“Right."

"But you still could not find out the two people who had not died?"

"Therefore I had also brought the gift registry to see the list of the presents."

Ye Kai said, "But a person who gave a present might not actually come, the person who came, might not actually gave a present."

"At least I can gather more clues, I am not stupid."

"You found it?"

Shangguan XiaoXian sighed, "With you here, my heart is mixed up, how can I continue?" She stood up, went out of the counter, and suddenly said, "I have something to ask you."

Ye Kai had to let her ask.

Shangguan XiaoXian said, “Does everybody eat meals?"

Ye Kai had to acknowledge her.

"You are not a person?"

Ye Kai had to acknowledge it.

Shangguan XiaoXian lifted up his hand and charmingly said, "Then we should eat some meal now."

*****

Ye Kai was eating his meal. As soon as he arrived in front of Shangguan XiaoXian, he suddenly seemed to have become an idiot. But his belly was really empty after walking around, his appetite had been woken up for quite a while because he had not sat down to have his meal. Now that he had sat down and taken up the chopsticks, it was very difficult to lay them down again. Moreover the food was made to his liking, the fermented bean curd with some tangy flavor in particular, not only whetted his appetite, but also had sobered him up.

Shangguan XiaoXian said lightly, "I have not prepared the wine for you, because I know that your belly is empty. After you finished eating the food, I will accompany you to drink." Anyone who saw the way she represented herself would think that she was a woman who was gentle and full of attention. When a man met this kind of woman, what should he do?

Ye Kai settled on the idea not to pay attention to her, even if she could speak flowery things, he would still pay no attention to her.

Shangguan XiaoXian gently sighed, "I know that in your heart you are blaming me, that you should not have stayed here at that time, otherwise Miss Ding would not have married Guo Ding, and if she had not married Guo Ding, what proceeded after that would not have happened."

This was precisely what Ye Kai had in mind. He had not said it, instead Shangguan XiaoXian had said it for him.

"But you should also think of me. I am also a woman, certainly not a monster." She softly continued, "When a woman likes a man, she will try to detain him as long as she can, any woman will do the same."

Ye Kai sneered outside, but his heart he also had no alternative but to acknowledge her. Her words contained the truth.

Liking someone was certainly not a wrong thing, nor an evil deed. When a woman fell in love with a man, it would be a perfectly justified matter, there was not a single speck of wrong in it. When a woman fell in love with a man, she certainly did not want him to go away. This point was also something nobody could blame her.

Ye Kai suddenly detected that his own heart had been moved by her. So he stood up immediately and said, "You have anything else to say?"

"No."

"I have actually finished eating."

"You do not want to drink?"

"No."

"Don't you want to find out who Duo-er-jia and Nu-da-la are?"

"I will find that out."

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "Even if you can find out about them, what then? Can you cope with the entire Devil Sect?" She also sighed, "Do you know how many disciples the Devil Sect has? Do you know how strong they are?"

Ye Kai knew about the Devil Sect’s formidability, only a few people knew better than him.

"Therefore you should know that to cope with the Devil Sect there is only one way."

Ye Kai could not bear asking, "What is it?"

Shangguan XiaoXian’s gentle smile had vanished from her face, the beautiful eyes suddenly glittered with inspiration. Now she was no longer a gentle, sympathetic proprietress, but the prestigious, earth-shaking Golden Coin Clan’s leader.

She stared at Ye Kai as she slowly said, "If you take a look at this whole wide world, the only one who can resist the Devil Sect is only our Golden Coin Clan."

"Oh?"

"After many years of preparation, now the Golden Coin Clan had the people resources to achieve the mountain peak."

"Oh?"

"Shaolin, Wudang, Kunlun, Huashan, each school had been infiltrated by our people... "

Ye Kai interrupted her, "Therefore you want to recruit me now?"

“Not recruit." Shangguan XiaoXian said, "If you want to cope with the Devil Sect, then you need only to collaborate with the Golden Coin Clan."

Ye Kai sneered, "You still want me to be the law-protector of your Golden Coin Clan?"

"If you want it, I will even give you the Clan Leader position."

"Why do you want to sacrifice that?"

Shangguan XiaoXian sighed, glanced at him as gentle as the spring water and said, "When a woman truly likes a man, she would not hesitate to sacrifice everything, moreover... "

"Moreover, the Devil Sect is your enemy?"

"Not just our enemy, but also an enemy who swears that they will not coexist with us, in particular recently... "

"What happened recently?"

"Recently even if I do not look for them, they will come to look for me."

Ye Kai knew that this was not a lie. The Golden Coin Clan and the Devil Sect recently had pronounced the plan to dominate jiang-hu again. The conflict between them would become more and more incisive.

When two crabs were fighting with each other, the one that benefited was the third party. This was really his good opportunity. Although he did not want to be a fisherman, he might at least ride this opportunity to achieve what he wanted.

Shangguan XiaoXian also said, "Your situation is the same as us. Now, among the four great princes, two had arrived in Chang An city. They had to cope with the Golden Coin Clan, as well as with you."

"Therefore, even if I had not look for them, they still would not let me off."

"They are your enemy, at least I am your friend, therefore you should unite with us."

Ye Kai had sat down.

"Now in your heart perhaps you only think that I am using you."

Ye Kai said, "You are not?"

"Even if I am using you, couldn’t you use me as well, to seize this opportunity to eliminate the Devil Sect?"

Ye Kai suddenly sighed, "You are really a woman who can speak very convincingly."

"I have already persuaded you?"

Ye Kai said bitterly with a smile, "It seems so."

Shangguan XiaoXian had smiled, the smiling face became gentle and charming, "Then should we have wine now?"

Ye Kai sighed, "Now there is only one strange matter."

Shangguan XiaoXian blinked her eyes, "What matter?"

Ye Kai said, "When you want something from me, why can’t I ever reject it?"


END OF CHAPTER 25

[atlantean0208]

Chapter 26: The loose widow - TRANSLATED BY FASTCLOCK

The wine had been served, although a man could get drunk not from the wine, but because of Shangguan XiaoXian. Her gentleness, her sympathy, her tears, could all caused someone to become drunk.

Was Ye Kai drunk? He was also a man after all, moreover he certainly was not a heartless man. He was even suspecting himself already that he had become drunk by her gentleness. She was not just a woman, but the ultimate woman, the kind of woman whom a man could not resist.

Perhaps she did not have Ding LingLin's joyful appearance, nor Cui YuZhen’s delicateness, but she understood men a lot better and understood very well how to capture a man's heart. Had Ye Kai’s heart been seized by her?

"You are not already drunk?"

"Although I am not drunk now, sooner or later I always get drunk."

"You are prepared to get drunk?"

"As soon as one starts to drink, one should prepare to get drunk."

"Therefore if I have something to say, it must be said before you get drunk?"

"Right."

"Have you looked at this account book?"

"Yes."

"What did you see?"

"I only saw that the moves from the Golden Coin Clan did not compare to the Devil Sect’s."

Shangguan XiaoXian had smiled, "The Golden Coin Clan did not want to buy other people's life, therefore it did not need to give such rich presents."

Ye Kai was staring at his cup, as he slowly said, "Perhaps you already knew that even if you had given a lot of present, they would not have received them anyway."

"Even if I knew it, I would still deliver them."

"Why?"

"Because regardless of how many I had delivered, I have taken all of them back now."

Ye Kai had also smiled, "What do you know then?"

Shangguan XiaoXian sighed, gently said, "I see that you are really a very affectionate person."

"Oh?"

"Therefore you cannot be one of the four leaders of the Devil Sect. All of the leaders are cruel persons."

Ye Kai said bitterly with a smile, "You only know that now?"

Shangguan XiaoXian charmingly said, "Now, it is not too late."

"You suspected me before?"

Shangguan XiaoXian acknowledged, said, "Because there are not many people who can be a competent prince of the Devil Sect."

"Who else besides me in Chang An city?"

"Maybe 4 or 5."

"The first one is certainly Lu Di."

Shangguan XiaoXian said, “Right!"

"Han Zhen is certainly included."

"Certainly."

Ye Kai said, "Who else?"

Shangguan XiaoXian had smiled, said, "Have you forgotten your old friend?"

"Yang Tian?"

Shangguan XiaoXian said with a smile, "A fox who cannot fly is fearful enough, moreover a fox who can fly."

"Isn’t he your trusted subordinate?"

"I do not have any trusted subordinate."

She came closer and stared at Ye Kai, "I can only trust you, it is a pity... "

Ye Kai had smiled, said, "It is a pity I actually do not trust you, perhaps the only person I cannot trust is you."

Shangguan XiaoXian gently sighed, "I certainly do not blame you, but one day, you would know that you are mistaken."

Ye Kai had not argued and changed the topic with a smile, "Lu Di, Han Zhen, Yang Tian, that is only three."

"Someone who is also very suspicious."

"Who?"

"Someone who came yesterday in Chang An."

"You recognized him?"

"No."

"You know who he is?"

"No."

Ye Kai smiled.

Shangguan XiaoXian’s expression was actually very serious. She said, "But I actually know that he has the qualifications to be the Devil Sect’s Prince."

"Why?"

"Because each time I sent out someone to inquire about his origin, each one had disappeared."

Ye Kai shook his head, "What do you mean by ‘disappeared’?"

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "’Disappeared’ means that after these people had left, they never came back again, there was even no news about them, so I had to send more people, and then they would never come back."

"How many people had you sent altogether?"

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "Altogether three times, the first time two persons, the second time four persons, the third time six people."

"So, the total is 12."

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "Moreover they were 12 skilled people, that last six were very skilled persons."

"These skilled people had completely disappeared?"

Shangguan XiaoXian nodded, "The 12 persons had left without a trace, seemed to have vanished from the same place."

"These 12 people, even if you just wanted to hide them, it was already not an easy matter."

Shangguan XiaoXian sighed, "Therefore I feel that this person might be even more fearful than Lu Di."

Ye Kai’s expression had also became more serious, "Until now, you still do not know what kind of person he is?"

"I only know that he had appeared yesterday. In such cold weather, he only wore very thin clothes and a big straw hat."

"Nothing else?"

"No."

"Can’t you connect him to where he was?"

"We do not know." She sighed, painstakingly said with a smile, "Because I did not know, I had sent all those persons to inquire about him."

Ye Kai also sighed, "It looks like you don’t know a lot."

"Do you know more than me?"

"Only 1 thing."

"What do you know?"

Ye Kai said, "My little clue can be used to find Bu-da-la."

"Gufeng the Prince?"

Ye Kai nodded.

"You know who he is?"

"His hand is very formidable, but he is also seriously injured."

Shangguan XiaoXian’s eyes had brightened, "The formidable hand belongs to Lu Di, but is he seriously injured?"

"To find that out is certainly not difficult."

"You are prepared to find him?"

"You don’t like it?"

Shangguan XiaoXian shook her head, "I only... "

Ye Kai had smiled, and said for her, "Only fear that I would disappear like those people."

Shangguan XiaoXian had also smiled, looking at him very sweetly, she smilingly said, "I will not let you just disappear, I... "

Ye Kai had not said it for her, nor let her continue. He suddenly got up and said, "Therefore it is best that I quickly leave while I am not drunk yet."

"You must go now?"

"I want to find Lu Di, Yang Tian and Han Zhen."

"Don’t forget the person wearing the straw hat in winter time!"

"Where is this person?"

"Do you know the Ten-sided Bamboo-groove Temple behind Xiangguo Temple?"

Ye Kai nodded, "I heard the element room there is very good."

"Yesterday evening he stayed there."

"Yang Tian?"

"You must find him first?"

Ye Kai had smiled, "Do not forget that he is my old friend."

Shangguan XiaoXian had also smiled and said, "Since you are his old friend, you should know what place he likes the most."

"Woman."

"Which kind of a woman?"

"A widow."

Shangguan XiaoXian smiled, "This street is similar to that street in Chang An city."

"There is also Widow Wang’s bean curd shop in this street?"

Shangguan XiaoXian said with a smile, "Widow Wang on this street is also a very loose widow."

Ye Kai intentionally sighed, "It is a pity that Yang Tian had already gone there first."

Shangguan XiaoXian charmingly said, "Therefore going there might not be useful now, why don’t you go to the teahouse next door first?"

"What is so attractive in this teahouse?"

"A very attractive awl."

Ye Kai smiled as he went out, "I only hope that this awl will not drill me open with a big hole."

*****

Regardless of how attractive an awl was, when an awl was applied to your body, you would not think it was attractive.

Han Zhen was not a very attractive awl, nor a very attractive person. When your nose was hit flat by a person, your face would never be very attractive. But his face showed vigor, glowing with health, and full of energy. Anybody who saw him would not notice him as a severely wounded person.

When he saw Ye Kai, he stood up immediately, and gave a greeting smile, "How about you sit down and have a cup of tea?"

Ye Kai shook his head.

"Drink some wine?"

Ye Kai shook his head again.

"The dessert here is also good, what do you want to eat?"

Ye Kai had suddenly smiled and said, "Now I only want to eat some tofu."

*****

Of course, widow Wang’s bean curd shop did not sell fresh tofu, but the square ones that had been cooked thoroughly, with some additional garnishes at the top.

Widow Wang was not an old person, the tofu was deliciously prepared, and the person was actually middle-aged and single.

A dignified middle-aged woman, selling nicely prepared tofu for good business, was certainly an attractive one. It was only a pity that this was not Chang An city.

Widow Wang was wearing a black satin cotton-wadded suit, with pitch-black hair, the strands were pulled into a hair bun, and the clear face was reddish white. She did not appear old, nor was she old, moreover she looked a lot more tender than the soft tofu. Most of all, her pair of eyes were actually small, curved, and when she smiled, they became like curved crescent moons, ready to clasp your soul.

Now her pair of eyes were looking at Ye Kai as she charmingly said, "What kind of spices do you want on the tofu?"

"I do not eat your tofu," Ye Kai said.

Widow Wang replied, "This tofu is not good enough?"

Ye Kai said, "This tofu is extremely good, I want to eat two of them very much, but it is a pity that I do not dare to."

Widow Wang gave a flattering smile, "Such a big adult man, yet you do not dare to eat some tofu?"

Ye Kai sighed, "I dare to eat other people's tofu, but not yours."

Widow Wang suddenly ceased to smile, and coldly said, "You are looking for Yang Tian?"

Ye Kai nodded, said, "Is he in?"

Widow Wang dipped her finger in the flour batter, looking disinclined to see Ye Kai again in the future. What a woman liked was a man who had an interest in her, if you did not have that interest, she would not be interested in you, as well.

Ye Kai had smiled while entering inside, but suddenly he had turned his head and said with a smile, "Actually my courage is not always this small."

Widow Wang stared at him, biting her lips she said, "Then why is your courage especially small today?"

Ye Kai bitterly said, "Because I do not want to be nipped by a fox."

Yang Tian certainly did not look like a clever fox who could nip someone. When someone was taking a bath, a fearful person could be seen as a genial person.

Yang Tian was taking a bath, he was soaked in a big tub of hot water, relaxing the four limbs as far as possible, looking like a languid otter. His skin was also as smooth as an otter, the whole body did not have any scar, Ye Kai could not bear to give a sigh.

Yang Tian looked at him and smiled, "When two good friends meet, why do you sigh?"

"Because you are not injured."

"I am not injured, and therefore you are not happy?"

Ye Kai had suddenly smiled, "Because now I want to eat some tofu."

Yang Tian laughed, "Now that I am taking a bath, isn’t this precisely your golden opportunity?"

"What golden opportunity?"

"Now if you become casual to the cookie outside, I would not run out stark naked."

"But it is a pity that one cannot play with a friend’s wife."

"If one want to, he needs to wait until the friend is dead."

Ye Kai sighed: "It is a pity that you have not died."

"Then we are friends now?"

"Originally we were not, but now we are."

Yang Tian was staring at him, his eyes had brightened visibly as he coldly said, "You have met her?"

"You did not expect it?"

"Why did you do that?"

Ye Kai had smiled, "You should not ask me, why are you still soaking in the water?"

"That’s only because someone left me here."

"If someone pulls you out?"

"Who is willing to pull me out?"

Ye Kai said, "I." He had really stretched out his hand.

Yang Tian had not received it as he lightly said, "Coming out now is too cold, at least the water is warm."

Ye Kai said, "Regardless of how warm is the water, it will always become cold."

"Then you should go out sooner."

Ye Kai smiled, "You are urging me, or preventing me to go?"

"You want to stay here looking on?"

"You don’t think it will be too crowded?"

Yang Tian sneered, said, "I cannot just let you go casually now that we are friends, I have something I must say."

"Just say it."

"You certainly should not try to find the person who wears the straw hat."

"Why?"

Yang Tian had closed his eyes, no longer opening them again.

Ye Kai asked again, "How do you know that I must find him?"

Yang Tian did not open his mouth, the water was very hot, steaming hot, it looked like the fog.

Ye Kai had suddenly smiled, "Indeed you need to soak in the water for a while. Coming out from such hot water, you certainly can catch a cold."

Ye Kai walked out.

Yang Tian’s eyes were closed while soaking in the water. When the water steam dissipated, his face had looked deathly pale, like he could not stood up. But now that the water was cool, he had no choice but to stand up and let the water flow off from his shoulder. His shoulder had unexpectedly had some blood flowing as well, where was it coming from?

Widow Wang quietly entered, looking at him, her eyes were filled with compassion.

When Yang Tian stood up, twisting painfully with a miserable face, he asked quickly, "Can somebody outside come in suddenly?"

Widow Wang shook her head, suddenly asked, "Actually what kind of wound do you have? Why do have to hide it?"

Yang Tian clenched his teeth. He had not replied to these words, instead he actually took off a piece of skin from his shoulder. With the same color as his actual skin, he tore it up, the blood had quickly marred his chest...

*****

A large cart stopped right in the intersection, Shangguan XiaoXian turned around magnificently. When she saw Ye Kai passing through, her smiling face was exposed by the sunlight, looking more beautiful than the blushing spring flowers. When you saw her, you would think that the spring would not be far away.

Ye Kai sighed because he suddenly remembered how other people had described Lin Xianer.
- The fairylike beautiful woman, specially tempting men to go to hell.
If this short identifier was used to describe Shangguan XiaoXian, was it also similarly appropriate?

Shangguan XiaoXian was waiting to ask, "You have found them?"

"Mmm."

"Both of them are not injured?"

"No." Ye Kai sighed, "At least, I cannot see it."

"Therefore they cannot be Gufeng?"

Ye Kai nodded. Indeed he had not seen Yang Tian’s wound, that skin-like patch certainly looked like Yang Tian’s skin in the water, yellowish pink. Moreover, he could not suspect that an injured person, could actually soak himself in the water.

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "But even if they were not injured, that does not mean they cannot be from the Devil Sect."

“Right."

"But you actually have stopped trying?"

Ye Kai said, "They are your persons, checking them out again is your matter."

"Therefore you are ready to go?"

Ye Kai had smiled, "If not, why have you already prepared this horse-drawn carriage for me?"

Shangguan XiaoXian had also smiled, smiling bitterly, "That is only because I know that I will not be able to detain you."

Ye Kai jumped up the carriage and he suddenly said, "Yang Tian said something to me a moment ago."

"What words?"

"He urged me not to find the person who wears a straw hat."

"Where are you going then?"

"Finding the person who wears the straw hat."

Shangguan XiaoXian gave a sigh, "When other people say something to you, why don’t you listen?"

Ye Kai opened the door and stretched out his head out of the window. He smiled and said, "Because I always have this sickness."

"What sickness?"

"Being stupid sickness."

The carriage had moved forward, strewing the sand dust behind. Shangguan XiaoXian’s face had a happy smile, because Ye Kai’s head was still extending outside the window, looking at her. She was smiling as she raised the silk in her hand.

Upon lifting her arm, her smiling face suddenly vanished, the blushing face under the sunlight had also change.

It was a pity that Ye Kai could not see that, the carriage had turned into the mountain.


END OF CHAPTER 26

[atlantean0208]

Chapter 27: A cold, black night - TRANSLATED BY FASTCLOCK

The Contemplation courtyard was quiet and tasteful, because there were bamboos in the courtyard.

Bamboo grove.
A courtyard with a bamboo grove, always brought peace and quiet for people. Especially at dusk, when the wind blew on the bamboo leaves, the sound heard was like the ocean waves.

Ye Kai had paced himself back and forth in front of the bamboo grove.

"If I had known earlier that there is such a lonesome and quiet place in Chang An city, I would have stayed here." He sighed, "This place doesn’t seem to be sought after by many people..." He was certainly not a person who liked to think aloud by himself, this speech was said to Ku Zhu (meaning “Suffering Bamboo).

Ku Zhu was the Ten-sided Bamboo Grove Temple’s receiving monk.
Even if he was thin like bamboo, hardly any extra flesh, he was actually very polite. He was smiling while arguing, "Although there are not many benefactors of the small temple, there are not too few either."

Ye Kai smiled.

From the outside to here, he had not seen any person on a pilgrimage, there was also no one offering sacrifices in the courtyard.

Ku Zhu said, "These seven monk's rooms are all guest rooms, they were not empty."

Ye Kai said, "Oh?"

Ku Zhu said, "Before yesterday evening, there were some benefactors living here, all were very respectable persons."

Ye Kai said, "Now?"

Ku Zhu sighed, said, "Now they had gone to Xiangguo Temple."

Ye Kai said, "They all left yesterday evening?"

Ku Zhu nodded, said, "As soon as the person wearing the straw hat came, the other people had all left this place."

Ye Kai said, “Did he expel them?"

Ku Zhu painstakingly said with a smile, "He certainly had not physically forced anyone to leave, but once he was here, the others could no longer stay here."

Ye Kai said, "Why?"

Ku Zhu also sighed, his clearly tired face suddenly revealed a very strange expression.
He certainly did not reply directly to Ye Kai’s question, instead he hesitatingly said, "I will let you have a look at his room, then you will understand."

Inside the monk's room, within the four walls there was nothing, it was totally bare, no furniture, no bed.

In such a big monk's room, there were only two nails, a nail on left side wall and a nail on the opposite wall.

Ye Kai was unable to restrain his smile. Now indeed he understood why the others could no longer stay there.

"I would not be able to stay here as well." He smilingly said, "I am not a fly, nor a dragonfly, I cannot sleep on a nail."

Ku Zhu said, "There are two nails here."

Ye Kai said, "There is no distinction between one or two nails."

"Of course, there is."

"What’s the difference?"

"But you actually should understand."

"Oh?"

"With two nails, you can hang a string."

Ye Kai did not understand, "What is the use of the string?"

Ku Zhu said, "On the string, people may hang clothes, but a person may also sleep on it."

"That person in white wearing the straw hat actually sleeps on the string?"

"Moreover the string is very thin."

Ye Kai was astounded. If a person liked to sleep on a rope, not only his temperament was strange, his wugong was also very strange.

Ku Zhu said, "This room was not originally empty."

"Oh?"

"Not only there were tables and bed, but there were also many geckos."

"He had the furniture removed?"

“Right."

Ye Kai said, "Geckos?"

Ku Zhu’s face became twisted, he said, "The geckos had all been eaten by him."

Ye Kai was astounded again. This person wearing the straw hat in winter time, not only liked to sleep on a string, but he also liked eating geckos. Ye Kai had never seen such a strange person.

His facial expression became similar to Ku Zhu’s, he painstakingly said with a smile, "It looks like his eating capacity is not big, after eating several geckos, he unexpectedly had his fill."

Ku Zhu said, "Besides geckos, he certainly also eats other things."

"Such as?"

"The benefactors who live here seldom take a walk in the evening."

"Oh?"

"Because there are snakes outside, poisonous snakes."

Ye Kai said in consternation, "The snakes are also eaten up by him?"

"Besides the snakes, there are also the centipedes."

Ye Kai said bitterly with a smile, "His eating capacity is not small after all."

"Therefore I begin to worry about something."

"What is it?"

Ku Zhu sighed, "If all the geckos and the poisonous snakes have been eaten up by him, what will he eat then?"

Ye Kai could not stop his smile, "Do you fear he will eat you?"

Ku Zhu was sighing, but he had not opened his mouth, when suddenly someone coldly said, "I sometimes eat a person, but very, very seldom a monk."

The wind blew, the day had come to the end, it was dusk.

At this moment, the Contemplation courtyard appear to be particularly cold and lonely. Not only it was cold, but it also carried special strange aura. Because someone suddenly appeared in the courtyard.

A person wearing the straw hat.

In this bitter cold weather, he unexpectedly only wore a very thin white hempen garments, and the shape of the straw hat was strange, like the bamboo basket to catch the fish.

The way he wore it, it covered up most of the face, only a small part of the mouth was visible. When he did not speak, the hat completely covered his face.

Ye Kai suddenly smiled.
The others could not smile at that time, instead he only wanted to smile.

He smilingly said, "You very seldom eat monks? Or never?"

The person in white wearing the straw hat coldly said, "I usually only eat one kind of person."

Ye Kai said, "What kind of person?"

The person in white, "A person who should die."

Ye Kai said bitterly with a smile, "In this world, there are indeed many people who are just like poisonous snakes, if you do not want to be eaten by him, you must eat him up first."

"But truly the number of people who should die are not that many."

"True...." Ye Kai said, "Then why don’t you eat like what others eat, things that are quite easy to find?"

"What do you eat?"

"I eat the pork, also beef, red-roasted pork, small onion fries. The cow shredded meat is also particularly good."

The person in white suddenly said, "Kai San is a poisonous sly villain, Li Si is an honest assiduous gentleman, among these two people, who should you kill?"

Ye Kai said, "Kai San."

"Instead, you have actually killed Li Si."

"I have killed Li Si?"

The person in white nodded.

Ye Kai said bitterly with a smile, "It is a pity I don’t know this person."

The person in white, "You should know, he is in your belly."

Ye Kai became bewildered by what this person in white was saying.

The person in white sneeringly said, "The snake is poisonous, not the cow. Instead you kill the cow, and after killing it, you also bury its remains in your belly."

Ye Kai only felt his stomach given a jolt, he nearly could stop himself from vomiting. In his belly, there was indeed some beef. The beef he ate for lunch, was certainly not completely digested yet. And next time someone invited him to eat some beef, he would certainly find it difficult to swallow.

The person in white's eyes were staring at him under the straw hat, "Now do you understand it?"

Ye Kai sighed, painstakingly said with a smile, "Your words certainly has some truth in it."

The person in white said, "You do not want this truth?"

Ye Kai said with a smile, "I do not want to think about it."
- Burying a cow's remains in the stomach, how could this kind of thought ever come up?

"It looks like, although you are not an honest assiduous gentleman, you are also not a virulent mean villain."

"You can see it?"

"Because I can see it, therefore you are still alive."

"You? What about your personality?"

"You cannot see it?"

Ye Kai had smiled, "Your surname is certainly not Bai."

The person in white acknowledged.

"You are from Qing Cheng."

The person in white had not denied it.

Ye Kai was staring at him as he slowly said, "It is said that in Qing cheng, the person with the highest skill is called Mo WuXing."

The person in white had interrupted him as he coldly said, "You seem to know a lot of things."

Ye Kai smiled, "Although not too many, not too few either."

"It is a pity that the thing you should know, you do not know instead."

"Oh?"

"Do you know who Duo-er-jia is?"

"No."

"Do you know who Gufeng is?"

Ye Kai also sighed, "It looks like the things I know do not matter all that much."

"Do you want to see them?"

"I can see them?"

"As long as you are willing to wait here, you will certainly see them."

Ye Kai’s eyes shone. He was certainly willing to wait here. "Even if I have to wait for three days and three nights, I will still do it."

"You do not have to wait for three days and three nights, you have come just at the right time."

Ye Kai’s spirit soon flourished, he said, "So, they will come here today?"

The person in white coldly said, "Since you want to wait, you do not need to ask, if you do not want to wait, nobody is keeping you here."

Ye Kai closed his mouth immediately, but the eyes actually became wide open. He was originally not a person who talked too much.

The person in white suddenly said, "A monk should not talk too much."

Ku Zhu had dangled his head.

"You monk, actually said too much."

Ku Zhu had also closed his mouth, not even a single word he dared to say.

The person in white said, "A monk should know when to close his mouth, also when to close his eyes."

Ku Zhu closed his eyes immediately, while trying to find his way out.

Ye Kai could not bear saying with a smile, "He seems to be a sensible monk."

"A monk who is not sensible, can only be one kind."

"What kind?"

"The kind of monk who should die."

Ye Kai had smiled and said, "It looks like from your point of view, there are only two kinds of people in the world."

"There are only two kinds, the one who should not die, and the one who should die."

"What kind of person is coming tonight?"

"The one who should die."

*****

Nighttime.

The person in white had a very small wooden jar, and sprinkled silver dust from it. But when the star light shone, these dusts also start to emit the silvery glitters.

Ye Kai said with a smile, "Tonight for your dinner preparation in this courtyard, you first sprinkle some pepper above?"

The person in white coldly said, "You speak too much."

"Oh?"

"You also smile too much."

Ye Kai said with a smile, "That is only because I know something."

"What is it?"

"I know also that you are certainly not a callous person. Sometimes in your heart, you also want to smile only you are always reluctant to do it."

"Why am I reluctant?"

"Because you want people to fear you."

The person in white had turned around, and shoved open the window. After a very long time, only then he slowly said, "What do you also see?"

Ye Kai said with a smile, "If you are willing to let me have a look at your face, I certainly can see many more things to come."

The person in white suddenly turned his head, and raised the straw hat. His face was not any different to other people’s, but it actually had nine more stars than the others.

Nine jet-black stars.

In the winter evening, the sparse bright stars in the sky seemed to be so far away, but always bright. But the stars on this person’s face were actually black and cold bright.

The nine stars arrangement on his face was strange, unique and surreptitious, each star was pinned into the flesh by a pin.

Ye Kai sighed, "You are punishing yourself?"

The person in white unexpectedly nodded, "Everyone is guilty."

"You are not an exception?"

"I am also a person."

"What is your crime?"

"I wish I could eradicate all the bad poisonous people in this world."

Ye Kai sighed, "This is certainly not your fault, your penalty is rather too heavy."

The person in white said, "If compelled to see someone with a heavier guilt, these nine stars can act as a murderous weapon."

"Murderous weapon?"

"You cannot see that?"

Ye Kai shook his head and painstakingly said with a smile, "I would never have expected it."

The person in white used the straw hat to cover up his face again as he coldly said, "People who can see my face are not many, those who can still live are even less."

"Your face originally only have five stars?"

"Because there are more and more criminals in this world, therefore my sins become more and more heavy."

"Therefore Mo WuXing became Mo JiuXing."

"Now there is no more Mo WuXing, only Mo JiuXing."

"No wonder she could make this mistake."

Mo JiuXing said, "Who is she?"

Ye Kai had smiled, "You cannot guess?"

“Is it Shangguan XiaoXian?"

"You also know her?"

Mo JiuXing sneered.

"Do you know what kind of person she is?"

"I am here to kill three people who kill other people."

"She is also one of them?"

"She was."

"Now?"

"Now I found out that there are many more people who, when compared to her, deserve more to die."

"Who deserves more to die?"

Mo JiuXing said, "Duo-er-jia and Bu-da-la."

Ye Kai also sighed, "I am afraid it will not be easy if you want to kill these two people."

Mo JiuXing said, "I did not plan to live through this fight." He slowly continued, "As long as the Devil Sect’s four princes of heaven still live in the world, I will not return to Qing Cheng city."

Ye Kai said, "But even if you kill the two of them, there are still two who are still alive."

"No."

"How come?"

"Ban-cha-ba-na had died under Guo Ding."

"Die-er-bu?"

Mo JiuXing suddenly put out a block of jade symbol from his body, and threw it to Ye Kai. On that crystal clear flawless jade symbol was an engraving of the Devil God holding the wisdom boulder.

"This is Die-er-bu’s talisman, when he was alive, he would always bring this along."

"Now how come you obtain this symbol?"

Mo JiuXing coldly said, "Because he is already dead."

Ye Kai was startled, "You have killed him?"

Mo JiuXing nodded.

Ye Kai said, "Where did you meet him?"

"Outside Chang An city."

"He has also descended down the Devil Sect’s mountain?"

Mo JiuXing said, "Their Devil Sect’s mountain is just an imagination, wherever they are, that is where the Devil Sect’s mountain."

"Therefore their Devil Sect’s mountain now is in Chang An city?"

"If they don’t die, within 1000 days, this Chang An city would become a Devil Sect’s city."

Ye Kai in a surprised voice, "The Devil Sect’s city?"

"In the Devil Sect’s city there is also only two kinds of people."

"What are they?"

Mo JiuXing said, "One is their Devil Sect’s disciples, and the other kind is the dead people."

Ye Kai exclaimed, "Luckily you have discovered their secret."

Mo JiuXing proudly said, "For me, there is simply no secret in this world."

Ye Kai sighed, "You truly know many things."

Mo JiuXing acknowledged.

"I only felt strange, how do you know so many things, when you are a recluse who doesn’t mix up with other people."

"You are mistaken."

"Oh?"

"The spirit of Mohist school is certainly not to separate but to enter the world, eager to help the distressed. The Mohist school disciples do not grind the axe, rather put it to rest, and even allow the body to absorb the knives and the axes."

Ye Kai looked at him with respect. This callous person, although strange, actually had some good heart. There were not many self-devoted people in the world, Ye Kai always respected these people the most.

There was no lamp burning in that guest room. Underneath Mo JiuXing’s straw hat, something was continuously sparkling and shining. He did not know whether it was the eyes or that killing stars.

He stared at Ye Kai as he suddenly said, "I also recognize you now."

"Oh?"

"You are surnamed Ye, called Ye Kai."

Ye Kai smiled, "Ye for leaf, Kai for opening."

"Are you always very happy?"

"That’s because very seldom I would think about unhappy things."

Mo JiuXing said, "It is said that your flying dagger may be the world’s current number one weapon."

Ye Kai said bitterly with a smile, "When someone said something like this, my trouble would also be the world’s number one." If discussing about a lot of trouble for someone, few people could really be compared to him.

Mo JiuXing was silent for a very long time, only then he slowly said, "One day I will know."

"Know what?"

“Whether your flying dagger is actually the world’s number one weapon or not."

Ye Kai sighed, "If you really want to know, my trouble would increase."

"Don't you want to know whether my stars can actually kill people or not?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because we are already friends."

Mo JiuXing sneered, "Your friends are indeed too many."

Ye Kai said, "Having many friends are always better than not having friends."

"Perhaps your friends are a lot more compared to other people, therefore your troubles are also much more compared to the others."

"Having a lot of troubles is still better compared to not having any trouble."

"Oh?"

"Because if someone truly does not have any trouble, then he would be one kind of person."

Mo JiuXing said, "A dead person?"

Ye Kai nodded while smiling.

Suddenly with a "bang" sound, the short wall of the courtyard was broken, creating a big hole in it. A man with his arms folded was leisurely walking in.


END OF CHAPTER 27

[atlantean0208]

Chapter 28: Body Incarnations - TRANSLATED BY FASTCLOCK

Cold starry night.

The dim star light fell upon this person’s face.
His face was reflecting some light.
Blue light!

Nobody’s face could reflect this kind of blue light, only if he were wearing a bronze mask on his face. With the bronze mask, this person looked more formidable and strange under the star light. He wore a beautifully embroidered floral long gown, on the waistband, there was a curved sabre. The pale green scabbard was decorated by pearls and beautiful jade.

"He has come, he has really come."
Ye Kai gently tooted and said, "Is the one coming Duo-er-jia, or Bu-da-la?"

"You cannot see yourself?"

Ye Kai looked again. On this person’s long gown was embroidered a symbol of the power magic wand.

"Perhaps he is Duo-er-jia, perhaps not."

“Perhaps not?"

"Outside this place, there are three more body incarnations of Duo-er-jia."
What body incarnations outside?

Ye Kai had not asked that, as he saw a person.

The wind had blown harder, the person fluttered with the wind coming from outside. He had the embroidered long gown, the formidable mask, and the curved sabre on the waistband that was decorated with pearls and jade.

Nearly at the same instant, there appeared two more people from the bamboo grove. Two completely similarly attired persons.

Ye Kai was astounded.

Which one was the genuine Duo-er-jia, Son of Heaven?

"Even if you could kill three of them, the other one could still run away."

Mo JiuXing sneered. "Since he has come, he should never think of leaving here alive."

"How did you know he would really come, you know it already?"

"I know." Mo JiuXing coldly said, "I know that he must come."

"Why?"

"Because I am here."

Ye Kai did not ask again as a person walked over under the star light. The glittery powders were also emitting some light.

Every time he walked closer, the footsteps created the sound of flowing water. Judging only on this footsteps, could he be the real Duo-er-jia? Ye Kai was unable to restrain his sigh, at least he could not tell.

The person with his arms folded strolled into the center of the Contemplation courtyard, while another one with his arms folded walked nearby.

Not only their attires were quite similar, their walking postures were also completely the same. Could Mo JiuXing distinguish them?

Duo-er-jia finally said, "Qing Cheng’s Mo JiuXing?"

Mo JiuXing nodded.

Duo-er-jia said, "Now I have come."

Mo JiuXing suddenly said, "Tumble out!"

Duo-er-jia sneered, "Since I have come, if you want me to walk away again will not be very easy."

Mo JiuXing said, "You are certain you want to die here?"

Duo-er-jia’s hands had gripped the hilt.

Mo JiuXing said, "You are no match for me, but presently... "

Duo-er-jia said, "If you don’t attack now, you will die..."

The flash of the knife left the sheath, the pale-glimmering curved sabre had quickly performed three moves.

Mo JiuXing had not moved, not even the fingertips. He saw that these three moves were all empty moves.

Duo-er-jia turned around, and when the fourth move was launched, it was not an empty move.

The light of the knife was aiming at the direction of Mo JiuXing’s straw hat. It missed the tip of his nose by half an inch. Otherwise, Mo JiuXing’s face would have been cleaved into two halves. It was a pity that he missed by half an inch. Mo JiuXing unexpectedly had not attacked, he just wrinkled his brows.

Suddenly, a cold star flashed and hit on Duo-er-jia. Duo-er-jia certainly had tried to fend it, but it was a pity that this small cold star came too quickly, beyond imagination.

When he saw the cold star attacked, he did not have enough time to fend. Suddenly he gritted his teeth, aimed his knife backward and pierced his own stomach.

The blood spilled and the opponent had dropped down.

Mo JiuXing had not moved, not even his fingertips, but a cold star had disappeared in the chest. This kind of hidden weapon was very dangerous, it could be launched just by wrinkling his brow, sending the person to his death.

Ye Kai sighed, said, “It is really a killing weapon, not false at all."

Mo JiuXing said, "This Duo-er-jia is actually false."

"You know?"

Mo JiuXing nodded and sneered, "This person's death is also false."

Ye Kai said with a smile, "This I also know."

"Oh?"

Ye Kai said, "This kind of knife is a retractable devil’s knife. I have seen it more than once, so it will not deceive me at all."

Mo JiuXing lightly said, "If someone must deceive you, it will not be easy."

"Duo-er-jia" that was lying in the pool of blood really "became alive", suddenly he jumped up and extracted another knife. But this knife had not attacked, when another cold star flew and planted itself in the person’s throat.

He dropped down.

Ye Kai sighed, "It looks like this time it is not a false one."

Mo JiuXing coldly said, "He did not have to come here."

Ye Kai said, "He was no match for you."

Mo JiuXing said, "I have not really attacked."
Indeed he had not moved at all. If someone did not know how the hidden weapon got launched, he would have no way to defend against it.

Ye Kai also sighed, "It looks like Shangguan XiaoXian has not really spoken incorrectly."

Mo JiuXing said, "What did she say?"

Ye Kai said, "She said you are one of three most fearful people in the world, might even be the most fearful one."

Mo JiuXing coldly sneered, "Indeed she had not spoken incorrectly."

*****

There were some people sneering in the courtyard, but actually it was not clear who. Three completely similar persons, all folding their arms, stood under the star light.

Mo JiuXing sharp eyes circled around them, when he suddenly stopped at a person. He coldly said, "You do not need to make others die needlessly."

"I?"

“Yes, you!" His eyes were glittering inside the straw hat, this person's eyes were also glittering inside the bronze mask. Two people's eyes met one another, like two swords clashing against each other.

The wind was also piercing cold like the knife.

This person suddenly laughed, the laughter was colder and sharper than the knife, "Good! Good eyesight! How do you know?"

Mo JiuXing said, "You may falsify your appearance, but the footprints cannot lie. When you walk heavily, you can leave deep footprints, but when you walk heavily and the footprints are shallower, this cannot lie."

Only then did Ye Kai realize the purpose of the glittery powder that was prepared by Mo JiuXing.

Duo-er-jia also gave a long sigh, "I did not know you are also familiar with the Sect’s skill."

Mo JiuXing said, "The 13 various skills of the Devil’s Sect are not worth a cent in front of me."

Duo-er-jia sneered and said, "Good, very good."

He waved his hand and the other two people had drawn back.

Ye Kai suddenly discovered that under the star light, his hands were cold and menacing like the knives. His hands were obviously also a sharp killing weapon.

A weapon that could kill.
An awfully effective weapon.

If someone’s body could develop this fatal weapon, this kind of weapon would become integrated with himself. Nobody could seize this weapon, this weapon was already united with him for life.

The only thing you could do at most, was to seize his life. This was the most feared possession. The power of life was the most fearful strength in the world.

Ye Kai sighed.
Although he knew that this battle would certainly change many people’s fates in jiang-hu, he cared enough about the result of this fight for himself. But he nearly could not endured to look.

Because he also knew that to create this kind of weapon, a lot of sacrifice had been put into it, so much perspiration, so much blood, and so many tears. He really could not endure to see it being destroyed.

Before the fight, there was peace and calm.
The courtyard was calm, no anger was visible, nothing could be heard.

If he could feel this bottled anger, his feeling must be keener than the others.
Ye Kai suddenly felt very cold.

A wisp of piercing chill was in the air, like a knife piercing his bone marrow.
This was the pent-up anger.

The straw hat burst open although it had not been taken off. Ye Kai could not see clearly Mo JiuXing’s face. But he could see Duo-er-jia’s eyes.

Duo-er-jia’s pupils were contracting, suddenly he said, "Now it only remains someone else."
The other two people had indeed withdrew from the Contemplation courtyard.

Duo-er-jia said, "You have two people."

Ye Kai said, "The one that is fighting is only one person."

Duo-er-jia said, "Although you do not get fight, you are still a threat to me."

"Why?"

Duo-er-jia said, "Because of your dagger."

"My dagger will never be used to attack the others surreptitiously."

"But as long as the dagger is here, it will still threaten me."

"You want me to go?"

"You cannot go."

"Why?"

Duo-er-jia coldly said, "Since three of us have come, two people must die here."

Ye Kai said with a smile, "Once you have killed him, you must also kill me?"

"Therefore you cannot go."

Ye Kai said with a smile, "Do you want me to hand over my dagger first and then just sit here to wait for my death?"

"As long as you agree to one thing."

"Just say it."

"You had said that not both of you would attack."

“Right!"

Duo-er-jia said, "When you say something, I believe it. I believe you are not a villain who fail to keep one's word.

Ye Kai smiled, "Many thanks."

Duo-er-jia said, "Therefore when he is still alive, your dagger cannot attack me."

"If he is dead?"

Duo-er-jia said, "As long as you see me finish well, you may attack with your dagger."

Ye Kai said, "How do you define ‘finish well’?"

Duo-er-jia said, "When my hand has hit his body, I have finished well."

Ye Kai said, "As long as your hand hit his body, he will die for sure?"

Duo-er-jia proudly said, "My hand is a weapon, the ability to kill someone is what makes it a powerful weapon."

Ye Kai said, "Now I have understood."

Duo-er-jia said, "You comply?"

Ye Kai looked at him, his eyes had the very strange expression. After a very long time, only then he slowly said, "I comply, because I owe you."

Duo-er-jia was staring at him. After a very long time, only then he slowly said, "When did you owe me?"

Ye Kai smiled, "I have never forgotten that matter, you certainly had not forgotten it either."

Duo-er-jia said, "Do I owe you?"

Ye Kai shook his head, "Therefore if you kill me this time, I will not blame you."

Duo-er-jia said, “Good, I will never forget your words."
He suddenly turned around and stared at Mo JiuXing as he coldly said, "But the first one who must die is you."

Mo JiuXing sneered, "You seem to have forgotten one thing."

Duo-er-jia said, "Oh?"

Mo JiuXing said, "If I am not sure I can kill you, why would I come here?"

Duo-er-jia said, "Perhaps you originally had some degree of confidence, but it is a pity that you have also forgotten one thing."

"What?"

"You should not have revealed your secret."

Mo JiuXing also asked, "What secret?"

"The secret of your killing method."

Mo JiuXing sneered but he actually could not help but looked at the dead person.

Duo-er-jia said, "You should not have used this move to kill him, you should keep this move to cope with me."

Mo JiuXing sneered, "Even if I do not use this method, I can still kill you."

Duo-er-jia laughed.

Anyone who was laughing, he would become relaxed automatically, his alert was unavoidably neglected. As soon as he started to laugh, Ye Kai discovered that he had revealed an opening.

"An opening" meant that he would die.

In this flash, Mo JiuXing threw himself forward. His wugong was light and lively like the mist, agile like the swallow, but his attack was actually sharp like the smooth stroke of a hawk, violent like the thunder and lightning.

He had focused on Duo-er-jia’s opening.

Duo-er-jia was still laughing. But when Mo JiuXing threw himself at him, his opening suddenly disappeared. In that brief flash, his opening miraculously had disappeared. Instead his hand was waiting there.

If it was someone else’s hands, that would just be ordinary hands. But his hands were actually a lethal weapon.

When Mo JiuXing moved forward, he suddenly discovered that this move would not find the opening but instead his hands. And Duo-er-jia’s hands were not just any hands. Nobody else had this lethal weapon working for them.

Mo JiuXing wanted to retrieve himself back, but he did not have enough time. When his hand approached Duo-er-jia’s hand, one might feel a cold blast of anger attacking. It was like a fluttering sword movement that approached quickly.

Duo-er-jia sneered.

Ye Kai was actually unable to restrain his sigh. He knew that anyone’s hand that meet with Duo-er-jia’s hand would only suffer some tragedy. It was almost impossible to vividly imagine the scene when Mo JiuXing’s hands got crushed pitilessly.

But only “pa” sound was heard when both hands struck against each other.

Mo JiuXing’s hands had not disintegrated.

During that brief flash of fighting, he had managed to release all of the strength in his hand. He had unexpectedly managed to control his own strength, freely controlling it, building it or letting it go.

This attempted strike unexpectedly had turned into a gentle slap, or even a gentle tap, very light strike. If a strike could not hurt someone else, it could not injure himself, too. As long as the strength was adjusted to be gentle enough, even a very sharp sword could not injure someone else.

Duo-er-jia was astounded.

This gentle tap had unexpectedly caused him a surprise that was as big as if it was a strike as powerful as the Taishan mountain. He had never received such a light move. A master of this technique could adjust the next move after this one. This move was actually ever changing, nothing so unusual.

Mo JiuXing’s move was marvelous certainly not because of its quickness, nor because of its heaviness. His move could baffle the enemy simply because of its lightness.

Ye Kai could not restrain his heavenly praise.
Until now he realized that the mystery of changes in wugong’s skill was truly without limits and could not be measured.

Duo-er-jia was left astounded, while Mo JiuXing’s hands slid along the back of his hand, and attacked his accupoint.

Although he was startled, he did not panicked.
His other hand suddenly came up and cut up Mo JiuXing fiercely.

But he had forgotten something.
When a person’s accupoint was sealed, even if he had an extremely heavy supernatural power, he would still be powerless.

Ye Kai heard the sound of some bones disrupted – but it was not Mo JiuXing’s bones, it was the sound coming from Duo-er-jia.

Duo-er-jia desperately shouted loudly, "You... "
He only said one word.
"You!"
This was the end of his life, only one last word.

A cold star had infiltrated his throat, A killing star!

Without a sound, no sound at all.
Even the night was really calm.

Duo-er-jia was lying in the pool of blood. As soon as he dropped down, he resembled a contorted shriveled body lying there.

When he was living, people would consider him either as a hero, or a fiendish person. But now, he was just a dead person.

A dead person was just a dead person.
Even if he was the most fearful person on earth, he would not look any different from anyone else.

The only difference was his hands.
His hands still glittered under the light of the nighttime sky, as if it still defied Mo JiuXing.
"Although you have killed me and destroyed me, actually you still could not destroy both of my hands! Both of my hands are truly the world’s unparalleled weapon!"

*****

The lamp had not burnt through.

Mo JiuXing stood under the starry sky, just standing there motionless.
After a fierce combat had passed, even if he was the winner, he would still feel this unavoidable void and loneliness.

Was he an exception?
After a very long time, then he turned his head.

Ye Kai dazedly walked closer.

Mo JiuXing looked at him and suddenly said, "You do not want to open his mask to have a look?'

Ye Kai sighed "I don’t need to."

Mo JiuXing said, "You know who he is?"

Ye Kai said, "I would recognize these hands anywhere."

The hands that sparkled under the light.
Ye Kai looked at these hands while unable to restrain his sigh, "This was indeed the world’s unparalleled weapon."

The world would indeed never again encounter these deadly hands.

Mo JiuXing lightly said, "It is only a pity that regardless of how fearful the weapon is, the weapon itself cannot kill someone."

Ye Kai was enlightened.
The killing could not be committed by the weapon, only by the person using it.

Mo JiuXing said, "No matter how fearful is a weapon, the main important part is to look at the person using it."

Ye Kai also understood about that.

Mo JiuXing said, "If my move initiated with heaviness or power, my hand could very possibly have been destroyed by him."

Ye Kai nodded, “It was very possible."

Mo JiuXing said, "But because my attacking move was sufficiently light, this determined the separation between a victory and a defeat."

Ye Kai said bitterly with a smile, "That move was indeed very wonderful."

Mo JiuXing said, "The key to a victory or a defeat in a highly intense fight very often rely on this kind of move."

Ye Kai was silent, suddenly he bent down his body and uncovered "Duo-er-jia"’s face behind the mask.

Mo JiuXing said, "Since you have known who he is, why do you still want to look at him?"

Ye Kai said, "Mmm."

Mo JiuXing said, "A dead person is not attractive."

Ye Kai said, "But I actually want to have a look, whether at the point of death, he had also understood about this truth."


END OF CHAPTER 28

[atlantean0208]

Chapter 29: The Devil Sect’s letter written in blood - TRANSLATED BY FASTCLOCK

The bronze mask reflected some blue light under the starry sky.

Lu Di’s complexion was also pale. His face actually got twisted, with protruded big eyes, filled with fear and disbelief.

Until his death he still could not believe something.
What?

Ye Kai sighed, "He looks like he did not believe that you could kill him even just before he died."

Mo JiuXing coldly said, "Because he did not believe it, only then he could die."

Ye Kai was sighing, he slowly said, "Indeed, some matters could not be understood by a person even until his death... "

Ye Kai still had something he did not understand.

Since "Duo-er-jia" was Lu Di, who then was "Bu-da-la" or Gufeng the Son of Heaven?

*****

The dead person was removed, the room was actually not lit.

Ye Kai said, "During night time, you did not light a lamp?"

Mo JiuXing asked in reply, "Why do you have to light a lamp?"

When asked about it, Ye Kai wondered in surprise. He painstakingly said with a smile, "Each person when the evening comes, he will have to light a lamp. Only when the lamp is lighted, people could see clearly many, many things."

Mo JiuXing said, "Even without the lamp, I can still see things clearly."

Ye Kai said, "I cannot see clearly."

Mo JiuXing coldly said, "You may go if you want, I am not keeping you."

Ye Kai had smiled and said, "But you are not going with me."

"I do not need to."

"No need?"

"If you should go, just go."

"When do you plan to walk away?"

Mo JiuXing said, "When I’ve found Gufeng."

Ye Kai’s eyes shone, he closely examined the road immediately, "You also know who Gufeng is?"

Mo JiuXing had not replied to that, instead he asked a question, "You certainly thought Lu Di was Gufeng?"

Ye Kai could not deny it, he painstakingly said with a smile, "Because indeed he was a very arrogant person."

"But now you know that he is not Gufeng?"

"Gufeng was injured, Lu Di was not."
He had carefully looked, Lu Di’s only wound was the one caused by Mo JiuXing.

"You are sure Gufeng was injured?"

"Someone saw it with his own eyes."

“Who saw it with his own eyes?"

"Someone whom I can absolutely trust."

Mo JiuXing sneered, "You seem to trust many, many people too."

Ye Kai sighed, "I also know that this is my big problem, it is only a pity that I could never change."

Mo JiuXing no longer spoke.

Although the straw hat had been broken, it actually blocked people from seeing his face, therefore his expression could not be seen either. Perhaps his face did not have any expression.

Ye Kai could not bear asking, "Why do you wear this straw hat?"

Mo JiuXing said, "Because there is a dog howling outside."

Ye Kai was surprised and said, "What does a dog howling outside have anything to do with the straw hat that you are wearing?"

Mo JiuXing coldly said, "What does the fact that I am wearing a straw hat have anything to do with you?"

Ye Kai laughed.
He suddenly discovered that although this person seemed to be uncommunicative and disliked speaking, when he actually spoke, he could easily seal up someone else’s mouth very effectively. Not only that someone else could no longer debate him, he could no longer ask anything else.

However, Ye Kai needed to ask something, moreover he must ask them.

Mo JiuXing had hung up a long rope on the nails, and unexpectedly really lay down on the string, seemingly very comfortable. Even when he slept he still wore that straw hat.

The monk's room did not even have a single stool, Ye Kai stood there and finally he said, "It is said that Qing Cheng is the ultimate dwelling place of 36 fortunate Buddhist immortals, the local scenery must be very beautiful to behold."

Mo JiuXing paid no attention to him.

Ye Kai said, "You live in seclusion in that place, it must be a paradise, actually I do not know whether I will have the good fortune to visit?"

Mo JiuXing paid no attention to him.

Ye Kai said, "That place seems to be not visited by anyone, you also never communicate with people from outside, but as soon as you come out, you have found Duo-er-jia, your background story must be really good."
Mo JiuXing closed his eyes, like he was sleeping.

Ye Kai did not lose heart and asked again, "How did you know that Duo-er-jia was Lu Di? How did you find him?"

Mo JiuXing suddenly turned his body, jumped down from the string, and walked briskly outside.
.
Ye Kai was certainly not far from behind, "Where are you going?"

"Going to do what I usually do."

"What usual thing? Aren’t you waiting for Bu-da-la? You give up on finding him?"

Mo JiuXing said, "My usual thing is of my own, if you want it, I may divide some of it with you."

"You know where to look?"

"Here."

"What can you find here?"

Mo JiuXing no longer replied to that, instead he took out a wooden bottle from his body, there was some powder inside that looked unhealthy.

He sprinkled some of the powder from the bottle, forming a circle, but leaving a little opening. Then he stood there waiting.

Ye Kai could not understand: "What are you doing?"

Mo JiuXing said, "I am preparing my food."

"Preparing your food?"
He did not understand.

"Everyone has his own meal, I am also a person."

Ye Kai wanted to query further, but then he suddenly saw some light in the courtyard. A very thin monk was holding a lantern on his left hand and a wooden plate on his right. He was standing in the courtyard, with some fear and some hesitation, as if he wanted to come forward but did not really dare to.

This monk was precisely Ku Zhu.

"What are you doing?"

Ku Zhu said, "I am delivering some things."

Mo JiuXing said, "What?"

Ku Zhu raised the wooden plate in his hand and said, "I have checked the corpse, everything I found is here."

Mo JiuXing coldly said, "You monk seems honest."

Ku Zhu painstakingly said with a smile, "Although a monk can sometimes become greedy, he will not embezzle a dead person's items."

He walked closer, put the plate on the ground and slid backwards immediately.
A monk always feared troubles and did not want to meddle into other people's business.

Ye Kai said, "It looks like when someone is a monk, dishonesty is not a good trait."

Mo JiuXing said, "Therefore you should be a monk too. If you were a monk, you might at least live longer."

On the tray there was a curved sabre, a jade sign, 7 or 8 pearls, but also a sealed letter.
The jade sign had an engraving of a strong power staff. The Devil Sect did not have a clear leader, each leader had such a block of jade sign.

This certainly was not strange, what was strange was this letter.

The letter was written in blood, with only a few words, "Enter Chang An on the third day in the afternoon, meet at Yu Yanping gate, please trust me."
It was not signed, but there was a picture of a solitary mountain peak.
Gufeng.

Ye Kai drew a long breath and exhaled, "This is certainly written by Gufeng for Duo-er-jia. He wants Duo-er-jia to wait for him at the gate."

Mo JiuXing said, "The third day will be tomorrow."

"He will really come tomorrow?"

"Certainly he will come, he certainly would not know that Duo-er-jia is already dead."

"Where is he now? Why not just write where he is? Why does he use blood to write the letter?"

"The letter written in blood usually only has two possible meanings."

"What?"

"One is written at the point of death, the other is to express that the situation is critically serious."

Ye Kai had suddenly smiled and said, "Perhaps because he is injured, he has the blood handy to write this letter."

"When someone from the Devil Sect writes a letter in blood, he doesn’t usually use his own blood."

"You think this letter is real?"

“It cannot be false."

Ye Kai said, "How can you be so sure?"

Mo JiuXing had closed his mouth.

At this moment, suddenly some strange sound was heard, indescribable, inconceivable sound from the bamboo grove. Anyone who heard this kind of sound would certainly be absolutely terrified, even he might not be able to stop vomiting.

When Ye Kai saw what happened, it was more frightening than the sound.
He suddenly saw many poisonous snakes, big and small, the geckos, the centipedes, all wriggling on the ground, crawling from the bamboo grove into Mo JiuXing’s circle of sprinkled powder.

Ye Kai only felt his stomach contracting, he reluctantly endured it and said, "This is your dinner?"

Mo JiuXing nodded and muttered, "If I eat alone, this will be enough, but if two people eat, it won’t be enough."

Ye Kai said with amazement that, "Two people to eat? Who else is coming?"

Mo JiuXing lightly said, "No one, I do not treat other people that often."

"But there is no one else here."

"You are not a person?"

Ye Kai sucked a big chunk of cold air in before he painstakingly said with a smile, "Such good food I will leave you to enjoy yourself, I do not dare to accompany you."

Mo JiuXing coldly said, "You are not willing to be here?"
.
Ye Kai said, "I... I also have another appointment, I have to eat elsewhere. After I have finished eating, I will come back." He had not finished his sentence, before he had slid away quickly.

Never in his life, had he been startled by someone so much that he had to run away, but presently he had to run away even quicker than a rabbit being hunted.

Mo JiuXing suddenly spoke loudly with a smile, "If you have not eaten fully outside, you might as well come back for the dessert, I may keep two fattest centipedes to give you."

Ye Kai quickly went over the wall, not daring to answer at all.
This was the first time he heard Mo JiuXing’s laughter, and also the last.

*****

This small food stall was very small, but actually very clean.
Besides himself, there was no one else in there.

Ye Kai had some vegetables and a pot of liquor.
He originally did not want to drink.
He had little desire to drink because when something was on one's mind, it could quickly change into tears of lovesickness.

Perhaps as long as there was a glass of liquor, it could cancel his pain.
Now was not the time to be sad, the time for sadness must wait until this matter was taken care of. It was only a pity that when a person wanted to restrain himself from drinking, the more difficult it was for him not to drink. He felt that he must have two cups.

"I can only drink two cups."
He warned himself in his heart. He could not drink, because it would be a long night, tomorrow would also certainly be an extremely difficult day. But he would have two glasses of liquor, he felt not many things in the world had to be that serious.

Therefore he had drunk two cups.
He had suddenly remembered that if Ding LingLin were here, she would certainly accompany him to drink two cups.

They frequently sat together in this kind of shop, drinking two glasses of liquor, finishing several pack of peanuts, having a tranquil evening.

At that time, he always thought that this kind of life was too monotonous, too tranquil, but now he knew that he was wrong.
Now he knew that being tranquil was being happy.
Why did people always want to wait until the happiness already passed by, before they could truly understand what happiness was?

*****

The wind was very, very cold.
The night was also very cold.

In such a cold winter night, how could a lonely prodigal son not feel sad?
Loneliness often stabbed one’s heart like a knife.
Mention this to a happy person, then loneliness was certainly not a fearful thing, instead it would be something to enjoy.
But when he had lost his happiness, then he could understand how fearful was loneliness.
Sometimes even sharper than a knife, it could prick you heart thoroughly all of a sudden.

Ye Kai’s heart felt a stabbing pain.
Suddenly he felt an unbearable urge to shout out desperately.
He felt that he could no longer control himself

However, when he raised the seventh cup, there was a sudden desperate shout in the cold wind.
The call was from the direction of the Ten-sided bamboo grove temple.
This small stall was behind the bamboo grove temple.

When the desperate shout resounded, other people would usually fled like arrow.
He flew over there.
Then he saw two people.
Two dead people, crumpled like a gunnysack. Outside the short wall of the Contemplation courtyard, there were two body incarnations of Duo-er-jia, the long gown with flower embroidery and the bronze mask.

Ye Kai gave a whistle.
He was certainly not a person who did not have any sympathy, but he could not really symphatize with these two people's death.

Since they had walked away, why must they come back?
Since they had come back, Mo JiuXing would certainly never let them leave here alive.
This was not something to be surprised of.

Ye Kai could only sighed when he saw Mo JiuXing, only then he was really surprised.
He really could not have expected that Mo JiuXing was also already dead.

*****

In the courtyard, there was no lamp burning.

Mo JiuXing lay in the courtyard, the entire body was twisted in contraction, like a shrunken doll.
Ye Kai was astounded.

He knew that the people who died on the wall died under Mo JiuXing, but how then could Mo JiuXing die?

He had seen Mo JiuXing’s wugong.
If a person could build and release his own energy freely, it would not be easy for someone else to kill him. Moreover, only very few people could be compared to Mo JiuXing in terms of his calmness.

Who could have killed him then?
Ye Kai bent his body to examine him.

The straw hat on Mo JiuXing’s head could no longer refuse to be taken off.by someone else.
Ye Kai took off this straw hat, and saw the miserably twisted, distorted face.
He died by poison.
Whose poison?

Ye Kai stood there motionless, the sharp cold wind bit intermittently on his face.
How did Mo JiuXing die?

But most of all, he did not understand why Mo JiuXing had to wear this straw hat.
This straw had nothing special.
Mo JiuXing’s face also had nothing special.
Besides the cold stars, he was also a very ordinary person, only a little bit older than what Ye Kai thought.
A very ordinary person, a very ordinary straw hat, then what was the extraordinary secret?

Ye Kai slowly lay down the straw hat that had covered Mo JiuXing’s face, with a forced smile he said, "Why don’t you eat beef like the others? At least beef cannot poison someone to die."
Mo JiuXing’s corpse could not talk back.

*****

Ku Zhu gathered both hands in prayer while sighing, "The day brings the wind and cloud of mishap, causing the person to have the imminent fortune and misfortune. My merciful Buddha Amida Buddha."

Although his mouth recited the Buddha’s words, his face actually did not show any sadness at all. He certainly did not feel any symphaty with Mo JiuXing’s death.

Ye Kai had smiled and said, "A monk should not take pleasure in others' misfortunes."

"Who takes pleasure in others' misfortunes?"

"You."

Ku Zhu painstakingly said with a smile, "A person should have his fate, but when he died he would not feel too uncomfortable."

"Although you monk has a large mouth, your blaming him is like an old truth."

Ku Zhu sighed, "To be honest, if not for my large mouth, I would have managed the Xiangguo Temple."

Ye Kai had smiled, he felt that this monk was not only vulgar, but also very interesting.

Ku Zhu started to chant the holy words, to help the passing of Mo JiuXing’s spirit.

Ye Kai could not bear it and interrupted him, "The only performing monk here is only you?"

Ku Zhu said, "Other monks have rested. Although this is a temple, but the people who make the trek to this place are not many. Usually the benefactors who come here, comes for the vegetarian food and the scenery."

He sighed while saying, "To be honest, this temple is simply like a restaurant or an inn."
This was indeed an old truth.

Ye Kai had smiled and suddenly asked, "Do you know why he died?"

Ku Zhu shook his head.

“It’s because your big mouth that he die."

Ku Zhu’s face lost its color. He reluctantly said with a smile, "The benefactor must be cracking a joke."

"I can never joke in front of a dead person."

"Can't the benefactor see that he died by poison?"

"You can see that?"

"What he likes the most are poisonous snakes, but those poisonous snakes did not cause him to die." He added, "But besides these poisonous insects which he caught, he had not eaten anything else."

"Since these poisonous insects were caught by him, how could he die of poison?"

Ku Zhu was stunned and finally muttered: "It looks like this matter is indeed a little strange."

Ye Kai actually also said with a smile, "This matter is indeed not strange."

Ku Zhu did not understand.

Ye Kai said, "Indeed he was killed by the poison in these poisonous insects, only because in these poisonous insects body, there were also planted some other poison that he could not stand."

"By whom?"

"By the two people that had died on top of the wall."

Ku Zhu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "What relation does this have with my big mouth?"

"Of course it is related."

"Oh?"

"If not for your big mouth, how could they know that he ate these harmful animals? If the others did not know that he ate them, how could they plant those poisons on these poisonous insects’ body?”

Ku Zhu could not say anything.

Ye Kai said, "Those people wanted to find out whether the poisoned person was already dead by the poison. They could not expect that at the point of death, he could still take revenge and killed them."
This explanation was indeed fair.
Ye Kai said, "A person like him, regardless of who the bad persons were, would do this hard-to-believe thing, and not let them off the hook."

Ku Zhu muttered, “When living, he was an ominous person, when he’s dead he would certainly become a malicious spirit."

Ye Kai said, "Therefore you must be careful."

Ku Zhu changed color, "I... Why do I need to be careful?"

Ye Kai was staring at him before he slowly said, "You should be careful, otherwise he would suddenly wake up from the coffin, cut off your tongue, and would never let you speak again ever."

Ku Zhu’s face became very ugly as he suddenly said, "I have a bad headache, I need to rest."

Ye Kai said, "You cannot go."

Ku Zhu seemed startled, "Why?"

"If you go, who will pass his spirit away?"

Ku Zhu said, "No one can help him, he will go to hell in any case."

The main hall was filled with some gloomy hidden dread, as if a malicious spirit seeking justice was prowling there, ready to cut someone’s tongue.

Ku Zhu had simply become quite still at the moment. After a very long time, he turned around and walked away. As he crossed the threshold, he nearly stumbled on it.

Ye Kai saw that he went out with a strange glint in his eyes. A monk should not fear any spirit, only if he had some shameful matter that weighed on his conscience. What had he committed? Did he fear the spirit or something more than that?

The five brand-new coffins sat side by side in that place.

Ye Kai had not walked away, he did not fear any spirit, he had not committed anything that weighed on his conscience. He stood in the cold wind, looking at these five brand-new coffins, while muttering, "In this temple, although there are very little religious rites being conducted, they actually have prepared so many coffins. Can these monks actually predict the future like a prophet, that they already know upfront that there will be so many dead people tonight?"

He said these very softly, because he knew that no one could answer these questions. He just said it for himself.

At this moment, Ku Zhu suddenly rushed in from outside, opening wide his mouth, the stretched out tongue seemed to try to give a shout, but nothing came out.

Ye Kai suddenly found out that not only his face was darkened into fearful death black, in fact his whole head had changed color, but he also pointed at his own tongue as if he wanted to say something to Ye Kai, but actually could not say anything.

Ye Kai came closer, only to find that his tongue had the mark of two bitten marks, undoubtedly bitten by a poisonous snake.

His tongue was in his mouth, how could a poisonous snake bit on his tongue? Was it possible that there was really a malicious spirit who wanted to shut up his mouth?

Ku Zhu suddenly said a word, "Knife!"

"You want me to use a knife to cut your tongue?" Saying this sends a shiver to Ye Kai’s spirit.

He saw Ku Zhu’s tongue swelling bigger and bigger, the breath grew more and more rapid, suddenly he exhausted his whole strength to bite. A section of his tongue had been bitten off by him, the blood splashed, the blood was also black.

Ku Zhu gave a final desperate shout, when suddenly the shout stopped. Unexpectedly, just before he fell down to his death, he had bitten off his own tongue. This talking-too-much monk, despite of his hard effort, had not managed to talk much at all.


END OF CHAPTER 29

[atlantean0208]

Chapter 30: Reunited after a long separation - TRANSLATED BY FASTCLOCK

The wind was very cold.

Ye Kai felt cold by the wind outside, but the body was sweating like a hot phoenix was frying him. He felt as if he was sweating some ice beads.

He really did not dare to be careless in that main hall.
He did not fear any spirit.
But in that main hall, something more fearful than a spirit was hiding there.

The distant place transmited some eerie sound.
It had passed three o’clock in the morning.

In this ancient city, the lights were sparse. Wherever one might go, there was only darkness. Perhaps in the summer, one might find one or two places to eat in the nighttime.

But now was neither summer nor spring.

Perhaps because he absolutely could not find any wine to drink, therefore Ye Kai suddenly felt a big craving for two cups of wine. He sighed, and went to the intersection. He really did not know where to go, nor where to sleep.

At this time, suddenly someone said with a smile, "I know a place where you can have some wine, why don’t you follow me?"

Although there was some star light, the lane was actually dark, only the big sleeves were flapping, leading the way in front.
Ye Kai fell behind.

The person in front never turned his head, Ye Kai never asked who he was, nor had he caught up with him.

Although the person in front had not walked very quickly, he seemed to be very familiar with the street lanes.

Ye Kai felt that he made six turns, and could not really tell the direction. He stopped when he only saw suddenly the tall wall, the garden inside seemed to be very expansive.

The person with the long sleeves suddenly moved, and with ease had jumped over the tall wall. This person’s levitation skill was extremely high, the wugong was also extremely wonderful. Ye Kai had very rarely seen such levitation skill.

Beyond the tall wall was more darkness, however the cold wind passed some thick fragrance that intermittently lift up the spirit. Under the star light, there were some sparse horizontal shadows, the plum blossoms.

Ye Kai found that by going over the wall, he had entered the place he entered initially when he got to Chang An city, Leng Xiangyuan garden.

After that surreptitious wicked fierce battle, the first-class garden of Chang An city in its former days, had unexpectedly become a wild, uncultivated nobody’s landmark. It did not have any lights, only cold winds blew through the flowering branch, as if someone intermittently sighed.

Who was sighing, and sighing for whom?
Were those the spirits who felt wronged and driven to death?
Leng Xiangyuan, a sinister place.

The person in front unexpectedly seemed to be very familiar with the topography of the place. Ye Kai completed the seventh turn and went through the gate and arrived at the courtyard. There was no one at the courtyard, no light and no sound.

The gate was opened, this person had passed through and opened the door, and now he stood aside saying, said, "Please enter."

Ye Kai had not gone in.

This person said, "Why don’t you go in?"

Ye Kai said, "Why do I have to go in?"

"There is someone waiting for you inside."

"Who?"

"You just have to go in and have a look to know that."

"You are not coming in?"

"Someone is waiting for you, not for me."
His voice sounded very strange, the face was masked by the same kind of silky cloth as his clothes.

Ye Kai was staring at him when he suddenly smiled, "You obviously know that I will recognize you, why aren’t you willing to see me?"

This person was startled, with a hoarse voice he said, "You... You recognize me?"

Ye Kai sighed, said, "If I cannot recognize you, I am a blind person and a stupid one at that."

This person hung his head and gently asked: "Why?"

Ye Kai said, "You do not know?"

This person’s voice became lighter, said, “Is it because you have me in your heart?"

Ye Kai did not speak anything, his eyes suddenly emitted some strange expression. Regardless of the meaning of this expression, it was at least not a denial.

This person finally moved closer, lifted the silk mask, and let the star light illuminated her face.

Under the star light of the calm night, her face looked as beautiful as the plum blossom's fairy, the beautiful fairy maiden. Her beautiful eyes seemed to carry some hidden bitterness and so sad. She stared at Ye Kai as she gently said, "Indeed I know that you will recognize me, because even if you turned into ash, I will still recognize you."

Her voice was also beautiful, as beautiful as the flowing gentle spring breeze.
So beautiful eyes, so beautiful voice, who else but Shangguan XiaoXian?

Ye Kai was staring at her, "You actually hope that I will not recognize you?"

Shangguan XiaoXian nodded.

"Why?"

Shangguan XiaoXian hesitated before she finally said, "You go inside and have a look, then you will know why."

"You do not go in?"

"I will wait outside."

"Why do you have to wait outside?"

Shangguan XiaoXian smiled, "Because after you have gone in, you will certainly hope that I am waiting outside."

She smiled miserably, yet she had that mystical look.
She was really a mystical woman, she could always conjure the unthinkable things that would satisfy a person's desire.

Ye Kai did not asked anymore.
Because he understood her, that when she was not willing to say something, no one could be succesful in getting the answer.

The door was open, creating the ‘psst’ sound when the wind blew.

Ye Kai finally walked in, he was left in the darkness...
There was some star light outside, the room was darker.

Ye Kai could not see anything, although he heard some very, very light breathing sound. There was really someone in that room.

"Who is it?"

Nobody replied, everything including the breathing noise stopped.

Since this person was in the room waiting for Ye Kai, why doesn't he reply to Ye Kai?
When Shangguan XiaoXian invited Ye Kai to come, why wouldn’t she disclose the truth?

If it was someone else, he might have drawn back already.
But Ye Kai had not.
His heart suddenly had a strange feeling, like a suspicion.

The wind had blown hard, with a sound "thud", the door had suddenly closed.
Now even if he wanted to leave, he would not be able to.

It was darker inside the room, indeed even if one put out a hand, he would not be able to see the five fingers, but finally there was a sound of breathing.

The breathing originally was in the front, but now it had retreated to the roof pinnacle. Why did it retreat? Was it because it was afraid?

Ye Kai became angry, "No matter who you are, since you are waiting for me, you should know who I am."

No reply.

Ye Kai said, "I am certainly not a scary person, therefore you do not need to fear me."
As he was speaking, he had walked forward.
He walked quickly, but…

Suddenly, a cold wind front was aimed at him.
He had not seen anything, but he could feel that only a knife’s wind would be that cold.

He did not see the knife – although this knife must be a killer’s knife.
Who was this person?
Why was he trying to kill him?
The knife’s wind was not only cold, but also full of menace.

In a flash, Ye Kai had avoided the thrust and as quick as lightning, he had aimed at the hand that attacked at him.

He certainly could not see this hand as well, but he could actually feel and hold it. A truly master of the martial arts world all have a very sensitive perception, it felt almost like holding a dying animal. This person's hand was trembling, but there was no sound emitted at all.

Ye Kai’s hand had suddenly trembled also, because he indistinctly had guessed who this person was.

He had smelled this person's breath.
Each person had his own special breath, he would never forget this person's breath.
Even until he died.

In this flash, this person had released himself and drew back to the roof pinnacle.

Ye Kai could not attack forcefully anymore, in fact, his whole body had become stiff like wood, he was in a daze.

He never expected this person to be here, he also could not understand why this person wanted to kill him. Cold sweat started to break from his forehead.

"I am Little Ye." He tried to control himself with great effort. "Can't you recognize my voice?"

It had not responded, the sound of breathing had become very rapid, as if it was filled with fear.

Ye Kai had gritted his teeth, and no longer moved forward. Instead, he stepped backward, one step at a time, to the entrance, and suddenly turned around to open the door. The door unexpectedly opened

When he ran out, Shangguan XiaoXian unexpectedly was really waiting in the courtyard.
Seeing his expression, her eyes were filled with sympathy and concern, she asked, "You recognize the person in the room?"

Ye Kai nodded, clenching both fists he said, "Why don't you light a lamp?"

"Not in that room."

"You do not have a fire-light?"

"I have."

"Since you have it, why didn't give me that a moment ago?"

Shangguan XiaoXian had not replied, instead she had given the fire-light to him.

Ye Kai rushed in immediately, holding his fire-light to shine brightly.

The person who had stood crazily in the roof pinnacle, was unexpectedly Ding LingLin.

Ye Kai had finally seen her, he had finally found her.
Nobody could describe his feeling at the moment, nobody could imagine it.

But Ding LingLin suddenly shouted crazily, pointing at the fire-light in his hand, as loudly called out, "Fire... Fire... "

Seeing the flame, she suddenly became like a frightened, wounded wild animal, her entire body had become smaller. She continued to tremble, as her beautiful face was distorted with panic-stricken, and she continually shouted, "Fire... Fire... "

She only saw the fire-light, she had not actually seen Ye Kai. She unexpectedly did not seem to recognize Ye Kai.

The flame was extinguished immediately, and there was only darkness in the room. Ye Kai’s heart had also sunk into darkness, unbounded darkness.

After a very, very long time, he drew back quietly, and without a word he had given back the fire-light to XiaoXian.

Shangguan XiaoXian painstakingly said with a smile, "Now you understand why I wasn't willing to give you the fire-light a moment ago?"

Ye Kai nodded.

Shangguan XiaoXian sighed, "When she escaped from that fire, her shock had become too great, but... but I really did not expect that she had not recognized you completely."

Ye Kai low-spiritedly was silent for a long time, then she asked, "Where did you find her?"

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "Here."

"When did you find her?"

"After she escaped the fire, she must have hidden herself here. But I only found her tonight." She hang her head as she continued, "I knew that when you see her in this appearance, you will certainly be very uncomfortable, but I have no alternative but to lead you here."

"You... "

Shangguan XiaoXian had interrupted him and said, "I originally did not want to let you know. I led you here, because... because... "

"Because of what?"

Shangguan XiaoXian hung her head. After a long silence, she mournfully said, "I did not know why, perhaps because I do not want you to feel grateful to me about this, perhaps also because I am afraid."

"Afraid?"

Shangguan XiaoXian’s face became sadder, "That she had become like this, it was partially my fault. I was afraid that you would blame me, hate me... I was afraid that after you had seen her, you would no longer pay any attention to me."

"But you led me here."

"Therefore I did not know actually for what?"

The star light had shone on her face. Her tears had flowed down. Anybody could see that her heart was in pain, in confusion.

Ye Kai seemed not to notice, he suddenly walked to the center of the courtyard, performed three somersaults, stood up, stood very straight.

After a long while, straightening up his body, he noticed a fallen off plum blossom on the snow. He picked it up, inserted it on the front piece his clothes, and then turned back. He suddenly smiled to Shangguan XiaoXian and said, "Can you guess what I want to do now?"

Shangguan XiaoXian was startled. She looked at him with a blank expression.

Ye Kai said, "I want to find a place to sleep."

Shangguan XiaoXian was startled, "Now you want to go sleep?"

Ye Kai nodded, "I have an important thing to do tomorrow noon, I certainly need to wake up in a full spirit."

"You... You sleep?"

"Why can't I sleep?"

"But Ding LingLin... "

"No matter what, we have finally found her, other things can be taken care off later."

"You don’t feel worried about her condition?"

Ye Kai had smiled, "If the Golden Coin Clan leader is here to protect her, I do not need to worry anymore."

Shangguan XiaoXian looked at him like she had never seen such a person like this, indeed this kind of person was really very rare. Anyone else who encountered such problem would be very worried and anxious. Instead, he just performed three somersaults, and he suddenly could completely abandoned all his worries.

Shangguan XiaoXian sighed, she painstakingly said with a smile, "It looks like even if there is a big issue, you can abandon it all of a sudden."

"In this world, there is nothing worthy to worry about."

Shangguan XiaoXian sighed, "You are really a very lucky person."

Ye Kai had not denied it.

Shangguan XiaoXian could not bear asking, "At noon, what do you have to do?"

"I have an appointment."

"What appointment?"

"Gufeng and Duo-er-jia will meet tomorrow noon at Yu Yan Ping gate."

Shangguan XiaoXian knitted her brows, "This is their appointment, you... "

Ye Kai had interrupted her quickly, "Now that Duo-er-jia has died, this appointment will shift to me."

"You want to use this opportunity to find Gufeng?"

"Mmm."

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "Every day at high noon, there are many people passing through Yu Yan Ping Gate, how will you know which one is Gufeng?"

Ye Kai said, "I always find a way."

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "What method?"

Ye Kai had smiled, "I don’t know now, but when the time comes I will know."
He was smiling as he also said, "In this world, there is nothing that cannot be solved, right?"

Shangguan XiaoXian only gave her forced smile.

In Leng Xiangyuan, there were many places to sleep, Ye Kai unexpectedly had really walked away.

Shangguan XiaoXian looked at him leaving, she could not bear loudly asking, "If you sleep, you actually want me to protect her for you?"

Ye Kai smiled as he just waved his hand, soon his shadow could not be seen anymore.

Shangguan XiaoXian just sighed, with a forced smile she said, "Now I know why he never has to worry, it’s because he always shift his worry to the others."

This was indeed Ye Kai’s method, if he did not have this method, by now he might have been dead already.

*****

The morning of the third day.

Ye Kai strode over the courtyard, he was wearing dirty, wrinkled clothes, and he had not taken a bath for at least several days. His hair was disheveled, his flower at the front of his jacket had also become dry.

The things he had to face recently, if someone else were to face them, then they would not be able to live. But when he entered the courtyard, actually his face appeared to be glowing with health, full of energy, just like someone who had just gotten rich. If someone tried to find the luckiest person in that courtyard, it would be hard to find someone who was in a better spirit than him.

Shangguan XiaoXian was leaning against the window, her face seemed both ready to cry and ready to smile.

Ye Kai strode close to her and smilingly said, "Good morning!"

Shangguan XiaoXian was nipping her lips and said, "It does not seem to be morning anymore."

"Although no longer morning, it is still not too late."

"It looks like you had a very good sleep."

Ye Kai said with a smile, "I slept like I was a dead person."

Shangguan XiaoXian painstakingly said with a smile, "I really could not guess that you would be able to sleep really well."

Ye Kai said, "When I feel sleepy, even if the sky collapses, my sleep will never suffer."

Ding LingLin was also sleeping, she slept like she was wholly exhausted, and her hand was still clutching the knife.

Ye Kai said, "When did she sleep?"

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "At dawn."

On the table, there was an empty soup bowl.

Ye Kai said, "It looks like that she had eaten something."

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "She ate a bowl of chicken skins, after she finished eating then she finally fell asleep." She showed a forced smile while saying, "Luckily she finally slept, otherwise we would not be able to come inside."

Ye Kai said, "Why?"

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "To anyone who entered the room, she would attack him with the knife."

Ye Kai said with a smile, "No matter what, that she could eat and sleep was always good."

Shangguan XiaoXian sighed, "It is a pity I could neither eat nor sleep well. I really do not have your good fortune." Her eyeballs had rotated as she suddenly asked, "Have you thought of a way?"

"I have not even started to think."

"When will you start?"

"When I am at the city gate."

Shangguan XiaoXian painstakingly said with a smile, "You actually do not worry at all."

“I am the guy who goes straight to the ship and to the bridge head, I always believe in this approach every time.”

"What do you want to do now?"

Ye Kai said, "I want to eat a big bowl of boiling hot chicken


END OF CHAPTER 30

[atlantean0208]

Chapter 31: Asking for an outrageous price - TRANSLATED BY FASTCLOCK

The sun shone brightly, it unexpectedly turned out to be good weather again today.

Ye Kai strode out of Leng Xiangyuan, looking very confident because he had had a big bowl of boiling hot chicken skins into his stomach. He ate the skins in Leng Xiangyuan.

Earlier this morning, Shangguan XiaoXian had called someone to warm up the kitchen.
- Being rich meant one could even put the spirits into hard work.

When the Golden Coin Clan wanted to achieve something, they were much faster than anyone else. Moreover, that bowl of hot chicken skins tasted much better than any other bowl of chicken skins that Ye Kai had ever had.

This was certainly not because of his hunger, but because the one who prepared the skins was the special chef coming specifically from the famous hall in Hangzhou.

When the Golden Coin Clan planned to achieve something, they would involve only first-class talents. It looked like that this was certainly not a mere boast.

When Ye Kai ate up that bowl of skins, his heart did not feel very comfortable.
More and more he felt that he could not fully comprehend the extent of the Gold Coin Clan’s influence and strength. He truly could not imagine how big it was.

He crossed several streets, which were bustling with many people doing normal business.
Ye Kai bought a large pack of peanuts for 30 coppers, and he spent 50 coppers to buy two long bamboo poles.

He had acquired this habit of eating peanuts during the tense time.
When something needs to be done, it would always help the person's nerve to relax.

But why did he buy a bamboo pole?

*****

Yu Yan Ping Gate in the southern city.

Many people indeed passed through the gate, going about their businesses and their various occupations.
- Every day at noon, who knew actually how many people came in and went out of Yu Yan Ping Gate. Shangguan XiaoXian was not wrong.

Standing while observing all those working people from the street corner, there were all kinds of people going inside and outside of the city gate, hustling and bustling with what they were doing. Then how could you tell which one was Gufeng?
Ye Kai indeed could not.

He first sat in the teahouse to drink a cup of tea, then he asked the waiter for some long strings, and some large red paper.

Then on this paper, he wrote eight large brush-written Chinese characters on the red paper.

"Selling at high price, Must sell familiar items."

Although he had not taken a pen in his hand for a very long time, these eight characters turned out to be unexpectedly well written.

Ye Kai put up this text on the red paper with the two bamboo poles on the city entrance. He felt very satisfied with himself.

But what did he actually want to “sell at high price"?
Was it himself?
Ye Kai certainly would not betray himself.

The beautiful sun was gradually moving up, it was already near high noon.

He had suddenly put out the bronze mask from his bosom and the block jade sign, and with the string he had hung them up on the bamboo pole.
This was precisely the relic from Duo-er-jia.
The fierce bronze mask, reflecting some blue light under the sparkling sun, the crystal jade sign was clear, precious and actually looking lovely.

Everyone crossing the gate would turned his head to look at these two items, but nobody inquired about them. This mask wass too scary, nobody was willing to buy such a mask to bring it home.

Ye Kai certainly did not worry about that.
This mask was only his bait, what he wanted was to catch the big fish.
- The big fish that could eat a person.

Suddenly a black-painted large cart stopped in front of him. This carriage came from outside the city, moving forward quickly, but then it stopped suddenly.

A middle-aged person wearing very magnificent clothes was streching himself to have a look at the mask and the jade sign on the bamboo pole. Then he shoved open the door to climb down.

Finally someone wanted to do business with him.

Ye Kai took a deep breath and pumped himself up.
If you needed to catch a big fish, you certainly needed to pump yourself up first.

This middle-aged person folded his arms while walking closer. A pair of very astute, very sharp eyes stared continuously at on the bamboo pole, and he suddenly asked, “Is this a must-sell item?"

Ye Kai nodded.

He referred to the eight characters on the red paper.

The middle-aged person lightly said, "This jade is actually good Chinese jade, but it is a pity that the engraver was lacking."

Ye Kai said, "Not only the engraver was lacking, the jade itself is not so good."

The middle-aged person’s face revealed a smiling face and said, "You do business very honestly."

"I am an honest person."

"Actually at what price you do want to sell the item?"

"At high price."

"How much is the high price?"

"You might as well bid the money first."

The middle-aged person sized up the items for awhile, also he looked at the jade sign on a bamboo pole and said, "How about 30 taels?"

Ye Kai smiled.

The middle-aged person had also smiled and said, "This price is already too high. But as a gentleman, I do not want to underbid your price."

Ye Kai said, "30 taels?"

"Full amount of 30 taels."

"Which one are you buying?

"This jade sign of course."

"30 taels can only buy this bamboo pole."

The middle-aged person’s smiling face suddenly disappeared. He sank his face and said, "How much do you want?"

"30,000 taels."

The middle-aged person had nearly shouted out, "30,000 taels?"

Ye Kai said, "Full amount of 30,000 taels."

The middle-aged person was so startled that he looked at him as if he was looking at a lunatic.

Ye Kai easily said, "This jade sign although the jade is not so good, the engraver was also bad, but if you want to buy; you need to pay 30,000 taels, otherwise I will not sell."

The middle-aged person no longer said anything and just turned around and left.

Ye Kai had smiled.

The people surrounding them also smiled.
"He wants to sell a jade sign for 30,000 taels, is it possible that this boy has gone mad because of poverty?"
"This kind of price, only lunatic will buy it from him."

As the surrounding people looked on, that black cart had turned around the corner. To the crowd, that cart seemed ready to leave.

Who knew that suddenly there was a horse neigh, and that black cart had suddenly come back again, even faster than when it left. The cart driver reined the horses sharply, gave a whistle, and the cart stopped right in front of Ye Kai.

That middle-aged person opened the door, and with a fair and clear face that had a very strange expression, he strode to Ye Kai and said, "You wanted 30,000 taels a moment ago?"

Ye Kai nodded.

The middle-aged person suddenly pulled out a wad of paper money, he counted carefully to get precisely 30 sheets. "Take this away."
He unexpectedly handed all these 30 sheets of paper money to Ye Kai.

Ye Kai had not put out his hand to accept them, instead he knitted his brows and asked, "What is this?"

"This is paper money. This is issued by the four central banks, they will guarantee the full amount of cash."

"Guaranteed full amount of cash?"

"I am surnamed Song, from the west end. My family specializes in selling jade carving antique 'Ten valuable rooms'. All the neighbors in the area where I open the store will recognize me, even some people here."

"Ten valuable rooms" were an old establishment, boss Song was also a well-known wealthy man in the city.

Indeed there were some people in the crowd who had recognized him. But the keenest businessman like boss Song, how could he be willing to spend 30,000 taels to buy just a block of jade? Was it possible that he was also insane?

Ye Kai had not put out his hand to received the money, instead he asked, "How much is this money?"

Boss Song said, "Certainly 30,000, each is of 1,000 denomination, and there are 30 altogether, you might as well check that."

Ye Kai said, "I do not need to check it, I trust you."

Boss Song finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Now is it possible for me to take away this jade sign?"

Ye Kai said, “No."

Boss Song was astounded, “Why not?"

Ye Kai said, "Because the price is not right."

Boss Song's white face had changed into yellow, he lost his patience, "Didn’t we reach an agreement a moment ago that the price was 30,000 taels?"

Ye Kai said, "That was the price a moment ago."

Boss Song said, "Now?"

Ye Kai said, "Now I want 300,000 taels."

"300,000?"

Boss Song had finally shouted out, his expression seemed like a cat which tail was stepped on by someone. The watching people that had stood aside did not miss that expression on his face.

Ye Kai actually did not register any expression as he easily said, “The jade is certainly not good, the engraver was also not perfect, but if anyone wants to buy this, the price must be 300,000. Anything shorter than that, it will not be sold.”

Boss Song stamped his feet, turned around and walked away very quickly. But once he got to the carriage, he walked a lot slower, and his face showed some strange expression, like he was afraid. Afraid of what? Was there someone inside the carriage that frightened him? It was strange that he had thought that 30,000 taels was an outrageous price, but then he had returned and agreed to it.

Ye Kai’s eyes brightened, he monitored the carriage’s window. However, it was a pity that the compartment was too dark. Even with the sunlight outside, nothing could be seen inside.

Boss Song had prepared to pull open the door, but suddenly the stretched out hand had retreated.
There was someone inside the compartment who gently said a couple of sentences although nothing could be heard from afar.

Boss Song had actually heard them and his expression was like a person who had been kicked in his gut.

Who was in the compartment?
Why did he hide and not appear? What was he saying?
When Boss Song listened to his words, why was he so startled?

Ye Kai’s eyes flashed instantly, he suddenly discovered the answers to those questions.
- The person who wanted to buy this jade sign was not boss Song, but this person who hid inside the compartment. He was not willing to represent himself, instead he compeled boss Song to buy the item for him.

Boss Song was obviously under his threat, otherwise how could he buy the item he did not want?
But what method did this person use to threaten boss Song? Why must he buy this jade sign?

Maybe someone from the Devil Sect might be willing to bid such high price to buy a jade sign?
- Was this person Gufeng?

*****

Although the sun came out in this winter time, it was not intense enough to warm up someone. When the wind blew, it would become very cold.

But boss Song was actually sweating profusely.
He stood in front of the carriage door astounded with both of his hands shaking non-stop. He suddenly gave a long sigh and turned around, his face looked like someone tied-up being brought to the execution ground.

Ye Kai looked at him coming and said, "Now, you are willing to pay 300,000 taels?"

Boss Song had clenched both his fists and unexpectedly really nodded. With profuse sweating, he clenched his teeth and bitterly said, "300,000… 300,000..."

Ye Kai smiled.

Boss Song was startled, "Why do you smile?"

Ye Kai said, "I am laughing at you."

Boss Song said, "Laughing at me?"

Ye Kai said, "I am laughing at you because you did not buy this a moment ago."

Boss Song said, "Now... "

Ye Kai said, "Now, the price is no longer the same. Now, I want 3 million taels, nothing less than that."

Boss Song jumped up, "3 million taels?" This very suave boss had jumped up like a child and loudly shouted, "You... You... You are simply a robber, you black heart."

Ye Kai lightly said, "If you feel that this price is too high, you do not have to buy it, I certainly will not force you."

Boss Song maliciously stared at him, like he wanted to bite him, but he did not say anything. Not even a sound. Instead, he dropped down on his feet and fainted.

The crowd looking on stared at Ye Kai, thinking that this person must be not just a robber, but simply someone whose heart was darker than a robber's heart.

Ye Kai did not care about them, he suddenly said to the carriage with a smile, "Your honor, since you want this thing, why don't you buy it on your own?"

There was no sound or movement in the horse-drawn carriage.

Ye Kai said again, "If your honor is willing to do this yourself, perhaps I will not need any compensation, and give this item to your honor."

There was still no sound or movement in the horse-drawn carriage, but some people actually scathingly sneered, "Really?"

Ye Kai was smiling, "I am an honest and good-natured person, I will never tell a lie."

"Good!"
This word was just spoken, when suddenly a big tremor was felt, as the brand-new black painted compartment suddenly split up.

The cart-driver nearly tumbled down, the horse which pulled the cart held up its head and neighed briskly as someone appeared.

A huge giant was wearing red shirt and scarlet trousers, with a golden strap around his waist. He stood there staring at Ye Kai maliciously, looking as wicked as a demon bird who had just escaped from its cage.

The crowd was in great chaos.

This giant also had big fists, as big as the vinegar jars, and moved closer step by step to Ye Kai.

Both people and horses suddenly had the same kind of response when they were panic-stricken, run!
Running and jumping quickly, the farther the better.

But the two horses that pulled the cart could not run. They could only make wailing neighs, and just stood there. That was because this giant reined in the cowl, and the two linked horses could not run at all.

Although the crowd was in chaos, they actually had not dispersed totally. That was because everybody wanted to see the outcome of this matter. No matter what, this was a strange event that could not be encountered again in maybe a hundred years.

Everybody saw that the giant had great strength as displayed in his handling of the runaway horses. Then, they looked at Ye Kai, and anybody could see, that Ye Kai had the disadvantage. It looked like this giant could knock Ye Kai flat with just a finger.

Ye Kai actually smiled.
He suddenly asked "How tall are you?"

At this kind of time, this was a strange question but the giant replied, "Nine feet and a half."

Ye Kai said, "Indeed, nine feet and a half could not be considered short."

The giant proudly said, "My height could only be comparable to only a handful people in this world."

Ye Kai said, "A spear is an inch longer, an inch stronger. If you were a pole spear, you would certainly have become a dangerous pole spear."

"I am not a spear."

Ye Kai said, "Also there are many other things, when a longer item is better, for example, say, a long bamboo pole is more expensive than a short one, therefore if you were a bamboo pole, you certainly worth a lot of money." He sighed, "It is a pity that you are not a bamboo pole."

"I am a person."

"Because you are a person, therefore it is really a great pity."

Giant stared at him, "Why it has to be a pity?"

Ye Kai lightly said, "Only people, the taller ones are not more worthy of the money. When a person needs to grow his limbs to become taller, the brains very often becomes very simple, therefore a taller person, very often did not become worthy at all."

The giant roared and strode forward like a rampage elephant, he seemingly want to swallow Ye Kai alive from his head to his toe.

Even a big tree could not sustain his hitting strength.
But it was a pity that Ye Kai was not a tree.
The giant could not score the hit - nobody could knock Ye Kai down with a single move.

When the giant attacked, the once-fainted-with-anger boss Song had actually revived himself like an arrow shot from the bow. Not only he jumped up awfully quick, he also attacked awfully quick. What a pity, he was trying to get Ye Kai’s life.

The giant attacked from the front, boss Song attacked from the back with a fatal strike.
Suddenly, Ye Kai floated up on the bamboo pole.

Nobody could know that boss Song could have attacked so quickly, and nobody knew how Ye Kai could have defended himself. But he unexpectedly resembled a piece of fallen leaf, blown by the wind upward on the bamboo pole, flying high like the cloud.

Boss Song was startled.
- He was already ninety percent sure that his strike would meet its target, how could it suddenly fail?

He moved quickly and extracted a bright knife, he quickly truncated the bamboo pole.
The giant was already waiting below with his open as-big-as-a-fan palms.
As soon as the bamboo pole broke, the person must fall down.
As soon as Ye Kai fell down, he must fall into this giant's grasp, and whoever had fallen into his grasp would suffer greatly undoubtedly.
When he wanted to crush a person's head, it would be as simple as a child crushing a baby doll’s head.

"Snap", the bamboo pole broke off.
Some people could not help shouting in dismay - Ye Kai really fell into this giant's big palms.

With a "thud" sound, there were two people actually who flew away.
The giant unexpectedly had dropped down, while Ye Kai and Boss Song had flown away.

When Ye Kai fell, he suddenly threw out a kick with his knee and simultaneously hit on the giant.
When the giant dropped down, he had taken this advantage to fly away.
Boss Song also came flying, but with a swinging knife that cut like the rainbow, aiming at Ye Kai’s waist.

Who knew that Ye Kai’s waist suddenly swung around like a pendulum, and his left hand had covered boss Song's right wrist.
The knife fell away, planting itself on the carriage.
The two persons also fell on the carriage. Although the carriage’s compartment was wrecked, the chassis actually stayed whole.

The two people simultaneously fell in from above, the horses that pulled the cart got startled and started to dash and neigh wildly. Nobody could control them, nobody could hold them.

The cart driver had disappeared without a trace with fear, the two frightened, vigorous horses dashed across the street. Nobody could catch up with the carriage. Besides a lunatic, who else would dare to block the path of these horses. People on the street just tried to save themselves.

Boss Song hit the carriage rolling, and wanted to jump up again, but a fist had been waiting for him. When he jumped up, he saw this fist, met this fist and saw innumerable stars and planets, just before he really fainted this time.

Ye Kai gently sighed. No matter what, this boss Song was a really complicated person. That he could finally be knocked out, was not an easy thing to achieve.

As the vigorous horses rushed along, Ye Kai had not held back the rein, instead he sat on the cart driver's seat, and whipped the horses’ behinds.

He wanted to pursue someone.

Now it was already high noon, Ye Kai had certainly not found Bu-da-la, then who was he pursuing?


END OF CHAPTER 31

[atlantean0208]

Chapter 32: Flying fox returns to heaven - TRANSLATED BY FASTCLOCK

An ancient city, an ancient street.
This street was lined with some blue-stoned shops and was slightly inclined.

There was a donkey cart in front, the carriage was piled up with chicken coops, packed with chickens. Obviously the owner wanted to enter the city to sell the chickens.

Driving the cart was an old man, feeding the chicken was an old lady, two people’s hair was all grey. The old lady squatted on the donkey cart while feeding the chicken, she did not seem able to straighten her waist. The old man sat in front driving the cart, he did not seem able to raise the whip.

In every city, there were some people who would eat chicken, some people would eat chicken daily. When people eat chicken, there were also those who were bound to sell chicken, this was naturally a very ordinary matter.

This old man and the old lady did not look out of place.
But Ye Kai was pursuing them.
Seeing them in front, Ye Kai started to fire up the horses.

The old man turned behind and saw him, the drooping eyes suddenly brightened.
The old lady suddenly lifted up a chicken coop, and released the basket full of chickens.
In a very short time, big and small chickens, some flying, some clucking, some jumping, a roadside wild dog had also rushed into the fray, jumping and barking here and there.
In this chaotic situation, the street had randomly become jammed.

The horses pulled up suddenly to a stand still with long neighs. When Ye Kai managed to extricate himself and the horses, the donkey cart at the front had already started to turn at the corner.

Ye Kai sneered, suddenly he leapt away.
He had made the resolution that he would not let that old man sneak off.

Why did he have to pursue them?
Why did they want to run away?

The donkey cart was still running, the chickens were still clucking, yet the people on the carriage had actually disappeared.

This was a very narrow street, a slightly bigger carriage could not go through. There was no one at all in that lane. The gates on both sides of the streets were also closed, and nobody could be seen in those yards.

How could that old man and the old lady suddenly disappear?
In which yard did they hide in?

Ye Kai had neither gone to one of the houses or pursue the donkey cart with no one inside.
After this narrow street there was a bump on the road.

Although nobody was controlling the donkey cart, it had unexpectedly swerved aside, before rushing beside the bump.

Ye Kai suddenly rushed down by 40 feet, flew up, and fell right on the donkey’s back. Once, it had passed the bump, the donkey cart slowed down.

Ye Kai sat calmly above the donkey, and suddenly he smiled, "I originally could not recognize you, but it was only a pity that you are too skillful this time."

Who was he speaking with?
There was nobody else on the carriage, only the chickens and the donkey. A normal person would not speak with the donkey.

But he unexpectedly continued, "When you entered the city, it was at the most chaotic moment. I originally did not notice you, what a pity at that time I by chance was standing on the bamboo pole. At that time, the people that entered the city were the two of you, even if I had noticed you, I still would not have suspected you because your appearance was not unlike the other people’s."

When he finished his talk, someone from under the donkey cart gave a sigh and said, "What caused us to be different from the others then?"

Ye Kai sneered, "You do not know?"

"No." The person under the donkey cart said, "I thought our appearance did not have anything standing out."

Ye Kai smiled, "Since there was nothing standing out, only then you become special and different."

Not only the person under the donkey cart would not be able to understand it, many people besides him would be able to, either.

Therefore he continued his explanation, "Because at that time other people’s appearances were all very special... "

At that time, everyone was very surprised, very anxious, very excited, even if they had just entered the city, they could not restrain themselves from staring at the scene with big eyes, staring in awe at Ye Kai and that giant.

But this old man and the old lady had simply ignored the spectacle, not even turning their faces to see what was happening.

Ye Kai said, "You did not look at us just simply because you already knew that such event was going to happen, because you had arranged for it to camouflage your entering the city."

There was no sound coming from under the donkey cart.

Ye Kai no longer said anything. He just caught up with the donkey, and slowly proceeded.

After a very long time, the person under the cart sneered, "I was mistaken about you, I thought you were not that kind of person."

Ye Kai said, "What kind of person am I?"

“The kind who should die!"
He had not completed his sentence, when the donkey emitted a loud braying sound and jumped. Ye Kai jumped as well.

In that identical moment, two people flee from the under the donkey cart, one toward east, one toward west. These two people's levitation skill was extremely quick, and they were amazingly the old man and the old lady who could not unbend their waists straight.

Ye Kai pursued the old man.
The old man’s levitation skill was extremely high, he might not be able to catch up with him quickly. But his skill was somehow impeded, obviously he had received a very heavy wound.

Was he injured by Ge Bing, was he Gufeng?

Ye Kai certainly did not use his dagger.
Unless it was the last resort, he would never use his dagger, as his dagger was not meant to kill other people. But still, he held a dagger in his hand readily.
The flying dagger!

After three rises and falls, he overtook this old man, and very quickly he made another jump to turn around and blocked this old man's way.

The old man had wanted to jump forward into Ye Kai, but suddenly his body contracted, like he was stopped by an invisible whip that had flayed his body again and again. His face was almost like wearing a mask, it was certainly devoid of any expression. But his eyes were filled with pain, anger and hatred, all directed like a sharp knife at Ye Kai.

But unexpectedly, Ye Kai had not smiled.
Perhaps he wanted to smile.
But the smile did not come out, because he had recognized this person.

"If you were not injured, I possibly could not overtake you." He sighed, "Your levitation skill is really the world’s unparalleled levitation skill."

The old man clenched both of his fists and said, "You have recognized me?"

Ye Kai nodded, low-spiritedly said, "I do not forget that we are originally friends, old friends."

The old man sneered said, "I do not have such a friend like you."

He attempted to clench one fist, but he suddenly held his own chest and his body shook like a dying flower. The lights in his eyes had all vanished. Now, even if this pair of eyes were glaring at Ye Kai like a knife, it already looked like a rusted knife.

Ye Kai said, "Your wound is very heavy."

The old person clenched tightly his teeth, not opening his mouth.

Ye Kai sighed, "Since you were so seriously injured, why did you soak yourself in the hot water?" He had really recognized this person.
- Except that "flying fox" Yang Tian, who else had the levitation skill that was admired by Ye Kai?
- If a person wanted to conceal his own wounds, what place could be better than inside the wash tub?

Ye Kai said, "But in jiang-hu, everybody gets to be injured at some point, why should this be a shameful matter, why did you have to hide it from me?"

Yang Tian said, "Because of... "
He had not finished the sentence.
Was it because he did not have any explanation?

Ye Kai finished the sentence for him, "You must hide the truth from me, only because you realized that I had known that Gufeng was injured. Therefore, you must hide the truth from me, because you are the Devil Sect’s leader 'Bu-da-la the Son of Heaven’."

Yang Tian body was shaking, he did not say anything.
Was it because he knew it was useless to try to deny it?

Ye Kai gave a long sigh and said, "You are so intelligent that I always admire you very much, therefore I cannot understand why you have to join the Devil’s Sect?"

Yang Tian had finally made a sound.
The kind that was made when someone could not help laughing at a very funny joke.
He was laughing, louder and louder, but his body had become smaller and smaller.

He was really withering slowly.
It was as if in this flash, he really had turned into an old person.
The laughter suddenly got cut off.
He was gone.

*****

The sunlight was as magnificent as before, but Ye Kai could no longer feel its warmth.

Yang Tian certainly could not feel it.
What he had achieved, by laughing his way to his death, was not an easy thing to do.
Moreover, he had no reason to laugh.
When a person's secret was revealed, whether he lived or died, he would not be able to laugh it off.
Then, why did he laugh? Why could he laugh at the time?

Ye Kai’s hands felt ice-cold, he was actually perspiring some cold sweat.
He could hear Yang Tian’s laughter, like strangely mocking him.
Actually he could not understand why?
But regardless, all those strange behaviors did not really have any significance.
Once a person had died, his meaning had vanished from this life.

A dead person could only carry off his story, his secret. What had Yang Tian carried off with him?
- A dead person could still speak sometimes, only the way he spoke was different.
- Could he still say something about this secret?

With his wound...
The wound festered, and the flowing blood was pitch-black, but the wound was certainly not big.
If Ye Kai had not seen with his own eyes, it would be very difficult to believe that this pinhole wound could have taken "the flying fox", Yang Tian’s life.

The cold wind cut like a knife, yet it did not emit any sound.

Ye Kai heard a sound of someone’s footsteps. He had not turned his head, because he knew who the person was. The one who came was the old lady who ran away to a different direction, a moment ago. Now, she was not wearing the tight black jacket anymore. Her fair oval face had also changed its appearance. What could not change was the eyes, the small, curved, and captivating eyes.

Yang Tian was lying in front of her, but she had not bothered to look at him. She was staring at Ye Kai, looking like she wanted to search Ye Kai’s soul all of a sudden.

Ye Kai rearranged the dead man’s clothes and stood up. After a very long time, he said three words, "He has died."

"I can see that."

"He is your man?"

"When he was alive."

"When a woman’s man has died, any woman would feel a little uncomfortable about it." Ye Kai was staring at her again, "But I actually do not see you feeling uncomfortable at all."

"I am a widow already. He is not my first man, I have seen a dead person before, just like him." Widow Wang replied: "When you get used to it, it suddenly stops being uncomfortable." She obviously sighed, but everybody could hear that there was no sadness in her sigh.

Ye Kai was speechless.

What she said was at least the truth, the truth could never be refuted.

Widow Wang suddenly also asked, "Was it you who killed him?"

"You should know that he was already injured."

"But he was alive, why did he suddenly die?"

"Because although his wound was not heavy, the poison was actually very dangerous…”

"Oh?"

Ye Kai said, "Although he could suppress the poison with medicine and accupoint pressure, but when he attempted to get away, the poison manifested its potential suddenly.”

Widow Wang suddenly sneered, said, "Do you know who he is?"

Ye Kai certainly knew.

Widow Wang replied, "Do you know that 'the flying fox' Yang Tian’s levitation skill was very high, but he had many other skills?"

Ye Kai said, "Governing a wound and curing a poison was also one of his specialties."

"But now you are claiming that he is killed by poison?"

"There are many poisons in this world that he would not be able to cure, it is possible that it is one of those poisons."

"Really it was not you who has killed him?"

"I will never kill a friend."

"He was really your friend?"

Ye Kai gave a long sigh, low-spiritedly said, "As long as he is a friend for a day, he will be forever a friend of mine."

Widow Wang’s eyeballs had rotated, when she suddenly smiled, "I also heard that you were his friend."

"Oh?"

"I have also heard something else."

"What?"

Widow Wang replied, "A friend’s wife, one cannot play with; If one were to play with a friend’s wife, need to wait after the friend dies." She smiled as the eyes became smaller, "I seemed to have heard you say this."

Ye Kai gave a forced smile.

Widow Wang replied, "Now that he has died, I am still alive, you... " She had not continued.

He knew her meaning, as a man, everyone would understand that.

Ye Kai looked at her as he suddenly said, "Have you seen Han Zhen?"

Widow Wang certainly had seen him. She said with a smile, "That boy was originally my kind of man, too. What a pity that as soon as I saw him, I wanted to spit."

"Why?"

"Because of his nose."

Ye Kai had also smiled.

"His nose simply looks like a rotten egg."

Ye Kai smiled, "Do you know how his nose could become like that?"

“Was it because someone hit him?"

"Right."

"You know by whom?"

Ye Kai said with a smile, "Not only I know that, moreover I know it better than anybody else.”

Widow Wang had realized now, "Certainly he was hit by you, right?"

Ye Kai said, "Right." He slowly continued, "Therefore you should quickly leave now, take your man as well, and bury him well."

Widow Wang seemed surprised, "You want me to leave, why?"

Ye Kai said, "Because right now, my hand itches a lot, if you do not leave right away, I guarantee that your nose will become very similar to Han Zhen’s."

Widow Wang no longer spoke, she did not have any more words to say. She knew the limit of what she could say.

After she carried Yang Tian’s corpse up on the donkey cart, Ye Kai turned back to the city along the original path, walking very slowly.

Across the narrow street, along the road, and up ahead, there were some people gathering around the broken carriage.

Boss Song was lying dead on that carriage. His body only had a pinhole-sized wound, right in his chest.

Ye Kai observed from behind, and he did not seem to be startled by it. He seemed to have anticipated that already.

Back at the Yu Yan Ping Gate, that giant had also died with a similar wound.
That small pinhole wounds were a lot smaller than the giant, but it had lead to his death.
There were more people gathered around this person.

Ye Kai wanted to sneak off quietly, when suddenly a person had seized his clothes and had coldly said, "You cannot leave."

Whether or not someone had something on his conscience, when a person got his clothes seized by someone else, he would unavoidably be frightened.

The person who had grabbed at Ye Kai’s clothes was wearing a cap with a red tassel, and lifting his short club, the bailiff.

Some people watching the scene had shouted, "He was the person fighting with boss Song a moment ago."

"I knew that it was him." This bailiff had also covered Ye Kai skillfully, unexpectedly with the ‘gripping move’. He sneeringly said, "You have taken two human lives, and yet you still dare to come here again? Your courage is really not small."

Ye Kai could certainly easily broke this grip by 144 different kinds of method. But he did not do so. He certainly did not fear this bailiff, but he respected him. No matter what kind of person this bailiff was, he would still respected him. That was because what he respected was not the person, but the abiding law that this person represented.

He himself could not easily tell which side was the guilty one. This kind of bailiff would not understand that either. And that place was not the place to speak out.

This bailiff had detained him inside a carriage, saying severely, "It is a grave matter to affect a human’s life. The law of the land was like a furnace, even if you had such a huge courage, I would not fear what you do."

Ye Kai followed him to the carriage, when the carriage started off, he could not bear asking, "Actually what do you think of me?"

The bailiff said, "No matter what, we will discuss it later."

Ye Kai said, "Then?"

The bailiff said, "Then, we can use a very good ginseng to cook a chicken, make 4 or 5 types of fine food and wine, prepare several pots of Shaoxing wine, and we can eat the food and wine together."

"His" eyes suddenly filled with happy expression, the voice also changed into the gentle spring breeze.

Ye Kai sighed and painstakingly said with a smile, "Now I have finally understood, you actually want to make me die by making me bloated..."


END OF CHAPTER 32

[atlantean0208]

Chapter 33: Ocean-deep sentiment - TRANSLATED BY FASTCLOCK

The chicken was cooked with the ginseng, but was also steamed thoroughly. There were several kinds of food and wine: a small dish of fried first-class pork, a small dish of honey-roasted thigh, a small dish of hot plate fresh shrimp, a small dish of the newly-cut winter bamboo shoot, a small dish of stir-fry chicken mixed with fish, and a small dish of deep-fried shark’s fin(?). The Shaoxing wine was also heated just right.

When the northerner drank, they were very fastidious about it. They warmed up the wine first, not only for the yellow wine, but also for the white wine, and also the Shaoxing wine.

Ye Kai’s gulped down three more cups into his stomach, the late night fierce combat and the bloody wounds seemed to be very, very far away.

Shangguan XiaoXian was looking at him with pursed lips, then she said with a smile, "Seems that to make you dead by bloating is certainly not an easy thing either."

Ye Kai’s mouth was never empty.

"Although you eat your vegetable very quickly, you actually drink very little wine."

Ye Kai eyed her briefly and said, "Actually you want to make me die bloated or do you want to get me drunk?"

"I originally wanted to scare you to death."

"Oh?"

"You obviously knew that everyone saw you fight with boss Song, but you unexpectedly dared to show up again in that place, your gut was rather too big."

"You feared that I would be recognized by someone and seized by the bailiff?"

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "No matter how you looked at it, why did you have to stoop low to that level and found more trouble?"

"What would have happened to me?"

"I feared that you’d meet the real bailiff."

Ye Kai sighed, "I didn’t know that there are still some things in this world that can cause Leader Shangguan to fear."

Shangguan XiaoXian also sighed, "I am also afraid of another thing."

"What do you also fear?"

"I also fear Leader Ye."

"Leader Ye?"

Shangguan XiaoXian charmingly said, "The Peanut Clan Leader Ye, or do you forget that already?"

Ye Kai laughed. He laughed hard while raising his cup, and tossing it down his throat. Then, he suddenly asked, "If you consider that, which one is better, the peanut or the golden coin?"

"I do not know, I only know that money can buy a big pile of peanuts."

"But peanuts at least have one good point compared to money."

"What is it?"

Ye Kai said, "You can eat the peanuts."

He had peeled a peanut, thrown it up , and met it with his mouth. He slowly chewed it while sipping the wine and said, "If you can drink your money, then you have invented something worthwhile."

Shangguan XiaoXian smiled, "Your words always make a lot of sense."

"Certainly."

"It is a pity that you have forgotten one point."

"Oh?"

"Without money, you won’t have the wine, nor the peanuts."

Ye Kai thought about that and finally acknowledged, "Your words have some truth in it."

Shangguan XiaoXian said with a smile, "Certainly."

Ye Kai said, "It is a pity that you have also forgotten one point. Either being rich or poor, money will never really bring joy to a person."

"Oh?" Shangguan XiaoXian’s face did not really acknowledge that, "Therefore I continue to search for it."

"Searching for what?"

Shangguan XiaoXian looked at him, the beautiful eyes shimmered gently like the spring water, "Searching for something that can bring me joy."

Ye Kai coldly said, "Besides money, what else in this world that can bring you joy?"

"Something of the opposite," Shangguan XiaoXian said, "Like peanut."

Ye Kai smiled. He had peeled a peanut and said with a smile, "You have forgotten a point."

"Oh?"

Ye Kai said, "Money and peanut are certainly not good partners."

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "The nail and the hammer are also not good partners."

Ye Kai agreed.

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "But together, they could bring each other great joy."

Ye Kai said, "Each one receives great joy?"

Shangguan XiaoXian nodded, "Because without the hammer, the nail will never be useful, without the nail, the hammer will never be able to display his power." She smiled, "If a person cannot display his power, it is like wasting talents, wasting it will not bring joy."

Ye Kai agreed again.

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "Therefore only if they are together, they both can obtain great joy." She stared at Ye Kai, Ye Kai had avoided her eyes.

Was he evading the issue?

Shangguan XiaoXian slowly said, "I know that you certainly realize that my words make absolutely a lot of sense."

Ye Kai could not deny it.

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "Now that Duo-er-jia, Bu-da-la and Ban-cha-ba-na had all died, three of the four princes had gone, even if the Devil Sect had not been completely destroyed, it would never recover again after this setback."

Her glance was like the gentle spring water, yet it was as incisive as the nail.
But she was actually not the kind a nail was made of, she was the strong hammer.

"The Devil Sect is practically gone, if you view the wide, wide world, what other clan can compete toe-to-toe with us?"

"Us?" Ye Kai had not smiled.

"Us." Shangguan XiaoXian had not smiled either. "Now that the money combines with the peanut, it will continue to bring great joy."

Ye Kai was chewing the peanut.
The peanut was chewed, the nail was struck.

But if nobody chewed it, the peanut could also become stale; if nobody struck at the nail, it could also become equally rusty.
How was the life of someone be valued?
The peanut must be chewed by someone to be worthy of its existence, the nail must be struck by someone to have its life be valued by everyone.

Ye Kai seemed to have been moved.

Shangguan XiaoXian said in a supple voice, "I know that in your heart you think I will make you the nail."

"You are not?"

"You should be able to see that I am certainly not a very fearful hammer." Shangguan XiaoXian stretched out her hand and gripped his hand. Her hand was soft like silk.

Ye Kai sighed, "You indeed are not, but it is only a pity... "

“It is only a pity that between the peanut and the money, there is also the bell?"

Ye Kai gave a forced smile.

"Ding LingLin is indeed a very good girl. If I were a man, I would also be sure to like her."

"You are not a man."

"At least I will not dislike her."

"Really?"

"If I dislike her, why did I lead you here to see her?"

Ye Kai was staring at her, "Why?"

Shangguan XiaoXian gently sighed, "Because I had now understood that to like a man such as you, a woman cannot completely control you by herself, I have given up that kind of wild desire." She stared at Ye Kai as her eyes turned gentler, "The money can make the bell ring, the bell can also work with the money, why can't I like a person with her?"

Ye Kai had avoided her eyes again.

"If you could also regard me like you regard her, we will all become joyful with each other, otherwise... "

Ye Kai could not bear asking, "Otherwise how?"

Shangguan XiaoXian sighed, "Otherwise the money, the peanut and the bell may suffer the pain all life-long."

Ye Kai had finally turned his head and looked at her.

*****

It was dusk.

The setting sun illuminated the window, the gorgeous rosy cloud looked like spring, while the burning fire in the room made it warm like spring.

Her eyes were actually more gorgeous and warmer compared to the setting sun.
Perhaps she brought spring with her.
Obtaining a woman who could bring the spring, wasn’t that a man’s biggest dream?

Shangguan XiaoXian bit her lips and said, "You can see me like always, you do not have to see me like that."

Ye Kai said, "I... "

"You only see me occasionally, therefore you have never seen me as a woman. Because you have never really see me as a woman, therefore you only see me occasionally."

Ye Kai acknowledged.

Shangguan XiaoXian’s glance contained some hidden bitterness, "I know that you feel that I am a very casual woman, a woman who collects a lot of men, actually... Actually you will find out later... "

"Find out what?"

Shangguan XiaoXian hung her head and gently said, "You will find out later that you will be my first man, as well as you will be my last."

This was not a lie.

An intelligent woman would never say a lie that could be discovered soon enough.
She was certainly an above-the-head intelligent woman.

Ye Kai’s heart seemed to have dissolved, his sentiment overcame him and he finally grabbed her hands and said with a supple voice, "Up until now, I have finally believed."

Shangguan XiaoXian’s eyes had shone as she suddenly jumped up, "Fine, let us find where the bell is."

"She... "

"Since she could find her way here to hide, her intelligence cannot be completely lost. As long as we look after her well, she will recover very quickly."

Ye Kai’s face expressed his gratitude, it seemed that he had indeed absolved her past mistakes.

"In my excitement, a moment ago, I forgot that she is sleeping. I asked Han Zhen to look after her in there."

"The awl?"

Shangguan XiaoXian charmingly said, "As long as you can use it properly, the awl is very useful."

"You can trust him?"

"He is certainly not a good person, but I already make sure that he will not betray me."

The place where they drank was certainly also in Leng Xiangyuan.
After passing through the corner gate, they entered Ding LingLin's yard.

*****

The twilight had become darker.

The courtyard was very peaceful, the gate was unlatched, the room was unlit.
They passed through the silent yard, through the entrance, before Shangguan XiaoXian finally let go of Ye Kai’s hand.

She was not only gentle, moreover she had great sympathy.
Woman's sympathy could always moved a man.

"She must be sleeping."
"Being able to sleep is also considered a good fortune."
Shangguan XiaoXian was smiling as she gently opened the door, Ye Kai followed behind her. He had not passed through the door when he felt that her entire body had stiffened.

The room was also peaceful, the setting sun warmed through the room, but the people inside hall all disappeared. Ding LingLin had disappeared, Han Zhen had disappeared.

Shangguan XiaoXian looked startled as she kept looking at the empty bed, the tears had started to fall.

Ye Kai was instead quite calm. First, he had ignited the lamp, then he asked, "You told Han Zhen to guard here?"

Shangguan XiaoXian nodded.

"Would he leave?"

"He cannot. I told him that without my order, he cannot move even a foot away from here."

"You feel confident he would do that?"

"He would not dare to disobey me, he would not want to die."

"But now, both of them are not here."

Shangguan XiaoXian’s complexion became pale and she said, "There must be a reason for this, there must be... "

"You think he left for something?"

Shangguan XiaoXian had not replied, as she could not respond.

"Not only he had left this place, he had also carried off Ding LingLin, he... "

Shangguan XiaoXian had interrupted him, "He couldn’t have carried away Ding LingLin!"

"You are sure?"

Shangguan XiaoXian nodded, she was not the kind of person who easily misjudged someone, her judgment was usually pretty accurate. "She panics easily, therefore she is never to be bothered or disturbed even in a mild way."

"You think that was what happened? She suddenly became frightened, and therefore she suddenly ran away?"

"That must be it."

"When she ran away, Han Zhen must certainly pursue her."

"Therefore, both of them are not here."

"When he pursued her, why didn’t he leave something behind, to let us know their whereabouts?"

"She must have run away very suddenly, so hastily that he did not have enough time to do that."

Ye Kai sighed, and did not say anything.
He was not the kind of person that got worried with a big loss. He always managed to suppress the external pressure to obtain the better handle of life, therefore he could pump up himself when it was necessary.

Shangguan XiaoXian was nipping her lips as she said, "Since he is pursuing her, no matter what, we will certainly have some news when he comes back."

"Mmm."

"Now, even if I want to start searching, I will not have a clue on where to start."

"Mmm."

Shangguan XiaoXian looked at him and she could not bear saying, "You do not seem to worry so much."

"Is being worried a useful thing?"

"No."

"Since it is not useful, why do I have to worry?"

Although he remained calm, his complexion was very ugly. He slowly sat down on the bed.
- Since he sat on it, why not lay down on it?
He had simply lain down on the bed.

Shangguan XiaoXian was so anxious that she was unable to sit still, she knitted her brows, "This place is too cold, we had better... "

Suddenly something lighted up Ye Kai’s face. His face expressed emotion like he was being chopped down by someone’s knife.

Shangguan XiaoXian had never seen him so panicked, that she asked, "What’s the matter?"

Ye Kai’s mouth seemed frozen. Unexpectedly his throat muscle seemed to be so stiff that it could not send out any sound at all.

Shangguan XiaoXian walked closer to the head of the bed, her beautiful face had also suddenly changed its color. She suddenly could smell something very unusual, the smell that would make someone feel sick or tremble.

The smell of blood.

They were not bleeding themselves, so where did the smell come from?
It must be from under the bed.

Why was there the smell of blood from under the bed?
Was there a dead person, there?
Who?

The bed was certainly not heavy, as soon as one put out a hand, he could easily raise the bed and these questions would be answered immediately.

But Ye Kai had not put out his hand. His hands were also stiff, including all the fingers, he really did not have the courage to raise this bed.
- If someone really died under the bed, who else but Ding LingLin?

Shangguan XiaoXian actually had stretched out her hand.
There was indeed a dead person under the bed.
He was dead just a moment ago, as the body had not stopped bleeding.

But the one who died was actually not Ding LingLin.
It was Han Zhen.


END OF CHAPTER 33

[atlantean0208]

Chapter 34: Dual status - TRANSLATED BY FASTCLOCK

Ye Kai was astounded, Shangguan XiaoXian was surprised.
How could Han Zhen die?

Ye Kai could not understand it, Shangguan XiaoXian felt there must be an accident.
But since Han Zhen had died in here, where was Ding LingLin?

Shangguan XiaoXian gently put the bed down again and slowly turned around. She walked to the front of the window and shoved open the window.

There was a shadow of darkness outside the window, the dim light of the heartless night was approaching quickly. She faced this heartless, dimness of the night and was silent for a very long time. At last, she finally said, "She must have killed Han Zhen first, then she left here."

"You think it was she who had killed Han Zhen?"

"You don’t think so?"

“No."

"Why not?"

"There are many kinds of wugong skills, but only one kind is the most fearful."

"Which kind?"

"The kind that can kill effectively."

Shangguan XiaoXian agreed. She also knew that there were many people who had excellent wugong skills, but actually they could not kill other people, nor did they dare to kill other people.

Ye Kai said, "In terms of the killing moves, Ding LingLin absolutely does not compare to Han Zhen."

"Therefore you concluded that Han Zhen could not have died in her hand?"

"Right."

"But presently, Ding LingLin is not here, instead Han Zhen is lying here dead."

This was the fact, the fact that no one could refute.

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "Who could have killed him besides Ding LingLin? Who?"

There were not many people who could kill Han Zhen, moreover there were only him and Ding LingLin at the time, no one else.

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "If he had not died, he would never have let Ding LingLin leave, could there be some other people here who had killed him first, and then kidnapped Ding LingLin?"

Who could answer these question? Ye Kai also walked to the window and opened another pane of window. Although the window was different, the dimness of the night was the same, same cold, heartless night. He stood there motionless, staring deeply into the darkness of the night.

Shangguan XiaoXian hung her head, before she finally gently said, "I should not have said those words a moment ago."

Ye Kai remained silent.

Shangguan XiaoXian continued, "Now is really an important time, we must hurry and think of a way to find Ding LingLin, she... "

Ye Kai had suddenly interrupted her, "We do not need to look."

Shangguan XiaoXian was very surprised, she never thought that Ye Kai could utter such words. She turned her head to look at him and said, "You said we did not need to look for her?"

"Mmm."

"Why?"

"Since someone already knows her whereabouts, so why do we need to start looking?"

"Who knows her whereabouts?"

"You."

Shangguan XiaoXian was startled, "You said I know her whereabouts?"

Ye Kai lightly said, "I said that very clearly, you also heard that very clearly."

Shangguan XiaoXian looked at him motionlessly, she closed her mouth like she was really stunned.

Ye Kai said, "The four Sons of Heaven of the Devil Sect, three has indeed died, but Gufeng is still alive."

"Yang Tian had not died?"

"Yang Tian was not Gufeng, Lu Di was not either."

"Yang Tian was not injured?"

"He was injured, wounded very heavily, but an injured person did not necessarily means that he was Gufeng."
- A ball was round, but a round thing was not necessarily a ball.

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "If he was not Gufeng, why did he hide his wound or that he was injured? Why did he have to hide the truth from you?"

Ye Kai said, "Because he thought I was your lackey, he thought that I had joined the Golden Coin Clan."

Shangguan XiaoXian suddenly sighed, "Your words... I do not understand them."

"You should understand them, actually only you could understand them."

"Why?"

"Because the person who injured him was you."

Shangguan XiaoXian gave a forced smile, "If I had not known you very well, I would have thought that you were drunk."

Ye Kai said, "I have never been as sober as like the present."

"Yang Tian was my good helper, why did I want to injure him?"

"Because he wanted to kill you first."

Shangguan XiaoXian smiled. When she smiled, Ye Kai had no alternative but to smile back at her. But, Ye Kai had not smiled back. In fact, his facial expression had never been more serious and firm like now.

He said calmly, "He had wanted to kill you since long ago, but he actually never had the opportunity, he could only risk your assassination recently."

"Assassination?"

Ye Kai nodded, "Perhaps he underestimated your wugong, perhaps he found out about your injury unintentionally, therefore he decide to use this opportunity to try."

Shangguan XiaoXian was listening carefully, she no longer disputed him, she seemed to think that this theory was too wild, too unworthy to dispute.

"He decided to kill you on the New Year’s evening."

Shangguan XiaoXian had unexpectedly smiled, "If you must assassinate a person in secret, the lunar New Year's Day evening is indeed a good time."

"When he tried the assassination, he certainly put on a mask."

"Certainly."
When one became an assassin, he could not show his true face.

Ye Kai said, "He thought he had ninety percent chance to succeed, who knew that your wugong was unexpectedly much better than what he had imagined, therefore things did not go well, instead he was injured by you."

Shangguan XiaoXian had smiled, "To kill me is not something easy."

"But you had also underestimated him."

"Oh?"

"His levitation skill was extremely high. Therefore although things did not go well, he could still ran away."

"If you want to seize a flying fox, it is not something easy either."

Ye Kai said, "Since he had been hit by your poisonous needle, even if he could run away, he still could not run that far. But, he found some special antidote against the hundred poisons that had unexpectedly temporarily preserved his life."

"But as long as I found out who was injured, I would know who the assassin was."

"Therefore he could only try to hide the truth from me, as he did not dare to let me see his wound."

"He thought you were sent by me to search for the assassin."

Ye Kai sighed, "He certainly did not realize that you had already known that the assassin was him."

"How could I know?"

"He thought that Widow Wang was always on his side and could keep his secret, he never thought that Widow Wang ... "

"He did not know that Widow Wang actually told me this secret."

Ye Kai sighed, "However astute a man is, he can be easily betrayed by a woman."

Shangguan XiaoXian also sighed, "Perhaps that is only because men always think that women are always the weaker ones, always the fools."

Ye Kai agreed with her.

"Since I knew that he was the assassin, why hadn't I killed him?"

"Because when you kill someone, you always like to borrow someone else’s knife."

"If I can borrow someone else’s knife to kill a person I want to kill, that is indeed a very happy thing."

Ye Kai said, "You are happy, but I am not happy."

"Why?"

"Because you want to borrow my knife."

"Oh?"

"Gufeng was injured, I was looking for Gufeng, Yang Tian was injured by chance, moreover he did not dare to divulge his injury. You figured that you could add one plus one and it would become three...”

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "Therefore if you could just see Yang Tian, you would certainly think that he was Gufeng."

Ye Kai said bitterly with a smile, "I nearly thought that he was."

"Your explanation seems to be very reasonable, but it is a pity that you have forgotten a point."

"Oh?"

"A murderer needed to have a motive, if he wanted to kill me, he must have a very good reason, because everybody knew that it would not be easy."

Ye Kai acknowledged.

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "Yang Tian understood me very well, I certainly did not treat him badly, why did he want to take the risk to kill me?"

"I also understood him very well. He was a very ambitious person, that was the only reason why he entered the Golden Coin Clan."

Shangguan XiaoXian agreed also.

"The more thoroughly he understood about the Golden Coin Clan and its huge influence, the bigger his ambition became."

"So, he wanted to become the clan leader of the Golden Coin Clan?"

Ye Kai said, "He certainly wanted that very badly, it was only a pity... "

"It was a pity that as long as I was alive, he would never have his chance."

"Therefore regardless of the big danger, he must kill you."

Someone’s ambition could be visualized like a flood, once it manifested, nobody could control it, certainly not Yang Tian. Therefore an ambition not only could destroy other people, it could also similarly destroy himself. Moreover, often while trying to destroy the others, he ended up destroying himself first. But if a person never had an ambition, wouldn’t living be somewhat bland? Wouldn’t that be classified as a pathetic life as well?

Shangguan XiaoXian sighed, "Now your analysis seems to gradually lose its integrity."

"It never has full integrity in the first place."

Shangguan XiaoXian said with a smile, "You also know?"

"What I know is perhaps more that you imagine."

"Oh?"

"Yang Tian did not dare to do anything to you, why did he suddenly have the courage?"

"That’s the first loophole."

Ye Kai said, "I was waiting for Gufeng, why did he show up entering the city at that time?"

"This is the second."

"If Yang Tian was not Gufeng, who was Gufeng?"

"This is the third."

"If Gufeng did not have an appointment with Duo-er-jia in the Yu Yan Ping Gate, why that blood-written letter was found on Duo-er-jia’s body?"

"This is the fourth."

Ye Kai said, "Mo JiuXing was a recluse, why could he discover Duo-er-jia’s whereabouts as soon as he arrived in Chang An?"

"This is the fifth."

"Mo JiuXing had often eaten the five harmful things all year long, how could he be that easy to kill by poison?"

"This is the sixth,"

"Ku Zhu was just an outsider, why did he also suffer a tragic death?"

Shangguan XiaoXian said with a smile, "Now your analysis seems to have six loopholes."

"Only six points."

"Any analysis that has six loopholes simply cannot be conceived to be the truth."

"But I can still prove my analysis," Ye Kai said.

"Oh?"

"Because I have an explanation for these six loopholes."

"You say it."

Ye Kai said, "Although there are six loopholes, the explanation can be told in only two sentences."

"I am listening."

"Gufeng is you, Mo JiuXing is also you!"

Shangguan XiaoXian smiled.
- If you liked someone very much, and you often met this person, his habit could infect you as well. Shangguan XiaoXian had obviously picked up Ye Kai’s habit very well. In this difficult and dangerous matter, she still could smile, even sweeter than Ye Kai’s.

Ye Kai said, "Because you are Gufeng, therefore Yang Tian dared to take the chance, because he found out that you yourself were injured."

"This is the first explanation, it seems very reasonable."

"Because you are Gufeng, therefore you want Yang Tian to be your scapegoat."

"This also holds true."

Ye Kai said, "Only because you knew that Lu Di is Duo-er-jia, could you persuade him to go to the Ten-sided Bamboo Groves Temple."

"Therefore Mo JiuXing was also me?"

"You intentionally inlaid nine cold stars on the face, but throughout the exchange, you were not willing to take off that straw hat. That was because although your disguise skill was very exquisite, you still feared that I would recognize you."

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "But why must I play the role of Mo JiuXing?"

"Because you wanted to kill Duo-er-jia."

"I wanted to kill him? Why did I want you to be there, then?"

Ye Kai said, "Because you must let me see Duo-er-jia’s death with my own eyes, that he died by Mo JiuXing." He continued, "Duo-er-jia very possibly also knew that Mo JiuXing was you, therefore he really could not have imagined that you actually took the opportunity to kill him."

Shangguan XiaoXian was listening.

Ye Kai said, "That was an intentionally developed play for me to watch, Duo-er-jia also had a part in the play. All the words you said was also part of the play."

"Why did he take part in this play?"

Ye Kai said, "Because you developed this play pretending you wanted to kill me, therefore he made an agreement with me that I could not attack with my flying dagger until Mo JiuXing was killed. That would give you the opportunity to kill me."

"But, I did not kill you."

"You did not, because you were not really planning to kill me, but Duo-er-jia. Until his death, he still could not understand why the play’s final result was unexpectedly different from what he expected." Remembering Duo-er-jia’s surprise and confusion at the point of his death, Ye Kai could not restrain sighing as well, "His death was very unjust."

"You sympathize with him?"

Ye Kai said, "I only sympathize with his death."

Shangguan XiaoXian lightly said, "Everyone will die, he died unjustly, only because he was originally a stupid person."

"He was stupid?"

"Stupidity has many manifestations, arrogance is certainly one kind of stupidity."

Ye Kai could not dispute this point. Arrogance was indeed a kind of stupidity, moreover it was possibly the most serious kind.

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "But I am certainly not stupid, now I have finally understood your analysis."

"You should be able to."

"You were saying that I played the role of Mo JiuXing, then went to Lu Di to set up the plan to kill you, but instead I had actually killed him in the end."

"It sounded absurd, but this plan was actually absolutely effective."

"Perhaps because it was inconceivable, therefore it became very effective."

Ye Kai said, "That blood-written letter was certainly part of the plan."

"Oh?"

"Yang Tian certainly knew that his secret would be, sooner or later, discovered by you, so he had decided to run away."

"The Golden Coin Clan’s influence proliferates the world, where could he run away to?"

"He had considered carefully this move. He certainly elected his destination so carefully, that you would not be able to guess it."

"What place?"

"Chang An city."

"Chang An city, here?"

"He calculated that you would think that he would run away as far as possible, instead he had chosen a very close place."

Shangguan XiaoXian also acknowledged that this choice was good.

Ye Kai said, "It was a pity that he had also told this plan to Widow Wang."

"He had no alternative but to tell her. A severely wounded person need some help to be able to escape."

"When he told Widow Wang, it was as if he was telling you directly."

"I knew about his plan to escape, therefore I fabricated that blood-written letter?"

"You calculated that if I saw that blood-written letter, I would certainly wait at the Yu Yan Ping gate."

"How could this blood-written letter be found on Lu Di?"

"The blood-written letter was not found on Lu Di, but prepared by Ku Zhu."

"Ku Zhu was also in this plan?"

Ye Kai said, "Therefore he should be eliminated as a potential witness, anyone who held important information would be killed by you to eliminate possible witnesses."

"Boss Song and that giant?"

"They are Yang Tian’s friends. When they saw me at the Yu Yan Ping gate, they also intentionally planned to set up the play, to shield Yang Tian’s entrance to the city. They certainly knew about Yang Tian’s injury."

"This secret certainly cannot be known to you, therefore I have also killed them to eliminate potential witnesses?"

Ye Kai said, "I thought you would do that, therefore when they were found dead, I was sure that it was not accidental."

Shangguan XiaoXian sighed, "Listening to you, I have killed many people indeed."

Ye Kai wearily said, "Indeed too many."

"I even killed myself." She also sighed, "If I were Mo JiuXing, how could I have killed myself?"

"The Mo JiuXing that died was certainly not you."

"Not me?"

Ye Kai said, "You certainly knew that I would not have the appetite to accompany you to eat that kind of food, therefore you had already prepared someone as a sacrificial lamb. As soon as I walked away, you had him killed by poison."

"Because as soon as Mo JiuXing died, this matter could not be verified. This seems to be an extremely thorough plan, and also a very pleasant to hear story."

"I also hoped that this is only a story."

Shangguan XiaoXian seems to be very startled and said, “This is not just a story?"

"There are too many coincidences in this story, that only if it is the truth, can it have that many coincidences."

"Is the truth as strange as a story?"

"Yes..."

Shangguan XiaoXian charmingly said, "Listening to you, even I would believe all of this, really." Her smile was purely delightful, "But since my plan was extremely thorough, how could you see through it?"

"Although it was a thorough plan, it unavoidably had some loopholes."

"This plan had some?"

"When I analyzed those six loopholes, those were also the loopholes of your plan."

"Oh?"

"Because if you were not Gufeng, there could not be so many coincidences."

"Now you are completely sure about this?"

"As soon as I saw their wounds, I felt completely sure."

"Whose wounds?"

"Yang Tian, Boss Song, the giant and Ku Zhu were completely unrelated persons, they could not possibly die from the same kind of wounds, yet their wounds were completely similar."

Shangguan XiaoXian sighed, "This is really insightful."

"The coincidence also became the loophole."

"Therefore not only am I the clan leader of the Golden Coin Clan, but also one of the four great Sons of Heaven of the Devil Sect."

"Right, Gufeng"

"Do not forget that the Golden Coin Clan and the Devil Sect are foresworn enemies who cannot coexist with each other."

"I have not forgotten that." Ye Kai continued, "The Golden Coin Clan’s leader is a smart person, he knew that eliminating the enemy brutally is certainly not the best method."

"What is the best method?"

"Subdue it, use it, turn the enemy's strength into your own weapon."

"This method is indeed good."

Ye Kai said, "But the Devil Sect organization is too secretive, the strength is too huge, if one were to subdue him, there could only be one method."

"What method?"

"Becoming the leader of the Devil Sect."

"To become the leader of the Devil Sect, one needed to join the Sect."

"Therefore you joined the Sect."

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "But since the previous leader of the Devil Sect died, the total authority had been split between the four great Sons of Heaven, nobody was willing to elect a single new leader, that meant that nobody had the total authority."

Ye Kai said, "What if among these four great princes, three have died?"

Shangguan XiaoXian charmingly said, "Then whoever is left, albeit not considered as a single leader, is going to be very powerful."

"It was a pity that the likes of Duo-er-jia would not die very quickly."

"Certainly not."

"You certainly could not kill them personally."

"I would never take such a risk."

"Perhaps until their deaths, they never realized that the Golden Coin Clan’s leader was you."

"Not even in their dreams."

Ye Kai said, "Therefore, you can only use one method to kill them."

"What is the best method?"

"Borrow someone’s knife."

Shangguan XiaoXian clapped her hands and said, "Right, to kill them, one certainly must borrow someone' knife, moreover it must be a special dagger."

"But you also knew that although my dagger was quick, it seldom killed people."

"Therefore I have laid so much care into the plan, layering it little by little."

Ye Kai said, "You certainly never thought that someone could actually see through your secret."

Shangguan XiaoXian was staring at him, after a very long time she sighed, "Since you have understood everything, why can’t you see through my heart?"

"I... "

"I am very sincere towards you, can't you see that?" Her beautiful eyes revealed unspeakable hidden bitterness and sadness. Actually, was that really a sincere affection?


END OF CHAPTER 34

[atlantean0208]

Chapter 35: A fight for victory or defeat - TRANSLATED BY FASTCLOCK

Ye Kai had turned his head, avoiding her eyes once more.
Regardless whether it was sincere or not, it had all become unimportant.

Ye Kai was also unable to restrain a long sigh, as he said, "When I got here, I did not really want to reveal this matter."

"Why?"

"Because ... "

"Because you felt heavy about it?"

Ye Kai gave a forced smile.
He could not deny it, he was not totally blind to her sentiment towards him.

"Not only you felt heavy about it, you also did not dare to."

"Did not dare?"

"Because you did not have a shred of evidence, all you had was your own analysis, but that was not enough to accuse someone."

Ye Kai could not deny it.

"But Ding LingLin had suddenly disappeared, and you immediately disregarded all consequences." Her sad eyes suddenly turned into hate, "Actually what has she done for you, that you only set your sight on her? In what way, I can’t compare to her?"

Ye Kai was silent.

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "She caused trouble everywhere, not only that, she almost killed you, too. Then, she suddenly did not seem to regard you nor would she wait for you, getting married so readily, and not just to one man, but two men in one night. Is this kind of woman really worth your love?"

"I also cannot understand it."

"Then you... "

Ye Kai interrupted her, "I only know that even if she kills me ten more times, remarries ten more men, I will still behold her in the same way."

"Why?"

"Because I know that she is sincere to me, I trust her."

Shangguan XiaoXian suddenly stood up, but then she slowly sat down.
When she sat down, she was no longer an emotionally excited woman.
When she stood up, her emotion seemed to have overwhelmed her, but when she sat down, she suddenly turned into a freezing iceberg, the sharp incisive Golden Coin Clan leader.

Perhaps a woman could change herself very quickly, but she could change quicker than any person. Maybe she simply had not changed herself, it was only her camouflage, her disguise.

Ye Kai said, "What can you say now?"

"Nothing."

"But I still have something I must say."

"Oh?"

"Indeed, I don’t have any shred of evidence, you do not need to acknowledge any of it."

"I also do not need to deny it."

"Why?"

Shangguan XiaoXian coldly said, "Because not only I am the Golden Coin Clan leader, but also the Devil Sect’s leader. Not only I have grasped the world’s two most fearful big factions, but also I have also grasped Ding LingLin's life. Whether I acknowledge it or not, you can only listen now."

Ye Kai felt uneasy. He suddenly discovered that he indeed did not have any method to cope with her, nothing.

"What do you want to say now?" Shangguan XiaoXian said.

Ye Kai was indeed speechless.

"Then I want to say something and you must listen, you must listen to each word carefully."

Ye Kai had not listened to her.
Because he had suddenly heard another voice spoke, "You don’t need to listen to a single word of what she says, because she is just breaking the wind."

The voice came from under the bed.
There was obviously only a person under the bed, a dead person.
But how could a dead person speak?

Shangguan XiaoXian was an above-average smart person, Ye Kai was also one, but they had no clue about what was happening. If they had no inkling on what was going on, who else in the world could?

There was only a dead person under the bed just a moment ago.
Now, the bed was lifted by a person.

Shangguan XiaoXian’s heart sank.
- The person who spoke just a moment ago was Ding LingLin, she recognized her voice.

But how could DingLingLin be under the bed?
How could a dead Han Zhen turned into an alive Ding LingLin?

Shangguan XiaoXian could not understand it.
Ye Kai also could not understand it.
- If there was something, both of them could not understand, who else could understand it?

Only someone.
That person must be Ding LingLin herself.

Ding LingLin was certainly not really insane.
If there was an insane Shangguan XiaoXian, Ding LingLin could also act similarly.
You did it, I did it.

She went out from under the bed, she looked at Shangguan XiaoXian with bright eyes, "You can deceive people, I can do that. You can kill people, I can, too, moreover I will not miss it like you did." She continued, "You wanted Han Zhen to kill me, because you thought Ye Kai would then became insane. You certainly could not guess that instead I had killed him.”

“You could put some confusing medicine in the chicken that I ate, but I could also put some confusing medicine in the tea that he drank. He certainly did not guard himself against a crazy woman, just like we were unguarded against you, I practically learn this method from you."

- Then, Han Zhen really had died under the bed. No doubt about it.

"When I put Han Zhen’s body under the bed, I realized there was a cellar under the bed to secretly keep the wine gourds. The original Leng Xiangyuan’s wine was stored in these cellars, therefore we never found any wine outside. I knew that you would certainly come here, therefore I hid inside the cellar, with the corpse on top of it. I calculated that when you saw that Han Zhen was dead, you would be surprised, and not notice the cellar underneath it."
"I also wanted to listen to what you had to say, it looked like that he could not be deceived by you." She looked at Ye Kai with happy, glorious eyes. She said simply, "Actually, I also know that you would never be deceived again by her, and you have not disappointed me."

When a complex strange matter was described clearly step-by-step, you would not find it as complex anymore. There were many things like that in this world.

Shangguan XiaoXian was always listening, her pale beautiful face was devoid of any expression. When Ding LingLin had finished, only then she slowly lifted her hand and put them on the table. Her pair of beautiful, soft, delicate hands had unexpectedly became as hard as metal.

The lamp was shining on the table.
Her hands was reflecting some light under the lamp - certainly they were not shiny or very sharp, but it was like frozen transparent gloves.

That evening, outside the back wall of the Great Wild Goose inn, Ding LingLin had seen these hands. Cui YuZhen had also seen these hands from the top of the wall from afar.

"This is in the fabled golden hands manual, the heavenly great skill."

"Oh?"

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "These hands were to cope with Lu Di and Guo Ding."

"I can see that."

"It was a pity that they would not let me use it."
They simply had not let her use this kind of weapon.

She spread out her hands, the palm had some very thin embroidery-like needle, "This is ‘ascending to the sky’ the soul needle great skill."

"Oh?"

"Yang Tian and the other three people died by this needle weapons."

"I can see that too."

"The famous plum blossom needles have been around in the years past, and yet it still causes people to tremble with fear, when hearing about it."

"I have heard of it."

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "But I may guarantee that my needle is far more fearful than that needle."

Ye Kai sighed, "You have prepared this needle to cope with me."

Shangguan XiaoXian acknowledged.
Staring at Ye Kai, she suddenly also asked, "Your dagger?"

"The dagger is here."

"Where?"

Ye Kai had not replied.
Since the beginning, nobody knew where his "flying dagger" where hidden, nobody also knew how the dagger got thrown. By the time it was thrown, nobody knew the actual speed and strength. The only thing everybody knew was that the dagger would be ready at anytime.

Shangguan XiaoXian slowly said, "I also know that your knife is always with you, and it will stop at nothing."

Ye Kai had certainly been immodest. Because although his dagger was his and with him, this dagger had achieved some divine status in the eyes of the others. And he became a great person.

There was nobody up high or below that could replace him If he had not understood that great aura, he should not be allowed to send out this earthshaking knife.

Flying dagger!
Flying dagger was not only held by the hand, but the aura of the dagger came from inside.
That certainly did not require anger, it actually worked better without the anger.

Shangguan XiaoXian’s pupil had contracted, "Your dagger is always present, it stops at nothing, but my needle is also the same."

"Oh?"

"You also can never guess where my needle come from, or how it got released."

Ye Kai said, "I cannot guess, but I also do not need to guess."

Shangguan XiaoXian sneered, "If you think you can prevent me from attacking, you are mistaken."

Ye Kai stayed silent.

"My needles are as plenty as the river sands, your daggers are actually limited."

Ye Kai said, "Even one dagger is enough."

Shangguan XiaoXian eyes were undulating for a very long time, suddenly she gave a long sigh, "Perhaps this is destiny."

"Destiny?"

"Perhaps I am destined to fight with you for victory and defeat, sooner or later." Her eyes revealed some sadness, "Just like Clan Leader Shangguan (Jin Hong) in the years past was destined to fight with Little Li Tanhua."

Ye Kai was also unable to restrain his sigh, "In the years past, Clan Leader Shangguan was indeed a worthy hero, but it is a pity the present... . "

Shangguan XiaoXian did not let him finish, she coldly said, "Although Clan Leader Shangguan of the years past is not here, today’s Clan Leader Shangguan is here."

"The flying dagger is also here."

"In the years past, although their fight shook the whole world, no person, spirit or god actually saw the fight with his own eyes," Shangguan XiaoXian said.

Ding LingLin could not bear saying, "But today, someone will definitely see this fight with her own eyes."

Shangguan XiaoXian said, "No."

Ding LingLin said, "Yes."

Shangguan XiaoXian suddenly turned her head and stared at her, she coldly said, "You want to look?"

Ding LingLin said, "I certainly can look."

Shangguan XiaoXian sneered, "If you were here, when I attack with my needle, my first aim is at you, if he diverts his attention to you, then he will die."

Ding LingLin was stunned.

Shangguan XiaoXian did not say anything anymore, Ding LingLin also did not look at her again, she just walked out. When she went out, Ding LingLin’s whole body felt ice-cold.

The door closed, all other lives were secluded from the room.
Who would be left standing?
Who would die?

Ding LingLin bent her waist and vomited. She felt she had no alternative but to let go, as she felt that she was really going crazy, waiting for the outcome. But going crazy would not be useful.

The fight in the years past, although she had not seen it, she had heard about it.

Little Li Tanhua had acknowledged that Shangguan Jinhong had many opportunities to kill him, he simply made him unable to hit back. But Shangguan Jinhong had intentionally missed these opportunities, only because he wanted to gamble on something.
- To gamble that he could disprove the saying that Little Li Tanhua’s dagger "never come up empty" after its release.

Shangguan XiaoXian naturally would never make the same mistake again.

Ding LingLin’s mouth was filled with bitter water. Ye Kai was fighting inside this door, maybe suffering, maybe dying, but she could only wait outside the door.
Just like Sun Xiaohong and A Fei were waiting for Li Xunhoan.
But there were the two of them.

At the time, the leafed door to Shangguan Jin Hong’s secret room was very strong, nobody could destroy it. Now, the door in front of her was not strong at all, she could just rush inside at any moment, but she did not dare to rush in. She could not divert Ye Kai’s attention. She really hoped that this door could be iron-clad strong, so she did not need to suppress her pain and try to control herself. Anyone who had never personally experienced such pain, could not imagine how fearful was that kind of pain. She simply wished that her pair of feet got nailed to the floor, so she could not move.

The night grew deeper.
Ding LingLin kept waiting, she felt that she had to wait until she collapsed. In her sorrow, she was not sure what she was waiting for.

Perhaps she was only waiting for Ye Kai’s death.
She felt Shangguan XiaoXian was very quick-witted with her wugong, so she really did not know how much was the chance of Ye Kai walking out of the door alive.

Therefore when this leafed door opened, she felt her heart nearly stopped beating.
Until she saw Ye Kai.
Ye Kai looked very weary, but he was alive.
Being alive was the most important matter.

Ding LingLin looked at him, the tears finally slowly trickled down her face - certainly that was delighted tears. She was in a similar condition to when she was full of sorrow. Besides bursting into tears, she could not say anything, could not do anything, could not move anything at all.

"Shangguan XiaoXian?"
After a very long time, she could ask this speech.

The reply came in only three words, "She was defeated."
She was defeated.
These three words were very simple.

Decision between a victory and a defeat was also only a matter of seconds.
But nobody could imagine, how intense and how stimulating was that flash of the moment.
This flash of the moment that influence the whole jiang-hu, that distinguished greatness.

A flash!
A dagger!
As soon as the dagger flashed, what grandness, what warning did it send!
You did not even have to see it with your own eyes, as long as you thought about it, your breath would stop.

But Ding LingLin had not thought about it.
The only important thing for her was that Ye Kai was alive.
As long as Ye Kai was alive, she felt very satisfied.

But there was sobbing sound coming from behind the door, a dead person could not cry.
Hadn't Shangguan XiaoXian died ?

Ye Kai’s dagger was never a killing dagger.
He let her live, because he knew that she would never be the same old Shangguan XiaoXian!
- Forgiveness was far greater than retaliation.

Tits for tats, blood begotten blood, was never suitable to Ye Kai.
What he used was Little Li’s flying dagger.
The strength of this dagger was love, not hate.
Could Shangguan XiaoXian ever understand this truth?

Ding LingLin did not need to ask again, because her heart now only had love, not hatred.
She was looking at Ye Kai’s eyes...

Life was so happy, love was so wonderful.
If a person could not forget how to hate, wouldn’t that be very stupid?

THE END - TRANSLATION COMPLETE - BRAVO TO FASTCLOCK