Chapter 12 - Jasmine
Qiu Fengcheng really did not die. The was already his second time coming back from the dead. Ma Rulong thought of Jin Zhenlin strike and the piece of jade conveniently placed by his heart. Using an alibi like Xiaowan, he could logically explained about the jade. Every step of the plan he laid out, every detail were carefully planned and arranged. Everytime he put himself in the brink of death so no one would suspect him.
Now he already vomited out the poisonous content of his stomach. Everyone could tell he would live and perhaps could live 170-180 year, a very long time. Right now there target switched over to Ma Rulong. Everyone eyes were like a sharp dagger.
The first one to open his mouth was Feng Chaofan: “What else do you have to say?”
Ma Rulong did not have anything to say. If he told the truth, who would believe Qiu Fengcheng choked Xiaowan to death? Who would believed he revealed his secrets? And who would believe he put poisons in his own wine?
Jue dashi coldly asked: “This time, what else do you want to settle?”
Ma Rulong’s hand did not have precious sword, pocket did not have any gold, body did not have fox fur coat. He could not play the same trick twice.
Jue dashi said: “Now that there are undeniable proofs of you crime, but with your personality you would never admit it or turn yourself in.”
Ma Rulong admit that right now he could not defend himself and had no chance to escape. He recognized all of this. He still have a mouth and would not give up retaliating.
Jue dashi said: “With the four of us, we could easily capture you. But we don’t want to win with number.”
Ma Rulong suddenly said: “I understand.”
Jue dashi said: “What do you understand?”
Ma Rulong said: “You want to handle me yourself, You want to kill me with your own hand.” He continue: “Because other than killing, you have no other pleasure.”
These were like needle that pricked into someone’s heart. Jue dashi had no response, coldly said: “If you don’t want me to do it, you can select someone else.”
Ma Rulong said: “I still choose you.”
Jue dashi said: “Very good.”
Ma Rulong said: “Actually I originally don’t want to choose you. Although your internal energy isn’t better than monk Chiku, your swordplay isn’t better than Jade Taoist, your experience in killing is richer than those two. You know know to killer better.” He let out a sigh: “Unfortunately even though if I know this, I still choose you.”
Jue dashi could not not ask: “Why is that?”
Ma Rulong said: “I chose you only because you are a cruel, arrogant, and egotistic person. Always thought you alone could determine others crime. Once you sentence others crime, you have to kill them no matter what.” His voice getting emotional: “I chose you because I vents on behalf of those who were wrongfully killed by you. I am not your match but I can guaranteed that is a way for me to take you along with me to hell.”
Jue dashi definitely could not ask: “What way?” These words coming out of Ma Rulong, was hard not to believe. He facial expression was already changing. A person that put other to death, he, himself, was also afraid of death. This was not something he could conceal.
Ma Rulong suddenly laughed out loud. “So you are not as ruthless as other say. So, like others, you also treasure you own life.”
He laughs was full of cynicism: “Actually I didn’t really have any way take you along with to death. I just wanted to bluff you.”
When fighting amongst expert, you could not be disturb or get angry, you are letting them take the lead. Jue dashi always understood this principle.
However, he already became mad. His eyes were turning red and his veins were showing, like eagle claws he extended his hand an walked, one step at a time, toward Ma Rulong.
The floor of this room was laid with glossy teakwood planks. The wood on the spots he stepped on broke. He already concentrated all his energy within his body, once his strike it could kill a person. He was not even considering whether he was killing the wrong person.
Other than noises of wood plank breaking, it seemed like the entire world was quiet. However, he suddenly heard someone selling flowers: “Zhulan, Jasmine.”
[TL: Zhulan is some kind of Asian flower or plant...couldn't find the English equivalent, just technical botanical terms.]
Clear and loud sound of someone selling flower but it seems like it was from far away. However, it suddenly seemed like it was getting close as if you right next to your ear. On the beautiful plastered wall, there was suddenly a hole in the form of a human.
“Zhulan, Jasmine.” A slender body flower girl wearing a bamboo hat and green cloth suddenly appeared through the hole with her hand holding a jasmine made with metal wire.
Jasmine flower were good-smelling and beautiful. Her hands were also beautiful. Ma Rulong suddenly thought of the mysterious flower girl the scared away Dawan in that narrow alley. What was she doing here?
“Buy a jasmine flower.” She suddenly placed the jasmine flower from her hand on Jue dashi eagle-claw like hands.
The energy strength in his hand was like a bow string in full tension. One touch to set it off, but once it was set off it would even crumbled stone.
However his hand, unexpectedly, did not crumble this jasmine flower. The flower, however, looked it as if it was piercingly hurting his hand. Not only did it seems to pierce his hand, through his fingers it pierced through his heart. Because once he took this jasmine, he already jumped back and like an arrow flew out the window.
-- Who was this flower girl? What kind of power does this jasmine had?
Flower girl turn her body and faced Jade Taoist: “Buy a jasmine.” Her hand was holding another flower: “This fragrant and pretty jasmine wither very fast. If you don’t buy it, you will regret this.”
“I want to buy. How are you selling it?”, Jade Taoist asked.
“The price of my flower are always fair and honest.” Flower girl with gentle voice: “One life, one jasmine.”
Jade Taoist forcibly smiled: “I can’t afford it.”
He suddenly retreated back, like an arrow shot through the hold in the wall. Monk Chiku and Feng Chaofan left as fast as him.
Flower girl lightly sighed: “Such a sweet-smelling jasmine, how come no one wants to buy it?”
Ma Rulong suddenly said: “They don’t want to buy it. I will buy it.”
Flower girl with her back against him, did not even turn around. “You also have one life. You could not afford it either.”
“What if I insist in buying it?”
“I would not sell it.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want your life.”
“This life, I picked it up anyway.”
[TL: He referred to his “life” as if it was an object he happened to pick up from the street. Don’t know how to correctly translated this.]
“Since you already picked it back up , you should really treasured it.” As she was saying this she was walking away. Ma Rulong was following behind her. They walked out the room really fast, in an instant already walked out to the dusky little alley.