Book 12: Chapter 70

Once they had climbed over the wall, Hong Jiu checked for patrols and people on their tails, then quietly conveyed, “Let’s split up and do this. I’ll commit the murder and arson part. You three tag along. Anyone have anything to say?”

“Me.” Master Qi raised her hand.

“Miss Qi, what wisdom do you have to share?”

“What sort of brain-dead plan is that?”

“I thought I told you this isn’t the time and place for compliments? What do you want this time?”

“Why are you always reckless? We don’t even know what awaits us inside the tigers’ den. What makes you think you can just storm in? Do you have a special plan for murder and arson or something?”

“Who needs to plan for that?” Hong Jiu scrubbed the rear of his head. “When have I ever failed at it?”

“I wouldn’t be so sure. Your luck is lousy. Remember how you lost to me when we first met?”

“Oh, when we first met…” Hong Jiu replayed their first meeting.

First it was hard. After I put a bit of pressure into my fingers, they sunk into the soft surface…

“Stop thinking!” Master Qi clocked Hong Jiu over the head. “What are you imagining?!”

Fang Xiaoyu: “Brother Hong, did you really lose to Miss Wen?”

“I’m a gentleman who knows how to treat a lady right,” Hong Jiu answered.

Master Qi simpered. “Tsk, absolute hogwash.”

“I was virtually play fighting with her! I rotated my hand like this, then gently extended it forward.” Hong Jiu went through the motions, forgetting Master Qi was right in front of him. Master Qi was busy surveying their surroundings, so she wasn’t paying attention to what was happening directly in front. As a consequence, Hong Jiu placed his hand in the precise location he placed it the first time.

Guan Ning: “Oho.”

Fang Xiaoyu covered his eyes above his red cheeks.

Master Qi fossilised.

Hong Jiu: First it was hard. After I put a bit of pressure into my fingers, they sunk into the soft surface…

The echo of a wrathful slap was easily audible that night.

***

Putting aside the fact that Guan Ning was the only one who could stop Master Qi from murdering Hong Jiu, accounting for balancing skills and experience, pairing him up with the strong and perceptive Master Qi was a good move to compensate for his easy-to-read nature. Meanwhile， Hong Jiu’s strength and experience covered for Fang Xiaoyu’s shortcomings perfectly.

Long after they found a hiding corner, Fang Xiaoyu queried, “Does it hurt?”

“This is nothing.” Hong Jiu touched his face.

“Rub some of this on; it’ll help it heal faster.” Fang Xiaoyu passed over a vial of ointment.

“Men use no ointment.” Hong Jiu accepted the vial. “Is this effective?”

“Quite effective. Shifu uses it to help people. It expedites healing.”

“Your shifu?” Hong Jiu rubbed his cheek with one hand and fiddled with the brown porcelain vial in his other hand. “What’s his title? This thing is formulated quite thoughtfully.”

“Shifu won’t let me mention his nickn-” Fang Xiaoyu covered his mouth.

“But he never said his real name, did he?”

“That is true…” Fang Xiaoyu scratched his head. “His real name is Fang Shuiyu.”

“Shuiyu? Water Fish? Doesn’t that make him a turtle?” Upon hearing a sound, Hong Jiu held his hand over Fang Xiaoyu’s mouth and moved to another corner. “Sh.”

An elder led a group of people carrying torches over. “This is the place… I swear I heard voices. Take a look around to see if there are any intruders.”

The twenty-odd agile men spread out, while the middle-aged man adorning brocade clothing stand beside him, hands behind his back. Said man respectfully inquired, “Mr. Hai, why do you need to be so cautious?”

In a low voice, Hai Yecha replied, “I can’t shake off an uneasy feeling that something will happen tonight.”

“Please rest easy. This is an extremely secluded location. Anyone who even thinks of storming in would think twice. Who, in the last two decades, has dared to trespass?”

Meanwhile, four men encroached on the corner Hong Jiu and Fang Xiaoyu hid.

The man knew Hai Yecha well enough to not let the latter’s silence get to him. “Haha, as soon as the sun rises tomorrow, once we light up the night, you will get to see them pleading you on their knees.”

Hai Yecha raised a hand, signalling for the talking to cease, gaze still focused on the same spot before him.

***

“Shifu often told me, ‘If you meet a lady by the name of Ye Yexin, I want you to tell her something for me.’ My normally unfettered shifu would sigh at this point as though he was remembering something he regretted; I could even hear his remorse as he gave me the message to pass on. I suppose it would be hard to forget a woman as captivating as her.”

Shifu, Shifu, you always call yourself the Lord of Love, and I believe you when you say Shiniang is your beloved, but I also believe Miss Ye is your second most beloved. Men will be men, huh.

“Strange.”

After hearing Master Qi’s remark, Guan Ning reactively blurted, “Indeed. My shifu is a good man…”

“Since when were we talking about your shifu?”

“Hmm?” Only then did it occur to Guan Ning that Master Qi had stopped and was frowning at him. “Sorry, this one was distracted. Ah, right, it is strange. Why does Brother Hong not keep his word?”

“I wasn’t talking about him!”

Master Qi: He’s practically a shameless ruffian! Not once, but twice! First one may be an accident, but that second time was definitely deliberate!

Master Qi’s vengeful breathing told Guan Ning he needed to change the topic – and quick – or she’d go back for Hong Jiu’s head. “Miss Wen, what did you say was strange?”

“Ah, uh, umm… this abode. It’s strange.”

Glossary

Turtle – Hong Jiu uses a profane form of it which is synonymous with the man one’s wife is having an affair with.

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