Chapter 395: At Least I’ll Have a “Friend” for the Road Ahead!
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
It was as if ng Qi had been struck by lightning. It was like he was flying through the cosmos being burnt to a crisp on his outsides. He had prepared himself for when he saw the demoness Gu again and her claiming the child was his. He had thought that he sort of had a handle on how crazy people thought.
However, who knew she would actually bring the kid along – that crisp little voice saying daddy to ng Qi was like being struck by Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmanship or Supernatural Power of Shaking Heaven and Hitting Earth. His Vital Spirit had been shaken, his thoughts were a ss now and it was hard to form sentences. He felt as if he had no idea of having been “drugged and raped” by demoness Gu.
“Crazy people’s thoughts are so random…”
“It’s really not sothing that a normal person like myself can fathom or speculate!”
ng Qi ca back to reality. He was certain that he had never had any relations that precluded those of simply being enemies with the demoness Gu Xiaosang. He was both angry and annoyed. Inside, he was fuming, “Woman! How dare you fool around in this way! If I don’t get you back for this, then I am sobody who thinks gullible only has two Ls!”
It felt good to curse her, and suddenly he felt a little glad that none of this had taken place in front of the masters of the Ranking List of Young Masters at the Party of Happycloud. One should not show any weakness in front of the experts of the Exterior, or under the public gaze. If Gu Xiaosang brought the little girl in front of him to say “daddy” combined with tearful reproach for him having left her after having had his way with her, then his reputation would be shot.
Naturally, it was not like being ruined from so grand injustice with everyone looking down upon him. After all, it was demoness Gu they were talking about; most of what she said could not be trusted. And without a blood test, nobody would believe her anyway. Moreover, his compadres would resolutely support him.
In this regard, the matter would just beco a funny story around Jianghu. In the days to co people would more than likely point at him with him being the butt of their jokes for things such as,
“Oh, so that’s the Killing Blade Su ng that the great goddess took the child in front of; I heard it wasn’t even his!”
“Young Master Su, I know that the demoness wronged you, but I just have one question for you, just how old is your child now anyway? Hahaha.”
…
“No no no, why think so much about sothing that didn’t even happen?” ng Qi put an end to his chaotic thoughts. His jaw ached a bit from thinking about the contempt he felt for Gu Xiaosang, and at the sa ti he thought it best to keep as much distance from her as possible. In case this “ntal patient” found fit to co up with so new random act of madness.
Fortunately, he had never had relations with her, or he really would be in hot water!
“No no no, talking like this sounds like I almost got into a relationship with her!”
ng Qi was no longer in any mood to sightsee along the river. He gave the old boatman, who looked on puzzled as ng Qi leapt into the air and then alighted on the street on the left bank, so silver. He then disappeared into the crowd of people that were there enjoying the illuminations or making purchases for the Spring Festival.
He was very experienced and his cognitive training was not too shabby either. He gradually cald down again after a short while and put the matter in the back of his mind. He started contemplating just why the demoness Gu may have co to Ying City at all.
“Anyway, that child isn’t mine!”
He knew she had traveled down south for a few months, and Six Fan School had not heard from her. Then suddenly she appeared in Ying City; it was unlikely to be an empty shot fired across the bows, or coincidence. Whichever way one looked at it, demoness Gu was not soone who was all that enamored with Kung Fu. It was unlikely she would voluntarily take the risk of coming to He Jiu’s tournant. Or was she seeking so sort of breakthrough?
ng Qi thought that he understood Gu Xiaosang to so extent. She was very gifted and quite odd, yet quick-witted, making her very hard to predict. While she was able to apply herself at Kung Fu, she was not all that devoted to it. Besides this, there was not much else to it. It stood to reason, then, that she would not throw herself into action for the sake of a similarly matched opponent, temporarily discarding all other matters and risking so much in exchange. On the contrary, if Gu Xiaosang really t such a person she would most likely choose her mont and then just anihilate them.
“Wait, is an understanding of ntal patients any kind of understanding at all?”ng Qi found himself in deep thought.
He walked on and found that he had turned down a bustling street. He heard a familiar voice calling out to him,
“Brother Su.”
Following the voice, he looked up and saw soone standing by a window on the third floor to his right. The face held a smile and was holding up a glass of wine to him. He felt as if he was looking upon a familiar face from back ho as he was away on the road.
He was in his early 20s wearing Confucian robes. His face was a little square and he had a broad nose and mouth. He did not have particularly morable features, but his deanor was dignified while he stood there as large as a mountain.
ng Qi was surprised and elated all at once, and called out loudly, “Brother Wang, I didn’t reckon I’d be seeing you here!”
“At least I’ll have a ‘friend’ for the road ahead!”
It was none other than Right-guarding Sword Wang Zai, the son of a concubine from the Wang family of Zhou County.
“A grand event such as this Party of Happycloud is taking place in Jianghu. How could I miss it? At least, now I have run into you, brother Su!” Wang Zai bood down, drawing many side glances.
“Brother Su?”
“Is it really him?”
“Could it be Killing Blade Su ng?”
Rows of eyes from all around fell at once upon ng Qi. They were a mix of sizing him up, envy, reverence, passing judgnt, being unconvinced and so on. ng Qi could not help but straighten up a little as he felt like he was standing under a spotlight.
“Hey now, Brother Wang can really talk! That’s no exaggeration at all!”
He swaggered into the inn, climbing up to the third floor he found Wang Zai by his loneso next to the window drinking. He broke into a smile,
“Brother Wang, drinking on your own just makes your sorrows worse! How can good wine be enjoyed without good friends?”
Wang Zai laughed, “Was I not waiting for you?”
Seeing ng Qi looking a little surprised, he added, “I had a rendezvous with soone, who then couldn’t co and cancelled at the last minute. But it’s alright, this way I get to have a drink with you, Brother Su.”
“Oh, well, we haven’t seen each other for half a year.” ng Qi, with no airs or graces, planted himself in a chair like he owned the place and poured himself a glass while topping up Wang Zai’s at the sa ti.
This familiarity rather conveniently, and instintaneously, pulled them back to their ti together in Yedu, as if they had never left.
After they had raised their glasses and toasted each other, Wang Zai slapped the table and lanted, “Really, only half a year? I thought that at least a year or two had gone by without knowing it. Brother Su, you really are a fast mover! People are shocked that you’ve advanced so rapidly up the Ranking List of Young Masters. You were 19th and are now ranked in the top six.”
“You’re not doing so badly yourself Brother Wang, already 15th.” ng Qi kept his pride in check, and returned the complint.
“I used to think that I was very fast but when compared with you, Su, I feel ashad. The last ti I looked at the Ranking List of Young Masters and I discovered you had displaced first-rate opponents such as Shadow Cold Palm I couldn’t believe it. Suddenly you’re this high up…” Wang Zai said with sincerity while gesturing.
ng Qi “modestly” said, “Brother Wang, you know all about my background, I have no respect for when I am surrounded.”
After making small talk for a while Wang Zai brought up an issue, “I’ve been staying in the Mi household these few days here in Ying City, and have had so dealings with the sect and aristocratic families. The younger generation is intrigued by the Party of Happycloud that He Jiu has organized and all these masters that are coming to Ying City. However, most of them have no ans of getting in, so we thought about coming together and holding a pre-event tournant for the martial artists to compete in and demonstrate their skills at. Would you be interested in observing and refereeing it, perhaps giving them a few pointers?”
“To be a VIP…? ” ng Qi knew that Wang Zai would not be making this up, and he nodded gently, “How could I refuse Brother Wang’s invitation? Which other masters from the Ranking List of Young Masters are attending?”
“Well, apart from you and I, Brother Yan, The Unstoppable, and Brother Chu, the Moving Stars and Moon. The rest are ranked beyond 20th on the Ranking List of Young Masters and are participants in the martial arts tournant…” Wang Zai said in detail.
After a brief exchange of views on the matter, the two n turned to drinking and chatting about their own Jianghu experiences and the upcoming Party of Happycloud.
“The Ledgerkeeper of Lives has confird his attendance but hasn’t arrived yet. Master Lotus won’t be here for a few days. Demoness Gu and Wolf King probably won’t dare show their faces in public, so they may or may not co. Bliss ndicant, Modest Deity of the Earth, and the others are really far away and there is no news of them attending. Buddhist Heart Palm, Master Lotus and End of the World are all within shouting distance…” Wang Zai sketched out for ng Qi the intel he already knew that ca out of Six Fan School, but he still feigned to listen intently nevertheless.
They had a good chat and drank for a good three hours, then finally Wang Zai lanted, “Choosing to tread the path of Jianghu really has been a constant stream of trials and tribulations. I an, if it’s not danger you’re facing, it’s all the odd people. The greedy, the petty, those that cannot see the overall picture; those that make a scene or the shaless, it’s enough to make one truly irritable. However, it’s hard to raise such difficult questions due to their upright status within society, while avoiding being pigeonholed by people as narrow-minded. There’s also the risk of losing one’s presence as a master. Aye, forget about it! After all, we’re cultured, let’s just put it down to us being afraid of them.”
ng Qi grinned, “I’m not afraid.”
Wang Zai asked sincerely, “Huh, why not? Do you have so secret recipe that I don’t know about Brother Su?”
ng Qi replied in earnest, “It’s because I am not cultured at all and I have always been narrow-minded.”
Wang Zai’s expression froze, surprisingly he had nothing to say.
…
In having finalized the VIP issue, ng Qi and Wang Zai parted ways and returned to their quarters at their respective inns.
He had a long saber at his waist and was dressed in black clothes. His form was upright and masculine, like that of a soldier. In the eyes of passing guests, or even critical onlookers, he was soone with an outstanding deanor, a master.
On seeing him enter the inn, one of the windows on the second floor gave a squeal as it shut.
ng Qi passed through the inn’s gardens and arrived at a small courtyard at the rear of the inn, he pulled out so keys and opened the gate.
Nothing felt out of the ordinary, but as he entered the wing room his heart lurched, his alertness imdiately rising. A clanging sound stemming from Heaven Inflicted Pain and his gaze was drawn to the bed.
All he saw was a woman dressed in a plain white dress lying on her side on the bed. She was dreamy, as pretty as a picture. She cradled her cheek in her hand and she was looking at him, smiling.
What she was wearing was all-enveloping so that apart from her arms, neck and face, no other piece of her skin was visible. However, this plain white dress followed every contour of her body, which was like a small range of hills. It was enough to make one’s throat turn dry from the irresistible seductive elent.
“My husband, finally you’re ho.” As she spoke her eyes were awash with a young woman’s charms, looking into them was like drowning in a deep pool of water. It could only be the demoness, Gu Xiaosang.
ng Qi put himself on alert at the sa ti as he opened his mouth to cry out to anyone nearby, to expose Gu Xiaosang’s whereabouts and consequently assist in subduing her.
At that mont, Gu Xiaosang flicked her fingers and an object landed in front of ng Qi. It made a tinkling sound.
It was a blue lotus flower, a fine resemblance to one at least, very poetic, and on top of it was inscribed, “Flower-washing, Qi Zhengyan”.
“Senior Brother Qi?” ng Qi’s gaze froze, “What have you done to him?”
This emblem was used to identify one as a mber of the Huanhua Swords Sect. It belonged to Qi Zhengyan. ng Qi’s spirit scanned it and verified it as genuine.
“I saved him.” Gu Xiaosang sat up slowly, like silky black hair flowing, her movents were both lazy and enchanting.
“What?” ng Qi was perplexed.
Gu Xiaosang giggled, but didn’t answer. She looked at ng Qi seductively, “My husband, isn’t our child lovely?”
“Nobody has had children with you!” ng Qi growled.
Gu Xiaosang got up and half-jokingly said, “The Six Realms can turn back ti, creating potential realities. This is sothing I have experienced. We can go and explore the remnants of the Celestial Court. We can face and head off danger together, fall in love and have our child.”
ng Qi was once more dumbfounded. He had had similar speculations about the Dominator of Samsara in the Six Realms. He stamred,
“No, it can’t be true?”
“Of course it is…” Gu Xiaosang revealed her moonlight and starlight supressing smile in a flash, “a lie.”
“You believed even sothing like that? I knew you had similar ideas about Samsara in the Six Realms, as do I too. However, just talking about it like that, you went and bought it, hook, line and sinker. You’re so daft…” Her smile was extrely lovely and cute.
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