江湖路弯弯: Jianghu Road is Curved! Chapter 15

_{(translated by anniaxx)}

^{(edited by xia0xiao1mei)}

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Lotus as Letter Paper

“Let’s bring in Solitary Palace’s forces under command!”

Pang Wan decides for Gu Xi Ju without even taking a second to think.

“Ah?” Bai Xiao Sheng is surprised by her immediate response, and could not help doubting, “Why would Lady say this?”

Pang Wan shows seriousness on her face, “Eradicating the unorthodox sect is just reducing one of many many enemies, but bringing in Solitary Palace’s forces is adding an alliance that no other can have. Look, if the same amount of effort and price is needed, isn’t the latter one more worthy?”

Bai Xiao Sheng gives her a scrutinizing gaze, nodding, “It makes sense.”

Seeing him seem to agree to her words, Pang Wan relaxes a little bit in her heart.

——Are you kidding? How can I not do anything and just watch you guys forming teams to beat up my family’s people? Isn’t this the same as blaming my life for being too long?

After ending the topic of unorthodox sect, Pang Wan begins to enjoy the delicious taro dumplings. Bai Xiao Sheng sees her carefree appearance, suddenly speaks up to ask, “Does Lady Wan Wan like Supreme Chief?”

Pang Wan stops chewing, lifts her head and gives him a beaming smile, “I like him.”

Bai Xiao Sheng was just about to respond, but he hears Pang Wan babbling with her mouth full of food, “Just as how I like my older brother.”

Bai Xiao Sheng does not say any more.

—

After she has finally finished eating and returns to the hall, the assembly has already been dismissed. Gu Xi Ju, with his back as erect as a verdant pine, stands by the door and says farewell to each of the sect leaders.

Pang Wan does not make any noise; she walks to his side and stands there, imitating his moves, smiling, nodding and waving her hand, appearing like a “little virtuous wife”^[1].

After sending off the last sect leader, Gu Xi Ju turns around and smiles lightly toward her.

“Why are you such a good girl today?” He asks.

“I want to share Supreme Chief’s burden.” Pang Wan stands up straight with a serious face.

Gu Xi Ju gives her a glance, then suddenly reaches out his right hand; his thumb makes a gentle wipe on her lips, “Why did you forget to wipe your mouth after eating?”

This time, even maid A, who is usually calm, also becomes extremely shocked.

Pang Wan roughly wipes her lips with her hands. While her face and ears are blushing red, she sees the meaningful faint smile on Bai Xiao Sheng’s face.

She gives him a vicious stare, lifts her skirt and leaves.

After returning to her room at night, Pang Wan turns and tosses in bed, unable to sleep.

She thinks of what Bai Xiao Sheng said, and grows uneasy in her heart— Sect Leader Uncle wants her to dethrone Gu Xi Ju and replace him as the next Supreme Chief; but Gu Xi Ju just happens to hope to have her as his confidant, and plans to exterminate the unorthodox sect, is the current situation bad, or bad?^[2]

Knowing that so many people desire to take her life, she subconsciously touches the silk soft armor^[3] on her, murmuring, “I’m so lucky to have you.”

When she was leaving the sect, sect leader specially gives her this soft armor, saying that no weapons in this world can penetrate it; he also carefully warns her to not to take off this soft armor no matter what; now that she thinks about it, this elderly really has some wise foresight.

But she also thinks the other way, it is also this same elderly that framed her with numerous wicked reputation, resulting her to become the rat that runs across the street with everyone yelling “kill it” from behind; so she is unable to cheer herself up again.

Getting no solutions after long contemplation, at last, she decides to close her eyes and sleep.

Anyway, no matter she is happy or not, the days still pass by the same way, so she’ll just live on and see what happens.

—

A huge event happens the next day. Fairy Sang Chan sends someone to deliver an invitation, asking Gu Xi Ju to meet in the black bamboo forest after five days.

Pang Wan turns transfixed when she picks up the invitation card——she has never seen an invitation card made of lotus petal; pink and soft, gentle and fragrant, its aroma refreshing her heart.

“Fairy is still this elegant, using lotus as letter paper.” Bai Xiao Sheng leans toward her to study the invitation card.

Pang Wan lifts up her head and looks at him with a perplexed face, “Using lotus as letter paper, then what does she do in the winter?” Could it be that she does not write letters during winter?

Bai Xiao Sheng is speechless; it seems like he has never thought about this problem.

“Carving messages on plum tree branches.” Gu Xi Ju’s voice gently interrupts; he reaches out his hand and takes away the petal from Pang Wan’s hands.

Pang Wan shrivels her lips, thinking in her heart: when I become famous in the future, I must use an even more special even more shocking thing to be my stationery, what should I choose? Carving messages on little cucumbers? Using cactus as letter paper?

On the other side, Gu Xi Ju has finished reading all the words on the lotus letter; his lips curves upward, appearing hopeful, also satisfied.

——This infatuated type is too easy to be satisfied! Pang Wan’s heart is almost worried to the extent of bleeding as she watches him being like that.

“Help me to postpone all the plans on the day after five days from now.” Gu Xi Ju looks up to Bai Xiao Sheng, his speaking tone unquestionably firm.

Bai Xiao Sheng nods, seems like he has already been preparing in his heart.

“I also want to go!” A fine white little hand rises high; of course, it is Pang Wan’s.

“Supreme Chief, I want to go with you to see Fairy Sang Chan, may I?” Looking under her eyelashes, she carefully studies Gu Xi Ju’s look on his face.

Gu Xi Ju has not even expressed his attitude when Bai Xiao Sheng immediately speaks, “Nonsense!” Not only his facial expression is bad, his tone is also unusually serious, “Supreme Chief has always attended the meetings with Fairy alone, how can he bring you along?”

Pang Wan is shocked by his sudden seriousness, she subconsciously bites her lips, “I , I have no other intentions, I just want to see how Fairy older sister looks like……”

Gu Xi Ju frowns with no emotions on his face, “No, you can’t.”

Not expecting to have this simple request rejected, Pang Wan heart grows hasty, so her voice pitch rises too, “Supreme Chief, you don’t need to worry! I will just look from afar; I will definitely not cause troubles for you! Then, you two can do all the things that you want, whatever you…” She suddenly feels inappropriate and lowers her voice, “I, I will guard the door for you two……”

Bai Xiao Sheng was originally still angry, but upon hearing this, he bursts into laughter.

Gu Xi Ju presses his lips, seeing her apprehensive look, he sighs, “Wan Wan, we can discuss any other matters, but not this one.”

“Why?” Pang Wan widens her eyes——Isn’t it just seeing your loved one? How is it difficult? It’s not like I will eat her.

Not waiting for Gu Xi Ju to answer, Bai Xiao Sheng walks over and grabs her back collar, “Can’t you see who the person that Supreme Chief is going to see is?” He warns her in a low voice and drags her outside.

Pang Wan wanted to struggle, yet in the moment when she turns back her head and sees the look in Gu Xi Ju’s eyes, her breath stops.

That look is a cold and direct rejection, leaving no room for any further argument.

—

“Female lead is good ya female lead is good, female lead’s position is always super high…” Humming another top-ranked pop song from the land of Mary Sue, Pang Wan wanders on the street with little interest.

She did not expect for Gu Xi Ju’s protection of Sang Chan has already reach this extent of watertight. Judging from this, female lead is surely invincible here. Flashing back to her splendid Mary Sue previous life, and the numerous matchless beautiful men who dug their hearts out to show her their love, Pang Wan could not resist sighing melancholically.

I should treat the supporting characters better in her next life, she thinks in her heart.

All the good-looking men shall all be accepted! Needless to do that “one-life-one-pair”, too conservative, just go for the “one-wife-countless-husbands” matriarchist story line, she continues to plan in her heart.

As she was thinking, she unintentionally lifts her head and her sight lands on a pair of beautiful eyes.

It is an extremely beautiful young mister, between the age of eighteen or nineteen, with his hair bound by a golden coronet, his face appearing like jade, and a crimson cinnabar spot on the center of his forehead, he gives off a sense of noble adding some degree of unconventional charm.

This mister stares at her from the opposite restaurant for unknown reasons, his eyesight blazing and glowing, as if it will nail her shadow on the stone pathed road.

In this one short moment, Pang Wan develops the delusion that someone has fallen for her at first sight just like in her previous life in the land of Mary Sue.

So within a second, her steps broadens, shifting and leaping to stand right in front of that golden coronet gentleman.

“Hello! My name is Wan Wan, nice to meet you, nice to meet you!” She smiles sweetly as she reaches out her hands to the person in front of her.

The golden coronet gentleman stays silent and turns away his face, his neck revealing an elegant curve as a swan’s, does not show any interest of talking to her.

——Uh? This beautiful man was not staring at me a moment ago? Pang Wan is confused all of a sudden.

After a long while, the golden coronet gentleman still has not exhibited any interest of turning back his face to her, the bodyguard behind him also becomes impatient.

“Um, sorry, I saw wrong, sorry to interrupt you.” Pang Wan embarrasses herself, rubs her nose and turns around to leap off the restaurant.

Who would expect that after only a few steps, she senses that blazing and glowing eyesight starting to follow her again, making her feel as if her back is burned by it.

One, two, three! Pang Wan quietly counts in her heart and quickly turns back to the direction of the restaurant.

But she sees that golden coronal gentleman is calm and relaxed, just about to take a drink of wine, not even lifting his eyelids toward her direction.

Could it be that her senses are wrong? It couldn’t be, Zuo Nan Yi has already trained her reaction nerves to be number-one keen and acute; it is impossible that she has judged incorrectly.

So she quietly turns back, lowers her head and continues to walk ahead.

Sensing the eyesight that almost wants to eat her, sticking on her back once again, she mutters some words to herself; one small circular ball silently slips into her hand.

“Ai-yo!” A passer-by was not careful, falling and slipping to about one zhang_{(1 zhang= 3.33 meters)} in front of her, tossing the vegetable basket in his hand, which flies off.

Within this brief second that is as fast as lighting and thunder, Pang Wan quickly turns back her head to look at the restaurant.

——Everyone’s sight is attracted by the passer-by, only the beautiful eyes of the golden coronet gentleman is still fixed on her.

Not expecting Pang Wan to suddenly turn at this moment at all, he did not have enough time to direct away the direction of his eyesight, colliding straight into Pang Wan’s sight. So the expression of this gentleman shows a sudden shock.

Little boy, you thought your older sister couldn’t catch you?^[4] Pang Wan gives him a proud smile.

Golden coronet gentleman’s face looks angry.

One after another, people come to help that innocent passer-by up, assisting him to pick up the radish and cabbage that flew everywhere.

Pang Wan also bends over gracefully, picking up a broccoli that has rolled next to her feet.

Then as she holds that broccoli, she sweetly smiles to the golden coronet gentleman with her dimples revealed, and silently mouths three words.

“How dare you!” The golden coronet gentleman suddenly slaps the desk and stands up. His usual calm face shows extreme anger and embarrassment, his eyes full of blazing fire.

The person he scolds has already turned back and left.

The bodyguard takes a step back; cold sweat dropping down his forehead.

He saw it clearly, the words from that little lady’s red lips was clearly, “Don’t, be, shy.”

This is really, daring enough.

---

 

 

Translator’s Note: Hello, I am back. I have to apologize for the long wait for this chapter. Things in my life were not really going smooth and I couldn’t find time to finish this chapter. So sorry~ Back to the chapter, hahaha, guess which character has just came back? I’m trying so hard to not spoil anything, but I can’t resist. And the lotus petal as letter paper part, oh my gosh, I got goosebumps, I cannot think of anything more Mary Sue than this. Yingzhao is so good at mocking Mary Sue…Love you all~             —Annie ^_^*

---

 

[1] “Little Wife”: a little wife appearance means being submissive and obedient.

[2]”Is this situation bad or bad?”: another popular saying. Some of you might think it sounds weird. This is a saying in modern Chinese that is commonly used among young people. It basically means “it is surely bad.” People would say things like: “are you stupid, or stupid?”, “should I escape, or escape?””Giving two choices that are the same is confirming the characteristic of the things being talked about. I think its origin comes from some movies that have bad guys saying, “I will give you two options, die, or…(wait for the victim to get his hope up)..die?”

[3] soft armor: some characters in martial arts novels wear a layer of special material inside to protect themselves from attacks.

[4]Pang Wan is not of course not older that the golden coronet gentlemen. She says that she is his “older sister” to show her superiority and pride of tricking him.