江湖路弯弯: Jianghu Road is Curved! Chapter 18

_{(translated by xia0xiao1mei)}

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Noble Gentleman Qing Lu

Walking out from the little public house, Pang Wan’s face is flushed red, her steps staggering.

“You asshole!” She hiccups, kicking at the rubble by the side of the road.

“You wooden block!” She then mercilessly stomps at the pile of innocent stones a few times.

“I hate you to death la!” Stomping her other foot onto it too, she makes a few jumps on the rubble pile.

“Ow!” Crouching down to hold her ankle —— got too worked up that even her joint had been twisted.

“Where did this little lady come from, why are you here all alone?”

The moment she lowered her head to inspect her injury, three big burly men armed with knives had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Pang Wan locks her brows together, and does not answer.

“Tut-tut, little lady here has quite the pretty figure, raise your head for me to see?” A hairy arm reaches over, intending to lift her chin.

Pang Wan moves her face away without losing composure.

“Oh? A shy one too!” The owner of the arm widely grins, speckles of spit accompanying a stinking fishy smell comes spewing out, “Old man, I, just values the shy ones most!” As he says this, the tip of his knives picks at Pang Wan’s collar.

Pang Wan was just distressing over having no place to vent her anger, when her eyes see that group of perverts voluntarily send themselves forward, desperately asking for misfortune to fall upon them, her one flip of a hand knocks the handle of the knife and sends it flying to the ground.

“A clear path leading to heaven, yet you don’t go; hell has no doors, yet you insist on coming!”

Under the bright and clear moon, she raises the golden whip as she stands straight, expression at freezing point like the frost in the twelfth lunar month: “Great-Aunt shall teach you all a lesson today!”

The burly men holding knives were initially stunned, but then mutually eyes one another meaningfully, with one roar, they all come lunging towards Pang Wan at the same time.

The four people embroiled in a fight, Pang Wan relies on her tipsiness to execute her attacks mercilessly, with great accuracy, very quickly gaining the upper hand.

In the dark corners of the alley, not far away, there is a pair of raptured eyes quietly watching this entire scene.

In the end, just before one hooligan was going to fall to the ground, the owner of that pair of eyes suddenly speaks up:

“Add five people, top class.”

Eyes seeing victory in sight, Pang Wan had just wanted to withdraw her hands and leave, when another several men in black of unknown identity, suddenly appears. They do not even say a single word and come launching their attacks at her, each and every move deadly and vicious, aiming for an absolute kill.

The martial arts of these few people are far above the hooligans from before, Pang Wan had sprained her ankle, her fired up impulse from alcohol influence, is gradually straining her energy as she continues to cope.

Her mind slightly sways, and suddenly a sword diagonally brushes past her cheek, cutting off half a strand of black hair.

A moment of panic flashes within those almond eyes, before it shoots out raging flames —— dares to attack her face? These people actually dare to harm her cute and beautiful face? One must know that bad guys can hit anywhere, just aren’t allowed to harm the face which she needs to fulfil the accomplishment of obtaining a dominant position!

Only hearing a sound of “pa”, the golden whip mercilessly lashes out towards that person who had almost cut her, that person is shaken into taking around ten steps back, a big mouthful of blood spraying out.

“Cut her face!” That person covers his chest as he shakily shouts out, heroically falling to the ground.

The remaining men in black instantly changes their tactics, manoeuvring all sorts of weapons in consecutively striking towards her face —— sword, sabre, claw, hook, pin, stick, club, spear, trident, hoops —— very much carrying the meaning of definitely not giving up unless they manage to tear up her face.

With her weakness seized, Pang Wan can only sway left and flash right to try her hardest in avoiding the attacks, the alcohol in her stomach practically about to be thrown up from the excessive movements, the moment she could no longer tolerate it anymore, the little red needle in her sleeve quietly slips out.

A sudden burst of chilly wind sweeps past, the men in black on scene are rendered absolutely motionless, as though they had an immobilising curse casted on them.

“Lady, has been startled.” A pale faced male in grey clothing lands on the ground and turns around, slowly holding his clenched fist out in salute to Pang Wan.

Pang Wan does not answer, only tightly clenching her teeth as her chest rises and falls, constantly exhaling in heavy breaths.

“I have already hit their acupoints, the culprits have been subdued now, lady needs not worry.”

The man in grey once again respectfully salutes her, refined and well mannered.

“Why save me?” Pang Wan coldly looks at him, maintaining her on-offense posture, expression yet to show the slightest of easing.

The man in grey sounds a coarse “ha-ha” laugh, pointing his finger behind her: “This is the command of my Young Master.”

Eyes following his finger, Pang Wan finds that at the end of the alley, don’t know when a grandly sized horse carriage had quietly stopped there. That carriage is very strange, from the horses to the carriage itself, all is completely black, even the coachman’s face is covered in a black hood-mask, the entire carriage looking just like a ride for a ghost king, having just travelled out from hell.

“Reporting to Young Master, the person had already been saved, brought to you safe and sound.”

The man in grey reports to the horse carriage from a distant.

After a moment of silence, a corner of the black as ink curtain is suddenly lifted, exposing the rays of dim yellow lighting inside.

“Lady, please.” The man in grey respectfully gestures to Pang Wan.

Pang Wan looks back at the man in grey, lips spreading into a smile as radiant as the flowers in spring.

Closer, closer, she already sees the dim candlelight inside the carriage.

A bright light flashes past her eyes.

Closer, closer, she already gets a clear view of that hand like white jade, holding the curtain.

Only hearing a sound of “peng”, Pang Wan leaps into the carriage like a proud swallow soaring into the sky, at the same time pulling out the golden whip in hand, firmly locking onto the person in the carriage’s throat.

“Who are you? What motive do you have? Speak!” She glares at the person like a hungrily ferocious tiger, eyes menacing, tone swift and fierce.

——the entire action carried out in no more than a lightning flash of a moment, a smooth flow like a passing whirlwind, not giving anyone the slightest chance to intervene.

That person’s body freezes, then slowly turns his face.

“It’s you??” Pang Wan is stunned, slightly loosening the strength in her hands, the whip also slides down half an inch from the person’s long and slender neck.

It is the golden coronet gentleman who was peeking at her in the inn a few days back.

“Lady! What is the need for this?!”

The man in grey loudly shouts out from outside the carriage, looking anxious, but for some unknown reason, does not dare to enter the carriage, and could only falter in his original spot.

“Move it away.” The gentleman glances at the weapon under his neck, slight disdain sweeping past his face.

Pang Wan’s eyes sparkles, her red lips presses together, the golden whip in hand once again pulled tight: “Who are you?” The tip of her nose practically about to touch the person’s face.

“Our Young Master extended a helping hand upon witnessing injustice whilst passing, lady must most definitely not return a good deed with resentment!” The hoarse voice once again sounds from outside the carriage.

Pang Wan takes a look at the gentleman, seeing him remain calm since the very beginning, she ponders for a moment, before finally pulling the whip away.

“You followed me?” She retreats to the soft seat, turning to inspect him.

The gentleman does not speak, only adjusting his own wrinkled collar, in an extremely elegant manner.

“You really only just happened to pass by?” Seeing him remain silent, Pang Wan stands, wanting to lean even closer.

But did not think she had moved her sprained joint, exclaiming with a sound of “ah”.

“Injured?” The gentleman speaks up, voice reserved just like his character.

“Injured my ankle.” Pang Wan sulkily moves aside her skirt, taking off her shoe and sock, revealing a little snow white foot, five toes pink like flower petals.

The gentleman very quickly averts his eyes.

“Do you have any medicinal liquor?” Pang Wan does not care, she gently kneads at the swollen area with her hands.

“No.” The gentleman frowns, seeming to despise her behaviour.

“Then I’ll trouble you to offer another helping hand, send me to the physicians.”

Seeing that her body of clothes is full of holes, Pang Wan sorrowfully pouts —— other than the face being perfectly fine with no harm done, the bruises, swelling, and fractures everywhere else makes up ten places at least right? She should hurry and find a place to apply medicine, most definitely cannot leave any scars!

“It’s the hour of the tiger right now _{(3am – 5AM)}, the physicians have long been closed.”

The gentleman indifferently answers.

Pang Wan raises her head upon hearing this, widening that pair of almond eyes to look at him, glistening like water, batting her eyelashes.

The gentleman says nothing.

Her big eyes once again persistently tries harder, once again blinking a few times.

Being stared at with such burning eyes, the gentleman clears his throat in the end, saying: “Should lady not mind, you may stay on the carriage to my estate for medicine.”

Almond eyes curving into crescent moons, the corners of Pang Wan’s lips rises high, sweetly showing her dimples: “Very well, very well, Wan Wan first sends her gratitude to gentleman.” I was just waiting for such words of yours.

The gentleman looks at the cheery expression on her face after her silly scheme had succeeded, deadpanned, he says not a single word.

“Dare I ask of benefactor’s honourable name?” Pang Wan seeing that he is finally willing to look directly at her, quickly grins as she wraps her fist in salute, “Today’s saving grace, Wan Wan is sure to earnestly repay^[1] in future!”

“……He Qing Lu.”

Seeing the bright smile, sweet like honey, before him, the gentleman quietly raises his brows.

“My name, may lady remember it well.”

Must most definitely, not carelessly forget it.

---

---

[1] To earnestly repay someone for their saving grace is actually an idiom in Chinese called dī shuǐ zhī ēn, dāng yǒng quán xiāng bào / 滴水之恩，当涌泉相报 which literally translates to the saving grace of a drop of water, is to be treated as surging spring water. This means that even the smallest of favours must be treated with great gratitude, and is to be repaid with such manner of thinking. When expressing your sincerity in wanting to repay someone, you would only need to say the latter half of the idiom, which is what Wan Wan does here.

Guess who~~??? Hehe