江湖路弯弯: Jianghu Road is Curved! Chapter 20

_{(translated by xia0xiao1mei)}

CHAPTER TWENTY

Give Me A Face

The maid’s face stiffens, floating away as though her soul had left her body.

Leaving behind the two by the couch, speechlessly exchanging eye contact.

“Unlock the shackles, I’ll get it myself!” Heat rising through her blood vessels from the soles of her feet, burning directly up to her cheeks, Pang Wan feigns bravery as she glares at He Qing Lu, fearing that should she not push him away anytime soon, her head would be fuming.

She does not want to blush, but helplessly, cannot control her physiological reaction, ey.

Who knew He Qing Lu would instead suddenly sit down, leaning on her body, his slender fingers stroking her little flushed face.

“Indeed beautiful.” He looks at her, eyes turning misty, voice hoarse.

Pang Wan looks at him in surprise, deep down, there is a little little voice that starts to rise and shouts out —— could it be, could it be this person is my male lead? Ah, look at how intoxicated in happiness he is, clearly, he has fallen for me ah! Ah-haha I am indeed still a prized horse that can run thousands of miles, with beauty like that of flowers, all that I lack is a kind and considerate Bo Le to discover me…… _{(Bó Lè / 伯乐 is a famous horse tamer renowned for his ability to evaluate horses, his name can also be used to refer to a good judge of talents)}

Before the expression of happiness had actually been reflected on her face, He Qing Lu had already spoken: “A real person’s face is indeed different.”

His obsessive gaze lingers on Pang Wan’s face with no signs of leaving, a finger glides over her brows, eyes, nose and lips, finally stopping at the fine hair by the young girl’s lip side: “Look at these hairs of divine workmanship, tut tut, Master’s right, it is beautiful when it reddens.”

“You mean your hair is of divine workmanship!” Pang Wan’s abashment turns into an angry roar, “Who doesn’t grow facial hair?! Do you not grow facial hair?!”

He Qing Lu having been straight up scolded by her, finally awakens from his own little world, eyes returning to its usual clear coldness.

“There are many faces that don’t grow hair.” He retrieves his hand from her lip side, leisurely wiping it, “For example, those that are made.”

Pang Wan is stunned.

She looks at the gentleman’s clear and radiant face like white jade, suddenly recalling a certain scene, and unconsciously shivers.

“It’s you?” She softly mutters, “That Wang Gang imposter from back then?”

He Qing Lu smiles: “At least you’re smart for once.” He has always hated stupid people.

“What about the real Wang Gang?” Her voice sounding a little unstable —— don’t tell me he’s been killed by this person and had his face shed off.

“Naturally isn’t in this world anymore.” He Qing Lu indifferently says.

“……what’s your objective?” Pang Wan frowns, back gradually straightens up, seeming to take on an offensive form.

He Qing Lu bursts out laughing.

“These shackles have been forged from black iron, your internal energy would be absolutely incapable of breaking it apart.” He lightly pats her face in appeasement, presumably due to finding it has a nice feel to his hand, he once again touches it a little more, “Don’t get too angry, your skin is very smooth, it will be truly unfortunate if it is wounded.”

Pang Wan screams out terrified: “You want to shed my face to make a mask of human skin?!”

He Qing Lu raises his brows, seeming to consider this: “That is a very good idea, I must think about it.”

Pang Wan was practically about to faint and die on the spot.

But then hears He Qing Lu mutter to himself: “Wearing a dead person’s face as mask on the skin, would that not be very dirty? Better forget it.”

And so Pang Wan comes back to life again.

“I do not have any objectives.” He Qing Lu admires the three changes of colours on her face, red, white, blue, with great interest, before he tirelessly rattles on, “I am only interested in your weapon.”

He spreads out his left hand towards her, the Blazing Needle in his palm had already disappeared without a trace.

“This needle is able to automatically melt away shortly after coming in contact with the human body, I am truly curious, how do you usually store it, and how do you use it?” He looks at her, those amber pupils filled with eagerness and concentration, “The most important thing is, how is it created? Who creates it?”

“Why should I tell you?” Pang Wan is not in the mood to answer, not even willing to set her eyes on him, “You know I come from an unorthodox sect, are you going to kill me right after you got your answer?”

He Qing Lu knits his brows: “You’re thinking too much.”

He has never bothered with explanations, but the young girl before him has something that he wants, so he does not mind making an exception: “Whether you are of an unorthodox sect, or whether you are of some sort of so-called righteous sect, has absolutely nothing to do with me.”

Pang Wan very quickly raises her head to look at him.

“The conflicts and killings in the Jiang Hu, I do not care about.” He Qing Lu’s face is like that of light clouds and gentle breeze, “Moral principles of good and evil, are all just something that had been deliberately laid out for personal gains, each side has their own reasons, so why should I have to participate in it?”

“You……” Pang Wan has only seen such kind of person, detached from the common customs and values, for the first time, and could not help being a little shocked.

“Gentleman, I, have my own principle of doing things.” He Qing Lu looks at her, slowly hooking up the corners of his lips, “Besides, in accordance to this principle, I have been living very well all along.”

One who is able to live on in accordance to their own principle, is the true mighty one in the world.

Pang Wan studies this handsome and self-confident young man, recalling that horse carriage of his, similar to none, as well as the construction of this building and the furniture filled with secret machineries, her mind makes a flash: “——you’re Solitary Palace Master?” She firmly sets her eyes on him, not even blinking her eyes.

He Qing Lu is stunned, then shakes his head.

This answer is contrary to Pang Wan’s expectation, her willow-brows straightens, stubbornly pressing her lips together: “You dare to swear upon it?”

He Qing Lu had almost laughed out loud, this outrageously daring woman of the unorthodox sect, has constantly challenged his bottom line tolerance over and over again.

“Why should I swear upon it?” He raises his brows at her, “I am indeed not the Solitary Palace Master, he is older than I, this you may believe, or you may not believe, I am not obligated to explain to you.”

Pang Wan finds that indeed seems to be correct after a little thinking, and temporarily couldn’t think of any words to refute, thus grumpily stays silent.

“I like this hidden weapon of yours.” He Qing Lu looks at the disheartened Pang Wan, with her head bowed, neither hurried nor slow in saying, “Although there are many ways I can get my hands on it, I know that once they leave you, they cannot possibly be preserved no matter what.” He slightly pauses, voice softening three points, “Lady, you are so intelligent, and should know that I am not after your life, I only want the secret behind this hidden weapon.”

“I don’t know.” Pang Wan raises her head, also looking at him, gentle like water, “This set of hidden weapon was given to me by my master, I had originally only thought of it as an ordinary hidden weapon, and did not know how special it is.”

“Why does it not melt away in your hands?” He Qing Lu’s face appears pensive.

“I really don’t know.” Pang Wan shrugs her shoulders, “Had I known it was so special, I would not have used it so carelessly.” Having descended the mountain for so long, she has only ever really used the Blazing Needles once, and it was precisely that time she landed a sneak attack on that burly tattooed face man in the little town, thinking about it now, this He Qing Lu must have set his eyes on her from that moment.

He Qing Lu falls into silence for a moment, suddenly hooking up a smile, his face exhibiting a sort of indescribable look like a scheming falcon^[1]: “If lady does not know, then do not worry, as long as you obediently stay here, allowing me to get a few needles every day to study, there will definitely come a day we know the answers.”

Pang Wan also starts smiling.

“It’s not that I cannot stay here.” She speaks in a refreshingly quick and direct manner, “Just that I have one request, I hope gentleman can fulfil.”

“What request?” He Qing Lu is surprised she actually answered so quickly.

“Give me a face.”

Pang Wan’s eyes sparklingly looks at him, such hopeful eyes practically about to pierce into his heart.

“Give me the world’s most beautiful, most pure, a face that will move the hearts of all who sees it.”

That is Mary Sue’s ultimate stunning beauty, the most effective drug that has the male leads bowing at her feet.

It is also, the final straw that can save her from the fate of the supporting female.

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[1] Scheming falcon look comes from the Chinese saying yīn sǔn zhī xiāng / 阴隼之相 – the yin here is the same yin in yin and yang, and refers to shadiness, or in this case an evil schemer, whilst falcons are considered a bird with power and prestige, also considered domineering. To say that someone has the scheming falcon look, is usually to describe someone who is full of dark schemes and evil ambitions.

So he may not be the Solitary Palace Master, but it can pretty much be said that he’s a cosmetic surgeon of the ancient times…I guess