江湖路弯弯: Jianghu Road is Curved! Chapter 51

_{(translated by anniaxx)}

^{(edited by xia0xiao1mei)}

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

The Price

After entering the room and closing the door, Pang Wan lets out a “wah” sound and vomits a mouthful of blood to the ground.

“Sheng Gu,” Shi Jue Ming is filled with worries, quickly handing to her a handkerchief.

Pang Wan takes the handkerchief and wipes the corner of her mouth, her thin shoulders gently shaking in the freezing wind, “I’m fine, it’s just inner energy backfiring.” As she speaks, she take out a pill and eats it.

Shi Jue Ming’s worries deepen.

Half a month ago, Sect Leader had just gone into seclusion to heal Young Master, didn’t think that Supreme Chief of Wu Lin would take the oppurtunity to send a battle invitation for the eighth day of the twelfth month, when the entire sect was panicking with no plans of countermeasure, Sheng Gu suddenly comes back with an antler flute, saying that as long as they have this, it can be guaranteed that no one will be harmed on the eighth day.

After carefully inquiring, he learned that Sheng Gu had actually given her own silk soft armor to the Prince of Guang Ling, using this as the price in exchange for him to send troops this one time.

Shi Jue Ming is not very comfortable with this, after all that silk soft armor is an exceptionally precious treasure, there is only one in the entire world, how could it be easily given to others like that? Yet Sheng Gu just pats his shoulder and smiles: “Jiang Hu and the imperial court originally hold no relations to one another, had I not accidentally saved the youngest son of Prince of Guang Ling, he wouldn’t even send any troops just for this one treasure.”

“The soft silk armor is not a necessity to the Prince of Guang Ling, yet his army is essential to Bai Yue Sect.” Sheng Gu sighs, her face serious and determined, “Nevermind this mere soft silk armour, even if he wants ten sect treasures, as long as he is willing to send troops, I’m willing to give. Which is more important, I have an accurate balance in my heart.”

After listening, Shi Ming Jue feels that it is very reasonable, also thinking that Sheng Gu finally has the demeanor of a distinguished family, therefore could not resist the feeling of pleasantness in his heart.

He has watched Sheng Gu grow up, she was born intelligent and bright, although she haven’t worked really hard on martial arts, she just happens to have extremely good bone structures and comprehension skill, therefore receiving great care from Sect Leader. It’s a pity that half a year ago, Sheng Gu went down the mountains for real world experience but returns with severe injuries, almost lost her life as well, Sect Leader was made furious, only then did he terminate her position.

But everyone with discerning eyes knows, Sect Leader is just actually mad that her, this piece of iron, does not want to become a blade of steel, in his heart, he still extremely cares for Sheng Gu, otherwise he wouldn’t have let her stay by Young Master’s side all day long.

In this chaos, Sheng Gu is reinstated and wields power again, rescuing the entire sect from danger, with none of the sect elders showing any disagreement.

Furthermore, Sheng Gu was willing to use a secret practice in order to stop the invader, letting Elder Qiu forcefully inject his thirty years of cultivated inner energy into her own body, and steps into the battlefield under this extreme situation.

This inner energy of thirty years, must be completely bursted out within seven days.

And the price that Sheng Gu needs to pay, is ten years of her life.

Looking at the young lady sitting in mediation on bed, thinking that at this flower stage of her life, she must face this kind of cruel decision, Shi Jue Ming could not resist his overflowing emotions and signs.

Her five organs burning, hundreds meridians boiling, Pang Wan exerted great effort to barely calm down that bouncing dangerous air in her body, before she opens her eyes, weakly wiping off the thin  layer of sweat on her forehead.

“Lord You needs not worry.” She sees Shi Jue Ming’s face still showing anxiousness, assuming that he is still worrying for the future, she forces out a smile, “As long as Sect Leader and Brother Nan Yi steps out from seclusion in seven days, there will no longer be anything to fear.”

She knows Nan Yi’s Xi Sui Jing has already broke through the ninth level, if they fight for real, even Gu Xi Ju might not be able reap any benefits from him. With the addition of Sect Leader Uncle who can block ten thousand men with his body alone, those “righteous sects” wanting to exterminate them all at once, humph, afraid it won’t be that easy!

As long as Sect Leader steps out from seclusion, all difficulties they are facing shall be eased, therefore her current objective is to maintian defence on Cloud Rising Mountain for seven days.

Fortunately, fortunately before dancing the Fairy Dance, she had extra thoughts, burying her belongings at the foot of the mountain.

——fire phoenix cloak was not lost, soft silk armor was not lost, the pig-headed young gentleman’s jade token was also not lost.

Even now, it is still hard for her to believe, that pig-headed young gentleman who she carelessly saved is actually the most doted youngest son of the Prince of Guang Ling, Zhong Tai, and had even turned into that kind of a handsome jade-sculpted man, when she was peaking at this on the camphor tree, she couldn’t hold back from staying shocked for a long time.

For her, the young gentleman had knelt for an entire day under the roof, begging Prince of Guang Ling to help her.

A water-drop of grace, shall be returned as a flowing spring, not to mention fairy older sister’s life-saving grace?

Zhong Tai told her that.

Before she leaves, Zhong Tai places this antler flute into her hands, telling her that as long as she blows it in time of emergency, Prince of Guang Ling’s Iron Halberd Army will stand by her side.

Although, they can only lend her the army for a short day.

This scheming old fox, Gu Xi Ju, has predicted thousands of things, predicted her being lost in love, predicted Zuo Huai An going into seclusion to heal his son, even predicted that she would reveal the truth and confront him in battlefield, hence making up that false testimony with the real Sang Chan in advance, yet he was unable to predict she has the Prince of Guang Ling’s help.

Therefore, human prediction ultimately cannot defeat heaven’s prediction.

Thinking about this, Pang Wan laughs out loud, laughing to the extent of unable to catch her breath, even tears have flowed down from the corners of her eyes.

He kissed her, pleased her, in the end it was all for deceiving her.

He dotes on her, pities her, was willing to be her ox and horse, all that was actually for to trample on her.

——such great acting skill! Such ridiculous ending!

Maybe she’ll never ever find a way, to love someone with nothing else in mind like she did before.

The smile fades from her face, the streams on her face had gradually grown into a surging tide.

The love of Mary Sue is a crazy gamble, what she lost, is practically enough to send her family into ruins.

“Sheng Gu, a lady named ‘Ah Zhuo’ wants to meet you.”

Someone reports outside the door.

Pang Wan pauses for a second, quickly wiping away all the tears from her face, and jumps off the bed.

********

“You lost.”

A beauty with ice-like skin and jade-like bone sits in the corner, lazily painting her slender jade nails with flower petals.

“Senior brother, I am somewhat disappointed.” She lifts up her eyelid and casts a glance at the man in purple, her face revealing a trace of uncatchable coquetry.

Skin brighter than the snow, cheeks blushing like a peach, that pair of eyes as clear as a stream of pristine water, if any man of Jiang Hu in the prime stage of life receives this star-flowing glance from her, his body would have already turned soft.

Yet the man in purple reacts to the beauty’s glance as if he has seen nothing at all, and just gently lifts up the refined filter of the teapot.

He is still thinking back in his head.

Thinking back to the moment before the battlefield.

The little girl has grown up.

He inwardly thinks.

Be it the arrogance when scolding people in front of the battlefield, or her viciousness and harshness in face of mockery, she seems like a completely different person now.

That innocent flower is finally tinted with blood red in the end, will never be as clean as a sheet of white paper, will never be naive and spoilt again.

She learnt to hate, she is going to take revenge, her future will be stuck in the unending struggles and fights.

As the cause of all these, he feels a kind of ineffable thrill and pleasantness in his heart.

——she has become like this because of me.

Whenever he thinks of this, his heart just gets excited for some reason, blood in his veins rapidly flows in sounds of “hua-hua”, this strange feeling is even stronger than when he found out that she is still alive.

“Do you think that Bai Yue Sheng Gu is……”

Bai Xiao Sheng’s voice suddenly sounds, interrupting his flashbacks.

He Smiles, glancing at Bai Xiao Sheng, “Don’t you think she is interesting? She is clearly a little tabby cat, yet wants to bare her fangs and wave her claws, pretending to be a leopard.”

“But Prince of Guang Ling’s army……” Bai Xiao Sheng frowns, that Iron Halberd Army is truly real!

Gu Xi Ju’s eyes grow freezing cold.

“I know what I’m doing.” He half-closes his eyes, as if he is unhappy at the somewhat overly bright sunlight outside the window.

**********

“You’ve been too reckless.”

After she finishes reading Pang Wan’s pulse, Ah Zhuo falls in panic and writes down a line of words on paper, handing it to her.

Of course Pang Wan knows she is talking about her act of forcefully injecting inner energy of thirty years, also the fact that she must exhaust all of it within seven days.

“You rest assured, I have already made up my mind, if I did not do this, there was no way of scaring those invaders away.” She pats Ah Zhuo’s pale cheeks, giggling, “Good Ah Zhuo, don’t be sad, it’s just losing ten years of life, I’m alright with it.”

Ah Zhuo blinks her eyes, two streams of clear sparkling tears flows down on her cheeks.

She takes the brush and writes several words, quickly handing it to Pang Wan.

——“Ask Young Master for help.”

Pang Wan stares at this paper, not knowing whether she should laugh or cry.

“You little fellow with elbows turning outward^[1], isn’t this forcing me to cause harm to your Young Master?” She grins and pokes Ah Zhuo’s forehead, “Your Young Master has his own stance, the Solitary Palace can never step into the war between the righteous and the unorthodox, he cannot violate his family rule.”

Yet Ah Zhuo just cries and cries without a pause, stubbornly handing the paper back to her again and again.

Ask Young Master for help!

Ask Young Master for help!

She anxiously stares at Pang Wan, her throat letting out cries of “ah ah”.

Pang Wan did not think that she would be this persistent, within a moment her playful look fades, her face gradually becomes serious.

“Good Ah Zhuo, you think, I never thought about asking your Young Master for help?” She holds the mute maid’s ice cold hands, a trace of bitterness revealed in her voice, “I also want to find a big tree to lean on, I used to yearn for it more than anyone, wanting it to be extent of going crazy.”

She takes a very deep breath.

“But to ask for your Young Master’s help, is just indirectly causing harm to him —— causing him to be inhumane, causing him to be unrighteous. My senior brother has killed so many people in the Solitary Palace, if he agrees to send help to me, I’m afraid he can never be the Young Palace Master again in future.”

When she says this, her lips lightly curving upward, showing a somewhat sorrowful smile.

“Even if this does not happen, although he might manage to be the next Palace Master with his second uncle’s support, his position will not necessarily be stable.”

Ah Zhuo stares at her in daze, forgetting to cry in this moment.

“Good Ah Zhuo.” She uses her thumb to slowly wipes away the mute maid’s tears, appearing somewhat in a trance, “Maybe right now your Young Master truly have a little tiny bit of feelings for me in his heart, but if I cause him to lose his future, there will be a day his hatred towards me will seep deep into his bones, I cannot take this risk.”

She gazes at her, her eyes so gentle as if water will drop down from them.

“I cannot use love in exchange for a bargain, nor do I want to rely on a man to spend this life of mine, do you understand?”

Ah Zhuo first repeatedly nods her head, then repeatedly shakes her head, as if she has suddenly realized something, looking like a restless rattle drum.

She suddenly stands up, abruptly pushing Pang Wan away, running out the door in lighting speed.

–

Deep into the night when all things are at peace, in the inn at the outskirt of the city.

A gentleman dressed in elegant clothing vacantly gazes at the half orange moon in the sky.

It is clearly already midnight, yet he does not feel sleepy at all.

He is waiting, waiting for a person.

With a “peng” sound, the door is suddenly opened, he turns back in surprise, only seeing a young lady with her face covered in tears standing in front of him.

“Young Master, I beg you to save her.”

Ah Zhuo uses all her effort to write it out with her fingers in the air, her whole body shaking.

“I beg you! Save her!”

She has already cried to the point of losing control.

“What happened! You carefully explain it to me!”

The gentleman tightly holds onto her arms, fire of anger rolling in his eyes.

Ah Zhuo could not care about her whole face of tears, immediately reaching out her hands towards him, painstakingly writing out every word.

“Please save her, her heart meridian has been completely destroyed, she only has five more years of life to live.”

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[1]elbows turning outward/胳膊肘往外拐: this phrase describes a stupid “unselfish” act that helps other unrelated people whilst betraying family, friends or people on the same side.

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Translator’s Note: Gu Xi Ju… you are such a big, big, big psy…cho…pa..th..!!! Ah Zhuo is crying so hard; this touches my heart. Hmm, Little Lu, what are you going to do?