江湖路弯弯: Jianghu Road is Curved! Chapter 54

_{(translated by xia0xiao1mei)}

^{(edited by anniaxx)}

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

The Sword And The Needles

“Wah, let me touch it!” Pang Wan curiously goes to take the long sword, the exquisitely complicated carvings on it rendering her speechless.

——it’s the Flying Eagle Sword eh, for successive generations this has been the symbol of the Bai Yue sect leader, Nan Yi receiving this sword, means that he is not far from succeeding the title. When she was little, countless times, she had tried to approach Sect Leader to touch it, but turned back every time, Sect Leader Uncle would always say this is not something she should be touching.

“Where are your Blazing Needles?” Nan Yi casts her a glance.

Pang Wan takes down the needle pouch from inside her sleeve, passing it all to him, her eyes not leaving the sword.

Nan Yi takes the needle pouch, and takes out a red needle from within, moving it close to the sharp edge of the sword.

Like a magnetic force, that red needle silently sticks itself onto the Flying Eagle Sword, shining a jewel-like glow.

“Indeed.” Nan Yi smiles.

Pang Wan was stunned by the sight, desperately arching forward like a little kitten: “What is this? Why are they gathering together as one?”

Nan Yi smilingly removes the red needles, watching it silently melt away in the palm of his hand.

“Have you ever heard of the principle that all things reinforce and neutralise one another?” He turns to Pang Wan, “The raw materials of this Blazing Needle, is made from the remainder of what was originally used to forge the Flying Eagle Sword, thus the two of the same kind would be attracted to one another.”

“Then would this sword melt away on the human body?” Pang Wan is speechless.

Nan Yi shakes his head: “No, these two weapons were both created with a lot of thought when forged, one is primarily soft, one is primarily firm, the Blazing Needles can easily melt, whilst the Flying Eagle Sword is strong and cannot be bent, polar opposites of perfectly complete differentiations.”

He looks at the red needle disappearing in hand, eyes showing a flash of tenderness: “This was originally my mother’s.”

Pang Wan softly sounds an “ah”.

“So this is Sect Leader Madam’s weapon?” She takes the needle pouch, gently caressing it in her hand, “I did not know of this before……” Don’t know if Nan Yi would blame her for being unworthy of this weapon, thereby taking this back from her some day?

However, Nan Yi only strokes her hair.

“Make good use of it in future, don’t be bringing shame to my mother.” His voice contains an exceptionally rare touch of gentleness.

“En.”

Pang Wan’s lashes fans down, enthusiastically nodding her head.

“Senior Brother, would you still be consumed by your powers in future?” She suddenly recalls the problem she is most concerned about.

“Father has already used yang energy to quell the evil yin energy in my body.” Nan Yi smiles, “As long as there is no huge mood swing in future, then there shall be no problem at all.”

Pang Wan instantly lets out a long drawn out sigh.

“How about you? How long can you hold onto the inner energy for?” Nan Yi raises his head to ask her.

“From tomorrow, I will no longer have any inner energy.” Pang Wan rubs her nose, playfully sticking out her tongue, “Lord You has said that in future, my martial arts will have to be cultivated from start again, Senior Brother, you must protect me from being bullied ah!”

The final sentence is originally something she causally threw out as a joke, however, Nan Yi’s expression instantly changes upon hearing this, appearing exceptionally solemn.

“En, I will protect you for a lifetime.”

He touches her forehead, as though making an extraordinary decision in his heart.

******

Pang Wan did not think, Nan Yi’s capability amounted to this much.

Only a day ago did she tell Nan Yi about Sang Chan’s relationship with Mei Wu, and on the second day, Nan Yi had the said person brought into Bai Yue Sect.

When she catches glimpse of that absolutely breathtaking face inside the cave, her chin had practically smashed against the ground.

“You you you you……” She points at Nan Yi who is currently using silkworm thread to wrap Sang Chan into a rice dumpling, unable to utter a whole sentence.

——this brute! This guy is definitely a true brute! He isn’t Senior Brother, and is brutal brother!

“What you ‘you’-ing at? Quickly come and help!” Nan Yi glares at her, vicious and evil.

Pang Wan gulps down her saliva, shaky fingers reaching out, trembling as she ties a bowknot on the goddess’ unconscious body.

——a beauty, must be complemented with cute things.

“You disgust me to death.” Nan Yi loosens the cute bowknot in no time, not at all being considerate of the beauty as he ties a dead knot, “Really should have you kicked away.”

Pang Wan does not waste effort in bothering with his sarcasm, only scrutinising that exquisite face before her with practically greedy eyes.

——she’s so beautiful ah, using all the pretty words to describe this person’s appearance, would not even be considered exaggerating in any way.

She and I, really are like the cloud and dirt.

Touching her own face, she suddenly feels how foolish and laughable it was for her to have once fantasised about becoming the second generation Sang Chan, practically laughable to the extreme.

The stunning beauty of a generation’s thick lashes suddenly moves.

She has awakened.

“You two, what do you want?”

Opening her eyes, such were Sang Chan’s first words.

Well collected, cold, with not the slightest trace of panic.

She condescendingly looks at the two of them, a calm face and noble demeanour, as though this cave is the same as her heavenly residence.

“Tell us, about Mei Wu’s death, what do you know?”

Nan Yi draws out the Flying Eagle Sword from his waist side, waving it around like it’s nothing, the frosty shine like ripples in water, reflecting against the beauty’s lustrous white face like jade.

Sang Chan looks at him, gently spreading a smile across her lips: “Oh? So you are that husband-to-be of hers whom she didn’t live to marry? Bai Yue Young Master Nan Yi?”

All that can be heard is a sound of “chi-la”, and a fresh red wound is drawn along her neck by the sword’s force, a bead of blood seeping out like a teardrop, dripping onto the fairy’s snow white skirt.

“Should you not answer my question again, the next slice would be directly inflicted on your face.” Nan Yi looks at her, face expressionless.

Pang Wan is trembling in fear as she watches at the side.

She had originally thought Nan Yi would treat Sang Chan who is also the white lotus type with leniency, but did not think he would actually be so merciless instead.

Oh, that’s not right, in fact he is more or less a little more lenient, if not this fairy sister would be left with only one arm by now.

Sang Chan laughs, phoenix eyes reflecting spring, long brows running into her temples, under this radiant shine, even the most brilliant jewels would appear dejectedly colourless.

“This question, you shouldn’t be asking me, you need to ask this yourself.”

She gazes directly at Nan Yi, eyes deep, seeming to want to look directly into his heart: “What have you found? What do you sense?”

“You capturing me, is because you dare not to face the truth, your heart still contains deluded expectations, needing me to give you an explanation, is that not right?”

She lowers her lashes, facial expression looking exceptionally peculiar under the candlelight.

Pang Wan is at complete loss from what she’s heard, and only sees Nan Yi’s eyes suddenly open, the treasured sword about to pierce into Sang Chan’s heart.

“Senior Brother!” Pang Wan hurriedly calls out.

Nan Yi issues a suppressed growl in his throat, the Flying Eagle Sword draws a shining arc in the air, and was returned to its sheath in a blink of an eye.

“An eloquent speaker, a knife-like tongue.”

He coldly looks at Sang Chan.

“Young Master, Sect Master requests you to pay a visit to the main hall.” A sect disciple suddenly reports from outside the cave.

“You watch over her for me.” He orders Pang Wan, tossing his sleeves back as he turns to leave.

All of a sudden, only two women remain in the cave.

Because of having no internal energy, Pang Wan does not dare to keep a close distance with the fairy, and only stands at a safe distance away as she curiously observes her.

Sang Chan turns to look at her, suddenly smiling, smiling like the gentle breeze and light rain.

“So you’re the young girl who took my place in dancing the Flying Fairy Dance?” Her eyes containing almost undetectable pity.

Pang Wan freezes, biting her bottom lip but does not speak.

She recalls, this stunning beauty of a generation had once spoke false words in front of all those in the Jiang Hu, planting the false charges onto Bai Yue Sect, she covered for Gu Xi Ju, she and that jerk are on the same side.

Thinking up to here, she fiercely casts the fairy a knife-like glare.

“You hate me? Do you feel that you have been miserably deceived by us?”

The fairy smiles at her without the slightest care, indescribable feelings circulating in her eyes: “Looks like you truly did like Gu Xi Ju back then.”

Pang Wan turns away and does not bother with her, just treating it all as her sleep-talking.

“That’s why I say, women are the most stupid creatures in the world.”

Seeing her not respond, Sang Chan sighs, and starts speaking to herself.

“Why are so many women in the world stuck in the mud of feelings and love? What ‘excluding Wushan all are not clouds’, what ‘wishing for a man with a single heart, never parting as our hair turn white?”

She shakes her head, finding it very regrettable.

“Just like you, clearly have the talent and foundation to achieve something big, yet for some petty little profit you throw your future away.”

Pang Wan turns her head in surprise.

——she originally thought Sang Chan would say “you think the Supreme Chief of Wu Lin is someone a demoness like you should even think about, you think you’re worthy of competing with me” such kind of classic lines the female antagonist would say, but did not ever think, coming from her mouth, would actually be such strong and imposing words.

Sang Chan sees that look of surprise, her lashes suddenly fanning down like butterfly wings, a breathtaking sight.

“I am different from you all, I will not be satisfied with only receiving the doting love of a man.”

Her eyes narrow, a shining light circulating in her pupils, as though saying, how can a sparrow understand a swan’s ambition?

“You rejected Ninth Prince’s marriage proposal because of this?”

Pang Wan looks at her, eyes unblinking, she is indeed very curious at heart.

——she has never seen a lady like Sang Chan before, the female nobles living in the land of Mary Sue, which one doesn’t see winning the male lead’s heart as their ultimate goal? In a world where men are dominant, women conquer the world by conquering men, this has been the consistent truth.

She completely didn’t think, in Sang Chan’s heart, men’s love is simply not worth mentioning.

“What’s so desirable about a princess consort position? You think I will be satisfied with marrying a man that doesn’t seem bad, then deal with the gossips from all sorts of relatives and then constantly compete with various concubines every day?”

“Shallow knowledge, narrow horizons, this is the reason why women have held low status for thousands of years.”

Sang Chan chuckles, with extreme contempt.

Pang Wan is rendered speechless by her words.

She is very aware, that her words are not unreasonable, however, her hearts feel even more bitter.

——turns out the thing she had been trying so hard to fight for, is not only sitting at fingertips of another, but is even abandoned like garbage. Back then I was so eager to gain happiness, yet she is able to readily push it out.

“Do you like Gu Xi Ju?” She thinks for a bit, before softly saying, “You two are senior brother and junior sister, and he……likes you so much.”

Sang Chan blinks, then joyfully hooks up the corners of her lips.

“You are still so naïve.” She looks at her, eyes gentle like water, “Why do you think, I would be so easily captured by your family’s young master?”

Pang Wan freezes.

Sang Chan lets out a sigh.

“He likes me, also likes Bai Xiao Sheng, he must have also liked you back then.” Her face reveals a look of regrets, “He likes anyone who is of use to him, everyone is no more than his toy.”

“If I like him, then that would definitely be the strangest thing to happen in this world.”

She calmly looks at Pang Wan, as though telling her the truth that everyone in the entire world should know.