江湖路弯弯: Jianghu Road is Curved! Special Chapter 1

_{(translated by anniaxx)}

^{(edited by xia0xiao1mei)}

SPECIAL CHAPTER ONE

Flower Mud

I never thought I would have a wedding of this kind.

In the glamorous court of blood-like red, gracefully stands a young lady gorgeously dressed with a glowing cape and a phoenix coronet, her hands holding onto a piece of silk satin, following the guidance of the wedding lady and quietly waiting for me to hold onto its other end.

Slender figure, jade white wrists, dark black hair.

She will definitely look very beautiful today, after all, she is the one lady who suits wearing the color red more than anyone else, even more so than her mother.

Her mother is the previous Bai Yue Sheng Gu, to this day, the grand hall in the sect still has the painting of her in the Fire Phoenix Cloak, however, she is also my father’s mistress.

——yes, the bride is not only my junior sister, but is also my blood-related sister from the same father but different mother, this is a secret that has been buried by time.

When I was twelve, Father returned from outside the mountains, bringing back a dying skinny little girl with him, he told me that she is the daughter of the previous Sheng Gu, and will succeed the Sheng Gu sect position, at the same time, she will also become my junior sister.

At that time, I despised her to the extreme.

Ever since my birth, I have been the one and only heir in training of the Bai Yue Sect, be it of precious books of martial arts or food and clothing, I got to choose what I wanted out of everything first, the leftover that I do not care about would then be bestowed to other peers. But the arrival of this little girl changed everything, she was treated just like me, her favored position could even be compared to mine, in the end she even had the potential to exceed me on everything——Father actually handed the secret of Bai Yue sect, Xi Sui Jing, to her!

I was furious, and determined to kill her with my own hands.

The doctrine of Bai Yue Sect has stated, anything that causes you to be at a disadvantageous situation shall be exterminated from its roots, so that no more nightmares shall show up in future nights and even the spring breeze will be incapable of bringing the troubles back to life.

However, at the key moment, my sword was blocked by someone, Father and Lord You commanded me to let go of her. I threw my sword away, and returned to my room with a turbid breath in my lungs, yet sees Father quietly sitting in the room waiting for me.

“Nan Yi.” Father squinted his narrow eyes, calling my name, “Do you really hate Pang Wan?”

Pang Wan is that silly little girl who only knew how to giggle and drool.

“I hate her to the extent of wanting to kill her!” I grit my teeth and said, a man should never be afraid of anything between the heaven and the earth, so I spoke the truth.

“Good!” Upon hearing my answer, Father clapped his hands and laughed loudly, “Starting from today, as long as it is within the sect, you can exert all your power to hunt her down, if you can really kill her, then it would prove your capability!”

I was somewhat startled, but the doubts in my heart was quickly washed away by the overwhelming joy——Father’s command is my backbone, I could finally release my anger without any hesitation.

Emerging feelings for my prey, this kind of thing would never happen in my life, until I once secretly planned for more than a month, almost sending Pang Wan directly to the afterworld, Lord You suddenly stopped me.

“Young Master, it is better if you slightly save your move.” He meaningfully looked at me, “Even if you really kill Sheng Gu, Sect Leader would only be sad, not happy.”

At first I did not understand his words, until I later saw Father guarding by the asleep junior sister, caressing her hair whist quietly saying: “My daughter, you have suffered.”

Within that one moment, I understood everything.

That silly little girl who was obsessed with pretty boys, is actually Father’s biological daughter, my little sister.

Now that I look back, maybe Father has planned it out a long time ago, he recognized my little sister’s extraordinary bone structures and learning ability, yet she just had no heart for practicing martial arts, and would only be willing to try her best when facing moments with her life at stake, and my attempts to kill her just happened to serve as catalysts that made her learn martial arts.

Knowing this kind of an inside story, I suddenly felt relieved of Father’s favoritism. To be honest, I do not blame Father, instead, I even feel somewhat happy that I have this little sister, after all my mother died not long after my birth, I have only one family member on Cloud Rising Mountain, now I finally gained another one, I decided to treat her well.

As for what kind of “well”? I did not know, maybe as long as it wasn’t really killing her, then it would be well enough.

The sky has changed and stars have moved, several years have passed within a moment, little sister and I both slowly grew up.

Little sister has become a small charming bud, but she is still silly as if her brain was made up of sticky paste, she’s obsessed with looking in the mirror, and she also had a creepily shining light in her eyes every time she sees me.

At that time, I was sixteen, according to the doctrines of the sect, I needed to go down the mountain for real world training.

It perfectly fitted my will, after being isolated in the Cloud Rising Mountain for this long to study martial arts, it was time for me to see the real world.

In the beginning everything went smoothly, I killed the leaders of two clans, gaining the renowned title of “Little Devil” in Jiang Hu, almost feeling like I could be undefeatable. It wasn’t until I overestimated myself and challenged the Kun Lun Sect that I realized there were so much stronger masters above me, I was hunted by the Kun Lun sect members all the way, attacked by their ambush and fell off the cliff.

Mei Wu appeared right when I was severely wounded, she was the prettiest girl I have ever seen, just like a pristine white lotus flower. When I was incapable and defeated, she took care of me without asking for anything, not questioning my history, not questioning my background, she acted so gentle and kind, even the most callous iron heart would have been melted by her.

I reasonably fell in love with her, most of the girls in Bai Yue Sect were resolute and straightforward, I had only heard about such girls like Mei Wu, but had never really encountered them before, she was too beautiful and too good, just like a fairy that had walked out from a dream.

On the day my wounds recovered, Mei Wu cried and told me that she could not bear to see me leave. I told her, I will bring her with me, I will marry her, I want to be with her forever.

The news of me bringing back Mei Wu spread throughout the whole sect within one night, many sect members were truly surprised, even Guard Lu Wei who grew up with me could not resist asking me: “Could it be, Young Master really does not want Sheng Gu anymore?”

Their conjectures were ridiculous to me —— Sheng Gu is my blood-related sister. How could I marry her? Even if we really liked each other, Father would never allow it.

However, I could use this matter to make her a little bit angry, well, who allowed her to take away lots of Father’s love and care from me back then?

I know Little sister definitely has some feelings for me in her heart, otherwise why would she used that kind of bashful eyes to look at me when she was young. But in the end, we could only be family.

As I had expected, Father agreed on our marriage, although little sister was a little dispirited, she still generously gave us her blessing.

Then, she was immediately sent down the mountain by Father for real world training.

On the day of her departure, I rode the horse and sent her off, with tears in her eyes, she asked me why do I like Mei Wu, I told her the reason.

She was furious and threw her whip at me, her whole face of arrogance and conceit, I unusually controlled myself, for the first time, I did not fight back.

Gazing at that the stubborn red figure going far far away from me, I thought in my heart, maybe the next time she returns, a handsome youth would stand by my little sister’s side, she would introduce him to me and Father, that this is her beloved one, she wants to marry him and spend the rest of her life with him.

When that time comes, I shall give that youth a tough beating, then tell him that he must treat her well, because otherwise I would poison his eyes, cut off his hands, and make sure his body has no place to be buried.

What I did not expect was, the doom came at the same time as little sister left. Mei Wu was cruelly killed on the day of the wedding, the killer had great martial arts skill and perfectly escaped, and since then could not be found.

My life has never encountered such a great misfortune, as if within one night, everything in heaven and on earth has been contaminated by scarlet red, I began to hate everything around me, I wanted to avenge Mei Wu, I wanted to completely destroy the killer, make his soul scatter and spirit lost, so he will never ever be able to reincarnate again.

When I was on the brink of collapsing, a familiar voice drifted into my brain: “Child, do you want to revenge?”

“Yes! Yes!” I could even rip my chest open and show my desiring heart to that person.

“Even if you could potentially become a monster, you would still be willing to take the risk?” That voice then asked me.

“I am not even afraid of death, what else could I possibly be afraid of?” I scoffed at his worries.

When I woke up, in my hands laid Bai Yue Sect’s precious book Xi Sui Jing.

Father once told me, he did not allow me to practice Xi Sui Jing because the martial arts in it are overly yin, only fitting women’s bodies, if adult men try to practice, they could be easily consumed by their own power. However, at that time I had already given up hope for everything,so what if I become consumed by own power? As long as I could avenge my wife, what I would become did not even matter to me.

Wait till I came out of seclusion again, half a year had already passed, I successfully mastered the ninth level of Xi Sui Jing, yet due to my strong impatience, I was consumed by my power and became a monster that sucked others’ inner energy and flesh whenever the extremely yin nights of the full moon came. People in Jiang Hu called me the Blood Tyrant, and I accepted it, even though I hated my transformation, I hated my useless old self who could not find the killer even more.

I was finally strong; I must avenge Mei Wu.

In one of the following operations, I accidentally injured Bai Yue’s spy in the Misty Wave Manor, Bai Xiao Sheng, Father sent me an order, so I had to disguise myself as the divine physician and went into the Misty Wave Manor to heal him. Through all these years, it seemed like Bai Xiao Sheng has shown a tendency to betray us, yet Father said, this person will be a useful chess piece in the future, not allowing him to be easily abandoned.

I run into an unexpected person in the Misty Wave Manor, my silly little sister.

It appears she actually has some skills, to have already become a close maid of the Supreme Chief of Wu Lin, but her brain was still a bowl of sticky paste, in order to steal the Jade Dragon Token, she even thought of using the beauty trap.

I was enraged, the doctrine of Bai Yue Sect had always taught us to use whatever method we could to accomplish our goals, but she is different, she is my little sister, who had grown up spoiled and pampered, innocent and weak, I could not possibly leave her to do this kind of thing.

I made the prompt decision to stop her, lied to her that I would help her send the courtesan back to the brothel, but then instead killed the courtesan right after, and even peeled the skin of her face off.

Aye, my little sister’s heart is still too soft, she does not understand the principle of destroying the grass from its roots, if that courtesan was still alive, she would have become one of her biggest threat from that day on, if Gu Xi Ju was able to find the courtesan, little sister probably would have been killed without even knowing how she was killed.

But back to the topic, this girl sure causes me a lot of headache, she cannot fight, cannot kill, needing me to help her with everything, even her “virgin kill” had to be completed by me under her name, ay~, she was so softhearted, how could she stably sit on the position of Sheng Gu? Why didn’t she live a life like what I had thought she would, kidnapping a youth and going back to the mountains to get married?

During the time when I stayed at the Misty Wave Manor to heal Bai Xiao Sheng, there was another thing shadowing my heart, finding out the truth behind Mei Wu’s death. I investigated in all directions, finally discovering the fact that Mei Wu was once a maid in the Solitary Palace, so I formed a determination in my heart to go to the Solitary Palace, find that mysterious Palace Master, and ask him face to face.

But when I returned from investigating, what I saw was my little sister covered in blood, dying in Father’s arms.

A poisonous arrow pierced into her left chest, a freezing sword pierced through the centre, I stared at her lifeless self just like she was like six years ago, my legs turning soft, almost incapable of supporting my own weight.

——I could never ever endure another separation by death, never ever again.

Perhaps the heavens have heard my prayer, little sister came back to life in the end.

Like what I thought, the girl who did not even die when I chased and hunted her with all my strength during childhood, how could she ever leave me so abruptly without even saying a proper goodbye?

Just that little sister changed to another person after waking up, dispirited and untalkative. She never enjoyed looking in the mirror again, just like a walking corpse, losing interest in so many things.

I know her story, she was used by her beloved, deceived, then completely abandoned.

Looking at her becoming thinner and quieter every day, I thought, Father would definitely be the first to leave us in the end, then in this world, only I would be able to protect her.

To stop little sister’s continual depression, I brought her with me on the journey to the Solitary Palace, after this many many things have happened. In the end, I was controlled by the Solitary Palace and forcefully sent back to the sect, Father had to use his whole life of inner energy to heal my wounds.

“Nan Yi, promise your father, if you break through the highest level of Xi Sui Jing, then you will need to take care of your junior sister forever.”

Before going into seclusion, Father suddenly told me these earnest words.

I promised him without hesitation, even if he didn’t say it, I would still do it, after all she is my biological sister.

But after coming out of seclusion, I truly did not expect what Father meant by “take care of” was actually commanding me and little sister to immediately get married. I thought Father was insane, how could he allow this kind of incestuous deed to happen? However, at the same time, a bold plan quietly emerged in my brain.

So today, little sister and I are both in bright red wedding garment, standing in the joyous melody of gongs and drums.

“Senior Brother, how much confidence do you have in this?” She asked me this several days ago.

“Nine out of ten.” I told her like this.

At that time, I told her that I think Mei Wu could still be alive, if I have another glamourous wedding, it is possible that she might be unable to resist her urge of coming back to find me, plus it is also aligning with Father’s wish, so I hope little sister would agree to follow my plan and act a good show with me, then the relevant evidence regarding the mystery shall also float up to the surface.

After little sister heard this reason, she instantly agreed without any questions, she has always held absolute trust in me.

Gazing at her shinning eyes, I silently said in my heart: Little sister, I’m so sorry, your older brother will just make you go through this mess for this one time.

—— actually I not only think Mei Wu is still alive, but I also feel like her death was a complete lie, how she showed up back then in my life, and how she saved me with all her strength are all parts of a scheme that has been designed a long time ago. Because I visited again the place where I met her, and found out the hunter’s village which helped us before has vanished due to a mysterious fire disaster, a blind survivor told me, back then, that fairy moved below the mountain cliff only five days before I arrived, she also had multiple subordinates, they quickly constructed the little cabin and set up the cooking materials, then totally disappeared the night before I fell off the cliff.

Now, just as I have hoped, Mei Wu really appears at the wedding, with her real appearance and voice.

She is crying and asking me why would I marry someone else, she is asking me do I still remember the promise that I have given her, tears streaming down her face, her voice shaking people’s hearts, as if she is still the girl who exchanged the oath of love with me before. I have also realized, because her spy identity was found out by Father, she had to fake her death and escape like a cicada casting off its shell, also ruthlessly killing all the maids I have sent to serve her in the process.

I suddenly want to throw my head back and laugh out loud, laugh without ever reaching an end.

——in the end, this love has been a dream woven within lies from the beginning, peeling off the white lotus mask of my once beloved, behind it is only a brutal and merciless heart.

Yet for this dream, I have become the Blood Tyrant that everyone despises, almost mired down to the hopeless abyss of hell.

I disgustedly throw Mei Wu’s hand away, lift up my head, I see a pair of watery eyes under the bright red headcover.

—— my little sister is crying for me, like pear blossoms bathed in the rain.

She probably is recalling her past, of being deceived by the one she loved, being used, then cruelly abandoned.

I walk up to her and wipe away her tears, in a joking tone, I smile and say: “See, us two truly share the same suffering.”

With tears on her face, she stumbles into my arms.

All the women in this world are impure and filthy, only my little sister is clean, she is slow-witted and silly, yet has to endure the infamous reputation of being a vicious demoness, her heart is more pristine than that so-called white lotus flower.

——let it be, let me and my little sister only have each other, because all the people outside of Bai Yue Sect, are in the end unreliable.

But I have never ever thought, even my family in Bai Yue Sect, the Father who I utterly respect, is actually also hiding an enormous secret behind me.

When Gu Xi Ju stood in front of everyone and announced the truth that was enough to break my every single bone, my entire world turned upside down.

Torn by disbelief, I burst out into a heart-wrenching roar, I run from this sordid swamp of lies, losing all my hope.

So actually, my father isn’t my father, my sister isn’t my sister, I too, am not who I thought I was.

After hiding in the Cloud Rising Mountain for most of the night, I finally decided to leave Bai Yue Sect, planning to start wandering to the edge of the world.

I could not kill Father for he has brought me up, but I also cannot go back and continue to be the Young Master, for that will make me unworthy of being my mother’s son.

Before leaving, I only had one thing in my heart, which is my little sister who I have left behind in the wedding court.

Oh, no, now she is only my little junior sister.

I sneaked into her bedroom, looked at her still wearing in the red garment, she has fallen asleep with traces of tears on her face.

She truly is the girl who best fits red robes in this world, as long as one’s heart is clean, even if her entire cloth is soaked in blood, she would still not appear forlorn.

“I’m sorry.” I patted her face and gently said, then left without turning back.

After that, I went to many many places, uninhibitedly indulged in a befuddled life of drunkenness, unrestrained myself to sensual pleasures.

When I saw junior sister again, there was already a handsome gentleman by her side, just like I thought one year ago, she went out to experience the real world and brought back a charming youth, she told me that she likes him, and she wants to marry him.

In the end, I did not beat that gentleman up, because I was afraid that junior sister would be sad if I did.

However, what I didn’t know is, she would never have the chance to be sad again, because on the morning of the second day, the mute maid came running down in panic, crying and making hand gestures to say, she had already lost her last breath.

Ah, silly little junior sister, she has finally exhausted her last breath from her destroyed heart meridian for revenge, the last pupil of the Medicine King Valley has used up all her skills, yet could only use gold needles to keep her body undecayed for seven days. Everyone was wailing, that noble gentleman seemed like the situation has struck him to complete blankness, he stared into the air and held her body without moving a single bit, as if he would grow roots into the ground, no one could pull him away or convince him to go.

I silently watched that scene, my heart has never been more sober and clearer in that moment.

“As long as you accept my condition, I can save her.” I gazed at the despairing gentleman, slowly saying, “She and I come from the same clan, the Xi Sui Jing that we have both been practicing just happens to be capable of rebuilding all the meridians in the human body, may all of you step back and let me try.”

“What’s your condition?” The gentleman looks at me with his red eyes and asks.

“I want you to die, or let me have my junior sister.” My face looking ferocious.

The gentleman froze, he has probably never seen any shameless man like me taking advantage of the situation to rob his everything away.

Then he laughs, word after a word, he firmly states to me: “I can die, but I cannot give my wife to you.”

Upon hearing him, I could not have laughed any louder.

Hey, Junior Sister, even though I did not give him a tough beating, I still frightened him for once when you are not around, is that okay?

I told everyone to leave, then passed all my inner energy to my little sister.

Next, I reminded that gentleman to not speak of my action of saving junior sister.

I know she will definitely wake up, the highest power of the ninth level of Xi Sui Jing is bringing the dead to life, otherwise, I would not have risked my life to practice it back them. As the inner energy diffuses, junior sister will fully recover in the end, and I will also finally become a common man with not even a slight degree of inner energy.

It’s enough, this will be enough, I have already grown wary of the Jiang Hu being filled with deceit and lies, it is better to say farewell, and stroll away to all parts of the world.

After a long long time has passed, I have become what I am like today, a common village man in the mountains, hunting, eating the vegetables that I have planted, raising a big yellow dog and a dirty grey donkey in my yard.

Whenever the month reaches its end, I would write a letter to little sister, telling her that I am doing well. Another fortunate thing is my martial arts skill has not been completely drawn out, still have a little bit left, so occasionally, I can enjoy the fun of leaping through the roofs and stepping on the walls.

This day, I unintentionally leaped to the walls of a big family’s courtyard, from afar I see a pair of young man and woman dressed in red garment. The man is wearing a big fabric flower on his chest, the woman has a jubilant headcover on her head.

This scene is so familiar, whist watching it, I fall into a daze.

“The groom may lift up the headcover, from now on happily ever after.”

A gentle and kind-looking wedding lady hands over him the wedding stick, a beautiful smile shining on her face.

The young man takes over the wedding stick, and uses it to takes off the headcover on the lady’s head, revealing a cute little face under the phoenix coronet.

Don’t know why, the two were originally silently staring at each other, but now they suddenly laugh out loud.

Looking at this, seems like they are a pair of childhood friends who have fulfilled their wish.

Watching them, I also lift up the corners of my lips and smile.

This silly bride reminds me of my little junior sister in the far far west.

I will never ever tell her, how mixed my heart felt when I found out that she is not my biological sister on our wedding day —— sixty percent shocked and thirty percent angry, but there was also a small trace of unexplainable and ineffable joy.

But in the end, I never got the chance to lift up her headcover.

Maybe having that kind of a wedding once in my life, is already the biggest reward that heaven could have given me.

Casting off a final glance at that lovely couple, I sound a whistle and freely jump off the cyan tiles on the tall wall, walking towards the far distance without looking back.

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Translator’s Note: So here is Nan Yi’s story~ Hope you have enjoyed reading from his perspective. Honestly, this special chapter has completely changed my impression of Nan Yi. It also gave me a chance to see He Qing Lu’s reaction when Wan Wan died. The part when he said “I can die, but I cannot give my wife to you” is the most touching moment to me in this novel. I also hope Nan Yi will have a happy future, maybe he will meet another girl and have a common life together ~ Fate has been treating him very unfairly. Thank you so much for reading and supporting us~ 2 more special chapters coming up!! —Annie(^_^*)