Chapter 56: From the Flower Reflects a Picture – Part 13

 

After Ming ChangYan finished his tea, he bid goodbye to Zhu LaoLiu.

Huai Yu paid for the tea and followed behind him.

Ming ChangYan, “From what I’ve seen, there are two ways of eradicating a sect. The first is the Thousand Needles Through the Neck, the second is to tie them up using a needle and thread and suspend them in midair until the person wastes away. Both methods are extremely cruel, but the former is the one I can’t do.”

Huai Yu, “You can’t do?”

Ming ChangYan said, “I can’t do. It’s because I don’t know how to put the needles in someone’s neck without them noticing. Then, as they begin to move around and struggle, the needles will start to slowly pierce through their throat, rolling and stirring in pain until they die.”

He suddenly turned around, “I didn’t know it before, but you reminded me. That night when that monk from XiaoHan Temple died from pain in that alley, you said something to me.”

Huai Yu’s footsteps paused.

Ming ChangYan had been concentrating on his analysis, but at Huai Yu’s pause, he couldn’t help but be taken back to when he had said ‘You kissed me?’ He had originally said it for laughs, something to bully Ming shaoxia with. But as luck would have it, a day later, the two had actually kissed on site. Ming shaoxia’s complexion changed, he felt that he could feel the other’s cold touch on his lips, as he continued walking, it felt like his feet were fluttering.

Huai Yu repeated the words he said that night, “Maybe when they put it in, he couldn’t feel the pain.”

His words brought Ming shaoxia’s train of thought back on track.

“Yup, precisely!” He said, “It’s because I don’t know how to put it in, I don’t know how to make someone temporarily lose their pain.”

Huai Yu muttered to himself before saying, “Medicine, or voice.”

Ming ChangYan’s eyes brightened, “That’s what I thought! Zhuang Xiao’s mother, after she was deemed Princess of DongYing, the sect that she was previously in—was an expert in controlling people’s hearts using voice manipulation. What’s more, she was able to cause hallucinations to them after singing for them, and thereby they wouldn’t be able to feel any stimulation from reality. This method of killing was undetectable. Because overuse could result in poisoning, the Central Plains martial circles classified it as a forbidden technique and that sect gradually declined.”

Huai Yu said, “DongYing evil arts.”

Ming ChangYan said, “Ai, now that’s wrong of you, Young Prime Minister. Just because you couldn’t beat them doesn’t make them inferior to others! Just because they classified it as a forbidden technique, it’s now called an evil art. Honesty, it’s a pity that I was born a bit later if I was born twenty years earlier, then I would’ve definitely wanted to experience this sect’s cultivation technique. Then maybe I could’ve even learned how to use this Thousand Needles Through the Throat.”

When Huai Yu heard this he raised his eyebrow, “Why would you want to learn that?”

Ming ChangYan said, “It’s not like I’ll actually learn it! Plus, I don’t need to learn it, I’ll just take a look.”

He liked all the different kinds of cultivation techniques out there in the world. So if there was one that he didn’t know, and someone else knew, he’d be anxious to learn it and try it out. Even now, although Ming shaoxia had already become number one in the world, he still felt envious at the other sect’s new techniques.

The reason why Ming ChangYan was so interested in these kinds of techniques is that the good majority of the sects within the Central Plain’s martial circles mainly use swords or blades. Moreover, even if someone brought eighteen weapons on them to battle, the two techniques that they would use were often their sect’s most powerful move. Unfortunately, these moves were very superficial, if it was shown or used once or twice on Ming shaoxia, then in just a few days he would’ve been able to completely memorize the other party’s move from memory. He would’ve even used the base of that technique to refine it even better than before. As a result, back then a good number of the sects hated the Noble Gentleman’s guts, all of it relating to him copying other people’s techniques.

He said, “The Central Plain’s techniques are just too easy to see through, I could use them after just watching it once, and use it even better than them. They harbored a grudge against me, so they started retaliating!”

Huai Yu said, “Then why don’t you repent instead of bullying others.”

Ming ChangYan smiled, “Nope. If their skills aren’t as good as yours then they deserve to be beaten. It’s not like I didn’t let them hit back, look at them, even after a decade their conduct’s still the same as ever. Once foreign techniques exceed their expectations, or if they can’t find a way to dispose of it, then they all start to expel this outsider and begin labeling it as an evil forbidden art. Even in the past, the cultivation in the Central Plains will forever be a way for social connections, they will always be satisfied with being sticks in the mud, what’s even the point of talking about progress?”

Huai Yu said, “Indeed.” Pausing, he asked, “Where do you want to go?”

Ming ChangYan was randomly walking together with him on the street, he said, “We’re going to go find Xiu LingLong. I need to find out a few things.”

LingLong Pavilion was located near a river in Huating, the further they went, the stronger the winds were. Ming ChangYan wasn’t wearing a lot and felt a bit cold, so he involuntarily leaned closer towards Huai Yu.

He said, “This river has no name, because it’s located near LingLong Pavilion the people here at Huating call it the LingLong river. On the fifteenth of each month, the LingLong river will have an antique event, right here.”

After that, Ming ChangYan paused his footsteps and pointed at his feet.

“This event is called the ‘Ghost Market,’ the people that come here don’t set up stalls, they’re either carrying a suitcase or holding a bag, and a good few directly place their items close to their bodies. If two people catch each other’s eyes, then they would put the item in their sleeves and let the other person stretch in to feel around. If they think it’s something that they would like, then they would discuss a good price on their cuffs. One hand hands over the money while the other hands over the goods, without any sort of regret whatsoever.”

“This Ghost Market is usually held during times when there’s thick fog. After they’re finished with their business transaction, the person would take a few steps forward before disappearing into the fog. If someone bought fake goods, they shouldn’t make it public, it’s your own fault for not having feeling in your hands and getting the wrong thing. Another option is to sell this fake again!”

Huai Yu said, “You’ve sold things here?”

Ming ChangYan shook his head, “What kind of treasures do I have to sell? I heard all of this from Xiu LingLong. She did too many dirty things in the past, it’s only because of them that she’s able to create such a bizarre thing as a Ghost Market. It’s just like gambling, making riches and misfortune only depends on one thought. And those troublesome treasures of hers were all washed away because of this.”

The two continued chatting as they walked before stopping at the ferry crossing near the river. Ming ChangYan grabbed out a transparent glass chopstick from Huai Yu’s robes and knocked a series of irregular beats on a large clock at the ferry crossing.

A ghostly boat slowly drifted its way over from the river.

Ming ChangYan said, “Let’s get on.”

On the surface of the river, the fog was even thicker.

Ming ChangYan jumped on the boat, the boat swayed a little on the water as they were hidden within the fog.

Ming ChangYan said, “Xiu LingLong lives on an isle in the middle of the river. Unless this boat leads the way, then no one will be able to find her. She’s done too many guilty things, the number of enemies that she has isn’t any less than me. The people who ogle at her money might even be more than the number of people who ogle at the Common People’s Order.”

Huai Yu asked, “What did you just knock?”

Ming ChangYan explained, “Secret code. When it’s time for the Ghost Market, the people there speak in code so that people who enter the market by mistake wouldn’t be able to buy anything. The code that I knocked just now was for the boatman, no more than ten people in this world know it. But now, you know it too!”

Huai Yu, “Xiu LingLong’s secret code?”

Ming ChangYan nodded, “That woman cherishes her life very much. It’s always been her coming to look for you, it’s almost impossible for you to look for her. Look, she’s even on guard against me. Look at the waters, we’ve clearly been here before, this boat has taken around in quite a few circles already, she’s afraid of me memorizing the route.”

Huai Yu commented, “The fog’s already so thick that you can’t see clearly, how could you remember the route?”

Ming ChangYan said, “That’s why I said she’s too cautious.”

Sure enough, the boat wandered around for about an hour before they finally saw an isle.

Docking by the harbor and getting onshore, the boatman led them forward before at last, a luxurious mansion appeared in front of them.

Ming ChangYan sighed, “A house made of gold and lamps made of pearl, only Xiu LingLong. Let’s go, she probably already knows I’m coming.”

Two extremely attractive young men opened the door for them, walking inside, all around them, whether it was holding a lamp or carrying a dish, they were all done by handsome and busy young men. Ming ChangYan followed along the corridor that led all the way into the main hall. There he saw Xiu LingLong waving her fan while laying on a chaise lounge, it seemed like she had been waiting for them for a long time.

“What kind of wind blew you here?”

Ming ChangYan said, “Skip the nonsense, I’m here to ask you a few questions.”

Xiu LingLong grinned as she sat up from her lounge, “Young Master ChangYan, when someone comes looking for me, who isn’t kneeling and sobbing, yet as soon as you come in you’re ordering this pavilion master around, such talent!”

Ming ChangYan said, “I have an even bigger talent. If you continue to ramble I’m going to rip out all the feathers from your fan.”

Xiu LingLong laughed even harder, she blew on her fan as her eyes slowly moved down before landing on Ming ChangYan, “Do you know, how many people in this world would dare speak this way to Xiu LingLong?”

Ming ChangYan smiled, “I must be one of them.”

Xiu LingLong burst out into loud laughter, after she was finished she gave Ming ChangYan a meaningful look, “You are the only one.”

She fanned herself twice, slowly saying, “Sometimes, I really want to kill you. But if I killed you, then this pavilion master would lose another fun friend.”

Ming ChangYan said, “You haven’t killed me yet. If you really consider me a friend, then you should get rid of everything from this world that has this shaoxia’s name on it.”

Xiu LingLong rebutted, “Take a seat. Little ChangYan, that name isn’t something that I want up, it’s the people’s choice. If I took your names off of them, then people will say that I’m acting with partiality and breaking laws of justice and only caring about my own personal relationships.”

As soon as Ming ChangYan sat down, two young men came in with tea, placing plates on the table along with refreshments, except that there was no wine.

He wasn’t in the mood for tea, and asked directly, “I want to see that piece of jade from that young master of the Zhuang family.”

The hand that was moving the fan stopped, smiling she said, “I don’t have it.”

Ming ChangYan said, “You don’t have it?”

Xiu LingLong said, “From your expression, it’s like I ought to have it or something. I’ve heard of that jade from the Zhuang family’s young master, but because of that fire years ago, who knows where that jade went. Besides, how old was I back then, how could I possibly have this piece of jade.”

Ming ChangYan stood up, “How old were you? Even now I still don’t know how old you are. It’s fine if you don’t have it, then let me ask again, did you know the madame of that villa?”

Xiu LingLong, “How am I supposed to know? Follow me and let’s take a look.”

Ming ChangYan turned around and said to Huai Yu, “Follow her.”

Huai Yu kept his composure and asked, “Are you very familiar with her?”

Ming ChangYan, “A decades worth of an ill-fated friendship, can’t count that as very familiar, just hoping that she’s not thinking about killing me the entire time. Let’s go.”

Xiu LingLong walked in a graceful manner, after passing by a few similarly built corridors, they went around a pond until finally arriving in front of a wooden door.

Pushing open the door, the inside was like a completely different world, filled with tens and thousands of files.

She began, “If I helped you search, what benefit would it gain me?”

Ming ChangYan opened his mouth and said, “I’ll issue you an IOU.”

Xiu LingLong smiled, “The amount of IOU’s that you’ve issued here would probably be enough to fill an entire river. When does Ming shaoxia plan on cashing that in?”

Ming ChangYan waved his hand, “No hurry, no hurry, it’ll still be late even after you’ve died.”

Xiu LingLong simply smiled, not saying anything. Walking in front of a table, she spread out a piece of paper and wrote the words ‘Huating villa’ on it. Ming ChangYan stopped her hand and suddenly said, “Hold up, help me look up someone else.”

Xiu LingLong said, “No harm in saying who.”

After a moment of hesitation, Ming ChangYan slowly said, “The previous dynasty’s crown prince, Nan Ye.”

Huai Yu was stunned, he looked up to glance at him.

Xiu LingLong finished writing and handed the two slips of paper to a young man waiting in front of the case files.

After the burn of an incense stick, they handed over a book. Xiu LingLong flipped through a few pages before throwing it to Ming ChangYan, “Everything about the Zhuang family is in here, I’ll lend you it, you can give it back later. As for the previous dynasty’s crown prince, I don’t dare to hide information about him.”

Ming ChangYan raised his brow, “I don’t believe you, you don’t have anything?”

Xiu LingLong used her fan to cover her face yet her gaze landed on Huai Yu.

Ming ChangYan thought: What’s she going to say that Huai Yu can’t even know?

He said, “He’s not a problem, just say it.”

Xiu LingLong said, “Then I can’t say.”

Ming ChangYan shared a look with Huai Yu, the latter walked out with a cold expression.

When he left, Ming ChangYan turned his head around and grumbled, “You’ve done me a lot of harm!”

Xiu LingLong smiled, “How have I harmed you?”

Ming shaoxia had no choice but to suffer in silence, he couldn’t tell her his hardships so he could only think: Isn’t it already bad enough?! That little brat was driven out by you, if he doesn’t act like a demon when I go back then this whole situation would be unfair!

The more he thought about it, the angrier he felt.

It took him days to coax him back, but now, and in just a day he’s back to his original form.

Ming ChangYan impatiently said, “Whatever you have to say, say it quick.”

Xiu LingLong narrowed her eyes and smiled, “What, with him you’re happy, but with me you’re miserable. Little ingrate, you’re here to ask me for help, yet you still dare to not show me face?”

Ming ChangYan asked, “Just what do you have to say that he can’t hear.”

Xiu LingLong said, “Let me ask you, why do you want to know about the affairs of the previous dynasty’s crown prince. You really think too highly of me, to secretly store information about the previous crown prince could get one beheaded.”

Ming ChangYan said, “It’s not like you haven’t done enough things for you to get beheaded, take it out.”

Xiu LingLong gazed at him before smiling again and taking a seat on the table, “I don’t have anything, but I do know a little about what happened behind the scenes, do you want to hear them?”

Ming ChangYan hesitated a little, “You can turn any truth that comes out of your mouth into a lie, I don’t really believe you.”

Xiu LingLong waved her fan, “You still ask even though you don’t believe me, then stop coming to ask me, I don’t want to say either.”

Ming ChangYan said, “Wait, it’s better if you just say it!”

Xiu LingLong smiled, “You asking about crown prince Nan Ye was nothing more than to ask about Princess HanZhu. I’ll tell you this, he and your mother were shixiong and shimei, Old Ji only accepted these two disciples in his entire lifetime, the two studied together at Egret Academy, that’s it.”

Ming ChangYan asked, “Then what?”

Xiu LingLong continued, “Then on the day of the blessings ceremony, the Zhao family’s first daughter, Zhao YiChan came to the palace to pay respects to the empress, crown prince Nan Ye fell in love with her at first sight, and the previous emperor arranged a marriage between them.”

Hearing this, Ming ChangYan was a bit startled and asked, “Zhao YiChan? Isn’t that….”

Xiu LingLong said, “That’s right, she’s the current empress. Otherwise, why do you think all the books related to crown prince Nan Ye were all completely destroyed? How did you think the emperor got his position in the first place? He grew up together with the Zhao family’s young lady, she was also born a heavenly beauty, her chams moved many. Naturally, the emperor adored her very much. Unfortunately, even a rabbit knows not to eat the grass by its burrow*, if the Zhao family’s young lady had reciprocated his feelings, then why did he wait again and again to confess? That day at the blessings ceremony, Zhao YiChan encountered the crown prince Nan Ye, when they met for the first time their hearts fluttered. The emperor failed to have her, so he murdered his brother and stole his wife. Wanting power, he seized the throne and along with it forcibly made Zhao family’s young lady his wife. During the ceremony celebrating his ascension to the throne, despite the official’s opposition, he made her the empress.”

(TN: Refers to someone purposely not trying to pursue someone they’re interested in, possibly because they didn’t feel the same way.)

Ming ChangYan asked, “What about the people who opposed?”

Xiu LingLong, “He’s the emperor now, it’s only natural that he has his ways. He was even able to successfully occupy the title of emperor, do you really think that he’s a man with no skill? Since then, who here would dare say a single ‘no’ to him. Even here at Xiu LingLong’s you’re not going to find even the smallest document in correspondence to the crown prince, let alone anywhere else. It’s better if you just give up now, plus you’re from Jianghu, why are you so interested in court affairs?”

Ming ChangYan said, “What about my mother? How were she and the crown prince?”

Xiu LingLong let out a laugh, “Your mother was both proud and aloof, she was as cold as ice, anyone within three meters of her would inevitably freeze into a popsicle. Her cultivation was high, she was a master of the Six Arts, didn’t like crowds, didn’t like talking, tall and indifferent, and no one was able to defeat her. Don’t tell me you actually believe those rumors about her? Do you really think that a girl like her could fall in love with anyone?”

Ming ChangYan sighed, “She really didn’t like talking.”

Xiu LingLong asked, “Just what did you hear for you to come ask me about this?”

He knocked on the table but didn’t reply.

Xiu LingLong extended her hand and looked at her newly applied nail polish, her expression changed and she ambiguously asked, “Did you quarrel with the Young Prime Minister?”

Ming ChangYan looked up from his disordered thoughts, “What?”

Xiu LingLong sighed, changing the subject she pretended to be aggrieved, “Everything was going well last time, what made you two quarrel like this.”

Ming ChangYan felt very weird from her questioning, replying, “What does this have anything to do with you?”

Xiu LingLong opened her fan to cover her face as she giggled. Suddenly, she closed her fan again, “I’ll stop talking nonsense to you, you should be careful, a large part of the sects that you destroyed back in the day were old friends of the Zhuang family.”

Ming ChangYan said, “Old friend? Why were they old friends?”

Xiu LingLong said, “I’ve already told you all I know, everything else you’re going to have to investigate yourself. However, there are some harsh words I’m going to have to say first. I can tell that you’ve recovered a bit of your cultivation, but it’s not by any means the level you were in the past, it’s actually a lot less. I don’t know what method you used to achieve this, but the Great FengShan feast will be at the end of the year, the Common People’s Order will once again recognize a new master, you must be careful. If that blade isn’t in your hands, then it’s going to set off a rain of blood all across Jianghu.”

Ming ChangYan responded, “I know.”

Xiu LingLong continued, “I’m counting on you this year, give a good performance.”

Ming ChangYan said, “…..I know!”

After he finished, he originally planned to head straight out the door. But for some reason, he suddenly stopped his footsteps.

Xiu LingLong said, “What? Do you want me to reminisce about the good times, this pavilion master’s time is very precious.”

After hesitating over and over again, Ming ChangYan faltered out a few words, “I want to ask you a question.”

Xiu LingLong raised her eyebrow, “Ask away.”

He was silent again for a long time, but this time he grabbed a cup of tea on the table and drained it.

Finishing, Ming shaoxia looked death calmly in the face as he stammered to ask, “I have a friend, he was kissed by someone, but afterwards the two acted like nothing had ever happened, what do you think his intentions were?”

After saying that, he felt that it wasn’t quite right so he added, “I’m talking about the other party’s intentions, not the intentions of this friend.”

Xiu LingLong was alarmed, her eyes widened as they shined, she raised her voice, “YOU WERE KISSED BY THE YOUNG PRIME MINISTER?!”

Ming ChangYan’s entire face was steaming red, he nervously looked around outside before warning, “Don’t say nonsense! It’s a friend of mine, not me!”

Xiu LingLong supported her forehead and completely ignored his explanation while she slowly sat down, “I can’t believe it, if I was to leak this out, no one would believe me, they’ll view my LingLong Pavilion as some sort of Jianghu con-man. Amitabha, you were really kissed by him?”

Ming ChangYan turned angry from embarrassment, “I already said that they’re a friend of mine, forget it, there’s no point in telling you. It’s only because I was muddle-headed that I came to find you, no wait, I meant my friend was muddle-headed. Just, just pretend that you didn’t hear anything! I’m leaving!”

Walking toward the door, he kicked it open, full of shame and anger he cried, “Outrageous!”

Following which he began harshly criticizing himself: Idiot, idiot! You’re so stupid! You actually came to consult Xiu LingLong about this, you were unlucky to open that damn door, you’re completely out of luck! You’ve done it now, there’s now a third person who knows about this, how do you plan on ending this one!

Ming shaoxia felt so regretful that he didn’t bother to look at the path in front of him, his head bumping against Huai Yu’s back.

He raised his head and fell into Huai Yu’s eyes.

 

The author has something to say: It’s the legendary series called ‘I have a friend that is me’!

 

 

 

This was translated by https://poppyscanlations.video.blog/, any repost of this is stolen and if you steal my translations then I’m selling you botched goods.

 

 

 

New chapter new day my friends. Longer chapters = more suffering from me.

I am once again at a loss on what to really say, so uuuhhh yeah Huai Yu is really adorable and I should probably update my character guild thingy but I’m too lazy cause it’s like 1 am. Okay, cue credits.

If you see any grammatical/translation errors please tell me! I’m the only one translating and editing this so I’m not really that much of a professional.

Have a great day |∀･)ジ

 

 

 

Chapter 55 : Table of Contents : Chapter 57