Chapter 91

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Protagonist:

Shaowei

Liu Qi

The girl bit down on one side of her teeth, her ink-black eyebrows and high-bridged nose nearly knotting together, several shallow lines pressed into her brow, like the markings on a tiger's forehead.

Suddenly facing this complexion that only a peerless stubborn blockhead could have, the house slave remained calm on the surface, but inside his body a voice plummeted straight from his mind to the bottom of his heart: This... is so difficult.

Beneath his calm exterior he had already felt at a loss, looking around blankly, not knowing whom he could turn to for help.

And in Shaowei's eyes, she was now being tugged by her emotions to the point of unbearable distress, her belly full of mixed anger, yet she still had to be questioned by the other party; she hated most in her life being interrogated about her motives for action, as if someone were pressing down on her head forcing her to review the process and admit her mistakes.

Therefore she said righteously and confidently: "When did I ever agree with you? It's always been you talking, I never opened my mouth!"

The house slave was silent for a moment, then replied: "... Doesn't that mean tacit consent?"

"No, it's not! It's just your own wild imagination!"

Looking at the person denying angrily, the house slave inexplicably thought of a puppy that had once bitten his robe, tearing and shaking its head.

That puppy was injured, biting his robe and making wu wu ang ang sounds, looking very fierce, but actually not really wanting to hurt anyone.

Sure enough, seeing him fall silent, she turned her head back, staring at the pool water, and said somewhat sulkily: "Besides, where was I impulsive? I had already found a retreat cave in that mountain beforehand, watched for a long time before making my move!"

The house slave: "Watching which one was Zhu Zhi, right?"

She had never seen Zhu Zhi before, and for a moment couldn't recognize him, thinking that the process called watching was precisely for staring at people and finding people.

Shaowei choked, then turned her head to look at the house slave again, saying angrily: "I almost killed him!"

Her words were full of unwillingness to accept defeat and unwillingness to give in: "He's nothing special! If it weren't for the endless subordinates protecting him by his side, if it weren't for me bringing injuries and rushing day and night with insufficient strength, if it weren't for..."

"But these 'if it weren't for's are precisely part of him." The house slave interrupted Shaowei's indignant words in a muffled voice.

The girl's dense eyelids trembled imperceptibly, staring at him with a face full of unwillingness to accept.

The house slave met that stubborn gaze and said to her: "His subordinates will always follow him, just like his blades, crossbows, armor, and clothes won't leave his body, and you have none of these. Your previous injuries were left from fighting his subordinates, the reason your strength is insufficient is because you had no time to rest while pursuing him, he has a carriage to cultivate his spirit on the journey while you do not."

"You only have one person, one pair of hands, one pair of legs, no one to look after you, your flesh and blood body cannot withstand the endless rain of arrows and blades and spears, cannot endure the ceaseless war of attrition against the sea of people."

"You are already a rare and formidable person, so you were fortunate enough to save your life; many others like you who want revenge often die far from Zhu Zhi, unable to get close to him until death."

"But you have already been exposed this time; if you want another chance, it will only be difficulty upon difficulty."

"Zhu Zhi is already like this; Chi Yang may not be as fierce and exposed as Zhu Zhi, but he is proficient in Qimen Arrays and is unfathomable. Even worse is that he possesses the 'Power of Ghosts and Gods'; you can choose not to believe it, but the Son of Heaven and the common people believe it. As soon as you appear, he doesn't even need any evidence; just one sentence that you have the appearance of one who brings calamity to the state, and he can drive the Emperor to order your extermination—the Fine Clothes Guard, crossbow carts and ring blades, wanted notices, all under heaven as enemies. At that time, what you need to think about will not be how to take revenge or how to counter-kill, but how to save your life and where to hide."

The house slave had never spoken so many words at once.

These words were incomparably cruel, every word like a knife cutting across the proud bones of the girl wrapped in self-esteem.

He knew saying this was too hurtful, but the child's aggressive aura was truly too terrifying, even he felt afraid.

He had originally been glad that it was himself who went to pursue Chi Yang; if it were this child, seeing that empty coffin, she would surely stake her life to find out the truth. But the facts proved that a wolf pup is a wolf pup wherever it goes; it is impossible for it to be obedient and quiet.

And after she had gone through such a life-or-death trial, she refused to summarize her experiences, so he would have to forcibly summarize them for her. This was the duty he must fulfill as a house slave and a senior.

She no longer angrily retorted, just stared at him fixedly. It was clear these words might very well have struck the black mountain and evil sea in her heart that she was unwilling to face, or had not yet had the chance to face.

All the unspoken anger gathered in the girl's eyes, burning out bloodshot veins. Her whole body was tense with indignation, and finally she asked in a voice just as taut as a bowstring, five short words: "On what basis?"

The house slave's answer was calm and cruel: "On the basis that they have power, and you and I do not."

He added a word of comfort: "You are not weak; it's just that their power and influence are too great."

This familiar-sounding comfort was destined to have not the slightest positive effect.

Shaowei's eyes burned red to the extreme, stinging so much that tears wanted to fall at any moment, which she held back desperately.

These tears were certainly not transformed from fear, but once they fell, it would be impossible to explain clearly; they would always make her look pitiful and weak.

Just before those pitiful tears were about to surge forth wildly, Shaowei, sitting by the pool side, suddenly leaned forward and lowered her head, pushed aside the green and yellow lotus leaves with one hand, scooped up a large handful of water with both hands, and splashed it fiercely onto her face.

Zhan Zhan, who had fallen asleep on Shaowei's shoulder, was startled by her master's sudden leaning movement and fell onto a lotus leaf, shaking and shouting for help.

Seeing the bird sleep so soundly it seemed to have forgotten it could fly, Shaowei, amidst a hundred tasks and a thousand angers, reached out to catch it and handed it to the house slave beside her to look after and guard, then she herself continued scooping water to wash her face frantically.

The house slave held Zhan Zhan in both hands; person and bird both looked at that girl whose psychological defense line had been ruthlessly crushed.

The tears were washed away by the pool water full of grassy stench, but in the next instant new ones welled up again; no matter how she washed, they could not be cleaned away.

When Shaowei grew tired of washing, she bent over, propped her hands on the pool side, lowered her head, and let those disobedient bad tears run out, wanting to see if they could overflow this pool of water.

She shed tears so turbulently for the first time in her life, a hundred times more than when Mother had gripped her throat, almost making her feel that all the water in her body had been drained, and in the next instant she would become a dry beast skin that someone could pick up to make a jacket.

As for why she cried, it was not inexplicable: it was for Jiang Fu's life and death, for those people's wantonness, for her own dignity and pride being utterly worthless before so-called power and influence; those hard courage was like a stupid stone that did not understand the rules of the world, which could be ground into powder at any time.

The tears washed away the mixed anger in the bottom of her heart, exposing these various truths.

But the anger did not stop just because of that, even though the tears were finally stopped.

Shaowei lifted her face; her eyes and nose were all red, her vision somewhat blurred, but this did not prevent her from seeing how vast the sky was, vast beyond measure, impossible to climb.

She felt her own insignificance so concretely for the first time, but this realization only gave rise to even greater anger.

Those people were clearly just as insignificant in this heaven and earth, yet under the adornment of power and influence they stood shoulder to shoulder with heaven, looking down on her with contempt from on high. What logic was this? She did not accept such logic!

She did not care about right and wrong, nor did she have any broad-minded righteous heart seeking justice for the public. She only knew that if she did not accept, she did not accept; whatever stood in her way because she refused to accept must be destroyed and torn apart.

The icy autumn water and the embracing autumn wind were both insufficient to soothe the blazing fire in the heart of a stubborn person.

Inside Taiqing Pavilion, the youth leaning against the pillar looked at the girl sitting on the giant stone by the pool side.

They were separated by more than a hundred steps; looking over, he saw only a blurred figure, but her aura was inherently striking and unmatched, and at this moment it was even more eye-catching.

The girl who refused to bow her head lifted her head to stare at the vault of heaven; the wordless anger all around her was like a wildfire in the mountains and fields, flames soaring into the sky as if they wanted to burn through this boundless blue expanse.

Seeing that she remained silent for a long time, the house slave, worried that his educational words were too cruel and vicious and might break this child, pondered for a long while before trying to speak again.

"What you just said does have some merit," he said, holding the bird that had been entrusted to him. "If she is dead, this grudge must be avenged, but you must not act rashly again. If she is still alive and being used as a hostage as bait, before you take the bait, she should have no threat to her life for a short time. Once you clearly distinguish this situation, you can temporarily calm down and make plans after careful consideration."

He paused, then said again: "Your injuries are serious now and you need rest; I can also take you away for a period of time first."

The step down hidden in this second proposal, Shaowei could understand well enough — it meant that if she wanted to give up just like that, he could also take her far away and hide her.

Shaowei could understand it all, but she still didn't speak, didn't respond, didn't express any stance.

The house slave gave her time to consider, so he also stopped speaking, silently holding the exhausted sleeping little bird.

After another good long while, Shaowei probably got a stiff neck from tilting her head up, and her eyes were stinging from the glare; only then did she finally withdraw her gaze, turn her head back — but she looked first toward the Taiqing Pavilion where Liu Qi was.

Seeing this, the house slave made conversation where there was none: "Today I hid behind the mansion and saw those Embroidered Uniform Guards carrying a corpse out. When I tried to infiltrate the mansion, I also discovered the vigilance here is extremely strict. This Sixth Imperial Son Liu Qi is not as simple as he appears on the surface."

Shaowei didn't pick up on those words, turned her head back, and said to the house slave: "Thank you for telling me these things."

She had probably cried too much and was too tired; right now she didn't have much expression, and her words didn't carry much emotion either — yet this flat word of thanks made the house slave freeze.

Simple crude educational methods had accidentally exchanged for a word of thanks, making him feel flattered.

The next moment, however, he saw the girl's brow furrow slightly again as she asked him: "Then why did Liu Qi call you Zhao Xiake?"

First giving thanks, then questioning — quite a sense of clear distinction between gratitude and resentment, and courtesy before force.

The house slave paused, then said: "I am originally surnamed Zhao."

Shaowei was three parts annoyed: "Then why did you deceive me into thinking your surname was Jiang?"

House slave: "At the time I didn't speak; you guessed it yourself."

Shaowei's annoyance turned to five parts: "Then why didn't you deny it?"

The house slave's bearing could be called honest: "At the time I thought for a bit, and felt sharing her surname was also quite good."

Shaowei's cheek twitched: "... Then that name 'Qian' you personally spoke — is it true or false?"

House slave: "False, but that was you mishearing; my name is Qie'an, you heard it as Qian."

Shaowei looked at him in shock — Zhao Qie'an?!

Shaowei didn't know whether to be shocked that this person was actually the legendary First Swordsman Zhao Qie'an, or to be angry that she had been kept in the dark all along and treated him as some Jiang Qian...

But this hesitation under the shock only lasted a moment; Shaowei still chose to prioritize herself first, and said angrily: "All this time, why have you never denied the name Jiang Qian?"

House slave: "I also never acknowledged it."

Shaowei: "... Isn't that exactly the meaning of tacit acceptance!"

House slave: "No, it's you who misunderstood."

"..." This extremely familiar mode of dialogue was clearly a brand new boomerang, instantly puncturing Shaowei's ballooned-full anger into scattered fragments, making it hard to righteously flare up and demand accountability.

She could only switch to another angle of attack: "The dignified First Swordsman actually serves as a slave in private — is this the professional integrity you jianghu people pursue?"

This attack was completely ineffective; the house slave reacted calmly: "The jianghu is also not a place outside the world; knights-errant also need to live, so naturally there are all kinds — porters, peddlers, kitchen helpers, blacksmiths can all moonlight as knights-errant."

Shaowei was stunned — even the knight-errant identity is just a side job?

Then she heard the house slave Zhao Qie'an say with a tone carrying some gratitude: "Moreover, she never easily accepts slaves; until for the sake of giving you an explanation, she was willing to acknowledge me as a slave — to me this is a good thing that couldn't be sought, I should thank you."

Clearly extremely humble words, but narrated in this weathered tone, they actually seemed like he had obtained some extraordinary great status.

On one hand Shaowei fell into the emotion of her beautiful fantasy of the First Swordsman being shattered; on the other she couldn't help recalling that she had once asked Jiang Fu whether he could compare to the First Swordsman of the jianghu Zhao Qie'an — at that time Jiang Fu answered: 【He cried and begged to be my follower, and I might not even agree.】

At that time Shaowei only felt Jiang Fu was truly arrogant; only now did she realize it was she who had imagined the knight-errant too knight-errantly.

Reality suddenly shattered imagination; Shaowei nearly broke down a second time. She grabbed that yellow sandalwood staff, and while fleeing threw down a half-broken-down sentence: "... You're not at all like the First Swordsman in my imagination!"

The house slave followed behind carrying the bird, hoarsely saying: "Better to be different from what the world imagines — I am a heavily wanted criminal; the small hermit hides in the jianghu, the great hermit hides as another's slave."

Shaowei couldn't listen anymore, leaned on her staff and walked swiftly away.

Seeing her approach, Liu Qi emerged from inside the pavilion.

Shaowei's eyes and nose tip were both red and swollen from crying; sensing Liu Qi's gaze falling on her, she immediately struck first: "This pond water of yours isn't clean at all — I only washed my face and it turned out like this!"

This remark simply stunned Deng Hu — their Commandery Prince's Mansion pond water isn't poison.

Yet she heard the Master at her side respond: "Mm, I'll have someone clean it up when I get back."

Shaowei's embarrassment was thus glossed over; Liu Qi naturally asked her and her house slave: "It's already afternoon; why not have someone prepare some rice and dishes to stave off hunger, and also serve as a welcome feast for the knight-errant."

Zhao Qie'an glanced at this youth.

The young man's complexion and bone structure were both top-grade, truly noble bearing by nature; what was even rarer was that his attitude right now could be called friendly, completely different from that night by the lake with its gloomy vigilance.

How could Zhao Qie'an not know there must be a scheme behind this; so he, hungry in his belly, straightforwardly made a demand: "Mm, trouble you to cook more meat dishes."

Saying this, he glanced at Shaowei walking ahead with a limp, and added: "And make them lighter."

The child is both growing and recovering from injury, especially with such a big temper — diet inevitably needs more care.

Thinking of how this child was one way in Jiang Fu's hands, and now another way in his own hands, Zhao Qie'an felt a few parts guilty conscience and shame, and resolved to properly study the way of guardianship in the future. The general direction he certainly couldn't decide, but daily care he absolutely must not shirk.