Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Humming a tone that nobody present had ever heard before, Han Fen picked up a stone and hurled it towards the side of the cliff, startling all the nearby people.
The stone flew about forty to fifty meters up before hitting the wall. A crisp sound was heard and then the stone rolled back down.
The others knew that Han Fen was a disciple of the Waning Moon Hall as well as a strange âprisonerâ, so none of them were willing to talk to her. They just cast an unhappy glance at her - they had been expecting the Dragon King and Instructor Shangguan to return at any moment, and that stone had badly ruined the atmosphere.
Han Fen was still discontent with the situation. She ignored the more than ten people who were looking at her and started abruptly yelling, âDragon King! Come down! I feel bored!â
Startled, Dugu Xian hastily said, âStop that. You might draw enemies here.â
âDraw enemies here?â
â Thousand Horsemen Pass is not far away from here. Some enemy scouts-â
Han Fen became happier and yelled even louder, âCome here, enemies! The Dragon Kingâs here!â
Her voice carried very well, echoing throughout the canyon repeatedly.
Dugu Xian was unaware of Han Fenâs true intentions, and his face changed dramatically, but there were not many guards nearby, so he had to ask Nie Zeng and Tie Linglong for help.
Holding his saber, Nie Zeng walked to a position about seven steps in front of Han Fen and coldly said, âDonât yell again.â
Han Fen watched him with a smiling face. âDonât you feel bored, little Nie Zeng? Wouldnât it be more interesting if I draw a couple of enemies here?â
âThatâs not necessary.â Nie Zeng tightened his grip on the saber hilt.
Dugu Xian regretted having asked Nie Zeng for help. This was the very reason why he had always tried to keep a distance from those bodyguards of the Dragon King - they drew their sabers for no reason far too often. He walked over and gave two coughs. âWe can discuss this. Thereâs no need to fight⦠â
But Han Fen was very excited. âI like fighting. Little Nie Zeng, Iâll allow you to make⦠a hundred moves before I fight back.â
âYou donât have to do that.â Nie Zengâs face turned livid. He was very displeased by the placement of the word âlittleâ before his name. âI donât want to fight you. As long as you donât yell.â
This threat had the opposite effect. Han Fen raised her voice and yelled out a string of âDragon Kings.â
Nie Zeng whipped out his saber and then Han Fen stopped yelling. She slightly gathered up her skirt to reveal her feet, bent from the waist, and raised her head, making her look like an old woman. The smile on her face was still bright. âYouâll use your saber and Iâll use my feet. Little Nie Zeng, neither of us are allowed to use hands.â
Tie Linglong was familiar with the Waning Moon Hall, and she believed that Nie Zeng was probably no match for Han Fen. She walked forward and said, âThis kung fu competition must be fair. No peculiar tricks.â
âI wonât even use my hands. How can I play âtricksâ?â Han Fenâs eyes suddenly lit up. âActually, the three of us can play this together. Letâs fight on our own respective behalf.â
âEven if I take part in this, Iâd be⦠helping him.â Tie Linglong glanced at Nie Zeng.
âIn that case, it will be boring.â Han Fen rolled her eyes as she asked, âDonât you guys hold grudges against each other? Why not dissolve it by having a kung fu competition?â
âWhy do you think that there are grudges between us?â
âHe likes you, but you donât like him; he wants you to leave with him, but you think that his kung fu is not good enough-â
Nie Zeng and Tie Linglong simultaneously yelled in astonishment, âHow do you know-â
Suddenly it dawned on the others that these two teenagers had some relationship issues between them. Some of them looked away out of embarrassment. Some others lowered their heads and smiled to themselves. Dugu Xian shook his head repeatedly - this general, who always remained composed on the battlefield, felt that his hands were tied.
âI eavesdropped on you,â Han Fen admitted frankly.
âWhy did you eavesdrop on us?â Tie Linglongâs face blushed fiercely with anger and embarrassment.
âIf I donât eavesdrop, then how can I call myself a killer? The Dragon King wonât give me any assignments. Do you know how bored Iâve been?â Han Fenâs face was full of confusion, as if Tie Linglong had just asked a very childish question.
Nie Zeng didnât say anything. He whipped out his saber and was ready to fight. A cavalryman rode towards them from the foot of the hill, yelling, âGeneral Dugu! Thereâs a group of people coming our way from the east!â
Dugu Xian walked to the edge of the hill and looked down. âThis is bad. Theyâre already here.â
Hearing that some people actually had come, Han Fen left Nie Zeng and Tie Linglong, rushed to Dugu Xianâs side in just a couple of steps, and mimicked his voice to say, âThis is good. Theyâre already here.â
At the foot of the hill, a thousand Norland cavalrymen were confronting enemies of a similar number. From high above, the two sides seemed very close to each other. Red Bat pointed at somewhere further in the east. âThereâre more people there.â
As expected, another procession of cavalrymen, like a multiple-segmented worm, was rapidly approaching the 1000-men Norland army at the foot of the hill,
But Gu Shenwei and Shangguan Ru didnât hear a word of their conversation. There was spring water about a manâs height in depth as well as high hills between the two of them and the rest of the group.
The depth of this pool to the south of the hill seemed no greater than half a manâs height, but the pool was actually very deep. When they stood in it, the tops of their heads were only five or six inches above the water.
Totally naked, hand in hand, they held their breath and stared at each other. It seemed as if they were creatures encased in amber, and that time had stopped passing as they lost their mobility.
The slowly floating hair and strings of bubbles occasionally coming out of their mouths were the only remaining proof that they were still alive.
Gu Shenwei had never been so calm before. He was even able to fully appreciate every detail of the body in front of him in an extremely objective and restrained viewpoint.
He mostly saw flaws.
This body was not perfect: the swell of her bosoms was not very obvious, as if they were not fully developed, her hips were a little narrow, there were a couple of obtrusive moles on the skin near her arms and armpits, and her figure was unduly upright, maybe because she had been practice kung fu since childhood,.
Images of another two female bodies flashed across his mind.
By comparison, Luo Ningcha was the most perfect one. Her body was like a combination of both men and womenâs dreams and by no possible means could it improve in any way.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Queen Ju was about Shangguan Ruâs age, but her body held a much more mature and different sort of charm.
But Gu Shenwei couldnât recollect any details about them. Although he had never observed any womanâs body so carefully before, he shouldnât have had no impressions of them at all.
While he was thinking of the words âperfectâ and âmatureâ, he actually only had a very vague impression of them, just like how people couldnât fully picture something they were talking about when they had never seen it before.
âThe Dragon Kingâs sly and sinister.â âThe Unique Kingâs ruthless and callous.â âCentral Plainsmen are smart.â âWestern Regioners are tactful.â âZhang Sanâs ugly.â âLi Siâs handsomeâ¦â When people described other people, they merely used the corresponding words out of force of habit. Once they were asked to expound on these words and offer more details, they always became tongue-tied.
The names of Luo Ningcha and Queen Ju were only words. There were other women who hadnât even left any words in his memory.
When Gu Shenwei allowed himself to become slightly absent-minded as he recalled the past, he discovered that he could only faintly remember his own feelings. As for those womenâs reactions, he hadnât paid any attention to them. By this point, he had completely forgotten about them afterwards.
This was the first time that he had ever observed those details without paying any attention to the body as a whole. The impression given by these imperfect details was even deeper than that which was given by perfect words. So at this moment, at this place, he was wholly unable to describe this body.
But he didnât need to describe it. With his killer composure and senses, he could promise this. No matter how many years elapsed, he would always be able to instantly remember this body that was made up of many imperfect details. But he would never be able to describe it with words, and it was not because he didnât want to or wasnât willing to. Rather, it was because he couldnât.
Words will never be enough , he thought. The more abstract things became, the easier it would be to describe it. But when the demand for precision reached a certain point, then language would no longer suffice. The harder people tried to describe these ephemeral things, the further away from the truth their description would stray.
There was a smile as clear as crystal on Shangguan Ruâs face. She didnât care much about all the details she had seen with her eyes. That handsome face and those countless scars were all a part of her feelings.
Feelings were all she wanted.
Feelings were also ineffable. There were neither specific parts nor a whole, and there was no need to use any words to describe him. Feelings were the water surrounding them, which was stimulating all their senses. As a result, when she recalled the sensation of this water in the future, she would have to use her olfactory, visual, auditory, and gastronomical senses. Even then, they still wouldnât be enough. There would still be an inexplicable feeling hidden among them.
All her sentiments about this pool would be forever linked with the man in front of her and become a part of her. This was the effect that she wanted.
The two slowly floated upwards. When they emerged from the water, they hugged and kissed each other, doing whatever they wanted do.
What surprised Gu Shenwei was that the beast hiding within him hadnât shown itself yet. Everything felt so natural. On a hill, below the sky, his instincts seemed to have returned to its original form - wholly unrestrained. And there was no wild passion left. Only pleasure, the purest pleasure.
Standing at the edge of the cliff, Shangguan Ru opened her arms and displayed her body without shame, yelling out, âI am Shangguan Ru!â
She was not very satisfied, since her voice was still a little restrained. So she yelled even louder, âI am Shangguan Ru!â
She turned her head back and looked at him, her gaze half tender, half provocative.
He also walked to the edge of the cliff. After inhaling deeply, he failed to let out any words even though he had tried several times - surprisingly, yelling out his own name was difficult for him.
âI am Shangguan Ru!â She yelled again in a more relaxed and more affectionate manner. âHeâs Gu Shenwei! Today, we fell in love with each other!â
âI am⦠Gu Shenwei.â his voice was clearly not confident enough, so he yelled again, âI am Gu Shenwei!â
These were the only words he could yell. Too many emotions surged forth in his heart at the same time, as if they were about to break through the self-imposed restrictions that had been cast so many years ago. He had to forcibly send them back into the cage.
âItâs so cold,â Shangguan Ru said. She had no other desires in her heart.
Gu Shenwei retrieved his coat and put it on her.
Shangguan Ru giggled. âI just remembered something.â
âWhat?â
âIt was said that the old Khan preferred to sleep with women from enemy tribes, claiming that he derived a sense of double conquest when he did so. Do you feel the same way?â
Gu Shenwei was stunned. The sacred atmosphere vanished almost instantly - Shangguan Ru had talked to him boldly again, just like how she had used to do when she was young. âThis question⦠Your tone was somewhat similar to that of the Second Consort.â
âYouâre evading it.â
âI donât feel that way. I donât want to conquer you, and you were not conquered by me.â
Shangguan Ru inhaled deeply. âThis is an issue that brings pleasure to both sides. Why do people always connect it with the idea of âconquestâ?â
âSometimes the pleasure is only unilateral⦠I think we should go back.â
âHa-ha, I guess that youâve been shy since you were young.â
âI wouldnât be able to answer your question even if I werenât shy.â
âAm I getting more shameless?â
âUh⦠Kind of.â
âI let you see me clearly. This is me. Forget the previous me, and ignore what kind of person Iâll become in the future. Promise me this - that youâll only remember this current me.â
Gu Shenwei nodded, but didnât make the same request because he had forgotten his true self a long time ago.
Looking into the direction of the Thousand Horsemen Pass, he began to think about the plan for taking that fortified city.