Chapter 121: Chapter 121: See You (Never) in the Jianghu Again

No one inside knew what zombies or lipsticks were, but they could guess from Yu Xiaoxiao’s tone that she was asking to be beaten by gloating in their misfortune.

After Beiji had discovered his junior master’s poisoning, his first reaction was sealing off Junior Master Fenglin’s multiple major acupoints so the blood wouldn’t spread to his entire body. But despite his quick response, the poison was too potent even after being diluted with Yu Xiaoxiao’s pot-scrubbing water. Now Junior Master Fenglin was not only immobilized, but suffering acute pain all over his body.

Beiji looked at Yu Xiaoxiao hatefully. “Your Royal Highness, if anything happens to my junior master, your Fengtian wouldn’t be able to bear it.”

“What?” Yu Xiaoxiao had nothing but loathing for these Eternal Life Temple monks. “Is Fengtian his father or mother?” she challenged. “What does his life or death have to do with Fengtian Country? Were we the ones who invited him here?”

“You,” If Beiji hadn’t been ordered by the junior master to keep his hands off Princess Linglong, then he would be fighting her now. “Despite being the princess of a nation, your speech is coarse and vulgar. So this is the level of Fengtian jade!” he denounced her.

It took effort for Yu Xiaoxiao to listen to speech that was half prose half poetry, but she more or less got that the monk was sending his respects to her family. Cheng Guan had Yu Xiaoxiao’s hand in a death grip to prevent her from walking forward. Quietly, he murmured, “Princess, now isn’t the time to squabble because of personal feelings.”

Yu Xiaoxiao looked coldly at Junior Master Fenglin. Actually, with his looks, even black lips made him look seductively vicious. Still, in Yu Xiaoxiao’s eyes he might as well go die because he wasn’t manly at all. How much virtue did his parents lack? Why not birth him as a girl instead? “You should hurry up,” Yu Xiaoxiao told Junior Master Fenglin. “Aren’t you guys the Eternal Life Temple? Hurry and go die in your temple instead so your master can revive you again. We can meet in the jianghu or never at all.”

“Yu Linglong!” Beiji and the other monks all shouted her name in rage. Cursing our junior master to die? Does this princess not fear our Eternal Life Temple at all?

“If you won’t accept it, then fight me,” Yu Xiaoxiao was mad too.

Beiji and the others glared at her. Yu Xiaoxiao swept her gaze across the people in the room before adding fuel to the fire. “Where’s that ragamuffin?1 Have him join too if you need, we’ll duel to see who’s the winner.”

Beiji and the rest all sucked in a cold breath before turning to look at Junior Master Fenglin. Were they supposed to keep enduring this when Princess Linglong was practically asking for a beating?

When State Preceptor Cheng Guan saw that a fight was imminent, he quickly moved to stand in front of Yu Xiaoxiao, his hand still gripping her own. Looking at Junior Master Fenglin, he declared, “Junior master, the princess is of Fengtian royal blood. It’s better for you to look after your subordinates well.”

Beiyuan laughed icily. “Cheng Guan, even if she was the member of the Zhuri imperial clan, she wouldn’t dare to treat the junior master this way. What does a tiny Fengtian count for?”

Yu Xiaoxiao laughed coldly as well. She didn’t like to waste spit talking when she could thrash people instead. It was rare for her to be so poison-tongued when she’d rather bite these monks to death. “No matter how tiny Fengtian is, we’re still normal humans. We’re nothing like you seemingly normal types who’ll end up as the last of your line!”2

How could anyone curse them like that?!

Even Cheng Guan had a moment of unease at Yu Xiaoxiao’s words.

“You’re different,” Yu Xiaoxiao didn’t forget about the state preceptor. “In the future I’ll take care of you so you won’t be lonely.”

No matter how uneasy Cheng Guan felt, Her Royal Highness’s words cured him. Beiji couldn’t stand it anymore and gave a great cry before pushing off the ground to kill his way towards Yu Xiaoxiao, who pulled Cheng Guan protectively behind her. Her hands formed protectively into a fist as Beiji charged at her. She might not be good at verbal battles, but she had confidence in her martial skills. How could any humans in this world be her match?

“Beiji!” Junior Master Fenglin cried out from the bed.

As if frozen in place, Beiji halted three steps away from Yu Xiaoxiao to glare at her, too afraid to move. However, the shout seemed to have used up all of Junior Master Fenglin’s energy. He was left gasping for breath on the divan, blood trickling from his lips. As soon as he opened his mouth, more blood rose from his throat and stained his pure white robes red.

“Junior master!” all of the monks cried out in alarm.

Beiji ignored Yu Xiaoxiao completely to rush to Junior Master Fenglin’s side. He reached out a hand and tapped another acupoint on his chest.

Yu Xiaoxiao muttered to Cheng Guan, “He was fine a few hours ago, but why’s he like this now? Is his health just that bad to make his illness so fatal?”

The State Preceptor had no concept of an “hour,”3 but he coughed dryly at Yu Xiaoxiao’s question and murmured, “Does the princess hate junior master because he saved Consort Zhao?”

Yu Xiaoxiao shook her head. “I don’t care about other people’s love affairs.” Even if Wen Fenglin and Consort Zhao end up having children, it doesn’t matter to me. Still, I’d probably have a headache if she had kids with Gu Xinglang.

In the middle of his dreams, Gu Xinglang sneezed.

Wang momo heard the sound from outside and gave a start, afraid that he’d woken up. With the princess sneaking out in black robes in the middle of the night, she had no idea what lies to make up if the Gu Clan started asking questions!

—

“The Safeguard Temple is rather loyal towards you,” the emaciated old monk approached Yu Xiaoxiao and Cheng Guan while observing the latter.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“What do you mean by that, Master Wang Sheng?” Cheng Guan asked.

“Junior master didn’t want to embarrass you,” Wang Sheng (望生)4 said, “And wished to save you face. Who knew you’d actually switch the medicine?”

Cheng Guan knitted his brows. “On what basis do you say such things?”

Wang Sheng said, “Cheng Guan, what else can you say with the fact that you’re standing right here while the junior master’s poisoned on the divan?”

“That’s impossible,” Cheng Guan said immediately, Putting aside the fact that he had no motive, all the monks by Junior Master Fenglin’s side were high level martial monks of Eternal Life Temple. How could he have the skills to switch the drugs?

Wang Sheng only shook his head. “Fortunately, the junior master wasn’t seriously poisoned, or else there’d be no hope for this case.”

Cheng Guan looked at the blood by the edge of Junior Master Fenglin’s lips. Who was helping him on the sly? Or rather, who was making Eternal Life Temple their private enemy in secret?

“If the Great Master summons you back to the temple,” Wang Sheng added, “You better make preparations early.”

Cheng Guan suddenly broke into a laugh. “Many thanks for your reminder, Master Wang Sheng. I will make early preparations.”

烂眼的 lanyan de – a term for scamps or vagrants, also a way to insult someone. I am not quite sure who Yu Xiaoxiao’s referring to, though.

断子绝孙 – duanzi juesun, an idiom that literally means “may you die sonless.” In Chinese (Confucian) culture, to curse someone to have no descendents was a big taboo because that meant there would be no one to give offerings to one’s grave in the afterlife.

Ancient Chinese kept time using various methods. In this novel, they refer to it in two-hour chunks called 时辰 shichen, which I translate directly to “two hours” to cut down on jargon. Thus, the term “hour,” or 小时 xiaoshi, doesn’t actually exist in the vernacular.

Wang Sheng means “observing (all) life.”