Chapter 5 – Peacock (2/2)

Thumb looked at him in surprise, for none had ever seen him to be so excited and animated.

The Calm Peacock, The Ordinary Peacock, The Nameless Peacock, The Killer Peacock.

Thumb baited, “You want to kill Fu Hongxue that much?”

Peacock smiled and lightly said, “I have always like to kill humans, and Fu Hongxue is also one.”

Thumb said, “But he is not an ordinary human, it is not an easy thing to kill him.”

Peacock said, “I know that, that is why I, myself don’t want to act”

Thumb said, “If you don’t act, who else dare to.”

Peacock smiled again, “I don’t act, because I am not a famous person and also don’t wish to be famous.”

Thumb also smiled, with the twinkle in his eyes, “You are thinking of getting Du Lei to risk his life first and then take the winnings later.”

Peacock nonchalantly said, “In any case, whoever win or lose, I would not be discomforted.”

Mingyue Xin was much discomforted, discomforted like a snail that had hidden in its shell for a long time without sunning itself.

The mask on her face was bought at last year’s temple fair. Although the workmanship is superb, wearing it for long periods would still cause some itchiness on her face.

Once the face itched, the rest of the body would not be too comfortable.

However, she didn’t want to remove this mask. Presently, she was also somewhat frightful of allowing Fu Hongxue to see her face.

This subtle feeling was something that she could not comprehend nor did she wish to comprehend.

They came in when the setting sun was shining directly at the wild roses outside the window. The colour of the wild roses was even more striking after the rain.

Yan Nanfei’s face was however as white as a sheet of paper.

“Has Young Master Yan regain consciousness?”

“No,” The one who had been at Yan Nanfei’s bedside all the while was that same Young Girl with large eyes.

“Have you feed him the medicine?”

“No too,” Young Girl pursed her lips, hid her smile, “Without any instructions from Miss, I wouldn’t even dare to touch him.”

“Why?”

“Because…” Young Girl could no longer stop herself from laughing out loud. “Because I am afraid that Miss might be jealous!”

Mingyue Xin gave her a fierce stare, turned around to Fu Hongxue, “Is it time for him to take his medicine now?”

Fu Hongxue faced the window, slowly nodded.

The rays of setting sun filled up the whole window.

The window frame was as new as the newly glued window paper, shiny as a mirror.

The two window panels were set at an angle. The lower panel was reflected with a field of wild roses, the upper panel reflected that of the room.

Mingyue Xin was now standing at the head of the bed. She took a pill from the vial of antidote and dissolved it in warm water.

Her every movement was slow and careful as though fearing that spoonful of medicine’s effectiveness would weaken if she spilt a little.

But she did not feed Yan Nanfei with that spoonful of medicine!

Fu Hongxue’s back was still facing them. She gave him a fugitive glance and quickly dumped that spoonful of medicine into Young Girl’s sleeve. Then she helped Yan Nanfei up and put the empty spoon into his mouth.

What’s the meaning of this?

Her purpose of getting Fu Hongxue here was to save Yan Nanfei. But an empty spoon wasn’t going to save anyone.

Fu Hongxue was still standing there silently.

Although he didn’t turn his head, window panel was as reflective as the shiny mirror. He could very clearly see her each and very move.

But he didn’t show the slightest reaction.

Mingyue Xin fugitively glanced at him again, and then slowly lay Yan Nanfei down. Muttering, “After this dose of medicine, with a good sleep, I think he would wake up tomorrow morning.”

Of course, in her heart she knew that he certainly would not wake up.

She was sighing. However in that pair of eyes, clear as the moon betrayed a hint of cunning.

At this moment, someone from outside suddenly said, “A letter for Hero Fu.”

The envelope and the letter paper was both the most expensive kind available in the market!

The letter was very brief, the characters were very tidy. “Tomorrow noon. In the abandoned Ni Family Garden, outside the hexagonal pavilion, bring your sabre! One man, one sabre!”

Fu Hongxue had almost no need to read the signature at the bottom, for this letter was most certainly from Du Lei.

He could see that although Du Lei was very orderly, he was also extravagantly showy.

His assessment was not wrong.

Mingyue Xin breathed out deeply, “I know that Du Lei would certainly challenge you, but never thought that it would come so soon!”

Fu Hongxue folded the letter carefully using the hand not holding the sabre and then asked, “Where is the abandoned Ni Family Garden?”

Mingyue Xin, “Just right opposite here.”

Fu Hongxue said, “Very good.”

Mingyue Xin puzzled, “Very good?”

Fu Hongxue coldly said, “I am a cripple, I don’t like to walk too far before a duel!”

Mingyue Xin said, “You intend to go?”

Fu Hongxue confirmed, “Certainly.”

Mingyue Xin, “Going alone?”

Fu Hongxue, “One man, one sabre!”

Mingyue Xin suddenly laughed coldly, “Good, very good!”

This was a puzzling statement, and a puzzling smirk. Fu Hongxue did not understand, but he did not ask.

Mingyue Xin, “Tonight, you could have a good sleep. Tomorrow after breakfast, you would reach the abandoned Ni Garden in just a few steps, certainly enough time for you check out the surroundings.”

When top experts duelled, the advantage of familiar ground was one of the decisive factors between victory and defeat.

Mingyue Xin said, “You had also observed Du Lei very well, knowing his character and habits while he didn’t know a thing about you.”

Knowing oneself and one’s opponent was of course even more decisive than knowing the ground.

Mingyue Xin said, “So, you already have all the decisive advantages in this duel. The moment you draw your sabre, there will be only 12 names left on the [Hall of Fame]. Even if you don’t really like to kill, it is still a very joyous situation!”

Again she laughed out very coldly and shouted, “What about Yan Nanfei? Have you given him a thought?”

Fu Hongxue said plainly, “The one with a death duel is not him.”

Mingyue Xin, “The one going to die is however certainly to be him!”

Fu Hongxue, “Certainly?”

Mingyue Xin, “Peacock and Thumb would have no doubt know his whereabouts by now, as soon as you stepped into the abandoned Ni garden, they would storm into this house.”

Fu Hongxue’s grip tightened again, the roots of green veins stood out like a pattern on the back of his pale white hands.

Mingyue Xin coldly stared at him and just as coldly mused, “Perhaps you had saved his life in the past, but he would have live longer if not for you.”

The green veins at the back of Fu Hongxue’s hand stood out even more distinctly, and suddenly he asked a question that he knew he shouldn’t ask.

“Do you really care for him?”

Mingyue Xin, “Certainly.”

She replied without thinking, replied immediately and replied very calmly.

She seemed to bear no resemble at all with the person who had just dumped a spoon of life saving antidote into the sleeve of the Young Girl.

Fu Hongxue didn’t check out the expression on her face. Even if he had looked, he could not see.

On her face, she was still wearing that ever smiling mask.

What kind of woman was hidden beneath this mask?

After another long while, Fu Hongxue softly said, “Unless I shouldn’t go?”

Mingyue Xin answered, “You certainly should go.”

Fu Hongxue said, “But…”

Mingyue Xin interrupted him, “But before you go, you should send him to a safe place.”

Fu Hongxue said, “Which is a safe place?”

Mingyue Xin chipped in, “Peacock Manor!”

A hidden weapon that no beings under the heavens could evade.

The radiance more gloriously beautiful than any rainbow.

Fu Hongxue exhaled, “You had said that Peacock Plume is no longer in Peacock Manor.”

Mingyue Xin acknowledged, “That’s right”

Fu Hongxue, “Then, is Peacock Manor still standing?”

Mingyue Xin, “There is still Qiu Shuiqing.”

A big tall silent man.

A prominent name.

Mingyue Xin declared, “Although he is always very conservative, but he would not refuse the people you sent!”

Fu Hongxue, “Oh?”

Mingyue Xin said, “Because he owed you.”

Fu Hongxue said, “Owed what?”

Mingyue Xin supplied, “Owed you a life.”

She did not give Fu Hongxue a chance to deny it and continued, “All the while, it is true that you seldom save people’s lives but you had saved him before. In fact, you had saved him twice. Once on the bank of River Wei, another at the foot of Mount Tai.

Fu Hongxue could not deny it, because she really knew too much.

Mingyue Xin added, “Presently, he is already the Master of Peacock Manor, and he now has enough strength to pay this debt.”

Fu Hongxue said, “But he no longer has the Peacock Plume.”

If the Peacock Plume is missing, Peacock Manor would face immediate destruction.

Mingyue Xin explained, “Everyone had long believed that the reputation of Peacock Manor is all built upon the Peacock Plume. It is only now that they realised that Qiu Shuiqing, this person is far more fearsome than the Peacock Plume.”

Fu Hongxue asked, “Why?”

Mingyue Xin said, “News that the Peacock Plume had fallen into the hands of someone outside the family spread very fast in the martial world. The Peacock Manor had many enemies, in the last two years there were at least six expeditions to sack Peacock Manor.”

Very slowly she continued, “These six expeditions had altogether 79 people, each of them highly skilled.”

Fu Hongxue, “The outcome?”

Mingxue Xin, “Once these 79 experts stepped into Peacock Manor, they disappeared like a pebble sunk into the vast ocean. No further news was ever heard of them again.”

Mingyue Xin, “The last expedition set off at last year Double Ninth Festival. Since then, no one in the martial world dare to violate Peacock Manor.”

Fu Hongxue had shut his mouth.

Mingyue Xin glanced at him with the corner of her eye, “Peacock Manor isn’t far away. If we travel lightly with a fast carriage, we would certainly reach there before tomorrow noon.”

But Fu Hongxue did not comply, neither did he refuse. After another long pause he suddenly said, “Don’t you fear that they would block our path?”

Mingyue Xin said, “In the martial world, who could block your path?”

Fu Hongxue said, “At least one.”

Mingyue Xin asked, “Who?”

Fu Hongxue replied, “Peacock with the Peacock Plume.”

Mingyue Xin assured, “He certainly wouldn’t dare to.”

Fu Hongxue, “Why?”

Mingyue Xin, “Although the Peacock Plume is the matchless hidden weapon under the heavens, Peacock himself was however not an unrivaled master. He was afraid that your sabre might be faster than his hand.”

No matter how fearsome the hidden weapon, it is as good as scrap metal if it couldn’t be released.

Fu Hongxue again fell into silence.

Mingyue Xin said, “If you really don’t wish that he died in the hands of others, you should bring us there now.”

Fu Hongxue finally made up his mind, “I can bring both of you there, but I have something to ask you.”

Mingyue Xin, “Go ahead.”

Fu Hongxue coldly said, “If you really care about him, why did you pour his antidote on a sleeve?”

With it, he turned and walked out without looking back, as though he knew that Mingyue Xin had no way to answer that question.

Mingyue Xin was indeed speechlessly shocked.

She indeed could not answer, neither was she willing to.

She only could look on helplessly as Fu Hongxue made his way out. Although he walked slowly, but he never stop.

Once he started to walk, he certainly would not stop.

The setting sun had gradually turned pale, pale as the moon.

The pale rays of setting sun, shined directly on Yan Nanfei’s face.

The wind blowing from the mountains afar carried the light fragrance of the forest. From the spot Mingyue Xin stood, one could see the green of the mountains afar.

But she was however looking at Yan Nanfei.

The deeply poisoned and long unconscious Yan Nanfei, unexpectedly also opened his eyes and looked at her.

She was unexpectedly again not surprised at all.

Yan Nanfei smiled abruptly, “I had said, I had said long ago, to deceive him is not easy at all.”

Mingyue Xin said, “I also know that it is not easy, but I must give it a try.”

Yan Nanfei said, “Now, have you tried?”

Mingyue Xin said, “I had tried.”

Yan Nanfei said, “What do you think?”

Mingyue Xin sighed gently, with a bitter smile, “I only feel that to deceive him is indeed not easy.”

Yan Nanfei said, “But I must give it another try!”

Mingyue Xin’s eyes has shone, Yan Nanfei’s eyes was also shinning brightly.

Why did they want to deceive Fu Hongxue?

What was their goal?

The setting sun in the western sky.

Fu Hongxue under the setting sun.

Under the setting sun there was only him, in the entire world there was only him.

He was completely alone.