Chapter 30 (1/2)
The Prince's escaped fiancée (Arc 2-13)
The moon outside the carriage shone cold and bright. A faint ray of light filtered through the window flap and fell on Su Yang's peacefully sleeping face.
Jing Cheng's eyes were dark and inscrutable as he gently lifted Su Yang's wrist. The silvery white bracelet glimmered with a faint, cold light. Just as he remembered.
Tianshan XuanSuo (索). Tianshan XuanSuo (锁). Just one word, yet it meant the very difference between life and death.
{T/N: 索 (suǒ) – rope, referenced in chapter . 锁 (suǒ) – lock. They're p.r.o.nounced the same way. I will refer to them as the Tiānshān Chain and Tiānshān Lock from here onwards.}
Shaolin's Great Master Jue Qing spent over thirty years of his life crafting the Tiānshān Lock from the Tiānshān Chain. And at this moment, the world's most perfect manacle was lying quietly on Su Yang's wrist.
{T/N: 绝情 (jué qíng) – His name means ‘heartless/ruthless'}
The Tiānshān Chain signifies the suspension of life, and the Tiānshān Lock forged by the Great Master Jue Qing signifies the ending of life. Every day at sunset, when the yīn energy begins to rise, the bitter, artic chill acc.u.mulated over thousands of years on the snow capped peaks would sweep through the body in a devastating rampage. Only the Tiāngāng Qi is capable of holding it at bay.
{T/N: To put it very very loosely, Tiāngāng Qi is the mystical inner force that allows people in Wuxia stories to act out Dragon Ball scenes.}
All Su Yang knew was that he was required to obediently return to Jing Cheng's side every day before sundown, unsuspecting that failure to comply to this agreement would result in his death.
But even if this agreement is fulfilled…..
Very lightly, Jing Cheng stroked Su Yang's forehead. Beneath his fingertips, the skin was icy cold to the touch. Under the Tiānshān Lock's daily gradual erosion, the boy had long lost the warmth of a normal human body. It was summer now, but Su Yang was eternally frozen in winter.
His body's foundation has already been ruined. His life expectancy is unforeseeable.
The millennia old arctic chill of the snow capped mountains and the Tiāngāng Qi form an equilibrium by mutually restraining and reinforcing each other. But this delicate balance was at risk of being broken at anytime. The push and pull of these forces within would one day destroy this already weak and fragile body.
{T/N: 相生相克 (xiāng shēng xiāng kè) – The theory of the 5 elements philosophy, some elements will fuel and inhibit other element. Eg. Wood fuels fire, but wood cleaves metal. Hence some element combinations will be in harmony but some will be in opposition.}
What would he do, when that day comes.
Jing Cheng felt like his throat was held in a crus.h.i.+ng grip. Back then it was he, who had fastened the Tiānshān Lock onto Su Yang's wrist. And now he was the one who was filled with anguish and remorse.
Back then, he had not hesitated. He had been fixated on the thought of possessing the pampered and beautiful little puppy, but no longer held any delusions of loyalty. With the Tiānshān Lock, to betray Jing Cheng would mean death, he would never allow anyone else the chance to trample on his heart ever again.
What's more, this child was Wu Xingde's final gambling chip. So long as he held the boy in the palm of his hand, Wu Xingde was doomed to walk the path of failure.
Jing Cheng had convinced himself that it was the right decision. But now, he was no longer certain.
This little creature is innocent. He is so, so stupid, so foolish, he ought to be loved and pampered and protected. He should never have been involved in this power struggle, to be used as a chess piece in this conflict, and destined to die a cold and lonely death.
He must get the key back, the only key in the world.
Of these matters, Su Yang knew naught. To him, even though this silvery bracelet emitted a forbidding chill, he thought it harmless. Without Jing Cheng by his side, at most, he would have to endure being frozen, before sinking into a temporary state of dormancy. Just like a deep sleep, nothing more.
Su Yang was not afraid of sleeping. He only feared not waking up.
The army continued marching South, but Su Yang did not see hide nor hair of Deputy General Cao. Not only that, Jing Cheng's prized ferghana horse, Red Shadow, was also missing.
Su Yang spotted Jing Cheng and pulled on his arm anxiously. “Cao Cao, he, he took your horse and, and ran off!”
Jing Cheng paused in surprise. Torn between amus.e.m.e.nt and some embarra.s.sment, he stroked Su Yang's head and said warmly, “I sent Deputy General Cao off on an errand. Only Red Shadow knows the way, so I let him have the horse.”
Su Yang nodded in relief, and continued thumbing through the book in his hand. He flipped through the pages and only looked at the ill.u.s.trations, ignoring the written text. One could reasonably doubt if he understood what he was reading at all.
Jing Cheng looked at his contented face, and suddenly said, “We'll be reaching the South China Sea in a few days, where our army will be engaging the enemy's troops in battle. During this period, you must be good and stay in the camp. Do not run around.”
Su Yang turned another page, squinting in concentration. “I'm not scared. Fūjūn is here, Fūjūn will protect Yu-er,” he said.
Something in Jing Cheng's chest tightened. It hurt even to breathe.
——If you only knew, the Fūjūn you trust the most, is also the one who has done you the most harm.
Su Yang's head was lowered as he continued flipping through the book, seemingly oblivious. Inwardly, however, he was puzzled. These days, Jing Cheng has been behaving peculiarly, but he couldn't quite place a finger on it. It just feels as if Jing Cheng has been treating him even better than before.
That was not to say that his previous treatment of Su Yang was not good, but the means of His Highness the Róng Wáng have always been somewhat crude. His arrogant manner of demanding respect, his presumptuous way of taking what and when as he pleased, never once asking for Su Yang's preferences, never taking Su Yang's wishes nor willingness into account. He treated Su Yang just like he would any of his possessions, and had never given consideration to Su Yang's feelings, only requiring him to obediently submit to Jing Cheng and keep him company.
Could the changes be because he has been upgraded from a pet to a lover? This was a hugely significant improvement indeed!
But really, this was not what Su Yang was concerned about at all. What he really wanted to know, was how much longer would it take for the progress bar to be filled! Would he really need to resort to the overused but cla.s.sic cliché of using himself as a meat s.h.i.+eld to block a knife attack for Jing Cheng?
Using your own body to protect someone would convey: I love you more than my own life, I would gladly die for you!
Stepping forth fearlessly in a perilous situation, would amply showcase one's own selfless and self-sacrificing love, thus touching the heart of of his target and leaving him too moved for words!!
But there were several drawbacks: Above all, such a feat is difficult by nature, and requires a high level of finesse to execute. Chance plays too big a role in influencing the outcome. One wrong step and he could very well die in the line of duty. He could not take this risk lightly.
Dedication is as dedication does. He cannot throw his life away.
Jing Cheng moved to sit beside him, drawing the book out from between Su Yang's fingers. He asked, “Can you understand this?”
Su Yang nodded emphatically. “Yes, I can!”
Jing Cheng glanced at the cover, and strange look crossed his face. “In that case, how about you tell me what this book's story is about,” he said, with a peculiar tone in his voice.
Su Yang's mind ran a full lap, before he answered earnestly, “These two men are fighting! The short one is losing, the tall one is winning. So the short one is pushed to the floor, his clothes are torn off, and they're still fighting!”
Jing Cheng looked at his serious little face, and could not help laughing. “Silly thing, I really just want to eat you up right now.”
Su Yang maintained his earnestly deadpan expression, but inwardly, he thought: You d.a.m.n rogue, it's one thing to put xx drawings inside the carriage, you even specially chose those depicting the both of us as the main characters, your lack of morals is really beyond saving!!