Chapter 38 (1/2)
Chapter 38 Orginal and most updated translations are from volaretranslations.
Someone was forcing their way in?!
In my rush to stand up, I rammed against the table edge. This pain…was indescribable.
“Hurry up, what are you all s.p.a.cing out for? Quick, give me a face mask.”
Fourth Prince Mole held onto the table as he slowly stood up. “What’s the rush? That Seven Steps Bamboo Array is enough to keep him wandering aimlessly for a while.” Right as he finished, a noise shattered the silence of the forest, and the shrill notes of a flute tore through the skies.
“This person has a formidable foundation, what’s going on? He broke through my formation so quickly.” Little Fourth’s face was all astonishment as he dug through his sleeves, finally pulling out an ash-colored pill. “The face masks are inside my rooms, but there might not be enough time to grab one. Eat this face-changing pill first.”
I did as instructed.
Next, I shot a meaningful glance at the others while I opened my arms with a pout. Someone brought over a set of white robes and dressed me up. Without a mirror, I had to lean over the table and peer into the soup to check my appearance…of course, it couldn’t reflect my looks at all.
I clutched my head. No matter how I looked at it, I still had the air of a woman. Little Fourth was holding a hairband as he undid my hair and tied it up again, hands and feet flying as he fiddled with the black strands. Grinning, I reached out to embrace him, receiving a wordless smile in return. My hands continued to rove up and down until he opened his sleeves and in that moment, I touched his cheek then jerked off his own face mask.
“Y…y-you, what are you doing?!” Looks like the delicate and pretty Prince Mole had his fits of temper, too.
“You’ve already concealed yourself in the jianghu for all these years. Others can’t recognize you since you change your face daily, so lend me this mask for a bit. I’ll return it to you afterwards.” I quickly bent over and pressed it against my face, afraid that he’d steal it from me. He was angry, but had no choice but to smile helplessly.
Actually, everyone in the jianghu knew that the Elder of Mt. Tian had an outstanding disciple with impressive face-changing skills. The disciple also understood mystical techniques related to the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams. Very few people had seen him, but those who did had different descriptions of his looks. The common point between them all was that he was delicate and pretty, like a young lord. Few had seen his true face, or his pair of very seductive eyes…
His hair brushed against me and made me itch. Without that semi-transparent face mask, the mole by his eye was even more obvious. My chest tightened and I quickly looked away, heart pounding. It took me a while to calm down before I spoke. “You, oh you…you definitely have to hide a face like yours, it’s even more attractive than mine.”
Just when I was about to tease him more, First held me back, signaling outside with his eyes. Sunlight spilled over the bamboo groves as a man in a simple ash blue robe appeared before our room. He looked like a servant as he stood with an air of propriety.
“My Master wishes to invite the Carefree Idler for a meeting.”
I pushed everyone aside, arranging my robes before languidly settling into a chair. A finger rested against my temples as I smiled. “As luck would have it, our Master left to wander the lands again.”
He looked at me and steadily asked, “May I presume that your excellency is the rumored Seventh Prince?”
I rolled my eyes in thought before leaning over. “What, you need me? Is it possible that you want to invite me over if you can’t invite my Master?”
Scattered laughter rang out about us.
They were used to seeing me stir up trouble, so none of them said a word. Two or three had actually left for the table, watching the drama unfold while eating lunch. I remember meeting each of them for the first time and being impressed by their n.o.ble bearing. As their years with me grew, their manners had turned far more cra.s.s. Yet despite being undisciplined, slack, and lax, each of them had learned how to truly live their lives.
The servant was neither haughty nor humble when he bowed. “My Master said if I couldn’t meet the Carefree Idler, then the Seventh Prince would do just as well, since there’s no difference between the two.”
One of the Princes in the back choked on tea and burst into a fit of coughing. I was very surprised…
Typically speaking, very few people in the jianghu knew of my disguise as the Seventh Prince. It was true that I’d only taken in six young men to help me in my daily life. Strangely enough, the reputation of the Carefree Idler had grown greatly. I liked sightseeing and amus.e.m.e.nts too much, so I’d disguise myself as one of the Princes to take care of collecting debts at home, or drinking in wine and rumors at teahouses.
It looked like this person was very familiar with my methods.
I carefully inspected the servant and discovered that although his head was bowed, his gaze kept wandering to Fourth Prince Mole at my side. Not only that…as a mere servant, he shouldn’t have that sort of expression in his eyes.
I snorted.
Fourth smiled as he brushed past me to walk forward, resting a hand on the other’s shoulder as he caught him in an embrace. “Martial brother[1], when did you show up? And why are you fooling my Master again?”
Martial brother?
Dark lines appeared on my face…
Sure enough, he tried to dodge, but Little Fourth caught him by the collar and wiped his face…to reveal an intimately familiar one.
Nongyu, you stubborn…
First set his teacup heavily on the table and spoke in a leisurely, unhurried tone. “What are you here for this time?”
I gave Nongyu an embarra.s.sed glance. He didn’t seem to mind at all, his eyes seemingly stuck on Little Fourth as he rested on the other’s shoulders to pinch his face. He looked left and right before heaving a sigh. “You rascal, you wear masks so often that I’ve forgotten what you used to look like…the Elder of Mt. Tian gave you such good things to smear on your face.”
“He’s our Master, it’s rude of you to address him that way,” Fourth replied.
“I only studied under him for three years and never formally took him as my Master. I can’t be counted as a disciple, and you don’t need to call me martial brother.” His smile gradually faded as he looked at me. “Shao’er, I have something to discuss with you.”
Shao’er…
It was a name I rarely heard nowadays.
—
I dismissed the rest, leaving Nongyu standing by himself before the building. Our secluded surroundings were only interrupted by the occasional breeze, carrying over sweet breaths of air to mix with the scent of bamboo. It was a good place to linger over reminiscences of the past.
But things like this…how long would I still be able to remember them?
A small container of tea was slowly boiling on the simple stone table as the two of us sat silently. He rubbed the fabric on his legs, head lowered before he finally deigned to speak: “These past years, you’ve taken good care of my martial brother.”
He might not have realized that I was familiar with his unconscious movements…there was something that had him ill-at-ease, something he wasn’t sure how to tell me. I didn’t call him out, but gave him a slow look. “Don’t say such things, it’s Fourth that’s been taking care of me. Without him, I wouldn’t have been able to maintain the ident.i.ty of the Carefree Idler for so long in the jianghu without being discovered.” I smiled lightly, then added, “I never knew his face-changing skills were even better than yours.”
Thinking back, the crown prince had set an imperial decree to seal the capital after I left the palace. Guards were deployed to search all the inns, and even personal residences weren’t spared…
At the time, I thought I had no place to hide. It was Nongyu who found me first, and introduced me to the little Prince Mole from his sect. He was young and innocent, having just descended from the mountains. Despite his youth, he only used the time it took half an incense stick to burn to thoroughly remake me…into a shriveled, sickly, shrunken old woman over eighty years old. Even when the guards pulled at my face, sprinkled it with water, and rubbed it with oil, the mask held firm.
After our successful escape, I went with him to wander about the jianghu. The little Prince Mole had decided to stay with me. According to him, his master told him to gain experience off the mountain by learning about the jianghu world. He thought I was someone plagued with misfortune, so understanding me would help him understand this world as well. Recalling this, my face broke into a smile.