Chapter 8 Part2 (1/2)
Finally! The moment of truth. It took a while to get here and my eyes just keep rolling each time Feng Jin opens his mouth. How did he get the cheek to be so high-handed when he has lied and deceived Shang Guan Jing for so long? This is typical 恶人先告状 (the villain calling the police to arrest the good guys) but just so him. The balance of power has subtly changed and I love to see what else develops next week. Happy weekend dear reader!
Chapter 8 ('cont)
Feng Jin snorts scornfully and looks down on Nineteen. ”Xiao Ren*.”
Little Nineteen is indignant and hops from one plump foot to another. Granny is tickled by their antics and grabs Nineteen by the collar. ”Since the star of the show has appeared, let us leave them alone and not cause further trouble.”
Before she drags Nineteen out of the door, the old woman leaves Feng Jin with a parting shot. ”Sort out the mess and once everything is settled, do bring great-granddaughter-in-law to meet everyone officially at the ancestral home. And hold another wedding since everyone is present. We have been waiting for the day you get married for ages and ages. Surely, you will not disappoint us right?”
Feng Jin does not answer and waits for them to leave before settling down beside the bed. Shang Guan Jing struggles to sit up but pain from her chest makes this task difficult. She bites down hard on her lips to prevent a sound of pain from escaping and finally manages to prop herself up. Feng Jin wants her to lie down but she ignores his curt command and tries to find a position that is not too painful. Even if he would love to help, he wisely kept his hands by his side.
When she finally manages to sit upright and gets her breath back, she stares at him for a long time thinking on what to say. ”So you have finally decided that I'm fit to see your servants? All this time, I have wondered why I only recall seeing vague shadows when the reality is that they are really mere shadows because they are made from paper. What about Zhu Yu and Niu Da? Are they made of paper too?”
Feng Jin grimaces inwardly at her accusing tone at the same time he is ticked off by her cool att.i.tude. ”None of the servants who work in this house are human.”
Although she is mentally prepared, Shang Guan Jing is still surprised by his admission. What kind of magical world has she stepped into? She smiles grimly. ”No wonder Zhu Yu is forever worried that you will tear her up and burn her in the furnace if she doesn't do her job well.”
The jiang hu is full of strange happenings and even though she thought she has seen a lot, it is only at this instant that Shang Guan Jing realized just how lacking her education is. And to be fooled around like a monkey…
”I heard Yan Ying calling you 'Feng Zhu'. So are you the current leader of the Diao family? Teacher said that the token will lead me to you but I have not expected the token to lead me straight to you when I first arrived.”
Feng Jin listens intently and did not move a muscle. His air of command is unmistakable and Shang Guan Jing senses somehow that he is now revealing his true side to her. Surprisingly, this revelation help dispels some of her unease and fear of the stranger before her.
”Since Nineteen is your cousin and the old woman is your great grandmother, your name should really be 'Feng Jin' since that is what they call you. But your full name should be 'Diao Feng Jin' is it not? And your whole family already knows about our marriage and I have in fact, met all of them. My G.o.d, what a fool I am to be asking everyone about the Diao family when I'm right in their midst all the time…”
Her smile turns a litter bitter as things that have previously puzzled her finally fall in place. ”The villagers fear you not because you look different but because they know who you really are. As for the young woman whom you treated, I had thought you are joking when you said that you can erase her memories so that she can start afresh.” Thinking of how hard he must have laughed at how gullible she is, her eyes filled with tears. ”But it is not a joke isn't it?”
The more she recounts the past, the angrier Feng Jin becomes. He does not feel remorseful for lying to her - sorry, that is just not in his make up - and just hear how cool she sounds! Her mild sarcasm, her tears…. #$&^%!!! He doesn't care for the uncomfortable feeling when she cries. When she did not continue even after a long time, he barks. ”Why have you stopped? Carry on! Speak what is on your mind! I am still listening.”
Seeing that he does not seem the least bit apologetic, Shang Guan Jing's own anger mounts. ”You are bluffing are you? The c.r.a.p about bleeding on every 15th day of the lunar month; it is not any curse or illness at all right?!” Her body starts to quiver in anger. ”I bet you are lying about that too, am I right?”
”Yes, I lied to you.” He admits openly, his eyes sharp. ”I am the current head of the Diao family and am probably the most powerful person born into the family so far. My skin is discoloured at birth and according to the clan elders, it is probably because I have a higher mix of phoenix blood in my body than others. In any case, I am the only one in my family history who is born like that.”
He shrugs. ”But power comes at a price and to bleed on each full moon is my bane to bear. Anyway, it is only bleeding from the facial orifices. it is no big deal. If I avoid using magic 24 hours before the rise of the full moon, I may not even bleed sometimes.”
”So your bleeding and discomfort were all an illusion that night?”
He did not answer which she took as acknowledgement until she recalls something. ”The 2 oxens who suddenly charge at you…”
She starts coughing at her own naïveness. Her chest aches badly with each constriction and she starts slipping off the bed. Had not Feng Jin not reach out a hand to steady her, she would probably have fallen off the bed.
Face foul, he gathers her close and pats her back in hopes that she will breathe easier. Shang Guan Jing also tries hard to control her coughing but it is a while before she can speak again without each word burning a hole through her chest. ”My teacher wanted me to give you the token and has said that you will know what to do next. Do you?”
Feng Jin did not answer. He can smell blood in her breath and in his mind, he replays the moment when she leap through the air to protect him, only to be hit from behind and knifed through the chest.
How has he bear to see that happening at that time, he does not know. At that moment, his chest has felt as if the sword has pierced through him from the pain he felt. Why was he able to stand idly by while she gets hurt? Perhaps in his subconscious, he wanted to her to be in pain, to suffer the same anguish he is feeling. But he no longer feels that way now. Just how had he been able to stand by and watch her get hurt?
Parting her hair, he drawls slowly. ”Several generations ago, someone in the family left Nan Man to settle down elsewhere. We do not know his exact whereabouts but we heard that he finally settled around the Western Seas where he discovered a valuable ore mine. But I prefer the other version for the story….”
After her coughing and wheezing stops, he places her gently on the mattress and pulls the blanket over her. Throughout it all, Shang Guan Jing can barely keep her eyes open. She can feel his hand playing with her fingers that are exposed outside the blanket but she is too weak to protest at his touch. ”So what is the other story?”