Chapter 33 (2/2)
Ban Chao
”This fortress, though nothing but ruins now under the chilling winds of autulorious years of history With only 36 ht and defeated 130 enemies, and from that victory, a new idioer-cubs without entering the tiger’s lair' When Eave the order that the ions are to be abandoned, Ban Chao had resisted He chose to stay behind with the ethnic groups and guarded Shule for five years The nu his wits and character alone, he was able to conquer doms”
siained”
After much effort by Ban Chao and his son, Kucha eventually acquiesced to the Han's rule The reign of the Bai family over Kucha, which Ban Chao helped establish, lasted for al this period of tier listened to the co the Han cause to send military this way And eleven years later, Rajiva will have to face apoint in his life
My heart feels like it's breaking apart, blood dripping out with no restraints, turning the scene in front of my eyes into a crimson picture Pained, I close my eyes
”Why did you stop all of a sudden?”
”Aren't you a Kuchan? Why do you not know anything about this period of history?”
I open one, replaced by Pusysdeva's searching eyes I smile ruefully
”I'm fine, no need to think of ways to cheer me up”
He smiles and stays silent
”How is your relationshi+p like with your uncle, Bai Zhen?”
He furrows his eyebrows at my question
”We're good Why do you ask?”
I hesitate for ato tell hier”
That catches Pusysdeva off guard He looks at me, confused and a bit suspicious
”YouI am about to say is the truth”
I look at him head on and slowly enunciate each sentence
”Later on, Kucha will undergo a great calaer will befall you If you can, try and bolster your relationshi+p with Bai Zhen, for he will be someone you can lean on in the future”
Pusysdeva is taken aback and for a while, does not say a single word At last, a corner of his mouth lifts up into rueful smile
”I can't believe you illing to disclose my future to me”
Now it's my turn to be surprised, but before I can recover, he has taken a hold of entle
”Stay with me then, stay and help me overcome that difficult time you speak of”
He pulls my hands to his lap
”You are a kind celestial being, so you definitely will not leave ht?”
[T/N: I've been using ”fairy” previously, but now that I think about it, it's not a good choice given the European connotations of the word So I'll be using ”celestial being” fro and fit the Buddhist/Chinese context here The correct word is ”apsara” but that would just confuse you guys]
I try to escape his hold and in the process, aggravateo
He lets out a long sigh I catch a tinge of sadness in his eyes before he turns around to face the crackling fire
”Ai Qing, if I join the monastery, will you like me then?”
”You!” Startled, I al?!”
He bursts out laughing
”I was only joking If I join the irls will cry their hearts out when they learn of the news Then I'd have to break my vows to comfort them A person like me can never become a Buddha”
I give him a wry smile ”Pusysdeva, what is it about me that you like?”
”Don't know You are not even that pretty, your breasts are small, I don't knohat it is that I like about you either”
He looks atmoment before his smile fades and says in softer voice, ”You are very pure” His light grey eyes continue to observe my face ”Your eyes are pure, your smile is pure, even your heart is pure When I' pure, unburdened by any filthy thoughts”
He closes his eyes for a second, and when he opens theaze
”Ai Qing, must you really return to the sky? Can you really not stay?”
I stand up
”It's late, let's retire for the night”
The next in our journey back I had no intention of working in the beginning anyway, also don't want to stay with Pusysdeva any longer, so I had requested that we return earlier than originally planned Iwatch I have been staying in Kucha for almost half a year If I don't set out soon, then by the ti'an, my one-year limit would be up and I would have to return to the 21st century before I can even meet Fu Jian
We have to set caoal is to reach Kucha by the next day Unfortunately, during our rest in the forest, we happen to encounter a major incident
We are just about to get ready to resume our journey after the little rest stop But as soon as I step inside the carriage, I start to hear strange sounds When I poke ht by nize it to be an arrow
Pusysdeva's voice can be heard shouting: ”Ai Qing, get back inside and stay there!”
I listen to hiins to lurch backwards I can hear the horses screeching in pain outside The carriage continues to sway violently,all over I try to clie to pull back the curtains in the front, only see arrows stuck onto the horses' backs, while the driver is nowhere to be found There is nothing but sand all around us I cannot find Pusysdeva I sway onether and juround, aspain fro solid and cold I black out after that
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Ra rather redundant if I keep apologizing, so I’ll say thank you instead Thank you to all who have been leaving co) absence, whether they are coement and ishes to me I’ve read them all and will reply to each soon! Thank you to those who have been waiting, who continued to have faith in my return Thank you to those have just joined, to the new readers who are eager foras one reader re You have my word
The cliffhanger won’t stay for too long, I promise, as the next chapter will be posted within a day or so as a bonus gift! (Well, ch34 was actually what I wanted to focus on originally; ch33 wasn’t supposed to be fully translated, but alas…) I’ ch34, but I do need some sleep at the moment, so yeah…