In the last chapter → Murong Yunshu was pleasantly surprised. No wonder Chu Changge went to Shaolin Temple today. It turned out that he had been looking for the antidote. However, hadn't King Liang, Jr already given him the antidote? Why did he still try to find another one in the Shaolin Temple?
Chu Changge seemed to see her puzzlement, so he explained, "King Liang, Jr only told me where he had hidden the antidote. He did not actually give it to me."
Murong Yunshu frowned slightly. King Liang, Jr was far away in Shu Province. How could he hide the antidote in the scriptures depository of the Shaolin Temple? What was more, why didn't the scriptures depository catch fire sooner and only when Chu Changge went in to get the antidote? Eighteen Arhats lived deep in the arhat pavilion. It was far away from the scriptures depository. So how could they appear there just at the time of the fire?
From the moment Murong Yunshu arrived in Shaping Town, she had been smelling a strong sense of conspiracy. Especially after today's events, where she felt it even more. The Martial Arts Assembly was actually the Mojiao removal assembly dedicated to dealing with Chu Changge.
"Will you attend the Martial Arts Assembly tomorrow?" asked Murong Yunshu.
Chu Changge smiled leisurely, "Of course I have to go, as Mojiao Sect Leader if I don't go, the Martial Arts Assembly won't be lively."
"You've promised Great Master Xuankong that you won't use force inside the Shaolin Temple."
"Just because I can't use force doesn't mean someone else can't." Chu Changge looked meaningfully towards the Four Great Guardians East, West, South and North.
The Four Great Guardians nodded their heads heavily, "We will protect the Sect Leader and Madam well."
Murong Yunshu raised her eyebrows. "I didn't say I was going."
North Guardian said, "When the husband sings, the wife will follow suit, right? So, since the Leader is going, of course, Madam is going too."
"Madam must go. For people like Leader who can attract bees and butterflies in any action must be overseen. Maybe that Lin Shui'er will come to hook him up," said West Guardian.
"If he indeed being hooked up and left, it would only simplify matters for me. It's a miracle to have such a fiancé who has the wrath of Heaven and the anger of men to survive till this day." Murong Yunshu went upstairs as she spoke. She just got a scare today and in need of a good night's sleep. [+]
"Madam seems keen to draw a clear line with her husband." Chu Changge said with a laugh.
Murong Yunshu looked back and asked lightly, "Is Leader willing to aid somebody in doing a good deed?"
"Of course not."
Really a straightforward person. Murong Yunshu turned her head, smiled inexplicably and went upstairs to take a nap.
Actually, she didn't understand why Chu Changge treated her so well. From the initial courtship to the present day's solitary visit to the Shaolin Temple to get the antidote, there was no denying his desire to protect her. But other than 'are you alright' he asked at the Shaolin Temple during the day, he never spoke to her seriously again. His joking words made her unable to understand the true meaning of his words and to see the truth under his cynical mask. His inexplicable care left her momentarily touched and confused.
There were so many women in the world; why must it be her?
*
That night, Murong Yunshu tossed and turned, unable to sleep. It seemed that two people were quarrelling in her mind, with one saying that she should not let go of her thoughts, while the other said that she should seize the hard-won fate, and the quarrel was heating overtime. A man should get married on coming of age, and so should a girl. She had to get married after all anyway. Since she had decided to marry him, she should accept his everything, moisten each other with spittle and remain a devoted couple till the hair turns grey. However, he had an unforgettable past. Even if he could let go of the past and accept her openly, she could not persuade herself to lay down her principles and accept him.
Once she married him, and they still kept their hearts to themselves. Could she handle it to this degree?
How could she not be moved by a man who hadn't hesitated to be the enemy of the whole world but still willing to get the antidote for her and protected her?
However, this kind of touching feeling was too unreal, as if the person who was being protected by him was not herself.
With thousands of strands and loose ends in disorder, this constant separation made her feel all the more ill at ease.
Anyway, since Murong Yunshu couldn't sleep, she simply put on her clothes and heavy cloak as she went for a walk in the yard. The Jianghu Inn had a strange structure. From the outside, it looked like a worn-out and poor little inn. However, at the other end of the second floor, a corridor led to the backyard, where there was a bejewelled jade palace on it and a small bridge with flowing water below. It was a unique place.
Walking down the outer staircase, Murong Yunshu walked to an octagonal gazebo and sat down as the cold wind blew through and made her lose all sense of sleep. It was said that the moon on the 16th was much fuller than on the 15th. However, the moon was already full tonight. The moonlight was slowly drifting away, and mist engulfing the night made the view looked so beautiful, like she was in a fairyland. The Moon Palace, high above the Nine Heavens, probably looks like this, she thought.[+]
While intoxicated with the beautiful scenery, suddenly, a clear voice sounded behind her, "Do you know why so many people want to live in Jianghu Inn even if they have to squeeze their heads in?"
Just by hearing his voice, Murong Yunshu's heart would skip a beat. He always appeared whenever she wanted to gather her thoughts on him. Was this just a coincidence or fate?
Murong Yunshu slowly took a deep breath to calm her heart and then lightly said, "Probably, it is much easier to find you here." As to why others were looking for him, this one had a mutual tacit understanding.
Chu Changge laughed and sat down across from her while saying, "Madam is so funny."
Murong Yunshu raised her eyes up at him, and they stayed for a few seconds on his face that was blindingly beautiful. Then she asked, "Why me?"
Chu Changge stared at her blankly, "Why what?"
"There are so many women in the world, but why are you so nice to me? Don't say it was because I saved your life. If you think about it carefully, I just left you in the bamboo house to fend for yourself. It is your luck that you're able to escape from the gates of hell." It was the first time that Murong Yunshu had to use her overbearing stare on him, just to ask for an answer.
"So you recognised me. I wish that you won't have remembered that wretched look of mine," said Chu Changge smilingly.
Murong Yunshu also saw such a smile in Feng Cheng's eyes, which was full of sadness that he couldn’t wash it away, and despair, as if it was all black, no daylight. At that time, Feng Cheng showed such a smile because she mentioned a woman named 'Xiyue', who was an obsessive-compulsive disorder like her.
Was the 'Xiyue' from Feng Cheng's mouth the same person as 'Sister Xi' said by Feng Ling?
Murong Yunshu vaguely guessed a bit, but she didn't want to guess recklessly. So she repeated her question, "Why are you too nice to me?"
Chu Changge did not smile this time. He looked up at the bright moon hanging over the endless night sky. His long eyelashes trembled slightly as he softly answered after a long time of silence, "Because I need to be nice to someone, and you just need someone to be nice to you."
The moment Murong Yunshu heard the answer, she felt her heart go into a spasm, and a cool shiver spread to all of her seven meridians, all five viscera, making her shudder.
After gathering her cloak around her, Murong Yunshu remarked, "There are many other women in this world who need people to be nice to them."
"But you're the only woman who happened to have seen me in my most wretched form."
"I thought you would have chosen to kill me, to silence me, a witness."
"If I kill you, won't my silver notes really become waste papers?" Chu Changge smiled broadly.
Murong Yunshu stared at him for a short time, then lowered her eyes and stopped talking. He was so unpredictable. His eyes were obviously full of sadness, but his face was full of smiles as if no one could help him.
She should have known that he was just a coincidence to her. As he had said, she needed someone to rely on, and he wanted to lend his shoulders as he got what he needed; that was all.
It was no wonder, after leaving Shaolin Temple during the day, he insisted on being indebted to her but wouldn't let her owe him. He needed some excuse to be nice to her, but he didn't want her to 'shower her affection on an uninterested party' by owing him any favour.
Murong Yunshu gave out a wry smile. It turned out that some people could be selfish to the point of selflessness. Unfortunately, this selflessness was not because of how special she was in his heart but because he needed to pour out those feelings that had no place for him to vent.
Fortunately, she had been sober and would continue to do so.
Noob Translator's Note
This part, 'the moon on the 16th was much fuller than the 15th' was referring to supermoon or Harvest Moon, the full Moon that appears nearest the start of fall or the autumnal equinox in September or October, or the 8th lunar month in the Chinese calendar. On the 15th of the 8th lunar month is when the Mid-Autumn Festival will be held.
For more info on Harvest Moon :
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Black Belly Wife