Total Pageviews

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Princess Agents Chapter 102 English Translation

Translator's Notes:  Here is where Zhuge/Yuwen Yue and Chu Qiao ended up in a caravan together.  Chu Qiao is still wounded and he is taking care of her.  The pair have come to the realization that their unexpected meeting has complicated their lives with an unexpected relationship growing between them.  Zhuge Yue gains a new perspective while Chu Qiao still appears to be struggling with it.


Princess Agents - 特工皇妃楚喬傳
Chapter 102: Paired Touch

"Master Zhu, AnBai County is just in front, there we will rest for the night, then we'll be back on the road in tomorrow morning.  We'll reach Tan Jing in another two days."

He was a stout, bearded, burly man; his figure was robust but his face was honest and simple.  He shouted loudly to the pair sitting inside the carriage draped in blue cloth with white floral pattern.  Then, a pair of bony heads showed forth but the person inside wasn't weak or thin at all, instead a nobleman's impressive hand reached out and pushed the curtain aside revealing a handsome and elegant face.

The man was dressed in black cotton robes, not displaying any rich ornamentation, but also rather natural and unaffected.  His face  was calm and his temperament good.  At first glance, he appeared to be from a great family.  Even when he smiled there were extra traces of noble mien in that smile that allowed people to neither stand too far or too close to him.  He said to the burly man riding the horse, "Thank you, brother."

The burly man smiled, showing his set of pearly white teeth, chortled loudly, and asked, "Is the wife any better now?"  Upon hearing it the man betrayed a little smile and nodded, "Thanks to your medicine brother, she is doing much better."

"Heh, heh," the big man replied happily.  "Good then.  Just by looking at you I knew you two were from a rich and influential family, probably never had to go through such hardships."

The man nodded slightly but seemed reluctant to say more on the matter.  He laughed lightly and said, "You have a good eye, brother."

The burly man gave a hearty wave but gave no further response as the carriage curtain was already down, blocking the face of the man's lightly laughing visage, and instead gave a long sigh of relief.

This man, even when laughing in front of people, his expression was cold.  His smile never quite reached his eyes and what was in his heart was something to be wary of.  Aside for his pretty little wife, the man's expression was consistent for everyone else; though his wife's attitude towards him was not very good.

The burly man shook his head without saying a word.  Seeing this kind of woman was a first for him.

"Giddy'ap brothers!  Hurry up along the road!  Give it your all to Tan Jing, then everyone can take a rest!"

A sudden cheer burst from the ranks of men driving the caravan, their thick voices piercing through the clouds high above, sending the serene birds in mid flight into a panic.

As soon as the curtain had fallen, the smile on the man's face immediately disappeared.  Within the carriage sat a young lady in a lake green dress, the clothes were of very fine quality, though a bit damaged, obviously having gone through a series of hardships along the way.

These two were exactly Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue.  Even if Chu Qiao behaved with more tenacity, it was hard for her to even prop herself up while she was seriously injured.  If it wasn't for Zhuge Yue safeguarding her on this journey, she would have long died in the wilderness.

The woman called XieJiu was right.  Even if the dart wasn't very poisonous, it wasn't a simple concoction.

Even though ancient poisons are depicted in film and television most people living in the 21st Century wouldn't give these things much consideration.  Everyone would agree that with the level of science and technology in ancient China it would be difficult to extract any toxin of any intensity.  Aside from several rare snake venoms, there was basically nothing that would be absolutely fatal on a poison needle.

As a vice commander of Division 11 of the military intelligence Chu Qiao knew that things were much more simple here.  In the 21st Century the research and development of poisons have reached a point where it was technically feasible.  A tiny NH-6099 gas bomb, for example, could annihilate a mid-sized city with a population of 1 million in 30 seconds.  The newly developed UX-3 toxin in M country can erode sea water in a 20 nautical mile radius with just one drop.  The knowledge from this particular country developed since the Second World War meant its murderous pharmaceutical research was prominent and at the forefront of the world.

It was the kind of research and development that lacked any humanity.   Compared with atomic bombs, gas bombs were more powerful, their costs much lower, their death rates more cruel, and their subsequent influence ran even deeper.  And now from Chu Qiao's firsthand experience, as early as 2,000 years ago the Ancient Chinese had already developed such impressive poisons.  Can't say that the ancients weren't wise.  When truly facing this predicament, one realizes how small one really is.  Taking her present state as a case on point, with her completely weak and limp body, she had absolutely no ability to even turn herself around.

After stepping out of the marshes that day they did not go to XiangMa Pass to stop Zhu Shun.  In their current state they would no doubt have died.  Therefore Zhuge Yue made the decision to go south to Tan Jing.  After walking for a day Zhuge Yue noticed Chu Qiao's pale face and ashen grey lips, knowing that she was such a stubborn personality, though her body was in such a state she did not utter a word.  So he stopped and they happened to meet a caravan team delivering goods on their way to the capital and joined them.

Then, like a cliche scene in an old movie, they became a poor scholar traveling with a seriously ill wife to go live with relatives in the city.

"How do you feel?" asked Zhuge Yue quietly, seeing Chu Qiao open her eyes.

Chu Qiao's complexion was still awful, her body weak, and she could not hide the weariness in her eyes.  She took a deep breath and shook her head.   Suddenly the carriage shook violently, seemingly having run over a hard object, and without any shockproof measures the carriage instantly swayed.  Chu Qiao's body was unstable and her entire body softly toppled in Zhuge Yue's direction.  Zhuge Yue's reflexes were fast, and one hand went immediately to her waist while the other held her shoulder firm, preventing her from hitting her head and thus he waited a while until the carriage settled down again.

Chu Qiao's head rested against his chest, and she quickly pushed away with both hands, pushing her hair behind her ears, looking both annoyed and embarrassed.  Zhuge Yue didn't say a word, loosened his hands and leaned back against the carriage, remaining silent.

Chu Qiao glanced sideways at him and thought how unexpectedly bizarre this turn of events was.  If someone had said to her a year ago that she would one day sit in the same carriage as Zhuge Yue and not only would they not have the 'you-live-I-die mentality,' they would also not try to actively kill one another, she wouldn't have believed it even if they beat her to death.  Now, even she was confused about the awkward relationship between them.  She wanted to stubbornly say that they still had many new days of antagonism and animus between them, there was no way to reconcile their class differences, but even so, she would find it difficult to believe.  She didn't want to think about it further.  After they arrived in Tan Jing Zhuge Yue would attend Li Ce's grand wedding, and she would head south towards NanJiang, and afterwards, they would be separated by worlds apart, and not even in death would they meet again.  Some things are better off not to be thought of too deeply.  She slowly closed her eyes and quietly rested until the moment she suddenly heard the caravan head call out.

"Steady lads, Master Zhu's wife is still sick, eh!"

It was best to not say anything at this point, for upon hearing it the two were rendered speechless.  Thankfully the sound of people came forth immediately afterwards and Chu Qiao parted the curtain to look out the window.  She saw the bustle of people everywhere on the main thoroughfare, plainly clothed commoners carrying loads on poles carrying flower baskets, old and young, men and women, moving along together up the road, everyone laughing loudly together, giving the impression of a prosperous and peaceful scene.

DaXia and Bian Tang were very different countries.  The contrast was even more stark the closer you came to the Bian Tang capital. 

Outside the caravan's armed escort rode their tall horses through, and the caravan head looked over at Chu Qiao, laughing as he said, "Lady of House Zhu, we've arrived at AnBai County where we'll be sure to find a good doctor for you; once we make it to the inn we'll ask around!"

Chu Qiao responded with a smile.  The figures on the street densely compacted, coming and going on all sorts of business, the surefooted merchants rushing forward.  Chu Qiao gazed into the distance, and at a point not too far away saw the fog gradually disperse.

The dusk sun shone slowly through the village and cast its light onto the caravan's carriage.  She raised her head slightly and a trace of a smile touched the corner of her lip.  In front was Bian Tang's important city in AnBai County, already visible.

A sudden cry broke Chu Qiao's contemplation and before she could even react and she saw a burly and rough, unpleasantly hairy hand, lift up the carriage curtain.  At a glance, he was a member of the city's militia guard, and with a small inclination of her head she said carefully, "We were picked up from previous city, a scholar and his sick wife, surely you've seen this before sir, and will kindly let us pass."

The soldier had not intended to do anything untoward, though it was common for him to collect a few coins for drinking from such a large caravan.  But as soon as he raised the curtain further, he saw the stern but pale and pretty face of Chu Qiao and his two eyes didn't even blink as he gawked at her blankly.

Looking into the soldier's eyes Zhuge Yue's expression went cold and his eyebrow inadvertently ticked upward as if he was about to attack.  

Suddenly Chu Qiao procured some coins in her hand, presented them in front of the soldier's face, and said softly, "Good soldier we ask you do us a convenience, as my husband and I are new arrivals we are not familiar with the people or this place, and if we have offended in any way, please let us know."

The soldier was instantaneously flattered, and like a silly twit, obediently let them pass.  The drivers immediately cracked the whip against the horse's flanks, and with their large quantities of consigned goods, the vast and mighty caravan entered the city.

The curtain gently fell down, and Zhuge Yue's odd expression was directed at Chu Qiao.  She narrowed her eyes at him, though not directly looking at him, but unemotionally muttered under her breath, "Useless."  [TN: the idiom is "成事不足" which means "unable to accomplish anything but likely to spoil everything."  That's a bit uncharitable of her considering she would be dead without him… but if he actually attacked the guard, that would be a waste of effort, and I suppose considering their past she is still sorting through her feelings and can't hold her biting tongue.]

Uncharacteristically, though Chu Qiao often accused him of being intolerant, Zhuge Yue had no such tit-for-tat satirical rebuttal.  Instead the man made no sound and oddly turned away, looking out toward the bustling street, watching with interest.  Chu Qiao saw that he had no response and this reaction was rather boring, so she pushed aside both curtains to look out and proceeded to ignore him.

However at this moment, the expression of the fourth young master of the Zhuge House suddenly turned gentle. In his head a particular phrase reverberated, "My husband and I…."  [TN: This guy is gone… ^_^;]

AnBai County lay to the east.  Although it did not border DaXia, it was also far from the border city of Huai Song, and was a strategic location for the country of Bian Tang. There were no threats from the neighboring countries because east of town was a vast wasteland, the largest of the land.  And, in order to keep criminals from escaping into the wilderness, it was also a city with a stationed militia.  Although Bian Tang did not have a custom of being a militaristic country but the strategically placed fortress on this side was a show of how rich and powerful the country was.  People skilled in the ways of martial arts were treated with respect and reverence, which was why there were so many buildings for martial arts guilds.  All along the road were martial arena contests, even one with three armed contestants.  Chu Qiao watched it all with a sigh.

Besides its rich and prosperous martial arts practices, AnBai County was an important commercial district in eastern Bian Tang.  It bordered on valuable land, and even though there were occasional scuffles between powerful gangs in the wilderness, that did not however interfere with the progress of frequent trade and commerce.  Nearly half the country's cattle, sheep and horse trade took place here.  Additionally, Bian Tang was Huai Song's neighbor, and Huai Song had the longest coastline of all the countries on the continent, therefore the salt trade in An Bai County was booming, encompassing all of Bian Tang's salt and fish trade.  Just like the merchandise escorted in the caravan they came in, was assigned by the Liu clan business to deliver salt to Tan Jing.

Furthermore, because AnBai County was so close to Huai Song, many of the islanders off the coast of Huai Song came to do business in AnBai County. Their native wares are traded for other necessities of life, such as silk, tea, bronze swords, pottery, medicinal herbs and so on.

The street was so spacious there was still room for pedestrians to run parallel to the team of eight, blood black paired horses. Flowing continuously like this, the carriage then swayed and turned around to stop abruptly.  Outside, the caravan leader made called the others to dismount.  Zhuge Yue lifted the curtain, raised his head and saw the wineshop sign waving in front of the door to an inn.  The sky was not yet dark, but the two red lanterns were already mounted, giving the entrance a simple but elegant atmosphere.  People were coming and going through its doors, and it seemed business was lively.  Two giant black ink letters were written on the plaque above.  Their driver, Li, saw Zhuge Yue alight the carriage he hastily and exaggeratedly moved closer, smiling as he said "Master Zhu, you are a learned man, will you tell me what those two letters mean?  We can't go out and not even know where we're staying.  If I asked the others, surely they'd laugh at me."  The caravan had two vice heads, one leader and fifteen guards.  The remainder totaled about forty escorts.  Everyone conducted themselves simply and honestly, and several of the guards were rather outspoken, and all were very polite to them.  Though Zhuge Yue was not inclined to speak much, he nevertheless answered politely, "The inn is called The Wild Goose; when you come back to look for it just say you are staying at the Wild Goose Inn and that should be fine."

Having heard what was said, Li read it over silently twice, and then he beamed, leaped down from his horse, then advanced towards the other escorts on one side, and though they were far away, Zhuge Yue's practiced ears could hear everything. He heard driver Li slap escort Liang's back, and laughed as he said, "Old Liang, learned to read? Do you know what this inn is called?"  Zhuge Yue smiled faintly, as his life rarely came in contact with these worldly commoners of the lower class. Now that he has had some contact, he was inclined to have a favorable impression of them.

At that time one of the inn's clever waiters ran out and shouted, "Honored customers, whether resting or eating our establishment is clean, when you stay with us, our house is your home.  Our dishes have big fish, big meat, whatever you want; with our supply of aged, seventy year old hua-diao wine, you're guaranteed to feel right at home."

The head of the escorts saw this and laughed loudly, "What a clever mouth on this one, it's a pity he's a waiter, if you followed me, I'd be sure to find you a pretty wife later on."

The waiter's smile welcomed those coming in and those leaving, and he had long since trained his golden tongue and polished his skill.  "Master is joking, my son is already two years old, but thank you, master, for your kindness.  The tigress in my house is fierce, I don't dare to have needless ambitions!"

The group of escorts and the shop's waiter guffawed loudly.  The caravan master laughed as he said, "Brat, stop spouting nonsense and give us three rooms.  We'll stay two to a room, and hurry up and bring good wine and meat for us.  We've been traveling in the wilderness for more than ten days, my mouth is about to break out into birdsong."  Zhuge Yue saw the others being merry and lifted the curtain and helped Chu Qiao out of the carriage.  Chu Qiao was jostled about throughout the journey, her body lax and weak, with the poisons continuously staying in her body.  If it wasn't for her strength of mind she would have already fallen unconscious, and the fact that she was struggling to prop herself up was really remarkable. Zhuge Yue could see that her pale white face tinged with blue, and she couldn't even stand properly; he could not help but feel a fit of anxiousness.  Only the poison was too potent and ordinary doctors would only be able to cure ordinary ailments. They had no option but to go slowly towards the capital and find a means of detoxification there.  

In this instant there was nothing more to say and the least he could do was hold her against his chest as he said to the waiter, "Prepare two clean rooms for us and then deliver some food."  

The caravan head wrinkled his brow and said loudly, "You're already married, what are you talking about taking two rooms for? Little sister is already so ill, you'd best watch over her."  He turned to the waiter and said, "Listen here, one room, take food and wine up, put it on my account and go find a doctor."

The waiter answered enthusiastically, "Yes sir! Four rooms on the upper level, masters if you'll follow me."  Zhuge Yue said nothing more, but hung his head and glanced down at Chu Qiao and only saw her resting peacefully against his chest, breathing evenly, apparently she had already fallen asleep though her face was faintly reddish.  [TN: she's not asleep]

The room was quiet, and the open window faced a grove of peach trees in blossom, their fragrance flowing everywhere, faintly wafting inside, making the occupants feel refreshed.  The warmth of the light from the blood red sunset on the horizon touched Zhuge Yue's face.  His ink dark long locks hanging from his temples were carried by the breeze, his black robes fluttering.  He straightened his posture, as if having gone through several rare scrolls.  [TN: I didn't understand this sentence, but it's like he's a bookworm and there is hardship and pleasure in that meaning]

The him in this moment was not the very powerful and capable member of the influential Zhuge Clan.  [TN: literally, he is one who can "翻手为云覆手为雨" or one who "turns his palm up to gather clouds, and turns his hand down to make rain"] A light robe with a loose sash, a cheerful temperament, a different sort of beauty in the world.

"Zhuge Yue," called Chu Qiao softly as she lie in bed. 

He knew she was not asleep and calmly turned around to face her, saying, "Are you hungry?  Shall I call the attendant for food?"

"No need," Chu Qiao said, taking a deep breath and slowly said, "Sit down.  There's something I need to say to you."  Zhuge Yue stood in place without sitting, contemplated for a long while, then just saying in a low voice, "I know what you're going to say and there's no need for you to say it, nor do you need to ask because I don't even know why.  All I know is that right now there is no way I could abandon you.  After all, it was because of me that you were injured, so let's just wait until you're cured before we talk about it."

Chu Qiao looked at Zhuge Yue, and all the words she had originally wanted to say were now unable to escape her lips.  Between the two of them, it was equally an extremely muddled bill of accounts.  They have betrayed each other, slaughtered each other's people, rescued each other and showed the other mercy too many times to count. Now, with barely a line of hatred between them, it was exceedingly difficult to explain their relationship. 

"Zhuge Yue, now I owe you another life."

Zhuge Yue's brows knitted together as he looked at Chu Qiao, and in a quiet puzzled voice asked,  "Why do you not take account of what other people may owe you?"

Chu Qiao side-stepped the question by answering, "I will repay you in the future."  Zhuge Yue scoffed at her answer, but said nothing further, knowing that she was trying to make peace with it on her own, so he sat down and poured a cup of tea.  At that moment someone knocked on the door.  He opened it to see the caravan head standing there, who then said with some discomfort, "Master Zhu, I don't think we can journey on together."

"Oh?" asked Zhuge Yue.  "Has something happened?"

"Our young master has arrived," he said suddenly excited.  "The young master came from XianYang, and is conveniently going to Bian Tang, and our escort team will be accompanying his entourage.  We will rest in AnBai County and then return to WuPeng three days after.  But I've already told the young master that you will follow his group and return to the capital."

Zhuge Yue thankful responded, "Thank you, but it would be best if we did not hassle you all further.  We'll simply buy a carriage and horses and be on our way."

"What kind of talk is that?" shouted the head escort.  "You've already paid your way, how can we let you spend your money again?  Moreover this road ahead is not very safe, there are a lot of gangs and it would be safer to stay in a group.  Young Master has brought four to five hundred guards with him this time, rest assured, there'll be no trouble on the road."   

It would be ungracious to refuse a kindness, and it was really inadvisable for them to stir up more trouble for themselves, so Zhuge Yue nodded, and gave thanks and thanks again to leader Yu.

"Of course, of course. They say when you're at home, you rely on your parents, and when you go out you rely on friends."

"By the way, where is your young master from, what is his name?"

Leader Yu said with frustration and pride, "Our master is the food merchant Liu of XianYang, but he has no sons, so he adopted his nephew, who is the young master who leads the group.  His name is Liu Xi.  Has Master Zhu ever heard of him?"

Zhuge Yue was dumbfounded, and frowned, saying in a low voice,  "Liu Xi?"


Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Princess Agents Chapter 101 English translation

Princess Agents - 特工皇妃楚喬傳
Chapter 101: Fighting Side By Side


In the dense night, when WuPeng Cheng was already hidden in the darkness, in the distance half the sky had already been burned red.  The night wind was cold and the moonlight still, after most of the night's military raid, Chu Qiao finally left WuPeng.

She had to kill Zhu Shun, there was no choice.  (TN: I forget, but I believe this person was the butler of the Zhuge House in DaXia?)  She never had the chance to run into him before, in the sea of people there was no way to find him, but this time, it was impossible for him to escape with his life now that he was in her sight.  Chu Qiao knew there was a heavy sense of guilt she bore in her heart.  As she was now, there was no way she could kill Zhuge Yue to avenge the Jing family children, and even less capability of eradicating the Zhuge House.  There were solid reasons for this, as well as personal reasons, and also facts she couldn't put to words or reason out.  So, that was why she felt it was imperative she get rid of Zhu Shun.  On the other hand, it may have been for her own selfish reasons in disguise, to pay off her debt.

She was human and humans had feelings, and oftentimes human selfishness was not completely rational.

For in the first place, she should not have been swayed by personal feelings and stayed with Yan Xun, and even moreso, she should not have passed the opportunity to kill Zhuge Yue today.  She was this type of person; one who could not owe others, one who could not accept benefits from others.

Now, she watched the turbulent ChiSui river surging past, the savage reef rocks towering along the shore.  Snow white wave bursts crashed against the reef in ebbs and flows, breaking apart like broken pieces of crystal.

It was then she heard the sound of a horse's gallop once again approaching closer, and an exasperated Zhuge Yue calling out, "Stop right there!"

Chu Qiao cooly turned around, and in a low voice asked, "Why are you following me?"

"Did I say I was going to let you go?"

Zhuge Yue was wearing a fine robe, his straight brow flying slanted, his lips an abnormally deep red in the dark night.  Both his hands and his feet showed traces of being bound by a rope and the rope around a foot was still hanging on, apparently suffered by someone's hands.

Both were young, outstanding masters of the next generation, and while facing each other as rivals, it would be hard to distinguish the winner and loser.  But when it came to sneak attacks, pretense, or assassination, Zhuge Yue could not compare to Chu Qiao who has had professional training and experience as a special agent.

The two scowled at one another, neither one compromising.

Finally, a sudden wind stirred up, bringing the scent of blood from far away.  Slightly surprised for a moment, Chu Qiao turned to look into the distance.  

She only saw an expanse of quiet wilderness, thick, tall grass everywhere, waist high but not as high as the underbelly of a horse.  In that thick darkness, something seemed to be hiding, with its dark green eyes, moving quietly.

Wolf!

There were wolves here!  Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue exchanged a glance simultaneously.   Even if they thought rather highly of themselves, out in this wilderness if a pack of wolves attacked, the outcome would be too horrible to contemplate.

"Zhuge Yue, we have a truce for now, yeah?"

Zhuge Yue cast a sidelong glance at her, nodded his head and gently said, "Hm."

"I am hunting to kill my own enemy, you want to eradicate someone who sold out your family; we each take what we need.  We should cooperate."

Chu Qiao whipped her horse forward and continue to encourage it.

With a *peng* Zhuge Yue jumped off his horse's back, and like that continued to run forward.  Chu Qiao caught up with him from behind. Who knew at that moment as it stepped forward the horse's hoof would suddenly sink.  With one arm Zhuge Yue pulled on her hand, and holding her by the waist smoothly held her back.

Subsequently, Chu Qiao was dumbstruck as she watched her horse disappear little by little into the overgrown underbrush and give a tragic cry.

"This is a bog, be careful."

As soon as he said this, Zhuge Yue walked first in front, saying as he walked, "If we go through the marsh we will be able to reach the mountain pass before the robbers.

Chu Qiao asked, "You're agreeing to work with me?"

Zhuge Yue looked at her indifferently but did not respond.  Chu Qiao was caught off guard, but suddenly felt a bit uneasy, the atmosphere making her wary.  She was no fool, she knew who Zhu Shun was, how could she ask Zhuge Yue to personally arrest him?  Speaking of runaway slaves, it seemed her own escape was an even more serious offense.

Zhuge Yue said in a faint voice, "I will find the path in front, you will follow me," and then proceeded to ignore her.  As if he was taking a stroll into his own back garden, he simply walked right in.  Even locals did not dare to casually walk into such a mysterious and unpredictable place, and yet he went in so easily, without a trace of hesitation.

Chu Qiao watched that green shaded back gradually disappear into thin air, and narrowed her pretty eyes.  In the darkness it was impossible to see any kind of expression, only that she quietly watched Zhuge Yue, and then her figure flit by to quickly keep pace with him. 

In the pre-dawn darkness it seemed that after they entered the bog the environment all around them changed.  It was not what one would have imagined with winds that wrap around, nor were there fierce beasts running amok.  There were poisonous insects everywhere and the remains of dead things.  It was the dead silence of perfect stillness without a single person, animal, or living thing.  Not even a breeze.

The air flow was condensed in this space with only the sound of the breath and footfalls in this swamp.

Just then, Chu Qiao's foot stepped on something soft, and thinking it was simply the bog she quickly glanced down.  Who would know that as soon as she looked down she would almost scream?   Zhuge Yue looked back and saw that it was a headless corpse.  The chest had already been ripped open, the internal organs scattered, with no indication of what type of beast had attacked.

"You're still afraid of something like this?"

The man's voice carried a hint of ridicule.  Chu Qiao plainly gave him a cold look, but gave no retort.  
"Hold this then."

Chu Qiao took a glance and saw his "Breaking Moon" sword, and was a bit surprised when she heard him say, "You even dare to casually lose my belongings;  you've really got some gall."

Chu Qiao looked at him and frowned, "In my heart I have wanted to kill you more than once or twice; do you think I would care about offending you by losing your things?"

"Hmph, what an untrustworthy woman," Zhuge Yue huffed cooly at her, turned around, and sullenly continued to walk forward.

Chu Qiao also proceeded to ignore him and tried hard to recall the swamp survival skills she had first learned when she was still in military training and continued to carefully move forward.

"Did you not hear me say to hold on?"

Zhuge Yue's face was furious, abruptly turning his head around. Chu Qiao suddenly responded in anger, "Why do I need to listen to you? Are you stronger than me?"

"Try me if you're still not convinced!"

Chu Qiao flushed livid and said: "Zhuge Yue!  If you really think yourself so amazingly spectacular then we best part ways here.  I will seek my revenge, you go capture your slave, it's completely unnecessary for us to interfere with the other.  But if you want to cooperate, then act like it; don't snap at me at every turn and speak with tooth and claw bared.  I have long not been your slave and there is no need for me to look at your face!"

Zhuge Yue's face turned blue, chest heaving, but Chu Qiao merely pushed him aside to move forward.  Heaven knew why Zhuge Yue reached out to grab her, his hands like pliers, his eyes indignant as he said, "Let me tell you something.  This swamp is filled with dangers.  If you do not know the path more likely than not you will die and your remains will be left for the wild dogs to gnaw.  Do not think so highly of your abilities that you underestimate this place.  If I do not lead you, you would be stuck in a hundred steps.  If you want to die, go die further away.  Do not die in front of me!"

After hearing him, without even taking a breath, she brushed off his hand and turned around to go.

Surprised for a bit, Zhuge Yue then stepped forward and pulled her back, asking angrily, "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"Didn't you just tell me to go die somewhere further away?  That's perfect, I was just planning to stay far away from you."

"You!"  He had probably never been so angry in his whole life, and let his anger muddle his mind when he irately glared at Chu Qiao, as if he wanted to swallow her whole.  Then he took a deep breath, and then said, "We have a truce."

Chu Qiao smiled slyly and said, "Fine."

"However I warn you--"

 "Pay attention to your wording and attitude!"

There was no way to continue the conversation at that point, and Zhuge Yue's eyes strained red.  He thrust the Broken Moon sword in her direction and said in a low voice, "Take hold."

Chu Qiao's victory was utterly complete and she happily took hold of the handle.

The night was deep, every direction slate black, a cold wind blew, bringing with it a brisk taste.

Vexed, Zhuge Yue stepped out with his right foot onto the mold and dust covered earth, and with slight force pulled Chu Qiao closer to him.  Amid this piece of perilous marshland, the two carefully walked forward, between them a strong, dark steel blade from the East China Sea kept them closely connected.

Even though he was angry, he was safe.

The borders of the bog were very wide, and when half an hour later the scenery failed to change, a little uncertainty crept into her heart.  But as soon as she wanted to ask, the sound of someone's faint voice suddenly carried over to her.  Chu Qiao froze and paused her breath, and concentrated to listen quietly in the voice's direction.

"XiJiu, why hasn't the Boss and the others haven't come back yet; you don't suppose anything happened to them?"

A deep bass voice abruptly responded, the voice sounding drawn out as if the person had suffered a serious injury, "Wait a half hour, and if by then they really don't come back yet, we leave the entrance first, unplanned.

The cold voice of a female suddenly called out to them, and against this dead backdrop, it seemed a bit creepy.  At this point another voice suddenly said, "What the hell is this goddamned place?  It still hurts where I was bit.  The Yun House medicine doesn't work at all.  That day I had time but I should have gone into old man Yun's rooms to steal everything.  XiJiu, why did the Boss insist that we meet here, or was it just to punish us?"

XiJiu said in a low voice, "Do you think for all these years Tian RuCheng's reputation was just for show?  Don't think just because he's old his ability isn't as vigorous as before.  If it was just riding a horse on the plains we'd have been caught in less than half an hour. We'd just be sitting ducks for them.  But it's different in the swamp.  It's certainly dangerous and a bit close to WuPeng Cheng, but even if Tian RuCheng is smarter, how would he think we were hiding right under his nose?  Even if found, we could escape through this complicated terrain.  How is WuPeng not a tasty bone to gnaw on?  We have to be careful, ya, if DaXia is going to be war turbulent these days there won't be any big merchants venturing out, and if our harvest wasn't so awful, we wouldn't be doing this."  

Upon saying this there was a brief pause, and the voice continued after in a hush, "If all goes as I planned and we get our reward, afterwards we'll just hide in the city.  They know we're part of a traveling caravan so they won't be looking for us in the city.  When they go out to investigate we'll divide and conquer by finding a chance to escape, that way our chances of escape will be better."

Zhuge Yue and Chu Qiao listened as they steadily moved forward.  This woman was clever, with lots of guts and fantastic thinking.  A simple caravan of thieves dares to take on a heavily guarded city, and then instead of thinking to run she choose instead to stay in the city.  Admittedly this plan was very effective.  It was fair to say that if the authorities found out what had happened, their first reaction was to search outside the city.

At this moment a gust of wind blew Chu Qiao's clothes, which were both cumbersome and fragrant and the scent was carried by the wind in the direction of the three caravan thieves. 

Zhuge Yue and she were suddenly alarmed and listened to the people in the darkness panic for a brief moment.  But after all, he had walked the line between life and death for many years now and the silence only lasted a second.

XiJiu and her two companions immediately decided to take offensive maneuvers instead of defend, the three figures moved in a flash to charge the two, flying in three directions: one going high, the other low and the last down the middle.

Their physique were strong, their moves swift, and just as they started, they were ready for the killing move,  for if they were able to seriously injure the two, they would kill them under the knife.

The corner of Zhuge Yue's mouth sketched a smirk; in the twinkle of an eye he unsheathed his sword from the priceless carved scabbard, and rose like a sharpened tide.  His moves swift and fierce, like lightning strikes leaving gleaming streaks in midair, sounding three sharp, crisp sounds of *ting, ting, ting* before he disarmed their three knives and sent their weapons flying away.  XiJiu and the others's facial expressions were even more shocked as their shadows and feet landed back down around Zhuge Yue, surrounding and enclosing him in a triangle formation.  But theirs was no longer standing in offense.

At this moment Chu Qiao took the opportunity to shoot out, her body frame like a cheetah,  unusually energized.  One foot kicked one man directly in the chest, the sound of cracking bones immediately sounded, and the man cried out as he flew backwards.

Zhuge Yue's face was shaded in icy disdain, his deep tone strangely contrasted against that dead silence as he said, "Tell me the name of your caravan, your hideout, its back channel route, and I will spare you."

As soon as she heard it, the woman name XiJiu suddenly tossed her weapon onto he ground and said casually, "We are no match for you, I will tell you everything you want to know.  Please let me and my companions leave."

At first glance Zhuge Yue would not have guessed this female thug was so astute. He nodded his head, "Of course."

"You are a gentleman, your word is gold, and you will not go back on your word.  We are just minions who were sent here, as long as they pay us we sell our lives to do it."

"Very well," said Zhuge Yue. "If you speak not only will I let you all go, I will also pay you for your information."

XiJiu nodded, "That's fair." She slowly edged forward as if it was very normal for her to be selling out her secrets.

However, eyeing the woman's black clothing, a feeling of anxiety sprouted in Chu Qiao's heart, and at this time noticed XiJiu was only one step away from Zhuge Yue.

At that moment, a strong burst of unease struck her heart. She couldn't clearly express the source of this panic, but her well practiced alertness  from walking the edge between life and death had always saved her over the years.  So in that instant she trusted her intuition completely.  Her body suddenly pushed forward, her form moving so fast as if flying, her dagger pointed in front of her body, taking advantage of the power of her assault to quickly defeat the thug.

"Watch out!"

However, the alarm seemed to have sounded a little too late, XiJiu's body was momentarily flung back by the strike of the dagger, but the corners of her mouth slowly turned upwards in a faint smile.  Chu Qiao instantly knew that not even the strongest blade would hurt her.  A top notch hired assassin would best keep a hidden weapon, but that would be enough to send the enemy to his doom!

This would be a perfect portrayal of a death trap!

In the moment Chu Qiao turned pale with surprise, there suddenly burst forth a crisp sound of whizzing by in front of her, and her crow black dagger with a grass green handle suddenly split in two, fell to the ground and disappeared into the marsh.

Zhuge Yue stared with a sombre expression and cold eyes, and said in a dark voice, "You're still so stubborn."

XiJiu half crouched like a leopard, one hand touching the ground.  She gazed cooly at Zhuge Yue and Chu Qiao as she whispered, "You must be daydreaming.  If I said you could come subdue our caravan and live the high life, do you think you would agree?"

"Stubborn to the end!" Chu Qiao said angrily.

Similar to XiJiu's tricks, she reached in and drew a short dagger from her bosom, her body suddenly shot up from the ground like a supple leopard, without a moment's hesitation.

Even though the other two spoke roughly, but it was nevertheless a rare sight to see such a calm master; and even though one of them was seriously injured, they were still impressive in their desperate fight.  The other two did not say another word.

Amid Zhuge Yue's lightning speed his opponent held a long knife, his actions flowing like water, clean and clear.

Chu Qiao did not imagine there was such a skilled person in some paltry caravan, and perhaps these people were skilled assassins, proficient trackers, quick witted; but ultimately not considered martial arts masters.

Sure enough the battle was over in another moment with Zhuge Yue still standing with his previous indifferent posture, as if from beginning to end he had never lifted a finger.  His eyes were cold, calm and collected he stood with his long sword between himself and XiJiu, and said in a deep voice, "Will you tell me or not?"

XiJiu leaned over the swamp, her mouth bloody.  Since she was wearing black it wasn't clear if she was injured anywhere else in the end, but it was clear that her body was slowly sinking into the mossy, spongy swamp.

XiJiu did not watch him speak but instead turned her head towards her companions and said, "We can't escape."

The other two nodded slightly, eyes calm without a trace of panic.  They turned their knives onto their own hearts and suddenly plunged their blades into their chests!

The tips of their blades were poisoned.  The two only twitched a bit before falling to the ground.  Zhuge Yue quickly moved forward to seize XiJiu before she could commit suicide.  But all he saw was XiJiu slightly sneering all of a sudden.  Chu Qiao's reaction was was quick, like electricity from thought to action, it too late to think it through, and her entire body flew suddenly up and fiercely slammed into Zhuge Yue's shoulder forcing him aside.  With a breath, a fine, clear and delicate, thick and fine needle shot into Chu Qiao's arm.  The dull blue poison spreading in an instant, and her entire arm suddenly felt numb and swollen.

"How do you feel?"  Zhuge Yue was greatly alarmed, and pulled Chu Qiao closer to tear off a piece of cloth as Chu Qiao frowned, he wrapped the top of her arm tightly to prevent further spreading of the poison to her heart.

"It's nothing."

"Nothing?" XiJiu said in a frosty tone, then said in a low voice, "I will wait for you in hell!"

"Bitch!"  Zhuge Yue turned a vicious fist into the woman's face, with the sudden sound of fragmenting bone against flesh.  The man was clearly furious, and said in a deep voice, "Give me the antidote!"

XiJiu smiled lightly as she lay in the swamp.  Half of her body had already sunken in, her mouth consistently dripping dark red blood, her eyes full of chilling ridicule.

Chu Qiao's heart trembled, knowing XiJiu's methods were heartless and ruthless, never giving up even if the goal seems lost, to the point of sacrificing one's life.  She may not be considered a skilled master, but she was thoughtful and meticulous, good at hiding, ambushing and poisoning. With determination, willpower and patience, she was really a first-rate assassin.

"Where is the antidote?  Speak!"  Zhuge Yue ruthlessly pressed against her neck.

"Who are you?" a hoarse voice bubbled forward.  Zhu Qiao's head dipped down, she looked at the woman watching Zhuge Yue, but the question was as if she were speaking to herself.  Zhuge Yue stared at her and said coldly, "Give the antidote to me and I'll tell you."

XiJiu huffed disdainfully, as if this exchange was futile.  Chu Qiao saw that she would rather die than give anything away, she found this female assassin admirable. She replied in a low voice, "I am Chu Qiao of Yan Bei."

XiJiu's pupils went wide the instant she heard it, and after a long pause slowly let out her breath.  She said softly, "No wonder."

The marsh was pitch black by night, not a single star shone. 

They heard XiJiu sneer and after a while she whispered, "If so, you are not worthy, we are enemies, otherwise I would save you.  A pity."  She was suddenly coughing up blood, and Chu Qiao knew that these people would carry a poison capsule in their mouths; once caught they would immediately commit suicide to avoid suffering.

"Can you really get through to Yan Bei?" Zhuge Yue tightly furrowed his brow, and as soon as he let go, XiJiu's corpse rolled a few times until it fell into a pit, then the whole body sank into the marsh.  After a while, there wasn't a single trace.

"How are you feeling?"  Zhuge Yue was holding Chi Qiao up.  Chu Qiao shook her head and said in a hoarse voice, "It isn't highly toxic."

"We'll go to TanJing,  the imperial doctor Zhu of TanJing Palace is highly skilled, he can cure you of your poison."

Chu Qiao gently frowned and said softly, "You're not going to wait for your subordinates?"

Zhuge Yue slid her onto his back and carried her.  He said simply in a low voice, "There isn't time."

A jackdaw bird suddenly fluttered its wings, swooped down to fly over the swamp, and flew off into the distance.  Zhuge Yue carried Chu Qiao on his back, in a hurried sprint over the marsh.  The long night is about to pass.

Translator notes: So somehow the area around WuPeng is burning, these thieves took advantage of the chaos to steal and unlickly bumped into our heroes.  I have no clue how Zhuge Yue ended up tied, but perhaps Chu Qiao?  Also no clue on what happened to her sisters, her nerd friend or her host family that she traveled with on the boat.  But they're going to TanJing to see Xiao Ce/Liang Ce! Yay!



Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Princess Agents Chapter 97 English Translation

Translator's Notes: Now we have a scene where our protagonists Zhuge/Yuwen Yue and Chu Qiao are actually speaking and not fighting, which is a change for them.  They had not really spoken since they were still children, before she escaped his household and spent 8 years with Yan Xun.  This is where the TV drama splits from the novel.  She did not learn kung fu from him, nor did she live with him for a long time to be his spy.  For a complete translation of Chu Qiao's early years in the Zhuge household, see Angela Chua's translations HERE.  

The banter in the TV drama is not imagined, and it seems the star and the moon are constantly at odds with one another, and for good reason.  But where reason goes the heart doesn't necessarily follow…. ¯\_()_/¯


特工皇妃楚喬傳
Princess Agents 
Chapter 97: A Life Owed

The room was deadly silent, the palace lantern burning quietly in the corner, from time to time a crackling spark would flare.  Outside was total darkness with the occasional hum of summer cicadas sounded through the small window in the wall. Moonlight like water flood in through a crack of the window; nighttime in WuPeng Cheng is pleasantly cool, the temperature suitable, everything serene.

Those who practice martial arts have extremely keen hearing, especially in such a quiet environment.  A short time later, the sound of the guard's deliberately lowered voices came in, the escorts carefully gathering together, gossiping about their master.

"The young master usually looks very serious, I did not expect him to like that sort of thing."
"Who said it wasn't loud, throwing clothes everywhere, the scene was so intense, man…."
"When that woman came everything turned around; she was even able to climb onto our young master."  [TN: the translation is for a word that also means "social" status climber.]
"But that woman's figure is really fine, those legs, so long and white…."
"Are you daft?  That's the young master's woman, be careful he doesn't dig out your dog eyes."
"Ah, Brother Zhang is right, we have to completely forget about this matter, just pretend we're all blind."
"I've worked in this household for many years, you guys haven't seen how the young master's temper is considerably better?  When I think about that first year he was such a tyrant, among the higher and lower levels in the household, who wasn't afraid?  Seriously, listen guys, I'm right about this! But then again, this little girl slave is not bad with that figure and those looks.  Somehow she seems kinda familiar."

"When it comes to the beauties of the world they're all familiar to you."

Everyone let out a few quiet chuckles, and after that they were silent, probably walking farther away.

Inside the room, the two still maintained their original stance, both gripping the other's throat, four legs tightly wrapped together.  Four eyes were equally locked, though there were so many complicated things swirling behind them.

A sudden wind blew through the window, and the breeze from the smaller window blew towards the bed causing the red gauzy curtains to dance.  Dozen of gauze curtains shook and swayed between them, covering their eyes, and throughout the thin fabric, each other's appearance became indistinct.   [TN: props to the producers and director for making the scenes in the TV series picturesque, though, with this source material, it makes sense.  The author may be trying to depict the fact that Chu Qiao and Zhuge/Yuwen Yue don't really know one another at this point, having been separated for 8 years, and the prior image they envisioned may no longer be accurate.]

Time slowly passed, to the farthest place, the drum of the night watchman sounded through the thick night, reverberating off the large mansion,  like a cliff in the misty rainy season, like the ripples of a boat crossing the river.  Slowly but surely the sound drew out like a song, the unique flavor of Bian Tang, soft and sensual.

Their expressions were still coldly continuing, inch by inch.

From the initial shock, to embarrassment, to anger and hostility, they gradually turned to a subtle calm.  Like a huge stone thrown into a lake, despite the first splashes of water, gradually the stone will sink into the lake, submerged little by little, and one ripple after another will gradually lessen and become calm, as if nothing had happened.

The two had an implicit agreement and at the same time slowly loosened the fingers around the others' throat, and little by little, gradually backed away.

Chu Qiao pulled the silk quilt close to cover her scantily clad body, her eyes fixed on the man at the moment, and in the blink of an eye, all of her feelings were forced down.  From there, she remained guarded and careful.

Indeed, this man who had just arrived in WuPeng Cheng was the Fourth Young Master of the Zhuge House, Zhuge Yue, and based on his status, naturally a small little town on the outskirts of Bian Tang would want to curry favor with him.

In degrees, this once furious man calmed down leaving only a dark expression. His slanting eyebrows and cold countenance did not necessarily mean he was still hostile, only that he had reverted back to his usual visage, languid and apathetic.

Without any scruple, he moved from the center of the generous bed, tied the black and gold robes he previously discarded, and instinctively put it back on; he pulled his waist belt sideways, leaving a large portion of his bronzed chest exposed.  Then, he disposed of any excess benevolence by rummaging around for Chu Qiao's wet clothing, picked it up and walked over with her drenched clothing in one hand and thrust it in her direction saying, "Take it."

"Take it?" Chu Qiao lifted a brow.  "Take what?"

Zhuge Yue raised his brow, gave her a sideways glance that seemed to imply that she not be coy with him.

"Yan Xun and his entourage who escaped the nest have become a group of beggars who are now so hard pressed for money, is that it?  He's left you no choice but to become a thief now?"

"What did you say?" Chu Qiao answered with cold, angry eyes.  "Consider your words carefully."

Zhuge Yue glanced at her faintly and said disdainfully, "Just meat on the cutting board and yet it dares to be so arrogant."

On the bed, Chu Qiao's expression was cold but she did not retort. A careless word and she would lose any advantage.  This night's excursion was really an epic failure.  She couldn't feel more annoyed, and at this time lamented secretly herself how surprisingly bad her luck was.

Still, though she did not want to admit it, at the moment she saw Zhuge Yue's face, her heart suddenly felt an inexplicable trace of elation.  Perhaps falling into his hands was better than into the hands of others.

At the very least, she wasn't in any immediate danger.  She knew the emperor had placed a price on her head, but not the rest of her.  [TN: wanted dead, rather than alive]

"Give it here," Zhuge Yue relentlessly continued.

"Give what?"

"Don't play dumb with me," the man said coldly, and in a chilled voice said, "It was probably you on top of the corridor just then, so you don't need me to repeat what you proceeded to take from my person, do you?"

Chu Qiao suddenly realized, but stubbornly responded, "Who cares about your things, I just took it by accident, and threw it away soon after.  It you want it back, then just send some people from this dog minister's house to go straight away to the lake and fish for it."

Zhuge Yue gently raised his brow, his expression dismal.  Chu Qiao looked at him without reservation, the bright expression in her eyes unbending, with a trace of calm resolve.

With a *huff* Zhuge Yue tossed her wet clothes into her face and then turned towards the door, threw it open, and guards immediately stepped forward.  With two simple sentences Zhuge Yue gave his orders, his voice quiet and the request simple: go to the lake and fish out his jade pendant.

However, when everyone heard the order their faces suddenly turned green; the lake was not big, and a boat could make a round in about half an hour, but its full depth was four feet.  They would have to scour a large area to find a small jade pendant.

A guard looked up with a bitter expression and said with embarrassment, "Young master,  this…."

A sudden *slap* rang out before the guard could finish.  Zhuge Yue instantly struck the guard, who was now seeing stars as he brought his head involuntarily low.

"No one said you could look up."  

The guard nodded his head and for the life or death of him would not look up again.

When she heard this while still sitting on the bed Chu Qiao was surprised because the door was opened to face this outrageously large bed, and at the moment she was still not wearing any clothes.  

The escort soon retreated, and in a bit the entire outside was lit full of torches, with the sound of people clambering about, including all the escorts who had been awakened in the middle of the night, and all of Minister Tian's guards.  That enormous and powerful body of soldiers all went to the back garden to the lake.

When Zhuge Yue had turned around again Chu Qiao had already put a piece of her wet clothing back on, but because the fabric was like a thin tulle, it clung to her body as if she wasn't wearing it at all, and somehow looked even more enchantingly seductive.

Zhuge Yue looked at her and slowly frowned; Chu Qiao saw there was something definitely wrong in his expression, and inevitably felt more embarrassed.

Zhuge Yue headed straight for a row of closets and opened one of them, and Chu Qiao's expression changed color but made no sound as she heard a *bang*.  The woman she had tied and stuffed into the closet fell towards the ground at Zhuge Yue's feet.  His reaction was quick, but he hurriedly and mistakenly mistook the woman for an assassin, and mercilessly delivered a flying kick.

And the pitiful slave girl, before her body even hit the ground, went flying like a foot ball, her body curled up like a shrimp and but for the fact she was gagged, one would have heard what that would sound like.

Fortunately as Zhuge Yue was still unclear of the circumstances he did not use deadly force, and when he saw the half-naked, seductive woman lying on the ground, he suddenly paused and frowned tightly, appearing to think really hard.

From the onset that woman was like a frightened bird; for no reason she was knocked unconscious and then locked in a closet, and when she was finally let out, before she even had an opportunity to shout "intruder," she was mercilessly kicked.  In that moment, when facing this obviously baleful man, her eyes rolled back and she very simply fainted again.

"Hey!  Don't hurt her."

Zhuge Yue turned around to see Chu Qiao's face, clearly embarrassed, and he suddenly realized.  Since Chu Qiao was pretending to be the slave in this room then the one lying on the ground presumably was the one Minister Tian had prepared for him.

Thinking past that critical junction, Zhuge Yue proceeded to ignore the woman lying on the floor, continued to take clothing out from the cabinet, turned back and returned to Chu Qiao's side.  He tossed the clothing at her and the corners of his mouth lightly pulled upward as he said faintly, "Xing'er, your actions are still really ruthless."

"Don't call me Xing'er!"  she said with cold intonation.  Without taking off her soaked inner garments Chu Qiao immediately put on the clean outer robe. 

[TN: Xing'er/星儿 literally means "Star child," the 儿/child part is a word used as a term of endearment.  You can add it to any name.  His name is Yue/玥, which doesn't directly mean "moon," but it's more like an expensive pearl in a religious offering; round, precious and white like the moon.  Ironically, the little girl whose life Chu Qiao inherited was named Jing Yue'er, literally "Moon." The Star name was something Yue had given her when they first met, like a pet name.  She obviously hated that period in her life and his House, though she can't deny he looked out for her and went out of his way to take care of her.  His brother Zhuge/Yuwen Huai describes it as a "first crush," though knowing Yue, it's more like love at first sight.  If you've listened to the love ballad for these two, "Stars/Moon" from the TV series you'll note the lyrics are both passionate and wistful.  It seems these two will always be at odds with one another, though their feelings can't be denied.  The male song lyrics say that once he loves, he loves for the rest of his life.  TT__TT]

However her voice was overshadowed by a sudden burst of anger; like a wild tiger Zhuge Yue in that moment pounced on her, his well built form immediately pinning Chu Qiao beneath him, his legs in a pincer move around her two long legs while one hand roughly grabbed her chin. His countenance was somber and he said with a disquieted tone, "Then what should I call you?  Jing Yue'er?  Or what else?  Chu Qiao?"

With a dark expression, in his eyes it seemed as if a huge tornado was brewing, the force in his hands continuing to increase, in a husky voice he said each word with pausing emphasis, "What, if getting involved with Yan Xun has led you to fail to recognize your ancestors and go so far as to even change your surname, then why not just directly add yourself into the 'Yan' family then?"

Chu Qiao unemotionally looked Zhuge Yue in the eyes and said with a cool voice, "Let go of me!"

"Let go of you."  The corner of his mouth crooked upward and laughed darkly, "You want to run. You've come to Bian Tang for that old flame of yours who's about to have an enormous wedding, or is this just a detour to Yan Bei?  How did we not see from the start that our little Xing'er was an alluring beauty who could bring the demise of an entire town with a smile?"

"Zhuge Yue, I'm warning you.  Let go of me."

"Warning me?"  His eyes narrowing coldly like a sparrow hawk, and he said in a deep voice, "Xing'er, is this the first time you've met me?  When have I, Zhuge Yue, ever feared someone else's warning?"

Without another thought Chu Qiao's five fingers turned into claws fiercely angled at Zhuge Yue's neck….

Zhuge Yue had decent reflexes and he moved back so Chu Qiao's had that was aiming to grip his neck gripped his collar instead.  That piece of clothing was already loose to begin with, the penalty was that she forcefully shredded more than half the cloth, revealing half of his bronzed and muscled chest.  The finger Zhuge Yue held at Chu Qiao's chin suddenly fell, slipped down her white neck to her exquisite collar bone and laughed wickedly, "What, just can't wait for it?  Can it be you schemed to get close to me representating Yan Bei as a honey trap?"

Chu Qiao's face was unchanged, her eyes narrowed slowly, bringing along many varied expressions of indignation, and suddenly brought up her leg towards his groin to back kick Zhuge Yue.  Her motion was swift and vicious!

Zhuge Yue was the type of person to engage the enemy head-on, so there was no way he would ever concede.  She saw his two hands push his entire body aloft, and he did a backwards arch roll.  By the time he came back down Chu Qiao's move was already spent.  His two arms braced up his body and he was suddenly very close, in the very same position as before, posturing himself over Chu Qiao's body face-to-face, she was close enough to hear his breath exhale.

Chu Qiao grunted angrily and her eyes flashed furious while her hands twisted to viciously hit Zhuge Yue in the shoulders.  

His shoulders fell, completely withdrawing his strength, and his body went sideways taking Chu Qiao involuntarily with him into the roll.  With one arm Zhuge Yue hugged her waist in the process of turning inward, and all the brocades on the bed were overturned and tangled with the two of them.  In a moment their two bodies were tightly rolled together like a giant rice dumpling.  With one hand he secured both Chu Qiao's arms and with a scissor leg move clamped down and closed her legs tightly.

Chu Qiao struggled vigorously, but the two were bound up so completely, the more she struggled the tighter the bindings became, not to mention Zhuge Yue was much stronger and larger than she was.  In no time she exhausted herself and lolled to one side on the bed, gasping for air.  Seeing her struggle was useless, she still looked up and wanted to bite him.  After her struggle her clothes were pried open, showing quite a bit of her white skin, and her face thoroughly flushed red.  Her eyes stared spitefully at Zhuge Yue, her chest rising and falling with each breath.

"Still not giving up?"

 Chu Qiao cursed, "Bastard."

Zhuge Yue lay on top of Chu Qiao's body, listening to her vigorous breathing, feeling the quick pace of her heart.  In the space of each breath he caught the scent of her delicate fragrance in consistent waves, and his expression unexpectedly relaxed.  

He proudly smiled, "Does the gentle beauty still say fight, or no?

Chu Qiao clamped her lips shut. In all these years she had rarely ever eaten out of others' hands, but if she didn't relent there would be more unspeakable situations of panic.  For some reason she just wanted to run away from this place immediately and never see this man in front of her again.

 "Let go of me."

"Xing'er, you keep saying these words but don't you feel redundant?"

The bottom of Chu Qiao's clothes were turned open revealing her two white legs, Zhuge Yue's legs were tightly wound around them, skin to skin, the space between them suddenly intimate.

Chu Qiao rooted her stare at Zhuge Yue and said between clenched teeth, "I really want to stab my knives into you."

Zhuge Yue laughed out loud, his expression fiendishly charming, his bright red lips unrestrained in his hearty laughter, "It would be better to hit me with your fists."

"Hmph."  Chu Qiao turned around angrily and refused to look at him.  She couldn't best him, she couldn't escape, the situation between them was just six of one and half a dozen of the other.  Her experience was a cut above the rest, but for a drawn out battle of brawn, there was no way she could keep up with a man, not to mention all his security detail outside.

Chu Qiao's eyes suddenly turned red and she angrily retorted, "Kill me then."

Zhuge Yue looked at her a smiled, "Xing'er, don't tell me you're going to cry just because you can't beat me.  That's rather out of character."

The tension in the room relaxed, but the two were still postured in a rather suggestive position, and at that moment the woman who was unconscious under the bed made a small noise, apparently about to wake up.

Chu Qiao looked at him blankly, but seeing Zhuge Yue's expression change and he let go of her hands, picked up a brocaded blanket and threw it in the air to cover the woman's face.

However, in the moment he released her hands,  Chu Qiao peddled down her feet, and like a loach wriggled out of the quilt, half kneeling on the bed ready to run off.

Zhuge Yue smiled cooly, his smile not reaching his eyes, and with one hand on a thin brocade blanket he used it like a whip to snake around Chu Qiao's ankle.  She didn't look but her heart gave out a little cry of distress, followed immediately by Zhuge Yue forcefully pulling her back.  In a moment Chu Qiao went down, and in a ball Zhuge Yue rolled with her.

By then it was too late!  When they heard a *bang* as they landed on the bed, followed by a rumbling noise, the bed frame from which dozens of curtains and beads were hanging collapsed.  Sheer curtain sashes and pearls came down all at once and thoroughly buried Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue.

The sound was so loud even the people outside could hear it very clearly.

Only half the guard were outside at this time, the other half having gone fishing in the lake for the jade pendant.

One young guard turned to face another by the name of "Zhang" and asked softly, "Brother Zhang, what was that noise coming from inside?"

The guard named Zhang also had his ears perked up and listened carefully, after hearing the question he nodded his head slightly and said a bit mysteriously, "I think probably the bed collapsed."

"Bed collapsed?" asked the young guard, and said quietly, "By the gods, so intense."

Zhuge Yue was surrounded by a pile of silks, which required a bit of effort to climb out of, and as soon as he poked his head out his expression immediately changed. He glimpsed Chu Qiao half kneeling in front of him, her expression heartless and her eyes cold with a piece of wood that had just broken off the bed frame.  The wooden shard was thin and sharp, and in that moment, it was pointing directly at his throat!

"Don't move!" the young woman shouted cooly.

Zhuge Yue smiled faintly, his eyes glancing at Chu Qiao's chest in front of him and said dryly, "Next time when facing your opponents with such capability, first make sure you're properly attired, lest you lose your fearsome image."

"Shut up!  Let me go, now."

Zhuge Yue smiled and said, "Xing'er, I think you're mixing something up.  Right now you're the one holding me hostage, how will you still let me release you?"

"Zhuge Yue, don't think that aside from begging you I don't have any other ideas.  Even if I killed you I would still have an opportunity to break through the guards' encirclement.  I just don't want to go that route.  Even though there is bad blood between us, I don't want to kill you like this."

"That's a pity," he shrugged and said indifferently, "Due to the circumstances in which I live, I will not let you go."

Chu Qiao slowly narrowed her eyes and said, "Do not push me."

"Do not push me."

At this time they suddenly heard a cluster of footsteps coming closer, surprising both of them at the same time, noting the footfalls were messy and clearly not Zhuge Yue's escort.

Noting her distraction, Zhuge Yue suddenly moved his body to the side in order to evade the sharp weapon she held.  But in that moment Chu Qiao prudently watched his actions, and almost subconsciously, in one fluid motion she used the wooden spike in her hand without hesitation, as though she had practiced the move a thousand times.

She heard *puff* and a shining blood red stream burst forward.  Cold terror gripped her heart, her pupils dilated in that instant when outside she heard the respectful tone of Minister Tian speak: "My lord, are you still awake?"

Zhuge Yue and Chu Qiao sat on the corner of the bed; him with a wooden stake with the full thickness of a thumb sticking out of his shoulder, and she, being the master that she is, had completely impaled his shoulder.  The blood was gushing everywhere, meandering its way across half the giant bed.

All of this happened in an instant; the wood piercing Zhuge Yue's body in a single line, Chu Qiao seeing his mouth open wide under such intense pain.  Surely he wanted to cry out but at that same time Minister Tian was steadily standing outside the door!

Tian RuCheng had been a military officer from a young age, and with his father, he was a part of the Bian Tang conscripted army, and they had fought all the way to DaXia's inland.  Had they not encountered the Lion of Yan Bei, Yan SheCheng, perhaps it would have been Bian Tang taking the Summerlands instead, from Shu to Hong, inheriting the earth.  Tian RuCheng's father had died in that war.  The Tian family, who was late to send in troops, was relegated to the court, their family prestige significantly dropping in status, and now they only defend a small little town on the outskirts.  One could only imagine how much he hated Yan Bei.

At this time Zhuge Yue only had to utter the slightest unusual sound and the minister would not have hesitated to break down the door.  To be sure, if Chu Qiao fell into his hands, there was only one outcome!

At the first sign of trouble Chu Qiao reached to touch her calf, where in any other peaceful time she kept a dagger.  With her skill even at a great distance, knife throwing to kill a man was not nearly the same as killing a man who was already injured.  With a cut of the knife he would not have the opportunity to cry out.

But she had forgotten that not long ago her dagger was lost when she was fighting on top of the corridor.

Almost at the same time Zhuge Yue noticed Chu Qiao's subconscious movement, his eyes slightly narrowing as he realized it meant she wanted to kill him.

"My lord, are you asleep?"  Tian RuCheng continued carefully calling out.

It was in this moment when the entire situation was hanging by a thread, she heard with her own ears Zhuge Yue say in a perfectly calm, utterly unjustifiable, manner,  "Is that you, Minister Tian? This deep into the night, whatever is the matter?"

In that instant Chu Qiao's heart was a spectacular mess; she looked up and glimpsed Zhuge Yue's blood soaked hands and she was stunned.

"It's like this, my lord.  I had heard that a very important belonging of yours has fallen into the lake.  The guards combed the area for half a night and still have not found it.  This officer has come to ask that perhaps instead the lake water could be drained and the object would be easier to find."

Zhuge Yue took a deep breath and applied pressure to his still bleeding shoulder wound, and said in a deep voice, "If that is case, I would like to thank Minister Tian for your good intentions."

Minister Tian laughed aloud, "It is my good fortune to be able to share your concerns, my lord."

"If that will be all, please retire and rest, Minister."

"I take my leave then.  Good night, my lord."

The sound of footsteps gradually drifted away and calm was restored outside.

Zhuge Yue sighed with relief, leaned his entire body weakly against the bed, then with one hand he took one end of the wooden stake and clenched his teeth, and with a *shuah* he savagely pulled it out!

"Nngh."  

Zhuge Yue frowned, his facial features distorted as he made as sound from his throat depicting his pain, but at great feats keeping the volume to himself.  At that time fresh blood was gushing out in jets.

Chu Qiao, at first dumbfounded, then suddenly rushed forward, pushing down on his hideous wound.  An enormous pain overcame him and his eyes went dark, nearly fainting as Chu Qiao continued to press his shoulder and asked, "How are you holding up?"

Zhuge Yue's face was white from the loss of blood, and after a long while only slowly said, "I'm still not dead."

"Don't move yet, I'm going to get you a bandage."

Chu Qiao stood up and quickly ran to the bathing chamber, and in a flash returned carrying a wooden bucket and with a few steps leaped back onto the bed.  She then proceeded dexterously to clean Zhuge Yue's wound.

Zhuge Yue said hoarsely, "There are still bits of wood inside, you have to dig them out."

Startled, Chu Qiao lifted her head towards his pale face and slowly asked, "Can you handle it?"

He replied noncommittally, "Won't know until you try."

Chu Qiao found a knife in the room, as well as the table wine, and after disinfecting the knife with fire she took a towel and placed it in his hand and said, "Bite down on this to avoid biting your tongue when it hurts."

In the end, Zhuge Yue did not use it, but instead grasped it in his other hand.

Chu Qiao stopped speaking at that time, instead concentrating on his wounds.  

A wound made by the jagged entry of a wooden stake was more serious than that of a knife wound.  Not only was the wound bigger, it was also uneven, taking a lot of flesh and blood with it, leaving miscellaneous and numerous wood thorns inside the body; if not completely cleared it would start rotting inside the wound.  Facing such an injury, even Chu Qiao began to shudder.

"Or you could go find a doctor."

Chu Qiao looked up at Zhuge Yue, watching him with a firm stare.

She knew as soon as the doctor came she would inevitably be discovered, and that path would lead to her demise.  Or perhaps she could use the doctor as a distraction and in the chaos take a chance to escape, although, slim chance that would be.

Zhuge Yue grabbed the knife and said somberly, "If you cannot, I will."

He meant to dig out his own flesh!

"I'll do it!  I'll do it!" Chu Qiao panicked, quickly grabbed the knife back and gave him a long, intense look.

Zhuge Yue's eyes closed his eyes part way, as if unconcerned.  If not for the fact that his face was paper white, Chu Qiao would have suspected the injured person in front of her was not him. 

Then she took a deep breath and began to operate on Zhuge Yue's wound.

Three hours later, when the sky was already brightening, Chu Qiao's clothing was completely drenched up and down in her sweat.  She found the clothes she was wearing when she arrived in this room, and in her pocket conveniently found a bottle of jin chuang medicine.  After applying the medicine she dressed the wound in clean white silk.  Everything was finally over.

Amid the entire process Zhuge Yue did not utter a sound, but Chu Qiao also didn't dare look up at him.  By this time when she looked at him she realized he had passed out, his forehead full of sweat, the center of his eyebrows furrowed into a "" word.  [TN: literally using the word /chuan as a pictogram, meaning the pain was so great his brow was frozen like that]  The towel he grasped in his hand was soaked clear through with his sweat, as if soaked in water.

After tidying everything up Chu Qiao helped him onto the bed, washed a face towel and cleaned his body of blood and the sweat from his face, and afterwards proceeded to dry him off one pat at a time with a dry cotton cloth.

Far away the elegant cry of a cock crowed piercing through the morning mist.  Outside the day was bright, behind the door servants walking about to and fro, and Chu Qiao nervously pinched her voice to tell them that Zhuge Yue had not yet awoken.  In that moment she could hear the young guards quietly whispering and smirking in laughter.

"Of course, with such furious tossing for half the night, it's likely he'd sleep the day away."

"Besides, we need to stay in WuPeng Cheng for two more days."

So the guards gave orders to the mansions serving maids to not bother to disturb the young master again and to let their master rest and only bring his meals regularly.

Back in bed, Zhuge Yue continued to sleep, Chu Qiao lowered her head, her expression also exhausted as she stared at this man, at his stiff eyebrows, baleful eyes, bright red lips, and that mouth that always spits out cold quips and cool retorts, and she gradually frowned.

Her frown wrinkled tight, as if she would never relax her face again.

"We're enemies," Chu Qiao murmured.  She did not know if she was saying it to Zhuge Yue or to herself.  [TN: I think she's come to a realization that will stay with her for the rest of her life…. If someone were to ask when exactly she fell in love with him, I would say it was here.]

"In public, I am a treasonous slave girl, you are a noble of the empire.  In private, you killed Lin Xi, killed Xu Xiang, killed Xiao Qi and Xiao Ba; you've killed so many children of the Jing family, and caused me and Yan Xun to live like pigs and dogs in the imperial city for eight years.  In exchange I killed your grandfather, your servants, and I defected from the Zhuge House.  The conflict between us cannot be reconciled.  [TN: literally, "the pike and shield cannot reconcile"]  If you killed me, it's understandable.  If I killed you I'd be perfectly justified.  There is no affection between us, so there is no need for mercy.  You live, I die; I live, you die. This is…this is how it should be."

And as she herself said, these words should all be perfectly justified, without any flaw of logic or loophole, no moral aberration.  

Before, Chu Qiao had never wavered.   

But for some reason, at that moment her voice became smaller and smaller, gradually diminishing to the sound of a mosquito, so faint that not even she could hear it.

She looked at the unconscious man, wrinkled her brow and her heart couldn't help but reach out her hand to stroke the wound on his shoulder.

"Regardless, I owe you a life."  Chu Qiao said slowly, "Zhuge Yue, I'm sorry."

The room was deathly quiet.  Outside the window the sun was rising, its light warm, penetrating through the window paper, spreading varied depths of light and shadow.

Chu Qiao was half-sitting on the floor, half leaning on the bed next to Zhuge Yue, overwhelmingly weary, and just like that she fell into a deep sleep. 



[TN: This is probably my favorite chapter.  It begins and ends the same, as if these two go in a giant circle, like yin and yang.  We see Zhuge Yue changed as told by his guards, having softened due to her influence.  We see her coming to realize she cannot kill him for reasons yet unknown to herself.  Zhuge Yue is obsessed with her, but he probably didn't love her until after this encounter.  Is he listening?  Enemies? Frienemies?  Hopefully we find out that he does something for her like rescue her sisters.  The next chapter is about Yan Xun, so I have no idea what happens after this, or if her sisters are ever rescued?  ¯\_()_/¯.  The super fan who posted the original raw novel here didn't type several chapters and I can't open her screen shots so I won't be able to know what happens and will skip to Chapter 101]