Princess Agents: Chapter 96 English translation

Here is the novel's bath scene, also known as episode 44 of the drama, with much more detail and interaction and a lot of kung fu between the two protagonists.  It's funny and incredible, irreverent and antagonistic.  I'm glad I found the raw e-book so I could read it for myself.  In truth, it's one really long chapter of foreplay… -_-; so if you're sensitive to intimate situations this book is probably not for you.  For the rest of you, enjoy!<3 enjoy="" font="">

Princess Agents 特工皇妃楚喬傳

Chapter 96: Bath Spring Tide

The door had been polished with rosin and the fresh scent of pine wafted through the open door with the cool night breeze.  The aristocrat had apparently changed his attire, now wearing wide sleeves of a black and gold robe outer robe, navy blue boots showing from under the hem accented with a dark green python; the pattern finely done with overlaying accents of the same color that would be easily missed at first glance and only noticeable with some degree of scrutiny.  However if carefully observed from afar there was a faint trace of fierce pride highlighted.    [TN: I think the author is giving hints of Zhuge/Yuwen Yue's character through his fine attire.  The author uses the words "ferocious" and "heroism" just to describe the detailed pattern of the man's shoes.  This is a man with some measure of vanity, who is accustomed to finery and lives like a prince.  He is meticulous in mind as well as in dress.  But is he ferocious? Or is he heroic? Or both….]

The interior was dimly lit, with lanterns only in the north and south corners of the chamber, shaded pink in color, the room was ambiguously covered in light and shadow.  A woman in a peach pink wide hemmed skirt knelt on the ground, having seen them come in, positioned in a deep bow with her head down to the floor submissively.  From above, only her beautiful swan-like white neck was exposed.

Minister Tian's complexion was still pale but he said in a confident voice, "My lord, you go ahead and rest first.  I take my leave of you."

The aristocrat nodded and in a deep voice said, "Thank you Minister Tian for your boundless hospitality."

Minister Tian ducked his head and made a few more fawning comments and before leaving said towards the woman on the ground, "Be sure you serve his grace well, understand?"

The woman further lowered her posture, all the more reverent, and meekly responded to Minister Tian, "Yes."  Her voice was pleasant, like gently flowing water, meek and docile, though it seems she had just woken up and her tone was slightly nasal.  The aristocrat didn't take note, nor did Minister Tian seem to care, and the guest even offered her a small greeting before retreating inside and carefully shutting the door. 

Footsteps gradually dissipated but outside the room one could still hear at least 20 guards carefully keeping watch, all very skilled beyond ordinary sentinels.

The lanterns were swaying, the inner chamber blanketed in darkness, while the front of the chamber was occupied by an outrageously large bed that was more like a dais above the floor rather than a bed, large enough to fit five or six people side-by-side and still not feel crowded.  It was covered with a scarlet brocade, soft pillows, graceful red blooms. In front of the bed was a curtain of bright oriental pearls overlaid by red gauze curtains.  Though there was no breeze in the room the curtains still appeared to sway and dance on their own, floating and trembling in the warmth of the light, like flowing water in its equivocal luxury.

The richly dressed gentleman raised the curtain with indifference, sat on the bed leaning casually back, and said to the woman still kneeling by the door in a flat voice, "Get over here already."  His voice was very low, thick and nasal as if he had caught a cold, his breath slightly heavy.

Startled, the girl answered "Mm," and then knelt on the ground and even bowed her head as she approached the man's side, reaching out with her small and plain white hands to lift one of the gentleman's legs to rest on one of her own small feet and gently took one boot off, then the other.

The young man kicked the girl's shoulder, though not hard, moving her hand away.  The girl was surprised for a moment, her body trembling,  and prostrated herself, not daring to look up.

As the young lord sat on the bed he frowned in her direction, his expression somber, one moment indignant and a trace of disappointment, mixed in with a fateful, inexplicable gladness. 

He turned away and looked up towards the ceiling.

It would be too whimsical to think it was her, for how would she be so easily captured?  Even if she was arrested after sustaining heavy injuries wouldn't she still find a way to escape?  Moreover how could she be this kind of gentle and generous, respectful servant waiting on other people while also tactfully silent?  [TN: OMG… ^_^;]

If it was that female intruder from earlier, she would have that cold voice and superb fighting skill.

In an instant could he not easily find that person's identity with a high probably of certainty?!

At that thought, he couldn't help but feel a little dread, certainly he was drenched in the rain, but did he also wash away his mind?  [TN: Zhuge/Yuwen Yue caught a cold getting drenched in the rain when Chu Qiao's horse, Meteor, which he had recovered after she was captured by the slavers, sensed its mistress nearby.  He was actually standing on the shore opposite the ship she was sailing in and she also thought she heard her horse call her, but they didn't see one another due to the dense fog and rain that day.  How this author like to tease…]

Nevertheless he did not send his own guard with the city watchmen to apprehend the assassin, and this frame of mind was very curious.  Not even he could grasp his own intentions at that moment: Was it because there were uncertainties that made him hesitate, or was it because he did not want her to fall into the hands of others?

Not wanting to think on it further, he stood up, strode to the bath behind the screen, disrobing as he went and tossed his clothes onto the ground until he was only wearing his white cotton under shift.  His full, ink dark hair unbound and loosely spread uninhibited behind his back.  His face, fair and clear contrasted against his bright red lips and with his dangerously charming eyes, his whole person was a reflection of sinister beauty.

But it was nothing more than a woman!

I only want to get back what I lost, he thought to himself.  [TN: is he talking about the jade pendant, or Chu Qiao herself…?]

In the swaying light, the young man had taken off his under shift, exposing his well muscled arms and bare upper body, entering another room behind a screen.  When he opened the door a sudden waft of steam poured out and immediately warmed.

The entire time, Chu Qiao was bowed and never looked up at him (yes, this woman draped in pink was Chu Qiao).  Just outside there was a large gathering of city garrison soldiers.  Hypothetically, if she had the confidence, she knew that even if she was holding an AK submachine gun, it would be nigh impossible to survive such a fight if she just rushed out.  Even if she left the room, she would have to escape the keep, and after that she would still have to contend with the entire WuPeng Cheng defense system and city guards armed with bows waiting to catch the intruder, not to mention the man she had just fought on the roof: it was absolutely a terrible idea.

In her haste, her only option was to hide the unconscious woman, don her clothes and figure it out as she went along.  [TN: literally the idiom is "find a map to cross the border."]  Sure enough, her bet paid off, she successfully deceived Minister Tian, and as for the skillful man in front of her, obviously he had very little interest in her.

Chu Qiao smirked as she pat herself on the back, this man of high morals who repeatedly undoes his own intentions was not the kind to be interested in women and will curse himself and shoo her out.  That way she could openly leave the premises even with the dozens of security guards outside.

"You.  Come here."

As they say, extreme joy begets extreme sorrow, and just as Chu Qiao was secretly happy about the whole situation, his deep voice came through the door, "Rub my back."

Chu Qiao's expression turned rich and varied, she frowned, considering whether she would quietly tip-toe inside and knife him while he was unawares.  But what he said after immediately gave her much relief.

"And then you can go."

The less complicated the better. Chu Qiao paused and quickly stood up with the modest obedience that a slave woman should have.

As soon as she opened the door to the painted room, a sudden rush of heat blast white steam into her face, practically blinding her and making her nearly suffocate.  She had to go in and already heard the man inside quietly taking off his shoes.

Sure enough, a warm feeling enveloped her foot and she realized her shoes were already soaking.  Chu Qiao quickly stepped back and took off her wet shoes, going barefoot into the bath.

The bathroom was immense, even larger and more impressive than the bedroom outside.  Judging from the screen it was incomprehensible that there would be such a large space behind it.  In the center of the bath room was a bath tub so large it was comparable to a swimming pool.  Along three of the walls of the bathing pool were white carved statues of beautiful maidens.  These statutes were all semi-naked, posed seductively; upon closer inspection the steaming hot water poured out of these twelve statutes.  From these statutes the water flowed into the bath, spreading out from the edge, and drained down and out of the pipes beneath the room.

Chu Qiao estimated that it would be difficult to support such water consumption if heated by people, and the water temperature was extremely high.  With current technological advances, it is possible the water was cold before it poured in but simple heating wouldn't account for the excessive amount of steam.  Obviously the city keep was built on top of an underground hot spring, and Minister Tian was a man of pleasure who could sent people to open up the ground and use the natural spring water, spending a fortune to build such a luxurious, man-made hot spring bath.  The pipes from which the water is pumped must have been made of copper and iron, which are heated again with coals in the process.  As soon as the water comes in, huge puffs of steam emerge.

Around the bathroom were lanterns, some lit, some dark, and all the lit ones were faint, weak lights.  On the wall she noticed a carved relief was actually the depiction of seductive women--all of whom were not wearing any clothes, posed in a variety of sultry positions with only a few key parts covered, yet somehow that made them even more seductive.  

Whether it was because the room was too hot, or some other reason, Chu Qiao's face went red and she dropped her gaze, not daring to look again.

At the head of the bath there was a tall dais, a full furnace raging beneath it to heat the platform above.  A white bear fur lay on top with fruit wine placed on either side.  At a glance, Chu Qiao knew what all that was for.  With a heated platform, inside this painted room, the bear fur would not be damp, which was convenient for men after the bath to mingle with slews of seemingly pliant slave girls in order to maximize the benefits of mental health and physical exercise from this space.

"Are you dead?"   [TN: OMG this guy…. ^_^;] The low voice came slowly, the sound thick and nasal, but still it could not cover the dangerous edge to that voice.

Chu Qiao coldly rolled her eyes.  Back rub.  See if I don't rub off your skin while I'm at it!

Then she proceeded barefoot.

The closer to the bath, the greater the steam, and the less she could see.  By the time she walked all the way to the rim of the bath she couldn't even see her own fingers in front of her face.

Chu Qiao groped forward with tentative footsteps, steam everywhere, and was unaware she was going over the edge of the bath.  Suddenly with a slight *plop* sound, her foot slid forward and she lost her balance and was about to face plant into the pool.  Though the plan was to take it step by step to maintain a firm stance, but considering that inside the bath was not a place where she, a hack martial arts master, could even stand up, she could only bear this bitter reality as she fell towards the giant pool, not daring to do anything else.

However, just then, a slender hand extended out to hold Chu Qiao's waist with great strength, and with two tidy pushes, Chu Qiao was half kneeling by the side of the bath.

"I only told you to rub my back; don't do anything extra."

The low voice gradually resounded in the misty bathing room, an unfeeling voice with traces of undisguised disdain.  Clearly, he had already determined that Chu Qiao's actions were simply an act of lusty pandering.

Chu Qiao took a deep breath and curbed her fury as she knelt and groped her way by the pool, and looked around unsuccessfully for a towel.  Her forehead was getting sweaty and she gradually furrowed her brow.

She suddenly heard the sound of splashing water, though she couldn't see, yet she could feel that the man in front had took pains to return through the mist to the water fount, and she could feel his sharp and impatient gaze.  Because she had spoken when they were fighting earlier, in order to prevent him from recognizing her voice, she altered it to a soft and tender tone, "My lord how would you like me to massage?"

The man in front did not speak, but turned away, seeming to have consented.

Chu Qiao rolled up her sleeves, stretched out her plain white hands and started massaging the young aristocrat.

A good secret agent must be able to assume a variety of identities in different situations.  In particular, it is inevitable female agents would need to sacrifice more for sexual situations on the job. In her past life, Chu Qiao had studied massage techniques from professional journals, useless for so many years, but not forgotten.  Soon she was able to distinguish herself from the professional practices of this era to win the satisfaction of the man before her, at least if his loosened muscles were any indication, and Chu Qiao noted he had gradually relaxed.

Although she couldn't see his face, it was obvious this man had a good figure.  Although "good" was a bit of an understatement.  He was buff, but not like the average soldier in that savage sort of way; his contours were smooth and graceful.  Just right with his refined mannerisms he was the male version of a "Yang Zhou" beauty.  Just by observing his upper body she could tell he was tall, wide shouldered, with a narrow waist and long legs.  No more than half an inch of excess fat, obviously a man who exercises!  Above all, Chu Qiao's still-aching shoulder was proof enough of his superb martial arts.

Using the ladle nearby to scoop up more hot water, she poured it over his shoulder.  The water streamed down his back and plunged into the steaming hot water of the bath.  Using her tender white fingers to massage, Chu Qiao was different from the average woman because she used the full strength of her wrist, recognized acupuncture points and used a very professional method.  Just listening to the man take slow, deep breaths and watching his head lean slightly back, and just like that lean into Chu Qiao's thighs, it seemed he was sleeping upright.

Chu Qiao frowned, but she had no way out; this man had extraordinary skill and even if she used her full capability she may still not have an opportunity to retreat.  Even if she caught him off guard and killed him it would still be difficult to escape the onslaught of guards afterwards. Moreover her real intention tonight was to rescue Cai Liao.  Right now she didn't even know where the girl was being kept, and she didn't want to offer any excuses.  Restraining the anger in her heart she continued to slowly massage the man's shoulder.  She had done this for a while, and was already sweating profusely, even more than after doing seven sets martial arts practice.  

*Plip*  A drop of sweat from her forehead even hit the man's nose from above, but he did not open his eyes, and said lightly, "Take off your clothes."

"Ah?" Chu Qiao asked, suddenly surprised for a moment, but caught her gaffe, steadied her emotions, and quickly replied, "My lord, what would you like to do?"

"Right now you sound eager for me to do something to you," he chuckled, but his voice had a touch of irony and coldness.  "Unfortunately I am not in the mood.  I've just never seen anyone wear their clothes into the bath, so I was simply offering a suggestion, lest you die of heat stroke."

"Thank you for your good intentions, my lord.  I am not hot."

Although he knew it was a lie, but he recalled Minister Tian's words, he thought nothing of it and said nothing further.  After all he was still an upright official who did not deflower young women,  even if there was a little means to do so he was still a bit inexperienced in that.

Chu Qiao looked awful at this point, the steam was intense, her eyes practically blind, and there was no reason to pretend anymore.  This man was really unbearable, and she thought of how he had groped her on the roof, Chu Qiao suddenly sneered and up ticked her brow as her fingers made their way slowly down from his shoulder, her fingers like butterflies, sliding down flirtatiously, making their way over his shoulder, down his pectoral muscles to make little circular motions on his chest.  

The man gently chuckled, but said nothing, apparently giving tacit acquiescence to such teasing.

Chu Qiao said in a low and charming voice, "My lord, this is the Qian Yun acupressure point, it is the most effective in relieving fatigue."  As soon as she said it, her five fingers turned into a fist and she ruthlessly punched him in the chest.

Not surprisingly, the man suddenly sounded muffled, his body bent like a bow, without a trace of the previous sluggish air.

Chu Qiao pretended to panic and quickly knelt down on her knees, anxiously asking, "Did I do it too hard?"

The man let out some muffled, labored breathing, and after a while he said in a hoarse, old man's wheeze, "No matter."

He sat on the edge of the pool and gasped, quietly saying, "Damn girl. Your punches are ruthless."

"My lord, are you talking to me?"

"Not you."

Naturally Chu Qiao knew whom he was speaking of since that was the exact place where she had hit him earlier.  But listening to his tone as he spoke was strange.  It was like he knew her.  Chu Qiao slowly frowned, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Minister Tian said he bought you in Yang Cheng a few days ago?"  The man was suddenly excited, with great benevolence wanting to chat with her. 

So the slave girl was also bought from that city of Yang Cheng, and she became annoyed with her own fate.  Chu Qiao, still using that sickeningly sweet voice, "Answering my lord's inquiry, yes."

"Well," the man continued, "from which house were you bought?"

Of the slave traders in Yang Cheng Chu Qiao only knew one, and suddenly answered, "The Boss of the West City Wood."

"West City?"  With this remark the man suddenly came alive and his whole body turned as he asked in a low voice, "Then have you seen a woman, well not really that, actually a girl, about the same height as you, very pretty, and skilled in martial arts?"

Chu Qiao frowned, "Skilled in martial arts?  Who would be caught as a slave if they were skilled in martial arts?"

"She was wounded, likely serious, and it seems she had a companion with her."

The more she listened, the more anxious Chu Qiao became.  Frowning, she was tempted to ask, "That seems like it could be anyone.  Does my lord know the name of this person?"

"Her name is…" the man paused a moment, meditated on it for a while, and then said, "Never mind, she probably used a fake name."

"Then I wouldn't know," Chu Qiao responded readily, but she also chuckled and immediately asked with care, "My lord, what kind of person are you looking for? Of course, with your background you couldn't possibly have a female slave for a friend, so it must be one of your house slaves."

The man suddenly appeared to ponder an explanation, and turned around without another word.  The maiden stone statutes thereafter created a constant stream of spring water injected from the founts, and there was just the sound of the gurgling water.  

After a long while, Chu Qiao hear the man say softly, "I'm catching her."

Chu Qiao's heart suddenly went cold.  Secretly the DaXia government soldiers would come in pursuit.  They were really dreadful, finding her even like this, taking her while she was cornered in WuPeng City, even finding out she had come from the Boss of West City's slave booth.  It seems but for her being unconscious on the Zhan family ship something really bad would have happened to her.  At this point she had to once again consider if it was best to escape the Zhan family instead of letting the DaXia soldiers catch her, or stay on the ship, and see what the hell Prince Jing Han was up to.

Dazed, she didn't know at this moment that the man in front would suddenly stand up just as Chu Qiao was massaging his neck.  He got up so forcefully Chu Qiao's body was suddenly unsteady and heard a noise like thunder.   She even resisted too late, and Chu Qiao went head first with great force into the pool.  Within a few moments she was sinking into the water, and with a fierce *peng* her head struck the bottom of the bath.  If it wasn't for the depth of the water which provided some degree of buoyancy she would have spit her head open and bled.

Chu Qiao was dizzy, but then a powerful hand came and grabbed her alight and in one move, carried her upward.

"Haah!"

*cough, cough, cough, cough*

At that time, the pipes on both sides were suddenly turned up, letting out a giant gush of water which increased the white vapor, rising to fill deep into the room.  Chu Qiao was being propped up by the man and she leaned on his arm, coughing out loud without any reservation; a half drowned agent was just  an ordinary person, flushed red to the neck, feeling like her throat was burned with hot coals, and otherwise feeling uncomfortably hot. 

They stood in the middle of the pool, warm water up to their waists, and white swirly blossoms of water vapor filling the room making the two practically invisible to the other.

The young gentleman felt the arms of the woman's body trembling violently, as if she was going to cough up her lungs.  She was tall, but very thin, her arms were almost nothing, but good to touch; full of elasticity, smooth and moist.

Using his eyes, he could only see the misty white fog; the woman was fully covered in wet clothes, now tightly clinging to her body, revealing her graceful stature even more.  Exquisite curves, long legs, firmly clinging against him at this moment.  Curvy and fit, with a gentle touch he knew she couldn't be compared to a high bred young lady of a big house.

For some reason tenderness sprout from the man's heart and he reached out his arm to pat Chu Qiao's back gently to ease her cough.  But he didn't just want his hand to fall back down, and the thin gauze fabric fell down and suddenly his hand was affixed to woman's smooth, soft back.  It was like touching a quality white jade, satiny, amazingly wonderful to the touch.

Chu Qiao suddenly went still, even forgetting to cough.

He passed a gloomy expression and grabbed Chu Qiao's arm suddenly, immediately bowed his head, and fiercely kissed her lips; and then continued to kiss her deeply! 

Chu Qiao was instantly dumbfounded, both astonished and enraged, only to feel the strong arm of the man pull her tightly into his embrace.  It was too late to clench her teeth and her opponent's clever tongue had already pried open her mouth, and suddenly his breath became intense and wild.  With one hand he held her close and with the other he tightly pressed the back of her head, making evasion impossible, overbearing with no allowance for retaliation.

Overcome by a huge panic, her mind went blank.  But in an instant she suddenly responded and raised her leg to fiercely kick the man.  In her haste she forgot she was standing in water, and because of the resistance she did not kick her opponent at all.  Instead she slipped and lost her footing, her whole body falling backwards.

The man smiled wickedly, the gleam in his eye iniquitous, and took the opportunity to carry her further into the pool.  With a *pang* the huge gush of water started splashing again!

The warm water came in all directions, instantly reaching into both their ears, their long hair fanned out and spread into the water, obscuring their sight.  The man's body pressed up against Chu Qiao, the two slowly sank into water that was now more than a meter high, flower petals  scattered about in the current.  Just as they were about to sink to the bottom, with one hand behind her head and the other at her waist, he kissed her again!

The young man's kissing skill was proficient and unbridled, as if his wild tongue inside her was venting his feelings and freeing himself of all constraint.  He explored her mouth thoroughly, taking in all her sweetness and her strength.  One hand moved from her waist to climb up further, and Chu Qiao furrowed her brow, no longer concerned with hiding anything, her fist ready to stop him.  But all of her actions were greatly diminished in the water, and the man pulled his hand away from the base of her skull, and skillfully and efficiently caught both her hands behind her back in a reverse hold, his two legs clamping her own even tighter, while his free hand continued to climb upward sliding over her soft waist, flat belly and pointed breasts.

"Mm." Chu Qiao murmured, and her whole body violently resisted, opened her mouth and spitefully bit down on the man's mouth, the strong taste of blood suddenly passing between their lips.  But that didn't make her opponent withdraw, her resistance fanned his desires further and his hand reached out to tear open her clothes in front revealing a large portion of her sparkling skin.

Chu Qiao's eyes flew wide open and she growled in anger even as the warm palm of his hand was already touching the satiny skin of her chest, which made her even more livid.

 With a dexterous little maneuver of her hands she was instantly free of the man's grip, then brought down a vicious elbow to the man's chest.  She lightly jumped away and then leaped out of the water.

*Hu* Chu Qiao's cheeks were flushed as she let out a long breath.  She was breathing heavily and in a moment heard the sound of the man surfacing from under the water.

"Come here!" his low, hoarse voice sounded slowly, cold with a hint of impatience as he said in a low voice, "Do not pull cheap tricks like playing hard to get!"

"Hm, very well then."  Chu Qiao answered in fury, her smile cold.  She gently narrowed her eyes as if a hunter watching her prey, filled with ideas of how to end him.

Unfortunately the steam was too thick, the man was unable to see her expression, so when she slowly stepped back into the water, he thought she had a change of heart and was being obedient.

But in that moment, he saw the woman's body in a split second like a cheetah leaping up in mid-air even though she was in the water, but now was half a meter above it, and for a moment saw her arm wave with a flourish, only to be followed by a whirlwind kick from her right leg!

*Boom*

With a splash even bigger than before, and a dumbfounded expression, he was kicked in the chest.  His entire body went flying in an instant.

Following, the lioness in her fury pounced from behind following the man into the water, raised her fist, and without mercy, punched his handsome face.

Everything happened in a flash, despite the man's skill -- for he would never lose to her -- but it was too late for any countermeasure under such a barrage.

*peng, peng, peng*  The sound was continuous as the man's face consecutively suffered more punches.  If not for the fact they were in the water, the punches were hard enough to break his nose!

The man was beaten for some time, no match for her, without a chance to fight back, and then he did something that was not befitting his station.  With one move he only pushed Chu Qiao away, embarrassingly crawled upwards to climb the pool side.

"Leaving?" Chu Qiao spat water from her mouth.  Like an angry leopard she jumped up to strike again!

In this moment, the technique of a sudden and violent attack powered by enormous fury combined to achieve this perfect assault, and the man already had no chance to retaliate.  Once again he was caught in a strong hold by this tough woman unwaveringly beating him all at once, but he finally climbed out of the pool and ran towards the bathing chamber exit.

Chu Qiao did not give him the chance, since she was already exposed she had to sever the root of the problem, or else if he got out, she was as good as dead.

Flying up towards him, she quickly hugged the man around his waist and with a loud thump managed to tackle him to the ground.

Since they were out of the water, the man had had time to adjust and was no longer passive in receiving attacks, but as he ceased retreating and turned back inside all he could see was the thick fog.  Then two figures simultaneously emerged from the vapor and quickly launched into a fast-breaking, hard-hitting, one-on-one hand combat.  Hands shot out and collided, knees flew forward to maim, earnest in their mutual assault; fast-paced, fierce power, a worthy duel.

Chu Qiao has completely blown her cover and once he successfully escaped her luck would run out, so naturally she was playing for keeps.

As for the man, he was not so naive to treat her as an ordinary slave girl at the moment and his entire body was on alert, using all of his best moves and not giving an inch! 

No weapons, no assassination, no sneak attacks, they performed pure kung fu; no tricks, all skill.  In the blink of an eye it had become a life or death showdown!

*pi, pi, pa, pa*  After dozens of dueling moves both of their elbows, knees and legs had grown numb with the shock of impact and both their hands had already lost any sense of feeling.  Both of them desperately continued, without speaking or crying out.  Quick strike met quick strike, without allowing any trace of distraction, neither of them permitting their moves to slow!

Both of their eyes were already red, and suddenly both their shadows struck like lightning in the white mist, after the first round the peak of their duel rapidly arrived, and both of their fingers were squeezing the other's throat.  Sudden death!  Evenly matched!

Both of their actions were surprisingly consistent, fingers clawed, pinching each other's esophagus; one tiny move would lead to their unforgiving end.

Then, in a surprisingly tacit agreement, both of them did not move, and simultaneously both of them slowly raised the other hand in truce.

Perish together?  That would be silly!

Then, almost at the same time, they cautiously backed away and released their fingers from the other's neck. It meant a reprieve from fighting before starting their duel again.

In this crucial moment the huge burst of water suddenly sounded, and the hot spring once again started to pour in.  In that split second both of the hands that had retreated were once again poised at the other's throat, and the strength of both their necks were again tested.

Coincidentally, they both looked in the other's direction and coldly glared.

"Despicable!" they said in unison, almost at the same time.

However at that moment the man suddenly kicked over a bucket by the pool and his whole body swiftly slid back and he stood up to leave, regardless of the fact Chu Qiao was still there behind him. 

This woman was exceedingly skilled in martial arts, and it was unnecessary to be reckless as all he had to do was leave the bath, let the guards hear the fight inside, and he would be invincible!

Chu Qiao's response was so quick, calculating his move, and leaped up, her shadow like a ghastly ghoul giving chase.

Same insight!  Same pace!  Same action!  Even their escape route was the same!

*Bang!* the main doors of the bathing chamber finally opened with the sound of a muffled rumbling!  Chu Qiao's leg connected with the man and effectively kicked open the door!

Chu Qiao's scalp tingled in alarm, the guards would have heard the sound, in a matter of three seconds the guards outside would break inside, and with arrows flying it would be difficult for her to escape even if she sprouted wings!

Her only chance was to deal with this man in three seconds, climb into the bed with him, pretend to be engaging in questionable relations, and somehow muddle through it!

It was too late to think of how many loopholes there were to this plan.  Chu Qiao flew forward, both running and disrobing at the same time, only wearing a scanty shirt and short inner briefs, and with no other alternative she rushed him; her whole body flying forward like a giant monster, pouncing on the man's body to send them both reeling, one punch in the center of the man's back and they landed onto to the huge and soft, luxurious bed together!

At this point the footsteps outside were already approaching, and she had to subdue him in order to escape, or at least subdue him and hold him hostage, all possible paths leading to this one prerequisite.  He must be subdued and kidnapped!

Even in this moment Chu Qiao thought herself insane.

With skilled flips of the wrist, in that time the two had exchanged more than twenty moves, their palms red and bruised, their hands swollen, until finally the footsteps were right at the door and Chu Qiao finally completed this magnificent feat of kidnapping, once again grabbing hold of the man's neck.  But she paid the price as the man also grabbed her by the neck in a death vice!

Their situation was surprisingly similar to before. 

Perish together?  Perish together!  [TN: OMG these two…. ^_^;]

Someone outside violently knocked on the door, the guards anxiously called out.

The lanterns were swaying, blinking dimness, even so, the two were able to see the other's appearance.  Now, the man and woman who had been tossing each other about for half the night finally had the opportunity to see how invulnerable their opponent really was.

However, after this one look, their jaws dropped, both staring like a pair of fools, eyes locked and motionless!

*boom!*

The sudden sound of the door bursting open and with a roar the soldiers outside crowded into the chamber, led by a young warrior shouting, "Fourth Young Master!  Fourth Young Master!  What happened?"

Then, their line of sight immediately looked upon the two people sitting on the bed, their expressions tongue tied and terrible.  They viewed the entire room in chaos, as if a thief had just patronized the place; messy carpet, half dragged quilt on the ground, and two people's clothes thrown everywhere.  In that magnificent bed the man and women were in a very ambiguous position tangled together, staring wide eyed at one another. Then, they levelly turned their gazes towards the door.

"WHO LET YOU COME IN??!!"

Thereafter, like a typhoon sweeping the earth, Yue Qi and the others felt as though their bodies were practically being thrown out by the man on the bed with ink dark straight hair, roaring like a red faced lion.  Their faces turned colors and a few of them looked timid while others even cowered to the ground with a clatter.

Within three seconds the door was again carefully shut, the crowd dispersed like frightened quail, without any trace of their soldiers' professional bearing.

After a long while, the only two people remaining in the room turned to face one another, raging simultaneously,

"How is it you??" 

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TN: Hahahahaahahahahahahahaahahahah.... ROFL my reaction no matter how many times I read this chapter….