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!

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…. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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 "川" word.  [TN: literally using the word 川/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?  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.  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]

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??" 

-----

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