Chapter 26: Heartbroken Departures. Keeping Watch
Translator: Editor:
“If there’s anything more mysterious than a woman’s mind, I don’t know what it is…” Yun Yang mumbled ungraciously under his breath.
“I’ve decided to name the baby wolf Little Moon! What do you think?” Ji Ling asked excitedly.
“Little Moon?” The corners of Yun Yang’s lips quivered with derision even as he replied with artificial enthusiasm, “Marvelous! I’ve never heard of a better name!”
Ji Ling, sensing the sarcasm that lay very close to the surface of the sly and perfunctory man’s words, glared at him. She lacked the heart to reply with a witty rejoinder but soon forgot about her ire as her excitement shone through yet again. “With Little Moon’s cooperation, I’ll be able to win the tournament with ease! No doubt I’ll be the big sister this time!”
“No doubt indeed!” Yun Yang exclaimed with profound skepticism. That is if your mystical beast tournament measures victory by how playful your pets are, and how they are trained! You dared to claim that it was a marvelous and superior tournament just before this?
“Definitely a victory!” Ji Ling was confidence personified.
“If you are so certain of your success,” Yun Yang was somewhat puzzled, “Why aren’t you leaving? Why do you still insist on lingering on here?”
The smile that had been playing happily on Ji Ling’s face froze in mid-speech. Somebody up above certainly had a divinely twisted sense of humor! She had never met such an imbecile who was too thick to get the hint!
“You are not... attracted to me, are you?” Yun Yang took a fearful step back. “Lady, please take into account my youth, I am still…”
“Why don’t you just find a way to end your own life?”
Ji Ling was mortified with embarrassment. Yun Yang leaped up as he cradled his right foot and hissed, “We were talking courteously, why did you have to hit me?”
Ji Ling looked at him with gritted teeth and suddenly roared, “There’s no one lingering, I’ll be taking my leave right now!”
With her head lowered to hide her red-rimmed eyes, she charged out of the room, hugging onto her baby wolf.
This bastard! This despicable…
“Hey, wait up!” Yun Yang called out frantically from somewhere behind her.
Despite herself, Ji Ling slowed down her steps, a faint light of hope blossoming in her heart. “What else do you want from me? Weren’t you chasing me away?” She was absolutely certain that he had chased her down to apologize.
“I just wanted to remind you; don’t forget about our deal!.” Yun Yang said in all seriousness, “You’ll have to fulfill them if you win. It’s absolutely crucial!”
Her delicate figure trembled like a leaf caught in a heavy wind before she fled, her words nasal and distant, coming as if from afar, “I, Ji Ling, am not one to shamelessly cheat!”
And then she was gone.
Yun Yang stood quietly for a moment before he murmured softly to himself, “Just as long as you remember... I was just concerned that you might forget…”
Lao Mei, who had been standing behind Yun Yang and had witnessed the entire spectacle groaned and smacked his forehead in frustration.
Young master, this is the very reason why you’ll stay alone for the remainder of your life.
You could have said goodbye, but did it have to be in such an unpleasant manner?
…
Witnessing Ji Ling’s departure, Yun Yang’s eyes glinted with an unreadable light before his expression turned somber, as if he had suddenly donned a mask and strapped on a burden that weighed down his entire being.
“Young master…” Lao Mei sighed behind him, “You have hurt Lady Ji’s feelings…”
Yun Yang exhaled and managed to keep his tone light, “Nothing to be heartbroken about, my good man. We are obviously people from two very different worlds. The young lady may still be innocent but I have to practice sensibility at all times.”
Lao Mei was puzzled, ”Sensibility?”
Yun Yang’s rebuke was gentle, “Lao Mei, what do you know of Lady Ji’s background? I’m sure you have been able to arrive at some observations.”
Lao Mei nodded with a sigh.
“If the two parties were genuinely involved with each other, we both know what would be the outcome, don’t we?” Yun Yang asked with a tinge of bitterness.
Lao Mei heaved another sigh of reluctant agreement.
“Besides, at least this Lady Ji has not yet formed an attraction to me At most, it’s just a vague, juvenile interest… just a passing fancy, am I not right?” Yun Yang stated.
Lao Mei sighed for the umpteenth time; Yun Yang was right. It was just that; not even a mild attraction, but merely a general sense that Yun Yang was an interesting character. Love was definitely out of the question! However, these things could be slowly developed...
“So, pray tell, why should I pursue this and bring further heartache to myself?” Yun Yang smiled with cynicism, his gaze far away and chill enough to bring a nip of frost into the air.
“Young master’s words do make a certain amount of sense.” Lao Mei’s sigh was as deep as it was sincere.
Yun Yang continued, “Status quo… it’s the perfect state to be.”
His heart was at peace but his mind was awash with a thousand thoughts, “I have not avenged my brothers; my eight brothers and eight hundred comrades who passed on just recently. I am at a loss as to how to claim vengeance, how could I even start to think of romance?”
“Romance, at this juncture, would be a luxury.”
Yun Yang’s flickered with sudden bloodlust, the glimmer vanishing as soon as it came. “Lao Mei, I will be away for a bit.”
Lao Mei replied, “Please allow me to accompany you, young master.”
“That will not be necessary.”
“Marquis Yun will be back soon…” Lao Mei blurted out the first thing that came to his mind as Looked at Yun Yang who was about to take his first step out of the residence.
“Oh, really?”
With that, Yun Yang was gone.
“Sigh!”
Other than sighing, Lao Mei was at loss as to what to do. He had served Marquis Yun for a decade, but he had never known when Marquis Yun had taken a wife and fathered a child.
It was until three years ago when he brought Yun Yang back and claimed that he was his son. Lao Mei was completely aghast at that time, going on to stay at Tiantang City and became a butler for three years. Of course, what had stunned Lao Mei, even more, was that Marquis Yun had only stayed for a month upon bringing Yun Yang back before leaving without a word for three years as if he had vanished into thin air. They were both equally matched in the nonchalance, and Lao Mei had never seen another pair of father and son with such a peculiar relationship in his life!
This young master was still normal two years ago. Other than disappearing for a few months at a time, and voiding his appearance for two to three times a year, everything else was still normal.
However, he was completely different when he came back this year!
…
Yun Yang strolled leisurely dressed entirely in purple. His handsome face attracted attention along the way; women and ladies had all sneaked a peek at him and immediately flushed red.
He did not walk fast, his steps carefree yet collected; it was a lazy aloofness that came from within. His cheeks were rosy, his mind peaceful.
He turned a few corners after coming out from the Residence of Yun into the main street of the city and headed towards Tiantang Square.
Before the Lionheart Pavilion, there were bountiful people paying their tribute, the scent of candles filling the air.
Yun Yang followed the crowd to the front of the memorial; he straightened his body as he lit the candle and held it in his hands, bowing respectfully low;
“Brothers, keep me in your blessing so that I may seek hints of the enemy and avenge your death!”
“Brothers, keep me in your blessing so that I may spot the treacherous in court and eradicate them!”
“Comrades, your heroic souls are with me, witness how I take revenge for all!”
“Comrades, worry not. As long as I, Yun Yang, stand, even if I have to exhaust my resources, even if I have to rob this world blind… I shall never allow your family to feel wronged!”
Yun Yang straightened up and pushed the three joss sticks into the censer firmly, his head lifting to give a long stare at the memorial before turning to leave without a second glance.
He turned into an alley briskly, disappearing from view. When he reappeared once again, he was already somewhere not unlike a slum. What was different was that even though the people here looked poor, they were content. Some silver-stranded old folks could be seen sitting at the roadside chatting, their faces that were etched with vicissitudes of life were content and happy as laughter came about occasionally.
Once in awhile, a few handicaps – some missing an arm, some an eye or a leg… could be seen walking past, holding onto each other. Their scarred faces were also filled with hope for life.
“Li the fourth, did your house get silver taels yet?”
“Yes, we received them. You?”
“Us too.”
“I wonder which charitable person it was to have been so generous. These silver taels… I received them with a shudder. What kind of wealth must one possess to be able to keep performing charitable deeds like this…”
“Exactly! I am a recipient of a person’s kindness, and I don’t even know who it is… such shame.”
A ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of Yun Yang’s lips as he slowly walked by, his eyes barely glancing about.
Behind him, a person with only one arm who had his voice lowered attracted Yun Yang’s attention.
“Brothers, I keep feeling that…” The one-armed man was obviously on the lookout as he lowered his voice as much as he could, “I keep feeling that this seems to be related to the nine great sirs…”
“The Nine Supremes?” The rest of them exclaimed simultaneously.
“Hush!” The one-armed man reminded them to speak softly. “All those years, the nine sirs had always distributed silver taels to us but that was when we were in the military. Each time our brothers were discharged be it from old age or injuries, someone would always be quick to react – regardless the number of people who were discharged and sent home, everyone would get at least five hundred silver taels…”
“It was only much later that we knew that these silver taels did not come from the military... Do you all still remember?”
“Of course we do! The immense kindness the nine sirs have bestowed upon us crippled veterans, how could we forget it?”
“During those years, the people sent to distribute the silver taels by the nine great sirs were dressed all in black and masked…” The one-armed man’s voice was shaking, “That night, I ate something bad and could not sleep the entire night. I could faintly see a few shadows, masked and garbed in black, throwing silver taels into my room and disappearing.”
“These men dressed in black, and the subordinates of the Nine Supremes last time… they were similarly attired…”
The others who were listening trembled, standing up with strongly shaken expressions as they asked, ”Can what you said be true?”
The one-armed man’s voice quavered, his eyes glowing with moisture. He continued in a choked voice, “Do you think… could it be that the nine sirs are not dead after all”
His voice held great hope, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down distinctly as he wished with all his might, “Nine sirs, please be alive…”
“Other than the nine great sirs, who else would always have us handicapped veterans in their hearts?”
…
Yun Yang took in a breath and left with wide strides. The discussion continued behind him, the emotion-filled voices growing increasingly excited.
“How I hope that the nine sirs are still here!”
Yun Yang picked up his pace, turning a few corners until he got to a quiet, isolated place. Standing still, he leaned against an old wall as he took in deep gulps of air…
His heart ached like it was being wrung dry. “I’ve done exactly what my brothers did all those years. How could their responsibilities and insistence be gone once it came to me?”
He would think that his eight late brothers would be comforted to see him carrying on their previous efforts.
After some time, he blew out a deep breath and departed.