chapter 50

“I would like to ask Your Excellency about something, and I hope that Your Excellency will tell me the truth,” Murong Yunshu requested politely.

The leader looked wary, but didn’t dare to refuse, so he carefully asked, “What do you want to ask?”

Murong Yunshu looked at him and only said after a few seconds passed, “Is the Soul Snatcher coming from your clan?”

When he heard this, the leader went into the state of readiness for war in the face of a foreign invasion as he inquired with a white face, “Why do you ask?”

Murong Yunshu replied, “To tell you the truth, I’ve been poisoned by the Soul Snatcher, and I am in need of an antidote to save my life.”

As soon as he heard that she was poisoned by the Soul Snatcher, the leader’s eyes immediately changed from fear to awe and asked, “Have you been to the Li Clan before?”

“No.”

“Then how did you get poisoned by the Soul Snatcher?”

Murong Yunshu stared into his eyes for a few seconds and asked instead of answering his question, “There was someone among your clan who had left the Li territory, wasn’t it?”

The leader was shocked. “How did you know?!”

Murong Yunshu said indifferently, “The Soul Snatcher is something unique to the Li Clan, and for it to be in the jianhu[1]lit. rivers and lakes—people wandering from place to place and living by their wits, e.g. fortune-tellers, quack doctors, itinerant entertainers, etc. , considered as a social group, naturally, it has been taken out.”

The leader pondered for a long time and then he asked, “Would you like to come with me to see the Clan Elder?”

Murong Yunshu smiled slightly, “With pleasure.”

*

Under the guidance of those ‘savage’, Murong Yunshu and Chu Changge arrived at a circular earthen building to meet the Clan Elder of Li Clan — a ‘girl’ who was over half a century old and still attractive. They thought she was a ‘girl’, because she wore a girl bun, which was a symbol of a girl who was staying in the boudoir waiting to be betrothed[2]Chinese idiom : not yet betrothed in the Daye Dynasty.

Halji, the female Clan Elder, sat at the seat of honour with dignity and grace, as she asked in a high voice, “Are you the woman who was poisoned by the Soul Snatcher?”

Murong Yunshu nodded gently and said, “If you want to sort out the passageway door, I can lead the way for you.”

When Halji heard what she said, she went slightly blank, then laughed and praised, “What a woman of character!”

Murong Yunshu smiled modestly and stated, “Clan Elder is overpraising me.” It was fortunate that the women of the Li Clan weren’t as economical as their men as they didn’t save their fabric, otherwise, she definitely wouldn’t want to look up because of embarrassment. Strangely enough, just thinking about Chu Changge’s appearance without clothes before would immediately make her blush with shame and how she wished she could hide herself under the ground! However, why was it that when she saw those naked men, she didn’t feel anything? Could it be that it was a habit that had become her nature[3]Chinese proverbs : get used to something and it seems inevitable…..

This was not a good habit. Murong Yunshu silently bowed her head, and suddenly felt that it was really a heinous thing for men didn’t wear enough clothes. The Li Clan could exist up to now was really because Heaven had no eyes.

Halji looked at Chu Changge, who had been shaking a folding fan from the moment he walked in through the door. She asked “And who are you?”

Chu Changge snapped shut the folding fan and said with a smile, “I am hers…..” Before the word ‘fiance’ was uttered, he was interrupted by Halji.

“Brother isn’t it?” Halji shot back with a smile and said, “Look at my confusion. With just a look at the two of you, one will know that you must be a family. The elder brother is charming and amazingly handsome, while the younger sister puts the moon in hiding and shames the flowers[4]Chinese idiom : exceedingly beautiful. It’s truly a blessing for parents to have such a pair of beautiful children.” Her words were filled with admiration and envy.

Murong Yunshu smiled without saying anything. For there to be a misunderstanding between them was fine for her. Her relationship with him did not have to be explained to the others.

Chu Changge was not a person who loved to explain. Even when he was misunderstood by the Shaolin abbot to be the one who set fire to the scriptures depository, he didn’t even explain a word or two[5]Chinese idiom : a few isolated words and phrases, let alone such a thing. Moreover, he didn’t hate the expression of brother and sister, so he didn’t explain when Halji misunderstood.

But they never thought that the difference between their thoughts would cause such a great trouble — Chu Changge’s trouble, to be exact.

“I’m just short of a son-in-law, and seeing as you’re a man of striking appearance, you’ll join my Li Clan and be my son-in-law,” said Halji in a ‘bestowing’ tone.

As soon as this was said, Murong Yunshu and Chu Changge both laughed.

Murong Yunshu smiled. For an evil person like Chu Changge to be described as ‘a man of striking appearance’, this Clan Elder’s eyesight truly had a lot of tolerance!

Chu Changge also laughed. This Clan Elder really wasn’t afraid of death. He was the Master Leader, so could anyone just ‘bestow’ him with anything? Although a certain wealthy young lady once said something like, ‘I just need a husband, and seeing that you’re so handsome, I’ll marry you into my Murong House, so count the money for me’ and he did agree, but that didn’t mean anyone could ‘bestow’ anything to him.

“Thank you for your kindness, unfortunately I have already been promised a marriage, thus I don’t have the luck to enjoy your offer.” Chu Changge was a man, who wouldn’t accept other woman’s affection except from Murong Yunshu. In normal times, he would pretend that it was a big joke, and dismiss it with a laugh. However, at this time they were looking for help from others, so he said something anyway, just to let the other party know that he really ‘disdained’ being this handsome.

For his reaction, Murong Yunshu was truly surprised. She didn’t expect that he would be normal for once. According to her guess, at a time like this, he should have thought extremely high of himself and laugh sardonically for three times, and then he would say with his nose pointed up to the sky, ‘If you want to be this Chu Changge’s mother-in-law, you’re not qualified’ or something like that.

It seems that she had underestimated his normal part. However, his normal response made her somewhat disappointed. Whenever and wherever there was no fun thing to see, it would always end up to be boring.

After hearing Chu Changge’s reply, Halji’s face slightly changed, but she still wore a smile that wasn’t quite true, and said, “It doesn’t matter that you already have a promised marriage. Since you’re in the Li Clan anyway, your previous marriage arrangement won’t be counted.”

Chu Changge leisurely smiled as he touched on[6]Chinese idiom : mention casually the matter by saying, “No one has dared to say this Chu Changge’s marriage to be something that ‘won’t be counted’.”

When Halji heard this, her face suddenly changed and she snapped, “Do you mean to insist on not marrying my Li Clan Princess!?”

Chu Changge nodded with a smile, “I’m glad you can understand human language.”

Murong Yunshu dropped her eyesight and snickered. This was the Chu Changge whom she knew.

Halji couldn’t smile, as her face had turned as cold as ice. In this territory of Li Clan, no one had dared to contradict her! “I heard that you have come to ask for the antidote for your sister. If you marry my princess, I will give her the antidote.”

The folding fan in Chu Changge’s hand unfolded again at some point, as he shook it gracefully, with his beautiful eyes were full of ‘I have the world in my hands’, a self-centred sentiment. He then said with an idle air, “Since I have come, the antidote is naturally will be taken with me, and for the Li Clan, I had originally intended to give some money for the men here to have brand new clothes, but now, all of a sudden, I’m thinking of changing their clothes to funeral clothes instead.”

Halji’s face became more and more ugly. While holding the teacup in her hand, she seemed to regard it as Chu Changge, where she crushed it just by using her bare hand.

Murong Yunshu smiled and looked up. “Clan Elder, you see, this man’s eyes are vicious and his eyebrows are slanted. He is not a kind-hearted man at first glance. Moreover, he has a loose tongue[7]Chinese idiom : be outspoken and belongs to the typical all brawn no brain type. With him being such a man, are you sure he is qualified to be your Princess’ husband?”

The corner of Chu Changge’s forehead jumped slightly when he heard what was being said. Even if she wanted to help him, she didn’t have to be so cruel, right?

For her part, Halji snorted, “You’re a thoughtful girl! But he must marry the Princess.”

Murong Yunshu sighed lightly and shook her head somewhat helplessly as she said, “There’s one more thing I forgot to say, he’s a person who does what he says he’ll do. So Clan Elder, it’s better to think thrice before you act[8]Chinese idiom : consider carefully in advance.” The Li Clan had only a few people and few weapons. Their weapons were also the most primitive wooden weapons. For Chu Changge, exterminating a small Li Clan was a matter of just a snap of his fingers! She didn’t get it. Chu Changge’s evil appearance and his temperament of thinking highly of himself wouldn’t bring anyone luck nor would it make one long-lived, thus not the type that is usually liked by elders. How did Clan Elder fall for him? This Clan Elder was also very persistent, as if, once this monk ran away, she would never find a bald head person again….….