Yun Xie gave a long whistle and the Bright River sword shot out of its sheath, immediately letting out an imminent wave of resentful energy. He struck with craftiness and cruelty, forcing the surrounding disciples to keep retreating under his quick chain of attacks. Yun Xie took the opportunity to send two people flying. Lightly landing on his toes, he moved forward to stand back-to-back with Jiang Xunyi.
Jiang Xunyi stepped backwards so his back pressed up against Yun Xie’s, and he felt Yun Xie suddenly tremble. Surprised and concerned, Jiang Xunyi whispered: “Were you injured?”
Yun Xie gave a dry cough and smiled: “Impossible, how could the useless trash in your sect ever injure me?”
Jiang Xunyi whispered: “That’s good. Listen to me: in a few moments, let’s act together to knock down that golden statue in the middle of the hall. Below it is a passage that can reach the back of the mountain. Even though we can’t completely get rid of these guys, we can at least grab a moment to breathe. It’d be better than staying an easy target1 like we are now.”
Yun Xie was surprised: “Isn’t that the statue of your ancestor disciple-grandfather?”
Jiang Xunyi was ice-cold: “So what? He’s already dead. If a broken stone can’t protect the future generations, it’s useless to keep around anyway!”
Yun Xie laughed out loud, and said brightly: “Ah-Xun oh Ah-Xun, I truly like you more and more with every passing day!”
Jiang Xunyi irritatedly said: “Will you shut up?!”
Yun Xie blocked the attacks of two disciples. He suddenly turned back to pinch Jiang Xunyi’s face, then quickly jumped away to hide behind the statue in the center of the hall.
Yun Xie historically acted according to his whims, so Elder Jinghai was happy to see him behaving crazy at this time. He subsequently hurried to attack Jiang Xunyi.
Jiang Xunyi bent sideways to avoid Elder Jinghai’s whip. As if his mind had been muddled with anger at Yun Xie, he flew backwards to smash a palm towards Yun Xie regardless of everyone else around him.
Yun Xie dodged, and Jiang Xunyi’s palm hit the statue. Yun Xie had picked the perfect positioning, so his palm force converged with Jiang Xunyi’s. With a loud crash, the entire body of the life-like statue of the ancestor disciple-grandfather immediately shattered!
Elder Jinghai was utterly flustered and infuriated. Just as he was about to go forward, he noticed the two men had vanished without a trace.
He choked with resentment and rage, and kicked a nearby overturned chair until it broke into pieces. Suddenly, a woman’s voice rang out from behind him: “What’s wrong, Shixiong? Is your temper this bad?”
Elder Jinghai looked back to see the newcomer, and his expression subsequently turned even more ugly. In a low voice, he blamed: “Zihui, it’s all because I first listened to you that even after learning about this little brute Jiang Xunyi’s background from Sect Head Shixiong, I didn’t bring the news to light outside, which ended up helping him out. But you see what’s happened now? We nourished a snake in our bosom2 and missed the opportunity to act!”
Jiang Xunyi and Yun Xie sprinted along the tunnel for a long while. Only after reaching the back of the mountain did they dare find a mountain cave to sit down and rest.
Jiang Xunyi threw his own Extinguished Flower sword to the ground. He sat down with his back to the stone wall, not saying a word.
Yun Xie kicked him lightly with his toes, and bluntly said: “Can you stop always looking like someone owes you thousands of silver? Gege3 rushed over here like my life depended on it to save you, so at least give me a smile!”
After he said this, Jiang Xunyi unexpectedly did not get up to beat him up. Instead, his face was pale and a trace of blood slowly oozed from his lips.
Scared, Yun Xie hurriedly squatted down and reached over to assess his pulse. He panicked: “You actually suffered such a serious internal injury? Hurry and meditate, I’ll help you control your breath.”
When the two of them touched skin-to-skin, a shudder ran through Jiang Xunyi’s body. He shook Yun Xie off, the movement seemingly out of his own control.
Yun Xie froze. At a loss, he looked at Jiang Xunyi. Jiang Xunyi himself did not understand why he just reacted like that. He felt as if something had suddenly possessed his body to inexplicably reject Yun Xie. But at this moment, he did not feel anything different about himself. Facing Yun Xie’s hesitant and doubtful face, he could only smile and say: “What did you do that for? Don’t worry, I already said there’s no way I can die.”
Yun Xie saw the blood by his lips and was greatly distressed for him. Without thinking much, he reached out to help Jiang Xunyi wipe it off, and whispered: “Don’t talk anymore. I’ll go to the cave entrance and set up two Concealment formations, then come back to help you control your breath. We’ll rest for a bit and then leave.”
Yun Xie was extremely proficient in arrays and formations, so their pursuers still had not found them even by more the time Jiang Xunyi finished controlling his breath and restored most of his energy. The two of them conferred over their options. Both felt that compared to taking the initiative to come out of hiding and attempting to brute-force their way off the mountain, it would be better to preserve their energy instead. As a result, they sat together in the mountain cave to rest.
Yun Xie’s hand had received a small scratch. When he saw Jiang Xunyi’s situation had improved, his old habits resurfaced—he began to shamelessly beg Jiang Xunyi to help bind his wound.
Impatience written all over his face, Jiang Xunyi tore a piece of cloth from Yun Xie’s clothes and used force to wind it around Yun Xie’s hand twice. At the end, he slapped it heavily: “It’s all good, now get lost.”
Yun Xie screamed: “Ahh——Jiang Xunyi! Were you a goddamn butcher in your last life?”
Jiang Xunyi sneered: “Sect Master Yun has a sharp eye. In fact, I’m4 one in this life too.”
Yun Xie covered his face with his sleeves and mourned: “This slave’s5 life is truly harsh, scaling mountains and wading through rivers to come here looking for my man6, not realizing the one who’s been in my thoughts all this time is actually such a heartless enemy.”
Jiang Xunyi pulled off the hand covering Yun Xie’s face, and then placed his other hand around Yun Xie’s throat. He menacingly said: “Stop being so disgusting, tell me how you came over here.”
He had moved extremely close to Yun Xie, to the point where the warm breath of his exhalations almost fluttered on Yun Xie’s face. A faint wave of medicinal scent wafted from below his sleeves, slowly scattering in the air.
Yun Xie instantly turned absent minded, and immediately forgot what he had said just now. He especially disregarded how his life was currently being pinched in the other person’s hands, and how if that person used the slightest bit of force, he would be killed on the spot.
The two of them made a habit out of roughhousing, so when Jiang Xunyi saw Yun Xie neither fighting back nor saying anything, he instead found it strange. He shook Yun Xie by the neck: “Hey!”
After a pause, Yun Xie recovered from his daze. He casually tugged Jiang Xunyi’s lapel to fling the latter off, and gave a slight smile. “It’s nothing, I only felt faint all over just now—I might have been poisoned or bewitched.”
Jiang Xunyi was used to Yun Xie’s love of spouting nonsense, so those words went in one ear and out the other. He ignored him and asked again: “How did you come over here?”
Yun Xi curled his lip: “How else could I have come over? The radiance of springtime has been very beautiful recently. I originally wanted to rest a few days on the mountain, when I heard my subordinates report that a certain fool was being framed. Gege3 instantly had my heart in my mouth, feeling butterflies in my stomach, burning with anxiety as if a knife was twisted in my heart7, so I rushed over as fast as I could~”
Jiang Xunyi slowly nodded: “Sect Master Yun really is amazing, actually knowing how to use so many idioms.” Yun Xie’s choice of the word “framed” had considerable deeper meanings, as if to tell him something.
Yun Xie laughed: “Young master Jiang, you flatter me. Getting praise from you, this humble one is truly…” He had not finished talking when his look suddenly changed.
Seeing Yun Xie’s expression, Jiang Xunyi could guess most of what was going on: “Someone attacked the Concealment array?”
Yun Xie’s eyes turned cold while his smile grew even more brilliant: “I’m afraid they have all assembled together. This highland is spacious and empty, better than the hall back there at any rate. Let’s go out and move whenever we have the opportunity, continuing to fight and retreat at the same time.”
Jiang Xunyi frowned: “You don’t know this, but Hidden Spirit Mountain is completely surrounded by an enchanted barrier. I’m afraid it’s already been started up.”
Yun Xie brushed it off: “So what? If us brothers live, we’ll leave together. If we die, we get to die together. I think this arrangement isn’t bad.”
Jiang Xunyi had not yet answered when a loud crash rumbled from all around them as the array was broken. A crowd of armed Hidden Spirit disciples moved to encircle them, followed by many more people.
Some Solar Envy Sect disciples had actually made it over too, and currently stood far in the distance. Upon seeing Yun Xie emerge from the cave, they wanted to rush forward but were then stopped by the Hidden Spirit Sect crowd. The entire scene was complete pandemonium.
One Hidden Spirit Sect disciple shouted: “Sect Master Yun, Jiang Xunyi is utterly conscienceless, despicable, and vile. You mixing in with the likes of him…” Before he even finished his words, he was killed on the spot in a splash of blood.
Yun Xie flicked the blood off his sword, and coldly said: “If you do not know how to speak human words, there’s no need for you to remain a human.”
Jiang Xunyi pulled Yun Xie behind him, and whispered: “These guys are not aiming for you. You should look for a chance to first return to Solar Envy Mountain.”
Yun Xie shook him off, and smashed a palm to kill a disciple attempting to sneak attack Jiang Xunyi. He frowned: “If I wanted to go back, why would I have even bothered to come? You and I have always said we will live together and die together. Jiang Xunyi, by trying to kick me away at this time, are you trying to discard me after ‘using’ me~8?”
Jiang Xunyi couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cry. He raised his eyebrows: “I really have gone crazy from desperation to even think about trying to reason with you. Together it is then. Though continuing to fight like this isn’t ideal; we still have to think of a way out.”
Yun Xie glanced at the cliff off to their side, and grinned cheerfully: “Have you ever read any novels? In these kinds of critical moments, jumping off the cliff is the best way to survive.”
Jiang Xunyi gave him a kick: “What a joke, it’s all broken rocks below that cliff, you think you’re made of iron?”
Yun Xie’s eyes lit up with a new idea. He smiled: “In fact, I still have a way, though it’ll depend on whether you’re willing to give up that Sect Head Seal.”
Jiang Xunyi’s sword sliced off half a man’s head: “We’re about to die, what could I be reluctant to give up at this point? If it weren’t for how they still wouldn’t let us go even if I threw the Sect Head Seal out, I’d give it to Huang Yan right now.”
Yun Xie said: “If you’re really willing to part with it, take it out so this brother can see.”
Jiang Xunyi was too lazy to talk nonsense with him. He pulled the small seal print out from around his neck, and offhandedly threw it to Yun Xie.
Yun Xie played with it for a moment. Suddenly, with a flick of his hand, he threw the Sect Head Seal to the nearby Elder Jinghai.
This turnaround was so drastic that everyone was stunned. Elder Jinghai grasped this Sect Head Seal that had fallen from the sky, still not quite believing it was real.
Jiang Xunyi froze for a second. Without caring for the enemies opposite to them, he suddenly turned around and seized Yun Xie’s collar, furiously yelling: “What the fuck are you doing?!”
Yun Xie’s fist pounded his lower abdomen. Although Jiang Xunyi did not let go, his hand loosened. Yun Xie took the opportunity to shout: “I already seized the Hidden Spirit Sect Head Seal for you, hurry and catch him…… cough cough cough……”
Jiang Xunyi grabbed his throat and sneered: “Thanks to all these years of brotherhood, I actually believed you really came to save me. Now it seems I truly am blind! Hmph, given your heartlessness, don’t blame me for my disloyalty!”
As he spoke, he turned around to use Yun Xie as a human shield, the Extinguished Flower sword flashing as it was propped against Yun Xie’s neck. He raised his voice: “Today, you gentlemen will either let me leave the mountain, or I’ll drag the Solar Envy Sect Master to the grave with me.”
Huang Yan shouted: “Dream on! Jiang Xunyi, what’s going to happen today is no longer up to you to decide!”
Footnotes:
1. 瓮中捉鳖 lit. “catching a turtle in a jar”. It’s kind of similar to the English phrase “shooting fish in a barrel”
2. 养虎遗患 lit. “rearing a tiger to court calamity”
3. Yun Xie here calls himself 哥哥 (gē gē) lit. “big brother or big bro”. Of note, 哥哥 isn’t just referring to a brotherly relationship; some girls may flirtatiously call their lover/boyfriend/husband 哥哥 too.
4. Jiang Xunyi refers to himself as 小爷, which I believe vaguely means something like “young master” or “prince.” A somewhat arrogant way to refer to yourself I think?
5. Yun Xie playfully refers to himself 奴家 lit. “slave of your house”, which is a humble way for female servants (and wives) to refer to themselves
6. 夫 can be either “man” or “husband.”
7. Yun Xie uses a whole chain of parallel idioms here, which are all varying versions of “anxious and worried”: 心急如焚，心慌意乱，心如刀绞. I did my best to find approximately equivalent English phrases.
8. 始乱终弃 refers to the type of relationship where you seduce/dally with/make use of a woman and then abandon her. A colloquial English equivalent might be “Love ‘em and Leave ‘em”