Ch70 - Murderous intentions

Slight gore and blood (missing body part).

—

Qiu Chongyun and Xie Zhiwei were so close that the former clearly saw the latter’s intentions. But thanks to their words from before, she only opened one eye and shut the other. Rising to her feet, she moved into the darker recesses as well and exchanged silent looks with him before giving a dry cough. Then she swayed her slender waist and walked to Mu He outside the cage.

The man and woman on the ground were dripping with sweat, while Bai Yu had been tortured to an inch of his life. Mu He had his back to her, thinking of something. Qiu Chongyun asked, “Nephew, how is it? Are you feeling happier now?”

The white robes before her were light and fluttery, but didn’t move at all. A moment later, a low voice replied, “No.”

Qiu Chongyun sighed. “Even as an aunt, I don’t know what kind of deep grudges you hold against this kid. But you’ve wanted to kill him for a long time. Now that he’s been reduced to this, I feel…you look sadder than before.”

Bai Yu twitched slightly beneath the white light. The blood on the corners of his mouth had dried up before he finally stopped breathing. A trace of grief emerged in Bai Jianzhu’s blank gaze before he suddenly rose to his feet. But he was too weak to stand and soon toppled back down again. A muddy tear dropped down his face in the darkness of the cage as his mouth moved. With effort, he finally forced out two words.

“Yu…Yu…er…”

“Sigh, what a pity,” Qiu Chongyun remarked, though her face showed no sympathy. She took a step forward and stepped on something; looking down, she saw a severed tongue covered in blood. She kicked it casually with her foot and the body part happened to land right next to Bai Jianzhu’s hand. “Enough already. You spent half your life in glory. Even Xie zhenren died by your hands, so what’s there to cry about? This can’t count as the old sending off the young. Don’t fret, you’ll reunite with your son in a couple of days.”

“Why is Aunt Yun saying so much to him?” Mu He asked abruptly.

Qiu Chongyun’s expression froze before she continued to laugh. “I don’t like the looks of him so I’m just mocking him a bit. It’s a pity that Xie zhenren is—”

“You’re hiding something from me.” Mu He turned as all expressions on his face vanished without a trace.

He discovered it so soon? Qiu Chongyun soothed her internal panic as she argued, “Nephew, what are our relations? After all these years of feelings, how could I hide anything from you?”

“Where’s Chi Yan?”

Qiu Chongyun was enlightened. “Oh, so you were worried about him, ah. Didn’t I ask you whether I should bring him along for the show so I could scare him a bit? See, he’s in the very corner over there.” She pointed at the platform where she was watching the show, but it was bare and empty. As if realizing it for the first time, she exclaimed in shock, “Aiya, where did he go?”

Mu He didn’t look, but continued to regard Qiu Chongyun with indifference. She sighed fretfully and said, “It’s all my fault for being muddle-headed. I thought he couldn’t raise any waves without Red Lotus, so I never imagined that he’d escape. No wonder he was the Demon Lord, a starving camel is still bigger than a horse in the end…”

Mu He narrowed his eyes and said without mercy, “Aunt Yun, you know why I’m keeping Bai Jianzhu and Chi Yan alive, yet you still protected Chi Yan.”

Qiu Chongyun’s heart quailed but her words were stubborn. “What am I protecting Chi Yan for? If not for that bastard, your mother would never have fallen to those depths. I’d rather kill him all the sooner.”

“You know the consequences of those who turn against me,” Mu He took a step to leave. “I hope that Aunt Yun won’t leave me, or my mother, disappointed.”

—

Xie Zhiwei was fleeing on foot while bound by the light of White Lotus, afraid and unable to call upon his spiritual power. The rainbow-hued ladybug robes usually had a sense of comical majesty when its wearer was flying on a sword, but it was too much of a stretch when running. Every four or five steps, Xie Zhiwei stepped on the hem but couldn’t free his hands to lift them, so he ended up stumbling and tripping to a stop a third of the way out of the garden.

Beneath the hazy moon and stars, a figure in white robes fluttered down in front of him. Even the night fog couldn’t obscure Mu He’s handsome, jade-like features. But he had absolutely no expression on his face, as if he was wearing an exquisitely carved mask. Before the cold sweat on Xie Zhiwei’s neck could drip down, Mu He had already closed the distance and put a stranglehold on his neck. The strength was so much that Xie Zhiwei felt like his head would fall off, but all he could do was pant sharply and not even speak.

Qiu Chongyun quickly caught up and saw the scene, only hating Xie Zhiwei as iron that couldn’t turn into steel. But her eyes widened at the sight of Mu He’s hand. “Nephew, your right hand’s been healed?”

It might’ve been Xie Zhiwei’s mistaken assumption, but he felt the grip around his neck tighten after Qiu Chongyun’s words. Mu He’s gaze slowly shifted to his hand. Although Xie Zhiwei’s mask was a counterfeit, the gems were still exquisite and sparkled beneath the moonlight. Their light reflected into Mu He’s eyes like ripples of water.

“It’s been four years in the blink of an eye. Although many people deserve to die, I only want to kill three with my own hands,” Mu He said gently. “Today Bai Yu died. Only you and Bai Jianzhu are left…I wanted to wait for that day. Are you forcing me to act ahead of time by behaving this way?”

How could I, you vengeful masochist?!

Xie Zhiwei’s throat issued a low burst of air. He couldn’t even do something as simple as shaking his head, while his hands were still bound by White Lotus to prevent him from struggling. Qiu Chongyun was smart enough to discern some hints from the words. “Nephew, it couldn’t be that this…Chi Yan healed your hand?”

Mu He didn’t respond, but the sudden burst of spiritual power around his body was answer enough.

“Why did you do it?” Qiu Chongyun looked at Chi Yan as if he was an idiot, then realized she was acting off and cleared her throat. “He, why did he do it? Nephew, why don’t you release him and ask, what if he’s hiding some big secret…”

“I’m not interested in the secrets of a dead man,” Mu He’s sleeves twitched as the shape of a lotus flickered in and out of sight above his forehead, increasing his murderous intentions. Xie Zhiwei did his best to open his eyes and look at Qiu Chongyun.

Woman, can’t you focus on the point? Even if you didn’t climb onto the hero’s bed, you should know he would’ve killed Chi Yan ages ago if he wanted! How could he spare him until now!

Qiu Chongyun was numb to killing, but felt inexplicably guilty towards Xie Zhiwei. Her eyes flashed before she murmured, “Then…nephew, how did you run into Chi Yan at Blood River Lake? The blood agate is so powerful, how could he be defeated at your hands? Was there a trap somewhere?”

“I was trapped by the blood agate and in critical danger, if not for…” Mu He’s hand suddenly shuddered as a second of doubt flickered in his eyes.

“If not for what?” Qiu Chongyun pressed hastily.

If not for the piercing agony in his neck making his head painfully clear, Xie Zhiwei would’ve sworn he was seeing things. Even four years ago, he had never seen such a complicated look in Mu He’s eyes. In an instant he saw bewilderment, despair, and finally ice once more.

“Nothing,” Mu He was indifferent. “Only a memory of the past.”

A memory of the past? Xie Zhiwei thought hard. Is he talking about the screenshot I threw out on the fly?

For the sake of hiding his identity as a transmigrator, he tossed out that scene. Afterwards he worried that it’d expose himself as Xie Zhiwei, but fortunately the hero seemed to have assumed it was one of his own memories. No problems there. Still, it was just like he said: the hero treasured his pride even at the risk of death, so he couldn’t forget about all the times he’d cried.

There was no way for Xie Zhiwei to explain himself now. As Mu He’s right hand tightened around his neck once more, his thoughts came to an end.

Am I really going to die this time?

All I wanted to do was follow the plot and put on a good act, but you’re all just abusing me as a team, huh? Your grandpa, Mu He! Your grandpa, Gallant Outlaw! Your grandpa, Qiu Chongyun!

Xie Zhiwei paid respects to all the people who’d screwed him over as his consciousness grew hazy. The last thing he heard was Qiu Chongyun persisting for his sake, trying to convince Mu He to spare him.

“Nephew, don’t be impulsive ah. You’ve endured it for four years. Didn’t you say you’d give him a huge gift…”

—

Xie Zhiwei woke up leisurely with an aching neck. He moved his eyes woodenly before feeling his throat with his hands. That burning pain made it obvious that the skin was swollen. Only then did he realize he’d escaped with his life. The next moment, a fair face dusted with rouge appeared before his vision with a red gem resting over its forehead.

Xie Zhiwei sighed and said hoarsely, “Maiden, how long do you want me to act as Chi Yan?”

Qiu Chongyun sighed back, tugging at her handkerchief in frustration over him. “Look at you, acting so calm when you watched the show last night. I thought you didn’t fear death. Who expected you to run as soon as my nephew showed up. What’s that all about? It took all my efforts to make him temporarily not kill you.”

“Temporarily?” Xie Zhiwei slowly pushed himself up to stare at the ground in a daze. “In other words, he’s going to kill me—no, Chi Yan—very soon?”

Qiu Chongyun nodded sympathetically.

Xie Zhiwei immediately stood up. “No matter, I’m leaving.”

“That won’t do. If you leave, that little sister’s face will be lost.”

Xie Zhiwei was about to fall apart. Then a loss is a loss. No matter how important the heroine’s beauty is, it won’t matter if I’m too dead to see it ah.

Qiu Chongyun held on tight to him. “How about, you die without any worries? That little sister…I’ll treat her well in the future.”

Don’t screw with me, heh. You’re a woman yourself, how can you treat the heroine well?

Very interesting. She’d rather blacken to the end and send off an innocent life than expose the truth about Chi Yan’s death?

Xie Zhiwei turned back. “I’m very curious to know exactly what you’re hiding from your nephew.”

—

Translator’s Note: It’s heeeere! Come and claim your prize, which is the English subbed version of this BiliBili fanvid of MDE’s Arc 1 storyline! The timing on the subs aren’t the best because my laptop was kinda dying in the video editor, but overall I think it’s all right!

Arc 1 – English Subs

I’ve left the video unlisted because I think the original creator deserves more views. This is only an extra service for translation readers, hehe. But it and all other MDE videos will be part of the Too Bad Master Died Early playlist on my YouTube channel for easy access in the future, so enjoy. Subs for the Arc 2 continuation will be released on a later date. 🙂

P.S. Can you believe we’re halfway through the novel already? Wheeeee~