Conversational exchanges, usually to try to worm facts out of someone.
She is not who she said she is.
They had a night’s rest at the inn before setting off on their journey the following day.
After leaving Yongle City, they were out of the country of Chu and would arrive at the country of Liang after crossing the mountain range. It is filled with poisonous insects and thick miasma, as well as wild animals from time to time. It is the country of Liang’s natural barrier, guards created from nature, and hard to attack.
Of course, there is another relatively safe way to the country of Liang, but it requires going around the mountain range. They did not have the time to waste on the safer way.
The insignificant mountains and woods could not stop Ji Yue and Wei Lian’s advance. Wei Lian scattered a circle of medicinal powder, and the poisonous insects automatically retreated. Even Lin Yan’er, who is an expert at poisoning, was not needed. When animals spotted them, never mind eating people, they were directly roasted and eaten by people.
Xiao Wen also followed along. Lin Yan’er did not want to see him, so he followed them from a distance and if asked, he was heading to the country of Liang as well, completely out of Lin Yan’er’s control.
“…What a madman!” Lin Yan’er huffed through her gritted teeth.
Xiao Wen has excellent martial arts. Usually, getting through these woods was like a walk in a park for him. But he was injured by Ji Yue yesterday, and he only got one evening of recovery before they ventured to the jungle. His body was not ready for it.
What was more, Luo Cha could assassinate, but he did not know poison. With so many poisonous things in the forest, it was almost fatal.
Wei Lian turned back at Xiao Wen, who was struggling to kill poisonous insects in the distance. “Since you can’t stand by idly and watch, why not let him follower closer?”
“Who cares what he is doing?” Lin Yan’er frowned, “He is so noisy.”
She has not touched a man for days since they entered the deserted forest. Alas, so unbearable, to feel not right all over.
The two men beside her are a pair that can’t be touched, and the one behind, she had already touched. There was no right person. Lin Yan’er became more and more agitated.
Wei Lian expressed no opinion.
In the evening, they made a bonfire and roasted wild animals. Wei Lian’s cooking skills have never improved, so it was Ji Yue who roasted their dinner. He carefully handled all the tough meats and fur, giving Wei Lian the freshest and most tender parts.
Lin Yan’er was able to get a bite of sweets and sighed, “I’m really envious of you two.”
Wei Lian said while eating the meat, “No need to be envious, you can find someone to help as well.”
At a distance, Xiao Wen ate his dry ration silently under the tree, looking at the fire and drooling over the roasted meat. Before enduring it again.
“…Don’t mention him.” Lin Yan’er glanced. “I don’t like him again.”
Ji Yue said faintly, “He is going to die soon.”
Wei Lian looked sideways and saw a venomous snake hovering on the trunk behind Xiao Wen, hissing out its tongue and staring at the back of Xiao Wen’s head. The assassination was completely unaware of the danger lurking as his whole attention was on Lin Yan’er…
At a lightning speed, followed by a breeze. Lin Yan’er suddenly appeared in front of Xiao Wen. She threw the seven-inch snake from her hand to the ground and shouted, “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
That pair of eyes was clear, cold and implied worry, which was quite different from the woman who always had an affectionate gaze on usual days.
Xiao Wen explained, “Yan’er, I knew you do care about me—”
Lin Yan’er lowered her eyes, “Come.”
…
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
The atmosphere felt strange.
Al Tef, Qfl Oljc, Olc Tjc’fg jcv Wljb Qfc rja abufatfg.
Olc Tjc’fg mibrfv tfg fsfr, lc tfg gjgf wbwfca bo rlifcmf.
Wljb Qfc cfgnberis rjlv, “Tjc’fg, vbc’a yf jcugs. Ljnf sbe obgubaafc? P’w lwwecf ab jii qblrbc.”
Immune to all poison.
Ktfgf kjr jirb atf iluta wbnfwfca rxlii atja Olc Tjc’fg erfv ab ufa ab atf ogbca bo Wljb Qfc ja atf mglalmji wbwfca, ktlmt kjr ojg yfsbcv tfg ereji vlrqijs bo ragfcuat. Jbcagbiilcu nfcbwber rcjxfr ja atf wbnf bo bcf’r olcufgalq, gfwlcvlcu tlw bo Zsgcj’r rxliir yjmx ja atf qjijmf.
Wei Lian’s eyes turned slightly dark.
Lin Yan’er suddenly opened her eyes and was startled at the sight of Xiao Wen. “Why are you here?!”
Xiao Wen was stunned. “Didn’t you…tell me to come?”
“When did I tell you to do that? Do not slander people!” Lin Yan’er felt an oncoming headache. “Why do you always say things I have not done before? Are you sick…”
“Lady Lin.” Wei Lian interrupted, “It was you who saved him just now.”
Lin Yan’er paused as she could not believe him. “Me, save him?”
Wei Lian nodded. “That’s right. We saw it with our own eyes.”
Lin Yan’er still did not believe it. “Do not join forces with this guy to deceive me. I was clearly sitting here minding my own business…”
Wei Lian raised his eyebrows.
Lin Yan’er was not lying.
Things seem to be getting more interesting.
_
Xiao Wen, who finally got the chance to join the team, naturally would not remove himself even if he was beaten to death. Wei Lian and Ji Yue tacitly accepted, outnumbering Lin Yan’er lone objection.
The party trekked in the mountains and forests for several days and established the first step in friendship—at least, between Wei Lian and Xiao Wen.
Three days later, they finally walked out of the mountains and entered the country of Liang.
The territory division of the country of Liang is very simple. The ancient South Border has twelve regions, and now it remains to be divided into twelve cities. Names such as Moria Tubazha Colm Braska City, Temui Hanwulan Maya Carissa City…were directly translated from the South Border’s language.
Even with a highly retentive memory like Wei Lian’s, it was nothing but headache and pain in the eyes when seeing a series of impressive-sounding names for a place.
If this was true for Wei Lian, it was even more so a migraine for foreigners who have business contacts with the country of Liang. So, they simply and rudely gave the country of Liang’s cities numeral code names—starting from the first city, second city to the twelfth city, which was easy to remember and clear at a glance.
Myrna is the Saintess, of course, she lived in the first city.
Where they are now is the seventh city.
As soon as they stepped into the country of Liang’s territory, they could feel the difference from the Central Plains in an instant. The girls on the street wore pigtails and headscarves, showing off their arms and lower legs without hesitation and covering themselves in a variety of silver ornaments. The man wore a headscarf, long clothes and leather boots. The vendors around were shouting in a language they did not understand.
Lin Yan’er’s vulgar dress in the eyes of the Central Plains had perfectly integrated with the crowd.
However, her dress is a style of long skirt with little less cloth, more towards the Central Plains style and different from other girls’ dresses.
A loving young girl and a young man were kissing in public. Others did not avoid looking, some even whistled at the young couple.
Xiao Wen was shocked, “Such an open folk custom.”
“Compared to this.” Ji Yue had a straight face. “I care more about where we are going to stay tonight.”
The architectural style here is very different from that of Qin and Chu. He could not understand any of the words on the plaques on both sides, let alone communicate with the local people.
So, the question became, how should they find an inn? They could not just break into an establishment at random. What if they entered someone’s home by mistake?
Lin Yan’er said proudly, “I know.”
Wei Lian glanced. “You understand the Language of Liang?”
“Although this servant girl’s family is from the Central Plains, my family does spice business. I used to stay here with my father for a period of time. This place can be regarded as my half hometown.” Lin Yan’er threw a wink. “Leave this to me.”
With Lin Yan’er’s help, they soon found a place to stay.
Xiao Wen’s face turned very gloomy in exchange.
…Because Lin Yan’er specially asked a handsome man for directions.
Lin Yan’er is also a great beauty, and their guide talked very gently with her. Because Xiao Wen could not understand what they were saying, he only saw them happily chatting. The man said a few words and Lin Yan’er giggled.
As they talked, they even began to hold each other’s arms.
Xiao Wen could not hold back anymore as he came forward and pulled Lin Yan’er away, “Let her go!”
The Liang man of course could not understand what Xiao Wen was saying. He turned to Lin Yan’er suspiciously and asked, “Who is he? Your husband?”
Lin Yan’er answered indifferently in the South Border tongue, “I don’t know. Probably some disciple who covets my beauty.”
The man immediately protected Lin Yan’er from behind, frowning to drive Xiao Wen away.
There was rage inside of Xiao Wen’s eyes as he was about to draw his weapon.
Lin Yan’er heartlessly warned in the Central Plains dialect, “Don’t think of coming near me again if you dare to hurt someone.”
A vein bulged on Xiao Wen’s forehead, but he loosened his hold on the handle.
Lin Yan’er was satisfied, “That’s right. I have been absent from meat for so many days. I’m going to suffocate if I do not find someone to sleep with. He and I are going to conduct business at an inn. So, you guys just keep up.”
Looking at the back of the two people who left together, Xiao Wen’s fingers trembled as he could not stop himself from shouting, “…Will it kill you to not have men?”
Lin Yan’er paused and turned to give him a look of both calmness and ruthlessness.
Then she smiled, “Yes.”
_
Xiao Wen cried a river when they got to the inn.
When Wei Lian learned that, he carried two pots of wine and knocked on Xiao Wen’s door.
Getting information when people are their most vulnerable is the most effective.
Wei Lian would always be ruthless, calm, and calculated to anyone other than Ji Yue.
Hearing the knock on the door, the crying inside stopped. After a long time, Xiao Wen opened the door as if nothing had happened.
But the corner of his eyes was still red. Luo Cha, the assassin of Jianghu with a shocking reputation, was crying like a baby for a woman.
Poor thing.
Wei Lian softly sighed. He entered the room and closed the door. Instead of saying any comforting words, he said one, “Drink.”
Wei Lian’s alcohol tolerance is very low. He did not drink. His only responsibility was to intoxicate Xiao Wen.
Xiao Wen was so sad that he needed to drown his sorrow with wine. He did not even notice that Wei Lian did not drink as he chugged down many cups by himself.
Finally, he directly picked up the wine jar to drink after he complained the cup was too small.
After drinking, he tossed the wine jar aside and cried again on the table, “Wei-xiong! My life is so bitter!”
He looked to be drunk. Wei Lian thought.
Luo Cha is five years older than him but using the seniority address. The man was clearly not thinking straight.
He asked in a warm voice. “What’s wrong?”
“I have loved her for seven years…” Xiao Wen’s eyes were hazy as he sobbed. “How can I…fall in love with such a woman? She has no heart…”
“Everyone said that love is sweet. But why is mine so bitter…”
Wei Lian stated, “Loving each other is sweet, unrequited love is bitter.
“I don’t care!” Xiao Wen cried, “I know it’s going to be bitter; I have been suffering for seven years, but I can’t let her go. Wei-xiong, I really envy you two. You and Yue-laodi, how did you end up liking each other?”
Wei Lian: “…” It seemed that Xiao Wen was drunk to the point of absent-mindedly calling him as gege and Ji Yue as didi.
Can people become so terrible when they get drunk? Wei Lian thoughtfully looked at Luo Cha, who forsaken his notorious image. He wondered what he was like when he was drunk…did he lose all of his face in front of Ji Yue then?
Wei Lian said, “What a coincidence, Lady Lin said the same thing, feeling envious of us.”
Xiao Wen stood up and said, “Wei Yuzhi, why are you such a comforting person!”
Wei Lian took an indirect approach in his inquiries, “How did you meet Lady Lin back then? Tell me, I may be able to give you a tip or two.”
“No use.” Xiao Wen dejectedly sat back down and waved his hand mockingly. “It is no use at all. She is just a piece of ice that can’t be melted. I have tried my best and she only viewed me as an annoyance.”
“How do you know it is useless if you do not say it?” Wei Lian immediately discredited Ji Yue, “You may not see it right now, although A-Yun and I are deeply in love right, he hated me at the beginning. He is cold, mistrustful, and even likes to suspect everyone. It’s on me with the right approach and plan of attack…”
Xiao Wen was stunned and gave a thumbs up, “Wei-xiong is amazing.”
“So,” Wei Lian gently said, “tell me, I might really be able to help you.”
Xiao Wen thought for a moment and sighed, “Alright, I will tell you.
“Yan’er was not like this at the beginning.” Xiao Wen whispered this, and suddenly spit out a specious as well as frightening statement afterward.
“I suspect that Yan’er right now…is not Yan’er.”
looks like there’s a problem with her memory?
Interesting!
Thank You for the chapter (｡･ω･｡)ﾉ♡
Lin Yan’er seems to have memory blackouts – very mysterious…
Thanks for the chapter 💞
Are there ‘two’ of her? 🧐