Li Sui: “I’ll count to three.”
Normally, a big demon lord wouldn’t be this patient, so in Lan Yan’s eyes, the “I’ll count to three” had only two possibilities: one, he’s possessed, and two, the Palace Master indeed treats Young Master Zhu differently. Unfortunately, Young Master Zhu himself didn’t think so at the moment. His face had already started to ache, so he grasped the edge of the table in an attempt to resist, but it was futile. Instead, it only made Li Sui’s expression even more ferocious.
Lan Yan: Palace Master, calm down!
Zhu Yanyin: This is really not good!
He even tried to run away, but it was in vain. Li Sui effortlessly picked him up with two fingers. Zhu Yanyin was well familiar with this technique; his eldest brother in Jiangnan had a long-haired Persian cat that often wandered around all over the place. Occasionally, it would come into his courtyard, and Uncle Zhang would pinch the skin on its nape and lift it off from the bookshelf in the same way.
Li Sui couldn’t believe it: “You’re actually thinking of running away?”
Even more unbelievable is that you actually thought this light as a feather escape plan could slip away smoothly under my nose?
Zhu Yanyin thought, ‘You’re about to pinch my face, can’t I even run away for a bit?’ But he didn’t say it out loud because in life, you can’t always tell the truth and do practical things everywhere. You have to be appropriately hypocritical too. So he quickly stated, “I’m not.”
Li Sui was amused by his straight-faced lie, though it was also possible he was amused out of anger. He originally intended to pinch the other’s face, his hand already raised, but then changed his mind. Instead, he wrapped an arm around the slender waist and took the person with him, breaking through the window.
No warning at all.
Who could withstand this?!
Forced to experience the feeling of seeking death every now and then, Zhu Yanyin felt like crying but had no tears. But compared to the last time flying around in the wild forest, this time seemed to be a bit smoother and… wait, no, it wasn’t!
Uncle Zhang, save me!
The wind whistled past his ears, and his heart alternately soared and plunged, as if tossed into a raging ocean. Zhu Yanyin didn’t want to open his eyes at all; he just held tightly to Palace Master Li’s neck with both hands, his legs wrapped around the other’s waist, like a snow-white… couldn’t find a good comparison. Anyway, it was a large bundle hanging onto Palace Master Li, feeling like it couldn’t be pried off, as steady as a mountain amidst the wind and rain.
Li Sui patted his back: “We’re here.”
Zhu Yanyin kept his eyes closed and squeezed out a weak “Mmm” from his throat. Well, we’re here, but I’m not mentally prepared yet. I need to take it slow.
Li Sui asked, “Are you feeling unsteady again?”
Zhu Yanyin: “A little bit.”
Sure enough, Li Sui started laughing again, leaning against the pillar, shaking with laughter uncontrollably.
Zhu Yanyin: You demon lords are really hard to understand.
Based on the experiences from the previous two encounters, the other’s strange good mood might last quite a while. Zhu Yanyin didn’t bother with him further and looked around. He found that this place seemed to be an abandoned three-story teahouse, with crisscrossing alleys nearby. Not far away, there was also a rather imposing building. As for the inn where they had been staying, it was nowhere to be seen, not even a shadow of it.
Once Li Sui had had his fill of laughter, he was in a good mood, “What are you looking for?”
“Our inn,” Zhu Yanyin asked, “Where are we?”
“The inn is to the west of the city; we’re in the north.”
“At such a fast speed, you can traverse the city. I’ve never witnessed such incredible qinggong before!”
Young Master Zhu raised his thumbs up, lavishing enthusiastic praise, attempting to rebuild a good relationship with the demon lord.
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.
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Zhu Yanyin hesitated for a moment. How did praising him backfire like this? What I meant was, I already know how incredible you are. The unlucky fellow who ran around through the entire city last night couldn’t possibly be this master before me. So, can we happily return to the inn now?
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Ol Vel gfabgafv, “Qtlif sbe kjca ab ajxf la ribk, batfgr wjs cba yf jyif ab.”
Zhu Yanyin was puzzled: “Who?”
Li Sui: “Zhao Mingchuan.”
Zhu Yanyin: “…”
Zhu Yanyin vaguely pieced it together, “Could it be that the unlucky guy from last night was Brother Mingchuan? Is he a member of the Demon Cult?”
Li Sui raised an eyebrow, “Your mind actually works fast. Yes, last night Zhao Mingchuan also went to the Shannan Inn. As a result, he was discovered by disciples of the Shangru Mountain Villa, and it alarmed all the sects in the city. He was chased away in a panic.”
But whether he was a member of the Demon Cult remained to be seen. Zhu Yanyin hastily asked, “Brother Mingchuan mentioned to me early this morning that he suspected there was a spy in the Wulin Alliance. Perhaps he, like you, found something suspicious about Shangru Mountain Villa and took the risk to investigate at night. Did he really get injured? Where is he now?”
Li Sui looked ahead. “That red house. Last night, when Zhao Mingchuan passed by the nearby alley, he was dragged into a courtyard, knocked unconscious, and then taken to Drunken Spring Pavilion.”
Drunken Spring Pavilion—just hearing the name, you knew it wasn’t a decent place. Zhu Yanyin grew more anxious. “You know all this so well. Were you following Brother Mingchuan last night? Couldn’t you save him?”
Li Sui answered, “No.”
Zhu Yanyin: “…”
Zhu Yanyin: Fine, fine. I know you disdain to take action. Then, I’ll find someone to save him.
“Come back.” Li Sui grabbed the back of his collar, “The person who attacked Zhao Mingchuan looks to be in their early forties. It should be the same woman who was reported to be a spy for the Demon Cult and who appeared with Cui Wei and the others back then. Her martial arts skills are not low.”
Zhu Yanyin’s face turned pale. ‘It was actually her, which means Brother Mingchuan is in even greater danger—this murderer and arsonist.’ He turned to run downstairs but was startled by the wobbling, broken staircase and retracted his foot. He felt that stepping on it would make him tumble directly to the first floor. He could only turn to the only spectator present: “You take me down first.”
Li Sui frowned, “You want to save someone?”
Zhu Yanyin said, “Brother Mingchuan has taken good care of me all along. Now that he has been captured, I must, of course, save him.”
Li Sui let out an almost inaudible cold snort. “And whom do you want to find to help you rescue him?”
Zhu Yanyin replied, “My servants.”
Li Sui still looked at him with displeasure.
Zhu Yanyin was also worried about Zhao Mingchuan and was momentarily at a loss. So, he said, “You’re unwilling to save him, but does that mean you won’t let me go rescue him either? Since he was knocked unconscious by the assailants, it indicates he is not allied with them. Let’s take a step back— even if Brother Mingchuan is truly associated with the Demon Cult, keeping him alive for questioning is better than to let him die, right?”
Li Sui was quite impatient; he didn’t hear the whole string of words that followed. He only heard the first sentence: “Who said I’m unwilling to save?”
Zhu Yanyin: “…You just said it yourself, that you didn’t.”
Li Sui corrected, “You only asked if I saved him last night, but you didn’t ask if I want to save him now.”
Second Young Master Zhu was stunned by this kind of mysterious logic. Does saving someone depend on your mood and the time of day? But one can’t be called a big demon lord if they aren’t complicated. Fickle moods are just part of their character. It was definitely best that the other party was willing to help, so Zhu Yanyin sincerely played along: “So, are you willing to save him now?”
Palace Master Li expressed his “I am willing” through his action.
The specific manifestation is that while Zhu Yanyin was still waiting for an answer, the person had already been lifted and flown away.
Practice makes perfect. After doing it several times, even flying becomes a habit. Skillfully and confidently, he clung to Li Sui, using both hands and feet. If his refined father and elder brother from Jiangnan were to witness this, they would definitely burst into tears on the spot—what sort of uncouth posture is this from the Jianghu? It’s quite an eyesore, quite an eyesore.
Li Sui carried him into the Drunken Spring Pavilion, and the two quickly slipped into a room.
Pink curtains hung everywhere, and the air was filled with the sweet and unctuous fragrance of rouge and powder, creating an atmosphere of debauchery and licentiousness.
Zhao Mingchuan was locked up in the next room.
Zhu Yanyin asked in a low voice, “What are we going to do next?”
Li Sui: “Wait.”
Zhu Yanyin asked again, “Can’t sneak peek?”
Li Sui led him to the corner of the room and effortlessly poked a hole in the wall with his finger. “Take a look.”
Zhu Yanyin: “…”
Aren’t you underestimating the antagonist too much?
He cautiously approached the hole, just enough to see the situation in the next room.
Zhao Mingchuan lay unconscious, tied to a chair with thick ropes. His lower legs were hastily wrapped in bandages, suggesting that his wounds had been treated. Next to him, another person was also bound, appearing to be in his twenties, but in a three times more miserable state. His hair was disheveled like a chicken coop, and his face was covered with a beard. His whole person looked like a riverbank in spring, with wild grass growing everywhere.
He wasn’t unconscious; his eyes were still rolling around. Zhu Yanyin had never seen such a dirty and unkempt appearance. He turned to ask in a low voice, “Who is the other person? A disciple from the Beggars’ Sect?”
Li Sui: “Liu Xiyang.”
Zhu Yanyin inhaled a sharp cold breath.
Li Sui observed with great interest. “I notice many expressions on your face.”
Zhu Yanyin slowly exhaled the sharply inhaled breath, saying, “Not really, just the normal.”
I think my reaction is normal; the one abnormal is you who are emotionless.
But in order to save face, let’s not say anything.
Li Sui: “The other party ought to be trying to find out something from Liu Xiyang.”
Zhu Yanyin wanted to lean back towards the hole to continue watching, but Li Sui alertly pulled him back. “Someone’s here.”
“……”
Zhu Yanyin felt somewhat nervous. Could it be that the ladies here are starting work? But the sun is still high in the sky. Isn’t it more appropriate to wait until night to do certain things? Otherwise, it always feels a bit indecent publicly indulging in broad daylight, doesn’t it? Too licentious; not appropriate.
Li Sui retorted, “Of those who come here, who isn’t here for something licentious?”
Zhu Yanyin choked for a moment. Well, you have a point. How about we change to another room—
Before he could finish speaking, he was already lifted up to the beam.
“Squat down!”
Zhu Yanyin wobbled a couple of times and nearly fell, but luckily, Li Sui grabbed his shoulder, just barely keeping him balanced.
With a loud “bang,” the door was forcefully pushed open. The newcomer reeked of alcohol, one arm wrapped around a young woman, and could barely walk straight.
Zhu Yanyin decisively closed his eyes and covered his ears as well.
Look not at what is contrary to propriety; listen not to what is contrary to propriety.
We scholars are all very upright!
Li Sui raised the corner of his mouth, leisurely leaning in. “If you don’t want to watch, I’ll go kill them right now.”
Zhu Yanyin immediately stopped him. Don’t be so brutal. You’re not really a demon lord, after all.
Li Sui leaned back. “You could hear it.”
Zhu Yanyin: “… I’ve tried my best. If I didn’t cover it tightly enough, it’s not my fault; it’s my hand’s fault.”
Li Sui, in a very good mood, said, “Come over, I’ll help you.”
Zhu Yanyin obediently leaned his head over.
Li Sui’s hands were somewhat larger, covering his ears, and indeed, the noisy chirping of the orioles below diminished significantly.
Although Zhu Yanyin found this scene somewhat strange, upon closer thought, it seemed normal. After all, it would be stranger if nothing of the sort happened in a brothel.
After a while, his legs started to feel a bit numb from crouching, so he mouthed the words, “How much longer?”
Li Sui glanced down and moved his hand away. “It’s over.”
Over?
Zhu Yanyin: The time took was so short!
And thus, Li Sui inexplicably started laughing again.
Halfway through laughing, he remembered there were still troubles to resolve below, and again he felt quite unsatisfied.
He pulled Zhu Yanyin’s wrist. “Let’s go, we’re going to kill someone.”
LMFAOOAHAHAHAHA drunk man has no stamina HAHAHA
It’s sweet for Li Sui to cover Zhu Yanyin’s ears tho 🥰 gotta protecc his innocence before u take it away (｡•̀ᴗ-) ✧
brilliant this chapter was so funny
Thanks for the chapter