Volume III Chapter 86 Part I The Rivalry
Inside the “Kèjū” there were seven or
eight candles that were prepared which
made the room very bright. On each side of
the room were two pots of burning
charcoal used to which dispel the chill of
early winter. On the center is a tea table
with a few clean white cotton cloths on top
and a basin of water with dark red color.
Bajiao rarely behaves itself but today it
was comfortably curled up on the couch,
and the pair of teary eyes was staring at Su
Su. Su Su was also sitting on the couch and
the injury in her back was being cleaned
and dressed, also the wounds in her
shoulder and arm… only the arm.
Su Su look helpless watching the person
on her side whose mind was inattentive to
what she is doing. Sang Nuan has the
medicine ointment in one hand but she
looks absentminded. Su Su grinned as she
was rubbing the ointment at the same
place already for few times and the
rubbing pressure motion is getting
stronger each time.
"You do not look right."
"What?" In the quiet room, although the
voice of Su Su was almost a whisper, Sang
Nuan was startled to the point that she
almost tipped ointment in her hand. After
getting back her senses, Sang Nuan looked
at Su Su only to find that she has already
been sitting straight staring at her with
helpless look while she was rubbing an
empty space with the ointment.
Sang Nuan put her hands on her face. Su
Su shook her head from left to right, "I
said, something is wrong with you." After
saying that, Su Su took the ointment from
her hands and neatly spread the medicine
herself and then picked up the next piece
of cotton cloth. After skillfully wrapping
her wound using her free hand, she quickly
put on her robe. They are dressing the
wounds for almost half an hour and it was
like a torture. If there are no fired
charcoals present at the moment, she
might have been frozen to her death.
Sang Nuan glanced at her as she sinks
herself inside the robe. Su Su was shivering
a little and even though she was still half
awake, she felt very guilty inside, “ Su’er,
I’m alright..., “ Right after seeing the Jade
key, you don’t look right, you are always
absent-minded.”
Sang Nuan was surprised and then smiled
how she can forget that this girl is very
observant. Under her chaotic situation, she
still found her strangeness and she did not
want to deceive her further. Sang Nuan
said while staring at her, “ I am searching
for that thing, that’s why I went to Mo
territory.
After tossing the whole day, Su Su felt
exhausted and she quietly leaned her back
on the couch and waiting for Sang Nuan to
tell her the whole story.
Sang Nuan did not take long to break her
silence. She suddenly turned indifferent as
in the past and said whispering, “ My
mother died while I was very young and I
did not remember how she even looked
like. In Huan Lang Island, nobody dared to
mention her name. However, mother was
always with me as I was growing in a very
special way because she has left me a box
with handwritten notes how to make
poisons and medicines and the rest of the
writings is about Mohism and Lingcao.
Sang Nuan pause for a moment then went
on, “I know you notice it that Mohism is
like an ice cave. The people inside are
selected and are saying that it is pleasant,
the heart is always is always calm,
peaceful and secure. To say plainly,
something disrupted its purity and turned
callous. Just because of one Mo, Uncle Mo
Bai, he was born with blue eyes and
extraordinary power not natural to
human, the heart of the people began to
resent him and fear him. It is just because
he resembled someone in the past, blueeyed
and have extraordinary power but
turned out to be a traitor. My uncle has
suffered a lot because of that. My mother,
who had found the key of Lingshi that was
stolen by the traitor that year was being
forced by some of the elders of Mohism,
who practiced divination to hand over the
key to Lingshi. They used uncle Mo for her
to divulge the whereabouts of the key.
They got into numerous discussions and
debate because even though they found
the key, they have continued discussion of
getting rid of Uncle Mo Bai. She rebelled
against Mohism because of that and they
even want her exterminated! I kept
thinking about it, that if Mohist has not
been so cold and callous, mother would
have not left, she and Ah Leng would not
have suffered so much growing up.
Su Su knew that Sang Nuan’s mood is not
right. She immediately grabbed her hand
and said, “ Ah Nuan don’t. It’s over.”
Feeling the sudden squeeze in her hand,
Sang Nuan, whose eyes is full of worries,
slowly calmed her heart. She managed to
smile and replied, “I’m fine. My mother’s
letter had repeatedly mentioned the Spoon
of the Lingshi, but I’ve searched the island
but I haven’t found it, so I tried to think
how my mother would think. It is possible
to leave the key in the Mohist and put
things under their very own noses, but
they will never be able to find them. I came
here to find out if there was any left in my
mother’s room. There is no clue left and I
did not expect that the mother would
actually give the keys to Tan Tai family."
The story of Uncle Ao regarding the
Mohism and Mo Sang was slightly different
from what she said. Perhaps, Sang Nuan’s
version is closer to the fact. This white jade
key… Su Su whispered, “ Did your mother
mentioned if there are few jade keys?
“If there are a few?”Sang Nuan frowned,
wondering, “Isn't that one?”
It seems that Mo Sang did not mention in
her letter if there are several keys. After
contemplating for a moment, she looked at
Sang Nuan eye to eye and said frankly, "No,
I and Mo Yuan found a box inside your
mother’s tomb. There are two things
inside, something like Ling Cao and the
white jade key that looked exactly the
same as what Dan Tan Tai is holding. “Now,
how come Dan Tan Tai has come out with a
key, that is only to say that they are more
than one or the key Dan Tan Tai has is a
fake.
Sang Nuan’s face sank, “Where is the key
from mother’s tomb now?”
“It is with Mo Yuan and seeing Mo Yuan
demeanor, it looked like that he had no
intention of telling the Mohists about the
key.” She has guessed correctly that Sang
Nuan will be angry, but she believed she
should let her know because it concerns
her mother anyway.
"It looks like that tomorrow I will go to
visit and see the young master." Damn Mo
Yuan, he trespassed mother’s tomb, took
away something and dared not tell her! “
Sang Nuan’s face turned gloomy. So, the
two of them will go to find Mo Yuan and Su
Su anxiously answered, “ No. not at the
moment.”
Sang Nuan’s eyebrows raised slightly, Su
Su explains hastily, "No, I am not saying
that you cannot visit him. What I meant is
that those white jade key and the messy
dispute about the Mohist family, wait until
three days. Ask him about it, three days
after. Let him recover from his poisoning
first."
Deeply afraid that Sang Nuan will not
agree, Su Su grabbed her hand and
solemnly emphasized. "Just for three
days!"
Sang Nuan’s hand was tightly held by Su Su
and knowing her personality, she knew
that if she doesn’t agree, she won’t let go of
her hand. Sang Nuan chuckled, she just
wanted to go and visit Mo Yuan, she just
wanted to clarify what is going on. But the
hand was tightly held by Susie, and she did
not agree, and she would not let go. Could
it be that she is responding to Mo Yuan
now? This Miss Su looks so nervous and
Sang Nuan smiled faintly at her and said, “ I
just wanted to visit him, he is my cousin
after all and why are you so irritated? Do
you care about him dearly?”
"Nonsense! I ... ...why I would that be?" Su
Su stares at Sang Nuan and just a matter of
fact said, “Because he went to search for
me and I felt responsible how he is like
now. It is natural that I should not let
anything happen to him again during his
detoxification, which would be
ungrateful!”
Tsk..tsk.. it seems that the hero saves the
beauty is a wonderful trick to capture the
heart of the beauty. Afraid to stand, Su Su
probably did not realize that her tone has a
hint of irritation. Sang Nuan smiled softly,
shook the hand of Su Su that is tightly
holding her, “ Ok..Ok. Miss Su, I know you
are always clear minded. Then can you let
go of my hands now?”
The smile on Sang Nuan’s face has a
strange meaning. Su Su doesn’t want to
continue the topic of their conversation
and hurriedly let go of her hands but not
without taking the opportunity to change
the topic, “Ah yes, something about Mr. Pu
Shan and Tan Tai Feng, when they first saw
you, both were excited. During those early
times, were these two captured by your
mother’s beauty and elegance? Do they
have deep feelings and beseech her but
cannot…”
Sang Nuan snorts to interrupt Su Su’s
assumption and said coldly, “ I don't know
what happened in the past, but the words
'having a deep feeling', maybe Fe Qing is
worthy of it and not Tan Tai Feng.”
Su Su gawks and did not pursue the topic.
She seemed to understand the meaning of
Ah Nuan and it doesn’t matter what year,
staying in the Mohists guarding Mo Sang’s
residence, the person who has not gotten
married is Feng Yi Qing. Tan Tai Feng on
the other hand as far as she knew, he has a
wife, a concubine and sons. He is also in
the deliberation halls influencing the
course of the event and a hero in the eyes
of the world. Not to mention, the white
jade key is so important to Mo Sang, he
finally chose to use it for the benefit of his
son.
Su Su yawned and said, "Okay, let not talk
about them, love rivals or enemies, it's all
the past generation. Let's take a rest
early."
Sang Nuan nodded and before leaving, she
did not forget to confess. "Well, sleep, be
careful of the wounds, make sure it doesn’t
get wet."
"I know I know." Su Su answered, She has
wrapped herself up very well and it would
be difficult to get wet in this!”
Su Su laid down and slept through the
night in her stomach when it was almost
dawn, the little fellow started to become
restless on its blanket. Bajiao was moving
and squirming out of its quilt. When it was
about to run out, it felt a tight hold on its
neck, felt its feet hanging on the air and a
lazy grim voice spoke, “Little fellow, do you
think you can run away under my bed
again and again?”
Bajiao lifted its front paws and covered its
eyes and dared not to look at Su Su. It was
funny but she remained to appear
deadpan.”I told you the last time; do not
give me a reason, otherwise…”
The little fellow shivers in fear for a
moment. Su Su was very satisfied with its
response, whether it understands her or
not, it is good enough to at least know that
it dreads!”
After Bajiao was thrown back inside the
quilt, she decided to sleep more when she
heard a call coming from outside the
courtyard, “ Young Miss Su!”
Su Su has some doubts but she still got up
and dressed before opening the door.
“What it is?”
Standing at the front door is a young boy
who heard her asking. The boy replies
whispering,“ My master asks for you to
visit Sang Shang . “
Who is this boy? Su Su remembers that it
is the young pharmacist apprentice that is
always around Feng Ye Qing. Su Su doesn’t
understand when she heard some
movements outside. Sang Nuan pushed
open the door to come out.
When the young apprentice saw Sang
Nuan, his appearance look more
respectful, that he even gave her a ritual
salute, “ My master said, Sang Nuan doesn’t
need to come today.”
Su Su gave Sang Nuan a quick look. Sang
Nuan nodded and Su Su smiled, “I have a
trip to make, you go first to Mo Yuan and
wait for me.”
"Good." Sang Nuan did not say anything.
She just nodded.
Su Su followed the boy to the small
courtyard that was almost destroyed the
night before. But when she saw the
courtyard was intact and clean. She
couldn’t help but admire the Mo family.
For just one night, they were able to
restore everything back to normal. It made
it look like the previous fight the night
before was just a dream.
"Master, the girl came." The boy led Su Su
into the small door and saw the people in
the small courtyard. Su Su cannot help but
sigh, Feng Ye Qing medical skills were
really good.
"Xiao Shu, we met again."