Book 1: Winds Begin to Blow in Tai Yuan
Chapter 39 – A Shocking Arrow
Have you, been well?
That silent greeting, was like colossal thunder sounding in the depths of her heart.
Meng Fuyao had fantasized many times about the reunion of her and Yuan Zhaoxu. Perhaps in some kind of festival setting, perhaps at some aristocrat’s banquet, perhaps in his own country – but she had never thought, she would meet him again on the night of Tai Yuan’s palace coup; and when meeting again, he would even be standing by the side of her enemy, and her blade, would be pointing at his heart.
Being pointed at his heart by her blade, he still maintained his usual faint smile, and even earnestly greeted her.
Meng Fuyao was in front of the horse, her body dropping down. Her blade was still glowing, yet her heart had already mysteriously softened.
Especially when she had read the meaning of his lips.
Especially when Yuan Zhaoxu’s robes suddenly shifted, and peeked out a snowy large head. That large head swiveled its black eyes, and seeing the blade light, it swiftly pulled out a strand of hair, holding it horizontally to block.
Did it believe that the hairs on its butt were the legendary swords Ganjiang and Moye?[1]
Meng Fuyao had a sudden urge to smile, but before her smile could appear there also came the urge to cry. In the end, she didn’t smile, and didn’t cry. Her energy was exhausted, and she directly fell down.
With this fall her heart silently cried not good. In any case, Yuan Zhaoxu was right now the helper of Qi Xunyi. She had failed to steal the horse to clear the gates, so Yun Hen would definitely refuse to escape by himself. It was her that brought harm to him yet again.
She fell, falling into a warm chest. The skin revealed above his collar was as smooth as his satin robes, containing a curious faint fragrance. The skin on the back of her neck slightly rubbed on his chest, and she felt her whole body catch on fire in that instant.
Those flames rushed across her body, yet she didn’t feel burning pain, only feeling warm and drowsy, as if she had soaked into toasty hot spring. From her fingers to her toes, everything relaxed. This one night’s continuous thrilling dangers, rushing and toiling around, were all in this moment gathered, soothed, and brushed away like wisps of cloud and gentle wind by the warmth.
The breath of the man behind her was warm and enthralling, as if it was a beautiful dream that would make one lose themselves; or as if a fresh breeze drifting from the state of Xuanyuan where the four seasons were like spring; or as if a pool of rippling fragrant jade water in Tai Yuan’s most beautiful lotus pond, soft, enchanting, ever-present.
His lips were very close to her, so close that with the movements of the horse’s back, they would brush past the tips of her ears time and time again, creating a heart-penetrating itch. The scorching hot breath floated past her cheeks, soft and moist just like sensitive kisses. Meng Fuyao stiffened her back, not daring to move, yet her whole body began to soften cun by cun, softening into cotton, into mist, into a web, horizontally silk and vertically silk.
This instant was like a flash of starlight, yet this instant was also like an everlasting thousand years.
In her trance she heard that person’s voice softly sound by her ear, containing a faint humor. Listening to this kind of laugh, she felt that four seasons of flowers all bloomed in one moment.
“I really want to kiss you …”
Meng Fuyao trembled, dazedly wondering if this person’s voice was laced with poison? The simplest words said by him, was as if every word had attached golden hooks, rising and falling while hooking onto the listener’s heart.
She rubbed her face. It seemed to be on fire.
That voice paused. When it rose up again, it already contained a vague sense of regret.
“Unfortunately … we can’t right now.”
The words had just fell, when behind her came emptiness. That warm spring suddenly vanished, causing her heart to feel as if it had become empty as well. She quickly turned her head, and saw that wide-robed, long-sleeved man soar backwards in retreat, conceding the horse beneath her.
He landed on the ground. With a turn of his body that was like floating clouds and sweeping wind, in his hands had already appeared a bow.
A vermilion bowstring, dark black arrow feathers, and an iron arrowhead that dimly flashed with light. As he lightly smiled, his fingers flew and he dexterously nocked the arrow while pulling the bow. The bow turned into the shape of a full moon under the gaze of the completely shocked Yan Lie, in the astonishment of the angrily running Qi Xunyi who had been thrown off the horse, in the midst of the footsteps of the chasing soldiers that traveled from the stretch of heavy darkness behind his body.
It aimed towards, Meng Fuyao.
……
That arrow was bone-chilling cold. Never had it been as cold as it was right now.
On top of the horse Meng Fuyao turned her head, numbly staring at that arrow that was tightly fixed on her like the eyes of a hawk, as well as, that graceful, dignified man who was pulling the bow and arrow.
In that moment the air suddenly stilled, so quiet that the sputters of the torches and the breathing noises stifled from nervousness could be heard. Firelight shown on the girl who was twisting her body and looking back. Her face was calm, yet her eyes were pristinely brilliant like the unmelting snow on top of distant mountains. Inside that gaze was slowly surfacing surprise, hesitation, shock, confusion … thousands of words, all of them wanting to say the worries in her heart that could not be said out loud.
This kind of complicated gaze that was inexpressible through words, was like a heavy hammer that impacted the depths of the many people’s hearts. For a time, everyone had forgotten to move.
Only the man whom that gaze was directed towards was still faintly smiling without a change in expression, the hand that held the bow steady like a mountain. The bowstring was pulled too tightly, and let out deep creaking groans from under his palm, sounding as if it contained a profound sigh.
His finger shifted back cun by cun. The arrow on the bowstring, was unavoidably fired!
“Xiu!”
Translator Note: Hey guys, school has started so future updates will be slower than in the summer. I’m aiming for a chapter every two days, we will see how it goes. Book 1 is almost over though, only 6 more chapters to go!
Footnotes A famous sword smith couple, who made two famous swords they named after themselves. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gan_Jiang_and_Mo_Ye