Prev Next
[][][] The Mysterious Gentleman

Unedited

When people hovered between life and death, they tended to be lost in nostalgic reverie. It must be why he could see her again. He believed they should have never met. That year, he had failed an assassination task and was gravely injured. He barely escaped from his pursuers. Then, she found him, saved him and took him back with her home. That was how everything began. As time went by, his gratitude grew into affection.

Five years prior to his death, he kidnapped her on the day of her wedding and imprisoned her in an act of pure selfishness. For five years, she continued to yearn for that man, and his forceful love bore no fruit. He was a madman to begin with. Sometimes, he would treat her well, loving her like a precious treasure; Other time, his hatred for her drove him to torment her hundred of ways on that bamboo bed. In the end, he pushed her to the point she secretly smeared her clothes with an odorless poison called Falling Clouds.

She wanted to die and had planned it for a long time, making sure that once she made the move, he could not be able to save her. And she was successful, he couldn't save her. He could only watch her died in his arms, but he still couldn't let her go. Like a walking corpse, he held her for three days and three nights. His mind tormented by regrets. He was wrong. He finally understood it, but it was too late. Death had forever separate them.

If only she could wake up, he swore he will let go of her. He would do anything as long as she could live well. He kept praying and praying, chanting those promises for three days. Perhaps, his sincerity had moved the Heavens, not long after, he fell ill and passed away. As he closed his eyes and expired, he found himself awake again, but time has returned to that fateful day.

His eyes opened. His sight recognized the environment seven years ago. That year, he had yet to meet her officially. Everything has returned to the start. This time he decided not to tangle with her. He had promised Heavens he would let her go, therefore he must abide by his words. Otherwise, there would be divine retributions.

However, forgetting her was very difficult. Even if he threw himself in martial arts training, his yearning couldn't be extinguished. In this life, he devoted himself to cultivation, avoiding threading once again on the path of calamity. He had reformed his former self as soon as he confirmed his rebirth. He compiled in a book the tasks issued by the assassination organization, Red Fox sect, detailing it with the name of the clients and "fish bait" identities used. He lurked in the dark, recording everything he could so that one day, all those crimes would be revealed to the martial arts circles.

Unfortunately, paper cannot cover fire. He was exposed. Despite already making preparation for that day, a lone man was no match to the behemoth behind an evil sect. He was caught in a mortal chase, escaping for hundreds of miles, but his feet brought him back to the place she saved him in his previous life.

Perhaps, everything was born from his own disillusions – fading into nothingness at the blink of an eye as he reached his end. Gravely injured, he hid among the wilderness. In the state he was, survival was nothing short but a miracle. Soon, his vital functions would cease, leaving a corpse to be beasts' food. His bones would then be buried and tangled between roots. His existence would then vanish from this world. Maybe his rebirth was nothing more but a dream – a dream where his regrets are mere scares. That would be truly good.

Zhao Jianlong was very curious about the black-clothed man she rescued. Besides, she was his savior which is a reason for her to check on him and took care of him from time to time. The black-clothed man always had a frown on his face. His forehead was often covered in sweat no matter how many times she wiped it. He could be having a nightmare and yelled out someone's name occasionally. Unexpectedly, the name was similar to hers. There was one time, she replied to him by accident. The man calmed down at once and his face showed a rare expression of peace. Such a reaction made her wonder for a while.

Later, she became used to his shouts. Perhaps, "Longlong" was the name of the woman he loved or a relative who met with a disaster.

His nightmares caused him to be in constantly covered in cold sweat. If he caught a cold, his weak body wouldn't be able to stand it, even an immortal wouldn't be able to save him. Not long ago, Shan Zheng married the escort captain Wang Yi, so it wasn't appropriate for her to be in close contact with another man. Hence, Zhao Jianlong had to take over in the meantime and nursed him. What was there to be seen was all seen. Since she had to give him a bed bath often, his body had no secret for her. At first, she was quite shy, but after a few times, she no longer cared seeing him naked. In a comatose state, he barely reacted to her care, so she ended up treating him as a giant doll.

Today, as usual, she went to fetch a big basin of hot water then stripped him. She also undid his dressings. She wrung a towel and began cleaning his wounds with careful moves since she didn't want to remove the newly formed scabs. Fully concentrate on her task, she didn't notice the abnormal fluttering of his eyelashes and the slight movements of his fingers.

When Chen Yue opened his eyes, he was still dazed, unable to adapt himself to the new environment, especially being rub everywhere by something warm. He looked around sluggishly, but then his sight fell on something which stunned him, making him unable to retract his gaze. He couldn't believe his eyes; the person washing him was her – the person who hated him to the point of wanting to shred him to pieces, Zhao Jianlong. In his previous life, when she found him injured, she brought him back, but she never touched him be it to wash him or nurse him. She only came once in a while to take a look at his condition.

When Zhao Jianlong was about to wring another wet towel, she discovered the body in front of her moved. She slightly got up more scared than surprise. The next moment, the body continued his course toward the edge of the bed, ready to follow the gravity to the floor. Fortunately, she reacted quickly by twisting her body to the side and stopped him by pushing on his arm. At that point, the towel in her hand was thrown away who knows where. When she raised her head, her sight met with his. The complex and fleeting emotions reflected in his eyes caught her attention. Then, she realized her was paste to him. In a flurry, she pulled off some distance.

Chen Yue closed his eyes again. His scar-ridden face still had a pale and morbid complexion from heavy blood loss, eclipsing what was once a handsome and juvenile face. He urged his body to move, but he was greeted with a wave of pain instead. He couldn't feel anything apart from the torments of his injuries, even when she stuck so close to him, no soft sensation came to him. His whole being was the embodiment of suffering be it physical or emotional. More than physical, he felt like his heart was being ripped apart and hollow when he looked at her. He remembered in his previous life; he failed a mission and was gravely injured; In this life, he betrayed the Red Fox sect and was gravely injured. The cause changed, but the result remained the same – she still saved him.

Their relationship was an ill-fated one, so why would the Heaven make them cross path again? Was this the Heaven's will or a test to see if he would abide by his oath – protecting her to repay her saving grace?

"You…" Zhao Jianlong stopped, not knowing what to call the man in front of her. "Senior, is it painful?"

Chen Yue didn't respond too weak to utter a word. Although, even if he has the strength to speak, he wouldn't dare to talk to her. His heart wasn't ready to face her. The guilt and the sorrow had made his mind sank into a swamp he dare not extricate himself. His psychotic love had pushed her into the abyss of despair. He couldn't do it again. It was better if he was the only one suffering.

"I'll smear the medicine for you. This will ease the pain." It looks like it's so painful he couldn't speak. Zhao Jianlong threw to the back of her mind the previous embarrassing moment and went on the bed. She picked up the towel which had fallen next to Chen Yue's head.

His Longlong… No, she was not his. She was Zhao Jianlong. Although he convinced himself, he couldn't help reminisce the last time she spoke to him so warmly. In his memories, she only had a cold face and spoke to him with an acerb tone which maddened him to the point he turned violent. However, her martial arts shouldn't be underestimated. A moment of carelessness and he was in for a world of pain.

Then, he felt as if someone touched him. The tickling sensation pulled him out of his reverie. He opened his eyes and saw Zhao Jianlong applied ointment on his wound with the spontaneity of her youthful self. How can this come to be? How long did he faint for her to nurse him like that?

There was one thing Chen Yue didn't realize yet. In his previous life, although his injuries were grave, his condition couldn't be compared to now. In fact, in this life, escaping from the Red Fox sect had left him with barely a breath of life. His condition was much more critical than in his previous life.

Zhao Jianlong sensed he was looking at her. Every time he looked at her, it made her baffled. She was a little afraid of his expression, but she had the urge to unravel the mystery behind his complicated gaze at the same time. She deliberately didn't look back. Since he didn't speak nor move again, she had no obligation to acknowledge him. She would just treat him like usual – a big block of wood.

It took up all her courage to complete her task. After she was done, she planned to go find her second uncle, but when she raised her head, she was shocked. His eyes were completely red and tears flowed out freely like a broken dam. Although his sight was blurred, he continued to fix his gaze on her as if there were a thousand words waiting to be utter but died inside him instead.

She was nervous and her heart beat erratically. "Senior, did I hurt you?" she asked in a whisper. She took out her handkerchief and wanted to wipe his tears, but she suddenly realized it was improper, so she stopped. "I'll go find Second Uncle."

He watched her leave in a hurry as if she wanted to be far from him. His sorrow turned into relieved. It was better if she feared him, a fear deeply ingrained in her bone. It was better she was away from him because there are things time could never erase.

The following day, Zhao Jianlong arrived outside of Cheng Yue's temporary abode with a wooden basin in hand. She raised her hand ready to knock on the door but hesitated at the last moment. That man has awakened. She was reluctant to go in and wash him since he was already conscious and she couldn't treat him like a wooden dummy like before. He was after all an unfamiliar man and even if she wasn’t bothered with trifling etiquettes, her nursing still involved undressing him and washing him. It should be time to let other people attend him. Today will be the last day. Tonight, she will talk to her father and appointed a servant to take over this task.

When she came to that decision, her heart became free of worry. She then knocked on the door. She knew no one will answer to the door, so she went in without further ado.

She didn't know if he was asleep as his eyes were closed and his face showed a rare expression of serenity.

She put down the water basin, leaned above the bed and called him. Silence. All the better if he doesn't wake up. She reached for his pants and untied it. Suddenly, he opened his eyes.

"Senior…" she blurted out, scared. Then, she observed him. Her usual candid and carefree attitude was overshadowed by unknown fear as if she was caught red-handed doing something bad. She became restless and unable to calm down or face him.

Chen Yue avoid looking at her. He also didn't want her to see him in such a weak state. More than that, he was still trapped in self-loathing and had no courage to face her. Even if he had returned to the past, he couldn't easily put down the ill feelings between them. Perhaps, it was better if she never met him. He should not have returned to that place.

"Leave."

She thought she misheard. Isn't that man gravely injured and shouldn't have the strength to speak?

"Senior? What did you say?"

"Leave." He shut his eyes. At that moment, he had the urge to get up, but he barely had the strength to lift his arm. He felt as if his body weight a ton and wreck with pain and soreness. This time he was more injured than expect. Last night, he tried to circulate his internal force, but his internal qi was a mess and his body was completely empty of internal force to curb the qi.

Zhao Jianlong had no idea Chen Yue's five senses were dull, so she became distracted after recalling the situation yesterday. Not only that, she actually felt sorry for him. "Senior, I apologize if I offended you. Maybe I am too used training in martial arts with my brothers and lacks judgment about certain things."

Her presence was a torment to him. It was better when she was out of sight. Fortunately, his body couldn't move as he wanted it. Otherwise, the madness gnawing his heart would have pushed him to commit an irreparable mistake again.

His reason told him that her words were true. At that moment, he was a mere stranger. They were unrelated – no love nor hate defined their relationship. It's good like this.

She waited a moment, but he remained silent. Therefore, she went out quietly.

For some reason, she was disappointed. A contradiction arose in her heart. She obviously didn't expect anything from him, but at the same time, there was some kind of anticipation. Perhaps, she was expecting their first conversation to be different. He would wake up, ask her where he was, and she would tell him about their place while finding out his identity.

Martial art masters are usually introvert and antisocial.

It was something her father and her second uncle told her.

That night, they ordered a servant to attend to Chen Yue, but the servant was sent out in the same way.

Zhao Changshan and Zhao Changlin also went to visit Chen Yue. However, what he said made everyone beyond speechless.

[][][]
Report error

If you found broken links, wrong episode or any other problems in a anime/cartoon, please tell us. We will try to solve them the first time.

Email:

SubmitCancel

Share