Entangled Love GL - Chapter 25
After Duan Min was taken hostage by Shui Yanghua and led out of the Yunyun Hall, they proceeded straight ahead.
Duan Min simply closed her eyes, letting herself be carried along with her ups and downs. Listening to the wind whistling past her ears, she felt quite dizzy, but she silently endured it. When they stopped, they had arrived at an empty ancestral shrine, where the statues were dilapidated and dust covered the floor.
Shui Yanghua tossed Duan Min aside, then slowly sat down against the incense table, her head drooping from exhaustion, panting heavily. Duan Min didn’t steady herself, tripped over her feet, and stumbled. Her forehead gently grazed the leg of the table. Fortunately, she was far enough away that the contact wasn’t solid, just a light bump.
Duan Min quickly got up and smiled self-mockingly. She groped on the incense table, utilizing the faint moonlight.
Shui Yanghua rested for a moment and couldn’t help but ask, “What are you looking for?”
Duan Min had already found a overturned incense burner. She took it and sat down next to Shui Yanghua. Instead of answering, she asked, “Do you know what kind of temple this is?”
“The Abandoned Shrine of Lord Xie—I killed the two young girls from the Howling Tiger Hall and the Nine-Turn Dragon Pavilion right here a few days ago.” Shui Yanghua seemed to be in a good mood, her voice carrying a smile and a hint of triumph.
Duan Min paid no attention. She prayed to the incense burner, “Great Sage Lord Xie, please do not blame this humble commoner. I will atone for this intrusion in the future.” After speaking, she poured out the remaining incense ash from the burner, held a handful, and said to Shui Yanghua, “Uncover your left shoulder. I will stop the bleeding for you. You will die if you bleed any more.”
Shui Yanghua had been wounded on the shoulder by Yan Bozhan during the fight at the inn. The sword wound was neither deep nor shallow. When she first arrived at the Yunyun Hall, she hastily tore a strip of cloth from her inner garment to tie it simply, not doing any further treatment. After running such a long distance with Duan Min just now, her entire arm was already covered in bl00d.
Shui Yanghua hadn’t expected Duan Min to say such a thing. She glanced at Duan Min, then very cooperatively unbuttoned her clothes and exposed her left shoulder.
Duan Min held her shoulder with one hand and gently turned it. Looking at the wound in the moonlight, she frowned and carefully applied the incense ash to the injury. She comforted her softly, “It will hurt a little, and it might leave a scar, but your skin is so good that a small injury will only make you more alluring. Don’t worry about it. If you are truly unhappy, finding a good doctor to remove it is not difficult… All done.”
Shui Yanghua watched Duan Min fixedly while she spoke. When Duan Min withdrew her hand and put the incense burner back on the table, her thoughts had shifted several times. She asked, “You don’t want me to die?”
“The person who doesn’t want you to die is not me,” Duan Min sat back down next to her, a little farther away than before, “I just did a favor casually. If all the ash had been spilled, I would have left it at that.”
Shui Yanghua pressed, “Who is it then?”
Duan Min thought Mu Ye might not have had a chance to tell her her name, so she replied, “It’s the Peach Blossom Thief.”
“That little girl,” Shui Yanghua laughed a few times, speaking of Mu Ye with disdain, “She really is Shu Hongxiu’s junior sister. Just as foolish!”
Duan Min seemed to have heard the name Shu Hongxiu before, but she couldn’t remember who it was for a moment, so she didn’t delve deeper. She focused on the matter at hand: “If she weren’t foolish, you wouldn’t have had the chance to run here. What do you plan to do now?”
Shui Yanghua stared at Duan Min, her gaze dark and mysterious: “What do you think I should do?”
Duan Min looked back at her and replied, “Leave me here and go yourself. You have temporarily shaken off your enemies, and taking me will only drain your energy. You have been bleeding all the way, and someone might catch up soon. It’s best to make a quick decision.”
“I should just let you go like this?” Shui Yanghua leaned over, reached out and touched Duan Min’s neck. She felt the wound her own fingernails had created, and her fingertips were stained with bl00d.
Duan Min did not feel the pain. She still looked at her and said without hesitation, “Although you have already committed much slaughter and your crimes are unforgivable, I still advise you to lay down your butcher knife and not kill me. You don’t want to kill people.”
“But I feel wronged,” Shui Yanghua’s fingertips pressed against her neck, gradually becoming agitated, “My family was all killed by them. Why can’t I take revenge? Why must I flee the capital like a dog again? Why can’t I even make them suffer a little harm?”
“You have already killed two people a few days ago.”
“But not a single person from the Pavilion has died!” Shui Yanghua’s words were filled with resentment, her expression fanatical and fragile. Tears flowed without warning, “Why can’t even one person die!”
Duan Min saw that her emotions were unstable and that she was pressuring herself.
She had been frustrated in her actions, was injured and physically weak, and the thick darkness of the night was full of danger. The world was vast, but she had no support.
Duan Min momentarily thought to comfort her. Perhaps a moment of warmth would allow her to continue to be strong. As long as a person is alive, there is hope.
But why?
Because a rational Shui Yanghua was safer for her, should she encourage her to continue living for revenge?
Duan Min suddenly lost heart. She lowered her gaze, avoiding her eyes, looking at the hand that was now clamped on her neck again. On a strange impulse, she said, “I am not a person of the Pavilion.”
“You think it has nothing to do with you!” Shui Yanghua grinned, mocking shrilly, “That jade piece of Yang Mei’s is a treasure left to her by Princess Wushuang, no less valuable than the entire Pavilion, yet it’s not as good as your broken slip! I truly want to see if she will destroy herself after I kill you!”
Shui Yanghua suddenly exerted force on her hand. Duan Min’s breathing became difficult: “Don’t think a little small favor can buy me off! If you die here, you can only blame Yang Mei!”
“That’s fine too…” Duan Min struggled to force a smile. Shui Yanghua’s hand paused. “I’m already tired. I haven’t had a single day of peace for so many years… Dying here is just right. I won’t have to be tormented by the dead anymore… I’ve done my best to fulfill the last wishes of my ancestors. I can rest in peace in the netherworld…”
Duan Min finished speaking and closed her eyes, letting herself be at her mercy. Shui Yanghua, however, stopped her hand.
Shui Yanghua gasped loudly, as if waking from a deep nightmare. Her arm abruptly dropped, and she leaned back against the incense table, putting some distance between herself and Duan Min.
The abandoned shrine was utterly silent.
Duan Min felt the change in atmosphere. She opened her eyes and looked at Shui Yanghua. It was at this moment that a sudden change occurred.
The door burst open with a pa, and several cold arrows shot in from the window, aimed at both of them.
Before Duan Min could see clearly, she felt a dizzying spin. She heard the clanging of weapons as someone struck the hidden arrows down. When she steadied herself and regained her senses, she saw Mu Ye standing by her side, holding an arrow, shouting angrily, “Who is it? Come out!”
Three people entered from outside the door, led by Yan Bozhan.
Yan Bozhan stood firm, cupped his hands, and said faintly, “Peach Blossom Thief, tonight is a beautiful night. I’ve exacted my revenge, and you’ve saved your friend. It is truly a matter for celebration.”
Yan Bozhan had left the Yunyun Hall before Zhang Man and the others. He happened to catch Shui Yanghua breaking out through the window and immediately chased after her with the lightness skill experts of the Nine-Turn Dragon Pavilion, thus arriving at the Xie Gong Shrine first.
Yan Bozhan’s plan was meticulous. He ordered one person to break the door to attract Shui Yanghua’s attention, while he and another person launched hidden arrows from the window, simultaneously attacking both Shui Yanghua and Duan Min. Logically, Duan Min had no feud with him, but he only feared someone would come to the rescue. Attacking Duan Min was merely a ploy to lure the enemy, and besides, what did Duan Min’s life or death matter to him?
Although Mu Ye’s martial arts skills were high, it was difficult for her to rescue both sides in a crisis. Saving Duan Min meant ignoring the others. This was entirely anticipated by Yan Bozhan. However, Yan Bozhan hadn’t expected Shui Yanghua to be completely unresponsive, so the fallback move he had prepared was unused.
Although the plan had succeeded, Yan Bozhan was not smiling. The moonlight from outside illuminated his body, and his eyes were bewildered.
Mu Ye did not speak. She quickly dropped the arrow in her hand, put away her dagger, and walked out, passing directly by Yan Bozhan.
Duan Min looked back at Shui Yanghua once and quickly chased after Mu Ye, leaving the place.
Mu Ye did not return directly to the Yunyun Hall. Duan Min asked nothing, only followed her.
They entered the city at dawn. The two of them turned left and right, walking through streets and alleys until they reached a deserted house, where there was no path forward.
Mu Ye turned to walk back, but Duan Min stretched out her arms to block her and asked, “What are you dissatisfied with me about?”
Mu Ye did not look at her. After a long pause, she replied, “Nothing. Why bring up such things now?”
“You were hiding nearby watching, hoping I would save her, but I didn’t succeed…”
“Not only did you not succeed, how could she not have dodged those few arrows!” Mu Ye glared at Duan Min, “What did you say?!”
Duan Min’s expression was serious: “I must make it clear. Firstly, I did not want to save her. Secondly, I do not have the ability to save people like that. Thirdly,” Duan Min looked directly into Mu Ye’s eyes, “I didn’t know you were there. What I said was mainly for my own self-counseling, and secondarily to soothe her, hoping she could save herself.”
Duan Min looked at Mu Ye for a while, then averted her gaze and looked around: “I need to hurry back. Lady Yun must be worried. I don’t even know where we are.”
Duan Min walked away after speaking. Mu Ye paused, then finally followed.
They returned to the Yunyun Hall without speaking a word along the way. After dinner, everything seemed to have returned to normal. Mu Ye cheered up again and playfully pulled on Duan Min’s sleeve: “Min-jie, there’s an old saying you must have heard: ‘A debt of gratitude for saving one’s life should be repaid by offering oneself in marriage.'”
Duan Min yanked her sleeve back: “It’s a pity that historically, chivalrous heroes do not seek repayment for their benevolence. I know the Peach Blossom Thief has a reputation for righteousness.”
“That’s what Yang Mei said to scare the old thief; you actually believe her!” Mu Ye’s eyes darted around, “Hey, let’s make a bet. I bet Miss Yang is definitely in for a period of trouble.”
Duan Min nodded: “Alright, I bet she’ll have two periods of trouble.”
Mu Ye glanced at her, then turned to Lady Yun: “Lady Yun, join us. Do you think Yang Mei is perfectly fine with no trouble?”
Lady Yun smiled, then sighed: “Three periods. Anything more would be too pitiful.”