Book 1: Winds Begin to Blow in Tai Yuan

Chapter 15 - Take Responsibility

Accept her?

Could this person's dictionary also include types of phrases

like "If it's good then take it", and "Modestly gentleman"?

Meng Fuyao clenched her fists, on full alert. She was

determined to reject that warm, fragrantly entrancing chest, determined to not

look at those laughing eyes above her head. This person's eyes were made of

spring water, distilled from spring sunlight, and melded with the spring wind.

His charming aura was just as strong as his martial arts - any and all thoughts

of resistance would be flicked into flying motes of dust between his fingers.

Unfortunately, even if she used her toes to count she would

know, that this man was definitely very dangerous. He was like Devil's Snare

swaying in the golden breeze [1] - it looked beautiful and harmless, but could

actually wound without a trace. All the cells of Meng Fuyao's body were warning

her to not cling and be unwilling to leave his warmth. After living for so many

years, if she still fell prey to the trivial nature of physical attractiveness,

then wouldn't she have wasted all these years of her life?

Meng Fuyao's willowy eyebrows rose in anger, and with a push

of her fists, she tried to push him a safe distance away. However, she didn't

expect Yuan Zhaoxu to suddenly tighten his hand! The hand that was originally

gently resting on her back suddenly exerted force, hugging her while twirling

her in a spin. Whereas Meng Fuyao was previously trying to stand up from the

bedside, now with this revolution she immediately fell backwards onto the bed.

The next moment, light-colored robes loosely drifted down,

and Yuan Zhaoxu had also flipped onto the bed. With a stretch of his hand, the

curtains began to fall downwards, the pearl draperies. .h.i.tting the ground with

fine, scattered sounds. The swaying of the curtains as they fell created an

otherworldly, bewitching scene.

After seeing that he had actually come onto the bed too, the

appalled Meng Fuyao wanted to spring up out of the bed. Yet Yuan Zhaoxu only

turned his head on the pillow and grinned at her, softly whispering, "Shh

~"

He moved his eyes to look outside the window. There, a dim

shadow faintly flashed.

After Meng Fuyao glanced for a second, she then silently

made a motion, with her straight palm slicing downward.

Yuan Zhaoxu gave a light smile, turned so that his back was

towards the window, then leaned his head forward and softly whispered by her

ear, "A girl shouldn't have such a thickly murderous aura. It'll affect

your graceful charm ..." When speaking his breath was intoxicating and

slightly warm, gently tickling the side of her ear like a vibrating silk

string. His voice was so low it was blurred, with every word enthralling.

Without reason, Fuyao's face became red.

That red blush spread, then retreated. Before she could

fully recover to her normal color, that guy who had just told her to not be so

murderous, suddenly unconcernedly flicked his fingers.

With a "pa" sound, on the pale white window paper

where a scattered, slanted shadow was reflected, several red plum blossoms

instantly burst forth. They slowly soaked and spread out, mixing in with the

both weak and bold flower designs on the paper surface.

An extremely m.u.f.fled grunt came from the foot of the wall,

the sound moving far away in a split second.

After hearing the sound, Fuyao couldn't help but shake her

head. "You tell others to have charm, yet you go on to mercilessly pierce

that guy's ears and deafen him."

"If he didn't stick so close to the window paper, how

could that ice needle have wounded him?" Yuan Zhaoxu's flowing eyes seemed

like a blurry dream full of flickering mist. "All things have their cause

and effect, evil will reap what evil sows."

Meng Fuyao s.h.i.+fted her body preparing to get up, while

knitting her brows and chuckling, "I guess this is the moral outlook of

your Infinite Empire's people?"

Yuan Zhaoxu chuckled but didn't answer. Fuyao s.h.i.+fted her

body, but suddenly found that she couldn't move. Turning back her head in

shock, she saw that the Yuan Zhaoxu on top of the pillow had actually s.h.i.+fted

closer by a few degrees, currently grinning and teasingly playing with a strand

of her hair that had fallen onto the pillow. Seeing her look over, his smile

became even more radiant, and he raised that strand of hair close to his nose,

closing his eyes in a deep sniff.

Then, he faintly laughed. "Smells good."

Fuyao immediately pulled her hair back, using murderous eyes

to glare back at him.

Yuan Zhaoxu pretended not to see her glare. Using his hand

to prop up his cheek, he scooped up yet another strand of long hair and

continued to play with it, conveniently placing some of her scattered hair

underneath his body. Meng Fuyao was unable to free herself, and so could only

bare her fangs at him in a toothy half-snarl, half-smile. "Tonight I

rolled around in the gra.s.s and mud, rolled down a cliff, and even soaked in a

night of rain."

"Its pa.s.sable, not too smelly."

"I have louses."

"Even better, I'll help you catch them."

Meng Fuyao was silent for a short while, until suddenly she

laughed. Yuan Zhaoxu lifted his head to look at her; from this angle, her

appearance was truly enchanting. Fuyao only grabbed the blankets and shoved

them over his face, then used her strength to squeakily rock the bed.

The bed began to dangerously tip from side to side, causing

the hanging pearl curtains to swing and sparkle, looking very gorgeous but also

very suspicious.

Yuan Zhaoxu twisted up the corners of his eyes and lifted

his eyebrows, then realized what she was doing, and couldn't help but laugh.

Pitter-patter pitter-patter.

In the instant that the creaking bed sounds began to sound,

a fat white shadow shot out from the wall corner, crawled up the bed, and in

mid-air executed another "forward flip somersault 360 degree body

twist". Four limbs flung out, preparing to cleave apart the two who looked

like they were exercising on the bed.

With the sound of blankets rustling, the two people of one

mind flipped over at the same time. The Master Yuanbao who had a "Master

Fetish" [2] plopped onto the bed in a "gu dong" sound, right in

the middle of the two people. The bed coverings were very soft, and Master

Yuanbao fell deep into the swirl with his feet over his head. Only after

struggling and trying a couple back-flips, did he forcibly free himself in the

end.

Unfortunately, after going through all the trouble of

unsteadily staggering to his feet, the unscrupulous master used a finger to

flick him down again, and Master Yuanbao was planted into the blankets yet

again.

Master Yuanbao hugged the sheets, crying with a zhi zhi

sound.

Fuyao bit the sheets, laughing so hard she was almost

convulsing.

Yet at this time, outside the window suddenly came light

knocking sounds, three in a row. Following that, a streak of black shadow

floated in like mist.

Yuan Zhaoxu went up to meet him. With his back blocking view

of the black-clothed man's face, the two people softly conversed a few phrases,

and then the black-clothed man retreated outside again.

After Zhaoxu turned back around, Meng Fuyao had already sat

up from the bed. From between the hanging drapes only a pair of black eyes

could be seen, s.h.i.+ning with light as they stared at him.

"Your master has asked the Grand Tutor to stay here for

a couple more days. The reason he offered was because he wanted to reminisce

about the past with an old friend he has not seen for years." Yuan

Zhaoxu's smile had some deep meaning to it. "The Grand Tutor was

originally planning on saying goodbye today, but now he naturally cannot

leave."

"Lin Xuanyuan has always been an old fox." Meng

Fuyao shrugged her shoulders.

"I had planned to bring you with the Grand Tutor down

the mountain. Looks like now we need a change of plans." Yuan Zhaoxu's

finger lightly raised, supporting his chin in an elegant posture. "Lin

Xuanyuan has already contacted Pei Yuan's relatives, and they will hurry here

soon. Him staying the Grand Tutor, is actually because he already suspects the

Grand Tutor might have some involvement in tonight's events. By delaying the

Grand Tutor until the people from the Pei family arrive, if there is any

conflict, it will only be the Pei family offending the Grand Tutor. Looks like

he has calculated well."

"Say, does the Grand Tutor actually have any involvement

in tonight's business?" Meng Fuyao grinned at him. "For example, you

helping me, does that old guy know about it?"

"It would be better to worry about how you are going to

escape yourself." Yuan Zhaoxu didn't fall for her trap.

Meng Fuyao didn't respond, only standing up to tidy her

clothes and put up her hair.

Zhaoxu sat without moving while watching her movements. A

bit of humor pa.s.sed through his eyes. "En?" [3]

"It's better for me to not continue to stay here."

Fuyao quickly tied her cuffs, and inspected her weapons. "You have already

helped me twice, that's already very righteous of you. If I continue to rely on

you, I'll bring trouble to both you and the Grand Tutor. I can't be so

irresponsible."

She waved her hand in a very fas.h.i.+onable, sophisticated

farewell gesture. "Catch you later."

After which she didn't even turn her head and walked towards

the exit. Before she reached the door, with a "ka-cha" sound, the

door latch locked of its own accord. Meng Fuyao stopped in her steps, turned

around, and looked at Yuan Zhaoxu with her head tilted. [4]

The day had already broken. Dawn light faintly spilled

through the window's gaps, outlining her door frame-leaning figure vividly and

clearly, which was like a willow tree that was both gentle and strong.

In the morning's light Yuan Zhaoxu's pupils flickered. The

meaning in his eyes was unable to be articulated in words.

After a while he gently set down the tea in his hands. The clear

sound of the porcelain bottom hitting the boxwood table [5] seemed to hold some

veiled implication, like some kind of hard to express emotion.

"Woman shouldn't be so stubborn and unyielding."

Zhaoxu's smile, inside the rosy pink of the breaking dawn's light, made even

the morning glow retreat a little. "That will make a man feel like a hero

who has nowhere to display his martial skills." [6]

"Oh? Then hero, " Meng Fuyao leaned against the

door, crossing her arms and smiling at him. "How do you plan to display

your martial skills?"

"Lin Xuanyuan has set nets above and snares below, just

waiting for you to fall into his traps. If you go charging in like this, then I

would have saved you for nothing." Yuan Zhaoxu came forward with large

steps, and his finger lightly stroked the smooth, glistening skin of her cheek.

"I saved you, so half of your life can be considered mine. Since I have a

share, then shouldn't you, take responsibility?"

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Devil's Snare: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datura_stramonium

2. Literal meaning is he is obsessed with his master, but

here the author uses the term "fetish" to poke fun at the fact that

Master Yuanbao seems to always jump out to interrupt the two when they are in

s.e.xually charged situations. Implies that Yuanbao might have voyeurism.

3. "En" is usually used as a question i.e. what

are you doing?

4. That SHAFT head tilt

5. Link: