CLX Book 5 Chapter 11 – Part 1

Chapter 11 – A Time to Love

Chu Liuxiang slowly withdrew.

In order to track the leader of the assassin organization, no one knew how much heart’s blood [meticulous care] he had to spend, how much time he had to spend. Now, finally his cherished desire had been granted. _{Translated by foxs}

But in his heart, was he really happy?

Late autumn, the days were short, twilight seemed to be just around the corner.

The yellow leaves danced with the autumn wind, accompanied by the lonely and helpless dried-up branches trembling in the autumn wind.

Chu Liuxiang picked up a fallen leaf from the ground, he stared in daze at it for a long time, then put it down gently, watching it being swept up by the autumn wind.

He straightened up his chest and continued walking.

As soon as Chu Liuxiang stepped out of the Xue Family Manor’s gate, he discovered someone was hiding far away behind a tree, behaving like a thief, casting sneaky look over here from time to time.

Although he only revealed half of his eyes, Chu Liuxiang already recognized who he was … other than Xiao Tuzi, who else had such a bald head [reminder: Xiao Tuzi literally means little bald head kid].

As soon as he saw Chu Liuxiang, Xiao Tuzi’s eyes lit up, but Chu Liuxiang did not seem to see him at all. Xiao Tuzi was so anxious that he kept wiping his sweat, he kept waving his hands, but Chu Liuxiang still did not pay him any attention. Instead, he deliberately walked on the other side. Flashing and shrinking, Xiao Tuzi followed behind him, not even dared to call out. _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

Having just set fire in someone else’s house, inevitably he was having guilty conscience a little bit. He waited until Chu Liuxiang was far away before Xiao Tuzi dared to come over. Grinning, he said, “If you, Senior [lit. old people] did not come out again, we would really be anxious to the death.”

Pulling his face, Chu Liuxiang said, “I’m not old at all, there’s no need for you to worry.”

Xiao Tuzi was stunned; smiling apologetically, he said, “Is Xiang Shuai angry with us, brothers? Could it be because we, brothers, did not dare to rush in to help?”

Chu Liuxiang spoke coldly, “Help, I do not dare to expect, I just hope that hereafter, you guys don’t regard me as a friend anymore!”

Originally Xiao Tuzi was still smiling apologetically, but as soon as he heard this, the smile on his face suddenly froze. It was only half a day later that he stammered, “Wh … why?”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Because although I have all kinds of friends, but friends who kill and commit arson, I don’t have any. Such a young age, you already learned how to kill and set fire, when you grow up, won’t that be even more serious?”

Xiao Tuzi said anxiously, “I … I have never killed anyone before!” _{Translated by foxs}

Chu Liuxiang asked, “What about setting fire?”

Xiao Tuzi said with a bitter face, “That … not that I have, it’s just … it’s just …”

Chu Liuxiang said, “It’s just what? It’s just that you commit arson for me, right?”

Xiao Tuzi was sweating profusely, he did not know whether he should nod, or shake his head.

Chu Liuxiang said, “You committed arson for me, so I ought to be grateful to you, right? In that case, when you kill people for me in the future, shouldn’t I be more grateful to you?”

Xiao Tuzi was so anxious that he nearly cried.

Chu Liuxiang heaved a sigh, he said, “If you set fire to an evil person’s house, and the one you kill is an evil person, although it is already inappropriate, it is still understandable. If you burn a good person’s house, the one you kill is a good person, then no matter for whose sake, you must not do it. No matter what reason, it is still unacceptable, do you understand?”

Xiao Tuzi nodded desperately, tears already streaming down his face.

Chu Liuxiang’s face softened, he said, “Now, you are still young, I must make you understand ‘da zhang fu you suo bu wei’, these seven characters [lit. there are some things that a man of character must not do]. It means there are some things that no matter what the reason, you absolutely must not do!” _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

‘Plop!’ Xiao Tuzi dropped down on his knees, with tears and snot running freely, he said in a choked voice, “I understand, next time I won’t dare to do it again. No matter what reason, I definitely will not do bad things, definitely will not kill and set fire.”

Only then did Chu Liuxiang break into a smile, he said, “As long as you remember what I said today, not only you are my good friend, you are also my good brother!”

He pulled Xiao Tuzi up and said with a laugh, “You also have to remember that a man’s tears must flow down to his stomach, but the snot must not be swallowed into his belly.”

Xiao Tuzi could not help laughing. He did not laugh, it was still all right, but as soon as laughed, he nearly swallowed his snot for real. Hurriedly he sucked in hard, ‘whoosh!’ all the snot shrank back into his nose.

Chu Liuxiang could not help laughing either, he said, “I did not expect you to have such a consummate skill in neigong [inner power].”

Xiao Tuzi’s face turned red, he chortled and said, “Xiao Mazi always wanted to learn this skill from me, but he always failed, he ended up with snot all over his face.”

Chu Liuxiang asked, “Where is he now?”

Xiao Tuzi said, “He was accompanying someone over there, waiting for Xiang Shuai, I am afraid by now he is waiting anxiously to the death.” _{Translated by foxs}

Xiao Mazi was indeed waiting anxiously to the death, but the person he was accompanying was even more anxious. Even Chu Liuxiang did not expect that the person waiting for him was unexpectedly Xue Bin’s page boy Yi Jian.

As soon as Yi Jian saw Chu Liuxiang, he nearly prostrated himself to the ground.

Naturally Chu Liuxiang stopped him; he asked with a laugh, “You guys already knew each other?”

Xiao Mazi hurriedly said, “If we did not know him, today’s situation might be worse. If it wasn’t him letting us go, we might not necessarily be able to escape just now.”

As soon as Xiao Tuzi heard that he was going to talk about setting fire again, he hurriedly pulled him aside.

Yi Jian respectfully said, “Xiang Shuai‘s intention, Xiaoren already passed on to Er Gongzi.”

Chu Liuxiang said, “What is his intention then?” _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

Yi Jian said, “Er Gongzi has admired Xiang Shuai’s fame as a hero [Xia] for a long time, this moment I am afraid he is already waiting respectfully for Xiang Shuai’s great self at the hunting lodge over there.”

Chu Liuxiang chuckled, he said, “Very good. I’d like to trouble you again, pass on my message to Xue Er Gongzi, ask him to wait for a moment longer, tell him that I will be there soon.”

After Yi Jian left, Chu Liuxiang muttered to himself irresolutely for half a day, he said, “I still have something that I want to ask you two to do.”

Xiao Mazi was afraid to receive a scolding, so he hung his head low and did not dare to come over. Xiao Tuzi had already endured the scolding, he felt that he seemed to have more spirit than Xiao Mazi, hence he hurriedly said, “Forget about one thing, even a hundred things are not a problem.”

“Do you know that pair of husband and wife I went to see last night?”

Xiao Tuzi said, “Of course I do.”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Good, you go look for them now, take them to the hunting lodge over there as well, tell them that I am asking them to go.”

Xiao Tuzi said, “No problem!”

Chu Liuxiang said, “But after you get to the hunting lodge over there, you must wait outside first. It would be best if no one sees you, wait for me to call you in, and then you show up.”

While nodding his head, Xiao Tuzi pulled Xiao Mazi along to run. _{Translated by foxs}

Chu Liuxiang looked up to the sky, he stretched his waist and limbs, and then muttered, “Thank Heaven and thank the Earth, finally all the troubles are about to pass …”

Chu Liuxiang did not take much effort to pacify Zuo Qinghou, and then he took the unclear-whether-fake-or-real Miss ‘Zuo Mingzhu’ out of the Zhi Bei Shanzhuang.

This ‘Zuo Guniang’s’ countenance was still dreadfully pale, but her eyes were very bright. She seemed to have regained enough energy in the past two days, but she was still walking exasperatingly slowly. After walking behind Chu Liuxiang for a long time, she spoke in a long, drawn-out manner, “It’s almost three days now.”

Chu Liuxiang chuckled, he said, “I know.”

Zuo Guniang said, “You promised me that if I waited for three days, you will let me go home.”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Mm hmm.”

Miss Zuo said, “In that case … in that case, you are willing to let me go home now?”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Of course I am willing to let you go, it’s just that, after you get home, will your father and mother still recognize you …? If it were me, I definitely would not admit a strange girl as my daughter.” _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

Biting her lip, Miss Zuo said, “But … but you already promised me, you should explain it for me.”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Would Jin Gong Furen believe me?”

Miss Zuo said, “In Jianghu, who doesn’t know that Chu Xiang Shuai’s promise worth one thousand in gold [idiom]? As long as it’s Xiang Shuai who says it, even your enemy definitely will not want not to believe.”

Chu Liuxiang was silent for half a day, suddenly he looked back and laughed again, he said, “Don’t worry, I will eventually have your wish fulfilled, but in everything we must take it easy, you must not be in a hurry; if you are in a hurry, you will mess up my plan.”

Miss Zuo hung her head low. After walking for half a day, ahead was already the small forest. Looking from a distance, she could vaguely see the small wooden lodge.

She suddenly halted her steps and said, “You … you are not sending me home, where are you taking me?”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Do you see the wooden house over there?”

Miss Zuo’s countenance turned even paler, she nodded her head with great difficulty.

Chu Liuxiang said, “I’m tired from walking, let’s go and sit in that house first.”

Miss Zuo said, “I … I … I don’t want to go.” _{Translated by foxs}

Although she struggled hard to control herself, her lips were still trembling a little.

Chu Liuxiang laughed and said, “There are no ghosts in that house, what are you afraid of? Besides, you have died once, even if there are ghosts, you don’t have to be afraid.”

Miss Zuo said, “I … I hear that that house belongs to the Xue Family.”

Chu Liuxiang laughed and said, “If you were Zuo Mingzhu, naturally you must not go to the Xue Family’s house, but you are not the real Zuo Mingzhu, Zuo Mingzhu is already dead, you just borrowed her corpse to revive your soul, why can’t you go?”

Grinning, he said, “What’s more, since you are Xue Er Gongzi’s wife who has not passed through the doorway [(of a woman) to marry], sooner or later you will go to the Xue Family’s house.”

Miss Zuo said, “But … but …”

Chu Liuxiang said, “I won’t have any problem either, I’m Xue Yiren’s friend!”

Miss Zuo seemed to be stunned; she stared blankly for half a day, then reluctantly hung her head down and followed Chu Liuxiang, her feet seemed to be dragging a thousand-jin [catty] heavy iron chain. _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

But Chu Liuxiang was walking briskly; they had just reached the door of the wooden house, the door opened, and a very handsome young man in brocade clothes pushed the door and came out.

Originally he had a smile on his face, obviously he came out to meet Chu Liuxiang, but as soon as he saw this ‘Zuo Guniang’, his smile froze.

Although all along Miss Zuo was hanging her head low, her countenance was extremely very unsightly.

Chu Liuxiang’s gaze swept across the two persons’ faces, he said with a laugh, “Turns out the two of you have already known each other.”

The young man and Miss Zuo immediately rushed speak at the same time, “Don’t know …”

Chu Liuxiang laughed and said, “Don’t know? There’s no harm in that, in any case, sooner or later the two of you will know each other.”

With a smile on his face, he cupped his fists toward the young man and said, “Presumably this gentleman is Xue Er Gongzi?”

Xue Bin bowed and hung his head low, he said, “I don’t dare, disciple is precisely Xue Bin. Xiang Shuai‘s great name, disciple already heard like thunder pouring into my ears, but I wonder what instruction does Xiang Shuai have this time?”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Instruction, I do not dare either, but please come in and sit down first and then we talk.” _{Translated by foxs}

Contrary to the norm, he acted like the host instead, greeting the guests at the door with cupped fist. Xue Bin and Miss Zuo could only walk in with their heads down, as if their necks were suddenly broken, they could no longer raise their heads up.

Yi Jian immediately withdrew, he retreated to the door, only to hear Chu Liuxiang whisper, “When Xiao Tuzi comes, tell him to come in alone.”

Only to see Miss Zuo and Xue Bin, one stood at the left corner of the room, while the other stood at the right corner of the room. The two persons, their eyes looked down at their nose, the nose looked down to their heart, without moving at all.

Chu Liuxiang laughed and said, “This place is really not bad, even if it is newly-built, it was built really well … Xue Gongzi, what do you think?”

Xue Bin laughed aloud and said, “I don’t dare … it’s … ahem …”

Chu Liuxiang walked around the room a few more times, and said with a gentle laugh, “The moon on the tip of the willow tree, a date after dusk … Actually, having a date here is really not bad …”

He suddenly pushed the door open, Xiao Tuzi happened to walk toward the door.

Chu Liuxiang laughed and said, “You came just in time. These two persons, I wonder if you know them?” _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

Xiao Tuzi swept his gaze around, immediately, with brows raised in delight, eyes laughing [idiom: all smiles], he said, “How could I not know them? This Gongzi and this Xiaojie are both generous people. The first time we met, they gave me a few taels of silver.”

He had not finished speaking, Miss Zuo and Xue Bin’s countenance changed.

The two rushed to say, “I don’t know him … This kid mistook us for someone else.”

Xiao Tuzi blinked, he laughed and said, “I definitely did not mistake you for someone else. Beggars meet generous people, we will never forget, ever.”

Chu Liuxiang clapped his palms, he laughed and said, “In that case, Xue Gongzi and Zuo Guniang indeed have already known each other.”

Miss Zuo suddenly screamed, “I … I am not surnamed Zuo, you are all mistaken, I am Shi Yin … I don’t know him!”

While screaming wildly, she wanted to rush out.

But she immediately found that the real ‘Shi Yin’ was standing at the door!

Chu Liuxiang pointed at Shi Yin, with a smile on his face, he said, “Do you know her?”

Zuo Mingzhu was shaking all over, she spoke in trembling voice, “I … I …”

Chu Liuxiang said, “If you are Shi Yin, then who is she?” _{Translated by foxs}

Zuo Mingzhu groaned, suddenly she passed out.

Ye Shenglan, Shi Yin, and Liang Ma were sitting on the side, the expressions on their faces were very peculiar, but it was unclear whether it was alarm, or nervous, or delight.

Yi Jian, Xiao Tuzi and Xiao Mazi were standing on the side, staring blankly; obviously they still did not understand what was going on, in their heart, there was doubt, but there was also curiosity at the same time.

Zuo Mingzhu was leaning in Xue Bin’s arms, as if she did not have the strength to stand up.

They originally ‘did not know each other’, but as soon as Zuo Mingzhu fainted, Xue Bin, disregarding everything, held her in his arms, no longer willing to let go again.

Although the mood in everybody’s heart was different, the expression on their faces was different, everybody’s eyes were on Chu Liuxiang, they were all waiting for him to speak.

Chu Liuxiang raised the wick a bit higher, he spoke slowly, “I’ve heard many people talked about ‘ghosts’, but people who have really seen a ghost, I have not met a single one. I’ve also heard people talked about ‘borrowing a corpse to return a soul to life’ …” _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

He laughed, and then continued, “This kind of thing is originally very hard to believe, but this time I nearly believed it, because I saw with my own eyes Zuo Guniang died, and then I saw with my own eyes she came back to life.”

Everybody was silent, waiting for him to continue.

Chu Liuxiang said, “I also saw with my own eyes Shi Guniang’s dead body. Even the clothes she wore when she died were the same as what Zuo Guniang described when she came back to life. This is indeed ‘borrowing a corpse to return a soul to life’, anybody cannot but believe.”

Xiao Tuzi’s eyes grew big, he could not help asking, “But now Shi Guniang is not dead, why did Zuo Guniang speak like that? Since Shi Guniang is not dead, what happened to her body?”

Chu Liuxiang laughed and said, “This matter is indeed very complicated, originally I pondered a hundred times without understanding anything, until I unintentionally broke into this room and found the box of face powder in the stove.”

Xiao Tuzi said, “What does the box of face powder have anything to do with ‘borrowing a corpse to return a soul to life’?”

Chu Liuxiang said, “If you want to hear the secret, quickly go and find someone for me, because she has a very important relationship with this matter. She must want to hear it very much too.”

Before Xiao Tuzi could speak, Liang Ma suddenly said, “The person Xiang Shuai is looking for, could it be that Shi (Xiuyun) Guniang?” [I know it’s confusing because the two surnames have the exact same pinyin, so I think from now on I need to put their given name in parenthesis.] _{Translated by foxs}

Chu Liuxiang said, “That’s right, you also know her?”

Liang Ma’s aging face surprisingly turned red as well, she said, “I already invited her to come here, but Shi (Xiuyun) Guniang must go back home to change clothes before she is willing to come over to see Xiang Shuai.”

Chu Liuxiang heaved a sigh, he stopped talking because he had nothing to say.

Fortunately, Shi Xiuyun was still young. Young girls always took less time to groom herself——the time a woman spends grooming herself is always directly proportional to her age.

Seeing so many people, naturally Shi Xiuyun was very surprised.

Xiao Tuzi was more anxious than her, he already rushed to ask, “What exactly is the relationship between the box of face powder with this matter?”

Chu Liuxiang chuckled, he said, “There is a box of face powder inside the stove, which means that there must be a pair of man and woman who often meet here. I thought it was another pair, but the fragrance on their bodies is different from the scent of the face powder in this box.” _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

He did not mention Xue Honghong or Hua JinGong’s names, because he never wanted to harm others, but at this moment, Zuo Mingzhu’s face already turned red.

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