Chapter 9
Devious, You and Me Both
Nangong Xue suddenly laughed.
What are you laughing for?” Lucky looked surprised.
“A laugh indicates happiness, don’t you even know that?” Nangong Xue’s laughter was as clear and crisp as a silver bell.
“Why are you happy?”
Nangong Xue’s look was ice-cold. “At the very least you won’t kill me before my duel with Silver Sabre on the fifteenth. I have so many days left to live, isn’t that worth being happy about?”
“You’re not going to ask me why I want to kill you?”
“If I ask will you tell me?”
Lucky hesitated. “I wouldn’t.”
Lucky was surprised by Nangong Xue’s composure. “Actually you already knew I wouldn’t kill you.”
“If you wanted to kill me you shouldn’t have saved me this time. I’m definitely going to die by Silver Sabre’s blade, right?”
Nangong Xue said coldly, “If I guessed right, there was someone who wanted you to kill me, and you didn’t agree, but you’re also worried that they would get someone else to kill me. If I’m killed, Silver Sabre won’t show himself, so you had to save me. Am I right?”
Lucky sighed.
“Why are you sighing?”
“I’m sighing because I admire that your mind is as quick as your sword.”
“But I don’t understand why you didn’t agree to kill me?”
“Why should I agree?”
“At the very least that person must make it worth your while.”
Gazing turning cold, Lucky became serious. “If I make it worth your while will you agree to do anything I ask you?”
“You really have character.” Nangong Xue sighed.
“You think you’re the only one in the world who has character?” Lucky’s proud expression carried a hint of derision.
Just then, Dugu Mei, who had been silent till now, said to Nangong Xue with a smile, “Miss Nangong, you know that we mean you no harm, so why don’t you come have a seat?”
“Thank you, I don’t want to trouble you any further!” Nangong Xue said, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going.”
“You can’t go.” Dugu Mei was not only beautiful, her speech was also incredibly gentle and soft. “The slow-acting poison inside you has not dispersed. Won’t it be too dangerous for you to go?”
“No.” Nangong Xue regarded her gratefully. “I’ll go to the medicine shop and grab some herbs and take them and I’ll be fine. It’s not a bowel-penetrating poison.”
“No need for all that trouble, we’ve already got everything prepared for you.”
Dugu Mei clapped her jade hands lightly and a maidservant came over carrying a bowl of warm soup.
X X X
The bowl of soup was bitter and astringent and Nangong Xue had a hard time getting it down. But in the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea she was felt her mind clear and strength return to her body. She couldn’t help but praise it, “Good medicine tastes bitter, poison tastes sweet. That saying certainly is true.”
She continued. “I should be going.”
“You’re going?” Dugu Mei said.
“Should I not go?”
“Don’t you think this is a safe place to stay?”
“It certainly is.” Nangong Xue smiled. “These woods are so confusing, I doubt anyone would dare barge in here.”
“In that case, why not stay?”
There was a gentle, friendly gleam in Dugu Mei’s eyes. “It’s not just safe here, it’s secluded and quiet. It will definitely be a big help to your state of mind leading up to the duel.”
Nangong Xue had a good impression of her. She felt that she really was a beauty who was everyone’s darling. “I know, but I have to go.”
“Why?” Lucky looked at her.
“Naturally because I have things to do.” Nangong Xue glanced at him.
“Can’t it wait till after the duel?”
“No.” Nangong Xue laughed. “If I die during the duel, what then?”
That was a fact, anyone who died couldn’t do things. Lucky and Dugu Mei couldn’t urge her to stay no matter how good their reasoning was.
After a moment of silence, Lucky suddenly said, “I’ll go with you.”
Nangong Xue didn’t look surprised but instead laughed cunningly. “I was happy just now because I know I would have an extra bodyguard by my side.”
She suddenly added, “If Silver Sabre doesn’t ever show himself, will you remain always by my side?”
Lucky laughed. “I hope he shows himself now.”
Nangong Xue chuckled charmingly. “You just have to put up with it for three more days.”
“So you have something you have to do?”
“Of course I do.” Nangong Xue was imitating him with that response which was really no response at all.
Lucky’s wry smile deepened.
X X X
The two of them said nothing out on the road.
But when Lucky realized that Nangong Xue was on the street headed toward Awesome Might Martial Arts Academy, he couldn’t resist speaking up. “What are you going to Awesome Might Martial Arts Academy for?”
“What do you think I’m going for? To offer incense at Xiong Batian’s spirit tablet?” She side-eyed him coldly.
“You want to kill Long Ming?”
“Shouldn’t he be killed?”
“No.” Lucky stopped walking.
Nangong Xue stopped as well and looked at him. “Why?”
“This thing is already going to be settled between you and Silver Sabre. He’s giving you an opportunity for a fair duel so that no one else gets dragged into it. Don’t you know that?”
“I know.” Nangong Xue said, “But I don’t think it’s a fair duel.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Silver Sabre’s an old jianghu. Can’t be sure he’s not doing this in order to draw others into attacking me.”
Nangong Xue was as cold as ice. “Can you prove that those ambushers weren’t sent by him? Even if it was other gamblers trying to sound out my martial arts ability, if my martial arts isn’t good enough, wouldn’t I just die by someone else’s sword? And then wouldn’t Silver Sabre win without even bloodying his blade? Can you say that’s not Silver Sabre’s brilliant ruse?”
Lucky had no words for that. Everyone knew the principle of “all’s fair in war.”
“And if it’s not Silver Sabre’s ruse? You can only suspect him, but you can’t prove that that’s his plan, right?”
“I’m not concerned about all of that. I only have one life. Showing compassion to the enemy will only get me sleeping in a coffin quicker. That’s something I have just come to realize.” A murderous gleam swept across Nangong Xue’s eyes. “Especially a man like Long Ming. I’ll never tolerate him living on this earth!”
“He’s not in the wrong. Shouldn’t he avenge his master?”
“You mean to tell me he ought to violate me and rape me as well?”
Lucky was left speechless.
“I’m here to keep you safe, not to help you kill people.”
Nangong Xue sneered, “I don’t recall asking you to help me kill anyone, nor did I ask you to keep me safe. Did I?”
Lucky gave a wry smile.
Nangong Xue turned and ran down a different street.
“You’re not killing Long Ming?” Lucky took big strides to catch up to her, surprised. “You changed your ming?”
“No!” Nangong Xue hmphed coldly. “I would never change my mind.”
“Then where are you going now?”
Lucky quickly realized what she was going to do. He saw someone heading their way slowly not far up ahead at the end of the street.
—It was Poison Eighteen.
Nangong Xue’s smile was especially cold and callous, like a cunning hunter finding its prey, at once elated and rapacious. “This is called searching everywhere only to have it fall into your lap. If your old grandaunt here doesn’t kill Poison Eighteen, then I’m no longer a person!”
But it was getting late and there were many people out on the street. She didn’t want to kill anyone in the street, that would cause too much trouble and provoke criticism. She cautiously tailed Poison Eighteen, waiting till they got to a spot with fewer people so she could strike.
Lucky sighed. “Besides killing, isn’t there anything else you want right now?”
“You want to know?”
“Yes.”
“I want you to shut your mouth!”
Lucky could only shut his mouth.
Poison Eighteen was strolling with his hands clasped behind his back as if stifled by the heat all day and now taking advantage of the cool night to come out for some fresh air. He aimlessly strolled, go here, looking around there. Nangong Xue had no opportunity to attack.
Detouring, turning, till somehow it was completely dark and there were even more people out on the street. Nangong Xue was unavoidably getting impatient. “Shit, how long is he going to walk around for?”
She glanced at Lucky. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“Didn’t you want me to shut up?”
“When I’m talking to you you can’t keep quiet.” She was as overbearing as a lioness.
“You want to talk to me?” Lucky smiled wryly. He felt he was a bit like a dog.
“Has he realized we’re following him?”
“I think so. Everyone knows he’s a very cautious killer.”
“Then why doesn’t he run?”
“If you know you can’t run away, would you still run?”
“No.” Nangong Xue said, “But I would think of a way to run.”
“What way would you think of?”
“What about you?” she asked him instead.
“I don’t know.”
“Are you that dumb?” Nangong Xue prodded.
Lucky forced a smile. He didn’t look bad when he forced a wry smile. Just then, Poison Eighteen suddenly stopped at a stall on the corner of the street to get something to eat. He grabbed a piping hot meat bun and took a bite while telling the vendor to pack some up…
“He’s planning to eat while he walks to wear us out.” Though they were far away from each other, Lucky could still smell the rich aroma, and he heard his stomach rumbling.
Now was supper time.
Lucky swallowed his saliva. “Now I know how good meat buns are.”
“You want some?” Nangong Xue looked at him smiling, a somewhat crafty smile.
“I do, I’m dying to.”
“If you want to die than go eat some.”
“If I eat some I’ll die?”
“Not normally, but if Poison Eighteen poisons them, of course you’ll die if you eat any.”
“That’s easy, I just won’t eat any.”
“No, we’re going to eat.”
“You want to die?” Lucky laughed.
He sighed. “You really are clever.”
Poison Eighteen carried a heap of meat buns and ate as he walked, leaving the stall. Nangong Xue bought some as well and carried them and continued tailing Poison Eighteen.
Although she had bought a few buns, she didn’t take a single bite, just pretended to take a bit and chew.
—She was trying to fool Poison Eighteen.
Lucky was chewing. “You think he will fall for it?”
“Even the shrewdest person falls for things sometimes.”
“Well said.” Lucky nodded.
Nangong Xue was suddenly startled and said, “Why did you really eat it?”
Lucky really was eating, eating with gusto. “I’m eating them to see if they are poisoned or not.”
Nangong Xue was dumbfounded.
