286

Chapter 286: Untitled

Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

Everything happened in that instant; against a top-level martial expert, a regular expert wouldn’t have a chance to exchange several hundred blows. When the wind finally stopped, and the purple robes settled, the ground was left with a pile of broken rags.

Meng Fuyao dashed out, her robes flying behind her as she looked around. The night air was slightly misty, and the moon shone from above. Where did the human silhouette disappear to?

She stared at the spot where the person had vanished, a surge of rage coursing through her blood as she landed a blow on the temple doors, blasting them open.

Suddenly remembering Tie Cheng, she hastily looked around and found him lying by the stream in only his underwear. His meridians had been sealed, and he had been casually thrown by the side of the stream. The person who had thrown him was truly heartless, throwing him face-first into the dirt and when Meng Fuyao found him, he had almost died of asphyxiation. Zhangsun Wuji had to personally transfer energy to him in order to save his life.

By now, Meng Fuyao was even more enraged, her face becoming increasingly green and purple as she growled, “From now on, nobody is to leave each other’s sight to avoid getting ambushed by the enemy…” Speaking up to this point, her heart skipped a beat as she realized what that bastard meant. By despicably attacking the people close to her, he deliberately wanted to force them to raise awareness against each other and cause distrust between each other and even going their separate ways, splitting them apart.

This thought made Meng Fuyao’s heart turn cold; she had never once feared danger nor formidable enemies, but the one thing she feared most was separation and distrust. This kind of emotional poison was far more powerful than any enemy or obstacle and could create unimaginable consequences.

Instinct told her that the enemy’s target was her, yet they chose to attack the people around her instead in an attempt to isolate her. Why did she have to bring trouble to others as well?

“Let’s move separately,” After a long moment, Meng Fuyao said wearily, “Tie Cheng, you return to Changhan or Yaocheng. Zhangsun Wuji, you go wherever you want to go, just don’t be with me.”

“I only want to be with you,” Zhangsun Wuji immediately replied calmly. “Being with you is where I want to go.”

This was the first time the two of them had spoken to each other since that night on the boat, and both of them were very calm, yet now their opinions differed again. Meng Fuyao lowered her eyes, feeling a chill run down her spine as she thought of how she had to be wary of even the person closest to her from now on. “If that’s the case, how long more do we have to remain on guard against each other? That’s… too frightening.”

“Fuyao,” Zhangsun Wuji said lightly, “What he wants to achieve is to break this spirit of yours, then slowly slice away at your strong sense of trust and confidence. He doesn’t intend to kill you, but he definitely wants to destroy you. And I won’t allow for it to happen, much less yourself.”

“Mn,” Meng Fuyao mumbled, sensing him coming closer to her and carefully place his hands on her shoulders—Ever since that night, he no longer tried to tease her like before, and every time he interacted with her, it was always somewhat hesitant and unsure; this faint hesitation made Meng Fuyao’s heart sting. After that, she heard him say, “There has to be a way, true camaraderie and trust is definitely not something an unknown bystander can destroy easily.”

After hearing those words, Meng Fuyao’s thoughts suddenly shifted to the pair of hands on her shoulders. At that moment, a vision suddenly flashed in her mind; it was the scene from the cabin room, when the imposter had his hands on her body, leering at her with eyes full of greed… The disgust and panic rose within her, and she involuntarily let out a shudder.

It was an extremely slight shudder, almost as if she had not moved at all, but Zhangsun Wuji’s hand immediately stiffened, and Meng Fuyao’s heart stung again as she tried to fix the situation, but it was already too late. Zhangsun Wuji slowly retracted his hand. His actions were very natural and casual as if he were afraid of making it awkward for her as if he did not notice her reaction, but how could she not notice? It was as if a wire was attached to the pair of hands, pulling at her heart, and she felt an ache course through her entire body.

Perhaps, that wire was also wrapped around Zhangsun Wuji’s heart, causing him pain not any lesser than hers.

The two of them fell into a deep silence as they supported Tie Cheng back into the temple to recuperate. Zhong Yi was sitting on the ground playing with his own sleeve, and when he saw them, he broke out into a wide smile. Meng Fuyao gazed at him, thinking about that moment of passion between herself and Zhangsun Wuji. She did not know whether him leaving the cabin alone was intentional or not to stop the fake Tie Cheng. Looking at the facts, he was the one who had saved them; if that scoundrel were to come any closer, who knew what else would have happened?

Moreover, in the current situation, the lesser the people around her, the better, this way the likelihood of anyone else getting strung along would be less. Yet Meng Fuyao did not know why her instincts told her not to be wary of Zhong Yi. His innocence and naivety were very likable, just like a neighbor’s little brother.

She tried to think about why she felt this way, going back to her 19-year-old self; her bloody and fiery experiences had hardened her, and the memories of a once peaceful life had faded deep into the recesses of her mind. Only when she thought of her previous life did she suddenly realize this.

In her memory, Xiao Li was a very sincere child, often pouring water for during her hectic days that she forgot to eat and drink, mixing osmanthus honey in the water to aid in clearing the mind. She remembered that the water was refreshing and sweet, just like the time when she first entered the temple and drank the water that Zhong Yi offered her. It was just as sweet.

Or perhaps it was because she was dreaming too much about her previous life that she would feel this way.

Meng Fuyao chuckled to herself and settled down on the grass mat. Zhangsun Wuji glanced at her, then at Zhong Yi. Based on his understanding of Meng Fuyao, during such a moment, she was best at chasing others away, yet she did not do so. Zhangsun Wuji thought for a moment but remained silent.

Meng Fuyao started tidying the bags, throwing away all the rations, saying, “We can’t eat anything that bastard touched.” Forcing a smile at Lord Yuan Bao, she added, “Sorry that you’ll have to go hungry, Zhong Yi, can you take a look if there are any wild fruit that you can pick?”

Zhong Yi nodded obediently and headed out of the door as Lord Yuan Bao stared at Meng Fuyao with tearful eyes. ‘Ahhh, King Meng, can you not be so selfless, there is a shadow in my poor heart that is difficult to remove already…’

However, Zhangsun Wuji suddenly fished out two flour biscuits from his robes. After carefully peeling off the outer skin and roasting it over the fire, he broke a piece and gave it to Meng Fuyao. “Luckily Yuan Bao didn’t eat this previously.” He broke the remainder in half and handed it to Lord Yuan Bao, keeping the other half for Tie Cheng, who was still unconscious.

The biscuit was actually the one that she had used to make a “Yuan Bao hamburger”; Zhangsun Wuji did not throw it away after saving Yuan Bao. He had always been a thrifty person and never wasted anything. The biscuit was still warm in her hands as if his own warmth was embedded in it. Meng Fuyao remained motionless for a while before tearing her piece into two halves, saying, “I’ll eat the bigger piece, and you can eat the smaller one.”

Zhangsun Wuji looked at the biscuit and accepted it. Suddenly, he smiled and asked, “Not leaving any for the Zhong boy?”

Meng Fuyao munched on her biscuit and glanced at Zhong Yi’s bag. “That rascal probably has his own food, I guess? The water he provided even contained honey,” she muttered.

Zhangsun Wuji’s eyes flashed as he responded with an “Oh” and did not say anything else. After a while, Zhong Yi returned to the temple holding several black fruits that looked like chickens’ feet. “These things might not look good, but they taste refreshing and sweet, come and try them,” he said.

Meng Fuyao pulled the boy toward her and tried to peel his skin as Zhong Yi chortled, looking as if he was feeling ticklish rather than frightened. He laughed and fidgeted like a cheeky monkey, and after a while, Meng Fuyao let go and stared at the fair-skinned, noble-like boy. Although he looked like a pampered child, his survival skills were top notch.

Meng Fuyao pushed him aside and said, “Stay further away from us, lest I treat you as an imposter and kill you.”

However, Zhong Yi did not retreat. Still smiling brightly, he said, “Good sister, I’m so real that I can’t be fake if you’re not certain you can touch me again.”

“Pfft, do you think you are Jia Baoyu or something?” Meng Fuyao had been caught off guard by being addressed so affectionately and pushed the boy away. She had just extended her arms when Zhangsun Wuji flicked his fingers. Zhong Yi let out a cry and covered his head as he exclaimed in alarm, “Who hit me? Who hit me?”

“Me,” Zhangsun Wuji replied without turning his head, his expression unreadable in the dim candlelight. “Why aren’t you sleeping this late in the night and instead disrupting other people’s rest?” he said coldly.

Meng Fuyao stared aghast at Zhangsun Wuji. Hadn’t this guy always been respectful? His smile was always present on his face regardless of who he met, even if he were facing a traitor. She had never heard him speak so disrespectfully before either. Was he angry? What was he angry for?

“I’ll lay the bed for you,” Zhong Yi’s temperament was naturally good, and after rubbing his head, he soon forgot about what had just happened. He turned around and tidied Meng Fuyao’s straw mat and was about to reach into the straw when a certain Lord popped up in front of him, its arms firmly on its waist…

“Furry—” Zhong Yi jumped backward in fright as Zhangsun Wuji smiled and stroked his beloved pet in approval…

Meng Fuyao’s thoughts were preoccupied with thinking of how to deal with that godforsaken imposter and did not notice the little sneak attacks. Sitting down, she closed her eyes and announced, “I’m not sleeping anymore, I’ll keep watch for the night. From tomorrow onwards, I have to train even harder.”

She sighed inwardly and thought, ‘Among the top ten strongest experts, there is a huge gap in skill between the top and bottom five. And between each of the top five is an even larger gap. As of today, I’ve already become the strongest martial expert within the Five Regions Continent, yet I’m still being led around in circles, unable to retaliate.’