Chapter One (Continued)

My Chinese teacher rightfully suggested I add the pinyin pronunciation guide to the Collection of Idioms, so I’ve done that. I’ve also added the idioms that I’ve gathered in this week’s translating. Enjoy as you see fit. ❤

Panting, Situ Ming rushed near just in time to see the usually soft-spoken Commander Zhuo looking murderous, like he’d been replaced by a different person. And his sword was already buried in Zhao Yuanzhou’s chest.

Situ Ming looked, then, at the stabbed man, who stood with eyes closed. His breath caught in his throat. Was he too late? Was he already dead?

“I can spare a man, not a demon.” Zhuo Yichen stood perfectly straight, eyes trained on Zhao Yuanzhou. The sword in his hand didn’t yield even the slightest amount in good will.

“Nn…rigorous. Zhuo Daren is truly rigorous.” Zhao Yuanzhou abruptly opened his eyes and spoke, startling Situ Ming.

Situ Ming hurried to Zhuo Yichen’s side and lightly grasped his sword arm, wanting him to retreat. Voice kind, he said, “Commander Zhuo, for now, let’s not worry about whether he’s a man or a demon…”

Zhuo Yichen didn’t move.

Situ Ming sighed at his stubbornness—ten horse-drawn carriages couldn’t move him. If only Official Wen Xiao were here, she might be able to persuade him. Yet, if this person was really Zhu Yan, if the murderer of Zhuo Yichen’s father and older brother stood now before his eyes… who could endure it? Such a difficult, personal job required even greater reliance on their higher principles.

Situ Ming turned to Zhao Yuanzhou, adopting the stern face of the Deputy Commander. He pulled a fold of parchment from the breast of his robes. “Did you write this letter to Lord Fan?”

“I did.”

“Is what you wrote true?”

“Of course, it’s true. I’m no Deceptive Beast,” Zhao Yuanzhou responded with a smile, everso cooperative.

Situ Ming shot him a doubtful look. Could this person really be the vicious, blood-thirsty Zhu Yan? He had no demonic aura at all. He seemed to be just a gentle, proud, ethereally handsome man who was all smiles, harmless to both man and beast…

“Obviously you’re not a Deceptive Beast, you’re a vile white monkey,” Zhuo Yichen spat coldly.

“White ape. Ape.” Zhao Yuanzhou quickly corrected him; there was a huge difference between a monkey and an ape![1]

He still had the heart to joke? Zhuo Yichen scowled in displeasure and stabbed the sword deeper another inch.

Zhao Yuanzhou winced in pain and lifted his hands in surrender. “Okay…monkey. I’m a monkey.”

“The words of evil beasts cannot be trusted. Today I must kill you and have my revenge!”

Two gazes met. Zhao Yuanzhou looked clearly into Zhuo Yichen’s eyes to see his murderous rage hadn’t diminished even a bit. His smile dropped entirely, face turning cold like ice-frost as dim, red power gathered around his whole body.

“My patience has run out,” he said. “You can strike me down, but all 16 guards here will accompany me to the grave with their hearts and veins shattered.”

Demon! He was truly a vile demon!

Frightened by the swirling demonic energy, Situ Ming unconsciously stepped back while his brain tried to make sense of this sudden, dramatic change. If Zhu Yan wanted to slaughter everyone within the Demon Hunting Bureau again, then he could just get started. Why write a letter? And just now, it seemed his provocation was to let Commander Zhuo vent his rage by stabbing him in the chest. All the while he gave a welcoming smile. It was clear: The words in that letter were genuine and true. So this change, this threat to the lives of others, was an admission of defeat—now, he would try to scare Commander Zhuo into temporarily putting aside his hatred to discuss matters of vital importance.

Straightening out these thoughts, Situ Ming gathered his courage to move closer to Zhuo Yichen and to try one more time to persuade him. But before he could utter a word, Zhuo Yichen’s gaze sharpened and he took a fighting stance.

Zhao Yuanzhou’s lips moved slightly. A soldier let out a horrible shriek as he fell to the ground, paralyzed, vomiting a mouthful of blood. He lay there twitching in agony.

Situ Ming understood the gravity of the threat and called to Zhuo Yichen, “Mr. Zhuo! Commander Zhuo! Please put away your sword!”

Zhuo Yichen stood silent, unmoving in the falling rain, eyes red and trained unyieldingly on Zhao Yuanzhou. He wouldn’t give in. The grasp on his sword only tightened, but his hand trembled.

“I will count from three,” Zhao Yuanzhou said. “Will you put away your sword? Three, two, one—”

Victory or defeat was actually decided long ago. Zhao Yuanzhou used the lives of others to threaten and coerce, knowing for certain that Zhuo Yichen dare not lose the gamble. The veins on Zhuo Yichen’s forehead bulged. Finally, he grit his teeth and withdrew his longsword from Zhao Yuanzhou’s chest.

The fallen soldier stopped twitching. He gasped for breath and two of his fellow soldiers rushed forward to carry him away.

“Are you unhappy?” Zhao Yuanzhou asked.

Zhuo Yichen didn’t answer, breathing tight and heavy.

Zhao Yuanzhou smiled. “It’s okay to feel unhappy. The affairs of this world, they don’t go as planned nine times out of ten. Commander Zhuo, you better get used to it.”

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[1] [Note from Kathryn: In xianxia stories like this, demons have an original animal form, like the Deceptive Beast with her rabbit ears. So this isn’t wordplay you’re missing: He’s literally a white ape.]