Chapter Eighty-One: Preparing to Enter the Forest

Update time: 2013-07-08

Thirteen looked up at Forty-Two and Forty-Three, who were standing on tree branches, and said, "Forty-Two, keep an eye on the Yue family’s movements from a distance—don’t let yourself be discovered."

"Forty-Three, you and I will split up and search for any wild beasts nearby."

"What do we need wild beasts for?" Forty-Three asked, puzzled, but before Thirteen could explain, realization dawned on him. The corners of his mouth twitched, and he said, "Don’t tell me it’s for…"

"If you have a better idea, I’m all ears," Thirteen replied.

Forty-Three’s head shook like a rattle drum. Forty-Two, gloating, patted his shoulder and looked at him sympathetically, "You’re the expert at this. With that skill, Thirteen won’t let you die without a trace—at least you’ll have a whole corpse left."

Before Forty-Three could explode, Forty-Two swiftly leapt out of the forest and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Nineteen and Fifty-Four exchanged a glance, also preparing to leave before Thirteen changed his mind. Compared to Forty-Three, their task was much lighter.

"You two had better study the marks carefully. Since Young Master Yue could tell at a glance that Miss Yue was responsible, there must be something special about them. If you really can’t figure it out, just make an exact copy for me," Thirteen said casually, but his words made Nineteen and Fifty-Four realize their task wasn’t so simple after all.

The two huddled together to discuss, then Fifty-Four returned to the first mark, while Nineteen crouched beside the current mark, studying it intently.

They hadn’t dared approach earlier, so they hadn’t heard Qingfeng’s description of the mark.

Thirteen nodded in satisfaction, then leapt into the trees and sped off in a certain direction. Forty-Three, looking highly unwilling, headed the opposite way.

Forty-Three’s task was to lure as many wild beasts as possible onto the line marked with the symbols. This wasn’t his first time doing such a thing, but aside from the first, when he was enthusiastic, every subsequent time had been sheer misery.

If he could turn back time, Forty-Three wouldn’t wish to change his profession as an assassin, nor would he regret any mistaken kills, but he would desperately want to undo that moment during the trial for the next generation, when he eagerly volunteered for such a task.

At the foot of the cliff, as Yue Lingjun and his companions watched anxiously, their gaze finally caught sight of several people climbing down step by step. Curiously, one of them seemed to be moving in a very odd fashion—almost as if he was head down.

Two hours earlier, atop the cliff.

"Distinguished guests, you all have such noble features—broad foreheads, square jaws, elegant brows and eyes, distinguished and intelligent expressions, straight noses and wide mouths, shining foreheads—a sign of great fortune and a destiny of wealth and power. Spirits and deities clear the way, ghosts and demons step aside—please, I beg of you, don’t make me go down! I’m allergic to cliffs! If I go down, I’ll lose my life!"

Qiu Yifei, in tears, kowtowed continuously to the group. The last traces of hope in his heart had vanished. He had obediently drawn the diagrams, explained the points of caution, and then watched as Qiao Zhi rode off in the carriage, leaving him behind.

But that wasn’t the worst of it. The worst came when, upon hearing Qingling’s account, his fear made him exaggerate the dangers of the forest below even further. The result: Yue Shiru immediately ordered him to go down as well.

He wished he could bite his tongue off.

He tried to escape, but though he was quick, the others were all highly skilled in martial arts. He barely got far before being hauled back. Once, twice—the same result.

Finally, Yue Shiru declared that if he tried to run again, she would have all eight great factions issue a bounty on his head. Even if he fled to the ends of the earth, they would dig three feet deep to find him.

Qiu Yifei, master trickster though he was, was no sheltered maiden—he knew exactly what a bounty meant. He collapsed to the ground and began to beg for mercy.

But no matter how he pleaded, it was useless. Eventually, everything went black and he fainted.

Qingqiu withdrew the hand that had knocked him out, then deftly tied him to a rope. With Qingling, Qingluan, and several of Qiao Zhi’s personal guards, they began their descent of the cliff.

Because Yue Shiru insisted on staying behind, Lanshui had no choice but to remain as well.

Watching as the group descended, Yue Lingjun eventually saw why one person’s movements appeared so strange—he was tied up and being lowered down. When they landed, Yue Lingjun looked at the plump figure, trussed up and thrown to the ground, and asked, "What’s with this man?"

Qingqiu, untying the rope from his own body, replied, "He was once thrown off the cliff and made it across the forest below. The young mistress told us to bring him."

"And what’s wrong with him now?"

"Oh, as soon as he heard he had to come down, he refused no matter what, so we simply knocked him out. He woke up halfway, saw where he was, and fainted again."

As he spoke, Qingqiu opened a water flask and poured some on Qiu Yifei’s chubby, bloodless face.

The cold water roused him bit by bit. Before he even opened his eyes, he started thrashing on the ground, wailing like a pig to slaughter, "Let me go! Just kill me! I don’t want to go into the forest! Please, pull me back up!"

Qingqiu capped the flask and gave Qiu Yifei a kick. "We’re here already, quit yelling."

Qiu Yifei stared around in terror, his fat face scrunched in misery. His head lolled to one side, and he fainted again.

"Is this the so-called Qiu the Half-Immortal?" Yue Lingjun finally remembered, "Why is he so dramatic?"

Qingqiu recounted Qiu Yifei’s tearful protests on the cliff for Yue Lingjun.

When Qiao Zhi saw Qiu the Half-Immortal, he remembered seeing the man once in Luoyang—at the Cuiwei Restaurant, of course. He hadn’t expected this fat man to have such a background; truly a character. He’d already heard of his shameless tricks and now stopped Qingqiu from pouring more water on him, teasing, "Brother Yue, I don’t think bringing this man is worth much—he’ll just faint again and again, and if we take him, someone will have to carry him. Why not leave him here and have the rope pulled up? Since he survived once, he’ll manage a second time."

He winked at Yue Lingjun, who immediately chimed in, "Brother Qiao is absolutely right. Qingqiu, what are you waiting for? Do as the prince says."

Qingqiu played along, "Yes, I’ll untie him right away. Qingling, Qingluan, come help—he’s so heavy, I probably can’t manage alone."

Of course, no one moved. All eyes watched Qiu Yifei lying on the ground like a dead pig.

Qiu Yifei was only pretending to be unconscious this time, planning to climb back up the rope after they left and make up some excuse when he reached the top. But hearing their conversation now, he could only pretend to have just woken, blinking in confusion, "Where am I?"

Qiao Zhi flicked his jade fan against Qiu Yifei’s head. "Still pretending for me?"

Qiu Yifei nearly fainted again at the sight of Qiao Zhi. No wonder some of those above had seemed familiar—they were the prince’s personal guards.

He forced out a fawning smile, flattering, "I was wondering who could be so handsome, elegant, dashing, and heroic—(five hundred words omitted here)—it turns out to be Your Highness! How lucky I am to meet you by chance! My admiration for you is as—"

"Enough!" Qiao Zhi finally interrupted, sickened by the flattery. "Since you hold me in such esteem, if I ask for your help, will you do it?"

Qiu Yifei had already calculated his options during the long string of compliments. With the prince here and so many skilled fighters, entering the dreaded forest shouldn’t be as disastrous as last time, and in any case, the choice was no longer his.

"Of course, I will not hesitate."

"Even if it’s that forest behind us?"

"Even that forest!" Qiu Yifei tried to make his voice sound as heroic and sacrificial as possible.

Qiao Zhi, satisfied, patted Qiu Yifei’s greasy face with his jade fan, then said to Yue Lingjun, "That’s enough, Brother Yue. It’s getting late; let’s not delay any longer." Then he tossed the fan to Shanfeng behind him, disgusted, "Clean this fan for me, it’s covered in grease."

Qingqiu stepped forward to untie Qiu Yifei. Under Qiu Yifei’s hopeful gaze, the rope began to rise slowly, taking with it the last shred of his longing.