Chapter 40-Societal Ethics Part 2

Translated by Snowfall77

After repeatedly knocking on the door and calling out Xia Wuyin’s name, but receiving no answer, Ye Ze’s worry grew.  He efficiently kicked the wooden door open—-

Empty, completely empty.

Flipping open the danshu laying on the table, Ye Ze found its pages as barefaced as Xia Wuyin.  It certainly wasn’t the danshu of some overly-studious nerd who’d forgotten how to take care of himself.

Ye Ze: “……”

Danfeng’s Study-

Ye Ze hesitated by the door for a long while.

He’d searched every tavern, the mountains, the forest, and even Mojia where the newly opened tavern was already inexplicably shut down.  But not a trace of Xia Wuyin was to be found.

The brat seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trail, and not even his neighbors had seen him.

So, as a last resort, even though he knew it was highly unlikely Xia Wuyin was there, Ye Ze went to the place where Gu Peijiu usually looked over her papers.

“Who’s outside?”

Coming from the study, Gu Peijiu’s voice was cold and implacable.

Ye Ze felt a nervous tremor: “It’s……disciple Ye Ze.”

“……”

For a long moment, the person inside the study was silent.

“Come in.”

“Yes.”

Pushing the door open, Ye Ze walked into a tidy room, bright sunlight beaming in through a window.  Senior Sister’s soft black hair was held back by a red ribbon, a writing brush gripped in her white hand as she perused a document, her long eyelashes dyed gold by sunshine.  Seemingly not liking what she was reading, she lightly pressed her glossy lips.

“What’s the matter?”  Gu Peijiu put her brush down on its holder, her tone aloof.

“Senior Sister, could I ask……has Xia Wuyin come to see you lately?”  Ye Ze took a long pause, “I……”

“Xia Wuyin has not.”  Gu Peijiu paused, her eyes hooded, then continued in an emotionless voice, “You haven’t seen him either?  Since when?”

Ye Ze told the whole story, describing how Xia Wuyin had been behaving and the last time Ye Ze had seen him.

“Senior Sister……”  Finished recounting what he knew, Ye Ze hesitated a moment, “Xia Wuyin……can he still be registered for the Danfeng entry examination?”

No matter which Lingxi Sect peak it was taking place on, anyone who wanted to participate in an examination or tournament had to register for it 3 days before it started.

Outside the window a gentle breeze blew, carrying the subtle fragrance of oleander into the room.

Eyes lowered, Gu Peijiu’s slender pale fingers stroked the creases in the papers she held.  Until, caressing a name written in ink, she answered Ye Ze in a light and ethereal voice: “He already signed up.”

“Did he sign up in person?  When?”  Ye Ze asked without thinking and then felt dumb.

No one could register for Danfeng’s entry examination without their identifying jade pendant.

To Ye Ze’s relief, Gu Peijiu ignored Ye Ze’s last questions, and the young man’s mind was put at ease: “Well, since he registered in person……that’s good.”

“……”  Gu Peijiu looked up at Ye Ze.

Ye Ze met her eyes with a clear, resolute gaze: “If he intends to be serious about the examination……I believe he will do well.”

Gu Peijiu didn’t respond for a long while, then casually said: “But he’s nowhere to be found right now.”

“He’ll come back,” Ye Ze asserted, “He’s already registered, that’s him keeping his promise to me.”

Xia Wuyin occupied himself with doing nothing, was extremely indolent, talked bad, and excessively procrastinated.  All of which made him a person difficult to like.

However……

“He never makes promises he can’t fulfill.”

“Senior Sister, so long as it is something he’s promised, he will make it happen no matter what.”

The young man’s eyes were filled with conviction: “I certain he’ll come back.”

“……it’s like that then.”  Gu Peijiu next nonchalantly changed the subject, “Tomorrow is Jianfeng’s entry tournament.  Even though you don’t need to compete, you should go and observe.”

“Yes!  Senior Sister, thank you for your guidance!”

Seeming much happier and relieved, Ye Ze left Danfeng’s study.  Finding out that Xia Wuyin had personally registered for the entry examination had apparently taken a weight off his shoulders.

The sky was clear, but the vaguely poisonous fragrance of oleander seeped into the room.  The fingers of the young lady dressed in red and white once again softly caressed the last inked name.

——Xia Wuyin.

Ye Ze said that he is someone who keeps his promises.

And upon finding out that Xia Wuyin had registered for the examination, Ye Ze considered the promise as good as done?

“Hmm……”

Gu Peijiu closed her eyes for a second, then set her papers aside, and took from her sleeve a green dragon-shaped jade pendant that a piece broken off of it.

The dragon’s expression was fierce, but because of its missing corner, it looked almost ridiculous, like a child’s toy.

——She shouldn’t have told Ye Ze that Xia Wuyin had registered.

Because she was the one who’d added Xia Wuyin’s name to the registration.

For Xia Wuyin had not returned to register for the entry examination in person.

“If you made a promise to someone besides Ye Ze……”  The young lady was speaking to herself, voice clear and cold, “Will you still keep it?”

Silence.

“……right.”

Laying down the pendant, Gu Peijiu walked over to a window.  Outside, clusters of white oleander were in glorious bloom, almost garish in the sunlight.

She recalled when, at Suxi Pavilion, the young man with the green ribbon had grinned at her……

Assuring her……

——“Don’t worry, it absolutely won’t be a problem!”

Gu Peijiu whispered to herself: “That was your promise to me.”

She was already finished with her papers, but a low voice outside the study interrupted her reverie: “Miss.  Subordinates have searched the entire back mountain.  Other than the demon puppets and Yimei, there is no trace of anyone else.”

The young lady’s voice was icy-cold: “Keep searching.”

“Yes!”

==

The night breeze was refreshing.

Returning from sword pratice, Chu Yao took a bath.  After she was done, Xiaoqing called out: “Miss, tomorrow is the tournament for recruitment of new Jianfeng disciples……Will you be watching the tournament?”

Xiaoqing’s tone was a bit tentative.

For previous Jianfeng entry tournaments, even if alternative first disciples were generally expected to attend, Chu Yao hadn’t bothered to go, because, in her own words——

“It’s just a bunch of unsightly rookie losers, nothing worth looking at.”

However, at this year’s tournament, the noble young son of the Chang family would be competing.

Trying to pour on more persuasion, Xiaoqing tried again: “Miss, please attend this time.  The elder wishes you to show consideration……”

Show consideration?

Chu Yao glanced at the icy and slender double-edged sword she’d hung on her wall.  In the beams of the moon, the sword shone like a flowing dream.  The corners of Chu Yao’s mouth curled up in a cold smile, exposing her sharp canines.

“Xiaoqing, I never show consideration to trash.”

Hearing those words, Xiaoqing was unable to spit out anything for a moment.  But eventually Xiaoqing rejoined with a placating smile: “The son of the Chang family is quite young, yet they say his swordsmanship is superb……”

“Fine, I’ll be there.”

Chu Yao indifferently dropped her gaze, although there a strange light in her light brown eyes.

“No need to say anything else, go and get some rest.”

“……yes.”

Taken aback, Xiaoqing found Chu Yao’s sudden acquiescence a little unbelievable……still, breathing a sigh of relief, Xiaoqing figured that, regardless of Chu Yao’s true thoughts, it was good enough that she’d agreed to attend.

Xiaoqing turned to leave, when unexpectedly Chu Yao nonchalantly asked: “Wait just a minute, have you read the register of who’s competing this time?”

“Yes……”

“Is there anyone with the surname Xia?”

Xiaoqing thought hard: “I think there were a few……which one is Miss specifically referring to?”

“Never mind, I was just asking.  Go get some rest, and don’t worry, I will attend.”

“……oh.”

Going back, Xiaoqing muttered: “Surname Xia?  There’s no renowned Xia family……”

虎牙 [hǔ yá]

Tiger teeth

protruding canine teeth

eye tooth (maxillary canine tooth)