Love from the Male Protagonist's Harem

LFTMPH Chapter 73-A Divine Beauty Part 2

Translated by Snowfall77

Xia Ge observed the red ribbon.

In response to Xia Ge’s scrutiny, the red ribbon balled itself up like a sensitive plant closing its leaves.

Xia Ge: “……”  Was it being coy again?!

Heart filled with malice, Xia Ge went: “Hey, doggie?”

The red ribbon did not move.

Xia Ge: “Yadan?”

The red ribbon gave a twitch, but, in apparent fear that Xia Ge might take its twitch for approval, continued playing dead.

Wordless refusal, huh?

System: [……If The Name Does Not Match The Aesthetics  Of The Yimei, The Yimei Will Reject It.]

Xia Ge: “Is there any aesthetic value in a small strip of red cloth?”

System: [Well, I Don’t Think It Possesses Any Kind Of Good Taste.  Otherwise How Could It Take A Fancy To You?]

Xia Ge: “……you’d best shut up.”

Finally, after a fruitless struggle to come up with an aesthetically-pleasing name that suited a piece of red ribbon., Xia Ge gave up.  She really didn’t want to keep the red ribbon.  Wearing it reminded Xia Ge of the cloaked person and that in turn made Xia Ge feel kinda uncomfortable.

Uncomfortable not because the cloaked person was bad, but because……they were too good.

Xia Ge wasn’t used to that.

In any case, no one in the black market knew who Xia Ge was, right?  Reassuring herself, Xia Ge bolstered herself with the idea that everyone at the black market was anonymous.  She’d secretly leave the red ribbon at some remote place and make her escape.  Who’d be able to find her then?

The ‘Zhen Hun’ was a fake, Huo Bai was Bairen, Xia Ge’s dan were sold, and her puppet-making materials were bought.  Her trip to the black market had actually been quite fruitful.  As for the customer who’d had the bad luck to buy fake goods……they were a bigshot that’d spent ten million high-grade spirit stones with a wave of their hand.  So Xia Ge didn’t need to feel guilty anymore about the hundred medium-grade spirit stones she’d received, nevermind that they’d felt like an immense fortune bestowed by the heavens.

Having composed herself, Xia Ge hid her left hand under her cloak and left the private room behind with long strides.

With the ‘hot ticket’ Zhen Hun having been already auctioned off, the audience’s attention was now fully engaged.  The colorful figure on stage took full advantage, starting the bids on the next item.

Meanwhile, in private room #33——

“Young master……”

A young man, all dressed in black and with a sword on his back, was sitting casually on a chair, his legs crossed and shoulders slouching.  Next to him was a middle-aged servant, armed with an iron blade and dressed in hemp, speaking cautiously: “What you’ve purchased is being delivered.”

“I think more amusing things are yet to come.”  Mouth curling up at one corner, the young man continued, “I’m not ready to leave yet.  You take that thing back for me.  But you’d best be careful.  If you lose it——you’ll also lose your head!”

“Ah……young master, that thing……”  The servant was plainly miserable, “Perhaps young master could send someone else to take it back……”

“If I tell you to take it back, you’ll do as you are told and take it back!  What bullshit is this?!”  Suddenly standing up, the young man unsheathed his broad, black sword, and held the sharp edge of the heavy blade against the servant’s throat!

The servant’s knees hit the floor with a frightened ‘thump.’  “Young master, please spare my life!  Young master, have mercy!”

The young man sneered: “Opening your mouth, closing your mouth.  Tell me, who’s your fucking master?”

“It’s you, young master, it’s you!”  The servant was trembling like a leaf, but at that moment there came a knock on the room’s door.  Sheathing his sword, the young man ordered the servant: “Go answer the door!”

The scared shitless servant managed to get up and open the door.

Outside the door stood person dressed in white, wearing a pitch-black mask, and holding the ‘Zhen Hun’ covered with the Heiyi Prison. The person spoke in a low, hoarse voice: “Guest, your merchandise has arrived, please receive it.”

Hands shaking, the servant reached out and took the ‘Zhen Hun.’  From behind the black mask, the person dressed in white stared at the servant dead-eyed: “Sorry to trouble you.”

The black-masked person then left, but not before thoughtfully closing the door.

Eyes narrowed scornfully, the young man one-handedly took the ‘Zhen Hun’ from the servant: “A Yimei that can be held by the Heiyi Prison is also an ancient Yimei?

The servant stood still, not daring to say a word.

The young man quickly lost interest and tossed the ‘Zhen Hun’ back to the servant: “Since that old man likes Yimei so much, let him regard this as a gift from his son.  Take it away.”

However, the servant wasn’t daring to move and the young man glared at him: “What the hell are you still standing there for?!  Hurry up, get lost!”

“Yes, yes……”

Suffering unspeakably in his heart, the servant put his mask and cloak back on before rushing out of the private room.

Unnoticed by both the servant and the young man was the very small, deliberate tear in the black gauze Heiyi Prison

With the servant gone, the young man plopped back onto his chair with a snort.  Flipping through the auction catalog with legs crossed, he cocked an eyebrow when he came to the last page.

“……a heavenly beauty?”

Another private room——

“It’s been delivered?”

Fiddling with a paper doll in one hand, Bairen’s black mask was sitting on top of his head, revealing his pitch-black eyes and deathly pale cheeks.  He eyed a person dressed in white, derision clear in his expression.

The person who’d handed over the ‘Zhen Hun’ to room #33 responded in a whisper: “The room occupant has already sent someone away with the item……”

“Then find a way to kill them and bring it back.”  Bairen snarled, tone gloomy and severe, “Do you still need me to teach you?!”

“……”  The other person hesitated for a few seconds before finally adding in a low voice: “This subordinate damaged the Heiyi Prison……”

Bairen’s hand squeezed the paper doll tight.  Then he fiercely kicked the other: “What did you say?!”

Down on his knees, the person in white abjectly whimpered: “This subordinate is incompetent!  Please punish me!”

Fist tight around the paper doll for a long time, Bairen eventually relaxed his hand.

“This way……might as well.”  Bairen muttered to himself, slowly smiling, “The more chaotic, the better.  Everyone can hear about the return of the Zhen Hun.”

“Send someone to keep a close watch and let me know as soon as there’s any activity.”

“But before they leave the black market, get it all back.”

“Yes!”

= =

Having furtively left the private room, Xia Ge encountered practically a whole herd of guardian puppets.  Clearly being used as black market staff, they were just as obviously searching for someone.

“Take note of anyone who is wearing a bronze mask and is in between five and six feet tall!”  The tallest guardian puppet had a sharp voice and appeared to be the leader.  It’d gathered the other guardian puppets to one side of the auction entryway, commanding: “You must pay careful attention!”

Xia Ge walked by them quietly, demeanor calm.  There was also a ‘curse of wealth child’ puppet beside the guardian puppets.  It saw Xia Ge in her fox mask, and checking out Xia Ge’s height, said: “Boss, that one is a bit too short……”

The tall guardian puppet turned its head to look at Xia Ge.

Only then did Xia Ge see that the guardian puppet was actually wearing a shifty-looking rat mask, and as soon as it saw Xia Ge, it suddenly recoiled back: “Offensive!”

Xia Ge: “???”

The guardian puppet seemed to be acting cautious: “You are not taking part in the auction?  You are leaving?”

Xia Ge: “……”

After stretched-out moment of silence, Xia Ge nodded: “Er……yes.”

“Go on, take care.”  The guardian puppet rubbed its hands together, then considerately opened the door for Xia Ge.

A confused Xia Ge started walking out.

The ‘curse of wealth child’ puppet spoke again: “Boss……that person’s height is between five and six feet……”

The rat-masked guardian puppet struck the smaller puppet on its head: “Did you not see their mask?  Idiot, that’s a mask dyed with red blood and ink!  We will let them pass!”

“Let’s go, let’s go.  Keep searching!”

Past the entryway, Xia Ge touched the fox mask on her face.  Maybe it was a misconception, but Xia Ge couldn’t help believing that the cloaked person had helped her one more time.

Funny that leaving the auction had turned out to be so much easier than getting in.  Xia Ge stepped onto the passageway’s red carpet, thinking that she saw the ‘light at the end of the tunnel,’ and feeling quite happy about it.  But her cheerful mood was quickly ruined by a spreading bloody stench, too strong to be ignored.

Yadan—means bitch

丫yā        fork / branch / bifurcation / girl

蛋dàn     egg / CL: 個｜个, 打 / oval-shaped thing