Villainous Undercover (9)
Amid the little young master’s angry howl of “I want to kill you,” Fu Xiyu calmly finished the acupuncture. The little young master angrily glared at Fu Xiyu, his heart truly unable to quell the anger. Relying on a bit of martial arts foundation, he wanted to sneak attack Fu Xiyu’s lower body, but unexpectedly, Fu Xiyu directly held his hand and decisively dislocated his joint—
“You… you, I want to call my father to destroy you and Medicine Valley!” The little young master, angry, with fingers trembling, pointed at Fu Xiyu, but the quick-eyed, fast-handed servant quickly covered his mouth, allowing only ‘wuwu’ sounds to escape.
“It’s this small person’s fault, this small person didn’t manage my young master well. The young master is young, and this small person hope you will not argue with him!” The servant, scared to the verge of tears, secretly decided to write a letter to inform the master of this matter: after all, people all over the world want to enter Medicine Valley but cannot, and if his young master continues to speak so recklessly, he will certainly bring disaster upon himself…
Fu Xiyu remained silent, lips pursed with indifference. Song Xuyi looked at the servant’s nervous and flustered pitiful appearance, sighed inwardly, and stepped forward to mediate, pulling Fu Xiyu’s arm: “Uncle Zhang, rest assured, my senior sister is always broad-minded and won’t argue with him.”
Only then did the servant relax, gratefully saying: “Many thanks, Miss Xuyi!”
And as the servant relaxed his restraint, the little young master saw Song Xuyi speaking for him and immediately brightened his eyes—
It seemed as if eyes had grown on his back, knowing the little young master was about to respond again, the servant clenched his teeth and simply and directly pressed the little young master’s sleep acupoint…
The little young master was dazed and couldn’t see clearly, but the servant understood very well: the Rakshasa-like girl in front was tormenting him precisely because of Miss Xuyi, and if the young master continued to speak, he might very well not be able to keep his mouth intact!
Song Xuyi looked at the servant’s action and laughed out loud: “Uncle Zhang, you should have done this earlier!”
“Yes! I should have done this earlier!” Uncle Zhang bitterly smiled, glanced at Fu Xiyu with the corner of his eye, sighed, did not speak again, turned around, and covered the sleeping little young master with a quilt.
And seeing that Song Xuyi was not at all distressed by the little young master being pressed on the sleep acupoint, Fu Xiyu, who was beside her, finally relaxed her tightly pursed lips a bit, yet still admonishingly looked at Song Xuyi: “This child, at a young age, is glib-tongued, not a suitable person to marry…”
“I know, Senior Sister.”
Song Xuyi laughed helplessly, not expecting Fu Xiyu to actually worry about this, and quickly raised her hand to assure: “Senior Sister, I am still young. Right now, I only want to study martial arts and medicine well, and become a capable person like you. I won’t think about other things at all…”
“So what if you think about it?” Beside her, Valley Master Song coldly laughed out loud, interrupting Song Xuyi’s words: “You are my goddaughter. Even if you marry a bad person, we at Medicine Valley will back you up. What are you afraid of?”
“Aunt Song!” Fu Xiyu frowned and looked at Valley Master Song: “Xuyi is still young; you shouldn’t talk about marriage with her all day…”
“Xuyi is my goddaughter; could I possibly harm her? Xuyi is so pleasing, unlike some unpleasing child, whose temperament is both cold and hard and also loves to seek death! I still count on Xuyi to help me in old age, so naturally, I want to prepare early to find her the best husband…”
Fu Xiyu’s lips were pressed tightly for a moment.
Seeing the atmosphere between the two become tense, Song Xuyi sighed inwardly and had to mediate once again: “Alright, alright, Aunt Song, Senior Sister’s injury just healed, you shouldn’t anger her!”
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“—Just want to anger this thoughtless little brat!”
Valley Master Song spoke angrily, saying this with her mouth, yet did not further discuss the topic. She looked at Fu Xiyu’s appearance, not knowing what she thought of, mumbled two ‘boring’ sounds, then flung her sleeves and left the medicine hut.
Song Xuyi paused for a moment, doubting herself and wondering if she had seen an illusion: for a moment, she seemed to see tears in Valley Master Song’s eyes…
“Aunt Song is just this way; she was my mother’s friend before she passed. I know she treats me well and I will not hold any anger against her.” Fu Xiyu softly spoke, seeming unable to withstand the wind, and coughed softly twice.
Song Xuyi, hearing the sound, retracted her gaze from Valley Master Song’s back, stepped forward to help Fu Xiyu up, and couldn’t help but ask out loud: “Senior Sister, how exactly did your injury happen?”
And just as Song Xuyi expected, Fu Xiyu did not clearly explain, only lowered her head and lightly said: “Old chronic illness, nothing more!”
“Instead, you,” Fu Xiyu tilted her head to look at Song Xuyi, and seriously advised her: “I slightly understand medical skills, and I actually know my own body well. You do not need to force yourself to study medical skills for me…”
Song Xuyi froze, not expecting that her excuse would reach Fu Xiyu’s ears so quickly. Her ears felt somewhat warm, but at this point, she couldn’t deny it, and could only rack her brain to think of another excuse: “But… I want to become as powerful as Senior Sister—”
Song Xuyi mustered the courage, raised her head to look at Fu Xiyu, and half-truthfully, half-falsely said: “When I grow up, I also want to become very capable, so that in case Senior Sister encounters danger, I can protect you…”
“I will not encounter danger.”
Fu Xiyu’s expression remained calm, her voice cold and clear, as she turned her head to look to the side, and her originally tightly pressed lips curved slightly imperceptibly…
The next day, Medicine Valley sent Song Xuyi a pile of introductory medical books.
Fu Xiyu could now face the wind, but still couldn’t use her internal strength and had to drink large bowls of bitter medicine every day.
Every time Song Xuyi saw Fu Xiyu drink the medicine, she couldn’t help but click her tongue: those pitch-black medicines looked bitter even to Song Xuyi, yet Fu Xiyu drank them down without a change of expression.
After a few days, Fu Xiyu began watching Song Xuyi practice martial arts and study medicine. Song Xuyi, having a prior foundation, progressed extremely fast, and the only patient for Song Xuyi to practice her medical skills on was naturally the unlucky little young master with no filter on his mouth.
After being pricked by Song Xuyi several times, the little young master finally, under the servant’s gratified gaze, had an epiphany and learned to keep his mouth shut, while Fu Xiyu’s body also gradually recovered. Not long after, she left Medicine Valley with Song Xuyi.
By the time they returned to the Taiji Sect, it was already close to the year’s end.
Fu Xiyu became increasingly busy, almost never stopping to rest, while Song Xuyi now wanted to help but had the will without the strength, so could only diligently practice martial arts and medicine.
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Now, people in the Taiji Sect all started to tease Song Xuyi, saying she likes to stick to Fu Xiyu, because Song Xuyi practices martial arts year-round outside Fu Xiyu’s office hall. As a result, Song Xuyi sees Lu Dun much more frequently than before.
Lu Dun’s complexion has completely improved. As the sect leader, compared to Fu Xiyu’s busyness, he appears extremely leisurely, spending his time appreciating flowers, painting, or taking his few male disciples to practice martial arts. He looks more like a cultured gentleman rather than a sect leader.
Moreover, Lu Dun seems to extremely trust Fu Xiyu.
Song Xuyi doesn’t know where Lu Dun’s confidence comes from, thinking that after he so harmed Fu Xiyu, she would still be loyal to him…
And amidst Fu Xiyu’s busyness, the Spring Festival soon arrived.
Song Xuyi also did not expect that when Song Xu heard Fu Xiyu would be spending the festival at Taiji Sect, he would strongly invite Fu Xiyu to celebrate the New Year with his family, and after thinking for a moment, Fu Xiyu actually agreed!
Song Xuyi considered for a while and did not raise any objections: after all, Song Xuyi still had a mission. If in the future she cannot prevent Fu Xiyu from becoming a villain, then with Song Xu and Fu Xiyu having a good relationship, perhaps in a future battle, Fu Xiyu will remember the sentiment and show mercy to spare Song Xu’s life.
Song Xuyi and Fu Xiyu descended the mountain together.
Neither of them is fond of strolling the streets, so after buying red paper and candies on the street, they returned home.
Song Xu and his wanderer master live in a village not far from the Taiji Sect. Song Xu’s chivalrous master, surnamed Li and named Xuan, is very fond of drinking, and once drunk, he likes to talk with juniors about his past stories.
When Song Xu and Li Xuan were preparing New Year’s Eve dinner, Song Xuyi and Fu Xiyu went together to the village to consult the elderly and learn how to paper-cut window flowers. Song Xuyi, in a certain life, had attended a related interest class and had some foundation, originally thinking she would quickly finish cutting. Yet, she did not expect that when she had just finished half, Fu Xiyu had already completed the entire pattern, even more neatly than the elderly.
“I… I learned some with my nursemaid in childhood.” Perhaps infected by the village’s happy atmosphere, facing Song Xuyi’s surprised gaze, Fu Xiyu unexpectedly slightly curved her lips: “Xuyi cutting like this is already very good.”
Song Xuyi was also somewhat happy: she had gained another clue about Fu Xiyu’s background, at least knowing that Fu Xiyu had a nursemaid in childhood. Families able to afford a nursemaid are either rich or noble, but Fu Xiyu also mentioned learning hunting in childhood, which suggests that due to certain reasons, Fu Xiyu’s family declined, so they once lived a period of hard days…
Both were very nimble, quickly finishing the window flowers. After returning home, the family’s dishes were already in the pot. They cooperated in pasting the window flowers, and as the sky darkened, the New Year’s Eve dinner was ready.
The village was setting off firecrackers everywhere, children changed into new clothes, carrying lanterns, began visiting door to door throughout the village. Since Song Xuyi entered the village, the village’s children targeted the pink-carved jade-like Song Xuyi. More than one child came to invite Song Xuyi to join them in visiting door to door, and after being refused by Song Xuyi, one child, as if hating iron for not becoming steel, advised her, “Little sister, if you go door to door with us, there are preserved fruits to eat!” Song Xuyi blushed a big red face, but it amused Li Xuan, who laughed heartily, and Song Xu and Fu Xiyu also had smiles on their faces.
Li Xuan had brewed some green plum wine in the summer, which was just right for the drinking season. Except for Song Xuyi, who was really too young, he poured a cup for the other two, and he himself drank from the wine pot.
The children, seeing they couldn’t persuade Song Xuyi, could only helplessly give up and turned to pester Li Xuan to tell a story.
Li Xuan, hiccuping with strong interest, waved his big hand: “What story to tell?”
“Hero Li, tell the world answer.
“World’s number one, ah!” Li Xuan frowned and thought for a moment: “There’s never an unchanging world’s number one. The martial world is like iron, and the world’s number one is like flowing water.”
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“Now, the world’s number one is the sect leader of the Taiji Sect, but more than ten years ago, even though righteous people were unwilling to admit it, the world’s number one indeed came from the Demon Sect.”
“The Demon Sect has a skill called Mie Xian Jie, an evil skill. As long as people practice this evil skill, they can absorb others’ skills for their own use. However, such great power naturally comes with restraints, and people who practice this skill are extremely prone to madness—”
“In order to practice this evil skill, the Demon Sect insanely came up with other methods. Some people discovered they could guide the chaotic internal energy during madness into the body of a close person. Thus, some morally corrupt people in the Demon Sect began capturing people, and during… cough, cough, certain special times, they would guide the chaotic internal energy into another’s body. Even worse, some beasts discovered another method: blood relatives can naturally better accept chaotic internal energy, so these people even targeted their parents and children, making them practice the same evil skill, becoming vessels for chaotic internal energy, and dying in their place—”
“Fortunately, heaven’s justice is clear, and this skill is becoming increasingly extinct. The former Demon Sect witch, Yu Rudie, was the last to learn this skill. Twenty years ago, I once luckily met Yu Rudie. Few people know that the world-infamous witch was born with unparalleled beauty, and countless people fell for Yu Rudie’s charms…”
No one knew when it began raining outside, but the children’s parents brought umbrellas, and some stayed to listen to the story together. This was a common pastime of the era, circulating in people’s conversations, naturally carrying a sense of pleasure and enmity. Not only Song Xuyi, but even Song Xu listened, fascinated…
However, perhaps from being too tired these days, Fu Xiyu lay on the table with her eyes closed. No one knew which child playfully shook an umbrella, but on the exposed half of Fu Xiyu’s face, beneath her tightly closed eyes, there seemed to be a glistening shimmer…
LP: Re-translated on October 10, 2024