Cuddling with the Cold Female Protagonist – Chapter 97
by Little PandaVolume 4: The Perils of the Jianghu
Masks
When Feng Ruoqing received the drawn illustration of the medicinal herbs, she asked in confusion, “This is…”
Why did the items in this drawing look somewhat similar to the Gu-dispelling concoction she had recently come up with herself?
“These are the medicinal herbs Senior Feng thought of to make Gu-Dispelling Powder.” After Ji Qingchi finished speaking, she told them about the entire experience of her and Su Yi being pursued.
Feng Ruoqing clutched the drawing excitedly. “I knew it! Master, her venerable self, is fine!”
Ji Qingchi was using her true qi to help regulate Su Yi’s body, who was in her arms. Hearing this, she asked curiously, “Speaking of which, how did you two suddenly end up in this forest? And how did you appear here?”
Hua Wuying sighed. “It’s a long story.”
After being told by the Valley Master that her master had passed away, Feng Ruoqing was heartbroken. Every day, she would run to Feng Qing’s “grave” on the back mountain. After paying her respects, she would also return to the place Feng Qing used to live to take a look. It was in Feng Qing’s room that she noticed something was amiss.
Feng Qing usually went out to gather herbs personally every day. Each time she finished, she would record what she had gathered. The record on her desk was from a year ago, yet it was only half-written, as if done in great haste. The latter half, however, was a poem.
It was completely incongruous1, which didn’t fit her master’s cautious style.
She studied it carefully for a long time before she managed to decipher the words “back mountain forest” from the poem. She then went to Junior Sister Feng Chen’s room and also found a hint mentioning the “back mountain forest.” So, that very day, she used the excuse of looking for her junior sister and planned to enter the forest to investigate.
Hua Wuying was worried about her going alone, so she accompanied her.
Once they entered the forest, they also encountered wild beasts carrying Gu. However, Hua Wuying knew how to avoid them. They followed a waterway, and Feng Ruoqing sprinkled the medicinal powder she had recently been working on as they walked. Thus, the two of them weren’t as disheveled as Su Yi and her group, and they safely and smoothly made their way into the forest area beneath the waterfall.
They had originally planned to pick some herbs and wild fruits and rest for a while. But when they saw a flock of birds suddenly fly away in the distance, they sensed something was up and headed in that direction. Who knew that the closer they got, the louder the sounds became—and they were particularly familiar.
Then, the two of them stared, dumbfounded, at the two joyous people under the large tree.
Too embarrassed to interrupt the passionate pair, they both squatted down in the bushes and waited until their heated session ended.
After having her blood and qi smoothed out by true qi, Su Yi felt much better. She happened to hear Feng Ruoqing reach this part of the story. Being very thin-skinned, a wave of heat instantly rushed to her face, and she lightly bit Ji Qingchi’s chin. “It’s all your fault.”
“Alright, alright, it’s all my fault. I’m a beast.” Chuckling softly in her ear, Ji Qingchi quickly lowered her head and admitted her mistake, her actions extremely practiced.
The first time is unfamiliar, the second time is routine. Having been seen for the second time, she was already completely unfazed.
Su Yi wasn’t as thick-skinned2 as her. Facing the two people standing before them, her face was still a little red. So, she tried to change the subject. “There’s Gu in this forest. If we want to get out, we’ll definitely need a lot of Gu-Dispelling Powder. Your appearance is most timely. Let’s go find these herbs together.”
Knowing she was embarrassed, the two were very understanding and tacitly avoided mentioning the matter, also pretending not to see the marks on her neck. They nodded. “Okay.”
The four of them hastily ate some of the dry rations Su Yi’s group had brought. They busied themselves for three shichen3 and collected a lot of medicinal herbs. The gathering baskets were stuffed full. Feng Ruoqing carefully counted them and felt that making a dozen or so bottles of medicinal powder wouldn’t be a problem.
Su Yi felt the quantity was a bit small, but it was already getting late. Rome wasn’t built in a day4, so they discussed coming back to gather more later.
As dusk fell, when they led Feng Ruoqing and Hua Wuying back to the cave, Feng Qing, worried about Su Yi and the others, was standing at the cave entrance waiting. Seeing her own disciple, she stood frozen in disbelief for a long moment.
Feng Ruoqing held back her tears and shouted loudly, “Master!”
“Aigh.” Feng Qing reached out to catch her, tears also streaming down her face. “My disciple, you’ve suffered.”
The master and disciple, who hadn’t seen each other for nearly two years, hugged and wept. The others tacitly refrained from disturbing them, quietly moving aside and busying themselves with their own tasks.
After crying for a good while, the master and disciple’s emotions finally stabilized. They recounted their experiences after their separation. By the time they finished, Ji Qingchi and Hua Wuying had already prepared food and called for the two to wipe their tears and sit down to eat.
Su Yi, holding a bowl of ginseng soup, said, “Senior, we gathered many herbs today. We can make a lot of Gu-Dispelling Powder.”
Seeing the eager light in her eyes, Feng Qing knew she wanted to leave. Turning to look at her own disciple, who was also nodding repeatedly, she became somewhat worried. “Now, the entire valley is controlled by my junior sister. If we go back rashly, she will definitely discover us. My junior sister knows Gu arts, and that lad of hers is even more sinister. Not only does he know Gu arts and poisons, but he also has connections with the Xuanji Tower. If we go out recklessly, I’m afraid we’ll be completely wiped out.”
“Don’t worry, we have disguise techniques,” Feng Ruoqing said with a smile. “I also used a disguise to sneak in. It’s just that the mask became useless after entering the forest, so I put it away. Master, let’s use disguises to return to the valley first. We can discuss the subsequent matters later.”
Hua Wuying frowned. “But it seems no one here knows disguise techniques, right? How can we proceed without masks? My subordinate does, but she’s not here at the moment.”
Su Yi didn’t speak, her gaze slowly turning towards Ji Qingchi at the side.
Ji Qingchi was drinking soup and nearly choked when their eyes met.
“Cough… cough cough… I… I do know a little… but I’m not proficient…”
Moreover, there was one point: unlike experts proficient in disguise who would take face molds to create different masks, she had only learned some superficial skills from her senior sister. The human-skin masks she made all looked quite similar, with only differences in age.
“It’s okay, as long as it works,” Feng Ruoqing said with a smile. “Besides, others don’t know us, so it doesn’t matter what we look like.”
Su Yi also smiled. “That’s right. The most important thing now is for us to return to Changsheng Valley.”
Since everyone unanimously agreed on this method, Ji Qingchi’s objections were useless. Besides, they were right. Without masks, the Hundred Herbs Elder couldn’t return to Changsheng Valley, and Su Yi’s poison still needed her to cure it. She absolutely had to go back.
After thinking it over, she had no choice but to sigh and agree. “Well… alright then.”
However, when Ji Qingchi gritted her teeth and finally made the mask, and Feng Qing put it on, both Su Yi and Feng Ruoqing fell silent.
Ji Qingchi indeed hadn’t lied. She was not proficient in disguise, because the person before them was the spitting image of Su Yi’s previously “deceased” Fulang.
She just looked a little older, that was all.
Seeing the two silent women, Feng Qing felt a bit nervous, touching her face. “How is it? Is it no good? Will it give us away?”
“No.” Su Yi forced a smile. “It won’t give us away, Senior, please rest assured. It’s just that the mask is made so well, we were astonished.”
“That’s good then.” Feng Qing smiled and nodded, turning to praise Ji Qingchi. “This young lady is truly amazing.”
Ji Qingchi’s smile was also quite forced. The moment this face appeared, Su Yi had locked onto her. She knew she couldn’t escape an interrogation.
Unexpectedly, Su Yi didn’t question her, not even giving her a single inquisitive glance. After dinner, the two doctors went out to grind the dried herbs. Hua Wuying, being very perceptive, offered to help and quickly slipped out.
When only the two of them were left in the cave, Ji Qingchi seized the opportunity to rush to Su Yi’s side.
“This Palace… cough… I can explain…”
Su Yi smiled and stared at her. “What does Your Highness wish to explain?”
“I… I had no choice back then…” Before she could state her reasons, Su Yi turned her head away. Ji Qingchi panicked, terrified that Su Yi would break up with her. She quickly bowed her head and admitted her mistake. “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have deceived you, and I shouldn’t have made you sad, worried, and scared back then.”
She rattled off her anxious explanations, but Su Yi showed no reaction. Instantly, she grew frantic, grabbing Su Yi’s hand and placing it on her own face. “Otherwise, you can hit me, or even better, scold me. Whatever you want, as long as you’re happy.”
Su Yi, with her back to her, almost died laughing.
Hahahahahaha, Ji Qingchi, you old scoundrel5, you have your day too!
She instantly felt a wave of vindication. Hmph, the way I had to be subservient and cautious back then, now you get a taste of it too! It felt like the serf had overturned their status and was singing in triumph6.
She crossed her arms, keeping her back to Ji Qingchi without saying a word. The more she acted this way, the more anxious Ji Qingchi became. Unable to think of any way to please Su Yi, she ran outside, grabbed an especially thick piece of firewood, and handed it to Su Yi. “Here.”
Su Yi raised an eyebrow. “What is Your Highness doing?”
“If you’re unhappy, you can hit me with this.” Ji Qingchi lowered her head. “I can take it.”
“Why would my Fulang say such a thing?” Su Yi smiled, tapping her shoulder with her hand, feeling an exhilarating joy. “Since my Fulang had no choice, then I can’t blame my Fulang for anything.”
Hearing Su Yi mention this form of address again, Ji Qingchi’s scalp tingled.
What did it mean to shoot oneself in the foot? She was truly experiencing it now.
Su Yi smiled. “Fulang?”
“En.”
“Fulang.”
“En…”
“Fulaaang~”
“En…………”
Su Yi clapped her hands with a smile. “As they say, the wife is the husband’s guide7. Since Your Highness has become my Fulang, you must listen to me and abide by the rules I set for you.”
Now, Su Yi was the legitimate great-granddaughter of the Marquis of Pingyang, she herself had an official position, and her shops in Jingdu were also established. When she spoke, her back was especially straight with confidence.
Fortunes change8; now it was Ji Qingchi’s turn to nod unconditionally. “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”
“Then the first rule is, from now on, when we… you know… it can’t be for too long, it can’t be in the wild, and you’re not allowed to kiss me randomly when we sleep at night!”
As Su Yi spoke, her face grew redder and redder. “Understand?”
“En…” Ji Qingchi verbally agreed, but her mind quickly formulated a countermeasure. She smiled sweetly and affirmed, “Understood.”
Su Yi breathed a sigh of relief. “I haven’t thought of the other rules yet. I’ll tell you when I do.”
“Alright.”
Ji Qingchi agreed very quickly. Su Yi suspected a trick, but that night, Ji Qingchi truly didn’t make any untoward moves, so she relaxed.
For the next several days, Ji Qingchi remained perfectly well-behaved. Su Yi was satisfied and focused on leading everyone to gather medicinal herbs.
Once they had prepared two full baskets of Gu-Dispelling Powder and Ji Qingchi’s injuries had healed, the group, after making thorough preparations, left the cave. They took the small path from beneath the waterfall and headed back towards Changsheng Valley.
Footnotes
- 牛头不对马嘴 | niútóu bù duì mǎzuǐ | Literally “ox head doesn’t match horse’s mouth.” An idiom meaning incongruous, irrelevant, or that things don’t add up.
- 刀枪不入 | dāiqiāng bù rù | Literally “neither knife nor spear can penetrate.” An idiom meaning impervious, invulnerable, or very thick-skinned emotionally.
- 时辰 | shíchen | A traditional Chinese unit of time. One shichen is equivalent to two hours. Three shichen is six hours.
- 胖子也不是一天吃成的 | pàngzi yě bùshì yī tiān chī chéng de | Literally “a fat person isn’t made in one day.” This is a Chinese proverb with the same meaning as the English idiom “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” implying that significant achievements take time.
- 老六 | lǎoliu | Literally “old six.” A popular Chinese internet slang term. It refers to someone who is cunning, sneaky, a bit of a troll, or an unexpected/unconventional player in a game who often hides and ambushes others. It can be used affectionately or disparagingly depending on context, often implying someone who plays dirty or is hilariously underhanded.
- 农奴翻身把歌唱 | nóngnú fānshēn bǎ gē chàng | Literally “the serfs have overturned their status and sing.” This phrase originates from a song title and describes a situation where oppressed people have liberated themselves and celebrate their newfound freedom and power. It implies a significant reversal of fortunes and a joyous expression of it.
- 妻为夫纲 | qī wéi fū gāng | “The wife is the husband’s guiding principle/standard.” This is a deliberate reversal of the traditional Confucian concept “夫为妻纲” (fū wéi qī gāng), which means “the husband is the wife’s guiding principle/standard,” dictating that the wife should obey the husband.
- 风水轮流转 | fēngshuǐ lúnliú zhuàn | Literally “Feng Shui takes turns to flow.” An idiom meaning that fortunes change, luck is cyclical, or “every dog has its day.” It implies that one’s situation can improve or decline over time, and power dynamics can shift.
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