Chapter 395: Chapter 315: Lady Min Hangs the Sword to Behead the Jiao Dragon
After Chen Yi watched Min Ning lead the pack horse slowly out of the capital, he returned home and saw the almanac hanging on the wall, which read:
The twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, Ren Shen year. The sword’s edge is metal, great fortune in the west.
It happened that the place she was heading to was Western Shu, exactly to the west.
She entered the Jianghu alone, embracing a wider world. Yet, Chen Yi must remain in this capital, at least until the New Year.
The thought left him truly unwilling; just a short while ago, he’d been in Min Mansion’s boudoir, celebrating their bridal night. By the next morning, she had departed alone.
Her ambitions are lofty, stepping onto this turbulent, unpredictable road of Jianghu. Sooner or later, she’ll become known as the Spring and Autumn Sword Master. Chen Yi has no idea what kind of scene it’ll be when they reunite, whether she’ll still care about him as much.
Perhaps when one has seen broader horizons, the leaves that once blocked their eyes are soon forgotten.
Chen Yi’s thoughts swirled; the joy from their wedding night not long ago was considerably dulled.
Yin Tingxue noticed the sorrow in his eyes, and, thoughtfully, leaned over and asked:
"Are you unhappy?"
"You can’t really call it unhappy. In truth, last night, I was quite happy." Chen Yi curled his lips into a smile and patted Yin Tingxue’s head.
Yin Tingxue placed both hands on her stomach; last night, Chen Yi hadn’t come home, and with Min Ning about to leave, the young girl naturally guessed what had happened. Compared to Chen Yi’s tangled emotions, hers were much simpler.
When snuggling under the covers last night, she laughed, her smile pale like osmanthus petals.
Just because she thought: This bad man, at last he isn’t forcing anyone—someone willingly slept with him.
Thinking on that, much of Yin Tingxue’s gloom dispersed; the sorrow from leaving her former home, though still deep inside, had softened, no longer cutting so painfully, and now, thinking back, she felt more sentimental.
She couldn’t quite describe this feeling; it was as if—like books say—the feeling of raising a daughter.
Only, thinking back after the fact, her heart felt a little sour, like it had been dipped in lemon water.
Come to think of it, it was rather like the feeling of a daughter being stolen by another...
Though such a comparison was rather improper, Yin Tingxue really couldn’t name this emotion. The girl’s experience with love was limited; she’d always been somewhat at a loss.
He’s gentler than before, treats others well, and is even willing to give way. Eventually, he and another girl got to that step—not so forceful anymore. Yin Tingxue liked seeing that, for all of it was good, yet somehow, she didn’t quite like it.
The maiden’s moods were easy to guess, but hard to untangle; they were all mixed up in a jumble.
And Chen Yi gradually lay down on the bed, recollecting what happened the previous night.
When a woman surrenders willingly, it feels nothing like forcing the matter.
All the more since Min Ning’s nature had always been somewhat forward and direct.
He still remembered when he stepped into Min Mansion’s inner chamber, Min Ning was so drunk she could barely stand, yet she anxiously tried to shove him onto the bed.
Chen Yi held her and led her to the bedside, casually lighting the red candles. When he turned, Min Ning’s face was flushed scarlet.
On that heroic face, he couldn’t tell if it was shame or drunkenness—Chen Yi only remembered, even those proud sword brows seemed ablaze like clouds.
"Who’d have thought the famous Heroine Min would one day end up in the hands of a wretch like me?" Chen Yi deliberately teased with a smile.
At that, her drunkenness surged, releasing her inhibitions, her cheeks reddening further as she thundered:
"You dog official! Even if I, Min Yuechi, die tonight, I won’t let you get your way!"
Chen Yi grabbed her wrist, pinned her to the bed, and burst out laughing:
"That’s no longer for you to decide, my dear heroine."
He thought that would be enough to subdue her, but unexpectedly, the heroine had hidden tricks up her sleeve—her wrist flicked, she twisted out of Chen Yi’s grip in an instant.
Then, like a slippery fish, she slid down and away.
"Scheme as you may, in the end, you missed your move! Tonight, I’ll cripple you, you dog!"
Without waiting for his reply, she grabbed his belt and yanked with a flourish.
Chi Long surges forth, sword blade bared, leaping up before him.
"Dog official, you’re huge!"
At this, the drunken Min Ning laughed uninhibitedly.
As for where her older sister, Min Ming, was in all this?
If Chen Yi remembered right, during all this passionate chaos and considering his prior kindness, Min Ming wasn’t brave enough to say anything—she’d simply sneaked off to the next room.
She truly was worried for Min Ning.
This little ruse couldn’t fool Chen Yi and Min Ning, who exchanged glances and silently agreed not to shoo her away.
Having come to this, who cared anymore? It would have spoiled the mood.
If anything, keeping her nearby was even more exciting.
Thanks to all sorts of lurid tales she’d heard over time, Min Ning had thought it would hurt like hell, but in truth—maybe from all her training, or maybe because Chen Yi was being especially gentle—it hurt no more than pressing a sword edge lightly against flesh, and soon enough, after those initial pains, the heroine got used to it.
And not just used to it—
Chen Yi still remembered, not even the time it took for a stick of incense to burn, and already, the tipsy Min Ning was getting bold, wanting to ride him instead.
But Chen Yi wasn’t about to let her get the upper hand so easily.
"I like it when someone grips the bedposts."
Min Ning shook her head: "I don’t."
"Then what do you prefer?" said Chen Yi, spreading his hands.
"Slaying the Jiao." Min Ning stretched out her finger, slicing down in midair, "I want to hang a sword and slay the dragon."
Chen Yi narrowed his eyes; letting her slay the Jiao was one thing, but for a first time? If this became her habit after becoming Spring and Autumn Sword Master, wouldn’t he always be beneath her?
So, Chen Yi replied, "I don’t like it either."
The room fell instantly silent, the pair eyeing each other, needle to needle, daring the other to blink.
"After all, I’m still half your master," Min Ning said in a low voice.
"Does Zhou Jianjia know?" Chen Yi retorted with a sneer.
They were deadlocked, neither yielding; Min Ning growing more drunk—maybe because her head was spinning, or her blood was surging, or maybe she just wanted to go wild before leaving.
Min Ning asked aloud:
"How about this? If we can’t choose, shall we ask my sister?"
Min Ming: "?"
You two are asking me about your wedding night, is this to give me a sense of participation?
The pair called out to Min Ming, but of course, no reply. In the end, since Chen Yi’s martial arts were stronger, the heroine’s attempt at suspending a sword to slay a Jiao Long failed.
She held a bit of a grudge over that.
But ultimately, she lost to Chen Yi’s Copper Bone Skill.
When night settled in, she lay languidly against Chen Yi, idly fiddling with the Hou Kang Sword.
She clinked to the left, flicked to the right, utterly bemused, and in her drunkenness, asked a rather silly question.
"Can it be drawn out?" she asked, gripping the hilt with one hand.
Chen Yi was startled, goosebumps prickling all over.
She kept laughing with down-turned phoenix eyes, as if she’d finally reclaimed the upper hand.
After a long while, both quieted, basking in tranquil peace.
"So this is what the first time is really like... Actually, not what I imagined."
Min Ning spoke.
"How was it different?"
"I thought... it’d be much more dashing."
Min Ning propped her chin, her heroic brow arching with ease, then went on:
"Like, say, one day in drizzling rain, outside the gate of Yin Sword Mountain, a swordsman arrives uninvited, sword strapped to his back, stepping across the threshold all travel-worn, then issues a challenge to the Sword Armor of Yin Sword Mountain."
Chen Yi turned sideways and watched her.
Min Ning met his gaze, then turned away, eyes fixed on the distant horizon:
"First fifty rounds, I’m losing, next fifty, neck and neck, last fifty, Sword Armor is one step short, his sword loses an inch, defeated by my hand. After that..."
Chen Yi smiled and added, "Stealing away a handsome man? Carrying the beauty home?"
Min Ning paused mid-sentence, her cheeks flushing as she retorted angrily:
"If you put it that way, I’d want everything but you!"
"Fine, I’ll get your sister to threaten you then."
In the room next door, Min Ming, sitting in her chair, shuddered.
After listening almost the whole night, her pretty face was thoroughly blushed.
Now they finally remembered her?
Chen Yi was only joking, not really paying any attention to the sounds from the next room. Instead, he grabbed the heroine’s slender, strong arm, pulled her into his embrace, and, targeting the crux, asked: "If not me, what do you want?"
"To pull up every peony flower on the mountain." She grumbled without hesitation.
Chen Yi flew into mock rage: "Insult my master, and I’ll fight you till the end!"
Min Ning sneered coolly: "Fine—fight it out, but the winner gets the surname Min."
Chen Yi didn’t argue further, just rolled over for another round.
Min Ning, like a true tactician, moved an instant later. Her hair whipped like swordplay, glinting in the candlelight, lashing across Chen Yi’s face.
Chen Yi involuntarily shrank back.
Min Ning was already turned away; Chen Yi saw her arm braced on the bed, in a perfect plank stance.
"Chen Zunming, let me tell you," Min Ning said without turning around, "Tonight, I won’t surrender."
...............
Memory is memory, beautiful but always lingering in the mind.
With Min Ning’s departure this morning, everything was now in the past. Who knows in which year or month they’d meet again, or if he’d hear Hero Min’s fame before meeting the hero himself.
Chen Yi lay flat on the bed, clutching the bedding tightly, as if holding Min Ning herself.
But then he looked down and saw Yin Tingxue leaning against the bed, round apricot eyes gazing at him. Chen Yi, without further hesitation, pulled her into his arms.
"Ya..." Yin Tingxue was drawn close to Chen Yi, hearing his steady and gentle breathing.
Chen Yi’s embrace was much gentler now, nothing like the force he’d used when she first arrived.
She leaned in for a moment, then realized something was off.
Yin Tingxue quietly poked Chen Yi’s chest with a sneaky finger.
Chen Yi looked down at her and asked, "What’s wrong?"
"You..." Little Fox timidly asked, "You’re holding me, but thinking of Min Ning, aren’t you?"
Chen Yi stared, surprised she’d noticed, then replied with exaggerated frustration, "What if I am? I’ll just keep... holding you while thinking of another woman every day."
Yin Tingxue lowered her face, giving a soft "...oh."
Without knowing why, she felt a little low.
Seeing her like this, Chen Yi gently tapped her nose, saying, "If I have to, I suppose I can think of you instead."
Saying that, he held her tenderly, for this time, he wasn’t thinking of Min Ning at all, only of the docile mistress in his arms.
The girl seemed to sense his thoughts; her little hand slid to his waist, making her even more well-behaved.
"Is that so?" she whispered, "Then I’ll think of you too."
"Thinking once isn’t enough."
"Then... I’ll think twice." She giggled at the words, amusing herself so much she couldn’t help but laugh.