Chapter 158: Shizun attends the wedding banquet

Update 26/07/2022

Hello, I'm writing this update because I would like to get your opinion on how I should proceed further..

I started translating from the 156 chapter because at that time, the translation of the earlier chapters was already completed, but since the original translators decided to take down their work, I'm still hasitating on how to proceed. Should I start anew, from the first chapter, or continue translating from chapter 161+...

I think I will be doing edited MTL in the end, it's not because I can't read chinese, but translating is much more time consuming, and you know how long are the 2ha chapters. Well, I can consider translating these chapters and providing a much better quality if I could gain some support, and sponsor the newcoming chapters.

https://patreon.com/2ha?utm_medium=social&utm_source=tumblr&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

Well, hopefully, with all that said, see you soon, and take good care of yourselves.

Unedited

 Naturally, such a big event as the celebration of the wedding of the heir to the richest and most powerful order was planned to stretch over three days. On the first day, a big banquet was given in honor of all the guests*, where they could get to know each other, relax and wash off the road dust* on the eve of the main event. But the highlight of the evening's program was not even the feast itself, but the opportunity to hunt in the hunting grounds of Zhufeng. It was planned that at sunset, when the sun had set behind the mountain, the venerable and respected by all elder would tie red silk ribbons on the horns of three snow deer* and release them on the territory of the hunting grounds of the order, after which the groom’s father would select twenty-two hunters from unmarried boys and girls, who will be able to take part in the fight for the main prize.

*接风 jiēfēng jefeng "meet the wind" - give a banquet (lunch) in honor of the visitor;

*洗尘 xǐchén sichen "to wash off the dust" - arr. in meaning: to arrange a treat in honor of a guest who has arrived from distant lands; buddha be cleansed from worldly filth.

***灵角鹿 líng jiǎolù "spiritual snow deer"; the snow deer lived in Eurasia at the end of the Pleistocene - the beginning of the Holocene, from Ireland to the east to Lake Baikal. This is the largest genus of deer ever to have died out about 7,700 years ago.

Catching one of the three snow deer, the guest was rewarded with ten million gold. In other words, for schools like the Rufeng and Gu Yue, such entertainment was just another way to show off their wealth to the whole world.

Shile Palace was located on the top floor of the main palace, the roof and cornices of which were covered with turquoise tiles. From the windows there was a beautiful view of the fields flooded with the rays of the setting sun and the forests of the hunting grounds.

All those who arrived, according to etiquette, hurried to congratulate Nangong Liu on the upcoming joyful event, the same one, regardless of the status of the guest, politely answered the greetings, thanked and kindly invited the guests to the table. An hour later, all the invitees finally took their seats, and with the first stroke of the banzhong, the feast was officially opened.

*编钟 biānzhōng old, music. bianzhong, bells: usually 12-16 bells of different sizes in semitones, suspended in two rows on one rack.

“It remains to be seen who Chief Nangong will allow to go to his sect's hunting grounds to capture the snow deer.

“They say they will draw lots. By the one who gets the lucky lot, it will be possible to judge which of us is the lucky one. Just imagine, not only will the one who caught the snow deer get a huge jackpot, everyone else won’t leave empty-handed either, because there are many other spiritual animals and magical fruits in the Zhufeng lands. Is there a better place in the world?

Just during this lively discussion, the doors of the palace flew open, and Nangong Si, along with Song Qiutong, went out onto the terrace. Weaving gold with carmine, a stately young man and a beautiful graceful woman, holding hands, appeared before the head of the order.

Nangong Liu stood up and nodded his head with a smile to greet them, and then announced loudly:

“Esteemed and dear guests from all over the world and exorcists from the greatest spiritual schools, despite your busy schedule, you were able to find time and personally visit the Zhufeng school to attend my son’s marriage ceremony. This is a great blessing and mercy for us!

The guests downstairs murmured in unison:

The head is too generous!

“The young master is talented, the lady is beautiful *, an extremely suitable match.

*郎才女貌 lángcái nǚmào lancai nyu mao "talented husband and beautiful wife" - arr. nice couple. An ideal couple - a man serves the state, a beautiful woman decorates the house.

- Yes! And there is!

All these flattering speeches, word for word, these respected gentlemen uttered in a past life, when Mo Ran himself got married, therefore, listening to them now, he felt only boredom and disgust. Wandering his blank gaze through the cheering crowd, he very soon stumbled upon Elder Shuanglin Ye Wangxi sitting next to him.

Still dressed in the simplest of clothes, Ye Wanxi did not look up from his plate and seemed to be completely absorbed in his food. While Mo Ran was watching him, he never raised his head to look at Nangong Si.

Ye Wanxi looked and behaved just like usual, even more reserved and calm. Perhaps because his torment lasted too long, this man managed to realize and accept his own powerlessness and refused to fight his own destiny. Looking at him, Mo Ran suddenly remembered his own childhood. Then he really liked one paper lantern in the form of a pagoda, which was sold every night in the city market.

This lantern was made very carefully, the artist drew every detail, down to the tiles on the roof of the pagoda, however, he also raised a considerable price, therefore, although the lantern was very good, it could not be sold for a long time. Naturally, Mo Ran could not afford such a purchase, but every day at dusk he ran to the city market. Stopping in front of a trading shop, the child spent hours admiring the beautiful paper pagoda shining in the night, and the soft light emitted by it, as in a mirror, was reflected in blue-black eyes.

This went on until one day a young couple came to the market, dressed from head to toe in expensive silks. It was evident that the girl liked the paper pagoda at first sight. One complete coquetry phrase that she liked him was enough for the man to immediately pull out the money and pay for the lantern.

Bought a pagoda. Throwing his head back, Mo Ran watched the old painter who slowly removed the lantern from the wooden stand it had been standing on for so long. The moment the old man politely bowed and handed over the pagoda to the girl, the flickering fire lit up Mo Ran’s desperately thirsty face for the last time before its warm light disappeared from his life forever, dissolving into the night along with a pair of these flawlessly beautiful people.

Then Mo Ran felt an unbearable longing, but remained calm, because he had long ago come to terms with this loss.

Therefore, he understood how Ye Wanxi felt now. After all, when he first saw that pagoda lantern, he immediately realized that this luxurious thing was not destined to belong to him. In fact, every time the trader lit the pagoda, he mentally imagined a situation many times when this light would go out for him forever.

It didn't help to let go and ease the pain of the loss.

From the very beginning, they both understood what the ending would be, so even in their dreams they did not dare to go too far.

It's time to draw lots! It’s time for the drawing of lots…” An old servant from the office of the Rufeng Spiritual School, holding a large bronze tripod cauldron decorated with floral ornaments*, climbed onto the plinth and bowed low to Nangong Liu. “Head, the auspicious hour has come. Please start the draw!

*缠枝 chánzhī - chánzhī: a traditional Chinese ornament in the form of intertwining branches of plants and flowers.

- Fine! Let's get started! Head of Nangong Liu, pull!

Nangong Liu said with a laugh:

“Remembering that obedience is the best courtesy*, I will not keep you waiting and will quickly draw out twenty-two bamboo tablets with the names of young heroes. It is they who will be honored to take part in the night hunt organized by us. If someone does not wish to participate and wants to opt out, please let us know in advance!

*恭敬不如从命 gōngjìng bùrú cóngmìng gongjing buju tsongming "obedience is the best show of respect" - respect is not a substitute for obedience (idiom); It is better to respectfully accept than politely refuse.

Some of the girls from small schools who were not high enough in spiritual development, and those who were too young and not brave enough, asked their parents and trustees to approach the head of Nangong and ask them to exclude their names from the lottery.

Xu Shuanglin glanced at Ye Wanxi inquisitively, smiled lazily and asked:

“Little leaf, do you want to have some fun?” Just tell me, and I'll figure out how to let you out through the secret door.

“I won’t go,” Ye Wanxi replied. “Stepfather, I’m sorry to bother you with this, but tell the head to rule out my name.”

How can we miss this chance? After all, the prize for the deer is ten million gold.

Ye Wanxi: — …

Xu Shuanglin was not at all as meek as his adopted child. After a moment's thought, the corners of his mouth curled into a sly smirk.

“If you don’t want to go, then I will go instead of you.”

- Father…. you are over 40...

- What's wrong? I think I look very young. If I go, I will definitely return with three deer at once, and we will receive thirty million gold. If you refuse the easy money that floats into your hands, Heaven will definitely punish you.

Xu Shuanglin stubbornly stood his ground, point-blank not noticing the despondency of his adopted son. In the end, he pulled on his shoes, chuckling, approached Nangong Liu and whispered something in his ear. The idle onlookers watching the draw thought that he just wanted to remove Ye Wanxi's nameplate from the draw. No one could have imagined that this elder loves money so much that he wants to get involved in the game himself.

Nangong Liu very quickly pulled out the nameplates of the guests to participate in the night hunt.

“Shen Feng, Lin Sheng, Qu Yan Ran…

Elder Shuanglin, who was standing next to the leader, took the stack of signed bamboo sticks from his hands and began to speak out the names of the participants himself. Before announcing one of them, he hesitated a little, and then announced:

- O? This is the unsurpassed Favorite of Heaven, Xue Meng himself.

Very soon, exactly twenty-one names were announced. One thing was missing, and the unscrupulous Elder Shuanglin, beaming with a smile, raised his hand and announced:

“There is one more member left, and it will be a bunch of old bones like me. Please love and respect.

Knowing this elder's disposition, Nangong Liu didn't even try to stop him. Smiling helplessly, he handed out signal fireworks to each participant.

Whoever catches the deer must light a signal fire. Once all three fireworks are released, we will know that all three deer have been caught and the hunt is over,” Nangong Liu explained. “After that, I will wait for everyone at the Xiaoyue training ground, where the awards ceremony and the presentation of thirty million gold will be held.

The audience applauded enthusiastically. Many of them tried to cheer up their friends and acquaintances, on whom the lot fell.

Nangong Liu smiled again and continued:

“In addition, at the request of my son, another prize has been added for the first hunter to catch a deer: ten demonic wolves. By concluding a blood pact, he can take them with him!

Demon Wolves!

You won’t find even one such beast on the black market during the day with fire, but here there are ten!

The hall boomed. Someone could not resist and, jumping to his feet, began to loudly cheer his brother-in-law:

“Big brother, I rely on you!” If you become the first, I will clean your boots for a year!

The crowd erupted in loud laughter.

One of the spellcasters did not remain in debt and shouted loudly:

“Senior student, if you beat everyone and win, I’ll do double cultivation with you!”

- Wow ... wow! Famously! Ha ha ha, where is this lively girl from?

In an instant, the Shile Palace was filled with merry laughter and hubbub. Even those who from the very beginning did not show interest in this competition, over a glass of good wine, watched this turmoil with interest.

Not wanting to become part of this fun mess, Mo Ran turned to Chu Wanning:

“Master, I will keep Xue Meng company and escort him to the hunting grounds. For now, enjoy some good food and drink, and I'll be right back.

Chu Wanning replied:

- Go. And give Xue Meng my order not to act too recklessly.

- Good.

Mo Ran followed the two dozen chosen hunters through the brightly lit and lavishly decorated main hall. As Chu Wanning gulped down his cup of Daughter's Wedding Wine* as he watched these handsome young men and women vanish into the darkness one by one, full of determination.

*女儿红 nǚrhóng nuerhong "daughter in red" - a traditional yellow rice wine called "Daughter's Wedding".

He had a premonition that now Sisheng Peak would have enough money to pave all the roads of the Lower Realm with spiritual stone. After all, his disciple was there, so he had no doubts.

It can be assumed that thirty million gold coins are already in their hands*.

*唾手可得 tuò shǒu kě dé that shou ke de "spit on your hands and it's done" - to get something without effort.

Before all the young hunters had time to enter the forest, and even Mo Ran, who had gone to see off Xue Meng, had not yet returned, when a roar was heard, and the scarlet flower of the first signal flare bloomed in the sky. Nangong Liu clicked his tongue in surprise and sighed in admiration.

- Just awesome! Just think, I didn’t even have time to finish my cup of tea, and someone had already caught the first deer. I wonder whose student this is? Such exceptional craftsmanship deserves respect!

Liu Li Wuxin from Bitan Manor, who was sitting next to Nangong, stroked his beard and laughingly suggested:

“If the gracious sovereigns here are interested in this, why don’t we make a bet? Let's bet which of the twenty-two young talents who went hunting got to the snow deer first? If, for example, I bet fifty thousand gold pieces on Li Mou, what do you think, Chief Nangong, will this brighten up our expectation and add fuel to the fire of common interest?

The assembled onlookers immediately supported this proposal, so twenty-two tags with the names of the participants and a bright scarlet silk cloth were laid out on the table, on which everyone who decided to place a bet wrote down the amount and sealed the obligation with a signature.

Turning to Chu Wanning, Xue Zhengyong asked in a whisper:

“Why did Bitan Manor bet only fifty thousand on their apprentice?” Is old man Li so poor?

Chu Wanning replied:

- A small bet will cheer you up, but large bets can harm your health.

Xue Zhengyong laughed in response and immediately suggested:

"Then maybe we can cheer ourselves up a bit?"

Chu Wanning glared at him, and although he did not utter a word, Xue Zhengyong immediately hunched his shoulders and stepped back.

“Okay, okay, I know you don’t like this, then…”

“Why, just to cheer up,” Elder Yuheng untied the purse and, throwing it on the table, continued with a stone face, “I’m going to seriously harm my health.”

- …

Xue Zhengyong stared at him like he was seeing a ghost for a long time before finally asking,

- How much do we set?

- Three hundred thousand.

- …So much? What if we lose?

“We’ll get into debt,” Chu Wanning replied. “Didn’t you want a pavement paved with spiritual stone?” Let's collect a little more money and then we can repair the villages that have suffered especially from the misfortunes.

- Do you think? What if Xue Meng loses?

“Xue Meng can’t lose. He is your son, so you should understand this better than me.

- …

Seeing that Xue Zhengyong was still worried, Chu Wanning spoke bluntly:

The debt will be mine, and the gain will be yours. Let's!

The thin silk cloth was already covered with names and rates. Even small, poor theological schools, which usually did not allow themselves extra expenses, could not resist and bet a little to try their luck.

Watching this hype, Nangong Si also felt excited and stood up, willing to place a bet. Song Qiutong called out to him:

- My husband, do you want to participate too?

“I’ll win some coins so I can buy some jewelry for you.”

Song Qiutong immediately fell silent and drooped. She lowered her lovely face, and strands of long black hair covered it like a translucent silk curtain. From the outside, the girl looked so timid, embarrassed and lost. Having witnessed this sugary-sweet scene between the two newlyweds, Chu Wanning felt uncomfortable. He immediately turned away so as not to embarrass Song Qiutong even more, so he did not notice the shadow of displeasure on her face.

Nangong Si took up his pen with a smile and bent over the long list. He was already preparing to write the name and amount under the name of the “trump card” candidate he had chosen, when suddenly he heard a sharp whistle behind him. Only Nangong Si's bestial wolf instincts allowed him to dodge the arrow, which, striking his cheek, flew past and entered the column of gilded laurel with a dull crack.

The splinters scattered in all directions, the point deeply bogged down in the tree!

- Who is this?!

"The assassins are here!"

- Carefully! Give an alarm! Call the guard!

A sharp and piercing whistle rang out over all seventy-two divisions of the Zhufeng Sect. The warm atmosphere of general fun that reigned in Shile Palace turned into chaos in an instant. People drew their swords and, huddled together, looked around.

Nangong Si looked at the arrow with a gloomy gaze that ignited an evil fire. After wiping the blood from his cut cheek, he strode over to the column and, throwing back his head, looked up.

It was an ordinary feathered arrow that went deep into the tree, but it had a stoppered small bamboo tube attached to it. With a straight face, Nangong Si removed it from the shaft and ripped off the wax seal with his teeth as sharp as dog fangs. A note fell out from inside.

Nangong Si unfolded the paper, ran his eyes over the first line with a calm air, and suddenly changed his face. His fingers gripped the paper convulsively. He looked incredulously at the contents of the note again, and this time his whole body shuddered as he read it, so that his nails even pierced through the paper.

“See-er, what’s the matter?”

Nangong Si raised his head. His nostrils flared furiously, and his expression was so wild that it seemed that just a little more, and it would turn into the face of a leopard.

- Just slander!

After saying that, he was about to destroy the note, but Nangong Liu, one step ahead of him, stopped his son's hand with spiritual power. In a hushed voice, he insistently repeated:

- What's the matter? I want to know, give me the letter.

Father, you don't need to read this. This is not a letter, but a complete lie and slander!

Nangong Liu, however, did not listen to him and took the note from the hands of the immobilized Nangong Si. Quickly reading the contents of the note, he briefly glanced at Song Qiutong. At this moment, Sect Leader Rufeng looked like a man in a very delicate and embarrassing situation. Before anyone could say anything, Nangong Liu brought the note to the candle flame, and it instantly turned to ash. After that, he forced a laugh and turned to the witnesses of this scene:

“My son was right, it really is just nonsense. I don’t know who and why joked so badly, it’s true ...

“And what is the truth then?”

Suddenly, a hoarse voice reached them from the direction of the ledge.

The guests were dismayed, many of them changed their faces from fear. Ye Wangxi immediately unsheathed his sword and stood up, blocking Nangong Si with his body. Chu Wanning also got up and carefully looked at the place where the sound was coming from.

It is worth noting that, while arranging this solemn reception, the Zhufeng Sect took every precaution, placing the best of their students to guard the banquet venue. The fact that this person was able to get to the roof of the building and at the same time remained unnoticed until he gave himself away, could only say that they were far from being an ordinary spellcaster, which means that you should definitely not underestimate him.

“Chapter Nangong, purely out of my good heart, I decided to remind you that you shouldn’t allow your son to marry such a windy person without a special reason.” But instead of heeding my warning, you said that my words were nonsense, and thus simply forced me to open my eyes to everyone.

*水性杨花 shuǐ xìng yáng huā shui xing yang hua "flowing water, blooming willow" - arr. in the meaning: windy [like willow fluff], frivolous, fickle woman.

The echo of the voice had not yet subsided when a dark shadow flickered, and before anyone could understand anything, he was already standing in the middle of the banquet hall, his hands behind his back, like a black raven in the midst of a flock of sparrows.

-Ahh!

- Quicker! Let's run!

The human wave subsided like an ebb. Frightened people rushed in different directions, and in a matter of seconds an empty space formed around him. The heads of theological schools covered the older students, the older students covered the younger ones, the young men protected the girls, the parents stood up for their children with their breasts.

The man in black, whose face was hidden by a ferocious bronze mask, and whose figure was draped over his shoulders with a cloak, said coolly:

- Why run? If I wanted to harm you, I drowned this hall in blood a long time ago. Everything will be fine, just stand and listen.

The author has something to say:

Well… I feel like the outcome of this gambling game is already predictable… ahahaha!

Little Theatre "A Born Debater"

Mo Ran: There are rumors that the Tall and Cold Master* cannot drink.

*高冷 gāolěng gaoleng "high and cold" - arrogant and indifferent; used to describe selfish or indifferent people and at the same time to describe people with high ideals and big ambitions.

Chu Wanning: Nonsense, I personally don't get drunk even after a thousand cups.

Mo Ran: There are rumors that the Tall and Cold master is not good at gambling.

Chu Wanning: Nonsense, my personal bet always wins.

Mo Ran: - Rumor has it that the Tall and Cold Master considers it beneath his dignity to say “I love you” to his boyfriend at the Lantern Festival.

Chu Wanning: Nonsense, I personally…

Mo Ran: Ha ha ha! I know that Teacher is not like all these empty-headed coquettes. Oh, did you want to say something? Come on, I'm listening to you.

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