novelThe Moon was a Bow
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Chapter 139: The Moon was a Bow
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
"Young Master Lu, the quality of your sword performance is indeed... too low!" Fang Zhengzhi looked at the sword that landed on the ground and sighed heavily with a sad expression on his face.
"It is indeed bad!" Chi Guyan also shook her head.
Lu Yusheng's throat moved slightly. He wanted to explain, yet, when the words reached his mouth, he wasn't able to utter them. What was there to explain? That he was actually quite proficient in sword performance?
Wasn't that just saying that he was somebody who did sword performances?
When he thought of this, Lu Yusheng once again felt that somebody had stuffed a lump of feathers into his mouth. He was really stuck, so stuck that he didn't even have the ability to explain himself.
At this moment, Chi Guyan, holding on to Fang Zhengzhi, had already moved past him.
The both of them...
Didn't even give him a second glance.
"Let's sit together?" Fang Zhengzhi looked at Yan Xiu.
On the other hand, Yan Xiu looked at Fang Zhengzhi with a queer expression, then looked at Chi Guyan who was standing by his side. Finally, a cold expression returned back to his face.
"Alright!" Yan Xiu didn't refuse.
"Chi Guyan's oversight today had caused Young Master Yan Xiu to be treated badly. I hope that Young Master Yan Xiu can help me ask for Grandfather Yan's forgiveness when you return to the Western Liang!" Chi Guyan bowed lightly towards Yan Xiu to express her apology.
"Princess is too courteous!" Yan Xiu returned a similar bow to Chi Guyan.
When Fang Zhengzhi heard the conversation between Yan Xiu and Chi Guyan, he wondered. Why did both of them like to mention his grandfather? He was curious, but this was ultimately Yan Xiu's family matters. If Yan Xiu didn't speak of it, he naturally wouldn't ask.
The three of them walked shoulder to shoulder. Chi Guyan continued to lightly wrap her hand around Fang Zhengzhi's arm, while Yan Xiu walked on the other side of Fang Zhengzhi. They looked just as if they were three very good friends.
When the three of them arrived at the main seat, Yan Xiu bowed again towards Chi Hou.
"I pay my respect to lord!"
"Ha ha, Yan Xiu, there is no need for this courtesy. Let's sit together!" Instead of being unhappy with Fang Zhengzhi for inviting Yan Xiu over, Chi Hou seemed to be extremely courteous towards Yan Xiu.
Then, the Divine Constabulary great feast finally began.
On the other hand, Lu Yusheng stood in the middle of the path and performed The Drunken Beauty.
When his sword lashed out, shadows danced in the air. It was as if clouds were floating in the air...
Frankly speaking, Lu Yusheng's sword performance wasn't bad. On the contrary, it was actually rather enjoyable. His grace was perfect, but, very unfortunately, the expression on his face wasn't as nice.
...
"Bang!"
Not too far away, within an exquisite room, a crystal-white cup was smashed mercilessly onto the floor, instantly turning into a pile of broken pieces.
This was an extremely precious teacup. It was completely genuine and definitely crafted by famous professionals. As for its value, it was minimally able to feed a family of three for more than ten years.
But, the person who smashed the cup didn't seem to have been cured of his anger. Instead, he stepped onto the pile of broken pieces, crushing the crystal-white pieces them into powder...
"Kill!" A voice that was cold as ice rang out from a youth around the age of twenty-three. His sharp brows were filled with anger, and his white brocade robe billowed lightly.
"King Duan, you cannot!" An elder wearing a black and white Dao robe standing behind the youth shook his head lightly, and quickly tried to stop him.
"Why? Isn't he just a poor villager? I have already been waiting at the Divine Constabulary for so many days, but Chi Guyan didn't even bother to meet me once. Now that this ten-year promise had suddenly appeared, this is clearly humiliating me!" King Duan Lin Xinjue's body trembled slightly. Evidently, he was on the brink of exploding with rage.
"One who accomplishes big things wouldn't be fussy about the details! King Duan, please calm down!" The elder wearing the black and white Dao robe sighed and continued to persuade.
King Duan Lin Xinjue didn't speak further, but he still couldn't control the anger in his body.
"King Duan, think carefully. Now that you and the crown prince are competing in front of the emperor, the side that Chi Guyan would choose is the most important consideration. If Chi Guyan found out that you are the one who killed Fang Zhengzhi, even if you were able to void this promise, Chi Guyan would likely be inclined to side with the crown prince!"
"What is your meaning?"
"Observe silently!"
"No, it would still be fine if I didn't witness this. But, now that I have personally witnessed this, how can I accept it?"
"Sigh... if your highness wants to proceed with this forcefully, there would more or less be some risk." Elder Wen seemed to be in a difficult situation. He looked at the main seat of the feast not too far away and shook his head.
"When I initially chose this path, I had already prepared myself mentally. How can I not deal with a small risk? Elder Wen, why not tell me your thoughts?"
"Killing with a borrowed knife!"
"Killing with a borrowed knife?! Whose knife? How can I borrow it?"
"Whoever's hate is the deepest would be the person whom you borrow the knife from! King Duan, please look!" Elder Wen pointed to a location at the feast.
At that seat, a person danced in the air. On one hand, he held a sword that glinted with an icy glow, on the other, he held a silver cup. He performed with a bitter expression on his face...
...
The dishes at the Divine Constabulary great feast weren't as grand and exquisite as imagined. But, it contained a tough taste that was filled with the battles of iron-blooded soldiers.
The main dish was a freshly butchered blue-horned white goat. A fire was started in the middle of the venue, in which wine was being boiled, causing people to feel as if they had returned to the military barracks of the battlefield.
Fang Zhengzhi was actually rather used to such a feast. The taste of the wild catered to years of living in the village. On the other hand, Yan Xiu was pleasantly surprised.
This caused Fang Zhengzhi to be even more curious about Yan Xiu's background.
After the great feast officially started, the atmosphere seemed to return to normal. Chi Hou also revealed the aura of an iron-blooded general, and downed wine as if they were water...
The personalities of men from the battlefield were all along very straightforward.
Chi Hou was no exception. When a matter had already been settled, he wouldn't bring it up further. Mrs Li, due to having been with Chi Hou for many years, gave of the feeling of a woman that matched up to men within her dignified and elegant temperament.
Hence, she similarly downed a few cups of wine with the officials from the Northern Desert five capitals as well as the scholars.
When the Divine Constabulary great feast had ended, Fang Zhengzhi, Yan Xiu, and a few other scholars were arranged to remain in the Divine Constabulary.
After all, the next morning, they were about to enter the Heavenly Treasure Hall.
...
The moon was a bow, the stars were fire. Within the Divine Constabulary, the shadows of trees danced lightly, and the aroma of flowers filled the air. The green waters flowed gently, while in a certain pavilion of the Divine Constabulary, there were two elegant figures. One stood while the other sat.
Lady Yuer, standing at the side of the pavilion, wearing a green dress and a silver hairpin, was gazing at Chi Guyan, who was playing the guqin in front of her. At this moment, her fair, white face was filled with curiosity.
She really couldn't understand what her Missus was thinking.
"Missus..."
"Do you wish to ask why I did that?" Chi Guyan pressed her hand on the strings of the guqin, and the music that likened the sound of flowing water stopped suddenly.
"Yes, that little... Young Master Fang, how can he match Missus?" Yuer's mouth twitched. She evidently seemed rather unhappy.
"About this point, I don't feel whether this match is important. Everybody is equal, why must we segregate people according to their status? But... today's incident indeed exceeded my imaginations!"
"Don't tell me even Missus didn't think that such an incident would happen?" Yuer was somewhat shocked. Ever since she started following Chi Guyan, this was the first time she had heard that something exceeded Chi Guyan's imaginations.
"Actually, the reason I left the Heaven Dao Pavilion was to confirm a thought in my heart." Chi Guyan didn't reply Yuer's question, and instead continued to speak.
"A thought in your heart?"
"Yes, a thought that had troubled me for a year. But afterwards, I realised that it was rather difficult to confirm this thought. Because, that shameless bastard was too living too comfortably, just like an ordinary civilian! I thought... that he would at most carry an attitude to only try his luck in the Law of Dao examination?"
"Don't tell me Missus's thought is related to Young Master Fang?" Yuer naturally inferred who the shameless bastard that Chi Guyan mentioned was. Hence, her expression seemed even more curious.
"It could be said to be related to him, but not completely related to him! The Double Dragon Roll Champion would shock the world, and bring peace to the world! This Heaven Dao divine message definitely isn't as simple as it seems on the surface. Furthermore, the Heaven Dao's divine message would definitely not fix a time for no good reason. Two years later, there would definitely be a huge plot in the entire world, but... I don't know what this plot is! For the Great Xia Dynasty, for the entire human face, I can only force him. Furthermore, I had already made every preparation possible. If my thought was really wrong, then I will let go and allow him to continue living the life he wants in the Northern Mountain Village."
"The Heaven Dao divine message?! Isn't Missus the Heaven Dao divine message? How can it be related to Young Master Fang? Furthermore, why did Missus say that it exceeded your imagination?"
"The time has yet to come, how can the Heaven Dao divine message be confirmed so easily? Of course, I am only guessing now. I initially wanted to give him some pressure, but I had never imagined that he would be even smarter than what I imagined! Other than this, even though this shameless bastard has an easy-going and relaxed personality, he is filled with arrogance. This arrogance ensured that he didn't admit defeat, hence... this time, I lost to him again!"
"Missus lost to him again?! Don't tell me that Missus had really lost to him eight years ago?"
"I lost once fighting one-to-one with him, and also lost another time in playing mind games. Actually, there are some things I still concealed today!"
When Lady Yuer heard this, she acknowledged them. But, she was still confused. After all, she simply had never thought about the things Chi Guyan had said today.
"But even if it was eight years ago, Fang Zhengzhi's abilities simply couldn't compare to Missus's. In a one-to-one fight... how can you lose?"
"That's right... how can I lose?"
Chi Guyan slowly raised her head and looked at the crescent moon in the sky. A gust of wind blew across, sweeping up the hair on her shoulders, and the pristine white dress that she wore. She looked just like a fairy from the moon palace.
"I believe he will definitely be very shocked at tomorrow's Heavenly Treasure Hall!"
Her slender yet pale white fingers moved slightly, and the strings of the guqin was once again plucked lightly.
"Ding!" A note rang out.
Immediately after, music that likened the flow of water began to trickle. The entire world at this moment seemed to be infected by this music, entering a state of pure calm.
Yuer didn't speak further. Instead, she quietly stood by Chi Guyan's side. The confusion on her face had disappeared, and what remained was only peace and quiet.
The moon was a bow, the stars were fire, the music was flowing water...
...
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