Legend of Fu Yao Volume 1 Chapter 18
Book 1: Winds Begin to Blow in Tai Yuan
Chapter 18 - Clear Water, Flying Sleeves
"Be careful."
A warm and clean voice was heard, sounding a little
detached. With the sound, a white streak swept forward like a ribbon and
unfurled in mid-air. With a "shua" sound, it caught Meng Fuyao's hand
that was grasping at air instinctively when she realized she was falling.
Fuyao's figure was immediately stopped in a dangerous, half
fallen position, forming a 45 degree angle with the rocks underfoot. Not far
underneath was a pool of clear water. Her long hair hung down onto the water
surface, with some longer strands dancing in the current - it was an unstable,
yet beautiful posture.
Because her sleeve was pulled tight, her clothes were
stretched close to her body, revealing those perfectly exquisite hills and
valleys. Under her willowy waist her robes scattered, fluttering like a dancing
skirt. Even though she was wearing men's clothes, they still couldn't hide the
natural charm of her figure.
The visions of the many people by the stream could not help
but fix on her. There was a brief atmosphere of silence.
In the middle of Qi Xunyi's contingent, a horse carriage's
curtains were suddenly lifted up a hair. With a veil covering her face, Pei
Yuan gloomily watched the figure above the clear waters that could be
considered a beauty with only a look. Her eyes exuded jealousy-induced
malicious intent.
And in the first carriage, a pair of piercingly brilliant eyes
turned, then let out a light "yi" sound. [1]
However, Meng Fuyao herself did not realize that this one
pull had displayed her figure. She hurriedly used the strap that was holding
her up, and with a twist of her waist she stood up straight. Only then was she
able to take a look at the good Samaritan who had helped her in time.
The afternoon autumn sun shone through the dark green shade.
Beside the clear stream, slightly yellow strands of gra.s.s were covered by the
scattered rays of sunlight, and became even more brilliantly golden in color.
Atop the tips of the gra.s.s, a white robe spread. It was a warm but distant man,
young, graceful, his lips and pupils slightly paler than most people. When he
smiled, the autumn sun and golden wind suddenly seemed to transform into spring
breezes and blooming cherry blossoms.
Because he had thrown out his waist strap with flying
sleeves, his robes had scattered outward. Yet this didn't give one a sense of
inelegance or dishevelment; instead, it added to that originally present aura
of remoteness, several degrees of natural serenity.
Meng Fuyao was shocked. She thought to herself, did she
recently become blessed with peach blossom luck [2]? Among the men she met, too
many were outstandingly handsome. While thinking this, she offered the waist
belt back to its owner.
Just when she wanted to say a few words of grat.i.tude,
unexpectedly the other side calmly smiled, then softly said, "The strap
was already slightly dirty, this lady can feel free to throw it away."
After saying he very politely nodded his head, then turned
and left. He got onto a horse carriage behind Qi Xunyi's, and then the carriage
sped off to another side to stop and rest. This left Meng Fuyao dumbly standing
on the rocks, clenching the waist strap with surprise.
The strap was clearly completely new and in good condition,
so white that even tofu would die of shame, and he actually said it was dirty?
This person's att.i.tude was pretty strange. You couldn't say
he was lofty and condescending - his manners were impeccable, he was cultured
and modest, and when he didn't want the belt he gave the completely inoffensive
excuse of self-respect. But you couldn't say he was friendly - he clearly
didn't seem very amiable, even immediately abandoning the strap she had gripped
like worthless sc.r.a.p.
After Meng Fuyao stared for a half while, she hatefully used
the waist strap to wipe her hands. That guy didn't want it anyways!
Only after she wiped her hands and carefully inspected did
she discover, the waist strap was actually made from fabric that weaved Heaven
silkworm's silk together with white gold strands; in the middle was a
similar-colored mutton fat jade [3]. The strap was expensive, yet unostentatious,
just like the man.
After thinking a little, Meng Fuyao hid the waist strap in
her robes.
Yuan Zhaoxu, previously always off to the side, now popped
out of who-knows-where. With a strange gaze, he watched Meng Fuyao stuff that
man's personal belonging into her robes. After some time he said, "What
are you doing keeping that thing?"
Fuyao replied like it was obvious. "This thing is worth
a lot, if I keep it, if one day I need clothes or food, I can use it to trade
for living expenses."
Yuan Zhaoxu slightly wrinkled his brows, "That thing
isn't worth anything, don't keep it. If you lack money I'll give it to
you."
"Trying to trick me?" Meng Fuyao curled her mouth.
"You think I can't see the value of this jade? Also, this girl has a lot
of backbone, I don't accept charity."
Zhaoxu cast a glance at her, then faintly grinned.
"Yes, you don't accept charity, you just pick up the junk other people
don't want."
"You!" Meng Fuyao became gloomy, shifting her eyes
to see Yuanbao poke its head out from Yuan Zhaoxu's robes. Seeing Fuyao
deflated and melancholy, it turned extremely happy, chattering with zhi zhi
sounds non-stop. With indignation she used the "one finger flick",
flicking Yuanbao, who squeakily protested and opened its mouth wide to bite.
Meng Fuyao had long escaped while loudly laughing.
After running for a couple steps, past a curve was a patch
of forest shade. Not far forwards was Qi Xunyi's contingent. Meng Fuyao was
just about to go back, when she heard someone say, "Hey, you."
Turning her head to look, she saw the servant who had just
pushed her and almost caused her to fall into the water. Seeing this person,
she didn't want to bother with him, but for some reason when this person saw
Meng Fuyao his eyes suddenly lit up, and he beckoned. "Hey, you come
here."
Fuyao started, squinting her eyes to look at him.
"Calling for me?"
"Yes, you." The servant was not very polite.
"Our master doesn't have enough servants, you come here and give a
hand."
He saw Meng Fuyao with an expression of awkward indecisiveness,
and patiently said, "We won't make you work for nothing." From his
sleeve he palmed out a string of copper coins [4]. Throwing it on the ground
with a "pa la" sound, he arrogantly said, "Here, one hundred wen, enough for you to eat at Yanjing's
meat broth shop for half a month." [5]
Meng Fuyao lowered her head, looking at the copper money by
her feet. After a while, she smiled and picked it up, even blowing some dust
off of the coins.
The servant revealed a pleased expression, handing Meng
Fuyao a copper basin and saying, "Go, go next to the stream to get some
water, it needs to be upstream water. After carrying it over, go to sister Jin
Yan by the second horse carriage and ask her for some rosewater and lotus
cream. After exchanging for them bring them into the carriage, remember, don't
let your dirty hands touch the water! Alright that's all, I'm going to help his
highness change clothes."
He shoved the copper basin to Meng Fuyao, a face of rejoice
from finding a person to do his work for him. Fuyao could calculate with her
fingers and she would still be able to guess that after Pei Yuan had her
appearance ruined, her mood would be terrible. She already had a domineering
att.i.tude before, and those serving her would definitely suffer even more. Those
who helped her run errands must be trying to escape whenever they could,
otherwise why would they pay others to help?
The servant held out the basin. Seeing Meng Fuyao didn't
immediately grab it, he impatiently shook the copper basin, "Hey, you dumb?"
Fuyao's eyebrows jumped. Looking at the copper basin, she
suddenly smiled, then slowly went to scoop something out of her sleeve pockets.
The servant knitted his brows, shouting, "Moron
----"
Instantly his words stopped, and then his eyes opened big.
In front, in Meng Fuyao's palm, was steadily held a piece of
gold leaf, its quality extremely good, not underneath two liang in weight. [6]
According to Tai Yuan's currency system, one liang gold can be exchanged for twenty liang silver, and one liang silver can be exchanged for one
thousand wen coins. One liang of gold, he could work at the Qi
imperial palace for over three years, and still be unable to earn that much.
The servant exhaled a breath of shocked air, struck dumb.
Meng Fuyao shook the gold leaf in front of the servant,
kindly smiling, "You recognize this?"
The servant fixedly stared at that piece of gold, his facial
color turning green then white. Dazedly he said, "Its gold ..."
Fuyao smirked, "Yep, this is two liang of gold, enough for you to go to Yanjing's best Heavenly
Fragrance Restaurant and spread a full course of swallow wings, and eat that
s.h.i.t for a month."
With a laugh, her fingers loosened all of a sudden, and the
gold leaf fell onto the ground.
Subconsciously the servant squatted down to pick it up.
Fuyao's boot shifted, stepping on the gold leaf.
Stooping down, Meng Fuyao pushed that copper basin to the
servant who had dumbly lifted his head to look at her. "Sorry to bother
you, go next to the stream to get some water, it needs to be upstream water.
After carrying it over, go to sister Jin Yan by the second horse carriage and
ask her for some rosewater and lotus cream. After exchanging for them bring
them to me, remember, don't let your dirty hands touch the water! Alright
that's all, go on."
She edged the copper basin closer to the blackened face of
the servant, shook it in the exact same motion, then lightly smiled, "Hey,
you dumb?"
The tip of her foot slightly lifted. That piece of gold leaf
glittered in the dusty soil, tempting a gaze of avarice.
The hand of the servant shook, and clenching his teeth, he
suddenly took the copper basin and with large leaps sprinted towards the
stream.
Fuyao stood in the same spot, silently lifting her eyebrow.
After a while she whispered, "Pity ..."
The tip of her foot flicked, and the gold leaf flew up and
landed in her palm. Unhurriedly putting the gold leaf in her bosom, Meng Fuyao
slightly shook her head. "If you had some backbone to refuse me, I might
really give this gold leaf to you, but now ... you're not worthy."
She moved her fingertip in a circle. The string of copper
coins hooked on the finger, that was enough for her to eat at Yanjing's meat
broth shop for half a month, was shook flying, with a "pa" sound
falling to where the gold leaf had just fallen on the ground.
"I'll return this to you, you can go eat meat broth
yourself. Also forgot to tell you, Yanjing's meat broth shop is so cheap since
reportedly they use rat meat."
With a "haha" laugh, Meng Fuyao turned her body to
leave, her nimble steps quickly vanishing into a patch of shady forest, like a
refreshing breeze gusting past in an instant.
At the place where her figure disappeared, the trees and
gra.s.s became still. Silence surrounded the area.
After a long while, behind some trees appeared a faint
shadow out of the darkness. The person's white clothes were immaculate, his
pale lips like cherry blossoms.
He clasped his hands while staring towards Fuyao's
direction, his calm expression containing a small trace of interest. Suddenly,
he softly said, "Sorry for bothering you."
The words were said absentmindedly, but immediately someone
responded.
"For young master's orders, I would not shrink from a
thousand deaths, let alone a little bother."
That person had a lowered head and stooped body, a copper
basin shining at his feet. It was actually that sn.o.bbish servant from just
before.
Only, him right now had a reserved expression, his att.i.tude
tranquil, without any trace of that vulgar and haughty behavior from before.
The white-clothed man was silent for a while, then said,
"So?"
The person thought a little and said, "Young master,
when I pushed her down the stream back then, did your flying sleeve pull not
detect anything?"
"I did." The white-clothed man tilted his head
upward, a pondering expression on his face, saying, "The angle and power
of the wounds on Pei Yuan's face, whoever made them, their martial techniques
are definitely abnormal. Even though this girl hid it well, in that one pull, I
still could sense some of it."
"Although," He indifferently smiled, "in the
tests just now, I have finally determined she is not one of Qi Xunyi's
people."
"How?"
"Qi Xunyi's subordinates, are they worthy of such a
character?" The white-clothed man leisurely sighed, his voice long,
containing some laughter.
"She is a good person ..."
1. "Yi" 咦 is a sound of shock or surprise
2. Peach blossom luck, "桃花运",
means someone is lucky in their encounters with the opposite s.e.x
3. Nephrite: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nephrite
4. Chinese coins have square holes in them, which allows for
easy carrying by stringing them in a line. Picture: http://l7.alamy.com/zooms/85bf5f414c9448e9af873c4c4a0aee75/a-string-of-ancient-coins-ejx2r7.jpg
5. wen, "文",
is an ancient Chinese unit of currency.
6. liang, "两",
is a unit of weight equal to about 50 grams