So What If You've Been Reborn? Chapter 19

C19 . His Words Carry Weight

If you are seeing this text, you are NOT reading it on the original site . Head on down to lovelysweetdream 959085286 dot wordpress dot com to read the original!

“Boss, this isn’t good, isn’t it, we don’t know where those two came from!”

The skinny man with a white paper fan in his hands snuck a glance towards the horse-drawn carriage behind them, then whispered furtively by the scar-faced chief’s ear, “You don’t need to climb so high just to avoid wolf packs, and there weren’t any fresh wolf droppings in the forest, so they’re obviously lying!”

“You dumba.s.s, the tree’s so tall, can you climb it? Can you get down easily just by walking down the branches so freely?”

“Er, if there were ropes…”

“Did you see any ropes?” The scar-faced chief knocked the skinny man on the head with his whip . “If they really had bad intentions, you think they wouldn’t be able to catch up even if we leave immediately? Don’t tell me you can’t tell even after following me all these years!”

The skinny man touched his head, continuing, “The attire of those two isn’t anything like the norm . For that one in white, the fabric was probably woven in the southern provinces . By golly, one bolt of that fabric costs this much!”

On the sides, some of them bit their tongues[1] lightly, “Is that true, do those clothes really cost more than one carriage-full of our cargo?”

“What do you know? The threads are superior Suhang[2] goods, and the tailoring isn’t bad at all, you think those don’t cost a thing? You really think a carriage-full of cargo can afford that?” The skinny man waved his paper fan, looking like neither this nor that . He was dressed casually, with a dagger hanging at his hip, yet he insisted on playing the dog-headed military adviser[3], saying with false learnedness, “Boss, I think they’re in big trouble! Maybe they’re being hunted down by someone!”

They thought their conversation was secretive, but it was heard loud and clear by the senior-junior pair in the holey, worn-down carriage behind .

With each sentence they spoke, Chen He scooted away anxiously . In the end, he had shrunk into the corner furthest away from s.h.i.+ Feng, his head hung listlessly . Chen He felt at first that he would be able to deceive them even if his excuse was a little forced, but he had not realised his lies were so clumsy . Not only could they tell he was lying, they could even tell they had gotten into trouble and were being followed .

s.h.i.+ Feng smiled silently .

Chen He lost even more confidence . As he hesitated to speak, his senior brother caressed his head .

This carriage was very worn out, and it was barely big enough for three pa.s.sengers to squeeze in together . Even if Chen He shrank away to the furthest edge, s.h.i.+ Feng could easily yank him back with one hand .

Long fingers grasped Chen He’s left hand, writing on his palm at a leisurely pace .

“‘Do not belittle the worldly people’?” Chen He raised his head .

s.h.i.+ Feng nodded in agreement .

In the heavens and the earth, all things were part of the Dao . Cultivators could gain insight into the Dao from watching fish swimming or birds flying, so how could they make light of the wisdom of worldly people?

s.h.i.+ Feng did not want Chen He to become like the proud, uncaring cultivators who treated mortals like insects . Such cultivators had forgotten that they were human; if they did not know how to live as humans, could they even become immortals?

Tilting his head in thought, Chen He continued to eavesdrop on the voices outside .

“Vice-chief, you said they were being hunted down by people?”

“What ‘Vice-chief’, you should call me Adviser!”

The skinny man shook his head as he went on, “They claim to be a pair of brothers . The one doing things and making decisions is the younger one, but he’s always mindful of the other one, like he’s seeking an opinion . If I dare say so, between the two of them, the one whose words truly carry weight is the other one!”

Chen He grunted softly .

Not true! His Senior Brother did not speak at all!! How did they get to ‘the one whose words truly carry weight’?

Seeing Chen He’s disgruntlement, s.h.i.+ Feng flicked his junior brother’s head, amused .

“…the most important thing is, this Huang-fellow’s[4] eyes couldn’t even tell what material that person’s clothes were made of . These two may have an extremely high mastery of martial skills, like those fellows from the Great Snowy Mountain who have their eyes on top of their heads[5] . Yet they bothered to talk to us, and got on our carriage, so what is this if not them trying to cover their tracks?”

Chen He’s gaze showed that he seemed deep in thought .

Towards the end, even the chief of the caravan lowered his voice and said, “I don’t smell blood, but from that young man’s cautious manner and how he’s always trying to support his older brother, the other man may be injured somehow . They may have trouble, but I think they might have simply lost their way, or they’re waiting for someone . Otherwise, even if they were crouched in a tree, there’s no way we could have discovered them . They don’t look like harried people trying to avoid being hunted down . ”

“Wise is the chief . ”

“Hmph, if they were truly in trouble, I wouldn’t be such a busybody! I’m taking all of you on this path, and I’m responsible for everyone’s lives and livelihoods . When we’re running about in this world, we should help people in need if we can . That’ll be one more friend, one more connection . If we can’t, we’ll turn and leave, and we don’t need to have any guilt or qualms!”

“Yes, yes!” Skinny Huang the adviser was thoroughly convinced, nodding non-stop as he held his fan .

In the carriage, Chen He was a little dazed . He did not expect that after making up nonsense and randomly hitchhiking with someone, he was hardly keeping any secrets from the other end .

“Senior Brother, what do they do?” Chen He asked, coming closer to s.h.i.+ Feng .

s.h.i.+ Feng looked at him once, then ignored him .

“I can’t think of anything . They can’t be an escort agency since they don’t have any flags, and they can’t be a merchant caravan since they’re too fierce . ” Chen He thought long and hard about it .

As for horse-thieves, that was even more unlikely . What could a group of people from the central plains, with such a strong aura of the martial underworld, be doing in the wastelands outside the Redwinds Desert in the northwest?

“Senior Brother!”

“Senior Brother!”

Left with no choice, s.h.i.+ Feng wrote a word on Chen He’s palm .

“Salt?”

After being out of it for a moment, Chen He realised it . They were illicit salt traffickers!

The northern lands were barren, and the northwest regions were poor . Salt, iron, and tea leaves all had to be supplied from the central land . Although the northern tribes were subservient to the central plains, the annual amounts of goods traded at the borders were still limited . Some larger tribes did not have to worry about food and necessities, but the smaller tribes could not survive . Thus, there were wars on the gra.s.slands every year, where they made up for the lack of resources by expending human lives .

Illicit trafficking of salt was a high-profit business indeed!

It was also a life-threatening business . Sandstorms in the wastelands, horse-thieves, wolf packs, even the tribes disagreeing with each other; any of these could lose them their lives beyond the borders .

Chen He poked his head out of the window to look at the people who rode on horseback and drove the carriages, who carried their flasks of wine and chatted and laughed every now and then .

“Chief…”

Skinny Huang saw Chen He when he turned his head . He went over again and muttered, “Boss, what do you think they look like, why’re they covering their faces?”

—in the end, s.h.i.+ Feng did not wear the cloth his junior brother had cut out for him to cover his face . He simply performed a camouflage spell to make it look like the two of them were wearing bamboo hats .

“If they really are in trouble, they’re being considerate by not letting us know their looks,” the chief said absently . The ugly blade scar on his face twitched as he cracked the whip in the air .

“Comrades, watch the cargo, check the axles! Same old rules: just sleep in the carriages, don’t drink too much wine . Other caravans can already be seen in the distance . In six hours, we’ll be reaching Cangs.h.i.+ Town, so all of you be more alert!”

After that, the chief began to a.s.sign roles . Who would be keeping watch through the night, who would be responsible for the meals, who would feed the horses, and numerous other duties .

Hearing something, Chen He gazed into the distance . There was indeed a faintly visible trace of horses in the sandy wind .

—by not giving orders to his men after reaching the town, the salt trafficker chief probably wanted to prevent bystanders from hearing them .

Chen He silently thought about it . As expected, even with Senior Brother’s Liquor-Wisdom Technique, there were still many things he did not understand .

After retreating into the carriage, he saw that s.h.i.+ Feng had already closed his eyes and begun regulating his breathing . Chen He obediently sat down cross-legged, remaining alert as he allowed his meridians to recuperate .

He dared not sleep .

Chen He did not have any more jade orbs . In order to remember the events of this day, he could not sleep .

Chen He did not have any more jade orbs . In order to remember the events of this day, he could not sleep .

Black Depths Valley had been like a haven . Every day, Chen He habitually entered a meditative state instead of sleeping, living a carefree life . But now that his senior brother had encountered inner demons and was severely injured, Chen He felt that he had to learn to take charge of matters .

It would probably be no problem for a cultivator to go a few days without sleep, just that Chen He had never tried it before .

—after leaving this group of illicit salt traffickers, maybe they would look for a safe place and rest .

The horse-drawn carriages rumbled along . As dusk settled over the land, the clamorous voices outside grew louder .

There were horses whinnying and people from nearby caravans talking . Someone hollered anxiously,

“What’s the matter? Why’s there a hold-up in front? The sky’s turning dark, and those wolf packs aren’t going to be nice to us!”

Chen He’s brows s.h.i.+fted . He held his breath, ceasing his cultivation .

Without disturbing s.h.i.+ Feng, who was still regulating his breathing, he stuck his head out silently to check .

There were indeed many caravans crowded together . Night was falling, and everyone had lit torches . The people, as well as the horses, were getting jumpy .

“Chief, it seems to be that bunch of cow-noses[6] from the Great Snowy Mountain . ” Skinny Huang the adviser returned hurriedly, looking nervous . “They blocked the path leading to Cangs.h.i.+ Town . They look like they lost something, everyone’s holding a fengshui compa.s.s and searching over there . What a day it’s become . There’s nothing in Cangs.h.i.+ Town other than strong liquor and women so ugly I don’t want to look at them, what did that bunch of naggy Taoists come here to do?”

“Shut up!” The chief gave him a harsh glare .

Rumour had it that the Great Snowy Mountain was inhabited by immortals . Whether the stories were true or not, it was true that there were no armies stationed within a thousand-li radius of Great Snowy Mountain, and the tribes in the northwest dared not trespa.s.s .

“Daozhang, our caravan has a patient who got bitten by a wolf and he needs to be treated soon, could you—”

“That’s right, both the people and horses are tired after a day of travelling, we only managed to reach this rest stop after travelling a long way . ”

The Taoist monks in green robes remained unmoved no matter how much the people pleaded . Chen He noticed that there was not a speck of dust on their shoes; although they looked like they were stepping on the stones, they were not stepping on anything at all .

Able to walk on air—Nascent Soul-stage cultivators!

Chen He’s gaze froze . He quickly stuck his head back inside .

But his earlier spying had already drawn the attention of a monk . The monk immediately looked towards this end . He seemed to be still, but without warning, he appeared next to the carriage .

“Ah!” The skinny adviser dropped his fan in shock .

The green-robed monk held a duster in his hand and wore a Three Purities hair cap of jade[7] . His gaze was like ice:

“Ah!” The skinny adviser dropped his fan in shock .

The green-robed monk held a duster in his hand and wore a Three Purities hair cap of jade[7] . His gaze was like ice:

“Which sect are you from, state your name at once!”

Chen He lifted his palms discreetly . Although he was two stages below this monk, he was not at all afraid . Many times, Chen He had been thinking of how he was going to exact his revenge on the disciples of those old guys from the valley, so how could someone at the Nascent Soul stage scare him?

Suddenly, a hand held him back . At some point, s.h.i.+ Feng had opened his eyes .

Senior Brother? Chen He asked anxiously, without a sound .

“You lowly one, have you never heard of Qiankun Monastery of the Great Snowy Mountain?” The Taoist monk swished his duster derisively, causing the curtain at the front of the carriage to fly up .

However, he was a little stunned, for the effort he used should have caused the entire carriage to crumble to dust .

Everyone was secretly watching them as well . They saw the curtain flying up, and there was a person in wide, crimson robes; his sleeves trailed down from his knees, his slender fingers clearly visible; his hair, scattered on his red robes, were black as lacquer .

Before they had gotten a clear view of his face, those eyes full of harsh light swept over them, and they became stiff, unable to move, as if they were soaking in icy water .

Only after the curtain fell back into place did they feel the horses’ whinnying, the scorching hot air, and the crackling sounds from the burning torches .

The others had not seen s.h.i.+ Feng’s appearance, but the green-robed monk was an exception . However, he was in no better state, trembling as he kowtowed deeply at once, “I did not know there was an elder present . Please forgive my immense discourtesy . ”

Chen He: …

[1]: Original: 咋舌, literally means ‘to bite one’s tongue’, which brings us to the more poetic? figurative? meaning: to be rendered speechless .

[2]: Suhang, 苏杭, referring to the regions of Suzhou and Hangzhou . They’re very well-known for producing silk and related goods, and their silk is possibly the best in all of China . Here the term Suhang is used to describe high-quality fabric (usually silk fabric) .

[3]: Originally 狗头军师; mine is a very literal translation . It’s an old term for the characters in novels or plays who were responsible for military strategies . Nowadays, it usually refers to someone who gives bad ideas or advice .

[4]: (Long) This is that thing where a man refers to himself as, say, 陈某 for someone whose surname is Chen 陈, or 苏某 for someone with the surname Su 苏 . This is to show humility, and it’s used by pretty much any man . (Young Master Yao from the previous chapters also referred to himself as 姚某 in some scenes, just so you know!) In this case, the skinny man’s surname is Huang 黄, and he used 黄某人 . Literally means ‘Huang-random-person’, or ‘Huang-somebody’, but I think ‘this Huang-fellow’ sounds much better .

[5]: A way of describing a person who’s sn.o.bbish, arrogant, usually looks down on others around them, etc . May be derived from 眼高于顶, which literally means ‘eyes/gaze higher than the top of the head’ and is sometimes used to describe proud, arrogant people who look down on others .

[6]: A nickname for Taoist monks . There are three possible explanations: one, a Taoist monk’s hat looks like a cow’s nose; two, a Taoist monk’s hair bun looks like a cow’s nose; three, Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism, rode a greenish-black buffalo-like creature on his way to immortality (which they refer to as 牛, “cow”), so he was referred to using ‘cow’ and by extension, Taoist monks, ‘cow-noses’ . No, really, I’m only telling you what it says on Baidu . Baidu also says the third explanation is the most plausible .

[7]: (LONG) The man wears a 三清冠 . Some may already know what the 冠 guan is—for those who don’t know, my explanation is: it’s the hair cap worn by men once they come of age, often used with a hair stick . (It’s one of the biggest signs that a man has reached adulthood . ) Meanwhile 三清 refers to the Three Pure Ones, the highest deities in Taoism . Put these two terms together, and we can interpret it as a hair cap that resembles the type worn by the Three Pure Ones (make sense?) . There are many ways to address them, and in the translation, I used Three Purities because it sounded less awkward .

C19 . His Words Carry Weight.

If you are seeing this text, you are NOT reading it on the original site . Head on down to lovelysweetdream 959085286 dot wordpress dot com to read the original!.

“Boss, this isn’t good, isn’t it, we don’t know where those two came from!”.

The skinny man with a white paper fan in his hands snuck a glance towards the horse-drawn carriage behind them, then whispered furtively by the scar-faced chief’s ear, “You don’t need to climb so high just to avoid wolf packs, and there weren’t any fresh wolf droppings in the forest, so they’re obviously lying!”.

“You dumba.s.s, the tree’s so tall, can you climb it? Can you get down easily just by walking down the branches so freely?”.

“Er, if there were ropes…”.

“Did you see any ropes?” The scar-faced chief knocked the skinny man on the head with his whip . “If they really had bad intentions, you think they wouldn’t be able to catch up even if we leave immediately? Don’t tell me you can’t tell even after following me all these years!”.

The skinny man touched his head, continuing, “The attire of those two isn’t anything like the norm . For that one in white, the fabric was probably woven in the southern provinces . By golly, one bolt of that fabric costs this much!”.

On the sides, some of them bit their tongues[1] lightly, “Is that true, do those clothes really cost more than one carriage-full of our cargo?”.

“What do you know? The threads are superior Suhang[2] goods, and the tailoring isn’t bad at all, you think those don’t cost a thing? You really think a carriage-full of cargo can afford that?” The skinny man waved his paper fan, looking like neither this nor that . He was dressed casually, with a dagger hanging at his hip, yet he insisted on playing the dog-headed military adviser[3], saying with false learnedness, “Boss, I think they’re in big trouble! Maybe they’re being hunted down by someone!”.

They thought their conversation was secretive, but it was heard loud and clear by the senior-junior pair in the holey, worn-down carriage behind

With each sentence they spoke, Chen He scooted away anxiously . In the end, he had shrunk into the corner furthest away from s.h.i.+ Feng, his head hung listlessly . Chen He felt at first that he would be able to deceive them even if his excuse was a little forced, but he had not realised his lies were so clumsy . Not only could they tell he was lying, they could even tell they had gotten into trouble and were being followed

s.h.i.+ Feng smiled silently

Chen He lost even more confidence . As he hesitated to speak, his senior brother caressed his head

This carriage was very worn out, and it was barely big enough for three pa.s.sengers to squeeze in together . Even if Chen He shrank away to the furthest edge, s.h.i.+ Feng could easily yank him back with one hand

Long fingers grasped Chen He’s left hand, writing on his palm at a leisurely pace

“‘Do not belittle the worldly people’?” Chen He raised his head

s.h.i.+ Feng nodded in agreement

In the heavens and the earth, all things were part of the Dao . Cultivators could gain insight into the Dao from watching fish swimming or birds flying, so how could they make light of the wisdom of worldly people?.

s.h.i.+ Feng did not want Chen He to become like the proud, uncaring cultivators who treated mortals like insects . Such cultivators had forgotten that they were human; if they did not know how to live as humans, could they even become immortals?.

Tilting his head in thought, Chen He continued to eavesdrop on the voices outside

“Vice-chief, you said they were being hunted down by people?”.

“What ‘Vice-chief’, you should call me Adviser!”.

The skinny man shook his head as he went on, “They claim to be a pair of brothers . The one doing things and making decisions is the younger one, but he’s always mindful of the other one, like he’s seeking an opinion . If I dare say so, between the two of them, the one whose words truly carry weight is the other one!”.

Chen He grunted softly

Not true! His Senior Brother did not speak at all!! How did they get to ‘the one whose words truly carry weight’?.

Seeing Chen He’s disgruntlement, s.h.i.+ Feng flicked his junior brother’s head, amused

“…the most important thing is, this Huang-fellow’s[4] eyes couldn’t even tell what material that person’s clothes were made of . These two may have an extremely high mastery of martial skills, like those fellows from the Great Snowy Mountain who have their eyes on top of their heads[5] . Yet they bothered to talk to us, and got on our carriage, so what is this if not them trying to cover their tracks?”.

Chen He’s gaze showed that he seemed deep in thought

Towards the end, even the chief of the caravan lowered his voice and said, “I don’t smell blood, but from that young man’s cautious manner and how he’s always trying to support his older brother, the other man may be injured somehow . They may have trouble, but I think they might have simply lost their way, or they’re waiting for someone . Otherwise, even if they were crouched in a tree, there’s no way we could have discovered them . They don’t look like harried people trying to avoid being hunted down . ”.

“Wise is the chief . ”.

“Hmph, if they were truly in trouble, I wouldn’t be such a busybody! I’m taking all of you on this path, and I’m responsible for everyone’s lives and livelihoods . When we’re running about in this world, we should help people in need if we can . That’ll be one more friend, one more connection . If we can’t, we’ll turn and leave, and we don’t need to have any guilt or qualms!”.

“Yes, yes!” Skinny Huang the adviser was thoroughly convinced, nodding non-stop as he held his fan

In the carriage, Chen He was a little dazed . He did not expect that after making up nonsense and randomly hitchhiking with someone, he was hardly keeping any secrets from the other end

“Senior Brother, what do they do?” Chen He asked, coming closer to s.h.i.+ Feng

s.h.i.+ Feng looked at him once, then ignored him

“I can’t think of anything . They can’t be an escort agency since they don’t have any flags, and they can’t be a merchant caravan since they’re too fierce . ” Chen He thought long and hard about it

As for horse-thieves, that was even more unlikely . What could a group of people from the central plains, with such a strong aura of the martial underworld, be doing in the wastelands outside the Redwinds Desert in the northwest?.

“Senior Brother!”.

Left with no choice, s.h.i.+ Feng wrote a word on Chen He’s palm

“Salt?”.

After being out of it for a moment, Chen He realised it . They were illicit salt traffickers!.

The northern lands were barren, and the northwest regions were poor . Salt, iron, and tea leaves all had to be supplied from the central land . Although the northern tribes were subservient to the central plains, the annual amounts of goods traded at the borders were still limited . Some larger tribes did not have to worry about food and necessities, but the smaller tribes could not survive . Thus, there were wars on the gra.s.slands every year, where they made up for the lack of resources by expending human lives

Illicit trafficking of salt was a high-profit business indeed!.

It was also a life-threatening business . Sandstorms in the wastelands, horse-thieves, wolf packs, even the tribes disagreeing with each other; any of these could lose them their lives beyond the borders

Chen He poked his head out of the window to look at the people who rode on horseback and drove the carriages, who carried their flasks of wine and chatted and laughed every now and then

“Chief…”.

Skinny Huang saw Chen He when he turned his head . He went over again and muttered, “Boss, what do you think they look like, why’re they covering their faces?”.

—in the end, s.h.i.+ Feng did not wear the cloth his junior brother had cut out for him to cover his face . He simply performed a camouflage spell to make it look like the two of them were wearing bamboo hats

“If they really are in trouble, they’re being considerate by not letting us know their looks,” the chief said absently . The ugly blade scar on his face twitched as he cracked the whip in the air

“Comrades, watch the cargo, check the axles! Same old rules: just sleep in the carriages, don’t drink too much wine . Other caravans can already be seen in the distance . In six hours, we’ll be reaching Cangs.h.i.+ Town, so all of you be more alert!”.

After that, the chief began to a.s.sign roles . Who would be keeping watch through the night, who would be responsible for the meals, who would feed the horses, and numerous other duties

Hearing something, Chen He gazed into the distance . There was indeed a faintly visible trace of horses in the sandy wind

—by not giving orders to his men after reaching the town, the salt trafficker chief probably wanted to prevent bystanders from hearing them

Chen He silently thought about it . As expected, even with Senior Brother’s Liquor-Wisdom Technique, there were still many things he did not understand

After retreating into the carriage, he saw that s.h.i.+ Feng had already closed his eyes and begun regulating his breathing . Chen He obediently sat down cross-legged, remaining alert as he allowed his meridians to recuperate

He dared not sleep

Chen He did not have any more jade orbs . In order to remember the events of this day, he could not sleep

Black Depths Valley had been like a haven . Every day, Chen He habitually entered a meditative state instead of sleeping, living a carefree life . But now that his senior brother had encountered inner demons and was severely injured, Chen He felt that he had to learn to take charge of matters

It would probably be no problem for a cultivator to go a few days without sleep, just that Chen He had never tried it before

—after leaving this group of illicit salt traffickers, maybe they would look for a safe place and rest

The horse-drawn carriages rumbled along . As dusk settled over the land, the clamorous voices outside grew louder

There were horses whinnying and people from nearby caravans talking . Someone hollered anxiously,.

“What’s the matter? Why’s there a hold-up in front? The sky’s turning dark, and those wolf packs aren’t going to be nice to us!”.

Chen He’s brows s.h.i.+fted . He held his breath, ceasing his cultivation

Without disturbing s.h.i.+ Feng, who was still regulating his breathing, he stuck his head out silently to check

There were indeed many caravans crowded together . Night was falling, and everyone had lit torches . The people, as well as the horses, were getting jumpy

“Chief, it seems to be that bunch of cow-noses[6] from the Great Snowy Mountain . ” Skinny Huang the adviser returned hurriedly, looking nervous . “They blocked the path leading to Cangs.h.i.+ Town . They look like they lost something, everyone’s holding a fengshui compa.s.s and searching over there . What a day it’s become . There’s nothing in Cangs.h.i.+ Town other than strong liquor and women so ugly I don’t want to look at them, what did that bunch of naggy Taoists come here to do?”.

“Shut up!” The chief gave him a harsh glare

Rumour had it that the Great Snowy Mountain was inhabited by immortals . Whether the stories were true or not, it was true that there were no armies stationed within a thousand-li radius of Great Snowy Mountain, and the tribes in the northwest dared not trespa.s.s

“Daozhang, our caravan has a patient who got bitten by a wolf and he needs to be treated soon, could you—”.

“That’s right, both the people and horses are tired after a day of travelling, we only managed to reach this rest stop after travelling a long way . ”.

The Taoist monks in green robes remained unmoved no matter how much the people pleaded . Chen He noticed that there was not a speck of dust on their shoes; although they looked like they were stepping on the stones, they were not stepping on anything at all

Able to walk on air—Nascent Soul-stage cultivators!.

Chen He’s gaze froze . He quickly stuck his head back inside

But his earlier spying had already drawn the attention of a monk . The monk immediately looked towards this end . He seemed to be still, but without warning, he appeared next to the carriage

“Ah!” The skinny adviser dropped his fan in shock

The green-robed monk held a duster in his hand and wore a Three Purities hair cap of jade[7] . His gaze was like ice:.

“Which sect are you from, state your name at once!”.

Chen He lifted his palms discreetly . Although he was two stages below this monk, he was not at all afraid . Many times, Chen He had been thinking of how he was going to exact his revenge on the disciples of those old guys from the valley, so how could someone at the Nascent Soul stage scare him?.

Suddenly, a hand held him back . At some point, s.h.i.+ Feng had opened his eyes

Senior Brother? Chen He asked anxiously, without a sound

“You lowly one, have you never heard of Qiankun Monastery of the Great Snowy Mountain?” The Taoist monk swished his duster derisively, causing the curtain at the front of the carriage to fly up

However, he was a little stunned, for the effort he used should have caused the entire carriage to crumble to dust

Everyone was secretly watching them as well . They saw the curtain flying up, and there was a person in wide, crimson robes; his sleeves trailed down from his knees, his slender fingers clearly visible; his hair, scattered on his red robes, were black as lacquer

Before they had gotten a clear view of his face, those eyes full of harsh light swept over them, and they became stiff, unable to move, as if they were soaking in icy water

Only after the curtain fell back into place did they feel the horses’ whinnying, the scorching hot air, and the crackling sounds from the burning torches

The others had not seen s.h.i.+ Feng’s appearance, but the green-robed monk was an exception . However, he was in no better state, trembling as he kowtowed deeply at once, “I did not know there was an elder present . Please forgive my immense discourtesy . ”.

Chen He: ….

 .

[1]: Original: 咋舌, literally means ‘to bite one’s tongue’, which brings us to the more poetic? figurative? meaning: to be rendered speechless

[2]: Suhang, 苏杭, referring to the regions of Suzhou and Hangzhou . They’re very well-known for producing silk and related goods, and their silk is possibly the best in all of China . Here the term Suhang is used to describe high-quality fabric (usually silk fabric)

[3]: Originally 狗头军师; mine is a very literal translation . It’s an old term for the characters in novels or plays who were responsible for military strategies . Nowadays, it usually refers to someone who gives bad ideas or advice

[4]: (Long) This is that thing where a man refers to himself as, say, 陈某 for someone whose surname is Chen 陈, or 苏某 for someone with the surname Su 苏 . This is to show humility, and it’s used by pretty much any man . (Young Master Yao from the previous chapters also referred to himself as 姚某 in some scenes, just so you know!) In this case, the skinny man’s surname is Huang 黄, and he used 黄某人 . Literally means ‘Huang-random-person’, or ‘Huang-somebody’, but I think ‘this Huang-fellow’ sounds much better

[5]: A way of describing a person who’s sn.o.bbish, arrogant, usually looks down on others around them, etc . May be derived from 眼高于顶, which literally means ‘eyes/gaze higher than the top of the head’ and is sometimes used to describe proud, arrogant people who look down on others

[6]: A nickname for Taoist monks . There are three possible explanations: one, a Taoist monk’s hat looks like a cow’s nose; two, a Taoist monk’s hair bun looks like a cow’s nose; three, Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism, rode a greenish-black buffalo-like creature on his way to immortality (which they refer to as 牛, “cow”), so he was referred to using ‘cow’ and by extension, Taoist monks, ‘cow-noses’ . No, really, I’m only telling you what it says on Baidu . Baidu also says the third explanation is the most plausible

[7]: (LONG) The man wears a 三清冠 . Some may already know what the 冠 guan is—for those who don’t know, my explanation is: it’s the hair cap worn by men once they come of age, often used with a hair stick . (It’s one of the biggest signs that a man has reached adulthood . ) Meanwhile 三清 refers to the Three Pure Ones, the highest deities in Taoism . Put these two terms together, and we can interpret it as a hair cap that resembles the type worn by the Three Pure Ones (make sense?) . There are many ways to address them, and in the translation, I used Three Purities because it sounded less awkward