By the time the wine is almost gone, the sky has also begun to shed its darkness. Pouring out the last droplet of wine in the first ray of light, Zhi Wei grins “Last drop of wine to pay respect for this lone bridge. Everything changes in this world, except this stone bridge that will stand the test of time.”
Standing up, with a flick of her wrist, Zhi Wei lets the cloak fall then walks off the bridge without a backward glance.
Sitting still as he watches the young girl’s retreating figure, the man asks after a long moment “Ning Cheng, where do you think she will go?”
A head popped up from underneath the bridge, stared at the back of the girl’s head intently before replying “Two possibilities. One, she will decide to go back home and fight. Two, she will back down and bow to Qiu manor’s will. (her uncle’s house)”
Flashing a confident grin, Ning Chen points at the streetful of brothels and declares “No matter what, she will go back immediately. The longer she stays here the more stained her reputation will be. She obviously can’t gamble with her own life.”
“Is that right?” The man smiles as he asks with a hint of doubt in his voice.
“Let’s bet.” Ning Chen suggests excitedly.
The two men stand on top of the bridge and watch the young girl walks in a straight line, without any hesitation, seemingly with a goal in mind. Immediately stopping in front of a door with an orchid lantern hanging on it, the girl puts up her hair into a man’s bun then smartly knocks on the door.
Ning Chen’s face turns green.
The woman gave the person that opened the door a friendly smile and said something that made the person blink in surprise. Standing far away on the bridge, as a very capable guard, Ning Chen had no problem reading the woman’s lips and promptly stumbles in shock.
The man lets out a soft laugh as his eyes shins with a new and sharp light like a lake that has been sleeping for thousands of years has suddenly awakened by waves brought on by an unexpected wind.
Standing under the dazzling sunlight, the man could almost hear the thin and fragile young woman’s voice carried to him by the wind as she says to the brothel owner “Do you need a manservant here?”
(A manservant in a brothel is considered an extremely low profession since they are at the back and call of the prostitutes.)
Our two leads’ third encounter…gets even more interesting.
Zhi Wei starts working at the brothel as Wei Zhi (that’s the name she uses when she presents herself as a guy) thanks to Yin Er who stepped up to vouch for her. On one particular day, our hero shows up with a bunch of noblemen. Zhi Wei of course wants to stay out of our hero’s way but things don’t go quite as planned when Yin Er ends up going off with one of the young noblemen who started to torture her.
Taking immense enjoyment in Yin Er whimper of pain, the perverted jerk turns around in confusion when he was tapped on the shoulder to see a stranger smiling in a very friendly manner…then doubles over in pain as a knife slashes across his body…taking one of his “balls” with it. Unconcerned by the man’s promise of revenge, Zhi Wei walks over to a stunned Yin Er to figure out the jerk’s identity then promptly offers a deal to Mr. Lee (the guy’s name). In exchange of Zhi Wei keeping quiet about Mr. Lee loss of certain body parts due to his visit to the local brothel which would make his very strict grandfather- a royal official well respected for being proper, very very angry, Zhi Wei offers to keep Mr. Lee’s “ball” safe in a silk pouch and will promptly send him the pouch once Mr. Lee manages to pay three thousand dollars for her troubles.
Pinning the cowering man with a look, Zhi Wei patiently explains “Don’t try anything funny. You should never forget, someone who has everything should never mess with people as insignificant as me. People like me have nothing…so we have nothing to lose.”
Drenched in cold sweat, Mr. Lee nods- if he had any thoughts before, they were all gone now. This fragile looking young man was calm the whole time…a calmness that is already scary enough by itself, but what was truly frightening was the expression in his eyes. He hasn’t made any concrete threats but Mr. Lee just knows that if he really did try to seek revenge then even if he could kill the young man, he will end up getting dragged into grave with him.
Awarding Mr. Lee with yet another congenial smile, Zhi Wei pats the little silk pouch “I will give you this silk pouch as well. No extra charge. Buy one get one free.”
“……”
After Mr. Lee was carried off by a servant, Zhi Wei turns to assures the still stunned Yin Er before sending her away too. Standing in front of the flower bush silently, Zhi Wei’s yellowish brown face (she is wearing a disguise) looks serene under the spring sunlight. The expression in Zhi Wei’s eyes is gentle and full of tenderness as she stares at the flowers.
Her hand is also gentle and tender…as it clutches the silk pouch.
After a long moment, Zhi Wei smiles and asks “Are you done watching?”
Silence filled the air, making it seems like Zhi Wei was talking to air but she stayed still and waited with a smile on her face until the flower bush shook revealing a man holding a wine cup in hand.
“Why does something entertaining always happen whenever I see you?”
“Perhaps it should be said that entertainment always happened around you sir.” Turning around with a smile, Zhi Wei hides her astonishment that this man could always see through her disguise each time. Is this yellowish brown face too easily recognizable? (With Zhi Wei’s mask she should look nothing like herself so that’s why Zhi Wei is surprised that our hero could recognize her.) Perhaps I should disguise myself as a pretty young lad? Maybe that way he wouldn’t be able to recognize me then.
Noticing the young woman’s eyes sparkling brightly as playful ideas skipped through her mind, the man’s peers at her more intently, his own eyes twinkling hiding his real thoughts.
“I have seen you three times. In two of them, you were killing people.” Taking a sip of his wine, the man asks “Do you think there is no law at all, that I couldn’t do something about it?”
In all seriousness, Zhi Wei promises “Next time you see me, I will for sure not be killing someone.”
His hand pausing for a moment, the man’s lips break into a smile as he takes another careful look at the young girl in front of him. She is thin with a delicate figure but her features are filled with strength in them. Under the searing sun, her skin is glistening giving her a somewhat angelic air.
That is to say angelic if one didn’t notice the silk pouch in her hand.
Turning the wine cup in his hand, the man seems to be trying to make a decision before suddenly asking “You are not going back to Qiu Manor?”
“I will.” Answering honestly, Zhi Wei explains “Being a manservant in a brothel doesn’t suit me.”
“Then why did you come in the first place.” Looking around, the man asks “How are you going to go back after being in such a dirty place as this?”
“I will have to find the possible among the impossible.” With a shrug, Zhi Wei says “No matter how Qiu Manor try, they will never guessed that I would come here. Moreover, sometimes concubines have more loyalty than most people.”
“You could’ve gone to a convent for a time.”
“You are from the Captial as well, do you not know many convents are just playgrounds for the rich gents? What goes on in there is no better then a brothel. If I step foot in such a place, I might never be able to walk out again.”
Her voice lowering into a whisper, Zhi Wei sighs “I am just a helpless woman without anyone to rely on. My only wish is simply to protect myself.”
The man doesn’t answer as he stares at Zhi Wei quietly, drinking in everything about her, including the intelligence that can’t be hidden.
The place eerily is quiet. For some reason, no one had come walking by this whole time they have been talking. Even the birds that had been chirping incessantly had stopped…
After a long silence, the man drains the wine in his cup and smiles at her. A breath she has been holding finally released by the man’s smile, Zhi Wei bows after the man says “Living in the Captial is not an easy thing. I hope the next time I see you, you would be better behaved.”
Keeping her head bent, Zhi Wei remains in the bowing position until the man strolls off. Carefully shaking the fabric that is plastered to her back because of sweat, Zhi Wei is fully aware that just now, there was an instant where she felt his intention to kill her…it was even stronger than the first time they met.
She knows that she has been unlucky. He was there both time she acted against someone, and both times those people seemed to be connected to him in some way. She has no idea what he is up to but she can guess that perhaps she has spoiled his plans.
Even if both times were accidents, someone like him would be wary of someone like herself. Someone like him would not want anyone to know of his true capabilities. The best answer to solve all these dangerous possibilities is to kill her.
Which is why she kept trying to assure him, trying to tell him that she didn’t barge in on his plans on purpose and that she is not a threat to him at all.
There was an instant there that she was certain she had failed to convince this beautiful but cold man. Yet, in the end, he let her go again.
All text copyright @ www.Ninja-Reflection.com
Omg this is so interesting!!! It keeps on getting better T-T
Thank you so so much for the translation! I even subscribed to get notifications of you posts haha!!
Woww gracias por la traducción es muy interesante, cada lunes me emociono para saber más del libro. De nuevo gracias.
I can’t wait for their next meeting! Thank you.
Dang it, ZW is such a badass I LOVE HER!
Please keep translations going.
Cannot leave characters
Hope there will be a season II with missing episodes of original 100
Who was the baby that went off the cliff?
I might’ve missed it in the novel, but I don’t think the author specified who the baby was.
The novel is really interesting relating there first three encounters. Our hero shows up unexpectedly. Does our hero make silk like in the drama? Our Heroine mentioned, our hero possible wanting to kill her Why? What is the motive for their meeting in the beginning?
In the drama, our hero was known as the “Useless Prince” and had just been released from his years of imprisonment. That’s not the case in the novel. In the novel, our hero is well known as being loyal to the Crown Prince, so he had plenty of the power and authority befitting his station as a prince. We will get into the reason why Ning Yi is “loyal” to the Crown Prince later on.
As for why Ning Yi wants to kill Zhi Wei. Ning Yi has created a persona in the novel as a prince who wastes his life on women and playing, but of course, Zhi Wei saw through that the moment they met. Nothing is more dangerous to someone like our hero than to have someone else who is obviously extremely intelligent AND knows his true nature behind the facade he has worked so hard to create. In the drama, our two leads’ first meeting was filled with sizzling chemistry and awareness. That’s true as well for the novel…but instead of a romantic sizzling chemistry and awareness, it was more like an instant blaring alarm of danger that they have both finally met their match.
By the way, their first meeting was accidental. The author doesn’t elaborate but Ning Yi was there to meet the concubine for a purpose (something that would’ve further his plan against the Crown Prince) but of course, our heroine ended up killing the concubine before he could meet her.
Thank you that makes a lot of sense, for the drama. Also could you please address the relationship of Ning Yi mother, is she mentioned in the book. And is the relationship like the drama portraits it. It was interesting that all the brother’s mom died tragically in the drama.
Yes, Ning Yi’s mother is in the novel although I don’t remember her popping up alive like in the drama…don’t hold me on that one though. I don’t usually bother to remember side characters in stories. We will end up going over a bit more over Ning Yi and his mom later on in the translation so I will hold off answering your question for now. (The scene in the drama when Ning Yi and Zhi Wei meets his mom’s old servant in his mother’s old dwelling in the palace is pretty different in the novel so we will go over that part in the translation which will shed some light on your questions.)
I forgot to answer your question about the silk making. No, Ning Yi in the novel didn’t make silk. It was a brilliant thing the drama added.
In drama WZ sends him away after death of mother and brother then later asks Where was he when she couldn’t eat or sleep. Well he was with emperor in drama threatening him to use the spell and take his life which would have killed emperor. This is how he saved WZ life again causing her to marry H for her need for safety .
Why did her brother have birthmark if he was not born royal in drama version?
Her brother’s tattoo is probably fake, created by her mom so that he can be used as a sacrificial goat to protect her when needed
The brother’s whole existence was to be a decoy for Zhi Wei so everything that “proves” his identity was of course all part of the plan.
Her brother’s birthmark is probably fake, created by her mom so that he can be used as a sacrificial goat to protect her when needed
Her brother’s birthmark is probably fake, created by her mom so that he can be used as a sacrificial lamb to protect her when needed
Oh, I am enjoying these interactions between NY and ZW! Who knew they were so intriguing and layered? Now I feel even more disappointed that the novel is not in print in English, but doubly appreciative of your efforts, Ninja, to give us this glimpse of the characters through your translations. Thank you so much! Looking forward to subsequent posts!
Porqué huía ZW de la casa de su tío? Al igual que el drama NY siempre la protege?
Parece que ZW fue acusada de robo en la novela. El robó fue cometido por su hermano pero su mamá tomó la parte del hermano. (Es bien mimado por la madre). En la drama huye porque le habían culpado por el asesinato de la concubina de su tío, el delito cometido actualmente por su madre.
Zhi Wei left her uncle’s house because she was accused of stealing some food that was supposedly for some very important guests. Everyone knew that Zhi Wei’s brother was that one that stole the food, but since even her mother took her brother’s side, Zhi Wei left without bothering to protest her own innocence.
I appreciate you translating every Monday, is there any possibility of us getting the book in English. Also, where can I purchase the book.
I haven’t checked lately, but as far as I know I don’t believe there is an English version of the novel.
Monday looking for translation #4
I think with time zone differences, what I call Monday translations for Phoenixes might be more like early Tuesday morning for you guys (Or at the very least, Monday nights). But no fear, I usually am very good at following through with projects I started.
Have you given up translation of rise of phoenixes. Hope not, looking forward to future episodes