Silently staring at the willowy figure outside of the window, Ning Yi is suddenly reminded of another person. A certain someone who raised her face to the sun…
Feeling restless for some unknown reason on this fine spring day, a dark expression comes over Ning Yi.
“No.” Replying coldly, Ning Yi says “Just a mere scholar.” (He is replying to Xin Ziyan’s question about meeting the interesting student- our heroine.)
Glancing at Ning Yi, Xin Ziyan hides his expression of amusement. This person is acting strangely…very strangely but he is not so foolish as to point that out.
Ning Yi discusses the latest foolish thing crown prince has done with Xin Ziyan and they both agree that if the crown prince wasn’t so foolish then Ning Yi would not have been able to stay alive for this long.
As Ning Yi is wrapping up his discussion with Xin Ziyan, he notices yet again a familiar looking figure but then convinced himself that no matter how good Zhi Wei is at hiding, she wouldn’t be able to enter into the college.
Reminded of how Zhi Wei is nowhere to be found after she disappeared that day, Ning Yi could feel a slight sense of frustration gathering inside him again. As to why he would feel frustrated, Ning Yi is not willing nor has any desire to figure out the reason- he has more important things to do. He can’t afford to notice any random thing that comes his way.
Every step he takes in his life is filled with danger and could very well be his last. He has already been too lenient on that woman, completely unlike him. Something that is out of his control, that takes him off course, is not something he will allow again.
- In the novel, Ning Yi had convinced everyone that he is in the crown prince’s camp so unlike in the drama, the crown prince in the novel actually thought Ning Yi was his supporter.
- Ning Yi didn’t recognize Zhi Wei at the college because she of course had a different mask on so while her figure reminded our hero of the frustrating girl he met, he didn’t really connect the two together.
- Our heroine finally runs into our hero in the college but at the worst possible timing. Stunned when she saw what looks like an army hidden within the college, Zhi Wei quickly put two and two together once she caught sight of Ning Yi: The Sixth Prince is planning something bigger than any one would’ve guessed and Xin Ziyan, the headmaster who everyone believed to be disgusted with the 6th Prince is actually his ally.
Her body rigid, too scared to move, Zhi Wei waited until the crowd of people begins to disperse. Slowly backing away, Zhi Wei knows that she must leave the school that very night.
Her body sudden freezing in mid-movement, Zhi Wei’s mind goes blank, completely forgetting what her next move should be.
She made a mistake!
This area was filled with traps…and the fact the traps haven’t reactivated means that someone else is coming. (She is not talking about your standard traps but more like force fields.)
The last one to come out must be…
Thoughts speeding through her mind, Zhi Wei knows that she can’t go slow anymore. Mustering all the energy inside her, Zhi Wei darts out in a flash…
Run!
And that’s when she heard a low throaty laugh.
The laugh was cold, not bone freezing cold…but just cold. Like a thin blanket of snow that covers the flower. The flower might look lovely and inviting but the moment one touches it, the cold bites the hand.
Catching sight of the corner of a black cloak with a golden flower embroiled on it, Zhi Wei immediately knew who the person is but there is no time left for her to react. This is not like the previous times they met. All those he could ignore and let her off but this…there is no chance.
The hand behind her starts to descend towards her head.
Zhi Wei suddenly falls flat to the ground.
There was no warning as Zhi Wei throws her body violently against the ground so the person’s hit promptly missed its mark.
“Hmm..” A sound of amazement comes showing the person was surprised by Zhi Wei’s action. He could tell Zhi Wei was not a good fighter but he was nonetheless surprised by her quick thinking.
In fact, Zhi Wei’s quick thinking didn’t stop there.
Her “fall” wasn’t as simple as it looked. It was actually something she picked up from that mysterious book. The author of that book seems to be greatly interested in all sort of strange fighting techniques and seems to have no qualms if something might be beneath one’s dignity. As long as a technique could hurt people or aid in the success of a quick escape, the author was gamed. So this particular ground roll technique was meant to utilize every joint in one’s body so in a matter of seconds, one could change direction at will and cover big distances.
- Zhi Wei manages to get away to an area in the college where our hero couldn’t kill her in front of other people. However, thanks to the dirt on her clothes, there was no way to hide from Ning Yi who had followed closely behind her. Our hero at this point still hasn’t connected Zhi Wei’s current disguise to her real self, so the only thing Ning Yi cares about is to get rid of this dangerous threat as fast as possible. With a hand on Zhi Wei in a manner that suggests that he had taken an instant liking to Zhi Wei but is actually controlling her so she couldn’t kneel for the impending arrival of the Emperor, Ning Yi narrows his eyes when instead of panicking (she would be killed immediately if she is caught standing when the Emperor arrives because that would be a sign of disrespect) Zhi Wei calms down and points out that she didn’t witness his little army by accident but was instead working for someone. Releasing Zhi Wei at the last second so she could fall to the ground, Ning Yi demands to know who Zhi Wei is working for.
“How many are working with you? Where are they now? What were you trying to do last night?”
Turning her head, Zhi Wei smiles “Your Highness, did you suddenly turn dumb? Do you think I will tell you right now?”
His eyes flashing, Ning Yi returns her smile “You can tell me later…if you can live until then.”
The Emperor’s carriage has made its way past them now. Ning Yi reaches out a hand and pulls Zhi Wei up looking like they are best friends. Not bothering to avoid Ning Yi’s hand, Zhi Wei frankly accepts Ning Yi’s help- Her very life is in his hand so what’s a little hand holding.
Two hands touch, Zhi Wei is unfazed but Ning Yi paused all the sudden- When he first touched her hand it was full of cold sweat but now the sweat is gone he can tell the delicate feel of her hand now. Soft, and cool like jade, the hand’s size and feel in his hand are all strangely familiar. Ning Yi instinctively raises Zhi Wei’s hand, wanting a closer look but Zhi Wei has already pulled her hand away, leaving him with a smile.
- Knowing she is powerless against Ning Yi unless she does something drastic…Zhi Wei did something drastic. In front of all the scholars, the Emperor took out the “Golden Scroll” that contains three questions that have been passed down by the first emperor of Da Cheng. Legend has it that the one who could answer the three questions on the Golden Scroll is the one that will become a nation’s most prized scholar. For years no one has dared to attempt to challenge the Golden Scroll because the Emperor has been disappointed too many time before and had finally made an edict that whoever challenges but fails the Golden Scroll will be killed. Guess what our heroine did? Yap, she challenged the Golden Scroll.
“I will!”
Standing up among the burning stares of the crowd, Zhi Wei doesn’t rush forward but turns first to face Ning Yi whose brows are knitted tightly from wanting to stop her yet unable to.
Zhi Wei’s smile was as gentle as the one she had given Ning Yi before but it suddenly has a fierceness underneath it. It is a ferociousness and arrogance that is hidden deep inside, something that will only reveal themselves when she is pushed to the point of extinction. I will do what everyone failed. You just watch…
Your Highness, thanks for your hospitality. Goodbye.
For some reason, Ning Yi’s gut reaction wasn’t the anger over the escape of a prey but instead, it was a sense of unease. It’s like watching a bird escaping from its cage only to see it transform into a phoenix midair. Or is it an eagle that had waited patiently until it can finally find the perfect opportunity to spread its wing so it can give him a fatal attack?
Shaking his head slightly to chase away the ridiculous thought. Ning Yi leans back and watches through narrow eyes as the person walks towards the Emperor.
Walking to his own death, that’s good…
He should be happy, but for some reason, Ning Yi can’t shake off the foreboding feeling.
ll text copyright @ www.Ninja-Reflection.com
Thanks for this week’s translation! What was Ning Yi planning with the hidden army? Had he already discovered Bloody Pagoda and was planning an attack on them? Was he following Crown Prince’s orders to do so, or did he have an alternative plan instead?
We will get to the reason for the hidden army but it is not to start a rebellion or anything like that. Hang in there, we will answer all your questions as we go along…
This is literally my highlight of the week. Thank you so much for this. You leave us wanting moreee!
Wow, that scene is so different from what happened in the drama. ZW found out that Ning had an army at the academy? Was it going to rouse out Bloody Pagoda or was there another agenda interesting? Also, I like the way the novel describes the contest for Scholar, unlike the drama. Ning Yi character in the book is so different I can’t believe that he wants to kill ZW right off the bat like that. Another thing is Ning Yi playing the crown prince.?
The Bloody Pagoda is VERY different in the novel so you won’t see them involved in palace intrigue most times. Remember, the Bloody Pagoda’s only mission is Zhi Wei and nothing else. Another thing to keep in mind is that Ning Yi had no clue the spy who just spotted his secret army is Zhi Wei so it makes total sense he would want to kill our heroine right away. If their roles were reversed, Zhi Wei would do the exact same thing so that’s why you wouldn’t get any sense of resentment from our heroine.
Amazing!!
I know that you are translating other movies as well. I am greatly for it. But I wanted to know if you can possibly do more than one translation a week. I know I am asking a lot.
I know it must be torture to only have so little translation each week. Sorry! However, that’s about all I can do right now given my time constraint. In fact, my access to a computer and internet will be pretty iffy for the next couple weeks so I am actually going to have less time for this blog. No worries though, I will make sure the novel translation posts are not delayed and affected.
Thank for the response, I know the holiday seasons are upon us, wishing everyone that celebrates Christmas a joyful and blessed one. And Happy New Year as well.
Thank you so much ninjareflection for the consistency of the translations! We really appreciate it, especially with these upcoming internet issues that you’ll be experiencing. You are our portal to the novel!
waiting for #7 & ever night
Hi! Thank you so much for translating this. I finished the drama a few days ago and ended up devastated. So the idea of a different ending even if the characters are quite different is really nice.
And I do think you should add a PayPal donation button! 🙂