After a bit though, Zhi Wei starts to worry as she stares at Chun Yu– what’s wrong with this kid? With his current state of appearance, she almost didn’t recognize him. In fact, his own parents probably would have some difficulties if they were here. Tattered clothing and messy hair are not a surprise since it looks like he ended up a prisoner so naturally he wasn’t treated well. However, why didn’t those people kill him? They certainly were not the sort to have qualms killing people. Plus something is obviously not right with Chun Yu’s mental state which explains why he didn’t even recognize her. Chun Yu’s face is all bloated and bruised but it doesn’t look like they were caused by being beaten but more like the manifestation of some sort of illness.
At this moment the maid comes in with her medicine. Zhi Wei is not about to drink the medicine now that no one is here watching her like a hawk so she just casually put the bowl aside. Seeing the bowl, Chun Yu quickly grabs it and drinks all of it in one shot then even smacks his lips savoring the taste, seemingly wishing there are still more. Zhi Wei stares at Chun Yu in astonishment. How could he possibly drink with such pleasure a medicine that smells and tastes so vile that everyone who comes close to it can’t help but start to gag. An idea hits Zhi Wei and she tells the maid to bring a sweet plum drink over to Chun Yu. As she had guessed, Chun Yu immediately jumped away as if someone had put something foul in front of him.
….Chun Yun’s sense of taste and smell seem to be completely out of whack. Zhi Wei falls into deep thought as she remembers Ning Yi’s eyes. Did Chun Yu fall victim to the Minnan Eye as well? Eyes, ears, mouth, tongue and nose, they are all connected. If they could cure Chun Yu, could Ning Yi be cured as well?
“Brother Gu,” Zhi Wei turns to ask Gu Nan Yi “That physician, did he leave yet?”
Gu Nan Yi doesn’t answer. If he doesn’t say anything that means he doesn’t want to answer and doesn’t want to lie either.
“This is my good friend.” Zhi Wei points at Chun Yu and says earnestly “He is like this because he saved my life. Please tell that physician for me that I am willing to pay whatever it will cost.”
Gu Nan Yi replies “Oh.” then walks out. After a bit Gu Nan Yi comes back and shakes his head violently.
Zhi Wei is furious. What sort of person is this? Is one thing for him to not be willing to treat Ning Yi but why won’t he treat Chun Yu either?
“He said, Miss should worry less about other people.” Master Gu relays what the physician had said.
Zhi Wei was taken aback- Did that physician already guess her plan of using Chun Yu’s treatment to help Ning Yi?
Why is he so instant on not helping Ning Yi?
All this time, other than Gu Nan Yi, the rest of them have stayed hidden. Are they trying to hide from her or are they trying to keep Ning Yi in the dark?
Even though she and Ning Yi are not exactly in the same camp so it is understandable to be on guard when it comes to Ning Yi but Zhi Wei still thinks that their animosity and distrust seem to go beyond that.
“Fine, I won’t worry about other people.” After a bit, Zhi Wei replies offhandedly “In the same token, I also have some advice for him. Mister should worry less about other people. Zhi Wei is only an ordinary girl and does not deserve such attention from you all so…it should stop now.”
When she finishes speaking, a noise seemingly could be heard from an undetermined place.
Master Gu sits silently, eating his walnuts.
Zhi Wei looks at him.
He looks at Zhi Wei.
Zhi Wei looks at him again.
He looks at Zhi Wei.
Her patience running out, Zhi Wei reminds him “Brother Gu, what I meant just now is that I don’t want protection anymore.”
“Oh.” Master Gu is still focused on eating his walnuts, “They know now.”
Holding onto her last thread of patience, Zhi Wei explains “That includes you.”
Gu Nan Yi stops mid motion, looks at her, then continues on eating “It doesn’t.”
“It does.”
“It doesn’t.” Master Gu flicks off the walnut shells on his hand “I am yours.”
Taking a deep breath, Zhi Wei says “You are your own. You are not anyone’s. You should be yourself.”
“You don’t want me?”
Zhi Wei lets out a frustrated “Ah!”, feeling like she really can’t carry on the conversation with Master Gu anymore.
“You don’t want me?” He raises his head towards the ceiling, muttering to himself “Then what should I do?”
“Do what you want to do or go travel the world, or open a small shop, or…” Zhi Wei says softly “Marry someone and live well.”
Master Gu thought carefully for a while, shakes his head resolutely before going back to eating his walnuts.
Zhi Wei lets out a small sigh.
The room was quiet for a few moments until a swish of wind could be heard above their heads. But Master Gu asks again “When you said just now that you don’t want me, I suddenly felt an emptiness inside, what is that?”
In a rare instance of Master Gu wanting to learn, Zhi Wei immediately perks up and slowly guides “That means being at a loss.”
“Oh, at a loss.” Master Gu continues on to search valiantly for at a loss.
Above their heads someone sighs “It’s no use.”
As if a cloud has descended, the person’s figure seems especially light and agile. Zhi Wei only saw something white go past her then someone was already standing in the room with his back towards her.
Looking at the tall figure in a white robe, Zhi Wei feels a vague sense of familiarity. She waits until he turns around and indeed the man did turn around but it was a wood board face. It was even the worst kind of mask, telling her plainly — Yep, I just don’t want to show you my face.
All smiles, Zhi Wei stands up and greets “This must be the kind sir who saved my life. May I know your honorable name? Please accept a bow from me.”
The person stood there unmoving, staring at her in silence. Zhi Wei takes a step forward and proceeds to kneel down to make her bow.
Shocked, the person had thought she was just going to bow with her upper body slightly, who would’ve thought she was actually preparing to kneel down. The man quickly waves his arm to lift Zhi Wei up, his movement smooth with a special elegance in it.
Staring at the way he moved, a flash of recognition suddenly came to Zhi Wei “It’s you!”
A memory came to Zhi Wei of a black sleeve with one elegant wave sending a book into her arms.
That had happened after she was thrown out of Qiu manor and “by chance” met the black robed man who forced her to be his “servant” for a time. It was during that time she learned the basic martial art methods and received the mysterious book that helped her so much.
She had spent a month with him so she knows the energy flow of his martial art. No matter how much a person disguises, he can’t disguise his fighting.
Translation Notes:
- Bow: When we think of bowing, we tend to imagine Japanese bowing with one inclining one’s upper body. That sort of bowing is also common for the Chinese (not in modern time though) but it is more for a casual show of respect. The other kind of bowing is to kneel down and put one’s head to the floor. For you all who watch K-dramas, that’s the kind of bowing a child would do to the parent right before/after they got married. In Chinese culture, the second type of formal bowing is reserved for 1. Someone whose status is much higher than you. (so Emperor, prince, one’s master, etc) 2. Gods- for worshiping 3. To one’s parents and ancestors. 4. For someone who has done a great deed to you, such as saving your life. Which is why it would not be unreasonable for Zhi Wei to bow to the mystery man.
- Zhi Wei’s bow was actually a test. The fact the man was so shocked and immediately stopped her from bowing to him tells our heroine a few things. 1. The man sees Zhi Wei as someone who is higher in status than himself so that’s why he was so shocked and had to stop Zhi Wei from bowing to him. 2. The man doesn’t see saving her as a favor. He is not some great physician they had to beg to come save her…suggesting that perhaps he sees it as his duty.
- When I use the wording “martial art” I know most people would imagine Bruce Lee or Jet Lee sort of fighting but that would be the wrong image here. In Chinese Wuxia novels, martial art starts with cultivating inner energy first. The method of cultivating energy is something you have to be taught and the truly good methods are unique that have their “trademark” moves. Once your inner energy gets strong enough then you can actually use it as a force which is how the guy stopped Zhi Wei from bowing and lifted her up.
She also remembers it was in that small courtyard after she was forced by Ning Yi to find the “real murder” that she chanced upon him and Gu Nan Yi “fighting”. Then her very confused self was abducted by Gu Nan Yi.
Which is how Gu Nan Yi ended up getting lost and was picked up by her. Gu Nan Yi then matter of factly accepted being picked up until now.
When she had taken Gu Nan Yi in she had done it with half of a thought that someone would be pursuing them soon but it never happened.
So in the end, it was never chance meetings but carefully planned meetings at every corner. If it wasn’t one way it would’ve been another.
A slight smile appeared on Zhi Wei’s face but there was no amusement in her eyes.
The man quietly stares at her and after a few moments returns a resigned smile “I fell for Miss’ trick again.”
All text copyright @ www.Ninja-Reflection.com
So these guys are the equivalent of the Bloody Pagoda guys in the drama right? It’s been a while since I watched the drama in full.
Yes, they are the Bloody Pagoda guys but they are very different from how the drama portrayed them.
I am rather lost here.
Why does ZW believe NY and her are at different camps? At this point I don’t think she knows her real identity yet. The only reason she doesn’t think she can be with NY is because she loves her freedom more than being kept at the harem – at least this was what she told him at Qing Ming before the plot against the fifth prince.
“She also remembers it was in that small courtyard after she was forced by Ning Yi to find the “real murder” that she chanced upon him and Gu Nan Yi “fighting”. —> I can’t seem to remember this either.
So the part about the “real murder” happened quite early in the book. You can find it in my translation post #4 (https://ninja-reflection.com/2018/12/03/rise-phoenixes-novel-translation-4/) Looking back at my earlier translation I realized I was doing summaries a lot more than I am doing now so it might not have made a lot of sense. Anyhow, it was the part where Zhi Wei’s brother hit someone over the head with a brick then blamed it on her.
As for Zhi Wei and Ning Yi in different camps? Well, there are a few reasons for that. 1. If you remember, Zhi Wei actually became an official to stop Ning Yi from killing her. Our hero might be head over heels for our heroine right now but he really did seriously consider killing her due to his gut instinct that she might become his biggest nemesis. THAT gut instinct that both of them will be each other’s biggest foe has never really gone away and has been mentioned continually throughout the story. 2. One thing Zhi Wei distrust the most is the fact that Ning Yi is a prince and a prince competing for the throne at that. There is an old Chinese saying of “Being close to the King is like being close to a tiger.” Meaning when you keep close company with the royals, they might treat you like their closest confidant one second but kills you the next. Zhi Wei knows that Ning Yi has deep feelings for her but she has serious doubts that when it comes to choosing between the throne and her that Ning Yi would choose her over his ambition.
3. Which comes to our third point…which will sadly be proven soon and has been hinted at already. Even if Ning Yi would not hurt Zhi Wei but his own people might not tolerate her existence. Ning Yi’s men would gladly set up a harem for their boss but a woman who would derail the prince’s focus on the throne and even set aside his own safety for hers? That’s a no no. Our heroine being as smart as she is, knows this very well, just as she knows exactly why Ning Cheng dislikes her.
4. Zhi Wei might not know her real identity right now but she has long suspected she (and/or her brother) might have a birth secret and the secret involves the previous empire. (Her adopted dad was after all, the leader of Bloody Pagoda). Zhi Wei knows that if it turns out that she and/or her brother have ties to the previous empire then even if all she wants is just to live a simple life, the emperor and his officials won’t leave her family alone– which will directly make Ning Yi and her enemies. At that point, unless Ning Yi is willing to abandon his ambitions (which Zhi Wei doesn’t believe for one second he would), then he would have no choice but treat Zhi Wei as his enemy in order to retain the emperor and the officials’ trust in him.
5. There have been a few hints throughout the story but it won’t be revealed until the VERY end of the story. Zhi Wei’s real appearance–which our hero has seen the very first time they met, is a big hint to the fact that she has a birth secret. Zhi Wei knows it and Ning Yi knows it as well. It has been like the elephant in the room that neither of them is willing to discuss directly but has continued to dance around.
There have been hints that our two leads are fully aware that they are not exactly in the same camp. Right off the top of my head I can think of three instances. 1. Ning Yi hiding the letters from Zhi Wei in the tent after the dock explosion. 2. Zhi Wei rescuing a little girl at the dock and not telling Ning Yi about the child’s necklace which might reveal the child’s identity. 3. Ning Yi telling Zhi Wei that the physician is not someone who would listen to his orders. This shows Ning Yi is quite aware that there is a mysterious group that is for whatever reason keeping themselves very close to Zhi Wei.
Thank you soooo much for your Super detailed enlightenment!! I got it now. Didnt think the life of a Royal was much more challenging in those days. Unlike those we have nowadays with the fairy tale wedding. Haha.
Sorry I didn’t catch that many hints throughout the novel.. 🙂
I’m watching Legend of Fuyao now. May I Guess that there is a special birth mark on ZW face, only for the descendant of the Phoenix queen?🤔 I am so curious as you mentioned Shaoning also has the same face. 😱
Thanx for the Translation and the thorough translation notes!
Thank you for the translation and the thorough explanations!
I love the Gu Nan Yi’s character <3 Aww, who doesn't want him. I will take him any day, lol 🙂
THIS PART: “You don’t want me?” He raises his head towards the ceiling, muttering to himself “Then what should I do?”
Damn! Poor Nan Yi, I can imagine that feeling of loss being new for him. As usual, many thanks for your incredible job translating! <3
I accumulated 8 episodes with great difficulty just to binge read. And oh what a trip that was!
Thank you to the nth degree for the time and effort you put into these translations. You draw the reader into the story effortlessly.