The Rise of Phoenixes Novel Translation #148

The case of the quartermaster’s death never did cause any trouble for Wei Zhi. According to Ning Yi’s words, General Wei’s accomplishments are greater than his faults. Besides, the quartermaster was deserving of death anyway for going against a military order. In the end, the only thing required of Wei Zhi was for him to come to receive the Emperor’s edict and be chastised some. 

However, Feng Zhi Wei didn’t even come to accept the promotion to lieutenant general Ning Yi brought with him. Chun Yuhong had no success in finding her since the calvary had already made their way into the neighboring mountain pass and supposedly had found some shortcut that would allow them to head straight into Da Yue’s main camp. 

Facing Tao Yangyu who stoically reports General Wei’s words, Ning Yi smiled wryly before putting aside the edict with Wei Zhi’s name on it without saying anything. 

“If Your Highness doesn’t have anything else, then I will excuse myself.” Completely devoid of the air of a dandy he had back in the Capital, Tao Yangyu made a sharp military salute and got ready to leave. 

“ Yangyu.”

Tao Yangyu stopped in front of the tent door. 

Tiny dust swirled around the tent. In the lights and shadows, Ning Yi’s expression was blurry. The only thing Tao Yangyu could see is him twirling around a pen lightly in his fingers, seemingly stumped by some difficult matter. 

Tao Yangyu waited for a while, fretting the whole time since his thoughts are all on catching up with the calvary. 

Just when an impatient Tao Yangyu is about to open his mouth, Ning Yi seemed to have made up his mind. 

“Is General Wei…well?”

Tao Yangyu had thought it must be some impossible problem to cause so much headache for His Highness so upon hearing the question he let out a silent breath of relief and smiled “The General is well.”

“Well, how?” After a moment of hesitation, Ning Yi opened his mouth again while silently cursing inside how the kid who used to rattled on useless things would turn into a man of so few words after going to Feng Zhi Wei. 

“Ah? Well as in very good.” Tao Yangyu’s eyes widened, unsure what His Highness is trying to ask. 

“I am asking!” Finally losing his temper, Ning Yi throws the pen down, “How is she doing? Is she eating? Did she gain or lose weight? Has she ever been injured? Where is she now?” (The author used the female pronoun here so that’s how I translated. Tao Yangyu obviously is not aware of our heroine’s real identity so he would’ve just assumed Ning Yi was using the male pronoun. In spoken Chinese, the pronoun of he, she, and it or all pronounced the same. They are written differently though which is why I said the author used the female pronoun here.) 

“Oh.” Tao Yangyu finally understood but frowned immediately, feeling that while His Highness’ question is within the confines of concern a superior would have for his subordinates but in his memory, His Highness is not so long-winded?

Seeing Ning Yi’s gaze resting on him, Tao Yangyu couldn’t help but feel a chill creeping up his spine even if His Highness’ expression is still as impassive as always. 

Tao Yangyu hurriedly answered “General is in good spirit but he doesn’t eat very much. I keep getting the feeling that General doesn’t really care for the wild grassland’s food but he has never shown it. There was only one time when our food supply hasn’t arrived yet, the quartermaster sent some cheese flatbread to tie us over. General took half of a flatbread and ate it with gusto in front of everyone but then immediately disappeared. I got worried and follow him out then…” He hesitated and stopped. 

“Then what?” Ning Yi wanted to glare at him again. How can this person also pickup Feng Zhi Wei’s habit of only saying half of her thoughts? 

“Then I saw General dry heaving behind the hill but was choking his own neck to prevent himself from vomiting the food out. It made me feel really bad just looking at it…” Tao Yangyu bit his lips and his eyes turned slightly red. 

Ning Yi fell silent, slowly raised a hand to support his lowered head. 

You…are someone who had in actuality always been very tolerant towards yourself. You know this world is full of difficulties so you have never forced yourself to eat things you dislike. You have never been willing to force yourself, but now, you have learned to even force yourself over something so small. 

Or rather, who forced you to force yourself? 

His elbows on the table, listening quietly to the sounds of the wind. His long black hair hangs down, covering half of his face like a waterfall as his thoughts forlornly travel back to the past. 

Tao Yangyu fell silent as well, not daring to let out a hint of his impatience to disturb the solemn atmosphere. 

After a long time, an almost inaudible sigh broke the silence followed by a faint voice. 

“Then what…” 

“Then Master Gu went over.” Tao Yangyu replied in a low voice, “Master Gu patted the General on the back…then I left.” 

For some reason, he just felt that he probably shouldn’t tell His Highness how he saw Gu Nan Yi pulled the General into his arms and patted the General’s back gently…in a very well-versed motion.  

Even if the words weren’t said, but he has already guessed. Ning Yi’s eyes flashed in the dark and fell silent yet again. 

The emptiness and loneliness in the air threaten to empty one’s heart. Feeling inexplicably anxious in this rather bizarre atmosphere, Tao Yangyu instinctively tries to fill the emptiness with words. With a loud and cheerful voice, Yao Yangyu says “It’s just my guess that General is not used to the wild grassland food. The General is in good spirits. He is not skinny or dark. He goes to sleep later than us but gets up earlier than us. A few days ago we were intercepted by the Da Yue cavalry. On that day, the General even went on the battlefield personally and then…” 

He stopped again. 

Ning Yi raised his head to look at him. 

“It’s nothing…” Tao Yangyu stammered, hating himself for running his mouth, “…Xiao Hung was picked off his horse, ended up being pinned under it so General went to save him and ended up getting shot by an arrow…”

His voice became quieter and quieter. The person facing him didn’t say a word but he still felt the air surrounding him suddenly turning cold and repressive, like a rope soaked in cold water in a well, tightening around a person’s body, making it difficult to breathe and chill to the bone. 

Pursing his lips, Tao Yangyu thought to himself that he really made a mess of things today. Perhaps it is the General getting injured that is making everyone a bit crazy. For example, Master Gu, who actually punished himself to go face the cliff wall for three days. The guy wouldn’t respond to anyone so in the end, the General had to go apologize to him meekly. The whole thing gets weirder the more he thinks about it. 

“Please tell something to your General for me.” Before Tao Yangyu was about to be driven into running away by the silence, Ning Yi finally opened his mouth, “…Deep vengeance is ahead, it can be pierced through to death sooner or later, you can rest assured. Some things should not be rushed. Jin Siyu is gentle on the outside but vicious snake on the inside. If you want to take the head out, then you need to have a perfect plan before you make your move. Don’t ever act rashly, remember.” (Another way to translate deep vengeance could be ultimate enemy. The author purposefully used vague wording here that can be interpreted differently. Ning Yi is really talking about himself here but the wording is vague enough that Tao Yangyu would naturally assumed that he is talking about Jin Siyu.)

Tao Yangyu was startled but could tell the seriousness in Ning Yi’s tone so he immediately nodded. 

Ning Yi continues after thinking for another moment, “Your cavalry, the Huzho warriors are not ones who are versed in the art of military battles and the command is in the hands of someone young who might be prone to act rashly. Let’s do this, I will let Wei Yu go with you.” 

 Surprised yet again, Tao Yangyu knows of this Wei Yu. He is a lieutenant in the seventh battalion of Yuzhou camp. His father is the steward of the Chu Royal Mansion so he is a servant born of the Chu Family. To assign such a person to Shunyi Iron Cavalry is obviously assigning an overseer to the cavalry. Could the General with his gentle appearance but in actuality arrogant personality really accept someone else’s spy? (Most noble families sees servants who were born into the family more trust worthy than indentured servants. Servants born into a their master’s families usually means their whole household also work for the family so there is very little chance they would betray such their masters…since betrayal means either death or banishment of the whole family.)

However, before Tao Yangyu could say anything Ning Yi is already waving his hand, ordering him to leave. 

Without any choice, Tao Yangyu walks to the tent door before turning around to look in Ning Yi’s direction. Ning Yi is still in the same chin in hand posture, his finger unconsciously gently drawing something on the table, his long eyelashes down, signs of fatigue between his brows. 

The faint moonlight shined in from the opened curtain and from afar the sound of soldiers wiping their swords could be heard. The man sat in silence in the dark, resting on the lonely moonlight, listening to the chilling sounds of the swords. 

All text copyright @ www.Ninja-Reflection.com