Chapter 11: Immortal Under the Moonlight
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The night was pitch black, and the narrow alleyways were devoid of people, except for the occasional stray cat darting by, its soft meow filling the spring night in the capital city.
A young man, clutching something in his arms, moved like a ghost through the alleyways.
Innocent men carry a jade while the guilty carry their crimes. Having won so much silver at Le Tong Manor, He Yan couldn’t help but make enemies. If she was followed on the main roads, it could lead to trouble for the He family. So, she decided to take the back alleys.
But… it seemed that the more you’re afraid of something, the more it will come. He Yan stopped in her tracks.
At the end of the alley was a street lined with small shops and taverns. This side of the street was less busy than the area around Le Tong Manor, and at this hour, the shops were already closed, engulfed in darkness, with not a soul in sight. Only the stars and the moon cast their faint glow over the ground.
He Yan turned around, crouched down, and picked up a few pebbles. After a moment’s consideration, she threw them with force.
The pebbles were swift and sharp, like the tip of an arrow released from its bow, “pew pew pew.” Someone stumbled out from the concealed darkness with a thud.
“Don’t follow me,” He Yan said calmly. “You can’t catch up to me.”
“And what if we add ourselves to the equation?” another voice sounded. Several people emerged from the other end of the alley, with a burly man at the forefront, shirtless, his hands looking like they could snap He Yan’s neck.
“You little rascal, it seems like you have quite a few enemies.” The burly man laughed heartily. “You arrogant brat! Has no one ever taught you not to draw attention when visiting a gambling den for the first time?”
He Yan held the silver in her arms, replying calmly, “Since it’s my first time entering a gambling den, no one has taught me anything.” But in her heart, she thought, the people in the gambling den are indeed as her comrades once described, not a bunch of good people. They could break the rules they set.
“Doomed to die, yet you still dare to be defiant,” the burly man roared in anger. “Today, I’ll teach you a lesson, I’ll twist your arms off and make you kneel and call me grandfather!”
He Yan stood in the narrow alley, trapped between the half-naked man and his followers in front, and the unknown pursuers behind. She was cornered with no escape route.
But she didn’t even have a weapon.
“Well, let’s see if you have what it takes.” She slowly clenched her fists.
“Arrogant!” The big man signaled, and his followers swarmed around. He himself charged forward, but his attack seemed clumsy and without any technique. He swung his hand towards He Yan’s back.
Under the moonlight, the young boy swiftly ducked, evading the attack. The big man’s eyes blurred, feeling a heavy punch on his back. This only fueled his anger, and he roared in rage. By the time he looked up, the young boy had already leaped onto the alley’s surrounding wall.
“Capture him!”
The pursuers of He Yan seemed to realize what was happening too. Someone grabbed He Yan’s clothes, pulling her down. “Rip—” A sound rang out as the hem of her long robe tore apart.
“Ah.” She sighed with regret, “It’s ruined.”
“You still care about your clothes at a time like this?” The big man’s nose twisted with anger, “I won’t be satisfied until I beat you to death today!”
He charged at He Yan, a mountain-like figure that seemed to shake the ground as he moved. With so many followers and guards, it should have been an easy task to deal with a little brat. However, today was the first time he encountered an ironclad opponent. The youth, seemingly young, was like an eel, slippery and elusive, escaping their grasp effortlessly. As he moved through the crowd, his attacks were few, but each hit was critical. In no time, the followers and guards were beaten to the ground, unable to get up.
He Yan dodged a punch from the burly man coming straight at her, swiftly flipping her body, but her attack was a bit off target.
The burly man let out a scream of pain.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to.” She felt a little guilty.
After all, she and this body were not yet fully in sync, and her punches weren’t quite landing as intended. The burly man held his lower body and groaned in agony. The sound in the night was enough to send chills down one’s spine, but it was also heartrending.
He Yan bent down to pick up the scattered silver on the ground. She had worked hard all night and even fought a battle, just to earn this silver. She couldn’t let others take advantage of her.
Under the moonlight, the ground was covered with broken silver and jewels. The young man stooped to pick them up, resembling a bookish scholar who had stumbled upon a treasure trove in a mythical realm, unable to resist claiming it for himself.
Upon reaching this point, He Yan found it amusing and burst into laughter.
She picked up the silver coins and glanced at the mess of people scattered on the ground and as she was about to make her escape, she suddenly heard a gentle voice speak, “Young man, you dropped your silver.”
He Yan turned around to look.
There, at the entrance of the darkened tavern, stood a young man. He was dressed in an indigo-colored robe with wide sleeves that swayed in the wind, making him appear graceful and slender. His black hair was tied up with a sapphire crown, and his thin eyebrows and bright eyes gave him an otherworldly charm, resembling a celestial being. He wore a smile and stepped forward, holding a piece of broken silver in his hand, likely one that had fallen during the scuffle earlier.
He Yan had already sensed the presence of someone else at the tavern, but since they didn’t intervene in the fight, she didn’t pay much attention. She hadn’t expected to encounter this person now.
He Yan had encountered many men in her life. In her previous life, she had mingled with men as a young man herself. Most of the men she had met were brave and fierce warriors, but they couldn’t be described as handsome or beautiful. Xu Zhiheng was indeed elegant and refined, the only man she could consider “good-looking,” but compared to the aura of the man in front of her, he seemed a bit lacking.
Just moments ago, she had thought that she was like the protagonist in a mythical tale, and now she felt even more like one, a destitute youth meeting a real immortal. She was amazed by his appearance, and she wondered if the next scene would be the immortal imparting some divine knowledge to the young man.
As the young man approached, he appeared more and more like a figure from a mural painting, a celestial being descending to the mortal world. Seeing that she didn’t respond, the immortal reminded her, “Young man?”
He Yan came back to her senses.
She took the broken silver from the young man’s hand and smiled, “Thank you.”
The young man smiled back, “You’re welcome.”
He Yan turned and walked away without looking back.
She walked quickly, like a wild cat leaping over a wall, disappearing in a few steps, and no one could catch up with her.
In the darkness, another person emerged, walking up to the blue-robed young man. He whispered, “Fourth Young Master, that young man…”
“It should be just a coincidence. Don’t bother with him.” The celestial being smiled as if he remembered something funny, and his smile widened, “Quite clever.”
— Note —
This celestial being young man is the second male lead, so don’t ship the wrong couple~
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OK translator sama, well noted😄
why is second leads always the fantasy beauty in many series?