TVIRAD – Chapter 52

Arc 4
Ten Years Lanterns (10)

A bonus chapter thanks to WillieCoyote!

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Shen Qiuhe said nothing. He studied the young man kneeling on the ground. After a long time, he finally uttered, “Turns out, you always remember that.”

Shen Jingfeng kept his silence. 

The autumn rain began to fall. Only the continuous patter of the raindrops dripping on the leaves sounded in the courtyard. 

Shen Jingfeng gave one last kowtow^[1] to Shen Qiuhe and stood up.

Without replying to Shen Qiuhe’s words, he drove out of Yue Shan Sect the very night. 

For three days, it rained all day. He proceeded all the way forward without wasting his time to switch his drenched robe.

His mind was disordered, full of only Ye Chen’s appearance. 

She was dressed in a fiery red wedding robe, she stood proud like a phoenix；

She led the way for him in the darkness, step by step;

She leaned against him in the sound of rain, sleeping safe and sound, softening the summer heavy rain.

She tumbled under him beneath the pear blossom tree, their lips skimming on each other.

There were so many moments of her flashing on his mind. Even if he was blind at that time, he seemed to be able to portray every second of her appearance. Only then did he discover that this person had long been stationed in the deepest part of his heart.

But then, her appearance was mixed with his mother’s bright red blood. His four years on the Demon Sect were where life was worse than death. His mother’s heavy pants resonated in his ears when she carried him to escape down the mountain. A group of people hunted them, cornering and compelling them to end their own life. His mother stood in front of him, covered in blood and dyeing the ground red.

His grasp on the reins tensed. He had never felt this frightened before.

His only thought was to hurry up, faster. He must not, absolutely must not, let Ye Chen follow in his mother’s footsteps.

While Shen Jingfeng was in a hurry, Ye Chen was locked in a small black room, dizzy with hunger.

Yue Sheng didn’t like her. She retaliated against her in this way. She didn’t let anyone give her food. She barely survived with a half steamed bun and water these days. The black room where Ye Chen locked at, the ground was full of rats. She was not allowed out and slept in the black room. If Ye Chen was really a delicate young lady, she would have been terrified to death.

Fortunately, Ye Chen, this person, was a person who caught mountain rats on Tian Jian Sect and roasted them. She scared those rats away just by her imposing manner. Although she was not frightened by these rats, she didn’t eat or sleep much. In those seven days, Ye Chen was already at the gate of Death. She mumbled to 38, “38, am I on the verge of life and death now……”

“Uh…” 38 is a little embarrassed to remind Ye Chen, “Host, your physical strength is now 70.”

“For real?!” Ye Chen got up in surprise, “My physical strength is that good?!”

“Probably it’s because you usually eat too much…”

Ye Chen, “……”

She slumped back weakly and sank into worry, “What to do now? Will I really marry Mo Xingchen and be his concubine?”

“Just follow the flow. He hasn’t returned, anyway. You won’t get the worst of it.” 38 persuaded her, “Our top priority is to ensure your father safely goes out the mountain. When he does, we can escape by ourselves.”

Ye Chen approved its idea. As long as Ye Feng was safe, it was not a big deal for her to escape on her own. 

Thus, she remained there quietly for the day of marriage. She intended to escape after Ye Weng was safe. Yue Sheng promised that she would send Ye Feng down the mountain after the ceremony was completed.

Yue Sheng’s purpose was evident. With this move of her, even if she stayed in her bridal chamber all night and regardless of whether Mo Xingchen was there or not, she was already forsaken by the Jianghu people.

There was ever a case like this. There was once a beauty in Jianghu who was abducted by the Demon Sect. Thereafter, she committed suicide to prove her innocence.

What was the name of that beauty again?

Ye Chen couldn’t remember. She was too hungry.

When it was dawn, Yue Sheng brought people into her room. She stared down at Ye Chen in disgust and ordered, “Get up. Eat this and prepare to get on the sedan chair.”

“Heh,” Ye Chen was dragged and gasped for breath, she spoke to 38, “If she didn’t mention the sedan chair, I would have believed that this is my last meal.”

“Host, your physical strength is 70. Can you stop pretending to be so weak?” 38 couldn’t bear to watch her pretend. Ye Chen limped while the maid supported her as if she was about to faint to death at any time. She eyed 38, “You don’t know a damn thing. This is what you call ‘strategy’!”

38, “……”

Clap, clap. Amazing. She, a mentally retarded person, could speak about strategy. Was the world ending?

Ye Chen was dragged into the bath and washed. She then changed into a red dress. In accordance with the wedding ceremony of the Demon Sect, a ceremony for a woman like her who was just considered as a plaything of Sect Leader, the Sect Leader didn’t need to be present. She could be ushered directly to the temple supervised by the Saintess.

The relationship between the current Demon Sect’s Sect Leader and the Saintess was quite strange. For so long, the Saintess and Sect Leader had always existed as a husband and wife, and their children were the next Sect Leader. However, the Sect Leader of the previous generation didn’t like the previous Saintess and left no descendant. Hence, Mo Xingchen, his adopted son, became the Sect Leader. 

The relationship between Mo Xingchen and the Saintess Yue Sheng was not clear. All along, it was said that Yue Sheng liked Mo Xingchen, but Mo Xingchen didn’t reciprocate Yue Sheng’s feelings. In order to bind Mo Xingchen to her, Yue Sheng almost harassed whoever Mo Xingchen took fancy on. 

This time, she came to harass Ye Chen……

Ye Chen began to doubt, could it be that Mo Xingchen liked her?

After all, she was the World’s First Beauty. It was not surprising for her if Mo XIngchen liked her. 

Ye Chen’s vision was obscured by the red veil. She was led by someone and walked towards the temple slowly.

She heard the echo of the gate opening when she arrived at the temple. The maid was on her way to drag her in when Ye Chen abruptly said, “Wait a minute.”

“Why, you want to back out now?”

Yue Sheng’s voice resounded from the hall. Ye Chen immediately denied, “I don’t. I just want to confirm whether my father really has been released.”

“Do you think I am as untrustworthy as you Central Plains people?”

Yue Shen scorned, “He is at the foot of the mountain now. When the ceremony begins, we will release him right away.”

Ye Chen nodded and confirmed Yue Sheng’s words with 38. Only after that did she follow the people in. After entering, a floor mat appeared under her vision. A cold whip was pressed against her shoulder. Yue Sheng ordered coldly, “Kneel down. ”

Ye Chen knelt down. The second she knelt down, the veil was whipped away by Yue Sheng. Ye Chen’s eyes squinted from the light. She finally could see the whole hall. The main hall was in a circular shape with four stone columns carved with dragons forming a semicircular arch. In front of the dragon columns were a high white platform. The high platform was painted with cinnabar scriptures. It looked gruesome and horrifying. Above the high platform was a two-person golden throne, on which the Saintess and Jiaozhu sat together.

There was some translucent glass on the roof of the hall. The entire hall was dark when the door closed, except for a light falling from the top. The place where the light fell was where Ye Chen knelt.

Nine women circled Ye Chen in the dark. These women held a candle in their hands and turned their backs to Ye Chen.

Ye Chen felt a little scared.

This kind of scene was particularly frightful and she wasn’t mentally prepared for this scene.

Yue Sheng looked at the calm and composed woman in front of her. She narrowed her eyes, “Undress.”

Ye Chen, “……”

Hearing her order, Ye Chen broke down.

She… Did she hear it right? Yue Shen ordered her to undress?!!

Her eyes moved to Yue Sheng in shock. Yue Sheng was taken aback by her look and snapped, “What’s with your look! If your dirty body isn’t washed clean, how can you be worthy of our Sect Leader?!”

Ye Chen heard the reason and nodded, “I understand, I think too much, how could the Saintess take fancy on me. ”

“Ye Chen, you are too dirty!”

Yue Shen understood Ye Chen’s meaning at once. Ye Chen kept her stoic face, “I’m sorry. My thoughts are indeed too dirty.”

“Undress!”

Ye Chen, “……”

Because there was only Yue Sheng, a woman, watching her, Ye Chen was not unreasonable. She stepped into the big bath and undressed, “Don’t look at me…”

“Who’s looking at you!”

“I warn you, really, don’t look at me.”

“I look at you, is there even something to look at?!” Yue Sheng glared down at her in deviance. Ye Chen blocked her body with clothes, she smiled, “”I’m afraid you will be blinded from looking at my chest.”

As soon as the words were played, an electric current ran through Ye Chen’s body. Ye Chen cried out a “wu” from pain on the spot. She cursed out in ire, “38, are you crazy?!”

“I think, you are crazy.”

38 sighed, “I’m not the one who pressed it. It was the inspection team of the HQ who was doing a random inspection. Now, be good, continue your play with Yue Sheng.”

Ye Chen judged her lucky days were no more. She glimpsed at Yue Sheng’s shocked face, and said seriously, “Be done with it, let my father get released early.”

Yue Sheng reviewed her expression and deemed she was hallucinating just now. She raised her head to look at the brilliant rays above, “Just wait.”

With that, the other nine people began to sing strange tunes. Yue Sheng stood with her hands clasped. She closed her eyes and listened to the ancient chanting. Ye Chen hugged herself. It was a little cold. They made the air even colder when they sang. 

Without knowing how long time had passed, the sun set and Ye Chen sensed the rain falling. She looked up and saw Yue Sheng open her eyes. Then, she flung her wide sleeves and brought down her whip.

Ye Chen, “!!!”

“Pain shielding!!” 38 shouted, halting Ye Chen who was already preparing to roll away. 38 reminded, “Host, endure it! Endure it for Ye Feng!”

“What the fuck with this stupid ass ceremony?!! So, Yue Sheng waited just for this?!””

“Calm down!” 38 and Ye Chen quarreled in their minds while Ye Chen’s body lay prone in front of Yue Sheng. Yue Sheng recited something and whipped Ye Chen on her back. Yue Sheng didn’t stop until fresh blood dripped from her back. She squatted down and began to paint strange patterns on Ye Chen with blood.

When Ye Chen’s body was covered with patterns, Yue Sheng stood up and lifted her wide sleeves. At once, there was a bell tolling.

38 informed Ye Chen, “Ye Feng has been released.”

“Good… Good!” Ye Chen gasped, “That’s mean, now I can thrash her, right?!”

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Footnotes

1. 叩首 – kòushǒu/kòutóu; Kowtow, lit. Knock Head. act of deep respect shown by prostration, that is, kneeling and knocking his head to the floor. Can be used to express profound gratitude, apology, to beg for forgiveness. etc.↵

Ry’s Corner

Nine women circled Ye Chen in the dark. These women held a candle in their hands and turned their backs to Ye Chen.

Ye Chen felt a little scared.

The original line for the “little scared” is “点方 – diǎn fāng“, a little square., which is a homonym for “点慌 – diǎn huāng“, a little scared.

A play on the word because the nine women circled Ye Chen.

I thought I updated a chapter yesterday, turns out I didn’t? My update streak QAQ

Also, I found a bae Wushuang (谢无霜 – Xiè Wúshuāng), that is not bae Wushuang (谢无双 – Xiè Wúshuāng), but is still a bae Wushuang.

Former Wushuang is Frostless. Latter Wushuang is Peerless.

谢无霜 is a character from MSB newest novel,  剑寻千山 – Jiàn Xún Qiān Shān.

Bonus Chapters:

5 out of 10 done.

Please consider checking ‘The Memory Lost in Space‘ in case you like a good read(feels)! I’m gonna always put this here because I’m obsessed with it! No thanks needed.

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Words count (excluding title, footnotes, TL’s corner): 1992

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