Chapter 174
Hi everyone, I am not fully back yet. Anyway, this is the update. Btw, this chapter was edited by Remy? L3D had posted part of the chapter in here. I found she/he actually is doing a great job (in my opinion, the translation is much better than mine)! make sure to check his/her translation.?
PS: I need to solve a statistical problem whereby X~binom(n,p)*gamma(shape,rate). I was given empirical x deciles (0.1,0.5, and 0.9) as well as the mean. Do you guys have any idea how to predict the rate of the gamma distribution? SOS oOo
Cheers,
Nutty
The night sky welcomed the sun’s rays. This was supposed to be a very beautiful moment. However, Gu Yun’s heart was in a haze at the moment, without any trace of light.
Su Ling’s profound eyes were like an eagle’s stare toward its hunting prey, coldly glaring at her. It was as if, if she moved, he would immediately pounce on her. Gu Yun secretly took a deep breath, trying to control her emotions. In terms of bravery, she wouldn’t lose to him!
Tilting her face up slightly, Gu Yun met his cold eyes and said, "Get out!"
"I’ve already said that you shouldn’t go out." There was unquestionably forced forbearance in his clear voice. Su Ling was trying very hard to suppress his anger. He also didn’t want to physically fight with her, but every time she had that untamed arrogant eyes, a volatile explosion challenged his patience’s limits.
Like now&h.e.l.lip;
"I’ve already said that I would definitely go out tonight!" Gu Yun’s voice was definitely not any less colder than his.
"You better not meddle with Lou Xi Yan’s case. His problems do not need your meddling. It is beyond your power to solve." Su Ling always spoke like a cold tyrant. The lecturing tone in his voice really made people unhappy no matter how they listened to it.
Sure enough, his ‘lecture’ made Gu Yun’s face turn black. Gu Yun stubbornly replied, "Their marriage is now official. Lou Xi Yan is now my brother-in-law. It’s a matter of fact that I have to take care of his problems! Whether it is or isn’t beyond my power is not your business."
Between them, there had been too many conflicts. Su Ling knew that amongst them, one wouldn’t able to convince the other. Being firm with her would definitely make both parties suffer. Secretly sighing, he said, "As the country’s prime minister, Lou Xi Yan’s charge would be decided by the emperor. You just need to stay in the General Manor and let it go. Everything will be solved."
Everything would be solved? Gu Yun’s eyes flashed, the way he spoke was really relaxed, could it&h.e.l.lip; Gu Yun looked deep into Su Ling’s eyes and guessed, "You mean everything was actually a scheme you and Yan Hong Tian crafted?"
With her cleverness, Su Ling thought that she already understood what was at stake. He didn’t elaborate and blandly replied, "The court’s matters are not as simple as you think. It indeed affects the whole thing. If you act rashly, not only Lou Xi Yan wouldn’t be saved, you and your sister would be implicated as well."
So everything was within their schemes? Gu Yun coldly smiled. Just because that Yan Hong Tian was an emperor and everyone should honour him, he could easily use others as his p.a.w.n? He could arrest people at any time, yet he chose the wedding time? Or was Lou Xi Yan already informed and only the bride, whose feelings were hurt, was kept in the dark?
Huh! From the moment they paid respects to each other, Qing had been implicated too! Now, he just explained to her the overall situation. Why didn’t he speak up earlier?
Those pair of cat eyes showed traces of disdain and anger, but she didn’t say anything and remained silent. Su Ling impatiently wanted to bring her home. He grabbed her wrist while saying, "Let’s go. We should go home first before we talk again."
"No way." Gu Yun coldly replied, "The sun has risen, I need to go to Prime Minister Manor." She had promised Qing to visit her yesterday. Regardless if it was or wasn’t a scheme or a lie that Su Ling made to a.s.sure her, she must go to find Qing. She couldn’t be missing at this time. It would make Qing, who had been worried about Lou Xi Yan, become increasingly worried.
If Gu Yun said that she wanted to accompany Zhuo Qing, Su Ling would not necessarily disagree. She wasn’t a person who was unwilling to explain. It was rare that Su Ling took the time to explain things to a person and he even gave away internal information. She still wanted to meddle in this muddy water. Su Ling’s constantly suppressed anger instantly soared. He roared, "You are not allowed to go! Follow me."
Su Ling grabbed Gu Yun’s wrist tighter, dragging her home. Gu Yun naturally refused to give in and reached the sword using her free hand. Su Ling had been well-prepared and quickly pressed her acupuncture points. Gu Yun felt her entire body go numb and actually couldn’t move!
Bad person! Gu Yun had forgotten about this acupuncture trick. Her body couldn’t move. She wasn’t really fluent at swearing people, so Gu Yun could only use her most vicious eyes, glaring at Su Ling. Who knew he did not feel any pain or itch. Rather, his mood actually went up. Su Ling raised his lips and pulled her arm to encircle his neck, lightly piggybacking her. Seeing the proud look on his face, Gu Yun was extremely annoyed. She loudly cursed, "Su Ling, you are a bad person! Let me go!"
The woman’s sharp cry at dawn was particularly loud. Just as the woman’s words finished, Gan Jing felt the tree branch sway. The black figure beside him dashed out. Gan Jing was surprised and whispered, "Senior!" He stretched his arm, wanting to stop Ao Tian. Unfortunately, he couldn’t even grab the clothes. The black figure had flown towards the two people.
Su Ling was piggybacking Gu Yun. He turned around, wanting to go home. Suddenly, his well-trained senses felt danger coming towards him. He held Gu Yun tighter and quickly dodged to the side. When he turned around, he saw a black figure silently standing at his earlier position.
The man in front of him was tall but slender. However, Su Ling didn’t dare to underestimate his opponent. Just by him standing there, a cold aura emitted from his body. Under the light, the silver hair and eyes shone. The white face coupling his cold eyes could give one a chilling sensation. His hands moved very quick and soundlessly.
It’s him! Was he the bounty hunter who saved Qing Mo in the General Manor? Su Ling quietly speculated on what he was doing in the mountains that he could appear all of a sudden like this.
Ao Tian? Gu Yun had also recognised him, but there was nothing strange about him being here. What she doubted was why did he suddenly make an appearance here?
"Let her go." The deep male voice coldly said. Su Ling and Gu Yun were surprised.
Did he come for Qing Mo? Did he come to help her?
The two hearts had their own thoughts. Gu Yun was still unclear about the situation and temporarily chose to remain silent. After Su Ling knew that his target was Gu Yun, Su Ling gently lowered her down and hit her acupuncture points. He put her behind him to protect her.
Gu Yun finally could move, but her limbs were still very stiff. She retreated few steps. Using Bing Lian as her support, she moved back. What she didn’t know were the two men sharpening their knives for her.
The falcon-like eyes met the icy wolf-like eyes. Both of them were equally cold. Those two men didn’t say anything more. With weapons, their hands restlessly wanted to move. Su Ling’s hand carried Chi Xue while Ao Tian’s hand had the black Chi Ling flexible sword (刺陵软剑. 刺 = stab (v), thorn (n); 陵 = mausoleum). None of them were moving, but the cold aura that they emitted had reached far to the tree where Gan Jing was standing on. Gan Jing felt his heartbeat quicken. The sun had risen. Gan Jing finally could see clearly the ident.i.ty of the couple on the gra.s.sland. The woman was Qing Feng’s younger sister, Qing Mo, while the man was General zhenguo, Su Ling!
Why would his ever eccentric senior provoke them? Gan Jing was puzzled. However, this was not the time to think about this question. A fight between those two men was about to explode.
Gan Jing who was located quite far from there could feel the strange atmosphere between the two; Gu Yun naturally could feel the tension too. She really didn’t want to go home to the general manor with Su Ling right now. However, she was afraid Ao Tian’s wound would worsen. She just wanted to open her mouth when Su Ling took Chi Xue from its scabbard, heading towards Ao Tian.
Gu Yun was aware of Chi Xue’s power. She anxiously called, "Be careful!"
Ao Tian squinted his eyes, his lips formed a cold smile. Moving the flexible sword on his hand, the black Chi Ling looked as thin as paper, as tough as silk, as wriggly as a snake, following Ao Tian’s hand movement and defending against Chi Xue. It plastered against Su Ling’s wrist. Su Ling’s wrist felt tightened. He was secretly surprised, what kind of weapon was that? How could it not afraid of Chi Xue’s blazing heat?
Su Ling imbued more internal energy into Chi Xue and quickly turned the sword. Flames quickly jumped onto Chi Ling sword. Ao Tian also felt the heat travelling to his palm. He had no alternative but to withdraw Chi Ling and step back.
As the flexible sword loosened its grip from Su Ling, Su Ling seized the opportunity to hold Chi Xue tighter and held it towards Ao Tian’s chest.
Gu Yun’s heart tightened. Being stabbed by that kind of sword, even if it didn’t kill someone, the victim would still be seriously injured! Ao Tian jumped back but he didn’t have time to dodge. He came for her, so she could not let him die because of her! Gu Yun acted decisively, took out Bing Lian and went to fend the sword.
Ding&h.e.l.lip; A brittle sound was heard. Icy sparkles met Chi Xue. For Ao Tian, she blocked the sword.
With Gu Yun’s meddling, Ao Tian was all right. However, Su Ling was really angry. She actually helped that man to fight him! d.a.m.n! Did they actually have a friends.h.i.+p from the beginning? Or did they actually agree to meet here?! Seeing Gu Yun’s effort to help and having made his own conclusions, Su Ling couldn’t wait to devour Ao Tian alive. His attacks became more ruthless.
Su Ling once again attacked Ao Tian. Gu Yun was
Ao Tian held Gu Yun’s shoulder and helped her to stand up from the ground by hugging her. The profound black pupils scanned her body. It looked like she wasn’t injured. His anxiousness decreased slightly. He never had this kind of feeling where his heart tightened until he couldn’t breathe. However, when he saw her using her body to fend against him, he finally knew what was heartache and what was feeling fl.u.s.tered!
Her hand that held the sword was still shaking. Until now, Gu Yun still didn’t understand why there was such a hatred between Su Ling and Ao Tian such that Su Ling wanted Ao Tian’s life like this. Gu Yun anxiously said to Ao Tian beside her, "Quickly go now, his Chi Xue is really powerful!" The difference in strength between women and men was still very obvious. Although she had a weapon, she definitely couldn’t fight a sword attack from an angry Su Ling!
Lightly releasing his grip on her waist, Ao Tian, of course, didn’t go and he whispered in her ears, "Stand here and don’t move." After he finished speaking, Ao Tian fearlessly went to fight!
Ao Tian! Seeing Ao Tian’s black figure charging towards Su Ling, Gu Yun’s heart suddenly jumped to her throat. Su Ling, as a person who liked to fight, moved forward when Ao Tian was ten feet away from him. Ao Tian stopped. In a flash, he was able to dodge the sword attack. Suddenly his body became two, then two became four&h.e.l.lip; Soon, Su Ling was surrounded by a group of people. Every one of them had dark clothes, silver hair and a dark flexible sword in their hand. However, their faces were unclear. One didn’t know which one was Ao Tian and which one was an illusion.
What a ghostly technique! How did he do that?
The technique was so extraordinary that it could make Gu Yun’s eyes widen and her mouth gape. Even Su Ling was stupefied by the scene in front of him. As if at this moment he was surrounded by tens of people. He knew that most of them were illusions, but he couldn’t identify which one was Ao Tian, so he didn’t know where to defend.
Ao Tian seized the opportunity to pa.s.s through the long sword defense and striked towards Su Ling’s chest.
Su Ling, who had been walking on the edge of death several times, finally could feel threatened. Su Ling turned around to face Ao Tian, and with the short amount of time, Su Ling could only use his sword as a s.h.i.+eld while being driven back by the force.
The moment Su Ling was driven back, Gu Yun heard Ao Tian’s whisper from beside her, "Let’s go!" Gu Yun only felt her waist touched, but her entire body had been encircled in Ao Tian’s embrace as he ran towards the woods.
Seeing the two figures moving further away, how could Su Ling let the matter rest? He urgently chased after them. Upon entering the forest, the lighting was very poor; Su Ling almost lost them several times. Fortunately, Ao Tian was carrying Gu Yun, so his speed was not as fast as he usually was. Just when Su Ling almost reached them, two murderous flashes charged towards him. Su Ling had to jump back to dodge. The flashes heavily hit the gra.s.s. Su Ling looked down to see clearly. They were two thin flying daggers. Who was it? How many people were actually hidden in this area?
After being delayed for a moment by the flying dagger, Su Ling once again looked up. Ao Tian and Gu Yun’s shadows were still between the woods.
d.a.m.n it! He let them run away!
"Qing Mo&h.e.l.lip;"
Gan Jing anxiously stood on the tree branch, hidden under the tree canopy. He was holding his breath, afraid to make a noise! The vibration of the roar from the raging man beneath him could be felt at the place he stood.
Senior ah! He really didn’t want to provoke Su Ling ah, really!’
Ao Tian’s pace was very quick. If this was the so-called qinggong, Gu Yun could only marvel about it. He used one hand to hold onto her waist, yet he could carry her away. Gu Yun felt like the vegetation was moving backward. It was so fast that it made one dizzy! Running for about 15 minutes, this kind of movement made Gu Yun feel really uncomfortable. Clutching to Ao Tian’s clothes, Gu Yun said, "Put me down."
Ao Tian stopped in front of a big tree, gently putting Gu Yun down. He didn’t say anything.
After her feet touched the ground, Gu Yun felt much better. Leaning onto the trunk, Gu Yun looked at Ao Tian’s cold back. She felt something was off. Recalling the last sword attack, she was very far away yet she could feel the burning heat. Not to mention him, who was fending the attack. Gu Yun’s heart was restless. She anxiously asked, "Let me look at your hand."
"It is just a small wound." The cold voice rejected. Ao Tian firmly refused to turn his body. It looked like he didn’t want to look at her.
Gu Yun was impatient. She grabbed his hand and pulled it. Ao Tian’s pale face didn’t show any trace of pain. However, the thin layer of sweat displayed the truth.
He got hurt! Ao Tian still wanted to struggle. Gu Yun said, "Don’t move." The warmth on his hand made Ao Tian stupefied. Taking advantage of his moment of daze, Gu Yun gently pulled out his sleeves, checking his injuries.
His muscular arm was obviously strong and was thicker than she imagined. There was a 20 cm scar which was not very deep. It looked like it was injured by the sword’s aura effects (?). The really bad thing was that on both sides of the wound, there were big b.l.o.o.d.y blisters due to Chi Xue’s blazing heat. The wound and burns made it worse. The sound surface was big. This type of wound was really painful and could easily become infected. Gu Yun said, "Your wound is really serious. You have to go and see the doctor."
"No need." Ao Tian carelessly replied. Pulling a small porcelain bottle from his waist. He bit open the bottle and poured two pills inside his mouth. Then, he hung it back again on his waist, as he had done countless times.
Gu Yun had a feeling. He would never manage his wound well and just let it slowly get better!
On his hand, there was not only a sword wound but also blisters. Sloppy wound management like this would make it easily infected. Gu Yun couldn’t stand it. She grabbed him to sit under the tree, wanting to bandage the wound a bit. She suddenly realised she didn’t have anything that could be used as a bandage. Thinking for a bit, she took off her long black ribbon that she used as a hair tie. Following the ribbon, her long hair was draped to her waistline. Like a waterfall, it smoothly fell down.
Gu Yun gently grabbed Ao Tian’s hand and wrapped it with the silk ribbon. (Warning: don’t follow it at home. In real life, you will probably get infected if you do this). She didn’t feel anything, but Ao Tian stiffened. The long hair strands were blown by the wind, occasionally dropping on his shoulder. This kind of feeling was really weird. It was a little bit itchy, a little bit numbing. The black haired her was half-kneeling in front of him. She was frowning while helping him bandage his wound. Ao Tian slowly extended his hand, wanting to help her untie her knitted brows.
This time, Gu Yun had finished bandaging the wound. She looked up to warn him to pay attention to his wound. At this moment, she saw Ao Tian’s hand paused in midair. A pair of dark pupils flashed. Seeing him lost in his own thought, she looked at him curiously. Greeted by her clear eyes, Ao Tian’s heart suddenly jumped faster than usual. He almost lost his self-control. He didn’t know what to say and where to put his hand. Suddenly he got up and without a word turned his back to Gu Yun. He quickly ran away with a rapid speed as though in panic. Of course, his actions made Gu Yun puzzled, "Hey." What happened to that man ah?
He went quite far. Just as Gu Yun thought he would disappear, Ao Tian stopped. After a while, without turning back, a cold ice voice had restored its calmness, "I will not go to that Chinese Parasol Tree temporarily. You can find me in the area 10 miles from the city gate where it has not been inhabited by anyone."
Then, Ao Tian continued to move away, leaving Gu Yun with an aloof indifferent back to see.
Leaning against the trunk, Gu Yun frowned deeper. Something inexplicable grew in her heart, making her feel strange. Was this the kind of feeling people got when they owed someone? It was very terrible; Gu Yun didn’t like it. Ao Tian was a very cold person, wasn’t he? Why did he repeatedly help her? Gu Yun was at a loss. After thinking awhile, Gu Yun, who had a very low EQ, of course, couldn’t come up with an answer. She would never know because Ao Tian was not a person who would ever tell others his thoughts or whereabouts. Of course, Gu Yun wouldn’t expect that after Ao Tian took her like that, Su Ling’s fiery fury was enough to burn down the entire General Manor.
Leaving the mountain behind, Gu Yun went straight to Prime Minister Manor. Escorted by a servant, Gu Yun arrived at Lan Yue Lou (揽月楼. Lan Yue means seizing the moon. Lou means a storied building).
Zhuo Qing was sitting beside a lotus pond. At her side, there was a young boy. He looked about 10 years old-ish. Gu Yun walked to the stone chair beside Zhuo Qing and sat down. Zhuo Qing originally was going to ask her about the case. However, she saw Gu Yun’s untidy appearance with her clothes covered with mud and leaves. In addition, her unbearably messy hair made her look unkempt. Zhuo Qing hesitatingly asked, "You&h.e.l.lip; This&h.e.l.lip;"
Gu Yun was too lazy to retell her dramatic experience this morning. She only pouted her mouth and casually said, "Last night, I was looking for the information in the General Manor and got caught by Su Ling. As a result, he placed me under house arrest!"
Zhuo Qing secretly sighed. Did she escape from the General Manor? The boy beside Qing covered his mouth and laughingly said, "Did you dig some hole to get out?"
Gu Yun gave him a once-over. While frowning, she asked Zhuo Qing, "Why is he still here?" This brat was Liao Yue’s royal prince, wasn’t he? In this kind of situation, shouldn’t he avoid raising suspicions?! Although he was still young and appeared really innocent and friendly, occasionally, he wore an expression that didn’t suit his age.
Zhuo Qing had yet to reply when Bai Yi had already glared Gu Yun. He growled, "Why can’t I be here?!"
Zhuo Qing gently patted Bai Yi’s shoulder and said, "Bai Yi, go to Hua Lobby to eat breakfast. I still have things to discuss with Qing Mo."
"Okay then. It was almost the time for me to eat too." Bai Yi childishly glared at Gu Yun before he left. Looking at his back view, he was just an angry child. However, at this time, a secret hawk-like expression flashed in those clear eyes, making one feel chilled.
Gu Yun’s messy appearance made Zhuo Qing uncomfortable. Zhuo Qing pulled her sleeves and exclaimed, "Come with me. Let’s find clothes for you to change into."
"En." She also didn’t want to walk on the streets looking like this. The two walked through the zigzag bridge (九曲桥) and entered Luo Xing Pavilion (摘星= plucking the star). Zhuo Qing found a slightly shorter gown for Gu Yun from her closet. Gu Yun went into the inner chamber.
Leaning on the screen, Zhou Qing closed her tired eyes and asked, "Have you found any clues?"
This morning, Su Ling had disclosed enough information, but she couldn’t be sure about it. Regardless of whether Yan Hong Tian really had the intention or not, as long as they could find solid evidence, they would have an opportunity to save Lou Xi Yan. Gu Yun hesitated for a bit and replied, "Currently, I don’t have anything but I was afraid that you would be worried so I just came to see you first. Later, I will go to Xing Bu. I am still thinking about what to ask those two rebels."
"En." There was a m.u.f.fled voice from the outside room.
Gu Yun was tying her ponytail as she walked out from the inner chamber. She saw Zhuo Qing leaning on the screen with her eyes closed, looking really sleepy. Her eyebags were really black and her lips pale. It made her appear very haggard.
Gu Yun lightly hugged Zhuo Qing’s thin delicate shoulders and anxiously asked, "Qing, your complexion is really poor."
Zhuo Qing lightly leaned against Gu Yun’s similarly thin but warm shoulder and lightly smiled, "I&h.e.l.lip; am all right."
If she was alright, it would be strange! Gu Yun used force to pat Zhuo Qing’s shoulders. Pretending to be easy going, she smiled, "Well, don’t be too worried. Be careful, if Lou Xi Yan went home and saw you like this, he might divorce you!"
Zhuo Qing lightly smiled. Gu Yun’s way of comforting people was still as clumsy as before! However, her heart, which had been restless for a night, felt slightly better now. Suddenly thinking about something, Zhuo Qing said, "Oh yeah, there is still one thing."
"What?"
Thinking again, Zhuo Qing bent slightly and whispered in Gu Yun’s ear, "Liao Yue’s seventh prince, Bai Yi is really strange. He truly cares about saving Lou Xi Yan, but I still feel something is off. It looks like he wants to instigate problems between Su Ling and Lou Xi Yan. He even wanted me to find an opportunity to s.h.i.+ft the blame onto Su Ling."
Gu Yun’s initially calm face became calmer. Bai Yi indeed had a scheme. Had this matter been expected by Su Ling and Yan Hong Tian?
"Madam!" From outside, Jing Sa’s anxious voice was heard, surprising the two whispering women.
The two glanced at each other. Their hearts had a bad premonition. Zhuo Qing took a deep breath and asked, "What has happened?"
"This morning, Master’s old illness relapsed. The physician had looked for him. Now, we don’t know the current situation yet!"
Jing Sa’s voice hastily made Zhuo Qing’s facial expression change dramatically. She charged to the door side and quickly opened the door, "Quick! Prepare a carriage and head to Xing Bu’s jail!"
Jing Sa immediately replied, "It has been prepared."
Knowing Zhuo Qing was worried about Lou Xi Yan, Gu Yun said, "You go see Lou Xi Yan, and I will look for Dan Yu Lan. Then, we will meet again."
"Okay."
Zhuo Qing went to the prison while Gu Yun went to Ti Xing department. Arriving at the front of the building, Gu Yun reported her name. The Yayi (servant for government office) changed his facial expression and immediately escorted her to Dan Yu Lan’s office.
Gu Yun was just entering the room when Dan Yu Lan stood up to greet her. He straightforwardly asked, "Miss Qing, please feel free to say what you are looking for and what you want to ask."
Gu Yun was also to the point and replied, "I want to see the rebels’ leader that was captured."
"Okay." Dan Yu Lan happily agreed. However, this made Gu Yun secretly suspicious. She was not an official, nor did she have a formal ident.i.ty. Therefore, he didn’t have to grant her request.
Although her heart was full of doubt, Gu Yun still seized the opportunity. She followed Dan Yu Lan to the jail. Seeing two people in the jail, Gu Yun frowned and asked, "Why it is only them? Where is Wu Ji?" When she walked away, they had clearly caught Wu Ji. How come she didn’t see him now? Did Su Ling hide Wu Ji somewhere?
Gu Yun felt the problem was becoming more complex. Dan Yu Lan innocently replied, "Commander Su only brought these two people here."
"Then, what about the evidence?"
Dan Yu Lan shook his head, "Not in my hands."
It was no wonder he was being so generous letting her see the prisoners. Gu Yun coldly smiled, "Do you mean that all the witnesses and evidence provided by the General Manor don’t have much to do with you? Or should I say in this scheme arranged by Yan Hong Tian, you are only playing a supporting role?"
Dan Yu Lan was slightly surprised. How could she know this? He originally thought that Su Ling wouldn’t let her investigate anything. Who knew within a night, she was able to find out that much information. Although he was slightly surprised, his face remained like usual. He asked, "Smart people like you, of course, will know that there is a lot more information in the General Manor than in me."
Gu Yun didn’t say anything again. She turned around and exited Ti Xing Department.
Now, what should she do?
Unable to collect any information and meet the witnesses, she didn’t know where to start! In addition, there was Liao Yue’s prince. Was he included in Su Ling’s plan? Guessing things like this was not really a way. Lou Xi Yan’s illness today, was it an act or a truth? If it was real, she was afraid Qing would become more worried. Looking at Zhuo Qing’s character, she would definitely not sit still. In that case, it was better to find Su Ling and speak frankly to him. When the two sides work together, it might increase productivity!
She had decided like that. Sighing out loud, she must once again return to General Manor!