Chapter 4.2 - Inhuman People

Part 3

Qixia Mountain. [3]

The mountain was beautiful. The mountain’s name was also beautiful.

After passing the stately Wind Forest Temple, and crossing the Rainbow Spanning Bridge, under which floated a host of lotus plants, one could catch sight of the beauty of Qixia Mountain.

In the evening wind, the faint sound of singing could be heard:

“Those evading the heat of summer return from the cool spring,

“The cool evening sky is filled with boundless brocaded clouds,

“A fragrant breeze blows through the amorous canal,

“They stroll across the soaring bridge, on their way to purchase a boat.”

The voice was mysterious and beautiful, and the lotuses were even more beautiful, but neither could compare to the beauty of the sun as it slowly sank over the mountains.

On the other side of the mountain, about halfway up, past the languid nests of clouds, the mountain topography became treacherous. Travelers rarely came to this area, and yet there could be seen a magnificent, newly-constructed inn.

The inn was not very large, but was splendidly constructed. The paint had just dried, and two carpenters were just now hanging a sign above the main entrance, the name of the inn written in golden characters. Opposite of the inn were two peaks that towered up at opposing angles like crossed swords, the most dangerous area on the mountain.

Standing beneath an ancient cypress tree on the mountain peak, wearing a thin, long-sleeved silk garment, was Kong Lanjun. She stood there for a long time and then pointed at the inn. “What do you think of it?” she asked.

“The building was built wrong,” said Liu Changjie. “The location is wrong.”

“Oh?”

“How can an inn in this area attract customers? It will probably go out of business within three months.”

“Your worry is unnecessary. I guarantee you that by daybreak tomorrow, the inn won’t be here.”

“Can it fly?”

“No.”

“If it can’t fly, how can it disappear?”

“If people build an inn, people can tear it down.”

“Don’t tell me that someone is going to tear down the inn by tomorrow morning...”

“That’s correct.”

Liu Changjie was mystified. “Why tear down a brand new inn?”

“Because this inn was especially built just to be torn down.”

Liu Changjie was even more confused.

People buy property to construct buildings. They construct buildings to live in, to do business, to keep mistresses. All these things were normal.

But he had never heard of someone constructing a building specifically to be torn down.

“You don’t understand?” asked Kong Lanjun.

“I definitely don’t understand.”

She laughed coldly. “So it turns out there are things you don’t understand.”

She obviously didn’t want to explain the mystery, so Liu Changjie refrained from asking further questions.

He only knew that Kong Lanjun had brought him here for a reason other than irritating him.

She definitely had a purpose.

So there was little point in asking questions, sooner or later she would tell him.

Liu Changjie had faith in his own judgement.

As the sun set in the west, the dim light of night slowly enveloped the mountains.

The brilliant lights in the inn had long since been lit. On the rugged mountain road, there suddenly could be seen a group of people.

The group contained both men and women. The men were dressed as waiters or kitchen staff; the women were young and pretty, wearing seductive garments.

Kong Lanjun said, “Do you know what these people are here for?”

“To tear down the building?”

“These kind of people couldn’t tear down a building if they had three days and three nights.”

Liu Changjie had to admit that even though tearing down a building was easier than building one, it did require a certain level of skill.

“Can you tell what these women do?” asked Kong Lanjun.

Liu Changjie could obviously tell. “What they do is not very noble, but has a very long history.”

It was definitely an ancient profession, one of womankind’s earliest methods of earning money.

Kong Lanjun laughed coldly. “I know you like to look at these type of women, so you’d better take a look now.”

“Are you saying that by tomorrow morning, these people will all disappear?”

“A building is constructed to be torn down. People live in preparation to die.”

“You brought me here to see this building destroyed, and these people die?”

“I brought you here to see the people who will tear down the building.”

“Who are they?”

“Seven people who will die by your hand.”

Liu Changjie finally understood. “They’re all coming here tonight?”

“Yes.”

“So the building was constructed by Madam Autumn, specifically for them to destroy?”

“Yes.”

Even though he now understood, he couldn’t help but ask, “Why?”

“Because Qiu Hengbo understands men, and especially these type of men. If you lock men like this up in a cave for a long time, they’ll eventually lose it and go crazy. So every once in a while, she lets them go out to blow off some steam.”

Liu Changjie couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

He could imagine what things would look like after they came. He didn’t even need to see it with his own eyes.

He felt sorry for the women. He would rather face seven ravenous wild beasts than have dealings with those seven people.

Kong Lanjun looked at him out of the corner of her eye. “Don’t feel compassion for them,” she said coldly. “One bit of carelessness, you will die much more miserably than them.”

Liu Changjie was quiet for a long time. Finally, he asked, “If they are coming here, who is protecting the cave?”

“Qiu Hengbo herself.”

“Qiu Hengbo by herself is more frightening that the seven of them all together?”

“I really don’t know exactly what her martial arts are like. I just know that I don’t ever want to find out. So I can only watch from here, not take any action to alert them. Even if I killed them all right now, it would be useless.”

Kong Lanjun nodded. “You need to watch very carefully. When people are blowing off steam, especially when tearing down a building, they will definitely use all of their most powerful kung fu.”

“And afterwards?”

“Afterwards we go back and wait.”

“Wait for what?”

“Wait until tomorrow afternoon. Then we head towards the Autumn Mansion.”

“And after we get to the Autumn Mansion, I have to think of a way to find the secret room.”

“Yes. And you must do it within half a day.”

“Can’t we just follow the seven when they go back?”

“No.”

Liu Changjie didn’t say anything more.

He was the type of person who never said something that didn’t need to be said.

The mountains were illuminated with bright lamplight, but where Liu Changjie and Kong Lanjun stood it was dark. Above them in the darkness of the heavens, a few stars had begun to peek out.

The dim starlight shone on Kong Lanjun’s face.

She really was a beautiful woman.

The color of the night was also beautiful.

Liu Changjie found a rock and sat down, then gazed at her, seemingly entranced.

“Did I tell you to sit down?” said Kong Lanjun.

“No.”

“If I didn’t tell you to sit, then you should be standing.”

He stood up again.

“The food box I told you to bring. Do you have it?” [4]

“Yes.”

“Bring it out.”

The box was square, and built from fine lacquered wood from Fuzhou. It was extremely delicate.

“Open it for me,” said Kong Lanjun.

The interior of the box was decorated with white silk padding. Inside were four appetizer dishes, a tray of bamboo shoot mantou, and a pot of wine. [5]

The wine was the famous Hang Zhou “Virtuous Distillery” wine, and the four dishes were fish with vinegar, pickled chicken, Wuxi duck with soy sauce, and pork on the bone.

“Pour me some wine,” said Kong Lanjun.

Liu Chagjie lifted the wine pot with both hands and poured a cup. He suddenly realized that he himself was quite hungry.

Unfortunately, there was only one cup and one set of chopsticks. He could only stand by her side and watch her eat.

Kong Lanjun drank two cups of wine, and took a bite from each dish. Then she frowned and put down the chopsticks. “Throw it out.”

“Throw it out? Throw what out?”

“All of it.”

“But, why?”

“Because I’m done eating.”

“ I’m still hungry.”

“Someone like you, you can go three or four days without eating. You won’t die.”

“If there are still things to eat, why go hungry?”

“Because you’re not allowed to touch things that have been eaten by me,” she responded coldly.

He looked at her for a long time. “I can’t touch your body either, correct?”

“Correct.”

“Has anyone ever touched your body?”

Her face darkened. “That’s my businesses. You have no right to ask.”

“But you have the right to ask about my business?”

“Correct.”

“You tell me to stand, I stand. You tell me to look, I look.”

“Correct.”

“You tell me not to follow someone, I don’t follow them. You tell me not to touch you, I don’t touch you.”

“Correct.”

Liu Changjie looked at her for a while. Then he laughed.

“When I tell you not to laugh,” said Kong Lanjun coldly, “You don’t laugh.”

“Because I’m your servant?”

“It seems you finally understand.”

“Unfortunately, there’s something I still don’t understand.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m also a person. And when I do things, I like to do it my way. For example…”

“For example, what?”

“If I feel like drinking wine, I drink wine.”

He suddenly grabbed the pot of wine, tilted his head back and drank.

Kong Lanjun’s face was pale, and she laughed harshly. “It seems you really do want to die.”

Liu Changjie laughed. “I definitely don’t want to die. What I do want to do is touch you.”

“You wouldn’t dare!” she cried furiously.

“I wouldn’t?”

His hand suddenly shot out toward her body.

Kong Lanjun’s reaction wasn’t slow. After all, the “Peacock Immortal” was one of the most famous female masters in the martial world.

She certainly had justification to be so arrogant.

As soon as Liu Changjie’s hands moved, her own arms tilted up, ten fingers extended like razor-sharp swords. They shot like lightning toward Liu Changjie’s wrists.

Her movement was quick, and the stance flexible. Hidden within the move were countless variations.

Sadly, she didn’t have the chance to use even one variation.

In a single moment, Liu Changjie’s movement seemed to change countless times. His hands twisted and turned from unimaginable directions, and suddenly Kong Lanjun’s wrists were pinned down.

Kong Lanjun had never imagined that someone’s hands could move in this way. Increasingly alarmed, she tried to think of a way out. Suddenly, she felt her body being flipped into the air, and the next thing she knew, she was being pressed down onto the rock by Liu Changjie.

With a leisurely tone in his voice, he said, “Can you guess what I’m thinking of doing right now?”

She couldn’t guess.

In her wildest dreams she couldn’t guess.

“Right now,” he said, “I really want to pull your pants down and spank your ***.”

Her voice was hoarse and filled with fear. “You … you wouldn’t dare.”

She really didn’t think he would dare do such a thing. She never dreamed that a man would really dare to treat her in such a way.”

But unfortunately, she had forgotten the words she herself had uttered: “This man is really inhuman.”

Three slapping sounds rang out as Liu Changjie spanked her butt three times.

He didn’t strike hard, but Kong Lanjun felt like she couldn’t move.

He laughed. “Actually, there’s a few other things I could do right now, but I’ve already lost interest.”

He raised his head to the heavens and laughed heartily, then swaggered off, not even giving her a second glance.

Kong Lanjun ground her teeth. Tears streaming down her face, she suddenly jumped to her feet and cried, “Liu Changjie, you beast, I will kill you one day! You … you are simply inhuman.”

He didn’t turn his head. “I really am inhuman,” he said calmly.

[1] The character Kong 孔 in Kong Lanjun 孔兰君 is the same character as from the word peacock 孔雀, so Liu Changjie’s peacock metaphor is very apt.

[2] What I’m translating as Autumn Mansion implies a building located in the mountains.

[3] The Chinese name of the mountains is 栖霞山. 栖 qi means to perch or sit on something. 霞 xia means red evening clouds. So the literal translation would be something like Perching Red Evening Clouds Mountains. In any case, the name sounds nice in Chinese.

[4] This type of box has multiple tiers to contain different foods. Here’s some pictures of the type of box: http://goo.gl/AOZLYL

[5] The word I’m translating as appetizer is 下酒菜 xia jiu cai. It literally means “dishes that go with alcohol.”

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