Chapter 70: Mingxiu
Translator: Cynthia Editor: Pranav
Duanmu Huanghun strolled out of the tea house, leaving the unconscious guards inside lying on the ground in disarray.
He was in a good mood now.
The gloom that Ai Hui had brought him these past days was all gone. The pleasant feeling after releasing all his depression at once was simply fantastic. Yes, instead of blaming Mingxiu, Duanmu regarded Ai Hui as the troublemaker, the one to be blamed, and the cause of all wickedness.
Now that Duanmu Huanghun had calmed down, he suddenly realized how crazy he had been just now.
He had been obedient, intelligent and aspirant ever since he was very young, and he was a role model for all other kids; no one was comparable to him. He was recognized as the perfect young man by all adults.
But he had just attacked the guards after specifically setting up an ambush to trap them.
Before today, he had never thought he would ever do something as crazy as this; but now he had, and it was the hatred in his heart that had pushed him to do so.
The unprecedented thrill actually made him feel somewhat excited.
But when he saw the pretty figure standing not far away from him in the sunlight, his eyes narrowed again.
“Are you the one who attacked the guards just now? I haven’t seen anyone as bold as you in Central Pine City for a long time.”
Mingxiu spoke lightly. Her face used to be as delightful as a breath of fresh air, but now there was no pleasant expression or smile on it. Her beautiful eyes were calm, and the solemn and respectable aura surrounding her seemed to indicate a sense of inviolability.
She unwrapped her plain-colored shawl from around her shoulders.
Duanmu hadn’t noticed before that the shawl was actually much longer than what it seemed to be.
Raising her wrist, Mingxiu unfolded the shawl to its full length in the wind.
Duanmu Huanghun’s pupils constricted.
In the sunshine, bright streaks of light appeared on the shawl, making it appear glorious and resplendent.
“Troublesome.”
The word was squeezed out of his clenched teeth. His eyes were cold, and the evil yet defiant smile appeared on his face once again.
He fled without hesitation.
Half an hour later, Duanmu Huanghun was still being chased to the outskirts of the city. He really wanted to cry; his bearing had become extremely awkward, and all his clothes were tattered.
Anything related to Ai Hui would end up in his own disaster. Senior Mingxiu, who had appeared to be so amiable, was actually skilled and relentless in her attacks. Duanmu was totally unable to defend himself, and the only thing he could do was run away.
It was only now he understood why the first fact in the information collected by his family had said not to provoke the Jade Embroidery Workshop. It was not because of the interpersonal connections behind it, but rather, because of Senior Mingxiu!
He still couldn’t figure out why, as the heir of Master Han Yuqin and a genius regarded as a future grandmaster of embroidery who may even surpass her master, Mingxiu could have such strong fighting skills.
He even began to doubt whether his ranking in the Induction Ground was only a figment of his imagination.
Worse still, Senior Mingxiu was closely pursuing him, and if he stopped for even a second, she would catch up and attack him. The plain-colored shawl must have been made by Master Han Yuqin!
Every time it unfolded to its full length, the floating lights on its surface would cause him to feel intoxicated. He was not a green and inexperienced clodhopper, but he still couldn’t tear his eyes away from it.
It was the embroidery of an embroidery master!
This was the first time in his life that Duanmu had lost to his opponent in each and every aspect. Not only was he inferior to Mingxiu in combat skills, but also in terms of wealth!
Even for powerful families, like that of Duanmu, the embroidery that Mingxiu wore as her shawl was a rare treasure, and such treasures were all very precious to the highly respected elders of the family. No one would ever give it to kids like Duanmu, even if he were the most talented of his family's generation.
He was desperate.
What bad luck!
Without any sense of direction, Duanmu Huanghun hobbled through the woods, trying to get rid of Mingxiu.
Duanmu’s elemental energy and physical strength had been almost entirely depleted after continuously fighting and desperately fleeing from Senior Mingxiu. Although he now believed that he had gotten rid of Mingxiu, he still didn’t dare to stop running.
Suddenly, he noticed a spire in the distance.
That was…the Suspending Golden Pagoda!
He thought for a while and realized that he could pretend that he had been training in the pagoda. Yes! All he needed to do was get rid of Mingxiu, enter the Suspending Golden Pagoda, throw away his mask, and pretend to be training.
As for the naked pervert…..no no no, the man without clothes, as long as he doesn’t admit it, then who would suspect him? Who would dare to suspect him?
The entire academy was relying on him now, and they obviously would not destroy the genius they had just created.
Besides, there were many non-native students in Central Pine City these days. The academy couldn’t be sure that it was its own student just because the miscreant claimed so himself.
The whole incident would come to an end once he throws away the mask and pretends to be training in the Suspending Golden Pagoda.
It was not important even if Mingxiu knew the truth. As long as he didn’t openly admit it, Mingxiu would not take action against him. Although Jade Embroidery Workshop wasn’t easy to deal with, Duanmu’s family wasn’t either.
He warily waited for a while and didn’t see Mingxiu, so was therefore somewhat relieved. It seemed that he was off the hook for now. He had run helter-skelter in the woods like a directionless headless chicken, doing whatever he could to elude Mingxiu.
He removed his mask and buried it carefully in a hole to remove any traces.
Then, with his last bit of energy, he stumbled towards the Suspending Golden Pagoda.
He had made up his mind. When he reached the pagoda, he would lie down, pretending to be exhausted after training. As for the bruises all over his body—they were because of the crazy training he had just gone through. How could he be a genius without hard work?
He was pleased with himself.
But soon his complacency faded away. His legs were as heavy as lead. A few moments ago he was in a state of emergency; when he was being closely chased and attacked by Mingxiu, he was highly concentrated and his potential had been forced out, and therefore he didn’t feel tired. Now, after finding a way out, his nervousness was alleviated, and fatigue and tiredness overwhelmed him like a flood.
Each step was really heavy.
Although the Suspending Golden Pagoda was merely a short distance away, to Duanmu, it felt poles apart.
His elemental energy, which used to be plentiful, had been drained. During his daily training, he hardly spared time to exercise his body and was hence not physically strong. Now, without the support of elemental energy, his muscles were trembling.
His face was pale and he was breathing heavily. His throat was burning.
He slowly dragged himself to the Suspending Golden Pagoda.
Awful…
It felt terrible; he could not even move one finger…
This was how it felt to be totally exhausted…
His sight gradually became blurry, but he struggled to hold on. He had to do whatever it took to make it to the Suspending Golden Pagoda.
The image of the pagoda before him was also gradually becoming less clear.
The last moment before he lost consciousness, he finally reached the pagoda. Everything transformed into a blur as he strenuously climbed the stairs with both his hands and feet.
Suddenly, he felt as if he touched something.