Chapter 382: The Responsibility and Farce
Translator: Novel Saga Editor: Novel Saga
Jun Mo Xie had never had time for genuine emotions in his previous life since he had been a hit-man. So, he had never experienced romance. He would merely spend silver and gold to buy a good time if he wanted to satisfy his physiological needs.
And, that was because he couldn’t afford to love…
He couldn’t afford it despite being the King of Assassins.
One’s heart is bound to fetter if one falls in love. And, having a family can be of grave disadvantage against any opponent since the enemy can easily make the said-family a target. Jun Mo Xie had been assassin. So, it was hard to tell how many families he had seen fall to tragedies by the hands of assassins…
He wasn’t afraid that his family would harm him. Rather, he was afraid that he would cause harm to his family!
The pain of losing one’s loved ones… whether oneself or close relatives… is extremely painful torment.
Therefore, he didn’t dare to do it. He genuinely couldn’t dare to do it.
He had run into many beautiful women ever since he had come to this world. Guan Qing Han, Dugu Xiao Yi, Princess Ling Meng, or even that Silver Blizzard City’s Princess Han Yan Meng — each one of these women were one amongst many. And, it was very rare to find such peerless beauties. They may have been cold and aloof, lovable and cute, graceful, or even very intelligent… but, each one would be the considered the finest woman around…
Jun Mo Xie admired their beauty. In fact, he had a very favorable impression of them. But, he had always ensured that he never crossed the line with them. He was fully aware that Dugu Xiao Yi liked him to the bone. But, Jun Mo Xie still wavered, and found it difficult to decide…
It wasn’t that he was ‘wavering’ when one comes to think of it… it was more like he was considering different aspects…
He had a special feeling for Guan Qing Han in his heart. But, Jun Mo Xie had never revealed it.
This was because Jun Mo Xie hadn’t yet realized that he could start a family now… Perhaps he wasn’t prepared for it in his heart.
However, he would never have thought that he would lose his mind due to some unfortunate circumstances and freak accidents… And, he would then forcefully snatch-away Guan Qing Han’s virtue. And thus making her his first woman!
...
Jun Mo Xie wouldn’t pay much attention to a woman who was very pretty… or even visually captivating. He may have enjoyed himself by means of flirtation, but he would forget her once he had turned his head away. But, he could never do the same to Guan Qing Han. Jun Mo Xie had opened his eyes, and had seen her besides him. He had then tried to assess the cause-and-effect of that incident. And, his heart had filled to the brim with an acute feeling of responsibility and tenderness once he had realized the matter…
[Responsibility! Responsibility towards a woman!]
Jun Mo Xie clearly understood that this feeling wasn’t something he was going to reject… even if he couldn’t understand it properly. In fact, this emotion felt particularly warm on the contrary.
He was unaware of Guan Qing Han’s opinion on the subject. But, Jun Mo Xie had already decided that this woman would be ‘his woman’ from this day onwards! The first woman the Evil Monarch had accepted!
Jun Mo Xie gently caressed the soft and long hair that covered the pillow her head rested upon. And, he felt a touch of tranquility inside his heart. [I’ve finally found a companion in this world. And, it feels like I don’t have to worry about getting separated from her…]
[This is a very wonderful feeling.]
[These fetters… these feeling of tenderness… aren’t as awful as I thought they would be.] The corners of Jun Mo Xie’s mouth drew back into a smile as he looked at Guan Qing Han’s face. He then drooped down her face, and gently snuggled her forehead as he said softly, "I’m sorry… and thank you."
After that, he got up and decided to leave. He went out without saying anything. His body’s innate quality was genuinely amazing. He had been in an extremely fatigued state a while ago. But, things had improved very significantly in a short while. He had recuperated to a considerable extent, and his aura had also been reinstated. His spirit sense had detected five or six people outside. And, he could tell that they were standing there with a foolish expression on their faces. Jun Mo Xie knew who they were… and why they were there…
[The sounds of activity in my tent mustn’t have been faint. Moreover, it had lasted for a very long period of time…]
[Therefore, it would’ve been very strange if the Third Uncle and the others hadn’t taken any measures.] Jun Mo Xie smiled bitterly. He had already guessed the dangers he would face once he’d leave his tent…
[After all, the fact that Third Uncle had freed Guan Qing Han from her matrimonial ties to the Jun Family hasn’t been made known to the world. So, everyone must’ve thought that Guan Qing Han was still my sister-in-law. So, my actions tantamount to forcing myself on my sister-in-law…]
However, Jun Mo Xie didn’t wish to escape from this situation. In fact, he wouldn’t escape. If he had done the deed… then, he had done it! What was the worst that could happen? A real man would admit his fault. And, how could he not support his woman’s happiness? How could he be called a ‘man’ if he didn’t?
[I will face it. It may be a raging storm, but I will face it! In fact, only I can face it!]
Guan Qing Han’s eyelids softly blinked at first. Then, they slowly opened as Jun Mo Xie walked out. Two lines of tears flowed from the corner of her eyes. However, her face had a faintly satisfied smile on it…
[Is this what having a ‘family’ feels like?]
[Is this what having a ‘husband’ feels like…?]
[This feeling… is amazing. And, it’s something I don’t wish to let go of.]
She had suffered a lot. And, she had lost face. But, she didn’t have any regret in her heart. She hadn’t been able to stop herself once she had guessed Jun Mo Xie’s circumstances. It could be said that she had a choice in this matter at first. And, she could’ve left in the beginning if she had wanted to. Therefore, it could be said that she had voluntarily opted for this…
Then, Jun Mo Xie had been very gentle and considerate a moment ago since he thought that she hadn’t woken up yet. And, that had made her feel happy… very happy. And, that’s because he had done that whilst believing that she hadn’t woken-up yet. This indicated that those gentle feelings had genuinely emerged from his heart. That was tenderness from a real man. And, this had raised huge waves of chaos in Guan Qing Han’s heart.
This was a feeling of being taken care of by someone.
[This felt genuinely nice and warm… so warm… I think I’ll cry…]
Tears streamed down Guan Qing Han’s face as she smiled. Her face resembled a rosy flower that had been moistened with the early-morning dew. Her smiling face was like a beautiful blossom. It was a very touching moment. But then, she recalled her embarrassing identity, and suddenly became sad…
[What should I do? This is… a sin…]
Jun Mo Xie was covered in cold sweat as he walked out.
This cold sweat hadn’t arisen from the physical exercise he had done with Guan Qing Han. Jun Mo Xie admittedly felt uncomfortable on a physical level, but he was more worried about Guan Qing Han’s suffering. [I have a robust physique, and that wretched medicine had a huge effect on me. I had lost consciousness due to that drug, and those movements had continued for the entire day. How could Guan Qing Han endure all that?]
[I don’t even know how berserk I had gone!]
He had later noticed that Guan Qing Han had nearly died. So, it was rather fortunate that he hadn’t continued any longer. In fact, Guan Qing Han’s fragrant and delicate body would’ve been vanquished if he had continued for even a quarter of a day more…
[That was a close call!]
[It was quite risky!]
[Dugu Xiao Yi’s medicine was indeed fierce, but it fortunately wasn’t too excessive. Moreover, Guan Qing Han’s body isn’t too feeble either. Her physique has always been good since she has been trained to fight since early childhood. So, her physique is much better than normal women. And, that’s why she was able to endure that frantic torment. Otherwise, the situation could have taken a turn for the worst…]
However, Jun Mo Xie was completely unaware that the drug which the little girl had given him wasn’t too excessive — it was far beyond the realms of excessive! Dugu Xiao Yi had feared that her rice won’t be properly ‘cooked’. Therefore, she had gone all-out when she had added the medicine to the wine, and she had thus emptied the entire packet.
Jun Mo Xie had a special innate physique, and Hong Jun Pagoda’s aura had also nourished his corporeal body. These factors had neutralized a part of the medicine’s effect. Otherwise, it was quite possible that he would’ve been engaged with Guan Qing Han still…
The Young Master Jun smiled bitterly as he went out. His body had recovered to some extent, but it still felt empty under his feet. In fact, he felt like he was walking on cotton-like mist. He could feel that his feet were still weak as he walked…
[Damn! This is so exhausting! I was feeling so good a moment ago…]
Jun Mo Xie hadn’t realized that he had been working non-stop for the past ten hours. And, the fact that he was able to stand and walk after that intense high-rate and continuous exercise… was a huge miracle in-itself.
This may be hard to imagine for some. But, the said-individual may try doing push-ups for ten hours without a break. It could be guaranteed that the said-individual wouldn’t even be able to get up after that…
Jun Wu Yi and the others appeared to be gloomy… and at a loss. Then, they looked at Jun Mo Xie as he staggered out owing to the weakness he felt in his legs. Consequently, they didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, and their expressions became strange. The little girl was seated on the ground with a blank expression on her face. And, she started to tremble when she saw Jun Mo Xie. She then burst out crying with sorrow and regret…
Jun Mo Xie was startled at this. [You gave me that medicine, and started the fire. Then, you ran away. And now you’re crying? You are the one to feel wronged here…?]
He was unaware that Dugu Xiao Yi felt as if she had ‘come-off worse while trying to gain an advantage’. She had tried to do a skillful maneuver, but had been clumsy and had dropped the stone on her own foot instead. She was scared because of the reversal of fortunes. And thus, her heart was full of complex feelings she couldn’t endure…
She had originally planned to ‘cook rice’, and monopolize him. Consequently, the rice had been cooked thoroughly. In fact, it was boiling. But, she didn’t like it because it was scalding hot. Therefore, she didn’t eat it, and was unable to take advantage of her plan… how could she not be depressed?
And then, she saw Jun Mo Xie emerge from the tent, and recalled that Guan Qing Han had been taking "advantage of her plan" this entire time. This made her feel wronged and angry. In fact, she wanted to say something, but was unable to. She wanted to shout at first, but she started to cry instead…
Jun Mo Xie had barely moved out of the tent when he saw the Solitary Falcon give him a ‘thumbs up’. And then, his three Dongfang uncles gave him a very strange stare that reeked of innuendos... which were very meaningful indeed…
However, Jun Wu Yi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as he saw his nephew come out. He looked at Jun Mo Xie through the dark circles that surrounded his eyes, and asked, "You’ve come out? How are you? And, how is Qing Han?"
The Third Master Jun wasn’t worried about his nephew in reality. The Young Master Jun looked weak and unstable. In fact, his face even seemed a bit lean. But, he was still safe. So, Jun Wu Yi was actually worried about his adopted daughter — Guan Qing Han. The Third Master Jun had figured that Qing Han would’ve wanted to help Jun Mo Xie since was suffering from that unbearable toxin, and may have decided to staunchly endure him. However, it would a horrifying scenario if she became depressed over losing her virtue, and decided to end her life because of it…
"Uh… I... am fine… my legs are a bit sore… uh… and, sister-in-law… uh… Qing Han is still sleeping… she’s also fine…" Jun Mo Xie scratched his head. He felt extremely embarrassed as he answered. The Young Master Jun had called Qing Han ‘sister-in-law’ out of habit. But, he had immediately realized that she wasn’t his ‘sister-in-law’ anymore since he had decided to acknowledge her as his ‘woman’. [How can I still call her ‘sister-in-law’? That felt very strange…]
Jun Mo Xie wasn’t met with a scolding the moment he came out. And, this was rather strange and rare of his uncle’s nature. He had expected his uncle to hurl abuses at him… In fact, he wouldn’t have been very surprised if his uncle had broken his legs. Therefore, Jun Mo Xie couldn’t grasp the reason behind his uncle’s current reactions…
[Could Third Uncle be confused because of his anger?]
"Even the feet the mightiest of men would’ve become weak after such a long time…" The Solitary Falcon rolled his eyes, "But, this brat can still walk. His endurance is amazing."
"Great, my nephew! Simply amazing! Ten hours! Ten full hours! This Third Uncle of yours admires your lower back's strength, and prostrates himself! It's genuinely exceptional!"
Dongfang Wen Dao grinned as he patted Jun Mo Xie's shoulder. He then smiled while his eyebrows shot up, "You have proven yourself to be the son of the White Commander! You will have many children in the future. The future of the Jun Family is indeed bright and glorious! Your uncle has high hopes from you!"
Jun Mo Xie was feeling very weak at the moment. So, he was nearly slapped to the ground by his uncle’s hand. And then, his face became dark when he heard those words.
[What? What are you saying Uncle…? How is today's matter related to being the son of the White Commander?]
Dongfang Wen Qing obviously got agitated at this remark, and spoke, "Third, you will be disciplined after we return! You're his uncle! How can you say such things?! Do you have no shame? You are a very filthy creature!"
"Brother Mo Xie…" Dugu Xiao Yi rushed over, and hugged him tightly as she continued to cry, "I’m sorry… I didn’t know… I, I, I shouldn’t have left…" Dugu Xiao Yi was feeling extremely sad. [I prepared the rice, but someone else ate it…]
However, the Little Girl was unaware that the dose she had given Jun Mo Xie was far too strong for her own good. Guan Qing Han’s body was stronger than her own. But, even Guan Qing Han had barely been able to endure the medicine’s effect. So, it could be reckoned that a tragedy would’ve struck if Dugu Xiao Yi had replaced Guan Qing Han…
And, it would’ve been a great tragedy at that! In fact, it could’ve changed a lot of things… One could try to imagine if Grandfather Dugu were to find out that his precious granddaughter had survived the battle… but had later died… in bed… The consequences would’ve been unimaginable!
Jun Mo Xie’s body felt very weak at this time. Therefore, he hadn’t been able dodge her. Consequently, he had first felt the soft body of a maiden in his embrace. And then, he saw Dugu Xiao Yi’s tears fall like raindrops. In fact, she had cried herself breathless. Jun Mo Xie couldn’t help but feel his heart softening…
"Sigh… I have already learnt the cause and effect of this incident. And, I’m aware that you didn’t do this on your own free will… So, first of all…" Jun Wu Yi moved his lips for a long time, but couldn’t add anything to it. He eventually waved his sleeves and spoke, "Never mind. I will write a letter and inform your grandfather of the matter. And, I will also put my suggestions in that letter. However, your grandfather will decide on how you should be dealt with in the light of this incident…"
He finished and turned around to walk away. He walked a few step, and suddenly turned his neck around. After that, he gnashed his teeth and spoke, "You little beast… You better behave in the days to follow! Your Daddy will break your legs if there’s even one trivial incident! Do you hear your Daddy clearly?"
The Third Master Jun had actually referred to himself as "Daddy", and had rained down a mouthful of curses. The severity of his anger was rather evident from his words… especially in those last words. Moreover, the tone of his voice had been extremely strict. After that, his face turned ashen as he walked away.
Jun Mo Xie repeatedly promised in reply. And, his embarrassment was visible on his face…
[Ah! So, Dugu Xiao Yi has already confessed everything. No wonder I didn’t get any scolding. But, this is extremely absurd…]
There was a whooshing sound besides him as Solitary Falcon and his three Dongfang uncles disappeared into the shadows. However, they parted with a few words —‘Recuperate properly. Don’t lose your kidney.’
"Brother Mo Xie…" Dugu Xiao Yi was still hugging him tightly. She looked up miserably and asked, "You… you’re not mad at me, right?"
[Mad?]
He was mad when it comes to it. In fact, he was very mad. He had never been so miserable in either of his lives since he had never fallen for an amateur’s trick like this one. Moreover, he had fallen for a trick that had been planned by someone like that little girl… this was extremely humiliating for him!
However, he couldn’t deny that he was somewhat delighted in the secrecy of his heart.
[I’m very popular! This little girl even went to the lengths of drugging me to get me…?]
[Besides, I would’ve never done that with Guan Qing Han if it weren’t for this…]
[Wouldn’t this be considered a lucky stroke? Didn’t I end up profiting from a disaster?]
Guan Qing Han would turn twenty-one years old that year. That would make her four-and-a-half years older than Jun Mo Xie. And, Jun Wu Yi had already annulled her marriage to their house. So, the two would have to worry about her marriage now. After all, a twenty-one year old unmarried woman was considered quite old for a marriage in this era. So, how could he not be anxious?
In any case, Jun Mo Xie felt that the opportunity to nominate him-self for marrying her didn’t exist. This was because she had once been his sister-in-law. Her marriage may have been annulled, but no one could deny the fact that it had once happened. Therefore, their union by marriage was impossible to happen given his grandfather’s antiquated opinion, and that of the public around the world…
The society would attack and break such a scandalous relationship up. And, what would they say if they got to know such a couple existed? "That brother and sister-in-law were having an affair this entire time. They're so indecent!" and so on…
He had no choice but to think about such matters. Jun Mo Xie obviously didn't care about such things. But, would the two great families not care about this? Would Guan Qing Han not care about this?
Therefore, it could be said that those two individuals had no hope left. It was a case of fait accompli at this time. However, they didn’t know how many difficulties they would have to face.
Guan Qing Han had been subjected to this because of the curious coincidence Dugu Xiao Yi’s actions had evolved into. How could this woman run away from it?
[We shouldn’t think of ways to evade this matter. Instead, we should consider methods to get through it... one aspect is positive, while the other is negative. There is a different of heaven and earth between these two aspects. They can’t be compared on any level.]
This event has been an unfortunate accident, but it had reduced the future variables very considerably.
[Fu*k that! I will continue to do what I want to! Who will dare to gossip like that? Who can control who or what I wish to love? Other people's views and society's opinions are nothing in my eyes!]
Something odd had come to happen…
Therefore, Jun Mo Xie was a bit depressed, but he also felt a little invigorated. In fact, he didn’t feel very angry either. Besides, Dugu Xiao Yi had only intended to strengthen her hold on him by the means of this plan. She didn’t want someone to snatch him away from her. She was young and ignorant. Sometimes kind-hearted intentions can develop into bad things… and, that was acceptable as long as nothing overly harmful came of it.
Jun Mo Xie was resigned to not regard the little girl angrily. He didn’t wish to scold or hit her either. But, he wasn’t going to let her off very easily either. Ignorance isn't a sin. But, it can become a sin if it results in grave consequences. What would he do if he didn't teach her a lesson and she decided to act willfully in the future as well?
It was important to understand that this incident had packed-off two people to hell...
"Not mad…?! You think I won't be mad after what you've done?" Jun Mo Xie thought for a while, and replied slowly.
"But, I... boo hoo... ummm... I made a mistake..." Dugu Xiao Yi sobbed and wiped her tears as she continued to cry out, "I should’ve eaten my... boo hoo..."
"I'm very disappointed with this matter!" Jun Mo Xie snorted and continued coldly, "I don’t wish for something like this to happen again!"
"Yes... Yes... I won't dare to... I really won't dare to... I will change..." Dugu Xiao Yi nodded like pounded garlic. It was like she had been relieved of a huge burden. But, it also felt that her heart was somewhat sore from the pain. The little girl had seemingly grown up a lot post this incident…
"Uh… I'll go back and learn about this carefully… by asking my mother... I'm very sorry!" The little girl started rubbing the lapel of her dress.
Jun Mo Xie staggered, and nearly fell down. It had suddenly gotten rather hard to breathe. In fact, things had almost reached the point of suffocation for him. [You want to learn about this thing by asking your mother?]
"Since you're not mad about... the cooked rice you ate with sister Guan… do you want to have some with me also?" the little girl's eyes opened round and wide as she persevered and asked.
"Uh... we'll discuss this issue later..." Jun Mo Xie's forehead was riddled with drops of sweat.
"I don't care! You and I are going to cook properly!" The little girl pouted, "Elder Sister Guan ate what I had prepared and took advantage of me... my mother didn't tell me about this properly... I don't know what "cooking rice" is..."
Jun Mo Xie was dripping with sweat at that time. The angry thoughts had disappeared from his mind, and the only thoughts he had… were those of getting away quickly. [Initiating the young to such a thing is... overwhelming...]
Dugu Xiao Yi was made to leave after endless persuasion and her inevitable weeping. Jun Mo Xie was physically and emotionally tired as he initiated the Art of Unlocking the Heaven's Fortune, and staggered back to his tent.
"This is farce!" There was silence for some time. Then, a low voice emanated from the tree where the five great experts had earlier taken a rest. The voice was soft and cold in tenor. Yet, it was supple as well. It was like the icy summit of a mountain top… aloof and haughty, unrestrained but naturally graceful…
Anyone who had listened to that voice could’ve guessed that the speaker was an apex personality of the entire world.
"Yes. This is bullsh*t. The only one benefitting is that Jun brat!" another sharp yet tactful voice chimed-in.
It was unknown when two people had stationed themselves on top of that big tree. The five experts had been below it only moment ago. However, they hadn't become aware of this. This clearly showed how formidable the cultivation of those two people was…
"It might not necessarily be a benefit. The information we have collected suggested that the little bastard shouldn’t even have been able walk together with that Guan Qing Han… But, he has slept with her now! This is a different variable. In fact, this will be a very embarrassing variable for the Jun Family. Let’s see how the Jun Family deals with this," the first voice replied in a long drawn out manner.
"However, the effects of this matter won't be small for the Jun Family… no matter how they handle it," the sharp voice somewhat took pleasure in others' misfortune. It then quickly added, "Eldest Sister, you want to make that brat your disciple. So, why don't you make a move at this time? Let's just grab him and walk away in silence."
"Make him my disciple? I just want to torture him!" it seemed that the owner of the first voice was gnashing their teeth, "That shameless bastard! I would’ve torn him to a thousand shreds if it weren't for that...!"
"Ah... what could that little brat with such an insignificant cultivation do to offend you, Eldest Sister?" the sharp voice asked in a confused-sounding tone.