Ink Blade Chapter 1 (Part 1)
Translated by Sylver
Edited by kleio
Chapter 1: Previous Life 1 (part 1)
When his broken consciousness returned a little bit, Mo Ren found himself curled up on the ground. His dry, black hair was scattered on his pale face, covering his sight.
The scrawny servant moved, weakly flexing and stretching his fingers. Before he could estimate how long he had been unconscious, his stomach ached; before falling asleep, he hadn't eaten for two days.
The woodshed was dark , and a smell wafted through the air, damp and rotten. The biting north wind of the cold winter leaked from the cracks of the windows, whistling sharply.
At the same time, there were loud noises and chaotic footsteps, accompanied by the beating of gongs and drums.
A trace of uneasiness suddenly emerged in his almost-numb heart, like stones being thrown into the stagnant, rotten water, causing huge waves and ripples. Mo Ren endured the increasing pain and sat up, glancing outside. This was one of the lowest parts of the Jiuzhong Palace. Generally, only servants constantly worked here. There shouldn’t be such a lively and festive noise.
What came into his view were bright lights, countless figures intermingling, and a fiery red color in the distance.
He was at a loss. A frightened look appeared on his thin face.
Why does it all seem like a wedding banquet?
In an instant, the last traces of blood faded from his already pale face. He could no longer care about anything else, and pushed open the crumbling woodshed door. The cold, snowy wind was freezing, and the flashing lights pricked his eyes.
The servants in the side hall gathered together, putting up lanterns and decorating the place.. A little servant came over, holding a gorgeous and exquisite red brocade. He threw a disdainful glance towards Mo Ren as he passed by.
He didn't like the former personal bodyguard of the Palace Master at all. It was said that because this man grew up with the Palace Master, he was arrogant and bullied people. He even framed the upright and kind-hearted Young Master Bai Hua several times. Eventually, he stirred up the Palace Master’s anger. His martial arts was abolished, his meridians were cut off, and then he was sent to the side hall.
This person fell from the clouds into the mud, and was now already a waste, even worse than ordinary people. Any stronger servant could insult and bully him. If it wasn't for the fact that this little servant was afraid of being scolded for not doing his job, he would really want to make a few sarcastic remarks. However, now, with the important wedding attire in his arms, he just wanted to walk hastily, but he didn’t expect to be stopped by the said disabled person.
"Who is……cough cough..."
As soon as the words came out, Mo Ren didn’t expect his voice to be so hoarse that he couldn’t even form a full sentence.
In such cold weather, the emaciated man was only wearing an old gray singlet. He coughed bitterly, but the cold wind was like ice dregs, pouring into his lungs, only adding to his pain.
The little servant frowned fiercely and roughly pushed Mo Ren to the ground. "Go go go, what bad luck!"
After the little servant cursed, he raised his leg and was about to walk away. Unexpectedly, his trousers were pulled. Sitting in the snow, Mo Ren’s fingers clutched the young servant’s trouser tightly. He looked up at him, his eyes almost humble and pleading.. With his frozen, blue and white trembling fingers, he quickly wrote on the snow-covered ground.
Who is getting married?
"Hey, you trash, let me go." The little servant impatiently kicked him on his abdomen, saying, "Why even bother asking? Of course, it’s the Palace Master’s wedding. "
"Ugh....”
The kick was merciless. Mo Ren only felt that his stomach, which was already aching with hunger, twitched violently. The sharp pain at that moment almost made his vision go black and pass out.
Nevertheless, he persevered and didn't let go of the little servant, and wrote on the snow again.
Wh-
He hadn't written the word "marry" yet, and hadn’t even completely written the word “who”, when the little servant suddenly laughed. "Who is he marrying? Of course it is Young Master Bai. Why? You think it could be a useless person like you?”
Mo Ren didn't seem to react much, but simply loosened his fingers and slowly closed his soulless eyes.
It was not a surprise to him.
He knew it was going to happen sooner or later, but….
The little servant went away swearing. Mo Ren suddenly vomited a few large mouthfuls of blood, the red exceptionally vibrant against the white snow.
He had no idea when he had gotten used to vomiting blood. But this time, he simply grabbed a handful of clean snow from the side, wiping the corners of his mouth carefully..
After doing so, he stood up strenuously, watching the almost burning red in the distance that made him distressed, and staggered step by step towards the direction of the main hall, like a moth drawn to the flame.
******
An hour later, a fire broke out in the Lianhua Hall, but it only managed to burn the vivid, colorful silk lanterns hanging outside. Chu Yan, the Palace Master, had long reconstructed the material of Lianhua Hall with materials that were invulnerable to fire and water. Therefore, the fire didn’t cause much damage.
Mo Ren knelt straight in front of the Lianhua Hall, his lightless eyes full of despair. He had no idea how long he had been kneeling in the snow, and it was not until his consciousness had begun to waver, that the Head of the Punishment Hall appeared behind him. Hecoldly said, "Mo Ren, setting fire to the Lianhua Hall. Accept your crime and receive punishment for attempting to kill the Master.”
Mo Ren raised his face, his cold, purple lips trembling. After a while, he said with difficulty, "Bai Hua.....is not the master."
The Head of the Punishment Hall felt that the man was unreasonable and explained in an almost earnest tone, "Bai Hua would be the default mistress, why wouldn’t he be called master?"
Mo Ren seemed to have accepted this explanation. He merely nodded and lowered his eyes, bowing his head and obediently accepting his punishment.
But in fact, he was shivering, as if there was a cold current flowing through his whole body, suffocating him. While panting intermittently, he asked as calmly as he could.
"Master….what did he say?"
"The Palace Master was furious and beheaded the Chief guard of the Lianhua Hall. The remaining guards and secret guards were alleged for neglecting their duties, failing to protect the Master. Their crimes will be dealt with accordingly."
Unexpectedly, Mo Ren smiled softly, murmuring, "Guards of Jiuzhong Palace...they should be rectified. If even a waste like me can burn the Lianhua Hall, would the Master’s chamber be next, and even then no one would know?"
"....You actually said it exactly as the Palace Master did.”
The Head of the Punishment Hall glanced at the man who was kneeling in the snow, awaiting his death. He sighed, and couldn't help but say, "Why are you being troublesome again? You know that Bai Hua is the Palace Master’s favored person, you can’t do anything about him..."
Mo Ren didn’t answer. He asked in a low voice, "If I survive the Ling Chi Punishment[1] later, can I see the Palace Master before I die?"
"If you can really survive that, then you should be punished in front of the Palace Master before being executed, according to the rules. However, that punishment…let alone the state you are in now, I dare not say that you could endure Ling Chi to the end until the execution. "
Saying this, the Head of the Punishment Hall felt complicated and sighed, "You….you better just commit suicide. I’ll just pretend I was a step late."
Mo Ren just shook his head and weakly pleaded, "Mo Ren dare not escape. Please, requesting the Head of the Punishment Hall to fulfill my last wish".
The Head of the Punishment Hall sighed yet again and waved his hand, asking someone to tie up Mo Ren. He helplessly repeated, "Alas, why are you so troublesome..."
However, he didn’t hear any reply from the other for half a minute. He only heard the servant say in surprise, "Master, he……he fainted."
He was dumbfounded and smiled bitterly in his heart.
–It wouldn’t do until you’re punished, yet you’re still delusional, wanting to go see the Palace Master alive?
Shaking his head, he took a step to leave. However, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of some clear traces left in the snow where Mo Ren was kneeling just now. He squinted and took a closer look. Two words, written with his fingers, could be seen in the snow.
Ming Zhi[2].
"To express one’s will in death..."
The Head said to himself, "But what can I do? Even though it’s obviously clear that the Palace Master hasn’t heeded you for a long time."
****
Three days later, Chu Yan, the Master of Jiuzhong Palace, got married.
People from all over the world had always been generous, and it was never an uncommon sight to see them spending money lavishly. It’s just that, this time, the style of Jiuzhong Palace was just stunningly extravagant. Three thousand banquet seats, gold and silver plates; countless vermilion lanterns hanging like stars in the sky, and floating red colors that looked finer than the clouds.
People couldn't help but admire: This background is truly unmatched, incomparable to ordinary sects.
The lively feast was full of vim and vigor, cheerful chatter ringing all around. It continued until sunset, and only then did the guests gradually disperse. When night fell, the weather turned overcast. Snow began to fall, softly drifting about, making it all the more cold and soundless.
A layer of snow blanketed the long steps outside the Lianhua Hall, and Master Chu, the Master of the Jiuzhong Palace, stood at the highest point. The bright red wedding dress hung on his frame, not yet taken off. His handsome face was aloof and indifferent, like the ice on the mountain that had not melted in a thousand years, and only casted a faint glance at the overwhelming evil of the world.
.
.
.
Footnotes:
[1] Ling Chi - the specific implementation is that the executioner uses a sharp knife to cut off the flesh of the victim piece by piece, ranging from hundreds to thousands. The tortured often endure hours of pain before they bleed to death.
[2] Ming Zhi-to demonstrate one's sincere convictions; yǐ sǐ míng zhì-to demonstrate one's sincerity by dying.
