Ink Blade Chapter 3 (Part 2)
Translated by Sylver
Edited by kleio
Rebirth (part 2)
Chu Yan's heart sank. In the end, he was still late.
Mo Ren’s face in the past, who silently and stubbornly endured all kinds of punishments and tortures, flashed in front of his eyes again like a nightmare clinging to his heart. This person, who devoted his life to him, along with his heart, that was only loyal to him….he had been too cruel and unfair to him in the previous life…..
Chu Yan's heart ached, as if a knife kept poking at it, stabbing deeply and twisting. He raised his palm and slapped open the door in front of him. What greeted his sight was the sight of a young man tied to a torture rack inside. His head was drooping, and his clasped hands hung limply on the frame. Sweat-drenched, inky black hair scattered across his face messily, concealing his expression.
But how could Chu Yan possibly fail to recognize that the blood-stained and unconscious person in front of him was his only personal bodyguard, Mo Ren!
The two executioners, who had already swung their whips, heard the sound of the door slamming open, but couldn't hold back their strength. Two consecutive hits striked the body viciously, the sound echoing in the Hall.
Blood splattered, intense pain spreading through Mo Ren’s body, making it twitch instinctively. Yet, stuck in a deep coma, unable to make any sound.
Seeing the scene displayed in front of him, Chu Yan’s eyes were blinded by tears. He noticed one of the executioners was about to strike again. With a swift move, Chu Yan snatched his whip and shattered it into two pieces, letting it fall to the ground. Only then did the two executioners realize that the person in front of them was actually the Palace Master. They broke out in a cold sweat and fell to their knees, bowing their heads in salute.
Chu Yan couldn’t care less about them, only rushing forward to Mo Ren’s side. He tore the ropes confining Mo Ren, showing no restraint in his actions as he did so. He carefully took his body—that had slumped due to lack of support—into his arms, cradling it with movements that were ever so gentle.
His heart instantly constricted, and waves of regret surged in him like a violent tide. Chu Yan felt lost for a moment. With trembling fingers, he brushed away Mo Ren’s hair, soaked with blood and sweat, and what greeted him was a pale, handsome young face, adorned with fine features.
Sure enough, it was still the Ah Ren of the past…
A warm body temperature, a steady heartbeat, and not deathly cold…
Yang Yifang, the Hall Master of the Punishment Hall, had initially rushed over to greet him, but became dumbfounded upon seeing such a scene. The Palace Master carefully hugged Mo Ren, stained in dark crimson and thoroughly soaked with blood and sweat, refusing to let go. He almost believed he had seen a ghost during the daytime.
He couldn’t help but recall the rumor that ever since the peerless Young Master Bai Hua came to Jiuzhong Palace, the status of personal guard Mo had decreased again and again in the Palace Master’s heart. He didn’t believe it at first, yet, he was summoned to the execution hall yesterday after all. With every evidence displayed before his eyes, there was no more room for doubt. He just simply felt sorry for how this loyal young guard had ended up, but now that he saw the Palace Master behaving like this….
The Palace Master’s mood was really unpredictable, his thoughts even more so incalculable….
Sensing the Hall Master’s aura approaching, Chu Yan finally drifted out of his stupor and came back to his senses. He then wrapped Mo Ren’s stripped upper body with his own robe, lifted him up and walked out of the Punishment Hall.
But before stepping out, Chu Yan turned back and swept a cold look around.
The young Palace Master of Jiuzhong Palace was known to bear an arrogant temper with fierce words and actions, one who wielded absolute power and a man of his word. Everyone in the Punishment Hall was overwhelmed by his momentum, immediately bowing their heads.
Chu Yan glanced coldly at Yang Yifang, and said in a deep voice, “Hall Master Yang, I don’t want to hear any gossip or rumors about today’s events in the Jiuzhong Palace. Whoever it is that can’t hold back their tongue, I don’t mind pulling it out for them.”
A shudder went down his spine, and the Hall Master hastened to affirm, “Yes, this subordinate understands!”
After that, Chu Yan finally left the Punishment Hall. He carefully carried Mo Ren all the way back to Zhongqian Hall, then proceeded to summon the best physician from the Medicine Hall for diagnosis and treatment. He attentively watched and made sure the physician only applied the best medicine on Mo Ren’s wounds. Everything was done according to Chu Yan’s specifications.
Mo Ren suffered a grave injury, causing Chu Yan nothing but concern amidst his confusion. After tossing back and forth for a day and a night, it was not until dawn broke the next day that the physicians were allowed to leave. Naturally, he restricted them from speaking a word on this matter, killing off any rumors before they could even start.
When all was said and done, there were still too many strange things in the previous life, and thinking about it now, many of them were murky.
Perhaps Bai Hua was not just any ordinary spy, and the forces behind him were also extraordinary. This person who was by his side for ten years had schemed against him, destroying his great ancestral foundation by his own hands, and Chu Yan could do nothing but helplessly watch as his subordinates died a tragic death one by one. This bloody hatred and bone-gnawing pain….Chu Yan wanted to avenge him viciously.
Now that he was aware of Bai Hua’s disguise, he calmly recalled the past, when he would always feel that many seemingly inadvertent things may have been done on purpose; maybe Bai Hua had already framed Mo Ren countless times, both overtly and covertly, and Chu Yan was always kept in the dark. Qiu Jin was probably aware of it too, but perhaps she couldn’t speak a word of it to him and be detailed about it.
In order to take revenge properly and thoroughly, he mustn’t alert the enemy. The best strategy was to take it slowly.
He withdrew his thoughts, and glanced outside at the sun shining brightly, the dazzling light painting his chamber in hues of golden. He then shifted his gaze at the person sleeping on the bed, and suddenly a sense of warmth spread in his heart.
He was indeed reborn. His heart should have been a mess right now, but he was so preoccupied by Mo Ren’s injury that he had unknowingly come to terms with this absurd situation.
Chu Yan was conceited and ostentatious by nature, and never believed in ghosts and gods. But now that he had accepted the fact of rebirth, his heart seemed to open up and relaxed as if he had seen the moon through the clouds.
What he did wrong could be redone; what he destroyed could be made up; what he had failed to protect could be cherished.
Good, very good.
Chu Yan held Mo Ren’s hand—it felt slightly cold to the touch. He stared at his handsome face sleeping peacefully, and his originally chaotic thoughts gradually calmed down.
There were no other people in his sleeping chambers, so no one noticed as the usually sharp eyes of the Palace Master of Jiuzhong Palace gradually softened.
