Ink Blade Chapter 4 (Part 1)
Translated by Sylver
Edited by kleio
Chapter 4: Master (part 1)
However, Chu Yan did not expect Mo Ren to remain unconscious for three days.
He obviously had a stable pulse, and his injuries were beginning to heal too, but the person himself still refused to rouse. He had no reaction to external activity at all, appearing to be in a comatose state.
This situation was odd and unheard of, leaving even the Hall Master of the Medicine Hall helpless and clueless as to what to do. It only further served to fuel Chu Yan anxiety. He kept Mo Ren in his chambers, not daring to leave his side for even a second. It had been to the extent that even the favored Young Master Bai Hua’s invitation had been declined several times with various excuses.
As a result, not only were the attendants in the Zhongqian Hall all terrified, but even the first maidservant, Qiu Jin, looked like she was in a dream every day.
Yet, Chu Yan ignored it all.
Impatience and anxiety burned in his heart, his only wish being for Mo Ren to wake up quickly.
He so desperately—almost anxiously—longed for Mo Ren to open his eyes, to look at him, to talk to him, and to hear him calling him "Master" once again in that overly-familiar tone. Or even if he got angry, cursed at him, or made sarcastic remarks, anything was fine, at this moment, anything would work…he was more than willing to tolerate anything, just as long as Mo Ren was fine and woke up.
He just wanted to get some kind of proof, some kind of confirmation as soon as possible-
That this person was still alive and beside him.
That's all.
****
In the afternoon, Chu Yan leaned against the edge of the bed and took a light nap to fend off his exhaustion. An unconcealable hint of fatigue and was already detectable from between his brows.
The pear wood window opened up a passage for the sun to shine its brilliance on the head of the bed. It slowly shifted over time, gradually shining on the face of the sleeping person, highlighting his handsome face. Mo Ren, who was supposed to be in a coma, frowned slightly, subconsciously wanting to hide away.
His consciousness had been floating in darkness and chaos, like a handful of ashes being blown away by the wind in the cold, endless abyss. He was trapped in such a dark void, merely drifting in a trance, not knowing himself or distinguishing sorrow and joy.
Until a certain moment—a tiny beam of light seemed to shine through.
What’s that light?
Warm and bright. It felt so strange, but also very familiar…
Very much like the sunshine of that certain summer day twenty years ago.
A beam of sunshine that he didn't deserve.
This secret guard is destined to not see the light.
......Mo Ren didn't remember his own origin. It was the Dark Hall who deliberately made him forget it. He only knew that he was an orphan, and he—uncertain whether by fortune or misfortune—was picked up by the Jiuzhong Palace when he was just a child.
The Dark Hall never saw the light of day. He, along with many other children, were trained in Martial Arts, and merely killed each other to compete for a place in order to survive. It was like a bunch of red-eyed little beasts in the deep forest with no sense of direction, biting and tearing at each other, dripping with blood.
But one day, the heavy doors of the Dark Hall were opened. Someone took him out along with dozens of other children. His body bathed under the sun for the first time, and that was when he met a young boy, his aura more brilliant than the sun itself.
"The Palace Master allowed this Young Master to choose his own bodyguards at will. Of the people in the Jiuzhong Palace, this Young Master will naturally take whoever he wants."
The young boy had a pair of sharp, long eyebrows that were a brilliant shade of black, along with long, narrow phoenix eyes. He sat on a high seat with his legs crossed carelessly. His words were spoken in a heavy and deliberate manner, with a hint of fierceness. "Do you think that your Dark Hall is not a part of Jiuzhong Palace?"
At that time, Chu Yan was only a year or two older than him, but he could already see that he would be a proud, handsome, and unrestrained person in the future. The Hall Master of the Dark Hall broke in a cold sweat, and hurriedly hung his head. He said hoarsely, "Fourth Young Master's words have made this subordinate feel ashamed, this subordinate absolutely dare not!"
"In that case," Chu Yan let out a cold snort, propping his cheek with one hand. The inky dark sleeves contrasted vividly with the child's jade-white wrists, embroidered with golden cloud patterns that shone splendidly under the blinding sun, "Why don't you call out your secret guards and show this Young Master?"
…..Only later did Mo Ren find out that the Palace Master of the Jiuzhong Palace at that time—Chu Yan's biological father–had four sons and two daughters. Moreover, Chu Yan's biological mother was the one with the humblest background and the weakest temperament among his concubines.
Chu Yan's talent was astonishing, and his Martial Arts aptitude was unmatched by his other older brothers, which made him even more feared. The Palace Master of the Jiuzhong Palace was a Martial Arts maniac who cultivated the ruthless way. He ignored the overt and covert fights between his children and between his concubines in the back room. These young masters and ladies competing with each other for the future position of the Palace Master of Jiuzhong Palace, was, in fact, nothing too serious.
However, Chu Yan was alone and weak, and he was still young. Moreover, his mother’s temperament was delicate and docile, therefore she wasn’t much of a help either. Everyday, new dangerous situations arose and threatened him. However, he had a kind of stubborn temperament that caused him to be unwilling to be inferior to others. Not only did he refuse to admit defeat, but he also competed with his brothers.
That’s why—he urgently needed a secret guard of his own.
"But...this is really against the rules. If the Palace Master blames this subordinate, it will be really difficult for this subordinate…"
The Hall Master of the Dark Hall looked solemn, and after contemplating for a moment, he beckoned the children to come over, "But if the Fourth Young Master insists on wanting one, why not…..pick a child who has not yet officially registered as a secret guard and appoint him as your secret guard."
"That’s also acceptable," Chu Yan readily agreed. It was still to his favor, so he naturally had no objections. "Tell them to come forward, this Young Master will test them.”
"Yes." The Hall Master bowed and stepped aside, though couldn't help but sigh softly while looking at the still-young figure on the jade seat.
A secret guard…..was a sword used to kill, a spying eye, and a protective shield. They were not people of flesh and blood, and didn't know how to serve a master.
No one would want to choose a secret guard to be their personal guard, just like no one would choose a block of cold iron to make clothes.
But the Fourth Young Master had no other choice.
Logically speaking, if the young lords and young ladies wanted to get a secret guard assigned to them, they had to be thirteen years old to be eligible. But in the Fourth Young Master’s case, he couldn't wait. His situation was far too dangerous and it would be too risky if he were to go unattended. If there was no one to protect him, he may just be killed inexplicably before he could even reach the age of thirteen.
——No one would choose a piece of cold iron to make their clothes, unless they were surrounded by enemies and needed to wear armor all the time in order to preserve their life.
Therefore, the Fourth Young Master resorted to such a scheming plan. Under the pretext of picking his personal bodyguard, he came and asked for a secret guard from the Dark Hall.
The "test" that Chu Yan set was very simple. He brought a black and slender sword, throwing it on the ground in front of a dozen children.
“The name of this sword is the singular word 'Mo'. It was forged by the successor of the famous swordsmith master, the Hu family. It can cut through iron like mud, and can camouflage in the darkness of the night."
The noble young man donned in black robes smiled and pointed at the long sword with one finger.
"You guys can fight with all your abilities. The one who grabs the sword in the end will belong to him, and will go with me."
After these few words were spoken, the children immediately lunged forward and fought with one another. It was not an exaggeration to say that such an opportunity—to get rid of the suffering of a secret guard and follow this noble young master from then on—was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
It was only Mo Ren who didn't move—in fact, he wasn't called Mo Ren at that time. He remained kneeling on the side, and couldn't help stealing a glance at this overly noble and handsome Fourth Young Master.
He had never seen such a dazzling figure before, a person that seemed as if his body was shimmering with brilliance. This little boy was such a pleasant treat to his eyes that he couldn't bear to take his eyes off him.
He couldn't retract his gaze, so he just kept staring.
