Ink Blade Chapter 52 (Part 2)
Translated by Sylver
Chapter 52.2 Clever and Nimble Dian (part 2)
Chu Yan tapped his finger on the window lattice, whispering, “It’s clear that this Master wronged him, but he still thinks he’s unworthy. Tell this Master, isn’t this stabbing this Master’s heart?”
The master said and waved his hand, “Cough, this Master has said too much.”
Then he turned his head, looking somewhat embarrassed, “Qiu Jin, this Master is afraid he scared him today, you… you get along well with Ah Ren, and you’re thoughtful, this Master doesn't need you to serve here, you go…coax him for this Master.”
Qiu Jin once again didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, thinking: Master, you may not know, the funny thing is that I was just chased over from Elder Brother Mo.
But she didn’t say anything, the maid shook her goose yellow skirt, gracefully knelt on the ground, and softly said, “Master.”
“Master, this slave dared to say something disrespectful, please forgive me,” Qiu Jin said.
Chu Yan glanced at her and frowned, “Just say it.”
Qiu Jin bit her cherry lips, boldly raised her eyebrows, and said clearly, “I dare to ask the Master, how does the Master feel…is Qiu Jin’s loyalty comparable to Elder Brother Mo’s?”
Chu Yan was stunned, his heart suddenly ached. It seemed as if he saw the desolate face of the maid who was dying of poison in his previous life, and it seemed as if he heard the crying voice: Master… please wake up quickly…
The palace master quickly coughed, suppressing the astringency in his throat, “You and Mo Ren are one soft and one hard, different in temperament, but equally loyal… it’s as clear as day and night.”
Qiu Jin calmly said, “But, if Qiu Jin were in Elder Brother Mo’s position today, if the person the Master is fond of today becomes Qiu Jin, this slave–would agree without hesitation.”
Chu Yan was taken aback, he didn’t know what Qiu Jin meant, but his heart seemed to have a premonition and started to thump.
He tightened his lips, looked around in a panic without finding a place to rest his eyes, and felt a little nervous, “What do you want to say, go on.”
Qiu Jin’s eyes softened, and she said softly, “Master, think about this carefully. In terms of loyalty, agreeing is to cater to the Master’s wishes and relieve the Master’s lovesickness; in terms of selfishness, becoming the Master’s wife, always accompanying the Master, can be intimate, and does not have to give up martial arts to suffer humiliation…”
“It’s a win-win situation, it should be a good thing to be overwhelmed by the favor, why should this slave say no?”
“Even if scared at first, that’s just the ‘surprise’ of being overwhelmed by the favor. Seeing that the Master is so persistent, it’s not a whim, how can a subordinate refuse outright, isn’t that disrespectful?”
Chu Yan was completely stunned by Qiu Jin’s words, and subconsciously felt that it seemed to make sense. Suddenly his face turned pale, and he was shocked, “Could it be –Ah Ren is still afraid of this Master deep down!?”
Qiu Jin: “…”
The maid didn’t know what to say for a moment, and smiled bitterly, “Master, how can you think like this, how could Elder Brother Mo…”
Chu Yan turned around anxiously, “Ah, you don’t understand! This Master, this Master really treated him badly before, you don’t know!”
Qiu Jin couldn’t help but laugh, blinked and whispered, “Master is wise and martial, how can he be so infatuated with the word ‘love’? Listen to what Qiu Jin has to say…”
“With Brother Mo’s thoughts, he simply feels that his background is not good, and his looks and talents are not enough.” She rolled up her sleeve and spoke softly, but suddenly paused here, turning the end of her sentence into a sigh.
“He feels that he is not worthy of you… that’s because he’s afraid of wronging you, Master.”
Chu Yan suddenly stiffened. He slowly… redirected his gaze back to the maid, opened his mouth, “What?”
Qiu Jin: “Elder Brother Mo refused you because he can’t bear to. He would rather provoke the Master’s anger, rather be neglected by the Master from now on, rather not be the ‘loyal subordinate’ who relieves the Master’s worries—”
The beautiful maid knelt in front of the master, gentle and soft, her eyes clear. “—He can’t bear to hastily bind the Master for life with marriage, and wrong you in the future.”
Chu Yan was like being struck by lightning, his mind seemed to explode with stars. He suddenly felt dizzy, almost couldn’t stand steady with a stagger, and quickly held onto the window sill with both hands.
He exerted so much force that the veins on the back of his hand bulged out, like a drowning person grabbing some lifesaving wood, and he stared at Qiu Jin incredulously.
“What do you mean,” Chu Yan murmured, “you… don’t talk nonsense, you don’t understand, this Master really treated him badly. He was so afraid of this Master at that time, how can you talk nonsense…”
Qiu Jin said, “This slave didn’t understand Elder Brother Mo’s thoughts before, but thanks to his refusal today, this slave understands. Elder Brother Mo’s feelings for the Master must be special, he just doesn’t know it himself.”
At some point, the palace master’s eyes were somewhat scattered, and he was muttering to himself in a daze, “No… it’s impossible. But, but this Master has thrown him away, and it was you who asked me to look at him one last time…how…stop talking nonsense, you go down!”
Qiu Jin had already started not to understand what the palace master was muttering about, so she simply continued to speak for herself, “this slave dare not say that this must be the thought of love…but this intention, Qiu Jin consciously does not have.”
“Not only does Qiu Jin not have it, the four shadow guardians, the three hall masters, and the secret guards of the Jiuzhong Palace… presumably none of them have it.”
Qiu Jin smiled and said, “Master, Elder Brother Mo’s treatment of you has always been unique.”
Chu Yan suddenly held his breath and couldn’t listen anymore. He turned around abruptly and rushed out the door.
He went to find his guard.
