Ink Blade Chapter 9 (Part 1)
Translated by Sylver
Edited by kleio
Chapter 9: Splashed Tea (part 1)
Mo Ren saw that Chu Yan took the tea tray and didn't speak, thinking that perhaps the master had acquiesced, and a wave of relief rushed over him. While Chu Yan didn't tell him to go away, he bowed his head and kowtowed, retreated a few steps back on his knees before he dared to get up carefully, and silently retreated at the back of Qiu Jin before standing still.
Without knowing it, Qiu Jin stared at Mo Ren’s every move, who was cautious and humble, as if he was about to sink into the dust. It was simply that today the Palace Master was just bringing his beloved young master out for a spring outing. She couldn’t understand how Mo Ren, who usually waited one step behind the Palace Master, was being so reserved and stiff today as though a servant of a lowest rank.
She wanted to ask, but Mo Ren shook his head to stop her before she could speak. Mo Ren just stood silently with his hands down, not even daring to raise his head, and only stared at Chu Yan and Bai Hua's boots.
This look was not pleasant even to the confused Qiu Jin, let alone Chu Yan who was suffering in his heart.
Chu Yan walked over a few steps, and seeing Mo Ren's pale cheeks, his heart ached again. He had seen Mo Ren's injury before, and he knew in his heart that to be able to hold on to this road, he would already be in a mess. If he really stood for a few hours, the results won’t be good.
He thought for a while, then lowered his voice and said a few words of consolation, "Ah Ren, Master knows that you have good intentions, but you have not recovered from your punishment, so don't endure here. This Master will definitely taste this tea, so you can rest assured.”
Then he waved his hand and said, "Qiu Jin, send Mo Ren back."
Mo Ren raised his head in surprise, bent his knees hastily, and knelt down on the ground, "Master! It's just a small injury, and this subordinate is already fine. Please allow this subordinate to stay..."
"You....." Seeing this, Chu Yan felt anxious and pained in his heart, and his tone became more irritable. “This Master asks you to go back, so go back. This Master told you to rest for a day, is it possible that you are afraid that this Master will not want you anymore!?"
When Chu Yan said these words, Mo Ren felt like a basin of ice water was poured down from his head to toe, and was struck by a thunder on his head. His face immediately changed. He froze and didn't dare to speak anymore, but when Qiu Jin came to help him up, he trembled as he sobered up, then kneeled down to Chu Yan's feet and begged, "Mo Ren knows his mistake, this subordinate will go back to the palace now. When the Master comes back, he can punish this subordinate at will, this subordinate will dare not complain. This subordinate only asks the Master to let Qiu Jin stay and serve..."
Mo Ren begged bitterly, but Bai Hua's face immediately changed. The young man in white flicked his sleeves angrily, "What does Guard Mo mean? You…..you are so worried about Bai Hua, are you treating him as a thief that should be guarded against?"
The corners of his eyes were faintly red, and he seemed about to get angry or cry, "Could it be——could it be you’re accusing that once Guard Mo and Miss Qiu leave, Bai Hua will do something vicious to Big Brother Chu?"
Mo Ren lowered his head and said in a hoarse voice, “......this subordinate dared not.”
"...He knows that Bai Hua is an orphan without father and mother, and my unknown life background arouses suspicion." Bai Hua raised his head and stared at Mo Ren, his slender body tensed, but he suddenly whimpered, and trembled with grievance, "But I've been, I've been with Big Brother Chu willingly for three full years and I've never asked for a single piece of property, even the slightest bit of power…..Guard Mo still refuses to believe that I have a sincere heart for Big Brother Chu….."
"Hua'er..." Chu Yan's face had already darkened, but Bai Hua thought he was angry at Mo Ren, thus he was encouraged to take a few steps forward, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Chu Yan, looking down from a high position to the kneeling Mo Ren on the ground.
His tone was cool, and he said leisurely, "Besides, let alone the sun and moon testifying Hua'er's sincere heart for Brother Chu, even if Bai Hua's heart was evil, could it be that Brother Chu, the majestic Palace Master of the Jiuzhong Palace, a legendary figure in the Jianghu, will let himself fall into the hands of an ordinary person with no martial arts? Guard Mo thinks too highly of Bai Hua, and underestimates his Master too much!"
With Chu Yan at his side, Mo Ren didn't dare to reply at all. He could only listen to Bai Hua's vent in silence, then gritted his teeth, endured the humiliation and replied, "Young Master spoke with heavy words, Mo Ren dare not…..Mo Ren is no more than a servant. It’s just that it’s inconvenient for the Master to have no one to serve him. If it is this subordinate’s fault that the Master is angered and inconvenienced, then even if Mo Ren dies, it will not absolve the mistake....."
"Enough!"
Chu Yan made both of them stop. He could no longer listen or watch, turned his head to Qiu Jin and said, "Qiu Jin, take him back.”
Mo Ren's lips trembled a bit, as if he still wanted to say something, but finally he sneered lightly at himself, and before Qiu Jin came to help him, he wobbled and stood up, "Master, this subordinate….will now take his leave.”
After he finished speaking, he took a few steps back respectfully, then turned around and left.
Chu Yan's heart suddenly froze, and when he looked again, Mo Ren's back quickly disappeared into the white falling leaves.
Mo Ren supported himself by the trees all the way, and stumbled towards the direction of the Jiuzhong Palace. He walked very fast, as if he was escaping from something. But as soon as he reached a place where Chu Yan could no longer see him, he suddenly lost his strength and fell to the ground all of a sudden.
Mo Ren tried to get up again, but found that he had lost strength all over his body, that he couldn't even move his fingers up and down.
The internal force being forcibly transported in the meridians was difficult to do even for half a step, and his dantian was almost exhausted. At this time, the backlash of the forced transport surged up, and the scene in front of him became more and more unclear and dark. Mo Ren simply closed his eyes, and thought about the pot of tea he brewed.
He was thinking–will the Master drink it?
Will this be the last time he’ll make tea for the Master?
Behind, Qiu Jin rushed over, with tears in her eyes, "Eldest brother...eldest brother! You, what happened, what the hell happened......”
The maid hastily lifted Mo Ren's upper body and leaned it on her shoulders, took his wrist to check his meridian, only to find that he was in such a bad state. She became so frightened that she hurriedly called him, "Eldest brother, wake up, how did it become like this?!"
