Chapter 54: Awakening
Two days later.
Inside a room in the courtyard.
Mu Wanqing’s brows gently twitched. From her deep slumber, she slowly opened her eyes.
At this moment, she wasn’t wearing her veil—her true appearance was fully revealed.
A high forehead and delicate brows, skin fair and crystal-clear like frosty jade—her beauty was breathtaking, enough to move hearts.
Due to her injuries, her complexion was slightly pale, yet this didn’t diminish her charm. Rather, it added a touch of vulnerability that stirred protective instincts.
She gazed vacantly at the ceiling, clearly not yet fully conscious.
Tap, tap~
Footsteps echoed, snapping Mu Wanqing out of her daze.
Like a startled kitten, she abruptly flipped up from the bed. Her hand instinctively reached for her waist to draw her dagger—but grabbed nothing. Her expression immediately changed.
“Mu-jiejie~ You’re awake!”
Zhong Ling pushed open the door and entered, just in time to see Mu Wanqing rise suddenly, her cold gaze sweeping over—startling her as well. It was all too sudden. But then joy lit her face.
Mu Wanqing recognized the newcomer and blinked in surprise.
“Zhong Ling…”
Seeing someone familiar, she slowly lowered her guard.
She asked, “Why are you here…”
As she spoke, she scanned the surroundings. It was the same place where she had previously been staying. Mu Wanqing furrowed her brows, recalling what had happened. She had been chased by that vile woman’s subordinates from Suzhou, ambushed, her Black Rose horse had fallen, and then she had been outnumbered—injured, and finally rescued…
She vaguely remembered that, right before she lost consciousness, it was a man who had saved her.
As Mu Wanqing reached this point in her thoughts, her hand instinctively brushed her cheek.
What she touched was a smooth, delicate warmth.
Her body stiffened slightly.
No veil!
Her veil had been removed!?
Mu Wanqing froze, dazed.
Before she fainted, her veil had still been in place.
Now, with it gone… did he…
Did he see my face?
Shifu said—
I must marry the first man who sees my true face…
At that thought, a faint blush bloomed across her already pale cheeks.
Zhong Ling tilted her head, observing Mu Wanqing’s expression curiously.
Since the day she met Mu Wanqing, she had always seen her as icy cold—aloof and emotionless, like a proud plum blossom standing solitary in a secluded valley.
Even though she had grown close to her and called her “sister” warmly, Mu Wanqing’s attitude had never been what one would call “gentle.”
Yet now, there was a dazed look on her face. The icy edge in her eyes seemed to have melted, replaced by a soft pink hue on her cheeks. Her lips parted slightly, and she somehow looked… adorable?
Zhong Ling blinked and softly asked,
“Mu-jiejie, what are you thinking about?”
Mu Wanqing snapped slightly back to herself, her expression pausing.
Zhong Ling had interacted with her enough to pick up on her confusion, so she explained:
“That day, I came down from Wuliang Mountain and happened to run into you. When I saw a group of nasty-looking guys chasing you, I got so worried…”
As she spoke gently, Mu Wanqing’s gaze softened.
She hadn’t expected that this girl she’d only recently gotten to know would treat her so kindly.
She saw she was in danger—and came to her rescue.
Though Zhong Ling’s martial arts were rather amateurish, it was still admirable that she had the heart to try.
Thinking this, a feeling unlike any she’d known before rose in Mu Wanqing’s chest.
She had been abandoned by her parents since childhood, raised in isolation in a hidden valley. Before age fourteen, she lived by surviving with her shifu—learning martial arts, assassination, and survival skills.
From fourteen to eighteen, it had always been kill or be killed. She had never experienced warmth. Only cold-blooded violence.
Whether it was the wolves and tigers in the valley, or the people outside it—anyone she met, more often than not, wanted her dead.
And yet now… someone is willing to treat me like this.
Even though she had known Zhong Ling before, it was mostly out of respect for her shifu’s friendship with Uncle Gan that she regarded her with slight favor.
At most, it was because Zhong Ling was cheerful and innocent, always calling her “sister” this and “sister” that, so she’d gone a little easier on her.
But never this.
Mu Wanqing pursed her lips. She couldn’t quite say how she felt…
Maybe… happy?
Zhong Ling, unaware of the emotional turmoil in her companion’s heart, continued chatting away. As she recounted the events, she became indignant and pouted cutely:
“Too bad they ran away! Otherwise, I would’ve sent my Lightning Mink to bite them!”
As she said this, her small hand reached into the pouch at her waist. One could vaguely see a snow-white little creature curl up inside, its tail brushing Zhong Ling’s palm.
Mu Wanqing, however, paid that no mind. Her expression turned serious, and she asked quietly,
“The person you mentioned—where is he now?”
Zhong Ling was momentarily puzzled, then quickly realized who she meant.
“Ah! You mean Big Brother? He’s practicing martial arts right now~”
Mu Wanqing was about to ask more when suddenly, the door creaked open.
She instinctively turned to look.
🍃🍃🍃
Footnotes:
- Mu-jiejie (木姐姐): Pinyin: mù jiě jiě. A polite and affectionate way for a younger girl to refer to an older sister figure named Mu (Wanqing).
- 螓首蛾眉 (qín shǒu é méi): A classical Chinese idiom describing a woman’s refined beauty—“broad forehead, graceful eyebrows.” Often used in romantic literature.
- 三脚猫 (sān jiǎo māo): Literally “three-legged cat,” slang for someone with limited or sloppy skills—especially in martial arts.
- 我见犹怜 (wǒ jiàn yóu lián): A poetic idiom meaning “so pitiable that even I feel compassion.” Often used to describe a beautiful, fragile appearance that arouses sympathy.
- 冷若冰霜 (lěng ruò bīng shuāng): Literally “cold as ice and frost”—used to describe a person with an icy, unapproachable demeanor.
- 幽谷 (yōu gǔ): “Hidden valley”—a common setting in wuxia fiction symbolizing isolation and sometimes mystic martial arts training.
- 杀戮 (shā lù): Refers to killing or slaughter—used here to emphasize the harshness of Mu Wanqing’s upbringing.
- 闪电貂 (shǎn diàn diāo): “Lightning Mink”—a fictional creature known for its speed and venom, often used in fantasy and wuxia novels.