₦airaland Forum

Chapter 29
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“Tell me! Where is Xiaoba?” Chu Qiao’s voice sounded out coldly. She pushed her dagger forward, inflicting a wound on the man. Crimson red blood oozed out of his neck.

“Who…who is Xiaoba?” The scheming man, no longer as arrogant as before, cowered in fear and stammered, “I don’t know any Xiaoba…I just work for people.”

“Xiaoba is the owner of this baggage. The child that you impersonated.”

“I…I don’t know,” the dwarf replied. “Someone under Fourth Young Master approached me. I am a guest of the Zhuge family. I don’t have any problem with you.”

“You don’t know?” Chu Qiao frowned and sized up the man. Seeing that the dwarf was nodding non-stop, she was overwhelmed with anger. With a few swift motions of her wrists, the man’s eyes widened, his pupils dilating. His limbs stiffened, unable to breathe. There was only one long, bloody wound on his neck.

“You are not suited to be a hitman. Since you will die sooner or later, you might as well do something good before you die.” Chu Qiao stared coldly at the man’s corpse. She squatted down and unfastened his clothes with a swift slice.

There was not to be a moment of peace in Zhen Huang City that night. Even though it was in the wee hours of the night, the eastern city gates were still brightly lit. The fourth young master of the Zhuge family was personally stationed there, requesting the mobilization of half of the troops in Zhen Huang to apprehend the servants who had escaped from the Zhuge Residence. A few waves of soldiers had departed, but there was still no news.

Zhuge Yue sat on his horse. The eastern gate behind him was like a giant lion in slumber. His servants followed behind him solemnly, not daring to make a sound for fear of agitating him.

“Fourth Young Master!” Zhu Cheng, wearing a grey robe, dashed swiftly to Zhuge Yue’s side, whispering in his ear, “Fourth Young Master, First Young Master wants you to go back to the house now.”

Zhuge Yue, pretending that he did not hear anything, continued to stare in front of him, his face devoid of any emotion.

Zhu Cheng hurriedly continued, “There is news that Yan Xun has escaped the city, along with people from the Zhi Zi Residence. The Wei family messed up big time. Wei Jing had two of his fingers chopped off and was taken hostage.

Zhuge Yue frowned upon hearing this. He thought for a long while before replying, “Yan Xun?”

“Yes,” Zhu Cheng rambled on, “It was at Jiuwai Main Street, between Bai Lan Temple and Zi Wei Square.”

The young Zhuge Yue replied deeply, “In what direction did they come from?”

“I think…I think it was from the direction of Chi Shui Lake.”

“How audacious!” Zhuge Yue sneered, his eyebrows raised up. It dawned on him why Wei Shuye had surrounded the Zhuge residence in Ba Xing alley and wounded the servants inside.

“In what direction did Yan Xun escape to?”

“Fourth Young Master, First Young Master specifically instructed you not to interfere in this matter. Please do not interfere!”

Zhuge Yue raised his eyebrows. Just as he was about to talk, he suddenly heard the sound of horses’ hooves approaching in the distance. A small, skinny man wearing a large hat approached on his horse. He threw a small corpse on the ground before he had even reached Zhuge Yue’s side. He was dressed in green leather armor, indicating that he had been murdered by someone from Yan Xun’s party.

A servant standing at the side exclaimed loudly, “Fourth Young Master, Hu Sheng is back.”

Zhuge Yue stared at the corpse that was sprawled on the ground. His body was stiff, his hair was messy, and his clothes were stained with mud and blood. It could be seen that he had been dead for many hours. Zhuge Yue was overwhelmed with rage. He slowly raised his head, staring sharply at the dwarf who was no taller than three feet. He uttered slowly, “You killed her?”

Hu Sheng got off his horse in an elegant manner, and lowered his head and kneeled on the ground. His voice was deep and inaudible amidst the strong northern winds. “I’m glad I had not disappointed you!”

“When did I tell you to kill her?” Zhuge Yue used his whip to lash Hu Sheng’s back mercilessly. He bellowed, “You deserve to die!”

“Young Master!”

“Ah! Assassin!”

A series of gasps sounded out. As Zhuge Yue’s whip landed on the person’s back, the person suddenly looked up. This person had a childish appearance and a fair complexion. How could he be a hardened hitman? The child sneered and took a hit from his whip, then sprung up swiftly, brandishing a dagger and holding it to Zhuge Yue’s neck. With a small motion, he had stopped struggling.

“You’re not dead yet?”

“As you wished, I’m still alive and well.” Chu Qiao stared at Zhuge Yue coldly with viciousness in her eyes. She replied slowly, “However, I’m not sure how much longer you will live.

“Let my sister go!” Chu Qiao barked. “If not, you can meet your family’s Second Grand Master in hell!”

The vast plains were snowy, the mountains majestically prominent. The northern winds scattered the snow about, causing snowflakes to land on everyone’s eyelashes. Chu Qiao was dressed in a steely grey cloak. Her giant hat covered her clean eyelashes. Her little, fair hands carried a dagger. She stood amongst tens of thousands of troops, not an ounce of fear or weakness visible.

Zhuge Yue sneered coldly, turning around and calmly saying, “Would you really kill me?” The wind blew in the gap separating both of them. Night owls in the sky howled, resembling the cries of spirits who had died wrongful deaths.

The look in Chu Qiao’s eyes became cold. That dilapidated firewood hut, the child’s innocent smile, that piece of fragrant roasted meat…those thoughts erupted in her mind like a bomb. She lowered her head slowly, staring the young man squarely in the eye. “You can try me.”

“Really?” Zhuge Yue smiled and half-squinted. He replied, “Okay then.” Finishing his sentence, he thrust his head downwards toward the sharp dagger, as if he had lost control of his body.

“Young Master!”

“Master!”

All the panicked voices sounded out in unison. In this instant, it seemed like time had stopped. The noise in the background was concentrated at one spot, making it seem amplified. Chu Qiao was taken aback, not expecting that this young man was decisive and determined to the point that he would rather commit suicide than be threatened. In a flash, countless thoughts ran through her mind. Before she had time to comprehend any of them, she subconsciously withdrew her dagger with agility, but it still made contact with his neck, leaving a long, bloody scar all the way to his earlobe.

Just as Chu Qiao withdrew her dagger, Zhuge Yue took advantage while she was distracted. Like an agile loach, he stuck out his body, took a step forward and turned the tables around! Everything happened at lightning speed. Before the gasps had ceased, the young man, who had initially been held hostage, had broken free, albeit with his extreme methods. However, at this moment, he stood opposite the child, pointing his long sword at her and remarked coldly, “You are not able to kill me.” Fresh blood trickled down his neck. Although the wound was not deep, large amounts of blood gushed out, flowing down his fair skin and mixing into his clothes.

Zhu Cheng immediately rushed forward, exclaiming in fear, “Fourth Young Master, you’re injured! Quick! Back to the house, back to the house!”

Zhuge Yue stared coldly at Chu Qiao, as if he had not heard anything that Zhu Cheng had said. He reached into his pocket, taking out a snow-white handkerchief. Blood oozed out from his neck and onto his handkerchief. The crimson-red stains were akin to a plum blossom in full bloom.

“Quick! Pass the medicine! Fourth Young Master, take a seat and let me bandage your wound!”

The young man, who appeared pale, stood on the vast, snowy ground. An unpredictable sharpness flashed past his eyes. He raised his right hand and clenched it, revealing bulging veins. After a long while, he opened up his hand, letting the wrinkled handkerchief be carried away with the wind. It made two loops in the night sky before disappearing into thin air, blanketed by the thick snow.

The white handkerchief had been used to wipe off a certain someone’s tears before. The young man, despite his unpredictable personality, had wanted to protect that certain someone too. With the wind, all of those thoughts had dissipated, signalling the end of the show. The party that had invested more into the act was bound to lose.

“Capture her!” Zhuge Yue turned around coldly, devoid of any emotion.

The guards of the Zhuge Residence surrounded Chu Qiao. She stood in the center of the crowd, wielding her long sword which mirrored the steely look in her eyes. In it, one could see her calmness, her thirst for revenge, her cautiousness, her unrivalled determination, but not an ounce of weakness or remorse.

From the start, she knew how to survive. She knew what kind of hatred she carried upon her shoulders. She knew exactly what kind of favors she owed. Hence, Zhuge Yue, when you severed Xiaojiu’s arm, when you put Linxi to death, we were destined to become worst enemies. One of us must kill the other. There is no other way.

“Advance!” A low voice suddenly boomed out from the crowd. No servant from the Zhuge family dared to underestimate this frail-looking small child. A group of agile big men rushed forward to attack her. In the bright night, the clanking sounds of sword fighting could be heard distinctly. The child, demonstrating unparalleled agility, pivoted on her left leg and kicked out with her right leg. With a flying somersault, her long sword was stained with blood. Her right hand ruthlessly clasped the neck of one of the men. As her fingers moved, she snapped the tendons of the man’s neck with a resounding crack. The man’s eyeballs popped out of his sockets and he collapsed softly on the ground.

Everyone in the crowd was shocked, but none of them retreated. A big and thick sword sliced through the air, destined for Chu Qiao. She raised her arm to block the blow, but was still knocked back two steps due to her small frame. Her clothes were stained with blood, showing that she had been injured after just one round of sparring.

Upon seeing this, the guards of the Zhuge Residence rejoiced. No matter how smart or ruthless this child was, she was, ultimately, still barely eight years old. Her strength was incomparable to that of those well-built men.

Everyone sensed an opportunity and advanced forward. Zhuge Yue stood outside the battlefield, appearing serious, his lips pale, while Zhu Cheng held a bandage over his wound. The heavy snow made the entire place appear desolate.

“Giddyup!” At this instant, a crisp shout suddenly echoed from the distance. Messy, unsynchronised sounds of horses’ hooves drifted over from the north.

Everyone turned around to look in the northern direction. From afar, hundreds of well-built horses were making their way towards the battlefield. The young man at the front of the party was dressed in white. He had jet-black hair and he held a crossbow in his arm. With a few arrows, he shot down some of the guards belonging to the Zhuge family.

“Lass!” The warhorses dashed rapidly, blending themselves into the crowd. The young man on the horse picked Chu Qiao up and placed her onto the back of the horse. With a bright look in his eyes, he laughed, “I saved you again! How will you repay me?”

With a brush, Chu Qiao deflected a spear with her sword. She turned back and looked angrily at Yan Xun, exclaiming, “Are you crazy? Coming back at this time, do you want to die?”

TBC...
Source: The Legend of Chu Qiao: Division 11’s Princess Agent - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 28
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“Everyone drop your weapons!” The rapid winds changed direction and snow flew adrift. Chu Qiao abruptly raised her lean, small face and cried sharply, “Otherwise I will kill him!”

“Drop your weapons!” Wei Shuye hollered in response, frowning.

There was a shriek. An arrow accurately buried itself into the head of Wei Shuye’s war horse, entering from its left eye and coming out of its right. Blood and brain matter splattered as the horse uttered a painful, shrill cry. Wei Shuye stumbled off of the horse and tumbled onto the ground. It was a rather sorry sight.

Half-crouching on the floor, Chu Qiao held her knife to Wei Jing’s neck with her left hand. With her right hand, she held her crossbow, holding it up with her shoulder. She slanted her head and using her mouth she picked up an arrow from the quiver on her back. Her mouth and arm collaborated as she quickly reloaded the arrow. Arching her eyebrows, she gazed at Wei Shuye coldly, then slowly said, “My next arrow won’t be going for the horse, so I suggest you don’t move.”

For a moment, everyone’s eyes seemed to be dazed, all of them frozen by the unrelenting weather. Thousands of elite Zhen Huang soldiers, the princes and heirs of the biggest noble families, and top-tier generals serving at the Imperial Military Assignment Center gazed and frowned at the child who was barely three feet tall. She was dressed in clearly oversized leather armor, the teal leather collar shielding her sharp, lean face. It was a face even smaller than the palm of a full-grown man. She had a pair of clear eyes and her small, delicate nose perked upwards slightly. Her arms were so slim that they seemed like they would break if anyone placed force on them. Her entire person exerted an unmistakable sense of fragility and immaturity.

But it was this very child, who looked like the wind could blow her away, that had broken through the defenses of the elite soldiers of the Wei household. At this very moment, half-crouched at this very place, she fearlessly faced thousands of soldiers. She was against the decision made by the Grand Elder’s Council, against the holder of Sheng Jin Palace, against the entire Great Xia Empire. She threatened everyone by holding the head of the enemy hostage, her face cold and menacing.

This was the first time Chu Qiao would go up against the authoritarian rule of the Great Xia Empire publicly, looking down on imperial authority. Her thoughts were simple. She would run away from here and bring Yan Xun along as she escaped from this place.

“Put down your weapons and open the gates. Don’t make me say this twice.” Her voice was deep and her gaze slowly swept across the crowd. As her body slowly turned around, so did the crossbow resting on her shoulder. The arrow point glared like her other blood-thirsty eye, gliding across the people surrounding her as their fear increased.

“Do it!” Wei Jing suddenly cried out. Being of noble birth and having lived a luxurious life, the imperial prince could not tolerate the shame of being threatened by a lowly peasant. He stubbornly lifted his young face, unafraid of the knife that threatened to slice through the skin on his neck, and said furiously, “Take them down!”

Thwack. Before Wei Jing could finish his sentence, two of his fingers had been sliced off by Chu Qiao. Unprepared for the pain, he howled in misery, blood pouring from his wound and dripping to the ground.

“I suggest you shut your mouth, Childe Wei.” Chu Qiao looked up at the soldiers of the Wei household and smiled coldly. “Did you not understand what I said, or do you intend to disobey? Perhaps you are under the command of another master of yours?” Her gaze turned to Wei Shuye as she circled him slightly. “With your biggest competitor dead, someone may be able to step up and become head of their family. Major General Shuye, who else but you would be the next Elder Master of the Wei family?”

“Scum!” Wei Jing seethed, his voice full of hatred. “Don’t bother trying, the bond between me and my brother is strong.”

“Bonds must be tested to tell how strong they are.” Chu Qiao grinned. The smile was creepy and ghastly, completely unfitting of an eight-year-old child. Her eyes met Wei Shuye’s as she faked a cut with her knife across Wei Jing’s neck.

Her hands worked quickly as she tied up Wei Jing. Despite her slight figure and weak strength, her skills and the type of knot she used worked miraculously. She had prevented Wei Jing from escaping despite his strength.

“Get on the horse,” she said. “I wish to trouble Childe Wei to walk with us a bit further.”

The clouds had now grown so thick that not a trace of starlight could be seen and even the clear moonlight was starting to fade.

Chu Qiao did not ride the same horse as Wei Jing, but was alone on another war horse. She rode boldly and confidently, staying two horse-lengths behind him. She held her small crossbow, her eyes fixed lethally on the man strapped on the horse in front of her, and she remained prepared to deal the final blow should the need ever arise. “Yan Xun, let’s go.”

Yan Xun squinted. His lips slanted upwards on one side and he laughed joyfully. He lazily hopped back on his horse, leading his subordinates as he rode forward, completely unconcerned about the enemies at his side. Chu Qiao led the way and emitted a dark, cold feeling that was impossible to ignore despite her small body. Everywhere she went, rows of Zhen Huang soldiers cowered back like flood waters ebbing away.

The city gates opened with a creak. Torches burned brightly, lighting up the sky and coloring it red. The smoke signals from the north of the empire continued to fume. The battle affected tens of thousands of Xia people and blood soaked every inch of earth upon the Yan Bei Plateau. Yet at this moment, at the heart of the empire, the boy named by the empire to be the head of rebellion, son of the King of Yan, Yan Xun, strode out of the walls of Zhen Huang City unchallenged. The only thing the most elite of the Xia Imperial troops could do was watch on with blank expressions, no longer able to change anything about the outcome.

The corners of Zhuge Huai’s mouth twitched upwards, forming a barely noticeable smile.

For the family of Zhuge, it was not important whether Yan Xun made it back to the north. What was important was the fact that Sheng Jing Palace had assigned the task to the Wei family, and they had failed.

No other news would be more delightful than this, Zhuge Huai thought to himself. He said to the guard next to him, “Notify the fourth young master to return home at once. I have things to discuss with him.”

The guard bowed and stepped forward. “The fourth young master has left the city.”

“What?” Zhuge Huai was taken aback. “Left the city?”

“He has just left from the northern gate. He said he was going to catch a runaway slave from the household.”

“A runaway slave?” Zhuge Huai frowned. “What kind of runaway slave would he bother to chase himself?”

“I’m not sure. I will see to it immediately.”

“I hope that he doesn’t mess things up,” Zhuge Huai mumbled, as he lifted his head and squinted towards the pitch-black night sky.

An hour later, on an old, desolate path, Yan Xun instructed to have Wei Jing freed from his binds. “Since I have agreed to let you go, you can count on me not to go back on my word. You may leave now,” he said coldly.

Taking one last spiteful glance at Yan Xun and Chu Qiao, who stood behind him, he turned around and left. He headed back in the direction of Zhen Huang City.

“You shouldn’t have freed him,” Chu Qiao said behind him, her voice icy. “Did you not see the look in his eyes? Keeping him alive will only mean bigger trouble in the future.”

Looking at the gradually disappearing silhouette of Wei Jing, Yan Xun shook his head, then slowly explained, “Killing him would mean Yan Bei had really committed treason. I still don’t know what happened back home, so I can’t take the risk.” He turned around. “What are you going to do now? The house of Zhuge won’t let you off easy. Come to the north with me.”

Chu Qiao lifted her chin and chuckled, “Thanks for the offer, but I still have things to do.”

Yan Xun frowned. With a deep voice he said, “What sort of things could a child need to do?”

Chu Qiao arched her eyebrows at Yan Xun. “After knowing me for so long, which part of me looks like a child to you?”

Speechless, Yan Xun was tongue tied trying to justify his words. Thinking about it, the girl really did not seem like a child. The Prince of Yan locked his eyebrows together and thought for a long time, then pulled on her hands in exasperation. “You look just like a child to me. Look at your hands, your small arms, small legs, small head, and small figure. You are obviously a kid. No matter how cruel you are, you are still a child,” he said stubbornly.

Chu Qiao shook off Yan Xun’s hands, muttering to herself, “What a pest.”

“Hey!” Yan Xun spurred forward, blocking the way of Chu Qiao, “You’re really leaving?”

“I must go.”

“What do you need to do? Can’t I have someone do it for you?” the Prince of Yan asked loudly, humiliated by her rejection.

Chu Qiao turned around. She looked at the boy’s clear eyes and replied seriously, “Yan Xun, we were never the same kind of people. I think it’s enough for us to have walked together for so long.”

Sitting on his horse, Yan Xun remained silent.

“For the sake of having known you, I will say this: it’s hard to predict what will happen in the future. Take care of yourself,” she said with her tone low like an elder. Then, she turned her horse around, her horse whip waving in the air as she left.

Without the light of the moon and stars, the lone child and her horse gradually disappeared into the snowstorm. Yan Xun suddenly jerked out of his trance and spurred forward, but to no avail. Sitting on his horse, he yelled to the child who had disappeared into the snow, “Hey! Look for me in Yan Bei if you ever need me!” His voice pierced through the snowstorm and echoed into the night. The night was far from over, the scene pitch-black and chilling to the bone.

In the complete darkness outside of Zhen Huang City, a small shadow quickly dashed along the traveler’s road outside of the eastern gate. An oversized leather coat covered his face and body. A small sack made from the skin of a mink plopped against his back, its bulging shape an indicator of its heavy weight.

The snowstorm continued to worsen and the blowing winds barely allowed a man to open his eyes. The men struggled to walk forward but never stopped moving, as if some savage beast was in pursuit of them.

In the howling winds, the crisp sounds of hooves suddenly sounded. On the distant plain, a pure black war horse galloped rapidly. The child on its back was slight in figure, no more than seven or eight years old, and dressed in the clothing of a Yan guard. Her pair of black pupils scanned the scene beneath the night sky like a perceptive hawk. She saw the lonely strider in front of her and immediately increased her pace in delight.

“Xiaoba!” Chu Qiao cried. The winds raged and tore her voice apart within seconds. The individual on foot seemed completely oblivious and continued on his journey, his head kept low. Chu Qiao spurred onward and dashed, then stopped right in front of the man. Frowning, she spoke in a low voice, “Xiaoba?”

“Hehe,” a low, raspy voice answered her and the small figure lifted his head. His face was wrinkled and showed no traces of a young child. It was a middle-aged dwarf around forty years old!.

Suddenly, a bolt shot from the sleeves of the dwarf and straight towards the Chu Qiao’s face. Its edge was sharp and glistened with coldness. Caught off guard, Chu Qiao moaned, then her body fell off the back of the horse.

A raspy laugh sounded, extremely creepy in the chilly night. The dwarf tossed aside the sack on his back and slowly crept forward, one foot kicking the leg of the child. Only when he saw that the child was as limp as a corpse did he crouch down to check her breathing.

“Master must be mad to have sent me against such an easy child.” The dwarf sneered and turned the body of the child lying on the ground over. But in that instant, the limp body of the child jerked upwards. Her pair of eyes shined like stars and her motions were explosive and powerful. In the blink of an eye, the child who had been at the mercy of the dwarf had turned things around. She mercilessly sent the cold dagger into the artery in the dwarf’s neck and spat out the sleeve bolt onto the ground.

TBC...
Source: The Legend of Chu Qiao: Division 11’s Princess Agent - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 9: To the Library

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“Insufficient Energy.”


While staring at the new popup window, Chen Chen’s face looked like he was deep in thought.


Suffice to say, the trickiest scenario had occurred.


The USB drive had exhausted all of its energy instantiating the NZT-48. It would not be able to instantiate any other items.


Having said that, Chen Chen also obtained a piece of good news.


Since it could display a message like “Insufficient Energy”, then it could be taken to imply that the USB drive could be recharged.


As long as the worst-case scenario had not occurred, there was still a chance to salvage the situation.


The only question was what sort of energy did he need to recharge the USB drive?

7

Chen Chen continued staring at the old and dim USB drive before him when an idea suddenly struck him.


He walked to the dorm door and looked up.


An IC card electricity meter was embedded into the wall.


Since the area was along the coastline, the use of air conditioning was common. Therefore, the Shangdu Jiao Tong University dorm did not prohibit the usage of high-voltage electrical appliances.


However, there was a switch in every dorm, limiting the total power usage below 10A.


At the moment, the electricity meter display showed that there was still an excess of 52.65kWh usable electricity in dorm 404.


Electricity?


Chen Chen turned around and searched for the user manual of the laptop. He found out that the laptop’s output voltage was 19V and the output current was 7.8A.


This meant that the laptop’s rated power was at around 150W. It should use around 0.15 kWh per hour.


The USB specification listed the USB supply voltage at approximately 5V and the maximum supply current was 500mA. This meant the maximum output power for a single USB port was 2.5W and the energy consumption per hour was around 0.0025kWh.

4

At this point, Chen Chen furrowed his eyebrows. He ejected the USB drive and turned his attention to the power strip on the table.


This power strip was bought with the money pooled together by four people at the start of the semester. Placed on top of the table, it was more than enough to cater to the needs of four people.


To make things more convenient, they specifically bought a power strip with a dedicated USB port at that time.


Chen Chen looked at the power strip. Iit was listed that the USB port power was 5V, 4A. This meant that the largest maximum power output was 20W, consuming 0.02kWh per hour.


At this point, Chen Chen inserted the USB drive into the power strip’s USB port.


“If my assumptions are correct, if the USB drive can be recharged with electricity, it should be reflected in the electricity meter as well.”


Chen Chen thought the computer was currently the only thing using electricity. If he turned off the computer and the electricity meter was still running after an hour, that would prove the USB drive could use electrical energy.

2

The reason that he did not plug into the computer’s USB port was that the computer’s USB power was too low. The electricity meter could only display the first two decimal places. If he plugged into the computer USB, he would not be able to tell even if there were electrical usage.


Chen Chen looked at the time and took his phone out again to set an hour-long timer.


After that, he turned off the computer and flipped open a copy of Modern Molecular Biology and began reading.


…


An hour had passed by quickly.


When the phone timer rang, Chen Chen had just happened to arrive at the final page as well. However, Chen Chen was not satisfied.


Modern Molecular Biology served as decent academic material but it was a little too crude and general for Chen Chen. It was unable to satisfy his learning crave.


It looked like he would have to make a trip to the library after settling the matter here.


Chen Chen was determined. After that, he walked to the electricity meter and took a look at the value displayed.


Usable electricity: 52.63kWh.


Consumed 0.02kWh in an hour, knew it!


Chen Chen’s eyes glowed. He was certain that the USB drive was able to recharge itself using electricity.

4

This discovery was astounding, almost rivaling the significance of instantiating NZT-48.


Just as Chen Chen was trying to contain his excitement, he suddenly felt a vibration in his ear. He promptly removed the USB drive and stuffed it in his pocket.


The sound of footsteps was approaching closer. Chen Chen looked at the direction of the door. Suddenly, the dorm door was kicked open with a loud “bang.”


Li Bo marched into the tempo of Meipai Shake1.


“Chen Chen, you didn’t attend this afternoon’s class!”


When he saw Chen Chen staying at the dorm, Li Bo immediately yelled at the top of his voice, “Old Deng was calling for you specifically!”


“I already requested a day off with the councilor.”


Chen Chen said without turning toward him, “Lil Bo, we better not walk together from now on,”


“Why?”


“I’m worried I’ll get beaten up being seen walking with you.”

2

Chen Chen packed his belongings. Seeing as it was not five o’clock yet, he got up and went outside the dorm.


“Where are you going? Want to grab a meal at AA later?”


“I don’t have money, bye.”


Chen Chen left without turning back to look at him.


His current state was different from his usual self. Even Chen Chen took note of this.


If his past self was described as a quiet and shy teenager, then right now, he was a fully confident and composed successful man.

2

Not an ounce of fear, uneasiness, shyness…


All he had was unapologetic confidence.


It was different to conceal this sort of temperament. Therefore, Chen Chen tried his best to distance himself from people he knew so they would not sense that something was off.


Chen Chen reached the canteen. He bought four buns with two Renminbi. He ate two of them and put away the remaining two in a plastic bag for when he got hungry at night.

2

Such was the simple life of a poor man.


How boring.


While walking to the library, Chen Chen continued thinking about his next move.

2

If he wanted to do great things in his life, he could do so with the help of NZT-48. However, there was no end to a man’s desire. How would he be able to be satisfied?

1

Naturally, his next move was to find a way to recharge the USB drive and squeezed the maximum value of the USB drive.

1

The power strip’s USB port did not have enough power.


Though he did not know exactly how much power the USB drive needed to meet the required condition, even his toes could figure out it was an astronomical number.

3

Therefore, Chen Chen was going to need a large number of funds.


Once he had the funds, whether he wanted to buy himself a factory in the industrial zone or build a power plant, these options would all be viable.


Only by doing this would Chen Chen be able to supply the USB drive with enough electricity while remaining unnoticed by the outside world.

6

To sum it up, money was still the catalyst for everything.


As it was now, there was only one way Chen Chen could make money and that was with the help of NZT.

1

When Chen Chen thought of this, he no longer hesitated. He firmly planted both feet into the library building.


When Chen Chen saw the crowd in the library, he sighed quietly.


It seemed like he would have to camp here for some time to come.


The library had no lack of situations where “the book was present but the person was not”. Several golden spots where it was quiet and allowed easy access were already taken up by piles of books. If not for there being someone to clean up at night, these books could probably pile up dust.


Chen Chen came to the foreign language reading room. He surveyed briefly before choosing Modern University Level English (Second Edition). Then, he found an acceptable spot for him to sit down.


Back when Chen Chen was in junior high, he had wondered why was it that China region had to make Northern America’s language a compulsory subject, and what with it taking up such a large ratio in the curriculum?

6

It was not until just now when Chen Chen finally understood.


As much as he did not want to admit it, Northern America was the true core of the confederation whether in terms of economics or technology.

10

All of the truly prestigious academic thesis was largely written in English.


It was difficult to express some of the technical and professional vocabularies in Chinese. Even after translated, a layer of its meaning was missing in translation.

7

This one layer of meaning that may seem unseemly proved to be greatly significant. It caused many difficulties for research in Mainland China.


Therefore, if Chen Chen wanted to venture into scientific research, proficiency in English was going to be a cornerstone.


This was the advice of the older generation in China when it came to education.


It was not fawning over Western ideologies nor was it siding with others. It was all just to keep up with others.

3

That was all it was.

TBC...
Source: I Have A Super USB Drive - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 8: Insufficient Energy
1

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

‘Next step: instantiating the ‘Permanent Immunity Shot’.


‘If successful, no matter what I try in the future, at the very least, there’ll be a safety net to fall back on.


‘But if it’s a failure…’


On the subway, Chen Chen continued scribbling his plans in a notebook.

2

Even after taking NZT, Chen Chen still did not dare to make any assumptions about the USB drive.


After all, it was an existence that had surpassed the realms of science. Even all of the cutting-edge scientific studies that mankind had accumulated so far stood no chance before it.


‘Anyway, experiment on it as soon as possible.’


Chen Chen thought to himself as he touched the USB drive strapped on his arm.

3

Three o’clock in the afternoon, Chen Chen returned to the school. He noticed there was not a single person in the dorm.


According to the class schedule, this afternoon was Professor Deng Yun’s biochemistry class. Unless he had taken a day off, he would not simply skip Old Deng’s class.


There would not be another opportunity like this again. Chen Chen locked the door and quickly booted up the computer to download the final episode of the TV series, Limitless.


Chen Chen only took off the USB drive from his arm after ten minutes when the download was complete.


Over the past few days, Chen Chen had regularly inspected whether the USB drive could regain its glossiness on its own. After all, the USB drive had sufficient energy at the time he first got it.


It could be that all that energy was left behind for him by the previous owner of the USB drive.


Therefore, Chen Chen had reasons to believe that the USB drive could recharge itself.


It seemed apparent now that Chen Chen had made a wrong assumption.


Over the last seven days, the USB drive remained unchanged. It did not seem like it was going to regain even a bit of its glossiness.

1

Unless the recovery period took years, that might be it.


He also did not know how many times the USB drive had performed instantiation, how much energy was left in it, and whether it could instantiate the permanent immunity shot.


Chen Chen continued pondering while inserting the USB drive into the computer.


The USB drive was quickly validated as a disk-shaped symbol appeared on the computer screen.


Chen Chen opened the USB drive space. He copied the downloaded video into it.


Finally, Chen Chen double-clicked the video.


“Thump!”


An error message window popped out.


“Unable to play?”


Chen Chen frowned. He began to feel slightly defeated. Then, that feeling was immediately suppressed by NZT’s drug effect.


One of the most valuable aspects of the NZT drug was that it could help the user remain composed.


For ordinary people, the term being calm was merely an adjective. It was not an easy task for someone to attain real, complete calmness.


Yet, Chen Chen did it effortlessly like it was just second nature to him.


Humans knew to breathe and cry from the moment they were born as these were instincts. Right now, calmness was Chen Chen’s instinct.


“No, there must be another reason…”


In Chen Chen’s completely composed state, he suddenly thought of another possibility.


He considered for a moment and tried to create a new folder in the USB drive.


He right-clicked on a blank space – New – File. Sure enough, a new item called “New Folder” appeared in the USB drive.


There was hope!


Chen Chen immediately opened the web page and began downloading the TV series Limitless. From the first episode to the second last episode, not missing a single one.


This round, it took a longer time to download.


Chen Chen suddenly noticed he could not bear the idea of himself just doing nothing.


In that case, he could put his learning ability after taking NZT-48 to the test.


While Chen Chen was waiting for the download, he flipped open a book on the table titled “21st Century University Level English (Volume One).”


English and math had never been Chen Chen’s strong suit, otherwise, he would not have taken a major in biological science. The prospects of this major he took were rather bleak. The only advantage was that the graduation rate was relatively high.

1

Chen Chen shook his head, then he flipped open the book and took a brief look.


However, just one brief look made him completely immersed in it.


In that instant, the entire dorm fell into a deep, extreme silence. The only sounds left were the buzzing from the computer hard drive spinning and the clock’s never-ending tick tock…

1

“Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick, tock…”


Under the still surface, Chen Chen’s brain was operating at extreme speed. Starting from junior high school, memories of each English class began to surface vividly in his mind.


Using the current textbook as a reference, all the information he originally did not understand was quickly deciphered, digested…


…


“Hmm?”


By the time Ye Chen came back to his senses from studying, he had already flipped through the entire textbook and arrived at the final page.

2

Chen Chen blankly stared at the final blank page on the hardcover. He suddenly jolted and came back to his senses.


“Is this what it feels like to gain knowledge?”

15

Chen Chen tried to recall his previous enchanting state.


When he was in that state, the process of gaining knowledge did not feel dull. On the contrary, he could feel himself being rejuvenated bit by bit.


Under the effect of NZT, he was able to grasp all the knowledge in the book after only going through them once.


Not only that, over this learning session, he was even able to resolve information he did not understand back in junior high.


He checked the time. Only an hour had passed.


In just an hour, Chen Chen had successfully learned an entire semester’s worth of English.


“Phew!”


Chen Chen breathed out a muddy breath, expressing the shock and awe he felt. This was the first time he had experienced how delightful and captivating learning was.


All of this was thanks to the effects of NZT-48.

1

“Ding!”


Right then, a notification came from the computer indicating that the download had been completed.

1

Chen Chen closed the book. He opened the computer and made sure all of the episodes had been downloaded. Then, he clicked ctrl + c, opened up the new folder in the USB drive, and clicked ctrl + v.


The progress bar flashed quickly.


About ten seconds later, nearly a dozen gigabytes worth of file was moved into the USB drive.


Once again, Chen Chen opened the twenty-second episode. The video software was promptly started. This time, there was no error message window popping out on the computer.


“I knew it!”


Chen Chen’s eyes turned bright.


His hypothesis was correct. For the USB drive to instantiate an object, apart from it having to be a video featuring real people, there was another hidden condition.


The completeness of the story.


Considering what had happened earlier, he had only downloaded the final episode of the TV series and was not able to open the film.


However, after he had downloaded all of the episodes in the series, he was able to open it.


Did this mean that the USB drive could only perform instantiation after attaining the complete story?

2

It remained unknown how many hidden secrets the USB drive contained…

2

Chen Chen heaved a sigh of relief. He silently skipped the video to the part of the “permanent immunity shot” and paused it.


After that, Chen Chen began to imagine the immunity shot in the screen being manifested into reality.


“Bloop…”


The screen seemed to turn into a pane of clear water. The permanent immunity shot swayed up and down in the water, forming circles of ripples around it.


Chen Chen subconsciously raised his hand.


However, the very moment Chen Chen was about to grip the immunity shot, the footage suddenly stopped!


“Thump!”


In an instant, Chen Chen felt an electrocuting sensation on his fingertips as if he had been bitten by a bug!


He immediately withdrew his hand and noticed blood was pouring out of his finger.


On his fingertips, a tiny chunk of flesh had disappeared out of thin air…

4

At that moment, a window popped out from the screen again.


What was displayed on the window was not a software error. Instead—


“Insufficient Energy.”

TBC...
Source: I Have A Super USB Drive - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 27
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Yan Xun fixed his gaze on her intently, his eyes lighting up like fire. Chu Qiao rolled off the horse swiftly, her slight frame showed no trouble in doing so. Once she was off the horse, she lifted her chin to gaze back at him. “I’ll be leaving now, Yan Xun. Though we may live in different worlds, in my heart I will remember all the times when you lent me your hand. If there ever comes a day when I can return the favor, I will.”

Yan Xun did not respond, but a faint smile reached his lips.

From the look on his face, Chu Qiao suspected that something was up but did not overthink the issue. Time was running short, and it wouldn’t do her any good to linger here. Although the entire affair got a little out of hand, not only did Zhuge Yue come out of nowhere, but the troops of the Wei family and the Dauntless Cavalry Camp were alerted as well. The extent of the commotion was ridiculous. However, in such a large city, she was confident she could hide safely.

The child knelt and tightened the coat she wore. She took one last glance at Yan Xun, then turned around and quickly ran off towards the empty street.

Horsesteps abruptly sounded behind her. Before she could turn back and see, Chu Qiao’s tiny body was picked up by someone. Yan Xun’s laughter sounded warmly from behind her. “Don’t believe I can’t protect a lass like you? Let’s go! We return to Yan Bei tonight. I shall see what the generals of the Wei Army and the Dauntless Cavalry Camp can do about that!” That said, he brought his whip down hard, then rapidly galloped towards the city gates.

“Your Highness!” Surprised, Feng Mian and Yan Shiqi cried aloud at the same time.

“Shiqi, gather our men, and follow me out of the city.”

The north wind whistled and the snow covered the sky. More than a hundred riders galloped frantically on the streets and startled a large portion of Zhen Huang City residents from their sleep. But none of them were keen to know what happened that night. They cautiously sealed their windows, afraid that trouble would come to them if they got involved.

Yan Xun reined on his war horse, then put up a hand to stop the movements of the Yan Guards behind him. The young prince raised his chin slightly, staring at the rows of soldiers on the opposite side with a cold gaze. Yan Shiqi spurred forward. “We are soldiers of His Highness, the Prince of Yan Bei, Yan Xun. Who goes there and why do you block our path?” he hailed loudly.

“I am the Army Major General of the North Barricade of the Dauntless Cavalry Camp with orders to lock down this road.” A resonant voice sounded across from him.

Yan Xun’s eyebrows tightened. “I hold imperial orders from Sheng Jin palace! Who dares stand in my way?” he proclaimed, showing his displeasure.

“That’s rather unfortunate.” A slightly feminine voice spoke slowly. The voice wasn’t loud, but in the silent night it sounded rather ear-piercing and dense with coldness.

A young boy dressed in ink-green silk robes circled to the front of the crowd. His lips formed a slight smile, then slowly said, “Prince of Yan, unlucky for you, I happen to have imperial orders from Sheng Jin palace as well. Tonight, no one leaves the city. Those who violate that order will be…” The boy paused intentionally, his eyes going up and down Yan Xun’s body. Then he faintly smiled, spitting out his next three words, “…killed without pardon.”

“Wei Jing?” Yan Xun arched his eyebrows. A full length of a horse behind him, Chu Qiao spurred forward as well. Using his hand, the one with the whip, Yan Xun silently put up his arm. He blocked her path and shielded her from sight. Dressed in the Yan guards’ clothing, Chu Qiao felt warmth in her heart. She lifted her head and looked at Yan Xun’s straight, poised spine. The warmth crept into her, and on a cold night like this, it felt especially precious.

“Besides, if I remember correctly, the imperial order given to Your Highness was to leave tomorrow morning.”

“I miss my mother, the Queen of Yan. I leave tonight.” Yan Xun scoffed, his eyebrows arched.

“Filial piety is a good thing, but I don’t think there is a reason to rush to show it, Your Highness.”

“Sorry to have you see me like this, Childe Wei, but I’m young and headstrong. If I decide on something, I must see to it immediately. I won’t be able to sleep otherwise.”

“Is that right?” Wei Jing smiled slightly, his voice soft but unsettling. “If that’s the case, then Your Highness may be in for a sleepless night.”

“You are too bold, Childe Wei!” The boy page, Feng Mian, stepped forward as he yelled angrily, “Even during normal times, my prince has the right to leave the city and hunt whenever he likes, and no one would dare say a word about it, much less now. On whose authority do you stand here to challenge that right?”

“On the authority of the Sheng Jin palace!” a low voice abruptly sounded behind them. Yan Xun and his company of men turned around, only to find two more legions of soldiers marching towards them. Wei Shuye, dressed in a dark fur coat, accompanied by Zhuge Huai at his side. His face showed no sign of his usual kindness. Instead, it was cold as ice and completely expressionless.

“On the imperial orders, King of Yan Bei, Yan Shicheng, was found treasonous for plotting a rebellion and betraying the empire. Major General Wei Shuye had special orders to capture the heir of the Yan Bei King, Yan Xun, and turn him over to the Court of Judgement for custody.” As soon as he said it, flashes of silver light cut through the night, as countless blades were freed from their sheaths. With startled expressions still on their faces, the Yan guards simultaneously dashed forward, shielding Yan Xun by standing in front of him.

“Hey!” Chu Qiao removed the crossbow from her waist, then moved forward to stand against Yan Xun’s right shoulder. “Looks like they are here for you.”

The look of shock and anger slowly abided from Yan Xun’s face. “Sorry to drag you in,” he growled, eyes sternly fixed on the other side.

“It’s alright.” Chu Qiao smiled. “A favor for a favor. Once this battle is over, we’ll be even.”

The night was darker than ever. Savage winds attacked from the direction of the Nine Realm Platform, sweeping across the entire main street. It turned over the edges of the young men’s robes, their clothing flapped in the wind like moths diving into the flames to die. Up in the cloud-covered sky, a large, black avian flew across the night, its wings beating as it maneuvered through heavy, cotton-like snow, uttering shrill cries. Upon Jiuwai Main Street, the breath of the war horses instantly turned to frost. Sabres emitted bright, chilling light that cut through the moon and stars. They glistened against the blood red colored gleams of torches, as if reflecting the eyes of primal beasts.

One by one, the iron-strong Yan guards began to fall under swarms of arrows. His shoulder soaked in blood, Yan Shiqi desperately cut down another flying arrow, then turned around to yell loudly, “Protect the prince! Get him out!”

A couple of Yan guards roared in reply. They waved their swords in a circular motion as if drawing a full moon. They surrounded and protected Yan Xun in the middle.

With a loud rumble, a miniature catapult was carried onto the battlefield and soon boulders began to fall. Before long, the protective circle formed by the bodies of the Yan guard was smashed open, the blood of the Yan warriors sprayed frantically, their bodies knocked up showers of snow as they struck the ground.

“Where are you going?” With one hand, Yan Xun grabbed Chu Qiao, who was about to charge into battle equipped with only a crossbow and a lean, frail body that showed no sign of threat. The young man anxiously shielded her. “Do you want to die?” he bellowed angrily.

“Let me go!” Chu Qiao struggled, her eyes scanned the opposing crowd. At the same time, she tried to break free of Yan Xun’s grasp.

With a single stroke, Yan Xun knocked down another arrow. His eyebrows perked up like his sword. Hr roared angrily, “You are running to your death! I won’t let you.”

“There may still be a chance to live if we go now,” Chu Qiao turned around, her voice uncompromising. “Do you expect me to stay here with you and wait for our deaths?”

Stunned, Yan Xun’s eyes seemed to dim under the light of the fire. He spoke deeply with a faint trace of child-like pique, “Take heart that even if I die here today, I will never let you down.”

Chu Qiao knew he had misunderstood her words, but decided against explaining. Instead, she turned around to make a light harrumph sound.

“Shiqi,” Yan Xun said, “later, when it gets chaotic, take some men and escort her to someplace safe, do you hear me?”

“Prince Yan!” Yan Shiqi’s forehead furrowed as he protested, “My duty is to protect you!”

“Your duty is to do as I say!”

Chu Qiao stared at them with a frown. Seeing that Yan Xun was distracted, she jerked her hand and broke free from his grasp. Being lean and small, she was surprisingly nimble as she hopped onto a horse and left the circle in an instant.

“You!” Caught by surprise, Yan Xun howled loudly, and suddenly eyes of both sides were focused on the tiny child.

Chu Qiao rode with impeccable skills. Like a tiger out of its cage, she snatched a pair of sharp blades from two of the Yan guards. Her maneuvers were dazzling. Holding her small crossbow, she moved her body left and right, then fired from multiple positions at the side and under the horse. Without enough light in the night, the sharp, flying arrows could not reach her at all.

“Quick! Cover her!” Yan Xun began shooting with a bow as well, penetrating the skull of an enemy archer with a thud. Being highly skilled in archery and possessing a perfect martial form, he approached the enemy within seconds.

Though weak in strength, Chu Qiao attacked from extremely cunning angles. With quick eyes and hands, she won her battles with bravery and stealth. This allowed her to charge into enemy ranks in a matter of minutes, even though anyone with a good eye could tell she had yet to learn much about martial arts. She waved her blades and struck two men, then threw a flying blade before her opponent could attack. The weapon pierced the throat of a Wei soldier.

Seeing such aggressiveness from such a small child, the morale of the Yan guards were considerably raised. Seeing the opportunity, Yan Shiqi bellowed, “Charge with me!”

“You’re just trapped, thrashing beasts, you don’t know any better!” Wei Jing sneered coldly. Holding up his crossbow, he quickly pulled back the bowstring and loaded an arrow. Immediately, a streak of silver light was fired as the arrow took off like a shooting star.

The sound of air rushed towards Chu Qiao, but when she realized it, it was too late. She moved her head to the side and found the arrow shivering within her pupils, and in an instant, her face was struck as her body slanted to the side, then fell off the horse!

“Lass!” Yan Xun cried. He turned his face to look at Wei Jing, his eyes flaring with an anger that threatened to burn another man.

Wei Jing sneered again, then spoke in a loud voice, “The Prince of Yan has disobeyed imperial orders! All men heed my command, capture him, alive or dead!”

The Army of Wei roared, then advanced forward with soldiers from the Dauntless Cavalry Camp. The battle suddenly turned from a shooting battle to close range combat. Yan Xun sent a bulky man flying with a single kick, his three-footed bronze sword dancing as he cleaned up two more enemies who tried to pounce on him.

“Yan Xun, are you trying to raise a rebellion?” Zhuge Huai cried when he saw what Yan Xun was doing. He did not join the battle, but instead commanded the soldiers of Zhuge household to stand and watch from outside the range of combat.

“If you really wanted to condemn me, wouldn’t you find something to charge me with? I never even thought about rebelling, but if the house of Wei uses the Grand Elder’s Council to prosecute us, then we will show that the men of the Yan Bei Kingdom are no pigs waiting for slaughter!”

“Arrogant b*stard!” Wei Jing snorted. Spurring forward, he waved his hand as he said, “If that’s the case, then don’t blame me for overlooking our days as studymates together.”

Just as he was going to issue an all-out attack, a sharp, piercing sound rang next to his ear. Bewildered, Wei Jing turned around to see the corpse of the Army Major General from Dauntless Cavalry Camp fall off his horse with a crash. The man’s eyes were wide open, his forehead punctured by a single arrow and his mouth gaped in disbelief. It was as if he was trying to say something, but could no longer utter a single word.

He and the general had stood outside of the shooting range, and the shot could not have come so far, so where did the arrow come from?

A severe sense of crisis washed over Wei Jing. He madly turned his horse around and was about to run away when his battle horse whined and knelt forward, its forelegs suffering critical wounds. Wei Jing fell off the horse. Before he could pick himself up, a cold, sharp dagger was tightly placed on his throat. Chu Qiao’s cold voice spoke directly in his ear, with a faint trace of jest and mockery, “How do you feel now, Childe Wei?”

TBC...
Source: The Legend of Chu Qiao: Division 11’s Princess Agent - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 26
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“Leave some people here, the rest of you, follow me!”

The guards rushed out of the room in a flurry, leaving just three men to guard the body of old Grand Master Zhuge.

Other children all looked at Chu Qiao, terrified. She, who just coaxed away the guards of Zhuge courtyard, with a crossbow in hand, no longer showed any sign of fear on her face. She smiled at the servants checking on the corpse of the second Grand Master Zhuge, and whistled loudly in a light-hearted manner. “Hey! Stop what you are doing.”

The three guards turned their heads and the color drained from their faces immediately. But before they had time to yell out a single cry, three arrows were fired in rapid succession and struck the three astonished skulls at the same time, like shooting stars. Their bodies fell simultaneously, their blood flowed, loyally following their Master Zhuge to hell.

“Ahhhhhh!” a child slave suddenly screamed.

Chu Qiao covered the child’s mouth at once. “You should have yelled when I told you to, rather than choosing this moment to make my life difficult.”

The children’s faces were the color of clay as they sobbed quietly.

Chu Qiao breathed a long sigh, then slowly spoke, “What I’m about to say is very important, you have to listen carefully if you want to stay alive, understand?”

They stopped crying and stared at her with their eyes wide.

“Me? I am one of steward Zhu Shun’s people. That old goat has always harassed children and has lost all humanity. Steward Zhu Shun could put up with it no longer and I was sent here to kill him. We are getting rid of him for good of our society, and none of you are allowed to rat on steward Zhu Shun; no matter what kind of torture the Zhuge household imposes on you. You may not tell. Steward Zhu Shun will save you, do you remember that?”

The children nodded their head quickly, like a group of frightened bunnies.

Chu Qiao smiled faintly. The net had been cast, now they could only wait for the fish to flop in. Whether these kids would willingly take on the torture without telling or not, the people of Zhuge household would doubt their words. But all of Qing Shan court saw firsthand that it was Zhu Shun’s men who brought her to the court of Zhuge household, and this fact alone would ensure that he would never get out of it. Death is inevitable, it’s just a matter of how.

She glanced at the trickling hourglass. There was enough time to sneak back and help Xiaoba, who was escaping from the back door. Yet just as she was leaving through the front door, a hand suddenly clasped her ankle tightly. Chu Qiao looked down and saw it was a guard on his last breath.

“You deserve to die for playing jackal to the tiger!” Chu Qiao’s eyes were cold as she pulled out the arrow from the man’s forehand in a single motion. The body twitched a few times, then stopped moving altogether. Chu Qiao strained to pry open his hand, but couldn’t pull her leg out after multiple tries. She abruptly lost her mind in a fury, pulling out the sabre at the guard’s waist and then chopped off his hand with a thud.

“What are you doing?” a low voice rumbled, not particularly loud but filled with malice. Dressed in a fiery red fur coat covered in snow and followed by a large company of retinues from the Qing Shan court, Zhuge Yue looked somberly at the child whose hands were covered in blood, pausing after each word.

Chu Qiao looked up as her pretty eyebrows knitted together. Why was Zhuge Yue here? But that’s not important to me anymore. She gazed at him calmly, ther corners of her mouth raised in a faint smile. “As you can see, I’ve killed this filthy old man, who deserves to die ten thousand times over for his sins.”

Zhuge Yue’s face looked sullen and dark clouds flickered under his eyes. “The things that happened before, they were your doing too?”

“That’s right!” The child’s face beamed. The sweet, innocent smile on her face seemed so unfitting under the circumstances. Holding the severed hand in one hand, she grinned as she spoke, “Unfortunately for you, it’s too late to know now. It may be a better idea to think about how to face the questions from the other family branch leaders of Zhuge clan. After all, I’m a servant from your court, and with the death of Zhuge Xi, the biggest benefactor would be you and the first wife’s family branch.”

“Men!” Zhuge Yue growled. “Seize her!”

“In your dreams!” the child sneered. She bellowed as she made a throwing motion, “Take this!”

The servants of Qing Shan court agilely went to surround Zhuge Yue, shielding him in layers with their bodies. Though still young in age, Yue Qi’s martial skills are well beyond his years as he pulled out his sabre and rapidly spun forward. His blade was dancing like the wind and rain at extreme speeds. Waves of white lights flashed before him, forming a barrier that would even repel water if it was splashed at him.

Splat. An object abruptly struck the blade of Yue Qi, and a line of blood jetted up towards the sky. They looked down to find a mangled and disfigured hand.

Outside the window, the child uttered a shrill cry, “Zhuge Yue, Linxi won’t die for no reason!” The moonlight was dense with tension as the tiny body vanished into the boundless night.

The young boy’s face was darker than the night, his eyes red with anger as he stood there. Zhu Cheng glanced at him fearfully, his voice anxious as he shouted at the guards, “What are you waiting for? Get her!” They stumbled after the girl as if they had just woke from a dream.

In the flower thickets of the side residence, a girl’s delicate body quickly dashed along the winding trails like a civet cat. Just then, a group of men seemed to emerge in the distance, apparently running towards her. The child’s face showed nothing as she halted her footsteps.

“Oh! It’s you!” Once she identified the approaching crowd, the child hurried forward. “Did you get the bad guys?”

The man in charge barked when he saw it was a sobbing girl slave. “Move! This isn’t something you may ask, now out of my way!” As he spoke, his hands reached out and were about to push the child’s shoulders.

“There were more assassins in the house who killed all of your people. They claimed to be working for the fourth young master of Qing Shan court, and I’m only here to spread the word.”

“What?” The man spoke, his face full of shock. “Nonsense, there were around three hundred men lurking outside the gates as well, you could tell from one glance that they did not belong to the Zhuge household. Our brothers were struggling to hold them back, so we returned to get reinforcements.”

There were people outside? Could they be Zhuge Yue’s retinues? Chu Qiao’s eyebrows knitted together. She calmly said, “This way is impassible; they have more people than you. How about you hide here and I lure them out for you?”

The man was delighted. Perhaps this little girl does have some courage. “Good, if this works, I’ll truthfully report what happened to my superiors.”

“Yes.” The child beamed. “I only ask to be freed from my servitude.”

The men of Qing Shan court followed moments later. Before they could utter a sentence, they were engaged by the men of Zhuge’s side residence in the dark.

Yue Qi rode forward, his voice seething with anger. “Who are you people? I am the subordinate of the second old master and the personal bodyguard of the fourth young master! ”

“Go f*ck yourself!” The opposing brute spat, “I’m the imperial guard of Sheng Jing palace! Brothers, get them!”

As the clash and bangs of fighting raged on, Chu Qiao gradually retreated from the battlefield. Upon finally reaching the outer wall, Chu Qiao glanced at her surroundings and looked for wall-climbing equipment. Just then, she felt a wave of air on the back of her head. Chu Qiao immediately turned around, her reflexes fast and agile. She pulled out her crossbow and prepared to shoot, yet her opponent was even quicker. Her captor scooped her up with one arm and nimbly performed multiple leaps, landing on the high walls.

“Yikes, it’s so rude of you to wave weapons at me the moment we meet.” Yan Xun was dressed in a large, pure white fur coat, with pitch black hair and eyes that shone like the stars. He looked at her with a playful, almost flirtatious smirk on his lips.

Back at the Zhuge court, there were lit torches and disarrayed people everywhere. The people inside and outside of the court tangled together in combat. The sound of battle persisted on and on. Yan Xun looked around, shaking his head as he sighed. “Look at you, a little child causing such a big mess. The Zhuge family is so unlucky to have you as their servant.”

Chu Qiao snorted. She struggled and said, “Let go of me!”

The young boy laughed, unafraid to be seen by other people. He inched closer with a grin on his face, “Girl, I don’t mind you skipping our date. But now that you owe me another favor, how are you going repay me?”

“Who asked for your help? You conceited b*stard!”

“Hmph, you always say that. I feel like my kindness went to a backbiting wolf.” Yan Xun harrumphed, but his face immediately brightened up. “But that’s alright, I do as I please. Now that the show is over, we better go before the fire catches up to us. Hold on tight!” That said, the young boy took off and leaped down from the edge of the wall.

Surprised, Chu Qiao cursed under her breath for his stupidity and arrogance. But at the same time tightened her grip on Yan Xun’s body. She hoped that the brilliant art of Qinggong really existed in this world, otherwise the fall would surely kill both of them.

Thump. The war horse neighed as the weight of two people landed on its back. Feng Mian grinned cheerfully. “My prince, I’ve been waiting for ages.”

Seated on his horse, Yan Xun laughed heartily. “Then let’s go.”

Behind them the battlecries were so loud that they reached the sky. The light of flames dazzled for miles on end. The prince of the Yan Bei kingdom raised his whip and galloped onward. He quickly disappeared at the end of the long street.

Almost at the same instant, Wei Jing and Zhuge Huai received a secret letter. Under the candlelight, the elite members of their respective families’ younger generation expressed deep concerns on their face. Then, after giving short, brief instructions, they each stepped out of their family households.

Across the sky the clouds layered and snow filled the air. The moon faintly shone upon the land of the living. Beside the Bai Liu Temple of Zhen Huang City, Yan Shiqi, the shadow guard from the court of the Yan Bei Prince, had just intercepted Yan Xun’s war horse. His face was stricken with worry as he said, “Lieutenant Colonel Song from the city-front, General of the Dauntless Cavalry has surrounded your residence with troops. The eldest young master from the Zhuge household hurried towards Ba Xing Alley with his army of bodyguards as well. Now, they are all making their way here.”

Yan Xun frowned, his voice deep with concern, “What’s the Dauntless Cavalry Camp doing here? Did the Zhuge family notify the Grand Elder’s Council so quickly?”

“Prince!” Feng Mian cried. The sound of hoofbeats approached rapidly from the rear. “Men have caught up from behind!” The page hurriedly said, his face filled with worry.

“How many? Are they Zhuge Yue’s men?” Yan Xun asked.

“No.” Covered in snow, Feng Mian was so agitated that the white dust on his hat tumbled as he spoke. “They were men from the Wei’s house, I saw Wei Shuye lead at the front with my own eyes.”

“The Wei family?” Yan Xun frowned again, the tone of his voice even lower than before. “When did they start working with the men of Zhuge family? On top of that, how could they possibly notify and mobilize the Wei army in such a short time?” He looked down at Chu Qiao, who sat next to him. “Lass, did you provoke the men from the Wei family?”

Chu Qiao’s forehead scrunched together as her tiny face fell into deep thought, but she quickly shook her head affirmatively. “Nope.”

“Then I don’t know why that is,” Yan Xun muttered.

Chu Qiao turned her head around. “One must bear the consequences of their own actions. This matter concerns myself alone. There is no need for you to be dragged into this, Yan Xun.”

Yan Xun was stunned. Her face was obviously that of a child, but seeing the calmness and composure between her words and expression, he couldn’t help but stare in awe. “Lass, I am so inexplicably drawn to you, so before you tell me the truth about yourself, I would rather not see you fall captive like this.”

Chu Qiao, with arched eyebrows, coolly said, “As long as time stands, there will be a day when we meet again. Besides, it won’t be easy for them to catch me. Being a small target and being on my own, I could easily get away. On the other hand, considering your social status, I don’t want you involved for no reason.”

TBC...
Source: The Legend of Chu Qiao: Division 11’s Princess Agent - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 7: Initial Symptoms

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Chen Chen slowly opened his eyes.


It was as if a blind man had regained his sight. What appeared before him was like a brand new world.

1

The lamp overhead was flickering at a frequency that could otherwise not be observed by the normal eye.

2

Figures were going back and forth from the gap below the door to the emergency room.


Furthermore, the air was filled with the smell of disinfectant. They came in waves one after another…

1

All of this information appeared vividly in his mind as everything he saw came to life. The sound of footsteps, conversations and even the tempo of their breathing…


Not a single detail went unnoticed.


It was like watching a real movie and having the movie resolution switch from 360p to ultra HD 1080p, every frame was complete.

4

Everything in the world remained the same and yet it was like the world had been turned upside down.


That was right, the world remained unchanged. What changed instead was Chen Chen’s perspective of the world.

3

Countless inspiration danced about in his mind. He only had to invoke a thought to recall any memory and knowledge, from the most minute detail to the most significant.

2

He seemed to have suddenly recalled something. Chen Chen lifted his eyebrow and pulled out his phone and looked up the word Limitless. Only this time, Chen Chen added several additional words behind the phrase and added “TV series”.

1

The poster and summary of the TV series Limitless instantly showed up on his search results.


“In the conclusion of the movie, the main character, Eddie Morra, finds out how to counteract the side-effects of the drug. But since it wasn’t shown in the movie, the flash drive isn’t able to instantiate it.


“However, three years later, the movie was readapted into a TV series. Due to the longer runtime, the TV series will need a more engaging story than the movie. Therefore, there’s an eighty percent chance that the TV series will reveal the solution to counteracting the side-effects of NZT…”

6

The idea flashed through Chen Chen’s mind.


For some reason, both the TV series and movie version of Limitless were blocked in Mainland China. Only a brief introduction of the series could be found on the official website. It was not possible to watch them.

12

However, it was on the internet. After some further investigation, Chen Chen was able to find all episodes of the TV series on an inconspicuous niche website.

7

Chen Chen skipped to the final episode and fast-forwarded it to the end of the episode.


Sure enough, in the TV series Limitless, the solution to counteracting the side-effects of NZT-48 was revealed.


It was something known as an “immunity shot.”


According to the TV series, there were two categories of “immunity shot”. One of them rendered the user immune to the side-effects of NZT for several weeks. The other kind granted the user permanent immunity to the side-effects of NZT.


There was only one permanent immunity shot in the world and it only made an appearance in the twenty-second episode, the grand finale.

4

This meant that if Chen Chen was able to get his hands on this permanent version of the “immunity shot”, he would be able to use NZT-48 to his heart’s content without having to worry about side-effects.


Chen Chen closed his phone and leaned back on the chair.


Even though they were both parts of the Earth Federation, perhaps due to political reasons, Mainland China and North America had always been at odds with each other.

9

The battle they were fighting was not necessarily a war but a competition of culture, information, technology, economics, and various other forms.

4

Therefore, now and then there were TV series originating from North America that were not audited by Mainland China, which included the TV series Limitless.

2

In Chen Chen’s memory, he was just randomly browsing online when he came across news of Limitless being adapted into a film series. He was only fourteen-years-old at the time.


He had only casually glanced past it at that time where this information was then buried into the mountain’s load of information swarming on the internet.


Furthermore, even if the TV series was a big hit in North America, he still would not have thought of it when he got the flash drive seven days ago.


This was the effect of NZT-48…


Within three minutes of taking the drug, he was able to pick up distant memories from four years ago to help him find the solution to combat the side-effects of NZT.


He had taken the wrong approach in his very first step.


Chen Chen reflected silently.


Choosing NZT-48 was not the most optimal option, the best option would have been the Crystalline from Chronicles.

14

Why say so?


It was because researching the flash drive would require a great, great, great deal of funds.


Even if the technology was unable to explain the existence of the flash drive, it would still be very worthwhile to solve the energy problem of the flash drive.


As long as the flash drive had ample energy, the possibilities were endless.


If Chen Chen had selected the superpower, he would have millions of ways to attain a large number of funds.

1

However, NZT was different.


NZT was just a drug used to stimulate the brain. Though its value was immeasurable, if Chen Chen really wanted to use NZT to make money, he would first have to accumulate enough knowledge, only then he could use that knowledge to help him make money.

3

Suddenly, there was an additional step in the entire process.


He did not need to even bother with the idea of using the stock market to make money. First of all, Chen Chen did not have the capital funds needed.

1

Secondly, it usually took years for stock prices to fluctuate. If Chen Chen wanted to use the stock market, he would have to resort to high-risk maneuvers like chasing the peak, short-term speculation or taking loans.

1

Furthermore, the stock market in China was manipulated by stockbrokers.

2

Besides, the NZT-48 drugs were numbered.


Chen Chen had calculated before that the sack contained exactly five hundred pills. Each pill lasted approximately twelve hours.

2

Even if Chen Chen only took one pill per day, it would only sustain him for one and a half years.


Not to mention the significant drawbacks of NZT-48.


If the flash drive were to become unusable, Chen Chen would not be able to find other solutions for dealing with the side-effects of NZT-48. Things would certainly get interesting then…

1

In conclusion, NZT-48 was not the best selection available.

5

Since the choice had already been made, there was no point regretting now.


Chen Chen continued thinking while heading toward the door.


At this point, Chen Chen had verified that the NZT was not lethal hence, there was no need to remain here.


However, when Chen Chen passed by the pair of mother and daughter, his ears suddenly jerked. He promptly turned to the little girl and said to her, “Your father will be coming out soon.”


“Really?”


The little girl adorably raised her head.


The young mother beside her was taken back. She raised her head in astonishment and looked at Chen Chen.


What she saw before her was a boy with a pair of clear eyes like a pool of dark crystal without a trace of impurity in them. She could even see her reflection in those eyes

2

“He’s a hero, he’ll turn the situation around.”


The boy smiled gently, then turned around and left. What he said seemed to make no sense but was somehow very convincing.


The little girl looked back at her mother innocently. “Mom, is what the brother said true?”


The young mother opened her mouth and did not know how to answer her. At that moment, the door to the emergency room number two suddenly opened.


“May I know who the family members of Yang Yuexin are?”

2

A stretcher was pushed out of emergency room number two. One of the nurses turned to the pair of mother and daughter who was getting up hurriedly. “You must be the family of Yang Yuexin. After the operation, the patient’s condition has stabilized for the moment. Why don’t you head inside and sort out the official documents.”


“Ah!” The young mother was so surprised that her body trembled. “Alright! Alright…”

2

…


After Chen Chen had left the hospital, he took the subway back to the school.


It was not some sort of act of prophecy that helped him determine that the little girl’s father was safe. It was because Chen Chen had heard the conversation coming from inside the emergency room.


The television on the subway had broadcasted the incident earlier. Even though Chen Chen did not pay attention at that time, after taking NZT, he was able to notice that the little girl’s eyebrows were identical to the eyebrows of the brave man on the news.


In addition, the incident occurred on Renmin Road, which was not far away from Shangdu People’s Hospital. If they called 120, it was very likely it was Shangdu People’s Hospital that had dispatched an ambulance.


The age, time, and location added up. Coupled with the little girl’s appearance, anyone would be able to identify the pair of mother and daughter.

2

Of course, being able to identify them was one matter. First, you had to be able to extract all this information from all the other countless information in your brain and then form a connection between them.


Chen Chen, who had taken NZT, possessed the exact skill to do so.


Astonishing perception and deduction ability. Everything the eyes saw, the ears heard, and every single memory and information could be instantly utilized to string together a connection to form a plausible explanation…


This was what NZT-48 was capable of.

TBC...
Source: I Have A Super USB Drive - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 6: NZT’s Effect

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Over the next few days, Chen Chen would head to the hotel for two hours during lunch break and two hours in the evening from six to eight o’clock. He would feed the drug to the mice and swap out the mattress.


The eight mice were resilient. There were no incidents such as signs of disease or fighting among them. The experiment was progressing smoothly.


It was not difficult to feed the mice. A fixed daily ration of fodder was enough. Occasionally, Chen Chen would give them peanuts or walnuts, which made them jump excitedly.


However, it cost Chen Chen an arm and a leg. His monthly expense was a thousand and five hundred and a week’s rent alone cost upward of a thousand.

2

Chen Chen was only halfway through the month and he could barely afford to eat at the canteen.


“Since there are still no issues, it should be safe to say it isn’t poisonous.”


Seven days later, at noon, Chen Chen came to the hotel right after his class had ended.


Chen Chen glanced at the two cages. If his situation permitted it, he would have liked to run one more abstinence reaction test, but his living expenses said otherwise.


Not to mention, he had already used a pill over the last seven days. It might not be a lot, but under the circumstance where he was unable to reproduce them, each of them was invaluable.

7

Chen Chen took out the final dinner and let the mice fill their belly.


He then took out the tribromoethanol solution he had prepared beforehand. With his left hand, he scooped the mice up one by one with their belly facing up and injected their lower abdomen with the syringe using his right hand. The potion slowly passed through their abdominal muscles.

3

Tribromoethanol solution was commonly used as anesthesia for animals. Since Chen Chen intentionally used a higher dosage, the mice collapsed in their cage one after another within three minutes. They had entered a completely sedated stage.


After around eight minutes had passed, all of the mice unconsciously died in their sleep due to overwhelming of their central nervous systems.


This was death by anesthesia overdose. It was considered the most humane method of terminating animals used for experimentation.

10

Hmm, at least it was more humane than methods such as decapitation, cervical dislocation, bleeding out, and air embolism.


After making sure the mice were dead, Chen Chen left the room. He bought a bottle of alcohol from a pharmacy and chose an empty alleyway where he poured the bottle of alcohol on the carcasses of the mice.

1

Followed by a faint blue flame rising, the group of mice was entirely engulfed in flames. Their bodies turned black and eventually into unrecognizable shapes.

5

Whatever the drug was made of, whether it was a biochemical drug, Chinese and Eastern fusion drug or even a gene-drug, it did not matter anymore. After undergoing a five to six hundred degree high incarceration, all of the molecular bonds had been completely disintegrated.

7

It could also be considered as a cremation ceremony for the eight heroes.

7

After that, Chen Chen did not head back to the school. He got himself some lunch outside then took the ninth line on the subway, heading toward the most prodigious hospital in the city – Shangdu People’s Hospital.


Even though there were no issues with the animal experiment, it was better to be safe than sorry. What if the drug posed no threat to animals but was highly toxic to humans?

3

These situations were not unheard of either, take chocolates for example. When people ate chocolates, not only would they be unharmed, they would probably be in a good mood. However, if a mouse ate chocolate, it would be similar to an old man who was fed up with life deciding to end it all by eating arsenic.


This was the reason Chen Chen decided to take the drug to a hospital. At the hospital, he could still be rescued as long as what he took was not cyanide or paraquat.


Anyone who had experience with the subway knew that the signal reception in the Shangdu Subway was a horrible mess as only emergency calls were available down here. Televisions were installed in the subway to serve as public amenities.


Most of the programs on the television were centered around the news.


Chen Chen sat on the subway and began watching the real-time news flashing one after another on the television out of boredom. There were legal programs and news advertising, it was at least tolerable.


One of the news that caught his attention was a heroic story that had just happened. On Renmin road, a man was repeatedly stabbed three times by a violent criminal in an attempt of stopping a kidnap. He was promptly rescued by the police who arrived at the scene.

4

It was just after the peak hour, therefore, the subway was rather spacious. There were several aunties seated nearby with their church tote bags in hand.


It was rather obvious that these aunties were heading to church for mass.

3

“Ah, Renmin Road? Isn’t it just nearby?”


One of the aunties took off her shoes and crossed her feet on her seat. She rubbed her feet while sighing, “There aren’t many young men like this anymore.”


“Tch, every time I use the subway, it’s so hard to get someone to give me their seat. It’s always oh I don’t feel well or oh it’s my period. These people are ridiculous…”

7

Another aunty sitting nearby, who was twice Chen Chen’s size, sighed as well.


By the time the train had arrived at the station, it was around two in the afternoon.


Chen Chen walked around the hospital for a lap before arriving at the emergency department.


The Emergency Center was the department responsible for attending an emergency medical situation. Whenever he was here, he could feel the heavy atmosphere.


Ambulances roared past one after another. From time to time, stretchers clanked their way through the long corridor, followed by nurses’ hurried footsteps.


Occasionally, a large group of family members would rush in and gather around the corridor. They would bicker endlessly until eventually, a security guard would usher them to their seats in the waiting area.


In this hectic environment, Chen Chen’s arrival did not draw any attention.


Chen Chen sat in the corner of the waiting area. He retrieved a tablet he had prepared well beforehand and inspected it closely.


Chen Chen shook his head, took a deep breath, and gently put it in his mouth.

4

He gently closed his eyes.


One second, two seconds, three seconds…

1

…


“Little Jie, Little Jie, you have to come to the hospital now, your father just passed out…”


…


“Hurry, hurry, hurry! Move it, move it, don’t get in the way, and open the door! Stretcher coming this way!”


…


“Woo… It’s all your fault, would something like this happen if you didn’t drive so fast? If something were to happen to Peng Peng…”


…


“Mum, Mum, what happened to Dad? When will he come out from behind those doors?”

4

…


Chen Chen was not sure when it happened but he noticed that his sense of hearing became extremely sharp.


Nearby, there was a lady with a hoarse voice speaking on the phone. She was telling her daughter about her husband’s condition. She was trying to hold back tears as she spoke.


Outside the emergency room, the stretcher produced a grating sound when moved around, the nurses pushed aside the family members who were in the way.


A pair of married couple sat in front of Chen Chen. They were having a hushed conversation. The lady could not stop crying.


The frail little girl kept asking her mother questions as if this young girl seemed to have finally realized something.


Countless voices were mixed together and yet there was a clear distinction between them. The syllable in every sentence and the emotions these uttered words contained were all visualized in Chen Chen’s mind…

8

It was all like a grand symphony.

TBC...
Source: I Have A Super USB Drive - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 25
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“This is what Sheng Jin palace’s master wants. Child, you can go now. You do not need to know the reason. As long as you know that whatever you are doing is for the Wei family, for Wei family’s three hundred years of honor, that’s enough.”

The child slowly retreated and disappeared. The sunlight shone into his room through the door, giving the room a red hue.

Wei Jing came out from behind the back hall and walked to Wei Guang’s side. Wei Jing wore a dark green robe and had a cold, icy stare and saluted indifferently, “Uncle.”

“Have you prepared everything?”

“You don’t have to worry, uncle. Everything is prepared to perfection.”

“Okay.” Wei Guang turned around and faced the ancestral tablet to burn incense. With his expensive robe dragging on the floor, it rolled up the incense ashes.

Seeing that Wei Guang was about to get up, Wei Jing quickly approached him and held his arm to support him. With a light voice, as if he was gossiping, he said, “Uncle, in your opinion, what are the chances of success for King Yan Shicheng?”

“Ah…” The elderly man chuckled and replied, “No chance at all.”

Wei Jing frowned and said doubtfully, “The fief of Yan Bei is very wide and vast. Even though it is cold, their trading connections with western regions is still prosperous. Since the election, there have been more talented people on their side. Even though the King of Yan Bei does not seem to have any great talent, he is very kind to his people. Since he managed to win the love of the people, he should be able to have some chance of success.”

Wei Guang’s face was filled with wrinkles as he let out a sigh and said, “He himself was not at fault, but what he possessed is bringing him his dooming fate. What do you think made Sheng Jin palace’s master so determined to get rid of the King of Yan Bei? If someone does not make a single mistake, that itself is a mistake. The method to gain power is to balance their successes and failures to maintain a cycle.The only reason they have the intention to kill him is because Yan Shicheng was so blessed with the great location and natural resources. Moreover,” Wei Guang let out a smile and continued, “how can one tree produce two different types of fruits? Yan Bei rose in Da Tong but will also perish due to Da Tong.”

Wei Guang turned his head around and looked at the child who pleased him the most and said, “Jing, people say the Presbyterian will gain power. The seven families are called subordinates and are in fact royals. However, uncle told you that only the owner of the Sheng Jin palace is the real ruler of the Great Xia Dynasty. You must always remember this.”

Wei Jing rarely saw Wei Guang talk about something so seriously, so he quickly bowed his head and agreed.

Wei Guang breathed in deeply and said, “The reason why King Yan will not have a chance of surviving is that he never even thought of rebelling. Hence, even if they have not done a single thing wrong, as long as the master of Sheng Jin palace wants them killed…they will be.”

The sunset was as red as blood and brightened the streets of Zhen Huang city. Some people suddenly exclaimed at the night sky and alerted other passers-by. Everyone looked up and saw a bloody red star strangely flashing in the darkening sky. It kept flashing, giving people chills.

Outside the Zhuge Residence’s main door, Zhu Shun, who realized that he was in trouble, was carried out. Seeing Zhuge Yue ride the horse with a murderous glint in his eye, Zhu Shun immediately forgot about his pain. He desperately ran towards him and cried, “Fourth young master, listen to my explanation. This is all a misunderstanding!”

“Swoosh!” A string of blood shot into the sky. All that could be heard was a man’s pitiful cry as a plump ear, covered in blood, fell to the ground.

“Just wait here. I’ll come back for your life.” The young master had a gloomy expression. Even though his tone was calm, he sounded glum to others. Zhuge Yue’s stare was icy as he turned around. The guards looked at Zhu Shun sympathetically as they obediently followed behind Zhuge Yue.

Zhu Shun had just lost one of his hands a few days ago. He laid on the ground and sobbed while rolling around. However, none of his past so-called confidants dared to go forward and help him.

During dinner, it started snowing, covering the Chi Shui in snow. Yan Xun was wearing a full body white marten fur coat with the hood on, standing by the lake while holding a horse. The young teenager was wearing luxurious clothes and had a very handsome face. His eyes had a lot of energy, and his reflection in the frozen lake was chic yet graceful.

As the sun gradually set down the hill, there was a whale oil lamp that had not been put out for thousands of years, flashing brightly in Sheng Jin palace’s direction. Yan Xun turned his head and slowly gazed in the direction of the palace gate.

“Prince!” Feng Mian ran towards Yan Xun and said breathlessly, “Something big has happened!”

Yan Xun raised his eyebrows and asked, “What happened?”

“There is a rumour that Xing’er was caught by Zhuge family’s second grand master and was brought to the Ba Xing alley’s homes.”

“What?” Yan Xun’s eyebrows shot up in surprise and he said seriously, “When did this happen and where did you hear it from? Are you sure it is true?”

“Yes, I heard it from Zhuge Residence’s cleaner. Whether or not it’s true, I am also not sure. All I know is that it is about Qing Shan court’s Xing’er.”

Yan Xun furrowed his brow, and after contemplating for a long time, he suddenly stood up and jumped on the back of his horse while saying, “Feng Mian, I’m going to Ba Xing alley.”

“What? Are you really going? What if the rumor is false? How about you wait for a while,” Feng Mian worriedly shouted out.

Yan Xun shook his head and said, “If it’s false, I can just come back. There is nothing wrong with that.”

“What reason are we going to use to get in? We can’t just barge in so boldly to find someone, right?”

Yan Xun shift his eyes and said, “We can just say that we are going to say goodbye before we leave the city. Let’s go.”

The wind howled loudly as a large snow fog formed. Not far from the west of the city, there was a three hundred man army waiting quietly as the horse hurriedly galloped back. He said to the young commander, “Major general, I saw with my own eyes that Prince Yan was heading towards Ba Xing alley’s Zhuge courtyard.”

“Zhuge courtyard?”

Wei Shuye frowned and said seriously, “What did Yan Xun go to Zhuge house for? Is Zhuge family trying to intervene? Zhuge Muqing did not attend the the Grand Elder’s Council this time. Maybe he is trying to deliberately avoid this matter?”

Jiang He rode a horse towards him and said, “Major general, I thought he would not. Zhuge Muqing and old Batu have always had a good relationship. This time, he was busy with the flood on his land, Zhuge Muqing had no time. I thought that it was only a coincidence.”

Wei Shuye nodded his head and said, “If this is the case, things would be much smoother.”

A bright moon shone in the sky. Wei Shuye raised his head up towards the sky and said, “It’s time.”

Once the army heard that it was time, they immediately started charging towards Zhuge family’s second old master Zhuge Xi’s residence.

Just as Zhuge Yue, Yan Xun and Wei Shuye were going to strike Zhuge Xi’s residence, they noticed that the young girl’s room was unusually quiet. Fresh blood trickled down the sharp edge of the dagger, penetrating the white camel carpet, creating a red circle pattern. The cooling wind blew into the room from the corner of the window, dissipating an extravagant aroma. The room was brightly lit as Zhuge Xi’s old face was shocked. He grabbed his neck as he stared at the children who were not even up to his shoulders. The sand in the hourglass slowly flowed down and finally, Pong! Zhuge Xi knelt down and slammed on the ground.

“Are you begging me to forgive you?” Chu Qiao asked softly. She gently bowed her head and sideyed Zhuge Xi. The hatred boiling in her stomach was about to burst out through her mouth. Chu Qiao remembered the image of Zhixiang and others’ dead bodies together on the ground. This memory caused her much pain in her heart. She said with a low voice, “There used to be so many people who came to you for mercy. Why did you not spare them?”

Zhuge Xi lay on the floor as the blood rushed out of the wound on his neck. Afraid of death, he trembled as he extended his bloody hands in front of him to continue crawling forward. He wanted to stay as far away from Chu Qiao as possible. His blood left a trail on the ground. The bright red color was so striking and so terrifying.

“You have lived too long. It’s time for you to pay for your sins. If God does not want to collect your sins, I will do it.” The knife slid across his throat and neatly cut off his head. Blood spurted out immediately and became purple with a fishy smell.

Chu Qiao held Zhuge Xi’s head and threw it onto the ground with no expression on her face, then walked towards the ten slave girls hiding in the corner of the room. They looked at her in horror as they squeezed closer to each other. In their eyes, Chu Qiao looked insane for having the sudden courage to kill the old master. She was as scary as one of hell’s devils. But little did they know that if not for her, who knows how many of them would still be alive?

Chu Qiao dragged along a demure, ten year old girl. Her face was as pale as white sheets and her lips were trembling. Chu Qiao bowed her head and said with a very clear voice, “Are you scared?”

The child stared straight ahead and nodded continuously as she feared that she would be the second one to be beheaded. Tears and snot dripped down her face as she dared not make a single sound.

“Since you are scared, you should just scream.”

Even though the child was from a poor family and young, she was sensible and quickly shook her head, saying while crying, ” I won’t make a sound. I did not see anything. Please spare me.”

Chu Qiao impatiently frowned and said, “Was I not being clear enough? Scream out loud.”

“Please,” the child cried, “please spare me. I will do anything you want. AH!”

Chu Qiao suddenly raised her dagger towards one of the slave’s neck and tried to stab her. The child was originally crying softly, but due to the shock, she exclaimed loudly as the dagger slid next to her neck by a hair. Chu Qiao mercilessly inserted the dagger into the bedpost behind the child who was screaming, but not hurt.

“What happened? Master, what happened… Ah! There is a murderer!” The attendant at the door heard the cry for help, carefully stuck his head in the door, and saw Zhuge Xi covered in blood and lying on the floor. He screamed and sat down in shock. He then awkwardly climbed out of the room and stumbled out.

Chu Qiao tried to relieve her anger. Judging by the time, it was very likely that the whole prefecture heard. She threw a dagger towards the servant, impaling his head. It went through his head and stuck out on the other side!

Flustered footsteps started approaching. The child quickly sat with the rest of the slaves as more than twenty guards rushed into the room. Right when they saw Zhuge Xi’s body, the color drained from their faces.

“What happened?” the leader of the guards urgently asked the group of slaves.

“Assassin!” Chu Qiao shouted at the top of her lungs, with tears running down her cheeks, before anyone else could respond. She exclaimed, “Master Zhuge…Master Zhuge was killed… It was so scary…” Her nose started running as her tears continuously ran down her face. Her face was so pale and she could not speak properly as if her tongue was tied.

The leader of the guards asked angrily, “Where did the assassin run off to?”

“There!” Chu Qiao pointed towards the south window that was slightly open and replied, “He went that way!”

TBC...
Source: The Legend of Chu Qiao: Division 11’s Princess Agent - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 5: NZT-48

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Make no mistake. NZT-48 was not one of the AKB48 sister groups idolized by otakus. Rather, it originated from a 2012 movie.

13

This was a substance that could unleash the brain’s potential.

3

What was the brain’s potential?


Theoretically, human brains could remember everything that was seen, heard or felt.

5

However, human memory was the most unreliable thing in the world.

2

During exams, for instance, facts and complicated topics would have been studied and revised beforehand. Even so, due to problems of memory and mental capacity, a blank answer space remained a blank answer space.

3

Studies on neurons in the brain indicated that, although humans used their brains at a 100% capacity, from an evolutionary point of view, there was still more cerebral potential to harvest.

6

Potential here did not mean that “the brain is only using one part, another part is idle”. Instead, it meant that “on the basis of already using the brain fully, we could still become smarter.”

1

NZT-48 was a drug that would increase one’s intelligence.


It allowed one to access the darkest recesses of one’s memories as well as automatically processed and assimilated all this knowledge.


By taking this drug, the user would have an eidetic memory and attain astonishing insight and logical thinking. One could even integrate details and data that would typically go unnoticed and swiftly arrive at a conclusion.

2

As an example, the reasoning and memory of ordinary people were like a disarrayed warehouse. Volumes of memories are piled up haphazardly within. It was a momentous challenge to go through all this information.

1

After taking the drug, one’s reasoning and memory would be like rows of bookshelves in a library. Each memory would be organized into its appropriate position. With just one look, anything and everything could be located.

5

Nonetheless, just like the other substances, NZT-48 had huge negative side effects.


In the original work, the substance seemed like a metaphor for hard drugs. It was a novel that satirized North American society at that time.


In the movie, the substance, just like a drug, would cause dependency. Once the user stopped taking it, they would experience intense withdrawal symptoms.

3

It included headaches, dizziness, memory loss, and even…


Brain death.


Still, this was not a good reason to scare Chen Chen off.

6

Even all the drugs in the movies had negative side effects. How could Chen Chen possibly fail to understand that there was no such thing as a free lunch?

10

Furthermore, Chen Chen specialized in biosciences. As befitting of his field, he could do what the protagonist did by manufacturing an antidote to neutralize the side effects.

11

With this in mind, Chen Chen immediately turned on his laptop and downloaded Limitless.


“Ding!”

3

After over ten minutes of waiting, the movie was successfully downloaded. Without hesitation, Chen Chen copied it into the USB drive, then clicked play –

3

After the extended opening shot, the iconic blue eyes of the main character, Eddie Morra, appeared on screen…


Chen Chen clicked on the movie’s progress bar and slowly dragged it forward. At last, the video paused at the part where the protagonist had found the large bag of NZT-48, which his brother-in-law, Vernon, had hidden in the oven.

6

“Right here!”


Chen Chen muttered. At the same time, he subconsciously reached out toward the screen.


Following that, an astounding sight occurred…


In the video, the tightly sealed bag of NZT-48 floated up and gradually drifted toward the camera.


Simultaneously, Chen Chen’s hand seemed to reach through the screen, closer to its target…


Then, there was a soft touch and Chen Chen instinctively grabbed with his right hand!


By the time he had recovered his senses, there was a sealed bag in his hand, around the size of his palm, filled with unknown pills!

2

He had succeeded!


Chen Chen stood up with a clatter with wild glee shimmering in his eyes.


He turned over the plastic bag in his hand with a look of incomparable wonder. He felt as if he was dreaming!


“Relax, relax. Chen Chen, there’s still much you have to do…”


Chen Chen forced himself to calm down, then he ejected the USB drive. Chen Chen only plugged it out when the computer signified that it could be safely removed.

1

USB drive…

1

It was only when he noticed the USB drive’s current appearance that Chen Chen thoroughly regained his composure.


After instantiating a bag of NZT-48, the USB drive was now dull without a hint of gloss. It was like a piece of rubbish that had been left out in the weather and abandoned for decades.


‘I hope it can be recharged…’


Chen Chen prayed silently. He patted his pockets but was not sure where to hide the USB drive.


In his pocket? The quality of the material was so poor. What if it tore?


In the closet? What if someone picked the lock?


Under the bed? That was even worse…

5

At this point, Chen Chen was like a farmer who had suddenly gained riches. No matter where he hid it, he would feel anxious.

3

In the end, Chen Chen simply looked for some adhesive tape and bound the USB drive firmly to his arm. He wound the tape four or five times around his arm before he felt remotely safe.

12

Following that, Chen Chen started up the antivirus software and deleted all the records in his laptop before shutting it down.


“Right, there are still these…”


Chen Chen took out the notebook he had written in and the two Pikachu caps. After that, he fished out a lighter from the drawer and walked toward the toilet.

9

In the toilet, he set the notebook on fire and tossed it onto the ground, then flung the two caps into the bonfire too.

6

Five minutes later, Chen Chen exited the toilet. The ashes of the fire had been swept into the urinal and flushed down the pipes. By the time the ventilation fan removed the smell of smoke, there would be nothing left.

10

After patting the bag of drugs hidden in his underwear, Chen Chen did not return to the dorm but went down toward the animal laboratory center.

3

He was a student at the Institute of Biological Sciences of Mainland China’s Shangdu Jiao Tong University. Although he had not gone into a narrow specialization, he knew that any new drug must undergo clinical trials.

8

After all, the NZT-48 extracted from the USB drive could have any sort of chemical composition. Chen Chen was not foolish enough to test it on himself.


Currently, he did not have the means to run clinical trials. However, animal testing was still feasible.

5

At the animal laboratory center, Chen Chen bought eight Kunming mice and a couple of M1 mouse cages which were used in experiments, along with other apparatuses.

5

With these items, Chen Chen did not return to the dorm nor did he go to the laboratories. Instead, he went off-campus.


There were too many people in the dorms whereas the experiments in the laboratories were monitored and recorded. Thus, it was not suitable for him.


In the end, Chen Chen carried the two cages of Kunming mice and booked a standard room in a hotel near the campus.

7

After entering the room, Chen Chen locked the door, then fished out a black marker pen to assign numbers to the white mice. They were numbered 1 to 4 in each cage, separated into two groups.


Following that, he began the experiment.


Chen Chen had to test the toxicity of the NZT-48 drug toward the white mice.


Chen Chen had bought white mice that were purebred for medical purposes. The constitution and immune response of these mice were close to humans and their genomes were highly similar to humans too. Many human diseases would cause similar symptoms in these mice.


In short, if these white mice did not die after ingesting NZT-48, theoretically, Chen Chen should not die either.

4

First, he sterilized the apparatuses he purchased, then took out an NZT-48 pill and weighed it. Based on his own mass, he calculated the corresponding dose for a mouse. After that, he dissolved it in a solution and diluted it as appropriate.

4

After completing these preliminary preparations, Chen Chen took out white mouse Number 1 and using a gavage needle, fed it an amount of NZT-48 liquid that was proportionate to his own body weight.


As for white mouse Number 2, Chen Chen fed it twice the dosage. Number 3 had three times the dosage, and Number 4, four times.

3

He did the same for the second cage of mice.


After feeding them the drug, Chen Chen stored the remaining NZT-48 liquid into a sealed vial, then carefully observed the responses of the two groups of mice.

4

He was a little relieved that even white mouse Number 4, which had taken four times the dosage, did not seem to change much.


If he was forced to make an observation, he would say they seemed to be livelier than before…


He waited until six in the evening. Nothing abnormal had happened to the two cages of mice.


Chen Chen heaved a sigh of relief. At least he could ascertain that the NZT-48 instantiated from the mysterious USB drive was not acutely toxic.


In terms of chronic toxicity, he still had to observe a while longer.


Seven days – Chen Chen was expecting to wait this long.


As long as nothing abnormal happened within seven days, Chen Chen would begin his daredevil venture.

TBC...
Source: I Have A Super USB Drive - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 24
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“It’s okay.” Chu Qiao said with a mild smile, “I’ll be fine after some rest.”

“Oh.” Huan’er nodded and left the room. As soon as the door closed, the face of the child instantly changed. She thought to herself, even such a scandal is not enough to get rid of Zhu Shun? Alright, I will end him with my own hands then.

Chu Qiao bit her lips slowly, while sitting on her chair. It seemed like she would have to come up with brand new plans now.

The doors of steward Zhu Shun’s courtyard were closed shut, but the sounds of a man screaming like a pig-slaughter could still be heard in the distance. Peasants passing by walked with their heads down. No one dared to take a look at what was happening, but their gloating expressions still beamed on their faces—seeing Zhu Shun suffer made them even happier than getting their salary at year end.

As he lied on the bed butt-naked, Zhu Shun wailed and howled, constantly yelling at the servants who were applying the medicines on him, as if they were the ones who caused the pain. “Screw you! You want to hurt me to death?”

Face covered in sweat, one of the servants said carefully, “Steward Zhu, you have to endure this. Your skin is sticking to the pants, we have to tear them apart!”

The east side of the room was along the water with a few sparse shrubs around. A sharp dagger sliced along the edges of the window. Nudging open the window latch quietly as Zhu Shun screamed, Chu Qiao stood up slowly while holding a self-made foldable crossbow, aiming the arrow at the Zhu shun’s head. The crossbow originated from a local forest tribe in South Africa, with intricate designs. It was able to be dismantled, folded and capable of stealthily firing at close range with great accuracy.

Using this crossbow, Chu Qiao once sneaked into a highly-secured private party, taking out the target during an undercover mission overseas. This crossbow was easy to carry but at the same time very lethal, such that a skilled hunter could kill a fully-grown tiger using it. In the cold weapon era, this weapon was very suited for assassins, almost as if they were custom-designed for them. Zhu Shun was very lucky to be the first to die under this cross-spacetime superweapon.

At this moment, a man ran into the room frantically, yelling, “Steward Zhu, steward Zhu!”

“What are you crying about?” Zhu Shun screamed, “You think this is a funeral? I am not dead yet!”

The servant frantically said, “Steward Zhu, sir, people from the other courtyard are here. The Second Grand Master sent someone asking why the female slave hasn’t been delivered yet as promised?”

Stumbling, Zhu Shun shot up, forgetting about his wounded butt. He laid back on the bed again, howling and wailing in pain. Amidst the screams, he said, “I’m afraid that the girl slave I promised will not make do. The fourth young master will not release her. I have prepared ten newly bought slaves in the Xi Le hall. Get someone to bring them out.”

“Yes sir, I understand,” the man answered, turning around and running.

Zhu Shun yelled, “Remember to let the Second Grand Master know that I am very sick. I will visit him when I’ve recovered.”

The crossbow outside the window was lowered slowly. Chu Qiao looked around, coming up with another idea.

Maybe there was another way to kill this man without staining her hands with blood.

As Xi Lei hall’s dungeon doors opened, an unbearable fouled smell escaped. The man sent by secondary household frowned and said with his nose covered, “What is this? You think that girls of such standard can be offered to the grand master?”

The servant from before immediately responded respectfully, “Slaves have not been so easy to buy recently. Once the dealers hear that it’s for the Zhuge household, the prices are raised significantly. These few were brought after much effort from my boss. There’s nothing for you to worry about. When they are all cleaned up, I’m sure they are all young beauties. The Grand Master will sure to be elated once he sees them!”

“Okay, no more nonsense, just release them.”

The girls inside the dungeon had not seen the sun in a long time as they were locked up. Once they were brought back, looking unkempt, distraught, and their eyes shut, they appeared like a group of pups tightly squeezed together.

The man from the other courtyard looked and said with a frown, “Shouldn’t it only be ten slaves? Why are there eleven here?”

“Really?” The peasant counted the numbers again hurriedly and said, “Maybe steward Zhu remembered wrong. I’ll go back and ask.”

“Save the trouble, I don’t have the time, just take them away!”

As ordered, a few well trained brawny guys stepped forward, pushing one of the girls and yelled, “Follow up!”

The kids were intimated. One of them even started whimpering.

“Whoever dares to cry again will be dead! Outrageous!” one of the men yelled as he reached to grab onto one of the cleaner girls.

At this moment, the girl he grabbed turned and bit the man’s wrist without hesitation, forcing him to release his hands with a yell. The girl took the chance and sprinted away.

“Ah! One got away! Get her!”

Servants from the Zhuge Residence turned frantic as they looked in the direction of the girl running away. Pulling back the servant from the other courtyard, they yelled, “Butler Zhu, the area there belongs to the fourth young master’s Qing Shan court, we can’t go there!”

“It’s just an escaped slave, what’s there to worry about?” Butler Zhu exclaimed, pushing away the servant’s hands and running to chase after the girl who got away.

The doors of Qing Shan court were kicked open. The men of the second Grand Master of Zhuge ran into the court like scavengers, shocking the maidservants such as Huan’er who was cleaning vases in the corridor.

Zhuge Yue was just summoned to Hong Shan court by Zhuge Huai, and guards like Zhu Cheng were also not around. Zhuge Yue adored the tranquillity, hence the court was rather sparse with not many people around. Now only the maidservants were left behind.

Huan’er, being the older one among the maidservants, went forward and asked while trembling, “Who are you people? How dare you step in here. Don’t you know that this is the fourth young master’s courtyard?”

“We are here in pursuit of an escaped slave. We are sorry if there’s any inconvenience caused, we hope you understand.”

“Why would you be looking for a slave here in our court?” Since the person who was talking to her was somewhat polite, Huan’er’s courage grew stronger and she asked confidently, “Which court are you from? Do you not know the rules?”

“We are with the Second Grand Master. If you want to complain, you can go tell your fourth young master. We’ll inform the Second Grand Master later as well.”

Upon hearing the Second Grand Master’s name, Huan’er shushed up and said without much confidence, “We didn’t see any slave. You guys…you guys better not mess around.”

One of the servants came up and said, “She’s in the house over there! I saw her climb in through the window.”

Shocked, Huan’er said, “You can’t go in there. That’s the room for the young master’s maid in charge.”

Butler Zhu looked at Huan’er suspiciously and in a deep voice said, “Go in and get the girl.”

“No!” Just as Huan’er was about to step forward, she was held back by one of the brawny men, and could only watch the men stomp into the room.

“Butler Zhu! That’s her!”

“Xing’er!” Huan’er exclaimed. She turned around and yelled, “You have the wrong person! That’s the maidservant from our court, not the slave you are looking for!”

Butler Zhu looked at her with a cold stare and said, “I’ve seen many slaves like you trying to cover up for each other, I’d rather you keep quiet. It won’t do you any good if anything was to happen.” With such a threat a bunch of servants hollered, bringing Chu Qiao out of Qing Shan court.

“Xing’er!” Huan’er exclaimed. Spotting the last servant from Zhuge residence in her hindsight, she went up and said, “Aren’t you Steward Zhu Shun’s men? Are you the one that brought them here? Get Xing’er back!”

The man was confused, he also saw the slave girl jump in the room with his own eyes. He did not expect the maidservant from the Qing Shan court to be so close with her. He frowned. “Don’t mess things up here, they are all female slaves offered to the second grand master by steward Zhu. if you continue to interfere, I’ll send you with them as well.”

In a moment’s effort, the men left and the room was empty. Huan’er stood in shock, the younger maidservants hid behind her, with no one daring to come forward.

“Oh right, go and find the fourth young master!” Huan’er wiped away her tears and ran towards the Hong Shan court.

Zhuge Yue was in a meeting with Zhuge Huai in the study room. Suddenly Zhu Cheng said from the outside, “Fourth young master, Huan’er just came to report that there is an urgent matter to be discussed with you.”

Zhuge Yue frowned and said, “What matter is it that cannot be discussed when I get back? This is getting outrageous, ask her to go back and wait.”

It grew dead silent outside the door, but after awhile, Zhu Cheng knocked and said again, “Fourth young master, it’s…it’s Xing’er. She’s being taken away by Zhu Shun’s men.”

The door to the study room was immediately opened. Zhuge Yue said coldly, “What did you say?”

Zhu Shun started perspiring, while looking inside the room at the confused face of Zhuge Huai. He licked his lips and said slowly, “Steward Zhu’s men said that one of their slaves escaped and said Xing’er was the escaped one. They took her away from Qing Shan court by force.”

“Took her away? To where?”

“Erm, they said it’s to the other courtyard of the Second Grand Master.”

At that moment, the face of Zhuge Yue cannot be more gloomy.

“Maybe they got the wrong person. Ever since Zhu Shun was injured, he started handling things inappropriately.” Zhuge Huai went forward, patting Zhuge Yue on the shoulder. He smirked and said, “The fourth brother, since it’s to the Second Grand Master’s court, let’s forget about this matter. It’s just a maidservant. I’ll pick a few quick-witted ones and send them over to your court later. I’ll be sure to not let you down.”

“How long since they left?” Zhuge Yue’s eyes were still locked onto Zhu Cheng and he asked him in a deep voice as if he hadn’t heard Zhuge Huai.

“They’ve…they’ve been gone for almost an hour.”

Zhuge Yue pushed open the study room doors without a word and straddled out. Zhu Cheng and other servants from Qing Shan court knew that this would happen and followed behind.

Just as Zhuge Yue received the news that Chu Qiao had been taken away by the grand master in Wei’s ancestral hall, Wei Guang passed a single golden arrow into the hands of Wei Shuye. With a serious look, the old men said slowly, “Shuye, do not let uncle down and do not disappoint the Wei family’s ancestors.”

Wei Shuye laid both hands flat, looking at the golden arrow. His eyes glistened. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but just like a fish out of water, no words came out.

“Shuye, Wei family’s ancestors are watching you, your father is also watching you. You know what to do.”

With his brows locked, he slowly said, “Who?” after a long while.

Wei Guang smiled mildly and slowly wrote a word on the altar after he dipped his finger in the teacup.

Wei Shuye’s eyes widened and brow locked. He looked at the old man as if he was looking for an answer.

TBC...
Source: The Legend of Chu Qiao: Division 11’s Princess Agent - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 23
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

In the study room, Zhuge Huai looked serious and told Zhuge Yue, “Fourth brother, what do you think of this incident?”

It was silent, not a single sound was to be heard. Zhuge Huai furrowed his brow and nudged Zhuge Yue who seemed to be deep in his own thoughts. “Fourth brother?”

“Yes?” Zhuge Yue raised his head and said absently, “King Yan’s family is doomed. Yan Xun is in danger.”

“Yes, I agree.” Zhuge Huai nodded his head and said, “King Yan has very high status and hence easily become the target to be attacked. The Bahuta family eyed the land of Yan Bei a long time ago. This time, the trouble will no doubt be beared by King Yan. In addition, the master of Sheng Jin palace’s would rather trust strangers than his own brothers.”

Just then, voices were heard outside and it started becoming very noisy. Zhuge Huai asked loudly, “Zhu Yong, what is going on outside? It is very noisy.”

“Master, the noise is coming from Tao Ran court. It seems like the seventh lady and Tao Xiang are fighting. The fourth and third ladies have gone to stop them.”

Zhuge Huai’s face hardened and he said hastily, “There is not a day when they will stop. It is ridiculous.”

Zhuge Yue heard and did not respond. Instead, he sipped his tea and bowed his head, without saying a word.

“Master, the third lady wants you and the fourth young master to go to Tao Ran court. She says that there is an emergency and you need to help solve it.”

Zhuge Huai suddenly got very angry and said, “What happened that requires us to go down? Are they not embarrassed? Tell them that I have no time.”

“Master, the third lady is going to use the family law and wants…wants to kill Tao Ran court’s Tao Xiang.”

Zhuge Yue put down his teacup and stood up while saying, “Big brother, let’s just go. They might really need your help.”

Zhuge Huai let out a long sigh and followed him out of the study room.

Tao Ran court was a mess. Every lady was shouting at each other and would not back down. However, in the midst of the hatred and anger, there was a hint of perverse delight – finally, that degrading fox who dared to seduce the master got what she deserved!

The seventh lady arrogantly stood in the middle of the yard and sneered at Tao Xiang, whose clothes were unkempt. She smirked and said, “Who would ever imagine that such a scandal would ever occur in the Zhuge household. The old master has always been treated you well, but this is how you return his kindness? How shameful of you!”

The third lady was only thirty years old. She was covered in fox fur, had very good composure and gave off a very elegant aura. Her face was full of regret and she said, “Tao Xiang, the old master originally said that when he come back, he would make you his concubine. Unfortunately, look at what you have done today? This is not something that would be tolerated.”

“Ma’am, why waste your effort talking to her! My opinion, just beat her to death and be done with it. Her existence dirties Our Zhuge household’s name.”

Tao Xiang’s face was pale, her arms were covering her chest while she knelt on the ground. Her clothes were torn and tattered, her eyes had no expression and she was trembling. From time to time, she stole a glance at the man beside her. He was also shaking uncontrollably. His face was even paler than hers.

When Zhuge Yue stepped into Tao Ran court, the situation greeted him. After listening to the seventh lady’s explanation, Zhuge’s fourth master’s eyes had a glint and he started to think intensely.

“First Young Master!” Once Zhu Shun spotted Zhuge Huai, he immediately rushed forward while crying and said, “It was her who seduced me first. She sent me a letter to ask for me. Once I arrived, she started removing her clothes to seduce me. But I clearly remember master and young master’s kindness towards me and all I want to do is to serve the Zhuge family. How could I even think of doing such a shameful thing to you? Just now, I was trying hard to reject her. I was, I was wronged. I had no idea what she was up to. This is a misunderstanding.”

“You! Do you have any heart? It was clearly you…”

“You still dare to make excuses!” The seventh lady slapped Tao Xiang across her face and said coldly, “You are such a sl*t! You dare to use such despicable tactics to assassinate my character? In the end, you only ruined yourself. Serves you right!”

“Fourth brother! Where are you going?” Zhuge Huai was confused when he saw Zhuge Yue turn around and walk away, so he asked his question aloud.

“Big brother, I have something urgent to attend to. I’ll come back to you later.” After that one sentence, the young Zhuge Yue hastily left Tao Ran court and headed towards Qing Shan court in a hurry.

Bang! Zhuge Yue flung the gate of Qing Shan court open and saw Huan’er and a few maidservants watering the plants in the garden. As soon as they noticed Zhuge Yue, they immediately made way for him and respectfully bowed to him. Zhuge Yue did not even spare them a glance and headed towards the servants’ quarters. As he was walking, he asked, “Where did Xing’er go? Did anyone see her?”

“Xing’er said that she didn’t feel well, so she went back to her room to rest,” one of the maidservants replied.

Huan’er, who was standing there, was scared that Xing’er would get punished and hurriedly said, “She was picking tea with us for the whole day and had just left.”

Zhuge Yue looked gloomy and walked towards Chu Qiao’s room. Yue Qi followed quietly along and said, “Xing’er really did help out in the kitchen for a full day and she did not leave the Qing Shan court.”

Bang! Zhuge Yue again flung Chu Qiao’s door open and walked right in,his face gloomy. He saw the pale looking child lying in bed as if she was really sick. Zhuge Yue was slightly surprised and hadn’t expected her to really be in her room. Seeing her lying in bed, he was relieved and let out a sigh as if a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders. For some reason, he even felt a bit peaceful in his mind.

“Fourth young master?” The child sat up alarmed. Her voice was weary as if she had just woke up. “Did Xing’er do anything wrong?”

Zhuge Yue started, shook his head and said awkwardly, “No, I heard Huan’er said that you were sick, so I came to check on you.”

“Oh.” The child nodded her head and replied, “The young master came to check on me with so many other people. Xing’er is very thankful.”

Zhuge Yue’s face started to turn red and he didn’t know how to respond. He stood there awkwardly. To break the silence, he pretended to clear his throat and coughed.

Zhu Cheng saw Zhuge Yue’s awkwardness and quickly came to help him out. He said, “Xing’er, young master came to see you, shouldn’t you get up?”

The child stumbled and nervously bit her lip but didn’t move at all.

Zhuge Yue started to become suspicious. After what happened today, if she wanted to escape, she had to be very careful. With that being said, her clothes would surely leave trails of her. Right after hearing the news, Zhuge Yue himself immediately rushed back so he would not be much later than the person who planned this. Now that she was so nervous, could it be that she was hiding something under the blanket?

“Xing’er,” Zhuge Yue stepped forward, with his eyes fixed on the child’s face and said, “Pour me a cup of tea.”

The child panicked and said while biting her lips. “Young master, could you step out for a moment? Xing’er will serve you in a bit…”

“No.” Zhuge Yue walked to the side of the bed, used his slim long fingers and firmly pulled her silk blanket off. His jet black eyes stared into the child’s big eyes. “No. I want to drink it now,” Zhuge Yue sternly replied.

“Ah!” Everyone was shocked by the sudden cry that came one after another. The small, thin child was clutching her chest desperately, with her face buried in her arms. Her shoulders were shaking with her long, black hair draped over them. She was naked!

Zhuge Yue grabbed onto the blankets, shocked. Zhuge Yue’s face immediately turned bright red with embarrassment. He hastily turned around and shouted at everyone, whose eyes were enlarged due to shock, “What are you all doing? Get out!”

All the servants snapped out of it and started to leave the room.

Zhuge Yue grabbed the blanket and threw it over Chu Qiao’s body. His voice quivered as he said, “Quickly put on your clothes!”

Soft sobbing could be heard from behind him. Zhuge Yue frowned and said, impatiently, “Forget it. Just continue lying in bed.” Instantly, he strode out of the room and shut the door tightly. The child in the room lifted her head to check if he had left the room. Her eyes were solemn and her face was calm. There was no longer a trace of sadness. Chu Qiao lifted the mattress under her and threw the dirty clothes which were covered with dirt and soil onto the floor.

Sure enough, Zhuge Yue was very vigilant. He came so quickly that she did not even have enough time to put on her clothes. But this was good as well, because there wouldn’t be people dare to come to her room in the afternoon any more. This gave her ample time to execute next steps of her plan.

The child lowered her head and smiled lightly. It was surprising to see such a gloomy expression on her young face.

It was time for them to pay.

Right after changing into new clothes, there was a knock on her door. Huan’er ran over excitedly and said while smiling, “Xing’er, there is good news. Do you want to know?”

Chu Qiao’s legs could not reach the floor while sitting on the tall chair due to her small frame. She poured a cup of tea and said after drinking a sip gracefully, “You can tell me.”

“Xing’er!” the maidservant said grumpily. “Do you really want to hear it? Why do you not look excited at all?”

Chu Qiao smiled without her teeth seen and said, “Just say it if you want to. No matter if I want to listen or not, you will say it anyway.”

“Fine, I won’t argue with you over this. But this time, it is really good news.” Huan’er smiled and continued, “Zhu Shun was accused adultery with a girl whom the master favored and was caught by the seventh lady. Even the third lady and the first young master were notified. That girl has been cast into the well and steward Zhu also got fifty cane strokes as punishment. Isn’t this great news?”

Her hand, which was holding the teacup, suddenly froze. Chu Qiao sat on the chair with narrowed eyes, as her suppressed all of her emotions slowly and covered up her wit. She nodded her head and said, “It surely is good news.”

Huan’er said angrily, “Right? Zhu Shun always abuses his power and bullies others. Us, slaves, have all endured his rage. He must have done something and caused the children from your Jing family to be sent to the second grand master. Today he was beaten up, because even the gods could not tolerate him any more.”

Chu Qiao’s expression remained depressed and she said soothingly, “He had a scandal with the master’s favored mistress. The punishment for such disgraceful behavior was only fifty can strokes. It sounds quite merciful.”

“Who said it wasn’t? The seventh lady just complained to the fourth young master as she felt it was unjust. But too bad our fourth young master normally does not get bothered by this kind of issues. The master and the first lady were not here, hence the first young master had the last say. Zhu Shun has been serving the first young master, so it is what it is.”

Chu Qiao nodded and replied, “Okay, I understand. Huan’er, thank you for reporting it to me.”

Huan’er noticed that Xing’er didn’t look quite right and asked out of concern, “Xing’er, do you feel alright? Do you need me to get a doctor for you?”

TBC...
Source: The Legend of Chu Qiao: Division 11’s Princess Agent - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 4: A Genuine Decision

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

An issue of energy…


As he stared at the USB drive which was different from before, Chen Chen dared not continue testing it.


He was worried that the USB drive’s energy was not renewable. If he tested it too many times, the USB drive’s energy would be exhausted, turning it into a useless lump of metal.


Since that was the case, he might as well stake all on one throw.


Having considered this, Chen Chen breathed in deeply. He pulled up Local Disk D once more and sought out a movie of utmost familiarity –

3

Avengers: Endgame!

7

After locating this movie, Chen Chen, who had been calm, started to shake again. His heart kept on pounding violently.


“If I can instantiate the Infinity Gauntlet, that’d be all I need…”

24

Chen Chen mumbled softly.


“Can it be done?”


A feverish flush spread across Chen Chen’s face. He clenched his jaw and dragged the movie into the USB drive!


“Ding!”


The computer instantly sent out a “Program Error” window.


“It’s not working?”


Chen Chen was crestfallen. “Why could Detective Pikachu be copied into the USB drive, but not Avengers: Endgame?”

2

Chen Chen tried two more times. After failing again, he looked for a few similar movies in Disk D, then copied them into the USB drive.


Alita: Battle Angel – success.

3

Godzilla: King of the Monsters – success.

5

Terminator: Dark Fate – success!

3

All three movies were successfully copied.


Chen Chen pondered wordlessly for a moment, then picked out Ne Zha and dragged it into the USB drive.

3

“Ding.”


Failure!


Chen Chen’s eyes gleamed.


He seemed to have understood something.


Movies that were too fantastical could not be copied into the USB drive…

8

After all, Alita, Godzilla, and even Terminator were all movies with stories that were constructed based on reality.

9

As for Avengers, although it could be called science fiction, everyone knew that it contained a lot of fantastical elements.

7

“However, if movies that are too fantastical can’t be placed into the USB drive, what about those horror movies then?”

5

Chen Chen frowned.


As he thought of this, he opened up a webpage and downloaded an animated film at random. Then he dragged it into the USB drive.


“Ding!”


Failure.


Following that, Chen Chen tried it with a comic.


Failed again.


Finally, Chen Chen tried it with a picture and a novel but failed once more.


The conclusion he got from this was: Other than live-action videos using reality as their framework, other files could not be copied into the USB drive.

14

After noting down this rule, Chen Chen started reflecting.


Since an instant jackpot like the Infinity Gauntlet was not possible, he would not attempt other similar plans. Instead, he would go for something more realistic.


With this in mind, Chen Chen flipped to the second page and wrote down three words –


“Money”, “Power”, “Strength”.

13

These were the only three things he could acquire from the USB drive.


Money?


This was the easiest one.


He just needed to watch a few treasure-hunting movies to instantiate the priceless gems and valuables featured in those movies.

5

However, even if he put aside the question of how to convert those gems into money, would he be satisfied with just being rich?

2

Professor Wang Xi’s words were still echoing in his ears. Even with endless wealth, so what? Would he live long enough?


Chen Chen grinned and struck off that first option.


Power?


Chen Chen looked at the second choice and fell into deep thought.


If he presented this USB drive to the Federation government, perhaps he would be brought into the hub of power thanks to his contribution. From there, he could rise through the political ranks…

12

Even so, just as before, what would that accomplish?


Maybe the entire Federation would benefit immensely. Of course, this might also result in war between the continents. The Earth Federation might split into factions, triggering the Third World War.


Moreover, who was to say that Chen Chen would not be killed as a witness by the first authority figure who obtained this USB drive?

2

Chen Chen cast his gaze down and heavily crossed out the second option.


In that case, the answer was clear.


Chen Chen was never happy with mediocrity. If he had not gained this USB drive, he would spend his entire life chasing after something, be it wealth or power.


However, compared to supernatural strength, everything else was not worth mentioning!


“So, deep down, I’ve chosen strength?”

8

Chen Chen murmured. The strength here did not just refer to physical strength. It was more of an abstract overview.

1

Technology that surpassed reality itself, superpowers that exceeded worldly limits or an eternal life span – all these were a type of strength.

3

He closed his eyes, his mind scanning through countless items that he could put to use now.

3

In sci-fi movies, there was more extraordinary technology than he could imagine, from the basic exoskeleton armor to massive mecha hunters. If he could instantiate this black technology1…

5

“Hmm, I’ll probably be arrested right away by the agents of the Earth Federation?”

2

When he thought of this, Chen Chen realized that what he most needed now was a tool that would help him reach the pinnacle of life, yet it must not be too conspicuous.

10

After ruling out fantastical, magical items like the Infinity Stones, Chen Chen, at last, came up with alternatives that complied with reality while still being able to enhance his abilities.


Following that, Chen Chen listed these down in the notebook.


“Compound V, Augmentation Drug, Crystalline, T-virus, G-virus, CPH4, NZT-48.”

29

These had all appeared in movies or television.


Compound V: Originating from the American series, The Boys. It could transform human infants, thereby granting them extraordinary abilities.

7

Of course, this chemical substance was greatly flawed. For instance, it was addictive and unstable, requiring a long period of injections for it to work.

29

Pass!


As expected, Chen Chen crossed out the first option.


Augmentation Drug: Originating from Push. After it was injected, it could alter one’s bodily composition and produce various superpowers.

2

Even so, the movie’s theory was still rooted in genetic mutation. Once genes were involved, its success rate would be abysmal.


Pass!


Crystalline: This came from the movie Chronicle. After exposure to the Crystalline’s radiation, one would acquire telekinetic powers. Moreover, this power would strengthen as time passed.

8

One negative side effect was that one would get nosebleeds when using this power. Chen Chen did not know if the continual increase in power would cause one’s body to fall apart under the pressure?

5

After all, the human body was not a perpetual motion machine.


Not only that, but Crystalline seemed to amplify one’s darker emotions. The protagonist in the movie, having lost his sense of judgment, was ultimately killed by his friend.

10

Therefore, Chen Chen prudently passed over this choice.

3

T-virus and G-virus came from Resident Evil, but viruses could be considered to be living forms and thus could not be instantiated.


Pass immediately.

8

CPH4: Originating from the movie Lucy. The protagonist ultimately transcended time and space, becoming an all-knowing, all-powerful god.

4

Of course, the price to pay was terrifying too. Even after successfully fusing with CPH4, one only had a few days to live. Moreover, the protagonist was a one-in-a-million exception. Most people would die immediately after consuming CPH4.

5

More crucially, the movie’s concept that “humans only use 10% of their brains” was pseudoscientific. Human brains had always been operating at 100% capacity.

15

This meant that even the basic premise of the movie was false. Even if Chen Chen instantiated CPH4 from Lucy, would he dare to consume it?


Pass!


Chen Chen felt rather rueful. There were tons of super-powered substances under the banner of Marvel Studios such as the Super Soldier Serum, GH-325, the Heart-shaped Herb, and so on. It was a shame that these movies could not be transferred to the USB drive.

5

In that case, there was only one possible option left.


NZT-48!

29

TBC...
Source: I Have A Super USB Drive - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 3: Mind-Boggling Inferences

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Chen Chen paid no mind to the window that had appeared on the screen. He stared at the cap which had abruptly appeared beside the laptop, wearing a thoughtful expression.


He swore that before starting up the computer, there was no cap in this spot.


Moreover, this cap…


Surely it was too familiar…


Chen Chen reached out hesitantly and took the cap in his hands.


The cap was made from canvas, which felt slightly rough against his palm. It was khaki-colored and looked just like a duckbill cap, except it was only as large as his hand.


No matter how he looked at it, this did not seem like a cap any human could wear.


Chen Chen flipped the cap over. Inside, there was a tag sewn in with polyester fiber, with a few lines of English on it:


“IF LOST RETURN TO:”


“Harry Goodman; 1722 Green St. Ryme City.”


Translated, this meant:


“If lost, return to: 1722, Green Street, Ryme City, Harry Goodman.”

4

This was…


Chen Chen gasped sharply, an astounded expression stretching his features.


Suddenly, he turned toward the computer screen, only realizing that the movie had stopped playing.


This was Pikachu’s duckbill cap from the movie!

9

In this instant, Chen Chen was filled with a sense of absurdity and disbelief. He swiftly stooped down to check under his bed!

1

No one!


He stood up quickly and checked his sheets!


No one!


He jerked open his desk drawer!

11

Still no one…

1

After making sure that there was no one in the dorm, he had no choice but to consider that this might not be a prank set up by his dorm mates.


Furthermore, even if it was a prank, how would they know that he would play Detective Pikachu specifically at this moment?


However, if this was not a prank, what was it?


Was it because he had played this video file that the computer extracted the cap from the movie?


What kind of elaborate joke was this!


Plus, this was not the first time he was watching this movie. Why did this only occur now?


Suddenly, Chen Chen thought of something. His gaze shot toward black USB drive!

6

Was this all its doing?


Chen Chen narrowed his eyes.


He did not know whether it was the lighting or his mind playing tricks, but the shell of the USB drive now appeared to be mottled.


This USB drive which was a deep, glossy black before had a dull cast now, like metal which had oxidized after being left out for too long.


Had the USB drive changed or… Was his memory failing?


Chen Chen could not believe this. He closed the “Program Error” window and double-clicked the movie Detective Pikachu once more.


However, the “Program Error” notice popped up on screen again.


Was the file corrupted?


Chen Chen frowned and pondered. Subsequently, he tried clicking Delete. With a “whoosh”, this movie file was deleted from the USB drive…

1

He was stunned. He remembered that each time he tried to delete the other movies, he ran into a “Program Error”, so he had assumed it was impossible to delete any movie in the USB drive.


Therefore, he tried again to delete the horror movies that had been in the USB drive initially.


Still, the result was the same. Each time he clicked Delete, the computer would send a “Program Error” window.


“Could it be that I can only delete movies that have been played?”

2

Chen Chen bowed his head pensively. He opened Local Disk D again and dragged Detective Pikachu into the USB drive, then tried deleting it.


“Ding!”


As expected, the copied movie file could not be deleted.


Thus, Chen Chen played the movie again. This time, the movie played as usual and nothing strange happened.


In front of the screen, Chen Chen recalled that he had been missing his pet dog previously. At the same time, he had projected his emotions onto Pikachu’s character, then the cap had appeared.


With that in mind, Chen Chen fast-forwarded the movie until Pikachu’s scene, while imagining that he could extract the movie’s Pikachu.


In less than a few seconds’ worth of effort, the movie shut itself off and the “Program Error” window popped up.


At the same time, another cap, the same as the last one, appeared right beside his laptop!

2

It was real!!!


Chen Chen’s eyes nearly popped out. Although he had been prepared, no matter how he observed, he still could not figure out how the cap had materialized in this spot.


Surely it had appeared out of thin air?!

1

Chen Chen picked up both caps and compared them. He discovered that there was no difference down to the smallest detail and the handwriting on the tag.


It was as if God had created two completely identical objects.

1

“Can this really be due to the USB drive?”

2

Chen Chen uttered incredulously. He looked at the USB drive once again but noticed that it was even duller than before. It looked like a useless item that had been tossed away in a corner.


“This thing is getting worn out…”


Chen Chen immediately understood that each time an item was extracted from a movie, it would deplete the USB drive’s energy.


In that case, what sort of energy was this?


Electrical?


Solar?


Alternatively, was it some energy source that surpassed human technology?


More importantly, could this energy be replenished? Was this USB drive a single-use item or could it be recharged and reused?


Moreover, although he was explicitly thinking of Pikachu, why was the USB drive only able to produce its cap? Was this due to insufficient energy or some other factor?

4

Also, if he played some other movie, could he also extract something else from that movie?

13

All these questions roared in Chen Chen’s mind. He drew in a deep breath and suppressed these emotions that were making him tremble.

1

‘Calm down, calm down…’


Chen Chen took in deep breaths again as he walked toward the dorm’s door to lock it from the inside. Then, he returned to his laptop and fell into deep thought.


There were not enough clues. He still needed to carry out more experiments.


Even so, the USB drive’s energy was incapable of sustaining multiple experiments. What should he do?


At this point, Chen Chen took out a blank notebook from his drawer. He steadied his trembling hand and wrote the word “Principle” on the first page.


“Principle: Unknown.”

2

How should he employ current scientific principles to explain the phenomenon of the mysterious USB drive?


With just his own knowledge, Chen Chen was completely unable to explain everything that had happened.


It was clearly just a movie, constructed from codes and images. How could it create something out of thin air?


“Conjecture: Aliens? People from the future? Brain in a vat?”

7

After putting down this second line of words, Chen Chen could not help chuckling at himself. Then, he wrote the third line.


“Ability: Through the thoughts and ideas of someone viewing a video, it extracts/instantiates an item, displayed on screen, into reality. (Doesn’t seem to include living things.)”

2

Chen Chen speculated that both times he was thinking of Pikachu, yet only the cap was extracted. This meant that the USB drive was unable to instantiate living beings.


Of course, he could not rule out the possibility of insufficient energy being the reason.

1

Chen Chen clicked on the movie again and the screen displayed the “Program Error” window. After that, he tried deleting it.


With a “whoosh”, the movie was successfully deleted.


“Indeed, after extracting something, it can be deleted from the USB drive.”


This also meant that any movie could be transferred into the USB drive but the delete function would not work.


If he wished to delete a certain movie, his only option was to extract an item from the movie to corrupt the file.


With this in mind, Chen Chen wrote:

1

“Rule 1: Videos can be imported but can’t be readily deleted after that. The file must be corrupted first;


“Rule 2: At the moment, it appears that the video will only be corrupted when an item is extracted from it;”


“Rule 3: The size, mass, and other objective factors of the extracted item had not been tested yet.”

1

Finally, Chen Chen glanced at the USB drive.


“Appearance: Its exterior has transformed from brand-new to worn out. It’s not determined yet if this is an issue of energy…”

TBC...
Source: I Have A Super USB Drive - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 2: The Peculiar USB Drive
5

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

As Chen Chen had no other classes in the afternoon, he turned down the dorm leader’s invitation to basketball after the first class had ended and headed to his dorm alone.


As he walked, Professor Wang Xi’s words kept ringing in his ear.

1

‘Oh immortality, what a beautiful dream. Still, since the beginning of time, was there anyone who was truly immortal?’

37

Chen Chen lamented silently.


Professor Wang Xi, being a senior academic in the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was excellent in both knowledge and pedagogy.

4

Not only did he spark everyone’s enthusiasm toward biology, but he even showed them a clear path.


Perhaps some of them would be inspired to delve into the field of life sciences and make noble contributions to the Earth Federation.


Upon returning to Dorm 404, Chen Chen instinctively reached out to turn on his computer. However, before his right hand could do so, his left hand promptly held himself back.

14

With a sigh, Chen Chen flipped open Modern Molecular Biology and compared it with his notes to consolidate his understanding of the class’ material.


In university, most of one’s learning was not obtained from lecturers. Self-study and practice was the only way forward.

11

Many students started slacking off after entering university. They would pay no mind to their course credits. To them, skipping optional courses was compulsory and attending compulsory courses was optional. They thoroughly enjoyed their freedom from high school’s repression.

10

Nonetheless, upon graduation, they learned what it meant to be beaten down by society…

6

This was why Chen Chen was troubled. He had no choice but to practice some self-control for the sake of his own future.


After all, what was it that people always said – the hardships of youthful days are nothing compared to the hardships of later life!

6

Just then, his phone’s screen flashed, indicating that there were more than 99 unread messages in the QQ group.


Chen Chen reached out by instinct but froze in mid-air.


‘Stop right there! This phone is a demon from hell. Don’t be tempted by it. They just talk sh*t in the group anyway, don’t…”

14

404 Dorm Leader Wang Wei: [Lil Bo, Nostril, what are you guys doing? Why did you disappear after class? Come for basketball]

1

404 Dorm Leader Wang Wei: [what is this slowpoke trying to say.jpg]

1

…


When Chen Chen opened up the group chat, he was greeted with this meaningless meme battle.

2

404 Brainiac Chen Chen: [a group of guys with 99+ messages, yet there’s zero porn, f*ck y’all.jpg]

3

After carelessly sending out an image to indicate what would interest him, Chen Chen put his phone away and propped his chin in his hand, deep in thought.

3

He could forget about the previous owner of this USB drive. After all, that room was a multi-function classroom that hosted at least four or five classes each day.


This USB drive might have even been left behind by students who had graduated years ago.


The hiding place of the USB drive was well concealed too. If Chen Chen had not happened to turn at such an angle while picking up his pen, he would not have noticed it.


This meant that the heavens knew how long this USB drive had been hidden.

8

‘The question is, who hid the USB drive there and why would they go to such lengths just to hide a USB drive?

5

‘Maybe the USB drive contains some mysterious top-secret code?’

21

These thoughts suddenly occurred to Chen Chen and he did not hesitate anymore. He lifted the lid of his laptop and plugged in the USB drive while the laptop was starting up.

15

The SSD1 was fast booting up. In less than ten seconds, the sleek interface of Windows 10 displayed before Chen Chen.

15

After a moment’s pause, Chen Chen pulled up [My Computer]. However, other than his own drive, there was no sign of any portable storage devices.


The drive letter which should have automatically recognized the USB drive had vanished.

2

Was the USB drive corrupted?


Chen Chen did not believe this and plugged in it once more. Still, there was no response.

2

‘Humph, I don’t buy this.’

1

Chen Chen’s lips curled up in a smirk as he smoothly restarted the laptop. While it rebooted, he deftly and confidently pressed down on [F2], entering the BIOS Setup interface.

10

Next, in a well-practiced manner, Chen Chen pressed [F9] to select Default Settings/Configuration, and within the same instant, clicked on [Yes]!


Finally, he pressed [F10] firmly to save his data for the last time, then rebooted the laptop!

2

All these happened in the blink of an eye. A non-veteran could not have done it.

16

After the laptop had restarted, the icon for the portable storage device did pop up at the lower right corner.


Even so, Chen Chen did not access it from there. Instead, he clicked into [My Computer], moved his cursor to the USB drive’s icon, and right clicked to select its Properties.


‘Hmm?’


In its Properties, the storage space of the USB drive was listed as 0.

1

‘Is it corrupted after all?’


Chen Chen lost all hope at once. He had wasted so much effort.

1

He shook his head and absent-mindedly double-clicked. However, the USB drive’s file opened up unexpectedly.


What he saw was a few files in the AVI format.


[Ju-on.avi], [Final Destination.avi.], [One Missed Call.avi], [Ring.avi.].

13

“Gasp…”


When Chen Chen saw what these files were, he drew in a sharp breath. He did not expect the previous owner of the USB drive to be a horror movie buff.


He did not know whether to feel disappointed or surprised. He was expecting something along the lines of a Mystery Code.avi.


Nonetheless, this proved that there was nothing wrong with the USB drive.


There was nothing much of interest to Chen Chen in the USB drive. These movies were nearly as old as Chen Chen and were very well known. Those which he wanted to watch, he had watched long ago. Those which he did not wish to watch, he would not watch even if they were played right before him.

3

Therefore, he immediately selected all the files and pressed [ctrl+d].

2

“Ding!”


However, these six movies were not deleted. Conversely, a “Program Error” window popped out.

1

Stubbornly Chen Chen tried a few times, even resorting to file shredding. Nevertheless, no matter what he did, he could not delete those movies.


“That’s peculiar…”


Chen Chen was gloomy. Perhaps the USB drive was corrupted after all?

1

He hopelessly hovered his cursor over one of the video files, thinking that he should try playing it.


However, for some reason, just as he was about to double-click on [Ju-on.avi], he felt a sudden, indescribable throbbing in his heart.


He could not say what feeling it was. It was as if a pair of eyes were peering at him from some corner that light could not reach…

8

These eyes were filled with a sense of death, like the icy kiss of a corpse…

6

This flutter in his heart caused him to stop in his tracks.


“Cough! Since when did I become such a coward?”

6

Chen Chen shook his head. Following his gut, he moved the cursor away, pulled up Local Disk D, and located a video file –


[Detective Pikachu.mp4].

2

Chen Chen selected this file and pressed [ctrl+c], then clicked on the USB drive and pressed [ctrl+v].


A green progress bar flashed instantly. In less than two seconds, [Detective Pikachu.mp4] was copied into the USB drive.

4

Everything seemed normal.


Chen Chen contemplated silently before opening the [Detective Pikachu.mp4] file in the USB drive.


The default video software started up automatically, beginning to screen this movie adaptation which was released in 2019.


Chen Chen had already watched this movie when it came out, but because he loved the way Pikachu looked, he underwent the trouble of downloading this movie.

10

As he watched the bright yellow rodent bouncing around on the screen, Chen Chen felt a faint pang of sorrow as this figure rather resembled Jerry from his home.


Jerry was the name of Chen Chen’s pet dog at home.


Chen Chen’s childhood was spent in the company of Jerry. The boy and the dog had grown up together and were inseparable.


Unfortunately, a dog’s lifespan was far too brief. Just last year, Jerry passed away due to old age.

12

As he pictured that lovable figure, Chen Chen drifted in his thoughts.


However, there was a sudden movement that he noticed from the corner of his eyes.


Chen Chen reflexively turned to look and saw that a cap had appeared beside his laptop at an unknown time.

3

“Ding!”


At the same time, the screen displayed the “Program Error” notice once again. The video that was playing shut down by itself…

TBC...
Source: I Have A Super USB Drive - ExtraNovel.com

NOTE: Please ignore the random numbers.

Chapter 1: The Inception Of Immortality

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“Human life is limited. Every person will age, fall sick, and die. However, does anyone here know why we’re mortal?”

38

Upon the platform, a nearly seventy-year-old professor spoke gradually, his voice echoing the large classroom due to its acoustics.

1

“Everyone knows that the unit of life begins with a single cell. Each of us here came into being as a tiny fertilized ovum that underwent cell division.


“One cell becomes two, two becomes four, four becomes eight…”

14

Below the platform, Chen Chen propped up his chin with his left hand while his right hand twirled a rollerball pen. His eyes glazed over with boredom as he stared at the projection screen, daydreaming.

3

“Cells will undergo senescence and death as well. The newly divided cells replace the dead ones over and over. This is the secret to our unending growth.

3

“Even so, this cell fission isn’t infinite.


“In 1965, Professor Hayflick of Stanford University discovered that human cells are unable to self-replicate over fifty-seven times. Every cell, upon its fifty-sixth replication, will die.

12

“It’s as if there’s a counter within each cell that determines when the cell would stop dividing and when humans would start to age…


“In theory, human cells can divide up to fifty-six times at most. By calculating the cycle of each cell division, we find that the limit of human life is at one hundred and twenty years. This theory is known as…”

16

“Clatter!”

1

Just as he was listening in fascination, Chen Chen’s fingers slipped and the rollerball pen spun out of his grasp, falling under the desk.

4

Chen Chen immediately stooped over, feeling around the floor with one hand.


“Huh?”


When his head was below the desk, an unexpected glint of pitch-black light flashed before his eyes.

15

Whether it was possible for light to be black, Chen Chen truly did spot a flash of black light in that instant.

1

He looked over instinctively.


The item was long and pitch-black all over. It was wedged below the desk, trapped within a hidden groove.

16

Therefore, after Chen Chen had picked up his pen, he reached out and scratched that area.


With just a little bit of effort, there was a snapping sound and the black item was successfully pried loose.


“You there, burrowing under your desk, answer the question –”

2

Just then, the professor’s voice suddenly rang out from the platform.

4

“Snicker!”

3

There was a burst of sniggers from his dormitory friends sitting behind.

9

Chen Chen hurriedly crawled out from under the desk, his face red with embarrassment.


He stared at the beaming professor, then glanced down at his textbook before stammering, “The Hay, Hayflick Limit?”


“Take your seat.”


The professor wrung his hands and allowed Chen Chen to sit.


The lecture continued.


“At both ends of a DNA molecule is something called a ‘telomere’. This component plays a vital role in cell division.

3

“It’s responsible for keeping the chromosome intact. Each cell fission will shorten the telomere a little. When the telomeres are too short and thus unable to protect the gene structure, the cell would inhibit growth, stop replicating, and enter senescence.”


“This is the Hayflick Limit.”

15

With that, the professor turned around and quickly wrote “The Hayflick Limit” on the blackboard.


Chen Chen, who had just taken his seat, heaved a sigh of relief. While the professor was busy writing on the blackboard, Chen Chen swiftly glimpsed at the item in his hand.


‘Erm…’


In one glimpse, Chen Chen’s interest was completely deflated.

2

It turned out that the extremely black item was nothing more than a USB drive.

1

Still, it was different from most USB drives. This one was much longer, about twelve or thirteen centimeters, and looked like a carbon rod.

20

Only its USB port revealed the truth – that it was merely a USB drive.

2

Other than this, the entire USB drive had no joints or cracks. It was pitch-black and had no mention of the brand name or storage space.


Nonetheless, seeing that it looked rather awesome, Chen Chen ended up stuffing the USB drive into his pocket. He would study it further in his dorm.

30

Currently, the professor was still lecturing. “With our current level of technology, it’s impossible for cells to break past the Hayflick Limit but we could bypass this barrier through another method…”


As he spoke, the professor wrote three words on the blackboard:


“The Immortal HeLa.”

5

“Everyone must be thinking, if there’s a way to prevent the telomeres from shortening, will our cells become immortal?


“The answer is – definitely!”

3

Under the words “The Immortal HeLa”, the professor spiritedly added “The HeLa cell line”.

2

“The HeLa cell line was derived in 1951 from a clump of cervical cancer cells, taken from a contributor named Henrietta Lacks.

22

“Researchers found that these cells collected from Lacks not only failed to die, they even showed signs of growth. Every twenty-four hours, the number of cells would double.


“Later, they discovered that these cells didn’t die because of the tumor retrovirus that caused cervical cancer. This virus’ gene was able to alter the lifespan ‘switch’ in ordinary cells, thereby creating immortal cells of unlimited growth.


“In the following years, HeLa cells were supplied to various research organizations across the Federation. They helped scientists achieve cell cloning and have also been used to investigate the effects of nuclear radiation on a human body. Moreover, they’ve been placed in a space-bound rocket, to study the growth of cells in a weightless state…

4

“Data from medical sciences and biology indicate that, by this year, there are more than sixty-five thousand papers related to HeLa cells and over fifty million tons of HeLa cells have been cultivated…


“Hence, later generations shared this common knowledge – that cancer cell lines are ‘immortal’. They can continue dividing without end.”

9

When the professor uttered this line, many students started to clap enthusiastically, indicating their respect toward the contributor, Henrietta Lacks.

11

“Of course, if we humans play around with this ‘switch’, we’ll end up dead!”


The professor changed the topic abruptly, killing off the applause.


“After all, if the cycle of cell fission in our body is disrupted and doesn’t enter senescence in time, it’ll turn into a malignant tumor and threaten our life!


“We humans have kept on forging ahead in our search for the truth. When society was nothing more than an assortment of clans, the average human lifespan was less than twenty years. In the Middle Ages, that had progressed to forty years…

9

“With the emergence of science, human civilization plunged into a phase of swift development. In mere decades, humans of the Earth Federation enjoy an average lifespan that is close to eighty years!

13

“But is that enough?

4

“Even if humans achieve the pinnacle of development, we wouldn’t surpass the hundred and twenty years stated in the Hayflick Limit. This is a long way from immortality. So, what do we do?”

3

After a pause, the professor continued.


“Thus, a revolution arrived…


“In 2002, this ‘switch’ was finally discovered. Professor John Sulston from the University of Cambridge, along with two of his colleagues, found a hereditary regulation mechanism that was then named ‘programmed cell death’.”

1

The professor wrote the words “Programmed Cell Death” on the blackboard and roughly drew a circle.

2

There was a loud snap. The chalk had broken under the professor’s forceful fingers.


“This discovery shook up the entire medical science community because it determined that cell death is an automatic, physiological form of ‘suicide’, like a program that was secretly embedded!”

1

The professor spread his arms. “This means that, although we initially assumed that senescence was a natural process, in truth, it may be due to a genetic defect! If we can fix this flaw, there’s hope that we may prevail over aging and attain immortality!”

35

A soft, collective gasp could be heard throughout the room.


It was like a huge door had just been opened. Chen Chen’s pupils shrank and he could only hear one voice, constantly repeating that magical word.


“Immortality?”


“Immortality…”


“Therefore, as students specializing in biology, you’re the generation with the best chance of rectifying this genetic defect.”

1

The professor broke out into an expectant smile. “In other words, you’re the ones closest to achieving immortality in the entire human history!”

25

The class was reaching the end at this point.


The silver-haired professor wiped his sweat with a handkerchief, then concluded in a hopeful, yet rueful, manner:


“There’s no denying that we humans are still completely ignorant in the face of the boundless ocean of truth. Perhaps a distant, impossible dream like immortality is only the first step in the search for truth…


“However, no matter what, the future is in your hands…


“That’s it. Class dismissed!”


“Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap…”

23

The room was filled with thunderous applause.

TBC...
Source: I Have A Super USB Drive - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 22
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“Sister Yue’er.” Xiaoba was just about to call out but Chu Qiao hurriedly covered her mouth.

The little girl had bright eyes and was looking around. She took out the embroidered bag she was holding and put it in Xiaoba’s hands while saying quietly, “Xiaoba, there is not much time left. Let’s cut to the chase. If I have not come to find you by dinner time tomorrow, you must run away from the back door of the horse shed where all the horse food is kept. I will find a way to distract the guard to leave his post tomorrow. The door will be unguarded for two hours before dinner. Here is some money and a fake identity certificate. Hold it with you and leave the city. Don’t wait for me.”

“Sister Yue’er?” Xiaoba immediately held onto Chu Qiao’s hand and said, “What are you planning to do? Are you going to get revenge? Xiaoba also wants to help you. I can’t leave alone.”

“Listen and be a good girl.” Chu Qiao patted her head and said, “There are only two of us left in the Jing family. I’m the older sister so you need to listen to me. As long as there is someone left, the Jing family will survive. If something happens to me, you can still help me get revenge.”

“But Sister Yue’er…”

“Xiaoba, listen to me. When you leave the city, head north. When you reach the San Yi city located at the border of Xia and Tang empire, wait for me for three days. If I still do not arrive after three day, you should leave by yourself. You don’t have to worry, this is just the back up plan. Once I get out, I will definitely catch up with you.”

With reddened eyes, Xiaoba pursed her lips tightly and suddenly held out her hands to wrap them around Chu Qiao’s waist. She said while choking on her tears, “I know Sister Yue’er always can resolve any problem. Nothing bad will happen to you.”

Chu Qiao hugged her shoulders, smiled and said, “Don’t worry. We will soon leave this place. In the future, there won’t be people trying to hurt us.”

The moon was shaped like a crescent in the cold, winter weather. The wind blew against the snow, creating a very dull atmosphere.

On the second day, Chu Qiao woke up early as usual and went to Zhuge Yue’s room to serve. However, she was told that the fourth young master went out early in the morning and was no longer in the residence.

Chu Qiao thought to herself, Even the gods are helping me. She turned around and walked in the direction of the main courtyard. Just as she walked to the Green pavilion, she was stopped by Zhuge Yue’s personal guard Yue Qi. The guard, who was less than fifteen years old, stared at her with a cold expression and said word by word, “The young master commanded that Xing’er is not allowed to pass through the gate.”

Chu Qiao was stunned and was not sure what Zhuge Yue was up to. She lifted her head and said with a cute smile on her face, “Big brother, I’m not leaving the courtyard. I just wanted to go to the kitchen to check if the new tea leaves that were delivered yesterday are fresh.” Right after, she turned and started walking towards the kitchen.

A little while later, Huan’er came out from the kitchen. Yue Qi frowned and asked with a confused look on his face, “Where is Xing’er?”

“Picking tea inside the kitchen with the group.”

Yue Qi frowned again, “With her status now, why does she need to do this kind of work?”

“Huh? Do you think Xing’er is as snobbish as Jin Zhu and Jin Cai?” The maidservant raised her eyebrows and looked at Yue Qi with disdain. She directly expressed her displeasure, “You are snobby!”

The white clouds were floating in the sky, what a beautiful day!

Chu Qiao found a random excuse to leave Qing Shan court. She was scared to be seen by others and chose to leave using the most hidden path. Just as she walked to the plum woods, a shadow suddenly appeared. She was shocked and saw that it was actually a teenage, with bright eyes and good features. He looked very familiar.

“Don’t be scared. I am Prince Yan’s page boy, Feng Mian. I was sent by Prince Yan to pass a message to you.”

“A message?” Chu Qiao furrowed her eyebrows and eyed Feng Mian’s body. She said, “How did you know to find me here?”

Feng Mian chuckled and said, “My master said that if I could not get into Qing Shan court, I should go hide in the most secluded pathway and I would be sure to find you.”

Chu Qiao scoffed and said, “Well, your master seems to know everything.”

“Yes, he is very smart,” Feng Mian replied cheekily while revealing his white teeth.

“What message did he want to tell me? Say it quick, I’m busy.”

Feng Mian was quite surprised and thought to himself, This little slave indeed has quite an unique temperament. No wonder both his Royal Highness and the fourth master Zhuge Yue paid so much attention to her. Feng Mian answered quickly, “He wanted to tell you that he must go back to Yan Bei in the morning tomorrow and wanted to say goodbye to you tonight. Hence, he wants to meet you at the same place as last night.”

“Back to Yan Bei?” Chu Qiao said while confused. “The Prince is a hostage in the capital. Why would he suddenly go back to Yan Bei?”

Feng Mian replied, “I’m not sure about the exact reason, but our King of Yan Bei sent messenger to the capital and asked for the Prince to return to Yan Bei. There must be something urgent that happened. The Grand Elerly’s council already approved for the Prince to go back to Yan Bei tomorrow morning.”

Chu Qiao nodded her head and said, “Tell your Prince, my identity of a servant does not allow me to leave Qing Shan court as I wish. In addition, whether the Prince goes back to Yan Bei or not, it has nothing got to do with me. I have no right to even say goodbye to him.”

Feng Mian smiled and said, “My master said if you want to go, there’s no one can stop you. Whether this has anything to do with you, is not something I could offer opinion for. Since you are busy, I will leave now.” Feng Mian smiled and disappeared into the forest. Chu Qiao could not help thinking that the Zhuge residence was so loose in security that a child like Feng Mian could wander about so freely.

After an hour of cautious prowling, Chu Qiao finally reached the side yard of the front courtyard. The yard of Zhu Shun, the steward of the Zhuge family, was presented right in front of her eyes, unguarded. At this very moment, Zhu Shun was holding a box with a sad expression on his face. The box contained a rotting hand. It looked disgusting.

Just then, a banging sound was heard. Zhu Shun was horrified. He held a dagger and ran out. His eyes were wide opened, and he shouted, “Who is it?”

It was silent. There was no one.

Zhu Shun turned around and saw a white letter sitting quietly on the ground. The top of the letter was attached to a thread, which was tied with a stone. The envelope had a peach painted on it and had a faint fragrance. After opening the letter, the man’s eyes suddenly lit up with disgusting and dirty desire in his mind. However, after some thought, he sighed, went back to his chair and did not go out.

A moment later, another bag was thrown in from the window. Zhu Shun opened it and saw that it was a women’s red binder. On top of it, there was a picture of a naked man and a women hugging each other. He felt his blood racing and burning.

He let out a laugh. He bowed his head down and smelled it. He held it and muttered, “She would not even wait for it to be nighttime! B*tch!” He then left after putting on his coat.

The Zhuge Residence was located in the east of the Zhen Huang city. Its back facing Mount Chi Song and Chi Shui lake was to its right. The residence was facing the south and covered a wide space. The building had three gates. The inner court was deep, with many layers of security. It had twenty four hours of non-stop parol. another four buildings surrounding it and a small trench fire. If there were to be a war, it would be considered a small city on its own.

Even Zhuge ladies’ rooms were located in the safest part under the mountain. For those who wanted to enter the prefecture, besides going in head-on from the front gates, there was no other possible way of getting in. The side door burst open and the guard greeted loudly, “It is Zhu Shun! Why did you come here?”

“Yesterday, there was a water leak in the Tao Ran court due to the snow that melted from the second floor, which leaked into the downstairs hall. I have come to check on it.”

The guard smiled and said, “How can I trouble you to do such trivial things? Leave it to me.”

Zhu Shun smiled and shook his head while saying, “I have nothing to do anyway. Is the First Young Master in the residence today?”

“The First Young master and the Fourth Young master have been in the study room discussing things for the whole morning already. I don’t think they will stop anytime soon.”

“Oh, okay then, I’ll go in now. There is no need to inform the masters that I was here. It is noon, the masters must be taking naps. Don’t disturb their rest.” Zhu Shun replied while nodding his head.

“I understand.”

The time was just right. A small figure was hidden in the trees. Her eyes was bright eyes and her lips lifted gently, revealed a gentle smile.

Chun Hua Court’s seventh lady Duanmu Huaning was preparing to take a nap. Her shawl slid off her shoulders. Her breast was plump and her waist was slim; her bottocks were round and her legs were long. Her skin was clear and tender, and her nails were colored red. She radiated beauty. Her maid flipped open the silk comforter and help her lady lay down to sleep naked as usual.

Just at this moment, the tile on the roof shifted quietly, but no one noticed, as a small bag of things was slowly lowered down. The bag was wriggling. It seemed like there was something alive in it.

The maidservant left and the room became very silent so that only the lady’s breathing could be heard.

The bag then landed on the seventh lady’s pillow. It was pink and there was a beautiful peach drawn on it.

While the seventh lady was sleeping soundly, she suddenly felt something was licking her good-smelling ears and neck. She lightly touched it and felt something furry. She thought it was a dream and did not bother opening her eyes. Just then, she suddenly felt pain on her face. She rubbed her eyes and saw what it was. Shocked, she screamed and it echoed throughout Chun Hua garden.

“Lady! Lady!” A maidservant hurriedly ran into the room. Just as she stepped into the room, she was shocked to see what was happening. The seventh lady’s room was filled with huge rats. They were dark, big and fat, and were not scared of humans. There were also a few on her bed, biting on her robe.

“Ah!” Where did these rats come from? Get rid of them!”

That afternoon, the entire court turned into chaos as everyone was trying to get rid of the rats.

The seventh lady drank more than ten cups of tea to help calm her nerves, but she still felt anxious and her whole body was shaking.

“Lady, I found this on your bed.” A bodyguard walked towards her, holding the pink bag.

The seventh lady took the bag and looked at it. Her eyes immediately enlarged as she stood up and said, “Little sl*t! I knew it was you! Come with me to the Tao Ran court. Let’s see what I will do to her.”

Chun Hua court’s people followed the seventh lady and left for the Tao Ran court. No one noticed the child hiding inside the cabinet in the corner. Not long later, the entire residence was in chaos and especially Tao Ran court. Chu Qiao returned back to Qing Shan court using the same path she came, and left the the chaos behind.

TBC...
Source: The Legend of Chu Qiao: Division 11’s Princess Agent - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 21
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Cunning fox Zhuge Yue! Chu Qiao thought to herself. She nervously kneeled down and hastily said, “Xing’er doesn’t dare to tell lies.”

“Really?” Zhuge Yue tilted his head down and chuckled softly to himself. “Well, explain it to me then.”

“On the fourth of the previous month, Xing’er and a group of girl slaves were brought to the hunting grounds by young master Huai. In the end, only Xing’er survived. When Xing’er came back, Xing’er was very scared. While waiting for my wounds to heal, I took the chance to pack my belongings and plan to run away.”

“Run away?” Zhuge Yue raised his eyebrows and asked, “Where were you planning to run away to?”

Chu Qiao softly replied, “I don’t know. I just didn’t want to wait there and die. Young master might think that Xing’er is being rebellious for thinking that way, however, we only get to live once. Xing’er’s life might be deemed worthless in others’ eyes, but to Xing’er, her own life is very precious. However, when I was about to run away, I was caught by the Guard Song. He then beat me up harshly. Today Guard Song saw me, he must be afraid that I would take avenge on him. Hence, he was trying to harm me to silence me.”

“Oh really? I understand now. He is still very daring.” Zhuge Yue drank a mouthful of tea and said with a calm voice, “Do you remember if he ever hit you?”

Chu Qiao stunned as Zhuge Yue’s stare was sharp like a snake. Chu Qiao immediately bowed her head and said, “It happened not long ago. That’s why Xing’er still remembers.”

“Your memory is not too bad.” Zhuge Yue nodded his head and said, “Well then, do you remember how Jin Si and Jin Zhu finessed me to kill Lin Xi? Remember when Zhu Shun sold your family members away? Remember when someone killed your sisters?”

Chu Qiao’s heart stopped for a moment and knocked her head on the floor. She said as tears rolled down her face, “Young master, Xing’er remembers everything. She is also clear about her own identity and knows her duty as well as her powers.”

“What you are trying to say is that the day when you have the same abilities as her, you will also get your revenge, right?”

Chu Qiao looked up in horror and exclaimed, “Fourth young master!”

“There is no need to deny it. When I first saw you, I already knew you were not a normal child. I saw that your eyes were hiding a lot of things.”

With tears welling up in her eyes, Chu Qiao pursed her lips and said, “What did the Young Master think Xing’er would do? Did he think Xing’er would kill people? Or did he think Xing’er was the one who harmed Jin Zhu and Jin Cai? Xing’er is still young. Even though she is filled with hatred, she still knows what to do and what not to do. Xing’er’s family and thousands of clansmen were killed. Xing’er was a highly respected person and became a slave overnight. If there really is hate, wouldn’t Xing’er hate the Sheng Jin Palace’s emperor, the Presbyterian church who gave the order, and Huang Tian Army who copied her family? Young master, Xing’er does not have that great of an ability. I only want to live happily. Those things are too serious, Xing’er cannot assume the responsibility.”

Chu Qiao knelt on the ground with her spine straight and head firmly upright, her shoulders trembled continuously as if she was extremely scared, and even tears would not come out.

Zhuge Yue looked back and forth at the child with intense stares which started to soften whilst listening to the child’s pitiful sobbing. Zhuge Yue put down his teacup, leaned on the couch and said slowly, “Get up.”

Chu Qiao tightened her lips, her reddened and watery eyes widened.

Zhuge Yue looked at the child in front of him. Looking at her small frame, flushed face with her small fists bunched nervously as if she was trying very hard not to cry, Zhuge Yue let out a sigh. Zhuge Yue had experienced many betrayals, hence he started to become very suspicious of everything that happened around him so much so that he even suspected a small child.

“Okay. I have wronged you. Just cry out loud.” To Zhuge Yue’s men, this was already considered an apology as he had never been so polite to others, except to the child who was standing stubbornly in front of him, with her big, round, and watery eyes.

Zhuge Yue suddenly felt irritated for no particular reason. He waved his hands and said, “Go away. Don’t stand here and stare at me.”

Without saying a word, Chu Qiao turned around angrily and started to leave.

“Stop right there!” Zhuge Yue suddenly shouted. Chu Qiao obediently stood there, with her back facing him.

Zhuge Yue took a small bottle made out of porcelain out of the side drawer and slowly walked down towards Chu Qiao. He grabbed Chu Qiao’s shoulders and wanted to turn her around. However, his fingers felt the tension in her shoulders. Zhuge Yue raised his brow while Chu Qiao struggled to remain facing forward and refused to turn around. Since Zhuge Yue was older than her, with some force, he managed to turn her body around. A teary-faced child stood in front of him. At the sight of Zhuge Yue, more tears ran down her face.

“It’s okay. Stop crying. I only scolded you a bit.” The young master said while frowning, “You yourself made a mistake and was not expecting others to blame you?”

“I didn’t do anything wrong. It was the young master who told me to ride the horse. I was learning well and no one said anything.” The eight year old finally released her temper and talked back to her master. While talking, she was continuously sobbing and mucus was running into her mouth.

Zhuge Yue frowned slightly and took out his handkerchief to wipe the tears off the child’s face. While wiping her tears, he said, “You still have the guts to cry? You lost my horse the other day, and today a precious pony from the west also died because of you. You still don’t admit you are at fault?”

“It’s not…it’s not like I was the one who wanted to ride the horse. In addition, Prince… Prince Yan had also returned the lost horse. I heard the news.” The child was very stubborn and argued her point to death, as tears fell down her cheek, wetting Zhuge Yue’s handkerchief.

Zhuge Yue was about to take another handkerchief, but the child took it and rubbed her nose to wipe her snot. Surprised, Zhuge Yue stared blankly at the dirty and sticky handkerchief. The child continued and said, “Even that precious pony was killed by the young master yourself.”

“So, you meant you didn’t do anything wrong?”

The child lowered her head and murmured, “What I said was the truth.”

The sunlight shone in from the corner of the window onto their shoulders. Since the child was small, even when she was standing upright, she was only at the Young Master’s shoulders. Her face was red like an apple.

“This is for you.” Zhuge Yue placed the porcelain bottle in her hands and said, “Go back and rub it on yourself.”

After all, the attention span of the child was short and she was easily distracted. Zhuge Yue smiled coyly while looking at the child, who held up the porcelain bottle and asked doubtfully, “What is that?”

“Medicine to heal the wound.”

Earlier, when the horses were galloping too fast, Chu Qiao’s palms were scratched. The child bit her lip, nodded and said, “The fourth young master, may Xing’er be excused now?”

The young master went back to his seat with his head down and with a expression as if he did not want to see her any more. He waved his hand while saying, “You can go now.”

Chu Qiao was just about to open the door when Zhuge Yue suddenly shouted, “Xing’er, the next time you see Prince Yan, don’t go near him.”

Chu Qiao tilted her head and stared back at him with a puzzled look.

Zhuge Yue frowned frustratedly and shouted, “Do you understand?”

“Understood!” The child replied loudly and turned to leave. Her small body crossed over the high door sill, causing her to almost fall over.

This child was starting to get more and more daring. The young master’s face was had a gloomy face while breathing deeply.

Right after she opened the door, she saw Zhu Cheng’s worried face. He hurriedly ran over, saw Xing’er’s teary face and asked worriedly, “What did the young master say? Is he angry?”

Chu Qiao looked at him, nodded her head and went back to her room.

Zhu Cheng entered the room frightened and saw Zhuge Yue with his head bowed down. He didn’t dare to make a sound and just stood there quietly. After a while, something flew towards his head suddenly. Zhu Cheng was terrified. He didn’t even dare to hide and thought to himself, I am dead. However, the object that hit him as soft, and hence Zhu Cheng’s head did not even hurt. He looked down and saw that it was actually a dirty handkerchief with a word “Yue” sewn on it.

“Throw it away.”

Zhu Cheng suddenly remembered Chu Qiao’s teary face, and he remembered something. After a short pause, Zhu Cheng nodded and replied, “Yes, master.”

However, as he was about to leave, he heard Zhuge Yue say, “Wait a moment.” Zhu Cheng turned his head and waited for his instructions like a slave.

The Young Master’s face turned red without any warning. Zhuge Yue thought for a long time but did not say anything.

Zhu Cheng carefully raised his head and saw Zhuge Yue’s frowning expression, as if he was going to make a huge decision. Zhu Cheng recognized that this was the expression that the Young Master usually had when he was resolving a difficult problem, so Zhu Cheng became very alert, waiting for the command. Finally, an authoritative voice said to Zhu Cheng, “Go and wash it now. Bring it back to me after it is cleaned.”

“What?” Zhu Cheng shouted, surprised.

Zhuge Yue’s anger started to rise. “What? Don’t you understand me?”

“I understand. I will do it now.”

Chu Qiao walked along the corridor with her head down and ignored everybody she walked past. Right after she shut the door, her face no longer looked wronged. Her face was very calm and eyes were very bright. With her hand on her chest, she sat on a stool and poured a cup of tea but did not drink it.

At last, today’s challenge was over. No matter how much Zhuge Yue trust her, it should be safe for now.

When the strong winds blew against her wet clothes, she felt a cold chill down her back. After drinking some tea, she started to calm down. She closed her eyes and gave out a huge sigh of relief.

Whatever it was, her plans had to go on as there was not enough time.

This year’s winter had been extremely cold, as the winds cut the skin.

In the midst of the dark sky, the bright stars shone on the earth. Winter was here and there was snow everywhere. The Yuan festival had just passed and Zhen Huang City celebrated the start of misfortune.

Zhen Huang City was covered in ice. The roads in between the palace and the Presbyterian homes were lit up with lights and was busy with horse carriages. The army that went to the west to fight in the war was defeated and their blood could be smelt from the river flowing down from the hill. Everyone knew about the defeat.

The Quan Rong army came to provoke the country, causing the noblemen to be very angry. They felt like their power was challenged and they felt threatened, causing a new war to be started. Before that, someone needed to be responsible for the previous defeat to maintain the dignity of the empire.

The gold-plated decree was sent out from the Sheng Jin palace, past the Presbyterian homes’ ruling and through Zi Wei square, Jiu Wai main street, Cheng Tian altar, Qian Kun main door towards the borderland.

The night before the chaos, the people were oblivious to the start of a war and were sleeping soundly in their homes.

TBC...
Source: The Legend of Chu Qiao: Division 11’s Princess Agent - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 20: Chapter 20
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Chu Qiao’s heart skipped a beat. She would be getting her just deserts after all. Unexpectedly, Zhuge Yue remarked, “Follow Zhu Cheng later on and find an able guard to teach you how to ride a horse.”

“Ah?” Chu Qiao and Zhu Cheng froze, then exclaimed in unison.

Zhuge Yue raised his sword-like eyebrows, frowned slightly, and declared deeply with an impatient look, “What’s the matter? Is there a problem?”

“No problem, no problem.” Zhu Cheng was seventeen this year and he had followed Zhuge Yue since he was young. Hence, he naturally knew that Zhuge Yue practiced what he preached. He replied in an appeasing tone, “I’ll bring Miss Xing Er there right away.”

Zhuge Yue raised his head in suspicion, frowned again, and stared at Zhu Cheng. “Xing Er just turned eight… Why are you calling her ‘Miss’?”

“That’s right, that’s right. I’ll bring Xing Er… Xing Er…” Zhu Cheng, who was usually witty, struggled to find a title to befit this child. He stuttered for a long while, but to no avail.

Zhuge Yue waved his hand impatiently and said firmly, “Okay. Scram. Straighten your back when you walk, lest outsiders think that the servants of Qing Shan court are all hunchbacks.”

“Yes, yes.”

Chu Qiao stood at her original position. Her petite frame was adorned in a pale yellow dress, with a vest made of fox skin on top. She looked adorable. She bowed to Zhuge Yue and softly said, “Xing Er thanks the fourth young master.”

Zhuge Yue waved his hand lightly, not even looking up.

Chu Qiao and Zhu Cheng exited the Xuan hall. Zhu Cheng looked suspiciously at the child and saw Chu Qiao staring back towards him. He remarked with a laugh, “Miss Xing Er, let’s go?”

Chu Qiao smiled and ignored him, walking out of the court.

“Miss Xing Er, these are the people that I chose for you. They are all adept at horse riding, please take your pick.” Everyone, including Chu Qiao and Zhu Cheng, stood at the foot of the horse riding hill. The eight year old child raised her head slightly and scanned the group of well-built, able-bodied men standing in front of her. These men, who were usually cross towards the servants, now stood in front of her respectfully, smiles on their faces. Anyone who did not know this would have thought that they were usually that kind natured.

Chu Qiao took small strides, passing the men one by one. Suddenly, her eyes brightened up. She paused, taking a long look, a plain smile slowly appearing on her face. She pointed at a flustered-looking man, smiled lightly and said, “I want him.”

“Miss Xing Er.” Song Lian laughed in a flattering manner, his smile obviously unable to hide his worry.



The eight year old girl, wearing a snow-white vest made of fox skin, stood on the hill. Her eyes sparkled, making her appear very adorable.

“Please choose your horse.”

Chu Qiao surveyed the herd of over ten horses in front of her, only to see that their horseshoes had not been attached. Their fur appeared clean; it was obvious that they were domesticated since they were young and had not ventured outside. The child trudged on the snow unevenly, waved her whip, and remarked playfully, “I don’t want any of these. I want to ride a big horse.”

As the servants at the side prepared to intervene, Song Lian quickly stopped them. He nodded and bowed, saying, “If Miss Xing Er wants a big horse, it is no issue. The few of you, go and fetch a few fine horses. Remember, they must be big.”

Song Lian purposely emphasised the word “big”. The two servants, understanding his intent, proceeded to fetch the horses. In just a while, five big-sized horses were brought over.

Chu Qiao took a quick look and deciphered that these horses were already old. She wondered if the horses’ mobility posed a problem, but she did not raise her concerns. She turned and said to Song Lian, “These horses look strong. I’m young and have not ridden such a big horse. Guardian Song, how about you demonstrate for me and teach me something?”



In that instant, Song Lian frowned rigidly, a defeated look appearing on his face.

Zhu Cheng chided suspiciously, “Go, quickly! Don’t tell me you don’t know how to ride a horse? Why were you so eager to go along with her just now?”

Song Lian, not being able to voice his frustrations, thought to himself, if only I knew who I was serving, I would not have agreed even if they beat me to death. He walked in front of the white horse hesitantly, reached out his hand, and patted the tired-looking horse’s head twice. He carefully stepped on the stirrup, treating the horse as if it was paper paste. He feared that the horse would buckle if he used just a little strength.

The horse was stronger than expected. Although its four legs were upright, they did not buckle. Song Lian heaved a sigh of relief and said with a laugh, “The snow is heavy today. As Miss Xing Er is still young, we shall learn to mount the horse first, and commence riding tomorrow.”

As Zhu Cheng was about to nod in agreement, Chu Qiao suddenly rushed forward and forcefully smacked the horse’s buttocks. She replied jovially, “Don’t say so much! Go for a round first!”

As the sound of the smack reverberated, not only did the horse remain stationary, but its hooves buckled and it fell on the floor. Song Lian was thrown off forcefully, flipping through the air before landing head first into the snow.

All the servants rushed forward in a flustered manner. Zhu Cheng, looking at the horse, which was inhaling more than it was exhaling, frowned and commented disdainfully, “Is this the best horse? I think all of you are not taking Fourth Young Master’s instructions seriously.”

“I do not dare,” Song Lian said, crawling to his feet. “This thought has never crossed my mind. It is only that given Miss Xing Er’s tender age, we do not dare to fetch a well-developed war horse!”

Zhu Cheng nodded and remarked, “You do make a point. Xing Er, you’re still young, let’s start with a small horse, okay?”

“As long as Brother Zhu Cheng wants me to ride a smaller horse, Xing Er will follow suit.” Chu Qiao raised her head, revealing her pink cheeks and a pair of crescent eyes. She was simply adorable.



Zhu Cheng’s spirits lifted. However, the moment he turned towards Song Lian, his mood changed to that of anger. He ordered angrily, “Go and fetch the horse!”

Song Lian led the horse back, limping. Amidst Zhu Cheng’s cries for him to be careful, he helped Chu Qiao mount the horse. She looked down, broke into a grin, and requested, “Brother, I still do not know how to ride a horse. Help me to lead the horse by the reins and let’s go for a round slowly.”

Song Lian earnestly wished to do this and he promptly nodded his head in total compliance. This horse was relatively well-behaved and it slowly walked behind Song Lian. In a while, both of them had managed to cover a hundred steps. Song Lian looked up and smiled pleasingly, “Miss Xing Er, I hope this horse is good? It is a newborn. When the seventh Missy requested it from me a while back, I did not gift it to her. If it is to your liking, I can gift it to you.”

“How could Xing Er take what the seventh Missy likes? This would be unruly.”

Song Lian gritted his teeth and replied with a laugh, “Miss, what are you saying? Although the seventh Missy is the old master’s biological daughter, she is way below the fourth young master in terms of status. You are popular with the fourth young master, making your status higher than them.”

“Is that so?” The child smiled lightly and said, “I did not know that my status was so high. Until recently, I was at your mercy.”

Song Lian instantly blanched.

Chu Qiao gave him a cold look, took the crossbow attached to Song Lian’s arm, and stabbed it into the horse’s buttocks with one swift and ruthless motion. The horse, shocked, gave a loud and long neigh. It kicked Song Lian aside and rapidly galloped forward! The child, flustered, loudly exclaimed, “Guardian Song! What are you doing?”

Zhu Cheng and the rest saw what was happening from afar and panicked. They yelled and followed in pursuit of them, but none of them could outrun the beast. Chu Qiao pretended to be panicked, while her eyes darted in all directions, looking for a safe landing point.

At this instant, a yellow horse suddenly appeared in the distance. Zhuge Yue, with his fair complexion, a thunderous look, unusually red lips, dressed in a dark purple embroidery gown, came sprinting after them on his horse. He swiftly brandished his sword and planted it between the eyes of the horse. The horse, having been attacked, bellowed in agony and started to kick, standing on two legs, shaking its head rapidly! At the same time, a soft whip flew in front. Wrapping itself around Chu Qiao’s small waist and taking her down from the horse!

“Haha, that was a close save.” Yan Xun, handsomely dressed in a pristine green robe, smiled and took Chu Qiao into his arms. His voice sounded sly, hinting that he knew everything.

Zhuge Yue took the arrow out from the horse’s buttocks and turned to look at Song Lian coldly. He ordered his servants, “Take him away and hand him over to Zhu Qi at the magistrate.”

Two guards dashed forward and tied Song Lian up.

The man pleaded, “Fourth young master, no…”

In the blink of an eye, there was a loud sound. Yan Xun dashed forward and with a kick to Song Lian’s face, dislodged most of his teeth making him unable to speak. Zhuge Yue raised his eyebrows slightly, turned his head and looked at Yan Xun, his eyes slanted.

“This kind of slave would have been executed long ago in the Yan residence. How could he have any chance to defend himself?” Yan Xun laughed and remarked, “Fourth Childe Zhuge, you are overly benevolent. I didn’t mean to interfere your business Please pardon my rudeness.”

Zhuge Yue replied plainly, “It’s nothing. Prince Yan is so well-skilled. How did I not realize it back when we were both studying in the General Academy Hall.”

Yan Xun casually waved and laughed, “It was just some fluffy skills. How could that compare to the art of war in your minds?”

Zhuge Yue did not respond. With a wave of his hand, his servants took Song Lian, who was bleeding heavily from his mouth, away.

“Prince Yan, many thanks for returning our lost horse today. However, you could have asked the servants to run this errand, instead of troubling yourself. I would love to invite you to stay for a meal but I know that you are busy. I will not impose on you further. Zhu Cheng, see Prince Yan out.”



Yan Xun laughed indifferently, exchanged a few courteous words with Zhuge Yue, and prepared to leave. As he departed, he passed by Chu Qiao and whispered in her ear, “Ruthless lass, you set up another person again.”

Chu Qiao froze. She looked up, only to see Yan Xun acting as per normal, walking away with a slight smile. He adopted a straight posture and had a calm look on his face. He looked just like an adult. How was it anything like that dissolute prince with a smile on his face?

“Xing Er,” a deep voice suddenly echoed from behind her. She turned back, seeing the troubled look on Zhuge Yue’s face. “Come back with me,” he said.

Chu Qiao sighed. She was down on her luck, actually having been exposed. She needed to think of a way to handle this small, wily fox. She followed behind Zhuge Yue, depressed. She started to formulate excuses in her mind about how she was tragically bullied in the past, but she did not see the look in Zhuge Yue’s eyes. Amidst the gloom, his eyes reflected a sense of pride, but no one knew what exactly he was proud of.

The room remained silent for a long time. The breeze outside the window continued to blow gently. A faint aroma emanated from the cymbidium perched on top of the jardinière. The child continued to stand silently at the bottom. However, a long time passed, long enough for her to assume that the people above had fallen asleep. She could not resist anymore and took a peek above, meeting a pitch-black gaze as she looked up.

Chu Qiao couldn’t pretend that she didn’t see anything anymore. She licked her lips and called out softly, “Fourth young master.”

“Have you formulated your lies already?” The youngster held up a teacup, took a slow sip out of it, and stated in a plain, soothing manner.

TBC...
Source: The Legend of Chu Qiao: Division 11’s Princess Agent - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 54: How Dare You
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

“Xiaoning, your Godmother and I have agreed to your Grandpa’s death wish before he passed on. It’s because he mentioned that your Grandma would’ve agreed to his request as well, even if she were still alive today,” said Mr. Gu.

“I’ll first have to ask for my Master’s opinion. I’ll agree to it if she does. I will be making a trip to the mountains tomorrow morning,” said An Xiaoning, sounding rather dignified.

“Alright,” agreed Mr. Gu.

“I’ll watch over Grandpa’s coffin tonight. You guys can take over tomorrow.”

“I’ll accompany you,” Gu Beicheng interjected.

“Sure, if you’d like.” Just as she finished, her ringtone began to crank loudly, “Boss, someone’s calling you again!”

Gu Beicheng’s face stiffened at the strange thought of that ringtone going off every single time he had called her.

It was a call from Jin Qingyan.

She headed outside to answer the call. Upon hearing that she was going to spend the night watching over the coffin, Jin Qingyan offered to accompany her, but he was turned down by An Xiaoning. She instead instructed him to make a trip there the day after.

Having changed into a fancy and proper attire accessorized with sparkling silver jewelry, she sat herself down onto a cushion next to Gu Beicheng in the brightly lit room while the door was left wide open.

“Have you had your dinner?” he asked.

“No.”

“Here, have this,” said Gu Beicheng as he retrieved two mixed-fruit cakes from the pocket of his suit and offered them to her.

An Xiaoning took the cakes and stuffed them into her mouth as soon as she unwrapped the packaging.

With keen, sparkling eyes, he watched as An Xiaoning hurriedly wolfed down the cakes on an empty stomach, seeming to be famished. In those moments, under the warm lighting, she looked more delicate than ever.

All of a sudden, Gu Beicheng reached his hand out to gently wipe the remaining food off her mouth with his thumb. “Would you like me to order them to fix you something to eat?”

Gesturing in disapproval, An Xiaoning rejected, “It’s fine, I’ll be full after finishing these cakes.”

Hearing the incoming footsteps, An Xiaoning quickly turned around only to see that Jin Qingyan had entered, clad in a big, black, and fur-collared coat. He stood tall before An Xiaoning and looked at her with a stern look on his face.

“Didn’t I tell you not to come?”

“Well, after all, I’m still your husband, and I ought to pay a visit since someone from your maiden family had passed away.” He glared at Gu Beicheng and said coldly, “Go home and get some rest. I’ll accompany her.”

“He’s my grandfather… It’s only right for me to watch over his coffin,” Gu Beicheng refused.

Jin Qingyan then sat next to An Xiaoning and took her hand in his in a tyrannical manner, as if proclaiming his sovereignty.

Noticing that he had acted out of the ordinary, An Xiaoning said with a mellow voice, “You’ll have to sit here for the entire night if you stay. Go home.”

“You’re my wife, how can I sleep alone in peace without you?”

His words had sounded ordinary, but An Xiaoning seemed to have deciphered it differently. Before she could speak, Gu Beicheng interrupted, “Since Brother-in-law is so filial, just let him stay.”

Jin Qingyan turned pale upon hearing Gu Beicheng address him as his ‘Brother-in-law.’ However, he could not retaliate since it was the truth, and thus, he had no choice but to suppress his anger, only managing to let out a grunt.

An Xiaoning’s purpose was not only to watch over the old Mr. Gu’s coffin but also to perform a ritual for him herself, which had to be completed that night.

As the clock struck 12 at midnight, she began performing the ritual while Gu Beicheng and Jin Qingyan kowtowed.

The ritual ended and the trio stayed up until three o’clock in the morning. By then, An Xiaoning was already exhausted and struggled to stay awake, but to no avail. She soon fell asleep on her lap after a few consecutive yawns.

Jin Qingyan embraced her in his arms while Gu Beicheng stood up to bring forth a small cushion to drape over her. It was a chilly night and Gu Beicheng was wide awake. Jin Qingyan was a little fatigued, but seeing that Gu Beicheng was still awake, he then decided not to fall asleep.

With An Xiaoning between them, they glared at each other with much animosity.

“If I see you touching my wife again with those filthy hands, you shall bear the consequences,” warned Jin Qingyan.

Gu Beicheng was unbothered by his words and went ahead to touch An Xiaoning. “So what if I did?” he taunted.

“Gu Beicheng!” yelled Jin Qingyan with immense anger.

“You don’t have to be so loud, Brother can hear you.”

“…”

Jin Qingyan could not be bothered to retaliate and cocked his head sideways instead.

“I haven’t seen you in a long while, and I’ve been dying to ask you something.” Gu Beicheng lit up a cigarette with his lighter, tilting his head to the side as a cloud of smoke wafted through his fingers. “Between Rui’er and Xiaoning, who do you want?” he continued.

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Jin Qingyan, I know how you feel about them. You’ve arranged for Chi Rui’er to put up at your mansion in Wei Ni Estate while your lawful wife lives elsewhere. Should the media find out about this juicy piece of news, I really wonder what they would write about it. Let’s hope you don’t suffer a double loss,” scoffed Gu Beicheng.

“Stay out of my business. You don’t have the right to tell me what to do anyway,” Jin Qingyan said coldly.

“Indeed, I can’t be bothered with your business. But for hers… there’s no way I’m staying out of it,” he said while pointing at An Xiaoning.

“Do as you please.”

The initially exhausted An Xiaoning was disturbed and woken up by their loud bickering. Thus, she had overheard every single word of their conversation. Though she had always been unfeeling towards Gu Beicheng, she suddenly began to think at that very moment that it was not that bad of an idea after all to have a Godbrother.

The two loggerheads remained seated while staring at each other fervently, all the way until daybreak. Once morning arrived, Jin Qingyan accompanied An Xiaoning to the mountains, despite his overwhelming fatigue.

He watched as An Xiaoning stood before a grave and related the old Mr. Gu’s death wish, then patiently waited for her Master’s response.

“Master, please give me a sign, if you agree. If you don’t, then refrain from doing so. I’ll understand it.”

As soon as she ended her sentence, a sudden gust of wind began to blow towards them, raking up the yellow leaves and twigs on the ground. Jin Qingyan remained in a state of reverence while An Xiaoning introduced him as her husband, after which he took three respectful bows.

On the way back, An Xiaoning gave Mr. Gu a call to inform him that they could bury the old Mr. Gu together with Nun Jingxin. She then headed home to get some rest and catch up on sleep, together with Jin Qingyan.

Facing each other, they could feel one another’s breaths intensely.

“Jin Qingyan, I have a feeling that our marriage is going to be over soon,” said An Xiaoning with her eyes closed.

“I’ll never initiate a divorce with you.”

“Don’t test my patience or force me to the end of my wits,” said An Xiaoning, smiling.

He bit her lips all of a sudden, causing her to wince in pain. He then kissed her with a burning passion before she could even speak. Panting, An Xiaoning hissed as she pushed him aside, “Why did you bite me? Are you a dog!?!”

With a cold look in his eyes, he said, “Finish what you were saying earlier.”

He seemed to be giving her a warning. They both knew her previous words were unfinished.

“Jin Qingyan, I repeat, do not force me to the end of my wits. Otherwise, I’ll end things between us immediately and free myself from this marriage.”

“Say it,” he insisted.

Blinking her eyes, An Xiaoning feigned ignorance, “Say what? What did I say earlier? I don’t remember at all.”

“…”

“I’m exhausted, I’m going to sleep.”

“How dare you.”

“You don’t wish to sleep, and you’re not letting me go to sleep either. What do you want to do?” cooed An Xiaoning, who began to behave coquettishly.

The initial stiffness of his face faded into a smile as he answered, “You.”

“You want to?”

“Yes.”

“Get lost…”

TBC...
Source: The Wealthy Psychic Lady: 99 Stolen Kisses - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 100: Catching the Mistress at the Scene

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“How is it harsh? Isn’t it just to stay at home and look after your husband and children? Nowadays, there are many women who want to be a rich man’s wife and don’t care about anything, right?” Jiang Tong said with a smile.


Zhou Jingyun’s expression changed. Jiang Tong actually said such a thing? Could it be that she was willing to be a rich man’s wife?


Jiang Tong raised her eyebrows at Zhou Jingyun. Zhou Jingyun seemed to have understood something. He sneered, “Yes, if it were possible, who wouldn’t want to live a good life at home and be a rich lady who doesn’t care about anything? However, some women marry men who are not up to expectations and can only go out on their own to make a living.”


Jiang Tong shook her head, “What you said is not right. Some women also have to be strong. Maybe they just like to work hard in the business world. For example, some men don’t like to work hard either. By marrying a rich wife, they can achieve success for the rest of their lives without having to work hard. Of course, this is not called marrying a wife. It should be called marrying in.”


“It’s not the same thing. It’s okay for a man to marry into the family. However, if the man who married into the family is greedy and unambitious, and even dares to cheat on his wife with another woman, that’s really disgusting. As a man, I don’t want to criticize other men too much. Unfortunately, some people really don’t deserve to be called men!” Zhou Jingyun’s eyes couldn’t hide his disgust. Indeed, he didn’t like men who cheated on their partners.


“Now that you say it, I also think it makes sense. We don’t simply judge people because of an issue, but some men… tsk tsk.” Jiang Tong shook her head as if she didn’t want to talk about this topic anymore.


At this moment, a loud sound came from behind them. It was the middle-aged man who smashed the fruit juice that the waiter had just delivered! The middle-aged man’s face was very ugly, and his entire face was red. “Did I f*cking save your pride that much? Who are you guys trying to bully here?” He was already furious, thinking that his identity had been exposed and that Jiang Tong and Zhou Jingyun deliberately used words to pick on him.


From a certain perspective, the middle-aged man was not wrong. Jiang Tong had done it on purpose because she knew that the middle-aged man was a married man. He was a son-in-law that married into the family, and his status in the family was very low. His family’s wealth was all earned by his wife! Therefore, the conversation between Jiang Tong and Zhou Jingyun was very ear-piercing to him.


“Who are you scolding? Why are you so agitated when we are chatting? Are you related to those incompetent men we are talking about? Are you a son-in-law that married into the family?” Jiang Tong deliberately asked in a puzzled voice. Moreover, her voice was very loud, and all the guests at the nearby tables heard it. Even the guests who had just entered the dining area heard it and turned their heads to look over.


The middle-aged man choked. His entire face was as red as a balloon and he could not say a word. If he admitted it, wouldn’t that mean that he was a son-in-law that married into the family? Then that would be very humiliating! However, Jiang Tong was obviously scolding him. Should he continue to endure it?


“You married into the family?” The young woman turned her head and asked in disbelief. She knew that the middle-aged man had a wife. He had also told her that he was in the midst of a divorce. Because of the property division issue, the divorce had been delayed. He had even said that he would marry her after the divorce. However, he had not told her that he had married into his wife’s family!


Married into the family, so the divorce was a farce! What property division was there to talk about?!


“I did not!” The middle-aged man denied with a straight face.


“Then why are you so agitated? You said that we were picking on you for things that have nothing to do with you. You gave me a fright. I thought that our words had made you unhappy. I thought that we were mocking you,” Jiang Tong said and she looked down at the time on her phone. It should almost be time for her to arrive. The strong woman’s company was not far from here. This middle-aged man was obviously taking advantage of the lunch break to meet his lover. Naturally, he would not be too far away from the company. This was something that the middle-aged man had often done in the past. Therefore, Jiang Tong could deduce it.


“You… You f*cking…” The middle-aged man was so angry that his lungs were about to explode. His gaze seemed like he was going to tear Jiang Tong apart!


At this moment, the horn of a car sounded. A group of cars suddenly stopped by the roadside. All the doors of the cars opened at the same time. More than ten bodyguards dressed in black got out of the cars. A chubby middle-aged woman in her forties got out of the car parked in the middle. Although the woman was a little chubby, her aura was very strong.


When the middle-aged man saw this situation, his face immediately turned pale and he immediately sat back in his chair.


Jiang Tong smiled slightly and was very satisfied with the middle-aged man’s performance.


The middle-aged man was scared silly the moment he saw the woman. The middle-aged woman stared at the middle-aged man the moment she got out of the car. Her face was calm, but her eyes were filled with murderous intent. She walked step by step to the middle-aged man’s table, and the bodyguards behind her also followed.

TBC...
Source: I Repeated The Same Day For 500 Years - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 99: What’s the Rush

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“I didn’t, Babe. I love you the most. Other women are trash in my eyes. I only love you,” the middle-aged man continued to coax her.


“Really? Then why are you speaking so softly? Do you want to leave a good impression on her so that you can chase after her later?” The young girl shouted sharply.


“When did I speak softly? Can you stop fooling around? This is very annoying!” The middle-aged man lost control of his voice. After he shouted very loudly, the young woman realized that she had crossed the line and did not dare to say anything else. She only turned her head and ignored the middle-aged man.


“Babe, don’t be angry. The dishes are about to be served. See what you want to eat. Let’s order some more food to eat.” The middle-aged man adjusted his emotions and continued to coax her.


“I think you have taken a fancy to that woman,” the young girl turned her head and said. Then, she looked at where Jiang Tong was. “Look at how she dresses like a dog. I guess she must be very flirtatious. She eats with a man and doesn’t forget to seduce you. How cheap!” When the young woman said this, strong jealousy flashed in her eyes as she looked at Jiang Tong.


Zhou Jingyun didn’t want to argue with them, but when he heard this, he couldn’t hold it in anymore. He put down his cup and was about to get up. When he got up, the bodyguards not far away also walked over quickly.


“What’s the rush?” As the person who was being cursed, Jiang Tong was very calm. She held Zhou Jingyun’s hand and smiled at him. She said, “I’ll take care of it.”


As she spoke, she took out her phone and typed a message: “Your husband is on a date with his mistress. The address is…” after she finished typing the message, she entered a phone number and sent it.


Alright, now she was ready to watch a good show. Perhaps it was because she knew too many people and too many secrets, Jiang Tong felt that she could build up her connections from anywhere and through anything. It was the same this time. The middle-aged man’s wife was a strong woman, she could be considered a sub-top-tier network, similar to the low-key Jiao Qinglong. However, this woman’s family was very impressive in City Z.


After sending the text message, Jiang Tong signaled Zhou Jingyun with her eyes. Zhou Jingyun took a deep breath and sat down. Although he didn’t know what Jiang Tong was going to do, he didn’t want to have a conflict with others in public unless it was necessary. It would be beneath his dignity.


After Zhou Jingyun sat down, a few bodyguards who were hurriedly approaching him suddenly stopped in their tracks. Zhou Jingyun gestured to them, and the bodyguards understood. They pretended to be passing by and walked back after a few steps.


“Tsk, I thought something was going to happen. Who were they trying to scare.” The young woman behind him spoke again. In fact, she had been frightened just now. The moment Zhou Jingyun suddenly stood up, she was instantly frightened. Aura was something that could not be seen or touched, but it could be sensed by others. The young woman thought that Zhou Jingyun was going to come over and hit her. She was so frightened that she hid in the arms of the middle-aged man, but she did not expect Zhou Jingyun to sit down again.


“Don’t be afraid, Babe. No one will dare to touch a strand of your hair even if they are very gutsy!” The middle-aged man patted the young woman’s back and deliberately said loudly. He was very concerned about his pride. Under such circumstances, he had to protect the woman by his side.


“Tsk, he looked quite scary but he doesn’t even dare to come over. What’s with the pretense?” the young woman muttered.


Zhou Jingyun was very angry when he heard that. As a man, he should not be petty with women. However, this young woman’s mouth was too sharp and her words were not pleasant to hear. He began to regret why he had to eat outside. In the past, he always went to the private room of a restaurant. Today, he came with Jiang Tong and ate outside instead of in a private room. If he had gone into the private room, there would not have been such a mess


Seeing that Zhou Jingyun was so angry, Jiang Tong smiled silently. With Zhou Jingyun’s status, he had probably never seen a woman with such a temper. Against such a person, Zhou Jingyun would not be at a disadvantage. However, it was not nice for a man to argue with a woman. The young woman was still mumbling and saying unpleasant words, but Jiang Tong pretended not to hear it. She poked Zhou Jingyun and said, “Ignore her. Let’s talk about something interesting. Why do you think that person from the Xie family is not easy to handle? Are three days not enough?”


Jiang Tong’s words were very vague, but Zhou Jingyun understood what she was saying. She was talking about Xie Wenkai, and he didn’t know why Jiang Tong would say this in public. Zhou Jingyun also wanted to divert his attention, he didn’t want to hear the voices of the two people behind him. So, he replied, “The other party’s conditions are too harsh. No one can meet their requirements.”

TBC...
Source: I Repeated The Same Day For 500 Years - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 19: Chapter 19
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Yan Xun flew into a rage, gave Feng Mian a kick while on his horse, and shouted, “Idiot! I dare you to say that again!”



Feng Mian yelped twice in pain. He immediately turned around and ran towards the Zhuge residence. He did not dare to repeat those words again.

Yan Xun huffed in anger. He saw all his subordinates staring at him and hollered, “I do what I want!”

Everyone hurriedly looked away in their own direction and did not dare to look Yan Xun in the eye again. Each of them thought the same thing and sighed to themselves. After all, the prince was only thirteen years old. It was no big deal if he occasionally threw a childish tantrum.

By the time Chu Qiao reached the Zhuge residence, it was already late at night. Upon seeing Chu Qiao, the gatekeeper was slightly taken aback, as he recognized that this was the favored maid of Qing Shan court’s young master. Hence, he did not make things difficult and even gave her a lantern to light the way.

The Zhuge residence gave off an icy cold aura at night, and without the noise and liveliness of the daytime, the silence made the place feel like a pitch-black prison cage. Occasionally there were a few cries of some jackdaws, which were then promptly shot down by archers who had great precision. Any forms of noise was not tolerated while the masters were sound asleep; even animals could not be excused.



As Chu Qiao passed by the high walls of Lan Shan court, she heard a burst of suppressed cries. It was as if a female servant was hiding on the opposite side of the wall and crying, having erred and taken a beating.

Chu Qiao’s footsteps gradually came to a halt. The gigantic moon in the sky, pale and round, reflected her small shadow onto the red wall. Her shadow seemed thinner and longer, which reminded her of past times when she had a taller figure. She suddenly felt a tinge of sadness. Perhaps, she would snap out of her trance and realize that it was just a dream. If it was a dream, all of these things would not have happened. Those lifeless corpses, the fresh blood that flowed, and those tears of despair…

The cries of the child on the opposite side of the wall persisted. As she was too short, she could not scale the wall. How could she give warmth to others if she herself was cold? Just like those corpses that were buried underneath the snowy plains. Her despair did not help the situation.

Unexpectedly, she opened the front door of Qing Shan court. Chu Qiao was surprised. She had originally planned to spend the night in the firewood room; the fact that the courtyard’s gate was not locked stunned her. Zhuge Yue knew how to take care of his own health. When he was not attending lessons in the General Academy Hall, he would stay in the garden either busy with his flowers or enjoy some tea and burn some incense. He also highly valued sleep, unlike the other young masters, who were only preoccupied with lust, often throughout the night.

As she carefully stepped into the courtyard, the glow of a lantern started advancing towards her. Huan Er hurriedly grabbed Chu Qiao’s hand and whispered, “Finally! Where did you run off to just now? I’ve been waiting for you the entire night.”

Chu Qiao apologetically stuck out her tongue and replied, “My horse was scared away. I just came back. Where’s the young master? How come the gate isn’t locked?”

“You’re lucky.” Huan Er curled his lips and remarked with a smile, “Young master is in his study reading. He has been there all night and he has not told me to lock up. He hasn’t slept either, so I’ve been able to wait for you here.”

Chu Qiao nodded, walking towards Zhuge Yue’s room. Huan Er hurriedly stopped her and said, “The young master was not in a good mood when he came back. I do not know who ruffled his feathers. It’s late, let’s discuss things tomorrow. Anyway, the young masters did not ask you to go to Xuan hall. You go and take a rest, I’ll inform the young yaster on your behalf.”

Chu Qiao nodded and replied, “That works too.” She turned and walked back towards her own room. Huan Er dashed into the Xuan hall, spoke a few sentences and exited.

Chu Qiao was one of the maidservants in Xuan hall with a higher status. Her room was located close to the main yard. As she walked to the door, the light in the room behind her went out before she could manage to open it. She was enveloped by the darkness.

Chu Qiao was a little dazed. She turned back slightly, looking in the direction of Zhuge Yue’s room. As the last light was extinguished, the entire Zhuge residence fell into a deep sleep. Chu Qiao stood in the corridor for a long time. As the wind blew, she twitched her nose lightly. It was as if she could smell the scent of blood beneath the ground.

Zhuge Yue seemingly had a nightmare just after closing his eyes. When he woke up, the third sound of the drum had just been struck. The sounds of the watchman dragged on, carrying a soft tail sound, and drifting far away in the silent night.

In that instant, he thought that he was still dreaming. In the dream, there was a warm spring breeze and beautiful peach blossoms. The touch of his mother’s hand felt as gentle as the warm spring water, elegantly brushing across his hair, combing a neat bun for him. However, instantly, the cold air permeated his senses, rudely awakening him. He sat up, his white pajamas drenched with sweat. The windows were not fully closed and the icy, cold wind blew onto him through the window slit. The teapot by his bedside was already cold. A few pieces of osmanthus cake sat in a small blue and white porcelain dish. It’s refreshing aroma was still delectable, despite the distance. He did not feel like sleeping anymore. He put on his coat, took his long flute, opened the door and walked out.

The maidservants outside were sound asleep, not awakened at all by his movement. He continued to walk and pushed the room door open, seeing the snowy white moonlight in the courtyard. It passed through the trees and shone on the ground, forming streaky, barbed reflections. It was as if it snowed out of nowhere. The warm radiance spread around the courtyard. The midnight wind was slightly chilly and brushed against his sleeves. The fluttering sounds mimicked that of a butterfly’s wings. Heading east of the courtyard, he was welcomed by a big plum plantation. Its red and white colors intertwined and gave off a fragrant aroma, spread about by the wind.

This mansion was probably only silent at this hour. Without the other noises, it was as if he was the only person left in this world. He spotted a pavilion located higher up and wandered along the mottled stone path leading up to it. Frost had just descended upon the night, causing the path to be slightly slippery. He bent down and walked slowly, seemingly minding his way, but not paying attention at the same time.

“Fourth young master?” a crisp sound echoed in the distance. He raised his head and saw a little girl sitting on a tree next to the pavilion. She was wearing jade-green clothes, her neck adorned by a ring of snow-white camel fur. Her black eyes were big and round and were staring at him. A pair of small green boots were swinging around in mid-air, just like two dancing grass crickets.

He slowly raised his eyebrows and asked, “Why are you here?”

“I couldn’t sleep.” Chu Qiao was astonished to see him here at this hour as well. She remarked honestly, “Fourth young master, you couldn’t sleep either?”



Zhuge Yue remained silent and slowly walked up towards the pavilion.

The Zhuge residence was originally constructed on a hillside. The sights here were marvellous and offered a view of almost the entire city of Zhen Huang. The hazy moonlight was just like a thin white veil, shrouding every corner of the city, and suppressing the hostility of the harsh northern winds which had chipped away at the city for a few hundred years. The moonlight made even the thick city walls, which had been stained with the blood of numerous people, appear gentler.

Chu Qiao looked at his back view, suddenly feeling a sense of disorientation. The peace after the bloodshed made her feel tired. She leaned on a branch, staring at that quiet youngster. She watched the wind tug at his bright-colored sleeves, just like two big butterflies flying about with the flow of the wind.

“Fourth young master, I lost the little red horse.”

Zhuge Yue did not respond, as if he did not hear her words in the first place. The long flute was still in his hands, but he did not play it. He stood still silently for a while, before turning and walking down the hill.

Chu Qiao, seeing that he was leaving, climbed down the tree to follow him. However, she lost her footing and slipped. In desperation and confusion, she grabbed hold of the tree branch, only for it to slice a big hole in her clothes. The back of her arm was also cut and fresh blood oozed out of the wound.

Zhuge Yue stopped in his tracks and raised his head, only to see what seemed like a monkey—no, a child—hanging from a tree branch. He paused to think and reached out his arms.

Chu Qiao was caught off guard and questioned suspiciously, “Fourth young master, what are you trying to do?”

Zhuge Yue replied, “Jump down.”

“Ah?” She thought for a long while, before realizing his intention. Chu Qiao quickly said, “It’s okay, Xing Er can make her way down by herself.”

Zhuge Yue frowned slightly, appearing rather impatient, and declared stubbornly, “Jump down.”

Chu Qiao could not insist further and she could only release her grip. In an instant, she dropped into Zhuge Yue’s arms. She was still short, only reaching his shoulders in height. In his arms, she felt like a small cat.

“Let’s go.” Zhuge Yue placed her on the floor and walked in front of her, Chu Qiao promptly followed. They were surrounded by plum trees and the floor was strewn with petals. They trod on the soft white snow, leaving behind two rows of shallow footprints.

By the time they got back to Qing Shan court, all the servants there were awake and frantically searching for the pair. Zhuge Yue did not elaborate and went straight back to his room. Huan Er dashed over to Chu Qiao’s room and started to question her.

As they spoke, a maidservant reported that Young Master had caught a cold and that someone was on their way to get a doctor. All of Qing Shan court started to become busy. Huan Er brought a few maids and servants in and out to prepare warm water and change towels, until the doctor arrived to take the Young Master’s pulse and prescribe some herbal medicine. Only then was everyone able to catch their breath.

Chu Qiao, having had some supper, was preparing to sleep, when she suddenly heard a knock on her door. She opened the door to see Huan Er standing outside, along with an elder who looked over fifty. Huan Er uttered, “Xing Er, the young master said that you were cut. Since the doctor is here already, let him take a look at your injury.”

Chu Qiao paused for a second, and then made her way for the doctor to attend her wound. After the doctor was finished, Huan Er stated, “Also, the young master said that he would sleep in tomorrow, so we need not wake up too early to work.”



Chu Qiao nodded in agreement, and Huan Er left the room joyfully.

The hazy moonlight shone on this silent courtyard, it was as if a layer of white frost had been glazed over it.

The next day, first thing in the morning, Chu Qiao went to see Zhuge Yue. However, the young but mature young master was not in his room. Chu Qiao, aware that she lost the red horse, knew that she had to provide explanation to him. As she was about to go outside to ask for his whereabouts, she saw Zhuge Yue stroll into the courtyard, wearing a set of dark golden armor and holding a long sword. He was flanked by a group of servants and adopted a decisive and agile posture. Chu Qiao had not seen him like this before. Zhu Cheng, back bent, had a cloak draped over his arms. He followed closely behind.

Huan Er along with other maidservants hurriedly ran up. They served tea and water to Zhuge Yue, started burning the incense, wiped his hands clean, and started preparing for his bath.

Chu Qiao stood by the side of the main entrance and waited for Zhuge Yue to take his seat. And then she stepped up and confessed, “Fourth young master, I lost the little red horse.”

“Um.” Zhuge Yue acknowledged her lightly, drinking a mouthful of the tea that he received from Huan Er. Then, he ordered his other servants, “Go and fetch two pots of the cymbidium that was delivered yesterday and take away this incense burner. It irks my sense of smell.”

The servants quickly obliged and set about to run their errands. Chu Qiao stood in her original spot. Seeing that Zhuge Yue had no intention of punishing her or continuing with this topic, she smartly stopped talking. Just as she prepared to sneak out, Zhuge Yue put down his teacup, pointed at her and said, “Xing Er, hold on.”

TBC...
Source: The Legend of Chu Qiao: Division 11’s Princess Agent - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 18: Chapter 18
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Some things were decided since one’s birth, such as blood ties and their destiny.

He slumped in his seat, raised his wine glass and gulped it down in one shot, along with all his suppressed thoughts and indignation.

Chu Qiao had just walked over to the city gates and saw the servants of the Zhuge family holding lanterns and looking around. Upon spotting her, they ran towards her direction in elation.

“Xing Er, the fourth young master asked us to wait here for you. Let’s go back to the house.”



Chu Qiao paused. Given Zhuge Yue’s character, she did not expect him to send people to locate her. She nodded and got into the carriage prepared by the servants.

The horse carriage creaked forward along the bustling city streets. The volume of the noises outside gradually decreased, eventually reaching complete silence. The child leaned on the inner walls of the horse carriage. Scenes of the recent massacre started to appear before her eyes—the cold-blooded stares of the soldiers, the deeply rooted resentment of the refugees, and the limp resistance of Wei Shuye.



It was still futile despite his identity. What could she, a small fry, do then? To resist an entire empire with her abilities would be akin to a mantis trying to stop a car—an utter failure. What she could do now, was to tread carefully on her toes and continue living on, in search of an opportunity to exact revenge and leave with Xiao Ba. As for other matters, she could not hope to change anything, due to her limited capabilities.

The horse carriage slowly wandered into the distance. Chu Qiao suddenly felt a chill. She opened the curtains and scanned her surroundings, and remarked, “This isn’t the way back to the house. Where are you taking me?”

The servant froze, not expecting a child of such a small age to be able to recognize directions. He smiled obsequiously and replied, “The young master is in the other courtyard, not in the main residence.”

The child’s eyebrows twitched. She carefully asked, “Courtyard? Which courtyard?”

“The courtyard in the western part of the lake.”

Chu Qiao frowned. The precarious nature of her work over the years had naturally made her develop a sense of cautiousness, allowing her to sense when something was amiss. She tested the waters and probed, “I did not manage to retrieve the things from the house that the young master instructed me to. Let’s go back to the house, then make our way to the courtyard.”

The servant replied with a smile, “Don’t worry. the young master just said that the things no longer need to be retrieved. He’s waiting in the courtyard. Let us go there quickly, lest he gets worried.”

Chu Qiao nodded slowly with a quiet expression and let the curtains down. The servant heaved a small sigh of relief. A sly look flashed across his eyes and the edges of his lips became sharp. However, the instant where his smile expanded, a dagger suddenly made contact with his neck, coldly. The child, taking advantage of an opportunity, swiftly pounced. She solemnly exclaimed in a cold tone, “You’re not serving the fourth young master. Who are you?”

“Hehe,” a low pitched laugh, as hoarse as a night owl, suddenly erupted from the side. A gorgeously decorated carriage slowly made its way out from the dense forest. Inside was a flamboyantly dressed old man. He laughed and remarked with words carrying a tinge of evil to the servant who was at the side, nodding and bowing to him, “Impressive indeed, such a stubborn temper at this tender age. Her looks are not bad either. I’ll reward you handsomely later.”

Zhu Shun, flattered, replied with a laugh, “Sharing the burden of the second Grand Master is my duty. If the second Grand Master rewarded me, it would mean my loyalty was not accepted by you.”

The old man laughed and gave orders to the two servants on his left and right, “Take this lass back to the house.” Everyone obliged resoundingly and swiftly advanced forward.

In that instant, hundreds and thousands of thoughts flashed past Chu Qiao’s mind. She was aware that she could capitalize on the other party’s contempt and carelessness to make her escape by swiftly wounding them. However, in this case, it would arouse the suspicions of others, especially the one-limbed Zhu Shun. Even if she escaped by luck, it would no doubt implicate Xiao Ba, who was still trapped in the house. If she decided not to escape, she would end up in the clutches of this old lecher. At that time, given the capabilities of an eight year old girl, how would she manage to resist an entire army of guards from the Zhuge residence?

To escape, or not to escape?



Chu Qiao tightened up, her mind still rapidly weighing her options. How about she beat this old lecher at his own game and eliminate him, given this opportunity?

In a flash, some well-built men surged towards Chu Qiao, intent on snatching the dagger she held in her hands.

“Hang on!” a low-pitched, distinct voice suddenly reverberated. Everyone turned their head towards the source of the voice, only to see the snow on the ground being scattered by a herd of over twenty rapidly approaching pitch-black war horses. The youngster mounted on one of the horses was handsome and was dressed in green robes, adorned with white fur. He gave a loud whistle and galloped forward.

The horses gave a long neigh and stood up, their warm breaths blending with the crisp, cold air, forming a cloud of mist. The youngster, under the guard of his servants, stared coldly at the crowd. His voice was calm, he gave off an aura of wisdom and calmness that was way beyond his years. He remarked, in a low voice, “Long time no see, Mister Zhuge.”

Grand Master Zhuge, with eyes half-open, sized up the youngster. He gave a chuckle, revealing his yellow teeth. “Oh, it’s Prince Yan Xun of Yan Bei. At this ungodly hour, instead of resting in your house, what are you doing out here braving the strong, snowy winds?”

Yan Xun remarked unscrupulously, “Thanks for your concern, Mister Zhuge. How could I be sleeping soundly in my house, if you, at this age, are still admiring the lights at this late hour? It’s lantern festival, the entire nation is celebrating. I just came out to admire the festivities.”

“Oh?” Grand Master Zhuge’s long eyebrows smoothed out and he replied, “In this case, Young Prince Yan, do continue admiring the sight. I will not stay with you then.” He promptly turned to his subordinates and said, “Back to the house.”

“Hold on!” Yan Xun swiftly ordered his horse to move forward, blocking Master Zhuge’s path. He laughed lightly, pointed at Chu Qiao, and declared, “Mister, you can leave, but only if you leave this child behind.”

The old man’s eyebrows moved ever so slightly. He quizzed, “What do you mean by this, your Royal Highness?”

“This child just startled my horse, Flurry, and scared it away. I want to bring her back to answer for her deeds.”

Grand Master Zhuge, hearing these words, gave a slight smile and retorted, “In this case, I will compensate you with a fine horse.”

“This horse was just brought back from the Western desert by the King of Yan Bei! It is a fine, well-travelled horse, can you afford to pay for it?”



“Feng Mian, shut your mouth!” Yan Xun frowned, berating the page boy behind him. “The Zhuge family is a patriarch of the empire. The head of the Zhuge family is also one of the seven elders of the Grand Elder’s Council, and possess wealth and power that even our royal family cannot hold a candle to. There is nothing that they cannot afford to pay for. However, fatherly ties run deep. Flurry was personally tamed by my father and was delivered to Zhen Huang from afar. It is not a typical war horse, so I cannot let things slide just like that. I have to take this child with me.”

“Prince Yan…”

“You need not say no more, Mister Zhuge,” Yan Xun interrupted the old master. He raised his head and declared, “Mister Zhuge, given your high status, you should not need to lower yourself to plead for a slave. Regarding this matter, I will answer personally to the fourth young master of the Zhuge family. Men, take this child away.”

The personal attendants of the Yans’ residence stepped forward; one of the well-built men pushed Master Zhuge’s subordinates away, causing him to stagger. He carried Chu Qiao out with a single hand and prepared to mount the horse.

Zhu Shun, seeing that old Master Zhuge was teetering with rage, stepped forward with a pretentious smile. He tugged on the saddle of Yan Xun’s horse and pleaded, “Your Royal Highness, things can be discussed…”



With the cracking sound of a whip, followed up by a ferocious kick from Yan Xun to Zhu Shun’s chin, Zhu Shun’s fat body was knocked back. He fell on the floor and exclaimed in agony, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood, along with two of his yellowed front teeth.

“Who are you to gesture in front of me? You have no idea of your limitations!” Yan Xun stared sharply at Zhu Shun and remarked coldly.

Zhu Shun was caught by surprise. He quickly kneeled down and frantically kowtowed. In the Xia Empire, a member of the royal family did not need a reason to slaughter a civilian.

Yan Xun raised his whip and pointed at Zhu Shun, declaring coldly, “I will spare you temporarily on account of Mister Zhuge today. If you still exhibit this unruly behavior another day, I will kill you in person, even in the presence of the head of the Zhuge family.”

Finishing his sentence, Yan Xun did not even look at old Master Zhuge and echoed to his subordinates, “Let’s go!”

Yan Xun’s people then mounted on their horses. With the sight of snow being scattered around, they faded away into the end of the long street.

Old Master Zhuge turned red, his left hand trembling in anger. Zhu Shun crawled forward, maintaining a kneeling posture. He tugged at the leg of Master Zhuge. He pleaded, “Grand Master, please don’t be angry! I…”

“Scram!” the old man bellowed. He delivered a kick to Zhu Shun’s chest and shouted, “Useless piece of trash!” Following that, he boarded the carriage and promptly departed.

The heavy snow continued to fall. Silence now enveloped the long street, further highlighting the bustling main street.

The war horse stopped by the lake. The youngster, having maintained a serious look previously, now turned back with a smile and laughed, “Lass, you owe me a favor…again.”

The child raised an eyebrow slowly. Although she remained silent, her body language obviously conveyed the message, I did not beg for you to come.

Yan Xun grunted indignantly and whispered, “Would it hurt to say something nice?”

Chu Qiao took one look at him and prepared to walk away.

Yan Xun froze and hurriedly blocked her path. “What are you going to do?”

The child raised an eyebrow, “Of course I’m going back to the Zhuge residence.”

“You still want to go back?” The youngster frowned and questioned, “That lowly servant will not spare you! And as for that old fellow from the Zhuge family, he is known for his deeds in the city of Zhen Huang! Do you want to court your own death?”

Chu Qiao pushed him aside and said, “None of your business.”

Yan Xun did not let go and maintained his grip on her, saying, “What do you mean? I rescued you out of the goodness of my heart and you give such cold treatment. What good do you see in Zhuge Yue, that enigmatic fellow, he is worth you disregarding your safety to go back to him?”



Chu Qiao raised her head, frustrated that she prepared to risk all or nothing, but failed to eliminate the old lecher Zhuge. She impatiently brushed Yan Xun’s hand off, looked up and stated coldly, “Did I cry for you to come and save me? Keep your kindness to yourself, I cannot stand it.”

Yan Xun’s eyes seethed with anger. Seeing Chu Qiao’s small shadow disappearing into the distance, he shouted childishly, “Ridiculous! Serves you right that you got bullied. If I cared about you again, my surname would not be Yan!”

Chu Qiao did not even look back and disappeared among the vast sea of people after a long while. Feng Mian carefully approached and surveyed Prince Yan. He saw that his eyes were bloodshot as if he was about to cry from anger. Feng Mian froze slightly. The empire deployed various feudal lords to helm the neighboring territories and defend Zhen Huang, its capital. However, to suppress them, their sons were held hostage back in the capital. These children lived in the whirlpool of power from a young age and matured incredibly early as a result. It was the first time that Feng Mian had seen his master express his joy and anger towards another person in such a manner, just like…just like a normal child.

“Your Royal Highness, let’s make our way back to the house?”

“Hmm!” Yan Xun grunted coldly, his voice hinting at a tinge of anger. He mounted his horse and led his assistants back to the Yans’ residence.

“Feng Mian,” Yan Xun, having barely taken two steps, turned back and instructed his apprentice, “You take a trip to the Zhuges’ residence and tell them that I found Flurry. Also, tell them not to make things difficult for that girl.”

“Ah?” Feng Mian froze and opened his eyes wide. “Your Highness, didn’t you say that your surname would no longer be Yan if you helped her again?”

TBC...
Source: The Legend of Chu Qiao: Division 11’s Princess Agent - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 53: I Don’t Want to Be Tied Down by You and Our Child
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

“Since you believe him, then just continue dating him. I’ve already said, I won’t poke my nose into your business. It’s all written in the books of fate, you’re destined to be toyed with by him.”

“Written in fate? I refuse to buy it!” objected Jin Qingyue, adamant about the matter.

“That’s up to you.”

“You guys are always so busy, it’s rare that you’re home together. Stay for dinner,” said Mrs. Jin.

“Alright.”

At the dining table, everyone avoided the topic of fortune-telling and instead focused on discussing bearing children.

Grinning from ear to ear, the old Mrs. Jin said, “Xiaoning, hurry and bear some children while you’re still young. It doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl, we will dote on them very much, as long as they’re a Jin. Besides, you’re going to have an easier time returning to your prenatal state if you give birth early.”

An Xiaoning nodded with a smile and shot Jin Qingyan a glare. She had not forgotten what he said about detesting children and not wanting them to come between him and her.

“Grandma, we’ve only just gotten married, what’s the rush? We’re not eager to have children just yet,” said Jin Qingyan in disapproval.

“Of course you’re not eager. But I am. It’s going to take a few years until your child can speak and call me ‘Great-grandma.’ You don’t have to take care of the child after he or she is born. You two are free to roam wherever you’d like. Isn’t that great?” argued the old Mrs. Jin, a frown forming on her face.

An Xiaoning had no choice but to say coaxingly, “We’ll try for it, Grandma.”

Upon hearing An Xiaoning’s words, the old Mrs. Jin beamed with joy, her initial displeasure subsiding. “Yes, yes, alright. I’ll be looking forward to good news from you two,” she said merrily.

They managed to have a peaceful meal that day.

An Xiaoning was stopped by Jin Qingyan while she was getting into her car, “You don’t actually plan to have children, do you?”

She found it rather amusing that Jin Qingyan could not tell that she was merely trying to coax the old Mrs. Jin earlier on, despite his intelligence and wit.

“Didn’t you see how eager Grandma was?”

“Haven’t I mentioned before that I don’t like kids?”

“Do you really plan not to have any in the future?” she said as soon as she saw how serious he looked.

“At least not for now.”

“Alright.” An Xiaoning opened the car door and hopped on without saying another word. She was at a loss for words.

He then stopped her from closing the door and said again, “Xiaoning, let’s discuss having kids later in the future.”

“It was just a casual comment. Can’t you tell? It’s your call whether or not we’ll have kids. How can we have children when you’re always so stringent with contraception? Don’t make it seem like I’m so desperate to bear you children. I’m still so young, I don’t actually want to be tied down by you and our child,” groused An Xiaoning, seemingly a little disgruntled.

“I was just…” said Jin Qingyan. The frown on his forehead began to disappear.

Before he could finish his sentence, she pushed him away and slammed the car door shut with all her might before driving off as quick as she could.

——

As soon as she arrived at the store, Mei Yangyang seemed to be able to tell from the expression on An Xiaoning’s face that she was in low spirits. Since there was no one else in the store, Mei Yangyang went forward and asked, “Sis, what’s the matter?”

“Yangyang, under what circumstance do you think a married man wouldn’t want to have kids?”

“In my opinion, there could be a few reasons. First, he could be financially unprepared, thus, the child may become a burden on his shoulders, and he’s planning to have one only after he’s more financially stable. Secondly, since he’s already married, it could be that he doesn’t like children and wants to be a DINK[1: DINK: acronym for “Dual Income, No Kids,” which is used to describe someone who does not wish to have children.]. Lastly, perhaps he doesn’t love his wife. Think about it, Sis, if he loved his wife dearly, why else would he not want to have children, who are supposed to be a testament and proof of their love? In a nutshell, these should be the main reasons why a man would refuse to have children.”

Mei Yangyang had hit the nail on the head, for Jin Qingyan had indeed mentioned that he didn’t like children, though An Xiaoning was convinced that it was instead because he did not want to have children with her.

Leaving Mei Yangyang to tend the store, An Xiaoning left for the shopping mall and returned with bags full of items and furniture she had needed for her house on Dongpo Road.

She laid in bed beneath the covers, with the heater in the room switched on. She had initially planned on listening to some music and take a nap, but she ended up oversleeping.

The sky had turned pitch black by the time she woke up.

She actually had such a long nap.

She checked her phone and realized she had received two missed calls from Jin Qingyan.

Since she was already going to make her way home anyway, she decided not to call him back.

Just as she was driving out of the house, she received a call from Gu Beicheng. “Where are you?” he said, sounding extremely anxious.

“What’s the matter?”

“Wherever you are, make your way here now. Grandpa is not going to make it.”

“What?! I’ll be there at once,” An Xiaoning answered hurriedly.

She sped along the roads and managed to arrive at the Gu family mansion in 10 minutes, as opposed to the usual 15-minute journey.

She quickly alighted from the car and zoomed towards the mansion.

The butler had intentionally gone outside to wait for her. An Xiaoning picked up her tracks and eventually began running.

All the members of the Gu family had gathered in the old Mr. Gu’s bedroom.

Upon the sight of An Xiaoning’s arrival, they began to part like the Red Sea, one after another, and made way for her to enter.

Walking forward, An Xiaoning noticed the paleness of the old Mr. Gu’s face and asked for his birth characters.

She then gained a clearer picture and proceeded outside the room to brief Mr. and Mrs. Gu on what they should do.

“Go and prepare a coffin right away. He’s going to pass away in seven minutes.”

Mr. Gu checked the time on his watch instinctively and ordered for someone to bring a coffin, as instructed by An Xiaoning.

“Grandpa, I’m Xiaoning,” she said after she returned to the room and sat by his bed.

With glazed eyes, he gave a nod and struggled to speak as he tried to voice his thoughts.

He kept his eyes fixed on An Xiaoning, seemingly having something to request of her.

“Grandpa, what would you like to tell me? Go ahead and say it. No worries, don’t rush it, you can tell me slowly,” An Xiaoning said gently.

“The Gu… Gu… Family…”

An Xiaoning understood right away what he wanted to say. “I’ll definitely lend a helping hand should the Gu family face any crisis or difficulty in the future, as long as it’s within my means, for they’re my maiden home from now on. Rest assured, Grandpa,” An Xiaoning reassured comfortingly.

The old Mr. Gu could finally rest in peace after having her reassurance. A single teardrop streamed down his face as he closed his eyes after thanking her. He had not made another sound since.

An Xiaoning reached out to grasp his dry and coarse hand tightly, remaining silent as time crawled by.

An Xiaoning knew at the instant she felt his once-weak grip loosen completely that he had passed on, there and then.

“Dad!”

“Dad!”

“Grandpa!”

“…”

A somber mood filled the air, as everyone in the room cried and wailed in agony.

With the exception of An Xiaoning, who remained unperturbed and stood rooted calmly, without saying a single word.

Mr. Gu immediately checked the time again. It was exactly seven minutes later, like she had mentioned.

After helping the late old Mr. Gu change into a fresh set of clothes, they lowered him into the coffin and set up an altar. Word about his death had also spread quickly to tabloids and news broadcasters.

All the members of the Gu family, apart from those who were still abroad, were present in the living room of their home at that moment.

While they began discussing the burial matters, An Xiaoning was surprised to hear that the old Mr. Gu’s death wish was to be buried next to Nun Jingxin.

In the ordinary course of events, members of wealthy families were usually subjected to the customs of being buried together with their spouses.

TBC...
Source: The Wealthy Psychic Lady: 99 Stolen Kisses - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 52: I Want Him
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

“Qingyan, I really feel like such a failure, living all alone with no one to love me. I really wish for a shoulder to lean on.”

Jin Qingyan remained silent and looked away while she cupped her face with her hands.

Chi Rui’er closed her eyes and remained still, seeming to have fallen asleep as she did not continue speaking.

A long while later, she finally mustered the courage to voice the question she had been dying to ask, “You mentioned the other time that you would marry me. Do your words still hold true now?”

Retracting his hand, Jin Qingyan answered, “But I’m already married now.”

“But I’m not the person you married.”

“Rui’er…”

“Qingyan, I’m sick of being all by myself. Qingyan, have you got any ways to help me find a man who’s exactly like you?”

“I’m already married,” he reiterated.

“But you don’t love her, do you? How much longer do you want to be with a woman you don’t love at all? Don’t you think you’re just being cruel to yourself, having to face a woman you don’t love every single day? Qingyan, I don’t wish to come between you two, but neither do I wish to watch you lose yourself in this sloppy, meaningless marriage,” said Chi Rui’er, pouring her heart out.

“I don’t love her, but I don’t hate the sight of her either. In fact, I actually fancy her quite a bit. Since I’ve already married her, I ought to be responsible for my actions. Unless she initiates a divorce, I will never mention it myself. Rui’er, my grandma and parents adore her to bits, and she’s already my wife now. That’s a fact neither of us can change,” said Jin Qingyan firmly in a bid to make things clear between them.

“There is a way to change it, and it’s only up to you to decide. It all depends on whether you’re willing or not,” said an agitated Chi Rui’er, who sat upright.

“…”

An Xiaoning, who had been standing by the door, decided to head downstairs instead of entering the room. It was not that she feared to do so, but rather, she was worried about putting Jin Qingyan in an awkward spot.

It had absolutely never occurred to her that Chi Rui’er was eyeing Jin Qingyan, and she even wanted them to get a divorce.

Although his answer was not the best, it was definitely not the worst. In fact, it was rather comforting and reassuring. At least he did not blurt out anything hurtful.

Several moments later, An Xiaoning headed back upstairs and pushed the doors open to enter. Upon her arrival, Jin Qingyan stood up immediately and said, “You’re not busy anymore?”

“I heard Ms. Chi still hasn’t recovered from her cold after a long time, so I thought I ought to pay her a visit. After all, your friend is mine too. How’s her condition now?”

“Much better,” answered Jin Qingyan while he adjusted An Xiaoning’s coat, as it seemed to be slipping off.

An Xiaoning could not help but smile. Her eyes lit up immediately when she caught sight of the water spots at the entrance of the washroom, and she quickly walked towards it.

She opened the door and entered the washroom. After taking a look at the showerhead tap, she proceeded to scan the interior of the washroom and exited afterwards.

“Ms. Chi, did you take a shower last night?”

“I didn’t dare to since I’m still having a cold,” Chi Rui’er denied.

“I noticed that the tap was turned towards ‘cold.’ The weather’s chilly now, remember to turn on the heater when you shower, lest you catch a cold and suffer the pain of it.” She then instructed the servant who had entered, “From today onwards, please stay overnight to take care of Ms. Chi. You are not to leave even if she tells you to, not until she recovers fully.”

“Yes, Young Madam.”

With a sullen and worried expression on her face, she glanced towards Jin Qingyan and said, “Mother gave me a call to ask me to go back to the Old Mansion. Would you like to come along?”

“Alright.”

The couple then proceeded to leave together. At this very moment, Chi Rui’er found An Xiaoning extremely detestable and wished she could just give her a tight slap.

Indeed, she had taken a cold shower with the intention to make herself catch a cold, for Jin Qingyan would not have visited otherwise. It was the only way she could think of to make him slowly care for her again, like he used to in the past. However, she did not expect An Xiaoning to be so alert and sharp-eyed.

In that instance earlier, she felt a strong and sudden sense of enlightenment — that is, she would forever be like an outsider, no matter how much he had loved her, so long as his wife was present.

After all, it was not perfectly legitimate nor appropriate for her to be putting up this mansion.

Chi Rui’er began to reminisce about the past, when she had all of Jin Qingyan’s heart because he was submissive and willingly gave in to all her needs and wants. Not much had changed, except it felt drastically different in comparison to the past.

Reminded of the possibility that Jin Qingyan and An Xiaoning would bear children of their own in the future, she started to realize how slim the chances of them getting a divorce would become.

Chi Rui’er began to feel a myriad of mixed emotions — just like how something unwanted seems to become more precious only after someone else had picked it up.

——

An Xiaoning and Jin Qingyan had driven a car each, separately, thus leaving no opportunity for a conversation within the same car. A while later, they arrived at the old mansion, one after another.

Jin Qingyan alighted and stood by the car to wait for An Xiaoning. Carrying her bag, she walked forward and swiftly held his hand, as if it was a natural reaction, though she was still not quite used to it.

The pair then walked towards the living room at a synchronized pace.

Mr. and Mrs. Jin were seated in the living room, together with Jin Qingyue.

“Xiaoning, it’s November now. I called you here to ask if there’s any taboo I should be mindful of, other than not leaving home for the whole of this month,” asked Mrs. Jin worriedly.

The pair sat side by side, leaning against each other. “There’s nothing else to look out for. As long as you don’t have a major outing, you’ll be safe for the rest of the month,” said An Xiaoning.

“If that’s the case, then I’m capable of fortune-telling too. Anyone who stays at home all day is obviously going to be safe from any mishap!” exclaimed Jin Qingyue in utmost disbelief.

Unfazed, An Xiaoning said with a grin, “Since you’re capable of doing so, you shall predict the future events and matters of our family then.”

“Qingyue! Stop your nonsense,” Mr. Jin hollered while glaring at her sternly.

Pouting her lips, Jin Qingyue leaned back against the couch and began playing with her phone.

“That’s a relief to hear. I heard from Qingyan that you had read Qingyue’s fortune. Is it really impossible to change her fate?” asked Mrs. Jin again.

“It’s indeed impossible.”

“Then could you tell us what the Shi family is like? I’d still like to know more about them, even if their marriage is bound to fail. Since you’ve lived with them before, give us an objective view of their family, Xiaoning.”

“The old Mr. Shi was a very nice person, but he had already passed on. Shi Shaochuan’s mother isn’t too bad either. His grandmother, however, is a tough one.”

“What about Shi Shaochuan then?”

“He’s extremely popular with women, and he knows how to keep them attracted to him. On the surface, he seems like a great catch, but his true colors will show as soon as you’ve known him for long enough. He’s very flirtatious and promiscuous. A playboy, to put it simply. Well, he hates me, so I’ve seen his true colors the most. All along, we’ve been married only in name.” She continued, “I swear to God, I’m speaking the truth, every single word of it is true. You may not believe me now, but you definitely will after knowing him for a while.”

“Bullshit! You said Shaochuan was a playboy, but why wasn’t he ever intimate with you even though you two had been married for so long? Doesn’t that just show that he didn’t want to settle for less?” Jin Qingyue could not help but break into an uncontrollable rage.

An Xiaoning had expected her to react that way. Not wanting to argue with her, An Xiaoning said, “Time will tell whether I am right or not. It’s up to you to decide what to do, I’m staying out of it.”

TBC...
Source: The Wealthy Psychic Lady: 99 Stolen Kisses - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 17: Chapter 17
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Wei Shuye was livid, and the phlegm disgustingly stuck to his robe. However, he did not wipe it off but just sucked his teeth as he gazed upon the mess of corpses, and his eyes filled with hatred.

“Major General,” Jiang He sighed and walked forward and said in a deep voice, “our country does not have money to provide for these people. The elders will not sponsor the building of their quarters. You are the grandson of Wei, you need to respect your family’s wishes and protect your interests.”

Wei Shuye felt something hot pounding on his chest. His eyes were bloodshot and he was speechless. Jiang He frowned and signalled to his soldiers with a wave and a slight nod. The soldiers understood his command and instantly raised their knives to resume the killing.

“Bad guys!” a crisp voice rang. At the back of the crowd, a small face appeared from a mother’s embrace. There was no sign of tears but both eyes were red as he shouted, “Liar, you promised that you would bring us to the country to live in protected houses. You said that everyone wouldn’t have to worry about food or clothes, you said…”

An arrow instantly shot out. General Jiang He was very accurate and stopped the child’s speech as the arrow pierced through his mouth and blood spurted out from his head.

“Take action!” Jiang He withdrew his sabre as he commanded with rage.

“Stop!” The young Major General rushed towards the child and pushed away two soldiers in his path.

Jiang He raged, “Hold onto Major General!” The soldiers immediately rushed forward skilfully and held onto Wei Shuye tightly. The inhumane killing resumed and blood flowed everywhere, mixing in with the soil. The shrill of an eagle could be heard overhead, making this massacre even more frightening with the symbol of death circling above. A big hole was dug, and the few hundred corpses were thrown inside, with soil quickly added to fill it up. The soldiers rode their horses and repeatedly trampled over the ground. With the snow falling rapidly, the blood-stained ground was covered up, along with the heinous and ugly act of murder.

The handsome child of the illustrious family had lost his composure in front of his subordinates over a bunch of lowly peasants.

“Major General,” Jiang He walked forward and said after seeing him staring at the snowy ground, “you shouldn’t be like that. They are from a lowly race, with lowly blood flowing inside them. But you shouldn’t oppose orders because of that. Your uncle has high expectations of you. Without you, your brothers won’t have a leader. They are waiting for your return.”

Seeing no response from Wei Shuye, Jiang He sighed and retreated, galloping back with his team. They disappeared within a short moment.

The young man stood there for a long time as the snowstorm brewed. This lantern festival felt especially cold. The two children hiding behind the slope were shocked when the noble Major General of Wei Fa fell on his knees and kowtowed to the dead before climbing back onto his horse and galloping away.

After a while, the snowfall didn’t seem to be stopping. The child shifted her stiff, frozen feet and swayed forward.

“What are you doing?” Yan Xun was puzzled and stood up, stunned.

The child turned around with a calm expression, but her gaze was flickering. “I’m from a lowly race with lowly blood flowing inside me. You shouldn’t be standing next to me. Since we are treading a different path, let’s part early.”

Yan Xun stood at the back and stared longingly, thinking that she could tear open the degenerate world. The snow was fluffy and their footprints slowly became further apart as they headed into the heart of the Yan Empire.

Behind the vermilion gates of the rich, meat and wine went to waste; but along the road, the bones of the poor froze to death. Just as the Xia Dynasty claimed that there wasn’t money to provide for those of the other race and massacred them instead, the city sang and danced to extol the good times with a vibrant collage of colors. The beauty’s waist was slim like a willow, her skin glistening like jade, with a sweet smile and toned arms. Those “hardworking” statesmen of the Xia dynasty removed their robes and were provided sensual experiences.

Outside, icicles formed and snow accumulated. The silk strips fluttered on the various lit lanterns. The lantern festival was a time for national jubilation, even for those women. At this moment, the hurried steps of horses disrupted the lead master of the Wei family Wei Guang’s sweet dream. The white-bearded but still good-looking elder, squinted his eyes and waved off the dozens of women covered in makeup surrounding him. The women straightened their clothes and half-kneeled on the floor before retreating, without daring to lift their heads.

Wei Guang lifted his teacup, took a deep breath and gradually leaned on his soft bed. The burner released a cloud of incense slowly. The smoke drifted like a graceful dragon gradually floating up. Watching it seemed a little dreamy.

A respectful voice came from outside, “Master, Master Shuye is here.”

He should be here. The elder raised his eyebrow slightly. He was here slightly earlier than expected and wasted the lady Jade’s efforts to please. With a low voice, the elder said, “Let him in.”

The doors slid open and a young man entered the most luxurious room in the prostitute den. His moon-white colored robe was so simple and plain that it almost should not have been seen on such a noble person. Wei Shuye was gloomy and without any pretext, he asked the elder, “Why?”

Wei Guang obviously knew what he was implying. He squinted his eyes and without even looking at him, he slowly said, “When you see an elder, you don’t pay your respects? Are these the manners I taught you?”

Wei Shuye frowned as the candle in the corner of the room crackled. Time slowly passed and the young man finally lowered his head and said, “Uncle.”

“Not all matters in the world can be divided into right and wrong. Jing Er is younger than you but you need to go learn from him at this point.”

Wei Shuye crumpled his face and deeply said, “Then why did you send me there? I promised them…”

“You are Wei’s successor in line for the head of the Xia Dynasty, with royal blood flowing in your veins. You are part of the most well-respected family in the country, you need not makes promises to a bunch of lowly peasants. Their meaning in life is to lose it when the time comes, to sacrifice for their country. You did not make a mistake, and do not need to feel guilty, and shouldn’t even be here to question your uncle,” The elder cut off Shu Ye’s words and said sternly.

Wei Shuye shook his head and frowned. “Uncle, this is not what you taught me in the past.”

“Because I was naïve like you in the past and it resulted in your father’s death in the internal strife of our family.” Wei Guang opened his eyes and his gaze glistened with emotion. He slowly turned around and stared at Wei Shuye and spoke slowly, “The winner is the predator while the weak stay as prey. The world is like that. Ye Er, after all these years, you still don’t understand?”

“Uncle,” Wei Shuye’s expression was stern, “the country needs people to go westwards to open up the lands. The youths of their race believed in me and headed there. Why don’t the elders take care of their families? They travelled thousands of miles to follow me to the capital because you already promised that I would construct residences for them. They left their own houses, gave up their nomadic lifestyle, just because I promised them!” Wei Shuye emotionally lifted the incense on Wei Guang’s table and shouted angrily, “You said the country didn’t have the money to provide for them, then what’s this? This is incense from the Song Empire. Just one bundle of this costs two hundred gold coins. Two hundred gold coins can feed their entire tribe for ten years!”

Wei Guang’s expression remained unchanged as he calmly listened to Wei Shuye’s rant. The atmosphere was all set for a showdown and was filled with the youth’s rage. After a long while, the elder gently smiled and calmly said, “Ye Er, you went with Major General Zhi Lu to settle the civil discord, which ended disappointingly. It is unknown if he’s dead or alive, but you can still argue here with me. Why is that so?”

Wei Shuye was taken aback, the indignation frozen on his face, and he had no words to reply.

“You can still be standing here intact because your surname is Wei. I know you empathize with those peasants and repel the ideology of discrimination. But even though you hate this status, you are still Wei’s descendant, my nephew. What you enjoyed from the time you were born was all provided by the family. All that you ate and used, status and power, were all from the family. It will never change. A person who has enjoyed the privileges this whole time do not have the right to curse it.” Wei Guang took a deep breath and leaned on the bed, his chest rising briefly, his voice deep and with a hint of despair. “Everything in this world happens for a reason. Today, the reason that it was the Weis who massacred the Biantas, not the Biantas massacred the Weis, was because the Weis have been fighting for the growth and prosperity of our family since three hundred years ago. Three hundred years down the road, Wei family protected the frontier and guarded land of our empire, and won many distinctive battles. While the Biantas were roaming around, the children of the our Wei family were already learning skills for war, learning the ways of business, starting to dodge away from schemes secretly planned against them. The Wei family is part of the seven big clans but these nomads are diminishing. Child, the heavens are fair, they are never in favor of anyone. The reason they lost is because they never gave enough. No weakling should blame the strong for bullying them. To not be preyed on, they can only get stronger themselves. Today, you are here pitying them. If all descendants thought like you, those that were killed today would have been your siblings.”

Wei Shuye stood still and his face still tensed. He could not speak what he wanted to say.

Wei Guang gradually stood up as he extended his arm to pat his shoulder. “Ye Er, your uncle is old already and can’t protect all of you for long. When I am not around, who will protect the family? Who will protect my children against others’ attacks? Who can protect my daughters from getting played? Who can protect all of you? Will it be you?”

The doors opened and a wave of music floated in with a mesmerising essence. The elders’ footsteps gradually distanced. Wei Shuye stood up straight and felt his shoulders burning. What was pressing down on him was an invisible burden. It was a huge responsibility which he wanted to shake off but couldn’t.

The sky was pitch black, but it wasn’t as dark as his heart. The demons remained in his thoughts as they swallowed his morals. The struggle was pointless. Ultimately, he sighed and remained speechless.

TBC...
Source: The Legend of Chu Qiao: Division 11’s Princess Agent - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 16: Chapter 16
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Yan Xun shook his head and said, “Let me send you up first instead, you can find people to come rescue me.”

Chu Qiao was shocked and scanned Yan Xun up and then. She then accepted his suggestion and said, “Okay.”

With great effort, when Chu Qiao finally was able to see the bright round moon, she felt like it seemed to be a life and death situation. She laid down on the snow and looked down at Yan Xun who was still trapped in the hole and shouted, “You wait for me and I will go get help.”

Yan Xun smiled and waved. “Hurry up!”

Her ankle was hurting and it was likely she sprained it when she fell into the hole. She limped for a few steps before an idea struck her. She stopped moving and squinted her eyes and felt chills go down her spine. If she turned and left, in this cold and deserted wilderness, Yan Xun would freeze to death. In this case, would she then get her revenge? She thought of the first day she was here—the non-stop flow of fresh blood on the hunting field, the sharp arrows—and Chu Qiao’s heart raced.

Even though the arrows that were meant to kill her were fired by the two brothers of the Zhao family. Even though the Royal Highness’ arrow struck the wild wolf. Even though after what happened, he was mocked by the Zhuge brothers for being a weakling. Even though he trusted her so much and smiled as he asked her to go and to come back quick…

Chu Qiao stood in the vast white field, her eyes pitch black, twinkling.

With a thud, a branch that was longer than one the height of a human was thrown into the hole, narrowly missing Yan Xun’s head. Chu Qiao hadn’t even revealed her head when she heard Yan Xun’s roar, “Are you trying to kill me?!”

Chu Qiao rolled her eyes in irritation. “If I was trying to kill you, I wouldn’t need such effort. Hurry and come up.”

Yan Xun was agile and climbed up. He scanned her face and then smiled wryly. “I thought you would have just left me here and wouldn’t return.”

Chu Qiao looked at him coldly. “I can only blame myself for not being cruel enough.”

Yan Xun let out a laugh as he went in front of her. He bent down slightly and said, “Since you didn’t just leave me here, I want to thank you. Let me give you a piggyback ride back.”

Chu Qiao looked at him in disbelief. “You would do something like that? Isn’t that below your status?”

“I’m feeling good today.”

Chu Qiao stopped speaking, and just as Yan Xun thought she was unwilling, he felt a small and soft body sink onto his back.

The snow on the vast plains glistened. Yan Xun was carrying someone for the first time and his actions were slightly awkward as he tried to maneuver through the snow. Chu Qiao extended her soft white hand and tapped his neck. “Don’t wiggle! I am about to fall off.”

Yan Xun paused slightly but steadied himself and gradually started moving again.

“Hey, do you know how long we have to walk?”

The child calmly replied, “Shorter than the burning of an incense, so walking back will take about two hours.”

Yan Xun nodded his head. “You’re named Xing Er?”

“How do you know that?”

“The last time at the precipice, that’s what the servant that set you up called you.” Royal Highness Yan seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood today. Seeing that Chu Qiao wasn’t replying, he continued asking, “What’s your actual name and surname?”

Chu Qiao quietly said, “Why must I tell you?”

“Don’t tell me if you don’t want to.” Yan Xun replied, “But one day, you will be begging for me to listen.”

“If you have the patience, slowly wait for that day to come.”

Yan Xun frowned. “You are a child, why do you speak like an old person?”

The child on his back condescendingly replied with a twitch of her lip, “You people are not that old either. Why are your actions so devious?”

Yan Xun was astounded but smiled. “My gosh, you really do hold grudges.”

The child sounded more dreary as her tone turned cold. She replied apathetically, “You don’t hold grudges because you weren’t pointed at with an arrow before.”

The strong gusts of wind continued blowing and Yan Xun suddenly felt cold. He tried to open his mouth to refute but no words could come out. The concept of difference in status which he believed in for many years became inappropriate after what the child mentioned. For many things, as long as the majority of the people say something is right, you will naturally believe in it even though you don’t think that way inside.

The chilly moonlight shone on the snowy ground as the shadows of the two children became tiny. At this moment, the hurried steps of a horse could be heard from the distance. Yan Xun focused and said, “My men are here.”

The child on his back slightly frowned as she tried to focus on listening. All she could hear was a clutter of noise from the horses, and it seemed like an army was coming, followed by the rapid footsteps of people. It was foggy and a group of people could vaguely be seen trudging in. The child squinted and slowly spoke, “Seems like they are not your men.”

The northern winds resulted in a snowstorm as the snow drifted feverishly and densely, blocking the bright moon resulting in them being unable to open their eyes fully.

The sky was pitch black with the occasional shrill of the night owls. The birds circled the sky and the Zhen Huan city seemed like a small pearl in an ocean of white from the view of a bird. It was dazzling. Now, on the outskirts of the pearl, there was a group of shabbily dressed, sallow people who were the opposite of what the flourishing city was, and were of a different race. They were trudging along.

The piercing wind penetrated the ragged clothes of the people, resembling a knife cutting their skin which was already turning blue. The strong winds howled and the people arduously huddled together to brace themselves against the storm. Without the walls of the city to protect them from the wind, the plateau’s winter was all the more unbearable. Suddenly, a baby’s cry could be heard and the lone voice gradually spread throughout the entire group.

With a crack, there was the sound of a whip. The leader who was riding on the horse came forward with a gloomy face and snapped, “All, shut up!” However, those infants did not understand his command and the crying persisted. The leader frowned and brought his horse into the crowd. He bent down and grabbed the baby from a young woman. He raised the baby and viciously slammed it on the ground.

“Ah!” A shrilling scream followed, and the mother of the child was shocked. She immediately knelt down and hugged the baby which had already lost any form of life, crying uncontrollably.

The leader glared, and as he passed by all the refugees of a different race, they all fell silent. In the wilderness, only the crying of the young woman could be heard. The leader drew his knife and slashed the woman’s vertebrae. Blood spurted everywhere, tainting the white ground.

Chu Qiao suddenly stopped breathing for a moment and bit her lips hard. With a surge of force in her hands, she wanted to run out and help.

“Do you not care about your life?” Yan Xun hugged her tightly and whispered into her ear, “They are Wei Fa’s army, don’t act rashly.”

“It’s here,” the leader with black nails and a black fur coat told his subordinates in a deep voice. The soldiers wearing iron helmets immediately came down from their horses and drew the knives from their waists. With a tug of the rope, those refugees whose legs were tied together fell to the ground simultaneously. The eyes of the leader were gloomy and his thin lips straightened into a line before mouthing the word, “Kill!”

The slicing motion of the knives was decisive and the young soldiers had maintained their composure. They didn’t blink before tens of heads rolled on the floor and blood flowed out to form a red stream, which froze in an instant.

The child bit her lip tightly as she hid behind the slope, watching the massacre in close proximity, her heart clenched tightly. Her eyes shone brightly like a star but they felt heavy. Yan Xun’s hands were cold but still held on tight to her, but he could feel emotions running through his blood and he wasn’t able to turn his head to look her in the eyes. The small body in his embrace emanated some sort of warmth which seemed to scorch his hands.

He witnessed these repeated acts of decapitating the refugees. He felt that they weren’t just cutting off the civilian’s heads, but also his own principles. The stubbornness that had existed within him for a long time was sliced off until there was nothing left and there was nowhere to hide.

The knives slashed and the blood splattered everywhere. The refugee’s expressions were seemingly calm and there wasn’t any fear of death. Chu Qiao clearly saw that it wasn’t numbness from extreme fear, it wasn’t despair from losing all hope, and all the more it wasn’t the feeling of giving up on oneself—It was a stubborn determination and hatred to the bone. Everyone was quiet and there wasn’t any crying or cursing, even the babies were quiet. They opened their eyes and watched their people die in the arms of these other people. Their gaze was bright, but surges of hatred were tumbling inside them. This hatred would even be felt by the heavens, and even the Asura from the inferno had to give way to this hatred.

The rage and hatred that was hidden deep in her heart slowly overflowed and she clenched her fist tight like a bloodthirsty wolf. At this moment, the hurried gallops of a horse could be heard, accompanied by a man’s angry shout, “Stop! All of you stop!”

The white horse sprinted to the scene, the young master leapt off the horse and he crazily whipped the soldiers’ wrists. He stood in front of the refugees and shouted angrily at the leader, “Jiang He, what are you doing?”

“Major General Shuye, I’m just following orders and executing the rebels,” he said as he wrinkled his eyebrows, but still hopped off his horse and bowed in respect.

“Rebels?” Wei Shuye furrowed his brow and, with an intense gaze, he pointed at the elderly, the women and the children, and sternly said, “Who are the rebels? Them? Who gave you the authority to do this?”

Jiang He’s face remained the same, as stubborn as a rock. “Major General, it was ordered by Sheng Jin palace. They were direct orders by your uncle and were agreed on by the elders. Your own brother gave the orders and elders from the Wei Family discussed to come up with this order. I’m just conducting the execution.”

Wei Shuye was stunned. He turned around and and scanned the refugees. The refugees that only had solemn faces revealed much anger when they saw him. One old lady suddenly stood up without any care and scolded, “You are a liar! A shameless betrayer! The gods will punish you!”

A knife sliced the old lady’s waist and blood dripped from the knife. Her waist seemed to split in half and she collapsed to the ground. However, she still used her remaining strength to viciously spit bloody phlegm onto Shuye’s clothes. She cursed, “Even if I become a ghost…I will forever haunt… haunt… ”

TBC...
Source: The Legend of Chu Qiao: Division 11’s Princess Agent - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 51: Aunt Flo Will Be Here in Just a Few Days
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

“Is Chi Rui’er’s fever severe?”

“Yes, she had two bottles of IV drip last night.”

As they headed downstairs for breakfast, An Xiaoning asked, “What would you like to have? Milk or porridge?”

“Your blood,” he blurted without hesitation.

Startled, An Xiaoning smiled at him benevolently, then said teasingly, “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to wait. Aunt Flo 1 will be here in just a few days.”

Her sarcastic remark left Jin Qingyan speechless. Initially, he thought he had married a meek and dainty wife, yet she turned out to be a sharp-tongued cynic, which was contrary to his expectations.

——

Jin Qingyan had planned to take a day off from work that afternoon. He decided to make his way to the old mansion because he was concerned about Jin Qingyue having her fortune told by An Xiaoning.

“I guess it’s all fate. Though we can’t change much even if we try to stop her, we still shouldn’t sit back and watch her dig a hole for herself,” said a worried Mrs. Jin, who was rather upset and disgruntled.

“Then you’ll have to put more thought into the matter.”

Nodding along, Mrs. Jin turned to ask Jin Qingyan, “I heard that Chi Rui’er is putting up at your mansion in Wei Ni Estate. Where did you get the audacity to do that? Your wife should be the only person allowed to live there. Who is Chi Rui’er to deserve a chance to live there?”

“Mom, she’s only staying there temporarily. She’ll move out after some time.”

“Get her to leave quickly, before your grandma finds out. How dare she step foot in that mansion?”

“Alright, you don’t have to worry too much about that matter. Channel your attention towards Qingyue, she seems to be getting out of hand,” said Jin Qingyan with a reassuring smile.

“Even so, I’ll still have to keep an eye on her. She’s getting too independent and rebellious for her own good.”

Just as she ended her sentence, Jin Qingyue arrived downstairs. It was rare for her to be up so early. She usually does not wake up before noon.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going out to handle some matters. I won’t be having breakfast at home.”

“Come here,” ordered Mrs. Jin, fuming with anger.

“Mother, why are you suddenly so serious?”

“Sit down!”

“Okay, just what’s the matter?” said Jin Qingyue passively.

“Your Sister-in-law has read your fortune. You’re not going to last forever with Shi Shaochuan.”

“Mother, haven’t you heard? Your destiny lies in your own hands. Are you really going to take her word for it? Just because she said so, doesn’t mean it’s going to happen,” argued Jin Qingyue, who was unconvinced.

“She said you guys would get married, but not last forever. Do you have any idea what that means?”

“Which elderly couple actually manages to stay together even until death?” said Jin Qingyue, who insisted on interpreting her mother’s words literally.

“I knew you wouldn’t believe it. Let me warn you again, you’d better stop seeing him so often, he’s going to toy with you once you’re wrapped around his finger,” warned the enraged Mrs. Jin.

“Fine, fine, you’re so annoying, nagging at me early in the morning. I’m going to be bugged to death,” she complained as she stood up to leave while completely ignoring her mother.

She had agreed to meet Shi Shaochuan at his office that day.

That was the reason she woke up so early that morning.

When she arrived at his office, Shi Shaochuan ordered for breakfast to be delivered while Jin Qingyue began to relay her mother’s words to him.

“Didn’t I already mention, An Xiaoning is just spouting nonsense. It was merely pure coincidence that she had managed to treat your mother’s calf. No way will I believe her twisted logic,” said Shi Shaochuan.

“I guess you’re right. Does she really think she’s God? She even claims to be able to tell that our marriage isn’t going to last forever. She’s really starting to get on my nerves. I would have beaten her to a pulp if she weren’t my sister-in-law,” lamented Jin Qingyue.

“Don’t bother, she’s just a crazy woman.”

——

“Welcome…” Mei Yangyang’s voice faded as she was startled to see that it was Long Tianze who had entered.

He was clad in a white suit, with both hands in his pockets. “Babe, do you have clothes suitable for me here?” he asked, grinning from ear to ear.

“No,” answered Mei Yangyang. She turned around and walked further into the store.

Grabbing her by the arm, Long Tianze said, “We’re somehow related now, don’t you want to see me?”

Related?

“Who’s related to you? Cut the nonsense,” retorted Mei Yangyang, recalling the passionate kiss from that night.

“You, of course. Why are you so quick to deny your actions?”

She should have been the one saying that!

“I finally understand what it means for one to be shameless. You were the one who forced a kiss on me, why are you turning the arrow against me instead?” said Mei Yangyang with her chin raised.

“Little lass, why don’t we become boyfriend and girlfriend?” asked Long Tianze as he leaned closer towards her.

“What do I stand to gain from that?”

“Hahaha… There’s plenty to gain. So would you like to?” he asked after letting out a bizarre laughter.

“No. Why are you here?” Mei Yangyang asked as she took a seat.

“To look for you, of course.” Leaning against the counter with his eyes fixed on her, he continued, “Why else do you think I’m here?”

“To look for me… for what?”

“To take responsibility for me.”

“Seems you’ve gotten it wrong. I should be the one saying that,” said Mei Yangyang with a grimace, in disbelief of what she had just heard.

“No, you stole my first kiss and so you have to be responsible for your actions.”

At that instant, Mei Yangyang felt that she was wrong about him previousl. She would have never expected him to be someone like that in reality. “You were clearly the one who kissed me first! Besides, that was my first kiss too! Don’t be shameless, alright? I know that wasn’t your first kiss!” she exclaimed.

“Oh, turns out it was your first kiss too? Just right, we happened to give our first kiss to each other. Seems like we have to take responsibility for each other then.”

Mei Yangyang was speechless. She felt like she could not communicate with him at all.

“Why aren’t you talking?”

“I don’t want a boyfriend who is in love with another woman. Besides, it’s just a kiss. As a female, I don’t even let it bother me, so a man like you shouldn’t either. Quit complaining.”

She seemed to be calling him petty. The smile on Long Tianze’s face widened — he found her to be different from other girls, who would have definitely agreed.

She was not like them at all.

“Alright, we won’t be a couple then. How about just friends?”

“Okay. I’ve agreed, so you can leave now.”

“Give me your number.”

“1234567891011.”

With a slight squint, he said while remaining calm and composed, “Do you take me for a fool? I’m being serious.”

He proceeded to leave only after Mei Yangyang had blurted her actual phone number upon noticing that a customer had entered.

Long Tianze had begun to think that he had found that kiss to be rather special and different only because he had been feeling lonely and empty. He had wanted the kiss to happen again, but he was not expecting to be rejected.

——

Having seen that Chi Rui’er had been sick for a few consecutive days with no signs of recovery, Jin Qingyan questioned the doctor about his treatment. Feeling wronged, the doctor answered, “Her fever had clearly gone down, but strangely, it came back again the day after. I’m not sure why that happened either.”

“If you can’t even treat a simple cold, why would I need you here?” Jin Qingyan chastised.

“I’ll try my best.” The doctor was startled by Jin Qingyan’s animosity and hurriedly proceeded to prepare some medicine.

Jin Qingyan moved closer towards Chi Rui’er and said, “You look so wan and sallow after a few days of being sick. Get well soon.”

“Qingyan, I’m feeling so cold,” said Chi Rui’er while she boldly went ahead to hold his hand.

“But the heater in the room is on, and you’re wrapped beneath the blanket. Are you still cold?”

With a nod, she answered, “Yes.”

“You’re running such a high fever, no doubt you’d be cold.”

TBC...
Source: The Wealthy Psychic Lady: 99 Stolen Kisses - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 50: Are You Trying to Murder Your Husband?
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Jin Qingyan looked down. “You still have no sense of security even though our house is rich enough.”

“But — our house’s money belongs to you and the whole of the Jin family, it’s not mine. Most people probably think that as Mrs. Jin, I should be used to having money, but they’re all wrong. Those who know me will know, regardless of the amount of money, it won’t be too much to me.”

Jin Qingyan’s fingers were in hers, gently rubbing at her smooth skin. An Xiaoning raised her head and the two passionately cuddled together.

As their bodies pressed closer, the atmosphere gradually became heated.

“Babylifewasgoodtomebutyoujustmadeitbetternull, Ilovethewayitstandbymethroughanykindofweathernull…” His handphone ringtone suddenly broke out at this untimely moment.

Jin Qingyan did not answer it. He allowed his phone to continue ringing, and the ringtone continued to chime over and over again.

After the fourth ring, he stopped whatever he was doing because the only person who had the patience to ring him for so long was Chi Rui’er. The people around him usually rang once or twice before giving up, including his parents and relatives.

His hand reached out and, taking a look at the phone screen, he saw that it was indeed Chi Rui’er calling.

He sat up and answered it. “Hello.”

On the other end came Chi Rui’er’s weak and feeble voice, “Qingyan, I’m having a fever.”

“I’ll give my family doctor a call so he could check on you.”

“Ahem, ahem… can you come over? If it’s too much trouble, then it’s fine.” Chi Rui’er coughed repeatedly. Her voice was hoarse and her breathing was heavy. It seemed like she was in terrible discomfort.

“I’ll go over right now.” His spirits immediately dampened, he pushed back the covers and got out.

An Xiaoning tightened her grip on the blanket. She looked over at him and said, “I’ll come with you.”

“No — you sleep first. I’ll be back in a jiffy.” He put on his coat last in an orderly manner. Maybe in consideration of her status, he turned and reached out to hold her face. Giving it a little peck, he said soothingly, “I’ll be back real quick.”

An Xiaoning grunted, “You better be back soon, or else…”

“Or else what?”

“I’ll use a different method to make you get it!”

“Alright…” He kept his smile and headed out.

He arrived at Wei Ni Estate. Just then, the doctor came out from Chi Rui’er’s room and reported, “Young Master, because the fever is quite high, I’ve put her on a drip.”

“Hmmm, alright, noted.”

He pushed the door open. Chi Rui’er was leaning on the bed to rest. She had one hand hanging onto a drip and the other held a cup of milk. Seeing him enter, she looked at him with a pitiful look and said, “Qingyan, I’m feeling so unwell.”

“Aren’t you on a drip? You’ll get better soon. Why did you get a fever?”

“I fell asleep while bathing.” She placed the glass of milk on the table and continued, “The bathroom temperature was too low — you should know, I have a weak constitution. Were you in bed already?”

“Ummm, I just lay down when your call came.”

“If I knew, I wouldn’t have called you. But I’ve no one to speak to. I’m so lonely.” Chi Rui’er’s eyes were brimming with sadness. “Qingyan, how much longer may I live here?”

“If you think it’s not convenient living here, I’ve arranged for someone to get you another house. I’ll get people to protect and take care of you, okay?” His words were full of meaning. It wasn’t her own house, after all, and there had to be a limit to how long she could stay there. She couldn’t possibly stay there forever.

Chi Rui’er replied lightly, “I don’t think it’s inconvenient actually, it’s very safe living here. There are people everywhere, it’s just that I’m afraid… you and your wife may get into an argument, that won’t be good.”

Jin Qingyan did not know what to say at that moment, so he just responded, “She did mention it. Just stay here for now, I’ll look for other houses. If there’s a decent one, you can move in.”

Chi Rui’er felt uncomfortable inside. This was indeed not her house, and she wasn’t the lady of the house either. She had no right to say anything. She suddenly felt it was very important for a woman to have a status.

She originally thought she had Gu Beicheng within her grasp, but who’d have known it would all be futile.

She was so deeply devoted to him and loved him so extremely much, but he suddenly initiated a breakup with her.

As for this one, he suddenly got married too.

Chi Rui’er found it funnier the more she thought of it. She had nothing at all in the end.

She found her words stuck in her throat. Finally, she was able to mouth two words, “That’s fine.”

Jin Qingyan accompanied her until a full bottle of intravenous drip had been used up. Seeing that it was rather late already, he told her, “I’ll get the helper to accompany you while you have this second bottle of drip, you can sleep peacefully now. After the bottle is used up, I’ll get her to remove the needle for you.”

“Will you be here tomorrow?”

“I’ll come over.”

Chi Rui’er could finally reply cheerfully, “Okay. I’ll wait for you, hurry back then.”

Jin Qingyan went forward to cover her with a blanket properly and dimmed the lights. He then got up and instructed the helpers to take care of her.

When he arrived home, An Xiaoning was already fast asleep.

After moving close to her warm figure, Jin Qingyan did not want to wake her so he slept quietly.

In the morning, when An Xiaoning woke up, he hugged her from behind. From his ears, he could hear the sound of her faint and regular breathing.

She pushed his hands away but her body was immediately pulled into his arms again and was not allowed to move an inch.

“I want to get out of bed.”

“You haven’t asked me if I agree to it.”

“Hmph,” she snorted softly. “I still have to get your permission to get out of bed?”

“Other times, no, but now, yes.” He turned over her body and her eyes met his — they were crinkled up in a grin. She had yet to see them clearly and was suddenly overwhelmed by his warm breath, which made the whole of An Xiaoning’s face numb.

Her head remained whirling because of the gentle treatment she was receiving. Her lips did not belong to her anymore. It was not a reckless and domineering conquest but the gentle pampering of a baby.

His legs slowly tangled up with hers, and his body gradually lost control.

Between the two of them, An Xiaoning was always in the inferior position.

When he changed and got out of bed, he said, “Come and do my tie for me.”

“I don’t know how to,” An Xiaoning confessed honestly. “I really don’t know.”

“If you don’t know, then learn,” he said in a soft tone. “I’ll teach you.”

An Xiaoning went forward and held onto the tie. His hand was on hers, going over the moves. However, she used too much strength at the end and almost strangled him to death.

“Ahem ahem ahem…” Jin Qingyan’s internal organs were about to bleed out. “Are you trying to murder your husband?”

“Sorry, my hand slipped — used too much strength — I’ll take note next time.”

He did it properly himself and went to wash up.

The two had the rare chance of brushing their teeth together. Doing the same action in the mirror and even having the same expression on, this scene oddly gave her an urge to laugh.

“A constipated look,” he mumbled as he rinsed his mouth.

“That’s because I was looking at you.”

“…”

TBC...
Source: The Wealthy Psychic Lady: 99 Stolen Kisses - ExtraNovel.com