Skip to main content

To Hold One's Joy Chapter 42-1

 Chapter 42-1: Fight Tooth and Nail

Xiuyue's hand swayed, causing half of the ginger tea to spill. Xiugu? Was this merely a coincidence, or did Miss Luo know her real name?

"You don't like it?" Luo Sheng asked lightly.

Xiuyue regained her composure and tried to hide her complicated feelings. "It's my honor to be named by Miss. There's no reason not to like it. It's just that I'm ugly, so I don't deserve the word 'xiu' (beautiful)."

Luo Sheng smiled. "'Xiu[1]' doesn't only refer to appearance. I believe 'Xiugu' suits you very well."

Xiuyue's lips twitched, but before she could respond, Hongdou chimed in, "Come on, it's just a name. Why make such a fuss? Miss can call you whatever she likes." When she first met Miss, Miss was eating red bean soup and casually named her Hongdou. Did she complain? No!

"Hongdou, Xiugu is much older than you. Mind your words," Luo Sheng reprimanded. "Understood," Hongdou replied resentfully, holding her tea bowl and drinking it sullenly.

The pot of ginger tea was quickly finished, and its soothing aroma lingered in the dimly lit ruined temple, warming their hearts amidst the heavy rain outside.

Outside, black clouds rolled, and the rain poured down heavily. A young guard picked up the pot diligently, saying, "I'm going to wash the pots and bowls." Rainwater is the cleanest, making it convenient for washing. If he washed the pot now, they could enjoy a hot meal later.

Ugly popo, uh, no, Xiugu was not only skilled at making delicious barbecue but also excelled in preparing soup and porridge that were so good they could make people's taste buds dance with delight. The young guards carried the pots out with anticipation while the others chatted enthusiastically around the fire.

After a while, Sheng Sanlang, who was most concerned about lunch, looked towards the temple's entrance and wondered, "Why hasn't Xiaochuan come back yet? It doesn't take that long to wash the pots and pans, does it?"

A guard in his thirties smiled and said, "Perhaps he's just relieving himself." "Where could he go to relieve himself in such heavy rain?" Sheng Sanlang stood up, "I'll go and have a look."

As Sheng Sanlang strode towards the temple entrance, Luo Sheng suddenly spoke, "Biaoge, be careful."

Startled, Sheng Sanlang turned his head to meet Luo Sheng's serious expression. He was about to brush off the concern, but at that very moment, a flash of lightning illuminated the temple, followed by thunder reverberating through the ruined temple, making it feel like the entire place was trembling.

Subconsciously, Sheng Sanlang glanced at the door. Outside, the dark sky and endless rain formed a curtain, the door seemingly dividing the inside and outside of the temple into two entirely different worlds. Inside the temple, there was a warm atmosphere due to the lingering aroma of ginger tea, while outside, an aura of unknown darkness prevailed.

Despite his typically fearless nature, Sheng Sanlang felt a twinge of nervousness. Upon reaching the temple door, he stood at the threshold instead of stepping out directly and cautiously poked his head outside.

Another bolt of lightning pierced the sky, and in that brief illumination, Sheng Sanlang saw the young guard who had gone out earlier lying on his back, motionless not far away. The pot he had taken with him had fallen to his side, now filled with rainwater.

With sharp eyes, Sheng Sanlang noticed the blood dripping from the guard's body. Before he could cry out in surprise, he saw a dazzling gleam of a sword coming down from above. Reacting swiftly, he closed the temple door with lightning speed, pressing against it and shouting, "There are assailants!"

Several guards, who had sensed something amiss, rushed over with their swords in hand.

Bang bang bang, the door plank trembled violently as it was being smashed from the outside.

Sheng Sanlang's face turned grim. "Xiaochuan is dead!" Several guards tightened their grip on their swords. "Gongzi, you go inside. Leave this to us."

"No," Luo Sheng suddenly said.

[1] 秀 (xiù) means beautiful, elegant. Luo Sheng used a line from a poem to describe this word.
精理為文，秀氣成采 (jīng lǐ wéi wén, xiù qì chéng cǎi)
"Refined principles become the foundation of the writing." 
"Elegant spirit forms the grace."



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THOJ Chapter 1

 TO HOLD'S ONE JOY  Chapter 1: Devil Incarnate Luo Sheng gazed at the engraved silver incense ball beneath the emerald green curtain. Her eyes, which before had been full of vigor, seemed a little dull now, and the chattering of the little maid in her ears became louder as a result. "Miss, isn't it just a Su Er Gongzi [1] ? If you like him, you could capture him directly, but hanging yourself for him is not worth it, hu hu hu..." Luo Sheng shifted her gaze to the little maid who was crying at the bedside. This little maid's name is Hongdou (red bean), and she can speak and cry at the same time. It's been three days since she heard Hongdou's chatters, and she's gained a general understanding of her situation. Her present body, Luo Sheng, is the daughter of the powerful Commander Luo, the chief commander of Jinlin Guards. She was sent to her maternal ancestral home in Jinsha County, the Sheng family's mansion, where she currently resides, after getti...
Post a Comment
Read more

To Hold One's Joy Chapter 57-1

 Chapter 57-1: Divine Doctor's Visit The echo of footsteps resonated as an elderly man emerged from behind the screen, causing Luo Sheng's eyelashes to quiver. In comparison to a decade ago, Divine Doctor Li had scarcely changed. His hair remained silver without a hint of other colors, and his eyes shone with more vitality than those of young people. Time seems to have forgotten this old man, leaving his unaltered appearance to evoke a sense of familiarity in Luo Sheng. However, the same couldn't be said for Divine Doctor Li. He stared at the unfamiliar young girl before him with a grim expression and addressed her sternly, "Where's the Yangyuan Pill?" Luo Sheng handed him a small box. Upon opening it and seeing the pills inside, Divine Doctor Li's eyes shrank. He brought the box close to his nose, took a sniff, and his expression soured. "Where did you get this pill?" he asked. Luo Sheng blinked. Her bright eyes showed surprise. "Yo...
Post a Comment
Read more

To Hold One's Joy Chapter 64

Chapter 64: Kaiyang Wang's Greetings Luo Sheng returned to the Luo Mansion and went straight to her room, never stepping outside again. Si Nan had been freed, but it left her feeling burdened. After all, her heart wasn't made of iron. Pingli was furious upon learning that Luo Sheng had killed Si Nan. "Didn't Fifth Brother accompany Third Miss? Why did you allow her to lay her hands on the criminal?" he demanded of Yundong. "Third Miss said that she wanted to speak privately with Si Nan... I'm sorry, Eldest Brother, I didn't anticipate that Third Miss would take such action," Yundong apologized, though his heart harbored no remorse. The man was killed in Jinlin Guards Prison, so the news would remain suppressed unless Pingli chose to disclose it. Pingli might have considered leaking the information if Godfather had not regained consciousness. However, now that Godfather was awake, he didn't think Pingli dared to do so. Pingli obviously also un...
Post a Comment
Read more