Still Secretly In Love With My Enemy Today - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Milky Way Falling to Earth (I)

 

When I faintly heard a few gears and levers talking, I suspected I was having hallucinations from staying up late drawing blueprints.

 

“Shh, quieter. We’ll wake him up.”

 

The gear on the left had a high, thin voice and gave itself a little turn.

 

“I know—but what kind of nonsense is the Temple pulling this time?”

 

A tall, thin lever nearby picked up a glass monocle. I was originally trying to remember exactly what hour I had stayed up until last night to end up in this ghostly state, but the moment I heard the word “Temple,” my ears instinctively perked up.

 

This is how we people of Iron Cloud City react to our natural enemies.

 

“The same old tricks. A bunch of flashy ceremonies to swindle money. The City Lord wants Senior Brother He and Junior Brother Zhu to go take a look.” The rivet on the right spoke in a very upright tone, clinking against a wrench as it moved. “I heard the bounty the Temple put on Little Zhu has gone up again. It’s higher than mine now.”

 

“You’ve been the number one most wanted man for so long; it’s about time someone else took the spot.”

 

“Those old fogies in the Temple are probably fuming because Little Zhu ruined three of their rain-making ceremonies in a row. That’s why they raised the bounty to this amount… He’s the youngest person to ever make the Temple’s most-wanted list. I always said this kid was going places.”

 

What silver-tongued components. There is nothing I love hearing more than things that make the Temple miserable.

 

“Speaking of which, this is just a standard evaluation ceremony. Why is it worth sending both of you?”

 

The rivet on the right stopped clinking against the wrench and rocked back and forth on the table. “A standard ceremony, yes. But the trouble is that the person presiding over it this time is that High Priest who hasn’t shown his face in eight hundred years…”

 

I sat bolt upright. “Where?! Where is the High Priest?!”

 

“…”

 

I opened my eyes in the silent air—only then realizing I had been dreaming with my eyes closed—and saw a circle of people suddenly go quiet, all staring at me.

 

What gears? What levers? What rivets? Da Li was blinking at me, Senior Brother He gave a chuckle as he pushed his sliding monocle back up his nose, and Senior Sister Chen was still holding a wrench.

 

A sliver of sunlight slanted through the window. Without even looking at the clock, I knew it was close to noon.

 

“Awake?”

 

“…Awake.”

 

“I knew it. Mention that person and you’ll definitely scramble up.” Senior Sister Chen said with a half-smile. “You can’t even forget him in your sleep.”

 

Wait.

 

“So I wasn’t dreaming just now,” My heart skipped a beat, and I stood up immediately. “That High Priest is actually appearing, isn’t he? The City Lord is sending me? When? Where? I’ll go right now…”

 

“Why so many questions!” Senior Sister Chen tapped the table. “What’s the rush? Don’t be so anxious! Shut up! Sit down!”

 

“…I’m not in a rush.” Glancing randomly at the blueprints and parts on the desk, I sat back down. “I just woke up… I’m just a bit groggy from sleep, that’s all.”

 

Who was anxious? No one was anxious. I just hadn’t seen my number one enemy—that despicable Temple High Priest—for exactly six months, eleven days, and seven hours. What was there to be anxious about?

 

A green shadow flickered before my eyes as I spoke with feigned casualness: “What did the City Lord say?”

 

“Three days from now, in Qingzhou.” Senior Sister Chen resumed fixing her machinery with her wrench, giving a brief explanation. “You know him best. Come with me to sabotage the ceremony. We set out tomorrow evening; we’ll discuss the details on the way.”

 

She glanced at me again and frowned. “Seriously, what are you so worked up about?”

 

“…”

 

…

 

By the evening of the second day, I had already parked the Kite-Glider outside the city, waiting to depart at any moment. Senior Sister Chen emerged just as the sky turned dark; she shook her head at me and entered the cabin.

 

“That much on your mind?”

 

“What do you mean ‘on my mind’?” I closed the cabin door. “I just want to kill him. And it happens to fall on a good day.”

 

“What good day?”

 

“The anniversary of the first time I met him.” I pulled the control lever. “In two days and three hours, it will be exactly ten years since I first saw him. Such a grand day is perfect for killing him.”

 

“…”

 

Senior Sister Chen fell silent, leaning against the window and looking out.

 

Thus, the small space was filled only with the sound of iron wings cutting through the air and the turning of gears. Through the glass, the scattered lights below stretched out intermittently. We were likely passing over a boiler tower; steam was rising, making it look shrouded in mist.

 

It looked no different from Iron Cloud City—there were gliders in the sky, armored steam-trains puffing along iron rails, and copper lamps that didn’t need oil. But we all knew the actual difference was vast.

 

Those called “Mechanists” in Iron Cloud City became high-and-mighty High Priests, Elders, and Oracles out here. These were clearly man-made objects, yet after a bunch of nonsense from the Temple, they were rebranded as “Blessings of the God Xiling.”

 

“Look closely,” Ten years ago, when I first followed my seniors to cause trouble for the Temple, they pointed from afar at the people sitting on high, ornate thrones atop the Divine Platform. “It’s this group of people—acting dumb while knowing better—who trick the entire Kingdom of Xiling into worshipping them.”

 

I tried my best to see. Eventually, peering through the dense crowds, I caught sight of a small green figure beneath the gold-carved statue of the God Xiling.

 

—Perhaps even then, I predicted he would be my greatest enemy.

 

Senior Sister Chen suddenly spoke: “How did he catch you that time? Couldn’t beat the guards?”

 

“I beat them!” I snapped out of my trance and looked away. “It was just that a few strings of jade beads fell on the ground. I thought they looked valuable… so I went back to pick them up. Senior Brother said it himself: the money of swindlers is fair game; it’s enough to feed us craftsmen for a month.”

 

“Is that so?” Senior Sister Chen narrowed her eyes. “How come I don’t remember you bringing back anything like that?”

 

“…”

 

Who else could I blame?

 

Clutching the jade beads, I was about to retreat the way I came when I felt a disturbance in the air behind me. I turned around and saw that green figure who had just been sitting beneath the statue.

 

He appeared out of thin air like a cloud of turquoise mist. His robes were layered with strange patterns, and a “Phoenix Spreading Wings” mask pressed against his brow. Strings of pearls hung down to obscure his face, leaving only his wrists visible—pale, as if they hadn’t seen sunlight in years.

 

The Phoenix is the totem of the God Xiling. For a moment, I dazed out, thinking he was another finely carved divine statue.

 

But I swear, I was only stunned for a split second—and in that second, a silver sword-light flashed toward me. it grazed my neck, severing a lock of my hair and sending the jade beads scattering across the floor.

 

I escaped, but I bled, leaving me with the first scar of my life.

 

“It was that time,” I said, forcefully wiping the blade of my sword. “He attacked the moment he saw me. I clearly hadn’t said a word!”

 

“Did you need to say anything?” Senior Sister Chen let out a dry laugh. “He’s a High Priest of the Temple, and you were there with the Iron Cloud City lot to cause trouble. Isn’t it only right for him to attack you? For that matter, even if he hadn’t attacked you, would you have refrained from attacking him?”

 

I stopped talking and continued checking my Cloud-Slaying Blade.

 

Senior Sister Chen glanced at me again. “You remember the details that clearly? Why don’t you usually show this kind of literary talent?”

 

…

 

There was half an hour left before the “God-Amusement Ceremony” began, and the area below the stage was already a dark mass of people. I pushed forward a bit more with effort.

 

Everyone was kept far back from the Divine Platform by Temple guards in silver armor with swords. It was hard to find even a crack in the dense crowd. I couldn’t help but wrinkle my nose again.

 

These people seemed not to notice the discomfort, stretching their necks as far as possible in a posture of extreme piety, looking up at the three- (ten-meter) high platform decorated with hanging silk and gold.

 

The noisy chatter of the people around me poured into my ears: “It’s been so long since we’ve seen the High Priest show his divine powers,” “My third son will definitely be chosen for his spiritual potential this time.” It made me very irritable.

 

The Temple was always like this. Things humans could accomplish were insisted upon as the work of a God. Those who could build iron things became Elders, and those who could use them became Oracles. This is how they tricked people into becoming more and more foolish.

 

To be honest, after that first meeting with the despicable High Priest, while I was nursing my wounds, the thought occurred to me that he looked more “human.” Perhaps he wasn’t born this despicable; maybe he was just tricked by those old fogies too.

 

So, the next time I heard the Temple was holding a “God-Amusement Ceremony,” I chased my seniors across three hundred li (150km) to get there.

 

—As a result, my newly repaired mechanical crossbow was broken too.

 

I sat on the highest roof in Iron Cloud City all night.

 

“It’s a lie, right?”

 

I asked the City Lord, who had climbed onto the roof to find me, sounding confused. “Am I not a genius?”

 

The moment my mechanical trigger was snapped once again, I felt the confidence I’d built over ten years shatter along with it. The feeling of being completely exposed made my whole body numb.

 

Just as the terrifying thought of “Actually, I’m a moron and the City Lord just hasn’t the heart to tell me” popped up, I saw her shake her head. “Meeting your match is normal. You’ll get used to it.”

 

I would never admit that someone from the Temple was “my match”!

 

But that despicable High Priest really—I thought very reluctantly—really had some skill. That sword in his hands possessed twelve-tenths of its potential power; he moved like a phantom.

 

How could he always see right through me?

 

Refusing to accept defeat and determined to capture him next time, I stayed up late improving my weapons and studying his every move.

 

The result: ten years had passed, and it was still “definitely next time.” This man was largely responsible for my rise to the top of the Temple’s most-wanted list.

 

Suddenly, string music played on the stage. I snapped out of it, realizing I was grinding my teeth again. I shook my head to cast aside the shadows that haunted me day and night and looked toward the high platform.

 

The noisy voices around me went silent in an instant, leaving only the sound of tense, expectant, heavy breathing.

 

Is it really worth all that? He’s just a little swindler.

 

I let out a disdainful smirk in my mind and shifted my feet forward a few more steps.

 

—This way, my view wouldn’t be blocked.

 

The despicable High Priest wouldn’t walk out trailing his long robes until the third movement of the music. I used this gap to quickly scan the surroundings.

 

I wondered how he would react this time. After months of not seeing him, I had improved all those mechanisms significantly, just waiting for him.

 

The music gradually faded. I let out a cold laugh, seeing a green figure slowly walk onto the high platform, and focused my mind.

 

The most despicable person. This was his first appearance in so long; who knows what evil deeds he was up to. Does he know how I spent these six months, twelve days, and three hours without seeing him? He doesn’t care at all.

 

I watched him bow toward the statue of the God Xiling as usual, and then stand up.

 

—Wait. He always lifts his hem slightly before standing, and sometimes he’s even slightly tripped up by the burdensome robes, like the slowest-reacting cat among Senior Brother’s pets.

 

Why did he just stand up directly today?

 

Strings of pearls hung from the Phoenix mask as usual; I still couldn’t see his face clearly, but I suddenly felt something was strange.

 

On both sides of the stage, more than ten large drums painted with phoenixes were struck simultaneously. Amidst the heavy drumming, the person on stage pushed off his toes and flipped into the air with fluttering sleeves. The crowd erupted into cheers, but my sense of wrongness grew.

 

This man always wore layers upon layers of sleeves, with heavy ornaments hanging from his chest, neck, and even his earlobes. Yet his movements were extraordinarily nimble; whether using a sword or dancing, every movement was light and swaying.

 

But right now—I looked around and saw the near-fanatical expressions on the faces of the men and women. It seemed no one thought the High Priest’s movements on stage were more sluggish than usual.

 

Am I overthinking?

 

I hesitantly turned my gaze back to the stage and immediately gripped the Cloud-Slaying Blade tighter.

 

—No. It wasn’t my imagination. He was different from usual.

 

“Little Zhu,” Senior Sister Chen’s extremely low voice flickered past my ear, “Ready.”

 

Normally, I would be at my most tense right now. That despicable High Priest was always very sharp, and his strikes were decisive and fierce. We couldn’t sabotage every ceremony, and even escaping usually took some effort.

 

But this time…

 

BOOM!

 

A massive explosion jolted me—the mechanisms previously set beneath the stage had activated, instantly flipping several large drums!

 

The smell of burning spread, and screams erupted from the crowd. I froze amidst the pushing throng—how could he have failed to notice at all?

 

In the chaos, I saw the High Priest on stage stumble from afar. He drew his sword; a familiar silver light flashed, and then my eyes widened.

 

—There was no scar on the back of his left hand!

 

Over the past ten years, he had left me three scars, and naturally, I had left some marks on him too. The back of his left hand was one such place.

 

In that instant, my “continuous-fire needles” were launched without any obstruction, and with the sound of tearing silk, the high, colorful curtains came crashing down.

 

The “High Priest” on stage actually failed to discern the location of my mechanisms at all!

 

“Zhu Pingsheng!” Senior Sister Chen shouted in my ear, “Why aren’t you retreating?! Are you waiting for them to catch you?!”

 

Wrong… everything was wrong!

 

The High Priest had been swapped. Then where was the previous one? Why was he swapped? What happened to the one before?

 

A rush of heat flooded my brain. Driven by some ghost in my heart, I wrenched my hand away from Senior Sister Chen and squeezed through the panicked crowd in the opposite direction.

 

Shouting, footsteps, the sound of air being sliced, angry roars—all sounds seemed to melt into one. I had only one thought left.

 

—Where is that despicable High Priest?

 

The sword was that sword, but the person had changed. What about the person from before? How did his sword end up in someone else’s hands?

 

—Where is that despicable High Priest?

 

I…

 

“He is here.”

 

A black figure squeezed past me, bumping my shoulder. A voice, sounding like an illusion, drifted past.

 

“Take him away.”

 

Suddenly, a crumpled piece of paper was shoved into my hand, becoming damp with the sweat from my palm. In an instant, Senior Sister Chen had grabbed my collar again and was dragging me outward.

 

“You troublesome brat, what are you trying to do now?!”

 

Amidst the jostling crowd, I looked down very quickly.

 

It was a page torn from an account book. The tearing seemed rushed, the edges were jagged, and everything else had been wiped away, leaving only two names I had never heard before.

 

Linlang Pavilion, Xie Huaishuang.