Still Secretly In Love With My Enemy Today - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As night began to fall, the six-story building was ablaze with shifting lights and overflowing with the sounds of songs and pipes.

The copper-lattice lamps hanging under the eaves and outside the corridors were of an old design; occasionally, a “hissing” sound leaked out from amidst the clamorous music. The mist had not yet fully dispersed, making the three large characters on the plaque—”Linlang Pavilion”—appear vividly multicolored and exceptionally clear under the lights. I tilted my head to look at those three words, took a step forward, then a step back, then another forward, and another back. For a long while, I didn’t go in.

The “God-Amusement Ceremony” was three days ago. I didn’t trust a piece of paper handed over by a person who wouldn’t show their face, but over these three days, I had used every method at my disposal and couldn’t find a single trace of the High Priest anywhere else.

But never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that Linlang Pavilion was… a brothel.

What could a person be doing in a brothel? Could he be here to find peace and quiet to practice his sword?

The lights dazzled my eyes, so I simply closed them, grinding my back teeth. The fire in my heart merged with the lanterns before me into a burning mess.

Every day and night, my mind was filled with how to create better weapons to defeat him. I hadn’t slacked for even half an hour; even in my dreams, I often saw him thrusting his sword at me. How could he…

How could he, how dare he indulge himself like this, traveling a hundred li just to visit a brothel!

A wave of overly dense floral perfume wafted over. I choked on it, and looking down, I saw a face caked in heavy makeup, with wrinkles piled high in a forced smile.

“Please, come inside! Are you here to…”

I tucked my hands behind my back, my fingertips digging hard into my palms, and cut her off quickly: “I’m looking for someone.”

“Looking for someone?” She clutched her handkerchief and giggled. “Well, you’ve come to the right place. Every one of the children under my care is wonderful…”

She led me through the door, and the interior was suddenly bright. A warm, soft fragrance rushed at me, a total contrast to the chilly, rain-washed air outside.

On either side, cups were being exchanged and hair ornaments were in disarray. Dozens of mechanical lifts creaked up and down through the scented dust. The thought of that despicable High Priest lying drunk amidst such silken luxury made my heart seethe with fire. I couldn’t stand her rambling for another second: “Is Xie Huaishuang one of yours?”

“Him?” The madam’s eyes darted around as she flicked her flower-embroidered handkerchief. “You’ve come at an unlucky time. He has an appointment tonight… I have plenty of other good children here, much more obedient than that deaf one. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied!”

“Deaf?” I frowned. “That Xie Huaishuang… is actually deaf?”

“Yes, you came looking for him, how did you not know?” The madam knit her brows and shook her head. “His eyes aren’t good either. If it weren’t for the fact that he was cheap and born with good looks, I wouldn’t have bought him. You probably don’t know, but he has a terrible temper. You can’t even beat the stubbornness out of him… Anyway, come look at these children…”

Maybe that man in black was lying to me. The despicable High Priest would never do such a thing.

“I want to see Xie Huaishuang,” I stared at her, enunciating every word. “And I want to see the person who has the appointment with him.”

“Oh, why must you make things difficult for an old woman like me!” The madam clapped her hands. “The person who booked him today…”

“I know. It’s someone from the Temple, isn’t it?”

The madam paused. “How did you know… Do you two know each other?”

She stopped talking and studied me searchingly. I fell silent too—originally, I was just testing her, but with that nod of hers, the heart I had held in suspense shattered completely, leaving me feeling like cold wind was blowing right through me.

It really was someone from the Temple—it really was!

“We know each other,” I ground out through my teeth. “Of course we do. That’s why I came here.”

Her eyes shifted back and forth, and she suddenly gave a very eerie smile. “In that case, why didn’t you say so earlier… Is it your first time? There are many who share that particular taste. I understand.”

I didn’t know what she “understood,” but my gut told me it wasn’t anything good. However, finding him was the priority; I’d ignore the rest for now. I didn’t want to wait another second. That green shadow was burning me with agitation.

“Follow me, then.”

The dance floor was a blur of figures. As we passed through the crowd of drunken guests and disheveled silks, even a glance made the back of my ears feel hot, and my breathing grew uncontrollably faster.

Why on earth would that despicable High Priest suddenly fall so low? I hadn’t seen him for half a year. What had happened during these six months?

I didn’t know; I could only clench my hands until my nails bit into my palms.

This man’s sword was fast. For ten whole years, every time we met, he never waited for me to ask if he’d been tricked by the Temple. He didn’t even bother to look at me properly before his sword-light flashed before my eyes.

—Every time I thought about it, I felt I hated him. I didn’t know exactly what I hated, but right now, I hated him more than ever.

I followed the madam onto a creaking mechanical lift and got off on the third floor. While I was still frowning and looking around, she pointed to the third room to the east: “That’s the one, I—”

Before she could finish, the sound of a door bursting open came from where she was pointing, followed by a scramble of footsteps, the sound of someone hitting a railing, and muffled, ragged breathing.

“You actually dare to fight back! Let’s see how I deal with you!”

I turned instantly, and a vision like melting snow burst into my sight.

In the shadows of the lamps, a person was slumped against the corridor railing with his back to me. His black hair was completely loose and falling down, with a turquoise hair ribbon hanging loosely from the ends. A wide gauze robe partially covered his frame; only his right hand, gripping the railing, showed bulging veins from the effort. His spine was taut, refusing to collapse.

Why did I feel… like I’d seen this before?

The man trying to drag him back into the room was a middle-aged fellow with a filthy mouth. Before I could think more about where I’d seen that figure, I grabbed something random from nearby and hurled it.

“Who’s there!”

The man cried out in pain and looked toward me. I spread my hands, indicating it was me.

“What business is it of yours, you brat?” He clutched his shoulder, his face twisted. “Are you this slut’s lover or something? You… Ow!”

I gave him a punch and followed it with a kick. He settled down.

“Who the hell are you… can’t we just talk things out!”

I knelt down and thought for a moment. “Weren’t you the one who couldn’t talk properly first?”

He glared at me with hatred, seeming like he wanted to spit something out, but he forced himself to swallow it after a vague syllable.

He was too ugly. My eyes hurt just looking at him.

“What… what do you want?”

I glanced at the person from before. He was still facing away from me, slumped over the railing, his long hair rising and falling violently with his heavy breathing.

“I should ask you—what were you about to do to him?”

I turned my gaze back. By comparison, this man was truly an eyesore. I couldn’t help but frown.

“I paid my money, so naturally I can do whatever I want to him. Why do you care?”

After a moment of silence, I asked, “How much did you pay?”

“Ten taels of silver!”

“By that logic, I’ll give you ten taels too,” I sneered. “Does that mean I can do whatever I want to you?”

Even though I’d consider a single copper too much. After looking at his face for this long, I felt he should be paying me.

“How could I be the same as that kind of trash! A life like his is cheap; it can be bought with silver. And, and…”

His voice suddenly rose: “I’ll have you know, my uncle… my uncle is an Oracle of the Temple!”

I suppressed a wave of nausea and dodged his flying spit. I wanted to punch him again but didn’t want to get my hands dirty. Hearing the word “Temple,” I paused with my hand raised and took a better look at him.

“He can speak directly to the managers… no, directly to the High Priest and the Elders!” Seeing me stop, a glint of excitement appeared in the narrow slits of his fleshy face, and his voice rose even higher. “If you know what’s good for you, get lost!”

Someone from the Temple?

Even better.

I looked at the phoenix-patterned medallion he was intentionally displaying at his waist and smiled. “It seems you Temple people really enjoy visiting brothels?”

The shadow of that despicable High Priest flickered before my eyes. I picked up that cold medallion and patted his face with it. “Doing this sort of thing… aren’t you afraid of offending that ‘God Xiling’ of yours?”

“You dare speak sacrilege against the Great God!” He was shocked and furious. “The laws state that these people have sins from their past lives, which is why they must serve others in this life. Me playing with them is helping their lowly lives!”

“Is that so?” Under his self-righteous gaze, I tossed the medallion aside. It hit the ground with a heavy thud. I met his eyes, which had turned to terror. “I don’t think you need to wait for a past life; you’re lowly enough in this one. I’ll help you out too.”

Before dragging him by the collar into the room, I glanced at the madam nearby, who was too scared to move.

“I… I didn’t see anything!”

I nodded and dragged the man inside. I hadn’t decided how to deal with him yet, so I took a thin iron chain from my toolkit and bound his hands and feet.

“Don’t move around,” I reminded him kindly. “Otherwise, it’ll be like this—”

A tiny spike suddenly poked out, pricked his wrist, and retracted. Droplets of blood welled up. The Temple could never create something this precise.

“Can you tell where I’m from now?”

He shook his head frantically, not knowing what to say. Unfortunately, I had already gagged him.

“Oh, right,” I remembered something quite important before leaving. I turned back to him. “In this place, have you ever seen your High Priest?”

Upon hearing this, he looked as if he’d heard something inconceivable. His eyes widened, and he shook his head even more frantically, making muffled sounds as if protesting.

Since it concerned the despicable High Priest, I went back, removed the gag, and heard him say: “You actually dare to profane the sacred High Priest! The God will surely bring punishment down upon you—”

“You think your High Priest is some kind of good person?”

I stuffed the gag back in and sneered, raising my voice slightly: “He’s just a fool, same as you.”

The despicable High Priest might be right next door. It would be best if he heard me insulting him like this.

The fragrance in the room was so thick it made me uncomfortable. It only felt better once I turned and opened the door. The person had already stood up using the railing for support, but his figure was swaying. I took two quick steps and caught him before he could stumble.

“How are you?”

I realized then that he was very light. The Kingdom of Xiling was always misty; the moment his balance faltered and he leaned entirely against me, he felt like nothing more than a mass of mist.

“Are you okay? Do you need…”

He kept his head down and didn’t speak. I didn’t know if he’d heard me. He just straightened his shoulders and back, shook his head haphazardly, and pushed his clenched fists against my chest, seemingly wanting me to stay away.

As the light gauze slid down his forearms, I saw that from his wrists down, his porcelain-like skin was dotted with a mixture of new and old scars. The sight sent a shock through my heart.

And why did it feel…

Feeling the faint, outward push against my chest again, I realized my mistake and quickly let go, taking a step back.

He gripped the railing and managed to stand straight three feet away from me, but then he began to cough, bending over, his entire body trembling.

“Are you really okay?”

He ignored me, slowly sitting back down by himself in a tense posture, shrinking into a tiny ball amidst the high and low shadows and the sounds of music.

I knelt down across from him and saw his sharp, thin chin. The sense of familiarity that had arisen earlier suddenly grew much stronger.

He didn’t look up; he just waved his hand hurriedly, signaling me to go away. I stared at him and didn’t move.

No. No. How could it be? This is too absurd.

Thinking this, I still instinctively looked toward the back of his left hand—

Beneath the layers of gauze, there was indeed a faint, winding scar on the back of his left hand.

Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

The moment I saw it, I closed my eyes by instinct. I opened them, closed them, opened them again, and looked a few more times. It was the same—the scar was thin and long, not a hair longer, not a hair shorter.

Then he is…

A figure blurred before my eyes. He seemed to lose all strength, slumping to one side. The silver hairpin he had been clutching in his left hand fell to the floor. I instinctively stepped forward to support him. Stunned for a moment, I looked back.

…The room just now was exactly the third room to the east the madam had mentioned. The third room to the east where Xie Huaishuang was.

Wait, if the “person from the Temple” the madam mentioned was that ugly piece of trash just now…

—Linlang Pavilion, Xie Huaishuang.

—He is here. Take him away.

It was as if something had suddenly connected, yet also as if something had suddenly cracked open.

The surrounding noise and glamour vanished into thin air in an instant, then compressed into a single line. My whole body froze. Looking at the person in my arms with his lowered eyelashes—someone who looked like he would break at a single touch—my fingers suddenly tightened.

A thousand engines let out a piercing scream in my ears.