Chapter 28.1 Protect

This matter was then decided.

Once the old woman left, Su Su closed the door and asked Tantai Jin, “What are you up to again?”

“Aren’t you the one who wanted to help the villagers, how did it become me wanting to cause trouble?”

“Are you curious about Young Master Wang?” Su Su guessed, “Do you want his eye?”

Tantai Jin smiled and looked at her, “If you say so.”

At his reply, Su Su became unsure instead. After all, as far as she knew, cold Qi would seep into the eye socket of the eye blinded by a Xuanbing Needle, and if it was replaced by an ordinary eye, it would last for at most one month before rotting.

A mortal’s eye wouldn’t do, and a demon’s eye was full of impure Qi , so that was even worse.

Tantai Jin was so proactive that it was hard for Su Su to not suspect him of bad intentions.

Tantai Jin said, “Tonight, Young Master Wang’s men will be coming to the village to pick up his new bride. When the time comes, you’ll dress up as a bride and ride the bridal sedan chair. We’ll go to Landlord Wang’s mansion to have a look.”

Su Su said in annoyance, “In my opinion, it’s easy for me to get into Landlord Wang’s residence, but right now, the meridian ¹ 经脉 (jīngmài) – channels through which vital energy circulates, regulating bodily functions veins in your hands and feet are broken. You might as well disguise as the bride since a bride only needs to sit and will be supported.”

Su Su thought he was going to be angry, but she didn’t expect for Tantai Jin to ponder for a moment and dully say, “Okay, I’ll do it.”

Su Su: “……”

In her one hundred years of life, she had never seen someone like Tantai Jin. He was like a poisonous plant that grew on a cliff, so desperate to survive that he was willing to bow and submit ² 能屈能伸 (néngqū-néngshēn) – able to stoop or to stand/submit or assert oneself as the occasion requires/be adaptable to circumstances/ready to give and take .

Su Su had originally thought that he’d deliberately pushed himself into the fire pit, but unexpectedly, he really didn’t care about these things. To Tantai Jin, dignity and the judgment of others weren’t worth mentioning. Everything that couldn’t kill him was forging him, making him stronger.

Su Su increasingly felt like he was plotting something.

She wanted to stop him, but seeing his left eye covered with a haze of grey gave her a headache. If she was still an immortal, she would have ways to treat it, but she was currently a mortal, so her hands were tied ³ 束手无策 (shùshǒu-wúcè) – literative meaning: to have one’s hands bound and be unable to do anything about it (idiom), figurative: helpless in the face of a crisis/be at a loss of what to do/be at one’s wit’s end . Although Tantai Jin was deceitful in many ways ⁴ 诡计多端 (guǐjì-duōduān) – full of craft and cunning/have a whole bag of tricks/very crafty/wily and mischievous(idiom) , she couldn’t stop him from desperately trying to survive.

Su Su said, “Okay, I’ll help you. You disguise as the bride, I’ll secretly follow behind the bridal sedan chair and think of a way to enter the residence. Let’s agree that we’ll only get rid of demons that harm people and not hurt ordinary people.”

Tantai Jin looked at her and said, “I’m not interested in ordinary people.”

Su Su thought to herself, Yesterday, you still wanted that little girl’s eye.

Knowing that they were going to exterminate demons, the old woman quickly said, “For people who are selected by Young Master Wang, a wedding dress will appear a few days earlier at their house. The one who is getting married tonight is Yanyan of Old Chen’s family in the east of the village. She’s been crying for several days. If the lady and gentleman can really help us, our whole village will be grateful.”

Tantai Jin said to Su Su, “Go to Chen Yanyan’s house.”

Su Su led her chestnut horse and helped him up on it. Although his hands and feet were injured, he was still able to sit upright, and even though his face was pale, he was able to quickly pull himself together.

Su Su couldn’t help but look at him a few more times. He hadn’t bat an eye even when Xuanbing Needle pierced his body and his meridian veins were completely severed. There were few people in the cultivation world who had such perseverance. Even if he hadn’t cultivated the devil path, he would’ve had a bright future cultivating the immortal path.

With the guidance of the old woman, they reached Chen Yanyan’s house. After Father Chen heard their story, he was pleasantly surprised. He couldn’t believe it and wanted to kneel down to Tantai Jin and Su Su on the spot. The gaunt-faced Chen Yanyan’s eyes also lit up with hope and she saluted Su Su, “A-are you really going to marry instead of me?”

Su Su stifled a laugh and pointed at Tantai Jin, “Not me, him.”

Chen Yanyan lifted her head and saw the delicate and handsome young man sitting on horseback. She had never seen such a good looking person before so she stared at him in a daze.

It wasn’t until he lowered his gaze which coldly swept across her that Chen Yanyan hurriedly lowered her head, blushing.

“Thank you, gentleman.”

Tantai Jin indifferently replied, “Okay, give me your wedding dress.”

He was born so good looking that no one objected to such a ridiculous substitution marriage. In front of Tantai Jin’s shining existence, the villagers were like insignificant weeds.

The villagers even subconsciously thought that he was a powerful demon slayer and no one dared to question his capability.

Chen Yanyan obediently brought over her wedding dress with a set of head ornaments.

“Young Master Wang’s bridal sedan chair will come to pick up the bride between 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. ⁵ 子时 (zǐshí) – period of the night from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. (in the system of two-hour subdivisions used in former times) tonight. ”

Su Su speculated, 11 p.m. to 1 a.m…… It’s impossible for a normal person to take a wife or concubine at such an inauspicious time. Yin energy is very heavy late at night, no wonder the villagers suspect that Young Master Wang has turned into a demon.

Chen Yanyan worriedly asked, “Will something happen to you two if this is exposed?”

Tantai Jin looked at Chen Yanyan with a smile that was not a smile. Her face turned red under his gaze and she bit her lip, twisting her fingers.

Su Su saw that underneath Tantai Jin’s smile, his gloomy and cold gaze was appraising Chen Yanyan’s eye, so she simply covered his eyes and said to Chen Yanyan, “Lady Chen, don’t worry. Our mister is very good at exterminating demons, so nothing will happen.”

Chen Yanyan looked at Su Su and her racing heart slightly dimmed.

Su Su was wearing a lotus-colored silk skirt and the tight sash made her waist look extremely slim. She had a beautiful aura, far beyond Chen Yanyan.

Chen Yanyan couldn’t control her inferiority complex as shame and resentment quickly overtook her mind. She left the room as if she was fleeing.

Su Su loosened her hand, “You promised me not to harm ordinary people.”

Tantai Jin sneered, “You actually believe what I say. I’m not your beloved Xiao Lin, if I want to go back on my words, I will.”

He raised his eyes to look at her, deliberately provoking her to get angry and refute his words.

But the girl in front of him thought about it and nodded approvingly, “Yes, good thing you reminded me. I almost believed you. After this, I’ll stay vigilant.”

His pitch-black right eye gradually turned cold. He also found himself feeling somewhat inexplicable, so he simply pursed his lips tightly and focused on the matter at hand, “Change my clothes.”

Su Su said, “I’ll go get Xiao Ling’s grandfather to help you get dressed.”

Tantai Jin leaned against the edge of the bed and coldly laughed.

Su Su remembered the puppy that was killed by his blood and suddenly realised that wouldn’t be good. She unfolded the wedding dress and said, “It’s better for me to do it.”

She removed his outer clothing and pants, leaving only his underclothes.

He looked thin but actually had broad shoulders and a narrow waist.

Su Su didn’t dare to indiscriminately look and draped the wedding dress on him. Young Master Wang indeed didn’t have any sincerity as the wedding dress he sent was obviously too big for an ordinary woman, but it looked small on Tantai Jin.

Su Su could feel that it was very tight when she was tying the knot of the dress.

He lowered his eyes and looked at her. The girl was almost leaning her head on his chest in order to fasten the troublesome wedding dress.

Tantai Jin impatiently urged, “Hurry up.”

“Almost done,” Su Su said.

Edited by: Gaze