Pulling Together A Villain Reformation Strategy Chapter 38

Trigger warning for more mentions of s.e.xual a.s.sault, as well as an encounter that has definite tinges of attempted s.e.xual a.s.sault.

Please let me know where my translations can be improved!

Chapter 38 – The Edge of l.u.s.t's Blade1

Yun Xie stumbled over from the kick, but actually started to smile. He jumped up from the ground and pointed a finger at Jiang Xunyi, before rolling up his sleeves2 and rus.h.i.+ng over to begin wrestling with Jiang Xunyi. 

Neither of the two used spiritual power, but rather exchanged blows without any rules or standards to speak of. They did not have a shred of proper appearances at this moment, instead resembling two scuffling children. Jiang Xunyi ended up pressed down on the ground open to Yun Xie's beating, when he heard the footsteps of someone walking towards them. He hurriedly used one hand to obstruct the evilly grinning Yun Xie's attempted stranglehold. Upon looking up, he saw it was Feng Qiu coming over once again.

He nimbly flipped Yun Xie onto the ground, and then got up and patted his clothes, calling out with elegant grace: “Qiu-s.h.i.+jie.”

Yun Xie: "……." Oof3.

Feng Qiu was about to open her mouth to speak, when she saw Yun Xie getting slammed onto the ground. She quickly rushed over to help him up: “Ah-Xie, are you alright?”

Jiang Xunyi: "…….." Oof3. 

Yun Xie smoothly blocked her hand. Shooting Jiang Xunyi a glance, he deliberately gave a slight smile, and generously said: “It's nothing, at most just a few bruises. They'll be fine once I go back and ma.s.sage them, s.h.i.+jie does not need to worry.”

Jiang Xunyi's eyes silently asked him: "Is there any limit to your shamelessness?"

Yun Xie did not change expression, his smile as refres.h.i.+ng as the spring breeze.

The two of them were used to horsing around since childhood, actually growing closer with every fight. However, from Feng Qiu's perspective, their silent eye contact4 seemed akin to some surging undercurrent. She therefore bowed her head slightly and picked up the cloak draped on her arm: “I came to return these clothes. Ah-Xie, these are yours, right?"

Jiang Xunyi watched Yun Xie take them back with a smile, and itched to give him another couple good kicks—that cloak was indeed Yun Xie's, sure, but he was clearly the one who gave it to Feng Qiu!

Upon sending the cloak, Feng Qiu left. Yun Xie stood in place, following her with his eyes. Jiang Xunyi took a step forward to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him. He still felt something strange about the situation: “I always have this feeling that today Qiu-s.h.i.+jie is acting odd, as if there is something she wishes to speak with us about. Do you have that feeling too? When you followed her, what did you two talk about?”

Yun Xie agreed: “I was thinking so too. She didn't say much—the moment I asked her, she cried, so I came back.”

Jiang Xunyi glared at him: “Be honest, do you actually like Qiu-s.h.i.+jie? Literally no one would believe it5 based on the way you talk.” 

Yun Xie absent-mindedly gazed out into the foggy distance: “It doesn't seem as if I like her? Then let me ask you… if I liked a person, how do you think I would treat him6?” 

Jiang Xunyi's brows furrowed, and he actually considered the matter seriously for a while. In the end, he only let out a sigh: "It's hard to imagine. My primary problem is that I cannot even contemplate which type of woman would be able to stand you.”

Hearing this, Yun Xie's originally reserved face became a little more vivid. He laughed and said: "Ah-Xun, by those words are you actually saying that there is no woman worthy of me?”

“……” Jiang Xunyi turned right around: “Okay, loving to dream big is a good thing. Keep it up, I'm going back to sleep first.”

Behind his back, the smile on Yun Xie's face gradually disappeared. Without saying a word, he watched Jiang Xunyi's silhouette fade into the distance. His clothes rippled in the night wind, delineating the outline of his slender figure to add a touch of lonesome frailty.

After bathing, Jiang Xunyi lay down on the bed, feeling as if all the bones in his body were falling apart to the point where they creaked when he moved. He was probably truly too exhausted—the moment his head touched the pillow, he shut his eyes out of dizziness.

He didn't know how long he slept, as he was continuously disturbed by dreams of numerous bygone events. In the midst of one dream, he suddenly heard some kind of vague rustling sound right by his bed. Given his longstanding training, Jiang Xunyi woke up in an instant, his mind already clear. He vigilantly opened his eyes a tiny fraction while his body still lay motionless, intending to see who exactly this visitor was. 

Unable to see the scene outside of his bed, he couldn't see the scene outside the bed. He could only hear the person's light and graceful footsteps. It seemed to be a woman, a woman with excellent footwork ability7. But when the footsteps were around one step away from the bed, they fell silent, as if that person was standing still and sizing him up. 

Jiang Xunyi's breaths were even and natural, his skill7 at faking sleep attaining new peaks of perfection8. His falsely closed eyes spied the dim and hazy outline of a person slowly bending closer to him. He was just secretly sneering in his heart, when suddenly a warm and slippery hand came down to rest on the exposed back of his hand, and immediately afterwards the characteristic soft flesh of a woman actually leaned on his own body.

Out of all the possibilities, he absolutely could never have imagined this!　　

Jiang Xunyi felt his scalp tingle. Without even thinking, he abruptly sat up and lifted his hand to push the person away. Upon opening his eyes, what entered his vision was a half-naked woman leaning on his bed with one knee on the sheets. And the absolutely most horrifying realization to Jiang Xunyi, was that the woman was actually his s.h.i.+gu9 Wanderer Zihui!

Jiang Xunyi moved to sit on the side of the bed, utterly aghast: "You… you……."

Upon receiving this particularly bad scare, he simply had no idea what would be best to say in this situation. He shut his eyes, trying his best to suppress his emotions, before coldly speaking: “What are you doing here? Given how you just casually strolled into my bedroom, if I decided to strike pre-emptively, you would already be dead.”

Although Wanderer Zihui was one generation older than him, there was not that large of an age gap between them, and she still maintained the outer appearance of a young woman. Jiang Xunyi had never had a close relations.h.i.+p with her in the first place. Now at this time where he had no idea what this woman was up to, he did not bother speaking with the slightest bit of respect.

Wanderer Zihui's usually chilly and severe face actually turned bashful and coy. She stretched her arm out intending to hold Jiang Xunyi's hand, but when he dodged away she could only grasp his sleeve. She did not grow angry, and gently said: “Don't you remember that time I once called you a deceitful and wicked b.a.s.t.a.r.d, and even took advantage of s.h.i.+xiong being away from the mountain to punish you with lashes from the discipline whip and make you kneel on shards of gla.s.s…….”

“…….” Jiang Xunyi said: “So you came bringing a bramble to ask for a flogging10? Then where's the bramble?” He sneered and pulled his sleeve out of her grip: “If that is the case, you don't have to say anything, I don't give a d.a.m.n about that.”

As Wanderer Zihui looked at him, her eyes gradually reddened. She suddenly rushed forward to hug Jiang Xunyi's waist, one of her hands clutching his wrist in a death grip: "Then do you know why I am doing this? Because I could never have imagined that there is such a man in the world as beautiful yet as cold and detached as you! Why?! Why is it that I am clearly the one with higher status and position, but you are not the slightest bit willing to even give me a glance! Why aren't you willing to get close to me and curry favor with me like other disciples? Why is it that… you look at me so differently, as if I am just a meaningless sc.r.a.p of waste paper!!”

Jiang Xunyi tried to pull her off himself, but unfortunately she was grabbing him too tightly and also wearing too little clothing. Wherever he pushed, he was touching naked skin, to the point where he had no safe place to act. He could only indifferently give his evaluation: “That last metaphor isn't bad. So, what exactly are you here to do?”

Zihui freed one of her hands, with which she ripped off her last remaining clothing. Her fully naked body11 was as glossy as congealed fat12. With soft fragrance and feminine charm, she pounced into Jiang Xunyi's arms: "Tonight, I came here just to be together with you. I beg you, look at me properly, even if it's just one look, even if it's just for tonight……”

Jiang Xunyi's expression was cold and harsh, his handsome face appearing like carved white jaded, without the slightest hint of being emotionally moved. What he didn't expect was that in the next moment, Zihui began to sob as she whispered: "I really could not bear to part… I really couldn't bear it…. If you allow me to fulfill my wish this once, I will tell you a secret…….”

In this single instant, numerous thoughts flashed through Jiang Xunyi's mind. Even though he had some general awareness of the major events in Yun Xie's life, he could not see his own past and future clearly. Just today, the system had released a task for him that he definitely would not complete. Now within just a few hours, Zihui was saying these kinds of things… what exactly was going on? Was she referring to his final fate of having his reputation ruined and getting killed by Yun Xie? But according to reason, at this time he had not touched a single hair of Feng Qiu, so Zihui naturally could not know anything about that future. So what would this the so-called secret be?

While he was caught in this daze, his hands slightly loosened their pus.h.i.+ng, so Zihui took advantage of his lapse to lean closer. Her full red lips touched Jiang Xunyi's neck, and Jiang Xunyi's entire body froze. He had always had a penchant for cleanliness, so upon coming into contact with someone like this, his thoughts were not disturbed nor his pa.s.sion stirred, but he was instead rather disgusted. He had originally vaguely considered the possibility of selling some charm to trick some truths out of her, but now he found he really couldn't do it. 

With no small amount of effort, he pushed Zihui away. With this motion, Zihui's sharp fingernails scratched a red line down Jiang Xunyi's wrist. 

His wrist lit up with a burning pain, but Jiang Xunyi did not pay any attention to this tiny injury. He looked at Zihui's beautiful body with the coldness of watching a dead animal: "I do not wish to use unpleasant words towards a woman. Take your clothes and leave right now.”

Given her usual overconfidence in her beauty, Zihui had not expected that even this would be rejected. She was both ashamed and furious, and bit out through clenched teeth: "You truly have a heart of stone, actually daring… actually daring……. Hmph, you don't even want to listen to what I know?”

Jiang Xunyi was too lazy to even talk. He turned his head away and impatiently waved his hand. 

Zihui's face flushed completely red. Unable to endure any more of the invisible humiliation brought on by this irreverent att.i.tude, she clutched her clothes, threw them over herself, and strode out. 

Jiang Xunyi only turned his head back after she had left. He carefully examined the ground of the room, and found no abnormalities. Lost in thought, he had the vague feeling there were changing and treacherous dark tides behind the scenes, as if something was about to happen, but he was unable to find even the slightest whiff of a clue. After sitting alone for a while, he leaned backwards and lay back down on the bed, but did not feel any trace of sleepiness.

This night was truly a time of troubles13—as he restlessly tossed and turned in bed for a while, the system similarly showed no signs of slowing down: [Task released: Please immediately complete the plotline “Rape Feng Qiu", without delay, without delay, without delay]

It actually knew the principle of "Important things must be said three times"14. Jiang Xunyi's vexation gave him vigor, and he grew enraged: "Do you have any humanity at all? Even Foxconn15 doesn't exploit their employees this much! Right now I am Absolutely. Not. Interested! You heard that? I'm not doing it! Not doing it! Not. Doing. It!!!!!!”

With those last few words, he roared louder and louder. Thankfully he had always liked peace and quiet so there were no guards posted at his door, and no one was alarmed his voice. The system seemed to have been frightened by his fierce resistance and became completely silent. 

Jiang Xunyi angrily turned over, furiously despising this bullying system that only picked on the weak16. In his irritation, he wrapped himself up with the blanket. After gaining the boundary of this quilt wrapping, his body probably felt physical safety, so this time he very quickly fell into a dreamless sleep. 

Author's Comments: Young master Jiang, do you still remember that the cloak was draped over you by little Yun in the first place?

Footnotes:

1. The original Chinese t.i.tle 色字如刀 references how the word 色 (which usually means color but in this context refers to l.u.s.t and other licentious activities) is partially composed of the character 刀 [knife]. I just did some artistic translation.

2. 摩拳擦掌 lit. "Rub one's fists and wipe one's palms"

3. The original phrase is 心塞 lit. "A stuffy feeling in one's heart". This was too hard to translate directly so I tried to convey the feeling instead.

4. 眉来眼去 lit. "Eyebrows come, eyes go" isn't always flirtatious, but this phrase is often used to describe two lovers making goo-goo eyes at each other ? 

5. 鬼都不信 lit. "Even ghosts would not believe it"

6. Important note: in Chinese, "he"/"she"/"it" are all p.r.o.nounced the same way, so Jiang Xunyi would not be able to tell what gender Yun Xie is referring to.

7. You might know 功夫 better as "Kung Fu", but it often refers to martial skills in general. Here I chose to translate these separately based on the context.

8. 炉火纯青 lit. "the stove fire glowing turquoise" is a reference to Daoist alchemy concocting pills of immortality. The phrase basically means that this person is a master of their craft.

9. 师姑 lit. "Disciple-aunt", referring to a woman who is in the same generation as (and younger than) Jiang Xunyi's s.h.i.+fu

10. 负荆请罪 refers to someone offering a humble apology and asking to be punished. The original phrase conjures up the image of someone bringing up a th.o.r.n.y birch and requesting to be flogged with it.

11. Fun fact: 胴体 is also used to refer to a slaughtered animal's carca.s.s lol 

12. Fun fact #2: 腻若凝脂 can be viewed in a positive light as in a woman having soft/smooth/glossy skin, but the literal words used do not conjure up a particularly nice image, so guess what I used lol

13. 多事之秋 lit. "an eventful autumn"

14. I'm pretty sure 重要的事说三遍 is a Chinese Internet meme/slang.

15. 富士康 or Foxconn is a Taiwanese company infamous for overworking its employees. You may have heard of the "Foxconn Suicides" in 2010.

16. 欺软怕硬 lit. "Bully the weak/soft and fear the strong/tough"

Yeah uh if you flip the genders of that last encounter, that is not something you want to wake up to. Despite Zihui's sheer rudeness, Jiang Xunyi is probably slightly more polite to her since she is a woman and his senior in the sect. Ah, the demands of social etiquette x___x

To be honest a lot of the words used to describe Zihui's actions could potentially be interpreted in both a positive and negative way. Ex: her skin could be called both "smooth" vs. "oily", the way she leaned up to Jiang Xunyi could be described as "nestling up to him" vs. "pasting herself onto him". I generally leaned towards the slightly negative descriptions since that probably fits the context best.