The Story of a Stroppy Princess

Looking at her crafty expression, Nangong Yixuan said astoundingly and unbelievably, "Ling’er, if you can decode these wired characters, you will certainly make contributions, and there is a good chance that you can be rewarded by the Emperor with the invincible Soft Gold Vest. However, you’d better not to count on me for teaching you martial arts, which might cost you years to learn enough skills to protect yourself."

"The Soft Gold Vest?" Hearing this, Hua Yueling’s eyes widely opened and her face lighted up.

"Hum, that’s it. The Soft Gold Vest is invulnerable. There are only two pieces in the world. The Emperor has one, and the other is said to have been hidden by him. Well, you are the Emperor’s beloved cousin, if you render meritorious service, he will surely award it to you," proposed Nangong Yixuan.

"Really? That will be great!" Hua Yueling burst out laughing enthusiastically. Her unrestrained manner shocked Nangong Yixuan, rendering him speechless.

All at once, Hua Yueling stopped laughing and looked askance at Nangong Yixuan, "Brother, I am still fond of the idea that I’d better learn some skills, especially those unbeatable skills, you see, just in case."

"Er..., I am afraid I have no time. Well, I can send a bodyguard to you, who can protect you and teach you martial arts at the same time." Nangong Yixuan showed a smile with a twinkle in his eye.

"A bodyguard? What can he do?" Hua Yueling pouted delightedly, leering at Nangong Yixuan.

"Don’t say that. He is by no means an ordinary bodyguard. I saved his life five years ago. His Kung Fu is much better than mine. The only problem is that he has lost his memory, and seems a little bit indifferent and uncommunicative." Finishing this, Nangong Yixuan shouted, "Ye You!"

A shadow immediately appeared in front of Nangong Yixuan, standing still like a big tree which could not be blown down even by the high wind for three days.

This man was, about 20 years old, in a tall and muscular build, which, however, didn’t present himself clumsy. He had a fair face of light yellow skin, a pair of deep-set eyes, a straight nose, and thin lips. He looked serious and indifferent as if the world had nothing to do with him. If he lived in the modern society, he would be for sure a charming man.

"Ye You, greet your new master and I order you to protect her prior to your own life." Nangong Yixuan instructed seriously to Ye You.

Ye You’s eyes revealed slight surprise before they rested on Nangong Yixuan, as if asking why.

"Your excellent martial arts may find it fully-employed with your new master, not here with me. We’ve known each other for five years, but I feel guilty for that. You don’t have to spend your whole life to repay your debt of gratitude. As what I said, you can leave anytime. It’s up to you to decide whether you want to protect Ling’er or not." Nangong Yixuan smiled lightly and looked at Ye You’s clean-cut face. There must be some secrets in this man, but Nangong Yixuan never doubted his loyalty.

"Wow! Ye You, you are cool. I just want to learn some Kung Fu. Can you teach me? Brother doesn’t have time to teach me." Hua Yueling knew from Ye You’s temperament that this man was definitely a Kung Fu master.

Ye You slowly turned to look at her little ingratiating face, his brows furrowed.

"Well, you don’t want to teach me? Although I’m too old to cultivate inner power, I have some potential for physical combat skills. You can test me now."

After saying that, Hua Yueling timed her breath and hit Ye You’s chin with her fist. Ye You seemed very contemptuous at her. This could be called Martial Arts?

But he soon found himself thrown to the ground by this delicate woman. He didn’t even know how he fell, because he wasn’t prepared for it. What he only remembered was that he took her fist lightly, her other hand grabbed his arm, and then he fell down.

Nangong Yixuan was flabbergasted. He looked at Hua Yueling in disbelief, "What kind of Kung Fu is this, Ling’er?"

"Haha, this is Suplex (shoulder throw in Judo). Isn’t it great?" Hua Yueling clapped her hands and walked to Ye You with a smile and extended her hand.

In a daze for a second, Ye You held out his large bronzed hand and took hers to get up. He looked at her with a sort of incredible sense.

"Haha. Yes, it’s really cool. Is this the same way you stabbed my Third Brother last time?" Nangong Yixuan asked curiously.

"Not really. This is kind of Close Quarter Combat. I have no inner power, so, I have to fight in a fast, relentless and accurate way." Hua Yueling was beaming with smiles, her white teeth sparkling like shining stars.

Ye You patted the weeds off his clothes and said coldly, "Though you have no inner power, your attack is very effective. You’re a smart woman."

"Ye You, this is the first time I’ve seen you compliment someone." Nangong Yixuan uttered in surprise.

"This is also the first time for me to be thrown by a woman!" Ye You said humorously while looking at the ground.

Hua Yueling walked up to him and patted hard on his shoulder. She laughed proudly, "Ye You, do me a favor! What about staying with me from now on?"

Turning his head to one side, Ye You looked at Hua Yueling’s beautiful face and said, "Then, will you be able to teach me that kind of Kung Fu?"

"It’s a deal!" Hua Yueling burst into heart-felt laughter, as she finally saw some admiration in Ye You’s eyes.

Nangong Yixuan’s forehead got sweated, for Hua Yueling had changed so much that he wasn’t used to her. But he didn’t think it was a bad thing. At least she was much more confident, and was no longer the nymphomaniac that everyone shook their heads when seeing her.

"Ling’er, he is yours. Now, can you tell me what these weird symbols truly are?" Nangong Yixuan asked anxiously.

"These are cuneiform scripts of Babylonian Sumerian, which exist in the Mesopotamia. It’s hard for you to understand. That place lies on the west side of our region, and it takes more than a year to walk there. Few people go that far till now." Hua Yueling’s brain began to work. The Sumerians were on the map of modern Iraq, but it wouldn’t have been known in ancient times. It was a little difficult for her to explain, so she had to slight it over. Whatever, they didn’t understand...

"Pardon? Is this a kind of writing system? The Cuneiform?" Nangong Yixuan was totally confused. He just didn’t get it.

"Yep. Didn’t you say that Kingdom of Lanyue is in the west? That explains everything then!" Hua Yueling shrugged her shoulders.

"But the characters of Kingdom of Lanyue is not like this. So, what does it mean?" Nangong Yixuan was very excited that Hua Yueling did know the characters, which would be of great help to Kingdom of Dayue.

"Maybe their people came back from west side. The four phrases on this piece of paper sound a little bit strange, you check this: wind and the capital are interdependent, even the king would rise and fall, moon blocks west osmanthus, crane flowers are filled in the sedan." Hua Yueling shrugged her shoulders after saying these words and looked at Nangong Yixuan’s serious face.

"What does it mean?" Nangong Yixuan was still confused.

"These four words shouldn’t be at that order. Let me try: the wind starts from the West Crane, osmanthus fell in the capital, the moon keeps full for days, and the Lord of Yi prevents the sedan moving on." Ye You who was next to Hua Yueling suddenly read out.

Nangong Yixuan and Hua Yueling both turned around and looked at this indifferent face.

’Oh my god, what a good memory he has! ’ Hua Yueling thought.

"I agree with you. Now, it is not only readable but also makes sense. Since these are used by the spies to pass the information, they must be quite cautious. Ye You, you hit it. But what does it mean in that order? The west crane? The Osmanthus? The full moon? The lord of Yi? Do they have any associations?"

"I know!" Nangong Yixuan screamed and said, "The first three words are the names of some famous inn, restaurant and whorehouse. They are all in the charge of my Third Brother! And the last part, the Lord of Yi, is supposed to refer to me?"