Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Chu Yang sighed. When he thought of the pressure that Tie Butian was under back then, even someone like him, who had gone through countless trials and suffering, couldn’t help but feel downcast.
As a frail woman, it was practically a miracle that Tie Butian managed to withstand the sky-high pressure on her and come this far!
A one and only miracle within the Nine Heavens!
Even a peerless hero such as Tie Longcheng had already lost hope; much less a frail woman like Tie Butian?
Other than Tie Butian, there was probably no other woman in the whole of the Nine Heavens who could withstand such pressure.
“My name is a man’s name! Father had already decided upon this name before I was born. He wished desperately for a prince, one who was wise and talented, so that he could become the pillar of support for the skies of Iron Cloud which were about to collapse! But when I was born, I was instead female!”
“In his despair, Father pinned all his hopes on me! But what he didn’t know was that men and women are fundamentally different! No matter how strong I am, I am but a woman!”
“Yet I grew up just like that!”
Tie Butian smiled mournfully. “I was brought up as a man… Did you know that when I was twelve to thirteen years old, I actually still firmly believed that I was a man! Chu Yang, do you find that laughable?”
Chu Yang lowered his head and sighed deeply.
As an outsider, just listening alone could already make one incredibly depressed. Yet the person in question, Tie Butian, had to bear with it for more than ten years.
How did she come all this way?
Tie Butian paused for a while before she went on, “With each passing day, Iron Cloud got more and more powerless. I was already in despair at that time! I couldn’t see any hope at all! But you showed up at that time. Outside Iron Cloud Citadel, you appeared for the first time. You were dressed in robes of black, as if a hurricane sweeping across the lands. I still recall how your eyes met mine back then and the odd feeling I had, as though I wasn’t supposed to meet you but I did. It was very peculiar!”
A jolt went through Chu Yang’s heart. He could recall clearly what had happened then.
At that time…
Chu Yang had left Du Shiqing’s team, and came all the way to the north by himself!
And met Tie Butian for the first time outside the Iron Cloud Citadel!
Their gazes battled each other from afar.
At that time, Chu Yang’s eyes were calm, piercing, haughty and wild; as though the alpha among a pack of wolves in the Northern Grasslands, they were as sharp as a sword and as cold as ice. His eyes were filled with ruthlessness!
Under such a gaze, all living things in the world were no more than mere ants to be killed mercilessly! All of the Nine Heavens was nothing more than just grass to be trampled upon!
On the other hand, Tie Butian’s gaze was peaceful, warm and calm as though the surface of still water, just like an ocean containing thousands of tributaries and stood above all. Yet at the same time, it was as though he overlooked the world from the clouds up high. A kingly and superior aura drifted along the wind!
Her presence was tantamount to the ruler descending upon the world!
All lands under the skies belonged to the empire and all within these lands were the king’s vassals!
Though one acted deliberately and the other didn’t, both put in their best effort nonetheless!
This was a duel of power!
However, there was no outcome to this duel. If Chu Yang’s gaze were the ocean’s waves, then Tie Butian’s would be the reefs. The waves crashed and frothed while the reefs remained still and unwavering.
Was it the reefs that had broken the waves? Or the waves that had drowned the reefs? How could it be clearly determined who the winner or loser was?
But right after this showdown, Chu Yang turned into a gust of wind and dashed past Tie Butian and her men without stopping, as though a hurricane passing through. With a swoosh, he became an illusion disappearing in the direction of the citadel’s gates. From the very beginning till the end, Chu Yang’s gaze did not change one bit.
Tie Butian retracted her gaze calmly, deep in thought.
At this moment, a mosaic filter seemed to cover Chu Yang’s vision, as though time-space images overlapping on top of each other. This was an extremely mysterious feeling.
This was an encounter that laid outside their destined fate!
Chu Yang was somewhat lost in thoughts thinking back to their first meeting back then. There was a look of reminiscence on his face.
He didn’t expect to not be the only one to feel that way back then; Tie Butian had also felt the same way.
Two people who shouldn’t have met at all having an encounter outside of their destined fate.
Only Chu Yang knew just how wrong their encounter was — In his past life, Tie Butian had lost the war and died, while Iron Cloud was destroyed. It was because he had predicted all of this in this life and changed everything that resulted in their encounter!
“If that was all there was, then it still wasn’t much to speak of. But after you came to Iron Cloud Citadel, you set up the Heavenly Armament Pavilion right away!” Tie Butian had a slight smile on her face. “Before you had come, I had been discussing the current situation with Royal Uncle. I once asked, ‘How can we turn the tables so that we can win?’ He said, ‘There is no longer anything we can do to save the situation. We want to turn the tables if heavenly troops appear within Iron Cloud!’”
When he heard the words ‘heavenly troops’, a jolt went through Chu Yang’s heart.
“We had only just said that the day before and the very next day, the Heavenly Armament Pavilion appeared!” Tie Butian smiled. “That was why I went to look at weapons the moment I got a chance… Does Brother Chu still remember your very first customer, a young girl in cyan-blue clothes?”
Realization dawned upon Chu Yang!
“That was also the reason why Royal Uncle had rushed over to the Heavenly Armament Pavilion at once!” There was a small smile on Tie Butian’s face. “Heavenly troops have only ever appeared in legends and myths, but your appearance was simply too good of a timing… It gave both Royal Uncle and me a kind of ‘finding a chance at life in the jaws of death’ feeling, just as we were in total despair!”
“In fact, we were doubtful; was this for real? Could it really be heavenly troops? Although we knew clearly that this was utterly absurd; although we knew that it was rather laughable for the two people with the highest authority in Iron Cloud Empire to believe in this, we were really at our wits’ end at that time! There was nothing that we could do anymore!”
“That was why things unfolded the way they did. If not, did you really think that you, a foreigner, coming to Iron Cloud and hanging up a few swords and sabers would attract the attention of the top official of the military? Hurhur…”
Tie Butian laughed somewhat self-mockingly.
“After that, we started to come into contact with each other. The first time we met, I told you what was in my heart. I’m not someone who’s unable to keep her thoughts to herself. Neither have I ever mentioned my troubles… but at that time, I stubbornly thought that if there were still hope for Iron Cloud, then let the heavenly troops turn the tides!”
“Even though it’s ridiculous, I was really in total despair at that time!”
“And then, you became the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Armament Pavilion! When I saw how you fished out spies one by one using a bunch of ragtag ruffians and how Iron Cloud was rapidly being cleaned up; when I saw how you made use of every little clue to eliminate latent risks… I felt that my judgment in you wasn’t wrong. Up until you made use of various factors to set up the great battle with the Golden Horse Rider Department within the Iron Cloud Citadel, got the upper hand and killed the King-level martial artist of Golden Horse Rider Department here, all of a sudden, I was filled with confidence.”
“When you were working hard, I put in tens of times more hard work, because I couldn’t let your efforts go down the drain. Gradually… when everything started to get on track, I realized that I had come to depend very much on your help. Slowly, I started to rely on you more and more. When you were working hard, I was filled with motivation when handling everything; if I heard ‘Minister Chu is not in a good mood today’, then I would also lose my drive in doing work.”
“Perhaps this is the biggest difference between men and women; men can suppress this kind of strange emotion but women can’t! No matter how strong a woman, she would also look for support during times of despair. And you were the one who gave me that support during that time!”
Tie Butian smiled forlornly. “It was also from that time onward that I started to frequently go over to chat with you. Perhaps that was the start of my love for you.”
“Until you left Iron Cloud Citadel for the sake of Iron Cloud and went to the Great State of Zhao and caused great chaos there without any regard for your life… Suddenly, I was astounded by you.”
“That period where you weren’t around, I prayed for your safety every day and looked forward to your return everyday… As the days passed, my heart actually fell deep into this while you were gone…”
“When I heard that you were back after an arduous journey, my heart was filled with agitation and I immediately went to welcome you back. But at that time, there was a sudden emergency at the border… Later on, no matter what, I finally managed to see you, only to discover that this heavenly warrior who had risked life and death for the sake of Iron Cloud had fallen victim to aphrodisiacal poison…”
“Therefore, I was willing to sacrifice everything, including my chastity, to save you! Even if I would be seen as a shameless or loose woman after that, I still wished for you to live.”
“You had gone but you also left me a child. I was heartbroken but also overjoyed.”
When Tie Butian was saying all these, she was blushing and bashful and also a little downcast. However, her bright eyes kept their gaze on Chu Yang.
“Today, you’ve come back because you’ve become aware of what had happened back then. I can understand all of your emotions; you need not make any explanation!” Tie Butian said deeply, “Toward any of your words, actions and feelings, I can fully understand all of them! In fact, if I were to put them into words, I would be much more eloquent than you yourself.”
“I only have one question for you.” Tie Butian suddenly got to her feet. She looked at Chu Yang. “What kind of person do you think I, Tie Butian, am? What do you take me for?”
“I…” Minister Chu was dumbstruck.
“Do you think that you can do anything you want to me because I had neutralized your poison and offered my chastity to you?” Tie Butian’s face was red but her gaze was overbearing. “Do you think that you can do anything you want to me because I have given you a son? Do you think that you have a kind of right over me because you now know the whole truth?”
“May I ask, Minister Chu and the great Nine Tribulations Sword Master!” Tie Butian clutched the collar of her robes together and pressed toward him. “What do you take me, Tie Butian, for? Do you take me for a cheap woman whom you can vent your sexual urges on without any emotional attachment?”
“Do you know that even though I have given you my chastity and even though I have given you a child, my pride! My dignity! I haven’t lost any of it!”
Tie Butian’s eyes were bright and piercing. “Do you know? I am much more self-respecting and prideful than any other woman in the world!!!”
“What do you take me for? You ripped my clothes the moment you’re here and did all those things to me! Am I your mistress? Am I that kind of shameless woman who seduces men whom you think I am? Am I a prostitute? You know that I am fond of you, that I love you with all my heart and that I’ve given you my everything!”
“Is that why you think that you lowering your status to come back and look for me is showing me great kindness? That no matter what you do to me, I should gladly endure? And be grateful to you? And be thankful? Because you are finally willing to take me! Because you’re finally taking responsibility? Therefore, I should be shedding tears of gratitude? And should accept whatever you want to do to me?”
“No, no… I don’t! That’s not what I mean…” Perspiration formed on Chu Yang’s forehead. “This, listen to my explanation…”
“You didn’t?” Tie Butian watched him. “And yet that’s what you have done to me. Have you ever seen me in my female form? Have you ever seen what I really look like? Do you like me? Do you have any romantic feelings for me? No? Then why do you degrade me so?”
“I can give you everything because I love you. But when you do this to me, do you love me? You’ve never even seen what I really look like, what love is there to speak of? If you’ve never had any feelings for me, then I… being degraded by you like this, what difference is there between me and a prostitute?!”
