Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 94: Someone Jumps into the Lake First Thing in the Morning
Early in the morning, thick fog enveloped the area, bringing a slight chill as it swirled and twisted.
Five days had passed since the Jingxian Poetry Gathering, during which several other poetry gatherings had also taken place. The scholars preparing for the prefectural examination were all eager to perform well at these gatherings, hoping to make a modest name for themselves and add a little weight to their prospects in the examination.
Some had invited Zhu Ping’an to participate, whether sincerely or otherwise, but he declined them all. His attendance at the Jingxian Poetry Gathering had merely been a coincidence: his uncle and the others had dragged him along to meet friends, and he had only written poetry to get himself out of trouble.
At such an early hour, with the heavy fog on top of it, there were few pedestrians on the road, and the usually bustling Anqing Prefectural City was surprisingly quiet.
Zhu Ping’an, dressed in a blue cloth robe, carried a shoulder bag and held a black wooden board in his hand. He slowly emerged from the morning mist, cheerfully humming a strange tune.
“Cold, oh cold…
Hmm, it hurts, oh it hurts…
Hmm, ah hum…
Give me back what I took, and spit out what I ate…”
With no one around, Zhu Ping’an did not have to be too cautious. He happily hummed interesting tunes from the past, swaying and gesturing to warm his limbs against the chilly morning fog.
Ancient cities often had this advantage: they were built near mountains and rivers. Anqing Prefectural City in particular was rich in water, with numerous lakes and waterways. The inn where Zhu Ping’an was staying stood by the shore of Taihu Lake, and he did not have to walk far to reach the water. Tucking the black wooden board under his arm, he headed toward the large rock where he usually sat.
With unwavering perseverance, Zhu Ping’an’s skills in calligraphy had steadily improved.
He put down the wooden board, took out the brush his father had made from his bag, retrieved a bamboo tube, bent down to scoop water from the lake, and prepared to write.
Due to the thick fog, he hadn’t noticed earlier, but as he leaned down to scoop water, he nearly dropped the bamboo tube in fright.
Not far from the lake, a patch of dark water plants spread across the surface…
This immediately reminded Zhu Ping’an of a story he once heard: a boy went for a walk by the river with his girlfriend. Suddenly, his girlfriend fell into the water, and the boy jumped in to look for her. He couldn’t find her, and almost got tangled in the water plants himself; in the end, he left, heartbroken. Years later, he returned to the same spot and saw an old man fishing. When the boy noticed that the fish the old man caught had no water plants on them, he asked why. The old man replied, “This river has never had water plants.” Upon hearing this, the boy suddenly jumped into the water and committed suicide.
So, when Zhu Ping’an first saw the large clump of water plants spread out before him, he instinctively shivered, and the bamboo tube in his hand nearly fell into the water.
Taking a deep breath, he steadied his mind.
After all, stories are just stories; reality rarely follows the plot of a tale.
With his mind now steadied, Zhu Ping’an bent down again to scoop water, though his gaze involuntarily remained fixed on the black water plants.
In the next moment, his hand trembled again. Nearby the black water plants, he could vaguely see clothing. What’s going on? Is someone really jumping into the lake this early in the morning…
At this point, Zhu Ping’an forgot his fears. Life is at stake! He threw aside what he was holding, not caring whether his shoes or robe would get wet…
With a splash, a dog-paddling figure plunged into the water, making such a commotion that the previously calm lake surface began to churn.
He vowed never to act recklessly again. Now soaked, Zhu Ping’an exerted all his strength, choking on several mouthfuls of water along the way, almost giving up his life to the lake god. However, he managed to pull the owner of the black water plants to shore through sheer willpower.
Once on land, Zhu Ping’an didn’t take a moment to catch his breath. He turned the owner of the black water plants over, preparing to administer first aid.
He couldn’t see the person’s features in the water, but once flipped over, he realized the owner was a woman. She had fair skin, delicate features… a beauty indeed, and a rare one at that. Just judging by her looks, she appeared soft and fragile…
However, upon seeing her face, Zhu Ping’an’s expression turned complicated. Why was this demoness here? How could such a fierce woman possibly be trying to end her life in the lake? This was someone who could hit a tiny spider precisely with a throwing knife!
Despite the confusion, life takes precedence.
In an emergency, one had to adapt. People of the jianghu would surely understand. Thinking this, Zhu Ping’an began administering modern CPR.
He pressed on her chest lightly and rhythmically, but there was still no response. It looked as though he would have to perform mouth-to-mouth. This was becoming more and more like a scene from a novel: the male lead encounters a drowning woman by a lake, rescues her, gives her artificial respiration, and after a few breaths the female lead wakes, screams, slaps him, and curses him as a scoundrel. Yet after a series of twists and comic encounters, the two somehow fall for each other, and the story ends perfectly with a family of three watching the sunrise or sunset together.
Forget that! If, after he gave her mouth-to-mouth, this demoness did not stab him full of holes, that would already count as a good outcome.
Zhu Ping’an chuckled self-deprecatingly, preparing to lower his head to give this enchantress mouth-to-mouth. Life is at stake; there’s no room for hesitation.
However, reality is reality; it has nothing to do with stories.
Just as Zhu Ping’an lowered his head, ready to act, he saw the enchantress under him suddenly open her dark eyes.
Then Zhu Ping’an felt as if he had been struck in the stomach by a bull charging at a speed of 2,500 yards…
His entire body seemed to spring forward, arms and legs outstretched, as he splashed back into the water. In midair he involuntarily spat out a mouthful of water, but that was fine; falling into the lake made him swallow another three or five mouthfuls, more than making up for what he had just expelled. On the shore of Taihu Lake, the demoness stared with her dark eyes wide, her leg still raised from the kick…