The Protagonist is Always Intimidating Me - Chapter 5

As the first rays of sunlight pierced through the window, they fell directly on the face of the small beastman. The light was too glaring, causing him to slowly open his eyes.

“Strange, didn’t I sleep on the floor last night?”

Bai Meng was puzzled as he sat up in bed, still trying to figure it out as he made his way downstairs.

On the first floor, the bodies from the previous night had been thoroughly cleaned up, leaving only Mo Hankui calmly sipping tea. Next to him was a handsome man standing respectfully beside him.

Upon hearing footsteps, Mo Hankui didn’t bother turning around. It was the man standing next to him who noticed first, placing a plate of buns in front of Bai Meng, only for him to refuse.

“I want fried dough sticks!”

Bai Meng, completely unbothered, shot a disdainful glance at the attendant beside Mo Hankui—a look that carried the arrogance of the main wife eyeing a mistress.

Attendant: “……”

“Then don’t eat.” Mo Hankui put down his teacup and called to the waiter at the door, “Take this away. He’s not hungry.”

“QAQ!!!” Bai Meng looked at him with an expression of pure accusation: “You’re abusing me! And favoring the mistress!”

“……”

Mo Hankui’s expression didn’t change, but the man who had just been labeled as the mistress began sweating nervously. In a gentle and scholarly tone, he introduced himself: “I’m Mo Jiuge, the captain of Xingge Hall’s guard.”

Mo Jiuge?

Bai Meng’s gaze became serious. In the book, if Mo Hankui was the character Bai Meng pitied the most, then Mo Jiuge was the one he felt the most regret for.

As the captain of the guard, Mo Jiuge was not only highly skilled but also known for his intelligence and gentle temperament. However, because he served Mo Hankui, the mysterious organization saw him as a threat to their plans and eventually eliminated him. Such a brilliant man, only to meet a tragic end—left dead in the wilderness.

“Hello,” Bai Meng said sincerely. “I’m Mo Hankui’s official partner. Please take care of me.”

Mo Hankui: “……”

Mo Jiuge: “……” What? Did master finally change his type after being devoted to one person for so long?

“No,” facing Mo Jiuge’s shock, Mo Hankui stood up, as if resisting some urge to contradict Bai Meng, and started walking upstairs. Pausing on the stairs, he looked back, “Not the official partner.”

“Just a male concubine.”

Bai Meng: “……”

You’ve changed. I can’t believe you turned out to be this kind of person. I really misjudged you, Lord Hankui.

That night.

“I don’t care! I want fried dough sticks tomorrow!”

“No.”

“Uwaaah! I want fried dough sticks!”

“No!”

“I want long ones!”

“No.”

“I don’t want short ones! You promised to satisfy me!”

Mo Jiuge, listening from the room next door: “……” What an awful conversation.

………………………………

Mo Jiuge ended up staying at the inn to protect Mo Hankui and Bai Meng. They had been there for nine days, during which five assassination attempts had occurred. During the last attempt, a demon had even joined the fray.

“What the hell…”

Bai Meng watched in disbelief at the dark-skinned, winged, and pretentious humanoid creature flying around. Seeing how small Bai Meng was, and probably thinking he’d be easy to pick off, the creature lunged at him with its claws extended.

—Only to be impaled by both Mo Hankui and Mo Jiuge’s swords.

Bai Meng, unfazed, walked over to the corpse and lifted the black cloth covering its face. He let out a shocked “Whoa!” before falling silent.

“…What’s wrong?” Mo Jiuge asked, wiping the blood from his sword as he approached.

“This guy is way too dark! He’s like the black-skinned version of Ximen Qing¹!”

Mo Hankui: “……”

“You’re one to talk,” Mo Jiuge chuckled, looking at the pale-skinned Bai Meng. “Does that make you Wu Dalang²?”

Bai Meng: “……”

…Why does this feel like the beginning of something inappropriate?!

………………………………

On the tenth day, Mo Hankui received a confidential letter. After reading it, Mo Jiuge nodded to his hall master, and they decided it was time to leave.

Bai Meng, carrying nothing, followed behind them, looking around curiously as if searching for something.

Mo Jiuge noticed and asked with a smile, “What are you looking for?”

Bai Meng asked, “Where’s our carriage? Our sedan chair?”

“…There isn’t one.”

“Huh?” Bai Meng suddenly stopped in his tracks, staring at the two men ahead of him.

“…Ahem.” Mo Jiuge stepped forward, wearing a rare look of seriousness. “These are dangerous times. The organization attacking us is unknown, and there have been several demon attacks. Every hall master is on high alert. In such times, traveling discreetly is essential. We can’t risk exposing our movements for the sake of comfort—”

“But…”

Bai Meng interrupted him, pointing to a nearby road where a commotion had just broken out. Two teams of guards clad in black armor were escorting a luxurious carriage, bells jingling as it moved.

Mo Jiuge: “……”

Mo Hankui: “……”

“That’s probably just some wealthy family passing by…” Mo Jiuge’s smile was beginning to crack when one of the guards shouted:

“The Hall Master is making his way through! Clear the road!”

“……”

Mo Jiuge’s face froze, his expression unreadable.

Just then, the street grew louder, and Mo Hankui and Mo Jiuge both turned, their expressions shifting. A familiar voice caught their attention, and they looked toward the street.

There, a long-haired man with delicate features had collapsed in the middle of the road, blocking the carriage. His face was pale, and his clothes were smeared with dirt.

That was Feng Qingxuan’s first love, Feng Suiling.

Everything unfolded so naturally. Mo Hankui could only watch as Feng Qingxuan, filled with emotion, rushed forward and embraced Feng Suiling tightly, the scene full of heartfelt intensity.

Suddenly, Feng Suiling glanced toward the three of them, his eyes filled with fear and sorrow. Feng Qingxuan followed his gaze, his expression turning murderous.

The entanglements between these people were well known to everyone in Yinchen Hall, and now the crowd began whispering, pointing fingers.

Mo Hankui stood there, stiff and unmoving, while Mo Jiuge remained silent at his side, unsure how to intervene. As the tension thickened and the scene descended into an eerie silence, a sudden, out-of-place wail broke through.

“What should I do…?”

Bai Meng’s face was filled with anxiety, and tears had started to well up in his eyes.

During the past ten days, no matter how dangerous things got, Bai Meng had never shown fear. But now, he was crying… Mo Jiuge hurried over to wipe away his tears. “Don’t cry, don’t cry. What’s wrong?”

“…Now I’m not even the most feminine-looking one!” Bai Meng sobbed. “I know it! You all prefer his type! But I’m even less feminine than him… Does that mean Lord Hankui is going to abandon me soon…?”

The crowd: “……”

Feng Suiling, ‘the most feminine’: “……”

The hall master, suddenly overshadowed by a former lover: “……”

Mo Hankui & Mo Jiuge: “……”

Why! Your drama came so unexpectedly!

TL Notes:

1. Ximen Qing is a fictional Chinese Song dynasty merchant, womanizer, and murderer in Yanggu County, Shandong. He is the male protagonist in the novel Jin Ping Mei and a minor character in the novel Water Margin. In both novels, he is portrayed as a lascivious and immoral man who starts a secret affair with Pan Jinlian and helps her poison her husband Wu Dalang to death.

2. Wu Dalang is a major character in the classic Chinese novel The Plum in the Golden Vase, and a minor character in the Water Margin, another classic. In both novels, he is murdered by his adulterous wife Pan Jinlian. A well-known figure in Chinese culture, he represents the quintessential cuckold.