Chapter 41
At the docks, Li Xinjun supervised as the servants loaded their belongings onto the ship. She saw Brother Wu and Ah Qi waiting for her on the gangplank, each carrying a package.
“What are you doing? You’re not planning to come with me, are you?”
“Little Jun, we’re comrades, brothers in arms! We’ve been through thick and thin together! We can’t let you go to Britain alone, especially since you can’t ever come back. Of course we’re coming with you.”
“Brother Wu, are you crazy? I’m not going there for a holiday! And I can never return! What would you do there?”
“That’s precisely why we’re coming with you! We can’t let you face danger alone! Ah Qi and I have discussed it. We have no family or ties here. We have nothing to lose.”
“You’re both insane! You just got promoted and received a raise! You have a bright future here! If you come with me, you’ll have nothing! And you know how skilled I am! I don’t need your protection!”
“Little Jun, stop arguing. We’ve made up our minds. We don’t care about our positions. It’s more exciting to wander the world with you! Enough talk! Mark has been waiting on the ship for ages. Let’s go!”
Li Xinjun, unable to dissuade them, pretended to agree. Once everything was loaded onto the ship, she suddenly turned and struck Brother Wu on the back of his neck, rendering him unconscious. She then handed him to Ah Qi.
“Ah Qi, listen to me. Brother Wu is impulsive and reckless. I couldn’t convince him otherwise. You’re different. You understand my intentions. And you know that Brother Wu has finally met a good woman. She likes him too. He can’t just throw that away for me. Do me a favor. Take him back to the Grand General’s Mansion. Stay with Grandfather. He’ll take care of you both. And you can keep an eye on him for me, okay?”
“But Miss Xinjun, Brother Wu will be devastated when he wakes up! And I’m worried about you going alone!”
“Don’t worry, I’m not alone. Doctor Song is with me. You know how strong we are. We’ll be fine. By the time Brother Wu wakes up, I’ll be gone. He’ll have no choice but to stay, right? You don’t want him to end up a lonely bachelor, do you?”
“I…”
“No more buts! Please, do this for me. Take care.”
“You too, Miss Xinjun.”
“I will. I have to go. The ship is about to leave.”
Li Xinjun left the unconscious Brother Wu in Ah Qi’s care and boarded the ship, her gaze fixed on the receding shoreline. This was the land where she had grown up, a place filled with memories of her family, her friends, and her time with Song Ling.
She waved to Ah Qi until he was out of sight and then lowered her hand, her heart heavy. Mark emerged from the ship’s cabin and, seeing her sadness, approached her.
“Regretting your decision already? Do you want me to turn the ship around and take you back?”
“No! I’m just a little sad. I don’t regret this. I know what I want.”
“That’s good to hear. I’m curious. You’re willing to give up everything for a woman, someone you can’t even be with openly. Your love for her must be strong.”
“How do you know my beloved is a woman?”
“Oh, I apologize. Henry and I witnessed your argument with the Emperor the other night. We just didn’t intervene. Do you mind people knowing about your love for a woman?”
“Why should I? If I’ve chosen to love her, why should I be afraid of what others think?”
“You’re brave. I admire that.”
“Thank you. I’m Li Xinjun. And you are?”
“My name is Mark. *Nice to meet you*.”
“What’s ‘nice to mee you’?”
“Hahaha, it’s English. It means ‘pleased to make your acquaintance.’ You’re going to Britain, where they don’t speak Chinese. You should learn some English during this voyage.”
“Oh, I see. Nice to mee you, Mark.”
“Hahaha! It’s ‘nice to meet you,’ not ‘nice to mee you.’ You’re hilarious!”
“I listened carefully! That’s exactly what you said! ‘Nice to mee you!’”
“Your pronunciation is wrong. Repeat after me. ‘Nice.’”
“Nice.”
“To.”
“To.”
“Meet.”
“Meet.”
“You.”
“You.”
“Yes, that’s better. Now say the whole phrase.”
“Isn’t it just missing a ‘t’? Nice to meet you! Right?”
“Hahaha, it seems you need more practice.”
“But I added the ‘t’! Why is it still wrong? English is so difficult! It’s frustrating! Are you even teaching me properly?”
Mark immediately regretted his offer to teach Li Xinjun English. For the next three months, during their voyage to Britain, Li Xinjun relentlessly pestered him, demanding English lessons day and night, leaving him no time to rest or even sneak away to feed on his chicken blood. She would scour the entire ship, shouting his name, determined to find him and force him to teach her.
He, the mighty jiangshi king, was driven to the brink of madness by this relentless girl. He felt like he had shot himself in the foot, but there was no escaping now. They were trapped on a ship together.
“Mark! Mark! Wher ar yu? I nee to lean Engich fro you!”(Mark, Mark, Where Are You, I Need To Learn English From You)
Mark, his head throbbing from Li Xinjun’s butchered pronunciation, emerged from his hiding place. She sought him out three times a day, never giving him a moment’s peace. Li Xinjun, seeing him appear, was delighted.
“I’ve fund yu!”
“Your English is still terrible after all this time!”
“Is it? I think I’ve improved a lot! Look, I can even speak to you in full sentences now!”
“That’s not English! I have no idea what you’re saying!”
“I said, ‘I’ve found you!’ Don’t you understand? Your English is so bad! Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
“My English is bad?! You’re unbelievable! And what you were trying to say is ‘THERE YOU ARE, I’ve found you!’ Not ‘I’ve fund yu!’”
“That’s what I said! Listen again. There you are! I’ve found you!”
“It’s ‘I’ve found you,’ not ‘I’ve fund yu!’”
“I’ve fund you?”
“Watch my mouth. It’s ‘found,’ ‘found,’ not ‘fund.’”
“Fuond, fuond.”
For the first time in centuries, Mark contemplated suicide. The only other time he had considered ending his life was after his wife’s death, when he had wanted to join her in the afterlife. Now, he was driven to such thoughts by Li Xinjun’s relentless English lessons. One could only imagine the extent of her persistence.
Li Xinjun, determined to be able to communicate with Song Ling and explore Britain upon their arrival, was unwavering in her pursuit of English fluency. Mark admired her determination, but the process was excruciating. He, the mighty jiangshi king, barely had time to feed and replenish his energy. He often had to sneak away to the latrine to drink his chicken blood.
However, Li Xinjun was relentless, even waiting outside the latrine for him. Sometimes, he was forced to swallow a whole live chicken to avoid her pestering, which gave him diarrhea for days. Fortunately, he was an immortal jiangshi. Otherwise, Li Xinjun would have driven him to an early grave.
And because he was an immortal jiangshi king, poor Mark endured three and a half months of Li Xinjun’s relentless torture before finally finding relief. They had arrived in Britain.
Mark breathed a sigh of relief, believing he was finally free from her clutches. However, he had forgotten that Li Xinjun had come to Britain to find Song Ling, who had sailed there with General Henry. She wouldn’t leave his side until he took her to General Henry’s residence.
Mark was devastated. He told himself that he just had to endure one more month, just one more month, and then he could deliver this troublesome girl to General Henry and never see her again.
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