The Treasure Scroll, Chapter One: The Robe (Part 1)
Updated: 2008-10-04 15:09:03 Word Count: 3560
This is the first of two consecutive updates today.
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Karakorum has always been a melting pot of diverse peoples, including Liao, Song, Uyghur, Western Xia, and even Mongols and Jurchens. Political issues between nations are extremely complex, but when they involve the working class, the problems suddenly become simpler: generally speaking, it's a matter of mutual dislike or annoyance, and eventually, under the banner of righteousness, arguments and fights become commonplace.
It is said that solo travelers and merchants passing through this area must hire a skilled bodyguard, otherwise, trouble is easily brewing. Of course, this does not mean that large groups of merchants are safe. There are countless bandits who kill and rob. When they are in a good mood, you can barely save your life by offering a bribe. But if they are in a bad mood, sorry, they will take your life and your money.
In another sense, Heji Inn was a large venue for selecting and trading guards. There was a huge hall downstairs that was bustling with people from dawn onwards. The two parties would select each other, negotiate, pay, and leave. The guards often joked that they were in the sex trade; people paid, and they gave, more enthusiastic and thorough than prostitutes.
Now, Tianquan is sitting in the corner drinking tea, using a white porcelain teacup that he brought with him.
As mentioned earlier, he is a young nobleman, and a very noble one at that, so it's normal for him to be a germaphobe. But it's abnormal for him to be so obsessed with cleanliness that he has to bring his own cushions, blankets, pillows, chopsticks, and utensils when he goes out, and if he forgets to bring them, he would rather not eat or sleep outside.
At this moment, he was in a secluded corner, holding his usual white porcelain teacup, filled with spring water from Tianshan that he had brought with him, and steeping his own top-grade Guzhu Zisun tea in the water. The table was covered with the brocade cloth he had brought with him, and the chair was cushioned with the old, embroidered blue satin cushion he had brought with him. The waiters walked around and looked at him, but none of them dared to go over and offer him something to eat.
The hall was bustling with noise. Some people were drinking and eating, some were talking loudly, and most of the people were selecting the guards of the merchant travelers who were waiting to be chosen.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted in front of the inn, then fell silent again. Tianquan glanced up casually and saw a group of Khitans wearing fox fur hats rushing in. They were all incredibly fierce, pushing and shoving, and quickly took over a large area. This was Liao territory after all, and their arrogance left others angry but unable to speak out, only able to curse them silently: "Khitan dogs!"
A moment later, the crisp sound of horses' hooves rang out, and in the blink of an eye, a young gentleman dressed in light hunting attire, long boots, and a light fur coat entered. He must have been riding for a long time, for there was a fine sheen of sweat on his forehead, and he looked travel-worn. Yet everyone's eyes lit up, and they couldn't help but exclaim in their hearts: What a fine young master!
As soon as he entered, he took off his fur coat and hat, revealing a dark blue long gown with colorful butterflies embroidered on the lapel, which accentuated his bright eyes and sword-like eyebrows, making him extremely handsome. There was also a bandit-like air and a kind of demonic aura between his brows, making him extremely dazzling.
"Bring tea," he casually ordered in Khitan.
The Khitan guards pushed through the crowded hall to make way for him. One of them saw that the corner where Tianquan was sitting was the quietest and cleanest, and immediately stepped forward and slammed his hand on the table: "Make way!"
Tianquan lowered his head to blow on the steam rising from the tea, seemingly oblivious to the sound. His long eyelashes drooped slightly, obscuring his expression.
The guard slashed out with his knife and brought it down on the man's head, but the knife stuck about a foot away from his head and wouldn't go any further. Upon closer inspection, the man was seen gently holding the knife between his two long, slender fingers, as if it were done effortlessly.
The man was somewhat stunned. He tried to pull the knife back, but couldn't. He used too much force, and Tianquan's wrist twisted slightly. Something was hidden in his palm. With a flash of light, the knife snapped in two with a "crack".
Tianquan, clutching the broken blade, glanced lightly at the young nobleman's face. The nobleman, seeing Tianquan's icy, snow-like features, couldn't help but gasp. Unexpectedly, Tianquan suddenly threw the broken blade at him, coldly saying, "Get lost." A flash of cold light, but the nobleman remained calm, not moving an inch. Amidst the shouts of the Khitan guards, the broken blade narrowly missed his left cheek, embedding itself deeply into a wooden pillar, still trembling slightly.
The way everyone looked at Tianquan now wasn't just curiosity; it was pure worship. To show such disrespect to the Khitans in their own territory was something only heroes in storytelling tales would do! This man was definitely a hero!
However, they were now more curious about how the Khitan prince would react, and in an instant, all eyes were on him.
The Khitan prince stared at Tianquan for a while, his eyes slowly narrowing, a slight blush appearing on his face. He walked over with his hands behind his back, and the guards hurriedly pulled out the chair opposite Tianquan and laid out a clean fur on it. He sat down and immediately asked, "What's your name?"
Tianquan remained oblivious, not even raising an eyebrow. The Khitan prince pulled out a flowered handkerchief, wiped his mouth, and his narrow eyes darted around Tianquan's face, a look that sent chills down one's spine.
The guards presented fine wine and lamb, cut into small pieces with a golden knife, placed on a plate, and put it on the table. The Khitan prince pushed it in front of Tianquan and personally poured a cup of wine for him, saying, "This is on you."
His southern dialect wasn't very pleasant to hear, but he spoke extremely fast and fluently. Tianquan kept his head down, drinking his tea, and didn't even glance at the fine wine and mutton that had been offered. The Khitan prince used his golden knife to stab a piece of mutton and said softly, "I've heard that there are also generous and heroic men among the southerners, drinking wine and eating meat in large gulps, just like us Khitans. Your skills are so exquisite; I thought you were a true hero. I offer you my toast, but you dare not accept it, which is rather disappointing."
Tianquan coldly replied, "Dirty."
The Khitan prince was not angry but delighted, itching to touch his handsome face, but he hesitated. He smiled and said with narrowed eyes, "How will you know if I'm dirty or not if you don't try?"
The crowd erupted in a buzz.
What the hell! So she's just playing around with men! How boring, utterly boring.
Tianquan suddenly looked up, staring intently at him. The Khitan prince, chin in hand, poked at the soft mutton with his knife, a provocative glint in his eyes, and whispered, "My name is Shulu. And yours?"
The mutton made a slurping sound as it was poked. A cold glint suddenly appeared in Tianquan's eyes. He could hear the man's seductive voice saying something reckless: "If you don't speak, I'll kill all the Southerners in this inn. If you say one word, I'll let one person go."
Seeing him lose his composure, the guard beside him could only whisper a reminder: "Your Majesty, this is not the capital."
Shulu smiled as he stared at Tianquan, but with a swift movement of his right hand, the golden knife silently plunged towards the man's head. Fortunately, the guard dodged quickly, or he would have died instantly. Even so, a piece of his ear was cut open, and blood gushed out. The guards knew that this man was capricious, extremely volatile, and ruthless, treating human life as worthless. Killing someone on a whim was easier than eating a bean. They served him with trepidation, and immediately knelt down in unison, none daring to utter a sound.
With a gentle and affectionate smile, Shulu continued to plunge the blood-stained golden knife into the mutton, picked up a piece and put it in her mouth, her eyes fixed on Tianquan's face, refusing to look away.
Seeing that the situation had reached a stalemate, a clear, tinkling sound of silver bells suddenly rang out from outside the door. Everyone involuntarily looked towards the doorway and saw a girl dressed in coarse cloth slowly walking in. A small silver bell hung from her waist, tied with a red string, so it jingled as she walked.
The once bustling inn suddenly fell silent, and everyone stared at her.
Such a beauty exists in the world! Everyone thought the same thing at that moment. They were afraid that if all the girls with even a little bit of beauty were combined, they wouldn't be as alluring as a single finger of hers.
The girl, oblivious to the commotion in the hall, jingled and tinkled as she walked over. She wiped her clothes with her delicate white hands, swallowed hard, and cautiously held up a finger to the waiter, saying, "I want... a bowl of plain noodles, with a braised egg." Turning back to check her purse, she emptied it and found only two copper coins. Her face fell, and she said, "Just the plain noodles, no braised egg."
Her voice was sweet and delicate, like a little nightingale's. Her willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed slightly, making her utterly charming and endearing. Everyone was captivated, unable to look away. The waiter, completely mesmerized, brought over noodles, added three braised eggs, and, without even taking payment, shoved them into her hand.
The girl turned around with her bowl to find a seat, and everyone automatically made way for her. Her fingers were in the soup, and she frowned from the heat. When she looked up and saw that Tianquan's seat was empty, she quickly walked over and slammed the bowl down on it with a bang, jumping up and down from the heat.
A Khitan guard came up to chase her away, but Shulu glared at him, and the man was so frightened that he continued to lower his head and pretend to be mute.
The girl smiled apologetically at the two of them: "Sorry, there are too many people. Let me squeeze in for a bit."
After saying that, he sat down, picked up the salt shaker, and poured out half of it.
As if sensing someone watching her, she smiled sheepishly and said, "People from Sichuan like spicy flavors."
Tianquan looked at the seasoning jars on the table. Next to the salt jar was a small ceramic bowl with a red Xuan paper label on it: Sichuan pepper powder.
The girl stirred the noodle soup, lowered her head and ate a large mouthful, then her expression suddenly changed. She spat it out, looking extremely puzzled. She picked up the salt shaker, held it in front of her, squinted at it for a long time, and finally saw that it said "salt".
Her delicate and pretty face fell again, and Shulu couldn't help but chuckle, whispering, "Is the young lady's eye not working well?"
Her face flushed, like a blush rising from the finest jade, and Shulu's eyes widened again.
"It's always been like this, I have to get really close to see clearly, and it's gotten worse lately... It's very difficult to see things..." She seemed ashamed of herself for making such a fool of herself.
She had spent her last two copper coins and was penniless; she was sure she would go hungry. Shulu was staring at her beautiful face with great interest when she suddenly saw her stand up, as if she had made up her mind. She wiped her hands on her clothes and strode confidently toward the wooden pillar in the hall, asking the pillar, "Excuse me, sir, do you need any guards?"
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Note: Chili peppers were introduced to China in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Previously, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and other spices were commonly used. While the novel is meant to be entertaining and these details might not be important, I later realized it's best to avoid such errors, as they are common knowledge. Therefore, I substituted Sichuan peppercorn powder for chili powder. Hehe.
Treasure Scroll, Chapter Two: The Robe (Part Two)
Updated: 2008-10-04 15:09:04 Word Count: 3604
Second update~ Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. I wish everyone a happy reunion and harmony.
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Shulu could no longer hold back and burst into laughter. The girl was puzzled by his laughter and suddenly became suspicious. She reached out and touched it, only to find that it was a pillar. Her face turned even redder. She ran back in small steps and asked a kneeling guard, "Sir... do you need protection?"
The guard's eyes widened instantly, like copper bells.
Unable to get an answer, she could only squint and ask Tianquan, "Do you need guards, sir?"
Tianquan slowly shook his head, his tone gentle: "Miss, why don't you turn left? There are more merchants and travelers there."
She nodded obediently and asked to her left, "Do you need a guard, sir?"
To her left was Shulu, who laughed and said, "Yes, I like beautiful bodyguards like you the most."
The girl was overjoyed and said eagerly, "Great, great! Sir, I'm very capable! I can do everything: scout, guard, watchman, sentry... I'm not picky about food or lodging. As long as you give me this job, I'll make sure you're satisfied."
Shulu covered her mouth with a flowered handkerchief and chuckled softly, "Just like a dog."
The girl, completely oblivious to the sarcasm, continued nodding: "I'm very capable! Much more capable than a dog!"
The others couldn't help but laugh. Shulu narrowed his eyes, like a mischievous cat, and said softly, "Oh? Then I'll see how 'capable' you really are."
He took out a delicate pearl flower from his pocket, adorned with three or four thumb-sized pearls, gently grasped her wrist, opened her snow-white hand, placed it on his hand, and said, "Use this as a deposit. Come with me, and you'll have plenty of money later."
She hesitated for a moment, then gently stroked the pearl flower with her fingers. Suddenly, she smiled at Shulu, put the pearl flower in her mouth, and took a bite. With a "crunch," the precious pearls were crushed in one bite.
Shulu's expression changed. The girl, her face contorted with grief, said, "Sir, this thing... is fake."
That's so unfair! They actually used fake stuff to cheat people. Everyone looked at Shulu with contempt.
His expression changed several times, but finally returned to normal, and he smiled slightly: "The item is real, but... no one would bite Dongzhu with their teeth."
The girl looked guilty, nervously clutching the shards of the pearl, and whispered, "I... my eyesight isn't good, so..."
Shulu laughed and said, "What should I do? I didn't bring any silver with me when I went out. Besides this pearl flower, I also have a jade pendant, which is a token. I can't give it to you as a deposit."
She nodded regretfully, placed the broken beaded flower on the table, and turned to look for the others. Shulu said, "You chewed up my beaded flower, and you're just going to clap your hands and leave?"
She was taken aback. He continued, "A single pearl is worth a hundred taels of silver. There are three pearls on the pearl flower. Your cherry-like mouth swallowed three hundred taels of silver in one gulp."
She was so frightened her face turned green, and she couldn't utter a single word. Three hundred taels! Even if you sold her and chopped her into pieces, you wouldn't get that much money!
Shulu tapped his slender fingers lightly on the table, watching her face with amusement, momentarily forgetting about Tianquan. He laughed and said, "But don't worry, we Khitans are always generous. Three hundred taels of silver is nothing. You come back with me now and work for me for three years. Those three hundred taels will be your wages for those three years. If you serve me well, I'll give you a reward when you leave."
This is what they call Sima Zhao's intentions being obvious to everyone; everyone can see what he's thinking. Tianquan frowned slightly.
The girl hesitated, "Three years...that's too long." She finally realized something was off about the person in front of her and instinctively didn't want to agree.
Shulu laughed even more heartily: "It won't be long. Even thirty years isn't long to be with a beauty like you." Seeing that the little beauty was hesitant, as if she felt deceived, he said again: "How about this, I'll be kind. There are so many people here, some Uyghurs, some Western Xia, and some of you Song people. If anyone is willing to hire you for three hundred taels of silver, I will let you go."
The girl turned around and looked back. Although everyone knew she had poor eyesight and couldn't see clearly, the moment their eyes met, they all lowered their heads in shame. In a place like this, hiring a top-notch guard would only cost five taels of silver. Three hundred taels of silver—what a price! You couldn't even buy a servant for that much.
Suddenly, someone outside the door laughed and said, "Three hundred taels of silver to hire guards? This is the first time I've ever heard of such a thing."
As they spoke, three people entered—two women and one man—all dressed in expensive fox fur coats, with beautiful faces and outstanding demeanor. The crowd erupted in another uproar. What was going on today? One of the guests was so good-looking; they had never seen such a person before.
The speaker was the young man, dressed in a black cloak and wearing a black hat. He was extremely handsome. His eyes swept across the hall and immediately spotted Tianquan sitting in the corner. His eyes lit up and he exclaimed, "Tianquan! I've finally found you!"
It turned out to be Xiaoman and her two companions, three directionally challenged individuals who had searched the streets for ages before finally finding the Heji Inn. Tianji and Yaoguang ran over excitedly, while Xiaoman followed behind expressionlessly. Upon seeing Tianquan's icy face, she felt a surge of resentment and reluctantly approached, only to discover that the inn was already full.
Only one unfamiliar face sat at the table; it was Shulu. Around him knelt a circle of Khitan guards, none daring to raise their heads. She paused slightly, glancing around. Although there were many people in the hall, they were all huddled in the southwest corner, far from the table, as if afraid to approach. Beside the guards stood only a girl in coarse cloth, about sixteen or seventeen years old, breathtakingly beautiful, like a Guanyin statue brought to life.
Huh? What's going on here? Are the Khitans trying to abduct women?