She quickly waved her hand: "How could that be! I have parents! Besides, there are many people in the world who look alike. You're making a far-fetched connection. Do you think everyone is related?"
Li Shisan sighed, “Little Man is right. Among millions of people in the world, there are bound to be those who look alike. I’m just overthinking things. Well, let’s not dwell on these old, sad stories. It’s getting late, so please have dinner here. I’ll cook a few dishes as a small token of my appreciation, so please don’t refuse.”
After saying this, he indeed went downstairs, and soon brought out several exquisite dishes, such as eel stew with cherry sauce and meat. He then came back upstairs and earnestly urged everyone to drink, never mentioning the previous incident, but only talking about local customs and traditions. Everyone got very drunk, and even Lian Yi returned to normal. After drinking a few more cups, her face was rosy and delicate, like peach blossoms in March.
As closing time approached, Li Shisan reluctantly saw everyone off downstairs. Looking at Lianyi and then at Xiaoman, he said softly, "I feel quite at ease with the two ladies, so I have a favor to ask. I wonder if you two will mind my abruptness."
Xiao Man could vaguely guess what he was going to do just by looking at his expression. This man was rich, had a good temper, was good-looking, and was a first-class cook. As for his background... it was a bit strange. Maybe he really had some connection with her and Lian Yi. That was probably why he made this request.
She smiled and said, "I also have a request. I felt an instant connection with Brother Carp. How about the three of us become sworn siblings?"
Li Shisan was both surprised and delighted. "That's exactly what I was thinking!"
Lianyi, having had too much to drink, offered no objections; she always listened to Xiaoman. So the three of them ranked themselves by age, with Li Shisan being the oldest, Lianyi the second oldest, and Xiaoman the youngest. They immediately gathered soil as incense, knelt down, and bowed to the heavens and earth, swearing a sworn brotherhood.
After becoming sworn brothers, Li Shisan's attitude became even closer. He patted Xiaoman's shoulder and said softly, "I am burdened by family business and cannot travel the world with my second and third sisters, which is a great pity. Fortunately, my third sister is young but clever and quick-witted, so she should not suffer. I will wait for you here. If you two sisters have time, please do not forget to come and visit me."
Seeing his kindness and gentleness, Xiaoman felt as if she had gained an older brother, and her heart was touched. She pulled him to a secluded spot and whispered, "Brother, to be honest, I have no choice but to wander the world. I have been looking for a proper place to settle down, but I am penniless and unable to afford a house..."
Before he could finish speaking, Li Shisan said, "Third sister, why are you so troubled? Although I dare not claim to be extremely wealthy, I do have enough money to acquire land."
Xiao Man shook her head and said, "I'm not asking my brother for money. Besides, even if we have the money to buy property, we can't just sit around and do nothing. I have a plan, but I'm afraid my brother won't agree, so I don't dare to say it..."
Li Shisan laughed and said, "Third Sister, you're being too formal and polite. Since we're already siblings, what can't we say? Just say it, and I'll do my best to help."
Xiao Man smiled and said, "Then I won't stand on ceremony. I see that your restaurant here is doing very well, and I'd really like to invest and do business with you. But I'm short on cash right now. Could you give me a share first? I'll make it up to you when I'm not short on cash."
Li Shisan was overjoyed: "What's the big deal? I'd love for that! If you're interested in starting a restaurant business together, that would be wonderful."
Xiao Man said, "Alright, I don't have any money to give you right now, so there's no need for a written agreement or anything. Brother, I'll pay you 1,000 taels first. If I come back alive, I will definitely repay you 1,000 taels. If I unfortunately don't make it back alive, you won't suffer any loss."
Li Shisan frowned and sighed, "I wonder what happened to Third Sister. How could she say such ominous things at such a young age?"
Xiao Man just smiled and said softly, "I will repay your kindness in the future. It's getting late, so I won't bother you any longer. I'll come to see you again another day. Farewell."
She smiled and walked with Lianyi to the intersection. When she turned around, she saw him still standing at the door, looking at them with reluctance. She felt a little emotional and said softly, "If I really had an older brother who was half as good as him, I wouldn't have ended up like this..." She stopped there and didn't continue.
Lianyi was preoccupied and didn't utter a single word until they returned to the inn. After a quick wash, she went to bed and fell asleep. Xiaoman went over to cover her with the blanket and noticed that her face was flushed and she smelled strongly of alcohol. Knowing she had drunk too much, Xiaoman couldn't help but pinch her cheek. Lianyi hummed in response and hugged Xiaoman's arm like a puppy, nuzzling against her.
Xiao Man couldn't resist playing a prank and reached out to pinch her nose. Just as she pinched it, she heard the window creak open as the wind blew it open, and a cool breeze rushed in. Her body, which was flushed from drinking, immediately broke out in goosebumps.
She hurriedly turned to close the window, only to find a person sitting on the windowsill. Dressed in white, with silky black hair, a sparkling earring, and deep, unfathomable eyes, the person was silently watching her. She was utterly shocked and nearly screamed. In that instant, her reaction shifted from shock to horror to panic, and finally, she managed to force a laugh, whispering, "You...it's you. You've already found your way here."
The man was none other than Tianquan, whom she hadn't seen for some time. Seeing him again stirred up all her old and new grudges. She had been chatting and laughing with Lianyi and the others, almost forgetting all these things. Almost instinctively, she braced herself, her whole body stiffening as she stared at him intently.
Tianquan said in a low voice, "It's good to follow Zexiu; at least he can protect you properly."
Xiao Man didn't say anything.
Tianquan said gently, "I was in such a hurry the other day that I didn't have time to take a look at the injury on your wrist. How is it healing now? Let me see."
Xiao Man hurriedly took a step back, tightly tucking her hands behind her back. Her face was pale, and it seemed that only her dark eyes remained on her face, making her look like a frightened little animal.
Treasure Scroll, Chapter Twenty: The Round Fan (Part Two)
Updated: 2008-10-04 15:09:20 Word Count: 5433
"My lord."
His voice was as soft as a gentle breeze, as tender as a newly blossoming flower.
"Let me see your hands."
Xiao Man felt a chill run down her spine for no reason. She slowly retreated to the bedside, raised her hand and pushed Lian Yi hard, saying urgently, "Lian Yi! Wake up!"
Before she could finish speaking, Lianyi had just hummed in response when a gust of wind suddenly blew behind her head. A slender finger pressed on her pressure point, and Lianyi's head tilted to the side, continuing to snore. Now, thunder, lightning, murder, and arson could no longer frighten her.
Xiao Man's hair stood on end, her whole body stiffened, and she opened her mouth to shout, but then she remembered that Ze Xiu wasn't there, Yelü Jing was just a pretty face, and Gen Gu was still just a child, so they couldn't help her at all.
Well, in the end, she still has to rely on herself.
She slowly turned around and stared at Tianquan. He was already standing in front of her, seemingly without any malice, but also without any goodwill. Her mind was a mess, and she could only say, "You...you're the one who said it was good to follow Zexiu, so now...what are you going to do now?"
Tianquan said calmly, "I'm here to check on your wound. Give me your hand."
Xiao Man hid her hands behind her back and said in a trembling voice, "The wound... is fine! You don't need to look at it, everything is fine, there's nothing wrong with it."
Tianquan sighed softly, "It seems you already know."
"I...I don't know anything. Know what?" she feigned ignorance.
Tianquan was too lazy to argue with her and said in a low voice, "Although the Azure Dragon Gu is powerful, as long as you use a catalyst in the early stages of infection, you can still delay the onset of the disease. This time, due to the unexpected rebellion in the capital, I didn't have time to give you a catalyst, so you must have already experienced the onset of the disease on the way. If you don't use a catalyst, it will flare up again in two days, and it will be several times more severe than the last time."
Xiao Man remained silent for a long while, then suddenly said coldly, "What is this, some kind of high-and-mighty benevolence? Should I kowtow three times and bow nine times to thank the emperor for his great favor?"
Tianquan ignored her and continued, "If you want to remove the Azure Dragon Gu, you need to find the person who cast the Gu, or someone who is proficient in this technique. We can't delay, otherwise the catalyst will be useless next month."
Xiao Man whispered, "Aren't you the ones who cast the curse? Why pretend to be so hypocritical?"
Tianquan remained silent for a while before saying, "I didn't plant the Gu. I didn't know it at first either..."
"I don't know! You know nothing! You are a peerless and unique philanthropist! You only do good deeds and are a good person, and you never do bad things! How can there be such an innocent person like you who is full of grievances!"
Xiao Man couldn't hold back any longer and erupted with extreme sarcasm and irony.
Tianquan said softly, "There's no need for verbal sparring. It's best to use the trigger to delay the onset of the attack. During this time, find someone skilled in this technique as soon as possible to remove the Gu worm."
Xiao Man sneered, "Why take it out? Take it out so I can continue to pretend to be your mistress and work for you? Mount Bugui really doesn't need to do this. Knives and Gu worms, it's like they're trying to kill you. One minute this one plays the good cop, the next minute that one plays the bad cop, treating people like monkeys! If you catch a dog and want to eat its flesh, do you also have to put on an act and show some compassion and righteousness?!"
Tianquan stared at her intently for a long while, then suddenly said softly, "If others say you're a dog, does that mean you really are a dog?"
Xiao Man flew into a rage and slapped him across the face. With a "smack," she slapped him again, this time harder than before. His lip immediately bled, and a thin line of blood slid down his cheek.
The person who was hit remained calm, while the one who hit her seemed to have suffered a tremendous injustice, her eyes slowly reddening. She desperately held back her tears, gritting her teeth and whispering, "You have no right to say that!"
Tianquan slowly wiped away the bloodstain and whispered, "No one is a dog, and neither are you."
Xiao Man raised her hand to hit him again, but he grabbed her arm. She panicked and cried out, "What are you doing?!"
Without saying a word, he quickly removed the bandages, took out a porcelain bottle from his pocket, poured some white powder on it, and rewrapped it before saying, "The wound should not come into contact with water for three days. It will not flare up again within thirty days. During this time, I will find someone to remove the Gu worms for you, so don't worry."
Xiao Man sneered, "How could I trust you to entrust my life to jackals? Am I a fool?"
Tianquan suddenly smiled slightly and said, "You really are a fool. You're clearly terrified, but you're still putting on a brave face. You suspect I'll continue to poison you, don't you?"
Xiao Man, caught off guard by his words, could only pretend not to hear. After that slap, she seemed unable to muster any more strength, and the boundless, sudden surge of grievance and anger she had felt earlier seemed to gradually subside. In fact, instead of spending her time getting angry and hitting someone, she should have thought of more beneficial things.
“I don’t know any Gu magic.” He carefully wrapped the bandages and said softly, “I don’t know who used the Gu. It’s probably too late to investigate now. Besides, Lao Sha and the others have recently disappeared, and there’s no news of Yao Guang either. Tianji is worried about her and has gone after her. I’m all alone here, so… you don’t need to be afraid.”
He could be incredibly gentle, polite and refined towards girls, never uttering a harsh word. But Xiaoman knew what he looked like when he turned cold; he saw no one in his eyes, and the look in his eyes when he aimed his bow and arrow at her was chilling.
"It's their own fault for disappearing without a trace. If one day the entire Mountain of No Return were to vanish without a trace, that would be a miracle." She said this in a cryptic tone, with a half-smile.
Ignoring her provocation, Tianquan finished bandaging and said, "I know Zexiu is going to take you to Mount Taibai to find his elder to visit you. That person is indeed proficient in these strange arts. I will go with you."
Xiao Man gasped. He wanted to come too?! Okay, although she knew the moment she saw him that she couldn't shake him off, hearing him say that still made her very, very annoyed.
“Otherwise, if Old Sha catches up and doesn’t see me, he might make things difficult for you again. Besides, the Five Corners should also be in the Taibai Mountain area. This matter is of utmost importance, and we cannot let Tian Sha Shi Fang take the initiative.”
Xiao Man remained silent, pretending to be dead with her head down.
Tianquan released her hand, took two steps back, and walked to the window. The night wind blew and swayed his long hair. He crossed his arms, his posture like that of a celestial being under the moon, beautiful yet cold.
"It's late, I need to rest, can you leave?" She finally couldn't help but ask him to leave.
Tianquan suddenly turned his head, his gaze intense, "Yelü Wenjue is one of the Ten Directions of the Heavenly Realm. His son's words cannot be entirely trusted."
Xiao Man was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized: "You were eavesdropping on our conversation!"
Tianquan shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, I overheard it by accident. Li Lianyu is young, but he has managed to run a successful business. He is no ordinary person. His father is one of the Ten Directions of Heavenly Fiends. His sworn brotherhood with you must have other purposes. You should be careful."
"Really? Thank you for reminding me. May I leave now? I'm very sleepy and want to go to sleep."
Xiaoman didn't want to get entangled with him any longer, so she asked him to leave again.
Tianquan finally nodded, walked to the bedside, and gently touched Lianyi's body. She exclaimed "Ah!" and opened her eyes blankly. Upon seeing Tianquan, she was both surprised and delighted, and jumped up, saying urgently, "Young Master Tianquan! You've finally come!"
Tianquan said calmly, "Protect your master, and also... be careful yourself."
He pushed the door open and went out, then gently closed it behind him.
Lianyi scratched her head, somewhat bewildered, and walked over to Xiaoman, asking in surprise, "How strange, why didn't I hear Young Master Tianquan's voice before? It wasn't like this before."
Xiao Man coldly replied, "There are many things you can't hear. It's just that we don't have those kinds of methods."
Looking at her face, Lianyi said cautiously, "Master, are you unhappy again? Is it because I drank too much? I promise I won't drink next time, please don't be angry."
Xiao Man smiled, pulled her to sit on the edge of the bed, and whispered, "Lianyi, we're the only two people from the same country. Nobody likes us, nobody cares. Our parents never cared about us when we were little. We have no power, no influence, nothing."
"Master?" Lianyi was completely confused.
Xiao Man smiled and said softly, "It's nothing. I've just realized once again that no matter how you live, it's always tiring."
******
Xiaoman was awakened by the noise in the corridor outside; it sounded like someone was shouting something.
She pushed back the covers, rubbed her eyes, and got out of bed, muttering, "Lianyi, what's all the noise outside? Chase them all away."
She spoke, but no one paid her any attention. Only then did she look up and look around. The room was empty; she was all alone. The noise in the corridor was coming from Yelü Jing.
She paused for a moment, then immediately realized he had spotted Tianquan. That lecherous old rogue, he really falls for every woman he sees. First, he used sweet words and flattery to win over Lianyi, then he was infatuated with Zexiu, and now seeing Tianquan has rekindled his old flame.
The door was pushed open, and Lianyi rushed in, somewhat flustered. Seeing that Xiaoman was up, she hurriedly ran over: "Master! Please go and persuade them! I really have no other choice!"
Xiao Man didn't care. She slowly washed up, tied her hair up, put on her clothes, and finally pushed open the door with the anxious Lian Yi. She immediately saw Yelü Jing grabbing Tian Quan's sleeve and refusing to let go. His face was bruised and battered, making him look both pitiful and ridiculous, but he just wouldn't let go, clinging to Tian Quan like a big tail, crying and shouting, "Good brother! It's rare to meet you here again. We are clearly destined to meet! Why are you so cold to me!"
Tianquan didn't even flinch, kicked him so hard he stumbled, and turned to go downstairs. Yelü Jing rolled a few times, got up, and continued to pester him, trembling as he said, "Don't go! Good brother, I'll never bother you again, I mean it. Don't leave! I'll treat you to dinner, and I'll never lay a finger on you again!"
Before he could finish speaking, he was punched in the face again, his nose instantly bursting open. He covered his face, crying out in pain, yet still reluctant to let go and wanting to chase after her.
Lianyi was so anxious she was almost in tears. She quickly ran over to support him, "Are you...are you alright?"
Yelü Jing saw her as if she were his lifeline, grabbed her tightly, and cried out urgently, "Little Lianyi! Good Lianyi! Quickly stop him for me! Otherwise, I'm really going to die!"