Tianquan slowly walked over, kicked him over, and gently stepped on his throat, his voice as soft as a whisper, saying only one word: "Speak."
The man said in a trembling voice, "It was... Yelü's idea! They need that girl to go to Mount No Return! Because they've issued a call to arms, and they'll soon announce to the world the true master! It's not good for us... Zhongjing... the matter in Zhongjing is also a lie!"
Tianquan nodded, then kicked the man in the temple, causing him to immediately lose consciousness.
He immediately turned around, untied the horse, and said, "Qifu, you go back. This horse is for you."
Qi Fu mounted his horse and whispered, "Young Master, Miss Xiao Man, she..."
Tianquan said calmly, "I'm going to Mount No Return, you don't need to worry. Go back quickly."
Qi Fu nodded, flicked his whip, and galloped far away in the blink of an eye.
Tianquan led another horse, about to mount, when he suddenly heard footsteps behind him. He slowly turned around and saw a person approaching from a distance, leading a horse, wearing a black cloak, with three black swords at his waist, and a full beard. Even with his composure, he couldn't help but be shocked—Zexiu! He really wasn't dead! How could he be here?!
The man walked closer, coldly looking at Tianquan, then at the man in black on the ground, whose body was marked with red and white cross-shaped knife patterns. He remained silent, and Tianquan silently watched him as well.
“You… are a Heavenly Fiend from the Ten Directions.” After a long while, Ze Xiu spoke.
Tianquan said calmly, "You're not dead."
Ze Xiu chuckled: "If you want to kill me, you'll at least have to cut off my head. Otherwise, a simple sword strike is enough to kill me."
Tianquan turned his head away, and after a long while, he said softly, "She... was taken to Mount No Return."
Zexiu didn't speak, but mounted his horse and cracked his whip, suddenly saying, "All the heroes in the world are on Mount No Return, not just a little girl like her!"
After he finished speaking, he was already several feet away.
Tianquan frowned slightly, raised his hand to take the Divine Martial Bow from his shoulder, but for some reason, he put it down again. After a while, he mounted his horse and rode away.
The Killing of Crows, Chapter Nine: Unending (Part Three)
Updated: 2008-10-15 0:14:46 Word Count: 4349
It's the weekend! The 14th has broken out. Three updates today.
First update.
How could you be with him?
When Xiaoman woke up, she felt as if the sky had fallen and the earth had cracked. She grabbed Lianyi's hand and was as depressed as a father whose daughter was about to elope with someone.
Lianyi whispered, "Isn't he... good enough? I like him, only him."
Xiaoman felt like fainting again, but she didn't have the strength to faint this time. She shakily got up and pushed her: "Go out and call him in... I have something to ask him."
Lianyi reluctantly stepped out of the carriage. After a while, Yelü walked in with a smile, grabbed Xiaoman's hand, and said softly, "Good girl, what's the matter?"
Xiao Man forcefully pulled her hand back, opening her mouth to curse him, but then she remembered that this man wanted to be emperor, and that he had indeed helped her a lot, so she had to suppress her anger and said in a low voice, "What's going on with Lian Yi? You can play with anyone, but why did you have to play with her?"
Yelü smiled and said, "Her and I...it's just like that. Didn't you see? She likes me, and I like her too. How is that playing around?"
Xiao Man glared at him fiercely: "Fine, then let me ask you, what about those good brothers of yours who are willing to die for you whenever they see you? Do you like them too? Who is more important to you?"
Yelü blinked: "They are all important. They are all people I cherish in my heart."
Ahhh! May lightning strike this wretched creature to death! Xiao Man couldn't catch her breath, coughed violently, and pointed at him, unable to speak any more.
Yelü stood up, took a couple of steps, then suddenly turned back and laughed, “You live in a world of liking. Every bit of liking is fake; it’s all for your power and your money. If someone asked you about liking someone, how would you answer?”
Xiao Man stopped coughing. She stared at him blankly.
Yelü chuckled again: "I don't even know what 'liking' means. But she's so good to me, really so good, maybe I'll eventually fall for her. But so what? What's the point of that? Enjoy the fun while you can, don't you think?"
Xiao Man didn't speak after Yelü left. She leaned against the carriage wall, lost in thought.
What is the value of liking something like this? She didn't know what it was worth. She only knew that life sometimes felt very light when it came to this, and sometimes, even a few taels of silver were more important than it.
So, what is it worth?
Sigh, Lianyi, that man is no good; you shouldn't mess with him.
She lifted the carriage curtain. She saw Yelü tilting his head back to drink water, getting water all over his face, and then pretending to splash water from the water bag onto Lianyi. She laughed and jumped, she had never seen her so happy before.
But there's nothing we can do about it. As long as she's happy. What can she say? It's all fate.
Xiaoman lowered the carriage curtain and fell asleep immediately. She no longer cared about other people's business.
As they approached the Mountain of No Return, a group of uninvited guests suddenly appeared and surrounded the two carriages completely.
Xiaoman and Lianyi were chatting and laughing in the carriage when they suddenly heard someone outside shouting in Khitan. She could only understand a little bit, but it sounded like they were calling for Yelü. His expression changed immediately, and he turned around and hid behind Lianyi, saying, "I'm not here! Don't answer!"
Xiao Man lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside. The outside was surrounded by layers upon layers of Khitan soldiers, each carrying a longbow. Clearly, they didn't mind turning the two carriages into pincushions. She slammed the curtain down and turned back, saying, "They're your people! Get out! Otherwise, they'll think we're holding you hostage!"
Yelü hugged Lianyi's waist, twisting like a pretzel: "I'm not going! I'm not going! They're definitely here to force me to go back and become some damn emperor!"
"What's wrong with being an emperor? You'd live a life of luxury, have plenty of beautiful women to choose from, and be the richest person in the world. Why wouldn't you do it?!" Xiaoman couldn't understand at all.
"Alright then, you can have it."
If she could do it, would she still say such things? Xiaoman wanted to throw him out, but suddenly she heard someone shout something outside. She quickly bent down and said urgently, "They're going to fire arrows!"
Lianyi pressed Yelü's head down, and all that could be heard outside was a constant "whoosh" sound. In an instant, countless arrows were thrust into the carriage walls, and many iron arrows flew into the curtains. One of them landed on Xiaoman's back, making her wince in pain. She glared fiercely at Yelü and said, "Get out of here!"
He still shook his head: "No."
Lianyi said in a low voice, "You, you go. They've already come looking for us. Hiding isn't a solution."
Yelü remained silent, only pursing his lips. Lianyi then said, "Go, I... I'll go with you."
Yelü remained silent, only lifting the curtain and calling out once before shoving open the carriage door and jumping out. Xiaoman and Lianyi followed behind, and the Khitan soldiers immediately aimed their bows and arrows at them.
Yelü's face hardened: "What are you doing? Are you going to kill me with arrows? Put them down, all of you!"
No one spoke. After a while, the crowd suddenly parted to make way, and a middle-aged man in black robes rode over. As soon as he saw Yelü, he immediately dismounted, rushed forward, and grabbed Yelü's shoulders, both anxious and angry: "Your Highness! What about the agreement at Xijing Cier Mountain?! I've been waiting for you there for over a month!"
Yelü Leng said, "You've waited for me for so long, are you going to kill me? I sent you with troops to help me, but you had your men point arrows at me. What do you mean by that?"
Yelü Tuixian immediately waved his hand: "Put down the bow! Do not disturb His Majesty!"
The soldiers then simultaneously lowered their bows and arrows. Yelü Tuixian sighed, "Was Your Highness held hostage by these madmen? I received Your Highness's letter and immediately led troops to rescue you... they..."
Before he could finish speaking, Yelü laughed and said, "Of course not, they are my friends, we just travel around and have fun together. Are these your soldiers? Not bad, not bad at all, so many people, and they only listen to you."
Yelü Tuixian's expression immediately changed; this man's status was different now. After ascending the throne, he would be the emperor, and such jokes were no longer acceptable. He immediately knelt down and said in a mournful voice, "Your subject dares not!"
Yelü stood with his hands behind his back and laughed, "What do you mean, 'dare not'? I asked you to lead troops to help me, and you sent people to shoot arrows at me. Look at the state of this carriage. Do you think it would be better if I were dead?"
Yelü Tuixian was so flustered that he broke out in a cold sweat and didn't know what to say.
Lianyi quietly tugged at his sleeve, and Yelü turned to look at him, then laughed and said, "Tuixian. I was just joking, you don't have to take it seriously. Quickly, get up. You killed Yelü Chage, which is truly a great achievement. The people of the Liao Dynasty will all be grateful for your merit."
Yelü Tuixian said in a trembling voice, "I dare not! It is all thanks to Your Highness's high moral character and extraordinary courage that the rebels were successfully eliminated."
He slowly rose and said, "No. Now I should no longer call you Prince, but Your Majesty. Your Majesty, please come with me back to the capital and ascend the throne as Emperor as soon as possible."
Yelü frowned: "I told you long ago I wouldn't be emperor!"
"No! This matter cannot be treated lightly! The world is of utmost importance. How can Your Majesty disregard the territory and the people for your own selfish desires?!" Yelü Tuixian's face immediately turned green.
Yelü laughed and said, "I've never been cut out to be an emperor. There are plenty of people more capable than me. I think you're quite good, Tuixian. I only love hunting and traveling. I also want to live with my little Lianyi. I can't shoulder the burden of being an emperor."
"Lianyi?" Yelü Tuixian looked up and saw him holding the hand of a beautiful young girl, looking quite reluctant to part.
He immediately said solemnly, "Your Majesty's words are wrong! After ascending the throne, you will have three thousand beauties in your harem, each of noble lineage and stunningly beautiful. Your Majesty's precious body cannot be defiled by a mere commoner!"
"But I only want Xiao Lianyi; no other woman is as beautiful as her."
Yelü Tuixian looked at Lian Yidi with the same eyes he would use to look at Daji, the woman who brought ruin to the country, and said sternly, "Your Majesty! Beauty can ruin a country! As a ruler, how can you be so willful! If Your Majesty insists on going your own way, I would rather die than let this beauty bring disaster down with my sword!" He drew his broadsword and looked fierce.
Yelü was so frightened that he took a step back and said in a trembling voice, "What...what are you going to do?"
Yelü Tuixian stepped forward, sword in hand: "Kill this scourge!"
Archers, three or four deep, immediately raised their longbows and aimed at Lianyi. Her face was deathly pale; she stood there, frozen, unable to move. Yelü took a breath and whispered, "Even if you kill her, I still won't be emperor..."
Yelü Tuixian waved his hand, about to order the archers to fire, when Yelü suddenly shouted, "Don't fire! Fine! I promise you!"
Yelü Tuixian was overjoyed, threw his sword to the ground, and prostrated himself on the ground: "A joy for all the people! Your Majesty is wise!"
Yelü paused for a moment, then said, "But you'll have to wait a few days. I need to go to Mount Bugui to take care of some things. You can provide backup from behind. Once things are settled, I'll return to the capital with you."
Yelü Tuixian readily agreed and immediately ordered the encirclement to be lifted. After they boarded the carriages, he led his troops to follow slowly behind, never leaving their side for a moment.
Yelü stood in the carriage for a long time, lost in thought, and then suddenly said, "We must find a chance to escape and make sure Tuixian never finds me again."
Lianyi smiled and nodded gently: "I'm very happy that you...you're willing to protect me."
Yelü coldly stared out the window without saying a word. Suddenly, he turned around, grabbed Lianyi, and kissed her passionately. Xiaoman, who was standing next to him, didn't know whether to stand or sit. She could only crouch down and open the car door, pretending to look at the scenery.
"Come back to the palace with me!" he said in a low voice, even with a hint of fanaticism.
Lianyi shook her head: "I'm not going, and... they'll say I'm a troublemaker and force you to do things you don't like."
Yelü said with a stern face, "I'll bring a few more troublemakers in, and I'll arrest my good brothers too. Let's see if they can kill them all!"
Lianyi paused for a moment, then lowered her head and smiled softly: "You...you weren't originally..."
Yelü grabbed his hair and roared, "There are so many beauties out there! I haven't even touched my good brother's hand yet! Why do I have to be some damn emperor!"
Lianyi didn't know what to say, so she could only turn her head away blankly.
"Little Lianyi, let's find a chance to escape tonight! Don't wait any longer!" He was extremely agitated, gesturing wildly. Lianyi said softly, "No... I want to go to Mount No Return with Master to explain things clearly and prevent anyone from bullying her again."
Yelü exclaimed, "Good girl, come back to the palace with me! I'll make you a princess!"
Xiao Man was startled and quickly turned around: "Are you crazy? Can a princess be sealed off just like that? Besides, I don't want to be a princess. It's so boring to be locked up in the palace."
Yelü called out for a long time, but none of his suggestions were constructive. Finally, he slumped onto the cushion, staring blankly at the roof of the carriage. After a long while, he sighed, "There are so many fun things to do, why do I have to become an emperor?"
Lianyi stroked his hair and whispered, "If you really don't want to be emperor, once we get to Mount No Return and resolve the master's matter, we can escape. I... I will stay with you... for the rest of my life."
Yelü closed his eyes and said softly, "You'll support me? I can't do anything."