She scooped water with her hands and splashed it on herself. Suddenly, she felt something was wrong. She looked down and realized, oh no! She had forgotten Tianquan's instructions that the wound should not come into contact with water for three days! The handkerchief tied to her wound had long been washed away by the water, the area around the wound was slightly shrunken, and the medicine powder had long since disappeared.
She pressed it with her hand; it didn't hurt or itch, and there was no bleeding.
"It should be alright..." she thought to herself. The medicinal soup would probably be good for her wound. She had never lived a pampered life since she was a child. Anyway, as long as the wound didn't hurt or bleed, there was nothing wrong with it.
Tianquan said she wasn't poisoned, so there's even less chance of anything serious happening to her.
She finally stood up from the pool, covering her body to keep the other women away, dried herself off, changed her clothes, and then found a clean handkerchief to wrap the wound back up as before—hehe, if Tianquan asks, she'll just say she didn't wash this arm.
As for the ritual she's about to perform... if it doesn't succeed, she'll just say she's tired and doesn't have the strength, and she'll do it again in a couple of days. She'll drag it out as long as she can; she refuses to believe there's no way to escape!
Chapter Twelve of the Horned Scroll: The Mountain of No Return (Part Three)
Updated: 2008-10-04 15:08:54 Word Count: 3970
After taking a bath, Xiaoman was dressed up quite nicely, with her hair styled into countless messy buns, and there were more than a dozen gold hairpins inlaid with pearls, which weighed down her neck so much that it almost broke.
The bronze mirror reflected the girl's delicate features—she didn't look like a girl from a poor family in a remote border region at all; instead, she possessed the sweet and charming beauty of a woman from Jiangnan. Her eyes seemed ready to well up with tears at any moment, making her incredibly endearing. Of course, that was assuming one hadn't yet figured out her fierce nature.
Xiao Man stared blankly at the bronze mirror, not even blinking. A woman in white beside her said softly, "Your Highness looks so beautiful when you're dressed up, it's truly enviable."
"Yes, it's really beautiful."
She was practically drooling, staring intently at the glittering hairpins adorning her hair, wishing she could reach out and pluck a few to tuck into her bosom. These hairpins… if she used them, wouldn't it be the same as giving them to her? Xiaoman was completely captivated.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. The women in white rushed to open it, and Xiaoman seized the opportunity to pull out two hairpins inlaid with the largest pearls, quickly stuffing them into her clothes. She could swear that even the number one martial arts master in the world couldn't outrun her speed.
The person who came was Tianquan, that icy-faced man, who came to take her to the main hall to open the altar.
Xiao Man wore her sweetest smile, and guiltily placed her hand in his, sincerely hoping that no one would notice her little trick.
Tianquan led her around a long corridor built outside the building, below which was a steep cliff. Thick fog covered the bottomless abyss, and pale moonlight spread across it, reflecting a clear radiance.
"My lord," Tianquan said, hesitating to speak.
"..." Xiaoman also hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping herself, shy and hesitant.
“The hairpin… fell out.” Tianquan stared at her cuff, where a section of a gold hairpin was indeed visible, with a pearl the size of a thumb on it, gleaming mockingly at her.
Now that she had been found out, Xiaoman calmly gathered the pearls back together and said very naturally, "It hurt my neck, so I took two off."
Tianquan hummed in agreement and said calmly, "This is a rare treasure salvaged from the depths of the South China Sea. It is made of pure gold and has a market value of about five thousand gold. Five thousand gold can buy five hundred girls of your age on the black market."
Xiao Man pretended not to understand and looked at him with utter innocence.
"Your Highness is an honored guest. Why don't you entrust the hairpin to me for safekeeping? If anything goes missing, Your Highness won't be able to explain it."
She wanted to cry so badly; with tears in her eyes and with great reluctance, she handed the stolen goods to him.
That man is so heartless! Half of the loot should have been enough, but he took it all! He didn't even give her a fraction!
"Has your wound gotten wet, my lord?"
Why is he going on and on? Can't he see she's feeling down?
"It's not wet, it's wrapped up properly." Xiaoman listlessly showed him her arm, which was indeed completely untouched.
"Wasn't it the right hand that was injured?"
He said something casually, and Xiaoman quickly pulled up her sleeve—sure enough! When she was changing clothes, she found the handkerchief in the way and took it off, but when she wrapped it back up, she used the wrong hand!
“I think…it’s good to let the wound breathe. Haha…” She laughed very naturally.
Tianquan pursed his lips and remained silent, and she dared not speak either, making the atmosphere suddenly strange.
Why are there such annoying people in the world? Xiaoman felt extremely annoyed. If you're going to be disdainful, just be disdainful! Why do you have to pick on her all the time? It's just unbearable!
“I said…” he suddenly spoke in a low voice. Xiaoman looked up slightly and saw that his eyes were backlit, yet they were brighter than the brightest stars. The light was piercing and ruthless.
"Don't try anything funny, you'd better behave yourself."
Xiao Man felt a gentle push on her shoulder, and bumped into something. With a creak, the door opened.
The hall was brightly lit, and his face was clearly visible. He was as handsome and aloof as ever, and the chilling aura he exuded seemed to be just an illusion she had just experienced.
Xiao Man took a few steps slowly, her heart pounding wildly. She was still a little dazed and stared at him blankly.
"My lady," Mr. Mu approached, "the altar is ready. Please ascend the altar, my lady."
She suddenly came to her senses, no longer caring about Tianquan's threat. Turning her head, she saw a white jade altar in the center of the hall, surrounded by a pool of clear water. Fresh cattle, sheep, and pigs were now offered on it, and countless thick, long white candles were lit, crackling and hissing. The hall was silent, and everyone was staring at her.
If she were to say at this point that she was a fake, she would probably be killed immediately to avenge this humiliation.
There's no other way but to take it one step at a time and gamble on her luck!
Xiao Man took a deep breath and slowly climbed onto the altar. There were three bloody heads on the altar, one of which was a pig's head with its mouth wide open in a ridiculous way, its dark eyes staring at her, which was terrifying.
What should I do?
Cold sweat poured down her back. There was no sound around her, and the gazes of the crowd seemed to pierce her with pain.
I'm so frustrated, what is she supposed to do?
For the first time, she was so nervous that her wrists were trembling.
The local businessman suddenly spoke up, gently reminding her, "My lady, the auspicious time is almost over. Aren't you going to kneel down and pray?"
This sentence reminded her, and Xiaoman knelt down by the water with a "plop," clasped her hands together, and pretended to recite a prayer devoutly. While mumbling the Hundred Family Surnames under her breath, she squinted at the reactions of the people in the hall.
After reciting for a long time, she had almost memorized the Hundred Family Surnames from beginning to end. Suddenly, the water surface stirred. In the crystal-clear pool, it seemed as if a pair of hands were slowly stirring, creating ripples. Gradually, the ripples grew larger and larger, and the water surface seemed to boil and churn.
Xiaoman was completely stunned by this sight!
No way? A fake can perform rituals? She just recited the Hundred Family Surnames! Do passing deities even recognize the Hundred Family Surnames?!
At this moment, she had no time to think wildly. With a loud "boom" in the water, as if it had exploded, a white wave shot up, just like a dragon suddenly emerging from the water.
Xiaoman was kneeling by the water's edge when, unable to dodge, she was struck squarely by the white dragon formed from the water's surge. She was instantly soaked, her hairpins clattering to the ground, leaving her utterly disheveled. Fortunately, no one in the hall noticed her anymore; all eyes were fixed on the soaring water dragon.
The dragon soared about ten feet high, then shattered in mid-air, falling into the pool like rain, soaking her again.
Suddenly, a cold wind blew in from nowhere, extinguishing many of the candles in the hall, plunging it into darkness. Everyone gasped in amazement. Xiaoman, ignoring her soaked clothes, hurriedly picked up the hairpins and stuffed them into her wet bosom. Just as she finished, the clear water in the pool began to shimmer with a silvery-white light, as if a bright moon were hidden within it.
She was almost stunned, but then she saw ripples on the water and gradually, countless images seemed to appear. First, there was an ancient and mysterious town where everyone was smiling. Then the scene changed to a city engulfed in flames, with many men in black rushing into the city to burn, kill, and plunder.
These men in black all had a curved blade tattooed on their backs, some red and some white. When they moved, they were like a hurricane, slaughtering the entire town and leaving no survivors.
"Heavenly Fiends in All Directions!" someone in the hall exclaimed.
The scene on the water dissipated in an instant, the light faded, and the water gradually calmed down, remaining clear as ever, as if those strange commotions had never happened.
Soon someone lit candles and helped Xiaoman down from the altar—her clothes were too thick and heavy, and once they absorbed water, they were like dozens of quilts. It wasn't that she didn't want to move, but that she simply couldn't.
"My lord, the wronged souls of Cangya City have pointed out the true culprit for you. It was indeed the work of Tiancha Shifang!" The speaker was General Shui. Although he was always smiling and seemed very amiable, he looked even fiercer than Doctor Huo when he wasn't smiling.
Xiaoman said nothing; in truth, she didn't know what to say. What happened tonight had exceeded her expectations. She had thought that nothing would happen at the altar, and she would be beaten off the platform by the crowd. But no, no—how could such a miracle exist?
Could it be... that she really is some young mistress of Cangya City?
She quickly dismissed the idea as absurd; tonight's events could only be described in three words: it was like seeing a ghost.
Xiaoman was led downstairs to change clothes. As she peeled off layers of heavy, gorgeous gowns, she suddenly remembered that her hairpins were still inside her clothes. She quickly grabbed the collar and told the women in white to leave.
Initially, everyone doubted that she was the real mistress and was somewhat unconvinced. But seeing the current scene, who would still have any doubts? Immediately, everyone withdrew.
She rummaged through her wet clothes and finally pulled out the glittering gold hairpins. Overjoyed, she quickly stuffed them into the small bundle she had brought, wrapping them tightly with layers of clothing. As she wrapped them, she kept glancing around furtively, as if afraid someone would peek.
Now her entire fortune was here: two thousand taels of silver, plus six glittering gold hairpins inlaid with large pearls. Nothing in the world is as joyful and satisfying as getting rich. While the women in white were away, Xiaoman looked around the room and pried off two bright pearls from the bronze mirror.
Xiao Man happily changed into clean clothes in front of the mirror, when suddenly she noticed the blue flame marks reappearing on her chest.
The last time this thing appeared, she thought it was her mother's ghost coming to haunt her, and she was scared half to death. But it disappeared inexplicably the next day, so she didn't take it seriously.
It resurfaced today.
Xiao Man touched it with her hand; it didn't hurt or itch, and there was nothing unusual about it.
What exactly is this thing?
After changing clothes and returning to the hall, Doctor Huo was speaking: "...National hatred and family feuds, the calamity of clan extermination, must be avenged. If Your Highness needs anything, we will do our best to help you."
Xiao Man's legs went weak.
Are they planning to get her to take revenge?
Mr. Mu and Boss Tu walked over together and sighed earnestly, “Young Master, if this grudge is not avenged, the thousands of wronged souls in Cangya City will not rest in peace. Although Tian Sha Shi Fang is vicious and you are a lone woman, No Return Mountain has a long-standing relationship with Cangya City and will not stand idly by. If you have any requests, we will certainly help you.”
Xiao Man forced a smile and hurriedly said, "Thank you all! This grudge... it's irreconcilable, it's... it's an irreconcilable enmity! I must avenge it... but I... I don't know anything..."
General Shui said, "My lord, there's no need to worry. We were just discussing this matter, how to reclaim Cangya City and avenge the annihilation of our clan. First, we must find the Five Corners..."
Seeing this trend, Xiao Man knew they were about to launch into a long-winded discussion, and she inwardly cursed her bad luck.
The ever-smiling Master Jin suddenly said, "Gentlemen, the matter of revenge should be decided by the young mistress herself. She has been traveling for days without rest. Why not let her get a good night's sleep and discuss this matter tomorrow?"
Upon hearing this, everyone agreed that it made sense, so they comforted Xiaoman for a few moments and soon had someone take her down to rest.
Shall we decide tomorrow?
No, she won't wait until tomorrow. She's going to run away now.
Xiaoman lay in bed for a long time until there was no sound outside. Then she quietly picked up her package, pushed open the window, and secretly jumped out.
What deep-seated hatred, grudges, or affections had absolutely nothing to do with her.
The proper thing to do is to take the money, go out and buy a luxury house, and enjoy the life of the rich.
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Sorry, I was helping the fourteenth generation post an article and forgot there was another update tonight. I'm so sorry, please don't blame the fourteenth generation. It's all my fault.