Lianyi pursed her lips slightly, staring blankly at him until the sun set. A ray of sunlight warmed her left cheek; she pressed her hand against it and felt a small, dried blood clot. It was from his hand.
With a rustling sound, a gust of wind blew by, startling the birds in the trees, which flapped their wings and took flight.
She was suddenly startled, as if she had heard something pounding in her heart, and for a moment she was completely mesmerized.
The Chaotic Scroll, Chapter Nineteen: Flowing Water (Part One)
Updated: 2008-10-05 15:01:24 Word Count: 5018
First update.
Yelü lay in bed for three days before his pig-headed head slowly returned to its handsome form. His tenacity was roughly as formidable as his lust; as soon as he woke up, he became restless, his bandaged hands, resembling pig's trotters, reaching for his clothes.
"Are you alright?" he asked softly.
Lianyi gently grasped his lustful hand, but did not let go, only holding it in her hand. She had barely eaten or slept for the past few days and looked extremely haggard. When she saw him wake up, she was overjoyed. Her eyes were still filled with tears, but her face was already beaming with smiles.
"I'm fine in every way, it's you who's not good," she murmured, wiping away her tears with her sleeve.
Yelü grinned, which immediately aggravated the wound on his face, causing him to wince in pain.
"Remember what I told you? Girls should be elegant, not wielding knives and guns. When something like this happens, it's time for a man to step up. Otherwise, what do you take me for? A burden?" He said stubbornly, with a straight face.
Lianyi blushed, slowly lowered his hand, and said softly, "What would you like to eat? I'll have someone make it... By the way, the master and the others have arrived. It's all thanks to Uncle Zexiu for carrying the plaster; otherwise, you wouldn't have recovered so quickly just from the medicine prescribed by the doctor."
Yelü was overjoyed: "My good brother has come too?!"
He immediately tried to get out of bed to check on him, but the slightest movement caused him to cry out in pain, and he could only fall back down helplessly. Lianyi hurriedly got up and called Xiaoman and the others over. Zexiu came in with a sour face, glanced at them, and turned to leave. Yelu raised his hand to stop him, and he almost fell off the bed. Lianyi quickly caught him.
He cried out urgently, "Good brother! Don't go! You saved me this time. I'm willing to follow you for the rest of my life, to be your slave! You...you mustn't go!"
Zexiu ignored him and took a few steps. Suddenly, she felt a gentle tug on her sleeve; it was her dress. She looked at him with a pleading expression.
He squinted slightly, then turned around, walked to the bedside, pulled back the blanket, and said, "Let me check the injury. Change the dressing."
Yelü hurriedly tried to take off his pants, but Zexiu coldly said, "Why are you taking off your pants? Your injuries are all on your upper body."
He looked miserable: "Good brother, my leg hurts, you should at least take a look at it for me."
He then pulled down his pants, revealing his two bare, hairy legs. Xiaoman was so frightened that she quickly slipped away; she didn't want to see a man's naked body. Lianyi blushed, but didn't leave. She simply walked to the bedside and softly asked, "Do you need my help?"
Zexiu unwrapped the bandage. After examining the wound closely, he said, "Go and get some clean bandages."
As he spoke, he took out his medicine box and applied some ointment to Yelü's body. The ointment was specifically for treating external wounds, swelling, and pain; applying it would initially intensify the pain. Yelü lay on the bed, his eyes fixed on Zexiu's face, hoping he would stay a little longer. He felt no pain at all, only regretting that he didn't have enough wounds.
He continued applying the ointment up to the man's waist, then suddenly stopped, raising an eyebrow at his bare crotch, a look of barely concealed anger on his face. Yelü grabbed his hand, panting, "Good brother, good brother... the moment I see you, I forget everything else. Just this once, please, only this once..."
Zexiu flung his hand away, sneered, and wanted to kick this scoundrel to death, but she suppressed her anger and turned to leave, ignoring his pig-like screams behind her. Looking up, she suddenly saw Lianyi holding a bandage and staring blankly at her. She said, "Wrap it up for him."
Lianyi quickly snapped out of her daze, nodded, and was about to go inside when Zexiu suddenly said, "There's a limit to how much you can act stupid. What is he anyway? Why are you still acting stupid?"
Lianyi smiled palely and nodded repeatedly. Zexiu didn't say anything, pushed open the door and walked out. She felt like she was about to cry. Sniffed, she slowly walked to the bedside. Yelü was still bare-legged and looked extremely disheveled. When he saw her, he quickly called out, "Little Lianyi, come here quickly... I knew you were the best, now I finally know!"
She pulled the blanket up to cover his legs, held his hand, and whispered, "Don't move, the wound will reopen." She took out bandages and wrapped all the wounds on his upper body.
Yelü hummed and hawed, then suddenly sighed, squeezed her hand, and whispered, "Lianyi, you're so good to me. No one has ever treated me this well before."
Her pale face flushed again, and she lowered her head, stammering, unable to speak. Yelü pulled on his trousers through the blanket before saying, "I will not mistreat you, because I know you are a good person. I will not do it again."
Lian Yi smiled gently, and a trace of color finally returned to her face.
Xiao Man grew up in a remote border region, where she had seen mostly deserts, mountains, and glaciers. This was the first time she had ever seen the vast and surging Yellow River. Especially when she reached the lower reaches, she noticed that boatmen were needed to pull the boats, shouting loud work songs. With the shimmering water all around and the vast blue sky, it truly opened her heart and soul.
Her favorite spot was the bow of the ship. She would stand there and gaze into the distance whenever she had free time. As a result, all the helmsmen on the ship knew her. Whenever someone mentioned the little girl with big eyes, everyone would know that they were referring to her.
"Should we be considered to be in Song territory now?" Xiao Man leaned on the simple railing at the bow of the boat, looking down.
Zexiu wiped his sword beside him without looking up, and said, "Shrink back, or no one will save you if you fall. We are in Song territory now, but we haven't reached the shore yet."
Xiaoman was somewhat moved. She could be considered half a Song person, as this was her first time visiting Song Dynasty territory, aside from being able to speak some Mandarin. She grabbed a handful of leftover fruit pits from the bow of the boat and threw them into the water with a splash.
"Strange, haven't you never been on a boat before? How come you're so energetic and not sad at all?"
Zexiu looked at her with the eyes of someone looking at a wild animal. This person's adaptability was absolutely unparalleled. She was so lively and energetic on land and in water. Whether she was sick or not, nothing could break her. She would be listless for a couple of days and then be full of energy again. In comparison, Lianyi and Yelü were no match at all. They had been vomiting since they boarded the ship and had been vomiting ever since. Both of them looked pale as death.
Suddenly, the curtain was pulled open. Lianyi, clinging to the cabin wall, shakily crawled out, her face as green as a vegetable. She whispered, "Master, does Uncle Zexiu... still have any medicine? He said if he vomits again, he'll jump into the water. It's better if he's dead."
Zexiu coldly said, "Then please let him jump into the water quickly and die gracefully."
Lianyi covered her mouth, gagged several times, and said with difficulty, "But... I can't take it anymore... Uncle Zexiu, when are we going to get ashore?"
Zexiu took out a medicine bottle from his pocket and handed it to her: "Here, take two pills when you feel unwell. It'll be two more days before we get ashore, so just bear with it a little longer."
Lianyi nodded hastily, but this action made her rush to the bow of the boat and vomit violently. Her face turned from green to white, and she couldn't straighten up for a long time. Xiaoman had no choice but to help her into the cabin. Suddenly, Zexiu said, "Tell that Khitan prince that Song territory is not like Liao territory. If you don't want to die, you'd better keep your tail between your legs. Song people don't like Khitan people."
Two days later, they finally arrived in Texas. Zexiu realized that Yelü's admonition had completely ignored him. He had never even known how to write the word "restraint" since birth.
He had barely arrived at the inn when he was dressed impeccably. He was a handsome young man with fair skin, and even carried a folding fan. He came over with a smile and knocked on Xiaoman's door. When Lianyi opened the door and saw him like this, her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Little Lianyi, come on, brother will take you to a fun place." He had an exquisite pouch hanging from his waist, and with a light pat, he exuded frivolity.
Lianyi took a step back: "No, no... I'd better not go. And you shouldn't run around either. You're a Khitan, they don't like you."
Yelü laughed and said, "Whether other people like me or not is none of my business. As long as my little Lianyi likes me, that's all that matters. I've been to Dezhou before, I know it very well, so don't worry, you won't get lost."
Lianyi hesitated and glanced at Xiaoman. Yelü then said, "Good girl, you should go too. It's more lively with more people."
Xiao Man was starving and waved her hand, saying, "I'm not going. You guys go play. I'm going to find something to eat."
Yelü put his arm around Lianyi's shoulder, took a few steps, and laughed, "We lost most of our travel money on the way, but luckily these four treasures weren't lost. Let's see if I can earn you a thousand taels of silver today."
Upon hearing the word "silver," Xiaoman's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly chased after him, exclaiming, "Where can I earn so much money? I want to go too!"
Yelü opened his hand, revealing four exquisite dice. He clenched his fist, raised an eyebrow, and smiled, "Let's go to the casino. How about it? Anyone dare to come along?"
Xiao Man nodded eagerly: "Okay, okay, let's go!"
She couldn't wait any longer and grabbed Yelü Di's sleeve to go downstairs. Just then, Zexiu came upstairs. Seeing her eyes light up, he frowned and said, "What are you up to now?"
She beamed, "Let's go to the casino. Yelü said we can earn a thousand taels of silver!"
Zexiu glanced at Yelü, his smile lewd: "Good brother, you should join us too. But I'm afraid you don't know how to roll the dice, and you might end up wasting your beauty."
Zexiu's brow twitched, and he sneered, "Fine, I'll go then."
Xiaoman knew absolutely nothing about dice games, but casinos had one advantage: as long as you were willing to spend money, they would open their doors to anyone, regardless of whether you were a man, a woman, an emperor, or a beggar.
Yelü knew the place well. After entering, he snapped open his folding fan and waved it a couple of times with a dashing air. Immediately, a waiter came up with a big smile to greet him, but he waved his hand and said, "No need, we'll play by ourselves. We're not going upstairs."
Xiao Man looked around. The place reeked of alcohol, sweat, and bad breath. The hall was packed with people, with shouts, curses, and cheers rising and falling. It was her first time in such a place, and she didn't know how to play. Suddenly, she saw Yelü put away his folding fan, walk to a table with few people, and watch with a smile as the dealer won thirty taels of silver from a gambler. The gambler was cursing loudly. He suddenly said, "What a foul trick. You should go home and take care of your children. How dare you come here to gamble?"
The people at that table all turned to look, not particularly surprised. There were far more arrogant people in casinos, but generally, these were the ones who lost the most and the worst. The dealer in blue beckoned and smiled, "Would this young master like to take a gamble?"
Yelü took out his own dice and tossed them to the other man, saying, "I only use my own dice."
The man nodded and said, "Good, you're clearly an expert. Please, young master, make the first throw."
Yelü said, "You go first."
The man didn't refuse and placed ten taels of silver on the table. Yelü took out a silver ingot from his pocket and placed it on the table. The dealer clasped his hands together, his wrists spinning rapidly, flicking, tossing, pausing, and turning before finally dropping it into a large white porcelain bowl. The four dice spun around for a long time, and in the end, they rolled four ones. Everyone at the table cheered, "What a perfect full board!"
Xiaoman couldn't understand it at all, but she felt that the person's technique was very skillful. Seeing everyone at the table cheering, she couldn't help but turn around and ask Zexiu, "Did he win or lose?"
He shook his head and said, "Yelü hasn't rolled yet, but to beat him, you have to roll a point larger than the full set of stars, which I'm afraid will be difficult."
That means we've lost! Xiao Man panicked, but Yelü remained calm and collected. He picked up the dice, blew on them, smiled slightly, and with a flick of his wrist, tossed them into the bowl. The four dice bounced for a while. The first one landed, a red four; the second, also a four; and the third, surprisingly, also a four. The crowd at the table shouted even louder, yelling at the last spinning die, "Four! Four! Four!"
Xiao Man craned her neck to look, and saw the die spin for a long time before landing in the bowl with the red dot facing up—it was indeed a four. The dealer's expression subtly changed, but he finally placed the silver in front of him in front of Yelü and laughed, "Young master is indeed skilled; 'Spring in the Garden' has surpassed 'Stars on the Plate,' but I have lost."
Yelü, beaming with pride, accepted the ten taels of silver, but then suddenly sighed, "Too little. I should have bet more. Ten taels of silver for 'Full Garden Spring' is not worth it."
Xiao Man was still completely confused. She turned around to ask Ze Xiu, but he had already taken his money to gamble at another table. She quickly followed to watch the excitement. At that table, they were playing Pai Gow, drawing dominoes, and shouting "Three of a Kind, Three of a Kind, Three of a Kind" non-stop. Ze Xiu won two rounds in a row, but it was only a dozen or so taels of silver.
She was watching with great interest when she suddenly heard a commotion behind her. She couldn't help but turn around and glance back, only to see a group of people surrounding Lianyi. The situation looked very bad. She hurried over, only to see Yelü suddenly squeeze into the crowd and shout, "You guys are playing Pai Gow. It's not like you got the ultimate winning hand. You only won three points with a pair of copper hammers, and you still have the nerve to ask someone to give you their entire fortune?"
The crowd erupted in another uproar, when one of them sneered, "This is the rule that this young lady herself agreed to. If she loses, she has to compensate me. If you don't believe me, go ask her if I said a single wrong word."
Lianyi clutched the hem of her dress, biting her lip in silence. Yelü took her hand and said softly, "Don't be afraid. Tell me what happened."
She said softly, "I was just watching the fun, but this old man insisted that I gamble with him. He said if I won, he would give me all the money he had today. I said I didn't have any money and wouldn't gamble, but he said, 'If you don't have any money, you still have other people around.' Then he handed me dice and insisted that I gamble. I threw the dice to him, and he said I rolled a three. Then he rolled another set himself, saying that the copper hammer was bigger than mine, and he insisted on dragging me home with him."
"Outrageous!" Xiaoman, fiercely protective of her child, rushed forward to argue, but Zexiu grabbed her from behind: "Stop it, if you don't know anything, don't stick your neck out. Yelü is an expert, let's see how he gets out of this."
Yelü raised his eyebrows and laughed, "What you're doing is blatant cheating. The girl said she didn't want to gamble, but you still resorted to trickery. You're truly despicable!"
The man threw the dice on the table: "What do you want? To stick your neck out? Or shall we make a bet? If you win, the girl is yours; if you lose, all your money is mine."
Yelü picked up his fan and slapped it against his hand: "Still cheating! If I win, the girl and your silver are mine; if you win, everything is yours. Do you dare to gamble?"
The man sneered, "Alright, let's begin."
The Twenty-First Chapter of the Chaotic Scroll: Flowing Water (Part Two)
Updated: 2008-10-05 15:01:24 Word Count: 3952
Second update.
Lianyi bit her lip and gently tugged at Yelü's clothes, wanting to say many things but unable to utter them.
Yelü patted her on the shoulder and laughed, "Don't worry, watch me."