He rolled up his sleeves, sat down in the chair, took out the dice and shook them: "You first, me first?"
The man gestured for him to proceed, and Yelü, without hesitation, placed the dice in his hand, rubbed them between his fingers, and then suddenly heard the man say, "Using your own dice makes it easier to cheat."
He immediately placed the dice on the table: "Then your dice will do the same."
The man indeed tossed him his dice. As soon as Yelü touched them, he felt something was off; there was probably something stuffed inside. He glanced at the man, who had a smug look on his face. Without saying a word, he gently spun the dice and tossed them onto the table. The four dice spun for a while before coming to a stop, revealing four threes—a set of threes.
Yelü was annoyed. This man was using cheating dice to gamble, which would normally have made him want to explode. But firstly, this was Song territory, and secondly, he was confident in his skills and wasn't afraid of such underhanded tricks. However, if he lost this bet, losing face would be a minor matter; he would be taking away a beautiful young woman named Xiao Lianyi, which was unacceptable.
Seeing that the man was about to throw the dice, he immediately said, "Don't you also use your own dice? This time you have to use mine."
Without saying a word, he handed his dice to the man.
The man's expression changed, and fearing that others would become suspicious, he reluctantly threw the dice. After the four dice spun for a while, they landed, and it turned out to be a pair of threes.
Yelü clapped his hands and laughed, "Good! A draw. Perhaps the dice weren't working well for you, making it harder to perform. Let's switch dice and use our own. Let's gamble again, one round to decide the winner!"
The man immediately snatched his dice and shouted, "I'll go first this time!"
Without waiting for Yelü to speak, he threw down his tiles, and this time he did well: four ones, a full house, and a pair of earth tiles. His face immediately lit up with extreme pride. He chuckled, looking at Yelü, clearly already certain of his victory.
Before the man could finish laughing, Yelü flicked his wrist and dropped the dice, rolling them around the table. One came to a stop—a bright red four. The second stopped immediately—a one. The man laughed even harder. The third stopped—a two—making the hand two and four. The last one spun for a long time without stopping. Yelü smiled and said, "I bet it's a two."
As soon as he finished speaking, the dice stopped rolling. It was indeed a two. Ding San paired with a two and four. Supreme Treasure won everything.
The man's mouth dropped open in disbelief. Yelü laughed heartily, stood up, and said, "Great! The girl is mine now, but where's your money?"
The man's face turned ashen, and he suddenly shouted sharply, "You cheated! You stuffed something into your dice!"
Yelü frowned, when suddenly someone behind him said, "Cut it open and we'll see who cheated!" Everyone turned around and saw a handsome young man standing there with a sword in hand. He was dressed in fur clothes and a fox fur hat, dressed like a Khitan. Behind him stood a young man in white, with a refined and handsome face, as if carved from ice and snow.
Xiao Man was overjoyed to see Gengu, but her face fell when she saw Tianquan. Before anyone could react, Gengu stepped forward and swung his knife. Despite the knife being half a person's height and frighteningly large, he wielded it with surprising ease. With a "crack," Yelü Di's dice were cleaved in two, neatly split open. Inside, there were no impurities; it was a die made of high-quality ivory.
Yelü frowned and said, "This die is very expensive. If you split it in half, you'll only have three left. How are we supposed to play then?"
Gengu coldly said, "Fool, I'm trying to help you!"
Before he could finish speaking, the man opposite him turned to leave, but Gengu grabbed him by the back of his collar, reached into his pocket, pulled out four dice, threw them on the table, and slapped them with the blade of his knife. With several "crack" sounds, all four dice shattered at once. Gengu picked up one of them and sneered, "Half wood, half jade, are there any dice like this in the world? Who cheated?"
It turns out that jade is heavier than wood, so this person used something to glue the two pieces together, making it easier to throw.
The man's face turned pale and then green, glaring fiercely at Gengu. Seeing that he was dressed as a Khitan, he was suddenly startled and cried out, "They're Khitan brats! Khitans! They're Khitans!"
A commotion erupted in the casino. The Khitans were notoriously ruthless, and the Song people hated them to the core. Hearing there were Khitan dogs in the casino, they all wanted to rush over and teach them a lesson. Gengu was startled and tried to turn away, but the crowd surged forward, making even turning around difficult. He ripped off his hat and crouched down to try and squeeze through the throng, when Yelü shouted, "How shameless! There's no distinction between Khitan and Song in a casino! A loss is a loss!"
"Idiot!" he cursed inwardly. "Isn't this just adding fuel to the fire by admitting that he is a Khitan?"
Suddenly, he heard Lianyi say something, and he hurriedly looked up to look for her. He saw her scoop up Yelü, who was being beaten by the crowd, and turn to run away. He called out urgently, "Sister!"
Lianyi hurriedly turned around and saw Gengu. She reached out to him, and Gengu shouted, "Get rid of that burden! Get rid of it now!"
Lianyi shook her head vigorously, rushed over with all her might, grabbed his hand, leaped up, and flew over the heads of the crowd, escaping the gambling den in the blink of an eye.
Xiaoman was jostled and disoriented by the sudden commotion. She turned around anxiously to look for Zexiu, but she was petite and all she could see was a sea of heads. It was a miracle she could even stand. She opened her mouth to call out, but suddenly felt a cold hand grasp her wrist. Then, a woman's soft voice sounded in her ear: "My lady, do you still recognize me?"
Startled, she turned around abruptly, only to see a face veiled in purple gauze. Terrified, she nearly jumped up and tried to flee, but the woman grabbed her hair and pulled her back. Xiao Man screamed in pain, then felt a sharp pull on her shoulder as her hair was cut. She was then pulled into someone's arms, leaped to the second floor, and jumped out of the window.
"It's her! It's her! The Mountain of No Return has come!" Xiaoman was terrified. She grabbed the man's collar tightly and screamed like a pig being slaughtered.
The man lowered his head and said softly, "Please calm down, my lady. Don't get agitated."
Huh? That voice, isn't that Zexiu?! She looked up abruptly and saw a shiny earring on the man's ear. His long eyelashes were lowered, and he was staring at her intently.
Xiao Man gasped. She couldn't utter another word.
It is Tianquan.
Almost instinctively, Xiaoman raised her hand and shoved him in the face. Caught off guard, Tianquan nearly had his eye grabbed. He involuntarily let go, and Xiaoman fell to the ground. Ignoring the pain, she got up and ran. Her vest was grabbed again, and she screamed in fright. She was then punched and kicked.
Suddenly, a suppressed angry voice rang in my ears: "What the hell are you doing!"
Xiao Man turned around with a mixture of surprise and delight, and sure enough, she saw Ze Xiu. His face was covered in scratches from her attacks, veins bulging, and he glared at her fiercely. Ze Xiu grabbed her and pulled her under his arm. He feinted at Tian Quan's face, then took off running, leaving him far behind in the blink of an eye.
Xiao Man clung tightly to his waist. She cried out urgently, "It's Not Return Mountain! Boss Tu! She's here to settle scores with me!" Ze Xiu didn't speak, leaping up to the top of a tree. Looking back, he saw a purple figure chasing after him from afar, followed by Tian Quan. With such a menacing approach, a proper conversation seemed impossible; he could only avoid it for now. He jumped down from the tree, darted into a nearby alley, and took a shortcut to the ferry crossing. Just then, someone untied the rope and was about to set sail.
He leaped aboard and whispered, "Set sail quickly! Don't ask any questions!" With that, he tossed him a silver ingot.
Upon seeing that the silver ingot weighed ten taels, the man was overjoyed and quickly pushed off with a bamboo pole. The small boat swayed gently away from the ferry and drifted downstream with the current.
Xiao Man breathed a sigh of relief, collapsing onto the deck, unable to move. Recalling the scene just now, she was almost scared out of her wits. Her scalp was still a little sore from the boss's grip. The boss had grabbed her with such force, which showed how much he hated her. If she had fallen into the boss's hands, she would have been dead.
Zexiu squatted down beside her, looking at her mockingly, and said, "You brought this bitter fruit upon yourself."
Xiao Man looked up at him, feeling like crying: "Can't you stop making sarcastic remarks right now?"
Seeing that her hair was messy and her face was covered in sweat and mud, making her look particularly pitiful, Zexiu couldn't help but reach out and wipe the dirt off her face, laughing, "You're all covered in mud."
Xiao Man let out a long sigh and exclaimed, "Thank God, may all the gods protect her, please don't let her catch up!"
Ze Xiu asked curiously, "Shouldn't we ask the dragon for help?"
Xiao Man was stunned for a moment, then quickly corrected herself: "Uh, that's right... I forgot in my haste, may the dragon protect me!"
Zexiu flicked her forehead, about to speak, when he suddenly sensed something was wrong. Turning around, he saw a purple shadow dart across the shore like lightning, speeding along the bank and about to catch up with the small boat. Xiaoman froze in fright; indeed, the dragon wouldn't protect her!
Zexiu hurriedly turned around and said, "Boatman, hurry up and get off the bank! Get to the middle of the river!"
The boatman sighed, "Young master, a boat isn't like a carriage, where you can just do whatever you want. The current is so strong; you have to go with it, or what if the boat capsizes?"
Zexiu stood up, grabbed the pole, and tried to push towards the center of the river. After only two pushes, the purple figure leaped into the water with graceful, agile movements, but she was just a little short. Just as she was about to fall into the water, she suddenly threw a wooden box from her bosom and gently dropped it into the water. The wood was lighter than the water and floated on the surface. She lightly touched the box with her toes, and the purple skirt, like a dream that could destroy everything, gently landed in front of Xiaoman.
When the moment came, Xiaoman was not as afraid as she had been at the beginning.
She just stared blankly up at the alluring yet cold face beneath the purple veil, the nouveau riche boss's eyes seeming to want to skin her alive.
Another white figure leaped from the river—it was Tianquan. He landed steadily behind Zexiu and, before Zexiu could react, immediately drew a small knife and pressed it against his neck. Zexiu remained motionless, his gaze fixed intently on the Boss Tu.
The wealthy woman stood at the bow of the boat, her veil fluttering slightly in the wind. The boatman beside her, sensing something was amiss, had already cowered in the cabin, too afraid to move. She looked down at Xiaoman and suddenly whispered, "Little girl, do you know why I came to find you?"
Xiao Man took a breath and didn't say anything.
The local boss continued, "You dared to hire Liao soldiers to besiege Mount No Return? You're quite bold. Now that Mount No Return is completely surrounded, with no way in or out, do you really think no one can come and go as they please?"
Xiao Man remained silent.
Because she didn't know what else to say, in that instant, she seemed to hear the sound of the bull-headed horse from the underworld walking towards her.
The Twenty-One Chapters of the Chaotic Scroll: Flowing Water (Part Three)
Updated: 2008-10-05 15:01:24 Word Count: 4155
I suddenly realized I had two more chapters saved up, so I'm adding one more and posting them together today. Starting tomorrow, I won't have any more saved chapters, absolutely none. *Sigh* It really will only be one update a day from now on.
Third update.
The boss lifted her long skirt and took two graceful steps forward. Xiao Man closed her eyes tightly, thinking that she was going to kill her. But when the boss lifted her clothes at her chest, she involuntarily stood up.
The boss slowly lifted her veil, revealing a fair and beautiful face. However, only the upper half was beautiful; her face from the nose down was completely ruined. It was unclear whether it was from burns or something else, but Xiaoman shuddered at the sight and dared not look at it again.
Her voice was soft and gentle: "You are really very bold. I really didn't realize you had such courage."
Xiao Man trembled and said in a trembling voice, "Even ants will try to survive... Why should I be killed by you... Besides, you used poison, knives, and stuffed gold and silver into my mouth, you... you didn't have to do this..."
The landlady smiled and said softly, "Even ants cling to life because no one wants to kill them. Once someone wants to kill them, no amount of clinging will work, especially for those self-righteous ants who refuse to face reality." Her hand slowly touched Xiaoman's cheek; it was icy cold, and Xiaoman shivered again, feeling the long nails scrape against her cheek, causing excruciating pain. "Little girl," she said gently, "it's no use running to the ends of the earth, it's no use getting the emperor to protect you, and it's even more useless to fantasize about turning the fake into the real..."
Xiao Man trembled. She bit her lip, and judging from her expression, it wasn't fear. Instead, it was sadness and fear that made her want to cry.
If sacrificing her pride were worth anything, if her pride were even worth a little money, she would be willing to kneel before this person immediately and beg her never to reveal this secret. But her pride had already been bought off by three thousand taels of silver, so easily; a handful of silver could buy away all her hope.
So she could only lower her head, pale-faced, speechless.
The wealthy businessman looked at her despairing face with a sweet expression. Suddenly, he turned to face Zexiu and said softly, "Mr. Zexiu, I'm sorry, we were all deceived by this little liar. She's some kind of spy sent from somewhere, impersonating the young mistress of Cangya City, and she fooled us all quite well. Luckily, we discovered her suspicious behavior in time, otherwise, who knows what kind of disaster we would have faced. Now, the real young mistress of Cangya City has been rescued by Mount Bugui and is living a good life there. She has no interest in revenge or restoration, completely different from this little liar. You've traveled with her for so long and protected her for so long. It's all been for nothing; she is not the young mistress of Cangya City."
Ze Xiu's face was also deathly pale, barely better than a sheet of paper. He remained silent for a long time. Suddenly, he said, "Absurd! If she's not the young mistress, why did you cast a curse on her? The infamous No Return Mountain, bringing back a strange girl—didn't you investigate her background beforehand?"
The local boss sighed and said softly, "Indeed, No Return Mountain acted rashly in this matter. Because she had the horn of a fledgling dragon and the mark of Azure Fire, we initially thought she was truly the young mistress of Cangya City. However, the Gu worm didn't originate from No Return Mountain. When we welcomed her in Wutong Town, another group of martial arts figures came to snatch her, using a steel wire to cut her hand. Presumably, the Gu worm was planted then. Old Sha was in a hurry to bring the young mistress back and didn't have time to investigate their identities. This little girl is probably one of them, deliberately setting a trap to lure us into believing it. As for the Gu worm, it was probably planted by those people to control her. This little girl is shameless in speech and frivolous in behavior; she doesn't seem like the real young mistress at all. However, she's very eager to find the Five Corners, so we had no choice but to send three people from Tianquan to protect her down the mountain, also secretly to monitor her." As expected, she once let slip her secret during a conversation with her personal guard, which was overheard by Lao Sha's men. Lao Sha led his men to find her—at Baiyang Manor—but she cleverly escaped again. Then, by some unknown coincidence, she somehow managed to get Liao soldiers to besiege No Return Mountain. If she were truly the mistress, why would she be so guilty? Clearly, she's afraid her secret will be revealed. As for what sweet words she used to trick Mr. Zexiu into giving her his full assistance, I have no idea. You are a young and promising talent in the martial world; to be so easily fooled by a mere girl would only invite ridicule. I broke through the encirclement to come here, firstly to capture this audacious girl, and secondly to warn you, sir, not to aid and abet evil.”
She's lying! Complete rubbish! Xiao Man looked up and said urgently, "You're talking nonsense! That night, Old Sha clearly told me that you No Return Mountain had a trick up your sleeve..."
Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly felt a tightness around her neck. The boss's hand was stuck on it, and Xiaoman couldn't breathe. In extreme pain, she gripped his hand tightly, but no matter what she did, she couldn't pry it off.
"Even on the verge of death, you still have so much to say. Mr. Zexiu, you probably don't believe me, so how about I show you something interesting?"
The Boss Tu gently lifted Xiaoman's clothes, revealing her snow-white chest. She patted it lightly, and sure enough, a pale blue flame mark slowly appeared on that skin. The Boss Tu laughed and said, "This is not the Azure Fire Mark. The real Azure Fire Mark will never disappear, but this fake one will disappear immediately with the medicine and will never reappear."
She took out a small bottle from her sleeve, poured some powder onto it, and Xiaoman felt as if something had stabbed her in the chest. The pain made her break out in a cold sweat, and her fingers gripped her wrist tightly, turning pale. The mark of the Azure Fire on her chest slowly disappeared, and no matter how many times the Boss Tu patted it, it would never reappear.
The local boss winked at Tianquan, who immediately put down the knife in his hand, stepped aside, and remained silent with his hands hanging down.
Zexiu remained motionless, staring intently at the river without speaking or looking at Xiaoman.
She was held in the hands of the nouveau riche boss like a dog on the verge of death; her limbs cramped in agony, yet she couldn't die no matter what.
The local boss then said, "Mr. Zexiu, what should we do with this girl? I'll follow your instructions."
Zexiu slowly turned around, his expression cold, still refusing to look at her. He simply said in a low voice, "Do as you please, I won't interfere."
Xiao Man suddenly stopped struggling. Strangely, she suddenly felt that dying wasn't such a big deal.
A mongrel has no right to happiness. No matter how shiny her helmet is, it doesn't change the fact that she is a mongrel.
Her brief period of happiness has come to an end today.
As for all those many, many fun places—the flourishing apricot blossoms of Jiangnan, petals falling like rain, deep courtyards; the vast grasslands of the northern deserts, blue skies and white clouds, laughter echoing freely—they all suddenly seemed so far away, as distant as an unattainable dream. The future was the future; she had no future.
The tycoon drew his slender silver sword, about to pierce her chest, when a sudden gust of wind swept past her face, startling her. She tossed aside the dying Xiaoman and raised her sword to parry. But the man's strength was terrifying. With a clang, her sword was cleaved in two. She was struck in the shoulder.
The tycoon retreated several steps, and upon closer inspection, he saw it was indeed Zexiu. He tossed his cloak aside, grabbed Xiaoman, and prepared to jump off the boat. The tycoon shouted, "Trying to escape!" She pressed hard on the wound on her shoulder, and suddenly, with a light tap of her toes, she moved like a purple flower about to bloom. The hem of her clothes brushed against half of Zexiu's body, and he felt a shiver run through his body—it was a sleeping potion!
He immediately held his breath, but it was too late. A flash of silver light appeared beside him, and he barely dodged it. An iron arrow struck the cabin with a clang, tearing his cloak. Xiao Man fell onto the deck and was picked up by Tianquan and carried on his shoulder.
He tried to snatch it again, but his hands and feet were already weak. Suddenly, he felt a chill in his chest and his mind went blank. Looking down, he saw the half of the silver sword that he had cleaved through, piercing his chest from behind.
The local tycoon drew his silver sword, and blood spurted from his body. Xiao Man gasped, shrieking, "Ze Xiu!"