Seeing that Xiaoman had no seat, Yaoguang hurriedly stood up to offer her one. Tianji glanced at Shulu with obvious disgust and said, "Hey, you Khitan, move aside! We've booked this table."
Shulu watched the group of handsome men and beautiful women with great interest, without answering. Tianji felt goosebumps all over from his gaze and couldn't help but turn around to look at Tianquan.
"Um...are you going to the capital or Mount Taibai? I...I can be your bodyguard." The girl, who was as beautiful as a fairy, suddenly spoke up, looking at Xiaoman pleadingly.
Xiao Man said "Oh," and casually added, "Sorry, we don't need it..."
Before he could finish speaking, Tianquan suddenly said, "Alright, we can hire you."
Has he lost his mind? Xiao Man looked at him in bewilderment. Three hundred taels of silver for a guard? You can't even buy someone that much money.
Tianquan turned to Tianji and said, "I don't have that much money on me right now. Give her three hundred taels of silver, and I'll pay you back when we get back."
Tianji scratched his head and said in a embarrassed voice, "Sorry, we don't have that much money on us. We're just waiting to see Lao Sha and ask him for money."
Tianquan pursed his lips slightly, and his brows furrowed again.
Shulu couldn't help but burst into laughter, pointing at them and laughing so hard he seemed to be out of breath, saying intermittently, "Heavens... Haha! Poor bastards trying to be heroes! Ahahaha! This is hilarious... Seeing how you were before, I thought you were rolling in money... Turns out... Hahahaha!"
When Tianji and Tianquan heard his mockery, their brows furrowed even more. Outside, especially in Khitan territory, no one dared to act rashly, and even Tianji became much more restrained.
Yao Guang gently tugged at Xiao Man's sleeve and whispered, "My lady, that girl is so pitiful. We can't just watch her be taken away and abused by the Khitans. You have some money, right? Please help her, okay?"
"What does it have to do with her!" Xiaoman frowned. There are so many pitiful people in this world; if you help one after another, you'll spend all your gold and silver. She smiled and said, "Uh, sorry, I don't have that much money either. I can't help you."
Tianji snorted, "Liar! You have so many silver notes in your purse, and so many gems... You count them so many times every day, do you think we don't know? Be stingy, just admit it, why make excuses!"
Xiao Man raised an eyebrow and said, "Do you keep peeking at me? You're quite the infatuator."
Tianji blushed and said hurriedly, "Hey, don't talk nonsense! Who, who was peeping at you!"
Xiao Man said leisurely, "Since you didn't peek, how can you make things up? Where would I get so much money? You must have misunderstood."
Tianji wanted to say something more, but Shulu chuckled and said, "No need to say more, I'm taking him away now. This farce ends here."
He beckoned to the girl, revealing a row of neat, white teeth: "Come here. No one else wants to hire you, so you'll have to come back with me. Serve me well, and I won't treat you badly."
The girl's face was slightly pale, making her look pitiful. Yao Guang sighed and shook her head. Tian Ji looked at Xiao Man with disdain, but Xiao Man pretended not to notice. She was always as hard as stone; nothing could move her except money. Tian Quan frowned repeatedly, remaining silent.
Shulu stood up, clapped his hands, and the kneeling guards all stood up. Two of them grabbed the girl and tried to leave, but she struggled and somehow managed to break free from the grip of the two tall Khitan warriors.
"Don't try to be strong. I'm not forcing you, nor am I abusing my power." Shulu wiped her hands with a flowered handkerchief and spoke slowly and deliberately. "But the principle of paying back debts applies everywhere. Your Song laws are no exception. You'd better behave and stop hiding. Hoping those penniless guys will come to your rescue... Heh, even if they sold everything they had, they wouldn't be able to scrape together a hundred taels. Don't count on it."
Yao Guang shook Xiao Man again, saying urgently, "My lady! We can't just stand by and watch her die!"
Shulu glanced at Xiaoman and chuckled, "Forget it, this girl looks like she's poor and stingy. What money could she possibly have?"
Xiao Man's eyelids suddenly twitched, and she looked up and said softly, "Wait, what did you just say about me?"
Shulu still laughed: "You look so poor and shabby, can't you look in the mirror? You're so rustic, do you even have any money?"
Xiao Man hummed in agreement and gave a sweet smile: "Of course. Three hundred taels of silver, right?" She slipped a pearl from her sleeve, pinched it between her fingers, rolled it in her palm, and its blue light shone through, clear and beautiful.
Everyone was stunned, never expecting her to offer such an expensive item. Shu Lu was also somewhat taken aback, never imagining that Xiao Man was actually wealthy.
She twirled the bead in her hand and said sneer, "A luminous pearl, worth three hundred taels of gold on the market. If I give you this, you'll still have to give me a lot of money back—but do you, a vulgar person like yourself, even have the eye to recognize such a treasure?"
Treasure Scroll, Chapter 3: The Robe (Part 3)
Updated: 2008-10-04 15:09:05 Word Count: 3934
Shulu remained silent for a long time. A guard was about to take the luminous pearl, but Xiaoman stopped him, raising an eyebrow and saying, "Wait, give me the change first. This thing is worth much more than three hundred taels of silver. You can't take advantage of someone like this."
He remained silent for a long while, then coughed lightly, wiped his mouth with a flowered handkerchief, and said in a low voice, "Never mind, let's go."
The guards hesitated for a moment, but when they saw their master quickly leave and mount his horse, they hurried after him and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Xiao Man grinned and said, "Who's a pauper? Who looks like a poor wretch? You dare to flaunt three hundred taels of silver in front of me!" She proudly pinched the luminous pearl and rolled it around in her hand.
Yao Guang looked at her with admiration and said repeatedly, "Your Highness is truly amazing! You are so kind and compassionate! We were all fooled by you at first! We never expected that you could stump him without spending any money. You are so clever!"
Xiao Man was practically floating on air from the flattery, accepting the praise without a shred of shame, completely forgetting her earlier, heartless thoughts. Xiao Man could be called two-faced, or even treacherous, but she couldn't bear being looked down upon for her poverty despite carrying a large sum of money. She'd had enough of being poor, and she hated being told she looked like a pauper. She wasn't poor anymore; she should be called Rich Xiao Man.
The girl walked over, knelt down, and repeatedly said, "Thank you so much, my benefactor!"
Yao Guang hurriedly helped her up. When he saw her face, he was overwhelmed by her beauty and dared not look at her for long. He said softly, "It's alright. Why would a girl like you come here to be someone's guard?"
The girl said, "I've always been like this. Why can't women be bodyguards? I'm very capable and can endure hardship. By the way, it was my benefactors who helped me. From now on, I will follow you and protect you for the rest of my life, and I will never leave your side!"
She spoke with great passion, but no one had ever seen such a beautiful guard, so beautiful that she should have been kept in seclusion as a young lady, instead of showing her face in public as a guard.
"Actually, I am very capable, but I don't know why, no one wants to hire me or trust me. Some kind people would rather give me a lot of money and say they want to take care of me than hire me as a bodyguard. It's really strange."
She spoke in a very charming and innocent way.
Xiao Man sat cross-legged on a chair, playing with a luminous pearl in her hand, and laughed, "I know why they won't hire you."
The girl looked at her with a confused expression. Xiaoman said, "Because you look silly, like a little dog, not like a guard."
Yao Guang burst out laughing, then looked back at the girl. Although she was pretty, she was dull-witted and indeed, Xiao Man was right.
The girl seemed to suddenly realize something, then touched her face and sighed, "Am I really stupid?"
Xiao Man beckoned to her with her finger: "Come here, come here."
She immediately pounced on her, her round eyes staring at Xiaoman, though she couldn't actually see anything clearly.
"Give me your paws." Xiaoman stretched out her hand, and she obediently placed her hand on it.
"Good girl." She patted her head. "What's your name?"
“Lianyi,” the girl replied, “my name is Lianyi, Lian as in chain and Yi as in clothes.”
Xiao Man nodded: "Very good, Lianyi, from now on you are my dog... no, my person. Didn't you want to repay me? I'll hire you as my personal bodyguard, and you're not allowed to leave my side for even a moment."
Lianyi was so moved that she clung to her sleeve and wouldn't let go, repeatedly saying, "I'm very capable! I'm really capable! I'll do anything you ask me to do, Master!"
Xiaoman patted her head, like comforting an excited puppy. The luminous pearl in her hand accidentally fell onto the table and rolled down. She quickly reached for it, but a hand was faster than her, gently picking it up and rolling it around in the palm of her hand.
Xiao Man looked up and saw that the owner of the hand was none other than the annoying Tian Quan. She rolled her eyes and said coldly, "Give it back to me."
Tianquan glanced at the luminous pearl, rubbed it with his hand, and could vaguely feel the countless polished edges on it. He said calmly, "This is a pearl embedded in a bronze mirror, worth three hundred taels of gold."
Xiao Man suddenly had a bad feeling. Strange, these words sounded familiar. It was as if she had heard them somewhere before. Someone had also told her about the market price of things before confiscating all the jewelry that had been salvaged from her.
"So what?" she feigned ignorance.
A smile suddenly appeared on Tianquan's cold face, as if breaking through ice and melting snow, which was breathtaking.
He placed the luminous pearl into Xiaoman's hand and said, "It's nothing. My lady is kind-hearted and resourceful. I feel ashamed."
Ahhhhh! He's not going to use force, so he's resorting to a softer approach! He's definitely up to no good! Xiao Man glared at him warily, while frantically stuffing her precious, recovered luminous pearl into her sleeve, afraid it would fall out.
Lianyi, who was squatting at her feet, suddenly made a rumbling sound in her stomach. Everyone was startled and looked over. Lianyi touched her stomach blankly and whispered, "I'm hungry, so hungry."
Tianquan said gently, "Let's order some food. We still need to travel to the outskirts to find Old Master Chang later."
*****
Originally, Tianquan was leading the way, while the other three were happy to linger behind at a leisurely pace. Tianji was playful, Xiaoman was indifferent to matters that didn't concern her, and Yaoguang was adept at making a mess of things. Since Tianquan joined them, their travel efficiency skyrocketed, and the banter almost completely disappeared.
When we arrived at Mr. Chang's Baiyang Village, it was just getting dark. The village was brightly lit, and we didn't know what kind of banquet was being held. Firecrackers were popping and fireworks were dazzling.
Tianquan jumped off his horse and saw that the stone-paved road in front of the manor had been swept clean, with snow piled up on both sides. Every three steps, there was a lampstand with a ram's horn lantern hanging on it, illuminating the road clearly. He went up to ask the servants guarding the gate about the situation, while Xiaoman and the others took the opportunity to climb out of the carriage for some fresh air.
"Wow, is it a wedding? We've come at the right time; maybe we can even have a drink at the wedding." Xiaoman leaned against the carriage, clutching her fur cloak tightly, shivering from the cold, and white breath gathered in her eyes as she spoke.
The woman next to her was only wearing a worn-out coarse cloth dress. She looked left and right, seemingly oblivious to the biting cold wind.
"Lianyi." Xiaoman called out casually, and Lianyi hurriedly replied "Yes," then turned around and stared at her with wide eyes.
"Good girl, good girl." He patted her head. "Aren't you cold?"
Lianyi shook her head and patted her chest: "I'm very capable!"
...and competence don't seem to have much to do with it, do they?
"Since you're going to be a bodyguard, you must be quite skilled, right? What weapon do you use?"
This was what Xiaoman was most curious about. Actually, she had another reason for hiring Lianyi as her personal bodyguard. She couldn't rely on the people from No Return Mountain to protect her. In a sense, she had to cultivate her own people, preferably those with excellent fighting skills. Of course, Xiaoman herself didn't know what "excellent fighting skills" meant, but she couldn't just show off her skills in front of others for nothing, could she?
Lianyi rummaged through her tattered clothes for a long time before finally pulling out a rusty sickle. She held it up to Xiaoman, saying, "This is it. Although it's rusty, it can still be used after some sharpening. I've used it for ten years, and it's very handy!"
"Uh, does anyone fight with a sickle?" Xiaoman looked at her pale face and suddenly felt that this person was very unreliable. It seemed that she would have to wait for another opportunity to find someone else with good skills to be her bodyguard.
"Lianyi, you'll be my bodyguard. Your monthly salary..." She wanted to haggle. Two taels of silver a month wasn't much, but it still stung.
Lianyi's eyes widened. "Master, why are you talking about wages? You are my benefactor. I won't ask you for wages. I said I would protect you for life, and that's for life. I will never leave your side again."
Such a bargain could not possibly exist! Xiaoman was moved to tears, gripping her soft little hand tightly. After a long while, she finally managed to stammer, "Very good! You are such a good person!"
Tianji came over to join in the fun, rolled her eyes at Xiaoman, and said, "She's an honest person, don't bully her." She turned around and grinned at Lianyi, "If she doesn't pay you, then you should ask her for everything, including food, clothing, and lodging. Don't let this black-hearted girl take advantage of you."
Lianyi quickly shook her head: "My mistress is my benefactor! I won't trouble her!"
Seeing her innocent appearance, Tianji couldn't help but sigh: "Silly girl, I really don't know how you've survived until now."
Xiao Man laughed and said, "Whether she's stupid or not is none of your concern. She's mine now."
Tianji pouted her beautiful lips and muttered, "You really don't act like a mistress at all. Now I can't help but wonder if you're really a mistress."
As they were talking, Tianquan turned around and walked over, saying, "Old Master Chang's son is getting married today, we've come at the wrong time."
The composed Yao Guang frowned slightly and said, "What are we going to do? They're having a happy occasion, and we're here talking about all this swordplay and intrigue. Besides, we haven't even prepared a gift..."
Xiao Man raised an eyebrow: "Then let's go! We can come back with a gift after his son has another son."
Tianquan glanced at her indifferently, then turned to Tianji and said, "I'm not very good at handling weddings and funerals, you go."
Tianji spread his hands: "I have no problem going, but what about the congratulatory gift?"
All eyes turned to Xiaoman, making it impossible for her to pretend she hadn't seen anything. She crossed her arms and took two steps back, saying, "Wh...what are you doing? Let me make this clear beforehand, I don't have any money! I don't know any of these 'Mr. and Mr.'s' names. His son's wedding has nothing to do with me!"
Tianji stepped forward, grabbed both her hands, lifted her up, and laughed, "Hand it over obediently, you little rich girl!" He turned and told Yaoguang to look for the purse in her arms. The child was an honest and simple person. She came forward tremblingly, put her hands together, and whispered, "I'm sorry, my mistress. I will definitely return it to you later!"