It seems like not many people are reading my new story, so I'm not motivated to update twice a week. *sigh*
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Lianyi wiped away her tears. She had probably never been so moved since she was born, and she was speechless.
Xiao Man laughed and said, "Silly child, your nose is all snot, wipe it quickly." With that, she raised the sleeve of her dress and wiped her snot and tears.
Lianyi whispered, "I'm not a child anymore, I'm definitely older than Master."
"Oh? I'm sixteen years old this year. I might look young, but I'm not actually that young."
Lianyi said, "I am seventeen years old, one year older than Master."
Xiao Man flicked her nose and giggled, "Being a year older isn't that much. You look so silly, you're not even as smart as my little brother Dami."
Lianyi looked at her with envy, "Master has a younger brother, but Lianyi has only ever been alone since she was little."
"Oh, so you're an only child? Did your family teach you kung fu?" Xiaoman asked casually.
Lianyi's face fell, and she sighed softly, "I was abandoned at birth. My master raised me and taught me kung fu while we lived in the mountains. Later, my master died of illness, and I had to come out and find my own way to make a living. I'm clearly very skilled; I could be a bodyguard or a guard without any problem. But no one in the area down the mountain would pay attention to me. They either wanted to pay me to take care of me or wanted to marry me as a wife or concubine. Later, I heard that there were many merchants and travelers here in Helin, so I thought I could find something to do. That's why I came here. I never expected to meet you, Master. It's Lianyi's good fortune."
Xiao Man patted her shoulder and said gently, "It's my good fortune too."
Unexpectedly, the child burst into tears again. Xiaoman sighed. In the past, when she acted pitiful and cute, crying and wailing, no one got impatient with her; she was lucky. She was so annoyed by Lianyi's crying that she wanted to slap her to make everything quiet.
Just as they were in a flurry of activity, they suddenly heard footsteps treading through the snow behind them. Both of them froze and turned around to see a group of people slowly approaching under the moonlight. They were all dressed in ivory-white robes, wearing black hats, and riding black horses. They stood there silently.
Xiao Man trembled at the sight of this attire. People from the Mountain of No Return!
"Master, is he a bad person?" Lianyi asked quickly when she noticed her expression was off.
Xiao Man didn't know whether to nod or shake her head. There were too many of them, and Lian Yi definitely couldn't beat them. It would be better to see what their plans were first. She said softly, "Don't move, just protect me. These guys are very troublesome."
Just then, a man in white rode up on horseback and said, "Young master, why have you run out again?"
It was Lao Sha's voice.
Xiao Man breathed a sigh of relief. She was relieved to see someone she knew. She walked over and said with a smile, "It's my godfather. I thought something had happened. I was so scared."
Old Sha jumped off his horse, expressionless, and said calmly, "What are your intentions in running away time and time again?"
"Huh? This doesn't seem right..." Xiao Man blinked and said softly, "I didn't run away, but Baiyang Manor caught fire, and I couldn't stay there, so Lianyi and I fled for our lives. We got separated and are waiting for Young Master Tianquan and the others."
Old Sha said coldly, "The manor wasn't on fire when you left. Don't think that just because you have an extra guard, you can do whatever you want."
Xiao Man was suddenly startled: "You sent people to follow me!"
Old Sha said, "Seeking allies and reclaiming Cangya City are such important matters, how can we really entrust them to someone as ignorant and incompetent as you?"
Xiao Man took a breath. "That's right, I'm an ignorant and incompetent person, but who pushed me into the limelight? They want me to do things, but they also ridicule me. Is there any justice in this world?"
Old Sha sneered, "Those three thousand taels of silver, and numerous gems and pearls, were they given to you for nothing? Or do you think that Mount No Return has become so incompetent that they wouldn't even notice if something was missing from their home?"
When Xiaoman heard him mention money, a thought struck her, and she laughed, "Don't be so hasty, old man. It's too hurtful to say such unpleasant things. As the saying goes, money makes the world go round. If the money is right, how could I not do my best?"
Old Sha's expression softened slightly, and he beckoned to her, "Come here and talk."
He turned and walked away. Xiaoman hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Master, I'll go with you."
Xiao Man steeled her resolve and gritted her teeth, saying, "No need. You wait here. If I don't come out after a long time, then you rush over to save them."
Lianyi nodded, pulled out the Crimson Glow and held it in her hand, her whole body on guard.
Xiao Man followed Lao Sha to a secluded spot behind a tree, carefully looked him up and down, and seeing that he seemed normal, she mustered her courage and said, "Why did you have to scare me like that, godfather? You said such unpleasant things. I'm still feeling really upset."
Old Sha chuckled and said, "You never tell the truth. I've said it before, your overly clever and outspoken personality will bring you disaster sooner or later. You underestimate people's true nature. Do you think you're the only smart one in the world, and everyone else is an idiot?"
"I will always remember my godfather's teachings," she replied insincerely, before extending her hand. "Where's the money my godfather promised me?"
Old Sha sneered, "The failure of Baiyang Village was largely due to your laziness. You didn't take it seriously at all, and your flaws were immediately obvious. You think you can rely on your cleverness to make your way in the world and have everyone follow you? You should give up that idea as soon as possible! The matter was not accomplished, and you still want money?"
Xiao Man spread her hands: "You know the reason, why bother picking on me! I was never a mistress, but you all insist on pushing and praising me to the status of a concubine. No matter how you try, a fake can never become real."
Old Sha's expression changed, and he said sternly, "Have you forgotten everything I told you?!"
Xiao Man was startled and stared at him in disbelief. He then said, "Forget about the money! When I first realized I had the wrong person, I wanted to kill you to silence you, but the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth had other plans, which is why I spared your life! You think you're so smart, but you can't even see who holds your life in their hands? And you dare to bargain with Mount No Return!"
Xiao Man forced a smile, her legs trembling uncontrollably. Old Sha was right about some things; she had indeed taken everything too lightly. What was she? No money, no power, no background—what could she possibly use to negotiate? All she relied on was a little bit of cleverness.
But I'm not convinced, I really am not convinced.
Why should she be used for no reason?
If a lowly person has no life of their own, then she doesn't want to be someone else's puppet.
"You should all find other opportunities. I... am not qualified for the position of young mistress. I'll return the small horn to you... The Azure Fire Seal and all that was just a misunderstanding. You can find someone else to draw it. Anyway, Mount Bugui is rich and powerful, there's nothing they can't do. They shouldn't make things difficult for a mere woman like me."
She was half genuinely pitiful, and half pretending to be; her eyes were brimming with tears, as if she was about to burst into tears.
Old Sha sighed, "Is this all so fun? If you don't want to do it, that's fine too. Just give me back all the silver and jewels, and I promise I won't cause you any trouble once I return to the mountain."
Xiao Man clutched her chest, looking utterly horrified, and said in a trembling voice, "You people are so inhuman! You even want to take away my hard-earned money!"
Old Sha coldly said, "Mount No Return never pities the useless. Hand over every single piece of jewelry and silver you stole, and I'll keep my word and let you go immediately. From now on, the affairs of Cangya City will have nothing to do with you."
Xiao Man was anxious. She had given 1,000 taels of the 3,000 taels of silver to her father and stepmother, and some of the jewels she had taken were lost in the desert. How could she possibly find them all and return them to them? Besides, she had suffered so much, and in the end, she hadn't received a single coin. This was far too unfair!
She was speechless. In the end, she was still bound to money and unable to move.
Old Sha continued, "Since you don't want to repay it, then you should do your job properly from now on. The reason why the five elements (metal, wood, water, fire, earth) favor you is because you are clever, quick-witted, and eloquent. It's much better for you to handle the negotiations in the martial world than for the real master to step in. Besides, the mark on your body is also a kind of coincidence. Heaven has destined you to be the master this time, so why think too much?"
Xiao Man remained silent for a long time before softly saying, "This mark is from when I met a man riding a black horse. We had a disagreement, and he slapped me. The mark appeared two days later, and I don't know why. That little horn was also left behind by him. I originally intended to sell it for money, but before I could get rid of it, you came looking for me."
She subconsciously raised her hand to touch the small horn on her neck, only to find it empty. She was shocked and touched it more carefully, and sure enough, the young dragon's horn was gone!
Seeing that she looked strange, Old Sha asked, "What's wrong?"
She forced herself to stay calm. It was best not to let him know about this, or he might cause her all sorts of trouble. Xiaoman shook her head, her face pale, and whispered, "It's nothing... I was just wondering... what exactly is that person's identity?"
Old Sha said, "Since you work for Mount No Return, there's no need to hide these things from you. To tell you the truth, the real young mistress has already been found and taken in by Mount No Return. However, she was born with a delicate constitution and is completely naive, utterly ignorant of worldly affairs. She doesn't care much about the important matter of restoring Cangya City, especially since this matter is at the forefront of the martial arts world. How could we let a noble young lady like her go out and risk her life? So, by chance, we found you. You should thank the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth for their kindness, otherwise your life would have been in danger in the desert."
Xiao Man chuckled a few times, seemingly lost in thought.
What's so special about this? As expected, the real protagonist is treated like royalty, while she's just an extra, a mere substitute.
What exactly is she?
"As for the Azure Fire Mark on your chest, it truly surprised us. Later, we asked the young mistress, and she said it was a secret technique of Cangya City. After all, the young mistress of Cangya City is someone coveted by the whole world. The dragon horn and the Azure Fire Mark can be used to determine if someone is the real young mistress. So when Cangya City was destroyed, the dragon horn on her neck was taken away by the warriors of her clan so that others would not recognize her true identity. That palm strike was originally called the Azure Fire Palm. The person who was hit by it would have an Azure Fire Mark appear on the wound, which would only fade after three years. When that person hit you, he did not use his internal force, otherwise you would have died after three years. I think he knew that everyone in the martial world was looking for the young mistress recently, so he used this method of undermining their cause, deliberately hitting you with a palm strike and leaving the dragon horn behind, so that the blame would be directed at you, giving them time to settle things calmly."
Xiao Man's face was now truly pale. She staggered back a few steps, leaning against a poplar tree, and murmured, "From that day... from the moment I met that person... it was all a conspiracy? For no reason, I was made a scapegoat?"
Old Sha said calmly, "It's also your luck. Others would love to be a mistress but can't. There's nothing wrong with you being like this. You have plenty of money, and you'll be treated with great courtesy wherever you go. As long as you don't say anything, no one will know your true identity. Besides, what kind of place is Cangya City, and what kind of place is Mount Bugui? Countless people in the martial world would be willing to die for us, and they would have to wait in line. You've received such an honor, so even if you die, it will be a blessing."
Xiao Man chuckled dryly a few times and said in a low voice, "Why should I die for you? Am I really worthless? Do you think I have nothing better to do?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly felt a chill on her neck; Old Sha's sword was pressed against it. Startled, she looked up at him expressionlessly. Old Sha said coldly, "There are always noble people and lowly people in this world. You should obediently accept your fate. Today I will tell you the biggest secret. If you divulge even half a word of it one day, this sword will immediately slit your throat. Don't think that just because you call me 'godfather' a couple of times, you can do whatever you want. How can Mount Bugui allow a mere child like you to play around so freely?"
Xiao Man stared at him blankly for a long time, then suddenly whispered, "No. You must have other plans. Since our young master is unwilling to restore Cangya City, let alone seek revenge, why are you secretly going against our wishes? You have your own selfish motives, don't you?"
Old Sha was speechless for a moment, then his eyes flashed with a fierce light, and he thrust his sword forward.
She's going to die!
Xiao Man felt a chill in her heart, unsure whether she hated herself for speaking too quickly or for the viciousness of these people.
She didn't feel sad at all; she was just disheartened and perhaps even a little numb.
Having lived for sixteen years, what has she experienced? Has she loved deeply, or been deeply loved?
No, there's nothing there.
She used to have a fake smile, but now all she has are gold and silver treasures that don't belong to her.
Ah, in the end, she got nothing.
"Old Sha." Suddenly someone spoke up. Old Sha was startled and quickly pulled his sword back. He turned around and saw Tian Quan standing tall and elegant, looking at him calmly.
"Young Master!" Old Sha panicked for a moment, "I just... I told the young master... she ran away again..."
He was completely incoherent.
"Come on, don't do this again."
Tianquan's voice was softer than the wind, yet it pierced the heart like a cold needle.
Old Sha hurriedly sheathed his sword, bowed respectfully to him, and said, "In any case, I will still have to trouble you, young master, to make this journey easier."
He turned and ran away quickly, as if fleeing for his life.
Tianquan slowly walked up to Xiaoman. She had her head down, her shoulders were thin, and her figure was slender, as if she would be blown away by the night wind at any moment.
"Are you crying?" he asked in a low voice.
"No...nothing." She raised her head, and sure enough, her face was clean, without a trace of anything. Her eyes had an indescribable, eerie gleam, like a fog, unfathomable.
"I'm thinking, if a person's life is worthless, there's really nothing you can do about it."
She swore, laughed, patted the gold and silver jewelry that hadn't been stolen from her chest, and gazed at the endless poplar forest in the distance. No one knew what she was thinking.
The Treasure Scroll, Chapter Nine: The True and False Young Master (Part Three)
Updated: 2008-10-04 15:09:09 Word Count: 3417
"Old Sha!" Tianji and Yaoguang arrived just now, and their eyes lit up as if they had seen a wallet the moment they saw Old Sha.
Old Sha bowed respectfully: "Greetings, Young Master Tianji and Miss Yaoguang."
Tianji rushed over, grabbed his hand and shook it repeatedly, asking, "Did you bring any money? We're a bit short on cash lately."
Old Sha nodded in understanding, turned around and clapped his hands at the group of men in white, saying, "Bring the things over."
Xiao Man walked past him without a word, while Lian Yi ran over excitedly, her face beaming: "Master is indeed alright! Why didn't you say they were with Young Master Tianquan sooner? I was so worried. Now that Young Master Tianquan and the others have found us, does that mean we lost the game?"
"You brat, why are you laughing so happily after losing!" Xiao Man sat down on the snow with a bored expression, leaning against a poplar tree, and said slowly, "Yes, I lost miserably, I couldn't have lost any more. Fortunately, I still have my worthless life. It's really because God is blind. I'll go to the temple to pray tomorrow and ask the Bodhisattva to take this scourge away as soon as possible."