His words were quite impolite, but the man with the round fan wasn't angry at all. He just smiled and said, "You're right, kid. A doctor should help the sick and save lives, but I just won't. What can you do about it?"
"You..." Gengu was about to explode when Zexiu glared at him and interrupted him, "Second Uncle, is it really beyond redemption?"
The man with the round fan clicked his tongue and said, "So many years have passed, and you actually call me 'Second Uncle' now. Who is this girl to you? Why are you begging me for her sake?"
Zexiu remained silent for a while before saying, "She has a special background; she is the young mistress of Cangya City."
The fan-wielder fell silent, its eyes darting around Xiaoman again, as if trying to see through her skin and into her brain and internal organs. After looking her over, it smiled and shook its head, saying softly, "Doesn't seem like it, doesn't seem like it."
Zexiu said softly, "Second Uncle..."
Before she could finish speaking, he interrupted her: "Calling me 'Second Uncle' a thousand times won't do any good. First, she doesn't meet my standards; second, she's not sick, she's been cursed; and third, she looks very strange. Saving her would definitely cause me a lot of trouble. Take her away, take her away. I'm not talking about this."
After saying that, he turned and left, went inside, closed the door, and never came out again.
Gengu roared, "That old bastard! I'll go drag him out!" With that, he drew his broadsword and was about to chop at the door.
Zexiu grabbed him: "Stop! Where are you? You can't just do whatever you want here."
He tossed the dog, Gengu, to Lianyi and said, "Stay nearby for now. I'll eventually get his permission."
Xiao Man said in a low voice, "Let's just forget about it. If he won't save us, then who in the world can? Why bother begging him and making everyone unhappy?"
Zexiu frowned, about to speak, when Tianquan suddenly said, "We can't wait. If we look for others, we don't know if they'll be willing to help, especially since we only have a month. We might as well stay here. Although this senior said this, he didn't say it was a sure thing. Don't give up easily."
Zexiu led the horse backward and said, "Let's go find a quiet house and borrow a few rooms. I don't believe I can't wear down this old codger!" He was clearly angry and spoke very bluntly.
This mission was unsuccessful, and everyone was in low spirits. Even Yelü Jing dared not speak loudly, for fear of being beaten to a pulp.
Xiao Man walked to Ze Xiu's side and whispered, "Ze Xiu, is he your second uncle?"
He said coldly, "So what if it is, and so what if it isn't?"
Xiao Man was taken aback by his words and immediately touched her nose, wanting to leave. She had only taken one step when he grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back, saying, "Don't worry, I will definitely keep you safe."
Touched, she whispered, "You're so good to me... I'll definitely share half of the treasure with you once we find it."
For someone as greedy as her, saying such things already shows absolute sincerity.
Zexiu blinked, raised his hand to hit her head, but suddenly seemed to remember something, and slowly lowered his hand, gave a cold laugh, and without saying a word, led the horse forward.
(The Treasure Scroll is complete)
The Chaotic Scroll, Chapter One: The Fan Manor (Part 1)
Updated: 2008-10-04 15:09:23 Word Count: 3669
Friday, two chapters today. This is the second update.
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In the end, they found a private residence to stay at.
Zexiu tied up the horse with a dark face and left without saying a word. Lianyi wiped away her tears, timidly watching his angry back, and said, "Is Uncle Zexiu angry? Will he argue with his second uncle...?"
Xiao Man sighed, as if his anger wasn't because of his second uncle... Could it be that she had just said she would share half of the treasure with him, which angered him? Did he not want to share it equally and instead want to keep it all for himself?
In the evening, an elderly couple from the village brought over several bowls of plain noodles, along with some side dishes they had made themselves. A group of people sat around the stove eating noodles, the atmosphere extremely somber. The only sound was the slurping of noodles being eaten; no one spoke. Yelü Jing stared wide-eyed at this person and then at that person, wisely choosing to remain silent.
Xiao Man took a couple of bites, then put down her bowl with a heavy heart. She turned to Lian Yi and asked in a low voice, "Lian Yi, if... I mean, if someone saved your life several times, how would you repay them?"
Lianyi answered without hesitation: "I'll be his slave."
Xiao Man looked down at her thin body and arms. To work like a slave... this seemed too much for her. She could still do needlework, wash clothes, cook, and the like.
Gengu, with his sharp ears, heard this and said, "If it were me, I would definitely save him a few times as a way of repaying him."
She went to save Zexiu? It seems... unlikely.
Yelü Jing couldn't stomach such coarse food. He put down his bowl, wiped his mouth with a flowered handkerchief, and said, "If it were me, I would take him home, feed him with good wine and food, and provide him with beautiful women and men. I would never let him suffer."
Good wine and good food are easy to find, beautiful women and handsome men… The image of herself as a madam flashed through her mind, all smiles as she introduced this and that to Zexiu, and she broke out in a cold sweat. She felt that if she repaid Zexiu like this, then it wouldn't be Yelü Jing who was being used as a punching bag, but her.
Only Tianquan remained silent. Xiaoman looked at him earnestly, hoping he could offer some insightful advice.
Tianquan glanced at her and said calmly, "Given your personality, how would you repay me?"
Xiao Man hesitated for a moment before saying, "Well... I definitely gave him money. I gave him half of what I had... Isn't that fair?"
Tianquan said in a low voice, "Did he save you just to get your reward and money?"
Xiao Man's heart stirred. Thinking of Ze Xiu's cold smile and his eyes when he left, she felt a little scared, though she didn't know what she was afraid of.
Tianquan put down his bowl, neatly placed his chopsticks beside him, and stood up, saying, "The way of chivalry is that saving people doesn't need a reason."
Is that so? It was just the way of chivalry all along...?
His words left Xiaoman feeling dejected all night; she tossed and turned on the kang (heated brick bed), unable to fall asleep.
She had a dream that was both sweet and sad in the morning.
Most of the time, she was just hoping. She would tell herself that she couldn't hope for those beautiful things because she was destined not to get them, and even if she did, she would lose them quickly.
How should one live to achieve inner peace and be free from regrets?
She stood on this side of the shore, gazing at the colorful scenery on the opposite bank.
The cost of taking that step is so high that it is daunting.
Her mother was right. She was destined to never find happiness. She would live her whole life in lies and deception, and she would even forget who she was.
When Xiaoman woke up, it was almost noon. She opened her eyes and felt extremely tired. She didn't even want to lift a finger.
Lianyi and Gengu finished disassembling a set of swords and ran in, quietly wiping their sweat. When they saw Xiaoman staring wide-eyed on the kang, they hurriedly ran over and said, "Master, you're awake? I've saved some steamed buns for you."
Xiao Man stared at her sweat-drenched face for a long time before softly asking, "Has Zexiu arrived?"
Lianyi shook her head, her face contorted in distress.
Xiaoman pushed back the covers, sighed, and said, "Lianyi, I don't think I slept well. I feel weak all over. Can you help me comb my hair?"
Lianyi gasped, her eyes widening, and said timidly, "Master... Lianyi... doesn't know how to comb her hair..."
Xiao Man was taken aback, then realized that she usually did the child's hair, and the child seemed to know nothing about it. She had no choice but to put on her clothes and get up to wash and comb her hair herself. She tried to tie her hair up with a comb, but she was too weak to do it properly, and the hairpin fell off as soon as she inserted it.
She angrily threw down the comb and slumped onto the table, lost in thought.
Footsteps sounded behind her, and Lianyi called out softly, "Young Master Tianquan."
Xiao Man hurriedly turned around, but suddenly felt a pair of hands gently pressing on her shoulders: "Don't move." His hands touched her forehead, which was cool and had a faint musky scent.
"She has a fever." He quickly concluded, took out a porcelain bottle from his pocket, poured out a pill and handed it to her: "Swallow it with water, be careful not to crush it, it's very bitter."
Lianyi hurriedly brought over tea, and Xiaoman swallowed the pill with some skepticism. No wonder she felt dizzy and weak; she was sick. Back in the day, she could get soaked in the rain without getting sick, but now she was sick after just one night without a good night's sleep. Could illness be related to one's mood?
Just then, Tianquan suddenly appeared behind her, gently combing her hair with a comb. Xiaoman asked curiously, "What are you doing?"
“Tie up your hair. Zexiu is here. Let’s go see Mr. Round Fan.”
So he's already here. Why didn't he come in to find her? Xiaoman hurriedly stood up and said, "I'll do it myself."
Tianquan pressed her back down: "Don't move, it'll be over soon. Lianyi, go get her coat and help her put on her shoes."
As he spoke, he skillfully toyed with her long, beautiful black hair. The young woman was thin, but possessed a magnificent head of hair—thick, black, and lustrous. The strands danced and leaped in his hands, eventually becoming smooth and manageable, gathered into a flower shape, and secured with a hairpin. He placed a bronze mirror before her and asked, "Do you like this?"
Xiaoman was still somewhat incredulous, staring at herself in the mirror. It was clearly not the hairstyle she usually wore. To make it easier to travel, she would tie her hair up very tightly to prevent it from falling down. But hers was loose, like a fluffy black flower, with long strands of hair hanging down, making her heart-shaped face look even more delicate and petite.
"Your skills are really good..." Xiaoman couldn't help but praise. She never would have guessed that the ice-cold-faced man had such skill. Lianyi helped her put on her shoes and coat. She got up and walked outside, then suddenly remembered something, turned back and smiled slightly at Tianquan: "You must have styled many girls' hair, right? So skilled, thank you."
Tianquan neither agreed nor disagreed, and followed them out. Xiaoman thought he was packing his things, so she turned around and made a really ugly face at him. Unexpectedly, she was facing him directly, and she was very embarrassed. She turned around, grabbed Lianyi's hand, and ran out as fast as she could. She vaguely heard someone laughing behind her, but she was too lazy to see who it was.
Running to the door, Guo Jianze Xiu was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, looking extremely impatient. When he saw Xiao Man, he frowned and said, "The sun is almost setting! How can you be so lazy! Did you just get up?"
Xiaoman was yelled at and turned away, wanting to run back, but he grabbed her by the vest and pulled her up in front of him, saying, "Where are you going! Come on! You're saved!"
Xiao Man could hardly believe her ears and hurriedly turned around to ask, "Really? Your second uncle is willing to save me?"
Zexiu grunted irritably. He didn't know how he got through the night. He looked quite disheveled. The stubble he had shaved just two days ago was already sprouting dark stubble from his chin. His eyes were bloodshot, and there was a thick layer of black hair under his eyes. His hair was also a bit messy.
Xiaoman couldn't help but reach out to touch his face, but halfway there, she suddenly realized what she was doing and pulled her hand back. After hesitating for a moment, she whispered, "I've troubled you again... thank you... thank you."
Zexiu snorted, "You know you're a nuisance. No need for thanks." Turning around and seeing everyone had arrived, he grabbed Xiaoman's arm and strode forward. Xiaoman, breathless from his pull, cried out, "Don't walk so fast!"
Before he could finish speaking, he felt as if he were flying through the air, and was carried on his shoulder like a shovel of rice. He strode forward, saying, "Let's go first, don't let them catch up." As he spoke, a childlike smile appeared in his eyes.
Xiaoman suddenly stopped struggling, quietly resting on his shoulder, staring at his shadow reflected on the ground, tracing it little by little with her fingers: this is his head, this is his nose, these are his clothes, his arms, his hands… This man has a sharp tongue, saying very hurtful things, and would even leave her alone and helpless in the desert. Yet he has saved her many times, would fly into a rage over her pranks, would give her money with a smile, saying it was payment, his eyes blooming with joy when he smiled. He would even beg someone all night long to save her.
She closed her eyes, shut her lips, and uttered two words from her heart: Zexiu.
The name itself seems to have blossomed into something beautiful.
Back outside the tiled house with the round fan, he was still wearing a gray robe and had his hair down as he watered the plants. When he saw the two of them running over first, he just nodded slightly and pointed his chin towards the house.
Zexiu put Xiaoman down and pulled her arm to go inside. Xiaoman was confused and asked, "Uh, isn't he over there? Where are we going?"
I ran into the house, which was empty except for things like flower pots and hoes. The walls were bare, and there wasn't even a curtain on the window. There was no bed or chairs. It was so rudimentary that it didn't look like a place for a human to live.
As she was looking around, she was suddenly slapped hard on the back of the head. She quickly covered it in pain, but then heard Zexiu say from above her head, "Stop looking around like an idiot."
"Do you know how painful that is?! Let me slap you and see what happens!" Xiaoman rubbed her head, her teeth itching with anger.
Zexiu suddenly touched her forehead and whispered, "Your complexion is off; you do have a fever. Did you take your medicine?"
Xiao Man nodded, and after a moment, she hesitated and whispered, "That, Zexiu... what I was talking about yesterday... um, the treasure or something..."
"What, you can't bear to part with it?" he suddenly said sarcastically.
Xiao Man shook her head. "No, what I meant was... could you... could you pretend you didn't hear that? I actually... didn't mean that... I meant... well, you saved me, so I want to repay you. But it has nothing to do with the treasure..."
She rarely found herself so tongue-tied, unable to explain herself clearly, and was sweating profusely with anxiety.
Zexiu suddenly smiled, gently patted her forehead, and whispered, "Stop talking nonsense."
She looked up at him, unsure of what to say.