She said it coldly.
Tianquan paused again. Finally, he turned back to look at her and said in a low voice, "I know you are Xiaoman, I haven't mistaken you. Go out."
When he first uttered her name, Xiaoman almost jumped up again. She turned and ran, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Her chest felt very hot, so she pressed it tightly and gently called Zexiu's name.
She suddenly felt an urge to cry, a desperate desire to leave the manor; she felt she couldn't stay a moment longer. She was just herself, an ordinary girl named Xiaoman. She wasn't the young mistress of Cangya City, nor was she Pei Niang. Was there anyone in this world who genuinely cared for her simply because she was called Xiaoman?
Perhaps her existence was worthless to begin with, and she could only accept things that didn't truly belong to her while basking in the glory of others.
If Zexiu appeared now, and if he were still alive, would he ignore her just because she wasn't the young mistress of Cangya City? Would he abandon her like a dead dog?
The burning sensation in my chest seemed to gradually subside, turning into a feeling of immense warmth.
Xiao Man finally got tired of running and plopped down on the steps, panting. She clutched her chest again.
Yes. He wouldn't abandon her, she knew that. Even if she were a dead dog, Zexiu would ruffle her hair, laugh and scold, "Silly girl." Then he would grab her arm and protect her. They were from the same world, they both understood that.
She let out a long breath, and wisps of white mist rose up. Looking around, she realized that she had run out of the manor and come to the small lake outside. The lake was covered with a thick layer of ice, but there seemed to be water in the center of the lake.
Xiaoman picked up a stone from the ground and tossed it diagonally into the ice. The stone bounced a few times on the surface before finally landing with a splash in the center, sending up a spray of clear water. She jumped up, bent down to pick up another stone, but suddenly realized someone was behind her. She quickly turned around and saw Tianquan. He hadn't even changed his clothes or combed his hair; he was just standing there staring at her.
"Are you trying to scare me to death?" She was startled; this person was like a ghost, completely silent.
Tianquan looked at her delicate face, then suddenly gave a bitter laugh and said softly, "You still didn't cry. I thought you would." Xiaoman hugged her knees and sat back down, "Why should I cry? If I have to cry about everything, then I might as well live without doing anything else but shedding tears."
He said softly from behind, "Yeah, you only cry for Zexiu."
Xiao Man suddenly turned around, but he didn't look at her. After a while, he said, "I told you, if you run out of the yard, I will definitely catch you and bring you back. Come on, come back with me."
Xiaoman ignored him, simply gazing at the beautiful scenery of the lake in the snow. He didn't seem to genuinely intend to capture her; he stood behind her, keeping her company as she admired the tranquil and pristine snowscape. After what seemed like an eternity, a silent battle of wills ensued, and Tianquan finally spoke in a low voice: "Have you ever heard of the Wu-Yue Kingdom?"
Xiao Man shook her head, and Tian Quan said softly, "That was a very small country that submitted to the Song Dynasty a long time ago. My great-grandfather was the King of Wuyue. Pei Niang was one of my great-grandfather's concubines."
He's a prince?! Xiaoman finally turned around and looked at him from head to toe. No wonder, the noble air about him couldn't be cultivated by an ordinary wealthy family.
"That poem, 'Yu Lou Chun,' was written by my great-uncle Qian Weiyan. It was set to music and is often played and sung."
No wonder he also knows that poem, "Jade Pavilion Spring"!
Tianquan's voice was soft, and white mist shrouded his face, revealing only his bright and clear eyes: "When Pei Niang entered the palace, she was only fifteen years old, while my great-grandfather was almost sixty. So she was very lonely and in pain. When I was very young, I often saw her crying alone. At that time, the palace was in chaos, and everyone was arguing about whether to surrender to the Song Dynasty. No one cared about her, and no one cared about me either. I was practically raised by her, and all the characters I knew were taught to me by her."
"Later, I grew up, and the Wuyue Kingdom was gone. We didn't surrender to the Song Dynasty; we were just secretly sent to a secluded residence in the Uyghur Kingdom. Most of the palace's wealth was hidden away by us. Later, our retainers died or left, and the number of people in the secluded residence dwindled. Pei Niang grew to like me more and more. If I left her for even a moment, she would threaten to die. Then I realized that she no longer treated me like a younger brother. She wanted me to be her lover."
He spoke calmly, but Xiaoman felt her heart pounding. She couldn't help but whisper, "No...please stop. I don't really want to know..."
Tianquan ignored her and continued, "One night, she came to seduce me. I was fifteen years old that year. From that day on, she was my elder during the day and my lover at night. This went on for almost two years. Then my father died, and there was no one else left in the villa. However, Pei Niang also died a few months later due to her weak health. So I took the treasures from the palace, burned down the villa, built this manor on the outskirts of Zhenzhou, and later went to Mount Bugui. I became Tianquan."
Xiao Man stared at him blankly, and whispered, "Then, what was your original name?"
“Mingxi, Qian Mingxi. His courtesy name was Jianyu.”
Xiao Man stood there for a long time before softly saying, "Jian Yu..." He answered and smiled slightly. Xiao Man stood up, brushing the ice crystals off her clothes. "Yes, I don't blame you anymore. You must really like Pei Niang. I didn't know about your family's affairs before, it's... a pity."
Tian Quan said calmly, "I don't like her. We're just two lonely people comforting each other."
Xiaoman's face flushed red: "Why...why are you telling me this! I don't want to know!"
She turned and walked away, with Tianquan following slowly behind. He then said, "You and she look somewhat alike, so I was quite surprised when I first met you."
Xiao Man blinked: "I didn't see any surprise on your face." And to be so ruthless as to shoot her with a bow and arrow, this person's heart and blood must be made of ice and snow.
Tianquan simply smiled. Xiaoman couldn't help but recall their first meeting, when he had let her ride with him so naturally. It turned out that it wasn't because he was so considerate of girls, but simply because she looked like Pei Niang.
“I didn’t mistake you for Pei Niang. This morning… it was just a misunderstanding. I’m sorry.”
Xiao Man turned around and made a really ugly face at him: "Actually, you're quite talkative too! You're not quiet at all!"
She turned and ran back to the manor, as light and agile as a large butterfly.
Tianquan stood there for a long while, unable to suppress a smile. The vast expanse of snow fell endlessly, but it didn't matter. Really, it didn't matter. A butterfly emerged from its cocoon in winter, vibrant and beautiful, fluttering before his eyes. He should capture that beauty, if he could.
The soft sound of footsteps echoed behind him, and the smile on his lips gradually faded, turning cold again.
The newcomer stopped quietly behind him, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Young Master."
He didn't turn around or say anything; he just squinted his eyes.
The man then said, "Zexiu has been spotted in the Zhongjing area."
Tianquan's eyebrows twitched: "Really?"
"He carries three black swords and is on a bounty from the government; there's a 90% chance it's him."
General Tianquan tightened his lip slightly, remained silent for a long while, and then said, "I'll leave immediately."
After changing his clothes, as he stepped out the gate, he couldn't help but glance back at the small courtyard where Xiaoman lived.
He might not be able to capture that graceful beauty. But he must try.
He turned his head, flicked his whip, and his eyes were as thin as ice.
It was late at night, and the heavy snow was still falling silently outside.
Xiao Man was curled up inside the tent, already fast asleep.
She was having a beautiful dream. In the bright spring sunshine, Zexiu was riding a horse in front of her, and she was riding behind him. The two of them slowly traveled across the vast grasslands of northern Mongolia, looking at the deep and light greens in the distance, like endless waves.
Zexiu turned and called to her, smiled, and suddenly spurred his horse to gallop away. She hurriedly cracked her whip, urging her mount to chase after him, but no matter how hard she whipped, she couldn't catch up. His figure gradually shrank to the size of a mung bean and disappeared into the bright green.
Xiao Man cried out his name anxiously, when she suddenly felt someone gently hug her from behind and whisper in her ear, "I don't like her, even though she looks like you. But actually, the person I like is..."
Xiao Man broke out in a cold sweat and suddenly woke up to find the room completely dark, so dark that she couldn't see her own hand in front of her face.
A faint commotion drifted in from outside the window, as if someone was fighting. She wiped the cold sweat from her brow, trying to put aside this strange dream. Donning her mink cloak, she walked to the window, about to push it open to see what was happening, when suddenly she heard a low groan from outside, followed by a large splatter of blood on the window paper. Startled, she let out a low scream and quickly backed away.
Someone outside was calling her name; it sounded like Sanxi's voice: "Xiaoman! Don't come out! Quickly, go through the secret passage!"
A secret passage?! What on earth happened?! She frantically turned around and searched everywhere for the secret passage, but how was she supposed to know where it was! The house was only so big, and she knocked and smashed things everywhere, sweating profusely, but she still couldn't find that damn secret passage.
Just as she was frantically trying to figure out what to do, she accidentally punched the wall. A series of cracking sounds followed, and a section of the bare wall suddenly caved in—this was the secret passage! She grabbed the candle and was about to rush in when the door was suddenly flung open, and a blizzard rushed in, extinguishing the candle instantly. Before she could turn around, she felt several dark figures rushing towards her, followed by a light chop to the back of her neck. The candlestick fell to the ground, and she slumped to the ground.
The Killing of Crows, Chapter Seven: Unending (Part One)
Updated: 2008-10-15 0:14:40 Word Count: 4258
Keep up the good work, another two updates.
First update.
Actually, she seems to have gotten used to being snatched and tossed around like a ball.
When Xiaoman woke up, she sadly discovered this, because she was neither excited nor confused, nor did she scream for help. Even if she screamed until her throat was hoarse, no one would come to save her.
She was now in a very cramped space, still moving, like a carriage, but she couldn't see any windows or doors. Four bronze chains, each about the thickness of a thumb, were nailed to the carriage wall, binding her hands and feet, leaving her suspended on the wall—this was naturally not a pleasant experience; she felt as if her wrists were about to break.
Her throat was very dry, as if it were on fire. Xiao Man coughed softly twice, when she suddenly heard some noises outside. Then, light pierced the darkness of the small space, and someone walked in, holding a candle in their hand, the flame flickering.
When Xiaoman saw the man's appearance, she couldn't help but scream, as if she wanted to shout out all the air in her stomach.
The man watched with amusement as she screamed in terror, then tilted his head and leaned closer with a grin. The candlelight illuminated her pale face, her loose, jet-black hair, and her three-inch-long, blood-red fingernails. She wore a bright red wedding dress, but no phoenix crown, making her look even more eerie.
Even if it were Yelü Wenjue or any of the elements from the Mountain of No Return that entered, Xiaoman wouldn't have screamed so miserably.
"Ghost! Ghost! Ghost!" she screamed until she almost fainted, her voice hoarse.
The woman in the red wedding dress gently placed the candlestick on a small table beside her, crossed her arms, and said sweetly, "You can scream all you want, no one will come to save you."
Xiao Man took a deep breath and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Broken throat! Broken throat—"
The woman couldn't help but laugh. She clapped her hands and said, "What an interesting girl! Don't you recognize me?"
Xiao Man's voice was hoarse from shouting, and she was in excruciating pain. Unable to call out any more, she could only close her eyes. Peeking through a small crack, she suddenly gasped and cried out in a hoarse voice, "Hong Gu Zi?!"
Hong Gu Zi laughed, "You really do remember me. Since we parted at Baiyang Village, you seem to have become even more beautiful. You've also grown up a bit. Young girls are so wonderful..." As she spoke, she lightly traced her face with her long, sharp fingernails. Xiao Man felt a chill run down her spine and stammered, "You... what are you going to do? I... you all know I'm not the young mistress..."
Hong Gu Zi said softly, "Who cares if you're a mistress or not? I've come to find you, do you know why?"
Xiao Man shook her head sincerely.
So Hong Gu Zi sincerely told her, "I really like your skin. Young people's skin is smooth and elastic, perfect for making book covers or pillowcases. So I'll peel off your skin..."
Xiaoman desperately wanted to faint from fright. But she could only scare herself half to death; she couldn't actually faint.
Hong Gu Zi chuckled, then suddenly pulled out a gleaming little knife. She brandished it in front of Xiao Man, pretending to peel off her scalp. Xiao Man's face turned pale. Suddenly, two clanging sounds rang out; she had used the knife to smash the bronze chain lock. Xiao Man fell heavily to the ground, landing face-first in the dirt. She heard Hong Gu Zi say again, "If you behave, I won't peel your skin off. I'll even give you silver so you can be rich and return home in glory."
Xiao Man struggled to sit up, then suddenly shook her head: "Trying to tempt me with money is no longer effective."
Hong Gu Zi's knife flashed in front of her again, emitting a sinister light, as if to skin her alive. Xiao Man quickly straightened up and said, "But I'm always very cooperative. So, what is it?"
Although she wasn't afraid of death, that didn't mean she wasn't afraid of being skinned alive. Not only would she suffer excruciating pain, but she'd also be a skinless ghost after death—that's just too tragic.
Hong Gu Zi was very satisfied with her attitude. She put the knife back into her sleeve and said with a smile, "This is not urgent, let's talk slowly. You've been hanging for so long without food or water, it's quite pitiful. Stay here and don't move, I'll be right back."
She turned and walked out, and after a while she came back in carrying a water bag and a bag of dry food, and handed them to her: "Eat something."
Xiao Man nervously accepted the item, fearing that if she became unhappy, she would take out a knife and skin her again. Seeing that Xiao Man's eyes were darting around and that she kept looking at her sleeve, Hong Gu Zi said softly, "As long as you cooperate, I will never skin you or touch you with a single finger."
Xiao Man was relieved, and her stiff body gradually softened.
As long as she doesn't peel the skin, everything is fine; she's very cooperative.
She drank half a bag of water and ate half a dry biscuit in one go, finally feeling a little better. She put down the water bag and looked timidly at Hong Gu Zi, saying softly, "You are Tian Sha Shi Fang, right? What do you want with me? Do you want me to find the Five Corners and the treasure?"
Hong Gu Zi shook her head with a smile: "We'll talk about that later. There's something more important right now. I'm asking you, you didn't actually want to be a mistress. You were forced into it by Bu Gui Shan, weren't you? They even told you to restore your family and avenge your family."
Xiao Man nodded.
"That's simple. Right now, I'm going to take you to Mount No Return..."
Xiao Man's expression changed, filled with surprise and doubt, but then she heard her say, "You don't need to worry about anything. Tian Sha Shi Fang will do everything in its power to protect you and will not let those people harm a single hair on your head. All you have to do is tell the heroes of the world how you became the young master and how Mount Bu Gui used you. That's all. How about that? Isn't it simple?"
It does sound simple enough—"If I say that, will they believe me? I have no background, I'm just an ordinary girl."