His grip was just right. Pressing his throbbing forehead, it definitely felt much better. Xiao Man nestled in his arms, grabbed his sleeve, and whispered, "Ze Xiu, is there really no way to save them? Lian Yi... is in there too, is she already dead?"
Zexiu pondered for a while and said, "It's not entirely hopeless. I'll sneak in alone tomorrow morning and take a look. If I'm alone, I'm still 50% sure I can get through."
"Then...if they all died?" She couldn't even imagine what would happen to the people inside after two months without food or water.
"We won't die, there's food inside."
This was also what he couldn't understand about Tianquan. If they wanted to starve these people to death, why not withdraw the supplies? Even a fool would know that if they dragged it out for two months without returning, the various factions wouldn't remain indifferent, and sooner or later they would suspect him. He was triumphant for a time, but in the end, he would still suffer the consequences.
Xiao Man finally fell asleep under his massage, her breathing even. Ze Xiu gently laid her down, covered her with his cloak, and was about to close his eyes for a nap when he suddenly heard an unusual sound outside, as if a large group of people were heading towards the mountain. He immediately opened his eyes, drew his sword, and got out of bed. Xiao Man was startled awake and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
“Someone’s coming.” He walked to the entrance of the military tent, lifted the curtain, and sure enough, saw a line of torches slowly moving at the foot of the mountain.
The Liao soldiers were immediately alarmed, forming a line to block the road and shouting for them to leave immediately. After a while, a man slowly approached, dressed in white robes and riding a black horse, with striking features—it was Tianquan. Upon seeing his icy and snow-like appearance, everyone gasped.
Ze Xiu stared at him intently, and in that instant, he immediately understood what this young master was up to. Very well, he was indeed clever, killing two birds with one stone—not only eliminating Mount No Return, but also gaining a good reputation for himself!
Xiao Man gasped, and tried to run out by lifting the curtain, but Ze Xiu grabbed her: "Don't move!"
Tianquan dismounted and slowly walked over, adjusting his sleeves as he said, "Having learned of the difficulties in repairing the plank road, we have come to offer our assistance in order to rescue the trapped heroes and the prince as soon as possible."
Xiaoman was completely confused by him.
This time, Tianquan brought a group of leading figures from various major martial arts sects. With over a hundred people trapped on Mount No Return, how could their respective sects not be anxious? Even if those who went weren't sect leaders, they were all second-in-commands or important figures. He actually managed to gather a group of heroes during this time to go up the mountain and rescue the trapped people.
Everyone was immediately invited into Yelü Tuixian's tent to discuss the construction of the plank road. Xiaoman sat in the military tent, biting her fingers hard, restless.
After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly stood up and whispered, "I understand."
Zexiu looked up at her.
She said calmly, "He wrote and acted out the whole thing, one minute he's the murderer, the next he's the hero." Ze Xiu smiled and said, "So what do we do? Are you going to give him your hero title?"
"I won't allow it." She lifted the curtain. "I'm the one who's truly going to be a great hero!"
She went outside and saw Yelü Tuixian, beaming, inviting the group into the newly erected military tents to rest. Tianquan stayed behind last, cupping his hands and saying, "There is one more thing to report to Your Highness: the culprits who burned down the plank road and trapped the heroes on the mountain have been found. They escaped through a secret passage and were captured by me. I ask Your Highness to decide how to deal with them."
Yelü Tuixian exclaimed in surprise, "Oh?! Is this true? Bring him here immediately so I can interrogate him!"
The martial arts figures immediately shoved four filthy people forward, cursing and swearing. Not a single spot on them was clean, and Xiaoman struggled to examine them for a long time before recognizing them in astonishment as the four elements: metal, wood, water, and fire. Where did Tianquan get his abilities to dig them out of the high building on the cliff?!
Tianquan said calmly, "I was once a member of the Mountain of No Return, but I left in anger because I could no longer tolerate their cruelty. I know that the secret passage is at the foot of the mountain. If we go in through the secret passage, wouldn't it save more time than building a plank road?"
Yelü Tuixian was overjoyed. He briefly interrogated the four elements (metal, wood, water, and fire), but they had been tortured beyond recognition and were unable to speak, only nodding repeatedly. Finally, they were pushed out by the crowd and beheaded on the spot, their blood flowing everywhere.
Xiao Man turned her head away, not daring to look anymore.
She once thought her ability to lie and change her expression was unparalleled, that no one could surpass her. Later, she encountered the Five Elements of the Mountain of No Return, and learned that there are always those above you; she was sold out and had to help count the money. But before the power of Heaven, the Five Elements became people who could be slaughtered without a word.
This person's face was purer and more beautiful than snow, and his temperament was as elegant as an orchid. But his heart was truly dark to the core.
She felt a chill creep down her spine. She took a step back and shrank back into her tent. She didn't want to look anymore.
Zexiu held her shoulders and whispered, "They went in through a secret passage. The terrain in the valley is complicated, and there's no way to get through in the middle of the night. We can only wait until dawn tomorrow. There's no use in worrying. You should rest up and think of a solution."
Xiao Man looked down at the three swords hanging at his waist and suddenly had an idea: "Can your swords be stuck into rocks?"
He was taken aback, then immediately understood what she meant, and couldn't help but flick her nose: "Only a clever little devil like you could come up with such an idea! Do you really have to be a great hero? What if you fall?"
"Then let's die together." She said without hesitation.
Zexiu was somewhat shocked. He knew that this girl had a fierce spirit, but he never expected her to say such a thing.
Xiaoman stared at him intently: "Don't you want to die together?"
He smiled and said, "Fine, let's die together."
Xiao Man bit her lip, opened her arms to hug him, and suddenly heard a soft footstep outside the tent, followed by a gentle voice: "Xiao Man".
She froze, quickly turning her head to see Tianquan lift the curtain and slowly walk in. He wasn't surprised to see Zexiu; he simply smiled slightly.
“I’m much more at ease knowing you’re doing well,” he said softly. “If you get tired, you can come back anytime. I’ll always be waiting for you.”
Xiaoman couldn't utter a single word.
Zexiu said calmly, "Thank you, but you don't need to trouble yourself."
Tianquan smiled at Xiaoman, his dark eyes gleaming with a tender light: "You've lost weight, you need to eat more, okay?"
Xiao Man lowered her head and after a long time, she finally hummed in agreement.
He smiled warmly and patted her head: "Sweetie, get some rest."
He walked to the door, then suddenly turned back to look at Zexiu. After a long while, he said calmly, "You have committed an irreparable mistake. When you left, did you remember what you said to the Jurchen tribe? I remember it now, and you had better remember it too. Those who break their promises cannot get everything back."
He walked out, and Zexiu, his face ashen, remained silent.
Xiao Man hesitated for a long time, then suddenly threw back the curtain and ran out. His silhouette, bathed in moonlight, looked like a celestial being descended to earth. She called out, "Tianquan!"
He slowly turned around, looked at her for a long, long time, and then said, "Xiaoman, don't be my enemy, don't force me to treat you as my enemy."
Her heart sank, and she stared blankly as he walked away.
Crimson Butterfly Scroll Chapter 3: Becoming a Great Hero (Part 3)
Updated: 2008-10-17 23:39:50 Word Count: 4115
To be continued, until the third watch.
First update.
When Xiaoman returned to the military tent, Zexiu was already asleep, fully clothed and with his back to her.
She stood there stunned for a long time, then slowly walked over and sat down beside him. After a while, she asked, "What...what did you say in the Jurchen tribe?"
He didn't speak; it seemed he was asleep.
She stood there for a long time, then suddenly kicked him in the back: "Say something!"
Zexiu rolled over and glared at her fiercely: "Are you done with your sweet talk? Do you want me to step aside and let you two have your fill?"
"You..." Xiaoman wanted to scratch his handsome face to pieces. "This is simply unreasonable!" She turned to leave again, but Zexiu grabbed her arm. "Where are you going? To his tent?"
Xiaoman retaliated by kicking and punching him, yelling, "You filthy man! Die!"
Zexiu, having taken two punches to the face, could no longer contain himself and erupted in anger. He grabbed both of her wrists with one hand and pulled up her collar with the other, causing her to fall backward onto the bed. Xiaoman angrily shouted, "What are you doing?! You always bully me! I have to listen to everything you say! You're right to throw a tantrum, and everything I do is wrong!"
Zexiu took a breath, sneered, threw her aside, and rolled over to lie down facing outwards.
Xiao Man sat up and started hitting him again, kicking his shoulder countless times. Ze Xiu grabbed her ankle and pulled her down, causing her to fall against him. Then, her collar was yanked, and she instinctively braced herself against his chest, looking down into his dark eyes.
"Stop fooling around," he said in a low voice.
Xiao Man snorted: "Who started this? You're allowed to throw tantrums and be unreasonable!"
He closed his eyes and waited a while before saying, "Give me your hand, my hand."
"No!" she stubbornly persisted.
Zexiu opened his eyes and looked at her quietly. Xiaoman resisted for a long time. Finally, she slowly reached out her hand. He took it and placed it on his cheek. He whispered, "Don't... turn your back to me and look at other men."
Xiao Man's heart softened immediately, but she still retorted, "That's unreasonable! Just tie me to your chest! I'm a person, not a toy."
He remained silent for a long time before nodding: "Yes. You're not a toy." He squeezed Xiaoman's fingers: "Then you can look at her as much as you want from now on."
He closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, pressing down on her waist to prevent her from leaving. Xiaoman struggled for a long time, when suddenly she felt his palm become hot and pressed against her neck, making her shudder.
"Don't move." His voice was slightly...
Xiao Man froze, her eyes wide, not daring to move an inch. Ze Xiu pressed her neck, lifted his head, and kissed her twice on the cheek. Then he said, "I admit I was wrong; my words were harsh. But you'd better remember, you're mine. Only mine."
"I... am... yours?" She was still a little dazed, repeating herself.
He squinted his eyes in satisfaction. He patted her back happily, then gently laid her down beside him, taking her hands in his own and placing them against his chest: "Sleep now."
Xiao Man stared blankly at her hands: "You... what kind of bad habit is this? You can only fall asleep while holding someone's hand?"
He chuckled: "Don't you also like to curl up in a ball to sleep? You have quite a few bad habits too."
Xiao Man hesitated for a moment, then suddenly reached out her other hand and gently touched his forehead. It wasn't very hot, and he didn't seem to have a fever. She couldn't help but whisper, "Ze Xiu, do you have a fever? Your hand is so hot."
He didn't answer, but simply reached out and covered her eyes with his hand: "Go to sleep, we have to get up early tomorrow."
This man has quite a few bad habits. Whether his back is to her or he is facing her, he always holds her hand, as if that's how he can sleep soundly. Xiaoman yawned groggily and instinctively curled up into a ball. She suddenly remembered him saying that he likes to curl up when he sleeps, and it seemed to be true. If she wasn't holding the blanket in her arms, she would feel like something was missing.
He turned over and pulled her hand over as well. Xiaoman was half asleep and unconsciously turned over as well, hugging him tightly in her arms like she was rubbing a blanket, feeling incredibly warm and comfortable.
She didn't know how long she had slept when she suddenly felt an itch in her nose. She involuntarily sneezed loudly and woke up with a start. When she opened her eyes, Zexiu was grabbing a lock of her hair and stroking it across her face. He laughed and said, "Alright, get up. To be a hero, you can't sleep in."
It was already broad daylight. Xiaoman panicked and jumped up. She haphazardly tied her hair up, grabbed the towel Zexiu had given her, wiped her face, rinsed her mouth with cold tea, put on her little boots, and was about to leave.
"No need to rush, they just came down the mountain too. We'll be faster than them if we go up from there." Zexiu handed her a piece of cake, which had been soaked in water and didn't look appetizing at all.
"What is this?" she asked skeptically.
"Oh, it's breakfast delivered by the Liao soldiers," he kindly explained. "There was only one serving, so I gave it to you."
Xiao Man frowned in disgust and glared at him: "Liar! You're giving me food you don't like! I hate this the most, take it away!"
Zexiu's wicked scheme failed, and in the end, the big pancake was left on the table, and no one bothered to eat it.
She lifted the curtain and stepped outside. It was a rare sunny day, the sun shining brightly, yet it was also incredibly cold. Xiaoman looked up at the treacherous, towering cliff above her, feeling uncertain. If they couldn't get through, there would be no second chance; they would both die here.
Zexiu asked Yelü Tuixian for several thick, stiff hemp ropes, and the group worked hard to tie them together into a tight knot, sweating profusely. Yelü Tuixian asked curiously, "What are you doing, sir?"
Zexiu laughed and said, "We've crossed a natural barrier."
Yelü Tuixian was taken aback: "Absolutely not! What if you fall down! Master Tianquan and the others have already sneaked in through the secret passage in the valley. Why must you take such a great risk?"
He said calmly, "Saving lives is like putting out a fire; every step counts. General, please prepare a small cart for me that can be attached to a rope and moved around."
Yelü Tuixian tried to persuade him for a long time, but seeing that he was unmoved, and that his plan was indeed faster, he had no choice but to nod in agreement and order his men to load the cart onto the cable.
Finally, the hemp rope was split into two strands. One was tied around Xiaoman's waist, and the other around Zexiu's waist. He held onto the cart with one hand and his sword with the other, and Xiaoman jumped onto his back like a monkey, clinging to him with both hands and feet. The two stood on the half-finished plank road, with clouds and mist swirling below. They didn't know how deep it was; just looking at it would make their legs go weak.