Xiao Man ignored him, laughing as she played with the dice, saying, "Let's play a game of betting on clues. If I win, you tell me where Wu Laoqi is; if I lose, I'll give you silver, how about it?"
The man saw that she was a delicate young girl, and didn't seem to be a prostitute from a brothel. He couldn't help but feel a little pity for her: "How much money do you have, a young girl like you?"
Xiao Man rolled her eyes. "I don't have much money. So I'll have to ask you to be lenient, Uncle. I only have ten taels of silver. Would you like to bet with me, Uncle?" She took a ten-tael silver ingot from her purse and placed it on the table. The man laughed, "Ten taels of silver isn't easy for a little girl like you. Let's bet five taels, so you won't think we're taking advantage of you."
She smiled sweetly: "Uncle, you're such a good person."
The man smiled and asked, "Will you go first, or shall I?"
"Uncle, you go first. I don't really understand this yet."
He laughed when she said she didn't quite understand, but still shook the dice, and handed them to him, rolling a pair of fours and sixes.
The other two also yielded, one throwing a bronze hammer and the other throwing a pair of long threes.
When it was Xiaoman's turn, she picked up the dice, blew on them, and whispered, "Dice, dice, please bless me, don't lose."
With that, she tossed the dice away with a thud. The dice landed on the table without even rolling, and this time the man's eyes widened in disbelief. It was a hand where he had beaten the Monkey King! Xiao Man counted the dice one by one: "Two twos, one four, and one one. Isn't that a really good hand?"
The man was speechless for a long time, so he beckoned to her and said, "I lost. Come here and I'll tell you where Wu Laoqi is."
Xiao Man grinned and leaned in to listen. He talked for a while, and she nodded repeatedly. Finally, she turned back to him and smiled, "Uncle, you're such a good person. Thank you."
The man waved his hand, looking helpless.
Xiao Man walked out of the brothel triumphantly, stuffed the ten taels of silver back into her purse, and laughed, "So rolling dice isn't that hard after all."
Zexiu was speechless. He thought about how she could drink, fight, and now even gamble. She really had unlimited potential.
Unable to find Gengu after leaving, they had no choice but to follow the clues provided by the man and head to Liuhuai Village, which was not far away. Wu Laoqi lived there. When Zexiu and Xiaoman arrived, he was drinking with a group of people in his house.
Zexiu tied Haoguai Haoguai to a tree far away, then turned around and sternly instructed Xiaoman: "Don't come over! Don't talk! If I find out you've made a mistake again, I'll spank you when we get back!"
Xiao Man wasn't scared at all; instead, she chuckled and said, "Ze Xiu, you look just like my dad."
He snorted, "Having a daughter like you will drive me crazy with headaches sooner or later."
He walked to the door of Wu Laoqi's house with his sword, kicked it, and the wooden door shattered on the ground with a crash. The people inside immediately jumped up and looked at him in fear. He pulled out a list from his pocket and looked at each person one by one. Finally, he fixed his gaze on a burly man and smiled slightly: "It's you, Wu Laoqi. Come with me to the yamen."
He turned to flee, but Zexiu drew Chun Ge to intercept him. Unexpectedly, the men around him rushed forward to block him, their attacks skillful and formidable. Zexiu was somewhat surprised, dodging them and saying, "Harboring a criminal is no small crime!"
The men didn't say a word, but attacked with ruthless moves. Zexiu was too lazy to get entangled with them. He leaped and landed right in front of Wu Laoqi, who was trying to escape through the back door. Chun Ge grabbed his neck, but he was agile and immediately retreated. He braced himself on the ground with his hands and lifted his foot to pull Wu Laoqi's wrist.
Xiao Man sat on the ground, watching Ze Xiu's black cloak leap and bound in the distance, like a large black butterfly.
He looks great when he fights; his moves are fast, ruthless, and precise, without any hesitation. There seems to be a hint of a smile on his face, and his peach blossom eyes have a brilliance completely different from usual. He enjoys this kind of life, unrestrained and free-spirited.
Xiao Man was filled with emotion, and for a moment she felt that he was so radiant that she couldn't take her eyes off him.
A gust of wind blew by, and Zexiu leaped up, his cloak billowing high. Xiaoman seemed to have been struck by something, and stood there stunned for a moment.
She remembered that dark night, the blood-stained clothes, the bright eyes, and the raging fire. His sleeves, too, were raised high like that, like a pair of weak wings unable to fly.
In that instant, she suddenly understood what the chrysalis meant.
Emerging from its cocoon, the butterfly emerges in winter.
He said: Everyone is born with a cocoon on their body. Some people spend their whole lives inside the cocoon, while others can break free.
Did he finally gain freedom of mind by breaking free from his own constraints?
Xiao Man took the chrysalis out of her sleeve, held it in her hand, and her vision blurred.
After a long time, she opened her arms and let the wind blow away the broken chrysalis.
Everything has passed, it's all in the past, and it will all be slowly blown away by the wind.
Chapter Thirteen of the Crimson Butterfly Chronicles said I'd wait for you (Part 1)
Updated: 2008-10-21 14:36:28 Word Count: 3691
Yeah, it exploded! My cosmos finally exploded! Athena should call me a Gold Saint...
Three updates today.
First update.
A pair of boots approached her. Xiaoman looked up in shock and saw him standing before her, holding a bloody human head. She was horrified and crawled on the ground for a distance, yelling, "Get away from me! Get away from me!"
He raised an eyebrow, stood still, staring intently at her, and suddenly asked, "Why are you crying?"
She rubbed her face hard and screamed, "You scared me to tears! Take the head away!"
He scoffed, "Useless little girl."
He took out a cloth bag, put Wu Laoqi's head inside, hung it on the saddle, and pulled her up. Knowing she was afraid, he didn't ride the horse but led her by the hand back to Qingzhou.
As a result, Xiaoman was so frightened that she was in a daze all day. She felt nauseous whenever she saw red and couldn't eat anything.
Ze Xiu returned to the inn after receiving the reward. He sat down and slowly wiped his sword, glancing at her every now and then with a look of pity and schadenfreude in his eyes: "Want to come with me again next time?"
Xiao Man lay on the bed, barely alive, and held up one finger: "Go... I guess... I'll get used to it."
Zexiu said without changing his expression, "Alright, next time I'll show you what it's like to be disemboweled, that way you'll be more receptive."
Xiao Man's face was deathly pale. She was terrified, but she still stubbornly insisted, "Anyway... you'll get used to it."
Zexiu made a few jokes at her before pushing open the door and leaving.
They used to sleep in the same bed. He liked to hold her hand, and she liked to curl up in her arms with the blanket. Sometimes in the morning, he would steal a few kisses on her cheek or wrap his arms around her waist and say something amusing.
He wouldn't have been so cautious and reserved before, keeping his distance from her as if he were afraid of hurting her.
Xiao Man quietly covered her head with the blanket, feeling so lost she wanted to cry.
Everything was as simple as it was before. How wonderful that would be. Who has changed, him or her? Does it mean we can never go back?
She tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep, when suddenly she heard someone playing a mournful tune on a leaf from the windowsill next door. Xiaoman's heart skipped a beat, and she listened carefully for a while. It was the same tune he had asked her to sing last time, but it didn't seem quite right.
Six looms. The carved brocade is half-undone. The boudoir holds a secret plan to retain spring. The incense burner adds small seal script, the day grows longer by a thread, the embroidery work slows down.
Seven looms. The silkworm spins its entire life's silk. ...Mobile phone: Do not easily cut the silk brocade. For no reason, it is torn apart, the celestial phoenix and colorful dragon, divided into two garments.
Eight looms. The meander pattern reveals whose poem it is. Woven into a tapestry of desolation. Reading line after line, I am weary and speechless. I cannot bear to ponder it further.
She listened quietly, and felt that although the sound produced by the leaves was simple in quality, it was poignant and melodious, captivating the listener.
She couldn't resist jumping out of bed and opening the window. Sure enough, she saw Zexiu sitting on the windowsill of his room, holding a leaf to his lips and gently blowing on it. Seeing her arrive, he stopped and continued blowing.
Xiao Man called out softly, "Ze Xiu..."
He didn't speak, but continued to slowly play a simple yet mournful tune.
She couldn't hold back any longer, turned her face away and ran to the next room. She suddenly opened his door, and Zexiu stared in astonishment as she rushed over and grabbed his collar.
"What do you want?" Her wrists were trembling, whether from fear or something else, it was hard to tell.
Zexiu was still in shock: "Me? What's wrong with you?"
She started shaking him vigorously, not knowing what was wrong with her. Finally, probably exhausted, she let go, squatted down, hugged her knees, and curled up into a ball. Perhaps, she just wanted some warmth. She desperately needed some proof that nothing had changed. Whether Tianquan lived or died had no effect on her. She was still the same person she had always been, and he was still the same Di Zexiu. Just the two of them, together forever—how happy that would be.
She felt herself falling, the weight of life and death completely different. The moment that person died, she was bewitched, unable to forget him. It became her wound, a wound so deep it could make her faint. She deeply loved the man before her, wanting to live and die with him, but the dead are different; he was dead, nothing could come back, everything had turned to ashes.
Xiaoman was picked up, and Zexiu pulled her into his arms, gently patting her back: "It's alright, it's okay. I'm here."
She turned around and hugged him with all her might, as if afraid of being abandoned.
Zexiu took a deep breath and whispered, "Xiaoman, I will never leave. I told you I would wait for you, and I've always been here."
She slowly raised her head; her movement had been too abrupt, and her nose had hit his shoulder, causing a thin trickle of blood to flow. Zexiu wiped the blood away with his sleeve, gently placed her on the bed, and wrung out a cold towel to apply to her nose.
Xiao Man lay there with her eyes closed for a while, then suddenly whispered, "How about we leave here tomorrow?"
He nodded and said softly, "Okay."
"Then, where do we go?"
"Go wherever you want."
Her eyelashes trembled slightly: "I want to go to a crowded and lively place..."
He smiled and said, "Then I'll take you to Kaifeng Prefecture. It's the capital of the Song Dynasty, a very lively and prosperous place."
She nodded obediently, her nose stopped bleeding, and she tossed the towel aside, whispering, "Zexiu, I don't want to sleep alone."
He indeed took off his coat, got into bed, and pulled her close to his chest: "I'll sleep with you."
She hugged his neck and whispered, "Will you stay with me from now on?"
He said softly, "Okay, I'll stay with you."
She finally felt a sense of relief, her tense body relaxed, and she looked up and pecked his stubble-covered chin: "I like you."
He chuckled softly and patted her head.
Zexiu was right. Kaifeng was indeed bustling and prosperous, larger than any city she had ever seen. The streets were wide and boundless, and the pedestrians dressed in red and green looked leisurely and content. Compared to this, Wutong Town was simply a dilapidated brothel.
Xiao Man was dazzled by the sights and forgot all her worries. If Ze Xiu hadn't been following closely behind her, even ten Xiao Mans would probably have gotten lost.
"Is this the legendary Xiangguo Temple?" Xiaoman stared at the magnificent temple before her, teeming with tourists, its incense burning brightly, people devoutly reciting scriptures, burning incense, and drawing lots. The Buddha statue in the hall seemed to be made of pure gold, gleaming brightly, and the surrounding curtains and ribbons were dazzling. There were also golden Arhat statues in various poses, some fierce and some leisurely.
Temples are sacred places, especially the Great Xiangguo Temple. Zexiu was afraid that she might offend the monks by looking around, so he took her hand and asked with a smile, "Would you like to ask for a fortune slip?"
Xiao Man's interest was piqued. She grabbed the divination tube, looked at the exquisite bamboo sticks inside, and said with a smile, "What should I ask for?"
Zexiu chuckled dryly, "Women usually ask about marriage and children."
Xiao Man glared at him: "I won't, I want to ask about my fortune."
She shook the divination tube, and after a few clinking sounds, a divination stick finally fell out. She stared at it for a long time, but couldn't understand what was written on it in its crooked shape.
She asked a nearby monk to interpret her fortune slip, which cost her one tael of silver. The white-browed old man looked at the slip and read, "Adding fuel to the fire only makes it burn more fiercely; even if it burns three thousand times, it will reignite... Hmm, this is an unfavorable slip. What would you like to ask, lady?"
Xiao Man heard those two sentences and knew they weren't good words, so she was too scared to ask about her fortune. After thinking for a long time, she could only say, "Please give me some advice, Master. I don't have anything in particular to ask."