There was a family in Wutong Town who had twins before, a pair of sisters who did look very alike, but if you looked closely, there were always some differences. Twin brothers as similar as Mr. Xue and Wu Naihe are extremely rare. Since they are twins, Mr. Xue and his family should have known from the beginning who did these things, so why did no one mention it?
The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. She was at her wit's end, so she simply stopped thinking about it.
Helpless, the boys sent to look after her were all sitting in the courtyard, chatting and sunbathing. Seeing her return, they cast flirtatious glances at her and rose to greet her. She quickly waved her hands, saying, "Don't move! Just sit there! Don't come any closer!"
They sat back down dejectedly, muttering, "No wonder they looked down on us; they've got their eye on Yunwu. They really have good taste."
Xiao Man didn't reply, pushed open the door and went in. Sure enough, she saw the boy named Yun Wu sitting on her bed, head down, trying to untangle the nine-linked rings. His long hair hung down to his shoulders, and his loose collar revealed a large expanse of skin on his chest. Seeing her come in, he looked up and smiled slightly, raising the nine-linked rings and saying, "This thing is quite difficult to untangle."
Xiao Man froze, then said coldly, "Who let you in?"
Yunwu leaned against the headboard and said softly, "No one let me in. I overstepped my bounds. If you tell me to get out, I'll get out immediately." With that, he got up gracefully.
Xiao Man was a little embarrassed: "I didn't say... to get lost."
Yunwu chuckled and said, "Then I will stay. I will do whatever you ask me to do without any complaints."
Xiao Man let out a long sigh of exhaustion. She really didn't have the energy to deal with these things. She sat down in the chair and said, "Go and bring me some tea, and then don't come in. Let me have some peace and quiet."
Yunwu immediately raised his voice: "Did you hear that? Quickly go and serve the young lady some tea."
Xiao Man glared at him: "I meant let me have some peace and quiet."
Yunwu lowered his head and continued playing with the nine-linked rings, saying softly, "I know that you don't like to be disturbed, so I will remain quiet and not say a word."
"You..." Xiaoman was about to vomit blood. Just as she was about to turn her back on him and kick him out, she suddenly saw his slender fingers slowly disassembling the nine-linked rings. His focused movements and expression reminded her of someone in a daze.
They really look alike, even though they look completely different. This person is a young boy, while he is already a tall and imposing young man.
Xiao Man was engrossed in watching. As if sensing her gaze, Yun Wu looked up at her with a charming smile and whispered, "Miss, is there something on my face? You always look at me like that, but you never let me touch you. Are you deliberately torturing me?"
Xiao Man was stunned for a moment, completely ignoring his flirtatious words, and suddenly whispered, "Where... are you from?"
"My ancestral home is Hangzhou."
As expected of a man from Jiangnan, perhaps only Jiangnan could produce such a young man, both charming and dashing, possessing a beauty distinct from that of women.
"So, how old are you?"
Yunwu stopped what he was doing, tilted his head and looked at her with a smile, and said softly, "Well... young lady needs to see to know how old she is, right?"
Xiao Man was stunned for a moment, somewhat unable to react. Only when she saw his mischievous and charming eyes did she realize in an instant what a ridiculous joke he had made! Her face flushed red: "I was asking how old you are!"
Yunwu shrank back regretfully: "Oh, I'm sixteen years old this year, seventeen by the traditional Chinese age reckoning."
He's a little younger than her, yet he's such a scoundrel! Xiao Man glared at him, just as someone pushed the door open to bring tea. She immediately told them to get out: "Alright, all of you, get out! Don't leave a single one behind!"
Yunwu finally went out, but turned back at the door and said softly, "Miss, how about West Lake Fish in Vinegar Sauce for dinner?"
She waved her hand, too lazy to say anything, and finally closed the door.
That evening, Yunwu indeed brought over a plate of West Lake Vinegar Fish, which tasted quite good. Seeing that he was dawdling and wanted to stay, Xiaoman this time bluntly told him to get lost. These young men, I really don't know what they're raised for; not a single one of them is proper. But thinking about the group of male maids dressed as women at Mr. Xue's mansion, and the handsome young men in the shop, I wonder what they're raised for either—the two brothers are both so strange!
In the middle of the night, the heart-wrenching wails started again. Fortunately, she was prepared and covered her ears tightly with the blanket. After a while, she got used to it. Gradually, she was about to fall asleep, and the endless wails were like a hypnotic melody. Suddenly, there was a loud crash, as if someone had thrown something heavy down from upstairs. It shattered on the floor, and she was jolted awake, sitting up abruptly.
Then came another sound of things being smashed, like someone shouting angrily, and faintly, voices trying to reason with them. The boys guarding the door stirred. One whispered, "The master is leaving again, isn't he?" Another murmured, "Almost, it's always like this... Who knows how long he'll be gone?"
Why must I leave?
Just as Xiaoman was about to hold her breath to listen, Yunwu's voice suddenly rang out from outside the window: "Miss, did I wake you up again?"
She didn't say anything, and carefully lay back down. Someone laughed and said, "You didn't even wake her up with all that noise. Why bother asking her? You could ask her a thousand times and she still wouldn't take off her clothes and let you have your way with her."
Yunwu chuckled and cursed something, and after that, they never spoke of anything helpless again. Xiaoman waited for a long time, and gradually the sounds outside faded away—the wailing, the smashing of things, the talking—all disappeared. Filled with doubt, she slowly drifted off to sleep.
The Scroll of Splendor, Chapter Ten: Right Sea of Flowers (Part One)
Updated: 2008-10-30 21:16:16 Word Count: 3783
Second update.
Helpless, he really left. After a night filled with strange noises, he departed from Xiangbuleng. However, judging from Yunwu and the others' expressions, it seemed that he left often, and they were used to it.
When Yunwu brought her breakfast, he said with a smile, "Miss, before the master left, he instructed that you should write the token as soon as possible. Although he is no longer here, he does not want you to have any resentment because of this."
It was clearly a threat. Although he had left, he had left behind a bunch of lackeys who would obey his every command. Xiao Man gave a dry reply and was about to lower her head to eat when she looked up and saw Yun Wu dawdling by the table, staring at her with a smile. Her face immediately hardened: "Get out, you're ruining my appetite."
Yunwu walked lazily to the door, then suddenly turned back and smiled slightly: "The master has always disliked noise, but now that he's not here, Xiangbuleng, there's no need for such concerns. I'll play the zither for you later, young lady, shall I?"
He suggested playing the piano, but Xiaoman thought of someone else and remained stunned for a long time, so long that Yunwu thought she would refuse. Suddenly, he heard her whisper, "Okay, I want to hear it."
The congee on the table was steaming, and Xiaoman found the breakfast particularly delicious, perhaps because she had to leave reluctantly. The tea even seemed to have a special aroma that was refreshing.
Yunwu brought in the zither as expected. Without saying a word, he gently ran his fingers across the strings to test the sound.
Xiaoman sat on the bed, quietly watching him, and the more she looked, the more he seemed to resemble him. She was truly obsessed; they weren't even the same person, and they didn't look alike in any way. This boy was slender and tall, and anyone could tell he wasn't yet an adult, so why was she so suspicious?
The melodious strains of a zither filled the air. She recognized the tune; it was "The Phoenix Seeks Its Mate." Melodious and alluring, subtly seductive, it was a piece someone had played for her before. But it was different. When that person played, it was gentle and mournful. In the young man's hands, however, the melody was utterly bewitching, each note like a seductive whisper uttered from the depths of his tongue.
His long eyelashes fluttered, and his dark, alluring eyes looked over, like a poisonous flower.
He was flirting with her.
Xiao Man suddenly stood up, slammed her hand against the wall, and the music stopped abruptly. Yun Wu looked at her innocently, as if he didn't understand what had happened. Xiao Man took a deep breath. Slowly opening her eyes, no, she wouldn't be fooled. Whether he did it intentionally or unintentionally, she wouldn't be mistaken again.
"You don't need to play anymore. You can leave."
Yunwu's eyes immediately welled up with tears, misting over the vast expanse of water. He bit his lip and whispered, "Miss, what did I do wrong?"
Xiao Man shook her head: "It's not your fault, I'm just not in the mood to listen. Go out."
Yunwu had no choice but to slowly leave, carrying his zither.
Xiao Man sighed and sat silently for a long time. Suddenly, she got up and quietly opened the back window. As expected, she had been behaving herself these past few days, and no one was guarding the window facing the backyard. She had used the excuse of getting some air out to keep that window open, leaving it unattended for about half an hour around noon and after 9 PM.
It's better to rely on yourself than on others. It's just as well that she left recently. The timing and circumstances are perfect. It would be foolish for her not to leave.
After he left, the night was unusually quiet, without even a shout. The nights in Xiangbuleng had never been so deathly still, as if even breathing had ceased.
Xiao Man slowly pushed back the covers, put on her clothes and shoes, walked to the bedside and listened carefully, but there was no sound outside.
She tried calling out twice: "Yunwu? Yunwen? I'm thirsty, bring me some tea."
No one answered her. Strangely, these boys usually kept watch outside the window, chatting and laughing quietly even in the middle of the night, but today none of them answered her. She knocked on the window twice and called out, "Yunwu?" Then she quietly pushed open the window. The moonlight was on the ground outside, but there wasn't a soul in sight.
Xiao Man was stunned for a long time, unable to understand what had happened.
A breeze carrying the fragrance of flowers brushed against her face, leaving a lingering, sweet aftertaste that intoxicated her. Xiaoman slowly pushed open the door and stepped out. The exquisite and beautiful Xiangbuleng seemed shrouded in a layer of misty, ethereal fog, making everything feel like a dream. The damp petals rubbed against her feet through her silk shoes, making a mournful creaking sound, and a deathly silence descended.
Although she didn't know what had happened, she still decided to run away; the fact that no one was around was a stroke of luck. She took off running, but halfway there, she didn't dare to go out the front door, so she turned around and ran towards the backyard, intending to find a side path to sneak out.
In the backyard, there were only a few low tiled houses, with black iron bars nailed to the doors and windows. It was dark inside, without any light or sound. Xiaoman remembered that the wailing sounds at night came from here, and she felt a chill run down her spine. She didn't dare to look any longer and turned to leave.
Suddenly, a deep voice was heard from inside the house: "Is that Yuexiaxiang? Has that little brat come here?"
Xiao Man was startled and didn't dare to utter a sound. She took small steps and shuffled forward little by little without making a sound.
The man suddenly said again, "Someone's here! Come over!"
"Damn it!" She took off running, when suddenly she heard a ripping sound behind her, followed by a clanging sound, as if something had been thrown out. Her waist tightened as she was bound by something hard. In her panic, she pulled with her hand—it was cold and hard, an iron chain! Xiaoman let out a broken groan from her throat. Before she could finish the cry, she was dragged backward, her back slamming hard against the wall. The pain made her gasp, and stars flashed before her eyes.
A rough, cold hand reached out from behind the window and touched her face a few times. Xiaoman was so frightened that goosebumps appeared on her skin, and she stammered, "A ghost..."
The person behind exclaimed, "It's actually this little girl!"
The hand gripped her chin, forcibly turning her face away. Xiaoman cried out, "Don't pull! Don't pull! You'll break my neck!" She turned completely around, facing the dark window. The moonlight was bright, so she could clearly see the person inside. She couldn't help but gasp.
The person's face was covered in patches of unbroken skin, a blood-red, pale, and pitch-black discoloration, as if it had been smashed and pieced back together. It was terrifying. Yet, their eyes shone like cold stars, sharp as lightning, fixed silently on her face. Xiaoman shivered, knowing in her heart that the person wasn't a ghost, but someone who had been forced to stay here. She whispered, "Sir... you... you've been locked up. Would you like me to open the door?"
The man didn't speak, but just stared at her intently, murmuring, "So it was you, yes, it was you. No wonder you smelled of moonlight fragrance. He always protects you. Very good, very good."
Xiaoman said in a trembling voice, "What did you say? What 'Fragrance Under the Moon'..."
"Moonlight Fragrance is a poison. It can be placed in water or sprinkled on the ground. It shows no signs of poisoning during the day, but it only becomes toxic and causes fainting when exposed to moonlight. Although I made this poison, I have never seen it work so quickly. It must be because he has improved it again."
Xiao Man felt his hand gripping her chin tightly, causing an unbearable soreness. She couldn't help but smile wryly, "Sir, please...please let go. Let's talk this out...you keep talking about him, but who exactly is he?"
The man said in a low voice, "Hmm, who is he? He is my apprentice."
No matter what Xiaoman asked, he remained silent, his thoughts slowly rising, recalling things from a long time ago.
He only had two disciples in his life, one older and one younger. The older disciple had a mysterious background and behavior, but he inherited all the essence of his martial arts. The younger disciple was extremely intelligent, and he became wary of him after the younger disciple was able to make poisons that were more potent than his own.
The saying goes, "A teacher for a day is a father for life," meaning disciples should obey him in everything, and he never thought there was anything wrong with this idea. However, these two seemed to hate being manipulated by him. The eldest disciple's background was too mysterious, so he left first, leaving the younger disciple by his side to keep him strictly under control and not allow him to have any disloyal thoughts.
An eagle that soars through the sky always has untamed eyes, no matter how well it hides them with gentleness. He tries his best to suppress him because he knows the eagle has nowhere to retreat and this is the only path it can take. He is too capable; if he is let go, the eagle will be resentful. In this world, anyone who doesn't obey him is an enemy; there is no other gray area.
He hadn't been unaware that the man might resist, but he hadn't expected such a fierce resistance. "Fighting to the death"—that was the true meaning of that phrase. In that small, flame-scorched courtyard in Qingzhou, he was afflicted by the Deathly Curse, smearing his own poisoned blood on the Black Dragon Whip. As his disciple, that man knew exactly what he was going to do; he could have easily avoided it and escaped, but he stayed. Then he understood: this man had no will to live, or rather, he intended to pay for all the years of his teachings with his own life.
He knew he would wield the whip, and he knew he wouldn't let him go, yet he still stayed.
Unfortunately, the young disciple miscalculated. He hadn't expected that the two people he had brought to settle outside the courtyard were still there. The little girl had been rescued, and they, confident they couldn't defeat the person, had no choice but to let her go for the time being and rush in to rescue her. At that time, the two of them were fighting in the fire, both afflicted by the Deathly Curse, and both were desperately holding on. Later, the house collapsed, and the four of them fought in a chaotic battle. He thought he would definitely be able to kill his wicked disciple with his own hands this time, but unexpectedly, a strange old man appeared out of nowhere and rescued the young disciple. He himself was also struggling to cope due to his severe injuries.
He suddenly devised a wicked plan: he killed a man, swapped his clothes with his, had him impersonate him, and then threw the man's corpse into the fire.
This way, everyone will think they are dead, and with the enemy in the open while we are in the dark, it will be easier for him to take action.
I never expected that the eldest disciple would actually find him and put him under house arrest...
A smile suddenly appeared on the man's face, a smile tinged with pride, arrogance, and anger. His disciples were truly outstanding! Each one was more ruthless and ferocious than him! As their master, only he knew the joy in his heart. As their adversary, only he knew the shame and fury within himself.
Xiao Man suddenly fell silent, staring intently into his eyes. After a long while, she finally uttered a single sentence: "Your disciple is—Tian Quan? You are Tian Quan's master?" The man didn't speak. From behind the gloomy door, a heart-wrenching howl suddenly erupted, like a wounded wolf, like a wild beast on the verge of death. The piercing cry sent chills down Xiao Man's spine, and the hairs on her back stood on end.
I'm about to start revising the text. Could you guys give me some feedback? What parts of the first three volumes need to be changed?
Thank you. (To be continued...) To find out what happens next, please log in to qidiom for more chapters, support the author, and support genuine reading!