The Scroll of Splendor, Chapter Eleven: Right Flower Sea (Part Two)
Updated: 2008-10-31 14:28:49 Word Count: 3978
First update.
The man turned slightly to the side, letting her see the scene inside the room.
There was only one bed in the room, and on the bed lay a person writhing in agony, contorting in all sorts of impossible positions, clearly in unparalleled pain.
Xiao Man started trembling involuntarily.
The man said calmly, "My eldest disciple still has a conscience, using him to test medicine for me. It's just a pity that his skill is too shallow. Once he's been poisoned by the Deathly Curse, he won't live more than a few days."
As they were talking, the man rolled off the bed, his black hair falling to the floor, revealing a pale, distorted face. Xiao Man exclaimed, "It's Yelü Wenjue! He's not dead!"
"He's either dead or practically dead."
Xiao Man was speechless. What kind of people were these?! Wasn't Yelü Wenjue their subordinate? They actually used their own men as test subjects for the antidote! This kind of person was Tianquan's master; no wonder he…
Yelü Wenjue cried out for a while, but finally lost the strength to cry out any longer and collapsed to the ground unconscious.
The man looked at her with a strange expression and whispered, "He won't make it through the night. My Deathly Curse needs someone to test the medicine. You've ruined my plans and even kidnapped my little disciple, so you'll have to be the one to test the medicine for me!"
He grabbed her chin, suddenly lifted her head, and bit down on her throat! He was poisoned by a deadly curse, not fully cured, only able to suppress it with his own profound inner strength. Now, his entire body was poisoned; if he bit through her throat, her saliva would inevitably poison her as well. Xiao Man was terrified, screaming, and with a sudden surge of strength, she pushed his head away. Her bite missed, instead striking the black iron railing with a crack, nearly breaking his teeth.
Xiao Man turned and ran, but his iron chain was tied around his waist. She hadn't run two steps before he pulled her back.
The fragrance of the moonlit incense grew stronger, and the man felt his hands trembling slightly, almost unable to hold onto the struggling Xiaoman. He whispered, "How come you weren't poisoned? Oh, I know, he's here! He must be here! I gave you the antidote!"
In a moment of desperation, Xiaoman pulled the hairpin from her hair and stabbed it relentlessly in his face and hands. The man cried out in pain and couldn't hold her any longer. Xiaoman broke free of the chains and ran. She hadn't gone far when she suddenly saw someone approaching in the shadows. She gasped—the man was holding a sword! Was he here to capture her? Or to check on those being held captive here?
She froze, then slowly took two steps back. The moonlight was extremely bright, yet the incense, though cold, was still filled with rising mist; the poison of the Moonlit Incense had been fully released. The man carried a long sword. Slowly, he broke through the mist and advanced until he stood before her. He had beautiful black hair that cascaded over his shoulders, and he wore a loose, pale yellow robe. His eyes were closed. His face was alluring; it was Yun Wu.
He clearly had his eyes closed, yet he walked with remarkable steadiness, as if he had an extra pair of eyes on his forehead. The scene was utterly bizarre. Xiaoman held her breath, took two steps back, and softly called out, "Yunwu?"
He seemed not to hear, and slowly walked towards the window. The person inside cursed, "You little beast!" and threw an iron chain at his head. Xiao Man covered his mouth and watched as the iron chain hit his head, blood streaming down his face. He felt nothing at all, and slowly reached out to grab the iron chain and pulled it outward.
The man had been poisoned by the Moonlit Fragrance, and with the deathly aura within him that he had been struggling to suppress, he was already weak in his limbs. Yun Wu slowly pulled him to the window, and the two faced each other. His eyes were still closed, and he did not move. Blood dripped from the tip of his nose and landed on the other man's face. The other man's expression was both horrified and confused.
"You...you are..." the man murmured, then suddenly reached out and cupped his face.
Yun Wu's lips moved slightly, and he silently uttered a few words. The man seemed stunned, staring intently as he raised the sword in his hand, little by little, until it thrust towards him.
The cold blade had already touched his eyelids when the man suddenly remembered things from far back, things he himself was almost forgetting. He had been covered in blood then, nearly killed by his own hand, and after hovering on the brink of death, a faint smile appeared on his face as he softly called out, "Master." From that moment on, his smile was ethereal, filled with malice.
How much does he hate him?
Blood spurted out like thick black ink, and Xiaoman desperately covered her mouth to stop herself from screaming. The blood slowly dripped to the ground, like petals, floating lightly and swaying, then being blown away by the spring breeze, turning into countless bright red flowers dancing in the air. Xiaoman took a soft breath and subconsciously touched her left ear. Then she heard a faint, ethereal melody, as if something was being slowly torn apart, both mournful and lingering.
Here it comes again. That thought flashed through her mind for a fleeting moment, and then she knew nothing more.
A sea of petals, dancing in the air, paved a bright path for her, as if to engulf her completely. Gods and Buddhas appeared together, celestial maidens like elegant phoenixes, swirling and scattering petals upon petals. She was pulled and dragged forward by a small hand in her heart, stumbling along.
She walked through dappled sunlight through the woods, across fields bursting with spring blossoms, and along quiet, ethereal mountain paths. In the depths of the light, a man with wide sleeves and a tall crown slowly extended his hand to her.
Xiao Man instinctively grasped those cold hands, her vision went black, and she collapsed into his arms.
A single candle flickered, and a light drizzle fell outside the window. Xiaoman turned over in bed and unconsciously dreamt of her childhood.
Her emaciated mother lay on the bed, coughing as if she were about to die. Suddenly, she raised her head, her cheeks flushed red, and said in a trembling voice, "Now anyone can trample me underfoot, everyone treats me like a dog, and can kick me at will."
She took the medicine and stood quietly by the bed without saying a word.
Suddenly, she grabbed Xiaoman's thin arm, and the broken porcelain bowl crashed to the ground, shattering with a loud bang. It was the last intact bowl in her house. Xiaoman looked at the spilled medicine and shards with heartache. Tomorrow, her mother would have no medicine left; she had brought this upon herself.
"You look down on me too, don't you?" She moved closer to her face, her gaze crazed.
Xiao Man slowly shook her head. She whispered, "Mother."
Her expression softened, and suddenly tears streamed down her face as she gripped her arm tightly, squeezing it painfully.
"I'll make those who abandoned me regret it sooner or later! I'll make them regret it sooner or later!" she murmured, her hot breath burning her face.
Unfortunately, she didn't make anyone regret it in the end; she regretted it enough herself first, and then died unwillingly.
She didn't want to be such a pathetic person, spending half her life in hatred, surviving solely on that anger. Being abandoned or forgotten—so what? Does anyone in this world need someone else to survive? Why make herself so wounded?
No one will pity them.
Even if it's pity, what good is it? Pity is always accompanied by shame.
She recalled a saying: everyone has a callus on their body. Once you break through, you won't look back; if you don't, you'll be trapped inside. Her mother was trapped in that very callus, never knowing what it was like to look up.
Xiao Man quietly opened her eyes. The sound of rain grew louder, and the tiny candlelight danced above her head. A newly hatched moth circled around it, reluctant to leave.
A slender hand picked up the moth, its wings fluttering, and gently tossed it out the window, which was then closed.
A blanket was placed over her naked body. The man sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at her. Long hair fell over her face and shoulders. It was slightly cool.
Xiao Man slowly raised her hand and grasped a lock of hair, whispering, "I thought you had started a new life."
He smiled slightly: "It's begun. I'm fine."
She looked up and met his dark eyes, staring at them for a moment before saying, "That Yunwu..."
"He owes me a huge favor," he suddenly whispered, recounting the whole story to her.
After leaving Mount Taihua that day, he encountered the severely wounded Yunwu. Yunwu was one of the black-clad men sent to ambush Zexiu and his group. None of them could defeat Zexiu; instead, they were either killed or severely injured. Although Yunwu was not dead, he was on the verge of death.
“From him, I know that my senior brother’s target is you.”
Yunwu and the others were merely pawns sent to distract the enemy; they deserved to be sacrificed. The child was disheartened by this, and since Tianquan had saved his life, he promised to repay the debt. He was the one who released the Moonlit Incense and gave her the antidote.
“But he was young and too impetuous, and I was afraid he would give himself away, so I gave him a hand.” He smiled. “That person… is finally dead.”
Xiaoman recalled how Yunwu later killed her master with his sword; he had kept his eyes closed the whole time, looking as if he were possessed. She couldn't help but whisper, "What...what happened to you...?"
He laughed: "You wouldn't understand even if I told you."
……OK.
Perhaps because her expression was so cute, he laughed even louder, pressed his forehead against hers, closed his eyes, and remained silent for a long time.
Xiao Man's voice was low and soft: "Tianquan..."
He gently embraced her, and after a while, he said, "I am... truly free now."
Does it mean killing that person? Xiao Man couldn't help but raise her hand and pat his back. With such a terrifying master, it's a wonder he's still alive.
Tianquan straightened up and put his clothes on the bed: "Get dressed. You've slept for a whole day and night, you must be hungry. Would you like something to eat?"
Xiao Man looked around. It seemed to be a very ordinary house. "Is this also your courtyard?" He had so many places to stay, which reminded people of the rather vulgar idiom "a cunning rabbit has three burrows".
He smiled and shook his head: "No, it's just an ordinary house in the suburbs of Hangzhou, which I rented."
He pushed open the door and went out. Xiaoman quickly put on her clothes and was putting on her shoes when he suddenly poked his head back in and asked, "How about the Hibiscus Silver Fish?"
Xiao Man nodded and followed him out, smiling, "Let me help." This person's cooking skills were a hundred times better than Ze Xiu's, and there was no comparison between them. The two of them worked together and quickly prepared the meal. They brought it into the house and began to eat, chatting and laughing.
"Speaking of which, I really thought that Yunwu was you, he really looked just like him." Xiaoman couldn't help but sigh as she recalled his expressions.
Tianquan just smiled and said, "You have me in your heart, so you see everyone else as me."
Xiao Man coughed, unsure how to retort. He seemed to sense her embarrassment, so he changed the subject, talking only about his life recently. When he mentioned his plan to open a martial arts school to teach children boxing, Xiao Man couldn't help but burst out laughing.
“There’s a martial arts school in our town, and the owner is a lecherous old man. With your looks, why do you have to follow his example and open a martial arts school?”
"Then I'll drive it when I'm an old man."
Xiao Man laughed nonstop.
The Scroll of Splendor, Chapter Twelve: Right Flower Sea (Part Three)
Updated: 2008-10-31 14:28:49 Word Count: 3725
Second update.
After finishing her meal, Tianquan went to wash the dishes, while she stayed in the room looking around. Suddenly, she noticed a neatly folded sheet of Xuan paper on the small table. Its jade-white texture looked very familiar, so she went over and slowly unfolded it.
The paper was covered with crooked, rice-shaped characters, which she had written while practicing calligraphy out of boredom in Qingzhou. Xiaoman's wrist trembled, and she didn't know what to feel.
Looking down, she saw Zexiu's name, followed by her own.
The last line contains two characters: 见玉 (Jian Yu).
A pang of sadness gripped her heart, and she couldn't help but lower her head.
"I brought it out myself, thankfully it wasn't burned." His voice suddenly rang out from behind, and Xiaoman couldn't help but tremble, the Xuan paper fluttering lightly onto the table.
She slowly turned around, but dared not look him in the eye, and only whispered, "Tianquan."
He smiled, carefully placed the paper in his pocket, and said softly, "Don't take it to heart, and don't mind it."
After saying that, he suddenly seemed to remember something and added, "Wait, I have something to give you."
He took out two pieces of white silk from his sleeve and handed them to her: "These originally belonged to you, and now they are returned to you intact."
She unfolded two pieces of white silk, the very same two embroideries Zexiu had given her in the desert that day: one depicting a lady holding a flower, the other a young Zexiu, each with a lifelike and vibrant face. She said softly, "You still... kept them." "Of course, they're yours."
Xiao Man smiled, put the two embroidered pieces into her bosom, and suddenly looked around, noticing a stack of red paper under the windowsill. It was probably left by the original owner for cutting paper snowflakes. She smiled sweetly and said, "Bring me some pen and ink, and I'll give you something even better."
Tianquan had no idea what she was going to do. He could only take out a pen and ink and watch as she awkwardly held the pen. She wrote a few words on the red paper, then covered it up so he wouldn't see them. She then took a pair of scissors, sat on the bed, and began to slowly cut the paper, saying, "Don't peek, or I won't give it to you."
Before she could finish speaking, he had already moved closer, sitting down beside her and watching intently as she swiftly and skillfully moved the scissors.
Xiao Man said softly, "Didn't I tell you not to look?" There was no hint of resentment in her tone.
He didn't speak, but simply leaned against her, quietly watching her swiftly wield the knife, the fragments of red paper falling slowly like snowflakes. A single candle flame cast long shadows of the two of them on the wall; at this moment, they were together, one person.