Empress Dowager Xiaoxuan

Chapter 4

"You're the one who deserves to die!" With the image of being cut in half at the waist still fresh in her mind, Xiao Xuan felt a chill run down her spine when she heard Xiao Gu tell Yelü Jing that he wanted to kill her. Though tears still welled in her eyes, she instinctively retorted, "You liar! You deceived His Majesty, saying that human gall could prolong life! If it truly had such miraculous effects, why don't you stay young forever? Look at your face, covered in wrinkles. How can someone who knows about immortality not even retain their youth? Isn't that ridiculous?"

"Chuo'er, shut up." Xiao Siwen was afraid that Xiao Xuan would anger Xiao Gu, so she quickly stopped her. But these two women, who had only exchanged a few words, already hated each other to the bone, so they wouldn't listen to her.

"You!" Xiao Gu gritted his teeth, his face, painted in various colors, contorted almost out of shape.

"What do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'you old hag'!" Xiao Xuan cursed, "You keep saying you have divine guidance, then call out the gods and make them show themselves. If the gods don't show themselves, how will anyone know if you're telling the truth or not?"

"Ignorant brat, I'll kill you!" She drew her waist knife and swung it at Xiao Xuan. The knife gleamed coldly in the sunlight as it came crashing down towards Xiao Xuan's head. Watching the knife draw ever closer, Xiao Xuan closed her eyes in despair.

With a "crack," the knife was stopped just a fist's distance from Xiao Xuan's head. Xiao Gu looked over and saw that the owner of the knife that had stopped her was none other than Yelü Jing.

"Your Majesty!" Xiao Gu exclaimed, quickly drawing his sword back.

"In front of me, without my decree, you dare to kill people at will? Do you even respect me?" Yelü Jing asked, glaring at Xiao Gu.

Xiao Xuan slowly opened her eyes, looking at Yelü Jing with apparent disbelief. She couldn't believe that this murderous demon had saved her from the knife that was meant to kill her. Her eyes were filled with astonishment.

Yelü Jing glared at Xiao Xuan, grabbed her arm, and forcefully flung her back to where he had been sitting. Xiao Xuan fell to the spot where Yelü Jing had just been sitting. He slowly walked back to Xiao Xuan's side, looked at her lying on the ground in a panic, picked up a wine pouch, took a sip, and calmly sat down on the ground.

Those sitting around Yelü Xian, Yelü Xiuge, and the others all had a hint of pleasure on their faces.

King Yelü Jing of Liao was known for his tyrannical and cruel nature, with no regard for reward or punishment. He neglected state affairs, was bloodthirsty, and the ministers surrounding him had always dared not speak out against him. Now, the witch Xiao Gu had joined the chorus of evil, acting with impunity. She claimed to offer advice on extracting human gallbladders for medicine to prolong the King's life and maintain his youth, but in reality, she was harming the people and poisoning their lives. Although the ministers loathed and resented her, they dared not utter a word, fearing that disaster would befall them. Now, seeing Yelü Jing personally save the third young lady of the Xiao family whom Xiao Gu had intended to kill, and even rebuke Xiao Gu, they couldn't help but feel a secret joy.

Seeing that Yan Yan was safe for now, Xiao Siwen breathed a sigh of relief. His Majesty was known for his ruthless killings, so his willingness to save Zhuo'er meant that the King didn't yet feel any disgust towards her. Looking at Yelü Jing, Xiao Siwen secretly shuddered. His Majesty was extremely cold to people, rarely even favoring his Empress, keeping the harem neglected. Apart from the nominal Empress, he had never been intimate with any other woman. His eccentric personality was already well-known in the court and among the people. Therefore, seeing him save Xiao Xuan with a knife, Xiao Siwen was both surprised and delighted. Delighted that Zhuo'er's life was saved, but also surprised, wondering what his next move would be.

Xiao Xuan, who was lying on the ground, straightened up, crossed her legs, sat on the ground, and glared fiercely at Yelü Jing.

Grandma's not afraid anymore! So what if I die? What's the big deal! Anyway, this body isn't mine, so you can kill me or hack me to pieces, I don't care. Maybe if you kill me, I can go back to the modern world. Come on, you devil!

Yelü Jing swallowed a mouthful of wine, looked at the fierce-looking Xiao Xuan, and asked, "Do you hate me?"

Xiao Xuan nodded.

Upon seeing this, Han Derang and Xiao Siwen broke out in a cold sweat.

A smile appeared on Yelü Jing's face: "Then do you want to kill me?"

"Yes!" Xiaoxuan's clear voice rang out.

"Hahaha, hahaha." Yelü Jing laughed loudly, "Do you know how many people want to kill me? Do you know where those people who want to kill me are right now?"

“Many people must have wanted to kill you, and they’re all dead. If they weren’t dead, you wouldn’t be standing here alive in front of me,” Xiaoxuan said coldly.

Yelü Jing suppressed his smile and quietly looked at Xiao Xuan.

Everyone around them was watching them.

Han Derang's eyes reddened slightly; he knew the consequences of her words. Although he wasn't very familiar with her, having only met her a few times, she was his betrothed. If it weren't for the frequent plots of rebellion, he and Xiao Chuo would likely have already married. Looking at Yelü Jing, whose face was ashen as he glared at Xiao Xuan, Han Derang felt a surge of intense hatred.

Yelü Xian swallowed two mouthfuls of strong liquor. What a pity! What a pity that such a beautiful girl was about to die at his hands.

Yelü Jing suddenly stood up, took a step to Xiao Xuan's side, squatted down and stared at Xiao Xuan's face, and said seriously, "That woman over there was trying to kill you just now. You'd better be careful. If you're not careful and she kills you, you'll never be able to kill me again."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Gu smiled, drew his waist knife which was already sheathed, raised his eyebrows at Xiao Xuan, and his face was full of provocation.

Yelü Jing looked at Xiao Gu, who had drawn his sword, and then at Xiao Xuan, who was expressionless. Suddenly, he burst into laughter and said, "She's going to kill you! She's going to kill you! What are you going to do? Hahaha."

With Yelü Jing's backing, Xiao Gu laughed loudly, picked up his knife, and walked step by step toward Xiao Xuan, who was sitting cross-legged, occasionally sticking out his tongue and licking his lips.

"Your Majesty, didn't you want to live forever?" Xiao Xuan asked, sitting motionless as she watched Xiao Gu approach her step by step.

A glint of shrewdness flashed in Yelü Jing's eyes. He suppressed his smile again and asked Xiao Xuan, "Do you have a way?"

"Didn't she tell His Majesty to eat human gallbladders to live longer? I'm thinking, what human gallbladder could be more valuable than hers! She's a witch brimming with divine power. Since the gods told her this secret recipe, and she can communicate with the omnipotent gods, who here can compare to her in terms of divine power and spiritual energy? If eating human gallbladders can lead to longevity, then wouldn't eating hers be even more beneficial and harmless?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Gu stopped in her tracks, sensing that something terrible was about to happen. Sure enough, Yelü Jingyuan stared at her with wide eyes, as if she were a rare and precious treasure.

“Your Majesty…” Xiao Gu called out, her lips trembling. She stopped in her tracks, no longer having the will to go forward. She knew how mad Yelü Jing was; if he believed this girl, she would be in danger.

Yelü Xian put down the wine bag, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Yelü Jing slowly stood up, looked at Xiao Gu and said, "Xiao Gu, what she said makes a lot of sense. Why didn't I think of that?"

Seeing Xiao Gu's panicked expression, Yelü Jing's heart skipped a beat. She shouldn't be so flustered. Normally, she would have rushed forward and chopped this girl into mincemeat. Now, her eyes flickered with uncertainty, darting around. Xiao Gu, could it be that your magic formula is actually a trick to fool this king?!

A hint of doubt arose in Yelü Jing's mind. He looked at Xiao Gu and said, "Xiao Gu, present your gall to me."

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please don't believe this girl's nonsense, this...this..." Xiao Gu stammered, not knowing what to say. "Your Majesty...I am a messenger of the gods...you cannot kill me, you...if you kill me, there will be divine retribution. Yes, divine retribution, there will be divine retribution."

Seeing her rambling incoherently, Yelü Jing became even more certain of his suspicions. He realized he had been consuming human gall for quite some time, yet it had yielded no results. He was mentally exhausted, weak all over, and needed strong liquor to fall asleep morning and night. The words of Xiao Siwen's daughter echoed in his ears again: "You liar! You deceived His Majesty, saying that human gall could prolong life. If it truly had such miraculous effects, why don't you stay young forever? Look at your face, covered in wrinkles. Someone who knows about immortality can't even retain their youth? How can that be? Isn't that ridiculous?"

Yelü Jing grew angrier and angrier with each thought, his chest burning with fury, yet his face remained impassive. He was the King of Liao; he couldn't let anyone see that he had been deceived by an old woman—it would damage his royal dignity. Thinking of this, the images of those damned old ministers, mocking him behind his back, flashed through his mind again. Damn them, damn them, you all deserve to die!

Yelü Jing sneered, looking at Xiao Gu and saying, "Divine retribution? I've never seen any divine retribution before, so seeing it once won't matter. You are a messenger of God, and the divine power within you is certainly beyond the reach of these slaves. Tonight, I will use your gall as an appetizer. Hahaha, hahaha!" He picked up the wine bag, gulped down several large mouthfuls, then glanced at Xiao Xuan sitting cross-legged on the ground, walked back to his seat, and sat down on the ground.

"Xiao Gu, I want to have some real fun with you." After saying this, Yelü Jing turned to Yelü Xiuge, who was sitting on the ground, and said, "Xiuge, capture her. A live hunt!"

"Yes!" Yelü Xiuge, the young Liao general who was sitting on the ground and holding the official title of Tiyin, nodded respectfully, then stood up and walked towards Xiao Gu.

Empress of Khitan - Chapter Seven: Hunting Alive

Updated: 2008-09-20 16:53:53 Word Count: 3787

Xiao Gu gripped her waist knife tighter as she watched Yelü Xiuge approach. She understood what Yelü Jing meant by "live hunt."

She wanted to live; she didn't want to die. But she also knew what kind of person Hugh was. She only had a chance to fight back. If she could kill Hugh, perhaps that beast would change his mind. Thinking this, Xiao Gu swung his sword and swung it towards Hugh's head.

Yelü Xiuge smiled faintly, then strode forward, feinted to dodge Xiao Gu's blade strike, and then used his strong, round arm to ram into Xiao Gu.

"Ah!" Xiao Gu cried out in surprise, stumbled and fell to the ground, his waist knife falling to the side.

Yelü Jing stood up, raised his arm, and beckoned to the guards behind him. Xiao Gu understood the meaning of his gesture, quickly scrambled to his feet, and ran. Sure enough, Yelü Jing took the bow and arrows from the guards, watched Xiao Gu flee in disarray, and laughed loudly, shouting, "Hurry up! Hurry up! Get on your horses! Quickly! Quickly! Hunt! Hunt!"

Xiao Xuan stood up from the ground and looked around at the guards running around, the generals mounting their horses, the horses neighing, and the scene was extremely chaotic.

Suddenly, she felt light as she was lifted from the ground and placed on the horse's back.

Calming herself, Xiao Xuan opened her eyes and saw that she was sitting on the back of a tall, magnificent horse, with something hard behind her. Turning her head, she broke out in a cold sweat. The horse she was riding belonged to Yelü Jing. At that moment, Yelü Jing was sitting behind her, glaring coldly at her.

What is he going to do?

Before Xiao Xuan could find the answer, Yelü Jing had already spurred his horse into a gallop. Ignoring Xiao Xuan sitting in front of him, Yelü Jing screamed as he ran, "Kill her! Quickly! Kill her!"

Xiao Xuan looked ahead and saw Xiao Gu running desperately. Seeing her thrown into the hunting circle, many of the ministers felt a surge of joy.

Xiao Gu ran forward desperately, knowing she had no hope of survival, but the will to live kept her legs moving forward. Unfortunately, no matter how fast she ran, she couldn't outrun a four-legged horse.

Arrows whistled through the air and fell around her.

"Ah!" Xiao Gu screamed in agony as an arrow struck her leg. Looking at the approaching troops, her brightly colored face showed no other expression besides terror in her eyes. She dragged her injured leg forward with all her might.

But some people didn't want her to live. Yelü Xiuge aimed his bow and arrow at Xiao Gu as he ran, and then released his right hand that was holding the arrow.

With a whoosh, the arrow pierced Xiao Gu's back. Xiao Gu staggered and fell to the ground. Without letting her go, Yelü Jing rode up to Xiao Gu and fired another arrow at close range.

After running a few more steps, Hugh reined in his horse, looked at Xiao Gu lying on the ground, and his eyes shone with a cold light.

"Brother Xiu, what a great arrow!" A gentle voice rang in my ears.

Yelü Xiuge looked over and saw that the speaker was none other than Prince Yelü Xian. He hurriedly replied, "Your Highness is too kind." Yelü Xian smiled slightly and looked at Yelü Jing not far away.

Yelü Jing was shouting loudly, "Shoot her, shoot her, turn her into a hedgehog!"

Looking at Yelü Jing, who was shouting excitedly, Yelü Xian frowned, then looked at the slender white-clad beauty in front of him.

Xiao Xuan covered her eyes and face tightly with her hands, unwilling to witness such a cruel scene. All she could hear was Yelü Jing's cruel laughter. Looking at the little figure covering her face in front of him, Yelü Jing frowned, then suddenly scooped Xiao Xuan up and threw her off his horse.

Xiao Xuan, who had fallen to the ground, ignored the pain and looked up at Yelü Jing in astonishment. She saw Yelü Jing, his eyes red, shout, "I'll give you time to run! Run, run! After my horse tramples her into mincemeat, you'll be next! Hahaha!"

Upon hearing his shout, Yelü Xian, Yelü Xiuge, Han Derang, and the others were all taken aback.

"Your Majesty, no!" Xiao Siwen cried out in alarm.

"Hahahaha," Yelü Jing laughed loudly, then said to Xiao Siwen, "Get out of my way!" Then, pointing at Xiao Gu's corpse, he gritted his teeth and shouted to the guards beside him, "Remove the arrows from her body."

Xiao Xuan slowly stood up from the ground, staring blankly at Xiao Gu's corpse, which was covered in arrows like a hedgehog. Just moments before, she had been laughing loudly; just moments before, she had been brandishing her waist knife.

"Your Majesty, I beg you, spare Zhuo'er!" Xiao Siwen dismounted and knelt before Yelü Jing's horse, crying.

Yelü Jing frowned at Xiao Siwen, silently drew his dagger from his waist, and pressed it against Xiao Siwen's chin. Looking at Xiao Xuan, Yelü Jing smiled wickedly: "Run! If you don't run, I'll cut his neck off."

Xiao Xuan stared at the scene, stunned. Just then, the sound of hooves rang out, and a horse galloped up in front of her. The rider was none other than Han Derang. Knowing that Yelü Jing would not let Xiao Xuan go, Han Derang, with his back to Yelü Jing, whispered to Xiao Xuan, "Find a place to hide." Xiao Xuan was slightly taken aback. Then she saw Han Derang wink at her, and then shout loudly, "Are you deaf? His Majesty told you to leave immediately, why aren't you leaving? What are you standing here for? Don't you understand the King's words, or do you sincerely want to see Lord Xiao die?"

Knowing he was trying to help her, a pang of sorrow still flashed in Xiao Xuan's eyes. She ran forward with weak legs, tears welling in her eyes. She was, in fact, prey in this land... As she ran, she glanced back at Xiao Siwen; the old man was still kneeling on the ground, crying and pleading. Turning back to continue running, Xiao Xuan wiped away her tears, thinking to herself: Old Man Xiao, I'm sorry, I've ruined your daughter.

Yelü Xian glared at Han Derang with disgust. Xiao Chuo is your fiancée, and this is how you treat her? In order to please His Majesty, you even disregard the safety of the woman who was with you just moments before. Coward!

The unattended little red horse, Achi, watched its master, Xiaoxuan, run further and further away, and couldn't help but take off after her. Seeing the little red horse galloping towards Xiaoxuan, Yelü Jing sheathed his sword, took the bow and arrows hanging from the saddle, and aimed at Achi.

Achi was incredibly fast and quickly caught up with Xiaoxuan, whose legs felt like lead, and stopped beside her. Xiaoxuan looked at the little red horse and said, "Achi, you're the best. Only you're willing to come and keep me company." Wiping away her tears, Xiaoxuan tried to climb onto the horse's back, but due to fear and anxiety, she fell off before she could even get on.

Yelü Jing, who had already aimed at the little red horse and was about to release his arrow, saw Xiao Xuan fall from the horse's back. He couldn't help but lower his bow and arrow, laughing heartily. "Foolish woman, truly foolish woman! I'll give you a chance to escape. I want to see how far you can run." With that thought, Yelü Jing hung his bow and arrows back on the saddle and silently looked at Xiao Gu's corpse lying on the ground, the arrows now removed.

Ignoring Xiao Siwen's kneeling and weeping, Yelü Jing spurred his horse and trampled Xiao Gu's corpse. Xiao Siwen, still weeping, was splattered with blood from the corpse because she was too close. Watching Xiao Gu's body being trampled under the horse's hooves, Xiao Siwen wondered what other methods this tyrant would use against his daughter. He watched until he fainted.

Yelü Jing, trampling on Xiao Gu's corpse, was in high spirits. Seeing the splattered blood, he felt his blood boil. "Hahaha," he laughed, glancing around and spotting Xiao Siwen lying unconscious on the ground.

His smile vanished, and Yelü Jing looked at Xiao Siwen lying on the ground with disgust, cursing, "Useless scholar!" Then he shouted, "Help him onto the horse." After thinking for a moment, he added, "Tie him up securely. The hunt isn't over yet; don't let him fall off halfway!"

After giving the orders, Yelü Jing coldly said to the guards beside him, "Tread Xiao Gu's horse into mud." After saying that, he spurred his horse to the side and watched with great excitement as the guards on horseback desperately trampled Xiao Gu's corpse.

After finally climbing onto the little red horse's back, Xiao Xuan was carried by Achi at breakneck speed. The wind whistled in her ears, and the tears on her face had long since dried. Without direction, Xiao Xuan let Achi carry her blindly. Suddenly, their vision cleared; they had reached the edge of a deep ravine. Xiao Xuan was terrified; her whole body went weak, and she no longer had the strength to urge the horse on. Achi, however, didn't stop; instead, it ran faster and faster, leaping high into the air at the edge of the ravine.

In that instant, Xiaoxuan closed her eyes in despair. She never imagined that the one who would die with her in this world would be a little red horse.

The wind stopped howling, and all was quiet. What happened? There was no feeling of falling. Where were they? Xiaoxuan cautiously opened her eyes. On the ground! She and the little red horse were on the ground! Looking around, Xiaoxuan was surprised to find that the little red horse had carried her across a wide ravine and leaped onto the flat ground on the opposite cliff.

On the other side, looking at Xiao Gu, who had already been trampled into a bloody pulp by the guards and horses, Yelü Jing smiled wickedly and said, "It's time for the hunt. Let's go find some new prey." No sooner had he finished speaking than his horse bolted off. The generals and guards hurriedly followed.

There was no sign of the girl along the way, and Yelü Jing's expression grew increasingly grim. Han Derang, on the other hand, was secretly pleased. "Yan Yan, have you already hidden yourself?"

The speed increased, and Yelü Jing's mood could only be described as exasperated. There was no sign of that brat along the way; where was she? Just as he was getting angry, a huge ravine appeared before them. Everyone hurriedly tightened their reins. The sudden pull caught those following behind off guard. Ahead were their ruler and general; even with the greatest courage, they dared not ram their horses. They simply gripped the reins tightly to one side, preferring to fall with their horses rather than take another step forward.

Yelü Jing, having reined in his horse, looked across the ravine. A woman in white was riding a horse, smiling at him. If that woman wasn't Xiao Chuo, then who was she?