Disco de doble caja

Capítulo 3

"Ah!" A scream rang in their ears.

A male slave seemed to have spotted the crevice and wanted to hide there, but before he could even reach it, he was struck by several arrows and fell at the crevice's entrance.

One of the guards who followed jumped off his horse, drew a curved sword from his waist, and walked towards the narrow gap.

Han Derang quickly pulled Xiao Xuan into the cave.

The sound of clothes being torn could be heard. The man, who had been shot with several arrows, was clearly not dead yet. At this moment, a guard was cutting open his abdomen and removing his gall bladder with a knife. His screams were heart-wrenching.

Inside the cave, Xiao Xuan and Han Derang hugged each other even tighter, their breaths becoming faint, as if afraid of being discovered.

Seemingly startled by the screams outside the cave, Han Derang's mount suddenly bolted out through the narrow crevice. The guard, hearing the strange noise, looked up and saw a horse charging towards him. He quickly rolled to avoid the horse's charge. Puzzled as to how a horse could have escaped through the crevice, he peered intently inside and saw a large hole with a figure in white robes faintly visible.

"There's someone hiding in here! There's someone in this cave!" The guard pointed his sword at the cave entrance and shouted loudly into the distance.

The sound of horses' hooves came and stopped at the gap in the cave entrance.

"People inside, come out."

A sharp shout rang out at the cave entrance.

Xiaoxuan was so scared that she didn't dare to move, and her legs seemed to go numb.

"Someone! Go find some branches. If they don't come out, roast them over a fire!"

Looking at Xiao Xuan in his arms, Han Derang whispered, "Remember what I said." Then he shouted towards the outside of the cave, "It's the third young lady of the Xiao family, the daughter of Lord Xiao Siwen, inside."

"Chuo'er!" came an old, puzzled voice from outside the cave.

Recalling what the maids had said, Xiao Xuan looked up at Han Derang and asked, "My father?"

Han Derang nodded.

"Father, it's me, Yan Yan!" Realizing her predicament, Xiao Xuan mustered all her courage and shouted towards the cave entrance. Whether you are Xiao Chuo or Xiao Yan Yan, Xiao Chuo, if you have a spirit, please call your father to save us! Master Xiao, you are a good man, you must save us!

"Don't fire!" came an urgent shout from outside the cave. Then an old voice said, "Your Majesty, she is not a runaway slave, nor a traitor or assassin. She is my youngest daughter, who somehow ended up here playing."

"Tell her to come out." A cold shout rang out.

"Yes," the aged voice replied.

"Chuo'er, don't be afraid, come out and greet His Majesty."

Empress of Khitan - Chapter 5: Heartless

Updated: 2008-09-20 16:53:53 Word Count: 3507

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xuan left Han Derang's embrace and walked alongside him out of the cave.

Stepping out of the crevice, I saw that I was surrounded by a group of archers who were setting up their bows and arrows, ready to fire at any moment.

The Liao King Yelü Jing looked at the man and woman emerging from the gap, his expression quite somber. He recognized the man as Han Derang, the fourth son of Minister Han Kuangsi, and the petite woman in white was undoubtedly Xiao Siwen's daughter.

Prince Yelü Xian, who had come with him, was captivated when he suddenly saw a beautiful Khitan woman in white emerge from a narrow crevice in the mountain wall.

Han Derang, who walked out with Xiao Xuan, saw her staring blankly and at a loss in front of everyone, and quickly whispered a reminder: "Quickly pay your respects to His Majesty." After saying that, he knelt on the ground first and shouted: "Han Derang pays his respects to His Majesty."

Xiao Xuan quickly followed suit, kneeling on the ground and shouting, "Xiao Chuo greets Your Majesty."

"What are you doing here?" Yelü Jing asked coldly.

"Miss Xiao and I have been betrothed since childhood, but we have never been able to get married and have not seen each other for many years. When Miss Xiao came to Nanjing for a visit, Han Derang learned of this and invited her out to catch up," Han Derang said, bowing his head.

Upon hearing Han Derang's words, Prince Yelü Xian's face showed displeasure.

"Xiao Siwen, is what he said true?" asked Yelü Jing, the King of Liao.

"Your Majesty, everything Han Derang said is true. Zhuo'er and he were indeed betrothed since childhood." The old voice rang out again.

Hearing that voice, Xiao Xuan, kneeling on the ground, felt a sudden jolt in her heart. He was Xiao Chuo's father, that long-defeated general? She didn't even know what he looked like. Thinking this, she simply raised her head to look at the old man who had spoken. As she looked up, her delicate and lovely face was immediately revealed to everyone.

"Since you're discussing marriage, why hide in this wretched place?" Yelü Jing shouted.

Han Derang calmly replied, "I was unaware that Your Majesty was hunting here. I was unable to dodge in time and feared that I might disturb Your Majesty and spoil your enjoyment, so I hid in the crevices of the rocks to avoid you for the time being."

Upon hearing this, Yelü Jing smiled and said, "You know what's good for you. Get up. Since you're here, don't talk about giving way. Follow me and hunt with me."

Upon hearing this, the accompanying guards led over the horse that had emerged from the crevice in the mountain rocks and handed it to Han Derang. Han Derang, holding the reins, turned to look at Xiao Xuan, smiled at her, and gave her a wink, signaling her to mount. Xiao Xuan walked to the little red horse that had followed her out of the cave, patted it, and mounted its back.

Just as she settled into her horse, the old man named Xiao Siwen rode up to her and scolded her in a low voice, "Nonsense! So all you told me the other day that you came to Nanjing to relax was to see this kid! Humph."

Xiao Xuan was stunned upon hearing this. Could it be that the Xiao family didn't live in Nanjing? This real Xiao Yanyan was just visiting Nanjing back then, now Beijing, and my soul ended up in her body by some twist of fate? Xiao Xuan's mind was filled with wild thoughts again when she heard the sound of horses' hooves. She shook her head and saw a man dressed in an expensive fur coat and a mink hat, exuding an aristocratic air, looking at her.

With her head down, Xiao Xuan whispered to the little red horse, "Achi, let's go."

The little red horse carried her forward with the procession, and a series of screams echoed in her ears again.

One by one, the ragged slaves fell amidst the sound of arrows. Then, the accompanying guards would jump off their horses, rush forward, and, regardless of whether they were dead or alive, take out their waist knives and disembowel the slaves to extract their gallbladders.

The screams were incessant...

The Khitan emperor Yelü Jing, who was addressed as His Majesty, seemed to enjoy the piercing screams in his ears, his excitement evident on his face.

Xiao Xuan felt nauseous looking at the guards' bleeding knife tips, the bloody human organs on their hands, and the various entrails scattered on the ground. Then, seeing the mangled, empty-bellied corpses with all their internal organs removed, a chill ran down her spine.

"Lower your head, then you won't be able to see." A gentle voice sounded in her ear. Xiao Xuan looked up and saw the richly dressed Khitan man. Looking further ahead, she saw Han Derang, who was riding ahead, glancing back at her from time to time. Not knowing who this Khitan man was, Xiao Xuan nodded to him, lowered her head, and rode on with the group.

"Set up camp!" Yelü Jing shouted.

Everyone dismounted, and the generals who were with Yelü Jing busied themselves directing the men to set up tents near where Yelü Jing had stopped. Xiao Xuan also dismounted with the others and hid behind a small horse.

After the camp was set up, Yelü Jing shouted, "Come sit down and drink!"

The generals, Xiao Siwen, Han Derang, the noblemen, and the witch all walked to the tent and sat down on the animal skins laid out on the ground.

Xiao Xuan hid behind Xiao Ma, occasionally stealing glances at the crowd sitting in front of the tent.

Several ragged slaves were brought over and pushed to the ground.

Yelü Jing laughed wildly, then slowly walked to the slaves' side and said, "Xiao Gu said that drinking wine with the gall of a living person is the best way to prolong life, hahaha, give me all your galls." As he said this, he drew his waist knife and stabbed it straight at a slave at his feet.

"Ah!" A pitiful cry rang out, "Your Majesty, no! Please!" The sorrowful plea echoed across the empty wilderness.

Xiao Xuan glanced over and saw the slave writhing violently, his hands tightly gripping the waist knife piercing his body. But then the knife was suddenly pulled out, and a scream of agony rang out again as his palms were torn apart.

Yelü Jing continued stabbing the slave in the abdomen, slicing open the already bleeding belly and reaching inside to tear at the slave's internal organs. His face was contorted with rage, resembling a demon.

Xiao Xuan pulled her head back, tears already streaming down her pale face. Her long, thick eyelashes trembled slightly, some still clinging to a few teardrops. "Xiao Chuo, I wronged you. No wonder you laughed at your father, no wonder your second brother-in-law plotted a rebellion. Under such inhuman rule, it's better to find some capable and courageous people to rebel. If they succeed, then we can live happily..."

Yelü Xian watched Yelü Jing's atrocities, took a sip of wine, suppressed the disgust in his heart, and turned his gaze to the distance, searching for the little figure dressed in white.

Yelü Jing pulled out the slave's gall bladder and immediately put it in his mouth, chewing it. Blood slowly trickled from the corner of his mouth as he ate with relish. In a few bites, he had swallowed the entire gall bladder of a living person. Seemingly not enough, he then stared at another slave, who was already terrified, defecating and urinating uncontrollably. The stench seemed to enrage Yelü Jing; his eyes turned red, and he cursed, "Stinking pig! How can I eat such filth? Guards, drag him away and cut him in half at the waist!"

Several guards rushed over, dragged the slave a short distance away, and slashed at his waist with their swords. The slave didn't even have time to resist before he was cut in two, but he didn't die immediately. He screamed, his upper body crawling with difficulty, his eyes wide with terror as he looked at his lower body lying to the side.

"No, save me, save me!" the man, now severed in two, cried out.

Seeing this scene, Yelü Jing seemed very happy and satisfied. He pointed at the gruesome man who had been cut in two and shouted excitedly.

Xiao Xuan knelt on the ground, her whole body convulsing violently.

He's not human; he must be a devil.

"No! Don't torture him!" Xiao Xuan, kneeling on the ground with tears in her eyes, shouted at Yelü Jing, who was gesturing wildly.

Everyone was shocked by the scream and turned to look at Xiaoxuan.

Pointing at Xiao Xuan, Yelü Jing said, "Bring her here to me."

Upon hearing this, Yelü Xian, who was drinking from a wine pouch, put it down and stared intently at Xiao Xuan.

Seeing that his daughter's words had caused trouble, Xiao Siwen quickly knelt down and cried out, "Your Majesty, please forgive my daughter's ignorance and spare her."

Han Derang also knelt on the ground and cried out, "Your Majesty, please spare Xiao Chuo's life out of consideration for her youth and ignorance."

Ignoring the two men, Yelü Jing stared intently at Xiao Xuan, who was being carried over by two guards, his eyes reddening.

"What were you shouting just now?" Yelü Jing asked.

Seeing his blood-stained hands and blood-soaked robes, Xiao Xuan was so frightened that she backed away repeatedly.

"What were you shouting just now?" Yelü Jing pressed closer.

“Eating human gallbladders won’t make you live longer,” Xiaoxuan cried.

Yelü Jing was taken aback upon hearing this and stopped in his tracks.

The witch Xiao Gu, who was sitting on the ground, stood up, pointed at Xiao Xuan, and scolded, "Ignorant brat, what did you say?"

Looking at Xiao Gu's hideous and distorted face, Xiao Xuan cried out, "What makes you think that eating human gallbladders can prolong life?"

Empress of Khitan - Chapter Six: Madness

Updated: 2008-09-20 16:53:53 Word Count: 3714

"Why? Because of the guidance given to me by the gods."

"You're talking nonsense. A god guided you? Where is the god? Who has ever seen a god? You're spouting nonsense. On what basis do you claim that a god guided you?"

"By the wind, by the rain, by the thunder and lightning!" Xiao Gu glared at Xiao Xuan and said, "How could a mere child like you possibly understand the guidance given to me by the gods? You are disrespectful to the gods and dare to presume to interpret their will. Your Majesty, this girl's crime is unforgivable and she should be executed."