Le ciel au-dessus des rivières et des lacs est dégagé

Chapitre 19

Lianyi nodded, picked up the dazed Xiaoman, and was about to leave when the red figure blocked her way again, silently striking her own chest with a palm. Lianyi had no choice but to retreat again; she wasn't confident she could defeat this woman.

"This must be the legendary young mistress of Cangya City, right? Hehe, Mr. Zexiu, why be so stingy? Do you think I would eat her?" Hong Gu Zi's voice was delicate and sweet, yet in the quiet snowy night, it inexplicably sent chills down one's spine.

Ze Xiu remained silent. The people of Tian Sha Shi Fang were indeed formidable. For a woman to hold her own against him for so long, and still have the leisure to deal with Lian Yi, it was clear that she hadn't used her full strength. The chaotic and hurried footsteps in the distance grew closer and closer. Not wanting to linger, he feigned an attack, turned around, grabbed Xiao Man, and prepared to leave.

That Red Maiden was truly like a shadow, always on his heels. When he dodged her attack, she simply aimed for Xiaoman's head. With a burden like that, Zexiu's skills were naturally not as agile as before. He grabbed Xiaoman's collar to try and send her away to avoid Red Maiden's palm, but she changed her mind halfway through. The palm suddenly turned and slapped his left arm with a bang.

Zexiu shuddered and could no longer hold onto Xiaoman. The shouts of the people from Baiyang Village came from behind him. In his haste, he grabbed something and, without having time to throw it away, he leaped away and fled far away in the blink of an eye.

Xiaoman fell heavily onto the snow. She felt dizzy and hadn't figured out what was happening. It was as if one hand grabbed her, and another hand snatched her away. In the end, she couldn't grab either hand and fell to the ground.

Lianyi hurriedly shielded her behind her, but the red-haired woman reached out with her claws, her long nails flashing with cold light. Lianyi knew she couldn't dodge, so she tightly closed her eyes and awaited death. Suddenly, a sharp "whoosh" sounded from the forest. The red-haired woman quickly dodged, but she was too slow. An iron arrow grazed her sleeve and struck the poplar tree, embedding itself deeply.

She clutched her torn sleeve, stood there for a long while, then slowly turned around. She saw several people rushing out of the woods; it was none other than Old Master Chang and Tianquan.

Xiao Man's heart sank the moment she saw Tian Quan's icy face.

Oh no, she couldn't escape again.

It seems like this life of wandering the underworld will never end.

Overwhelmed with anger, I felt dizzy and my vision suddenly went black; I fainted.

The Treasure Scroll, Chapter Seven: The True and False Young Master (Part One)

Updated: 2008-10-04 15:09:08 Word Count: 3972

First update.

***************

"It's the bride!" a servant cried out in alarm.

On this desolate moonlit night, a woman adorned in a phoenix coronet and wedding robes appeared alone in the woods, a truly astonishing sight. Tianji whispered, "She seems a bit eerie."

Tianquan pursed his lips and after a long while said, "She is from Tiansha Shifang, and her name is Hong Gu Zi."

"Heavenly Fiends in All Directions!" Everyone was shocked upon hearing these four words.

Old Master Chang's voice trembled as he said, "You...you've taken my son..."

Hong Gu Zi turned around with a smile, gracefully performed a curtsy, and said softly, "Father-in-law, your daughter-in-law greets you. You spent fifty taels of silver to buy this daughter-in-law from a remote family in the mountains, yet you didn't even take a good look at her. Do you think that a daughter from a poor family can be disposed of at will, and aren't you afraid she'll cause trouble?"

Oh, so this bride was bought by Old Master Chang for fifty taels of silver! His daughter-in-law is always getting into trouble, and no good families in the neighborhood want to marry their daughters to him, so he probably had no choice but to pay someone to buy her from a remote mountain village. But how did the bride turn into someone from the Heavenly Calamity Sect?

Old Master Chang's face was quite a sight at that moment, changing from red to green, and then turning deathly pale, even whiter than snow.

"You...you Heavenly Fiends of the Ten Directions...evil heretics...who gave you the right to do such a thing..." He seemed to have lost his voice, speaking haltingly and in a daze.

The situation seemed a bit strange. Yao Guang looked around, then turned to Tian Quan and asked, "Should we... help them?"

Tianquan shook his head. "Let's wait and see."

Actually, the most cunning person is this one.

Hong Gu Zi covered her mouth with her hand, coughed lightly, and said, "Excuse me." She then took two steps back, pulled a scroll from her sleeve, unrolled it, and slowly read: "Chang Huai Li, a native of Dunhuang, born on the Xinmao day of the Renwu month of the Gengzi year, aged fifty-eight..."

Before she could finish reciting, there was a "whoosh" as something stabbed towards her face. Red Maiden's waist was as slender as a willow, and she suddenly leaned back. When she stood up again, she had a black iron dart in her mouth, her two rows of fine silver teeth biting right in the middle. Her red lips parted slightly, and she smiled in a bewitching way.

She threw the darts to the ground and said softly, "Chang Huaili, have you forgotten the sweet words you said to me that night when you went to the mountains to propose marriage?"

Sweet...sweet words?! A murmur of surprise rippled through the crowd. Everyone turned to look at Old Master Chang, some astonished, some incredulous, some disdainful. His face was now a deep purple, his lips trembling as he murmured, "Don't...don't say anymore..."

Hong Gu Zi suddenly straightened her expression, her previous frivolous demeanor vanishing, and coldly said, "Chang Huai Li, you are licentious and lustful, with a particular fondness for virgins. In your lifetime, you have harmed two hundred and eighty-one beautiful young women. You are extremely cunning, knowing that women from wealthy families are not to be touched. Each time, you would use the pretext of traveling to other places to plunder beautiful virgins. You would first use sweet words, and if they did not comply, you would force them. The humiliated women were in unbearable pain and most of them committed suicide. When you resigned from your position as the head of the Qixia Sect and retired to Baiyang Manor, you saw that your daughter-in-law was beautiful and committed a disgraceful act that disregarded human ethics. Your son was impotent and could only endure the humiliation to survive. In the end, he even joined you in your depravity, specifically going to other places to select virgins to send to the manor for you to satisfy your lust. Your two daughters-in-law, plus those women who were tricked into coming by your son, all committed suicide because they could not bear the humiliation. You burned their bodies and scattered the ashes in the Baiyang Forest. I ask you, do you admit to these things?"

Old Master Chang's face turned pale and then flushed. Suddenly, he shouted sternly, "This witch is spreading falsehoods and misleading the public! How can we listen to her nonsense! Seize her! Today, we will rid the martial world of this scourge!"

The servants all hesitated, took two steps, but none of them stepped forward.

Grandpa Chang panicked, turned around and grabbed Tianji's clothes, shouting, "Attack! Didn't you want to take revenge on Tiansha Shifang?! Where is the young mistress?! Wasn't she painstakingly planning to restore Cangya City...?"

"This old man has gone mad!" Tianji was both shocked and furious. She grabbed his neck and tried to cover his mouth. Tianquan said urgently, "Let him go!" Tianji was taken aback and instinctively let go. Suddenly, she heard several rustling sounds in the forest and saw a dense array of silver lights flashing before her eyes. Upon closer inspection, she realized they were tiny silver needles, as thin as cow hair, piercing her without warning.

Tianquan, carrying Yaoguang in one hand and grabbing Tianji in the other, leaped back a short distance. Tianji, with several silver needles embedded in his back, cried out in pain and itching. Tianquan slapped his back, embedding the needles deep into his skin. Yaoguang exclaimed in surprise, "Tianquan! What are you doing?"

Tianquan said calmly, "Only in this way can he be saved. If we pull it out, the poison on the needle will immediately spread throughout his body, and even a god could not save him. Hong Gu Zi is a master of medicine. Half of the needle is poison and half is antidote. We should insert it and remove it after three days, then he will be fine."

Tianji clutched his back, groaning, "We have to endure three more days! Tiancha Shifang is truly no good! What does their purge of Baiyang Village have to do with us?!"

Yao Guang gently patted his wounds to relieve the itching, saying softly, "You're in so much pain from just a few bullets; I wonder what's become of Grandpa Chang and the others... Young Master..."

Upon hearing the name of the young mistress, the three were horrified. Where had she gone?!

Tianquan cried out, "Not good!" He rushed back, only to see Hong Gu Zi flick her long sleeves, throwing out dozens more silver needles as fine as cow hair, all of which struck Old Master Chang. He roared and collapsed to the ground, surrounded by servants groaning in pain from the needles. The spot where Xiao Man and Lian Yi had been sitting was now empty, except for a messy pile of snow.

He was both shocked and furious. Just as he was about to demand an explanation from Hong Gu Zi, Old Master Chang suddenly stood up, lunged forward, grabbed his knee, and cried out in a pitiful voice, "Kill her! You, the Mountain of No Return... are looking for allies... I... I agree to everything... just kill her!"

Tianquan bent down to support him, staring intently. Old Master Chang was overjoyed, but he could no longer speak, only uttering strange, incoherent sounds. Tianquan lowered his eyelashes, supporting his back as if listening to what he was saying. Suddenly, Old Master Chang's eyes snapped open, his fingers clawing and digging wildly at the ground, finally clamping down on Tianquan's wrist. He exhaled his last breath and died just like that.

Tianquan said softly, "Old Master Chang, Old Master Chang?"

Having said that, she removed her hand from his back, slowly stood up, and coldly looked at Hong Gu Zi. She chuckled and said softly, "I wasn't the one who killed him."

Tianquan asked calmly, "Where is she?"

"What 'her'? Which 'her'?" Hong Gu Zi pretended to be stupid.

Without uttering a word, Tianquan took the pure white Divine Martial Bow from his back. The Divine Martial Bow was made of a very special material, and was over four feet long, taller than an ordinary woman.

When Hong Gu Zi saw him brandish the Divine Bow, she waved her hand and laughed, "You're not one to joke around! Those two kids have already run away in the chaos. You're still so unpopular."

Tianquan slung the Divine Martial Bow back over his shoulder, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, and turned to leave. Tianji and Yaoguang followed behind, their expressions turning complicated upon seeing Hong Gu Zi.

"What is she trying to do?" Tianji's back was still aching and itchy, and he hated this annoying woman to the core.

"This has nothing to do with us. Go find the young master."

Tianquan strode away through the snow, and the two had no choice but to follow. They hadn't run far when they suddenly saw flames shooting into the sky from the direction of Baiyang Village in the distance, turning half the sky red, and faint, mournful cries could be heard. Yaoguang shuddered and whispered, "They set it on fire! How cruel! Many innocent people in the village are here."

Tianquan said calmly, "Tiancha Shifang always acts this way. With Hong Guzi causing confusion here, there must be two or three more Tiancha Shifang members lurking in the manor. They must have slaughtered everyone in the manor and set it on fire. There are only three of us here, so it's not the time to confront them yet. We should stay away for now and avoid trouble."

Yao Guang sighed, "He punishes the wicked on one hand, and commits even greater evils on the other; he's simply a devil."

Tianquan remained silent for a long time before whispering, "In the martial world, everyone is a devil."

No one spoke again, only the towering flames, swirling and leaping, shot straight into the sky, a silent interplay of scorching black and orange-red. The wind howled through the poplar forest, like a woman's weeping, a soft, mournful murmur. In the end, everything was buried deep beneath the white snow, the ugly and the beautiful, forever unknown.

******

When Xiaoman woke up, she only saw half of the sky burning red. She was lying on the back of the dress, swaying unsteadily.

"Fire!" she yelled, sitting up abruptly and nearly falling.

Lianyi quickly hugged him tighter and said, "Master, you're finally awake. I thought you were injured."

Xiao Man breathed a sigh of relief and looked around warily. It was still the poplar forest, but there was no one around. She asked in surprise, "Where are Tianquan and the others?"

Lian Yi said softly, "Didn't Master want to play a game? To prevent them from finding us first, I took you away in the chaos."

Xiao Man was overjoyed and hugged her head, rubbing it repeatedly. "Well done! Well done! You really are my good dresser!"

Lianyi blushed, overjoyed. Her master had praised her! It was the first time she had been praised so directly, and she was extremely happy.

"Is Baiyangzhuang on fire?" Xiaoman asked softly, gazing at the reddening sky in the distance.

Lianyi nodded. "It seems that Old Master Chang is not a good person. Tian Sha Shi Fang came to punish evil and eliminate wickedness, but somehow he killed everyone in Baiyang Village and set fire to their village."

"Murder and arson... how can that be considered punishing evil and promoting good?" Xiaoman wiped away her cold sweat, wondering what was going on in this child's brain.

Lianyi said "Oh," and added, "Anyway, I don't understand it either, but a lot of people have died. Master, how long are you going to play this game?"

Xiao Man blinked, thought for a moment, and then said, "Well... anyway, don't ask any questions, just keep running forward. If they find it, the game is over; if they don't, we'll keep playing."

Lianyi obediently agreed. Xiaoman patted her head and sighed. She must have done too many good deeds in her past life to be blessed with such a good child in this life, who is loyal, obedient, not greedy, and so skilled.

“It’s freezing cold, and you’re wearing such tattered clothes. If people see you like this, they’ll say that I, your master, am mistreating you. When we get to a populated town, we’ll buy you some nice clothes. You’re so pretty, you should dress up.”

After saying that, he touched the Crimson Cloud Blade hanging at her waist and laughed, "A good person deserves a good blade, and a good blade deserves good clothes. Even though we are girls, we can't lose to those stinky men. Let's buy two more horses later, and then we can ride in fine clothes and spirited horses, and go out to settle scores."

Lianyi was so moved that her nose tingled, and she suddenly burst into tears. Xiaoman was startled and jumped off her back, asking repeatedly, "What's wrong? You don't like riding horses? Then let's ride camels instead. They're stable and big, although they smell a bit..."

Lianyi shook her head and cried, "No...no! Master is so good to me...I've lived so long, and this is the first time anyone has been so good to me! Master...I...I'm so touched!"

"Well, it's really nothing..." Xiaoman scratched her face. She said most of those nice words offhand, without really taking them to heart; their only effect was to win people over. But when she met a simple, straightforward, and kind girl like Lianyi, she was so moved that she cried. She couldn't help but feel great, as if she had really done something of great virtue.

"Master is truly the kindest person in the world."

Xiao Man blushed involuntarily; she still had some self-awareness.

"Alright, alright, stop crying. Let's go now. I don't know what kind of life you've lived before, that you're so moved to tears."

Lianyi rubbed her eyes and whispered, "Wh...what do you mean?"

Xiao Man turned around and smiled, her eyes crinkling like a little fox: "I mean, there will be even better ones in the future. Lian Yi, you won't regret following me."

The Treasure Scroll, Chapter Eight: The True and False Young Master (Part Two)

Updated: 2008-10-04 15:09:08 Word Count: 4632

Second update.