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

Chapitre 26

Lianyi was too lazy to argue with him. Seeing that it was getting dark, she added a few branches to the fire, stirred it to make it burn brighter, and then lay down on the ground without even bothering to use her clothes as a mat or cover herself. She just slept in the open like that. Yelü Jing went over and nudged her: "How can you sleep like that? It's so cold. Be careful you don't cough when you wake up tomorrow morning."

Lianyi said, "I've always done it this way. I have kung fu skills, so it's okay."

Yelü Jing said, "Even if you have the skill, you are still a girl. If you develop a chronic illness, it will be something you will regret for the rest of your life."

After saying that, he took off his cloak and coat, placing one under her and the other over her body, tucking it in tightly, and asked with a smile, "How is it? Is it more comfortable?"

His dark eyes, illuminated by the firelight, seemed like spring water. Lian Yi felt her heart pound, and dared not look again. She lowered her head and pretended to be asleep. After a while, she suddenly felt someone touching her. She opened her eyes abruptly and met his smug smile, which showed no embarrassment whatsoever. "I was just checking if this is warm enough," he said matter-of-factly.

Lianyi pushed aside her clothes and was about to jump up the tree when Yelü Jing quickly grabbed her, saying, "Okay, okay, I won't touch you at all. Go to sleep."

Lianyi had no choice but to go back to sleep. She was always a light sleeper, especially now that they were in the countryside. Although the firelight could scare away wild animals, it couldn't hide the bandits in the mountains. After sleeping for a while, she heard Yelü Jing also rustling as he fell asleep, his breathing becoming heavier. She quietly got up to check on him. He had given her his outer garment and cloak. With nothing to keep warm, he was curled up in a small ball by the fire, sleeping soundly.

He's the one who gets cold, so why give her the clothes?

Just as Lianyi was about to return the clothes, she suddenly saw a spark jump onto his hair and burst into flames. Startled, she hurriedly grabbed a water bag and poured it over him. Yelü Jing cried out and jumped up, covering his head, which was burned and still wet, and stared at her blankly.

Chapter Sixteen of the Treasure Scroll: Marching into Mount Taibai (Part 1)

Updated: 2008-10-04 15:09:16 Word Count: 3552

Second update.

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"It's burning! Just now..." Lianyi stammered as she explained the dangerous situation to him. Yelü Jing touched his hair, both amused and exasperated, and clumps of burnt hair fell out. His face fell. "This looks terrible. From now on..." He lowered his head, brushed his hair aside, and asked, "Am I going to go bald?"

Lianyi quickly shook her head, "No...no! I have a lot of hair! More than the wool on a sheep's back!" After thinking for a moment, she added, "Much more than a bald man!"

Yelü Jing looked at her helplessly. Such a statement would only make people more worried. Was she a fool?

A strong wind blew through the forest, and Yelü Jing, his hair still damp, sneezed involuntarily, then shivered. Lianyi handed him a cloak, saying, "Put this on, or you'll be the one who gets sick."

Yelü Jing unfolded his cloak and draped it over her shoulders. Seeing that she was about to object, he chuckled and held up a finger, saying, "Listen to me. You're a girl. I can't bring myself to let a girl spend the night naked in the mountains."

Lianyi blushed deeply. When had she ever been naked?!

Yelü Jing fastened her cloak and said, "The Khitans aren't that delicate. They have to camp countless times when they're hunting. Just sleep and don't worry about anything else."

Lianyi had no choice but to go back to sleep. The next morning, as expected, the man had a fever. This shows that those who lack ability but try to act tough and play the hero will only suffer in the end.

Lianyi fed him some water, but Yelü Jing, covered in cold sweat, still pretended: "I'm fine, I can get up and continue on my way right away, I guarantee I'll walk faster than a mule."

Lianyi felt both guilty and touched. She wiped his sweat and said softly, "Let me carry you back to find your minister. Otherwise, if you keep running a fever, you'll die."

Yelü Jing grabbed her hand tightly, pleading, "No! We can't go back!"

Lianyi said strangely, "He is your subject, and he is wholeheartedly committed to making you emperor. He treats you very well. Why do you suffer so much with us every day?"

Yelü Jing's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and he said in a trembling voice, "I don't want to be emperor. I've finally gotten out of this mess. You don't know... My father and uncles who were emperors almost all met with bad ends. They never had a single day of peace. They couldn't do this or that. It wasn't a life for a human being. In the end, they couldn't leave behind anything for the world to admire. Instead, they were assassinated by ambitious people... I don't want to be emperor. Do you hear me?"

He gripped her hand tightly, squeezing it painfully. Lianyi had no choice but to nod, gently lifting him onto her back, and whispering, "I'll find a populated place and a doctor to treat you."

He stopped speaking, only breathing heavily, his hot breath hitting her neck, terribly hot. Lianyi trembled, unsure whether she was afraid he would die from his illness, or afraid of him being so close, so close... as if he were trying to squeeze into her heart.

This is a man who doesn't want to be emperor. His name is Yelü Jing. He is bisexual, lewd, tyrannical, and incompetent, but he would rather fall ill himself to take care of a girl.

Master is right. Good people can do bad things, and bad people can do good things. So why bother distinguishing between good and bad people?

*****

As expected of a daughter from a poor family, Xiaoman's wound healing ability was comparable only to that of a gecko. In just two or three days, the arrow wound on her back had scabbed over, and she could get up and walk around on her own without any problems.

When people are idle for too long, they will find something to do. One morning, as usual, she got up to take a walk and stretch her muscles. When she came out of the cave, she saw Gengu chopping wood with a big knife.

This child was Yelü Tuixian's son. His father had been hoping that Yelü Jing would become emperor, so he sent the two brothers to serve as Yelü Jing's trusted guards. However, his brother returned home for some reason, leaving him alone. By a twist of fate, he was unable to serve Yelü Jing and instead ended up chopping wood and cooking for them.

What a pitiful child. Xiao Man sniffed with a sigh, then scooped some leftovers from yesterday's soup from the pot and ate them.

"All you do is eat and sleep, you'll turn into a fat pig, sister." Gengu's voice suddenly rang out from behind, carrying the childishness of a boy, incredibly innocent, but unfortunately, his words were too harsh.

Xiao Man turned around without any shame, looked at him innocently, and giggled, "It's good that you're fat now so you can carry me. Children need to experience more to grow up."

Gengu put down his wood-chopping knife, sat on a tree stump, and wiped his sweat. His phoenix eyes were dark and deep. To be honest, just looking at his appearance, he was indeed a standard handsome young man. But he gave people a strange feeling. Could it be that this child was a pervert like Yelü Jing?

"Hey, is that bearded man your lover?" Sure enough, even the questions are so perverted.

Xiao Man's eyes widened, a half-smile playing on her lips: "Are you jealous? Are you jealous of him or me?"

Gengu glanced at her, stuck his broadsword into the ground, and said calmly, "That uncle went hunting and won't be back for a while. Don't you think you should be more polite? I have a weapon here, and I'm taller and stronger than you."

Xiao Man continued to smile and said softly, "You have to be nicer to me, otherwise Lian Yi will hate you."

Gengu was stunned for a moment, his face suddenly turned red, and he stared at her without saying a word.

Xiaoman scooped up another spoonful of chicken and ate it slowly, saying, "Lianyi is a good girl, unlike some other brat. She's warm-hearted, capable, kind, and very loyal to her master. But what if one day—we mean, hypothetically, you know, women always have these strange behaviors—what if one day her master gets upset and tells her that someone is really annoying? What then?"

Gengu gritted his teeth in hatred and whispered, "How did you know..."

Xiaoman shook her finger: "What do I know? I don't know anything. I don't know that someone sweetly calls me 'sister,' nor do I know that someone grabs another person's hand and won't let go, blushes whenever they see another person, and even dreams about them at night..."

"Fine, you win. What do you want to do now?" Gengu surrendered in exasperation.

Xiao Man pointed her chin at the pot: "Cook, do chores, serve diligently. Maybe one day Lian Yi will discover that you're a real man and fall for you."

Gengu was so angry with her that he was in a state of utter despair. His wrists trembled, and he didn't say a word. He got up and continued chopping wood, chopping hard and desperately, wanting to smash it to pieces.

The little thief sat smugly on the tree stump and chuckled, "Hey, isn't the dress pretty?"

Gengu decided not to speak to her. The feeling of having his braid grabbed so tightly was unpleasant; he had rarely experienced this sensation before.

Xiaoman was fixated on him and wouldn't let go: "What do you think is pretty about her? I think her eyes are the prettiest part, bright and clear, like two black grapes. And also, her skin is white, whiter than the clouds in the sky."

Gengu said coldly, "Her heart is the most beautiful, pure and warm, completely different from that sharp-tongued, mean, treacherous and cunning woman."

Xiao Man clapped her hands: "That's right! No wonder a little kid like you knows how to fall in love with her at first sight."

Gengu closed his eyes: "I'm not a little kid, I'm fourteen years old, Auntie!"

Suddenly, someone touched his head. He opened his eyes abruptly and saw Xiaoman's eyes sparkling like a fox's. She smiled and said, "My Lianyi is so wonderful, so she deserves the best man. If you like her, you should try to be a good man. And a good man is always polite, gentle, and caring towards women."

For some reason, when this topic came up, she suddenly thought of the icy-faced Tianquan. He was always very considerate of girls, even those he disliked, and would always lend a helping hand. He must be a good man, right?

"Pah, pah!" Xiaoman quickly dismissed this absurd thought. He shot her an arrow, she slapped him, and it hadn't been long since then. This score was probably never going to be settled. He was a terrible man. A good man was probably... like Zexiu? She couldn't help but recall his dark face as he yelled at her, leaving her alone in the desert to be bitten by wolves—definitely not a good man either.

"In short, a good man is definitely not a bastard who shoots a girl in public, speaks sarcastically, has an icy face, is always making sarcastic remarks, and leaves her alone in the desert."

She drew that conclusion in one breath.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded behind them, followed by Zexiu's sarcastic tone: "Oh, so what makes a good woman?"

Xiao Man turned around quickly, without any shame: "Of course I am like this, smart, friendly, innocent, and I never harm anyone, I only help people."

Zexiu dropped the rabbit and goose he had caught, wiped his sweat with a handkerchief, and sneered, "Well, a good woman is one who is never greedy, arrogant, boastful, suspicious, cunning, or a burden who causes trouble for others—otherwise, she is a good woman."

Xiao Man gave a thumbs up: "That's well said, who is that?"

Zexiu rolled her eyes at her, then turned to look at Gengu, frowning as she said, "You've only chopped this little bit of firewood all morning?"

Gengu chopped a piece of firewood in half with one stroke and said coldly, "You should ask that shameless older sister of hers. She's always bored and always trying to distract us."

Zexiu took the knife from his hand: "I'll chop it up, you go and prepare the prey."

Gengu stormed off, and Zexiu sighed, "How did you manage to do this to him?"

Xiao Man shrugged innocently: "How would I know? By the way, my injuries are all healed now. When can we set off for Mount Taibai?"

Zexiu chopped a pile of firewood in one go and said, "You can only leave when your injuries are fully healed."

"It's all better now. My hands and back don't hurt much anymore."

"It's only superficially healed and can't withstand long journeys. But if you don't care about your life, I don't mind, you can leave right away."

Xiao Man sighed. Her life was still the most important thing. No matter how attractive the treasure was, it was not as valuable as her life.

Bored, she turned and walked back into the cave when she suddenly heard Gengu shout from not far away: "Sister! It's you!"

She turned around, bewildered, and saw Gengu grinning from ear to ear, leading someone over. The person was filthy, and seemed to be carrying someone on their back; they looked utterly disheveled. She stared in surprise for a long time before recognizing Lianyi and Yelü Jing.

"Lianyi!" She rushed over, about to ask where they had been fooling around these past few days, when she saw Lianyi put Yelü Jing down and plead with a sob in her voice, "Master! Uncle Zexiu! Please come and see him! Is he going to die?"

Treasure Scroll, Chapter Seventeen: Marching into Mount Taibai (Part Two)

Updated: 2008-10-04 15:09:17 Word Count: 3803

First update.

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As it turns out, lecherous hooligans have much stronger vitality than ordinary people. Although Yelü Jing was burning with fever, his face was pale, he was foaming at the mouth, and his limbs were convulsing, he still bravely pulled through.

Zexiu carried a lot of pills with him. After feeding them to him, he quickly calmed down and fell asleep on the fur, exhausted.

Xiao Man looked at Ze Xiu's bundle spread out on the ground with a mixture of admiration and envy. It was practically a treasure chest; he could pull out anything—pots, wooden bowls, medicine, weapons, clothes, cloaks—it had everything. Are all the seasoned veterans of the martial world like this?

Xiao Lianyi was quite frightened this time. After arriving, she didn't call out to her master, nor did Zexiu thank her. She squatted in the corner with a pale face, looking pitifully at the unconscious Yelü Jing. She would occasionally poke him with her finger, unsure whether he was asleep or dead.

"Don't touch him, he'll be fine." Xiaoman sat down next to her and took a wooden comb to tidy up her messy hair.

Lianyi nodded and said in a low voice, "It's all my fault. I'm the one who ruined him."