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

Chapitre 39

It's now available for purchase, and there will be four chapters released today. This is the first chapter.

Zexiu burst into laughter.

"Are you serious? Are you heartbroken? Are you upset?" He asked three questions in one breath. Xiaoman's face turned red, white, and green all at once. She raised her hand and punched him hard, but it was just to tickle him.

Zexiu laughed and shook his head, saying repeatedly, "Silly child, you really are a silly child."

Xiaoman hooked her arms around his neck, her heart filled with bitterness and sweetness, and she couldn't help but sigh softly.

If such days have an end, then let time stretch out indefinitely and stop here. He carries her forever, walking through the snow-covered forest, as if they will walk until the end of time.

Halfway there, they saw a man carrying a wild boar on his back, walking with great difficulty. The snow on the ground was slippery, and he stumbled every three steps, looking shaky.

Zexiu put Xiaoman down, walked over without saying a word, and took the wild boar with one hand, carrying it on his back. The man was startled, turned around, and saw Zexiu smiling slightly at him, saying, "I'll help you."

He spoke in Jurchen, and the Jurchen hunter was overjoyed, thanking him repeatedly. Zexiu turned to Xiaoman and chuckled, saying, "The wild boar seems to be lighter than you."

Xiao Man kicked at him, but he easily dodged it. The wild boar swayed on his back but couldn't fall off.

The Jurchen woman exclaimed admiringly, "What incredible strength! Speaking of which, we have a few southerners in our tribe who are just as powerful as this hero. I wonder if you are all blessed by the gods, as you are all so brave."

Xiao Man couldn't understand what he was saying in his gibberish. She could only look at Ze Xiu, who smiled and said, "Are there any Southerners in your tribe? They might be acquaintances of ours. We must go and meet them."

The Jurchen woman was overjoyed and said, "Of course! You must come and stay with us for a few days! If you'd like to stay, that would be even better!"

Zexiu exchanged a few pleasantries with him, then turned back and said, "Tianquan and the others are probably there too. They arrived at Mount Taibai before us."

Xiao Man was startled: "This is Mount Taibai?"

Zexiu laughed and said, "Of course. Mount Taibai is not the small hill or the big mountain you imagine. It's a mountain range. With your stamina, you might not be able to finish it even if you walk until your legs break."

Oh dear, she was wrong after all. Mount Taibai is so vast! On the map, it's just a small dot and a long line; nobody can pinpoint the exact locations of the five corners. Are they really going to have to search inch by inch? How can you search for something with absolutely no clues?

When Xiaoman and her companions arrived at the Jurchen tribe, Tianquan was meditating with his eyes closed in his tent, Yaoguang and Tianji were helping to skin the prey, and a group of children surrounded Gengu, wanting him to show them his skills.

Gengu had no desire to play with these little brats and was getting impatient. Turning around, he suddenly saw Xiaoman and Zexiu walking towards him, and he quickly ran over. He blurted out, "Where's my sister?"

Xiao Man was overjoyed to see him. ...She quickly asked, "Where's Lianyi?"

Gengu's face immediately fell: "What? Just the two of you? How boring." He turned and left without looking back.

Xiao Man retorted angrily, "What is this! This brat is not likable at all! What do you mean by boring?!"

Ze Xiu smiled slightly and was about to speak when he saw Tianji and Yaoguang run over and ask Xiaoman all sorts of questions. He had nothing to say to them, picked up his sword and walked forward. When he looked up, he saw Tianquan leaning against a tent, looking at him indifferently.

“It seems there’s trouble at Mount No Return.” He walked over with a slight sneer, pulled back the curtain, and took the initiative to sit on the blanket.

Tianquan followed him inside, took a bowl of piping hot milk wine from the fire, and poured it for him, saying calmly, "The matter is not yet settled, and it may not be trouble for Mount Bugui."

Zexiu laughed and said, "Come on, you already knew you were bringing someone who would become emperor on the road."

Tianquan blew on the steam rising from the bowl, creating a cloud of mist.

"That is also the master's freedom."

Zexiu nodded: "She was originally free, and it's not up to you No Return Mountain to give her any freedom. Although she never says it, anyone with eyes can see how you No Return Mountain have mistreated her, since you forced her to use this trick."

Tianquan lowered his eyelashes and said softly, "What inside information do you know? Are you here to interrogate me?"

Zexiu said, "I won't punish you, and I'm too lazy to care about your inside story. In short, she will follow me from now on. Whether she seeks revenge or not, whether she achieves glory or not, is her own decision. No outsiders are allowed to interfere."

Tianquan smiled, raised his eyes, and asked, "Have you become my wife?"

Zexiu didn't say anything.

Tianquan slowly put down his bowl and said slowly, "You approached her only because she is the young mistress. You accompanied her to find the Five Corners only because you had your own selfish motives. You and Mount Bugui are no different. If she weren't the young mistress, would you still be protecting her like this today?"

Zexiu's expression changed, and she stood up, saying, "Don't think of others as as despicable as you! I have a clear conscience. Whether she is the young mistress or not, I will protect her from now on. Anyone who wants to harm her should ask me for my permission first."

He lifted the curtain to go out, but then he heard Tianquan say softly from behind, "I will remember what you said today, and you better remember it too."

Zexiu stepped out of the tent and saw Xiaoman running around with a lamb in her arms, seemingly looking for someone. The lamb was bleating adorably in her arms. When Xiaoman turned around and saw Zexiu, her eyes lit up, and she ran over, laughing, "Zexiu! Look, they gave me a lamb!"

He reached out and touched the lamb, saying, "It stinks. You want to raise it?"

Xiao Man rolled her eyes at him: "Lamb is so tender! How about we have roast lamb for dinner? The lamb we had last time was awful, but this time I'll make something absolutely delicious for you to try."

The poor little lamb seemed to sense its tragic fate and bleated even louder in her arms.

Zexiu felt as if countless black lines had appeared on his face. He sighed, "Let's just keep it. It doesn't matter if it smells bad."

Xiaoman tossed the lamb aside and clapped her hands: "What a hypocrite. Why not just stop eating meat altogether? No, why not just stop eating rice? Rice and vegetables are lives too."

Zexiu laughed: "What you said is also right, it's a bunch of fallacies."

The little lamb had long since disappeared. She was afraid the lamb would really eat her for dinner. Xiaoman patted the bits of grass off her skirt: "This place is quite fun, there are lots of cows, sheep, and horses, but I can't understand their gibberish. I saw them cutting the meat into slices, but they weren't cooking it. Are they really going to eat raw meat tonight?"

Zexiu's eyes crinkled with laughter. His eyelashes fluttered as he gently patted her head: "Silly child, even if they eat raw meat, can't you cook your own food?"

Xiaoman was about to speak when she suddenly saw Yaoguang waving at her from afar. She turned and ran away, calling out to him, "Let's have dinner together tonight! Don't you dare run around!"

Zexiu waved his hand, when suddenly the curtain behind him was lifted, and Tianquan came out. He turned to leave. Tianquan suddenly said, "My lord is much happier with you."

Zexiu sneered, "Nonsense, I'm not like some people who don't treat others like human beings."

Long after he left, Tianquan remained motionless, leaning against the tent, gazing at the lively figure in the distance. For a moment, he felt a sense of estrangement. Then, he felt it was all good. If there were no martial world, no Mount No Return, no Cangya City, if everyone were just ordinary men and women living under this sky, wouldn't this encounter and acquaintance be even more beautiful?

Xiao Man soon realized she had worried too much. It turned out that the Jurchens really did not eat raw meat. They cut the meat into pieces to make it into jerky for easy storage.

An older woman from the Jurchen tribe saw her hiding nearby, staring at the scene with a pitiful look, so she gave her some dried meat. Xiaoman ate it with great relish, her mouth stuffed full, and then went to play with Zexiu. They were all gathered around the fire in front, roasting bear meat and drinking milk wine.

Turning a corner, I suddenly saw Gengu sneakily carrying a bear paw to a dark place, putting the bear paw on the ground, and then unzipping his pants to urinate.

"What are you doing?" Xiaoman suddenly asked, startling him so much that he almost peed on himself. He turned around, his face flushed, and growled, "You're peeping even when men are relieving themselves! You pervert!"

"What kind of man are you?" Xiaoman said dismissively.

Gengu had no choice but to quickly pull up his pants and use an iron hook to lift up the bear paw soaked in urine. Xiaoman frowned and took a step back: "How disgusting! You... so this is how you usually eat?!"

Gengu sneered, "Don't tell anyone, or I'll shove this bear paw into your mouth."

He pretended to offer the bear paw to her face, and Xiaoman was so frightened that she turned and ran away. When she looked back, he had already sat back down and was seriously roasting the bear paw over the fire. The fat was sizzling and the paw was golden in color, which looked extremely tempting.

Xiaoman still couldn't believe he was really going to eat a bear paw covered in urine. She slowly walked over, and Zexiu was roasting another bear paw. When he saw her, he took a piece of meat and stuffed it into her bowl: "Where have you been? Your mouth is all greasy. Come and try the bear paw."

Xiaoman felt an unparalleled aversion to bear paws at that moment, and handed the bowl to him, saying, "No, thank you, you should eat it yourself."

Tianji stared longingly as the bear paws were snatched away. He arrived too late; the brat and Zexiu each took one paw. He could only swallow his saliva and helplessly watch Gengu roasting the bear paws, unable to tear his eyes away.

Gengu suddenly smiled at him and said, "Big brother, why are you staring at my bear paw? Do you want to eat it?"

Tianji glared at him fiercely, cut off a large piece of bear meat and stuffed it into her mouth, mumbling, "Who wants to eat this stuff from a little brat?"

Yao Guang stomped on his foot: "It's so boring that you're arguing with a child!"

Gengu laughed and said, "Sister, it's okay. Actually, I ate quite a lot of dried meat this afternoon, so I don't really want to eat any right now. If big brother likes it, you can give it to him."

Without a word, he cut a large piece from the bear's paw and handed it to Tianji, saying, "This brother may have a misunderstanding about the Khitans. I was too impulsive earlier. I just wanted you to know that not all Khitans are bad."

Tianji was immediately moved. Holding the bowl, her eyes sparkled as she looked at him, her voice trembling, "You...you really want to give it to me? Actually, I was too impulsive that day..."

Gengu smiled sweetly, stuffed the remaining bear paws into his bowl, and said softly, "I didn't take it to heart. Big brother, please don't take what I said to heart either. After eating the bear paws, we'll be good friends from now on. Big brother, you're so skilled, you have to teach me boxing in the future."

Tianji nodded repeatedly, moved, and ate the specially made bear paw clean in front of everyone.

Gengu squinted his eyes and smiled even more sweetly.

Xiao Man covered her mouth. A demon! This child must be a demon!

Gengu suddenly looked at her, smiled sweetly, and said softly, "Sister, would you like to eat some bear meat?"

Xiao Man jumped up in a flash: "I...I'm full. Going to sleep!"

Yao Guang quickly smiled and said, "My lady, I heard them say there's a hot spring in the northern forest that's good for your health. Many women in the tribe like to bathe there. Shall we go and try it? I was always alone before, so I was too embarrassed to go..."

Xiao Man asked curiously, "Taking a bath outside?"

She glanced at the men in the room and sighed, "What if a pervert is peeping?"

Tianji put the plate down: "Give me a break! Even bear paws are more interesting than these!"

He was immediately knocked down by Yaoguang's flying kick. Yaoguang smiled and pulled Xiaoman along as the two girls went to soak in the hot spring, chatting and laughing.

The Twisted Scroll, Chapter Eleven: The Treasure (Part Two)

Updated: 2008-10-04 15:09:31 Word Count: 4076

This is the second update of the four-chapter release.

The hot spring was much larger than Xiaoman had imagined, and there were many Jurchen women soaking in it. When they saw Xiaoman and her companions arrive, they all waved and smiled, urging them to come down quickly.

Xiaoman looked at the snow-covered ground around her, then at the steaming hot spring with its strange color, and was a little scared: "Um... Yaoguang, the color of this water is so weird, I... I'd better not..."

Before she could finish speaking, Yao Guang had already taken off her clothes and jumped in, letting out a long, comfortable sigh. She turned back and waved vigorously at her, saying, "My lady, it's alright, come down! This is the color of the hot spring; it's very good for your skin and body."

Xiao Man had no choice but to slowly take off her clothes, not daring to take them all off. Wearing only her undergarments, she felt a strong smell of medicine wafting towards her. It wasn't too unpleasant, and it was actually very warm.

She scooped water to wash her face, then let her hair down and soaked it in, gently rubbing and washing it.

Suddenly noticing Yaoguang looking at her, she asked in surprise, "What's wrong? Can't I wash my hair?"

Yao Guang smiled and shook her head, saying softly, "No, I just think that Your Highness is very beautiful. If you were a little plumper, you would be even more beautiful."

She really did seem very thin. Xiaoman looked down at her own slender arms, then at Yaoguang's, and sighed. Yaoguang's figure was truly perfect. She couldn't blame anyone else for this problem; she could only blame her mother. One day she was happy and would cook her a delicious meal, the next day she would be depressed and starve her for three days. As a result, she was sixteen years old but looked like she was fourteen.

The hot spring was steaming, making her cheeks feel like they were on fire. She wandered around in the water, unable to stay still for a moment. Suddenly, she noticed a larger hot spring ahead that was completely empty. She turned back and waved to Yaoguang, "There's no one over there, let's go stay there."

Yao Guang followed her for a couple of steps. Suddenly, she heard the Jurchen women behind them cry out and wave at them in alarm. They babbled a string of words. Yao Guang quickly said, "My lady, they said that immortals live in that body of water, and mortals cannot go there, or they will be cursed."

"Where would immortals come from?" Xiaoman didn't believe it at all and peeked over. It was gloomy there; even immortals wouldn't live in a place like that.

She tried swimming forward for a while, but felt that her feet could no longer touch the bottom of the lake. She was a little scared and turned back.

Suddenly, she felt a faint suction force coming from behind, and she was involuntarily pulled backward. Xiaoman was frightened and struggled to swim back, but her feet couldn't touch the bottom, so she couldn't get any leverage. After swallowing several mouthfuls of water, she ran out of strength and was pulled over by that strange force.