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

Chapitre 44

Xiao Man chuckled: "I couldn't take the shock. I was too ashamed to live in this world, so I jumped off a building and committed suicide."

Zexiu stared at her for a long time, initially furious. Finally, he was both amused and annoyed, and raised his hand to slap her forehead hard. Xiaoman cried out in pain, clutching her forehead and glaring at him: "Do you know how much that hurts?! Let me hit you and see what happens!"

Zexiu sat on the bed with a half-smile and said, "No wonder Third Uncle told me not to rush. He's already figured out your temper, you little devil. I just didn't expect you to be hiding under the bed and taking a nap. Fourth Aunt and the others thought it was bad luck and just left Third Uncle's house."

Xiao Man clapped her hands and laughed, "They're gone? That's good! My sleep was worth it; I managed to sleep those bodhisattvas back to their original state."

Zexiu just smiled and patted her head lightly, like patting a disobedient little wildcat.

Xiao Man said softly, "Ze Xiu, your third uncle is Tian Sha Shi Fang. You knew that before, right?"

Zexiu nodded and said, "Tiancha Shifang is not like what people think, a tightly organized Jianghu gang like Buguishan, which is like a small court from top to bottom. Tiancha Shifang has a dozen or twenty people scattered in various places. Each person has different preferences and interests, and they don't have any clear purpose. Some people are even from Tiancha Shifang but have never met each other for decades, let alone know each other. To put it simply, Tiancha Shifang is like a large gathering of eccentric people."

Xiao Man suddenly realized, "No wonder you always protected Tian Sha Shi Fang when you were at Mount Bu Gui. Why didn't you tell me that later?"

Zexiu laughed and said, "When people in the martial arts world hear the name Tiansha Shifang, they think of villains who do all sorts of evil deeds. This is because there are a few people in the group who are good at power struggles and intrigue. Those with red and white cross-shaped knife patterns on their backs are organized by a few of them. Hong Gu Zi and Yelü Wenjue, whom we met in Baiyang Village, are members of that group. Because of the addiction to martial arts gangs, if one person in a gang does something bad, the whole organization is considered evil and heretical. It's normal to blame Tiansha Shifang for their murders and arson."

That's true. If he had told her earlier that Mr. Xue was from Tiansha Shifang, she might not have said anything, but she would definitely have suspected his motives. However, once she got to know Mr. Xue, she would find that he really wasn't interested in these things. His interest was probably in keeping a bunch of men dressed as women in his mansion and shops.

"We don't know each other, and we all have different goals. What's the point of the existence of the Heavenly Fiend Ten Directions? Is it just for the sake of sounding good?"

Xiaoman was very curious.

Zexiu laughed and said, "It is said that there used to be a magnificent temple in Tibet called Shifang, with stunning scenery. A group of chivalrous and unruly heroes gathered there, drinking and talking, while scholars and gentlemen composed poems and couplets. As the gatherings became more frequent, they developed a mutual appreciation, and someone named it 'Tiancha Shifang' (Heavenly Temple of Shifang). The name originated from this. After they dispersed, when they met a suitable junior or friend, they would pass on the name 'Tiancha Shifang' to them, and they would gather at Shifang Temple every year. However, due to the passage of time, this custom of gathering has long since disappeared, but the name 'Tiancha Shifang' has become increasingly well-known, becoming a synonym for utter evil."

Wow, so in that case, Tian Sha Shi Fang isn't a bad guy at all; in fact, most of them are hidden masters. Xiao Man thought of Mr. Xue in his pink outfit and suddenly realized that these hidden masters weren't actually that hidden.

“I’m not sure if the people who destroyed Cangya City were Yelü Wenjue’s Tiansha Shifang gang, but this is definitely their style. As the young master, don’t you remember anything? You’d better not be misled by Buguishan.”

Xiaoman bit her lip and stood there stunned for a long time before suddenly whispering, "Zexiu, um, there's something I haven't told you..."

Should she tell him? She wasn't sure if he would fly into a rage and abandon her if she did.

She stared at him blankly for a long time, then Zexiu suddenly reached out and touched her cheek, saying softly, "What is it? Tell me."

He suddenly joked, "Don't tell me you're not the young master of Cangya City, that would be too much of a joke."

A jolt of shock ran through her, and she blurted out involuntarily, "No... how could that be... Well, what I meant was, I didn't actually know if it was Tian Sha Shi Fang who wiped out the clan, because... because I was blindfolded and taken out at the time, and I was completely dazed... so..."

She truly lied to him; she could no longer make excuses that he had been kept in the dark. This time, she lied to him with her own mouth.

She felt her heart pounding heavily, as if it were about to fall, and keep falling, and she felt as if her whole body was falling too.

She may have done something very wrong.

Zexiu felt that she was trembling slightly in the darkness, which was extremely pitiful and cute. He couldn't help but take her hand, and her palm was covered with cold sweat.

He whispered, "Xiao Man?"

She let out a long sigh, staring at the flickering candlelight on the table. The night was black, her face pale, and her eyes deeper than the night itself; she looked as if she had lost her soul. Suddenly, a smile appeared on her face, a shallow dimple at the corner of her mouth, tinged with a hint of playfulness. She said softly, "It's nothing. Zexiu, I saw a tattoo on you last time, but I didn't see it clearly. Could you take a look?"

The Chaotic Scroll, Chapter Seventeen: He's So Good (Part Two)

Updated: 2008-10-04 15:09:35 Word Count: 3610

This is the second update on the last day of double updates.

I've been updating like crazy lately, to the point where I'm about to run out of breath. I need to take a break for now and rest a bit.

Starting tomorrow, I will update once a day, with each chapter containing no less than 4,000 words.

When she said those words, she didn't think much of it and just wanted to change the subject quickly. However, when she saw the subtle change in his expression, she suddenly realized that she might have said something wrong.

"Ah, I... I'm sorry, you can pretend I didn't say anything." Xiaoman blushed and shook her head vigorously. She absolutely didn't mean that! Absolutely not! She was a very proper and good girl. Although she was a little bit attracted to his good looks, she would never admit it even if you beat her to death!

Zexiu ignored her, readily loosening his belt, then his waistband, and removing his outer garment, revealing his undergarment and the glimpse of his skin. Xiaoman pounced on him, grabbing his collar: "Don't take it off! Don't take it off anymore!"

Zexiu grabbed her wrist, a half-smile on his face: "Didn't you want to see the tattoo? How can we see it if you don't take it off?"

Xiaoman felt her face burning up and murmured, "Anyway... don't take it off. I don't want to look anymore, next time... next time..."

There will be no next time, only this time.

He slowly removed his undergarment, the texture of his skin appearing particularly alluring in the dim candlelight. A ferocious, dark blue-green qilin, its mouth agape and eyes glaring angrily at her, adorned his chest. Xiaoman covered her eyes, crying out, "I can't look! I can't look! Put your clothes back on! Put them back on quickly! Once you're dressed, get out of here!"

Zexiu clicked his tongue, yanked her hand away, pulled her close, and kissed her lips hard.

She felt as if she had been violently thrown tens of thousands of miles into the air, then abruptly stopped. She was then sucked into a hurricane, spinning wildly. She wasn't allowed to escape; he pressed down hard on the back of her neck. It felt as if he were trying to meld her into his body, like a lifeline he was grasping at with all his might, almost brutally.

She'll die, she definitely will die. Xiaoman couldn't breathe, she couldn't break free, she only felt his hand gently pinch her chin, and she involuntarily opened her mouth. Instantly, she was violated.

The kiss was fierce and terrifying, yet his hands were incredibly gentle, caressing her neck as if touching a fine piece of silk. Then he parted her collar and reached inside—reached inside?! Xiao Man was terrified, letting out a panicked cry as she desperately struggled to break free.

"You bastard!" Her eyes reddened with grievance, and she raised her hand to slap him.

Zexiu gently grasped her wrist, pulled it down, and pressed it against the Qilin on her chest, whispering, "Do you see it?"

Xiao Man felt her palm touch burning skin. She hurriedly tried to pull her hand back, but it was too late. His strength was dozens of times greater than hers. Her chin was pinched again. Slightly lowered, she was now facing the ferocious face of the Qilin. Strange. Qilin are clearly auspicious beasts, but the one on his body was extremely fierce, its mouth open as if it wanted to devour someone.

Just like him! She struggled angrily, but instead tripped on the bed and fell hard into his arms, her face hitting his chest. Before she could get up, he gently held her.

"Don't be angry," he said softly. "I didn't mean to offend you."

"Isn't this offensive?" Xiaoman experienced the overwhelming disparity in power for the first time; she was completely helpless. She cried out angrily, "You've already offended me!"

Zexiu chuckled, brushed the stray hairs from her forehead, and whispered, "This isn't an offense; it's just something you can't help yourself with."

Xiaoman fell silent. She lowered her head, her heart still pounding. The room was too quiet, and she was afraid that her heartbeat would be too loud and someone would hear it.

This is wrong. A man and a woman alone, in the dead of night. If her mother were still alive, she would have beaten her half to death with a feather duster by now.

She couldn't help it; she realized what it was like to fall deeply in love with someone—more beautiful than any gold or jewels. The beauty she had once kept at a distance now blossomed before her eyes. She stubbornly refused to leave, even with a hint of despair. Things that are too beautiful bring not only happiness but also sorrow, because of the fear of losing them.

She whispered, "Your back injury, is it healed? Let me... take a look."

Zexiu turned around, presenting his broad back to her. Sure enough, it was covered in numerous scars, some still freshly healed. And not only those, but he had many old scars, a shocking sight. Xiaoman reached out and gently touched one: "You must have often fought to the death before. Don't do that next time, what if you die?"

Zexiu turned to look at her, both amused and exasperated: "What kind of talk is that? Is that how it's supposed to be?"

Xiao Man was still a little confused, and looked up, asking, "Then how should I say it?"

Her face was flushed with a bewitching blush, her lips were moist, and her eyes shone with an eerie light, as if they held hidden stars. A strand of black hair slid down her cheek and clung to her chin. He couldn't help but brush it away, his thumb caressing her full lower lip, gently stroking it, slowly probing inside, parting her teeth, and pressing down on her tongue.

"You should say..." He gently kneaded that soft, moist tongue, looking at her dazed eyes, he felt as if he were getting drunk himself. He pulled her close around the waist, whispered a few words in her ear, and then lowered his head to kiss her.

His stubble was never completely shaved, and it itched and hurt when he rubbed it on his face and neck. Xiaoman's soft hand rested on his shoulder, and he wrapped his arms around her neck. As if knowing she was ticklish, he deliberately rubbed his chin against her neck a couple of times. Xiaoman laughed and tried to dodge, but he gently pulled open her loose collar and bit her collarbone hard.

Xiao Man almost jumped up, frantically grabbing her collar, but he had already gotten up, put on his clothes, and said, "I'm leaving...see you tomorrow."

With just that one simple sentence, he didn't say anything else, waved his hand, and turned to leave.

He took away the last glimmer of light in the room, leaving Xiaoman alone in the darkness, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. Perhaps it was a dream, or perhaps it was just her imagination; she dared not sleep, afraid of waking up from the dream.

She felt a slight tingling pain in her collarbone. Trembling, she got up, lit a candle, and jumped in front of the bronze mirror.

The girl in the mirror had cheeks burning like fire, her eyes watery. She had never been so beautiful in her life, like a newly matured little fairy, still carrying a hint of youthful bewilderment. She slowly pulled open her collar, revealing a patch of red on her right collarbone, an extremely vibrant red, like a smear of rouge applied unintentionally.

Xiaoman couldn't bear to watch any longer. She blew out the candle, jumped back into bed, pulled the blanket over her head, counted the 999 sheep three times, and finally drifted off to sleep.

Her mother will forgive her. If she knew how much she liked this person, how much she liked him to the point of not knowing what to do, she would definitely forgive her. We'll deal with the future later; let's just grant her some happiness for now, just a little bit.

By the time Xiaoman's broken leg had fully healed, summer had already arrived.

Summer in the north is very short. In the blink of an eye, everything is lush and green, and in the next blink, the ground is covered with autumn leaves.

Xiao Man sat under the vine-covered veranda, eating mung bean soup spoonful by spoonful. This soup was specially bought from the south by Mr. Xue. She had been well taken care of lately and had gained some weight. Compared to the pitiful, skinny little girl she used to be, she looked more like a real young woman.

"Hey." Someone called her from behind. She turned around and saw Zexiu's smiling face. She waved, "Come here, come here. There's mung bean soup. Want some?"

Zexiu walked over and plopped down next to her, took the soup bowl, and drank it all in one gulp. Xiaoman stared in disbelief: "I...I only ate a few bites..."

Zexiu returned the empty soup bowl to her and said sincerely, "It tasted very good, thank you."

Xiao Man raised her foot to kick him, but Ze Xiu grabbed her ankle and laughed, "Looks like your bones are fine now. Shouldn't we leave here and continue searching for the Five Corners?"

Xiao Man was taken aback, then hummed in agreement.

Continue searching for the five corners. What happens after you find them all? Will he feel his mission is complete and leave her? And then go their separate ways?

Zexiu flicked her forehead: "What are you daydreaming about? I'm talking to you."

Xiao Man nodded and said, "Okay, we can set off tomorrow. I'm perfectly fine with it. Where are we going this time? We've found the one in the north, should we go to the east or the south? Or should we go to the Yinshui region to look for treasure?"

Zexiu looked at her for a while, then suddenly grabbed her chin and asked, "Have you ever been to the Northern Desert?"

The answer was completely irrelevant, and Xiaoman shook her head blankly.

"There are vast grasslands there, the sky is very high, and you can ride your horse as fast as you want without ever reaching the end. If you like, I'll take you there next time... after we find all five corners."

Xiao Man suddenly laughed, hooked her arm around his, tilted her head and asked in surprise, "Huh? Did I hear that right? Someone was talking about the future?"

Zexiu blushed slightly, then smiled, revealing her teeth: "Not bad, what do you want?"

Xiao Man laughed and said, "I'm not stupid, and I'm not anything special. In short, you have to keep your word, or else... um, or else I'll bite you to death!"

She pretended to grab his arm, but he chuckled and grabbed her wrist, teasingly saying, "With your little bit of strength, you're only good for being bullied by me. Tell me! Are you coming or not?"

Xiao Man laughed so hard she almost rolled over, then rolled into his arms and nodded repeatedly, "Okay, okay, I'll listen to you, Master. I wouldn't dare disobey."

Zexiu straightened her up, straightened her collar, and suddenly said softly, "Xiaoman."

"Um?"

He didn't say anything, he just patted her head.

"You've worked so hard these past few days. With your efforts, you'll definitely find all five corners. Once you have them all, let's have a blast. There are so many fun places out there that you haven't been to yet, have you?"

Xiao Man smiled and nodded.

"In the future..." are two very tempting words.

How she wished she had a "future".

I really hope so.