Lianyi couldn't understand the profound meaning in her words, and stared wide-eyed, completely bewildered.
Old Sha came here for no reason at all; he was just delivering money. Why was he making such a big deal out of it? Xiao Man felt ashamed for him, seeing his fawning expression and his wide, beaming smile.
"Young Master, the supplies are almost complete, so I'll take my leave. The operation will proceed as planned. Half of my group will accompany you to scout ahead."
Old Sha asked cautiously. It seemed that what had just happened had upset Tianquan, and he was walking on thin ice, afraid of offending him again.
Tianquan said calmly, "Yaoguang, you have never traveled the world alone before. This time, you will lead half a group to scout ahead. Be careful in everything you do."
He didn't give her many instructions. Yao Guang was always steady and cautious, unlike Tian Ji who was impulsive and reckless. He felt at ease leaving things to her.
Yao Guang nodded, mounted his horse, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Lao Sha, and said, "Mr. Sha, I'll take your men with me now."
Old Sha quickly smiled and said, "You're too kind, young lady! Please!"
He was, after all, worldly-wise. Tianquan's decision to keep him was clearly a way of preventing him from threatening Xiaoman again. He just didn't understand why the young master took this matter so seriously. He probably didn't understand Xiaoman's temperament at all. This little one was impervious to both soft and hard tactics; only when things got tough, with a knife to her throat, would she obey. Although his actions were somewhat unseemly, they were for the sake of Mount Bugui, and the young master certainly understood that.
He was filled with unease. After all, Tianquan held a higher position than him, and figuring out the emperor's intentions was a skill he needed to learn. He still had to study and figure out what the young master was really up to.
The farce at Baiyang Manor has ended, and no benefits have been gained. Instead, we have witnessed a horrific massacre and arson committed by Tiansha Shifang. Oh, the martial world, how many more terrifying and breathtaking things are you hiding? Today Baiyang Manor was burned to the ground, will it be her turn to be slaughtered tomorrow?
Xiao Man shuddered as she recalled the image of being tied to a frame by the red-clad female ghost and having her flesh scraped with her long fingernails.
No! This is not just me scaring myself! Maybe that day will really come! The Mountain of No Return and the City of Cangya will join forces to scheme against her, a poor child. She will take all the blame and they will reap all the benefits. She will just be a scapegoat! If she continues to wander in this world for a while longer, she will go from being a bystander to being beaten up.
She suddenly clutched her head and slammed it against the car wall, making a loud thud.
Lianyi, riding her horse outside the carriage, quickly lifted the curtain. "Master, what's wrong?"
Xiao Man covered her numb forehead, her eyes vacant, and whispered, "It's nothing... I just wanted to see how hard my head is, whether it can withstand being cut off by a big knife."
Lianyi laughed inexplicably and said softly, "Master is really joking. Even a head made of stone can't withstand a big knife."
Xiao Man sighed deeply, lay down hard on her back, stared silently at the roof of the car, and murmured, "Don't talk to me, let me have some peace and quiet."
Lianyi had no choice but to lower the curtain. After a while, the carriage drove out of the poplar forest and onto the official road. The sky was faintly tinged with the blue light of dawn, and a large sun, the color of a duck egg yolk, slowly rose. Lianyi was still worried, so she quietly lifted the curtain to take a look. She saw Xiaoman curled up in the corner of the carriage, already fast asleep, muttering something in her sleep.
Lianyi breathed a sigh of relief and was about to lower the curtain when Xiaoman suddenly turned over and continued sleeping soundly. Her previously furrowed brows seemed to have furrowed even more deeply. Lianyi touched her head. What was her mistress thinking? Her brows hadn't relaxed at all. Was something troubling her? She couldn't figure it out. To Lianyi, Xiaoman's heart was more complicated than a winding, exquisite mind.
Traveling eastward, they soon arrived at Shangjing, the capital of the Liao people. The Liao people had become quite rampant in recent years, so the scale and grandeur of the capital were naturally extraordinary. The checks at the city gates were also very strict, especially on the Song people. Therefore, merchants usually carried documents from the Western Xia or even the Uyghurs and spoke a few words in the Western Xia language to get through the checkpoints.
Upon arriving in Shangjing, to avoid attracting attention, Xiaoman and her companions had to abandon their carriage and walk. They removed the saddles and bridles from their horses and bought a few more from horse dealers, hastily disguising themselves as country folk coming to the city to sell horses. But that wasn't enough; the most ingenious part was that Tianquan possessed documents from Xixia and spoke a broken Xixia-Khitan language. The four of them surprisingly passed through customs and entered Shangjing without any difficulty.
"Luckily you didn't lose that document, otherwise you really wouldn't have been able to get in today." Once inside the city, Tianji immediately relaxed, stretched, and said with a grin.
Tianquan smiled but didn't answer, simply putting the document back into his pocket.
Lianyi's gaze towards him had shifted from awe to dazzling admiration, and she exclaimed repeatedly, "Young Master Tianquan can actually speak Xixia language! He can also speak Khitan language! How amazing!"
Before Tianquan could answer, Tianji interrupted with a laugh, "He knows a lot more! You don't know, Tianquan was originally also..."
"Stop talking nonsense." Tianquan interrupted his excited words, led the horse around to look at things, and said, "Let's find an inn to settle down first, and wait for Yaoguang's news."
Realizing she had misspoke, Tianji quickly changed the subject: "Yeah! Quickly find a shop to get some water to wash my face, I'm suffocating from all that mud on my face!"
In order to sneak into the capital, they disguised themselves as horse traders, covered in dust and smelling of travel. They deliberately smeared dust on their faces, wrapped their heads in turbans, and changed into old clothes, making each of them look ten years older. Not to mention the guards at the gate, even Old Sha probably wouldn't recognize them if he walked by.
Xiao Man was the most convincing of them all. She was thin and petite, and walked with a light, airy gait, making her a perfect imitation of an old woman. Tianji led his horse over, patted her on the shoulder, and laughed without any regard for age, "You really do have a born poor look. You're much better at playing a poor person than any of us!"
Unexpectedly, Xiaoman did not retort as she usually would. She had been pondering serious life philosophies these past few days and was almost becoming a saint. She did not listen to Tianji's mockery at all, and only gave a serious "hmm" before continuing to bury herself in her thoughts.
Tianji inexplicably released her, then turned back and whispered to Lianyi, "What's wrong with her?"
Lianyi shook her head. She didn't know either. In short, her master had been acting strangely these past few days. He would often laugh to himself, or just stare blankly. After a while, he would hold his head and bang it against the wall. After that, he would suddenly start laughing. She kept repeating these silly actions in this strange way. After a while, it really felt like he was possessed by a ghost.
I'd better prepare some black dog's blood; I've heard that stuff is incredibly potent, a sacred object for exorcising evil. What if my mistress really is possessed by a ghost? That would be a disaster! She hasn't even properly repaid her mistress's kindness yet!
Upon arriving at the inn, in order to avoid suspicion, they had to pretend to be two couples and ask for separate rooms. The first thing Tianji did upon entering her room was to fetch water to wash her face. Lianyi, preoccupied with her thoughts, went downstairs to ask for black dog blood. The kind Khitan innkeeper gave her a whole bucket, more than enough for a bath.
She carried the child upstairs cautiously, quietly opening the door a crack to peek inside. Xiaoman, without washing her face or changing her clothes, sat on the edge of the bed, lost in thought. Every now and then, she would tap her head with her hand, mutter a few words to herself, and then burst into laughter, a laugh that sent chills down her spine.
There's no time to lose, let's act now! Otherwise, if we get too deeply entangled in this demonic obsession, our master will be beyond saving!
She gritted her teeth and suddenly kicked open the door. Xiaoman was startled. She looked up and saw Lianyi. She frowned and waved her hand, signaling her to go out and play and not bother her.
Without saying a word, Lianyi picked up the bucket and splashed Xiaoman all over with water.
Xiaoman jolted awake, leaping out of bed. Her body felt sticky and fishy, making her feel terribly uncomfortable. She wiped her face, looked down, and saw it was dog blood. For a moment, she forgot to scream and just stood there, stunned.
Lianyi looked at her tremblingly, and seeing that she remained silent for a long time, she felt even more uncertain and whispered, "Master?"
She remained silent, standing there blankly.
Unexpectedly, the bucket of dog blood only made her more stunned. Lianyi took two steps back and was about to burst into tears when she suddenly saw Xiaoman clap her hands and say, "So that's how it is!" She wiped the dog blood off her face, slowly walked towards the door, patted Lianyi on the shoulder as she passed by, and said, "Well done, Lianyi."
Lianyi was completely bewildered, staring blankly as she pushed open the door and came downstairs covered in dog blood, asking the waiter to bring hot water up. The waiter looked at her as if he had seen a ghost, his eyes almost popping out.
"What happened?" Tianquan and Tianji lived in the next room and heard the commotion, so they rushed over to see what was going on.
Xiao Man slowly made her way upstairs, wiping the dog blood from her face. The two men were stunned when they saw her. Tianji couldn't help but burst into laughter, pointing at her nose and shaking with mirth, "You... oh my god... how did you... become like this!"
Tianquan covered his mouth, clearly trying to suppress a laugh, and looked at her incredulously.
Xiao Man shook her wet hair, completely unconcerned, and suddenly grinned, her face red and her teeth white, creating a striking contrast: "Excuse me, could you two please step aside? I need to take a bath."
Tianji suddenly felt a chill run through her body.
The Treasure Scroll, Chapter Ten: If You Are Lowly (Part One)
Updated: 2008-10-04 15:09:10 Word Count: 3875
Lianyi squatted by the door, lost in thought, fidgeting with her fingers. Suddenly, the door creaked open, and Xiaoman, looking clean and refreshed, walked out with a smile. Lianyi quickly stood up, tears welling in her eyes, her voice trembling, and asked, "M-Master...are you really alright?"
Xiao Man squinted her eyes, which were curved like two small moons, and a faint dimple appeared at the corner of her lips as she smiled sweetly.
"I'm fine, I've never been better."
Lianyi didn't notice anything wrong. She wiped away her tears and sniffed, then smiled and said happily, "Master is really alright! You almost scared me to death."
Xiao Man smiled slightly, patted her head, and said softly, "Come inside, I'll go and ask someone to bring hot water. You should take a bath too; you've been traveling all this way, you should get cleaned up."
Lianyi nodded repeatedly and obediently went inside.
Xiao Man went downstairs to ask someone to bring her hot water. The waiter looked at her with a gaze more terrifying than if he had seen a ghost; his eyes seemed to pop out and then shrink back in.
"Shopkeeper! Bring up some food!" The door next door suddenly opened, and Tianji's head popped out. When he saw Xiaoman, his face stiffened, and he asked with difficulty, "Are you... are you alright? You two were making such a ruckus..."
Xiao Man walked over gracefully, curtsied to him, and said softly, "I am very sorry to have troubled you young masters."
Tianji shivered and said in a trembling voice, "Have you lost your mind?! How can you... talk like that!"
Xiao Man said softly, "Looking back now, I realize that I was too reckless and made many mistakes, offending many people. From today onwards, Xiao Man will definitely repent and strive to repay the great kindness of Mount Bugui as soon as possible."
Hmm, that sounds more like human language.
Tianji waved his hand: "The past is nothing! Just don't be so suspicious and run away all the time, making it seem like we, the No Return Mountain, are going to eat you up... Speaking of which, why did you suddenly..."
Did that bucket of dog blood actually work?
Xiao Man smiled but said nothing, gave him another curtsy, and said softly, "I won't disturb your meal any longer, young master. Xiao Man will take her leave."
Tianji hurriedly returned the greeting, watching her walk back to her room, completely bewildered. What was going on? He scratched his head, utterly confused.
*****
The night was cool and still, with the faint sound of whistling wind in the distance. The shadows of trees were etched on the window, swaying and flickering like countless ghosts baring their fangs and claws, about to pounce on us.
Lianyi was sleeping soundly at the foot of the bed, fully clothed, emitting sweet breaths.
Xiao Man poured herself a cup of cold tea, leaned against the window, and took a small sip every now and then, lost in thought.
Suddenly, the window of the next room was pushed open. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly, and after a while, she heard a soft voice say, "It's late, why aren't you asleep?"
Xiaoman pushed open the window, and a cool breeze rushed in, ruffling her long hair. She said softly, "I'm sorry to have troubled you, young master. Thinking about what happened before, I feel even more astonished and deeply regret it now. I will definitely do my best in the future to repay your kindness."
Tianquan's figure suddenly appeared on the windowsill, his toes touching the thin window frame, his white robe rustling as if he might fall at any moment. But Xiaoman knew very well that even if he stood on the edge of a cliff, he was much safer than an ordinary person separated by a railing.
His hair was loose, and two bright pearl earrings on his ears sparkled, adding a touch of masculine charm to his handsome face.
Xiao Man looked up at him quietly; his long hair almost brushed against her face, carrying a slight coolness.
"I will keep Old Sha in check, and that kind of thing will never happen again," he said softly, his voice as gentle and untouchable as the clouds about to disperse in the sky.
Xiao Man lowered her eyelashes in fear and said in a trembling voice, "Young Master, please don't say that. It's all my fault and has nothing to do with my godfather. What he said is all very true. I was just stupid before and couldn't understand it."
Tianquan didn't speak. After a while, he bent over and sat lightly on the windowsill.
"Wutong Town... I've been there once before, and the local customs and people are quite nice."
He suddenly mentioned her hometown, and Xiaoman's heart jolted. A mix of emotions washed over her—regret, resentment—she couldn't tell. Her lifelong pursuit had always been simple and direct: to be rich. Yet, this was the most difficult dream to fulfill.
"Even if you are unwilling, you have already been drawn into this turmoil of the martial world, and running away is not the solution. After things are successfully completed, I will ensure your safe return home, unharmed. So, stop fooling around. Things in the martial world are not as easy as you think. Your life may be insignificant to others, but it is the most important thing to you. If you don't cherish it, who will care about it for you?"
Xiao Man nodded hurriedly: "I...I understand. I understand now..."
Tianquan remained silent for a long while before saying, "Actually, I didn't know at first..." He stopped there, his long eyebrows furrowing slightly, and continued, "From now on, I will keep the people of Mount Bugui in check and prevent them from coercing us. You... take care of yourself too."
He got up to leave when he suddenly heard a delicate voice behind him say softly, "Does Young Master care for every woman like this? Actually, I know you dislike me, but even though you dislike me, you still came to comfort me. Xiao Man is very grateful."
Tianquan glanced back at her. When he first met her, she seemed prickly, easily seen through, relying on her petty cleverness to think herself invincible. She was truly detestable. Tonight, however, all her thorns had vanished, leaving only a person standing there, with slender shoulders and a delicate face. So this was what she looked like—eyebrows like these, eyes like these.
He suddenly recalled some distant memories, gripped the window frame, and whispered, "I don't... hate it now..."
Xiao Man bowed to him and said softly, "Thank you for your advice, young master. I feel much better now. It's late, young master, please get some rest."
Tianquan nodded and said, "You should get some rest too."
Before he could finish speaking, he had already returned to the next room.
Xiao Man gently closed the window, the sound finally startling Lian Yi. She hurriedly got up, rubbing her eyes as she reached for her knife, mumbling, "Master?"
Xiao Man gently pressed her down and whispered, "It's nothing, I was just drinking water. You go to sleep."
Lianyi turned over, took her hand, and said softly, "My lady, is something bothering you?"