I'm afraid the person I'm going to harm is her; she's not some concubine.
Xiao Man reluctantly followed them inside, only to be immediately struck by the sight of a massive tomb chamber behind the door. The walls were covered with magnificent murals, their colors incredibly vibrant. However, the content of the murals was extremely bizarre and grotesque: a group of people were kneeling on the ground, with a giant serpent, taller than a mountain, coiled before them, its eyes like copper bells, radiating an eerie light.
Xiao Man felt as if the snake was staring at her, and a chill ran down her spine.
Suddenly, Gengu exclaimed, "Treasure!"
It was indeed a treasure trove. In the center of the tomb chamber was a stone coffin, which should be the coffin of the previous young master. Below and to the left and right of the stone coffin were countless gold and silver utensils and various gemstones, covering the ground, sparkling with precious stones.
Gengu stepped forward to try and grab it, but Tianquan grabbed him. He frowned slightly and whispered, "What's that smell?"
A strange smell had begun to permeate the tomb. Xiaoman looked around and suddenly saw shimmering specks of light falling from the ceiling. She reached out to catch them, but was burned and quickly pulled her hand back: "Fire! It's on fire!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a cracking sound was heard all around the tomb chamber, and the coffin standing in the chamber suddenly sank and disappeared underground. The ground began to tremble faintly, making it difficult to stand.
Tianquan's expression changed, and he shouted, "Get out of here quickly! It's a trap!"
He grabbed Xiaoman's arm and dashed out of the tomb chamber, running wildly towards the main hall in front. The others realized something was wrong and rushed out as well. Just as Gengu emerged, the door to the tomb chamber behind them slammed shut, and a large amount of black oil seeped out, emitting a pungent odor.
Terrifying sounds emanated from the tomb chamber. Immediately afterwards, fire roared out along with the spreading oil. The tomb chamber door, made of incredibly hard black iron, deformed rapidly like a crumpled piece of cloth and was blown open with a bang. Xiaoman was thrown hard to the ground by the shock and could no longer hold Tianquan's hand.
In the chaos, she felt someone grab her around the waist and carry her out of the hall. Everything was in disarray; large shards of stone were falling, and the air was thick with the pungent smell of saltpeter and sulfur. In a daze, she heard someone shouting, "Who would bury so much saltpeter under the tomb! That's not how you make elixirs!"
She suddenly realized that the strange smell in the tomb was from saltpeter, sulfur, and realgar. People used these things to make elixirs in the past, which resulted in the destruction of the house. Later, people learned that these things could not only be used to make elixirs, but also to kill people.
Young Master of Cangya City, you're ruthless. The entire tomb is your alchemy room. Others refine stones, but you refine living people.
A medium-sized rock crashed down, hitting her squarely on the head. Xiao Man's vision blurred with stars, and she vaguely sensed an even larger shockwave rushing towards her from behind, flames engulfing her. Suddenly, she felt a chill run through her body, and she couldn't breathe, as if she had jumped into water. Then she lost consciousness.
Chapter Thirteen of the Chaotic Scroll: Mr. Snow (Part One)
Updated: 2008-10-04 15:09:32 Word Count: 4417
It's now available for purchase, and this is the fourth update.
When Xiaoman woke up, she felt that she would rather be dead. Her whole body ached, as if her bones were broken.
And it was cold, freezing cold, my skin felt like it was cracked from the cold.
She slowly opened her eyes and saw a pale blue sky. She slowly turned her head and immediately saw Zexiu's tightly closed eyes. He was lying next to her, his face pale, as if he were dead.
Xiao Man was startled and hurriedly got up. The cloak she was wearing fell off, and a piercing pain shot through her left leg. She almost cried out in pain. Looking down, she saw that her left calf was swollen and looked like the bone was broken.
Ignoring her own leg, she hurriedly reached out to push Zexiu: "Zexiu! Wake up! Zexiu!"
He didn't move at all. This time he wasn't pretending to be dead, because his back was covered in blood, with countless pebbles stuck in it. Xiaoman's tears fell like broken beads. She reached out and checked his nose—he was still breathing.
She immediately stopped crying, wiped away her tears, and looked around, only to find that this wasn't the hot spring they had entered. The surrounding area was overgrown with weeds and deserted, with a small pool of water nearby, covered in ice. It seemed that the lotus pond in the main hall must have led to more than one body of water; Tianquan and the others had been swept away to another place, while she and Zexiu had been swept here.
She tied the cloak tightly around his and her own arms, then mustered all her strength to crawl forward. The pain from her broken leg made her break out in a cold sweat, but she seemed to forget the pain and just kept crawling forward.
After climbing for a while, Zexiu suddenly hummed in agreement. Slowly opening her eyes, Xiaoman was overjoyed and quickly turned back, whispering, "How are you? I don't know how to use those medicines. Can you tell me how to use them?"
He didn't speak, but simply raised his hand and gently stroked her face. Then he fainted again.
Xiao Man almost burst into tears again, but she gritted her teeth and held them back, continuing to crawl forward. She didn't really know where to go, but she couldn't stay still, otherwise Ze Xiu would really die.
She climbed for an unknown amount of time. Suddenly, a silvery tinkling sound came from afar. Xiaoman recognized the sound immediately; a bell hung from her clothes, making a clear, ringing sound as she moved. Overjoyed, she quickly propped herself up and looked ahead. But instead of Lianyi and Tianquan, she saw a group of people slowly approaching, all dressed in pink. She couldn't tell if they were men or women. These people carried a magnificent pink sedan chair, their bodies seemingly weightless, as if they were floating lightly across the grass.
Xiao Man was so frightened that she lay on the ground, too scared to move. Who were they?! Were they human or ghosts?!
The sound of silver bells grew closer, and Xiaoman hurriedly tried to crawl away and hide. But she was no match for their speed. In the blink of an eye, the pink sedan chair stopped in front of her. Those dressed in pink were all handsome young men. Two silver bells hung from their waists, no wonder they jingled as they moved.
The boys stared blankly at Xiaoman, their eyes like they were looking at a dying dog. Xiaoman, unaware of their background, could only hold Zexiu in her arms, shielding him with her body.
Suddenly, the pink sedan curtain was lifted by a pair of snow-white hands, revealing a face that was alluring to the bone. The dark, crystal-like eyes looked at Xiaoman, blinked, then looked at Zexiu, and then kindly asked, "Is he dead?"
Xiao Man shook her head.
The man sighed, "Dying isn't easy either. Oh well, come with me."
The boys immediately grabbed them, like carrying two dead pigs. Xiao Man struggled fiercely, shouting, "Let me go! Who are you?!"
The man in the pink shirt with a fox-like face smiled slightly and said softly, "I am Mr. Xue, one of the Ten Directions of Heavenly Fiends."
Xiao Man heard the sound of blood vessels freezing.
Mr. Xue suddenly remembered something and kindly added, "Oh right, it's this guy's third uncle."
Xiao Man couldn't catch her breath and finally fainted again.
My left leg hurts so much.
It hurts like being torn apart.
Xiaoman woke up in pain, and when she opened her eyes she saw that her left leg was being held bare by Mr. Xue. She was so frightened that she couldn't catch her breath and fainted again.
When she woke up again, Mr. Xue was finally gone. She felt incredibly refreshed, as if she had been washed ninety-nine times with spring water from the mountaintop, every inch of her body wanting to sing with joy. Looking around, she found herself in a very… uh, magnificent, gorgeous, and alluring… room. Everything was pink; she was lying in a sea of pink. The bedding was soft and smooth. She moved slightly and was horrified to discover that she was naked, without even a piece of cloth on.
The wind made the pink gauze curtains flutter wildly. Suddenly, the door was opened, and light footsteps came. A pretty, fair-skinned girl walked in carrying a tea tray. She met Xiaoman's big, round eyes and was so startled that she almost dropped the tea tray.
"Ah, you... no, young lady, you're awake?" she asked politely.
Xiao Man stared at her for a long time before firing off a barrage of questions: "Where is this place? Why are my clothes gone? What exactly did Mr. Xue do?"
The girl—presumably a maid or something similar—should wear a gentle smile and speak softly: "This is Mr. Xue's residence. I changed your clothes and helped you wash. Your leg was broken, but Mr. Xue set it. As long as you don't move around too much, you'll recover quickly."
Xiaoman breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly gasped, "Where's Zexiu? How is he?"
The maid said softly, "Young Master Zexiu is seriously injured, but his life is not in danger. He may not wake up for a few more days. Once he wakes up, I will definitely tell you as soon as possible."
Xiao Man was immediately moved, looking at her with sparkling eyes: "You are such a good girl. My name is Xiao Man. Don't keep calling me 'girl,' what's your name?"
The maid smiled gently: "My name is Duan Hui. Xiao Man is so interesting. I'm not a girl."
Xiao Man was drinking the ginseng soup that she had brought when she suddenly spat it out, pointing tremblingly at "her." She couldn't utter a single word.
Duan Hui smiled and said, "I am a man. There are no women in Mr. Xue's residence or shop. They are all men."
Her innocence! A man saw right through her! Xiaoman was on the verge of tears.
Duan Hui quickly said, "Xiao Man, don't be afraid. Although I am a man, my heart is that of a woman. Just treat me like a girl. If I had known you were so afraid, I wouldn't have told you the truth."
That's not the problem. Xiaoman lay back down, tears streaming down her face, and covered her head with the blanket.
Her innocence, her body, were seen naked by a strange man. And he was a pervert dressed as a woman.
Just how twisted is this Mr. Xue?!
She slept in bed for a day and a night, feeling depressed, until her vision blurred from hunger.
Mr. Xue reappeared before them, still wearing his pink shirt, his smile as radiant as spring blossoms. Upon seeing Xiaoman, he clapped his hands and laughed, "Very good, you're finally awake. Come on, let's go for a walk and get some fresh air. Surrounded by men, I've realized that it's truly girls who are the cutest."
He ordered Duan Hui to bring women's clothes for her to change into, but Xiao Man refused to let Duan Hui touch her this time and drew the curtains herself. After changing her clothes on the bed, she struggled to drag her injured leg off the bed.
Mr. Xue scooped her up in his arms and said with a smile, "Duanhui, let me comb your hair. How about... well, a heart-shaped bun will do."
He then placed her in front of the dressing table. Xiaoman immediately saw herself in the mirror. Her face was pale, her hair was disheveled, and she was wearing an extremely gorgeous and fragrant pink women's dress. She had never worn such gorgeous and flamboyant women's clothing in her life. This style did not look sexy on her at all; instead, she looked like a child who had stolen an adult's clothes.
As expected, Mr. Xue didn't like it either. He frowned and looked at it for a long time before saying, "Duanhui, go and get another set of clothes."
The clothes arrived shortly after. They were still pink, but the style was much simpler and fit her better. This time, she finally looked fresh and playful, which suited her temperament perfectly.
Duan Hui tied her hair up from behind, and said with a smile, "Xiao Man is so cute. Mr. Xue is right. Real girls are cute no matter what."
Ugh, don't talk like you've never seen a woman before, okay?
Her hair was styled and she had applied some makeup, and her complexion was indeed radiant. Mr. Xue smiled and looked at her for a while, then picked her up and said, "Alright, let's go. Let's go for a walk and grab something to eat at the shop."
Seriously, does this person... treat her like a doll?
So, on the bustling street, a man dressed in pink, as beautiful as a fox spirit, holding a girl dressed entirely in pink, attracted attention that went beyond mere commotion.
Xiaoman had never been so humiliated in her life. Her face turned red and white in turns. She covered her face with her sleeve, wishing that a crack would immediately appear in the ground so that she could crawl into it and never come out again.
He walked for a while, and the surrounding noise seemed to gradually quiet down, followed by an exclamation: "Mr. Xue is here!"
Suddenly, a crowd gathered around, calling out "Mr. Xue" this and "Mr. Xue" that; judging from their voices, they all seemed to be men. Xiao Man secretly observed her surroundings through her sleeve and discovered that this seemed to be a restaurant, still decorated in pink everywhere, flamboyant and ostentatious, as if saying: Come and see me! Come and see me!
A man suddenly exclaimed, "It's a girl! Mr. Xue brought a girl with him!"
Xiao Man stared wide-eyed, covering her mouth and nose with her sleeve, and looked them over one by one. Sure enough, they were all men, some tall and some short, some strong and some weak. They were all very handsome, and they all stared wide-eyed at her as if looking at a cute little animal, looking at her with curiosity and wonder.
Mr. Xue placed her in a private room on the second floor and said with a smile, "This is our first special customer. You must treat her well and not make her angry. I have some things to take care of, so I'll leave for a bit and come back later. Please get her something to eat and don't let her go hungry."
Hey... is she a dog?
Sure enough, after he left, a group of men sat around her in a private room, with fruit, pastries, and tea served continuously. Everyone looked at her with smiles, occasionally touching her hair and clothes, and praising her: "Girls are so cute."
Xiaoman felt her skin crawl from being touched, but she was so hungry that she reached for the pastries. Someone had already brought the pastries to her mouth and said with a doting smile, "Open your mouth—ah."
She opened her mouth blankly, and the sweet and soft pastry fell into her mouth; it was incredibly delicious.
The boy, whose cheeks flushed with joy at being successfully fed, was immediately greeted by the others who rushed to offer her fruit and pastries.
Xiao Man ate the food blankly, one bite at a time, until she was so full she couldn't eat anymore. Someone wiped her mouth clean for her, and she leaned back in the soft chair, finally asking her first question of the day: "Where is this place?"
Someone kindly told her, "This is Zhijunzhai."
Okay, so what does Zhijunzhai do?
It's a restaurant, but not an ordinary one, because there are no women here, only men, and it only serves male customers. Female customers are only allowed in on certain days.
A young and lovely girl like Xiaoman would never eat in a place like this, so when they saw Xiaoman, they treated her like a treasure, afraid that she might break or melt.
Xiao Man was pampered like a dog by a group of men in the private room for half a day. Finally, Mr. Xue returned and carried her to a larger private room on the third floor.
Xiaoman sat on the soft chair, watching him take a white porcelain teacup, carefully scoop some tea leaves from a silver jar, brew a small cup with water, and then present it to her, smiling as he said, "This is top-quality Guzhu Zisun tea, brewed with dew from apricot blossoms stored from last year. Try it and see if you like it."
Xiao Man picked it up and took a sip. It was indeed mellow and sweet, with a wonderful taste.
She put down her teacup and said calmly, "Mr. Xue brought me here because you have something to say to me, right? I'm all ears."