She took a bite of the potsticker, and it was so hot she almost jumped up, but it was really delicious. She ate three in one go and then put down her chopsticks.
"Thank you, I'm full."
He immediately frowned: "Are you a chicken intestine? You only eat this little bit?"
Xiao Man frowned as well: "What do you mean by 'chicken intestines'? Only pigs eat that much. They're content as long as they're full."
She indirectly called him a pig, but he didn't say anything. He took a bite of a potsticker, went to the back, opened the back door, and came back after a while: "The hot water is ready, so you can take a shower. Hurry up and change out of those smelly clothes, they're filthy."
Xiao Man said "oh" and shrank back into the corner. She took out the silver notes again, counted them, sorted them out one by one, and put them into her purse.
Zexiu asked, "Is this the money you stole?"
“No, I didn’t steal it.” She immediately raised her head proudly. “It was a reward from the bandit sisters after I helped them.”
He scoffed, "Sophistry."
This was clearly his temporary lodging, a place he rarely stayed in; many of the utensils were covered in dust. Xiaoman took out a quilt from the cupboard on the wall, which startled some rats or similar creatures inside, causing them to scurry about. Startled, she threw the quilt to the ground, scattering the tattered cotton everywhere.
Is this... even suitable for sleeping? Xiao Man was very skeptical.
When Zexiu came out of the shower, she saw her sitting on the ground, staring blankly at the pile of rotten cotton.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, don't touch anything in the cupboard. The mice have made countless nests there." Zexiu then remembered this very important thing.
"He definitely did it on purpose!" Xiao Man looked at him dejectedly. Ze Xiu came over, picked up the tattered cotton, frowned in disgust, pinched her nose, and threw it outside the back door. When she came back, she saw Ze Xiu picking up the remaining bits of cotton from the ground and gently tossing them out the window.
A crescent moon, its shape like willow-leaf eyebrows, pierced through the clouds. Her hair, half-wet and half-dry, cascaded down her back. Her waist was so slender it seemed it would break at any moment; her silhouette was truly captivating. She stared blankly at the moon outside, then suddenly sighed and turned back, saying, "How can I sleep without a blanket, Zexiu?"
It felt like ages since he'd heard her say her name. Something seemed to strike his heart. He turned his head away and said calmly, "Just sleep like this."
He carried the three greatswords over. He sat on the ground and slowly and attentively wiped them, not missing a single crevice.
Xiao Man had no choice but to sit on the fur. Okay, the fur was soft, but wouldn't it be cold without a blanket? Did he think she was some kind of tough-skinned man?
No one spoke; the room was so quiet you could hear each other breathing. A single candle flickered slowly, casting long shadows of the two figures that swayed against the wall. Xiaoman noticed his focused gaze as he meticulously cleaned the swords, his eyes unusually gentle. She couldn't resist leaning closer to look and whispered, "Do you clean them every day?"
He hummed in agreement: "They don't like the smell of blood, so you need to wipe it clean."
"...You make it sound like they're living things."
He smiled slightly: "Of course it's alive, and it's no worse than a human."
Is it really true? Xiao Man looked at the three swords in his hand with suspicion. They were polished to a shine, as if they could pierce through any hard obstacle at any time.
"They can't talk, they just kill. Which one do you use most often?"
Zexiu raised the widest longsword in his hand and flicked it lightly with his finger, and it immediately made a buzzing sound.
"Although they cannot speak, they are more reliable than humans because they cannot lie, much less use sweet words or manipulate people's hearts." He said calmly, "This one is called Spring Song. It is used to kill wicked and evil people."
Xiao Man's heart sank. She was filled with doubt and uncertainty, unsure if his words contained a veiled barb.
He then raised a second sword. The blade was long and slender, gleaming with a pale blue light, and adorned with ancient patterns.
"This weapon is called Dragon's Roar, and it's specifically designed to kill those who dare to challenge or harass me."
The third sword was only two fingers thick, its blade crafted to perfection. Xiaoman could clearly see her own eyes reflected in it. The moment the sword appeared, she felt an overwhelming chill and involuntarily shrank back.
“This is called Shattered Snow.” He ran his fingers lovingly over its blade, as if caressing a lover’s skin. “It has only killed one person. When I was sixteen, someone betrayed me and tricked me. It beheaded that person.”
Xiao Man swallowed hard, her palms sweating profusely, and she immediately regretted having gone looking for trouble.
Zexiu finished wiping the sword, put it back in its sheath, picked up the cloak and tossed it to her: "Go to sleep." Then he blew out the candle.
Xiaoman was still shaken, rolling and tossing on the floor, unable to fall asleep. Perhaps it was better to leave… She couldn't figure out what this person was thinking, not ever since. Was he really just saying those things casually? No, no, Xiaoman's intuition told her that wasn't the case. He was scaring her, threatening her; he hated her to death, and who knew if he got upset and she might really lose her head.
But after all this time, after trekking through mountains and rivers together, going through so much together, has he really forgotten? Can he really just throw it all away? One night, she saw herself in the bronze mirror, radiating a beauty that was about to fade. Would he really discard something like trash? Can he really abandon her just because she's nothing?
Xiaoman bit her fingers tightly, refusing to think about it anymore. She was about to cry.
Even if the whole world sees her as an ant, it doesn't matter; she can still live a fulfilling life. But she doesn't want to feel inferior in front of this person. The beauty she once could only dream of—even if it's gone and no longer belongs to her—she doesn't want to be looked down upon again when they meet again.
She shouldn't beg, she shouldn't be weak; it's better for her to leave.
As the night deepened, his breathing rose and fell softly in the darkness; he must have been fast asleep.
Xiaoman tiptoed to her feet, grabbed her bundle, and kept looking back, afraid he would wake up. She walked to the door, looked down and touched her shoes. Oh no, where had he thrown them? As she was carefully searching, she suddenly heard a "whoosh" behind her ear, and a flash of cold light grazed her ear and slammed into the door.
She was stunned with fright. Zexiu slowly stood up, walked to her side, bent down and lifted her back.
Xiaoman froze, pinned to the ground, not daring to move a finger. Zexiu walked to the door, drew his sword, and slowly returned. She gasped, grabbing her cloak and covering her head. He would chop off her head!
After waiting for a long time without any movement, she quietly peeked through a crack in her cloak and saw him sheath his sword, then take it in his hand and walk over to lie down beside her.
"I told you, if you step out the door, I will treat you as an ordinary wanted criminal and will show you no mercy." He said calmly, his voice devoid of any sleepiness.
Xiao Man was so scared she was about to cry. She lay there blankly on the ground, unable to move from head to toe. Ze Xiu grabbed her belt, twisted it a couple of times in his hand, wrapped it around her wrist, and pulled her a little closer, saying, "Go to sleep."
She'll die! She definitely will die! Xiaoman's thoughts raced, her heart pounding. She desperately wanted to jump up and tell him to cut her down with his sword—that would be quicker and more painless. But she couldn't bear to give up her life. She was only sixteen, and she hadn't experienced so many wonderful things in life. Could he really bring himself to kill her?
She was lost in thought until dawn, when she finally fell asleep from exhaustion. She didn't know how long she slept, but she suddenly woke up with a start, jumped up, and timidly looked around. Zexiu seemed to have gone out. Hesitantly, she walked to the door, unsure whether she should muster her courage and push it open to run out.
To her surprise, when she looked down, she saw that the Snow Shard was stuck in the door, its cold, sharp blade pointing directly at her. It was clear that if she dared to go out, he would use this sword to cut off her head and make it into a wind chime.
Xiao Man turned away and wiped away her tears. Ze Xiu, you're amazing.
There was a note stuck in the snow. She carefully peeled it off, opened it, and read: "The kitchen is in the back. I've bought everything. I'll be back for dinner tonight. Ze Xiu Liu."
She threw the note on the ground and stomped on it several times, imagining she was stepping on him, turning him into a pig's head.
But imagination is just imagination; in reality, she was still a pitiful laborer being exploited. She washed up and ran to the back door. Sure enough, there was a small courtyard with a very high wall, so high that it made her want to cry again: unless she wanted to fall to her death, she shouldn't even think about climbing over the wall to escape.
There were several doors in the backyard, but they were all locked and covered in dust. She pushed open the only unlocked door and found a kitchen inside. There were piles of pork, cabbage and other things on the floor, as well as a brand new pot. The oil, salt, soy sauce and vinegar were also newly bought.
Xiaoman quickly sorted and arranged the items. After working for half a day, she stewed a pot of pork and cabbage. Just as she was about to put it in a bowl and take it out, she looked up and suddenly saw someone standing at the kitchen door. She was so frightened that she almost smashed the bowl.
"Won't you be back tonight?" she asked, still shaken.
Zexiu took the bowl and plate from her hand, turned around and left, saying, "Hmm, the food outside isn't very good."
Xiao Man had originally planned to pour some dirty water or something similar into his bowl as revenge, but since he returned so quickly, her prank was obviously out of the question. For some reason, she felt particularly guilty and followed him, forcing a dry laugh, "You...when did you get back? You didn't make a sound..."
Zexiu laid out the chopsticks and said calmly, "While you were stomping on the note like it was a pig's head."
She felt incredibly guilty and took a few small bites from the bowl. Suddenly, she was very glad that she hadn't poured anything dirty into his bowl, otherwise he would have been waving his sword around to slit her throat again.
Chapter Twenty of The Killing of the Crow: He, He, He (Part Two)
Updated: 2008-10-15 13:46:23 Word Count: 3644
Second update.
After staying here for a few days, Xiaoman gradually figured out Zexiu's daily routine. Every night at 7 PM, he would turn off the lights and go to sleep. The next day, he would get up a quarter past 3 AM, go out to practice his skills, return around 5 AM to continue sleeping, and then go out again at 7 AM. He would return for lunch, go out again in the afternoon, return for dinner, wipe his sword, and then go to sleep.
Although we had traveled together for so long before, we were always struggling and wandering outside. This was the first time I had seen how he lived his daily life. He was indeed very good and strong.
Today, what's in the kitchen is a chicken, a live chicken, staring helplessly at Xiaoman with its two teary eyes, huddled under the stove. Xiaoman sighed, grinned maliciously, walked over, grabbed its wing, and whispered, "Poor little chicken, sorry, you'll have to offer up your meat."
She grabbed the chicken by the neck, plucked out the feathers, and said softly, "Don't blame me for being ruthless. Blame Uncle Zexiu; he's the one who wants to eat you. You're unlucky to be so fat. Let me tell you, he can eat more than a pig. He grinds his teeth at the sight of you. We're all just pitiful little ants being exploited, but you're meant to be eaten, and I'm meant to be a servant..."
The chicken had already fainted from fright and lay motionless. Xiaoman carefully finished processing it, put water in the earthenware pot, washed the clean chicken, and put it in the pot to simmer. As she chopped vegetables, she sang softly: "Trying on spring clothes on the mulberry path. The wind is clear and the sun is warm, I feel languid. On the peach blossom branch, the warbling oriole speaks, unwilling to let people go home."
Footsteps approached from outside, and she immediately stopped singing and looked up. She saw Zexiu had returned, looking somewhat different from usual; his face was pale. A damp patch was on his cloak, which he pressed to the surface. He leaned against the door watching her cook, and after a while, he softly said, "It smells delicious."
Xiao Man didn't say anything, but simply chopped a handful of scallions and threw them into the earthenware pot to enhance the flavor.
He said in a low voice, "Don't save any for me at lunch, you can eat it yourself. Remember to wake me up at 5 pm."
He turned and walked back into the house. Xiaoman couldn't help but peek out curiously and saw that he had taken off his cloak and outer garment and thrown them on the ground, his snow-white undergarment was soaked with blood. Her heart skipped a beat, and she rushed over. Just then, he took off his undergarment, and there was a five-inch-long cut on his shoulder blade, from which blood was gushing out.
He fetched some water and used a cloth to wash the wound, but the location was awkward. He struggled to do it, and Xiaoman quickly stepped forward and whispered, "I...I'll help you."
He didn't say a word. He handed her the cloth. Xiaoman quickly cleaned the wound, but the blood kept gushing out. Zexiu handed her a pair of silver needles. He whispered, "I'll tell you the acupuncture points. You can use them to stop the bleeding."
She had no idea about acupuncture points. After much fumbling, she finally managed to insert the needle, and the bleeding slowly stopped. She cleaned the wound, applied medicine, and wrapped it tightly with bandages. Looking down at him, she saw he was covered in cold sweat and pale. He lay down on the ground and whispered, "It's alright, I'm fine now. Thank you."
Xiao Man squatted down next to him, staring at him blankly, unwilling to leave.
His life was too dangerous, filled with the constant threat of swords and spears, always either he was attacking others or they were attacking him. His bare, broad back was covered in old scars, the most conspicuous being a blood-red scar in the center, inflicted by the local tyrant's sword piercing his chest. Although it had healed, it still looked extremely gruesome.
She pulled her coat and cloak over him, then reached out to touch his forehead. Sure enough, he had a fever. Just as she was about to turn around to find some medicine, he suddenly grabbed her wrist. Xiao Man was slightly startled and whispered, "You have a fever. You need to take medicine."
He placed her hand to his lips, his palm against his cheek, his warm breath gently caressing her: "You sang... very beautifully just now. So you can sing this song too..."
He had heard her. Xiao Man bit her lip and said, "Um... I can sing it."
He said in a low voice, "Sing it again."
She paused for a moment before beginning to sing: "Light silk... light silk. Ivory bed, jade hands produce wonders. A thousand flowers and grasses shine with emerald light. Tailors dress, spring songs and dances, butterflies and orioles sing. Spring clothes. The white silk dyed is already sad. The world is filthy and colorless. It should be like an autumn fan, to be discarded forever, never to be served to you again."
Her singing was delicate and melodious, its sound ethereal, as if it were about to soar to the highest heavens. When she finished singing, she looked down and saw that he had already fallen asleep, still gently holding her hand.
Xiao Man stared blankly at his thick eyelashes, not knowing what to feel.
As he held her hand so tenderly, was he also experiencing a mix of confused emotions, just as she was tenderly attached to him?
She gently brushed the stray hairs from his forehead and softly called out his name from her heart: Zexiu.
She seemed to hear again the sound of withered flowers blooming.
As dusk approached, Zexiu woke up, got up, dressed, picked up his sword, and prepared to go out again.
Xiao Man said softly, "You...you're so badly injured, please don't go out...okay?"
He slung his sword over his shoulder and whispered, "It's alright, I won't die."
Xiao Man grabbed his cloak, frowned, and whispered, "Please don't go... okay?"
He turned around and smiled slightly: "So you still care about whether I live or die. Thank you."
Xiao Man lowered her head and slowly let go of his cloak. Ze Xiu looked at her for a while, then suddenly took off his sword.
"Okay, I won't go."