"Jiaxina, arrange a tent for me." It was clear they knew each other; judging by his informal manner, they were probably quite close.
Jiaxina handed the horses to the other workers to lead away and feed them. Hearing him say this, she was slightly taken aback. She turned around and looked at Xiaoman a few more times, then smiled knowingly: "At least someone has kept your eagle here."
Zexiu smiled without saying a word, grabbed Xiaoman who was looking around aimlessly, and dragged her into the large tent. Inside, a blazing fire was burning, and a brightly colored wool carpet was laid out. He took off his cloak, sat cross-legged on the ground, and Jiaxina immediately brought over two small tables with milk wine and snacks on them. Xiaoman had tried the food here before and had a terrible impression of it. She only took one bite before sneaking out to play.
Jiaxina sat opposite Zexiu, looking at him with a quiet gaze, and sighed, "I thought you would never have a woman in your life. That night you rejected me, so I kept thinking that you would reject other women in the same way, which comforted me a little. But today you have shattered that comfort."
He said calmly, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."
Although she apologized, there was no remorse whatsoever; she was as prickly as a hedgehog. She smiled slightly and immediately changed the subject: "Are you here for fun? Or to catch criminals? How many days will you be staying? I'll arrange the best tent for you."
Zexiu took a sip of the milk wine and frowned. No matter how many times he came here, he couldn't get used to this strange taste; it was simply unbearably awful.
"Neither, it's for the sake of not returning to the mountain."
Jiaxina's expression changed slightly. After a while, she said, "It's terrible. Someone has blocked all the paths down the mountain, and the corridor has been burned down. So many people are trapped in the building. I heard that people try to climb the cliff to escape every day, but the cliff is too steep, and no one has succeeded. Instead, many heroes have lost their lives... It seems that there are still Liao soldiers stationed at the foot of the mountain, and they don't allow anyone to go up. I heard that they are busy rebuilding the corridor and plank road. I don't know how long it will take."
Zexiu nodded: "Understood. Thank you."
Jiaxina looked at him gently and said softly, "You want to go up and save people? It's very dangerous. There's no way to get up there, and those Liao soldiers won't allow anyone to get close."
Zexiu smiled and said, "I have my own way."
(The Crow's Slaughter Scroll Completed)
The Crimson Butterfly Chronicles Chapter 1: Becoming a Great Hero (Part 1)
Updated: 2008-10-16 15:31:54 Word Count: 3673
Second update.
Jiaxina went out to clean their tents. Zexiu finished his milk wine, lifted the curtain and went outside. There was someone selling roasted lamb by the roadside. Xiaoman stood there watching. The owner saw how cute she was and gave her a few pieces of meat. She ate with gusto, her mouth full of oil. When she turned around and saw Zexiu come out, she immediately waved: "Come here! The roasted meat here is delicious! Much better than the one I had last time!"
He walked over, grabbed the half-eaten piece of meat from her hand, swallowed it in one gulp, took two bites, and blinked noncommittally.
"Is it good?" she asked.
"...It's just average, not as good as yours."
Xiao Man laughed and said, "You're just bragging. Let me tell you, last time I came, their roasted mutton had no flavor at all, only a gamey smell. Just smelling it made me want to vomit. This time it's different."
“The Uyghur region is very large, and in some places it is customary not to eat salt. We don’t have that custom here.”
He took out a handkerchief, wiped her hands clean, and then took her hand as they strolled slowly down the street. Beautiful Uyghur girls kept passing by, smiling slightly at them, their large eyes like stars. They wore long braids, sheepskin boots, and silver bells hanging from their wrists, jingling as they walked, exuding liveliness and enthusiasm.
There was a tent by the roadside that stood out from the crowd. While the others were all a pale gray, this one was a vibrant red, adorned with lilac-colored ribbons. Zexiu led her over, and before they even got close, Xiaoman was greeted by a fragrant breeze. Then, a figure rushed up and hugged Zexiu tightly, planting two passionate kisses on his cheek. She exclaimed excitedly, "Oh my god! Oh my god! Look who I see! Zexiu! You've finally come back to see me?!"
Xiao Man was startled and looked up. There stood another beautiful Uyghur girl, voluptuous and alluring, her smile as radiant as a flower. She took his hand and wouldn't let go. Ze Xiu smiled and said, "It's Ya Fulan, it's been a long time indeed."
She wanted nothing more than to cling to him. She pouted, about to speak, when she suddenly noticed Xiao Man beside her and paused, startled: "Your woman?"
Wow, that's pretty direct.
Zexiu hummed in agreement, and Yafulan immediately released his arm. She smiled apologetically, "Oh dear, I'm so sorry, I was just too excited to see an old friend. Please don't mind, young lady."
She came over and affectionately took Xiaoman's arm, saying softly, "I'm in the jewelry business. Come and take a look at my shop, young lady. Don't be shy, take whatever you like."
Is it really possible? She doesn't have that much money to buy jewelry. Xiaoman glanced at Zexiu, who nodded: "Go ahead, I have something to do. I'll come find you later."
Xiao Man followed Ya Fulan into her tent without any hesitation to choose jewelry.
The Uyghur women's attire differed somewhat from that of the Central Plains. Yafulan carefully picked up each piece of silverware, explaining to her what earrings were, what necklaces were, and what headwear was. "Mr. Zexiu is a good man," Xiaoman said suddenly as she was choosing hairpins. She looked at her curiously.
Yaflan laughed, "Don't let my appearance fool you, I used to be a notorious bandit. When I was wanted, he caught me and was going to hand me over to the authorities. I tried to seduce him at night, but he was unmoved. Instead, he asked me why a woman like me would become a bandit. I told him the whole story: my man sold me to a brothel, and I couldn't stand that kind of life, so I had no choice but to become a bandit. Can you believe it? He actually let me go and even gave me a hundred taels of silver so I could live a good life here. I'll be grateful to him for the rest of my life, and I'd be willing to be his slave."
"He's such a good person, I never would have guessed." Xiao Man shook her head, picked out a few hairpins, and was about to pay when Ya Fulan shook her head and said, "No need to pay, you're Mr. Zexiu's woman, I can't possibly ask you for money. Consider these my gifts."
Xiao Man was walking slowly down the road, carrying a heavy bag of silver hairpins, when suddenly someone patted her shoulder. Before she could turn around, the bag was snatched away. It was Ze Xiu. He opened the paper bag, glanced at it, and smiled, "She gave you so many."
Xiao Man chuckled: "Yes, that guy is such a nice guy, he'll be grateful to you for life. He's really a lucky guy."
He hooked his arm around her neck: "Jealous? Are you jealous?"
Xiao Man rolled her eyes, shook her head with a smile, and ran to a roadside stall to watch people roast lamb. The generous owner simply gave her a leg of lamb. She seemed to have won some victory and held the leg of lamb up in front of him: "Look, I can get things given to me without spending any money."
Zexiu patted her head and laughed so hard he almost fell over.
As expected, Jiaxina had arranged the best tent for them, and everything inside was brand new. Xiaoman sat in front of the fire, taking out a small knife and slicing lamb leg into pieces, placing them into small bowls made of bones. Suddenly, they smelled a fragrant breeze; Jiaxina had come in to bring them milk tea and fruit. She smiled and placed the milk tea in front of Xiaoman, saying softly, "I know you're not used to the taste of the milk tea here, so I added some sugar. See if you like it."
Her neckline was very low, revealing a glimpse of her full breasts, so white and smooth it made one want to take a bite. We're all women, so why are some women with wasp waists and plump hips, while others are so skinny? God is so unfair. Xiaoman lowered her head in self-consciousness, picked up her milk tea, took a sip, and indeed, it tasted much better. She raised her eyebrows and smiled, "Mmm, it's delicious, thank you."
Jiaxina smiled slightly, carried the tea tray out, and said softly, "It's getting late, you two should get some rest."
Xiao Man, with her mouth full of mutton, mumbled, "She's so pretty, and she smells so good."
Zexiu smiled without saying a word. After finishing his meal, he went out again. Xiaoman was full and had nothing to do, so she wanted to take a bath. There was no water here, so she could only wash her face, hands and feet briefly. She lay on the ground, wrapped Zexiu's cloak around herself, and took out the hairpins that Yafulan had given her, playing with them one by one. Finally, she slowly fell asleep.
She was half asleep when she vaguely felt someone come in and lie down beside her, taking the hairpin out of her hair and letting her hair fall loose. She instinctively asked, "Zexiu?" He hummed in response and slowly combed her hair. She hooked her arm around his neck and whispered, "You always call me a little devil. Now I understand, I really am a little devil."
He chuckled softly and picked her up. He lowered his head and kissed her neck, whispering, "You smell wonderful too."
Then he pinched her cheek and said, "You're pretty too."
"A cute and fragrant little devil?" She looked up at him with wide eyes.
Zexiu couldn't help but chuckle: "It's too early now. Wait until you're eighteen to become a woman."
"Am I not a woman now?" Xiaoman asked, bewildered. "Am I a man?"
He was trying so hard to suppress his laughter that he almost cramped up, so he slapped her on the head and said, "Stop talking nonsense and go to sleep."
It was clearly his words that were too strange, so he started to act up. Xiao Man turned over. He wrapped her cloak tighter around her, then pulled her into his arms, and the two fell into a deep sleep.
Something was very wrong with the situation at Mount No Return, and Xiao Man quickly noticed the anomaly as well.
"There used to be disciples coming and going when we got here, but why is there no one here today?" She looked around suspiciously, and it was so quiet, there wasn't a sound at all, not even a trace of the vendors. "Could it be that Mount No Return angered the heroes and was wiped out?" she wondered wildly.
Ze Xiu gave a cold laugh. He didn't speak. He dismounted, helped Xiao Man down, and led the horse up the mountain, holding her hand. After walking a short distance, they saw a large group of Liao soldiers standing in an open area ahead. They had set up camp there, pacing back and forth, carrying gleaming swords.
"It's Liao soldiers!" Xiaoman was even more surprised. "Why are they still guarding this place?"
Has Yelü not come down the mountain yet? Or did he already escape with Lianyi?
Zexiu remained silent. He simply pulled her forward, but they hadn't gone two steps before the Liao soldiers spotted them. They swarmed around them, swords at their feet, showing no mercy.
"No unauthorized personnel allowed inside!" a minor leader warned menacingly. "Leave now! Or don't blame us for being ruthless!"
Xiao Man was puzzled. The leader looked familiar; he was the same man who had directed the archers to draw their bows and fire when Yelü Tuixian had brought men to fetch Yelü. She stepped forward, gave a curtsy, and said softly, "Sir, don't you recognize me?"
The man looked at her with some confusion for a moment, then, as if remembering something, asked in surprise, "Uh...you...look familiar..."
Xiao Man laughed and said, "You must have a bad memory. I was there when Lord Tuixian came to pick up Prince Shou'an. Prince Shou'an traveled with us all the way, and we have a deep friendship. Has he gone back and ascended the throne as emperor?"
The man slapped his forehead: "Yes! It's you! You've come at the perfect time! Quickly, come with me to see General Tuixian!"
He walked over and, without saying a word, grabbed Xiaoman's arm, turned and walked away. Xiaoman said anxiously, "Uh, wait, I have a companion..." He didn't even turn his head: "Come on! I have something to ask you!"
Xiaoman was dragged into a large tent in a daze. Zexiu handed over his sword and followed her in, where he saw Yelü Tuixian carrying a helmet, his brows furrowed, as if he were extremely troubled. As soon as he saw Xiaoman, he immediately asked, "How did you escape, young lady?! Where is the prince now?"
Xiao Man was puzzled and said softly, "Escape? I... I don't quite understand what you mean. Shouldn't the Prince go back to be the Emperor?"
Yelü Tuixian sighed: "He's been trapped in that tall building on the cliff for almost two months! I don't know how you escaped, young lady; perhaps you never even got up there. The corridor and walkway leading to the building were burned down, and no one has been able to get out to this day! I'm afraid they'll starve to death inside!"
Xiaoman was clever after all, and she had already sensed that something was wrong. She feared that Tianquan was deceiving her. After hesitating for a while, she asked, "Then... is it still possible to repair the plank road now?"
Yelü Tuixian's face turned ashen, and he shook his head: "The terrain is too treacherous! We could only build halfway before we couldn't get any further. Unless you're as light as a feather, everyone who tries will die! Dozens of people have already died while building the plank road. If we continue like this, we'll all die before we finish!"
Xiao Man said softly, "Can we... go and take a look? My... friend has extraordinary skills and might be able to help."
Crimson Butterfly Scroll Chapter Two: Becoming a Great Hero (Part Two)
Updated: 2008-10-16 15:32:21 Word Count: 3698
The diligent Fourteenth wrote another chapter.
Let's just go all out at midnight tonight, are you all satisfied?
This is the third update.
The situation was actually worse than Yelü Tuixian described. The plank road could not be called half-built at all; it was only a small part. It was built against the edge of a cliff and was stuck on a protruding rock. The rock was covered with moss and suddenly caved in, leaving no place to step. Below was a deep, bottomless abyss, which was terrifying to look at.
Yelü Tuixian looked at Zexiu earnestly and asked, "Hero, do you have a way..."
Zexiu looked at it for a long time and felt a chill run down his spine. He shook his head and said, "I'm not good at lightness skills, so I'm afraid I can't be of much help. We'll have to find a dozen people who practice lightness skills on their own to climb to the top of the rock and tie ropes before we can build it. Just look at all the moss on those rocks; you can tell that even the mountain monkeys don't dare to get close."
Yelü Tuixian was so anxious that his face turned pale, but he had no choice but to take them down the mountain and stay in the military camp for the night.
Xiao Man remained silent. She was clearly in a bad mood, her face sullen, as she lay there fiddling with the earring on her left ear.
It was him, but not him. Her mind was in turmoil. She closed her eyes tightly, and immediately the image of that elegant figure in white appeared in her mind's eye. He carried a faint scent of musk, and he held her hand as she wrote his name. How could such a person be so ruthless?
In the past, those people's lives and deaths wouldn't have concerned her at all; she might even have applauded the brilliant plan. But Lianyi was inside. He should know how much she valued and loved this girl. How could he leave so casually, as if he had never done anything wrong, as if it were all a misunderstanding by the world?
The evil voice that had long been dormant in her heart began to rise again: "So... if he brought Lianyi and Yelü out too, would you be satisfied? Would you not care about the lives of others? Actually... it doesn't matter whether he brings them out or not. These people have nothing to do with you. You treated Lianyi sincerely, but she kept lying to you. Let that kind of person die; why bother with her? Whether Yelü becomes emperor or not, whether he can get out or not, is not something you should worry about. Those heroes who spoke up for you on Mount Bugui—who are they? What are their names? What do they have to do with you? Whether they live or die is like pinching an ant. He doesn't bring anyone else, only loving you like a precious treasure. Isn't that good? The greatest vanity a woman can receive is this kind of extremely devoted love. Isn't his love for you far better than that dead man, Zexiu? You don't care if he's a bad person or what bad things he might do. He's only good to you; that's enough."
Xiaoman felt utterly confused, and a throbbing pain shot through her forehead. She couldn't sleep anymore. She abruptly sat up. Zexiu grabbed her arm: "Where are you going?"
"I...have a headache and can't sleep. I need to go out for some fresh air."
Zexiu pulled her back by the waist. He gently massaged the top of her head, asking softly, "Does it hurt here? Or here?"