Well, how did he know about this? This guy just popped up one day, without asking if he wanted to or not. Even though he's always been a very easy-going and nice guy, this kind of behavior is still quite unkind.
"We are one."
No, no, please don't say that. The thought of being one with a man gives me goosebumps. Although he likes pretty young men, it's just admiration. As a man, he really prefers cute women.
He stroked his chin and sighed, "If only you were a woman."
The person seemed to pause for a moment, then frowned.
"You want to be neither male nor female?"
He was speechless.
"In short, I am you, and you are me. I reflect the darkest and most ambitious part of your heart. Just admit it obediently. This melodramatic stuff is disgusting."
He scratched his head, a little hesitant: "I'm not a saint, am I not even allowed to think about it? Thinking is one thing, doing is another. I also want to kill you, is that even possible?"
The man sneered, "If you can kill, then kill. Let's see what you're capable of."
He could only sigh again: "Brother, don't be so extreme. No wonder you look so old, you've ruined my beautiful face. Besides, you have no taste at all. Please dress up a bit next time you go out, okay? A beard is for shaving, not for looking at."
"I have no interest in being neither male nor female."
One sentence shut him up. Turns out he has a talent for being sarcastic.
The light and shadow began to swirl, and the person's figure gradually blurred. He called out, "Alright, stop fooling around. Look what you've done. A good elder doesn't act like this. What kind of skill is it to bully Xiao Xiaoman? You're driving Duan Hui crazy too. If you keep making others uncomfortable, you'd better not come out."
"It's my business if I'm happy."
"You're making me lose face."
"I'm so glad we reached an agreement for the first time, but I also feel that you embarrassed me."
He sighed one last time, exasperated: "You're being incredibly foolish. Why bother annihilating the entire clan? It's exhausting. Just keep squandering your wealth; you'll eventually bankrupt us anyway. Don't you understand this basic principle?"
The man paused for a moment, then sneered, "How can I feel good if I don't crush something that makes me uncomfortable?"
The light and shadow swirled even more violently, and he was about to sink into darkness. He could no longer see the person's figure. He leisurely called out, "Hey. A long face full of bitterness and resentment is unsightly. I'll let you off this time, but there won't be a next time."
The man said something. He didn't hear it clearly; darkness suddenly enveloped him, and he fell asleep.
There was someone talking, their voice muffled and buzzing like it was trapped in an earthenware pot, making him feel nauseous. He awoke from his unconsciousness, opened his eyes, and slowly looked around.
This is Xiangbuleng. The front of the hall is covered with black cloth, and several powerful old men are hiding behind it, refusing to show their faces, as always.
A voice came from behind the black cloth, cold and hard: "Such a wolf in sheep's clothing cannot be allowed to live. Execute him immediately."
He sneered inwardly.
Someone held his shoulder, their voice steady and slow: "Killing him is the same as killing me. He acted sooner, otherwise, I would have also taken the initiative to kill that wicked older brother later on."
He looked up and saw a man sitting next to him with a round fan, his hand resting on his shoulder, his expression calm. As if knowing he was awake, the man glanced over and patted him on the shoulder.
"If he killed his own elder brother today, and tomorrow he says you're always committing sins and he'll come to kill you, would you still say the same thing?"
Before the man with the round fan could speak, he suddenly said calmly, "That's right, I originally intended to kill everyone, men, women, and children alike, including you annoying old men." There was no sound from behind the black cloth. These old men were seasoned veterans, and had seen it all. They disregarded his provocation and acted as if they hadn't heard him at all.
The man with the round fan suddenly laughed: "Well said, though a bit arrogant. It seems it wasn't the third brother who woke up, but you."
Helpless, he sat up straight. His hands and feet were shackled and he couldn't move, but he didn't look disheveled at all. It was as if he had just come here to sit for a while and was about to go home.
The man with the round fan continued, “I can’t stop him from killing whoever he wants. He’s nobody to me, so what right do I have to stop him? My third brother is being held hostage by him. Am I supposed to kill my own brother? Only you guys could do something like that. I’m an honest man; I couldn’t do it.”
The voice behind the black cloth changed, becoming old and slow: "He is the third brother, and the third brother is also him. The twins are just a rumor after all. How can there be two people in one body? As the older brother, it's understandable that you protect him, but it's not right to lie through your teeth. He's your brother, but isn't your eldest brother your brother?"
The man with the round fan didn't even raise an eyebrow, and said calmly, "That's right, I never considered that older brother a brother. Oh, sorry, he's not even human. Besides, he wasn't killed, he was angered to death. In the end, it's because you guys were too indulgent, letting him run wild, making him think he's the emperor. He's capable of killing his wife and children, I think he's quite ruthless."
"Whether he does bad things or not has nothing to do with whether the third brother exterminates the clan." The voice remained unmoved. "What we are discussing now is how to punish this sinner."
The man with the round fan said coldly, "A sinner? What kind of sinner is he? I don't even know him. Do you know him? Did you raise him? The current situation is that the third brother is being held hostage by him. Since you care about the family's reputation, the first thing you should do is find the third brother, not kill him."
Behind the black cloth, someone sighed: "Second brother, he's the third brother. Your hen-like protection of him is enough, isn't it?"
The man with the round fan snorted and turned to look at him helplessly. He looked at him with amusement. The man with the round fan slapped him hard on the face and joked, "How old are you? You still need your older brother to clean up your messes? Aren't you ashamed?"
After clearing his throat, he said solemnly, "In short, as long as I live, I will not allow anyone to harm the third brother. If you have any anger, come at me. As the older brother, if I can't even protect my younger brother, I'll become a laughing stock for these kids. If you want to kill me or torture me, come on, all of you, I'll take your punishment."
No one spoke, and there was no movement behind the black cloth. The man with the round fan pulled open his collar, looked around, and said, "Come on, come on. To kill or not to kill? I'm impatient."
Still no sound. He tightened his collar, looking helpless. He smiled and said, "Since no one's coming, I'll be leaving. Goodbye."
He kicked the door open, startling the young men in red and white uniforms guarding the outside. They quickly stepped back.
A voice behind the black cloth said in a low voice, "Since you're protecting him like this, then we have nothing more to say. From this day forward, he is no longer a member of the Star Gazing Family. The Star Gazing Family will no longer protect his actions; he will bear the consequences himself."
The man with the round fan laughed heartily: "No, no, none of us are teenagers or young boys anymore, no need for you to protect us. Goodbye, elders, please take good care of yourselves. It's humid in Jiangnan, don't get sick from the dampness."
He walked out the door with a sense of helplessness, went around the corridor, and saw Xiaoman and Zexiu walking towards him.
Zexiu's expression was complicated as she whispered, "Second Uncle, how is it?"
The man with the round fan scoffed, "What do you mean, 'what can they do'? I'm right here! Let's go inside and talk."
He kicked open a door, threw Wu Naihe onto a chair, and said nothing, only sizing up the three people in front of him. Tuan Shanzi lowered his head to pour tea, Ze Xiu looked at him expressionlessly, while Xiao Man's eyes darted around even faster than his, then she blinked and smiled slightly: "You must be Mr. Wu Naihe?"
He smiled and said, "You can tell right away."
Xiao Man said, "Their eyes are different; only an idiot wouldn't be able to tell."
Tuan Shanzi coughed, sat down opposite him, looked him up and down, and then said calmly, "Let the third brother come out."
Helpless, he said leisurely, "He's asleep and can't get out for a while."
The fan-wielder stared at him for a while, then suddenly looked up and said, "Sure enough, if you look closely, he's not as pretty as the third brother."
Xiao Man chuckled and said, "That's what I said too. It's old-fashioned and weird, and it has no charm at all."
Helpless, his face turned green, but he said lightly, "Verbal insults are nothing. If you want to negotiate, you have to show some sincerity."
The man with the round fan raised an eyebrow and said, "Negotiation?" He looked at the shackles on his hands and feet and then emphasized, "Are you sure this is negotiation?"
Helpless, he said calmly, "Mr. Xue is still in my hands."
The man with the round fan touched his nose, speechless for a moment. After a while, he sighed and said, "Alright, let's negotiate. I want you to stop playing tricks in the future. You're not allowed to do anything like exterminating a clan, killing or arresting people, or threatening Lianfang City."
Helpless, he whispered, "You might as well just tell me not to come out."
"That would be best!" the fan-wielder shouted. Seeing his half-smile, he could only slump down and say, "Go ahead and tell me."
Helpless, he slowly said, "I want my incense to stay warm, give it back to me."
“Okay.” Tuan Shanzi nodded, and Zexiu took out a brush and ink and wrote the request on a piece of paper.
"Whether or not I kill someone is my decision. At most, I won't cause trouble for the Guanxing family and that little girl, but as the Heavenly Fiend Ten Directions, I have my principles."
The fan-wielder frowned, then said with a helpless and leisurely air, "It's fine if you don't agree, I don't care. Dying with Mr. Xue wouldn't be bad either."
Zexiu was halfway through writing when he suddenly looked up and said, "Go ahead and kill indiscriminately. With me here, I'm afraid you won't get your fill."
Helpless, he chuckled and said, "Bring Duan Hui here. I want him to stay with me."
Xiao Man's lips twitched slightly as she whispered, "You won't let him go to Mr. Xue's place again? He... he actually..."
"Nonsense." He seemed completely unimpressed by the question. "He's one of us."
Chapter Sixteen of the Scroll of Splendor: Clouds Roll and Unroll
Updated: 2008-11-11 12:15:06 Word Count: 4066
Second update.
Someone knocked on the door. Xiaoman ran lightly to open it, and to her surprise, Duan Hui was standing there. He was pale and looked quite haggard, but his eyes were bright. Seeing Xiaoman, he smiled slightly and said softly, "Xiaoman."
She didn't know what to feel, so she just smiled back at him and slowly stepped aside.
Duan Hui walked to Wu Naihe's side, knelt down on one knee, and said softly, "Sir."
Helpless, I grunted in agreement, "Get up, stand up."
Duan Hui slowly stood up, looked him over helplessly, and suddenly laughed, "Not bad, you're becoming more and more like a man."
He smiled, lowered his head, and his body trembled slightly, clearly extremely excited.
The man with the round fan slapped the table: "What else is there? Just say it all at once!"
Helpless, she stared at him for a while before saying, "From now on, I am me and he is him. We will not interfere with each other or ask questions about each other. I hope you will not make any more mistakes."
Zexiu finished writing the message and placed it in front of him: "How is it?"
Helpless, he nodded, then immediately took out a knife, made a cut on the man's finger, imprinted it on the paper, and said, "You need to sign it."
Xiao Man fetched paper and ink, and sure enough, Wu Nai He signed his name with a flourish. Although he and Mr. Xue were the same person, their handwriting was completely different. Mr. Xue's was round and graceful, while his was sharp and slanted, as if it were about to pierce the paper and fly away.
Everything was in place. Tuan Shanzi carefully placed two copies of the handprint, then cracked his neck and fidgeted with his fingers. He walked angrily to Wu He and said, "That's settled then. If you break this agreement, I'll never forgive you."
He gave a helpless, mocking smile. Glancing at his fist, he said indifferently, "Such a small fist."
Before he could finish speaking, a fist slammed into his nose. Xiaoman instinctively covered his nose. Wow, that punch! His nose must have been broken!
Blood streamed down his face, soaking his front. He blinked, then suddenly frowned, looked up helplessly at the smug-looking fan, and said softly, "Second Brother, no matter how much you hate me, you don't have to hit me right away, do you?"
Mr. Snow came out, but the cunning man had already slipped back down. Another noisy squeaking ensued.
The Stargazing Family evacuated Xiangbuleng overnight. The handsome young men were released; it turned out they had only been imprisoned, and no one had been killed.
After finishing her meal, Xiaoman secretly slipped over to count the people. So many handsome young men, her eyes were practically dazzled. She saw Cong Feng, Cong Yu, and Yun Wen. But Yun Wu was nowhere to be seen. That boy, so similar to Tian Quan, had probably also left, searching for his own path to true freedom.
She was lost in thought when suddenly someone tugged at her braid—a rather dangerous sign. She slowly turned around and, sure enough, saw Zexiu's face, a half-smile playing on his lips. His bright, almond-shaped eyes narrowed as he softly asked, "Don't you find it pleasing to the eye?"
Xiao Man quickly shook her head, flattering him profusely: "None of them are as pleasing to the eye as you!"
He chuckled and hummed, "Didn't you want to be a beautiful boss lady and support a bunch of handsome young men? Duan Hui just said that the house she took you to look at land in Kaifeng last time is a gift to you as compensation."
Her eyes lit up instantly, brighter than stars. Ze Xiu couldn't help but chuckle. This girl was hopeless; nothing could make her so happy except for money. Her bright eyes shone with a brilliance that seemed to have no connection to worldly affairs.
He picked her up and looked up at her: "You can be the boss's wife, but you're not allowed to keep handsome young men."