Долина Дикого Человека на Зеленой Горе

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Xi Shi was startled and instinctively stopped in her tracks. Before she could retreat, a sinister smile suddenly appeared on the beggar woman's lips, her hunched back straightened up, and a scaly, yellowish claw, as hard as rotten wood, slammed down on Xi Shi's chest.

The movement was so fast that even Fan Li, who was keeping a close eye on Xi Shi, was caught off guard. By the time Fan Li drew his sword to parry, Xi Shi had already taken a heavy blow.

The beautiful Xi Shi, amidst everyone's astonishment, flew up like a light feather and then gracefully fell to the ground.

Fan Li was furious and cursed, "You old beggar woman, you're asking for death!"

The Yue warriors who followed Fan Li surrounded her instantly. Dozens of spears and halberds formed a deadly jungle. Although the beggar woman was highly skilled in martial arts, she could not withstand the warriors' lack of regard for their own lives. They rushed forward to fight without any regard for their own safety.

As the saying goes, even a fierce tiger can't withstand a pack of wolves, let alone fearless wolves. A hint of fear appeared in the beggar woman's eyes.

Although the Yue state was small and weak, the ruthlessness of its people was already widely known in the Wu region. When Wu attacked Yue, facing the powerful Wu army, Fan Li advised Goujian to have three hundred Yue warriors divided into three ranks, bare-chested, with swords to their necks, march in front of the Wu army and shout in unison, "Yue has offended the superior state, and we are willing to die to atone for our king's sins!" After saying this, the first rank drew their swords and committed suicide, the second rank followed suit, and the third rank followed. The Wu army was astonished and rushed to the front to watch, causing chaos in the ranks. The Yue army seized the opportunity to charge, and the Wu army, thrown into disarray, lost all will to resist and fell into complete chaos. The Wu army suffered a crushing defeat in that battle.

This time, the Yue people outnumbered their own by several times.

Seeing that she had seriously injured the most beautiful Yue woman, the assassin decided to retreat. After a brief fight, she leaped into the roadside bushes and escaped in the blink of an eye.

Xi Shi was critically ill, and Fan Li had no intention of pursuing her; he only ordered the physicians to treat her as quickly as possible.

The Wu officials who had welcomed the Yue envoy returned to the capital Gusu and reported the assassination attempt to Fuchai. Fuchai, mindful that the Yue woman had been injured within Wu territory, not only did not blame the Yue envoy for staying on the border between the two countries, but also sent a Wu palace physician to assist in treating the seriously injured Xi Shi.

Inside the Wu residence, Xi Shi coughed violently, large mouthfuls of pink blood splattering onto Fan Li with each cough.

Fan Li, his heart burning with anxiety, stared intently into those beautiful eyes that seemed on the verge of extinguishing the flame of life. Suddenly, he cried out with earth-shattering force, "Yiguang, I love you, Yiguang, can you hear me? I love you!"

Xi Shi's coughing suddenly stopped, a faint smile appeared on her bloodless lips, and her pupils, which were about to fade, suddenly focused with a hope for life.

She seemed to have been waiting for these words for far too long.

From the moment they met by the Huansha Creek, she had always hoped to hear those words from Fan Li's lips, even though they no longer held any real meaning. She stubbornly and single-mindedly waited. Her obedience, her gentleness, her beauty—every action she took in front of Fan Li was all for that one sentence.

The physician, who was taking her pulse, exclaimed with delight, "Her pulse is stronger! Miss Xi Shi can be saved!"

Fan Li, who was about to burst out of his mouth with the thought of that sentence, suddenly fell back to his original position. He was truly a clever man, so clever that sometimes even he had to admire himself.

He knew all too well what this woman was thinking and hoping for, and he also knew how to save her life.

How could it work without her? How could those mediocre women possibly achieve his plan to seduce King Fuchai and overthrow the Wu Kingdom? Sometimes, healing and saving lives also requires seizing the right moment and the right circumstances.

In this inconspicuous environment on the border of Wu and Yue, what harm is there in him showing some tenderness to this beautiful woman?

Fan Li dismissed the physician and gently lifted Xi Shi's collar to take a look. Sure enough, a dark blue handprint had formed on her fair and plump chest. She had been struck by the "Withered Wood Palm," a technique long lost and considered heretical by martial arts practitioners.

It is considered heretical because not only will the person struck by this palm quickly become like a withered tree, their blood vessels congeal and they die, but even the person who practices this palm technique will eventually lose vitality in their palm and gradually become a withered tree.

Fan Li pulled the silver hairpin from Xi Shi's head, held it to the lamplight to heat it, and then, with a heavy heart, plunged it into his own chest. "A withered tree will sprout again in spring," and his own heart's blood was the perfect medicine to give Xi Shi a second life—"spring."

The bright red blood, carrying a vibrant life force, dripped into Xi Shi's mouth. It tasted sweet and slightly salty. Xi Shi opened her eyes, and in her hazy state, she realized it was Fan Li's blood. She exclaimed, "What are you doing?"

"I'll save you!" Fan Li quietly pulled Xi Shi into his arms, not allowing her to break free. "My blood is the best medicine for you. I don't want you to die, and you can't die!"

"Okay, I'll live." Xi Shi swallowed the "medicine" mouthful by mouthful, tears streaming down her face.

"Yiguang, come, have some porridge." As dawn broke, Fan Li's stab wound to the chest was already wrapped in hemp cloth. He took the ginseng porridge brought by his servant and went to Xi Shi's bedside.

"Feed me." Xi Shi breathed slightly, her low voice sounding like she was being coquettish. Her pale face showed a baby-like fragility, and her long hair flowed down her pillow like a stream.

"Okay, I'll feed you." Fan Li obediently knelt down beside Xi Shi and gently pulled her into his arms with unprecedented tenderness. He gently blew away the steam from the porridge bowl and slowly fed Xi Shi small bites of porridge.

Time flies like an arrow; half a year has passed in the blink of an eye. Above the tender green grass, the peach blossoms are blooming exceptionally bright red.

Pink petals fluttered and danced in the wind, gently landing in the river beside the road, one by one, covering the clear, green river.

The reflections in the river follow the flowers, and the flowers follow the reflections; the flowers and the reflections are no longer distinguishable.

Amidst the shadows of flowers and the soft grass, a young couple strolled slowly. The man gently supported the woman's arm, occasionally pointing out the scenery across the river. The man was Fan Li, and the woman was Xi Shi, recovering from a serious illness.

“I want to take a bath in this river, Fan Lang.”

"The water is cold, you'll catch a chill, but you're perfectly healthy."

"Don't worry, there's a hot spring not far beyond this bend in the river. Come with me."

A small boat carrying two people gradually approached Mount Zhuluo. At the confluence of the two rivers, there was indeed a deep pool. The water was clear, with bubbles rising from the bottom and steam rising from the surface. Peach blossom petals that had fallen from the shore reflected a pinkish hue on the water.

Xi Shi slowly removed her clothes and, in front of Fan Li, slid step by step into the warm pool.

He may one day submit to the King of Wu, but here he will preserve his purity. Her porcelain-like skin and plump, delicate body rippled in the water, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene.

Fan Li was immediately captivated by the sight, and a stirring within him stirred a slight regret about the mission that was about to begin.

[Ancient Chapter: 011 Song of the Yue People (4)]

Fan Li, as an envoy of the Yue Kingdom, eventually presented Xi Shi to the King of Wu.

When King Fuchai saw that Xi Shi was exceptionally beautiful and skilled in singing and dancing, truly a natural beauty, he was overjoyed.

He ordered Wang Sunxiong to build the Guanwa Palace for Xi Shi on Lingyan Mountain in Suzhou, using precious logs presented as tribute from the Yue Kingdom.

He also ordered the construction of a pool, in which a dragon boat was placed. During the day, he and Xi Shi would frolic on the water, and at night they would hold a banquet with singing and dancing at the Guanwa Palace.

Xi Shi was skilled at the "Xiangji Dance," and King Fuchai specially built the "Xiangji Corridor" for her, using hundreds of large vats covered with wooden planks for Xi Shi to dance in.

On this day, Fuchai was too busy with political affairs to come to Guanwa Palace because of the war against Chu.

After finishing her dinner alone, Xi Shi suddenly felt inspired, put on wooden clogs, tied a long skirt around her waist with small golden bells at the hem, and began to hop happily on the wooden planks of the "Xiangji Corridor".

Instantly, the sounds of the bell and the echo of the large vat, along with the jingling of the bell, intertwined, like spring water lapping against a chime stone, clear, melodious, and full of charm.

Silver moonlight streamed through the pillars onto her face, and glistening beads of sweat gradually rolled down her baby-soft skin.

Her joy at this moment was genuine, without a trace of forced joy, because the King of Wu was not present, and her dance was for herself. In order to dance freely and comfortably, Xi Shi dismissed all the servants and maids who attended her.

In the vast courtyard, besides the moonlight, willow shadows, and flowers, there was also Xi Shi dancing merrily like a butterfly.

Just as she was dancing happily, shouts of killing to capture the assassin suddenly came from afar. Xi Shi's heart skipped a beat, and her chest, which had already healed, started to ache again at that moment.

She stopped dancing, clutched her heart with both hands, frowned in distress, and leaned against a pillar, panting heavily.

"Don't move!" Xi Shi had just felt better and was about to step into the room when suddenly a person jumped out from the willow shadows and pressed a sharp blade against her neck.

The assassin's eyes gleamed with a sharp, piercing light in the moonlight, startling Xi Shi and suddenly reminding her of a blurry figure.

When the man saw Xi Shi's face clearly, the hook around her neck involuntarily loosened. "Are you Xi Shi?" the woman's voice rang in his ear.

Xi Shi was stunned for a moment, then nodded tremblingly. The sharp weapon beneath her neck cast a cold shadow of death upon her skin, causing countless tiny bumps to rise instantly on her delicate skin.

"Hehe, you're really lucky. You survived my withered wood palm strike and are still alive and kicking. It's truly remarkable. The Prime Minister was right, you are indeed a supernatural being!" The woman's voice was ambiguous, fluctuating between joy and sorrow.

This person was actually the beggar woman who had injured her before! Xi Shi almost screamed out loud, the sound gurgling in her throat before she rationally swallowed it back down.

"What do you want?" Xi Shi asked in a low voice, her eyes quickly scanning her surroundings, hoping that someone would appear to rescue her.

"What do you want? Heh, you've got guts. I came to assassinate the King of Wu, but I failed. So killing you isn't so bad. The Prime Minister's current predicament can be said to be because of you!" The female assassin gritted her teeth, her laughter laced with hatred.

"Catch the assassin! Don't let the assassin get away!"

The sound of thumping footsteps grew louder as they approached, and the clanging of spears and halberds reached their ears clearly. Judging from the sounds, Guanwa Palace was now surrounded.

The palace gates opened, and Fuchai's voice carried from afar. "Xi Shi! Xi Shi! Where are you?!"

Just as the assassin was about to forcefully slice Xi Shi's head off with his Wu hook, he suddenly let out a muffled groan, his body swayed, and he actually slid down Xi Shi's back and fell to the ground.

The torches around them drew closer, and Xi Shi saw the assassin fall to the ground and kicked him with her wooden clogs.

The female assassin let out a soft groan and then fell silent.

Xi Shi bent down and reached out to check, only to find that she had already fainted due to excessive bleeding and weak breathing after being injured.

"Xi Shi! Xi Shi!" Fuchai's voice rushed towards Xiangji Corridor, passing over the swaying torches.

"Your Majesty." Xi Shi appeared, limping, within the range illuminated by the torchlight.

"Xi Shi!" Fuchai rushed over, pulled her into his arms, and breathed heavily on her face, asking anxiously, "What happened? Ah? What happened? Did the assassin hurt you?"

"There was no assassin, Your Majesty! I was dancing when I suddenly heard a shout, and in my fright I twisted my ankle..."

"You twisted your ankle? Let me see." Fuchai held Xi Shi in his arms, took off her wooden clogs, and touched her foot with concern.

"Ouch! Your Majesty." Xi Shi's small feet twitched nervously as soon as they touched that warm, large hand. Sensing the guards searching the corridor with spears and halberds, she couldn't help but feign fear, trembling and nestled in Fuchai's broad embrace.

"Damn it, all of you get out of here! Look how frightened my beauty!" Fuchai angrily turned around and roared at the guards who were searching for the assassin. The originally noisy courtyard suddenly fell silent. They watched as the king carried the injured beauty toward the palace and quietly retreated.

Watching those large hands gently massage her small feet, Xi Shi couldn't help but feel a little anxious. "Your Majesty, just send some medicine for your wounds. Don't let my actions interfere with important state affairs."

Upon hearing this, Fuchai looked up at Xi Shi and said happily, "My beauty is so sensible. That old scoundrel actually said some nonsense about Daji and Meixi, but I didn't expect my beauty to be such a reasonable person."

"Daji and Meixi?" Xi Shi murmured. Indeed, to the people of Wu, wasn't she just like Daji and Meixi, bringing ruin to the country? Perhaps even worse. Not only had she bewitched King Fuchai, making him infatuated with sensual pleasures, but she had also colluded with Fan Li to repay the debt owed by Yue the previous year with cooked grain, watching helplessly as the people of Wu sowed these plump, ripe seeds in thousands of acres of land, only to reap a meager harvest and starve. Then, when faced with the doubts of the Wu officials, she simply dismissed King Fuchai's suspicions with the flimsy excuse that "the crops of Yue might not be suitable for growing in Wu."

The King of Wu was too easily fooled. Xi Shi suddenly felt guilty towards this enemy who loved and cared for her.

Seeing Xi Shi's somber expression, Fuchai knew she was hurt by his earlier words and quickly comforted her, saying, "My beauty, there's no need to be angry about these nonsense words. This old scoundrel has offended me repeatedly, and I've also heard that when he was on a mission to Qi, he dared to entrust his son to the Qi minister Bao Shi. Clearly, he has long harbored the intention to betray Wu and flee. I've already sent someone to deliver a Shulou sword to him, and I expect to see his head on his neck soon."

"Is Your Majesty referring to Chancellor Wu Zixu?" Xi Shi suddenly realized that the assassin was Wu Zixu's man. She hesitated, wondering whether to hand over the heavily wounded and unconscious woman, when she heard Fuchai say, "That old scoundrel left today in a huff, wailing and lamenting, saying things like, 'I was favored by the late King because of my loyalty and trustworthiness, and I was worried about the fall of Wu, so I disregarded my own safety and dared to speak out. In the past, Xia Jie killed Long Feng, and Shang Zhou killed Bigan; now Your Majesty is executing me, which is to be on par with Zhou and Jie. I beg to resign; Your Majesty may do as you please.' Do as you please, my foot! I've wanted to kill him for a long time. I gave him some leeway before because of the late King, but now he dares to criticize me in front of the Yue king and ministers and the Wu ministers, repeatedly insulting me in various ways. He's truly courting death!"

Xi Shi remained silent for a long time after hearing this, thinking to herself, "Wu Zixu is indeed a treasure of Wu, a pillar of the state. It's a pity that the king is blinded by love. He can't bear to hear anything bad about his beauties. I've only ever heard that women are easily swayed by love, blinded by passion, and do foolish things. I never imagined that the king of Wu, who once dominated the battlefield and struck fear into the hearts of enemy states, is also a man of passion."

But wasn't this the very reason she risked her life to come to Wu? Xi Shi was filled with mixed emotions of joy and sorrow. She looked up at Fuchai with a complicated expression and saw that he was looking at her with doting eyes. Her heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't help but clutch her heart and let out a soft moan.

"What's wrong?" Fuchai asked anxiously, holding her up to his eyes and examining her from head to toe.

"It's just an old ailment flaring up," Xi Shi said softly, her brows furrowed as she endured the pain.

Xi Shi was already exceptionally beautiful, and with this furrowed brow and clutched heart, her expression became even more endearing. Fuchai felt a pang of sorrow and gritted his teeth, saying, "Is this the hidden ailment left from that assassination attempt? I have already sent men to find out who tried to assassinate you, and the mastermind behind it all is that old scoundrel Wu Zixu. I will definitely gouge out his eyes and rip out his heart to avenge my beauty!"

"No, Your Majesty! You must not kill a court official for the sake of this lowly concubine. If you do, Xi Shi will truly become like Daji and Meixi!" Seeing the murderous aura emanating from Fuchai, Xi Shi knew that he was not just bluffing and that he really intended to kill Wu Zixu. She couldn't help but cry out in alarm.

Seeing Xi Shi's pitiful and delicate appearance, Fuchai could no longer suppress his anger and stood up abruptly. "You can sleep well tonight, I'll come again tomorrow." After saying that, he stormed off without looking back.

IV. Rescue

"Why did you save me?" The female assassin asked coldly upon waking, showing no gratitude whatsoever.

[Ancient Chapter: 012 Song of the Yue People (5)]

"Why did you save me?" The female assassin asked coldly upon waking, showing no gratitude whatsoever.

Xi Shi smiled faintly and gently continued to apply the medicine to the deep, bone-revealing wounds. That night, it was she who, before the King of Wu could approach, hid the unconscious female assassin in a large vat under the wooden planks of the covered walkway, thus evading the guards' search.

Xi Shi methodically helped the girl bandage her wound without answering.

The female assassin closed her eyes, lay on the couch, and turned her head to one side, clearly still harboring hostility towards Xi Shi. "Why did you save me?"

"I have never killed anyone, nor do I like to see others being killed."

"Hmph, you're so kind, so kind that you deceived the King, making the people of Wu use boiled grain as seeds!" The female assassin snorted angrily.

"Alas, I was unaware of it at the time." Yes, she was unaware. Fan Li had only sent someone to inform her, instructing her to find a way to seduce the King of Wu and make the people of Wu use that batch of grain as seed. Those plump grains, golden and gleaming, were laid out before them; who would have thought they were actually cooked?