Chapter 113 Little Swordsman

As if she had thought of something she was proud of, Lin Ruoxue couldn't help but throw her head back and laugh.

Her venomous eyes stared at the innocent child on the ground. "I will take your destiny! I will become the Lady of Destiny, I will possess that mysterious and powerful force, and I will become the Empress of this Great Zhou!"

In the dark, cramped room, Lin Ruoxue stretched her arms high and laughed maniacally.

Xie Mianmian's legs involuntarily scrambled across the floor as she awkwardly retreated, wanting to get as far away from this woman as possible.

"Are you crazy?!" The child was incredulous at Lin Ruoxue's words and actions.

This tiny voice seemed to possess some kind of magic, reaching Lin Ruoxue's ears.

She slowly approached Xie Mianmian, her voice hoarse and shrill, "Yes, I'm crazy, I've been crazy for a long time. It was you, it was your Xie family that drove me crazy. Why doesn't he love me!"

Xie Mianmian didn't understand what Lin Ruoxue was saying.

After a while, Lin Ruoxue calmed down. "The person who drinks this medicine will have their luck trapped in their heart after being pecked by the divine bird. At that time, as long as I eat your heart alive, I will be able to obtain your destiny."

She pulled a long neck out of the darkness and grinned at the child with a bloodthirsty smile.

Through the dim candlelight, Xie Mianmian could clearly see that Lin Ruoxue was holding the neck of a crane.

However, this crane was completely black, unlike anything the child had ever seen before—a black crane, slender and tall, with a long, thin stem standing upright on the ground, extremely eerie.

Xie Mianmian asked tremblingly, "You said this is a divine bird? Which deity's bird is it, that it looks so ominous?"

"It was supposed to die, but it was lucky. I consulted an ancient book and brought it back to life. Now it's an immortal divine bird. What do you think?" Lin Ruoxue said proudly.

Xie Mianmian shrank her neck and said, "Very bad."

"Ignorant brat!" Lin Ruoxue threw the black crane towards the child. "Divine bird, you know what to do."

After saying that, Lin Ruoxue did something, and a small door appeared silently.

The room outside resembled a study, with elaborate and ornate decorations. The sunlight was perfect, and a sweltering heat wafted in. Green gauze curtains fluttered in the breeze, and birds and insects chirped—it was a place of tranquility and peace.

The bright sunlight suddenly shone on Xie Mianmian's eyes. She endured the discomfort and tried to look outside, while still wriggling on the ground, wanting to get out.

A cold laugh rang out, and Lin Ruoxue casually strode out.

"Don't go!"

This door of hope, in Xie Mianmian's desperate and helpless gaze, closed little by little, completely shutting out the beautiful peace and tranquility outside.

The secret room returned to its previous dimness, as if what had just happened was merely Xie Mianmian's illusion.

She shook her head and struggled to her feet. The black crane was standing not far from her, staring at her without moving.

Xie Mianmian jumped backward until she hit the wall and stopped. The crane was very slender with a small head and even smaller eyes, but it was very noticeable.

In the center of the round whites of the eyes is a tiny black pupil.

Xie Mianmian, fighting back tears, said, "Heihe, please don't eat Mianmian, okay? Mianmian is sweaty and hasn't bathed, it doesn't taste good, waaaaah..."

Black Crane took a step forward, shaking its head repeatedly, seemingly in great discomfort. "Mianmian...don't be afraid...I won't eat..."

Hearing this, Xie Mianmian stopped crying. She sniffed and said, "You're actually a good person? What happened? How did you end up like this?"

Its broad wings spread wide, and its head rested resting restlessly on the beautiful, distinct black feathers.

“I came from the Northern Rong. I was given medicine, and there was no antidote. She forced a belly full of medicine into my stomach.”

It was the same white crane that had brought good news to Lin Ruoxue's unborn child by carrying a jade pendant in its beak.

"Oh, it's the Northern Rong! They haven't given up yet and are still using poison to control you. How despicable!" Xie Mianmian was so angry that she gritted her teeth.

Then, she comforted her, "Don't be afraid, Mianmian will rescue you. The Seventh Prince is very powerful; he will definitely be able to turn you back to white! Now, untie Mianmian's ropes."

Xie Mianmian turned to the side and extended her hands toward the black crane.

Black Crane lifted its foot and smacked as it walked toward the child. Its dark pupils turned crimson for a moment before quickly returning to normal.

"Black Crane, hurry up, that wicked woman will be back soon."

It staggered up behind Xie Mianmian, and with a sharp tug of its beak, a section of the sturdy hemp rope snapped.

Realizing her wrists had loosened, Xie Mianmian quickly struggled to free herself from the remaining ropes. "Black Crane, you're amazing..."

She paused, because she noticed something was wrong with Black Crane; its black pupils had inexplicably turned a bloodthirsty red.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

The black crane emitted a low, harsh, and mournful cry as it pecked at Xie Mianmian.

"Ouch!" The rope binding her feet was still in place, and as she tried to escape, she fell flat on her backside.

The bird's beak came to an abrupt stop on the child's head. "Go... Mianmian... go quickly..." Its voice was painful and restrained.

Leave? Where else can she go? This place is so small.

Before Xie Mianmian could stand up, Heihe completely lost her mind and clucked as she walked toward the child who was still lying on the ground in a cocoon.

In her haste, Xie Mianmian grabbed the wooden hairpin in her hand and, imitating Xie Huaijin's sword style, began to swing it at Heihe with great force.

"Don't come any closer, or you'll get hurt by the continuous sword energy!"

The pale green fluorite inlaid on the wooden hairpin seemed to reflect the surrounding light, quietly emitting a soft glow.

The translucent, solidified green shimmered in the dim light, and also caught the eye of the black crane.

"Hey ha." Seeing that the irrational Black Crane had been successfully intimidated, Xie Mianmian became even more focused, silently chanting in her heart, "Man and sword as one, take this!"

The wooden hairpin slid firmly toward the black crane, even stirring up a gust of wind. The bright green color drew ever closer to the crimson pupils, and the black crane suddenly froze, motionless.

Xie Mianmian breathed a sigh of relief, but the hand holding the wooden hairpin was still pointing at it.

Black Crane stared blankly at the fluorite, the chaos in his mind gradually clearing, and his senses returning.

With a peck from the bird's beak, the rope binding Xie Mianmian's feet broke, and she was overjoyed to find her hands and feet finally free.

Seeing that Heihe was back to normal, Xie Mianmian untied the rope while muttering, "I was really scared just now, but luckily Mianmian knows how to use a sword." Sword Master Bird Chengming.

When a child becomes proud, she also has the potential to become a peerless swordsman in the martial arts world!

"Mianmian, you over there, let's quickly find the exit mechanism."

The black crane nodded, carefully exploring its flowing feathers.

The place was not big, but the man and the bird searched for a long time without finding the mechanism.

Xie Mianmian pried at the hidden door, which was strangely sturdy; even the black crane's beak couldn't peck it open.

Just then, she could faintly hear voices outside, so Xie Mianmian quickly pressed her ear to the crack in the door to listen.

"I can smell it! Her scent is in it!"