Chapter 2 The Nobleman: "Your noble countenance is so dignified, you must not look directly at me!"
Halfway up the mountain, an abandoned Buddhist temple is hidden among dense forests and green trees, with cobwebs and moss growing in front of the steps.
As midnight approached, hurried footsteps came from the woods, and the person rushed up the steps.
Her morning dew-covered robe was torn by thorns, her hair was tangled in branches, and her shoulder was injured. She had no time to check her injuries and quickly climbed the steps to enter the Buddhist temple.
Inside the hall is a huge Buddha statue, with a majestic and solemn appearance.
In the pitch-black darkness, Chaolu rummaged through things.
This temple had been abandoned for many years. Half a year ago, Chaolu's adoptive father was in charge of organizing its repairs, but the work was terminated due to his serious illness and death. The remaining craftsmen were also dismissed, and no one has set foot here since.
To outsiders, Aye died from overwork, but Chaolu knew perfectly well that there was more to his death than met the eye.
Before his death, his father tried to redeem her from her servitude by dealing with the Helan family, even at the cost of angering Helan Yi. It was after this that he suddenly fell ill...
Chaolu found the package left by Aye in the underground cave and quickly returned to the surface.
Just as I was about to walk around the Buddha statue and leave, a sudden sound of footsteps came from outside the temple.
The footsteps were heavy, like being wrapped in lead. Although they were muffled by the sound of rain, they were still quite distinct because of the person's burly build.
The morning dew, alert, stopped.
Only the servants on the ship could make such heavy footsteps.
In a short while, the man entered the main hall.
Chaolu turned to look at the underground cave. The door was already closed, and the sound of it opening again would surely alert the person coming.
Her gaze fell to her side—
The old, faded Buddhist prayer flags hung from the eaves to the bluestone ground, forming an excellent hiding place in the corner.
She hid inside, and the heavy darkness descended, completely obscuring her figure.
A wooden shelf displaying paints stood quietly to my side.
Her gaze swept over one of the ceramic vases, and she paused slightly.
"This pigment is called gamboge, which is made from the sap of the gamboge tree. It is toxic and can cause eye irritation and throat choking if ingested."
When she was just old enough to reach the painted walls on tiptoe, she often accompanied her father to the caves. Her father would slap away her hands as she curiously fiddled with the painting tools and warn her to be very careful.
"Remember this: the brighter the color of the pigment, the more likely it is to be poisonous. Those powders made from ground minerals are mixed with animal glue and boiled down..."
As the footsteps drew closer, Chaolu tucked the jar into her sleeve.
The visitor was indeed a servant of the Helan family.
After searching the front hall, he went around to the back of the Buddha statue, walking very slowly. He held a long knife in his hand and occasionally tapped the beams, pillars, and incense table, deliberately making noise to intimidate the people in the hall.
"come out!"
The clanging sounds were deafening; the cabinet rattled and banged as he searched it, the noise echoing throughout the hall.
"I saw you hiding in the temple! You wretched wench, come out now!"
With her back pressed against the cold wall, a spiderweb, which had somehow draped down, brushed lightly across her neck, sending a shiver down her spine. Her veins throbbed with blood, as if something was about to burst forth.
Just waiting for that person to get a little closer, a little closer...
A beam of light shone through the crack, illuminating the taut pupils of the morning dew.
The man finally came within half a zhang (approximately 3.3 meters), so close that his heavy breathing lingered within arm's reach.
She suddenly lifted the prayer flags with a whoosh.
The servant was a beat slow to notice and turned around, only to see a bright, gleaming object in her hand, piercing towards her.
He dodged to the side, then reached out to grab Chaolu with such force that it seemed he would crush her bones.
With her other hand, Chaolu gripped the ceramic bottle tightly, shook it open abruptly, and flung out the powder.
As a cloud of golden dust was poured into his eye sockets, a shrill scream rang out.
The man released her arm, covered his eyes, and took a few steps back, knocking over the paint stand with a crash that shattered the porcelain bottles on the ground.
"You wretch, what is this thing?!"
He ran his hands along his eye sockets, scooping out eye drops amidst cries of pain, but the pain was inescapable. In the end, he even tried to gouge out his eyeballs, wanting to expel the excruciating pain along with them.
His cursing stopped abruptly.
As he looked down, he saw a large amount of blood gushing from his chest, and a sharp incense stick pierced his chest.
It was the bright, clear color that he hadn't seen clearly before.
One sharp end of the lamp was deeply embedded in his ribs, while the other end was tightly gripped by the girl's hands, moving upwards along her arm. Her eyes were bright and piercing.
With a "plop," she pulled out the lamp and poked it again.
Gushes of blood gushed out, splashing onto her neck, clothes, and skirt. The bloodstains meandered down the wall behind her, twisting and slid down like a living thing.
The activity in the Buddhist temple ceased, and silence finally returned, with only the sound of rain remaining between heaven and earth.
With a crash, the lamp fell to the ground and smashed into a pool of blood.
Exhausted, Chaolu could barely stand against the wall. The smell of blood filled her nostrils. Looking down at the blood-soaked figure at her feet, she suppressed her wildly beating heart and tentatively kicked it.
The other party remained motionless.
She killed another person.
The second one tonight.
Without even looking, he knew that he must be covered in blood, as if he had been pulled out of a pool of blood.
Fortunately, it was a remote and desolate place, and he could leave immediately. The blood on his body would be washed away with water and no one would notice.
Chaolu's fingertips trembled as she hastily wiped her face, forcing herself to calm down before bending down to retrieve the lost travel money package.
Her thoughts were in turmoil, and she had already left as quickly as possible, doing everything to the best of her ability. However, just a few steps from the Buddhist temple, she heard the sound of horses' hooves, and at the same time, the sound of armor and weapons clashing. A group of people appeared in her sight.
Like morning dew, a heart falls into the abyss.
It was a group of six or seven people, all dressed in silver armor, holding longbows and carrying swords. They dismounted from their horses, the longswords at their waists gleaming coldly in the dark night, their imposing aura so fierce that no one dared to look them in the eye.
Only officers were allowed to wear armor of this standard.
When she saw the group of people, the leader also spotted her immediately.
It was a young man, eight feet tall, with a cold and stern face and an imposing presence. His gaze fell on Chaolu, and he looked her up and down. His brows furrowed, and his hand cautiously rested on his longbow.
The soldiers behind him were also on guard, creating a somber and solemn atmosphere.
Chao Lu's brow twitched, and she instinctively wanted to run away.
But she was covered in blood, and if she dared to make any rash moves, the longbow in the man's hand would mercilessly shoot out a cold arrow that would pierce her throat.
Before the other party arrived, Chaolu quickly lowered her head and bowed, saying, "This humble subject greets Your Excellency."
The other party shouted sternly, "Who dares to cause trouble here so late at night? State your name and family!"
Morning Dew replied softly.
The young soldier's face was tense. He saw blood and flesh flying everywhere in the hall. He turned around, handed the longbow to the person behind him, and stepped over the threshold to go inside and check.
Chaolu felt several scorching gazes from outside the palace upon her, as if they were thorns in her back.
What happened inside the Buddhist temple is obvious and needs no further explanation.
She killed someone.
She only regretted not acting faster, which led to these military officers seeing her and causing her unnecessary trouble.
The current emperor is in his prime and has a strong desire to advance westward. Since ascending the throne, he has reorganized the border defenses in Longxi, established many large camps, and made great use of Helan Yi.
There is currently fighting on the front lines, and the movement of troops between various important military towns is a common occurrence.
This group should be one of them.
If she reveals even the slightest trace of her identity as a female slave of the Helan family in her words, she will probably be sent to the Helan residence tomorrow.
The young officer had finished the search and gestured to his comrades that they could enter.
The servants' bodies were carried out, and bloodstains covered the entire hall.
The officer looked at her, and the woman raised her head. Her entire face was soaked in blood, and even her hair and brow bone were covered with dark red blood droplets, making it impossible to recognize her original appearance.
He said coldly, "Let's go inside and talk."
Several people filed in behind him, one of whom said, "Honorable guest."
Chaolu subconsciously looked up and saw the person speaking bowing to a tall figure outside, who emerged from the damp rain outside the hall as he approached.
Before they could even make out the person's face, a warning voice rang in their ears: "Your noble countenance is too precious to look directly at. If you dare disobey, I will gouge out your eyes tonight!"
His voice was icy cold, like a sword hanging by the ear; it was no joke.
As usual, Chaolu lowered her head and replied with a "Yes".
The man, carrying rainwater, stepped into the hall. He was not wearing armor, only a black riding outfit, and water droplets continuously pelted the ground.
From this angle, all you can see is his elegant robes, his jade belt, and the jade pendant hanging from it clashing with his sword—clearly no ordinary item.
His hand holding the longbow had long, slender fingers, like the finest jade. The black longbow had a cold, hard body, and the dragon pattern on it had its eyes wide open, staring at the morning dew.
A stench of blood also entered her nostrils.
It's so strong that it's almost impossible to ignore.
He was clearly seriously injured, yet his steps were extremely composed, showing no sign of distress. He raised his hand to unfasten his sword and longbow, handing them to the soldiers beside him.
The soldier respectfully raised both hands to receive it and gently placed it on the clean incense table, his movements slow and deliberate, for fear of being the slightest bit negligent.
Who are these people, and why are they here so late at night?
After they entered, the originally spacious hall suddenly felt much more oppressive.
It's certain they will block her way.
The group tidied up the main hall quietly. Two people left the hall, their purpose unknown...
Chao Lu slightly raised her gaze and landed on the robes of the nobleman in front of her.
This group seemed to follow his lead blindly; if they could get him to give in...
As Chao Lu slowly took in his back view, she noticed the soldiers approaching out of the corner of her eye. Her thick eyelids quickly drooped, and when she came to her senses, she realized that her palms were covered in a fine layer of sweat.
The soldiers who had just gone out returned, strode into the hall, and threw one of them heavily to the ground.
The man was about twenty years old. He was bound, his face covered in mud, as if he had been dragged through the mud by a horse. Half of his face was rubbed raw and bloody, and there wasn't a single good piece of flesh on his body.
Several whip marks were clearly visible on his back, so deep that the white bone was exposed, and the flesh and blood were churning, a shocking sight.
The most dignified and solemn officer stepped forward, approached the clay figure, and called out, "Commander."
The mud figure, lying prone on the ground, slowly raised its head, shaped like an earthworm, with a sliver of eyes peeking out from its mud-covered face.
That hand trembled as it reached for a corner of the nobleman's robe.
The officer said, "You were entrusted with this important task because of your lord's trust, but unexpectedly, the army at the front line has been greedy for merit and recklessly advanced, disobeying military orders and relying on its own courage to cross the border to pursue the enemy. I am grateful that your lord, upon receiving the military report, rushed through the rainy night from the camp a hundred miles away to inquire about your responsibility!"
The clay figure let out a groan and slammed its head against the ground, one heavy thud after another, producing a dull, forceful impact.
"Is this one charge enough to make you, Captain, kneel here and cut out your heart to atone for your sins?"
The clay figure trembled and sobbed a few times, its mouth stuffed with coarse cloth, and even with veins bulging on its forehead, it couldn't utter a single word.
The hall was silent; no one spoke except for the sound of kowtows, and a heavy, suffocating atmosphere filled the air.
The clay figure kowtowed repeatedly, one sound after another, leaving a dent in its forehead from which blood flowed continuously.
The officer bowed and asked the person before him, "Your Excellency?"
The nobleman in the hall did not speak, but remained composed and focused, gazing at the Buddha statue.
The long silence made the atmosphere almost freeze.
After a long while, the nobleman spoke with a smile.
"What should I do with you?"
He had a clear and elegant voice, extremely pleasant to listen to, as clear and melodious as pearls falling on a jade plate, and at this moment his tone could even be described as gentle.
"I have been planning this battle for a long time, devising offensive and defensive strategies, and instructing you on the deployment of troops and the use of plants. But only today do I realize that there is such a mediocre person in the world."
How could I have such a stupid younger brother?
His words sounded like an unintentional joke, but his fingertips, resting on the incense table, tapped lightly, one tap after another.
Like a lion, calculating how to deal with its prey.
The clay figure trembled uncontrollably.
Before the nobleman could speak again, the officers on both sides stepped forward, took out lassos, put them around the clay figure's neck, and pulled it back forcefully.
The man kicked his legs wildly, struggling like a dehydrated grass carp on the verge of death. The burlap sack fell out of his mouth, and he cried out for help as he was dragged toward the main hall.
As Chaolu watched this scene, she heard the lasso being pulled tight, squeezing the bones until they shattered, making such a tooth-grinding and numbing sound.
The candlelight illuminated the four walls, and the wind stretched the shadows of the people on the walls into distorted and grotesque shapes.
The nobleman looked up at the Buddha statue in the hall.
Finally, the mud figure behind him seemed to break free from the coarse cloth in its mouth.
“Cousin, we grew up together, how can you be so heartless…”
Before he could finish speaking, he was already dead.
Silence returned to the hall. The officer whispered, "Take him back to the camp tomorrow and display him to the public."
"yes!"
The morning dew on her eyelashes trembled slightly.
That nobleman held a high position and wielded great power, yet he was extremely cold-blooded and ungrateful. Because of the war, he even killed his own cousin, who was his blood relative.
What about someone who's an outsider like myself?
"Come over here, I have something to ask you," the soldier called to her.
"What's your name? Where in Longxi are you from? Where do you live? Why are you here tonight...?"
He asked several questions in a row.
Chaolu reached into the package, where Aye had prepared a fake household registration for her.
"Reporting to the general, this is my place of origin."
The soldier flipped through the document, the pages rustling, his fingertips tracing the edges of the paper line by line, carefully comparing her words.
Immediately afterwards, he frowned and looked up.
This subtle change in expression made Chaolu tense up from head to toe.
Before the other party could even begin to question her, Chaolu had already knelt down with a thud.
"Please, sir, do justice for this humble woman..."
She was bewildered, tears streaming down her face, her voice soft and timid, as if she were truly terrified.
"This man is from my hometown, but he has a long-standing feud with my family. My father passed away not long ago, and seeing that I was an orphan with no one to rely on, he harbored evil intentions. He conspired with others to tie me up and put me on a boat, intending to sell me to a family downstream of the Tao River and arrange a ghost marriage for me..."
The soldier remained unmoved, his cold eyes scrutinizing her.
Chaolu raised her head. "My lord, please look. I still have marks on my body from being bound with hemp rope."
She wiped her neck with her hands; it was soaked in blood, and no amount of wiping could reveal her original skin.
After a while, she finally revealed her injuries and raised her hands to the soldiers. The red marks left by the rough hemp rope had not faded and were turning blue and purple, a shocking sight, showing how much force had been applied.
The soldier's gaze lingered on the wound, as if weighing something.
Chao Lu lowered her head, waiting for the soldier to relent, but after a long while, only silence answered her.
Her face, hidden in the dim light, bit her lip. When she looked up again, she was in a tearful and vulnerable position. Then she turned around and raised three fingers to the Buddha statue.
"If anything I have said today is even slightly false, may the gods above punish me with lightning, causing my family to be torn apart, my husband and I to be estranged, and I to die without a proper burial!"
"Please, sirs, spare my life!"
The candlelight that had just been lit inside the hall flickered in the draft, illuminating the compassionate and round face of the Buddha.
It lowered its eyes and looked down, a half-smile playing on its lips, silently scrutinizing the scene before the palace.
Before her, a young man stood in the center of the hall, still gazing at the enormous Buddha statue, which was two zhang tall, as his subordinates cleared a clean space for him.
Such a vicious oath is undeniably cruel.
But this noble man remained as still as a statue, as if the surrounding noise was nothing more than the chirping of ants, utterly inaudible to him.
As Chaolu crawled on his knees toward the nobleman, he had only taken one step when the high-ranking officer standing beside him suddenly pushed aside the longsword at his waist.
A blazing sword light suddenly flashed out, stinging her eyes and freezing her in place.
It seemed to be a warning to her that if she took one more step, her head would roll.
These officers were well-trained and accustomed to handling such matters. They knew that once the cold sword was drawn, ordinary people would no longer dare to advance rashly.
But the next moment, the woman knelt forward and grabbed the nobleman's robe.
"Does Your Excellency not have any sisters or female relatives? I am a weak and helpless woman, fallen into this predicament and suffered immense humiliation. I beg Your Excellency to have mercy and spare my life. If I am handed over to the authorities, they will surely make things difficult for me and retaliate..."
She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, revealing a pair of bright eyes beneath the mud. She looked at him pitifully, her voice, which was already gentle, trembled slightly at this moment, intentionally appearing weak, like a mountain stream in spring.
It's the kind of voice that would make anyone feel pity.
"My esteemed guest..."
As soon as he finished speaking, a voice came from above.
"Yeah?"
He did indeed soften his stance.
The nobleman spoke in a refined tone: "You are so weak, so why don't you tell me how you killed that man who was much taller and stronger than you all by yourself tonight?"
His voice was low and gentle, as if he were patiently guiding someone.
"Okay?"
A note from the author:
----------------------
Morning Dew: Two kills already at the start.
Red envelopes will be dropped in this chapter!
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