Chapter 10 010 “Ugly slave, aren’t you coming over here?”...
After an unknown amount of time, a low, hoarse voice was heard.
"OK."
Jiang Ling'er had already prepared herself to die, having already made a desperate gamble. Unexpectedly, the person in front of her frowned and looked at her for a long time before suddenly becoming very easy to talk to, agreeing with just two light words.
She paused, then noticed the lotus-shaped noodle in front of her staring at her with an unfriendly expression, and said coldly:
"Can you get off me now?"
Another clap of thunder exploded overhead, and a fleeting flash of white light revealed her domineering and savage act of pinning the young man beneath her. Jiang Ling'er paused, then said:
"...I'm sorry."
She quickly climbed off him, but as soon as she straightened up, her cheek was suddenly grabbed and pulled off!
He was immediately met with a pair of deep, dark, beautiful eyes!
The two were even closer than before, almost breathing each other. She looked at him, at herself reflected in those deep, dark eyes so close to him, her cheeks pinched mercilessly by his long, slender hand, like puffed-up buns.
The torrential rain lashed him, a series of thunderclaps thundered like a stampede of horses, and the continuous flashes of white light reflected off him, illuminating a pair of dark, unfathomable eyes. He stared at Jiang Ling'er, whom he had almost squeezed into a ball of flesh in his palm, and chuckled. The vermilion mole at the corner of his eye, as red as blood, made his handsome, androgynous face even more sinister and excited.
“This is the first time I’ve ever seen someone so eager to become a slave. I offered you liberation, but you refused. Since you’re so eager to be a slave, I’ll grant your wish. I’ll show you what a true ‘slave’ is, what it truly means to be ‘unable to live or die’…” He suddenly paused, a smile curving his eyes. “You’d better not regret it.”
However, Jiang Ling'er didn't even flinch at the young man's threatening words. Ever since the "Number One Escort in the World," ever since this bizarre "death and resurrection," her eyes seemed to have been shrouded in the damp, misty rain of Jinling for days—dim, gloomy, and listless. Perhaps it was because this was a stolen moment of life, and it was normal for a dying person to be so listless, wasn't it? She only moved her lips:
"I can't...uh...uh."
Unfortunately, the hands that pinched her cheeks were too strong, and she could only utter fragmented syllables. She looked at her small reflection in those eyes, her already chubby face pinched into a ball, and she could not see any seriousness, only laughableness.
Jiang Ling'er: "..."
Sure enough, the young man chuckled and suddenly released his grip on her cheeks, instead lightly patting her face with a teasing laugh.
"Take me down the mountain, and I'll serve you the best wine and food... my good slave." Finally, he touched his right shoulder, still throbbing from her bite, and sure enough, his hand was covered in blood. The "slave" mark on his right shoulder, washed by the rain, had a strange, poignant beauty tinged with blood. He smirked, adding, "Good girl, your master will teach you a lesson. Don't do things you're not good at in the future; it's embarrassing."
Jiang Ling'er was startled, suddenly remembering how she had imitated the little wildcat and the courtesans she had seen. Her fingernails instantly dug into her flesh... She was still embarrassed.
Her face flushed, and she lowered her eyes in embarrassment.
The smiling voice suddenly turned cold, even chilling the night rain.
"I don't like people getting close to your master. If it happens again, I'll skin you alive."
Before Jiang Ling'er could respond, the little poisonous creature closed its eyes and fell into a deep sleep. Under the torrential rain, its face was as pale as a pear blossom battered by frost.
Jiang Ling'er: "..."
Jiang Ling'er breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that the man's eyes were closed and he was motionless, she thought for a moment and then knelt down beside him, probing his pulse with two fingers—the pulse was weak, and his breath was even weaker. It seemed that the injuries he suffered from the backlash of the formation were far more serious than she had thought.
He was only one step closer to death than her.
The ghostly blue flames on his body had visibly dimmed considerably.
Jiang Ling'er released his wrist, squatted down beside him, and stared at him, murmuring:
"You've held on until now... You're quite the stoic."
That won't do.
Those dark eyes deepened, like two pools of thick, unyielding ink, with two flames burning quietly deep within them. She had always been domineering; she could pretend when the little poisoner was awake, but now that he was unconscious, she had no reason to continue.
She was very angry.
It was terrible for the young man, He Yong, Zhao Xiao, herself, the scorching summer, the seemingly endless rain, and everything around them...
Everything is terrible.
Raindrops slid down her features, which were not as graceful and gentle as those of a typical woman from Jiangnan, but rather more three-dimensional, sharp, and thus somewhat stubborn, flowing over her melancholy eyes and falling into the mud at her feet.
She straightened up, put her hands under the young man's armpits, and dragged him to a sheltered spot.
I don't want to die, so you're not allowed to die either.
Live well.
Small poison.
--
Jiang Ling'er finally understood what the little poisoner meant when he said her "fate had not yet run out".
As long as she gets within three zhang of him, she is no different from an ordinary person. However, once she gets away from the little poisonous creature, she is a dead person. Within half an hour, lividity will spread all over her body, and her life will be as fleeting as a candle burning out in the wind.
Therefore, she had to stay by his side at all times and couldn't let him die.
Although she outwardly showed him respect and fear, in her heart she secretly called him "Little Poisoner," just like Gao Yang. Firstly, she didn't know his real name, and secondly, he looked too young, especially now, like a delicate dodder vine leaning against her, the cinnabar mole at the corner of his eye even dimmed, making him appear even smaller. In truth, she rarely encountered anyone with a worse temper or more unpredictable moods than herself, yet he was a…brat, about the same age as Yuan Zao.
The brat is young, but he has quite a temper; calling him "Little Poison" is quite reasonable.
His kung fu was also quite insidious; she was afraid that if she displeased him, he might extinguish the fire on her head with a single blow, sending her instantly back to her hometown—a loss that would not outweigh the gain. Therefore, she had no choice but to obey him, and more importantly, she needed his help.
Before the little poisonous creature fell into a deep sleep, it entrusted him with two tasks. The first was to take him down the mountain, which was easy. The second task, while not exactly difficult, was also incredibly difficult.
It costs money.
Normally, she wouldn't need to carry money when she went out; naturally, a bunch of people would scramble to shower her with gold leaves. But now it was different. She searched her two empty pockets and found not a single silver ingot, not even a copper coin. To make matters worse, they had been soaked in the rain and rolled around in the mud, looking disheveled from head to toe, a thousand times dirtier and more wretched than the average beggar. They were kicked out before they could even step into the inn.
"Where did this little beggar come from? Come on, come on, come on!"
The waiter gave her a hard push but couldn't move her. He searched the female beggar's entire body but couldn't find a single copper coin. He then searched the male beggar leaning against her, but found nothing except for his shabby, broken bamboo flute. Seeing her standing there in a daze, the waiter's anger intensified. If he hadn't found the two of them too dirty, he would have poked the female beggar's forehead with his fingertips!
"Why are you eating and staying at an inn if you have no money?" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the young man leaning against the beggar girl, completely exhausted, his skin as white as snow peeking out from under his disheveled hair and dirty face. He let out a strange cry, then suddenly took three feet back, covering his mouth and nose. "Could he have caught some kind of plague? Hurry up and get out of here! If you're going to die, at least die somewhere far away! What bad luck! If you don't leave, I'll report you to the authorities!"
Saying this, she grabbed a broom and chased them away. Jiang Ling'er, holding the unconscious little poison creature, retreated hastily. She had never experienced anything like this before, and anger surged within her as she subconsciously retorted, "It's just a matter of a few taels of silver! I, the dignified young master of the number one镖师 (bodyguard/escort) in the world, am not..."
He stopped mid-sentence, his hands gripping the little poisonous creature tightly, frozen in place. This pause earned him several solid blows from the waiter, one of which landed on his head, leaving a long, bleeding gash.
These are unlucky times, with constant warfare, and human life is cheap as grass. What more could two mere beggars do? Seeing this, the waiter not only didn't stop, but instead seemed to be incited by something, wielding a broom woven from thorns with ferocious force, his face contorted with rage, each swing viciously aimed at the female beggar's face!
As the gust of wind from the broom swept towards me, a soft sneer suddenly reached my ears:
"So stupid."
Suddenly a hand appeared behind her waist, pulling her belt back, and the broom missed its target.
Jiang Ling'er turned her head and saw that the person who had been sleeping soundly on her shoulder and in her arms had suddenly woken up. Seeing her looking over, his dark, beautiful eyes slowly turned to meet hers, and his thin lips moved, uttering three more words:
Where's the brain?
Jiang Ling'er was startled, and subconsciously touched the stinging wound on her face: "..."
"So you're faking your death to extort money from me, huh?"
The waiter was furious and called over the shop's thugs, but Little Poison didn't even glance at them, instead tossing over a bulging bag of coins:
"Room number one, bring a bucket of water."
After saying that, he left Jiang Ling'er behind and went straight upstairs without looking back.
Jiang Ling'er and the waiter were both taken aback. The waiter, however, reacted faster than Jiang Ling'er, hurriedly taking the money bag and then beaming with joy: "Everyone who comes in is a guest, alright!"
It wasn't until the familiar stiffness surged through her limbs that Jiang Ling'er snapped back to reality and ran after the little poisonous creature.
The little poisoner appeared frail and sickly, yet he was tall and long-legged, his seemingly leisurely stroll revealing a surprisingly rapid pace. The main hall on the first floor was bustling with activity, mostly filled with traveling grooms and servants. The noise was deafening, and the conversation revolved around "how much more of our Song Dynasty's territory the Jurchens have devoured" and "how much wealth and gold the Emperor has given to the Jurchens and those barbarians." When the crowd reached their most impassioned points, they were all pounding their chests and stamping their feet. These were all old topics; even the Emperor willingly became the Jurchens' lackeys. What could the common people do but rage and feel their hearts breaking?
However, today we have a new topic of conversation.
A young coachman, dressed in coarse linen clothes, sat slung over his shoulder, gulped down a large bowl of tea, and then carefully placed the teacup back on the table.
"Let's not talk about those upsetting things! Did you all know that just three days ago, the head of the number one escort agency in the world changed hands?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Ling'er, who had reached the stairs, suddenly stopped in her tracks.
After a moment of silence, the room erupted into an even louder cacophony.
"Could it be Yuan Wenkang, the head of the Xuanwu Hall?"
"He Yong, the leader of the Azure Dragon Hall?"
"It's still Ye Ranqiu, the head of the Vermilion Bird Hall? If it is her, then she would be the first female chief镖头 (chief镖头, head镖师, chief镖师) in the history of the World's Number One Escort Agency!"
It's no wonder everyone was so excited; the title of "Number One Escort in the World" is too prestigious, and the martial arts world has been too quiet for a long time, with no such exciting event happening.
Unfortunately, the young men all shook their heads: "Wrong, wrong, wrong. The current chief镖头 (chief镖头 is a kind of bodyguard/escort) is Zhao Xiao, the only son of the late White Tiger Hall Master Zhao Ji, who is in his early twenties."
Exclamations of praise filled the air: "Truly a young talent..." News of the events in Jinling probably hadn't yet reached here, and many more people were asking in astonishment:
"Didn't Old Chief Escort Jiang just host a banquet for heroes from all over the world a few days ago?"
"Old Chief Escort Jiang is still as sharp as ever, virtuous and respectful to the virtuous. He has only killed the unjust and wicked, as well as those damned Jurchens. He is a first-rate figure whose power shakes the heavens and earth and whose reputation resounds throughout the world. Even if he intends to step down and make way for a more capable person, there is still the young chief escort Jiang Ling'er under him. Why did a 'Zhao Xiao' suddenly appear?"
Before the young man could answer, the middle-aged man at the same table, clearly one of the many rickshaw pullers, slammed his fist on the table, furious. "To hell with all that talk of benevolence and righteousness! They spout platitudes about morality and justice, but in reality, they're treacherous, cunning, and hypocritical! Those Jiang father and daughter are such treacherous, despicable people! They're in league with the Jurchens and collude with the Demonic Sect! Good riddance! Good riddance! I only regret not being able to personally..." The middle-aged man stopped abruptly, staring straight ahead, frowning, and gruffly demanded, "Where did this little beggar come from? Why are you glaring at me?!"
Not far away, a filthy, disheveled beggar girl stared intently at him. Her features were obscured by her unkempt hair, only the blood from the cut she had made with the iron broom trickling down her disheveled hair. She stood there silently, staring at him, yet no one could ignore her. Even those without internal energy could clearly sense the intense, almost tangible hatred and murderous intent emanating from her.
A sudden, chill ran up his spine from his tailbone, and the middle-aged man shivered in broad daylight. He realized that he had been startled by a thin, unassuming beggar. After his initial surprise, the middle-aged man's face darkened, and he jumped up, causing the bench to overturn.
"What are you looking at? Do you believe I'll gouge your eyes out?!"
However, the little beggar remained motionless, his chest rising and falling slightly. Through his disheveled hair, a pair of bloodshot, spiderweb-like crimson eyes peeked out, staring intently at him as if locking onto prey.
The middle-aged man felt a lump in his throat. He too was a wandering swordsman, usually doing hard labor and possessing a brute strength. He had slaughtered countless animals in his life, and in his early years, when he was conscripted into the army, he had also taken the lives of several Jurchen soldiers. But this was the first time he had ever seen such... a look in someone's eyes.
It's like a small beast hiding deep in the mountains, pouncing at him the next second and biting his throat until he dies.
The middle-aged man felt a chill run down his spine, especially with so many people and so many eyes watching. He was not only shocked but also furious. Being ignored in public by such an insignificant beggar was worse than death for him! He was determined to regain his dignity.
With a clear "clang!", the middle-aged man drew the butcher's knife from his waist and swung it boldly towards the young beggar.
"Since you don't want these eyes anymore, I'll gouge them out for you!"
Before he could finish speaking, a deep voice came from upstairs, interrupting him:
"Ugly slave, aren't you coming here?"
Everyone was taken aback. The middle-aged man stopped in his tracks and looked up at the sound. He saw a tall, slender young man with an exceptionally handsome face leaning against the railing. His long hair, slightly damp on the right side, was tucked behind his ear. He stared down at the slender figure in a red dress standing silently in the corridor. His pale skin made him appear even more aloof. His stunningly beautiful face was so cold and aloof that it made people overlook his disheveled and unkempt attire, which seemed out of place with his appearance.
The little beggar... that is, Jiang Ling'er, after a moment of silence, finally turned around stiffly. Strangely, she was neither as agile as her peers nor as frail as an old woman. Her every move was strangely stiff, like a long-neglected gear turning little by little. However, as she walked up the higher the steps, her steps became faster. The strange stiffness in the first few steps was not very noticeable.
The middle-aged man, seething with anger, was unwilling to let go so easily. He was about to chase after the boy when the young man at the same table grabbed him.
"Forget it, Uncle. Look at her, she's so thin and doesn't look very old. She's just a girl. Look at the injuries on her body... she's a pitiful person. Don't bother with her, Uncle."
Those around her also chimed in, saying, "Look at that woman, she's so dazed. I'm afraid... I'm afraid she's another poor soul who was severely injured by the Jurchens' iron hooves. Those Jurchens deserve to be torn to pieces; how many sons and daughters of our Great Song have they harmed!"
Speaking of the Jurchens, they sighed repeatedly, some even weeping uncontrollably, and some vehemently cursed the Jiang family. Since everyone around had spoken, the middle-aged man coldly snorted, sheathing his cleaver again: "For your sake, I'll let it go!"
The complaints downstairs lasted only a short while before they started arguing enthusiastically again.
Jiang Ling'er couldn't quite hear what was said after that. Dragging her heavy body, she walked up the steps like a zombie. The noise downstairs made it difficult to make out the stories of the martial arts world. For example, the iron tree in Medicine King Valley, which hadn't bloomed for a hundred years, had blossomed; the old poison master from the Western Regions had reappeared in the martial arts world, causing many to panic and for many sects to join forces to eradicate this old poison master and rid the people of this scourge; and the young master of Sun Moon Fortress, who had just lost his wife and then fallen seriously ill, was now bedridden...
"What, you can't even handle a few words?"
Suddenly, a cool sound brushed past my ear.
Jiang Ling'er paused, her thoughts interrupted, and looked up to meet the eyes of the little poisoner who was leaning against the railing with his arms crossed.
The little poisoner's handsome face remained pale. He impatiently rubbed his high-bridged nose with two fingers, his tone harsh:
"Don't cause me any unnecessary trouble. If you get entangled with someone like this, I won't save you, understand? Not only will I not save you, I'll also gouge out your eyes and give them to him myself. Got it?" She clicked her tongue lightly. "You can't even handle these two sentences? Once the news spreads, Miss Jiang, the former number one镖师 (bodyguard/escort) in the world, will be facing the scorn of millions. How will you face that?"
Jiang Ling'er's eyes flickered, she lowered her head, her ten fingers digging fiercely into her palms, her voice low and hoarse, almost squeezed out through her teeth:
"...I'm sorry, I won't do it again."
The little poisonous creature stared at the tiny whorl of hair on the top of the head in front of it, snorted coldly, and then stepped into the room on the right.
Jiang Ling'er followed her inside, but a second later she walked out of the room and considerately closed the door behind her. But the next second the door was kicked open!
The little poisonous creature stared at her with a dark expression, its face even worse than before, and its tone even more aggressive:
Where to?
Jiang Ling'er glanced at his half-undone, snow-white arm, then at the steaming bathtub inside the room, and blinked.
"You...you weren't going to take a bath?"
The little poisonous creature retorted, "Didn't you say you would serve me?"
Jiang Ling'er was stunned and stood rooted to the spot.
The little poisonous creature grew angry at her foolish appearance, tilted its head, raised its chin at her, and said coldly:
"Either come in or get out."
After saying that, he ripped off his dirty clothes and threw them on the ground before going into the inner room.
Jiang Ling'er stood frozen in place for a moment, staring blankly at the dirty clothes on the ground for a while, before finally bending down to pick them up and stepping inside.
He turned and closed the door, then paused...
The door stopper was inserted.
A note from the author:
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