Ink Burns

Chapter 200 Allies (The Chubby Chapter)

A carriage departed from Xue Nan's residence, heading first towards Guan'anzhai. Huang Zhi, accompanied by Qiu Tao, went inside and bought two folding fans. They also ordered a set of inkstones and paper that cost far more than what Shan Yue usually used, specifying that they be delivered to Xue Nan's residence. After circling the city once more, they changed to a smaller carriage in a small alley. When they left the capital city gate, they carried Xiao Po's calling card. The carriage then went to a temple, where they changed to an even more cramped carriage.

The carriage was so crowded that it was as narrow as a carrying pole for picking vegetables. Each person held one end of the pole down, leaving no room for a third person.

Shan Yue and Xue Xiao sat facing each other. Shan Yue's left shoulder was still unable to bear weight, so she could only lean back halfway, and her knees uncontrollably leaned against Xue Xiao's side.

In the sweltering heat of June, skin pressed together through two thin layers of cotton gauze felt like dry grass against flint, scorching the flesh of my knees even more painfully than the lacerated wound on my left shoulder.

Shan Yue lowered her eyes, struggled to sit up, and moved her knees further away.

The movements were all carried out in secret, like a squirrel quietly moving nuts for the winter.

The person opposite suddenly stood up, moving with fluid grace. He bent down slightly in the low-ceilinged carriage, turned his head, and sat down next to Shan Yue.

The carrying pole instantly lost its balance and almost tipped over.

Xue Xiao sat quietly beside Shan Yue, his eyes fixed straight ahead. In the narrow carriage, the oppressive aura emanating from the six-foot-tall man spread silently. Xue Xiao was not particularly burly; at least compared to the Chang family's young and old men, who were all military officers, he was much thinner and more frail. But he was by no means weak. He was extremely tall, with shoulders that could completely cover Shan Yue. His sleeves, rolled up due to the heat, revealed the strong, long, and deeply sunken muscles in his forearms.

Before Shan Yue could react, Xue Xiao reached out and caught her shoulder as she dodged.

The man's palm was burning hot as he firmly grasped Shan Yue's right shoulder.

The sharp, decisive side of his face barely brushed past the tip of his nose.

At this moment, they are not like withered grass and flint, but like red-tailed fish and waterweeds swaying with the current. The waterweeds gently and almost imperceptibly brush against the tail scales of the small fish.

"Come closer."

Xue Xiao slightly raised his chin, his gaze sincere and frank: "If you lean on me and slip, your new shoulder injury will reopen, and it won't be worth it—"

Xue Xiao paused, and the unfilial bird's lips curled into a smile that instantly appeared harmless: "Allies, alliances, like Eastern Wu and Shu Han, once the alliance is established, they huddle together, sharing a common hatred for the enemy, and jointly resist Cao Wei—what kind of ally is it if you don't offer someone to rely on in times of crisis?"

Shan Yue glanced at Xue Xiao sideways, opened her mouth to refute, but didn't know how to start: Can you say he's wrong?
Shan Yue lowered her eyes and then raised them again. After a ripple of light, the short, cautious tail scales of the red-tailed fish finally calmed down and gently rested on the lush, green algae, following the direction of the water flow.

Tianbao Temple was no different from the previous few months, a hidden gem in the city. The only difference was that this time, the five black dogs, Zhuifeng, saw Shanyue as if they were seeing an old friend they hadn't seen for three autumns. They hopped all the way from inside the temple to the ground, rubbing their big heads against the hem of Shanyue's clothes and skirt. After rubbing, they raised their heads, stuck out their tongues and panted – apparently, they had even tired themselves out welcoming her.

Shan Yue has never been very familiar with animals: thanks to her experience performing on the overpass, the monkey that was her colleague stole her porridge and steamed buns every day, which was not a heartwarming or pleasant memory.

But she liked all of Xue Xiao's animals very much.

The white-feathered parrot Snowball is kind and beautiful, and the big black dog Chase the Wind is honest and loyal, but they both have one special quality: enthusiasm.

Shan Yue smiled and said, "The one you raised is completely different from you in temperament."

Xue Xiao looked down. The silly dog ​​was watching Shan Yue, its mouth agape and head tilted back, drooling. Its tail was thumping against the wall. Xue Xiao immediately understood Shan Yue's unspoken meaning. He raised his eyes and said calmly, "They only treat you this way. They treat others the same way they treat me—after all, we are allies."

The words were calm and even, but they couldn't withstand close scrutiny.

But Shan Yue could not refute it.

She vaguely felt that her use of the word "ally" had triggered some kind of switch on Xue Xiao. What was previously veiled was now blatantly exposed, making people feel uneasy, yet unable to pinpoint exactly what was wrong.
It chased the wind to the dungeon, then trotted back to its post using all four paws.

A familiar face, Gale, was already waiting on the ground, leaning out with a lantern and a mournful face: "Madam—"

Shan Yue smiled and nodded: "Swift Wind."

“You should walk this way—the Chang family members are being held at the very back.”

Xue Xiao took the lantern from Ji Feng's hand, and stepped aside to block the flickering firelight in front of Shan Yue.

Shan Yue saw the flickering shadows of firelight on the rugged, steep walls of the dungeon, but she felt no fear whatsoever.

She is no longer afraid of fire.

After surviving the raging fire alongside Shui Guang at Qiushui Ferry that day, she was no longer afraid of fire.

This discovery delighted her.

Shan Yue slightly raised her chin, looked away, and lowered her voice: "Don't blame the strong wind for being too strong."

Xue Xiao led the way without blinking, asking, "Why should I blame him?"

The passageway was long, deep, and dark; after turning a corner, there was another, even deeper passageway.

“At its root, the fault lies with me.” Xue Xiao said in a deep voice, “I pride myself on being a loyal minister and have built my own system. I am unwilling to cultivate relationships with people, which has resulted in my subordinates being uneven and scattered. Ji Feng has never been strictly disciplined or trained. I have never treated him or trained him as a staff member or retainer. How could he suddenly be capable of adapting to changing circumstances?”

Shan Yue walked slowly, but her eyes couldn't help glancing at Xue Xiao: calm, decisive, self-consistent, powerful, and capable of handling things—he matched all her imaginations of a ruler who was second only to the emperor.

"And now? Is sending Jifeng to Tianbao Temple to nurture and train him?" Shanyue asked.

Xue Xiao moved with fluid grace, keeping a mere half-step's distance from Shan Yue. He pushed open a heavy bronze door and said in a very soft voice, "Yes. Now that we have many allies with families to support, Chun Chen's journey is not going smoothly. We must be prepared for the future—Ji Feng, Luo Feng, and everyone in the manor must all be on high alert."

盟友
Shan Yue pursed her lips: Why did she even use the word "ally"?

The bronze gate was wide open.

Shan Yue quickly turned around.

This was a secluded, dark room, larger than the usual sleeping quarters, but only a single torch lit on the rock wall. The room was dimly lit, with only blurry outlines and indistinct directions visible. The sense of smell was clearer than sight.

The smell of blood was extremely strong, like a rusty iron lock, or like fertilizer rotting in a muddy pond.

It made me want to vomit.

Xue Xiao stepped aside, bending his back almost imperceptibly, to make way for Shan Yue.

Shan Yue stepped forward and entered first.

Xue Xiao followed behind, raising the lantern high.

The sudden light caused the prisoner, who was bound to the rock wall with his arms and legs spread apart, to shrug his shoulders and instinctively try to avoid the light, but his eyes opened uncontrollably and he could see the person who had come without any obstruction.

"It's you—"

A surge of energy rushed from Chang Yusu's waist to his brain, replacing water and rice to provide him with strength.

"You slut!" Chang Yusu spat out a mouthful of blood. "You're in cahoots with that doctor-prostitute, aren't you? Oh no! No! You, the doctor-prostitute, and this mad dog, you're all sluts in the same boat! You're setting me up!"

The two strong, muscular men in black robes who were guarding the cliff immediately stepped forward with whips in hand.

"Give it to me," Xue Xiao stopped them.

The man presented the long whip, soaked in chili oil, to Xue Xiao with both hands.

Xue Xiao picked it up with one hand and handed it to Shan Yue: "Do you know how to use a whip?"

Shan Yue stared intently at Chang Yusu, who was hanging in mid-air. He gripped the handle of the long whip tightly in his right hand, raised it to the sky, and the whip made a "whoosh" sound as it cut through the air.

The whip landed on the flesh, and the chili oil seeped into the cracked wound.

Chang Yusu felt no pain, only his mouth stretched wide: "Hit! Hit! Hit my face! I was born with superhuman strength, I feel no pain or suffering, I'm a martial arts champion appointed by the gods, a master of martial arts! Is this all you've got?! If you're so capable, cut off my flesh! Chop off my head! I'll admit you have guts!"

He was born without fear of pain, so even if he was trapped in a dark prison, what could these worms do to him?

Could it be that we really killed him?
Chang Yusu laughed heartily, blood still smeared on his teeth, his eyes bulging like two copper beads: "Do you dare kill me? If you arrest me, will my parents know? Will the Grand Princess know? Will the Cui family know? Will the Emperor know?"

"The Chang family has five branches and three generations, and I am the only male heir!"

“My father will protect me! My father will protect me, the Cui family in the Northern Frontier will protect me too! The Grand Princess will protect me too! That sickly emperor still owes the Grand Princess a huge debt of gratitude for his role in the founding of the dynasty. He can’t even stand up straight in front of her! You, Xue Xiao, want to be his dog? — Hahahaha — You might as well release me now, and I’ll let you be my dog! I’ll even give you a bone to eat!”

Chang Yusu's eyes were bloodshot, and he opened his mouth wide, shouting and yelling. The cramped space and the bloody atmosphere had fully aroused his madness.

He provoked us.

He went mad.

He was very pleased with himself.

Xue Xiao looked at Shan Yue, lowered his head, and beneath his thick, long eyelashes gleamed a bloodthirsty gaze: "If you want to kill, then kill me—"

“Kill him? He’s valuable.” Shan Yue stared intently at Chang Yusu, her eyes cold: “Isn’t the Duzhou dam breach case stuck in a rut? You helped me a lot with your book, and this time, I’ll repay you with a sum of money.”

Shan Yue raised her hand: "Blindfold him and put him down."

The man in black responded and went.

Chang Yusu's eyes were tightly covered with a black cloth, and two men pinned him to a stool with one head and one foot, like an eel on a chopping board.

He was still shouting loudly, uttering obscene phrases like "prostitutes and mad dogs are a match made in heaven," "lowly people can't change their nature of eating shit," and "I'll let you show off your power for three days."
Shan Yue ignored him, raised his foot to grab Chang Yusu's outstretched arm, and suddenly pulled out the butterfly bone knife from his sleeve. He pushed open the scabbard with a single finger, and the blade flashed coldly, instantly drawing a bloody line across Chang Yusu's wrist.

"Tick-tock—tick-tock—tick-tock—"

Just as Chang Yusu shut up, a strange, rhythmic sound of water suddenly came to his ears.

His wrist is bleeding!
"There are three places on the human body, one of which is the neck."

Shan Yue pressed the pads of his two fingers against the throbbing veins in Chang Yusu's neck.

"The two are behind the ears."

Move your fingertip towards the depression behind your ear.

"The third is the wrist."

Shan Yue lifted Chang Yusu's right wrist and dipped it downwards.

Chang Yusu felt her right hand sink into the warm water.

"There are many meridians in the wrist. If you cut your wrist with a sharp blade, all the meridians will be severed and blood will flow out, which is very dangerous. But in a healthy person, the wound will scab over in a short time and the bleeding will stop."

Chang Yusu heard that bitch's soft laugh.

"But once you put your wrist in warm water, the problem will be solved—don't worry, your cut wrist won't scab over, and your dirty blood will keep flowing and flowing and flowing."

"Until you die."