The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 20 Daughter of the Former Master
"Sister Chuntao! Sister Chuntao...I'll kill you!"

"Wait until you've had your fill, then see if you still have the energy to kill me."

"hiss--"

The cries, curses, and the sound of tearing cloth inside the house grew louder.

Through the thin window paper, Xiao Yi's eyes were as cold and hard as ice.

He reminded himself once again that the people of this era were irrelevant to him, that there was no need for sadness or sympathy, and that the harder his heart was, the more likely he would be to survive in this chaotic world.

"hiss--"

"Kill me! You beast!"

"Let me smell you... You're so fresh and tender, Qiu Shuang, you're so soft... I'd die on top of you without hesitation..."

"hiss--"

Xiao Yi was annoyed.

He couldn't be bothered to listen to Jie Hui's vulgar words anymore, so he grabbed a clump of snow and stuffed it into his mouth. The snow went down his throat and chilled him to the bone.

He walked slowly, stepping sideways, over the threshold, one step, two steps... his eyes were fixed on Jie Hui.

Jie Hui hadn't started removing his leather armor yet, but his waist knife had already been taken off and placed on a table within easy reach beside him, along with his crossbow.

Xiao Yi only had one chance; the dagger needed to be plunged directly into his neck.

He was very calm, his eyes scrutinizing the props he used for wire work as if he were inspecting them carefully, allowing no room for error.

Holding your breath and concentrating, gently take the final step.

Shot!

"puff."

The dagger plunged down, piercing through flesh and blood. Xiao Yi could feel the resistance coming from Jie Hui's bones.

But it's not the larynx, it's the scapula.

In that instant, Jie Hui took a deep sniff of Qiu Shuang, raised his head high, and savored the scent of the young girl.

It was just that slight difference in looking up that made all the difference.

"what!"

A scream erupted.

Xiao Yi raised his hand to stab again, but Xie Hui dodged it by two inches. The dagger pierced through the leather armor, but he hesitated and couldn't pull it out immediately. Instead, Xie Hui pushed him with his shoulder and knocked him to the ground.

"Giggle..."

Jie Hui's neck and shoulders were bleeding, and he couldn't utter a curse. His triangular eyes glared fiercely at Xiao Yi with a murderous look, pouring out his anger and killing intent.

Xiao Yi was pressed down by the heavy body of the armored man. Just as Jie Hui reached for the knife on the table, Xiao Yi kicked it over, causing the waist knife and crossbow to tumble to the other side.

The dagger was swung again.

Xiao Yi's wrist was grabbed. He struggled, but Jie Hui was stronger and forced the dagger toward his neck.

He immediately wrapped his left arm around Jie Hui's neck and pressed hard on the wound that had just been stabbed.

"what!"

Jie Hui cried out in pain.

The dagger, which was inches from Xiao Yi's throat, turned and pressed down on Jie Hui.

Both men exerted all their strength, trying to plunge the dagger into the other's throat.

Suddenly, a series of footsteps could be heard outside the courtyard.

A group of imperial guards, tasked with confiscating property, passed by.

The two men, locked in combat on the ground, dared not make a sound, yet dared not slacken their efforts, fighting in silence.

In the silence, the dagger trembled, sometimes aimed at Xiao Yi, sometimes at Xie Hui.

"squeak--"

A faint, grating metallic scraping sound could be heard from inside the room, like a knife being drawn from its sheath, followed by the sound of a rope being cut.

Then, the knife pierced the flesh with a soft sound.

"puff."

Xiao Yi felt a burning sensation on his face, the resistance on his wrist vanished instantly, and blood gushed out, splashing all over his face.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a pair of small embroidered shoes, with graceful ankles, and a torn lotus-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) revealing half of a shapely calf.

Xiao Yi subconsciously closed his eyes, paused for a moment, and immediately remembered to deliver the finishing blow.

Pushing Jie Hui aside, he discovered that Jie Hui was still alive, and quickly grabbed a dagger to slit his throat.

"Step aside!"

Qiu Shuang stepped forward with her knife, glanced down, and swung it.

The knife struck the leather skirt armor beneath his crotch, and Jie Hui could no longer make a sound, coughing up blood from the pain.

After a few slashes, the skirt armor was torn to shreds.

Qiu Shuang continued to slash with her knife, one strike after another.

The girl was delicate and frail, her eyes filled with tears. She was clearly frightened, and she kept her lips tightly pursed, trying not to make a sound.

The meat chopping was just average.

She didn't stop until Jie Hui's hip and face were hacked to pieces and his neck was broken.

This was the bloodiest scene Xiao Yi had ever witnessed in his two lifetimes.

We also witnessed the prevailing trend of using violence to suppress violence during the Five Dynasties period.

He was at a loss for words. After regaining his senses, he first got up and looked out the door.

The Imperial Guards did not search this courtyard; they must have gone to take control of the Shi residence first.

The tension, which had kept me from even breathing loudly, finally subsided.

"Damn it." Xiao Yi cursed casually, then washed his face with snow and wiped away the bits of flesh and bone from his body before feeling refreshed.

He turned back into the house and saw Qiushuang squatting beside Chuntao, sobbing silently. He went over and reached out to check her; Chuntao had stopped breathing and her skin was cold.

She has also finished filming.

Thinking this, Xiao Yi walked straight away to search Jie Hui's body, and took out a waist token of a head soldier, two gold ingots, and a red cloth bundle from his pocket.

Imperial Guard Military Seal?

Uncover the red cloth; there was no military tally, only three pearls.

He was slightly disappointed and was about to casually wrap the pearls up when the red cloth was pulled away.

With a few "tap-tap" sounds, the pearls fell to the ground.

Xiao Yi looked up and saw that Qiu Shuang's tears were still wet. She clutched the red cloth tightly and said nervously, "It's mine."

It turned out that was her undergarment; no wonder it had a faint fragrance.

She was clearly bothered by being offended.

Xiao Yi then went to pick up the pearls on the ground.

“That was Chun Tao’s dowry that she had saved up…” Qiu Shuang choked up again and cried, “He came to our room and stole it.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yi's fingers momentarily lost their grip on the pearl, and it rolled into the pool of blood.

He picked it up, wiped it clean, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Do you know if Jie Hui killed Zhang Mantun and Shi Dechong?"

"No." Qiu Shuang suppressed the tremor in her voice and said, "We couldn't beat this beast. He was chased away and then came to bully us."

Xiao Yi picked up the waist token, but then thought better of it and decided to throw it away. He picked up the crossbow, which had only one bolt left.

As for the horizontal sword, it was completely rolled up at the edges, so it was useless to hold and would only increase the vigilance of others.

He picked up his baggage and continued his detour to the west wall.

After walking for a while, he turned around and saw Qiu Shuang standing behind him, hurriedly tidying her clothes.

"Xiao Yi, don't you recognize me?"

Should I recognize you?

“I…I am your master.”

Xiao Yi frowned, too lazy to pay her any more attention, and quickened his pace.

Qiu Shuang followed and said, "I am a daughter of the Li family. You have been a servant in my household since you were a child. You were confiscated from my house and sent to the Shi family with me. Do you recognize me?"

"I am no longer a slave."

"You need to find a way out? Can you take me with you?"

"No."

Xiao Yi resolutely refused.

He himself was struggling to survive, let alone take on such a burden. As the saying goes, the harder your heart, the longer you can live.

He quickened his pace and crossed a path. Looking back, he saw that Qiu Shuang was keeping up with him.

"Don't follow me."

"I...I haven't thanked you for saving my life yet."

Qiu Shuang gave a rather formal curtsy and raised her eyes.

Her eyes were red from crying, still wet with tears, like a thin mist, yet still bright. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her pupils held a hint of fear, like a frightened fawn looking at Xiao Yi.

It was as if the butcher who had just chopped people up wasn't her.

Xiao Yi had seen too many beautiful women with good acting skills, and knew that she was deliberately trying to soften his heart, so he still said, "Don't follow me."

"But perhaps I can repay you."

"You have already repaid me."

“I won’t be a burden to you. Although I am weak, I am not a spoiled person. You know best that I lost my family and home when I was young and have suffered all kinds of hardships. Let me escape with you. What if I have an extra helper? At the very least, I can keep watch.”

Xiao Yi was surprised by her will to survive. He turned around and looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze.

Perhaps sensing his scrutiny, Qiu Shuang stopped putting on a pitiful act and became more sincere.

"Please, I don't want to die, I still want revenge."

"The Shi family has been overthrown, and Xie Hui has been chopped to pieces."

"Su Fengji and Ge Yanyu are still alive."

Xiao Yi glanced at the bloodstains on Qiu Shuang's skirt and asked, "Who is Ge Yanyu?"

"You don't remember the butler who colluded with outsiders to frame your father?"

"I don't remember anything from the past."

As he spoke, Xiao Yi continued walking, passing through a courtyard gate and finally entering the bamboo grove under the west wall.

Qiu Shuang suddenly tugged at his collar, her eyes shining, and whispered, "Take me with you, I can protect you."

"you?"

“If we can escape this wall, Li Xinchen, who lives across the street, is a distant relative of mine. We can hide in his house.”

This coincided with Xiao Yi's plan.

He didn't believe it was such a coincidence, and secretly thought that Qiu Shuang had probably guessed his plan and was deliberately deceiving him.

"Really?"

“It is true. Lord Xinchen is a descendant of the Prince of Xun of the Tang Dynasty, and my ancestor was the Duke of Anping of the Tang Dynasty. We are of the same lineage and origin, and our two families have always had a good relationship.”

Xiao Yi couldn't understand and couldn't be sure she wasn't making it up, so he asked, "If that's the case, why didn't Li Tao save you sooner?"

Qiu Shuang lowered her eyes, somewhat saddened, and murmured, "What separates me from my people is not a high wall, but the power of the Shi family."

The two looked at the wall that was faintly visible among the bamboo groves. The Shi family's power had collapsed overnight, but the high wall in front of them still blocked their chance of survival.

(End of this chapter)