Escape the Miaojiang Villain - Chapter 8
Chapter 8: His Little Slave Ling: The Hot Spring
Tu Lingxiang picked up another handful of water and poured it over his leg. Watching the fine hairs get wet and cling to his beautifully proportioned leg, she actually found it quite fun.
Lian Jing sat on the chair with his eyes half-closed. He felt that soft little hand accidentally brushes across his leg, stirring up a faint, ticklish itch. As the warm stream of water flowed over his skin, an inexplicable sense of comfort washed over him.
He peeked down at the young girl through narrowed eyes. Seeing her washing so intently and seriously, he wondered: Is she treating my leg like a giant white radish?
Eventually, amidst such a comfortable experience, he actually drifted off to sleep.
It was his first time dropping his guard so completely and falling into a deep sleep in front of her.
If she had taken a knife and stabbed him right then, he probably wouldn’t have even noticed.
Unfortunately, she missed this golden opportunity.
“Young Master? Young Master?”
Tu Lingxiang grabbed a towel to dry his feet and pulled down his pant legs. Looking up and seeing that he seemed to have fallen asleep, she called out to him softly twice.
Seeing that he still didn’t wake, she stood up from the floor, pounding her legs that had long grown numb from crouching.
Leaning close to his flawless face, she called out twice more, “Young Master? Young Master?”
Lian Jing was finally woken by her calling.
Opening his eyes, he saw her face right in front of his.
He shoved her away abruptly and snapped, “Stay away from me!”
Tu Lingxiang nearly fell over, steadying herself against the table, and said, “Young Master, I’ve finished washing your feet. If you want to sleep, go sleep on the bed.”
“Who said I wanted to sleep?”
Lian Jing stood up from the chair, wearing the wooden clogs she had prepared for him, and said, “This young master wants to bathe. Go prepare the water.”
“???”
Didn’t you just wash your feet?
If you wanted to bathe, why not do it all at once?
Are you absolutely set on torturing me?
She picked up the footbasin and walked out of the room. Fortunately, she had boiled enough water earlier. She brought up four wooden buckets of water, poured them into the bathtub, and adjusted the water temperature. But after doing all that, she stood by the bathtub in a daze.
How am I supposed to serve him during a bath?
She couldn’t possibly be expected to wipe down his body, could she?
Oh God!
Just imagining it made her nose bleed.
“Hey, what are you standing there dazing off for?” Lian Jing’s voice echoed from behind.
She immediately ran over to him, blushing, and reached out her hands to untie his belt.
Who knew Lian Jing would suddenly grab her tiny hand and roar in anger, “What are you doing?”
Tu Lingxiang raised her confused eyes and asked, “Aren’t I supposed to wait on you?”
“You…” His face turned pale with rage as he flung her hand away.
“Get out!”
Wait on me? In your dreams.
Hearing this, Tu Lingxiang ran outside as if relieved of a heavy burden, thinking to herself that she finally didn’t have to serve this plague god anymore.
Just after stepping out the door, she remembered something and turned back to ask, “Young Master, where am I sleeping tonight?”
“Where else would you sleep besides my room?”
That icy, cracking voice drifted from inside, as if asking: Could it be you still want to sleep in someone else’s room?
“Oh, got it…” She pulled the door shut for him.
She glanced at the other two rooms to the left and right, thinking to herself that she couldn’t escape at all anyway. Why couldn’t he just let her sleep in another room? Did he have to keep her tethered by his side to be satisfied?
She slid down to sit on the floor, leaning against the door panel. The clear, bright moonlight fell across the corridor, making the silver threads on her red dress shimmer with extraordinary radiance.
Resting her chin on both hands, she gazed at the distant green peaks and the quiet fires of the Miao village. From time to time, the sound of splashing water reached her ears, causing her face to flush—that was the sound of Lian Jing bathing.
She shook the dust off her bright red skirt. Earlier, Lian Jing had dragged her over such a long distance that her skirt was nearly worn through, covered in mud and stray leaves.
Feeling filthy all over, she couldn’t wait to take a bath herself.
However, Lian Jing would definitely not allow her to use his bathtub.
Right! She suddenly remembered a great spot.
Back when she wrote the Miao Territory arc of the story, she had written that the female lead often went to a hot spring pool to bathe. That place was quiet and remote, known to very few people. Tomorrow, once Lian Jing went out, she could go there to bathe.
And so, surrounded by such pleasant fantasies, she drifted off into dreamland.
After Lian Jing finished bathing and opened the door, the young girl fast asleep against the door panel slid downward, her head leaning toward his foot.
He kicked her shoulder, sending her tumbling to the side.
“You wench! This young master hasn’t even slept yet, and you dare sleep first!”
Tu Lingxiang was kicked awake from her sleep.
She rubbed her sore shoulder, raised her hazy eyes to look at him, and cursed inwardly: Damned Lian Jing, that really hurt.
“Go clean up the water.”
He had changed into a clean, ivory-white robe with cloud patterns, tied with a thin, long sash at his waist. He looked a little less wicked and a bit more delicate and harmless. A gust of fresh fragrance drifted into her nose, making her sneeze uncontrollably.
Why did this dead man make himself smell so good?
Like a wild fox, who is he trying to seduce?!
Steadied by the door panel, she stood up from the floor and tottered into the room. Lian Jing took a step back with a look of disgust, seemingly terrified that her dirty clothes might touch him.
By the time she finished tidying the room, Lian Jing was already lying in bed. She looked around the room—there wasn’t even a couch. Where was she supposed to sleep?
On the floor?
It was so cold.
Looking at the person lying quietly on the bed, she cursed in her heart: Dead man, it’d be best if you slept to death right there.
Tiptoeing over to the wardrobe in the room, she dug out a cotton quilt, wrapped herself in it, and fell asleep on the floor.
She reminded herself in her heart: As long as I’m alive, as long as I’m alive, I can endure everything else. No matter how hard it gets, I can push through.
The next day, Lian Jing woke up, glanced at her, kicked her awake, and leaned down with a smile, saying, “Little slave, you’re living quite a comfortable life, aren’t you? From now on, you must wake up before this young master does. Otherwise…”
He intentionally dragged out his words, picking up her slender, green-scallion-like fingers, “…for every day you wake up late, I’ll chop off one finger. Once the fingers are gone, I’ll chop off the toes.”
Tu Lingxiang shrank back in terror, her face pale with panic.
“But I don’t know when you wake up!”
“Well, you’ll just have to guess, won’t you?”
After speaking with a smile, he left the room in an exceptionally good mood.
Guess?
How was she supposed to guess?
He clearly just didn’t want her to get a good night’s sleep.
That day, Lian Jing indeed went out without bringing anyone along. Tu Lingxiang knew he had many affairs to handle, and these were things he wouldn’t want her to know about.
After he left, she carried a set of clean clothes and headed up the mountain along the small path behind the stilt house.
Huo Xin glanced at her and asked casually, “Where are you going?”
“To… wash clothes.”
“Washing clothes in the mountains?”
“The Young Master said the water in the mountains is better…”
“Go on, go on.”
Huo Xin waved his hand, probably thinking she couldn’t run away anyway, so he paid her no mind.
She walked into the mountain forest alone, following the route in her memory. Soon, she was far away from those stilt houses. If she escaped right now, would she have a chance to get away?
No.
She didn’t dare take the risk just yet. She couldn’t guarantee that Lian Jing wouldn’t catch up to her after she escaped—after all, his nose was like a dog’s.
Better play it safe and stay put.
After winding through the forest for a while, she finally saw a hot spring pool just as she had hoped.
This place was remote, surrounded by mountains on three sides. No one except the locals of Miao Territory would know about it. Moreover, this area fell within the territory of the Guyue village, which was the Miao King’s domain, so ordinary people wouldn’t dare wander around here carelessly.
She ran over joyfully, squatted at the edge of the pool, and tested the water temperature with her hand. It was just right. She immediately took off her clothes and stepped into the pool.
“Ah, so comfortable…”
After running around with Lian Jing for days on end and being worked to death by his commands, now that she was in such a comfortable hot spring, she only wanted to soak inside and never come out.
Lian Jing walked alone on the streets of the Miao village for a while. Shops lined both sides of the street with a dazzling array of silver ornaments, but he was in no mood to admire them.
He turned into a slightly quieter street, searching for “No. 17 Udam-flower Lane,” a name deeply etched in his mind. Eventually, his steps came to a halt in front of a shop door.
It was an ancient-looking shop. A small crack had formed on the dust-covered plaque, upon which five large characters were carved: Ancient Style Silversmith Shop. On the doorposts on both sides hung two faded, mottled couplets, with visible marks of re-gluing along the edges.
He stepped across the threshold. Behind the counter inside sat an elderly man with his head down, fiddling with an old abacus on the desk. Sensing someone approaching, he raised his head.
The moment the old man raised his head, Lian Jing placed a silver necklace before him and said, “Repair this necklace.”
The shop owner’s gaze lingered on his face for quite a while before he lowered his head to look at the necklace. As a result, he let out a gasp of surprise.
It was a necklace made entirely of silver, except for the pendant at the bottom, which held a touch of blue—it looked just like a tear dropped by the ocean.
“Can it be repaired?”
Holding the necklace, the owner’s voice trembled slightly as he answered, “Yes… I can…”
“Young Master, please follow me.”
Lian Jing followed him into the back hall of the silversmith shop.
Out of the owner’s line of sight, he secretly curled his lips into a wicked smile.
Once in the back hall, the owner led him to an empty courtyard and pointed to a narrow path, saying to him, “Young Master, please proceed on your own.”
Lian Jing smiled at him, clasped his hands, and said, “Thank you for your trouble.”
Then, he walked alone toward that winding path.
Where did the end of that road lead?
He was quite curious himself.
A few months ago, while hunting down a gang of Shentu Dao disciples, he accidentally discovered a secret—a secret they guarded with their lives.
At that time, he used a soul-bewitching spell to make those disciples mistakenly believe he was one of their sect members. Thus, on the brink of death, they handed over a very important token to him and left behind a last word: “Miao Territory, Udam-flower Lane, No. 17, repair it…”
That token was this very silver necklace.
Now, carrying this necklace to this place, he wanted to see what secret those people of Shentu Dao were hiding in the Miao Territory.
He walked step by step along the green stone path. This place was secluded and devoid of people; the higher he walked, the colder it felt.
Ahead, a wooden pavilion was nestled within a green bamboo forest. Outside the pavilion stood a gray brick wall. He walked into the bamboo forest, leaped onto the wall, squatted atop it, and looked around—the courtyard was completely empty.
He leaped down lightly and walked through the desolate courtyard. The spacious yard was covered with pale green bamboo leaves. Walking through it felt like floating in a sea of green waves, the faint rustling sounds underfoot ringing remarkably clear in the quiet courtyard.
His gaze scanned the surroundings vigilantly. What secret could possibly be in such an empty courtyard that was worth those people guarding with their lives?
He pushed open the carved wooden door of the pavilion, which was covered in thick, white cobwebs. How could such a ghost of a place be inhabited by anyone?
He walked toward the stairs. Inside, the spiderwebs grew even thicker, the silk threads swirling and obscuring his vision, giving him the feeling of stepping into a Spider Demon’s Cave.
Upon reaching the second floor, he suddenly heard a slight sound. He instantly grew alert, but when he listened closely again, the sound vanished without a trace.
Unable to capture that tiny noise, he stood in place for a long time. The entire pavilion had no open windows, making him feel exceptionally oppressed. He walked to a window, preparing to push open the sash that hadn’t been opened for years.
Right at that moment, an unidentified object attacked him from the side. Sharp claws scraped across the back of his hand, stopping him from opening the window.
Ignoring the pain on his hand, he turned to chase after the creature, but in the blink of an eye, it darted back into the pitch-black pavilion.
“What kind of monster are you? Why do you fear showing yourself?”
His voice echoed throughout the entire pavilion, and soon, the echo bounced back.
The monster went quiet once more.
His eyes flicked toward the window from earlier, his outer eye corners lifting slightly. He swept his palm wind across the windows around the pavilion one by one. In an instant, all the windows flew open.
The second the windows opened, a sharp scream rang out inside the entire pavilion—piteous and terrifying, like an animal, yet like a wailing ghost.
The next moment, a white entity of unknown form darted out, flying toward those wide-open windows. While shrieking, it shut the windows one after another.
It cried out miserably, seemingly terrified of the windows opening.
What was it afraid of?
Light? Or the people outside?
Taking advantage of the opportunity, he struck out at it. However, when his hand grabbed toward the white mist, he unexpectedly caught hold of a smooth, tender arm, startling him severely.
A woman?
Since she possessed a physical body, she was no ghost.
She was screaming so loudly that the entire building seemed to tremble. He attacked her again, this time grabbing her hair.
He yanked her over forcefully and demanded, “Who on earth are you?”
The woman went completely mad. Her five fingers bore long, sharp nails as she wailed piteously, refusing to answer his question.
He didn’t understand—was the secret Shentu Dao guarded with their lives really just a mad woman?
He raised his wrist, generating demonic energy that surged toward her head. Right at that moment, however, the woman’s black hair fluttered wild, and a deep blue light erupted from her neck. He was instantly stunned—within that blue glow, he seemed to see a mysterious and complex blue pattern.
That pattern…
He had seen it years ago.
Right here in the Miao Territory.
In that brief moment of his distraction, the woman’s hand swept across horizontally. Her sharp nails slashed across his arm, ripping through his clothing and leaving five bloody gashes.
Forced to loosen his grip on her long hair, she disappeared in a flash with a “swish.”
He wanted to pursue her further, but voices echoed from the staircase, “What’s going on? Why is there such a commotion in Udam-flower Tower?”
Pressing his left hand against his injured right arm, he rushed to the window, pulled open the sash, and leaped out.
“Someone’s there! Quick, after him!”
The two people behind immediately gave chase toward the window.
He leaped into the lush green waves of the bamboo forest, fleeing toward the mountain. The woman’s claws were extremely venomous; right now, his wound felt as if it were being drenched in chili oil, burning fiercely, and his consciousness was gradually turning hazy.
Meanwhile, the two people behind pursued him relentlessly like rabid dogs.
He didn’t even know where he had run. As he rounded a patch of woods, he unexpectedly saw a hot spring pool ahead. And inside the mist-shrouded pool, a young girl was bathing with her bare body exposed.
Under the warm sunlight, the girl’s skin was as clear and flawless as fine jade. Flecks of golden light adorned her pale, rose-tinted cheek. Her raven hair, like water weeds, spilled across her delicate back. Her lotus-like arm lifted slightly, scooping up a handful of water to pour over her slender shoulders.
His footsteps froze instantly. He stared blankly at the dreamlike scene before his eyes.
Sensing his footsteps, the young girl turned her head—their eyes met, and both were struck with utter astonishment.
