Obscuris Labyrinth

In the forest around the lush western Hunan Miao village, Zhao Yuxuan's eyes were firmly fixed on the Miao girl in front of him. This girl was as nimble as a fawn leaping in the forest, yet her slender appearance made her seem so delicate. However, this seemingly delicate girl was extremely agile, and this sharp contrast greatly surprised Zhao Yuxuan. His heart was like a calm lake into which a pebble had been thrown, rippling in circles. But at this moment, the situation was urgent, leaving no room for him to think too much. So, subconsciously, he raised his hand and attacked the girl.

Zhao Yuxuan knew very well that there were many scruples when fighting with a girl. One must never hit a girl's face; this was basic courtesy and respect. Looking further down, the chest area was like a no - go zone, an absolute taboo. As a result, after much thought, it seemed that the only part he could attack was the shoulders. He didn't have any special ideas; he just thought about pushing the girl down. After all, he was a man of honor and couldn't be too fussy. He couldn't do something like retaliating by making her nose bleed as she had done to him.

But who could have expected that as soon as he made a move, the Miao girl disappeared in front of his eyes like a ghost. This sudden change made Zhao Yuxuan stunned for a moment. Immediately after, he felt something suddenly trip his feet. Looking down, he saw that the girl had crouched down and swept horizontally on the ground with her foot like a whirlwind. Zhao Yuxuan fell backward like a felled tree, involuntarily. He felt a pang of annoyance in his heart. How could he be subdued so easily by this girl?

At the same time, the Miao girl's movements were as smooth as flowing clouds and running water. She quickly drew a small and exquisite silver knife from her waist. In the sunlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves, the silver knife glinted with a cold light. With a single raise and fall of her hand, several tree vines beside her were neatly cut off. Before Zhao Yuxuan could struggle to get up from the ground, the girl began to tie him up with extremely skillful techniques, as skillfully as an experienced hunter tying up a wild boar that had lost its ability to resist. Her eyes were focused and calm, and her hands moved without the slightest hesitation.

Only after his hands and feet were tied together did Zhao Yuxuan truly realize that this Miao girl in front of him was by no means someone to be underestimated. He couldn't help but feel bitter in his heart. He hurriedly shouted, "Little girl, little girl, let me go quickly. I'm really not a bad person. I... I swear by the most powerful god in your Miao tribe." His voice carried a tinge of anxiety and helplessness, and his eyes were full of pleading.

The Miao girl tilted her head slightly, with a hint of vigilance and curiosity in her eyes, and said, "Then let me ask you, who are you looking for in Tianwang Fort? If you can't say it, I'll call for people." As she spoke, she calmly took out something from the small bag at her waist and put it to her lips. It was a long and thin leaf. Her fingers were slender and flexible, gently pinching the leaf as if it were an extremely precious treasure.

Zhao Yuxuan knew very well that once this leaf was blown, it wouldn't be long before a group of strong Miao men rushed over. By then, he was afraid that he would be carried into the village like a criminal with sticks and interrogated. That would be a huge trouble, simply a disaster. At this thought, he quickly said, "Little girl, don't blow, don't blow. I'm looking for Li Ruize. Yes, it's Li Ruize." As he spoke, he thought to himself that this girl must be very familiar with everyone in the village, and he must not lie. But just as the words left his mouth, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind. Li Ruize was a Han Chinese. Why did he live in the Miao village? It was really strange, like a mysterious whirlpool suddenly emerging in a calm lake.

Who would have thought that as soon as he said this, the Miao girl looked him up and down carefully again. Her eyes seemed to be able to see through Zhao Yuxuan, looking from his hair to his toes and then back to his face. After a while, the girl slowly said, "You're looking for Li Ruize? Why are you looking for him? What do you want from him?" Her voice was soft but carried an undeniable force.

Looking at the girl's scrutinizing look and hearing her serious tone, Zhao Yuxuan thought that she must be very familiar with Li Ruize. Of course, he couldn't expose his real purpose. So he rolled his eyes and said, "A few months ago, Mr. Li visited my home. He wanted to buy something from my family and left his address. Now I want to sell it, so I came to find him." He tried his best to make his voice sound calm and natural, but his heart was pounding like a little rabbit.

The girl didn't seem to know much about this matter and just said softly, "Ah, Grandpa went out once a few months ago. So he went to your home. What did he want to buy? Was it some rare ancient book or blueprint?" There was a hint of doubt in her eyes, as if she was trying hard to recall something.

Zhao Yuxuan was also stunned. He didn't expect the girl to ask this question, so he blurted out, "Grandpa? Is Li Ruize your grandpa?" His eyes were full of surprise.

The girl nodded and said, "Yes." Her expression was very calm, as if she were talking about the most ordinary thing.

Zhao Yuxuan asked again, "He seems to be Han Chinese. Why does he live here?" His heart was full of curiosity, like a child full of the desire to explore the unknown world.

The girl replied, "My grandpa is Han Chinese, but my grandma is a Miao person here. My grandpa married my grandma, so of course he lives here." Her voice was as clear and melodious as a mountain spring.

Zhao Yuxuan suddenly realized, as if a fog had been suddenly dispersed by the sun. Thinking of the girl's agile skills just now, he couldn't help but feel that Li Ruize was even more suspicious. He secretly gritted his teeth, thinking that there must be some unknown secrets in this. But he said, "Hey, now you know I'm not a bad person. Moreover, I'm your grandpa's honored guest. Why don't you let me go?" His tone carried a tinge of eagerness and dissatisfaction.

The girl was as innocent as a blank sheet of paper. Without much thought, she quickly bent down, took the small knife in her hand and waved it. The movement was neat and clean. With a "swish" sound, the vines binding Zhao Yuxuan were cut off. Seeing this, Zhao Yuxuan flipped over like a carp leaping out of water and stood up from the ground. He patted the dust off his body and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

At this time, the girl was looking at Zhao Yuxuan, and her beautiful eyes were full of apology. She said, "Hey, what's your name? I'm really sorry just now. I didn't know you were my grandpa's guest." Her voice carried a tinge of guilt, and her face was slightly flushed, as charming as the sunset in the sky.

Zhao Yuxuan was a bit unhappy about being subdued by this girl, and said somewhat ungraciously, "My surname is Zhao, and my name is Yuxuan." His tone was a bit stiff, and he didn't look at the girl.

The girl nodded and said, "Yuxuan, Yuxuan, full of noble bearing. It's a very nice name." There was a glint of admiration in her eyes, as if she had discovered a brilliant star.

Zhao Yuxuan was a bit curious when he heard this and said, "I didn't expect that you understand Han Chinese poetry." There was a tinge of surprise in his eyes. He didn't expect that the girl in this Miao village had some understanding of Han Chinese culture.

The girl smiled slightly, and her smile was as beautiful as a flower in spring. She said, "Grandpa taught me. Besides Han Chinese knowledge, Grandpa also understands foreign knowledge. He knows a great deal. But I still prefer Han Chinese knowledge." Her eyes were full of reverence for her grandpa and love for Han Chinese knowledge.

Zhao Yuxuan was even more puzzled, but he didn't ask more. He just said, "Your grandpa is Han Chinese, and your grandma is Miao. Since you also have Han Chinese blood in you, it's natural that you like Han Chinese knowledge. By the way, what's your name?" There was a tinge of friendliness in his eyes, as if he were treating a long - lost friend.

The girl hesitated for a while, as if weighing in her heart whether to tell him or not. She bit her lip and after a moment said, "My name is Lin Yaxuan." Her voice was very low, as low as a mosquito buzzing.

Zhao Yuxuan nodded in a very learned manner and said, "Yaxuan, Yaxuan, as elegant as an orchid, and the daylily can make one forget sorrows. It's a very good name, a very good name." There was a faint smile on his face, like an old scholar commenting on an excellent work.

The girl nodded shyly and said, "More or less. I was born at night." Her face became even redder, like a ripe apple.

After chatting like this for a while, the girl had no more hostility towards Zhao Yuxuan at all. She just looked at him and said, "Zhao Yuxuan, your face looks like this. It's so ugly and it's easy to be mistaken for a bad person." There was a tinge of concern in her eyes, like an older sister caring for a younger brother.

Zhao Yuxuan felt that this Lin Yaxuan was an inexperienced girl. He didn't know if she had ever left western Hunan. She should be easy to deceive. So he said with a serious face, "My face was beaten by someone. All for your grandpa." He was calculating in his heart, wanting to tease this innocent girl a little and also relieve the anger in his heart from being subdued by her just now.

Lin Yaxuan asked strangely, "For my grandpa? How could this be?" Her eyes were full of confusion, like a clear lake into which a small pebble had been thrown.

Zhao Yuxuan couldn't defeat this girl in terms of martial arts, so now he could only rely on his wits to win. Teasing her a little would also relieve the anger in his heart. So he said, "Your grandpa wanted to buy something from my family. Although I didn't sell it to him immediately at that time, I promised him that if I ever intended to sell it, he would be the first one. But later, too many people wanted to buy this thing from my family, and they offered a large sum of money. Thinking that I had already promised your grandpa, of course I wouldn't sell it to them. So I hid the thing. Naturally, those people wouldn't give up. They caught me and tortured me severely, asking me to hand it over. Alas, it was really miserable at that time. Not only was I beaten, but I also had to endure the 'tiger bench', be force - fed with pepper water, and have bamboo sticks nailed into my fingers." As he spoke, he pretended to be in great pain, and even squeezed out a few tears from his eyes, like a highly skilled actor.

Lin Yaxuan obviously didn't understand these things and asked, "What is the 'tiger bench', 'pepper water', and 'nailing bamboo sticks'?" There was a tinge of confusion in her eyes, like a lost deer in the forest.

Zhao Yuxuan explained, "The 'tiger bench' is to tie a person to a bench and then use bricks to gradually raise the person's feet. After just a few bricks, a person's feet will be broken. It's an extremely painful punishment, like countless small hammers constantly knocking on your bones. 'Pepper water' is to turn the spiciest peppers into water and then force - feed it into a person's mouth. The burning feeling is like a fire in the throat, and the whole mouth and throat will feel as if they are on fire. The cruelest is still 'nailing bamboo sticks', which is to forcefully insert sharp and thin bamboo sticks into a person's ten fingers. Think about it, the fingers are connected to the heart. That kind of pain is not something ordinary people can bear, like countless needles stabbing your heart at the same time. But I didn't agree to them." His voice was low and slow, like telling an ancient and tragic story.

Lin Yaxuan's face showed a look of horror and pity, and her eyes were full of admiration for Zhao Yuxuan. Then she said in a very admiring tone, "As Ji Bu never broke his promise and Hou Ying valued his word, Brother Zhao, you are so trustworthy and brave. Let me see your hands quickly. Being pierced by bamboo sticks, they must be seriously injured." Her voice was a bit trembling, like a leaf in the wind.

Zhao Yuxuan then realized that he had boasted too much. Looking at his ten fingers, which were white and clean without even a callus, he couldn't help but feel bitter in his heart. How could he let this girl see his hands? So he quickly said, "Before the bamboo sticks were inserted, I pretended to faint. When they went to eat, I bit through the rope binding me with my teeth and slipped away. Then I took that thing and came here according to the address left by Mr. Li." His voice carried a tinge of panic, and he didn't dare to look at Lin Yaxuan.