Luo You'an had inhaled too much thick smoke, and his consciousness was gradually fading.
The flames had already burned close to his face, but he didn't even have the strength to raise his hand to put them out.
Staggering, he forced himself to run to the door of the room, but finally, unable to hold on any longer, his body went limp and he collapsed heavily.
Yet, just as he was about to hit the ground, a soft, warm body seemed to catch him.
It felt unfamiliar, yet familiar. An indescribable strangeness.
His face had been severely scorched by the fire, and his eyes were in agonizing pain, unable to open.
He only felt himself being dragged forcefully before they both plunged into a pond.
The remaining sparks on his body were instantly extinguished in the water. The figure held him down firmly underwater, preventing him from floating to the surface.
Just as Luo You'an felt he was about to run out of breath, he suddenly felt a softness on his lips. The person was pressing tightly against his lips, breathing air into his mouth in small, gentle gasps underwater.
"You must have heard wrong, right? Where is Luo You'an? Quick, go look somewhere else!"
Several figures hurried past on the bank of the pond, completely oblivious to what was underwater.
Only after the people had run far away did two figures emerge from the pond.
The first was a woman in a red dress, moving with agility. The young man beside her had his eyes tightly closed, blood seeping from the corners of his eyes, his breathing weak; he had already fallen unconscious.
The woman in red hurriedly found a burlap sack, slipped it over him, and hid him inside.
That group of people was clearly unwilling to give up and was still searching the surroundings.
She dragged the heavy sack with great effort. Fortunately, she possessed demonic power, making her strength far superior to that of an ordinary person.
However, her three hundred years of cultivation had not yet been completed. To hastily take on a human form this time, she had made a trade with the Goddess of Santu.
She had used her own voice in exchange for becoming human ahead of time.
The woman in red wandered aimlessly through the streets looking for a hiding place, when suddenly she sniffed out a place teeming with vibrant life essence that could stabilize her human form.
Her heart leaped with joy as she saw the words Huanyin Pavilion written on the signboard.
Thanks to the person in the sack, who would occasionally teach her how to read when telling her stories.
Chaotic footsteps were already approaching from behind; it must be that group of bad guys!
Without a second thought, she found a window and vaulted inside.
Inside the room, Xiangyun was engrossed in practicing her zither.
She knew that only by making her zither skills increasingly outstanding could she avoid being dragged out by Madam Liu to receive clients.
Just as she was playing the climax of the piece, there was a loud thump at the window as something crashed down.
Startled, her fingers trembled, and a zither string snapped in response.
Xiangyun looked up.
She saw a girl in a red dress, completely drenched, hugging a large burlap sack as if hiding some precious treasure inside, looking around warily.
Outside the window, a few figures happened to pass by, each looking ferocious and vicious.
The gaze of the woman in red met Xiangyun's.
She hurriedly put her hands together. Unable to speak, she just kept making bowing gestures toward her, her eyes full of pleading.
That gang, adopting a ruthless all or nothing stance, charged straight into Huanyin Pavilion.
The people inside the pavilion, completely confused, watched in horror as they kicked open the doors of the rooms downstairs one by one.
Hearing the commotion outside, Xiangyun looked back at the woman in red, who was still bowing to her pitifully.
Xiangyun bit her lip and grabbed the cloth used to cover her zither nearby. She didn't ask what was in the sack; she just silently covered the woman in red along with the sack.
The gang was searching in a hurry. Kicking open the door, they only saw a slightly childish-looking girl earnestly playing the zither. They didn't even enter the room; after a quick glance, they moved on to the next place.
Xiangyun breathed a sigh of relief, closed the door, and lifted the covering cloth.
Meeting those enchanting and moving eyes, Xiangyun was stunned for a moment, marveling inwardly at how beautiful she was. She then offered the woman a comforting smile, as if telling her that it was alright now.
After waiting for a moment, the woman in red quietly left with the sack.
She secretly hid in the woodshed of Huanyin Pavilion and observed for a day. She found that this place was run by a plump woman with a black mole on her face. Everyone called her Madam Liu.
Thus, the woman in red sought her out, knelt on the ground, and gestured, begging to be taken in.
Madam Liu was taken aback at first, but then she beamed with joy. Since ancient times, the courtesans had all been sold here weeping and wailing; this was the first time she had seen someone offer themselves up voluntarily.
Although she was a mute, this face was more than enough. It was simply a free bargain dropped from heaven.
She glanced at the young man lying in the arms of the woman in red, who was unconscious with a grimacing face, and waved her hand casually:
"From now on, you are a courtesan of my Huanyin Pavilion, and I will give you the name Hongxiao. As for this man, let him stay and wash the chamber pots."
The woman in red frowned slightly.
She had a name; she was called Xiaoman...
Luo You'an finally woke up under her care.
But his eyes could no longer see.
He could only vaguely guess where he was based on the drifting melodies and laughter.
With a trembling voice, trying hard to calm the immense pain in his heart, he spoke solemnly toward the direction beside him:
"I am Luo..."
The words reached his lips, but he suddenly paused.
He changed his words: "I am Xiaoman. Thank you, my benefactor, for saving me. May I ask what my benefactor's name is?"
The woman in red squatted in front of him, blinking strangely.
Ah? How did he become Xiaoman?
Since he became Xiaoman, then she could only be called Hongxiao.
But she couldn't tell him her name either.
She couldn't speak.
She could only take the young man's hand.
His hand was still warm. When she used to sleep by his hand, she loved brushing her tail against his distinct knuckles the most. It was a pity that now, having been scorched by the fire, a layer of skin had peeled off, making it wrinkled and rough.
But she still liked it.
The young man was slightly taken aback, a hint of shyness brushing across his face. Although he couldn't see, he could feel that this was a girl, her hand as soft and delicate as if it had no bones.
She placed his hand on top of her head, shook her head, and then nodded her head.
He understood. This was to let him ask, and she would only be responsible for shaking or nodding her head.
Feeling the soft hair beneath his palm, he hesitated and asked, "Miss... are you unable to speak?"
Hongxiao thought for a moment and shook her head.
She could speak; it was just that she had used it as a price to transform into a human ahead of time. She just needed to cultivate for a few more days, or absorb more life essence.
The young man breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out she just didn't want to speak, so he didn't press the matter further.
Hearing the faint, lewd laughter drifting from afar, he suddenly voiced his guess: "Is this place Huanyin Pavilion?"
It was the only dominant brothel in Qianwu Town.
The head beneath his palm nodded.
He was momentarily stunned. When he spoke again, his tone carried a trace of faint heartache: "Then, is Miss a... courtesan in the pavilion?"
If they had a choice, no girl would willingly trap herself in a place of prostitution.
Hongxiao looked at the pained expression on his face.
She stayed quiet for a long time, not moving.
Receiving no answer, he spoke again, this time his face softening a bit: "A musician?"
He had heard that the girls in Huanyin Pavilion were either courtesans or musicians.
Hongxiao didn't want Xiaoman to feel heartache; she only wanted Xiaoman to be happy.
So, she nodded her head.
Xiaoman probably preferred her to be a musician. Unfortunately, she wasn't, but in front of Xiaoman, she could be.
But how should she be one?
She thought of the girl named Xiangyun who had helped her earlier. She would often practice the zither at night, sometimes in her room, sometimes in a secluded spot under the corridor.
So Hongxiao took Xiaoman by the hand, found a corner, and quietly squatted down to sit.
Then she would hide to one side and watch him secretly, looking at Xiaoman with his eyes closed as he quietly listened to the melody.
Only when the piece was finished would she return to his side and gently poke his hand, waiting to hear him praise, "You play wonderfully, miss."
Hongxiao's heart would swell with delight.
She noticed that Xiaoman only truly relaxed when he was listening to the music.
Most of the time, he would just sit all alone in the woodshed, not saying a single word, staring blankly into space.
It was as if his life was forever trapped in the flames of that tragic night.
Not only were his eyes veiled in darkness, but his heart, too, was stranded in a cold and lonely night.
