Chapter 655: Chapter 352: Lady Rescued, Rarely Shy; The Further the Parting, The Deeper the Fall (Part 3)

Xiaotuan thought, "It seems Madam is not in seclusion. She must have been captured, most likely by Li Xian. Alas, despite Madam’s prowess, she is still a woman. A woman inevitably falls victim to a man’s deceit. Even someone as formidable as Madam falls prey to such a miserable fate. I must stay away from men in the future."

Wen Caishang transmitted her voice, "Do you remember the technique of Wearing Silkworm Clothes that I taught you in the past?" Xiaotuan replied, "I remember." Wen Caishang transmitted her voice, "With your skills, it is difficult to resolve this on your own. You must follow my instructions. First, untie the rope binding your fingers."

Xiaotuan, being meticulous and skillful, immediately tried. The Green Silkworm Rope is made of a special material, with knots as thin as a hair and extremely difficult to trace. Without tracing the knots, untying is out of the question. You must employ a unique Qi Movement technique, infusing Inner Qi into the Green Silkworm Rope, flowing along its length, and detecting the point of obstruction which reveals the knot.

Upon finding the knot, one’s hands must be remarkably skillful to untie it from within the microscopically thin strands. Xiaotuan circled her Inner Qi along the rope, with cold sweat on her forehead, saying, "Madam, there are dozens of knots in this one spot alone."

Wen Caishang’s face darkened as she cursed within, "That damn kid truly doesn’t hold back against me. He learns some tricks outside and tries them all on me." She recalled their encounters over the past days. Li Xian, while idle, added fuel to the fire, fearing it wouldn’t be stable enough. Wen Caishang had cursed and fumed, but could do nothing.

Wen Caishang transmitted her voice, "No matter, just untie it slowly." Xiaotuan focused her mind, "Alright!" An hour passed, Wen Caishang’s fingers spread open, slender and fair, moving freely. Having regained some ability, ready to perform Martial Arts such as "Flower Picking Finger" and "Spring Cutting Hand."

Wen Caishang’s fingers reversed, grasping Xiaotuan’s wrist tightly. Xiaotuan exclaimed in surprise, "Madam, you..." knowing her life hung by a thread in that instant. But immediately sensed Inner Qi growing, and Qi Lake filling.

This was "Snatching Heaven’s Recovery Skill." Wen Caishang knew Xiaotuan’s Qi was weak, her recovery slow, unable to completely resolve the situation in a few days. Thus, she helped her with the skill. Her voice transmitted softly, "Rest a while, then untie my toes."

Xiaotuan wiped the sweat from her brow. Trying again, it took another two hours. Unaware, dawn was breaking. Wen Caishang released herself further, observed the Silkworm Clothes on her body, instructing Xiaotuan to untie them one by one.

After half a day, Xiaotuan was extremely fatigued, nearly asleep. Wen Caishang comprehended the urgency of the matter, letting Xiaotuan sleep to regain energy and spirit before attempting further escape. Thus, after another day, although Wen Caishang’s feet were not free, they could stretch. She could stand and jump, employing Lightweight Skill, regaining more ability.

Xiaotuan felt intensely hungry. Suddenly recalling a map annotation, indicating a corner of the carriage contained food and dry rations. She asked Wen Caishang for permission, which was granted, and immediately ate the dry rations to satiate her hunger.

Untying the ropes was extremely complex, each step consuming much energy. Wen Caishang thought, "In the future, when confronting that kid again, I must be extremely cautious, to never again fall into his trap. If I am captured like this again, not even Xiaotuan will be able to rescue me. His talents are terrifying, his progress swift... but Martial Arts are not pursued solely through innate talent, accumulation is needed."

After another day, all ropes were untied. Wen Caishang’s limbs were numb, one hand propping the soft couch, the other retrieving the Jade Nut. The nut was smooth and glossy, full of fragrant shine. Xiaotuan gasped, realizing the Madam had the nut in her mouth all along.

Wen Caishang’s expression was stern as she cursed, "What a mischievous child!" With a raise of her hand, she absorbed a white skirt from the clothes stand. Her body technique was ghostly, immediately putting it on neatly. All traces of distress disappeared, restoring her former appearance.

Xiaotuan secretly wondered, "I don’t know if I’ll ever see Madam in that state again. She’s usually incredibly fierce, but when she occasionally suffers a setback, isn’t it... isn’t it kind of good? Xiaotuan, Xiaotuan, how can you think like that?"

Wen Caishang noticed a simple drawing on the sole, growing annoyed. She thought, "The Five Mountains Sword Alliance joined forces to deal with me. I can still calmly resolve it, though this little rogue has talent, his skills are still lacking. Despite his flying ambition, his wings are not yet fully formed. But he has made me so incredibly embarrassed."

Despite the shame, seeing the scattered ropes all around, she thought of the events, unexpectedly feeling nostalgic for the charm. Wen Caishang discarded distracting thoughts, suddenly frowning slightly, observing all around. In the corner of the carriage, a strange fallen hair had taken root, lodged within the carriage.

Wen Caishang frowned, inspecting closely, seeing the strand of hair gently swaying like flowers and grass. She, being very insightful, said, "This hair is from that little thief, it must be the Rooting Hair. Since he possesses the ability to gather Three Flowers and Wearing Muddy Clothes with unique effects, the Rooting Hair’s trait may differ as well. This hair falling here must have a unique purpose. He has left, it’s neither a trap, nor toxic, nor lethal... it should serve as an observation tool."

Her expression paused as she gritted her teeth, face slightly red, thinking, "If that’s the case, hasn’t he been watching me covertly for several days? My state at that time was ultimately indecorous. Unable to move my limbs, feeling utterly stifled. Being observed by him clandestinely, he must’ve internally gloated at my plight. It’s truly detestable! His cautious methods, arranging like this, should be in fear of any accidents. If I had detected earlier, when Xiaotuan was saving me, I would’ve used Pupil Skill to stun her. He’s been secretly spying, knowing I couldn’t escape. Though he’s deeply apprehensive of me, if I were in danger, he’d certainly save me—I know him." Her heart sweetened like drinking honey, though having missed the opportunity, she felt helpless.

Turning her thoughts again, "Hmph! Since I can’t see you, but you can see me, how can there be such a fortunate thing in the world?" She raised her hand to cut the hair. But immediately regretted, "He, he wants to look at me more, isn’t that good? If his rogue eyes don’t look at me, they’ll certainly look at other women." Seeing the hair cut, holding it in her palm, difficult to forget.

She always acted decisively. Only regarding Li Xian, both advancing and retreating were filled with mixed thoughts. Her moods were influenced by him, entirely beyond her control. Li Xian repeatedly betrayed her, leaving her, sometimes distant, sometimes fiery like passion, igniting all desire. When away, erratic and elusive, his whereabouts hard to trace. She should hate him, be troubled by him, yet each reunion and each separation drew her deeper, her feelings engaged even more strongly. The memories of intimate touch remained vivid, the Dual Swords Unite hard to forget or settle.