As the dusk settled, Huo Zhan Bai and Liao Qingran were preparing to head south to Lin'an.
In this weather that hinted at imminent snowfall, the couple should have been lighting a small red clay stove in the ancient magnolia courtyard. They could have enjoyed some newly brewed green ant wine, made playful bets, and passed the time cheerfully. Unfortunately, their plans were abruptly interrupted by an unwelcome visitor.
"Thank you for your hard work," Huo Zhan Bai said, looking at the woman who had traveled through the night. However, the address got stuck in his throat. According to Xue Ziye's status as a friend, he should have referred to her as a senior. Yet, calling her "Senior Liao" would imply that she was taller than Wei Wu, her Fifth Brother.
"Seventh Young Master, no need to be polite," Liao Qingran dismissed the trivialities, patted the sleeping child, and handed him over to Wei Fengxing. She instructed, "These days, the weather is still cold. Make sure A'Bao doesn't catch a chill. Heat up the food he eats, and wear more layers when going in and out. If anything goes wrong, just wait and see how I deal with you!"
Wei Fengxing nodded repeatedly, holding the child, not daring to say a word.
This was the same Fifth Brother of the Eight Swords, the renowned "Sword of the Jade Tree" Wei Fengxing? He appeared more like a lamb subdued by the might of a lion from the east than the charismatic figure who once captivated countless women in the martial world. Huo Zhan Bai found the scene amusing but dared not voice it.
Finally understanding where Xue Ziye inherited her temperament, he couldn't help but acknowledge that a master must have an apt pupil.
"Fengxing, I'll leave with Seventh Young Master now." Liao Qingran mounted her horse, turned to look at Wei Fengxing, and said, "The duration of this journey is uncertain, depending on Xu Mo's condition. It could be a quick three to five days or a slow one to two months. You'll be alone at home, so be careful. If I find out you and Xia Qianyu are messing around in certain places again, I'll personally break your legs!"
"Yes, yes," Wei Fengxing replied without getting angry, just nodding with A'Bao in his arms.
In the twilight, with a chill in the air and the hint of impending snowfall, Wei Fengxing took out a cloak from his side and unfolded it. He approached his wife, draping it around her, saying, "Even if you're a divine healer, you should be careful not to catch a cold."
Liao Qingran raised a corner of her mouth, turned her head, and gave him a peck on the forehead, revealing a childish expression. "Understood. Behave at home. I'll bring you your favorite plum blossom cakes from Lin'an when I return."
She led her horse along the grassy path and gradually disappeared into the distance. Huo Zhan Bai soon followed suit, mounting his horse and looking back at the man standing in the courtyard, holding the child and watching them leave. Suddenly, a faint sense of loss crept into his heart.
It seemed that even so-called divine couples were just like this.
He caught up with Liao Qingran, and the two rode side by side. The woman, with a hat covering her face, raced through the night. Despite being over thirty, she appeared even more graceful and charming, like a precious jade. That fellow Wei Wu was truly fortunate.
Huo Zhan Bai vaguely recalled that, many years ago, during a confrontation with the Southern Moon Sect in Nanchuan, Wei Fengxing had been seriously injured and left the Central Plains to seek medical treatment. He returned a year later. Perhaps, he and Liao Qingran had met during that time. Then, the woman resigned as the Valley Master of the Medicine Master Valley, hiding her identity, and the once dashing Fifth Brother of the Eight Swords retreated from the martial world to lead a secluded life with her.
"Huo Seventh Master, I actually need to thank you," he was lost in thought when he suddenly heard a sigh.
He shook slightly, turning to meet the meaningful gaze of Liao Qingran. "Because of you, my foolish disciple finally gave up on that unrealistic fantasy. She immersed herself in that dream for too long. Now that obsession is broken, and everything can start anew."
She smiled as she looked at him. "Huo Seventh Master, I wonder when you will break through the obsession in your heart?"
Huo Zhan Bai, stroking the magnificent horse gifted by Xue Ziye, suddenly laughed. "Master Liao, your disciple handles her liquor quite well. When Xu Mo recovers, I'd like to return to the Medicine Master Valley and have a proper drink with her."
"Oh? But you won't be able to outdrink her," Liao Qingran tossed her wind cap back, winked at him, and said, "Drinking and playing rock-paper-scissors, I taught her all that. She surpassed her master long ago. Do you know? Back then, the Fengxing of those days lost to me just like that."
"What?" Huo Zhan Bai was surprised and burst into laughter.
"Hehe," Liao Qingran looked at him and chuckled, "If you go, there's no guarantee you won't end up in the same predicament."
"Hahaha," after a moment of surprise, Huo Zhan Bai burst into laughter again, urging his horse forward, and replied loudly, "That's fine!"
The deepening dusk was accompanied by faint snowfall. Huo Zhan Bai, galloping forward, looked up at the falling snowflakes. Suddenly, he felt a bit trance-like. What was that woman doing now? Was she pouring wine for herself or talking to the person beneath the ice?
That lonely valley... it seemed like time had stopped there.
He suddenly realized he couldn't help but repeatedly think of her. On this night before returning to Lin'an to put an end to everything, he unloaded the heavy burden in his heart, and the memories of the past eight years vividly surfaced. The moon in the snowy night, the falling plum blossoms, the person sleeping in his arms—all seemed to be right before his eyes.
Perhaps... it was indeed time to bid farewell to the past.
How he wished he could still be the young man of eight years ago, spirited and unyielding, holding onto an all-consuming and hopeless love. He once believed that this fervent and hopeless love would last his entire life. However, everything gradually faded away with time. Strangely, he didn't feel sorrowful for this disappearance or ashamed of his surrender.
So, even the deepest emotions in life ultimately succumb to time.
Liú Fēi Fēi was intelligent. Knowing it was impossible, she gracefully let go, choosing another form of happiness that she could grasp. And what about him? In that snowy night, awakening, had he already released the thread he once thought would never let go?
As he rode southward, his heart lingered in the north.
"In truth, I had already lost to her..." Huo Zhan Bai pondered for a long time, suddenly looking at the night snow and sighing deeply. Uttering a seemingly random sentence, "I miss her a lot."
Liao Qingran, who had been focused on riding, was momentarily stunned, turning to look at the young man.
—The matter of Fifth Brother, Wei Fengxing, had become widely known throughout the martial world. His spirited personality, his mad determination, his silent perseverance—many things were being discussed and sighed about in the martial world.
However, on this snowy night, on the eve of fulfilling a long-cherished wish, did he suddenly change his mind?
A whistle sounded, and a snow hawk flying through the air made a turn, gently landing on his shoulder. With its small, black-bead-like eyes, it stared at him. He freed one hand, wrote a few lines with charcoal, tied the cloth on the hawk's foot, and then patted its wings, pointing towards the northern sky. "Go."
As if understanding its master's intention, the snow hawk made a soft sound, flapped its wings, and disappeared into the vast snow.
The piece of cloth danced in the snowstorm, and the lines on it faintly conveyed a warmth:
"Green ant wine, red clay stove. Late in the night, snow is about to fall. How about having a drink? Purple Night, I will return to the north soon. Please await me under the plum tree. I will definitely win against you."
The next night, the two of them, riding hard through the night, had already arrived at Qingbo Gate.
Lin'an had just experienced a snowfall, and there was still some accumulation on the Broken Bridge. Without time to appreciate the scenery, they swiftly rode through the long embankment, crossed the bridge, and descended from their horses at the foot of the Jiuyao Mountain in the eastern suburbs of the city.
"Madam Xu is here?" Liao Qingran dismounted, carrying a medicine bag on her back, looking at a small building amidst the cold willows. Suddenly, her expression changed, "Oh no!"
Huo Zhan Bai responded, looking up to see the white cloth on the lintel and hearing faint cries from inside. His face changed dramatically.
"Qiushui!" he exclaimed, rushing in, "Qiushui!"
He lifted the curtain in front of the spirit tablet and saw a small coffin swaying under the flickering candlelight. The child inside had tightly closed eyes, and his small body was curled into a ball, cheeks deeply sunken.
"Mo'er? Mo'er!" He felt thunderstruck, leaned down to check for breath, only to find it icy cold.
A crash sounded from the rear hall, as if some porcelain had fallen and shattered.
"You're too late," suddenly, he heard a cold voice.
"You always come too late," that voice spoke coldly, the calmness containing a deep madness, "Ha... are you here to see how Mo'er died? Or—how I die?"
As if a bucket of ice-cold water had been poured over him, Huo Zhan Bai suddenly turned around, blurting out, "Qiushui!"
The beautiful woman walked out from behind the hall, wearing a white gown, bloodstains seeping from the corners of her mouth. She walked unsteadily toward him, extending her hands—half of her ten fingers displayed a horrifying shade of blue and purple. Looking at that face, which he had dreamed about since his youth, he realized that after half a year of not seeing her, she had become so haggard that it was unbearable to witness.
For a moment, his mind went blank, and he stood there motionless.
"Huo Zhan Bai, why are you always too late..." she murmured, "Always... too late..."
Unsure if it was an illusion, he seemed to see her lush black hair turning gray strand by strand.
"Not good! Quickly, grab her!" Liao Qingran rushed in, witnessing the color of the woman's face and fingers, exclaiming, "She took poison! Catch her!"
"What?" He suddenly woke up, subconsciously reaching to grab Qiushui Yin's hand. However, she agilely escaped.
"Kaka... come and catch me..." the woman in white turned lightly, lifting her dress as she ran towards the rear hall, giggling softly, "Come and catch me... If you catch me, I'll—"
Before the sentence finished, Huo Zhan Bai had already darted forward like lightning, grabbing her shoulder, and trembled, calling out, "Qiushui!"
"Caught you, I'll kill you!!" In her eyes, a sudden surge of insane hatred erupted. "Kill you!"
"Be careful!" Liao Qingran exclaimed from behind. Just as he heard a sharp sound, Huo Zhan Bai's shoulder had already been cut by a blade. However, he ignored the pain, his face iron-blue. He forcefully expelled inner energy, instantly stunning the woman who had fallen into madness.
"Too late... you can't catch me anymore..." Before losing consciousness, the disheveled woman raised her hand, cruelly pinching the wound on his shoulder. "I let you come and catch me... but you didn't! You came too late...
"When I married into the Xu family, I was waiting for you to come and stop me, to take me away... why did you come so late?
"Later... I begged you to save my husband... but why did you come so late?
"One day ago, Mo'er slowly took her last breath in my arms... why did you come so late?!"
Blood flowed from his wound as he looked at her fingers, but he seemed oblivious.
"Ha, ha! Too late... too late! We missed a lifetime..." she murmured, her voice gradually weakening, slowly falling to the ground, "Huo, Huo Zhan Bai... I hate you."
Liao Qingran bent down to check the pulse and examined her complexion. Hastily, she took out a bottle of blue medicine from her pouch, "Heartbreak Powder."
—This woman must have been waiting in desperation for a savior, watching her only son die before her eyes. In despair, she must have consumed this poisonous drug, attempting to end her own life.
Unexpectedly, arriving in Lin'an overnight, the one she was supposed to save couldn't be saved, and now she had to save an unplanned person.
Liao Qingran checked Qiushui Yin's eyelids, "Now, we have to watch over her for at least three days. However, when she wakes up, we also need to confirm if there's any problem with her sanity... her emotions were too erratic just now."
But when she raised her head, the female doctor suddenly froze—
"Too late?" Huo Zhan Bai murmured, hands trembling gradually, as if overwhelmed by the rushing memories. Those visions that had disappeared for many nights came back—the beautiful girl running through the apricot blossom forest, holding her dress, turning back to smile at him. He always thought it was a joke, but little did he know it was her initial and final request.
"Quick, come and catch me... If you catch me, I'll marry you."
—Her smile repeatedly appeared before him, only accelerating his breakdown.
He lowered his head wearily, gazing at that pale and haggard face, tears streaming down his face.
He finally understood that the hand of fate, which had been strangling his throat, had never let go—destined by the past. Destined for his futile waiting and wandering, destined for her wandering resentment.
Numerous entanglements and deep-rooted grudges were like drawing a knife through water, impossible to easily resolve.
Outside the door, the snowstorm roared, blowing in from the far north, passing through this city of water, clouds, and sparse willows.
In the heavy snow, a white bird soared against the wind, with a piece of cloth tied to its feet fluttering in the snowstorm.
Late in the night, snow is about to fall. Where is the way home?
――――――――――――――――――――――――――
In the moment when the woman, who had watched her son die, laughed madly and drank poison, someone miles away woke up.
Xue Ziyue sat up abruptly in the middle of the night, feeling an inexplicable chill.
In the dream just now, she dreamed of herself running non-stop, with countless bloodstained blades pressing closer from behind... However, the person holding her hand, wasn't it Snow Huai? Who was it? She just turned her head to clearly see the person's face, and the ice beneath her feet crackled.
"Huo Zhan Bai!" she exclaimed, breaking into a cold sweat.
The Xia Mansion was quiet, with deep green shades, and numerous nocturnal butterflies danced in the air.
However, sitting under the window, recalling the dream, she had a vague and ominous premonition. She didn't know if Huo Zhan Bai had reached Lin'an, if Mo'er had been saved, and she even had a feeling that she would never see him again.
"Master Xue, what's wrong?" Suddenly, someone spoke softly outside the window, startling her.
"Who?!" Opening the window, she saw the peculiar blue hair. She let out a sigh, then burst out in an outburst of anger, grabbing the pillow beside her and throwing it over, "What are you doing, going crazy? A patient, in the middle of the night, under someone's window? Get out of here!"
Miao Feng was startled, but his face still maintained his usual smile. He just slightly sidestepped, raised his hand, and the flying pillow obediently stopped in his hand.
"In the time before Master Xue arrived at the Palace of Great Illumination, I must confirm your safety at any time and place." He sent the pillow back, bowing slightly.
"..." Xue Ziyue was speechless for a moment, waving her hand, "Forget it, the mansion is safe, go back and get a good sleep."
"No need," Miao Feng still smiled, "I have been the guardian of the Evil Cult's leader for many years and have already become accustomed to it."
Accustomed to not sleeping? Or accustomed to standing under someone's window all night? Or perhaps, ready to sacrifice his life at any time to protect someone? Xue Ziyue looked at him for a moment, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. She sighed, shook her head, and put on her clothes before walking out.
"Master Xue, aren't you sleeping?" he asked in surprise.
"Not sleeping," she picked up a glass lamp and walked towards the lake, "Had a nightmare, can't sleep."
Miao Feng didn't say much and just followed behind her quietly, passing through the grove of Japanese pagoda trees. Countless nocturnal butterflies danced around him, several even attempted to land on his shoulders.
Looking at him, Xue Ziyue couldn't help but smile slightly, "You really don't seem like one of the Five Sages of the Evil Cult."
Miao Feng didn't understand her meaning, just smiling.
"People with too much murderous intent, not even butterflies will land on them," Xue Ziyue raised her hand, and another nocturnal butterfly folded its wings and stopped on her fingertip. She looked at Miao Feng with some curiosity, "Have you killed anyone?"
"I have," Miao Feng smiled slightly, with no trace of concealment, "And a lot of them."
After a pause, he added, "I came out of the Shura Arena—out of five hundred people, only I and Tong remained in the end. The other four hundred and ninety-eight were killed."
Tong? Xue Ziyue's body suddenly shook, tightly gripping the lamp, and turned away.
"Do you know Tong?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Miao Feng raised an eyebrow imperceptibly, seemingly speculating on the reason behind this woman's sudden question, but his lips still carried a smile, "Yes."
"How... did he end up in your cult?" Xue Ziyue asked gently, but her eyes were gradually hardening.
Miao Feng was slightly surprised, pausing for a moment, "I'm not sure. Ever since I knew Tong, he had already lost his memories from the past."
"Is that so?" Xue Ziyue sighed softly, "Are you his friend?"
Miao Feng smiled faintly, shaking his head, "In the Shura Arena, there are no friends."
"It's so strange..." Xue Ziyue stopped by the lake, turning to look at him, "You and he have both killed so many people, but why is your murderous intent so restrained? Is your martial arts superior to his?"
"Master Xue is mistaken," Miao Feng smiled, shaking his head, "In a confrontation, I might not be a match for Tong."
He turned his head, picked up one of the night butterflies on his shoulder, and smiled, "It's just that I don't manage the Shura Arena like he does, always ready to draw swords and fight anytime, anywhere—unless someone threatens the Evil Cult's leader, otherwise..." He moved his fingers, and the night butterfly gracefully flew to a branch, "I harbor no intent to kill anyone."
Xue Ziyue looked at him, suddenly smiling, "Interesting."
Carrying the lamp, she continued walking forward, passing through Xia Garden towards the center of the lake. Miao Feng followed quietly, his steps so light that they seemed nonexistent.
The lake was a battleground of fire and ice. Xue Ziyue couldn't help coughing, lowering her head to gaze at the familiar face beneath the ice. Xue Huai... This might be the last time I come to see you. Because tomorrow, I'm going to that demonic place to bring Mingjie back—
Will your soul in the sky bless us?
The young man floated in the cold water, wearing an eternal smile, gently closing his eyes.
She knelt on the ice, silently staring, and suddenly felt an infinite exhaustion and clarity in her heart. Xue Huai, I know you will never wake up again... I understood it from the moment I handed the Purple Jade Hairpin to Huo Zhan Bai. But, for the deceased, I cannot let go of the living. I'm leaving this place, crossing that snowy plain to Kunlun... perhaps never to return.
Are you feeling lonely, sleeping in this cold water all these years?
Maybe Huo Zhan Bai is right. I shouldn't keep you like this. I should let you be liberated and return to the cycle of reincarnation.
She leaned over the ice, looking at the person beneath. The bone-chilling cold made her cough violently, and the glass lamp in her hand swayed, reflecting a radiant glow on the ice.
A hand gently pressed between her shoulder blades, a warm current silently flowing in. She felt her whole body instantly bathed in a spring breeze.
"It's cold at night," the voice behind her was calm and gentle, "Master Xue, take care of yourself."
She stood up slowly, standing on the ice. For a long time, she spoke in a low voice, "Before leaving tomorrow, help me take Xue Huai away... can you?"
"By Master's command." The maidservants around hadn't recovered yet. Miao Feng bowed, and with a light tip of his toe, he disappeared.
In an instant, he returned from the lakeside, holding something wrapped in a large cloak. With a graceful movement, he appeared next to the carriage, nodding slightly to Xue Ziyue and placing the cloak into the carriage.
"Xue Huai..." Xue Ziyue sighed softly, uncovering a corner of the cloak, looking at that cold face, "We're going home."
The maidservants stared in astonishment at the body wrapped in the cloak, almost not believing their eyes—wasn't this the young man frozen under the lake? After so many years, the Mistress actually dug him out from under the ice?
"Oh, by the way, Green, don't forget what I told you!" Before jumping onto the carriage, Xue Ziyue turned back to instruct, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. Before the maidservants could respond, Miao Feng had already leaped onto the carriage, giving a low shout. With a crack of the whip, the carriage surged forward.
In an instant, they traversed the vast white snow, disappearing into the snowstorm at the valley entrance.
A thousand miles away, a white bird was flying over the capital, flapping its wings vigorously against the snowstorm over the Forbidden City, heading north.
The wind was strong, and the snow was heavy. The cloth on that side fluttered in the wind, like a gray handkerchief of destiny.
――――――――――――――――――
At sunset on the second day, they walked out of the snowy wilderness along the Mohe River, stepping onto the official road covered with deep snow.
Near a dilapidated relay station, Xue Ziye signaled Miao Feng to stop the carriage.
"Here," she lifted the heavy curtain, coughing slightly, and struggled to bring out the person wrapped in a cloak.
"I'll do it." Miao Feng jumped down from the carriage, extending his arms to receive him, glancing at the dilapidated village on the roadside—a village abandoned for many years, with most of the wooden houses collapsed under the weight of the snow. The wind howled, making sharp sounds in the empty village.
He turned with the person in his arms and saw the desolate village. Suddenly, there was a glimmer in his eyes.
――So, it's this place?!
Supporting her on the shoulder, Xue Ziye got off the carriage, standing under a dead spruce tree near the relay station, gazing silently for a moment. She silently walked through knee-deep snow, heading towards the village.
Miao Feng followed her silently, stepping as lightly as if he didn't exist.
They reached an open space north of the village. Faintly, there were raised mounds scattered around—the village cemetery.
After the catastrophe twelve years ago, the master carefully collected the remains of every villager upon their return to this place. Everyone returned to this ancestral burial ground, reuniting in the soil of their hometown—leaving only Xue Huai sleeping under the ice. He must have been lonely.
"Bury him here," she stared in silence for a moment, coughing violently, and took out a dagger from her sleeve, starting to dig.
However, the soil, frozen for years, was as hard as iron. She exerted all her strength, only managing to poke a pale spot in the frozen ground.
"Let me do it." Not wanting to waste more time, Miao Feng bent down beside her, extending his hands—he didn't have any tools, yet the hard-frozen soil under his palm cracked like tofu. One palm cut down, and it split open a foot deep.
"Get away! Let me do it myself!" However, she became furious, pushing him away, and fiercely stabbed the soil with the dagger.
Miao Feng silently looked at her, not saying a word, just pressing his hands to the ground.
Internal energy surged out from his palms, silently infiltrating the soil, melting the millennia-old frozen ground.
Xue Ziye stabbed the soil with all her strength, coughing. At first, the frozen ground was as hard as iron, but with each stab, the soil under the dagger became softer. After an hour, a pit eight feet long and three feet wide was finally dug.
She knelt on the snowy ground, exhausted, moving Xue Huai carefully into the pit.
With trembling hands, she sprinkled the broken soil. Snow-mixed soil covered the pale face, bit by bit. She bit her teeth, gazing fixedly at the familiar face. With each sprinkle, it felt like she would never see him again... no one would take her to see the Northern Lights, no one would lift her when she fell into the dark icy river.
The dream that had lingered for more than ten years, the words spoken, the promises made, all had come to a complete end at this moment. After this moment, she would have no reason to escape from reality.
The wind and snow were like blades, and she stood up wearily. Suddenly, her vision darkened.
"Be careful!"
When she woke up, she was already in the carriage, which was slowly swaying, crushing through the snow, continuing forward.
Miao Feng hadn't wasted any time in bringing her on the road. It seemed that the condition of the demonic figure on Kunlun Mountain was extremely critical. The wind howled outside, and she opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling for a long time. The glass lamp also swayed slightly. She felt extremely cold all over, as if icy needles had penetrated every inch of her limbs and bones.
So... is my body really so weak?
In a daze, she suddenly heard a faint melody outside—
"Thorns cover the wild vine, rampant in the wilderness. My beauty is gone. Who will be with him? Alone!
"Summer days, winter nights, after a hundred years, return to its place.
"Winter nights, summer days, after a hundred years, return to its chamber."
In that instant, as if a sharp sword had pierced her heart, tears flowed down her dried eyes. She cried uncontrollably in the music. Wasn't that "Ge Sheng"? The ancient poem describing a woman burying her loved one.
"Bushes cover the vines, and creeping grass fills the mountains. The one I love is buried here.
"Who will accompany him? Only loneliness!
"Long summer, long winter night. After a hundred years, come back here to accompany you in eternal rest."
Every word, every sentence, deeply penetrated her heart at this moment. So soothing and comforting, as if a desolate yet gentle hand was stroking her. She suddenly sat up, lifting the curtain to look outside.
"Master Xue, are you awake?" The music stopped immediately, and a person outside the carriage stuck their head in.
"Is it you?" Seeing the short flute at his waist, she didn't ask any further, turning her head to conceal the traces of tears on her face.
"Hungry?" Miao Feng still smiled.
still smiled, handing over a package to her – within the cloth was a tangerine-red soft cake kept warm in the carriage. Despite the snowy weather, when she received it, it was surprisingly steaming.
"It got frozen; I warmed it up a bit," Miào Fēng said with a slight smile, tossing a wine flask to her, "This is the medicinal wine prepared by Lǜ'er. She said you rely on this to ward off the cold – it's also warm."
Xuè Zǐyè was momentarily stunned, yet before she could speak, Miào Fēng unilaterally lowered the curtain and went back to driving the carriage.
Ah... facing this person with a smiling mask, devoid of any temper, she couldn't find an opportunity to get angry or complain. Taking a bite of the soft cake and sipping the medicinal wine, she felt the suffocating sensation in her chest dissipate slightly. Looking at the two handprints distinctly visible on the soft cake, she couldn't help but burst into laughter – using such profound martial arts to reheat leftovers, truly using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
However, just as she laughed, she abruptly stopped.
She tumbled within the carriage lined with tiger skins, and the items in her hand scattered on the floor.
"Sect Master Xuè!" Miào Fēng's wrist tightened, forcibly halting the swiftly moving carriage. He stopped the carriage, lifted the curtain, and leaped in, supporting the unconscious person. Placing his right palm on her back at the Lingtai acupoint, a warm internal force surged in, circulating through her meridians, melting the frozen blood inch by inch.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Xuè Zǐyè's breathing stabilized, and she slowly opened her eyes.
"Ah, did I just... pass out?" Sensing the hand supporting her from behind, she immediately understood what had happened. She couldn't help but smile, feeling a bit embarrassed – as the Master of the Medicinal Sect, she actually needed someone else's assistance.
Miào Fēng nodded slightly, but without further delay, he went out of the carriage again, wielded the whip, and urged the carriage to continue westward – it had already been twenty days since they set out.
Although Miào Fēng still wore a smile, a trace of concern appeared in his eyes.
"Let's abandon the carriage and travel lightly," Xuè Zǐyè stood up, picked the warmest lynx fur and draped it over herself. She tucked the hand warmer into her sleeve, nodding to Miào Fēng, "Bring all eight horses. You and I will each ride one, and the remaining six will carry necessary items or be left empty. If the mounts tire, we'll switch to fresh ones. This way, continuous horse changes should help us travel much faster."
Miào Fēng was slightly surprised, "But what about the Sect Master's health?"
"It's fine," Xuè Zǐyè smiled, lifting the curtain and stepping into the swirling snow, "Don't I have you?"
Miào Fēng looked at her for a while, then bowed slightly, "Thank you."
In the howling wind, the two rode swiftly along the desolate road, their lynx fur cloaks covered in golden snowflakes.
Half an hour later, her face gradually turned pale, and the person beside her looked at her with concern, "Sect Master Xuè, can you endure?"
"It's nothing." She forced a smile but suddenly lost balance from her frozen body, falling directly from the galloping horse!
"Be careful!" In an instant, Miào Fēng transformed into lightning, quickly catching her before she fell into the snow.
"Offensive move," Miào Fēng sighed, pulling the lynx fur over her and holding her close to his chest. He continued riding, one hand on the reins, and the other on her Lingtai acupoint at the back of her heart, gently infusing warm internal energy, saying, "If you can move, place your hands on my Xuanji acupoint."
Xuè Zǐyè managed to move, raising her hands and placing them on his chest.
Suddenly, it seemed as if a warm current was flowing smoothly through her body – rushing from the Lingtai acupoint, circulating throughout her body, and then reinjected into Miào Fēng's body through his palm. The circulation continued, making them seem like one entity.
"That's it," after a quick rotation of internal energy, Miào Fēng let out a long breath.
"Can you hold up yourself?" Xuè Zǐyè asked, concerned.
Miào Fēng smiled faintly, speeding up, "Someone who came out of the Shura Arena can endure anything."
"Sigh," Xuè Zǐyè hid in her lynx fur cloak, resembling a small creature wrapped in a golden fur ball. She looked up at the ever-smiling face, pondering, "Actually, living a lifetime for only one person is not bad at all. Miào Fēng, do you feel happy?"
"Yes," Miào Fēng smiled, "Before meeting the Sovereign, no one needed me."
Xuè Zǐyè nodded, closing her eyes, "I understand."
As if feeling extremely tired, she curled up in his embrace and fell asleep quietly.
The heavy snow continued to fall endlessly, and the galloping horse team, like a bolt of lightning, tore through the vast white expanse.
Miào Fēng lowered his head, glancing at the sleeping woman. Suddenly, a trace of unease crossed his brow.
Yes, he remembered... he had indeed seen her before.
The wind grew fiercer, and the snowfall intensified.
After a night of galloping, they had crossed the Kizil Desert. The snowy landscape ahead gradually revealed traces of wheels and footprints – they were approaching Wūlǐyàsūtái, where they could find a place to rest and fodder for the horses.
The dawn was slow to come, and the snowy night seemed endless.
Miào Fēng began to feel weary, his hand holding the reins started to weaken. With the other hand, he accidentally let go, and the person in his arms almost slid off the horse.
"Ah?" Xuè Zǐyè woke up in confusion, opening her eyes to find that the rider carrying her had fallen asleep. However, his body remained straight, still maintaining the posture of guiding the horse.
She sighed softly, lifting a hand to pull down the fallen hood. Suddenly, she caught a slight movement in the snow – as if something was surging beneath the snow.
Was it an illusion?
She stared intently, but there was nothing. The eight horses continued to gallop, yet the one carrying both of them noticeably slowed down, panting heavily and unable to keep up with the others.
However, precisely this momentary lag saved it.
"Swoosh!" Xuè Zǐyè suddenly saw the horse in front split into two out of thin air!
A long blade swiftly rose from the snow, meeting the galloping horse. With a single stroke, it precisely cleaved the charging steed in half! The horse neighed mournfully, and a large splash of blood sprayed out, staining the snowy ground as if blooming a crimson flower.
She exclaimed, but before the sound could escape her, her body suddenly lifted into the air.
A long blade rapidly stabbed out from beneath the snow, instantly piercing through the horse she was riding, straight through the saddle!
Miào Fēng, who knows when he woke up, lifted her with one hand and leaped onto another horse. She cried out in surprise but had already landed safely.
"Chasing Lightning?!" Observing the fallen horse, he suddenly realized it had been bisected by Chasing Lightning!
The assassins chosen for the Eight Steeds of the Great Illumination Palace Shura Arena, selected each year from the killers in the Great Illumination Realm, trained for eight years to become the Eight Steeds. One was Chasing Wind, two White Rabbit, three Stealthy Scenery, four Chasing Lightning, five Flying Grace, six Copper Chalice, seven Morning Duck, and eight Rouge. Each of them was an elite assassin, always under the command of Tóu.
Now, were they—?
Without further thought, a circle was quickly drawn in the snow with his sword.
"Ding!" A light sound echoed, confirming that the sword had struck something beneath the snow. The snow suddenly burst open, revealing a human shape.
"It's indeed you," Miào Fēng's sword pinned the person's arm to the ground, preventing him from snow-shrouding again, coldly asking, "Whose orders?"
"Heh," the masked person let out a cold laugh, suddenly shaking. A sharp pain shot through, causing him to amputate his own left arm!
Snow instantly flew, covering the person's figure.
"It's useless," Miào Fēng sneered, as the severed arm in the snow would surely prevent him from hiding effectively.
Following the blood trail, he chased after, and the sword plunged into the snow once again. This time, he was certain it penetrated Chasing Lightning's chest. But just as he pulled the sword out, he realized, in a split second, a swift turn, and he lunged onto the horse!
"Snick!" An invisible thin line shot up from the snow, wrapping around Xu.
Someone leaped straight out of the snow, wielding a horse-slaying long blade that descended with a swift wind!
Copper Chalice's Shattered Gold Beheading?!
The force of that blow was terrifying. Miào Fēng, after Copper Chalice's strike, immediately evaded and did not directly counterattack. His movements were as fast as a ghost, crossing through the snow mist in an instant, his sword drawing a bright arc, flashing and disappearing—
In the fleeting moment their figures intersected, Copper Chalice fell, and Miào Fēng's blade, held level, left a trace of red.
He didn't dare to stay far away. After securing the sword, he immediately returned to Xuè Zǐyè's side, whispering, "Are you alright?"
"I'm... I'm fine." Xuè Zǐyè touched the cut on her throat, speaking softly. She looked at the sword in Miào Fēng's hand with some awe—because it was filled with internal energy, this ordinary green steel sword emanated a red light, like flames burning along its length.
In this moment, Miào Fēng seemed like a different person. The ever-smiling face now exuded an icy killing intent that was difficult to look at directly. His face still bore a smile, but it was now a cold smirk, disdainful of life and death.
Indeed, he was worthy of being a top expert in the Shura Arena, alongside Tóu!
She struggled to breathe in the snowstorm, her face gradually turning pale again, and her figure swayed dangerously. Miào Fēng, using his peripheral vision, scanned the surroundings, feeling worried. He knew that if he didn't replenish her breath soon, she wouldn't be able to hold on. However, with formidable enemies all around and five of the Eight Steeds yet to appear, how could he afford to be careless?
The ground was littered with horse corpses, gruesome and stomach-turning.
"Chasing Wind, White Rabbit, Stealthy Scenery, Morning Duck, Rouge, come out," Miào Fēng inserted his sword into the snow, slowly speaking. Layers of killing intent gradually covered the smiling face. His hands overlapped on the sword hilt, inserting the long sword into the snow bit by bit, "I know Tóu sent you—don't make me handle each of you one by one, let's join forces!"
Xuè Zǐyè suddenly trembled, blurting out, "Tóu? Miào Fēng said... Tóu sent these assassins?!"
She stood frozen, feeling a chilling cold penetrate her heart.
Swords inserted into the snow seemed to ignite flames, melting the surrounding snow rapidly. It had already melted all the snow within three yards.
"Hey, everyone, just come out." A voice emerged from beneath the snow, coldly saying, "He's about to melt all the snow anyway."
The ground trembled, and five shadows silently emerged, surrounding both of them in the center.
Waves of killing intent pressed in, almost solidifying the air.
"Sect Master Xuè," just when she was about to collapse, Miào Fēng suddenly called her name, and a hand gently touched her back at the Lingtai acupoint, quickly infusing internal energy. She widened her eyes in astonishment— in such a critical moment, he dared to use his hand to heal her?
The five people around also noticed this momentary change, but without understanding what Miào Fēng was doing, and fearing losing the initiative, they didn't make a move.
Miào Fēng increased his internal energy to the maximum, filling Xuè Zǐyè's meridians with energy to ensure she wouldn't run out of strength during his absence. At the same time, he used a sound transmission to instruct, "When I hold back these five, you run towards Wūlǐyàsūtái immediately."
She gritted her teeth, silently nodding.
"I'll catch up," Miào Fēng added.
"He's healing her! Act now!" Finally realizing that they were just delaying time, Chasing Wind, among the Eight Steeds, let out a cold sneer. The five shadows suddenly disappeared, and the snowy wind carried a torrent of killing intent!
"Go!" Miào Fēng pushed Xuè Zǐyè away with a palm, pulled out the sword buried in the snow, and looked up, striking through the void with a single slash!