A City Swept by Wind and Snow GL - Chapter 18
◎This is also the stage most likely to cause backlash for a beast-tamer.◎
The legends of the Susha family were well-known throughout the martial world, so even in her impulse, Xue Qianxun dared not utter the name “Susha.” But Jin Se knew that she was actually calling out “Susha Qianxun,” and she also fully confirmed that the “Susha Qianxun” Xue Qianxun had muttered in her dreams at the Yingxue Pavilion was the same person.
“You finally found your companion star!” Jin Se thought gloomily, gazing deeply at Xue Qianxun. Though she had long anticipated this, seeing it manifest in reality still stirred a deep sadness she could not fully contain.
Zhuque also heard Xue Qianxun’s call and hurriedly asked Jin Se, “Who is she calling? Isn’t she Qianxun herself?”
Jin Se put away her sorrowful expression and smiled faintly. “You heard wrong.”
“How could I possibly hear wrong?” Zhuque protested.
Jin Se smiled lightly and did not speak further. She gently stroked Xue Qianxun’s long hair and said softly, “Why do you always care for others so fiercely?”
Xue Qianxun grasped Jin Se’s hand, her tears finally breaking through. She pleaded desperately, “Jin Se, is Xifeng about to die?”
How much bl00d can a person shed? How much energy can a body endure? Xifeng’s enormous destructive power seemed to be fueled by exchanging her own life force.
Jin Se glanced at Zhuque, seeing her grim face, and smiled slightly. “Fool, Xifeng’s life is tough. Stop acting as if you’re already at her funeral.”
Zhuque said urgently, “We must seal Xifeng’s bl00d passages—she’s losing control!” She could read Jin Se’s eyes and dared not say aloud, “Xifeng might really die.”
Grandfather Xuanwu and Grandmother Baihu, pressed by Xifeng’s deadly aura and destructive power, had no choice but to temporarily retreat. Seeing Zhuque speak, they immediately flew toward Xifeng, determined to stop her, even if it meant risking their lives.
Suddenly, a flock of crows swooped down, blocking their path. The two elders turned and looked at Jin Se with suspicion.
Jin Se said, “I’m going to fetch that drunken girl; please, elders, block the enemies in the White Birch Forest.”
Grandmother Baihu worriedly said, “Little Jin, don’t overextend yourself.”
Grandfather Xuanwu said, “Even I cannot guarantee my safe return.”
Jin Se smiled. “I am not fighting alone.”
Xue Qianxun, deeply aware that Jin Se would face near-certain death, reluctantly let go of her wrist, wordless, unable to bear restraining her.
Jin Se sighed lightly. “What now? Are you sending me to my funeral again?”
Xue Qianxun widened her sparkling eyes to speak, but Jin Se turned to Zhuque and said, “The one about to die seems to be Tang Fei.” She pointed to Lingbo Lake. “Oops, he accidentally got kicked into the lake.”
“Accidentally?” Grandfather Xuanwu, Grandmother Baihu, and Xue Qianxun all knew Jin Se was deliberate. But Zhuque didn’t, and she hurriedly ran toward Lingbo Lake.
“Let go, little wolf cub,” Jin Se twisted her wrist, slipping easily from Xue Qianxun’s grasp. She then drew a jade flute from her sleeve and placed it to her lips.
The clear, cold air suddenly carried a crisp, melodious tune that cut through the bloody battlefield, like a beam of light breaking through darkness—a bright, eerie, and irresistibly alluring melody.
“The Rampage of the Beast-Taming Melody?!” Grandfather Xuanwu and Grandmother Baihu exclaimed in unison. They had not heard Jin Se’s beast-taming melody in a long time.
Seeing their astonishment, Xue Qianxun was confused. “What is Jin Se doing?”
Grandfather Xuanwu said, “You must know, Jin Se is a beast-tamer.”
Xue Qianxun replied, “Yes, until recently. But I heard that beast-taming is a type of ‘dark martial art,’ not easy to master.”
Grandfather Xuanwu nodded. “Indeed. According to the notes of the 11th-generation martial historian Nangong Qing, in the past three hundred years, only thirty-seven people achieved mastery as beast-tamers. Jin Se is one of them, and the second youngest at that.”
Nangong Qing’s notes were never publicly released, so Xue Qianxun had no idea Jin Se’s name was recorded in martial world records, nor could she have imagined how powerful Jin Se truly was.
Grandmother Baihu said proudly, “Little Jin’s beast-taming melody was last used two years ago during the Southern Protector competition. The ‘Rampage’ technique is one that can push beasts beyond their limits, forcing them to exert maximum power. But it is also the stage where a beast-tamer is most likely to face backlash.”
Xue Qianxun anxiously asked, “Can Jin Se be harmed too?” She remembered narrowly avoiding injury from a puppet spell before, and now, hearing that Jin Se might be affected, she panicked.
Grandmother Baihu explained, “Beast-tamers usually only tame creatures with intelligence. But intelligent beasts can rebel against their master. If a master commands them to die, the beasts may retaliate. If the master cannot control them, they will be attacked in turn…”
“Grandmother,” Grandfather Xuanwu interrupted, grabbing her hand. “Don’t forget Little Jin’s instructions.”
Before he finished, both elders leapt into the air, flying into the battlefield to protect Xifeng and Jin Se, blocking the enemy’s barrage of hidden weapons and poisons. Xue Qianxun was left aside, with only the baboon crawling around her. It strictly obeyed its master’s commands, diligently guarding her.
Xue Qianxun exchanged glances with the baboon, emotions tangled, whispering sadly, “I’ve really come to the point of needing protection from a baboon.”
Jin Se focused entirely on the crows and Xifeng, moving swiftly while controlling the flock and dodging enemy attacks. The rise and fall of the flute’s notes echoed through the mountains, a beauty mixed with danger.
Xifeng struggled to maintain clarity, even if only a little, even if it might cost her life. She could not let the evil spirit inside fully control her, using her powerful body as it pleased. Yet she realized she was not alone—she had a reliable partner helping her resist the darkness.
Seizing the moment when Xifeng’s speed slowed slightly, Jin Se suddenly played a high, piercing melody, infused with inner energy. The vibrations stimulated the nerves of the crows, making them frenzied and fearless. They surged toward Xifeng with deadly intent. From afar, Xue Qianxun panicked, fearing Jin Se intended to kill Xifeng. But the crows were all shredded by Xifeng’s aura, feathers flying and bl00d spilling.
They couldn’t get through!
Even exceptional martial artists would not dare approach. Even the enemy’s sturdy projectiles were deflected—much less a flock of birds.
Jin Se calmly observed Xifeng’s movements, searching for any defensive lapse to guide the crows.
After several “high-profile” melodies, the ground was littered with crow corpses, more than had been lost in battle against human enemies. Yet Xifeng’s will gradually suppressed the evil spirit, gaining partial control of her body. She didn’t want Jin Se’s effort to be wasted. The more crows died, the greater the lingering resentment among the survivors, which even the baboon could sense. A fundamental skill of beast-tamers is not conquest but protection—beasts are companions, not just weapons. Sending them to die repeatedly is a grave mistake.
But Xifeng was exhausted and in pain, as always. Her body was weak, almost incapable of overexertion. Inside, two opposing forces vied for control, bl00d flowing in and out, causing immense harm.
After a while, Xifeng finally restrained her rampant aura. Jin Se, sensing the opportunity, commanded 36 of the largest and most intelligent crows to exert all their energy, breaking through Xifeng’s residual aura and striking 36 key bl00d points. The force sent Xifeng soaring into the sky, and all 36 crows were destroyed, their lives fueling the process that prevented Xifeng from harming herself or others.
At last, she stopped. That ethereal figure finally floated like a drifting cloud.
“Damn it!” Xifeng heard the frantic voice inside her, but a faint smile curved her lips. “You do know how to suppress my spirit at just the right time, Longwen…” Though her body still ached, Xifeng felt joy—this was the fastest victory in decades of internal struggle with Longwen, thanks to Jin Se. She realized for the first time what a reliable, powerful partner she had.
A breeze swept beneath her, and Xifeng began to descend. Just before hitting the ground, a sweet fragrance wafted, and Jin Se gently caught her. With a playful smile, she said, “Beautiful girls shouldn’t throw drunken tantrums in public.” Her eyes held the same mischievous charm as always.
“The High Priest is saved!”
The battlefield, painted with bl00d and blades, suddenly echoed with the cheers of the Xiaoyao Sect disciples.
Earlier, they feared Xifeng’s destructive power and dared not move. The enemies had prepared countless hidden weapons, poisons, and long-range arms, but now, with Xifeng controlled, they could fight freely.
Grandfather Xuanwu’s stern face finally broke into a smile as he charged into the enemy crowd, slashing through them. Grandmother Baihu, disliking killing, knocked unconscious all who approached. Xue Qianxun witnessed the carnage, stomach twisting as memories of the Susha family’s massacre years ago resurfaced. What is right and wrong? Black and white?
“Is the Xiaoyao Sect truly a dark force? Almost all martial factions wanted them wiped out…” Xue Qianxun silently questioned. At that moment, Zhuque appeared, carrying Tang Fei back. His wounds had been treated, and his chaotic pulse regulated by her acupuncture.
“That’s great, he survived.” Zhuque wiped her forehead and gave a tired smile to Xue Qianxun. She was the only person in the Xiaoyao Sect whose eyes carried brightness, perhaps because she was a healer.
Jin Se returned to Xue Qianxun’s side with Xifeng, teasing her softly. “You’re quite soft, Ice Sculpture.”
Xue Qianxun blushed. Xifeng turned her face and exhaled softly, utterly exhausted, unable to move even in Jin Se’s arms.
Grandmother Baihu affectionately asked Jin Se, “Little Jin, you’re not hurt, right? What should we do now?”
Jin Se smiled. “I’m fine.” She handed Xifeng to Xue Qianxun, drew a long sword from an enemy, leapt into the air, and killed all the crows she had temporarily suppressed with her melody.
Grandfather Xuanwu and Grandmother Baihu ignored it. Zhuque sighed quietly. Xue Qianxun stared at Jin Se in shock, trembling, “Why did you do that? They risked their lives for you!”
Jin Se glanced at her calmly, cold light in her eyes. “Since earlier, they’ve been itching to tear me apart.”
“But… was there no other way? Why is everyone so obsessed with killing?” Xue Qianxun bit her lips.
Jin Se suddenly smiled, calm and elegant, gently stroking Xue Qianxun’s flushed face. “You seem to see me as all light. But there’s darkness in me you don’t know.”