A City Swept by Wind and Snow GL - Chapter 20

◎Why are you going to so much trouble to avoid her?◎

Xue Qianxun dashed toward the stone house, leaving behind a trail of footprints both deep and shallow.

That day, Jin Se had covered her eyes and dragged her out of Xifeng’s room, so she couldn’t remember the way back. But now she was familiar with the layout of Yaqin Villa. There was no way she would fail to find Xifeng!

She ran excitedly, recognizing the scenery along the way. Ahead, behind that artificial hill, wasn’t Xifeng’s stone house? But just as she rounded the hill—

“Ah!”

Xue Qianxun rubbed her forehead.

A voice responded with the same exclamation and a similar gesture.

She had collided with a young woman—fair-skinned, rosy-lipped, eyes like stars, exquisitely beautiful.

“What beautiful eyes!” Xue Qianxun was momentarily stunned, thinking, So familiar… Then she snapped out of it, exclaiming, “Zhuque?! —Sister Zhuque, your lips… so this is what they’re like!” She stared intently at Zhuque’s red lips, examining them as if studying a specimen.

Zhuque blinked and asked, “You really found your way here?”

“Ah?”

“Xifeng said you’ve been wandering around the villa lately, so it makes sense you might find this place.”

Xue Qianxun indignantly asked, “How does she know I’ve been wandering around?”

“The Prince sent the High Priest to protect you. So she secretly followed you around.”

“And her injuries?”

Zhuque tilted her chin proudly. “I’m here.”

Xue Qianxun giggled.

Zhuque blushed. “What’s so funny? The High Priest told me I need more confidence, especially in front of Jin Se. —You know, the High Priest said I’m very capable!” She said this with a beaming smile.

Xue Qianxun clasped Zhuque’s hands warmly. “Yes, I think you’re amazing too! Yesterday, I saw Tang Fei—guess what he said?”

“What did he say?”

Xue Qianxun animatedly recounted, “He puffed up his chest like a steel barrel, pointed to the sky, and said, ‘Good little dragon, I’ve seen the clouds again!’ Then, whoosh, he flew onto the roof. —Sister, didn’t he break so many ribs and suffer severe internal injuries? How could he climb the roof like that?”

Zhuque stifled a laugh. “That ‘steel barrel’ was to stabilize his ribs, so they wouldn’t shift again. But even so, he never stays still for a moment.”

As they chatted, Xue Qianxun and Zhuque glanced occasionally at the dark windows of the stone house.

“Do you have business with the High Priest?” Zhuque asked.

“No,” Xue Qianxun immediately denied, adding, “I just want to see if she’s okay.”

Zhuque said, “The High Priest’s injuries were mostly from Tang Ran’s poison. It was a strange poison I’d never seen before. Only the day before yesterday was an antidote fully developed. Fortunately, it worked in time. The High Priest should recover quickly and won’t have any scars.”

Xue Qianxun’s joy overflowed. “Amazing!”

Zhuque smiled shyly. “Go see her now.”

Tears glimmering, Xue Qianxun hesitated. “But I can’t get in…”

Zhuque burst out laughing, drew the silver spike from her waist, tapped it three times on the hill, and called, “She’s here!”

The artificial hill slowly opened. Zhuque left, and Xue Qianxun entered the dark passage.

Inside, only Xifeng was there. She looked well, standing by the screen with her back to Xue Qianxun.

“Xifeng!” Xue Qianxun’s eyes filled with tears. “Do you still remember me?”

“I remember,” Xifeng turned slightly, smiling. “You’re the qin player from Chunjiang Academy, Xue Qianxun.”

“No!” Xue Qianxun stepped forward, shouting, “I’m Susha Qianxun! From the Susha family!”

Xifeng gently covered her mouth with a finger. “The Susha family has long been destroyed. That joke of yours… it’s too big.”

“I’m not joking! I know who you are! You were born at the same time as me and appeared to the world as my substitute. You have the same name: Susha Qianxun!”

Xifeng paused briefly, speaking faintly, “Really?”

“You’ve lost your memory?!” Xue Qianxun was surprised.

Xifeng smiled. “Of course not. I remember everything clearly from childhood to now.”

“You’re lying!”

Xifeng sighed helplessly. “How do you know?”

“You bear the marks I made!”

“Where?” Xifeng tensed, wrapping her clothes closer as she stepped back.

“On your arm! At first I hated you, used a hairpin on you, but you didn’t dodge…” Xue Qianxun tried to tug Xifeng’s sleeve.

“Ah, the arm.” Xifeng seemed relieved and rolled up her sleeve.

Her arm was flawless, like white jade—without a single scar.

Xue Qianxun was stunned. “It must have been Zhuque who healed you. I know there’s another place—there’s a deep scar even she couldn’t erase!” She pressed on, reaching for Xifeng’s chest.

Xifeng panicked, dodging, and the two tumbled onto the bed, entangled.

Xifeng frowned. “Little girl, where did you get such strength?”

Xue Qianxun stubbornly tore open Xifeng’s collar, revealing smooth, fragrant skin.

Xue Qianxun froze.

There were no scars on Xifeng’s chest. How could the sword that pierced her body leave no mark?

Drip.

A hot drop fell onto Xifeng’s heart.

Xue Qianxun bit her lips, eyes full of imagined scars. “You’re not her! Jin Se said ‘she’s here,’ but I’ve lost her…”

Pain crossed Xifeng’s face for a moment, but her sad expression disappeared instantly, unnoticed by Xue Qianxun. She gently gathered Xue Qianxun’s flowing hair and softly said, “Don’t be sad. One day, she’ll return to you.”

Her touch was gentle, familiar, warm, with a faint, sweet fragrance. Xue Qianxun couldn’t help but lean closer.

Outside the layered gauze, something cold and hard pressed against Xifeng’s neck. She frowned slightly, thinking, Someone’s jealous.

With a soft sigh, Xifeng pushed Xue Qianxun away. “You hurt my wound.”

Realizing Xifeng had injuries on her back, Xue Qianxun quickly stood. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Xifeng replied politely.

Looking at Xifeng’s faint smile, Xue Qianxun felt an empty ache in her heart, lost. After a moment, she said farewell.

“Since you know the way, I won’t see you out.” Xifeng stopped at the screen.

As the artificial hill closed, a tingling sound filled the air. Xifeng glanced at the darkness where Xue Qianxun disappeared and smiled quietly. She turned to the layers of gauze behind the bed, calling softly, “Come out, Susha Qianxun.”

From behind the gauze came another Xifeng—pale as paper, as if weathered by a silent blizzard. She controlled her grief and pain, giving a cold smile to the person at the screen. “Jin Se, you enjoy comforting her, don’t you?”

“You enjoy making her cry, don’t you?” Jin Se removed her mask, smiling, stepping forward. Through her clothes, she pointed at Xifeng’s old chest scar. “Look, that stubborn little wolf cub of the past has become a pitiful little dog today. Why go to such lengths to avoid her?”

Xifeng moved Jin Se’s hand away, quietly saying, “I could become a demon at any moment. Why recognize her?”

Jin Se’s expression turned serious. “Xifeng, do you have an invisible enemy? One stronger than we can imagine, that you must face alone? You avoid Xue Qianxun because you aren’t sure you can win. If you fail, you’ll die, right?”

Xifeng paused, impressed by Jin Se’s insight. “Worse than death. If I fail, the real me disappears, but this body remains. It will become someone else.”

Jin Se recalled the day Xifeng went berserk. Remembering Zhuque’s words about her unique constitution, she suddenly asked sharply, “I want to ask you a few questions.”

“And if I don’t answer?” Xifeng’s gaze was commanding.

“I’ll strip you in front of the little wolf cub.”

Xifeng shivered. “Threatening me?” She raised her brows, muttering, “Should I kill to cover it up…”

Jin Se laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Xifeng couldn’t help but smile.

“Do you still consider someone a friend when swords and blades are involved?”

“But in this freezing season, your friend threatens to strip another friend.”

Jin Se sighed deeply, mock regret in her tone. “It’s just a question. Must you be so roundabout with a friend?”

Xifeng sighed too, finally conceding. “Fine, tell me how many questions you plan to ask.”

Jin Se held up three fingers. “Three questions!”

Ice glinted in Xifeng’s eyes.

“Okay… two and a half,” Jin Se carefully bargained.

Xifeng frowned.

Jin Se withdrew gracefully, then asked seriously, “In the Susha family, besides Xue Qianxun, who else has a substitute?”

“Only she has ever had one.”

“You… don’t look like twins,” Jin Se observed her features.

“Of course not. We were only born on the same day. —Half a question,” Xifeng clarified.

Jin Se smiled wryly. “Your relationship within the Susha family is also little known, right?”

“Yes. Only eight people know this secret.”

“You two, and your parents…”

Xifeng nodded. “You’re clever.”

“And the other two?”

“Already past two and a half,” Xifeng said leisurely, a relieved smile on her face. “You should return to Chunjiang Academy. How can dozens of weak girls manage without supervision?”