A City Swept by Wind and Snow GL - Chapter 21

◎“Great Priest Xifeng—on New Year’s Eve, why do we have to drag this thing and run like lunatics?”◎

After tonight, the Huading Dynasty would enter its eleventh year.

In the northern skies, sleet and snow drifted lightly amid the crackling fireworks.
The Spring River Courtyard was as lively as ever—its towers and corridors faintly wreathed in the mingled scents of gunpowder smoke, rouge, and wine. Even on this freezing winter night, it exuded a sweet and decadent air of luxury.

There were fewer guests than usual. On New Year’s Eve, most men with families would rather be at home with their loved ones.

But the women who lived in this place had no homes to return to.

Inside Yingxue Pavilion, only Jinse was present, playing dice with the little silver fox, Xiaoxue—and winning easily. She looked at the innocent, naïve creature and gave a hollow smile. Just then, the door burst open.

Seeing who stood there, Jinse froze. Her heart was tangled between joy and shock, but she only smiled faintly and said,
“Back home for the holidays, little wolf cub?”

Xue Qianxun wore a bright red dress, dazzling and vivid. She walked up and gave Jinse a gentle shove, pouting.
“What nonsense are you saying?”

“What kind of wind blew you back here?” Jinse asked.

Xue Qianxun, moving as though she owned the place, went straight to Jinse’s wardrobe.
“Elder Sister Zhuque said Xifeng’s clothes are all too plain. You and she are about the same size, so I came to borrow something pretty from you.”

Jinse snorted softly. “Ah, so Xifeng is the one who blew you back.”

Xue Qianxun pulled out a vividly colored gown, held it up to Jinse for comparison, and tilted her head.
“This one’s beautiful—it’ll suit Xifeng perfectly.”

Jinse rolled her eyes. “Hmph.”

But Xue Qianxun was already diving back into the wardrobe.

“Xue Qianxun,” Jinse cried, “how many things are you going to steal from me? How many bodies does Xifeng have to wear them all?”

Xue Qianxun tugged out another pink robe and turned back with a grin.
“This one doesn’t need comparing—it’s definitely perfect for the charming, wicked Jinse.”

Jinse’s cheeks flushed instantly. A strange premonition rose in her chest. She stood up, trying to escape.
“You’re red enough already—I don’t want it!”

“Put it on,” Xue Qianxun said in a tone that brooked no refusal, thrusting the dress over Jinse’s head.
“Elder Sister Zhuque said it’s New Year—everyone should wear something festive. We’re all going out later. You’re not an exception.”

“Oh… because it’s New Year.” Jinse seemed to understand at last. In the past, she had never known what made New Year’s Day different from any other. And since she could never win against Xue Qianxun’s persistence, she obediently let herself be dressed.

“Hey, little wolf cub…” Jinse said seriously once she’d changed.

“What?” Xue Qianxun blinked at her, eyes bright.

“I’ve been wondering this for a while,” Jinse said thoughtfully. “Don’t you think you’re a bit too strong?”

Xue Qianxun looked puzzled. “Am I?”

“Definitely!” Jinse said with certainty. “There’s not a single girl in Spring River Courtyard who can beat you arm wrestling.”

Xue Qianxun thought for a moment, then laughed proudly. “Guess I’m amazing, huh?”

Jinse smirked. “If I’m not mistaken, though, you don’t have any inner power, do you?”

Xue Qianxun puffed her cheeks in frustration. “No one ever taught me how! I don’t know how to cultivate inner force, so all I can do is train my strength!”

Jinse looked at this little beauty who spoke like a brawny man and couldn’t help bursting out laughing.

“Don’t laugh!” Xue Qianxun’s round eyes widened indignantly. “I’ve been training very seriously!”

Jinse fought to keep a straight face. “I know. I’ve seen you lifting rocks in secret.”

Xue Qianxun’s face turned scarlet. “You were spying on me!”

“I won’t deny it,” Jinse said lightly. “Still, it wasn’t for nothing. That night when you carried the injured Xifeng onto Wuya’s back without effort—I was shocked.”

“Xifeng isn’t heavy,” Xue Qianxun said, looking Jinse up and down like a sandbag. “You’re about the same. I could probably pick you up too.”

Seeing the gleam of mischief in Xue Qianxun’s eyes, Jinse looked terrified.
“Don’t you dare. And don’t even think about trying.”

“Afraid I’ll drop you?”

“No, I’m afraid Xifeng would laugh herself to death if she found out!”

The mention of Xifeng made Xue Qianxun smile softly. Then she grabbed Jinse’s sleeve and tugged.
“They’re waiting for us! Elder Sister Zhuque said we’re lighting fireworks at the River of Forgetting tonight. Hurry!”

The River of Forgetting was a small tributary that flowed into Lake Lingbo, located in the quiet outskirts of the city.

When Jinse, Xue Qianxun, and the little silver fox arrived, they found Xifeng and Zhuque on the frozen river, tinkering with bamboo poles, ropes, and canvas. On the far side of the river stood the distant silhouette of Yaqin Manor, and two figures—Elder Xuanwu and Granny Baihu—sat side by side atop their lumbering beasts, slowly approaching.

Zhuque spotted them first and waved happily.

Xue Qianxun dropped Jinse’s hand and skipped away like a deer through the woods. Watching her lively figure, Jinse felt a strange joy stir in her chest.

Xifeng turned from her work to glance coolly at the girl.
“Where’s your hood?”

Xue Qianxun blinked—she’d left it in the pavilion. Xifeng silently removed her own fur-lined hood and placed it on the girl’s head. The soft lining was still warm from her body.

Jinse tossed a folded garment at Xifeng. “Here.”

Xifeng raised an eyebrow, clearly unused to wearing other people’s clothes. But faced with the combined insistence of Zhuque, Jinse, and Xue Qianxun, she reluctantly changed out of her dark outer robe.

When Xuanwu and Baihu arrived, the old lady smiled at the group.
“Ah, young ladies do look lovely when they dress up.”

“So pretty! Truly pretty!” came a cheerful voice. Everyone turned to see Tang Fei gliding over the ice like the wind. Though his wounds hadn’t fully healed, his spirits were high, and he was skating on two bamboo slats with boyish glee.

“But Xifeng—” he said as he circled around, “she’s clearly a beauty, yet when she glares, it’s terrifying!”

Xifeng ignored him completely.

“You’re pretty too, Tang Fei!” Xue Qianxun called suddenly.

Tang Fei brightened, surprised and expectant.

“You’re as pretty as… an embroidered monkey!” she finished sweetly.

Zhuque burst out laughing first. Jinse merely glanced at Xifeng with a quiet smile. Tang Fei’s face fell—he couldn’t understand why Xue Qianxun disliked him so much.

He coughed awkwardly and turned to Zhuque. “Everything’s ready.”

“Excellent,” Zhuque said.

Jinse stepped closer to inspect their project. “What are you building?”

Zhuque rubbed her chilled hands and unrolled a sketch. “Look—the Great Priest drew this. She says it can fly once it’s done.”

Jinse chuckled. “So Xifeng’s a carpenter now.”

Xue Qianxun crouched beside them, fascinated. After a while she murmured, “When I was little, I always wanted to make something that could fly.”

Xifeng’s fingers trembled faintly.

Jinse noticed and glanced between the two women. Xue Qianxun was gazing at Xifeng, eyes shining with delight.

“Did you ever manage to make one?” Zhuque asked.

“I tried with a friend,” Xue Qianxun said softly. “But we always failed.”

“Don’t worry,” Zhuque said confidently. “This time won’t fail—our Great Priest designed it.”

Jinse smiled knowingly. “After enough failures, one gains experience.”

“But the Great Priest has never failed,” Zhuque said seriously. “This is her first attempt.”

Jinse didn’t argue, just helped hand over tools and materials. Then she asked casually,
“What about Wuya? Doesn’t it know how to fly?”

Xifeng finally looked up, expression stern. “Who knows when that beast will decide to roll over for fun?”

Jinse snorted. “Still holding a grudge, huh?”

Tang Fei, bored, couldn’t wait any longer—he lit a firecracker. It exploded with a bang, scattering bright sparks across the sky. Elder Xuanwu puffed a ring of smoke from his crystal pipe and looked up at the glittering burst.

Granny Baihu squeezed his hand gently. “It’s New Year.”

“Yes,” he said softly. “Another year gone.”

Before long, Xifeng’s flying contraption was finished—a small boat with huge wings. Three ropes were fastened to its front. It could seat two people, and its underside was lined with bamboo slats for sliding over ice.

Zhuque jumped excitedly. “It’s done!”

“Name it,” Xifeng said.

“Big Wingy,” Zhuque offered.

Xifeng frowned. “That’s… odd.”

“Fly-fly-fly-fly!” Tang Fei suggested.

She ignored him entirely and turned to Jinse. “Your suggestion?”

“Fly Here Fly There,” Jinse said immediately.

Xifeng replied solemnly, “It doesn’t swim—it can’t go back and forth. No.” She finally looked at Xue Qianxun. “What do you think?”

Xue Qianxun thought hard. “Graceful Bodhisattva.”

Xifeng tilted her head. “It’s not very graceful. Fine then—‘Dragging Bodhisattva.’”

“Dragging Bodhisattva?” Jinse sighed. She had a bad feeling.

Xifeng handed her a rope. “Here—you take this.”

Jinse accepted it reluctantly.

Then Xifeng gave another to Tang Fei and kept the third for herself. She turned to Xuanwu and Baihu. “Please, two Protectors.”

The elders already knew her plan and mounted their beasts, heading toward the direction Tang Fei had come from.

Then Xifeng faced Zhuque and Xue Qianxun with a gentle smile.
“Elder Sister Zhuque, Miss Xue—you two sit inside.”

Jinse’s irritation grew. As she dragged the “Dragging Bodhisattva” along the ice, she complained,
“Great Priest, why do other people get to sit on cushions eating dumplings for New Year, while we have to drag this ridiculous thing across a frozen river?”

Xifeng smiled apologetically. “Think of it as… training.”

Tang Fei groaned, clutching his ribs.
“Master Xifeng, I truly admire your recovery rate—but could you please spare my poor bones?”

“Stop,” Xifeng said coldly.

Tang Fei cheered—until she added,
“Go back and do it again. Faster this time. And if you call me ‘Master’ again, I’ll break those ribs.”

Xue Qianxun began to worry.

Zhuque whispered, “Do you think this ‘Dragging Bodhisattva’ can really fly?”

“Of course,” Xue Qianxun said firmly.

After a few trials, with adjustments to the wings, it finally did fly. The heavy cloth rustled in the wind as Zhuque and Xue Qianxun lifted into the air. The boat traced a graceful arc over the river, Zhuque laughing in delight while Xue Qianxun clutched the edge nervously, thrilled and afraid.

Suddenly, from ahead came a crackling sound—Elder Xuanwu and Granny Baihu had ignited the fireworks that Tang Fei had laid earlier. Brilliant blooms of color burst along both riverbanks as the flying craft glided between them, dreamlike and magnificent.

Zhuque seized Xue Qianxun’s hand and shouted, “It’s New Year!”

Xue Qianxun laughed joyfully. “It’s New Year!”

Tang Fei leaped high on the ice, yelling, “New Year! New Year!”

Xifeng looked up, and for once, her calm face broke into a smile.

Jinse tilted her head back and sighed. “The view up there must be amazing.”

Xifeng smirked. “You can jump up and see for yourself.”

“After all that dragging, I can’t even move,” Jinse groaned.

“Then you’ll have to,” Xifeng said, taking her hand. “Come with me.”

“What for?”

“To catch them when they fall.”

“What—you mean your ‘Dragging Bodhisattva’ can’t land?”

Xifeng arched a brow. “What do you think?”

Jinse glanced up at the two girls still cheering in the sky and sighed helplessly.
“Xifeng, I must say, you’re the worst designer in the world.”

“I’ll catch Zhuque; you catch Xue Qianxun,” Xifeng said, leaping skyward.

Jinse followed. Tang Fei shuddered. “Xifeng’s a demon.”

Zhuque’s lightness skill wasn’t bad—Xifeng steadied her midair, and they landed safely.
Xue Qianxun, who knew no martial arts, had to rely on Jinse’s arms.
The four touched down just as the “Dragging Bodhisattva” crashed into the ice with a resounding boom.

Xifeng looked at the wreckage and sighed. “Ah.”

Jinse gritted her teeth. “Great Priest Xifeng, please don’t sigh in front of me. I never imagined you had such hobbies.”

Xifeng only smiled, gazing up at the moon. “It should be the New Year now.”

Right on time—midnight.

Quick-witted Jinse bowed to the elders. “Elder Xuanwu, Granny Baihu—wishing you a happy and prosperous New Year!”

Xifeng, Xue Qianxun, and Zhuque followed suit.

Tang Fei raised his hands toward the sky. “Big Brother—happy New Year!” Then he turned and greeted the elders properly.

The vast frozen river brimmed with warmth and laughter.

Xue Qianxun had thought that an organization like the Celestial Freedom Sect would be cold and detached—but she hadn’t expected it to feel so much like a family.

Then Elder Xuanwu said gravely,
“I hope this spring, you all return safely from the Palace of Water and Moon.”

Xue Qianxun froze. “We’ve decided to go there?”

Granny Baihu smiled kindly. “Not all of you. Only them—Xifeng, Jinse, Zhuque, and Tang Fei.”

Xue Qianxun immediately understood. Of course they wouldn’t take her—she had no skills, nothing to offer.
So this dazzling display of fireworks on New Year’s Eve… it was their farewell.

But had Xifeng planned it only for that reason?

Around dawn, when everyone was parting, Xue Qianxun quietly caught Xifeng’s sleeve. Xifeng stopped but didn’t turn around.
“What is it?” she asked calmly.

“Xifeng,” Xue Qianxun said softly, “happy birthday. New Year’s Day is your birthday—and mine too. Thank you for the ‘Dragging Bodhisattva’ and the fireworks.”

Xifeng chuckled lightly. “What are you talking about?”

“Even if you won’t admit it, it doesn’t matter,” Xue Qianxun said with a gentle smile. “I recognize you—and I could never mistake you.”

A single tear slipped from the corner of her eye. She slowly released her hold and turned away.