A City Swept by Wind and Snow GL - Chapter 26
The old man’s throat still flowed with warm bl00d, dissolving into a fleeting thin vapor in the cool air.
Among the five-person team who came to Water Moon Palace for the appointment, the physician Zhuque had been abducted. In front of them were three paths: one was blocked by a thousand-pound boulder, and the remaining two were pitch black and deep, like the nostrils of a giant, leading to unknown places. Xifeng stood at the fork in the road, thinking quietly, showing no emotion.
Looking at Xifeng’s back, which was so ethereal it seemed almost fragile, Xue Qianxun had a sense of both reality and illusion: the child who used to curl up in a corner, trembling and crying because she had cut off someone else’s hand, was long gone. When did she start becoming able to so calmly pierce a person’s throat?
As if sensing Xue Qianxun’s unusual gaze, Xifeng turned around, “Afraid?” she asked indifferently.
Xue Qianxun was startled, and shook her head hesitantly.
Xifeng pointed a hand to the side: “Stand over there.” After speaking, she walked close to the boulder blocking the path and examined it with a scrutinizing gaze.
Jinse slowly stepped forward and sighed, “You really chose the most difficult path.”
Xifeng said, “You know me best, so you must also know my reason for choosing it.”
Jinse smiled faintly: “There are clearly three paths, yet they didn’t hesitate to drop such a giant thing to block one of them. It’s simply an intentional arrangement to lead us astray. – Xifeng hates it when others dictate her choices.”
A shallow smile appeared in Xifeng’s eyes, and she raised an eyebrow: “What about you?”
Jinse said, “Of course, the same as you.” She turned her head and looked at Xue Qianxun and Tang Fei with an inquiring gaze.
Tang Fei said decisively, “This path can lead us to Yixin Ci, of course we must take it.”
Xue Qianxun said, “In a sense, this path, which is the most difficult to start, might also be the smoothest. After all, this kind of roadblock is too big, and they might not expect us to force our way through.”
Tang Fei laughed, “It seems our choice is the same.”
Jinse frowned: “Xue Qianxun is right, the beginning of this path is not easy.”
Xifeng laughed: “It’s indeed not very suitable for you.” She turned around, placed her palms on the boulder, preparing to smash it. – With “Thunder Overturn” (Lei Fu), even the most solid rock could be breached, but the power of “Thunder Overturn” was too strong, and she didn’t know if it would shake the entire cliff down.
Tang Fei suddenly moved next to her. His eyes, which had cried earlier, still had bloodshot threads, but his spirit had returned to its usual brilliance. He said loudly, “How can I just watch a woman smash rocks? I’ll do it!”
Xifeng hesitated slightly, let go, and yielded to him.
Tang Fei did not immediately exert force on the boulder, but used his eyes to meticulously observe it from top to bottom, from left to right. A moment later, he joyfully whispered, “Found it!”
Xifeng asked, “What did you find?”
Tang Fei said, “The texture.”
“Texture?” Xifeng repeated softly. She carefully looked at the spot Tang Fei pointed to and murmured, “So it’s this kind of rock…”
“Interesting,” Jinse also came to take a look.
Tang Fei said, “Whether it’s a person or an object, it’s impossible for the whole body to look the same; there are always the strongest and the most fragile parts. Like a person’s joints, the texture of the rock is its most vulnerable point.”
However, not everyone’s joints are equally fragile, and not all rock textures can be exploited. Therefore, this long, thin line had to indicate a stroke of luck.
“Our luck is really good; this location is excellent,” Tang Fei said, taking out his weapon, “Great Thunderclap” (Da Pili), channeling his inner energy to his arm, accurately and fiercely splitting the sharp blade toward the texture he had found. With a “Kacha” sound, the thousand-pound boulder immediately cracked with a long fissure. Tang Fei struck a palm to each side, and the boulder split right through. With this breakthrough, it was easy to carve out a path from the boulder.
Xue Qianxun stroked the broken surface of the rock wall, finally understanding why Xifeng and Jinse were so eager to have Tang Fei join them. As a thief, he spent most of his time countering objects, knowing himself and the enemy to win every battle. Sturdy locks, secret rooms, and treacherous mazes were all targets that Tang Fei had to study and deal with. Usually, when a master encounters an obstacle, the first reaction is often to solve it with force, while Tang Fei attempts to find a labor-saving and low-key breakthrough in any situation. Therefore, with him participating in the team, it was possible to reach Heavenly Origin Peak with half the effort.
The four people walked along the path that the little wolf cub had taken for about fifteen minutes. The journey was very peaceful. Gradually, they walked from the narrow sheep path, like a “line of sky” between towering cliffs, to a spacious avenue. The air was fresh, birds chirped faintly, and the trees, flowers, and grasses renewed themselves, all showing vibrant vitality. The early spring sunlight shone on everyone, bringing a soft warmth. However, this unusual peace and tranquility made them uneasy. They did not know when they would leave this path and encounter new opponents.
Tang Fei suddenly yawned, stretched his long arms, and relaxed as if every nerve in his body had loosened. “At a time like this, there should be a pot of wine!” he said loudly.
Xifeng turned her head and looked at him. Tang Fei glanced at Xifeng, left the team without a word, and walked towards a small clump of trees on the side.
Xue Qianxun frowned and murmured, “A drunkard.”
Xifeng stopped and said, “Follow him.”
Behind the clump of trees was the mountain rock, which was obvious, but after passing through this small clump of trees, which was no different from other places along the way, a small cave entrance in the rock could be seen.
A faint scent of wine wafted from the cave entrance, which was hard for most people to notice, but Tang Fei smelled it.
“Hiding in a cave, do you still want to fight or not? If we just pass by, won’t you be derelict in your duty?” Tang Fei said loudly as soon as he stepped into the cave entrance, walking at the very front.
The cave entrance was narrow. Xifeng closely followed Tang Fei, and Jinse fell a few steps behind, letting Xue Qianxun walk between her and Xifeng.
The aroma of wine suddenly became richer, as if the host of the fine wine immediately opened a sealed jar upon hearing the footsteps.
“We don’t want to fight anyone,” an echoing, overlapping voice of several people came from the deep, weakly lit cave. “We are wine brewers. Since you’re destined to find this cave, why not come in and have a taste?”
“It’s women?” Tang Fei softly exclaimed, his figure shifting. In the blink of an eye, he flew in.
The furnishings inside the cave were very luxurious. A table, a chair, a lamp, and a stand were all finely carved, gilded, and inlaid with jade. The floor was covered with solid wood, with strange patterns on it. Behind the silently hanging gauze curtain were four young girls. They were standing or sitting, facing or sideways, each holding a wine jar, their graceful silhouettes reflected on the thin, light gauze.
Tang Fei felt dizzy. “Beautiful!” he said, and went straight to the gauze curtain without thinking, “I wonder what wine the ladies have brewed?”
“The name of the wine?” one of the girls countered.
“If we absolutely must give it a name,” another girl chimed in.
“Why not name it after us four sisters,” the third girl continued.
“Red Wine (Hong Jiu),” the last girl said lightly, firmly, and without hesitation.
Immediately, the other three people shouted in unison, “Little Sister Hong! It’s supposed to be named after us four sisters, not just you!”
The girl called Little Sister Hong had to compromise: “Fine, then it’s ‘Charming Purple and Gorgeous Red’ Wine (Chazi Yan Hong Jiu). – See, how awkward,” she sighed at the end, as if very helpless.
The gauze curtain automatically drew open, and the four sisters, holding wine jars, walked out gracefully.
Tang Fei, Xifeng, and the others couldn’t help but gasp. They were not surprised by the beauty of the four sisters, but by their identical faces, and those four identical faces were surprisingly – Zhuque.
Tang Fei was stunned, as if everything in front of him was blank.
Xifeng said coldly, “Have you seen our Southern Protector? Where is she?”
“The one the little wolf cub brought? Hmm, the little wolf cub said she must be hungry, and asked us to prepare some food. After the little wolf cub watched that girl finish eating, he took her away.” The four sisters of Charming Purple and Gorgeous Red said in unison, even the tone of every word was identical.
“Where did they go?”
“We don’t know. We wouldn’t dare interfere with the little wolf cub’s business.”
Jinse stared at their faces and asked, “Why are you disguised as Zhuque?”
“This is the reward,” the four replied in unison.
“Explain,” Xifeng’s gaze carried a hint of command.
“Anyone who comes to our Charming Purple and Gorgeous Red Cave to drink and eat snacks must pay a reward before leaving. Even people from our Water Moon Palace are no exception. And the reward we want is a person’s appearance.” Saying this, one of them took a drawing from the table. It was surprisingly a portrait of Zhuque. The four continued to speak in unison: “Just like this. We enjoy brewing wine, painting, and changing our appearance.”
Xue Qianxun was skilled in calligraphy and painting, so she was naturally interested in the portrait and couldn’t help but walk closer to look. The portrait was painted exquisitely, as if Zhuque could step out of the silk fabric if it were shaken. In the lower right corner of the portrait were three delicate characters, “Yixin Ci.” Xue Qianxun recognized it as Zhuque’s own handwriting, and she was a little suspicious.
Seeing Xue Qianxun focused on the portrait, the Charming Purple and Gorgeous Red sisters naturally put away the silk drawing, not letting her look. One of them said, “You haven’t eaten since you entered the underground tunnel, right? Would you like to eat?” Saying this, they tacitly placed fine wine and fruits on the table. The mellow aroma of the wine, mixed with the sweet scent of the fruit, drifted to everyone’s nostrils, very tempting.
Xifeng picked up a small piece of hazelnut cake and observed it.
Xue Qianxun said, “Are you afraid it’s poisoned?”
Xifeng shook her head and smiled faintly at her, “I’m thinking about how it’s made. It looks delicious.”
Beside her, Jinse had already started eating. Just as Xue Qianxun was wondering why these two people were so relaxed, Xifeng handed the hazelnut cake to her: “Eat. Anything Zhuque thinks is edible, you can rest assured.”
Sister Yan San (Gorgeous Three) served a plate of green tea glutinous rice rolls to Tang Fei and said, “Aren’t you eating?”
Tang Fei looked at her face, which was identical to Zhuque’s, feeling a subtle unease in his heart. But he eventually reached out for a piece of pastry and put it in his mouth.
The four of them actually ate very fast. If they hadn’t put food into their mouths, they might not have realized their hunger. After they were full, the Charming Purple and Gorgeous Red sisters offered fine wine to Tang Fei, Xue Qianxun, and Jinse, but only gave Xifeng a cup of clear water. At the same time, the four pairs of eyes looking at Xifeng had a strange smile.
Xifeng took the water cup and exhaled lightly. She guessed that the little wolf cub must have said something about her to them again.
Sister Zi Er (Purple Two) saw Xifeng sigh and deliberately added, “Please don’t take offense, Miss. We four sisters are merely trying to protect ourselves.”
Xifeng waved her hand and said, “I understand.”
Sister Yan San was curious, leaned closer, and asked with a grin, “Is it true that once you touch alcohol, you’ll go wild?”
Xifeng smiled lightly, staring into her eyes: “Do you want to find out?”
“No!” Sister Cha Da (Charming Big) immediately said, pulling Sister Yan San away at the same time, “The little wolf cub forbade giving you wine, so we must obey.”
Xifeng noticed their cautious look and said leisurely, “It seems that little sick child has some status in your Water Moon Palace.”
The four sisters of Charming Purple and Gorgeous Red tacitly acknowledged it, with apologetic smiles on their faces.
A snore came from Tang Fei’s side.
“Oh, he’s drunk!” The Charming Purple and Gorgeous Red were drawn by the sound and exclaimed in unison.
Jinse stepped forward and patted his face, murmuring, “How much wine did this guy drink?” She took a step back, and her heel suddenly hit something. It rolled with a clatter. Jinse looked down and saw that they were two empty wine jars.
“How could he drink so fast?” Xue Qianxun frowned, looking at the snoring Tang Fei. “What should we do?”
Xifeng said, “The troublesome guy. When he sobers up, he can catch up on his own. We’ll leave first.”
Xue Qianxun quickly said, “Are you going to abandon him?”
Xifeng glanced at Tang Fei and said, “He has always held back his strength. We might as well take this opportunity to look forward to something.”
“Wait a moment,” Sister Yan San blocked Xifeng’s path and spread her hands: “The reward.”
“Oh, the portrait, is it?” Xifeng remembered.
Little Sister Hong had already prepared the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. The other three sisters successively walked to the table, each holding a brush, and said in unison, “Please face us, three ladies.”
Xifeng, Jinse, and Xue Qianxun stood quietly in front of them. In a moment, three portraits were finished, each lifelike. However, the silk for Xifeng’s portrait was exceptionally large, with half of the space left empty.
Little Sister Hong said to Xifeng, “One of your companions is drunk, so his portrait cannot be painted. Therefore, we would like your back view to substitute.”
Xifeng said, “Wait until he wakes up to paint.”
“I apologize, but today we only want to paint women.”
Xifeng shrugged and turned around.
Little Sister Hong picked up the brush and drew Xifeng’s back view next to the front view her sister had painted. Unlike her sisters, she painted exceptionally slowly, as if every stroke required immense effort. After a long while, when the last drop of ink blended into the silk, fine beads of sweat had seeped onto her forehead.
“It’s done,” Little Sister Hong said, handing the portrait to Xifeng, “Please sign your name, your real name.”
At the same time, Jinse and Xue Qianxun were also asked to sign their names next to their own portraits.
Xifeng took the brush and habitually wrote the two characters “Xifeng.” Suddenly, she felt a dragon-shaped mist surrounding her back view in the portrait, and she was slightly surprised. She blinked and looked closely again, but the mist was gone.
When returning the portrait to Little Sister Hong, Xifeng glanced at the two characters “Xifeng” in the lower right corner. At that moment, a voice suddenly shouted in her heart: “Xifeng!” It was deafening. Xifeng couldn’t help but cover her ears with her hands. Xue Qianxun followed, asking with concern, “What’s wrong?”
The voice echoed in her heart, gradually fading away. Xifeng took a light breath and smiled at Xue Qianxun: “Nothing.”
No one else heard the cold shout except Xifeng. The four sisters of Charming Purple and Gorgeous Red observed Xifeng’s actions without blinking until Xifeng led Jinse and Xue Qianxun out of the cave calmly.
A moment after Xifeng and the others left, the Charming Purple and Gorgeous Red sisters exchanged glances. Sister Cha Da said disappointedly, “It seems ‘Xifeng’ is indeed a false name.”
Little Sister Hong said, “This matter is no longer relevant to us. But the current problem is, what about him?”
The troublesome Tang Fei was still fast asleep.
Sister Cha Da kicked Tang Fei. Seeing that he still didn’t react, she said, “Leave him be. We’ll proceed to the next step – the killing array. Heh, whether those three can survive depends on their capabilities.”
Sister Zi Er said, “Xifeng and Jinse should be fine, but the one named Xue Qianxun, whose martial arts might not even be as good as ours, is in danger.”
Sister Yan San sighed, “Why bring along a burden? Does she have to witness her companion’s tragic death before she realizes it?”
The three sisters chatted leisurely, while Little Sister Hong stood motionless in front of Tang Fei.
Sister Cha Da urged, “Little Sister, hurry up and do something.”
“Big Sister, this person’s position…” Little Sister Hong said tremblingly, unable to hide her fear in her tone, “His butt is sitting right on the ‘key’ (Jian), but I can’t move him at all!”
…
In front of a waterfall.
Xifeng looked at the vertically cascading curtain of water and muttered to herself, “What Tang Fei said is here, right?”
Jinse asked her again, “Are you really not waiting for Tang Fei?”
Xue Qianxun said softly, “It’s all because of my incompetence, otherwise…”
Xifeng interrupted her, “It has nothing to do with you. We’re doing this just to catch up with Zhuque faster.”
Inside the Charming Purple and Gorgeous Red Cave.
Tang Fei finally moved. He stretched his arms and legs and said casually, “I slept well. They should have arrived by now, right?”
The Charming Purple and Gorgeous Red sisters stared at him vigilantly and asked in unison, “You were feigning drunkenness?!”
Tang Fei straightened his waist, his butt still sitting immovably, and laughed, “The wine is good, but the alcohol content is too weak. Drinking those two jars of wine was like drinking clear water to me.”
Sister Cha Da said coldly, “What a great capacity for alcohol. You’re the first person who can drink two jars of Charming Purple and Gorgeous Red Wine and remain sober.”
“Thanks.” Tang Fei burped and murmured, “But let’s pause the compliments for now. Let me see how you set up this mechanism.” As he spoke, he fumbled beneath his butt.
Little Sister Hong pushed him desperately, but he didn’t budge. The other three, by coincidence, picked up wine jars and threw them at Tang Fei all at once. Tang Fei yelled and leaped up: “Throwing it at the head? It’ll kill someone, you naughty women! Uh… but, it’s finally opened.” Tang Fei’s starry eyes looked at a certain spot.
The Charming Purple and Gorgeous Red sisters all surged toward the place where Tang Fei had been sitting. They saw that the solid floor had been prised open by Tang Fei’s fingers, and the mechanism underneath was starting up, unable to be stopped.
“Damn it!” Sister Cha Da cursed, “You actually figured out this array!”
Tang Fei laughed cheekily to provoke them, “Why can’t I? Why did you think I couldn’t? Why should I tell you whether I can or not beforehand? – Didn’t you also hide something? What you’re most proficient at is clearly not brewing wine, painting, and changing appearance, but setting up arrays! Heh, too bad, this great man is also very proficient in it. The small array inside the cave is a reflection of the large array outside the cave, and it’s also the control center for the large array outside. What, it looks like you were discussing changing the ‘Sealing Array’ to a ‘Killing Array’? Sorry, I’ve already changed it to an ‘Opening Array’.”
The Charming Purple and Gorgeous Red sisters suddenly sneered and said, “Then do you know that this array can only open once when the mechanism is triggered? After it reverts to the ‘Sealing Array,’ it will take at least twelve hours before it can be converted back to the ‘Opening Array.’ In other words, your companions are out, but you are left alone.”
Tang Fei smiled carelessly and said, “Of course I know. We’ve already agreed to meet at Heavenly Origin Peak. I won’t be alone then.”
“Is that possible?” the four said, “Heh heh, actually, this array has one more change: The Trap!” Before the words were finished, the ground where Tang Fei stood suddenly gave way. Before Tang Fei could react, he had already disappeared from the sight of Charming Purple and Gorgeous Red.
“Tsk! Calculating everything, yet I didn’t discover this mechanism!” Tang Fei cursed in his heart, but with no external objects to leverage, he could only let his body fall.
“Hehe, we can’t beat you, so we can only show you out. There’s a ‘passionate’ host below who will ‘warmly’ welcome you.”
With a bang, accompanied by the fading laughter of the four Charming Purple and Gorgeous Red sisters, the floor above closed tightly. Tang Fei fell to the ground. Despite channeling his inner energy to cushion the fall, his soles were still numb from the impact.
“Phew… It’s so dark.” Tang Fei sat on the cold ground for a long time, then murmured a sigh.