A City Swept by Wind and Snow GL - Chapter 29

◎Jin Se’s lips curved slightly, and she asked, “Found your companion star?”◎

When Vermillion Bird broke through the acupoints and removed the black cloth covering her eyes, Little Wolf was already gone without a trace. However, she was still puzzled as to why the words she blurted out had made Little Wolf furious.

— “Vermillion Bird, the Southern Protector of the Carefree Divine Cult. You don’t recognize me, but I’ve known about you for a long time.”

— “Of course, I only know of your medical skills.”

— “I didn’t expect you to be so young. Are you really that formidable?”

— “I’ve seen many ‘divine doctors,’ but they all disappoint people. Tsk…”

— “Big Sister Yi! I… I have an important matter to ask of you.”

— “My mother is sick, please, please heal her. I’ll do anything you ask. I can give you all my treasures, I can send you back to your companions, and I can even lead you away from Water Moon Palace at the final juncture.”

At Little Wolf’s request, Vermillion Bird put on the blindfold and began the strangest consultation of her life. She couldn’t “look”; so she first “listened,” hearing the patient’s rough, somewhat terrifying breathing; then she “asked,” but only Little Wolf answered. Vermillion Bird pondered for a long time, unsure of the situation, and then said, “Can I take the elder’s pulse?”

Little Wolf hesitated for a moment and handed his mother’s hand to Vermillion Bird: “It’s here.”

What her fingertips touched was a patch of hairiness. Vermillion Bird instinctively withdrew her hand and exclaimed in surprise, “What kind of illness is this? A hand full of hair!”

“Th-this isn’t an illness!” Surprised by Vermillion Bird’s innocence, Little Wolf quickly explained, “It’s, it’s just like that… hair. But the illness isn’t here. —Ai! Sister, please don’t take off your blindfold.”

Vermillion Bird was still worried about her lost companions and became anxious, saying, “Cannot ‘look’, cannot ‘listen,’ cannot ‘ask’ clearly, and the pulse-taking hand is wearing a furry glove—how am I supposed to treat this?”

Little Wolf was also annoyed: “So what if there’s hair? Can’t you take a pulse? Quack!”

Vermillion Bird blurted out, “I’m not treating an animal!”

Little Wolf was stunned, then swiftly pointed her acupoints, carried her out, and tossed her under a tree.

“I don’t need your treatment, go find your companions!”

“Where are they?”

“I don’t know!”

“Undo my acupoints!”

“No!” After saying that, Little Wolf strode away.

Fortunately, the acupoints Little Wolf sealed were not critical, and Vermillion Bird soon broke free by herself. After removing the black cloth, she saw a clear and elegant small chamber in front of her. She walked over and peered inside, but it was already empty.

“Little Wolf is truly a strange person!” Vermillion Bird muttered angrily, smashing her hand on the door. With a soft hūlā sound, a piece of paper fell from the crack of the door.

“Forbidden Area, Do Not Enter!” These words were written prominently on the paper, followed by a simple map, marking “Grand Yin Mountain,” “Fifth Mei’s Barrier,” and her current location, “Wolf’s Study.” The path from “Wolf’s Study” to the northwest corner of “Grand Yin Mountain,” and then to “Fifth Mei’s Barrier,” was the only continuous route marked on the entire map. The center of Grand Yin Mountain was marked with a bl00d-like vermilion dot.

“Is he asking me to go to Fifth Mei’s Barrier?” Vermillion Bird murmured to herself, tucking the map into her bosom. Without daring to delay for a moment, she immediately set off.

Water Moon Palace covered a vast area with complex and intricate paths. Vermillion Bird went through dozens of forks in the road before realizing that Little Wolf had only drawn one specific route. She didn’t dare to be careless, cautiously selecting the convoluted path marked on the map among the numerous crossroads.

After swiftly flying for two or three kè (about 30-45 minutes), Vermillion Bird reached the northwest corner of Grand Yin Mountain. Out of curiosity, she walked a few steps towards the southeast, thinking: That must be Grand Yin Mountain, right? I won’t go in, I’ll just look from the side.

Although it was called Grand Yin Mountain, the terrain descended the further she walked. The roads on both sides were clamped by dense forests. The branches and leaves formed a canopy, blocking the light of day. Before long, not a single ray of sunlight could penetrate from above. Vermillion Bird only then realized that she had entered the underground without knowing when. Above her were not only plants but also rocks. Vermillion Bird felt a little scared and turned to leave, but suddenly noticed some fluorescent green light in front of her. Vermillion Bird looked up and saw a stone tablet on which two big black characters, “Forbidden Area,” were written.

“Grand Yin Mountain is the Forbidden Area?” Vermillion Bird muttered to herself, stopping to observe. Bloodstains, strange mountain, stone tablet—since she had come this far, she really wanted to go in and see.

Advance or retreat? This question flashed in Vermillion Bird’s mind for a moment, and she turned around to leave.

The role of a physician in the team was crucial. At all times, she had to ensure her own life and the integrity of her hands, she could not act on impulse.

Vermillion Bird used her fastest qīnggōng (lightness skill) to return the way she came, only stopping when she reached the place where she first discovered the bloodstains. Coincidentally, that spot was a fork in the road. The bloodstains extended intermittently into another path. Vermillion Bird followed, walking a few zhàng (about 10 meters) before the bloodstains suddenly disappeared. She walked another ten zhàng or so, and not a single drop was seen. The last part of the bloody footprint on the ground, although pointing in one direction, was three to five times denser than before.

Vermillion Bird pondered for a moment and guessed: That person must have been chased by someone and managed to stop the bleeding here with great effort. However, he might not have continued in this direction.

Vermillion Bird stepped on the footprints on the ground and retreated, “Cautious person, you must have gone toward the other crossroad,” Vermillion Bird murmured, stepping on a complete footprint, which was at least an inch longer than her foot. Vermillion Bird exclaimed in a low voice, “If he is my companion, it must be Tang Fei without a doubt!”

“Hū—”

A rustling sound came from the jungle. Vermillion Bird felt a gust of cold wind brush past her back, startling her and causing her to break out in a cold sweat. The cold wind quickly swept away, and the air behind her returned to a natural, calm state. Vermillion Bird turned around quickly, fiercely thrusting her silver needles straight out, and demanded, “Who?!”

The wind stopped, the trees were quiet, not even a breath could be heard.

Vermillion Bird let out a long sigh of relief, retracted her silver needles, and rushed straight towards Fifth Mei’s Barrier.

Although Little Wolf didn’t say it directly, he clearly told Vermillion Bird where the people she was looking for were.

“Great Priestess! Jin Se! Xue Qianxun!” The moment Vermillion Bird saw her companions at Fifth Mei’s Barrier, she was overjoyed, flying to the three of them like a gust of wind. Xi Feng reeked of alcohol, her hair was still damp, and her clothes were covered in patches of light and dark bloodstains. Jin Se was also covered in bloodstains. The two stood on either side of Xue Qianxun, and Xue Qianxun supported one with each hand. When they saw Vermillion Bird, they looked very surprised.

“What happened to you?” Vermillion Bird’s eyes welled up. She hadn’t expected to see such a miserable sight of her companions after such a brief separation.

The three said almost in unison, “We’re fine.”

Vermillion Bird quickly assessed them, already having a general understanding of their injuries. Xue Qianxun was fine, but Xi Feng and Jin Se had serious injuries to their qìmài (meridians and internal energy channels). Vermillion Bird felt a heavy heart and immediately prepared to treat the three of them.

Xi Feng withdrew the wrist Vermillion Bird had grasped and said, “Our injuries are nothing. There are three urgent things to remind you of. First: don’t wander around here, you can only walk within the area we have circled.”

Vermillion Bird looked at the curve drawn on the ground, confused.

Jin Se walked over and smiled, “See where you came in from.”

Vermillion Bird turned her head and found that the path she came from was blocked by a high wall. There was no sound just now, when did it move there? She became even more puzzled.

Jin Se said, “There are several hot springs here. The scenery you see is a carefully arranged mirage. Traps might be hidden anywhere.”

Xue Qianxun said, “Little Silver nearly fell into an abyss just now. Xi Feng fished it back.”

Vermillion Bird said, “Have you already gone through the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Mei Barriers?”

Xi Feng blinked slowly, puzzled. Jin Se raised an eyebrow, equally puzzled. Xue Qianxun said clearly, “I don’t know about one, two, three, and four, but we did indeed encounter a woman with the surname Fifth and the given name Mei.”

Vermillion Bird suddenly realized, took out the map Little Wolf gave her, and pointed to a spot, saying, “The place we are now is called ‘Fifth Mei’s Barrier.’ Heh heh, I thought there were four before this.”

Xue Qianxun’s expression tightened: “Enemies on a narrow road—we unintentionally entered her territory again!”

Vermillion Bird looked at Xue Qianxun in surprise, wondering what deep hatred she had with Fifth Mei.

Xi Feng couldn’t help but smile at Xue Qianxun’s serious expression.

Jin Se gave Vermillion Bird a wicked smile and said, “Silly girl.”

Vermillion Bird tried to tap Jin Se’s head with the map. Jin Se easily dodged, but her gaze was drawn to the three words “Grand Yin Mountain” on the map.

“Second,” Xi Feng pulled Jin Se and Vermillion Bird apart and said again, “We will rest here for one night. Tomorrow morning, Jin Se, Xue Qianxun, and I all have duels.”

“Duels?”

“Yes. The Beast Tamer Little Wolf specifically requested Jin Se, the Puppeteer Fifth Mei specifically requested Xue Qianxun, and my opponent said he would only announce his name before my death.” Xi Feng shrugged and smiled faintly, “Please, Big Sister Vermillion Bird, heal our injuries before dawn.”

Vermillion Bird felt panicked and quickly said while working, “Then what about my opponent? All of you are going to duel…”

Jin Se laughed, “Your opponent is time. We beg you, time is more urgent than you think.”

Vermillion Bird knew time was pressing. She immediately spoke rapidly while acting: “Xue Qianxun, here is the golden trauma medicine. Can you apply it yourself? Xi Feng, Jin Se, you two go into the hot spring first. Xi Feng needs to wash off the alcohol scent first, and Jin Se’s injuries are severe and her body is weak, so she must keep warm, otherwise the cold toxin will flare up; I will prepare the decoction for the two of you immediately. I hope there’s enough time.” As she spoke, she pushed the two towards the hot spring.

Xi Feng and Jin Se struggled to step back. Xi Feng quickly said, “There’s a third point I haven’t told you: there’s someone at the hot spring right now.”

“Who?”

Xi Feng said, “Tang Fei. He won’t let us get close, he’s cleaning his wounds there himself.”

Jin Se frowned: “Tang Fei’s internal and external injuries are very severe. You must save his life first.”

Vermillion Bird finally knew why Jin Se said time was more urgent than she thought.

Xue Qianxun said, “Tang Fei kept saying he was very tired and too sleepy to keep his eyes open. Xi Feng pointed some acupoints to stop the bleeding and let him be.”

Vermillion Bird was shocked, saying, “Oh no, you can’t let him sleep!”

Vermillion Bird rushed towards the hot spring and saw the person lying flat behind the rocks. His long sleeve covered his face, looking like a bloody mess.

“Tang Fei, Tang Fei, wake up quickly!” Vermillion Bird gently shook his right arm, but the arm rolled to the side. Vermillion Bird quickly lifted his sleeve. Only then did she discover that the arm was broken. The severed end was clean, and the shocking pile of shattered bone and flesh was placed beside him.

“Tang Fei, don’t sleep…” Vermillion Bird covered her mouth, tears streaming down. Since leaving her master, this was the first time she felt the helplessness and fear of a physician. At the moment, not only was it impossible to reattach Tang Fei’s severed arm, but even keeping him alive was a luxury.

Tang Fei remained silent, his left hand always covering his face, his chest almost still. Vermillion Bird placed her fingers on Tang Fei’s carotid artery. The pulse was barely discernible, and his skin was cold. Vermillion Bird’s heart also chilled by half, and she sobbed uncontrollably.

“I’m not asleep.” Suddenly, Tang Fei’s icy fingers grasped Vermillion Bird’s wrist. A faint bitter smile appeared on his pale face, and he sighed very softly: “I’m worried. They ruined my dominant arm, what should I do, Yi Xinci?”

Seeing that Tang Fei was conscious, Vermillion Bird was filled with mixed feelings of grief and joy. She quickly wiped away her tears and smiled slightly: “Then practice well with your left hand, won’t you be just as strong?”

Tang Fei’s lips curled up, a gleam flashed in his dark eyes, and he said softly, “Thank you, Yi Xinci.” After speaking, his fingers weakly released her, sliding down Vermillion Bird’s clothes.

Xue Qianxun walked over, just in time to see this scene, and choked with sadness. Xi Feng and Jin Se hurried over at the sound, unable to believe the scene before their eyes, and froze. Vermillion Bird turned her head, surprised: “What are you staring at?”

Xue Qianxun said with a trembling voice, “Tang Fei must have relied on his strong willpower to hold on until now. Now that he has seen all his companions, he can peacefully…”

“Fell asleep,” Xi Feng said faintly, walking towards the hot spring by herself.

“Ah?” Xue Qianxun was stunned.

Jin Se lightly patted Xue Qianxun’s head from behind and smiled, “You can’t even tell the difference between the living and the dead, and you start crying first.” She also walked towards the hot spring.

Vermillion Bird moved Tang Fei, treated his wounds, and force-fed him the decoction. Xue Qianxun sat by his side, applying medicine to her own wounds while recounting everything that happened during their separation to Vermillion Bird. Vermillion Bird listened quietly, her brows tightly furrowed.

After Tang Fei’s condition stabilized temporarily, Vermillion Bird was still worried about Xue Qianxun and took time to recheck her injuries. Xue Qianxun opened her palm covered in golden trauma medicine for Vermillion Bird to see, asking, “Big Sister Vermillion Bird, will my injuries heal by tomorrow?”

Vermillion Bird rubbed her finger joints, wrist, and elbow, and smiled bitterly: “It’s a blessing that you haven’t injured your jīnmài (tendons and meridians). You still hope to heal by tomorrow?”

Xue Qianxun tried to move her fingers and felt a gripping pain in her palm. Furthermore, ever since she struck the Bell Ghost’s large bell, that arm, and even her shoulder blade, had been throbbing with pain. Xue Qianxun couldn’t help but worry about the duel scheduled for dawn.

Vermillion Bird massaged Xue Qianxun’s relevant acupoints and slowly introduced yuánqì (primal energy) to condition her body. She said, “Little Sister Xue is truly a martial arts genius. Your internal cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds, perhaps already surpassing mine.” Xue Qianxun was overjoyed, but Vermillion Bird changed her tone: “Unfortunately, you lack experience. The internal energy you can utilize is only one or two tenths.”

Xue Qianxun was greatly disappointed: “That’s such a pity!”

Vermillion Bird said, “Only being able to utilize one or two tenths is a good thing. My only fear is that you might suddenly go all out one time.”

“That would be great, I’d be formidable then!”

Vermillion Bird shook her head: “Your body hasn’t undergone years of cumulative training. The strength of your qì and your bones are not synchronized. Therefore, you must try to avoid direct impact with your opponent. If you exert ten parts of power, you will inevitably injure yourself by seven parts.”

Xue Qianxun lowered her eyelashes and said, “Big Sister Vermillion Bird, I don’t want to lose, and I certainly don’t want to die.”

At this moment, the little silver fox by Xue Qianxun’s side suddenly perked up its ears, got up, and ran away. Xue Qianxun looked back and saw Jin Se walking from the hot spring. She had changed her clothes, her black hair reached the ground, and her complexion was pure. She didn’t know if Jin Se had heard their conversation, but Jin Se looked at Xue Qianxun with a melancholic and profound gaze.

Xue Qianxun hurried forward, supporting her with her arm, saying, “Do you feel better? Make sure the cold toxin doesn’t flare up.”

Jin Se looked at the medicine all over Xue Qianxun’s hands and said, “I’m fine. You should rest, Vermillion Bird is here.”

Xue Qianxun glanced at Vermillion Bird, then turned to Jin Se and asked, “Where is Xi Feng?”

Jin Se’s expression changed slightly, then she smiled, “Just a dozen steps away, you can hear the water. Could she have flown away?”

Xue Qianxun suddenly remembered something and said, “I’ll go see her.” She rushed over hastily.

Vermillion Bird handed the pre-brewed decoction to Jin Se, then picked up her wrist to take her pulse, frowning: “The Beast Tamer focused his energy on sound wave manipulation. Your defensive power is still so weak.”

Jin Se smiled bitterly: “What can I do? Several major acupoints were pierced. I was in a terrible state. It’s truly fortunate that you didn’t see me and laugh at me.”

Vermillion Bird spat at her playfully, then a faint sadness floated into her eyes, saying, “I am the most clueless person, yet I am always the one with the lightest injuries after every battle. Even this time, you and Xi Feng are severely injured, yet I am still completely unharmed.”

Jin Se laughed, “Yi Xinci must be blessed by a lucky star, turning misfortune into fortune. We ill-fated people can’t compare.”

Vermillion Bird felt an ominous hint in her words and became even more displeased, saying, “How am I blessed by any lucky star? The reason I am able to turn danger into safety and misfortune into good fortune every time is because I have you all by my side!”

No sooner had Vermillion Bird finished speaking than Xi Feng’s surprised exclamation came from the hot spring: “Ah, what are you doing?”

Then came Xue Qianxun’s voice: “It’s you, it’s you! I saw it, I found it, how can you still deny it?”

Jin Se was slightly startled, then smiled faintly. Vermillion Bird was about to go over, saying, “What are they doing?”

Jin Se quickly held Vermillion Bird back: “Don’t go over, they are playing hide-and-seek. You’ll disturb them if you go.”

Vermillion Bird said, “How could someone like the Great Priestess play hide-and-seek.”

“What kind of person? A cold ice sculpture?” Jin Se smiled slightly, “Ice can be melted, you know. You don’t know this, but Xi Feng not only plays hide-and-seek, but also plays the ‘double act’ (a form of ventriloquism)!”

The hot spring area quieted down. Perhaps they were whispering, or perhaps they were in a silent confrontation. Vermillion Bird finally couldn’t hold back, saying, “The Great Priestess is also seriously injured. Now is not the time to play.”

Jin Se said, “Tang Fei seems unwell. Come and take a look.”

While Vermillion Bird was checking on Tang Fei, Jin Se got up and walked towards the hot spring.

The misty water vapor set off the graceful figures of the two, like a dream. Jin Se watched, lost in thought, leaning against the rock in a daze. Xue Qianxun turned her head, holding a strand of Xi Feng’s beautiful hair between her fingers.

“Jin Se?”

Xue Qianxun looked at her with a lingering smile.

Jin Se’s lips curved slightly, and she asked, “Found your companion star?”

Xue Qianxun was beaming with joy and nodded vigorously. Xi Feng sighed softly, acknowledging it.

Jin Se said, “After you finish combing her hair, come over. There’s not much time left.”

Xue Qianxun looked at Jin Se’s long, unbound hair and said, “Jin Se, I’ll comb your hair.”

Jin Se turned her back and waved her hand, saying, “I don’t want to get the medicine from your hands on me.”

Under the starlight.

Tang Fei was finally out of mortal danger, half-asleep and half-conscious. Xue Qianxun’s injuries were the lightest, but she refused to sleep first. She held the zither string she had snatched from Fifth Mei, passing it between her fingers repeatedly, occasionally mumbling a few words, as if reciting something. Finally, she fitted the zither string onto her own zither body, fashioning a strange single-string zither. Only then did she lie down obediently and fall asleep peacefully.

Xi Feng and Jin Se’s qìmài were damaged, their sound waves were chaotic, and their constitutions were weak. Vermillion Bird continuously channeled her own yuánqì into their bodies, while also using zhēnqì to balance the sound waves in their internal organs. This way, the medicinal power could be coordinated to achieve the maximum degree of recovery for their bodies.

Vermillion Bird stayed awake all night, guarding her four companions. By dawn, her zhēnqì was completely exhausted, and she was too fatigued to even stand up.

Xi Feng woke up first. She looked at the haggard-faced Vermillion Bird and smiled faintly in gratitude. Vermillion Bird also smiled, saying, “I think my medical skills have advanced again.”

Jin Se got up and first touched her waist. Xue Qianxun happened to see this and noticed that Jin Se took out a lotus-shaped sachet, intently staring at the complex pattern on it, deep in thought. Xue Qianxun had seen Jin Se wearing this sachet ever since she met her, so Xue Qianxun guessed that this item must have a special origin.

Jin Se felt Xue Qianxun’s gaze, turned her face, and smiled mischievously, “You have a sachet too, don’t you? You don’t usually wear it, but now you’re staring at mine. I won’t let you wear it even if you look.”

Xue Qianxun pouted, but didn’t retort as she usually did, only saying, “Jin Se’s sachet is different from anyone else’s. I wonder what kind of fragrant herbs it’s compounded from.”

Jin Se said, “I don’t know either. It was given to me by an old friend.”

Vermillion Bird also looked over and muttered, “I can’t identify this scent of fragrant herbs either.”

Xue Qianxun said, “If Jin Se walks past me from behind, I can immediately know, all because of this unique fragrance.”

Jin Se raised an eyebrow and said, “Looks like I can’t play hide-and-seek with you.”

Xue Qianxun frowned, then shook her head, muttering, “Maybe it’s not unique.”

“Oh?”

“I don’t remember where, but I think I’ve smelled this scent before… I forgot.”

“Forgot…” Jin Se repeated softly, a subtle change flashing in her eyes.

From afar came the sound of Little Wolf’s wolf flute, followed by Fifth Mei’s zither music.

Jin Se stood up, walked to Vermillion Bird, and hugged her, saying, “Yi Xinci, lend me some of your luck.”

Xi Feng actually smiled too, pushing Xue Qianxun in front of Vermillion Bird: “Hurry and borrow some of the Lucky Star’s luck.”

Xue Qianxun stuffed the little silver fox into Vermillion Bird’s arms, saying solemnly, “Little Silver, you must take good care of Big Sister Lucky Star!”

Vermillion Bird was completely weak, leaning there and chuckling, “I truly wish I was a veritable Big Lucky Star.”

Xi Feng wrapped her arms around Vermillion Bird’s neck and whispered, “Lucky Star, wait for us to return, and we’ll go up to Heavenly Origin Peak together.”