A City Swept by Wind and Snow GL - Chapter 31

◎Night…◎

If it weren’t for Nan Gongqing, the Jianghu Bi (Chronicles of the Martial World), Jin Se would have almost forgotten that brief yet long period of time—the spring of her fifteenth year, a time she had tried desperately to forget.

—She didn’t know how many days had passed. The old tree, once covered in ice and snow, was now dyed with fiery peach blossoms on its branches. She and her eleven tamed beasts finally reached the end of the Tower of the Underworld. Pushing open the heavy iron door, the morning sun rushed in, and a vast sea of flowers flooded her vision. She hastily covered her face with her scab-stained sleeve, the dazzling light stinging her eyes with pain.

Suddenly, a pair of soft, jade-like hands pushed away her sleeve. A cold fragrance wafted over her face: “Welcome back, Jin Se.” The speaker’s breath was like orchid musk, yet her expression was as calm as water.

“…Night?” Seeing the beautiful face in front of her clearly, Jin Se was very surprised and felt a sense of inexplicable trepidation.

The perfumer, exuding a faint fragrance, revealed a subtle, comforting smile. She gently gathered the shoulder of the girl, who had become very thin, and softly whispered, “Jin Se…”

In that moment, Jin Se thought that this person might genuinely care for her, although the embrace was so light it seemed ready to break at any moment. Suddenly, Jin Se, who had long resolved never to cry again, let tears roll down, unable to stop.

“Night, am I a demon?” the frail little person asked the noble woman, crying.

“No. You are already a true Beast Tamer.” The perfumer’s voice was as calm as ever, but her arm seemed to tremble slightly.

“But I killed the companions I lived with day and night.”

“They were the ones who sought to kill you first.” Clearly, she already knew everything that happened in the Tower of the Underworld.

“But, Night, I no longer have any companions.”

The fragrant fingertips clumsily wiped away her tears—as if this act of comforting a little girl was not her forte. Her face did not show a hint of gentle or caring expression.

“Don’t cry. I have something to give you.”

“Giving me something again?” Jin Se rubbed the clear, jade-green short flute in her sleeve, murmuring, “You already gave me something. Without this Spirit Taming Flute, I would not have been the one to kill all the competitors, complete the trial, and walk out of the Tower of the Underworld.”

The perfumer’s beautiful lips parted, carrying an unquestionable command: “Keep it well.”

What was placed in the small, scarred palm was an exquisitely crafted sachet.

“What is this?” Jin Se couldn’t deny the inexplicable joy she felt when receiving her gift.

“Soul Suppressing Fragrance,” the perfumer said flatly.

Jin Se’s fingers trembled, and she exclaimed in shock: “Soul Suppressing Fragrance? The medicinal fragrance that must be refined with your bl00d! You give it to me so easily?!”

Hearing the word “easily” inadvertently spoken by Jin Se, the perfumer’s brow furrowed slightly, and she said, “Try to subdue the evil beast that is rumored to be untamable. Jin Se, you must become the strongest Beast Tamer.”

“Become the strongest Beast Tamer…” Jin Se gripped the Soul Suppressing Fragrance in her palm, quietly savoring the phrase. This Soul Suppressing Fragrance, which required ten years of effort and fresh bl00d to refine, was something that person had intended to give her from the beginning, wasn’t it? However, looking at her opponent through the swirling water mist, Jin Se deeply understood: the one who had been striving to become the strongest Beast Tamer was not only her, the genius Beast Tamer acknowledged by Nan Gongqing, but also the other name that appeared in the Jianghu Bi: the maverick Beast Tamer, Little Wolf.

Appearing before everyone again, Little Wolf still wore his pale, sickly expression.

Jin Se’s lips curved slightly: “You snatched our physician away. Was it not to ask her to cure your illness? Or, were you miserably rejected?”

Little Wolf returned the smile: “It turns out your physician is a quack. I’m worried that your injuries might be getting worse under her treatment.”

Vermillion Bird stared at Little Wolf in annoyance, saying nothing, her cheeks flushed.

Jin Se said coolly, “Later, when I beat you to a pulp, you will naturally understand how exquisite our Southern Protector’s medical skills are.”

Little Wolf sighed: “Did someone tell you that bragging is also a form of attack power? All the slightly spiritual birds and beasts here are under my control. You’re not planning to tame those stupid and weak animals, are you?”

“You’re joking. Birds and beasts without spirituality cannot be tamed. Do you expect me to desperately plead for them to become smarter?” Jin Se was unexpectedly frank.

Little Wolf chuckled, then said, “Actually, I’ve already told the Jianghu Bi: I’m willing to give up a portion of my control. All the tamed beasts in Water Moon Palace are yours to choose from. Of course, if you insist on being aloof, try to subdue my tamed beasts for a second time!”

“Thank you for your kindness. If I fancy your tamed beasts, I will naturally take them myself. But I already have my own tamed beast, why be fickle?”

“Your tamed beast?” Little Wolf looked at the completely white little silver fox, and laughed, “That little fellow is indeed full of spiritual energy. Unfortunately, it is a reconnaissance type, not an attack type.”

“There’s a limit to how clever you think you are, isn’t there? Little Silver no longer belongs to me. I’m referring to my long-lost old companion—the Grand Yin Doll.”

Xi Feng, Vermillion Bird, and the others couldn’t help but be shocked. They only knew that Jin Se’s cold toxin originated from the Grand Yin Doll. Could it be that Jin Se, who ventured alone into the Cold Marrow Abyss in her youth, had subdued this evil beast at that time?

Xi Feng watched the calm-looking Jin Se and silently asked in her heart: Jin Se, are you terrifyingly strong, or are you just bluffing?

Jin Se sensed Xi Feng’s serious gaze, and her eyes flickered, returning a knowing, sly smile.

A hint of surprise flashed in Little Wolf’s eyes, then he calmly and softly repeated, “The evil beast Grand Yin Doll…” He raised an eyebrow, “For hundreds of years, dozens of top Beast Tamers have explored methods to subdue the evil beast, yet, without exception, they all died in the confrontation stage or the subsequent backlash. Therefore, the Jianghu Bi once said: Evil beasts cannot be tamed. Jin Se, you wouldn’t be unaware of such common knowledge, would you?”

Jin Se said, “The Jianghu Bi that said evil beasts cannot be tamed was from ten generations ago. The notes of the eleventh generation Jianghu Bi, Nan Gongqing, have new content.”

“What new content?” The bland tone couldn’t hide the curiosity in Little Wolf’s eyes.

Jin Se extended a finger and leisurely shook it twice: “I’m not telling you.”

Little Wolf’s face turned even paler and more ashen, then he sneered: “Did you bring your Grand Yin Doll with you?”

“No. I want to look for one here in your Water Moon Palace.”

“The Grand Yin Doll is born at the bottom of the Cold Marrow Abyss. How could Water Moon Palace have one?”

“The Cold Marrow Abyss is not far from here. Water Moon Palace is very likely to have one. Especially since you, a Beast Tamer, are here, how could you not have captured a Grand Yin Doll to try?”

“Conjecture?”

“No, inference.”

“Evidence?”

“Zhang Yongle.”

The moment the name was spoken, everyone was shaken. Tang Fei had long realized something, and now it was finally confirmed: although he hadn’t detailed the events in Grand Yin Mountain to his companions, Jin Se understood.

Jin Se said leisurely, “Grand Yin Mountain, the forbidden area of Water Moon Palace guarded by Zhang Yongle, is where the Grand Yin Doll is imprisoned. The Grand Yin Doll is a little fellow who is obsessed with beauty. They possess astonishingly keen detection abilities for gold, silver, and jewels, and miraculous processing skills. In their pursuit of treasures, they are terrifyingly insane.” She paused slightly here, then sighed, “Unfortunately, in their eyes, human skulls are also a kind of ornament.”

Tang Fei couldn’t help but recall the scene of Zhang Yongle being shredded by the Grand Yin Doll, a lingering fear in his heart. He couldn’t help but murmur, “It’s a miracle that my head didn’t become one of their collectibles. I didn’t expect them to prefer Zhang Yongle’s type of head.”

Jin Se heard him and said, “The wisdom of evil beasts is on par with humans, thus their love and hate are intense. Zhang Yongle and Caiziyan used massive mechanisms to imprison them and stole the treasures they carefully collected. If it were you, wouldn’t you have the desire to tear them to shreds?”

Only then did Tang Fei understand that his survival from Grand Yin Mountain was not entirely due to luck.

Xue Qianxun snorted coldly: “No wonder Water Moon Palace always has a steady stream of wealth. Besides secretly training assassins like Three Knives, they even dare to exploit evil beasts.”

“Oh, right,” Jin Se seemed to have suddenly remembered something, “You were also highly expected to become a Beast Tamer who could subdue evil beasts. It looks like you’ve failed the Sea Star Palace Master’s good intentions. Can you still endure the accumulated cold toxin of many years?”

“How do you know I suffer from cold toxin?!” Little Wolf retorted.

Jin Se glanced at Vermillion Bird. Vermillion Bird understood, and although it violated the physician’s code of ethics, she still said in a firm tone, “Little Wolf, your cold toxin is already very severe. You must have been injured by the Grand Yin Doll, right?”

Little Wolf’s face flushed with a sickly red due to shock: “You can judge that just by ‘looking’?”

Vermillion Bird said, “I diagnosed it when you let me take your pulse while wearing a furry glove.”

“Furry glove?” Everyone was surprised.

Little Wolf looked like he didn’t know whether to cry or laugh, but in the end, he didn’t try to defend himself, only muttering, “That’s right, I failed to subdue the evil beast Grand Yin Doll. Since you succeeded before me, then I am very much looking forward to seeing the Grand Yin Doll’s obedient appearance.”

The sight of the Grand Yin Doll obediently guarding its master was not only something Little Wolf wanted to see, but also something Xi Feng, Xue Qianxun, Vermillion Bird, Tang Fei, and even the unseen onlookers were quietly anticipating.

Without a change in expression, Little Wolf’s tamed beasts were already quietly surging, and countless pairs of various eyes shone brightly in the swirling mist. Jin Se raised the Spirit Taming Flute and slowly placed it against her lips, but… did not blow it.

Xi Feng sensed trouble. She gathered her qì and swept to Jin Se’s front, asking in a voice so low only Jin Se could hear: “Jin Se, you were bluffing about subduing the Grand Yin Doll, weren’t you?”

Jin Se’s lips barely moved, uttering extremely soft syllables: “That’s right.”

Xi Feng raised her hand and wiped a drop of sweat from her forehead: “Er… Is there such a thing as a Beast Tamer who uses a human as a tamed beast? Since you, the Beast Tamer, are so hard up, I… I can be your tamed beast.”

Jin Se gave a faint smile: “Someone who tames humans is a Puppeteer. Later, cooperate with your Xue Qianxun!”

Xi Feng’s face turned pale, and she gritted her teeth: “Jin… Se…”

Jin Se looked at her with a beaming smile, an exasperating and wicked look of provocation, as always.

Xi Feng, however, quietly grasped her hand, sighed softly, and said earnestly, “Jin Se, you are my most important friend. You must not die.”

The smile froze on Jin Se’s beautiful lips. She withdrew her hand from Xi Feng’s and said flatly, “You protect the others. The Grand Yin Dolls are coming.”

Finally, the ethereal and distant sound of a flute rang out.

Whether I can subdue it or not, I’ll summon it and see. This is the only chance to defeat Little Wolf! Jin Se thought silently.

In the distance, although faint, there was a very distinct sound of flying towards Fifth Mei’s Barrier.

Little Wolf adhered to his pride and demeanor as a top Beast Tamer. He did not launch an attack until Jin Se’s tamed beast appeared. However, when the ten Grand Yin Dolls from Grand Yin Mountain surrounded Jin Se like stars orbiting the moon, Little Wolf finally brought out his wolf flute.

Magnificent!

Xi Feng, Xue Qianxun, Yi Xinci, and Tang Fei had already retreated to a distance, watching the surging, murderous beast battleground, their hearts trembling.

The evil beasts, the Grand Yin Dolls, were all pure-faced girl dolls! With waterfall-like silver hair, adorned with gold and jade—as soon as they broke free from the restraints of the mechanism, they found their treasures and dressed themselves up gorgeously. They were indeed evil beasts obsessed with beauty. The glittering jewelry set off their human-like upper bodies with fair, pale-blue skin, and their lizard-like lower bodies with almost translucent emerald green bone and flesh. But the most bizarre feature of the Grand Yin Dolls was their pair of beautiful, crystal-clear large eyes: their pupils flashed like electricity, a dazzling golden light, while the part corresponding to the white of a human eye was a terrifying pitch black.

In opposition to Jin Se’s distant and ethereal Spirit Taming Flute, Little Wolf’s wolf flute sounded high-pitched and far-reaching. Over a hundred birds and beasts, their imposing might suddenly rising, surged forward like rolling waves.

This was the most serious battle Little Wolf had ever faced, and he was on high alert from the moment the duel erupted. But Little Wolf quickly realized the true skill level of Vermillion Bird’s medical arts—Jin Se, whose major acupoints had been pierced by Fifth Mei’s zither strings, was actually able to maintain lightning speed in her movements just a few hours later! The tigers, wild boars, jackals, poisonous snakes, and even owls and bats controlled by Little Wolf could not touch Jin Se in the slightest. If the physician hadn’t possessed consummate restoration skills, then even channeling all her own yuánqì into the injured person’s body could not have achieved Jin Se’s current state. Moreover, Vermillion Bird had single-handedly protected four severely injured companions.

“Yi Xinci, good little Sister Yi. You who calmly rejected the challenge of the swordsman Yin Nu, actually hide such astonishing talent beneath a naive exterior!” Little Wolf couldn’t help but shift his attention to Vermillion Bird. In this very instant, a Grand Yin Doll swept past him like a gust of wind. Although it missed, its sharp nails still cut a gash on Little Wolf’s waist.

Little Wolf’s expression subtly changed. He knew that Jin Se must be gloating at this moment. However, Jin Se’s state was beyond his expectation. The core tune of Jin Se’s flute playing hadn’t changed much compared to before, and her movement speed was not the slightest bit slower—this was strange! Little Wolf’s tamed beasts had already suffered heavy casualties from the Grand Yin Dolls. Why was Jin Se being so cautious?

“No!” Little Wolf almost exclaimed in shock. He finally understood: Jin Se was maintaining such high-speed movement at the cost of a large amount of physical energy. The beasts she was dodging were definitely not Little Wolf’s tamed beasts, but… the Grand Yin Dolls!

“Jin Se!” Little Wolf could not conceal the surprise in his heart and laughed loudly, “Beast Taming has four stages: appeasement, confrontation, subjugation, and control. Why is your flute tune consistently in the initial stage of taming—appeasement? Could it be…”

“No need to wonder, no need to be certain! I just lied to you, what do you intend to do?” Jin Se’s smile was wicked.

“For those who brag, my punishment is always merciless!”

“I’m not just bragging! Little Wolf, think about your current predicament: between me, a relatively unfamiliar Beast Tamer, and you, a Beast Tamer who has failed repeatedly at subjugation, which one of us do these little dolls have a stronger animosity towards? Bet with me!”

So that was it! Jin Se, with her brilliant strategy, was taking a risk and betting on this very point! In front of Zhang Yongle and Tang Fei, the Grand Yin Dolls unquestionably chose Zhang Yongle. So, in front of Little Wolf and Jin Se?

Vermillion Bird held her breath, Xue Qianxun watched intently, and Tang Fei clenched his fists and stomped his foot.

Xi Feng let out a light breath, comforting her companions: “Jin Se has a high chance of winning. Once Little Wolf’s defeat is certain, and the battle ends, I will go pull Jin Se back.” Although her words were calm, the palms of her hands, hidden from others’ sight, were drenched in sweat.

Thinking of the Grand Yin Dolls in their frenzy, capable of tearing Zhang Yongle, whose strength was second only to his, to shreds, the thought of “death” couldn’t help but flash through Little Wolf’s mind. Indeed, if this continued, he might lose his life. And Jin Se, at the moment he was torn apart by the Grand Yin Dolls, would be rescued by her loyal companions—if only there was enough time.

Jin Se did not let the flute tune enter the “confrontation” stage prematurely. Relying on the protection of the “Soul Suppressing Fragrance,” she just wanted to appease these temperamental evil beasts for as long as possible. The Grand Yin Dolls’ existing grudge against Little Wolf, although far less profound than the one against Zhang Yongle, was enough to tip the scales of this duel in Jin Se’s favor.

Time flowed slowly, feeling incredibly long.

Little Wolf mobilized almost all his tamed beasts to resist the Grand Yin Dolls’ fierce attack. However, just as Little Wolf was gradually losing ground, a long, mournful howl suddenly came from a distance. Then, a white figure the size of a pony flew in the sky.

“Flying… Flying Wolf!!!” Tang Fei was the first to shout.

Everyone looked and saw that the creature flying across the sky was a giant wolf, completely white. What was different from ordinary wolves was not only its extraordinarily massive body but also the pair of dazzling white wings on its back.

Before anyone could react, the white wolf had already shielded the bl00d-soaked Little Wolf, baring its sharp fangs and fiercely tearing at the charging Grand Yin Dolls. Its eyes, full of spiritual energy, stared directly at Jin Se, radiating an extreme sense of hatred.

The moment the white wolf appeared, Jin Se felt like she was covered in ice and snow. After all her meticulous calculations, she couldn’t have calculated this sudden, earth-shattering reversal in the gamble.

Jin Se gave a bitter smile, somewhat annoyed and lonely, and said, “Little Wolf, if I occasionally brag a little, then you are simply humble to a degree that both gods and men find infuriating. What are you being shy about? You clearly subdued another kind of evil beast a long time ago—the Heavenly Wolf. Among evil beasts, its level is no less than that of the Grand Yin Doll.”

Little Wolf was hidden under the Heavenly Wolf’s wing, only letting out a faint, cold sneer without answering. That laughter, however, carried a certain unspeakable sorrow.

Vermillion Bird gasped rapidly, trembling slightly with excitement—the name “Little Wolf”; “Mother” is sick; blindfold; “furry glove”… Several things connected in an instant. A flash of inspiration struck Vermillion Bird, and she exclaimed, “The Heavenly Wolf is not Little Wolf’s tamed beast, because Little Wolf is the child it nursed!”

The words awakened everyone.

Xi Feng staggered back a step, losing her composure in front of her companions for the first time, murmuring as if drained of strength, “Then… that’s even worse. What would it be like for a mother to protect her child whose life is hanging by a thread?!”

Xue Qianxun quickly shouted, “Senior Nan Gong, the Heavenly Wolf is Little Wolf’s mother! If it participates in the battle, it violates the one-on-one duel rules!”

Before she finished speaking, the huge parrot flew out from nowhere and landed on Xue Qianxun’s shoulder, cackling, “From the perspective of a Beast Tamer, any animal is regarded as a target for subjugation. As long as that animal is willing to be controlled by the Beast Tamer, it can participate in the battle as a weapon. And the means of subjugation and control are not restricted.”

Xue Qianxun blurted out, “The rules have a loophole!”

The parrot retorted, “So what if there’s a loophole? The loophole is open to everyone. Those with the means exploit it!”

Xue Qianxun froze.

Four hearts instantly stopped beating. Jin Se! Jin Se!! Jin Se!!! Jin Se—!!!! Four different voices shouted in the hearts of the four people.

Xue Qianxun took a deep breath, regained her composure, and asked her three companions, “What will happen if we violate the rules of the Heavenly Origin Martial Debate?”

Vermillion Bird said, “It means that the five of us will be hostile to the entire Water Moon Palace; and the Carefree Divine Cult will suffer the contempt of the entire Jianghu.”

Xue Qianxun smiled lightly: “Those all seem like insignificant matters.” Her steps were already moving toward the battleground.

Suddenly, the undying elder, who had become a living corpse, jumped in front of Xue Qianxun, his stiff arms spread wide, blocking her path. A stick of incense, about to burn out, was stuck on the top of the undying elder’s head. The brocade parrot circled in the air, calling out triumphantly, “The second round of the Martial Debate: Fifth Mei versus Xue Qianxun, begin!”

As soon as the words were spoken, the remaining incense burned out completely. The undying elder raised his left foot like a puppet. Without anyone knowing, a brand new stick of timing incense had been inserted there. Thus, everyone not only witnessed the unusual hobby of Nan Gongqing, the Jianghu Bi, but also realized that the start of every battle was determined by the time it took for a stick of incense to burn out, regardless of whether the previous battle had ended.

Xue Qianxun’s steps toward Jin Se suddenly halted. She couldn’t help but stop—as the person whose ankle had just been pierced by a zither string.