A City Swept by Wind and Snow GL - Chapter 34

◎Azhi asks you, does your heart still hurt on days with heavy rain and heavy snow?◎

Xifeng picked up the silver fox and suddenly found a sky-blue silk ribbon tied around its neck, with a small jade pendant dangling below. Xifeng’s gaze flickered, revealing a look of relief. She immediately untied the ribbon and put it into her sleeve, no longer chasing Xue Qianxun but turning back towards the starting point.

With the aid of the silver fox’s keen sense of smell, Xifeng ran for a long time and finally met Zhuque, but Jinse and Tang Fei were not there. Xifeng’s heart contracted, and she quickly asked, “Where is Jinse?”

Zhuque was on the verge of tears and said, “She lured the Taiyin Dolls away and is currently nowhere to be found.”

Xifeng quickly said, “Didn’t you go after her?” Her tone was inevitably a little stern.

Zhuque said, “Both Jinse and the Taiyin Dolls are extremely fast. I couldn’t keep up. Tang Fei chased after her, and I don’t know how he is now… Only I am the most useless…”

Xifeng knew her tone had been too harsh just now. She gave a slightly apologetic smile and comforted her, “This is good too. I would be worried if you had followed. As long as you are safe, we are saved.” As she spoke, she presented Yin Nu’s Name Token to Zhuque: “Keep Yin Nu’s Name Token safe.”

Zhuque took it, smiling softly, but her apology and gratitude had no words to express. She had already noticed the severed arm Xifeng was carrying and the silver fox, Little Snow, on her shoulder, so she asked, “You’ve killed Yin Nu? How is Xue Qianxun?”

Xifeng said, “Yin Nu claimed to be Tang Ran’s grand-master and the Old Undying’s master. The assassins of the Water Moon Palace were probably all trained by him, so I made sure he could no longer kill. How does this right arm compare to Tang Fei’s?”

Zhuque was greatly alarmed: “Do you want me to reattach the severed arm for Tang Fei?”

Xifeng heard the tone in her voice and showed a disappointed look: “You can’t? When I was little, I saw someone who could reattach their own severed arm. So I thought…”

Zhuque was extremely surprised: “How is that possible? Impossible!”

Xifeng frowned and said, “Perhaps I saw incorrectly.”

Zhuque then whispered, “No, perhaps there are greater masters in the medical arts. It’s just that I don’t have that skill yet.”

Xifeng laughed, “Maybe I remembered wrong. It’s unbelievable to reattach one’s own severed arm. It would be an utter fantasy to reattach someone else’s severed arm a day later!” After saying that, she casually tossed the severed arm into the mountain hollow, “Don’t tell Tang Fei about this, lest he becomes more disappointed.”

Yin Nu’s severed arm bounced and rolled until it reached the bottom of the hollow. Suddenly, a group of beasts with snow-white fur pounced on it, instantly consuming the severed arm until nothing remained, while Xifeng and Zhuque above were completely unaware.

Zhuque then asked, “Where is Xue Qianxun now?”

Xifeng shook her head and said softly, “I don’t know. But you don’t need to worry. She is currently with the Azure Dragon Protector.”

A blush flew onto Zhuque’s cheeks, and she blurted out, “He is in the Water Moon Palace?!”

As far as Zhuque knew, the Eastern Protector Azure Dragon was the only shadow agent of the Carefree Divine Cult. A few years ago, he accepted the mission to scout the Water Moon Palace and had been outside, rarely returning to the Carefree Palace. Even when he appeared in the Imperial Capital, Zhuque had not seen him again.

Xifeng handed the silver fox to Zhuque and said, “Let it lead you to find Jinse and Tang Fei. You must take care of yourself.”

Zhuque asked, “What about you?”

Xifeng said, “A long time has passed. The fourth stick of incense should be lit.”

Before her voice faded, the familiar parrot arrived as scheduled. The “incense stand,” the Old Undying, raised his right foot high, and a new stick of incense had been lit.

Xifeng had a premonition that this battle would be different from the others, and she was afraid of accidentally injuring Zhuque during the fight, so she advised again, “Be absolutely careful.” Then she gathered her qi and leaped, darting towards another direction. At the same time, a gray shadow suddenly flew out from nowhere, chasing her with a speed no less than Xifeng’s.

Xue Qianxun installed the three zither strings, the excess length wrapped around the head of the zither. The person whose figure was invisible couldn’t help but chuckle softly and said, “With only three strings, how can you play a wide range of notes?”

Xue Qianxun laughed, “If the design is reasonable and the technique is exquisite, even a single string can create myriad forms.”

The man said, “Your Thirteen Forms are complete. Are you going to find Fifth Charm?”

Xue Qianxun said, “Of course. I want to win back my Name Token and hers.”

The man suddenly burst into laughter.

“What are you laughing at?”

“I advise you, it’s best not to chase Fifth Charm. Seriously, you will die.”

Xue Qianxun was annoyed and said, “Did you specifically come to tease me and mock me?”

“Xue Qianxun, your bad temper hasn’t changed at all. Who was patiently teaching you Puppetry just now?”

Xue Qianxun felt awkward and ashamed, murmuring, “Patiently? You were clearly calling me an idiot one moment and a fool the next. My self-confidence has been completely shattered by you.”

“A strict teacher produces exceptional students. Moreover, my time is running out, so I was especially strict with you because of the urgency.”

“Oh? Are you going to die?” Xue Qianxun blurted out. The other person was knowledgeable and had reached the pinnacle of martial arts, so she guessed he was quite old.

The person chuckled softly: “No, not at all. I’m very healthy at the moment. Without being poisoned, I can easily live for another seventy or eighty years.”

“You’re very young?”

“About the same as you.”

“Why are you helping me?”

“Because helping the weak, sick, and disabled is an act of chivalry.”

Xue Qianxun wanted to gag this person.

The person continued: “I’ll give you a piece of advice: don’t fight Fifth Charm head-on. Right now, you haven’t even seen her puppets and can’t imagine how strong she truly is. If you ask nicely, I will send you to your companions.”

“You look down on people!”

The person laughed again and said, “Fifth Charm is a Puppeteer, after all. With her zither in hand, even your Great Priestess would probably have a headache dealing with her. Although this elder sister is somewhat foolish and prone to arrogance and underestimating the enemy, don’t expect another opportunity for close-quarters combat with her. Even the silliest person has realized your brute strength.”

Xue Qianxun breathed heavily, deeply unhappy in her heart, and scoffed, “The way you talk is becoming increasingly irritating.”

“My apologies. I am only speaking the truth.”

Xue Qianxun calmed down and said, “You are right. Your words have some merit.”

“If they have merit, then listen. The intelligent Xue Qianxun, you have always been praised as a genius by those who love you, so you truly believe that you can become very strong with just a tiny bit of effort. But I must tell you, there is no power in this world that can be obtained without paying a price. Fifth Charm was able to become a first-rate Puppeteer through decades of hard work. What she lost because of it, you cannot imagine; and you are completely unaware of why the Dark Martial Arts lineage is called ‘Dark Martial Arts.’ So, teaching you the Thirteen Forms is one thing, and advising you to concede is another.”

Xue Qianxun stubbornly said, “But I want to win back the Name Token. All my companions will climb Heavenly Origin Peak. I don’t want to be left behind alone.”

The man smiled warmly and said, “You truly are the ancestor of stubbornness. Fine, I will give you a brilliant idea.”

Xue Qianxun’s eyes sparkled, and she couldn’t help but say, “You are truly miraculous!”

“Yes, I am.” The other person surprisingly admitted it straightforwardly. He continued: “When you see Fifth Charm, your expression must absolutely not be as unpleasant as it is now. She is not a complete villain. Discuss it nicely with her and ask her to give you your Name Token and her own. After all, she is from the Water Moon Palace, and Heavenly Origin Peak is no longer a rare sacred place for her.”

The goodwill Xue Qianxun had just developed for this person instantly vanished, and she said coldly, “You are teasing me again!”

“I haven’t finished speaking. How do you know I’m teasing you? Listen, when you see her, you must calmly say to her: Azhi asks you, does your heart still hurt on days with heavy rain and heavy snow? Remember to put on that golden orchid jacket.”

“Why should I say this to her, and who is Azhi? What if she asks me in return?”

“She won’t ask about Azhi. She will ask who you are. Then you should answer her: The black silkworm thread breaks the Susha dream completely; the guest who left Lang Peak stirs the jade sand.”

Xue Qianxun was about to ask more, but the voice quickly said, “No time. I’m leaving!” The voice had already gone far, then suddenly became loud again, adding an extra sentence: “When you see Fifth Charm, don’t tell her that I called her foolish.” This time the voice faded and did not return.

The sound of flapping wings came from the air. Xue Qianxun looked up and clearly saw a massive fiery-red parrot flying over her head. Following the parrot was a pale-faced stranger. This person was clearly long dead, but his movements were surprisingly agile, no slower than the parrot. A single, flickering stick of incense burned on the back of his right foot, while a new stick of incense in his left hand had yet to be lit.

Xue Qianxun couldn’t help but think: so, besides the emerald-green parrot and the Old Undying, the Jianghu Brush also has a pair of “assistants” for notifying the Water Moon Palace competitors.

Putting away her zither, Xue Qianxun dared not delay any longer and began searching for Fifth Charm. Her method was quite unique: she walked and played her zither, the sound ringing out far and wide among the cold, desolate rocks and strange trees. Every now and then, she would interject a clear, high-pitched shout: “Fifth Charm—!”