A City Swept by Wind and Snow GL - Chapter 41
When Jinse’s pack of tamed beasts was near, Xinghai merely waved his arm slowly, as if to shoo away annoying flies.
In an instant, the five or six jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards charging at the front were pulverized into tens of thousands of pieces of skin and flesh. The stench of bl00d immediately spread out, shocking and nauseating. However, the scorpions, venomous creatures, crows, bats, and other tamed beasts that followed immediately behind were completely unharmed. They merely scattered, ignoring their master’s commands because they sensed the terrifying, overbearing aura. The connection between Jinse and her tamed beasts was instantly dissolved. Only the wicked beasts, the Taiyin Dolls, lingered behind Jinse. They had not severed their connection but dared not advance.
Xinghai said to Jinse: “Beast Tamer, I was originally unwilling to kill. If you have self-knowledge, you should quickly sever the connection with the Taiyin Dolls and not let them throw their lives away with you.”
Jinse sighed softly, without hesitation, and murmured: “Go.” She pushed the silver fox Xiaoxue, which was struggling not to leave, into the crook of a Taiyin Doll’s arm, giving the wicked beasts their final command. The jade pieces on her wrist made a series of fine, crisp sounds, and the ten Taiyin Dolls, taking the silver fox, swiftly retreated without reluctance, vanishing in a flash.
Xue Qianxun’s gaze couldn’t help but follow the direction in which the Taiyin Dolls and the silver fox disappeared, her heart filled with complex emotions. The usually strong-willed Jinse had, for the first time, surrendered her command over the beasts before the fight even began. This was virtually an admission of defeat. Did she believe she had not the slightest chance of winning? Or, was it that even Jinse, a Beast Tamer and an elite of the Dark Martial Arts Faction who had seen her share of bloodshed, still harbored a trace of unwillingness to harm them? —Using the Taiyin Dolls as weapons against Xinghai would inevitably lead to their destruction. However, these wicked beasts possessed extremely high spirituality. They knew their master had been utterly defeated by the opponent. After this departure, there was no telling if they would ever return to Jinse’s side, willing to be her tamed beasts.
Xinghai cast a look of approval at Jinse’s “sign of weakness,” as if praising her “self-knowledge.” He then said to Xifeng: “You don’t need to waste spiritual power protecting those two weaklings within your Tiangang aura. You understand that it’s futile.”
This was also true; Xifeng naturally understood. Xinghai’s casual wave just now was enough to demonstrate his extraordinary skill. He could control his sword energy to be effortlessly precise, down to the millimeter. There was practically no one who could stop him from killing or sparing whomever he pleased. This Xinghai, who had only been known by name and never seen in person, was a hundred times more powerful than speculated in the jianghu. But Xifeng intensified the shield of Tiangang aura around them even tighter.
Xinghai shook his head, as if pitying her “overestimation of her abilities,” and raised his murderous hand again. A terrifying murderous intent erupted in a flash.
Just as Xinghai’s hand was raised halfway, Xifeng had already unleashed ten-tenths of her internal power. The Ice Soul Silk Swirl danced like a silver snake. “Thunder’s Reprieve” (Lei Fu) slid across the “silver snake’s” body at an extremely high speed, forming a spherical lightning bolt that surged towards Xinghai. Its roar was deafening, its momentum torrential, like the wrath of the God of Thunder, unstoppable. The power of “Thunder’s Reprieve” now was ten times greater than when she dueled Tang Fei.
In this flash of lightning, the one who met the end of the bolt surprisingly changed to the Demon Slayer, while Xinghai instantly teleported in front of Jinse, forming a finger-sword gesture, stopping one chi [about 1/3 meter] away from her forehead…
Thunder’s Reprieve was annihilated within the Demon Slayer’s bl00d mist. It appeared so effortless and composed that Yi Xinci inhaled sharply in disbelief, as if she had seen the lightning disappear into thin air. The Demon Slayer said indifferently: “I can dissolve your Thunder’s Reprieve, and naturally, I can also bounce it back.” The hidden meaning was self-evident.
At the same time, Xinghai’s sword qi shifted three-tenths of an inch, slicing off a strand of Jinse’s hair, and silently penetrated the trunk of the century-old tree behind Jinse. Then, the giant tree suddenly exploded from the inside, as if ten thousand invisible sharp blades had burst forth, creating a deafening sound. Broken branches and accumulated snow rose and then fell.
All things returned to silence.
What an overwhelmingly powerful finger-sword!
Xinghai slowly turned his gaze towards the force that had diverted his sword qi, showing even greater surprise than anyone else. Meeting his eyes proudly was Xue Qianxun’s angry and stubborn expression, her arm still held in the posture of having struck a palm.
“So it is…”
“You kill people casually without any reason. When did Jinse offend you?” Xue Qianxun cut him off and questioned.
Xinghai slowly brought his hand back behind his back, subtly concealing the finger that was too shaken to flex. He said, “I always thought you were different from them: just a Zither Player spoiled by Prince Zhuang, willful, arrogant, and ignorant of the world, a little kitten that snuck out when its master wasn’t paying attention. All this way, you were a pretty pet, pampered and protected by all your companions.” He paused slightly, “You really are different from them! This jade doll, who looks so fragile that a gust of wind could blow her over, suddenly unleashed ‘Wind Blade,’ a sword qi even more profound than ‘Finger-Sword.’ Unexpected, truly unexpected.”
Xue Qianxun did not know what Wind Blade was. Seeing Xinghai get hit, she felt quite pleased and said, “Is this called ‘Wind Blade’? It’s very easy! I’ve been using Wind Blade to catch mice since I was a child.” After saying this, Xue Qianxun turned her attention to Xinghai’s concealed hand and said, “You are much sturdier than a mouse.”
“Could it be self-taught?” Xinghai knew she was bragging but had no time to be angry. He silently recalled her previous battles—he had observed her duels to some extent. Indeed, Xue Qianxun always inexplicably used some clumsy but incredibly powerful moves. Thinking of this, he suddenly laughed: “In that case… I want to kill you even more.”
Xue Qianxun said, “I’m the same as you. I want to kill you even more.” After speaking, she struck out with another palm. Xinghai quickly dodged. However, this time Xue Qianxun only produced a gentle breeze.
Xinghai looked surprised.
Xue Qianxun said, “I didn’t even hit you, why are you dodging?”
Xinghai gave a deep, cold laugh and said, “So it’s only effective sometimes. Let the old senior demonstrate the true Wind Blade for you.”
Xifeng, Jinse, and Yi Xinci tacitly clustered around Xue Qianxun, preparing for a fight to the death.
“Wait!” The Demon Slayer slowly raised his foot, but in an instant arrived in front of Xinghai, gently pressing down on his arm, and said to Xinghai: “Palace Master, Xue Qianxun is no ordinary Zither Player. She cannot be killed.”
Xinghai said, “You don’t need to tell me; I already know she’s ‘no ordinary.’ Her background is worth investigating. Where did that dwarf trafficker abduct her from? Why was Prince Zhuang unwilling to take her in at first, only to dote on her obsessively two years later? The intelligence on her from Jinyu is too little.”
It’s already a lot! Xue Qianxun muttered bitterly in her heart.
“You finally discovered it, huh?” Jinse finally spoke, with a teasing smile, turning to the Demon Slayer: “Qinglong, what do you know about Prince Zhuang?”
The Demon Slayer was slightly stunned, then said: “At least more than you.”
Jinse said, “Then tell me, would Prince Zhuang be so obsessed with Xue Qianxun based on her stunning beauty and rare talent alone?”
The Demon Slayer curled his lips: “No.” As if disdainful of “stunning beauty” and “rare talent,” he added, “There are a myriad of beauties in the world; there are always mountains beyond mountains and people beyond people. In terms of looks and talent, Xue Qianxun is indeed top-notch, but there are those in Prince Zhuang’s manor who surpass her. It’s just that He Qishu is unwilling to let his concubines appear in public, so their reputations don’t match Xue Qianxun’s.” The Demon Slayer’s words clearly intended to belittle Xue Qianxun.
Xifeng said, “How can those common women in He Qishu’s manor compare to Xue Qianxun? What a joke!” She did not intend to argue with the Demon Slayer, she just disliked hearing others speak ill of Xue Qianxun.
The Demon Slayer made a wounded expression after being scolded by Xifeng.
Jinse shook her head helplessly at the two, and continued: “Xinghai, your guess is correct. Xue Qianxun is the secret weapon that He Qishu has been secretly nurturing for over a decade! Playing the pig to eat the tiger is her unique skill.”
Xinghai sneered: “To be honest, I wouldn’t have guessed that if you hadn’t prompted me. Just now, I had a flash of inspiration…” Xinghai looked up at the drifting clouds, seemingly pondering, “I recalled some people named Susha. That terrifying family always has people who emerge as powerful as monsters. Speaking of which, her name also contains the two characters qianxun [a thousand fathoms], and now that I look closely, she and Xifeng really do look alike.”
Jinse did not rush to deny it, and said calmly, “Your conjecture is quite novel. If I didn’t know that Xue Qianxun had followed He Qishu since childhood, I would almost agree with you. Also, let me remind you of one more thing: He Qishu has hundreds of concubines, but the position of Princess Consort remains vacant. Feel free to guess Xue Qianxun’s significance to He Qishu.”
Anger flashed across Xinghai’s face: “Do you think I would fear He Qishu and thus dare not kill her?”
Jinse said leisurely: “Why should an elder care about what a junior ‘thinks’? I am merely analyzing your predicament. You said you don’t care about breaking your agreement with Nangong Qing, so you probably don’t care about offending another He Qishu either.”
The Demon Slayer interjected: “Palace Master, Jinse’s words are not without reason. You just don’t want them to see certain things…”
Xinghai shot him a stern look, warning him against saying too much. The Demon Slayer gave an apologetic smile, and said word for word: “Furthermore, He Qishu is of the Imperial family after all. Don’t forget that he has brothers.”
Xinghai squinted his narrow eyes and fell into thought. The Ye family dynasty declined over two hundred years ago. At that time, heroes rose to claim kingship, carving up the land. Over a hundred years ago, the He family was a rising power. After several generations of effort, they finally ended the lingering Great Ye Dynasty and the conflicts between the states ten years ago, establishing the unified Huading Dynasty. Such an Imperial family truly could not be underestimated.
Xinghai finally reined in his murderous intent and said to the Demon Slayer: “You are responsible for taking them away.”
The Demon Slayer made a “please” gesture to Jinse, Xue Qianxun, and Yi Xinci.
Yi Xinci asked in a low, suspicious voice, “You’re saving us?”
The Demon Slayer also whispered: “I just don’t want to see Xifeng fight desperately to protect you.”
Xue Qianxun said loudly, “We’ll go together!” As she spoke, she grabbed Xifeng’s hand, but Xifeng gently shook it off without looking at her. Xifeng’s change in attitude was naturally related to Xinghai’s display of skill just now. Xifeng understood that at this moment, she had to get Xue Qianxun, Jinse, and Yi Xinci away as quickly as possible.
Xinghai ignored them and said only to Xifeng: “Xifeng, do you want to see something that will shock you?”
Xue Qianxun still insisted stubbornly: “No need. Xifeng doesn’t have such strong curiosity.”
“Or are you afraid?” Xinghai provoked Xifeng, “Afraid that once you see it, you won’t come back alive?”
Xifeng smiled gently at Xue Qianxun and said softly: “I will never die before someone else again. I will keep my life and accompany her forever. Therefore, I also hope that she can be well and wait patiently for our reunion.”
Xue Qianxun understood Xifeng’s intention, and her heart was broken. She also knew the immense disparity in strength between their side and Xinghai; Xifeng’s compromise was born of helplessness. However, Xue Qianxun had a clear premonition that Xinghai had malicious intent, so it was impossible for her to comfort herself with the foolish thought that “perhaps Xifeng will be back soon.” But at this moment, her mind was in turmoil, and no matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn’t think of a solution.
Xinghai said to Xifeng: “You and I have no enmity. Heaven is my witness, I have never wanted to kill you.” But in his heart, he murmured: “I just want to achieve that goal.”
Xue Qianxun said, “When will you be finished showing Xifeng what you want to show her? I will wait for her here, and then we will go home together. I absolutely will not disturb you.”
Xinghai smiled chillingly and said, “Go ahead.” He gave the Demon Slayer a look, turned, and walked towards the vermillion-railed pavilion. Xifeng followed calmly. As soon as the two stood in the pavilion, the stone slab instantly sank into the ground. They didn’t even have time to say a word of farewell.
“I will definitely return Xifeng to you! Hahahahaha!” Xinghai threw out a sentence the moment he disappeared, then added in a barely audible whisper: “I will return her as whole as possible.”