A City Swept by Wind and Snow GL - Chapter 43 1.1

◎This is the most cruel thing about you; you never bother to hide your feelings.◎

The peak of Tianyuan. The sky grew darker and darker, and the wind picked up.

Xue Qianxun knelt in the center of the pavilion, at the spot where Xifeng and Xinghai had descended. She had been battling the tightly sealed mechanism for a long time, as if possessed, oblivious and indifferent to everything else. The entire pavilion was shaken and seemed on the verge of collapse from her aftermath, but the two stone slabs remained solid as iron.

Yi Xinci was extremely weak from having exhausted her internal qi. The fierce murderous aura made her feel like she was suffocating, a sensation she had never experienced before. She called out to Xue Qianxun but was stunned by Xue Qianxun’s expression, and curled up next to Jinse with a pale little face.

Jinse remained silent. The previous battle had overdrawn too much of her physical strength. At this moment, all the fatigue and pain assailed her at once. She eventually simply lay back quietly on the ground, gazing at the sky. More and more stars lit up, dispelling the loneliness of the firmament. For the first time in many years, she, as a Dark Agent, had severed her connection with all her tamed beasts and didn’t need to consider receiving their responses at any moment. This gave her a feeling of unfamiliar yet peaceful detachment.

Every time Xue Qianxun exerted force, the Demon Slayer frowned by the side. Finally, he couldn’t help but say, “You don’t have to choose this method for suicide, although this backlash force is enough to kill dozens of wild boars.” He then said to Jinse: “Beast Tamer, your monster has gone mad, aren’t you going to tame her? Moreover, if you don’t manage her, that frail physician will be hurt by the murderous aura.”

Yi Xinci had been silently forcing herself to resist the impact of Xue Qianxun’s killing intent, afraid of causing concern, but the seemingly indifferent Demon Slayer had noticed her.

Jinse sat up and said to Xue Qianxun: “Qianxun, you cannot bear to see her harmed, and you cannot live in a world without her; the same goes for her. Believe me, she will definitely return. When that happens, do you want to show her a fragmented version of yourself?”

Her voice was very soft and weary, yet every word was clearly heard, carrying an irresistible power. Xue Qianxun was also on the verge of exhaustion. She subconsciously stopped her hands but was surprised by the sense of déjà vu in this scene.

Jinse came to her side and said with a hint of annoyance: “You are acting like an unreasonable child right now. Xifeng isn’t dead, yet you’ve become hysterical and fighting alone. Do you think Yi Xinci and I would stand by and do nothing for her?”

Hearing the word “dead,” Xue Qianxun’s somewhat calmed expression suddenly lost control again, and she burst into tears: “I will never, never allow her to die again, absolutely not allowed, firmly not allowed… I just want her to be safe! Safe!” She felt ashamed for crying hysterically in front of outsiders. She rubbed her eyes hard with her hands, as if using force could stop the tears, but they still gushed out uncontrollably, mixing with a lot of cold sweat. Her hair at the temples was damp. The evening wind was cold at this moment. Jinse instinctively pulled her into her arms, sheltering her from the cold.

Xue Qianxun always held a sense of distance and indifference towards others, but everything concerning Xifeng repeatedly caused her to lose control. The Demon Slayer watched them in silence, a different kind of emotion flickering in his eyes.

“Xifeng is indeed her Achilles’ heel,” Jinse thought bitterly. Ever since it was confirmed that Xifeng was that substitute, Xue Qianxun had shown a sensitive, even pathological dependence on her. Not only were they inseparable, but the look in her eyes towards Xifeng was always intensely unconcealed. “This is the most cruel thing about you; you never bother to hide your feelings.” Jinse’s heart felt as if it were being crumpled. All her annoyance vanished, replaced by a bitter yet gentle smile on her lips. She gently stroked Xue Qianxun’s hair and said: “Xifeng will definitely be safe. Will you let us help you get her back, alright?” She lifted Xue Qianxun’s hands. They had old scars from the zither strings and were covered with fresh marks from the impact just now. This little person was trembling slightly all over. She must have used too much brute force earlier, and abruptly stopping had exposed her body’s weakness and exhaustion.

Yi Xinci also rushed over and said sincerely: “Qianxun, if you don’t treat your injuries properly now, you will have big problems later. We are just as anxious as you, but we must think of a feasible solution.”

Seeing the frightened Yi Xinci, Xue Qianxun gradually calmed down due to guilt and said: “I’m sorry. I just hate myself for being too weak. No matter how angry or how hard I fight, I still have no ability. Xifeng was easily taken away by Xinghai. I was so frantic that I even forgot that both of you were seriously injured. I was only thinking about my own affairs.”

“That’s not just your own affairs,” Jinse corrected. Is the matter of Xifeng just your own affair?

Xue Qianxun just murmured: “Just now, I must have been crazy. I was thinking that if anything happened to her, I would wish to destroy the whole world to be buried with her.”

She spoke of her feelings without reservation. The Demon Slayer staggered back a step, then immediately raised his hand and leaned on a nearby tree trunk, skillfully concealing his shock: Is the whole world not as important as your Xifeng alone? Does that include the two companions beside you now? Xue Qianxun, how cruel you are!

Jinse smiled calmly: “I know you wouldn’t.”

Xue Qianxun looked up at her, “Hmm… I wouldn’t.” She murmured, like an obedient child, her gaze seeming to touch Jinse’s cheek.

Jinse’s mind was flustered.

“Jinse…” Xue Qianxun suddenly grabbed Jinse’s hand tightly, gazing at her with fervent eyes, “We’ve met, haven’t we? Your hands are always this cold, yet they are a temperature I am familiar with.”

Seeing Jinse not answer, she said: “You don’t need to worry about the Demon Slayer. What does it matter if he hears?”

The Demon Slayer made a wounded expression and turned around: “Who cares to listen to you women chattering? I’ll leave then.” After he said that, he actually walked away.

Xue Qianxun continued to herself: “Jinse, I suddenly realized my brain isn’t very good. How long have we been here? Sometimes, I feel like I’ve forgotten some time, forgotten some people, and forgotten many, many important things.”

What you’ve forgotten are things that are not important to you, Jinse stubbornly thought in her heart.

“Answer me, have we met? I’ve wanted to ask you for a long time, then…”

“Then you forgot all about it the moment you saw Xifeng,” Jinse finished for her. Without waiting for Xue Qianxun to explain, she continued: “You’re right, we have met.”

“When?”

“Four years ago. You were with a young man about your age at the time.”

Xue Qianxun nodded and muttered: “I remember there was such a person, although I don’t know who he was… And then?”

“You were being hunted, and he entrusted you to me, then went to draw the enemies away himself.”

“Why did he entrust me to you?”

“Probably because I looked like a good person,” Jinse recovered her characteristic smile, cunning and wicked.

“What were you doing at the time?”

“I had just finished my training and was planning to venture into the jianghu,” Jinse said solemnly.

“Then how did we get separated?”

“You were stolen by a trafficker.”

“Didn’t you look for me?”

“Didn’t I come looking in the Capital?”

“Then why didn’t I remember you back then?” Xue Qianxun blurted out. Then both of them were stunned.

Jinse said: “The tranquilizer given by the trafficker was too strong.”

“It was because of the medicine?”

“It was because of the medicine.”

“You’re not lying to me, are you?” Xue Qianxun was half-skeptical.

“Dark Agents often lie,” Jinse raised an eyebrow.

“Whose Dark Agent are you?”

“He Qishu’s, of course.”

This time, Xue Qianxun said: “Dark Agents often lie.” After that, she actually smiled at her, asking no more questions, and said: “Jinse, it’s great to have met you. From today on, I will no longer oppose you. I will believe everything you say; and I won’t ask about anything you don’t wish to tell.”

Jinse sighed inadvertently, saying in her heart: I actually wish you would question me, then I would eventually answer everything in a “moment of impulse.”

Seeing her silence, Xue Qianxun widened her eyes: “What’s wrong?”

Jinse said: “Nothing. I just feel that the usually worrisome child has suddenly become sensible. It makes her big sister a little emotional.”

“You are only one year older than me!”

“Is that so? I often feel like we are two generations apart.”

“Jinse,” Xue Qianxun said earnestly: “Believe me, from now on, I will be a mature and calm person. I will never mess around again, never only think about my own affairs, never lose my temper randomly, and never cause trouble for you and little Sister Yi again.”

Jinse looked up at the sky, took a deep breath, and said somewhat helplessly: “Alright.”

Yi Xinci said: “Little Sister Xue, we haven’t known each other for long, but I know you are a good girl. In the future, just don’t hurt yourself randomly. Now, let’s think about how to rescue Xifeng.”

Xue Qianxun pondered for a moment, then said decisively: “First, we eat!”

Jinse and Yi Xinci had both forgotten that, besides medicine, they hadn’t eaten anything for two days.