A City Swept by Wind and Snow GL - Chapter 9
◎If I cannot have it, I will kill◎
The woman in red leapt nimbly, weaving past the central and western wings of the Chunjiang Courtyard, finally stopping beneath the northern wall of the Qiongyu Garden. After a moment of hesitation, Tang Fei, now sober, quietly followed her, no longer abrupt as before. Seeing the woman staring at the tall wall, clearly intending to leap over it, he couldn’t help but smile inwardly: “Why the rush? Aren’t we on the same side?”
The red-clad woman gauged the wall, took a deep breath, and jumped—but midway, her ankle was suddenly caught by something, pulling her sharply down. With a soft “plop,” she fell into the embrace of a man in a flamboyant, brocade robe.
“Ah, beautiful lady!”
The drunken scent hit her, and a pair of fiery arms, like coiling serpents, wrapped her tightly.
Unluckily, she was caught in a “hug-and-kiss” situation, and could not understand how this drunk man had appeared out of nowhere. She shouted, “Let go of your pig hands!”
Seeing her angry, especially with a blush spreading across her cheeks, Tang Fei felt guilty. He quickly set her down and politely asked, “May I ask, are you a thief?”
The red-clad woman was slightly startled: “Of course not!”
“Then why are your eyes so beautiful? Did you steal stars to adorn them?”
The woman immediately understood, poked his nose, and said, “So, you’re a lecherous thief, huh?”
Tang Fei firmly denied it: “I may be a thief, but never a lecherous one. I am serious!”
The woman’s eyes curved like crescent moons, glittering with starlight. She asked coquettishly, “Do you want to see my face?”
Tang Fei, drooling, nodded repeatedly: “Yes, yes!”
The woman tilted her face and said, “Then lift the veil yourself.”
Never having encountered such a forthright woman, Tang Fei hesitated but carefully lifted her veil.
Her face was fair and delicate, with a perfectly shaped nose—but below the nose, something extraordinary caught him off guard, nearly making his soul fly. Gasping, he said, “Wow, what a magnificent mouth!” He quickly replaced her veil, suppressing his excitement, and said steadily, “I imagine the lady must have been naturally beautiful, and then the monstrous spirits grew jealous, so… um…”
“You don’t need to fabricate so much. I rather like this ‘magnificent’ mouth,” the woman interrupted, laughing meaningfully.
Tang Fei looked regretful, turning away: “Lady, I, Tang Fei, will forever remember your eyes like stars.” He sprang lightly and disappeared.
Meanwhile, inside the Yingxue Pavilion…
Because He Qishu had not yet arrived, and the other two people that Jin Se mentioned had not appeared either, she grew impatient. She asked Xue Qian to paint for her while Dan Mo ground ink nearby. Just as Xue Qian finished the painting, Jin Se suddenly lost interest, taking a piece of white jade and waving it in front of Xue Qian: “Why not put it together? Give it back to her when we meet. She loves to cover and uncover, anyway.”
Xue Qian hurriedly snatched the fragment, annoyed: “You touch my things again! What kind of magic lets you find everything?” She was still surprised that Jin Se could discover the secret compartment in her wall and quietly retrieve the three luminous pearls inside.
Jin Se smiled smugly: “Because your room has many of my friends.” She snapped her fingers on the table, and two small green snakes slid out from under the bed.
“You’ve met them before, Xiao Qian, Xiao Xun,” Jin Se said with a slight cough, introducing them.
“Were you spying on me?” Xue Qian asked angrily.
Jin Se smiled wryly: “Necessary? Your little thoughts are too obvious. For instance—” She glanced at the unfinished ink painting and said, “Wu Ya is female. Why did you paint her so ferocious?” Then, watching Xue Qian’s surprised expression, she added playfully: “Why not include a human too?”
Xue Qian dropped her brush: “Annoying, you act as if you know everything… But how do you know her name?” She did not deny that she was drawing Xi Feng’s giant eagle. It was pointless to deny.
“The Xi Feng eagle was my gift. I also named it. How could I not know?” Jin Se easily told her the name of the high priest of the Xiaoyao Sect, Xi Feng.
Dan Mo crushed a piece of malachite in the inkstone with a “crack.” Xue Qian asked, “I said no malachite—what are you doing with it?” Then she looked at Jin Se, signaling her not to speak recklessly.
Jin Se smiled: “Dan Mo has followed you so long. She is the quietest and most obedient of the children. Why avoid her?”
At that moment, a soft knock came from outside. Jin Se raised her eyebrows: “Finally.”
Dan Mo opened the door. A red-clad woman entered. Seeing Xue Qian present, her eyes shifted slightly.
Jin Se told Dan Mo to step aside, and the little silver fox slipped out as well.
The red-clad woman picked a chair and sat down, glancing at Xue Qian: “Who is she?”
Jin Se smiled: “Our Chunjiang Courtyard courtesan.”
The woman snorted coldly: “Courtesans shouldn’t meddle in the art of killing.”
Xue Qian, equally unfriendly, asked: “Jin Se, what is this fiery red thing?”
Jin Se smiled calmly: “She is the Southern Guardian of the Xiaoyao Sect, Vermilion Bird.”
“You… Xiaoyao Sect?” Xue Qian was greatly surprised.
Jin Se laughed: “Originally, I was the Southern Guardian, but later I let her play with it.”
Vermilion Bird was displeased, glaring at Jin Se. Jin Se, anticipating her reaction, asked, “Why are you late? And why such a sullen face?”
Vermilion Bird replied, still upset: “I just encountered a lunatic.” Then she added, “But the Prince has not arrived yet!”
At that moment, He Qishu spoke in a low voice: “Who said I haven’t arrived?”
He Qishu, dressed in blue-gray with a sable hat, seemingly wished to avoid attention. Vermilion Bird hurriedly rose and bowed. Xue Qian was slightly flustered but maintained her calm, greeting him politely.
Jin Se noticed the slight redness on He Qishu’s left cheek: “Your Highness, are you well?”
He Qishu frowned: “As I was walking, a colorful figure rushed straight at me, clearly startled, and collided with me.” He rubbed his burning cheek unconsciously.
Vermilion Bird drew a deep breath. Jin Se and Xue Qian could not help but smile. Although a prince, He Qishu did not mind such embarrassment. He opened his folding fan and smiled faintly. Then he looked at Xue Qian; his eyes flashed with a hawk-like cold light: “Who are you?”
Xue Qian said: “I am a qin player from Chunjiang Courtyard.”
“The qin of a courtesan should not sound like that. Were you trying to kill me?”
Xue Qian glanced at Jin Se and, seeing her unmoved, replied: “If Your Highness insists, Xue Qian has nothing to say.”
Jin Se added: “Xue Qian’s impulsiveness and recklessness, you know better than anyone.”
He Qishu turned his face slightly: “Oh?”
Jin Se: “You have always spoiled her. Suddenly, in front of so many, you praised Ru Hua and teased Qian, it is natural that her narrow heart could become insanely jealous.”
He Qishu sneered: “Narrow-hearted? I always thought she was overly magnanimous, indifferent to trivial matters.”
Jin Se smiled: “Have you forgotten how she once fought for food, and recently, the night-luminous pearl? Her survival instinct is strong. Ask her, if she desires someone, what would she do?”
He Qishu looked at Xue Qian.
Xue Qian, uncertain of Jin Se’s intention, followed along and could not lie. She turned her head slightly and said:
“If I cannot have it, I will kill it. If it belongs to me, I will not tolerate others taking it.”
He Qishu gasped and fell back in his chair: Why? She spoke such familiar words?!
He stared at Xue Qian, eyes blazing. Xue Qian glanced at him, thinking: “I’m doomed,” yet faced it with all her resolve.
After a moment, He Qishu’s stern face softened into a smile, his gaze gradually becoming tender.
Jin Se breathed quietly. As she predicted, this answer gained He Qishu’s understanding. The six words, “If I cannot have it, I will kill,” acted like a potent remedy, daring yet perfectly suited to heal his lingering doubts. Jin Se was like a divine doctor seeing through He Qishu completely.
He Qishu had never sensed Xue Qian’s affection for him, but now he was certain: no other man mattered to her. He was the only one she would approach.
“Even at seventeen or eighteen, she is still like a child. This fierce little wolf has, for the first time, become tame before me.” He Qishu thought helplessly. He did not believe any other man could control her as he did.
Yet He Qishu remained shrewd. Though he understood her feelings, he still asked a crucial question: “Then, how did Xue Qian learn puppet technique?”
“It was I who taught her,” Jin Se answered calmly.
“You, Jin Se?!” Vermilion Bird exclaimed.
Puppet technique belongs to secret martial arts, a supreme skill few top masters could match. The fourth-generation Jianghu Pen notes mention that puppet masters first appeared in southern martial arts. Historically, very few succeeded, as mastering puppet technique without thirty years of foundation could not even reach a basic level and might die to one’s own magical sounds.
He Qishu said with a smile: “Jin Se, I was surprised to hear you are a beast tamer, but if you also master puppet technique, it makes me suspect you are stronger than Xi Feng. Your years of discretion frighten me.”
Jin Se hurriedly shook her head: “I would dare not claim mastery. I only know a little because the principles of controlling people and taming beasts overlap, so I have some understanding.”
He Qishu: “Do you know how dangerous it is to teach someone without inner strength puppet technique? Were you trying to kill my Xue Qian?”
Jin Se looked guilty: “Indeed my fault. I boasted a little by showing her basic theory of puppet technique and my piano skill. But she is extraordinarily smart, and studied it herself to reach this level. Last night truly scared me…”
She was right: Xue Qian’s Thirteen Figures was indeed her independent creation.
Xue Qian understood Jin Se’s hint and added: “Jin Se can be annoying; she wants to show she can do everything others can. I wanted to prove I understood her ‘way of control’ as well. The first puppet masters in history had no teacher.”
“Hmm. Xue Qian’s intellect is exceptional. I’ve also heard puppet masters must first master a musical instrument,” He Qishu said.
Xue Qian excelled in many areas, especially in arts. He Qishu admired talented women, so this explanation was acceptable.
Xue Qian said: “Your Highness, please don’t blame Jin Se; she meant no harm.”
He Qishu smiled leisurely: “Of course. But women should focus on music, chess, calligraphy, painting, not martial arts. You lack inner strength; don’t act recklessly and risk injury.”
His gaze carried gentle warmth. Xue Qian, incredulous, asked: “You’re not angry?”
He Qishu’s voice was soft: “You little wolf, if you bite me again, I will pull your fangs.”