Legend of The Frost Blade - Chapter 3

Yan Qingqiu started his apprenticeship at the age of eighteen, officially setting foot in the Jianghu. His master, Mi Jiuxian, was a free-spirited person. The most foundational skill he taught his apprentice was Qinggong, and told him: “Since you are learning martial arts, you are bound to get beaten. At the start, you’ll be the one getting beaten, then after today, slowly into the future, you will be the one beating others. Therefore, being able to escape swiftly with your kungfu when taking a beating is most crucial.”

Thanks to his master, Yan Qingqiu’s Qinggong was rather exceptional. No matter what he may learn afterwards, his movements will always be effortlessly graceful.

He is not very old after all, not having reached twenty-five yet, and even if he also had a good household upbringing, he would still inevitably be somewhat complacent of his abilities in kung fu. Meeting up with Murong Ai this time was on the basis of competing to test their leg strength, as well as to regain the upper hand after losing their match. He originally believed he had a slight edge after being the first to arrive in Hangzhou, but as he ran alongside Murong Ai, he was surprised to realize that may not be the case. 

The person next to him leaped a few times with him across the surface of the lake, landing several tens of yards away, reaching the shore with his speed unabated. Because his hand was being held, as time slowly passed, Yan QIngqiu actually began to feel himself being dragged by the force. His heart skipped a beat, and upon closer observation, he realized Murong Ai was slightly faster as anticipated, pulling ahead by half his body length. Yan Qingqiu only felt that the hand he was holding was gradually getting warmer, and even got a little hot after a while.

Just as he thought of pulling away, Murong Ai stopped. Yan Qingqiu was a bit delayed in halting, and ended up standing shoulder to shoulder with him.

Yan Qingqiu turned to the Demon Blade, discreetly withdrawing his hand. His fingertips brushed against Murong Ai’s palm, feeling what seemed to be old, mottled scars. Murong Ai also loosened his grip, gently and deftly letting it go.

Yan Qingqiu smiled and said: “I’m impressed, turns out Murong Xiong’s Qinggong ability is truly powerful. I’ve never heard of it before ah.”

“Presumably because no one has ever seen me run away ba.”

Yan Qingqiu laughed awkwardly a few times, glancing back at the flickering lights of “Ciufang” in the distance, saying: “I’ve truly spoiled Murong Xiong’s mood today, I’d better make it up to you another day.”

Murong Ai did not refuse: “Good then, but next time I get to choose the location.”

“Naturally,” Yan Qingqiu added: “Speaking of which, Ye Shan was the second Old Master of the Ye Clan, known as ‘Shuang Dao Wang’ in Jiangnan. If he was killed, I’m afraid the entire city of Hangzhou would be in an uproar by now. This murder case happened not a moment earlier or later, but occurred right when the two of us arrived in Hangzhou. This truly is strange.”

Murong Ai raised his eyebrows: “Since Young Master Feihua has seen the extent of my Qinggong skill, don’t you think I could have arrived in Hangzhou earlier, killed the one surnamed Ye, and then came to meet you?”

“If Murong Xiong really had the intention, it wouldn’t be impossible. However, I didn’t witness you perform the act, and there is no evidence, so how can I make a reckless assumption?”

Murong Ai smiled again and suddenly parted the front of his robe, revealing a bright red bloodstain on his white inner garment, brightly exposed under the bright moonlight, still fresh.

Yan Qingqiu’s face changed, rendered speechless.

Murong Ai also pulled open his inner garment, revealing a broad and muscular chest, laughing heartily: “What do you think? I’m not injured, this blood must belong to someone else. Can Young Master Feihua still dare to say I’m innocent?”

Yan Qingqiu knew of his perverse nature, and even if it was something he did not do, he wasn’t afraid of being wrongly accused. After a brief thought, he firmly declared: “Since I’ve said before that I believe in Murong Xiong, then I won’t be suspicious of you any longer. Since Murong Xiong intends to make this matter clear, why not take advantage and investigate the Ye Clan’s case?”

“How do we start?”

Yan Qingqiu smiled: “Since the Ye Clan is actively looking for us already, we might as well go to their residence to have a look, ba.”

Being a prominent family in Jiangnan, the Ye Clan naturally possessed several properties. However, Ye Shan was a direct descendant of the Clan, meaning he resided in the ancestral mansion located in the city. Ye Buping’s father passed away when he was six, making his only uncle Ye Shan both a father figure and a master to him, sharing a deep relationship. In addition, Ye Shan had a generous nature, looking after his fellow townsmen and had many companions in Jianghu, all of which he had a great relationship with. So with his death, there was no shortage of people who were immediately drawn to investigate once the news broke out. Ye Shan’s murder was still less than twelve hours old, and Hangzhou city was already in a state of disarray trying to find the murderer. Therefore, they were able to encounter Murong Ai swiftly in Ciufang. Meanwhile, the Ye Clan’s ancestral mansion was still brightly lit, with wails loudly echoing throughout.

Yan Qingqiu thought of suggesting Murong Ai to change his clothes before they went to inquire, but on second thought, knew he would most likely refuse, and gave it up in the end. The two walked westward from the city’s alleys, choosing paths which were void of people. Murong Ai never even turned his head to look back, seemingly quite familiar with this route. Yan Qingqiu didn’t ask a single question, only silently following behind him. 

Nearing the Ye’s residence, the faint sound of bustling activity could be heard. Murong Ai and Yan Qingqiu hid in the shadows of the alley’s exit, observing the main gate of the Ye Clan in the distance. They noticed all the servants wore white sashes around their waists and hemp cloths over their heads. The guests coming and going all wore plain colors, and although it was already late at night, it was more lively compared to the daytime. 

Yan Qingqiu said to Murong Ai: “Entering through the main gate cost us some effort. Just as we did in Chengdu, let’s enter from the back courtyard ba.”

Murong Ai nodded, and circled around back with him to the Ye estate’s rear. Due to the recent misfortune, the Ye household’s guards were even stricter than usual, the patrolling servants all wielding large broadswords. However, the back courtyard had fewer people, and the pair waited for an opening before nimbly leaping over the wall.

Yan Qingqiu was pondering where to find the area in which Ye Shan’s body was found, but saw that Murong Ai had already grabbed a passing maid. After a detailed interrogation, he struck her acupuncture points and tossed her into a corner. 

Yan Qingqiu knew Murong Ai’s actions were often uninhibited, but he fortunately only inconvenienced the maid for a moment and didn’t endanger her life, so he didn’t intervene.

Murong Ai said to Yan Qingqiu: “Ye Shan died around the second quarter in the hour of the Hare today. His third concubine would bring his morning tea, before he’d practice his martial arts. But unexpectedly, she entered the room and found him already headless, his wife also injured and lying next to him unconscious. The body is now in the main hall, along with the entire Ye family.”

Yan Qingqiu frowned: “There is no head, similar to the previous victims, but who identified the body this time?”

“Since there is a woman who slept with him, it would naturally be easy to identify him.”

Yan Qingqiu pondered: “Then how do you know he wasn’t killed last night, but rather today?”

Murong Ai nodded and said: “The blood’s congratulation time of a dead person can be examined. Whether Ye Shan died last night or this morning makes no difference, but I hadn’t yet arrived in Hangzhou last night, only coming in when the city gates were opened today.”

Yan Qingqiqu smiled: “It turns out Murong Xiong’s pace is faster than mine by half a day.”

“It should have been one day,” Murong Ai suddenly touched his lower chest, saying no more. Yan Qingqiu noticed but didn’t ask any further, saying: “Then we should head to Ye Shan’s bedroom now, and wait until there are fewer people before examining the body ba.”

The pair crept through the darkness, slowly advancing in the direction told by the maid. Along the way, they encountered numerous patrolling servants, either in groups of five or seven, all wearing somber expressions. However, the pair had exceptional kungfu skills and went unnoticed. After a while, they actually managed to reach the outside of a small building. This was the place where Ye Shan and his wife lived.

Both inside and outside the building stood four servants, along with two young maids burning joss paper in the open space in front of the door.

The lights on the second floor shone brightly, the shadows of a few people projected onto the window, swaying along with it.  

Yan Qingqiu surveyed the surroundings, gesturing to Murong Ai as he pointed to the back of the building. There was originally a pond in that area, with some Taihu stones piled beside it and a few planted trees, conveniently stretching to the windows of the second floor. 

Yan Qingqiu lightly moved over to that side, leapt onto the rockery, moved onto the treetops, then advanced himself to the second-floor window, pressing close to the outer wall. Murong Ai smiled, doing the same and just so happened to end up face-to-face with him. The moonlight casted a glow on the side of the Demon Blade’s face, which turned out to have a luminous, white color. Yan Qingqiu vaguely felt that he smiled at him secretly, and then made a “silence” gesture.

Both of them had excellent hearing, able to discern four individuals inside after a moment of concentration.

All that was heard was a young man saying loudly: “Thank you, esteemed seniors, for your generous help. The Ye Clan is profoundly grateful. My father had no grudges against that ‘Demon Blade’. I don’t know why he would be so infuriated as to commit such a heinous act to my father. Now  Buping Da Ge has already led his fellow Shi Xiongdi to trace down the whereabouts of the demon. If you, esteemed seniors, could assist as well, we will surely be able to capture him.”

When Yan Qingqiu heard this, he realized the news of Ye Buping’s encounter at Ciufang had yet to come around. The speaker was Ye Shan’s only son, nineteen-year-old Ye Xiangtian. 

At that time, an elderly voice speaking in a formal tone said: “My nephew, be patient. Ye Daxia was a prominent figure in Jiangnan. He was generous and known for his prestige in Jianghu. Since that demon Murong has even dared to attack him. He would naturally become the enemy of all the martial artists in Jiangnan! It’s just that this demon is very cunning, disappearing without so much as a trace every time a sanguinary case is committed. I don’t know where to begin with the search.”

Ye Xiangtian’s fury intensified: “What Kou Laoxia said is indeed true, but my father’s vengeance cannot go unresolved like the cases of the Twelve Heroes of The North and Tang’s Lao Shiliu. Since someone has seen the demon roaming about Hangzhou City, we will eventually find his traces!”

Another young man’s voice tried to console him: “Ye Shoaxia, please calm yourself. As of now, Buping Xiong has not yet returned. There may be some news brought back by his venture this time.”

The room fell silent for a moment. Then an elderly woman’s voice spoke slowly: “Based on the current situation, there are too few signs of a struggle in the room. Apart from a few bloodstains on your father’s couch, the furnishings are still intact. Murong Ai must have been discreet in his arrival, otherwise, with your father’s skills, he could have lasted through three hundred moves at the very least.”

Ye Xiangtian snorted: “That demon is naturally shameless and despicable, taking advantage of the fact that my father was asleep to strike!”

The woman ignored him and continued: “The strange thing is, aside from the main entrance, the surrounding windows were all unblemished, and there were no signs of any damage outside either. Could it be that the demon came in blatantly, without encountering any resistance?”

Yan Qingqiu secretly laughed to himself, the woman’s words sounding as if she was mocking the Ye Clan for their incompetence at first glance. He really didn’t know who she was, as to be so disrespectful in the house of the bereaved. 

The young man from before quickly intervened to smooth things over: “Since that demon came to strike during the night, he naturally wanted to avoid people. Ye Daxia had no enmity with him and couldn’t have anticipated such treachery, so he never had the thought to take precautions.”

The elderly man said: “What Yang Shaoxia said is right. But this person has always brought about evil beyond the border. If it wasn’t for dealing with cult affairs these past ten years, he would never step foot in the Central Plains. Why in half a year has he moved from the north to the south, taking the lives of over a dozen heroes?” 

Ye Xiangtian cursed loudly: “Those demonic heretics are always like mad dogs! Years ago, the Emei Sect’s Jingkong Shitai and her disciples went beyond the border to visit some friends, but were disemboweled overnight. These demon cult scoundrels spout nonsense about ‘violating sacred grounds’! They just want to kill as they please, when has there ever been a legitimate reason?”

The woman sneered: “When it comes to killing, it is still necessary to have a reason. It just depends on whether you can convince the public. I don’t think Murong Ai would come to the Central Plains to kill so many people without a cause. Perhaps the demon cult’s conspiracy is behind this. Young Master Sima, what do you think?”

Yan Qingqiu was startled. Even after listening for a while, he hadn’t realized there was another person in the room, and the person’s intermittent breathing was so faint it was almost imperceptible. He glanced at Murong Ai, only to see that his thick eyebrows were tightly furrowed. Yan Qingqiu suddenly realized: The “Master Sima” with such profound internal strength could only be the eldest grandson from the Sima Clan of the Five Great Clans, Sima Xiao. This person was presently one of the top experts of Jianghu. Because his mother was the third Young Lady of the Nangong Clan, he had learned martial arts from both the Nangong and Sima Clans since he was young. He was naturally talented and intelligent and had a solid family heritage, and was later on guided by renowned masters. Being humble and hardworking, it was at the age of thirty that he had already achieved martial prowess comparable to that of the elders from various sects. This time, the Five Great Clans joined forces to investigate the murder cases committed by “Murong Ai”, with him being the one leading it, and should have been in Chengdu at this moment. 

Yan Qingqiu lowered his breathing even more, listening more carefully. 

Sima Xiao’s voice was far more melodious than the other speakers, speaking slowly and calmly, embodying the demeanor of a noble gentleman. He was only heard comforting Ye Xiangtian with a few words first, before responding to the woman’s words: “Lady Zhen has spoken exactly what was on this Junior’s mind! Murong Ai had barely any enmity with the martial artists in the Central Plains, but has recently committed a string of evil deeds, and even this Junior’s uncle has died at his hands. Although pursuit of the suspect is our top priority, we must also beware of the possible conspiracies behind these events. There were no prior indications to a series of night raids, and the victims all belonged to different sects, some of whom have never met each other. If classified as a vendetta, several of them had no connection whatsoever with Murong Ai; if it was to steal treasures, the Beggar Sect’s Elder Lu had nothing but tattered clothes and a broken bamboo staff on him.  The others did not hail from wealthy families, nor did they possess secret collections of manuals. If it’s an attack by the Demon Clan……”

He paused for a moment and said: “The Demon Sect and the Righteous Martial Sects have already gone ten years without any major conflict, and this sudden slaughter is just too abrupt!”

The woman asked: “Young Master Sima, are you saying there is no motive behind this string of murders?”

Sima Xiao replied calmly with a composed smile: “No, no. What this junior means is that, looking now at the cases individually, there will be no traces. However, if we view them collectively, except for the suspect’s method of carrying out the crimes, there is no connection. As of now, it is not about seeking individual revenge for each household. Catching Murong Ai is a crucial matter, but uncovering the motive behind these murders is even more important.”

The elderly man from before responded eagerly: “Young Master Sima is absolutely correct. Now that the Ye Clan has also suffered, we can join forces with the Five Great Clans.”

Sima Xiao continued: “This junior is investigating the matter in the North, already making contact with the other victims. Now I hope that Ye Xiong can do just as they have, cooperating with the Five Great Clans. We can combine our efforts in this way, not only can we uncover the truth, but we can also avenge Master Ye as well!”

Ye Xiangtian’s breathing became rapid, as he exclaimed: “As long as we can bring the murderer to justice, the Ye Clan is certainly willing to listen to Young Master Sima’s orders, only……if my cousin does really find Murong Ai in Hangzhou, what should be done?”

Sima Xiao gently clapped his hands: “If Buping Xiandi does bring back news, that would indeed be a good thing. But from my perspective, there is no need to spend so much effort searching for a needle in a haystack……”

When Yan Qingqiu heard this, his expression suddenly changed drastically. He glanced at Murong Ai who was nearby, only seeing his eyes flash sharply at the same time. The pair’s eyes met, and they immediately flipped backwards from the window like a pair of great birds, one black and one white. At the same time, a powerful palm force suddenly struck from inside, shattering the carved window to pieces. 

Yan Qingqiu and Murong Ai lightly landed on the remaining withered lotus leaves in the pond, then leaped onto the Taihu stones. 

Sima Xiao cupped his fists to them from the broken window, announcing loudly: “Thank you for your hard work my two friends. If you wanted to listen in on our conversation, why not come in openly? Sneaking around feebly like a cackling chicken and thieving dog, it is truly disgraceful to both of your kung fu.”

Yan Qingqiu pondered to himself: If discovered this time, he was afraid it wouldn’t be as easy to escape as he did back at the Tang’s residence.

(To be continued)

FOOTNOTES

Titles

Shuang Dao Wang: King Of The Double Blades

Laoxia: Old Hero

Shaoxia: Young Hero

Shi Xiongdi: Denotes the bond between fellow students under the same master, often implying a close-knit relationship akin to siblings, despite not being related by blood.

Xiandi: “Virtuous younger brother” or “Esteemed younger brother.”

Objects

Joss Paper: A type of paper money used in various Asian cultures, particularly in China, as offerings to the deceased and deities. These paper items are typically burned as a form of offering to honor ancestors and provide them with wealth and prosperity in the afterlife.

Taihu Stones: A type of limestone that originates from the foot of Dongting Mountain near Lake Tai in Jiangsu province, China, known for their unique shapes, often featuring numerous holes, channels, and a smooth texture with rounded edges.

“Couch”: The term (wo ta) typically means a couch or bed used for lying down, often implying a place for resting or sleeping. The use of (z?n) here adds a sense of respect or formality, and is more like a daybed, which can be used for both short rests and sleeping.

Places

“Border”:  (guan wai) refers to areas outside the central regions of ancient China, particularly those beyond significant passes or borders that marked the extent of imperial control.

Other

“A Cackling Chicken And Thieving Dog”: An idiomatic saying, implying underhanded cowardly and sneaky actions.

Second Quarter In The Hour Of The Hare: In ancient China, time was told using a system based on the 12 Earthly Branches and 10 Heavenly Stems, as well as a system of “double hours”. The Hour of the Hare was from 5:00 AM to 7:00 AM, and (er ke) indicates about 30 minutes into this two-hour period, so approximately 5:30 AM.