Frühlingsreise - Kapitel 4
"Then what about dragging you to Xuyu Mountain in this cold weather and keeping you there for half a month? It's not like they don't know you're afraid of the cold. Maybe they're just messing with you on purpose. You've been asking him for the Spring Return Pill, but you haven't paid him a single penny, have you?"
Yang Luoxue was skilled in medicine, while Tang Qiefang was adept at poisons. Years ago, due to Tang Congrong's influence, the three often spent time together. However, one day, a disagreement led Tang Qiefang to throw "Bone-Dissolving Powder" into Yang Luoxue's herb garden. Her painstakingly cultivated herbs vanished overnight, and Yang Luoxue's fury was understandable. However, her martial arts skills were mediocre, making her no match for Tang Qiefang. This eldest disciple of Medicine King Valley began to counteract Tang Qiefang's various poisons. Soon after, it became known that whenever Tang Qiefang developed a new poison, Yang Luoxue's antidote would circulate throughout the martial arts world within a month.
This move struck at Tang Qiefang's Achilles' heel, and the two became sworn enemies from that moment on.
Last month, Tang Congrong nearly suffered a qi deviation while practicing the Flower Rain Needle technique. The cold energy within his body surged, and his fingertips could no longer touch the icy needles. Yang Luoxue arranged for him to be treated at the hot springs on Xuyu Mountain. Tang Qiefang was most concerned about this matter, but she was unwilling to inquire about Yang Luoxue's medical skills. She tried to subtly probe for a long time, but Tang Congrong still wouldn't reveal the details. Finally, unable to contain herself any longer, she asked, "Has the cold energy in your body been removed?"
Tang Congrong didn't say anything, but suddenly reached out her hand to him.
Tang Qiefang, puzzled, reached out and grasped it—the moment she did, she felt a jolt, almost shivering. Tang Congrong had been holding his hand on the gold hand warmer for a long time, but it hadn't warmed at all. Tang Qiefang looked at him in shock, "Your hand… what's wrong?"
"I have lost all feeling in my hands," Tang Congrong said calmly. "The chilling aura of the Flower Rain Needle can't even pull out the falling snow; it can only seal it in my hands."
His casual remark was like a thunderbolt to Tang Qiefang's ears. "He can't do it either?! He can't even do this, yet he dares to call himself a miracle doctor?!" Tang Qiefang gritted her teeth, turned around and walked out with great force, causing the pearl and jade tassels on her clothes to tremble and jingle.
Chapter Nine
Tang Congrong grabbed his sleeve, "What are you doing?"
"He can't even cure you? I'm going to tear down the gates of Medicine King Valley!"
"The Valley of Medicine Kings never had a gate."
"I'm going to beat him up!"
"He is now heading to Suoding City to treat the old city lord. If you can withstand Baili Wushuang's invisible sword energy, please go."
"I..." Tang Qiefang paused, then suddenly turned around, releasing bone-dissolving powder from his sleeve. A chair beside him instantly turned to dust. With another flick of his sleeve, the door swung open, and the dust was swept out of the room by a strong wind.
Tang Congrong knew better than anyone how much he longed to master the Flower-Swept Rain Needle technique. He had secretly practiced it since he was seven, but his body, not yet possessing the protective power he needed, couldn't withstand the chill of the Xuan Tie Ice Needles, leaving him with a chronic condition of being afraid of the cold. Although he took Yang Luoxue's Rejuvenating Pills every month, it couldn't dispel the cold that had seeped into his body. Last month, he nearly suffered a qi deviation because the accumulated cold within him finally erupted.
Even though he knew that given the relationship between Tang Congrong and Yang Luoxue, Yang Luoxue would not refrain from doing her best to treat Tang Congrong, and that Yang Luoxue was always proud and arrogant, an incurable illness would be a fatal blow to her, it was unreasonable for him to take his anger out on Yang Luoxue.
But how could he accept that pair of hands, so exquisitely beautiful, would lose all feeling? How could he accept that someone so sensitive to the cold would spend his life with hands as cold as ice? How could he accept that this nineteen-year-old head of the Tang Clan was destined never to master the Flower Rain Needle technique?
Tang Congrong suddenly coughed, and Tang Qiefang realized that she had opened the door and a cold draft had rushed in. She quickly closed the door. Tang Congrong's coughing gradually stopped, and her hands were still on the purple-gold hand warmer, but even with all the warmth, her hands could no longer feel anything.
Something was gently stirring in Tang Qiefang's heart, a tingling, aching feeling wrapped in her turmoil, "Calmness..."
"Where's my birthday present?" Tang Congrong asked calmly, his face showing neither joy nor sorrow, as if this matter had no effect on him whatsoever.
Tang Qiefang knew that the more indifferent he appeared on the surface, the heavier his heart was inside.
Since he doesn't want to continue talking about it, then let's not. Tang Qiefang smiled and said in an unusually relaxed tone, "Don't forget this, no matter what else you might forget. Go check your chess box."
The chessboard sat beneath the window, and the chess boxes rested on a basin—one white, one black, both lustrous and smooth as jade. Tang Congrong noticed the four characters "一生无忧" (meaning "A Life Without Worry") engraved on one of the chess pieces, recognizing it as the work of Baili Wuyou, the young master of Suoding City. Baili Wuyou was a natural master craftsman, creating exquisite and rare items. Both the martial arts world and the imperial court considered it an honor to possess an object bearing these four characters.
Tang Congrong picked up one and examined it; indeed, it was round and well-proportioned, surpassing the others.
There was a hint of sadness in Tang Qiefang's smile—he hadn't realized it was warm jade—he had always disliked the coldness of chess pieces, and Tang Qiefang had spent years acquiring so much warm jade, yet his fingertips could no longer feel it.
Taking a slight breath, Tang Qiefang took out a bead and handed it to him.
The bead was about the size of a pigeon egg, and its luster was average. However, there were five tiny holes on its surface. Tang Qiefang blew on the bead, and it produced a strange musical sound. The sound was melodious and varied, like a symphony of five notes, which was very pleasing to the ear.
Chapter Ten
"This Phoenix-Attracting Pearl was sent by Yue Tong. I rescued his daughter on the Pingyang Plank Road, and he gave it to me as a token of his gratitude. It is said that if you hang this pearl on a tree, it will attract birds to perch. Although I have never seen it attract a phoenix, it is still quite remarkable. You can hang it on the window. It's open here, and the wind blowing through it will be quite interesting."
Tang Congrong took it. His fingers were unusually slender, like chrysanthemum petals. The Phoenix-Attracting Pearl seemed larger in his hand than in anyone else's. "Yue Tong is quite generous—do you know what birthday gift he gave me?"
"Yunluo Barrier," Tang Qiefang replied. Seeing his slight surprise, she recounted what had happened on the Pingyang Plank Road. Finally, she said, "I heard that because of this Yunluo Barrier, the Qingcheng and Kongtong sects, who had always been on very good terms, have turned against each other?"
"Well, twenty years ago, Yue Tong's mother accidentally obtained the Cloud Silk Barrier, but Yue Tong's younger sister secretly took it and gave it to Fei Kongzi of the Kongtong Sect. The two left that night and went to Yunliang City. The Qingcheng Sect said that the Kongtong Sect stole the treasure, while the Kongtong Sect said that it was Fei Kongzi's wife's dowry. Even the learned people of Yuewei Hall could not reach a conclusion on this case. Until today, the Cloud Silk Barrier has returned to the hands of the Qingcheng Sect."
"This is a treasure that the Qingcheng Sect lost for twenty years, plus the Phoenix-Attracting Pearl. Yue Tong has really gone all out this time." Tang Qiefang smiled. "Could it be that he wants to marry his daughter to you so you can become the wife of the Tang Clan's head? Hehe, that Yue Shenhong is not bad looking either."
Tang Congrong glanced at him. "The one who helped you light the lantern?"
"It really was you." He had just heard the sound of extremely light and fast clothes. Only Tang Congrong could have such lightness skills. "I told you that you would come to see me as soon as you came back. Why did you run away without even entering the door?"
"I see you two are having a very pleasant conversation, so I won't disturb you," Tang Congrong said calmly, taking out a long box.
Tang Qiefang opened it, lifted the silk cloth, and finally revealed the true form of the cloud-like screen. Her eyes widened. "Why does it look so much like an umbrella?"
“It doesn’t look like an umbrella,” Tang Congrong said calmly. “Yunluo Zhang is an umbrella.”
The umbrella was made of an unknown material, soft and transparent, with a slender and elegant frame. If umbrellas could be categorized as beautiful or ugly, this one would surely be that of a refined and graceful beauty. Tang Qiefang opened it, "Can an umbrella like this really block any kind of hidden weapon or poison in the world?"
"That's the rumor."
"Tch." Tang Qiefang closed her umbrella. "The most unreliable thing in the world is rumors."
Tang Congrong had a needle appear on her fingertip at some unknown time. It was about half an inch long and had an extremely fine flower bud on its tip. It was the famous Flower Rain Needle, made of black iron from the far north. Holding it in her hand was like holding a small icicle. She tried to prick the umbrella, but it couldn't pierce through.
This umbrella, though seemingly thin, can actually block the incredibly sharp needles of rain!
"It is said that it can not only block hidden weapons and poisons, but is even impervious to swords, spears and internal energy." Tang Congrong said, his fingertips stroking the soft umbrella surface. His hands, which had been handling hidden weapons for many years, had a vague feeling... This feeling could not be described in words, but he was certain in his heart that the Cloud Barrier contained infinite mysteries.
Tang Qiefang was slightly moved, "You actually gave me something like this—what exactly does Yuetong want?"
Chapter 11
Tang Congrong looked at him calmly, and after a moment of silence, said, "He wants to arrange for his son to join the Thirteen Riders of Kun for three years."
Tang Qiefang was stunned. "The Tang Clan never accepts disciples from outside the clan. Didn't he know that? And he's one of the Thirteen Riders of the Kun Clan, directly under the Elders' Council? You agreed to it?"
“I told him to come tomorrow to hear the news.”