Snow falls and the wind blows

Chapter 60

Chapter Five: Deep Night, Terrifying Battle...

On the table sat a large bowl of braised cabbage and tofu, a plate of scrambled eggs with scallions, a plate of stir-fried mushrooms with sliced meat, a small bowl of white rice, and a jar of liquor. They were all ordinary home-style dishes, yet the group ate with great relish.

The liquor is very strong; one sip feels like a flame burning directly from the mouth and tongue all the way to the stomach. On a slightly chilly spring evening, a glass of liquor warms you up from head to toe. Then, eating a few bites of scrambled eggs, wild mushrooms, cabbage, and tofu with the spiciness of the liquor makes you feel warm, comfortable, and full of energy.

The four had rushed to the woods at noon, only managing to eat some dry rations. Now, they were eating heartily around the table, barely speaking a word. Only after Awen got up to clear the table did Duan Chen ask, "When did those two disappear today?"

Awen looked up and thought for a moment: "That boy disappeared on the night of the fifteenth of last month. Yesterday marked exactly one month! As for the girl, it seems like it's been almost two months."

Duan Chen nodded, and the three thanked Awen, leaving some silver on the table before heading out. Earlier, Xiao Changqing had dragged Awen to knock on the doors of every inn, finally finding one with great difficulty. They asked for three rooms, but told the owner that only one room's window should be left slightly ajar, which was why the owner reluctantly agreed to do the business.

As they left Awen's house, dusk was falling. The last rays of the setting sun illuminated the quiet street, and the clouds on the horizon were tinged with purple, foreshadowing the darkness that would soon engulf the earth. The carriage wheels rolled slowly over the cobblestones, the curtains always lifted, and the three of them sat quietly inside, looking out.

Xiao Changqing sat near the door, patted his stomach, smacked his lips, and sighed with a hint of resentment: "I should have drunk that cabbage and tofu soup earlier."

Duan Chen had spent the last few years traveling the martial world, mostly running errands in various prefectures and counties, and had long been accustomed to this life of sometimes not having enough to eat or even having his days and nights reversed, so he didn't find it bitter. Hearing Xiao Changqing say this, he remembered that the two people beside him were used to living a comfortable life, and his cold phoenix eyes couldn't help but sweep over the man sitting opposite him.

Zhan Yun seemed to have anticipated that Duan Chen would turn her head to look at her, her crescent-shaped eyes already smiling as she gazed at the beauty. Their eyes met, and Duan Chen's heart fluttered at the sight of this person, quickly turning her gaze away to the front of the carriage. Seeing her reaction, Zhan Yun wasn't annoyed; only a gentle smile on her lips added warmth.

"Senior, does the Seven Life Sect value women more than men?" Duan Chen forced himself to ignore the warm gaze radiating from beside him, his clear, cold voice like a mountain spring. The two had just entered the house that had already moved away, but found nothing. Thinking about it, it made sense; the girl had disappeared almost two months ago. Even if she had left some clues back then, after so many days, there wouldn't be anything left. Duan Chen could only carefully consider the few clues he had obtained from the previous autopsy.

Xiao Changqing was still immersed in regret for not drinking a bowl of tofu soup, and his voice was somewhat muffled as he spoke: "It is said that when the Seven Sheng Sect Leader was selecting followers, regardless of gender, those with outstanding appearances were more likely to be favored. I have never heard of him preferring women."

Seeing Duan Chen deep in thought with his eyes half-closed, Zhan Yun leaned forward slightly and asked gently, "Chen'er, are you thinking about the differences in the knife marks on those two corpses?"

Duan Chen nodded slightly, turning his head to look at the person opposite him: "Have you thought of something?"

Just as Zhan Yun was about to answer, his expression suddenly hardened. At the same time, Xiao Changqing by the door also made a move. A long neighing of horses could be heard outside the carriage, followed by the entire carriage shaking violently. The curtains were flung down with a "whoosh," plunging the interior into complete darkness.

Just as Duan Chen was about to stand up, he felt a tug at his waist and fell backward into an embrace. A voice above him shouted, "Don't move!" A flash of silver light streaked across the sky, and Duan Chen looked up to see a gleaming iron spear piercing through the carriage and now lying across his face. Before he could even speak, Duan Chen felt a tightening around his waist, and he was pulled straight upward in a protective embrace.

Zhan Yun cleaved the carriage floor in two with his palm, and with the iron spear and the several poisoned throwing knives that followed, the entire carriage instantly crumbled apart with a series of crackling sounds.

Night had fallen, and the bright moonlight made the figures in front of them clearly visible. Three men in white stood on a rooftop across the street, while two others were locked in combat with Xiao Changqing.

These five people were all dressed in white with their hair down, each holding a weapon in their hands. They wore the same mask on their faces, which revealed their deathly pale complexions, blue lips, and red eyes, just as the night watchman had described.

One of them, seemingly the leader, stood motionless on the rooftop, while the other two men in white leaped down and attacked Zhan Yun and Duan Chen directly. One wielded a sharp sword, the other two swords, their footwork and movements were extremely unpredictable, and in the blink of an eye, they had Zhan Yun and Duan Chen surrounded.

Because Zhan Yun was protecting Duan Chen in his arms, he was inevitably restricted in his movements while fighting the two men, and could only defend and dodge repeatedly. The two men, one on the left and one on the right, used a sword and two knives in perfect coordination, each strike aimed at killing, pressing forward relentlessly. The poisoned swords and knives were like the forked tongues of venomous snakes, and several times they almost struck Zhan Yun's arm.

Neither of them carried any weapons, and Zhan Yun was entirely unarmed, parrying their attacks. Duan Chen followed Zhan Yun's footwork, trying to calmly observe their attack patterns. Just as Zhan Yun nimbly spun around with her, Duan Chen whispered, "Attack the lower body of the one with the knife."

Zhan Yun understood, and with a flick of his wrist, the jade-bone fan he had been hiding in his sleeve struck the neck of the man wielding the sword. At the same time, Duan Chen simultaneously unleashed more than ten nuclear nails from both hands. Because it was close combat, although the two tried their best to dodge, they were still hit in several places, and bloodstains quickly appeared on their white clothes. The white-clad man who was hit by the fan even knelt on the ground, trembling, and dropped his longsword to cover his neck.

Blood gushed out from the cut on the neck, and the man convulsed before quickly dying. Zhan Yun picked up his folding fan, turned around, and immediately pressed acupoints on the man with the knife. Looking towards Xiao Changqing's side, the two men in white had also collapsed to the ground.

Duan Chen turned to look at the opposite rooftop, but the white-clad leader was nowhere to be seen. Just as he sensed something was wrong, a gust of wind suddenly swept past him. Duan Chen was pulled roughly by Zhan Yun, stumbling and bumping into his arms, hearing the sound of something sharp piercing flesh. A sense of unease washed over him. Duan Chen turned to check his arm, which was protecting his side, and saw that his white robes remained pristine, and no blood was seeping from the tear.

Turning his head to look at the white-clad man who had been immobilized earlier, he saw a throwing knife strike his back, and dark blood was flowing down the edge of his mask; he was already dead.

Zhan Yun watched the series of movements of the beauty in his arms, his crescent-shaped eyes curving even more, and his beautifully shaped lips curving into a gentle smile. Duan Chen, however, seemed unaware that there was anything wrong with the order in which he was paying attention. He straightened up from Zhan Yun's embrace, took two steps away, said thank you, and then looked in the direction of Xiao Changqing.

Removing the masks from their狰狞 (zhengning - ferocious/hideous) faces, it was indeed true that although they were a man and a woman, they were both quite beautiful. Xiao Changqing bent down to undress the man, then suddenly stopped, looked up at Duan Chen with a grin, and said, "Little Duan, go take a look at those two over there. Those two boys are quite handsome!"

Duan Chen had already seen Xiao Changqing undress the two dead men, so he knew Xiao must have discovered something. He remained silent, just standing there staring. Xiao Changqing straightened up somewhat awkwardly, tugged at Zhan Yun's sleeve, and pulled him a few steps away, whispering, "Quickly pull that girl aside. I need to see if the corpses have been…touched." Xiao Changqing winked at Zhan Yun, indicating that the parts he wanted to examine might be inappropriate for children.

Zhan Yun nodded in understanding. As soon as the two turned around, they heard Xiao Changqing cry out "Ah!" more pitifully than a crow. His handsome face was full of regret: "Oh, my little Duan! Why didn't you wait? Aren't you afraid that you'll feel awkward on your wedding night after seeing that?"

Duan Chen gathered the man's clothes, his face remaining calm and composed, without the slightest ripple: "Thank you for your trouble, senior."

In the instant she turned around, Zhan Yun had already seen the man's missing parts. Seeing Duan Chen's indifferent expression and hearing Xiao Changqing's mournful sighs, a faint blush crept onto her face.

Duan Chen glanced at the two corpses lying not far away, then turned to look at Mr. Xiao, who was sighing with a melancholy expression: "Were those two also like that?"

Xiao Changqing patted Zhan Yun's shoulder with a heavy heart and sighed as he replied, "There was only one person. When I was fighting with them just now, I heard that one of them had a voice that sounded different from a normal man's, so I decided to investigate."

Upon hearing this, Duan Chen's brow twitched, and he walked over to examine the two. Xiao Changqing glanced at the gentle-looking Zhan Yun with a sigh, and muttered softly, "This girl, most men can't control her!"

Zhan Yun raised an eyebrow slightly, a faint smile appearing in his eyes: "Why do we need to control them?"

Xiao Changqing was slightly taken aback, his dark eyes darted around, and a smile of approval appeared on his lips.

Duan Chen scrutinized the two men for a moment, then turned to look at them: "This man seems to be more handsome than the one from before." All three men were in their early twenties. One of them was only barely considered handsome, while the other two had quite exquisite features, almost as beautiful as women.

Zhan Yun and Xiao Changqing glanced at the corpse on the ground and nodded in unison. Xiao Changqing stroked his chin, somewhat puzzled: "What kind of logic is this? Being beautiful is what gets you killed, could it be..." Seeing that the two were looking at him, Xiao Changqing winked slyly: "Could it be that the new Seven Life Sect Leader likes eunuchs?"

Duan Chen turned his gaze away expressionlessly, while Zhan Yun shook his head and laughed. Duan Chen then carefully examined the two men's clothing and saw that the man with the ordinary appearance had multiple cuts on his body, all of which were old wounds, similar to those on the male corpse hanging from the tree earlier. The other two men and the woman only had some relatively clean cuts on their wrists. The three of them untied the horses from the broken cart and led them towards the inn.

The three entered the room through the window without turning on the lights. Xiao Changqing sat down on the edge of the bed, smiling at Zhan Yun, and immediately started to lie: "Little Yunyun, I only booked two rooms. Tonight, you'll be in charge of protecting Xiao Duan!"

Zhan Yun felt a chill run down her spine from the sudden use of affection, but then she understood after hearing the second half of the sentence. With a slight smile, she nodded gently to Xiao Changqing, then turned to Duan Chen, who was drinking water from a cup: "Chen'er."

Duan Chen swallowed a mouthful of water, remaining noncommittal, but his eyes were fixed on the person lying on the bed pretending to be fast asleep: "It's good that you rest early, senior. I'll have to trouble you to get up early tomorrow morning."

Xiao Changqing sat up abruptly, his lips pursed and his voice trembling: "Another early morning?"

Zhan Yun nodded in agreement: "Tonight's display is probably just a test. We don't know how many people they have, and none of the people in town know martial arts. If they are really determined to kill us, we may not be able to escape unscathed."

Mr. Xiao was a shrewd man, and naturally understood that the two meant he was being asked to go and get reinforcements. However, he also had a mischievous urge to tease the two young people, so he showed some difficulty on his face: "Well, I don't seem to know anyone around here..."

Upon hearing this, Zhan Yun smiled slightly, took a piece of jade from his waist, and handed it to Xiao Changqing: "Senior, you only need to give this to the Prefect of Suzhou and mention the Seventh Prince's name, and you should be able to command those people."

Xiao Changqing held the jade pendant, turning it over and over, examining it for a long time before finally putting it into his pocket with satisfaction. Then he smiled and looked at Duan Chen: "Little Duan, this kid's kung fu isn't bad either. Why keep him by your side and make me, your senior, do this errand?"

Zhan Yun had clearly not considered this possibility beforehand; he only instinctively wanted to stay by Duan Chen's side. Upon hearing Xiao Changqing's question, his chest pounded, and when he turned to look at the person beside him, his heart began to race.