The sky over the rivers and lakes is very clear

Chapter 221

The woman remained unmoved, simply reaching into her bosom and taking out an item.

It was a feather the size of a palm.

The white feathers, their bases as white as precious mutton-fat jade; above that, fluffy down, as white as a snowflake in a silver dish; above that, distinct strands of fine silk, as white as a quiet, eternal touch of cool color in the world…

The light and graceful feathers resembled a delicate flower blooming in the woman's slender hand.

Zhu Huihui was a little stunned, thinking to herself: So white can be divided into so many layers...

Among the men in black, someone exclaimed, "Wangchuan Yu!"

The woman gazed devoutly at the white feather in her palm, her black jade-like eyes filled with endless emotions, but to outsiders, they exuded endless charm.

A man in black sighed, "Since you insist on meddling, then don't blame us!" His voice turned stern, "Kill them!"

The woman's quiet eyes suddenly shone with a fierce light, and she made her move.

In the flickering flames of the torch, Zhu Huihui saw only a tuft of white feathers soaring upwards, then leveling off, suddenly stilling, gracefully descending, swirling and circling...

It's like a spirit dancing passionately with all its might; wherever it dances, those it dances with exchange smiles, and then they forget each other in the vast world...

The feather seemed to have finally grown tired of dancing and settled in a beautiful palm.

Apart from a few men in black lying on the ground, the rest had disappeared.

"Young Master Feng, I'll go and clear out the enemies ahead for you!"

The gentle voice, slightly hoarse, traveled clearly through the empty wilderness.

"Although the person who hired you to kill you is dead, the kill order has not been lifted. The road ahead is long, so please take care!"

A bolt of lightning ripped through the dark night sky. In the dense rain, the woman's figure was slender and graceful, like a fleeting ephemera in the midnight, like a leaf fluttering in the wind, disappearing into the darkness in an instant.

Zhu Huihui stared blankly at her retreating figure, murmuring, "She's so beautiful!"

Feng Xuese said softly, "Yes, she is the most beautiful assassin in the martial world!" But in her heart, she thought, "The person who hired someone to kill me is dead." Did this mean Mo Xinxue was dead? Liu Yue hadn't heard from her since she went after her; she hoped nothing bad had happened to her…

Zhu Huihui looked at him strangely: "Great hero, did you know her before?"

Feng Xuese smiled slightly: "We've never met before!"

"Then how do you know she's beautiful?"

"Grey, do you know who is revered as the King of Assassins in the martial arts world?"

"Is it that woman from earlier?" Zhu Huihui asked.

Feng Xuese patted her head and said, "Mmm."

"Then, do you know why a woman would be revered as the Queen of Assassins by so many unruly and lawless martial arts practitioners?"

Zhu Huihui exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be that her martial arts are the best in the world?"

Feng Xuese sighed, "The world is vast and full of talented people. Who would dare to claim to be the best in martial arts? The reason she is respected by the world is simply because she once did something earth-shattering."

Zhu Huihui asked curiously, "What is it?"

"In recent decades, the small Japanese kingdom of Fusang has risen rapidly, constantly eyeing the beautiful land of China, and repeatedly invading our borders, both openly and covertly. Faced with a national crisis and the gradual loss of territory, countless heroes and patriots have bravely sacrificed themselves for their country and people, regarding death as nothing. In the imperial court, there are two great generals, Yu and Qi, while below the court, there are many martial arts heroes who hide behind fame and fortune, risking their lives to slay the Japanese invaders on the battlefield!"

"Three years ago, the Japanese pirates invaded our land again, crossing into the rich lands of the southeastern coastal border, killing our people and plundering our wealth. The martial arts world of China was once again enraged, and countless martial arts heroes joined the ranks of Generals Yu and Qi, fighting to the death for their country. Among them was this very beautiful woman."

"At that time, she and thirty elite warriors, under General Yu's orders, secretly went to Japan to assassinate the Japanese general in power, in order to force the Japanese invaders into disarray. The Japanese martial arts originated from China, but followed a different path. Although they were not particularly powerful, they were very strange. The thirty elite warriors went deep into enemy territory and encountered Japanese martial arts masters. No one knows how fierce the battle was. All that is known is that in the end, only this woman returned!"

When the rescue fleet dispatched by the two generals pulled her from the sea, they found her covered in wounds, with a severe cut on her face, almost beyond saving. Yet, she was still clutching the enemy chieftain's head tightly in her hand! Fortunately, the soldiers accompanying the army were carrying medicines personally prepared by the divine physician of Beikong Valley. So, while using the medicines to keep her alive, they worked day and night to relay her across thousands of miles to Beikong Valley. The divine physician, Madam Wan, did her utmost, and two months later, she finally snatched her life back from the jaws of death. However, the knife wound on her face could never be fully healed.

"This righteous and courageous woman valued honor over life, risking her life to assassinate the enemy chieftain. She was revered by all martial arts practitioners, and thus, people respectfully called her the Queen of Assassins. In the martial arts world, regardless of whether one's martial arts skills were stronger than hers or one's fame was greater, when she was mentioned, everyone would give her a thumbs up and praise her as a fine woman of China!"

Zhu Huihui was filled with righteous indignation and angrily retorted, "You've been kind enough to raise a dog to adulthood, and it won't even bite you. That Japanese are worse than dogs! I know it's unfair to the dog, but to save other animals, I have no choice but to make it suffer!"

She turned to Feng Xuese and complained, "Hero, it's not that I like to criticize you, but you're always too kind to people. Blind kindness isn't always the right thing to do. Be careful, those people are like the Japanese pirates; if you raise them too big, they might bite you back!"

Feng Xuese smiled slightly and said, "Our great China, with its picturesque landscape and righteousness throughout the land, how could such a despicable and filthy person be born?"

Zhu Huihui nodded in agreement: "The hero is right!" Even a shameless villain like himself is a thousand times, ten thousand times better than those Japanese pirates!

Feng Xuese nodded slowly. Although this child has many flaws, he has a firm grasp on the greater good of the nation.

"Great hero, what's that beautiful lady's name?"

"Feather. People in the martial arts world call her the assassin Feather."

After a series of fierce battles, Feng Xuese's inner strength was already exhausted. After talking for a long time, he was also a little weak. He used his sword to support himself on the ground. Zhu Huihui suddenly realized that she was still lying on his back. She felt very embarrassed. Although her injured leg hurt badly, she struggled to get off the ground.

Feng Xuese gently patted the back of her hand, signaling her to be quiet.

Zhu Huihui dared not disobey and could only continue to lie on the other person's back. She hadn't felt it when they were fighting the enemy, but now that they were safe, she felt uncomfortable no matter how she lay, her heart was pounding like crazy, and her face was burning hot—oh no, had she caught a fever from being caught in the rain?

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Author's Note:

Yes, that's right. I understand that some readers are getting impatient. It's true that reading a little bit every day might make the plot less coherent, but I update daily, which is the fastest I can go.

Actually, from another perspective, tide's writing process is definitely slower than her updating process. tide also got through it in the same way, so let's all be understanding of each other.

Here's a suggestion for impatient viewers: Save up a sufficient number of videos before watching them all at once. This will prevent the viewing experience from feeling disjointed. Wait a week, two weeks, or even a month before reviewing them again.

I'm not posting here expecting everyone to come every day, rate my posts, or earn points. My main goal is simply to share my writing with everyone. If you're willing to read, accumulate enough posts to read more. If you like my work, please support me—that would be enough for me!

She was so nervous that she made small talk: "So she's an assassin! But I sensed she wasn't happy. Her eyes... they made my heart ache!"

"Hmm! She's both the most expensive and the cheapest assassin in the martial arts world! As for being expensive, someone once offered her 20,000 taels of gold to assassinate a reputable retired official, and she didn't even flinch, instead beheading him with a single stroke; as for being cheap..."

Zhu Huihui chimed in, "It's so cheap that all I have to do is ask her for help and give her a few barks, and she'll help us! It's such a steal!"

Feng Xuese smiled: "Before the knife wound to her face, Yu Mao was a spirited girl with a beautiful face, excellent martial arts skills, and a handsome, gentle, and devoted fiancé. She originally planned to retire from the martial world after defeating the Japanese pirates and quietly get married..."

"Then why is she still struggling alone in the underworld? Is it because her face was disfigured and her fiancé didn't want her anymore?"

"I don't know all the details. I only know that after Yu Mao recovered from her injury, she distanced herself from her old friends and wandered the world alone, never wanting to see her fiancé again."

Zhu Huihui paused for a moment, then said, "I know, she must feel that she has become ugly, so she is afraid to see her fiancé again, afraid that he will dislike her!"

Feng Xuese sighed softly: "Perhaps! But now her fiancé has married another woman, and I heard she used to be her best friend. It's too late to say anything now."

The thought of that aloof woman fighting to the death, returning with wounds and a disfigured face, already filled her with pain. Then came the realization that her beloved fiancé had married her best friend. So she sealed all her tears away, quietly departing to wander the world alone, accompanied only by her half-crippled dog, just like herself…

Zhu Huihui was somewhat lost in thought, a deep sadness spreading through her heart: No wonder her eyes were so cold and desolate. Even if she won the admiration of the world, she would never truly be happy wandering the world alone.

"Great hero!"

"Um?"

"I think this Feather Sister is a fool!"

"How so?"

"What does appearance matter? Even though she has a scar on her face, I still think she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in the world!"

Before Feng Xuese could speak, a long laugh suddenly rang out from a ruined wall a dozen feet away: "The little girl is right! What does appearance matter? Although she has scars on her face, she is still the most beautiful woman in my heart!"

The voice was clear and ethereal. The first word came from several dozen feet away, and with each word it came from a little further away. By the last word, the voice was three miles away. Although the distance increased, it remained clear and unchanged even in the midst of a raging storm.

Zhu Huihui exclaimed in shock, "Damn it, there's a ghost!"

Feng Xuese let out a soft breath, having already sensed the presence of a master lurking in the shadows—and it turned out to be that person! He said gently, "Don't be afraid, it's not a ghost!"

Zhu Huihui steadied herself and knew it wasn't a ghost, but most likely some kind of martial arts master, though she didn't know if they were friend or foe...

"Who is that?" If it's an enemy, it's best to escape as quickly as possible.

“The great hero Fang Yiren,” Feng Xuese’s voice was calm, “is the former fiancé of the assassin Feather.”

"..."

The relationship sounded complicated, and there seemed to be countless epic and complex stories behind it. The more Zhu Huihui thought about it, the more dizzy she became, and she softly leaned on Fengxue's shoulder.

"The fine rain wets clothes unseen, and fallen flowers land unheard."

Feng Xuese sat cross-legged on a wooden stool, listening to the rain falling from the roof and dripping into basins of all sizes.

"Tick-tock! Tick-tock! Tick-tock!"

A pleasant yet monotonous sound, if listened to too often, makes even life seem dull.

He shook his head slightly. Zhu Huihui is such a lazy fellow. He said he had covered his mother-in-law's house up nicely, but it still leaks when it rains!

This is Granny Chen's thatched hut. After the battle at Sanjie Temple, the only remaining dilapidated hall was also demolished by the five big, dumb men of the Ba family. The two of them didn't even have a place to shelter from the rain. So, Feng Xue Se carried Zhu Hui Hui to Granny Chen's house.

Granny Chen's body lay on the floor of the main room. It seemed that the "colluding" couple killed her and then, without even disposing of the body, changed the old woman's clothes and went to hunt them down.

Feng Xuese moved her mother-in-law's body to an empty room and rested with Zhu Huihui in the main room.

"Hero, would you like to change your clothes?" Zhu Huihui walked over, leaning on a cane. She had found the cane in the thatched hut, and it was just right for her.

She tugged at her clothes; they were baggy and uncomfortable to wear. But in her mother-in-law's trunk, only this one was somewhat decent; the others were even uglier.

Feng Xue hesitated for a moment, then said, "No need, my clothes will dry in a bit. You have a fever, so don't keep walking around. Go to bed and get some rest."

Zhu Huihui knew he suspected her of peeping at him while he was changing clothes, but she didn't feel wronged; she was sure she would peek anyway! She just pouted and made a face: "I'm very healthy, I don't have a fever anymore!"

After a pause, he asked again, "So, sir, would you like to dry your hair and wash your face or something?"

"All right."

Zhu Huihui, leaning on her cane, fetched a basin of water from the water vat, placed it on the cabinet, took Feng Xuese's hand, touched the copper basin, and then took towels and other supplies to wait by her side.