Siete noches de nieve

Capítulo 8

While it's certainly exhilarating to seek revenge, she's not a lone bandit; behind her are hundreds of brothers and the entire legacy left by her father.

Thinking of this, a layer of cold sweat broke out on her back. A warm hand reached out and wiped it away for her.

He gently wiped the sweat from her forehead and temples, and said in a warm, gentle voice, "Can you let go of me now?"

She was startled, only then realizing that the three people on the other side of the river had unknowingly left while she was deeply reflecting on her actions.

But her hand, lost in thought, kept gripping Zhong Zhan's clothes tightly. He had already loosened his grip on her, but the hand she was holding was still wrapped around her waist. Spots of bright red blood seeped from the fabric of her upper arm, the very places where she had bitten her so hard earlier.

Ignoring the burning sensation in her ears, she hurriedly let go of his hand and lifted his arm, saying, "I'm...I'm sorry, I'll bandage you right away!" Forgetting all about the boundaries between men and women, she carefully rolled up his sleeve, hiding her blushing face in the process.

Zhong Zhan blinked his gentle eyes and asked, "Are you feeling any better now?"

"Yes!" She nodded heavily, thought for a moment, then looked up again, her honey-colored face still flushed, but her eyes were clear and firm. She looked at him solemnly and said, "I have to thank you. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would have done something foolish in a moment of impulse."

She's always been an impatient person, impulsive and fearless. It's usually only because Qin Shao is with her that she avoids many unnecessary troubles. But Qin Shao's words are always vicious and merciless; he won't stop until she's completely humiliated and swears it won't happen again. In comparison, Zhong Zhan's approach is much gentler.

A faint smile spread across his face: "Don't mention it. You lent us money and treated me to drinks, and I haven't even repaid you. It's nothing, no need to thank me."

Hearing him mention drinking, she paused, unable to resist glancing at his beautifully shaped lips. Her ears burned and her heart pounded. She stammered, and after a long pause, finally asked, "That night… um… I, I was drunk…"

Zhong Zhan looked at her face, his expression showing no unease or embarrassment, and calmly said, "I'm sorry..."

Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt as nervous as a leaf falling in the wind.

To everyone's surprise, he then said, "I was also drunk that day, and I don't remember anything when I woke up. I don't know if I did anything reckless. If I have offended you in any way, please forgive me, young lady."

She was secretly struggling with her own thoughts when she heard this and was taken aback. Seeing that his expression didn't seem to be fake, she could only cautiously ask, "You really don't remember anything?"

He shook his head, looking puzzled. "What's wrong?"

"Then...and this?" She pointed to her ankle, where a strange silver chain with no joints was hidden beneath her deerskin boots.

What is it?

“A silver chain,” she gestured with her hands, “with twelve animal faces, inlaid with tourmaline, and the connectors are nowhere to be found. Is that yours?”

A sly glint flashed in his eyes, but his expression seemed to be one of realization, yet also filled with deep regret: "It is indeed mine... I'm sorry, maybe I was drunk and just put it on you without thinking, I really don't remember at all."

"Since it's yours, then... then take it back."

A troubled look appeared on his face: "This is a rare treasure passed down from our ancestors. It's easy to put on but very difficult to take off. Ordinary methods won't work. If it's really too much trouble for you, why not just use a sharp tool to cut it in half?"

Su Xianhua was startled: "Since it's a family heirloom, how can you just snap it like that? That will shorten your lifespan."

“In that case…” he smiled gently, “then you can wear it for now. When I meet the elders in my family in the future, I will ask them for advice on how to get rid of this problem.”

There was no other way now. She sighed and lowered her head, focusing on treating the ring of wounds. Looking at the blood seeping from the deep teeth marks, she felt quite guilty and said, "I didn't know my own strength and hurt you like this. How about... I let you bite me back?"

Once you enter the world of martial arts, troubles begin (17)

Zhong Zhan smiled and said softly, "It's alright." After a pause, he added, "You'll forget about it soon. Forgetting something is actually very easy."

She was applying medicine and didn't pay attention to his meaningful tone. She casually nodded and said, "That's right, I also have many injuries on my body that I've forgotten how I got them."

Remembering something, she asked again, "How did you end up here?"

“I came here with you.” Seeing her confusion, he explained, “This afternoon in Qinghe Town, weren’t you sitting at the entrance of the gambling den? I wanted to say hello to you, but you suddenly disappeared. Who knew that as soon as Miaomiao and I arrived at Feihua Xiaozhu, we saw you again.”

Mentioning the afternoon's events, Su Xianhua couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, so she lowered her head and focused on bandaging his arm. She noticed other scars on his arm, all old wounds from years ago, with bluish veins and tendons distributed beneath the evenly textured skin, making them less aesthetically pleasing than his face. Thinking of the numerous wounds she herself had sustained from martial arts training and fighting, she suddenly felt a surge of affection for him. She patted his shoulder, clearly already considering him a friend, and chuckled, "I couldn't fully enjoy myself last time because of something on my mind, let's drink again next time!"

A smile flashed in Zhong Zhan's eyes: "Once the matter between Miss and Young Master Bai is settled, Zhong Zhan will naturally sweep away the dust and brew wine to celebrate with Miss."

Upon hearing him mention Bai Nianchen, Su Xianhua's lips twitched. Her heart was already filled with murderous intent and resentment. She managed to force a rather unpleasant smile and changed the subject, asking, "Where is your friend Miao Ruotan? Why haven't I seen him today?"

"Miaomiao is watching the commotion at Feihua Xiaozhu," he chuckled. "I wonder how it's going now. Why don't we go check it out together?"

Four

Su Xianhua and Zhong Zhan walked around the suspended building and arrived at the widest part of the Tortoiseshell Valley—the only entrance to Feihua Xiaozhu.

As dusk fell and the sky grew dark, even more people gathered in the tranquil valley. Despite the large number of people, all remained completely silent, except for the countless heads tilted back, all gazing in the same direction.

Fearing an encounter with Bai Nianchen, Su Xianhua deliberately pulled up her hood and followed Zhong Zhan furtively. From afar, she spotted the tall Miao Ruotan in the crowd, who, like everyone else, was looking up at a certain spot on the suspended building, his gaze intensely focused.

Su Xianhua adjusted her hat and looked up. On the ground floor platform of the two-story building, a woman in pink stood gracefully. Although she was too far away to see her face clearly, her figure was outstanding and her long black hair fluttered in the mountain wind, giving her an ethereal and fairy-like appearance.

Su Xianhua initially thought this was the legendary Madam Ji and was about to step forward for a closer look when a cold, clear voice reached her ears:

"Please return now, everyone. Please come early in three days."

The voice traveled on the wind, sounding ethereal and otherworldly, clearly transmitted through internal energy. Su Xianhua, new to the area, didn't know what she had said before, but someone in the crowd had already started shouting—

"Young lady, your wife also said it would take three days the day before yesterday, so why has it changed to three days now? Three days after three days, how can we possibly waste that much time here?"

"That's right, could it be that Madam Ji is using the Sword Saint's name to deceive everyone? Saying that the first question has been solved, but the treasure is actually still in Duan Wenzheng's hands!"

"Well said. Please tell me, Madam Ji, who solved the riddle!"

"We won't leave until they tell us their names. We absolutely cannot be fooled..."

...

The so-called commotion is when one person starts it, others chime in, and finally, the uninformed masses are incited, leading to a chaotic scene of public outrage. Su Xianhua, the leader of several hundred bandits, was well aware of this kind of out-of-control situation. Seeing that her seemingly ethereal sister was becoming increasingly overwhelmed, she secretly stuck out her tongue, tugged at Zhong Zhan's sleeve, pointed to Miao Ruotan's back, and softly said, "We can't stay here any longer. Let's call Young Master Miao and leave first."

Zhong Zhan readily agreed, but the two had barely taken ten steps through the crowd when an unexpected turn of events occurred on the high, suspended platform. In the dim twilight, a black shadow suddenly rose from the cliff's shadow, soaring over the golden roof of the pavilion like a roc spreading its wings. Its toes lightly touched the flying eaves, and it landed before the bewildered woman in pink, its arm reaching out to seize her throat.

Once you enter the world of martial arts, troubles begin (18)

Anyone with slightly better eyesight could see clearly that it wasn't that the woman was incompetent, but rather that the attacker who suddenly appeared was too fast. With a swift movement, a pause, a stretch, and a leap, it was like lightning. The woman in pink was already agitated, and the sudden change in her expression meant that the Emei dagger in her hand was only able to make half a circle before being subdued.

The man in black slashed at the woman in pink's wrist, and the steel Emei dagger fell to the ground, hitting the bluestone railing and tumbling down the stairs before landing in front of the mob below the hanging tower. The noise immediately subsided.

The last rays of the setting sun filtered through the valley's woods, casting an eerie, dark golden glow on the uninvited guest's face, gilding the dark red scorpion tattoo on his left brow bone. It was an extremely handsome face, but the temperature in his smoky eyes sent chills down one's spine.

"It's him!"

Su Xianhua couldn't help but gasp. The black-clad man who had suddenly appeared was none other than Cheng Hongxiao, the young master of the unknown organization with whom she had parted on bad terms that morning.

If Lady Ji of Feihua Xiaozhu is truly involved in the Sword Saint's selection of a new successor, then Cheng Hongxiao's presence here is understandable. In truth, while Duan Ruhua was taken away by her, that was an accident; it was actually Cheng Hongxiao who solved the mystery. He could have simply swaggered out and gloated; why resort to a sneak attack?

She couldn't help but take a few more steps forward. Zhong Zhan quietly followed behind her, glancing at Bai Nianchen and Li Guangzuo standing about fifty paces away from the crowd. He then reached out and pulled Su Xianhua's half-fallen hood back up before walking through the crowd to find Miao Ruotan—the sudden change on the hanging tower and the Sword Saint mentioned by everyone seemed to have no effect on him.

On the high platform, Cheng Hongxiao subdued the woman in pink and ignored the rest of the people, coldly saying, "Where is Madam Ji? Tell her to come out!"

The woman's face had turned deathly pale, but she forced herself to remain calm and said, "Madam is tending the furnace and will not receive guests until the three-day period is up!"

"What if I am the one who solves the riddle?" He chuckled softly, took a silver hairpin from his robes, and held it up to the woman's eyes. "This belongs to Duan Ruhua, daughter of Duan Wenzheng. With this as proof, the riddle is solved. Madam should set the next riddle as agreed. Why are you avoiding it now?"

"You..." The woman in pink looked at the hairpin, not knowing how to refute it, and could only insist, "Madam can only receive guests in three days!"

Cheng Hong sneered and tightened her grip: "Do you want me to force my way in? Aren't you afraid of destroying Madam Ji's sword-forging furnace and ruining the world-famous 'Flying Flower Sword'?"

While the situation remained deadlocked on stage, the others had already begun whispering among themselves. Those who came to the Tortoiseshell Valley were all people who wanted to obtain the true teachings of the "Heaven and Earth Remnant" sword technique. Regardless of whether these people genuinely admired the Sword Saint or were just pretending to, whether they were wholeheartedly pursuing swordsmanship or had other motives entrusted to them, at least one thing was certain—these people were not very old.

Young people are inevitably impulsive and prone to acting rashly. Seeing this sudden turn of events, and after a few words, they understood what had happened. Dozens of eyes stared at the silver hairpin in Cheng Hongxiao's hand with suspicion, some sighing, some envious, some disdainful, each with their own thoughts. Some were even eager to try, unsure whether they wanted to save her, steal the hairpin, or perhaps steal the hairpin and save her at the same time, or save her and steal the hairpin as well.

Su Xianhua vaguely understood the whole story from their conversation. It all started with the Sword Saint's game—he asked Madam Ji, the owner of Feihua Xiaozhu, to release the second riddle. However, Madam Ji kept delaying, this time changing the announcement time to three days later. The young martial artist, whose patience had been worn down by the repeated waiting, finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"What a hassle!" she muttered to herself, turning her head to see Zhong Zhan meeting up with Miao Ruotan. Not far behind them, Situ Diyin, dressed in purple, was walking with another woman who appeared to be taller, followed by dozens of guards. Presumably, the taller woman was Wu Yu, the second young lady of the Situ family.

Once you enter the world of martial arts, troubles begin (19)

She had no interest in joining in the fun and was about to leave when a scream suddenly came from the high platform. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw a silver rope winding out from Cheng Hongxiao's sleeve, its sharp tip gleaming, heading towards the tightly closed vermilion gate under the stone archway.

Su Xianhua, not wanting to get involved, slightly narrowed her eyes and took a step back. Just then, she saw Miao Ruotan in the crowd subtly twist his wrist, a flash of blue light seemingly passing through his palm, before being immediately pulled back by Zhong Zhan beside him. Zhong Zhan's lips moved, clearly saying, "It's alright!"

In that split second, Cheng Hongxiao's silver rope slammed heavily against the door, but the seemingly immense force struck as if hitting cotton wool; the vermilion gate remained completely undamaged. He wasn't surprised, a cold smile playing on his lips. He dragged the woman back a step, and just as they came to a stop, the towering gate suddenly swung open. A tremendous surge of energy burst through the crack, like a gust of wind, whipping his black robes and raven-black hair, as if threatening to carry him away.

But his back remained ramrod straight as he sneered towards the doorway, "Has the lady finally decided to show herself?"

Silence returned, and a woman dressed in black slowly emerged from behind the door. Her long, tasseled robes, several feet long, fluttered in the breeze. Her face was also covered by a long black veil, except for her long, snow-white hair that reached her ankles, moving without wind and strikingly beautiful.

"Who is causing trouble at my humble abode of flying flowers?"

Dressed in black with white hair, she is none other than Lady Ji, the legendary mistress of Feihua Xiaozhu!

Time seemed to stand still, with only the mountain breeze gently ruffling the black robes of the two figures. Standing opposite each other, their powerful aura caused even those below the suspended building to hold their breath.

Lady Ji's face was covered, and although her hair was completely white, her figure was graceful, making it impossible to tell her age. Her gaze behind the black veil was sharp as a knife as she quietly sized up the young man opposite her. Then, she slightly raised her chin and said indifferently, "Release Coral."

Cheng Hongxiao did not refute, but loosened her grip. The woman in pink stumbled a few steps and fell to Madam Ji's feet, coughing and choking as she said, "Madam..."

"Your skills are not yet proficient, and your cultivation is still lacking. You are hereby punished to guard the furnace for three months and are not allowed to step out of Feihua Xiaozhu."

Madam Ji's voice wasn't harsh, yet it carried an undeniable power. She didn't glance at Coral again, taking two steps forward before her gaze fell on the tattoo on Cheng Hongxiao's left eyebrow. She solemnly said, "With sand scorpions as your supreme ruler, could it be that you come from the Western Demon Realm desert..."

Before she could finish speaking, Cheng Hongxiao suddenly moved like a rabbit, a silver rope from her sleeve flying like a venomous snake towards Madam Ji's face. Madam Ji had anticipated his sudden attack; her wide black robe instantly unfurled like bird wings, revealing a two-foot-long narrow sword in her hand. It was inch wide, with a thin blade, and the guard was engraved with vine patterns that snaked upwards, the blade blooming with several cold plum blossoms—exceptionally beautiful and exquisite.

"Flying Flower Sword!"

It's unclear who shouted it first. The plum blossoms engraved on the sword were the very symbol of the famous "Flying Flower Sword" from Flying Flower Pavilion. However, while ordinary swords have three plum blossoms engraved on them, the sword in Lady Ji's hand had five, clearly indicating that it was forged with superior craftsmanship.

Those gazing upwards from the hanging tower, already holding their breath, now stared intently. No one had ever witnessed Lady Ji's skill; the world only knew of her superb sword-making abilities, but no one knew she herself wielded a sword. Since she could relay messages to the Sword Saint, her swordsmanship must be formidable…

The narrow blade of the Flying Flower Sword blocked Cheng Hongxiao's attack, then swiftly twisted back, passing through the dancing rope and aiming straight for her throat. Cheng Hongxiao's silver rope had no time to return to defend; instead, it met the attack head-on, dodging the sword's momentum just as it was about to end. The silver rope was then pulled into her palm, and she leaped back several feet, landing steadily.

In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged a move, each understanding that the other was merely testing them. Cheng Hong smiled slightly: "Excellent swordsmanship! Was that move just now a derivative of 'Crescent Moon'? Madam is indeed a disciple of the Sword Saint!"

"So you've come for the Sword Saint." Ignoring his astonishing words, Lady Ji slowly sheathed her flying sword, casually brushing aside her slightly disheveled long hair. "I am not the Sword Saint's disciple; I merely received a single instruction from him by chance." She paused, then added, "If you intend to feign trouble to provoke the Sword Saint into revealing himself, it will be useless. He is not here at all. If you wish to see him, come again in three days. Whether your wish is granted or not depends on your fate."

Once you enter the world of martial arts, troubles begin (20)

Caught off guard, Cheng Hongxiao's expression darkened. She gave a curt snort, turned, and left. As she departed, a barely audible sigh brushed past her ear: "I never imagined that after all these years, someone from the Demon Realm would come again..."

The sky had completely darkened, and Cheng Hongxiao's black clothes quickly disappeared into the night. Several young martial artists around him came to their senses and gave chase, while the rest gathered in twos and threes, mostly discussing whether to camp in the valley or return to town to stay at an inn for the night.

Su Xianhua's eyes remained fixed on the long, silver-white hair hanging on the suspended tower until the heavy sound of the door closing came. She then let out a long sigh, and Zhong Zhan's smiling voice reached her ears: "Are you envious?"

“Yes! What a graceful and beautiful woman…” she sighed, then suddenly blinked in surprise, “How did you know what I was thinking?”

"It's written all over your face, who doesn't know?" This time it was Miao Ruotan who spoke, his tall figure blocking her way, chuckling slyly, "Female bandit, we meet again!"

Su Xianhua rolled her eyes: "How much silver has Young Master Miao lost in just a few days? When are you going to pay me back?"

Miao Ruotan glared at him, about to retort, when Zhong Zhan asked good-naturedly, "Are you hungry? Shall we go eat?"

"Now that you mention it, I really am hungry." Su Xianhua suddenly realized that she hadn't eaten all day. Seeing that the crowd was gradually dispersing, and fearing that staying any longer might lead to her being recognized, she quickly turned and headed towards the valley entrance, muttering to herself, "Eat, eat! I can't let someone I dislike ruin my appetite..."