Sept nuits de neige

Chapitre 9

Tang Shijiu had no choice but to fumble around his body, finally managing to pull out two copper coins from his purse. Although he was reluctant, he still handed one to Shen Yuntan.

"Here, take this. Go to town to buy some food later. Remember not to spend it recklessly."

A strange feeling stirred within him. He smiled, took the item, and placed it in his pocket. "Okay, I won't waste it."

The two were chatting and laughing happily when Tang Shijiu suddenly frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Don't say too much, someone's coming. There are often bandits attacking villagers around here, it might be them."

Shen Yuntan trembled with fear, hiding behind Tang Shijiu: "Mountain, mountain, mountain, mountain, mountain, mountain, mountain bandits! Heroine Tang, Your Majesty Tang, you are my bodyguard!"

Seeing his incompetence, Tang Shijiu chuckled, held the enormous Xuanbei sword horizontally in front of her, and said loudly, "An honest person doesn't do things in secret. I've seen you!"

I've practiced this line in secret for several times, and today I finally have the chance to say it. It feels so good!

She had an arrogant air about her, her face stiff and serious, her chest held high and her back ramrod straight, resembling a chivalrous hero. However, the excitement she couldn't suppress in her eyes betrayed her true nature.

Shen Yun almost burst out laughing.

The branches rustled, and three women in blue robes leaped down. Their temples bulged, and their landings were steady, unlike those of ordinary bandits. Tang Shijiu, without a word, drew her knife and slashed. The men in blue robes were surprised that this young girl had attacked so suddenly, and they were also surprised by her skill, which had given her the upper hand.

The red ribbons fluttered like a fiery fox, incredibly agile. The black broadsword danced like a roc spreading its wings, exuding grandeur and magnificence. These two completely contradictory skills were actually combined in Tang Shijiu alone. Shen Yuntan frowned slightly. His master, whom he had thought to be muddle-headed, was apparently not a simple person.

Those men in blue weren't particularly skilled; in just a few dozen moves, Tang Shijiu had wounded one of them. Seeing their comrade injured, the other two's morale plummeted, and they immediately lost their footing. Tang Shijiu fought with increasing ferocity and composure.

But then a cold laugh came from above: "Disgraceful!" As the words were spoken, a white figure descended from the sky. Tang Shijiu felt a blur before his eyes, and three men in blue robes fell to the ground at the same time, spitting out blood. They were clearly going to die.

The man wore an extremely fine black silk mask that clung to his face like a second skin, exuding an air of refined nobility that made people hesitant to approach him. He was very tall, and now he looked down at Tang Shijiu, waiting to see how she would thank him.

Tang Shijiu didn't even glance at him, and squatted down to check the injuries of the two men in blue.

"Dead." The tone was calm and cold, as if he were talking about two dead rats.

Tang Shijiu's pretty face was taut. She grabbed Shen Yuntan's hand, didn't even look at the man, and turned to leave. The man was waiting for Tang Shijiu's admiring gaze, but unexpectedly met with a tough rebuff. He paused slightly, then moved swiftly, blocking Tang Shijiu's path.

"thank."

Tang Shijiu pursed her lips tightly and tried to get through several times, but she couldn't.

“I could beat them all by myself, why should I thank you?” she said coldly. “You are so ruthless, killing people with a single move. They are just trying to make a living by robbing a few coins, and they may not have even taken anyone’s life.”

The man gave a cold glance, his gaze sweeping from Tang Shijiu to Shen Yuntan.

"I'll kill you."

Tang Shijiu smiled slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and never looked at that person again, as if he were invisible.

Shen Yuntan hid behind her, holding her hand tightly. He felt that her palm was warm, not cold from fright.

The man gave a cold snort, then leaped into the air and disappeared into the forest in the blink of an eye.

Shen Yuntan was so frightened that he sat down on the ground: "That person's martial arts are so high, is he a god?"

Tang Shijiu scoffed, "What kind of immortal is he? He's just a narcissistic killer." She reached out and grabbed his shoulder. "Hey, hey, hey, you're not that useless, are you? Come on, come on, aren't you rushing to Jinhu Manor?"

He followed behind her hesitantly, then suddenly seemed to remember something: "Do you think those three people might have money on them?"

Tang Shijiu snapped out of her daze and slapped him on the shoulder: "Silly boy, I didn't expect you to be so clever!"

The three men didn't have much money, but it was enough for the two of them to live on for a while. Shen Yuntan touched the token in his pocket, smiling without saying a word. The token belonged to the Sang Sect, and he had just taken it and hidden it on his person when Nineteen wasn't paying attention. These three men in blue were indeed after him. It seemed that Ma Qianli had lost someone for no reason last night and was afraid, only wanting to settle things privately. With his limited abilities, he could only mobilize these kinds of people.

Then, looking at Nineteen, he carefully divided the silver he had found into two equal bags and handed one of them over: "Here, half for each of us, don't spend it recklessly."

He waved his hand and suddenly laughed: "Keep pretending. I don't mind you taking care of it."

She laughed too, her beauty like spring clouds: "You don't even want money, a spittoon? You really are a little fool."

Chapter Six: Buying Horses

After wandering around town, Shen Yuntan had spent all the pocket money Tang Shijiu had given him. He slowly returned to the inn, clutching his belongings, wondering what kind of expression that little girl would have.

Tang Shijiu bought a huge sack of steamed buns and was counting them one by one.

"So, if you can't finish it, you can just smash it for fun?"

"You idiot, when we're traveling the world, we're bound to be exposed to the elements. How can we manage without some provisions? You're just a useless scholar, you don't understand!" She said seriously, like a seasoned old fox.

Shen Yuntan couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Laugh, laugh, what's so funny?" She was annoyed and embarrassed by the laughter. "I want to see what good things you bought."

"I was being presumptuous," he said, suppressing a laugh, "...please forgive me." Even a fool would know that the two words he swallowed were "wife."

Tang Shijiu glared at him, seeing his smug expression, wondering what he was up to, and could only follow him out of the inn. In the stable behind the inn was a white horse, quite docile, which approached Shen Yuntan with great affection upon seeing him. However, anyone with a little knowledge could tell it was quite old.

"This...this is the horse you bought?" That's a complete nonsense. "I...I only gave you three taels of silver, how come you brought back a horse?" How stupid of you, why didn't you think of buying a horse yourself?

"Two taels and thirty coins," Shen Yuntan corrected, taking out a hairpin from his pocket and firmly placing it on Nineteen's head. "Hmm, not bad, very pretty."

The disciples of Xiaoyao Manor were all from poor backgrounds and rarely dressed up. Nineteen rarely had any jewelry; the only thing she had just worn in her hair was a newly opened jade hairpin from the inn's entrance. However, the flower had been picked that morning, and by noon it was already turning yellow and wilting. Nineteen blushed at his gaze and whispered, "Spittoon, you shouldn't waste money like this."

"How is buying things for you considered wasting money?" Her face flushed even more, like a bright red peony.

Nineteen rarely felt shy in front of Xu Ziqing.

But for some reason, when Shen Yuntan praised her a couple of times, she blushed. She completely lost the unrestrained and carefree manner she had displayed that night when she was hugging and kissing him.

The hairpin, adorned with butterflies amidst flowers, wasn't of particularly high quality, but its craftsmanship was exquisite. Tang Shijiu's face was as fair as a lotus blossom, so beautiful it made one want to take a bite.

"He doesn't want such a beautiful woman? That brat must be blind." Shen Yuntan's face was calm, but he secretly cheered in his heart, "It seems that everyone in Xiaoyao Manor is an idiot."