Sept nuits de neige

Chapitre 90

He turned his head slightly to look at her profile and saw that she looked solemn. He wondered if she still remembered what had happened that day.

"I'll leave you here. Even though there won't be any hidden traps anymore, you still need to be careful. There might be some experts who can break through the mechanisms." Knowing that different sects have different rules, it's never appropriate for outsiders to barge in. Normally, he wouldn't care about these things, but now, facing Nineteen's master, Shen Yuntan still hoped to leave a good impression.

"Why didn't you come up with me? What's this trap? Did someone set up a trap here?" Tang Shijiu looked bewildered. "Master is very open-minded; he doesn't care if it's an outsider."

Shen Yun was taken aback: "You've lived here for over ten years, and you didn't know that from here to the mountaintop, the entire path is a formation of the Five Elements, Eight Trigrams, and Qimen Dunjia? Anyone who doesn't know the secrets and goes in will either get lost and starve for days, or even trigger a mechanism and die."

Tang Shijiu was clearly even more surprised than him: "Who have you heard of our Xiaoyao Manor having such a thing?"

“You don’t need to hear about it; anyone with a little knowledge can see it at a glance. Otherwise, why don’t you think those righteous people down the mountain attacked earlier?” Shen Yuntan was both amused and exasperated. Seeing her disbelief, he could only ask, “You’ve lived in the manor for many years; have any outsiders come in?”

Tang Shijiu was taken aback; it was indeed true. She had grown up in Xiaoyao Manor, where the cooks and woodcutters were all permanent residents. Over the years, the only outsider she had encountered was Gu Yan, an uninvited guest. And this uninvited guest was someone her master had brought up the mountain.

“You grew up here since you were a child, and you’re used to the mountains and valleys. Of course, these traps are nothing to you,” Shen Yun said. “Your master was a powerful figure in the martial arts world back then. How could he just retire so easily? Without these traps, he probably wouldn’t have been able to live a peaceful day back then.”

"So Master is this powerful. I never knew. There are traps on the mountain path where I've lived since I was a child. What kind of monster is Master?" Tang Shijiu pondered silently, suddenly feeling a pang of sadness. In just a few months, everyone had become a stranger. First, there was Xu Ziqing, his childhood sweetheart; then the honest and kind Shen Yuntan; and now, even his respected and beloved Master, who was like a father to him, had become a stranger.

She waved to Shen Yuntan: "Come up the mountain with me."

Shen Yun nodded, then suddenly grabbed her hand and smiled mischievously: "There are many traps on the mountain road. If you hold my hand, I'll be safer."

The mountain was covered in dense trees, which Tang Shijiu knew well. In many places where there was no path, she would simply turn to the side and create a new world. Originally, Shen Yuntan's offer to take her hand was just a playful remark to get closer, but as they walked closer and the mountain path became more and more confusing and full of traps, the playful remark actually came true.

After walking for about half an hour, Shen Yuntan finally couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you ever get lost here when you were a child?"

Tang Shijiu said, "Anyway, I've been hanging around here since I was a child, so I really don't have any memory of getting lost. But often some junior brothers and sisters who have just come up the mountain get lost in the forest. Master often asks me to bring them back. Some of them are so clumsy that they can fall and get injured even on flat mountain paths."

Shen Yun said frankly, "You can't see the traps all over the mountain, no wonder you think they're stupid."

As they were talking, Tang Shijiu tilted his head slightly and said, "Someone's calling for help."

As soon as she spoke, Shen Yuntan heard it immediately. He was shocked. Tang Shijiu had heard the cry for help before him. Although he had been absent-minded and was not used to walking in the mountains, such internal strength was not to be underestimated.

Before he could think, Tang Shijiu had already grabbed his hand and led him through the bushes, turning left and right.

Sure enough, two people, one sitting and one lying down, were crying out for help not far away. Upon closer inspection, they were astonished to discover that one held a whisk and the other had a shaved head—they were actually a monk and a nun!

The monk was enormous, weighing at least two hundred pounds. The nun was slender, with a cool and aloof expression, exuding an air of detachment from worldly affairs.

Upon seeing someone arrive, the monk cried out for help even louder: "Benefactor...benefactor, save me!"

Tang Shijiu was always straightforward. Seeing that the monk seemed to have broken his leg, she immediately prepared to rush over to help. But as soon as she moved, Shen Yuntan grabbed her sleeve: "Don't be so indiscriminate between friend and foe. Don't act rashly."

He stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "This junior greets Master Buchen of the Buddha Stone Immortal Realm and Abbess Ningyin of the Lingsu Mountain. It is getting late, and I am sorry to have disturbed you both by holding such a ceremony here."

His words were quite ambiguous. On a dark and windy night, a monk and a nun alone together in the desolate mountains would certainly invite gossip.

Sure enough, Abbess Ningyin blushed and whispered, "Boy, don't talk nonsense." She was over forty years old, but still had beautiful features, and her phoenix eyes were slightly raised, giving her a rather cold and arrogant air.

The monk, however, did not take it to heart and praised loudly, "This young hero has excellent eyesight; he recognized our identities at a glance."

Shen Yun smiled slightly, said "You flatter me," and then bowed to Abbess Ningyin: "This junior dares not offend Abbess. May I ask if Abbess wishes to go to Xiaoyao Manor?"

At this point, Ningyin sensed something amiss with these two. They had been besieging Xiaoyao Manor for five days, allied with the Buddha Stone Immortal Realm, yet each attempt to break through their intricate formations had failed. Growing increasingly anxious, she had been studying these strange arts for some time, recognizing the intricate nature of the mountain's array. Not daring to send her disciples on a suicidal attack, she had arranged for a master from the Buddha Stone Immortal Realm to accompany her that night. She hoped to investigate further, but even so, they had fallen into a trap, breaking Buchen's leg and slashing her left arm. She had studied this array for years without success, yet these two young people, a man and a woman, were unharmed, greeting her with smiles and laughter. How could she not be suspicious? She coldly asked, "Who are you? Are you that bastard Ge Yang's disciples?"

She cursed Ge Yang as a bastard, and the curse flowed exceptionally smoothly. Tang Shijiu was about to speak when Shen Yuntan stopped her.

"This junior is not fortunate enough to become Ge Yang's disciple." He was telling the truth; "junior" referred only to himself and not Tang Shijiu. However, to Ningyin, this statement meant both of them.

Ningyin remained silent, one hand clutching her wound, her lips deathly pale, and she involuntarily sat down on the ground. Tang Shijiu exclaimed softly, "Master, you've been poisoned." She immediately plucked a purple-leafed herb from the nearby grass, chewed it, and, ignoring any attempts to stop her, tore open Ningyin's sleeve and applied the herb to her wound. "There's a tree on this mountain whose sap is poisonous. You must have accidentally touched it. But it's alright, this antidote is everywhere. Just apply it to the wound, go back and get a good night's sleep, and you'll be fine the next day."

Bu Chen praised, "Young lady, you know so much. Please help this old monk set his leg bone."

Ningyin snorted coldly and suddenly grabbed at Tang Shijiu's wrist. Startled by her sudden attack, Tang Shijiu instinctively slapped her wrist away, angrily saying, "Master, I kindly helped you detoxify, and you dare hit me like this?"

Her slap startled Shen Yuntan, Ningyin, and Buchen.

Master Ningyin became famous at a young age, and her small grappling technique made her famous far and wide. Now that she is older, she rarely uses close-range grappling, but her signature technique was easily defeated by a junior, which made her very surprised. She looked at Shen Yuntan and Nineteen with uncertain eyes.

Shen Yun was no less surprised than Ning Yin. He had long known that Tang Shijiu, after leaving the Tang Clan, was no longer the same as before, but he hadn't expected her martial arts to progress so quickly. She usually seemed so dazed and confused, as if even she herself was unaware of her tremendous progress.

The herbs, applied to the wound, felt cool and refreshing, and the dizziness lessened considerably in an instant. Ningyin secretly regulated her internal energy, and it indeed flowed more smoothly. Knowing that the girl before her had no ill intentions, she still had doubts in her heart, but also felt guilty. She immediately apologized, "Miss, I offended you just now."

"He hits people at the drop of a hat..." Tang Shijiu muttered, then smiled and said, "You're lost, let me take you down."

Shen Yun shook his head, knowing she must have completely forgotten his earlier instructions. Tang Shijiu was simple-minded, always believing that if she didn't hurt others, no one would bother her. She was also easily moved to pity; seeing someone injured made her forget all the bad things she had done. She always thought it was a misunderstanding, that explaining it would solve everything, unaware that many things in this world cannot be explained, and besides, many people simply won't listen to explanations. What they wanted was to take advantage of this so-called misunderstanding to rob her.

Shen Yun smiled helplessly. Unfortunately, what he liked was Tang Shijiu's simple kindness.

After Shen Yuntan set Bu Chen's leg bone, he thanked the two of them, saying, "I am deeply grateful to this young lady and young master for saving me this time. There was a misunderstanding between Xiaoyao Manor and the martial arts world. I came up the mountain this time to see Mr. Ge Yang and ask for an explanation so as to avoid bloodshed and devastation."

Ningyin snorted coldly: "Ge Yang doesn't explain, he only kills."

Tang Shijiu glared at her and retorted, "At least he won't kill his savior." This statement had a flaw. If someone as shrewd as Shen Yuntan were to ask, "Since you don't know Ge Yang, how do you know he won't kill his savior?" However, Master Ningyin and Buchen seemed not to hear such a big oversight.

Ningyin's face inexplicably turned red.

Bu Chen replied, "This old monk also believes that Mr. Ge Yang is not an unreasonable person. I wonder if the two of you could point this old monk in the right direction. Once we see Mr. Ge Yang and find out the situation, this old monk will naturally give Mr. Ge Yang justice."

Nineteen was about to speak when Shen Yun interrupted her. He smiled politely and said to Bu Chen and Ning Yin, "It's getting late, and you two are injured, so please rest early." He then winked at Nineteen and tugged at her sleeve. Nineteen had a very bad impression of Ning Yin, who had insulted her master, and glared at her fiercely. Reluctantly, she pointed out the way: "Go out five steps from here, then ten steps east, and after you see the boulder, turn south. That will take you out of the forest."

Ningyin and Buchen couldn't say anything more, so they thanked them and left. Before leaving, Abbess Ningyin looked towards the location of Xiaoyao Manor and frowned with a hint of resentment.

Watching the two people walk away, Tang Shijiu said, "That nun is really a scoundrel. Monks are more reasonable."

Shen Yun sneered, "The monk is full of nonsense and wicked schemes, but the nun has some genuine character." He knew that Bu Chen had already caught the loophole in Shijiu's words and knew that she must know Ge Yang and the way up the mountain. As for the talk of reconciling misunderstandings, it was just an excuse to appease and deceive. Once she knew how to get up the mountain, the first person to draw her knife and kill would probably be this bald man who kept chanting Amitabha.

Tang Shijiu was stunned, completely unaware of the scheming behind it all. Shen Yuntan didn't explain either, only urging her to hurry on her way.