Chapter 37: On a snowy day, go buy rouge

"It's said that martial artists rely on eating, nourishing, training, and soaking, and it seems that's really true."

Eating a meal of tiger meat is better than practicing boxing for several days. After eating and drinking his fill, Li Xian walked out of the vegetarian restaurant and felt that his strength was endless and inexhaustible.

After all the Class C guards had finished eating, the Class D guards swarmed in.

I could only scoop out half a bowl of soup, along with some small pieces of bone...

...

On this day, whether he was on his usual patrol duty or practicing martial arts, he was full of energy and in excellent condition.

[Four Directions Fist] proficiency increased by [116] points. [Gentle Breeze Kick] proficiency increased by [97] points.

It was evening.

Li Xian stole a moment from her busy schedule, found a beautiful spot in the village, sat on the snow, lay back, and put her hands behind her head.

Gazing leisurely at the blue sky.

My mind gradually went blank.

“My younger brother has left Qingning County to study for the imperial examinations in Huangtian County. Now, I can say that I have no relatives or friends left in Qingning County.”

Suddenly, he saw several wild geese fly by. Li Xian reached out to grab them, but could only grasp at empty air.

"Freedom... sold into slavery, freedom has become a luxury. But how can one talk about freedom when one can't even survive?"

Li Xian did not regret his decision; otherwise, he and his younger brother would have frozen to death in the thatched hut!

Li Xian sat up straight. He rubbed a ball of snow in his right hand and slowly applied pressure using his internal energy.

The snowball turned into ice crystals, and right in front of them was a clear green lake, the water of which was drawn from a hot spring.

Even in the dead of winter, the lake did not freeze. Moreover, the lotus flowers and water lilies in the lake bloomed as brightly as if it were springtime.

The fish frolic freely.

Li Xian tossed the ice crystals, which skipped across the water, tracing a beautiful arc on the surface.

“I’ve inquired, and it seems there’s no precedent for ‘redemption’ in Yihe Manor. Once you enter the manor, it’s for life.”

"The wages for menial laborers are meager, and they can never dream of redeeming themselves. As for guards and the like, the word 'redemption' is never even mentioned."

"It seems we've broken a taboo."

Li Xian has made some initial progress. He has gradually risen from a menial servant to a third-class guard.

Although the leap is small, the improvement in the situation is clearly visible.

Taking advantage of this free time, Li Xian pondered his future path. His heart soared like a swan, unwilling to be confined. Yet, a true man should know when to choose and when to yield.

"Given my current situation, I only have one path forward."

"Keep going. Not to mention the difficulty of redeeming yourself, once you leave the manor, it will be even more difficult to acquire martial arts skills."

"Moreover... Commander Pang's methods... the transformation of a martial artist can currently only be scratched out within the manor."

"call!"

Li Xian let out a long breath, walked to the lakeside, and gazed at his reflection in the water. He gently patted his cheeks to cheer himself up.

The strict rules of the manor are divided into one level and one grade.

Climbing upwards is not easy.

...

October 14th, it's already mid-October.

At 3:45 AM, the sky remained overcast, the heavy snow obscuring even the sun. It looked as dark as night.

The cold wind howled outside.

These past two days have been a rare holiday.

Even the lowest-ranking servants did not need to go out to work.

Inside the dwelling, three guards huddled around a brazier, trembling with fear.

"Hey... Mr. Li, why don't you come and warm up with me?"

One of the guards shifted his body to the left, making room for Li Xian, and invited him to sit down.

"become."

With nothing else to do, Li Xian sat down in front of the brazier.

"It's fucking cold."

Jia Jie, a low-ranking guard in the same dormitory, rubbed his hands together to warm them and muttered curses.

"That's right, in this weather... if we take ten steps out of the room, we'll be gone, it's no exaggeration."

Bao Yongkang, who was also a D-class guard, nodded in agreement.

"With this weather, we can even skip patrol duty." Another Class D guard remarked.

Confucius also said.

"The cold is secondary; the main problem is the extremely low visibility, making it impossible to discern directions," Li Xian nodded.

“Yes, if you get lost and wander around in circles, and this heavy snow continues for another three to five days, wouldn’t you freeze to death?” Bao Yongkang immediately chimed in.

“Master Li, you’re late, so you probably don’t know yet,” Kong Sun said. “In the neighboring house, a guard once went out in a blizzard because he needed to urinate. Guess what? He disappeared the moment he stepped out of the door.”

"Later, when the snow lessened, we found that he had frozen to death fifteen steps away. Snowy weather... you really can't joke about it."

Upon hearing this, Li Xian glanced at the wind and snow outside.

That's no exaggeration at all.

It was pitch black; even a torch would be blown out immediately. Let alone ten paces, even three paces would be enough to kill.

Moreover, the wind was too strong, making it difficult to discern directions, and the more urgent the situation, the easier it was to die.

"That's right!"

Jia Jie suddenly remembered something and said, "Everyone, wait for me for a moment."

He quickly took out a wine jar from under the bed, unsealed it, and a fragrant aroma of wine wafted out.

"Master Li, how about a drink to warm yourself up?" Jia Jie raised an eyebrow.

On a snowy day like this... having a little wine would be quite enjoyable. Just as Li Xian was about to speak, he suddenly heard a knock on the door.

"Li Xian..."

A voice came from behind.

The sound had become quite muffled by the wind and snow. But it was still audible, which showed that the person who shouted had powerful inner energy and was highly skilled.

"Master Li... could you be a snow ghost?"

"They've come to...take your life?"

The three men shrank back, huddled together, and hid behind Li Xian.

“It’s not the Snow Demon, but Commander Pang.” Li Xian frowned.

The door was opened, and a cold wind howled in. It was pitch black outside. Pang Long was wrapped in a thick fur coat and carried an oil lamp in his left hand.

"Li Xian, come with me." Pang Long said this only once and walked straight ahead.

Li Xian hesitated for a moment, but still went along. The world was pitch black, and the cold wind was like a knife scraping his bones. Li Xian circulated his inner energy to ward off the cold, but his skin still stung from the wind.

Pang Long carried an oil lamp, which always shone brightly. Li Xian wouldn't lose track of him, and having mastered the "Snow-Treading" technique, walking wasn't difficult for her.

"Not bad, your internal energy cultivation is very solid."

Pang Long nodded.

"Commander Pang, what brings you here on this cold winter day?" Li Xian asked.

Pang Long sighed and said, "It's the Madam's order."

"Madam?" Li Xian was stunned.

“I never question or overthink the Madam’s orders; I simply do them. I hope you will do the same.” Pang Long stopped and looked at Li Xian. “This task… the Madam specifically named you to do it.”

"You're asking by name?" Li Xian asked. "What is it that requires my intervention?"

The two walked for a while longer and ended up at the entrance of the manor.

Pang Long took off his fur cloak. "This matter... is difficult in some ways, and simple in others."

He handed the robes and oil lamp to Li Xian, then said, "Madam is suddenly short of rouge and face powder, so I'd like you to go to Qingning County to buy a box."

“This…” Li Xian found it absurd. In this weather, why would someone go to buy rouge?

“You only need to head east, and you will reach Qingning County. Put on your armor, take your oil lamp, and set off,” Pang Long said with a regretful expression.

He sighed again and again.

He dared not fathom his wife's intentions.

But he knew that leaving the village at this hour would be extremely dangerous, even for him, with little chance of return.

Not to mention Li Xian!

(End of this chapter)