Chapter 20

"Use your wrists! Raise your arms, all of you! This is a sword, not a broom!"

Dark clouds loomed overhead, and a biting wind swept across the training ground. The days after the snow stopped were even colder. The new disciples stood in the field, swords in hand, tears streaming down their faces from the cold, barely able to stand.

It was just a small iron sword. At first, the disciples were very excited, but they didn't expect that after actually getting their hands on it and practicing for a few hours, they would be so tired that their whole bodies ached. Their arms felt like they were filled with lead, and every time they moved, they felt excruciating pain.

The instructor sister continued to observe everyone with an indifferent expression. In the past few days, almost every disciple had been whipped by her, including Yin Qiu. No one was not afraid of this instructor sister. Even though it was cold and tiring, they gritted their teeth and continued to practice the moves, not daring to relax at all.

The sky was overcast, making people feel inexplicably depressed. Even the familiar sound of the wind seemed to have an indescribable dullness. Yin Qiu's back was soaked with sweat, and she shivered all over when the cold wind blew. She struggled to follow her senior brother who was demonstrating the moves in front of her, thrusting her sword. Her hands and cheeks felt like they were being cut by knives in the wind, burning with pain.

Half an hour later, the bell rang, and the instructor gave a speech. The disciples groaned and dragged their tired bodies to the disciples' courtyard.

"How are you? Can you still walk?" Fu Xiang swung her arms and squeezed through the crowd.

Yin Qiu gripped the hilt of his sword, wiped the sweat from his neck, and said breathlessly, "I can walk, let's go eat first."

The two went to the canteen together to get their food, and then went to the hot spring to take a bath. Yin Qiu was exhausted and fell asleep in the warm hot spring. When she woke up, Fu Xiang had been waiting for her on the bench by the pool for a while. There was a wooden basin next to her feet with two sets of clean clothes in it.

"Why did you wash my clothes again?" Yin Qiu hurriedly got up and dressed in a fluster.

"It was just a small thing." Fu Xiang leaned back in her chair, her posture casual.

“You should have woken me up,” Yin Qiu said.

"Seeing that you're sleeping so soundly, I wanted you to sleep a little longer," Fu Xiang said, tossing Yin Qiu a dry handkerchief and pointing at her, "Your back is still wet, be careful not to catch a cold."

Yin Qiu pulled down her collar, her hands aching terribly, and could only rub the back of her neck with difficulty. Seeing that she had difficulty moving, Fu Xiang stepped forward and said, "Stand still, I'll wipe it for you."

A wave of heat emanated from them, like a thick morning mist. There was no one else in the hot spring room, only the two of them.

“You’re too thin,” Fu Xiang sighed. “You don’t eat much, it’s like feeding a cat. Eat more.”

Yin Qiu had just woken up and was still a little groggy. She was not very steady on her feet. When she heard this, she just smiled softly and didn't say anything. She struggled to steady herself by holding onto the wall and closed her sore eyes.

The hot spring room was a bit stuffy after a while, and Yin Qiu's breathing became uneven and slightly rapid. Fu Xiang glanced at her, then shifted her gaze to her back. She gently stroked her skin with a handkerchief, wiping away the messy water droplets and revealing Yin Qiu's scarred back.

These are all old wounds.

Fu Xiang frowned as she looked at the bruises and asked, "Were you often beaten before?"

Yin Qiu raised her head slightly, her wisps of hair partially obscuring her face, revealing a pair of slightly reddened eyes, and softly hummed in agreement.

Fu Xiang threw down the handkerchief, opened her palm and touched Yin Qiu's back, saying, "Looks like you were beaten pretty badly."

Yin Qiu turned to the side, gently pulling the collar of her shirt up to her shoulder, and said softly, "It was pretty ruthless. I still have nightmares now, often dreaming that someone is beating me."

Fu Xiang's gaze followed Yin Qiu's hand as it moved, finally landing on her smooth, fair face. After a pause, she asked, "Who were these people who beat you up, and why did they beat you up?"

Yin Qiu pursed her lips and said, "If you make a mistake, say something you shouldn't have, or run into someone in charge who's in a bad mood, you'll get beaten even if you haven't done anything."

Fu Xiang looked at Yin Qiu's lowered eyes and softened her voice: "Did you have a very bad life before?"

Sensing a hint of sympathy in her tone, Yin Qiu smiled and said, "It's not easy to have food to eat, but that's all in the past."

A row of paper lanterns swayed outside the window, their light shining through the paper and onto Yin Qiu's face, highlighting a hint of pink at the corner of her eye. Fu Xiang looked at her for a while, then smiled slightly and said in a somewhat flirtatious tone, "You're so beautiful, yet those people could still lay a hand on you. It's clear they don't know how to cherish a beautiful woman."

Yin Qiu laughed sheepishly and said, "Stop talking nonsense, let's go."

·

As time passed, the sky grew darker. There were not many rooms in the courtyard with candles lit. It was almost 9 PM, and most of the disciples had already gone to sleep. Yin Qiu said goodbye to Fu Xiang and walked alone through the covered corridor to the outside of the room. Before he could push open the door, he heard a soft footstep behind him.

Yin Qiu turned around and a snow-white dress came into view. Overjoyed, Yin Qiu rushed to greet the person and shouted, "Uncle-Master!"

Man Jiangxue opened her arms and embraced Yin Qiu. After they hugged for a while, Man Jiangxue said, "It's cold outside, let's go inside."

Yin Qiu pushed open the door, put down the wooden basin she was holding, hung up the clothes, and then hugged Man Jiangxue again, saying, "It's so late, why is Uncle-Master here?"

Man Jiangxue said, "I'm going to leave the palace. I'll see you before I go."

Yin Qiu poured a cup of tea, pulled Man Jiangxue to sit down at the table, and asked, "Where are we going this time?"

Man Jiangxue took a sip of tea and said, "I have some things to take care of." She glanced at Yin Qiu and asked with concern, "You don't look well. Are you sick again?"

Yin Qiu shook her head: "I'm not sick, I'm just too tired."

Practicing martial arts and swordsmanship in the cold wind all day long, many disciples caught a cold. Although Yin Qiu also felt tired, she was used to living a life of hunger and cold since childhood, so she was very resilient. She only had some mild headaches and fevers, but no serious illness.

On the table lay Yin Qiu's homework for the day. Man Jiangxue checked it, praised Yin Qiu as usual, and then asked, "How's your sword practice?"

Yin Qiu had originally intended to show her a couple of moves, but his whole body ached so much that he couldn't even hold the sword properly. He could only say sullenly, "I saw you wield the sword so easily before, but it wasn't easy for me to do it myself. I didn't expect a sword to be so heavy."

Man Jiangxue took Yin Qiu's small iron sword, weighed it in her hand, and smiled slightly. She said, "It is indeed a bit heavy, but beginner disciples all have to practice with heavy swords. If they get used to light swords at the beginning, they will not be used to heavy swords later."

Yin Qiu suddenly realized and pointed to the dagger at Man Jiangxue's waist, asking, "Is it heavy?"

Man Jiangxue took out a dagger and threw it at Yin Qiu, saying, "Try it."

Seeing that the dagger was exquisite and small, only about seven inches long, Yin Qiu guessed that it was not very heavy, so he only reached out one hand to take it. Unexpectedly, it suddenly became heavy when he took it in his hand, and Yin Qiu almost fell over because of the dagger.

"Why is it so heavy?" Yin Qiu asked in surprise.

Man Jiangxue laughed, then picked up the dagger again and shook it, revealing the original form of the Frost Condensation Sword. She said, "It looks small, but there is actually a section of the sword hidden inside, so it is naturally not light."

Her fingers were long and slender, white, and she held the sword hilt, gently twirling it into several beautiful sword flowers, which was exceptionally graceful. Yin Qiu compared it with her own small iron sword and said with envy, "Uncle's sword is really beautiful."

“You will also have your own sword,” Man Jiangxue said, sheathing her dagger at her waist. “It’s late, you should go to sleep.”

Yin Qiu kicked off her boots and climbed onto the bed, moving slightly to the inside to signal Man Jiangxue to come up as well. Man Jiangxue, however, did not move and said, "I'm leaving soon, so I won't stay with you tonight."

Yin Qiu asked in surprise, "Are we leaving now? In such a hurry?"

Man Jiangxue sat down by the bed, tucked the blanket around Yin Qiu, and said, "There's no rush. I can leave after you fall asleep."

Yin Qiu was indeed sleepy very early, but after taking a short nap in the hot spring room, her sleepiness vanished upon seeing Man Jiangxue. For a long time afterward, she kept staring at Man Jiangxue with wide eyes.

“If you don’t go to sleep now, you won’t be able to get up tomorrow,” Man Jiangxue said.

Yin Qiu huddled under the covers, her eyes flickering with candlelight. She gently tugged at Man Jiangxue's sleeve and said in a muffled voice, "When will my master return from this trip down the mountain?"

Man Jiangxue grasped Yin Qiu's hand and said, "I don't know yet."

Feeling the warmth of Man Jiangxue's palm, Yin Qiu was quiet for a moment, then said with a hint of pleading in her voice, "Then, Uncle-Master, could you hold me for a little while? Just a little while, I'll fall asleep soon, it won't bother you."

Man Jiangxue glanced at the sky outside the window, thought for a moment, and said, "Okay, but you can't go back on your word. You have to go to sleep when you say you're going to sleep."

Yin Qiu nodded vigorously, quickly lifted the quilt and moved further in. Man Jiangxue lay down fully clothed, stretched out her arm and hugged Yin Qiu. Yin Qiu trembled slightly when touched, and a look of pain appeared on her face.

Man Jiangxue immediately noticed and asked, "What's wrong?"

Yin Qiu smiled and said, "It's nothing, my arm just hurts a little."

"Does it hurt?" Man Jiangxue frowned slightly, raising her other hand to touch Yin Qiu's arm. "Here?"

Yin Qiu hummed in agreement: "My posture was wrong when I was practicing swordsmanship this afternoon, and I got whipped by the instructor, Sister Shi."

"Let me see." Man Jiangxue lowered her head and gently pulled open Yin Qiu's collar, and sure enough, she saw a red and swollen whip mark on her arm below her shoulder.

"It's okay," Yin Qiu buried her head in Man Jiangxue's arms, "It won't hurt if you don't touch it."

Compared to the other disciples, Yin Qiu was considered to have been hit less. Even Fu Xiang had been hit more often than her. The pain was initially unbearable, but one could get used to it and ignore it.

"I'll have someone get you some ointment," Man Jiangxue said, pulling Yin Qiu's clothes up and helping her lie down. "Just apply it and you'll be fine."

Yin Qiu nodded, inhaling the fragrance of Man Jiangxue's hair, and gradually became drowsy. Before long, she fell asleep. Man Jiangxue listened to her breathing become steady, waited for a while, and then quietly extinguished the candle and left.

The cold wind howled, and everything inside and outside the courtyard was covered in silver. The wind carried scattered withered branches and fallen leaves, like a different kind of night rain. In this slightly desolate and lonely scene, a blurry ghostly figure quietly appeared in the dim corner of the corridor after Man Jiangxue left.

The man watched Man Jiangxue's back silently until she completely disappeared from sight. Only then did he walk to Yin Qiu's room and push open the two wooden doors with decisive yet silent movements.

The wind intensified instantly, but the person blocked it from entering the room and disturbing the sleeping Yin Qiu.

He stood at the doorway and watched Yin Qiu for a moment, then raised his hand and tossed a small, green medicine bottle onto the table. After that, he vanished into the deep darkness like a gentle night breeze.

The door closed automatically without making a sound, as if nothing had happened.

Night returned to tranquility.

·

The next morning, Yin Qiu awoke to the familiar sound of bells.

The scent of Man Jiangxue still lingered beside her. Yin Qiu took a deep breath over the bedding and felt much of her fatigue disappear, and her mood became unusually bright.

After getting dressed and getting off the bed, Yin Qiu went to the courtyard to fetch hot water to wash up in her room. When she finished tidying up and was about to pick up her schoolwork to go to school, she noticed that there was a small green porcelain bottle on the table.

"What is this?" Yin Qiu wondered. She picked up the porcelain bottle and smelled it, noticing a faint bitter smell.

Could it be the ointment given by my martial uncle? Yin Qiu's eyes lit up at this thought. He immediately uncorked the bottle and poured out some viscous liquid. He rubbed it on his arm in front of the bronze mirror. The ointment was cool and refreshing. As soon as it was applied, it spread a comfortable coolness and relieved a lot of pain.

Yin Qiu smiled to herself, as if she had found a treasure, and stuffed the small porcelain bottle into her bosom, intending to give some to Fu Xiang when she saw her later.

However, the whip marks on Fu Xiang's body were all on her lower back, and it was not appropriate to take off her clothes and apply medicine in public in the dining hall, so she could only wait until she returned to her room in the afternoon.

The morning passed quickly. As usual, the teacher assigned homework and announced the end of the school day. Yin Qiu took her books and waited until all her classmates had left the classroom before walking out the door alone.

A female disciple of about sixteen or seventeen years old was waiting outside. Upon seeing Yin Qiu, she approached and said, "Are you Yin Qiu, Junior Sister Yin?"

Yin Qiu had never seen this female disciple before, but when she heard her call his name, she politely replied, "Yes, that's me. Did you look for me, Senior Sister?"

The female disciple smiled kindly at Yin Qiu and said, "Uncle Man asked me to come. She told me to give this to you."

After speaking, the female disciple took out a small, pure white medicine bottle from her sleeve and handed it to Yin Qiu.

Yin Qiu paused for a moment, took the small medicine bottle, looked at it, and asked, "What is this?"

The female disciple explained, "My master said you were whipped by Senior Sister Xu, so she specially asked me to bring this medicine. This medicine is very effective in treating whip injuries. Apply it three times a day, and you'll be fine in a couple of days."

Yin Qiu was stunned, and pressed her hand to her chest, saying, "When did she ask you to deliver it?"

“I gave the order last night,” the female disciple said. “Alright, the medicine has been delivered. Remember to use it. I have other things to attend to, so I’ll be leaving now.”

Watching the female disciple leave, Yin Qiu glanced at the medicine bottle in her hand, then took out another medicine bottle from her bosom. She looked at it from left to right, and then smelled it. She found that the two medicine bottles smelled the same, so they were obviously the same medicine.

Since Man Jiangxue left her medicine last night, why did she need someone to send her another one?

Yin Qiu looked at the two medicine bottles in her hand and fell into deep thought.