Extra 2

Cangyun Fortress, located at Yanmen Pass, is covered in perpetual winter snow day and night. Hard, hexagonal icicles, like the Cangyun army stationed there, envelop the stone walls in layers of frost. Even the snowflakes fall one by one, without swirling; the fluffy balls twirl in the air before finally settling on the ground.

Xue Hua stretched his arms, ending his half-night watch. When the shift changed, he was covered in snow. But he didn't find it boring at all. Whether it was the stars in the dark night or the warm sun in winter, when you stood on the city wall of Yanmen Pass in your armor, it was probably not dull.

Before I could even reach out to take a picture, I had just stepped out of the city gate when I ran into my fellow disciples returning from the fort.

In the past few days, Taiyuan has been in turmoil, and half of the men sent by the commander have returned.

The group rode their horses into the fortress. When they saw Xue Hua, they didn't say anything. They simply nodded to each other and passed by.

Xue Hua recognized them; they were from the Flying Feather Camp.

There were a few familiar faces inside, but I didn't see any of them.

He carried the Asura Ghost Mask, which he had brought from Hidden Sword Manor half a month ago, as he left the city gate.

Today we have been granted permission to come out for a short while, but if the assembly call sounds, we must set off immediately.

Yingxue Lake remained as quiet as ever.

Xue Hua walked closer and closer, and from twenty feet away he could see the lake, and the figure also emerged from under the shadow of the tree.

The woman beneath the tree was clad in black armor, her dark hair tied up. The armor plates clung to her skin, frozen by frost and chilled by the cold wind. A few strands of her hair peeked out from under her hair crown, but she didn't reach out to fix them. She simply tilted her head slightly, deviating from the angle at which her hair brushed against her face.

Hearing the heavy footsteps pounding the snow, the woman lowered her arms.

"Xue Hua, you've arrived."

“Yes,” Xue Hua replied.

The woman turned around, revealing a youthful face to Xue Hua. Soldiers don't use much makeup, and having lived year-round in the icy and snowy Yanmen Pass, their faces are covered in frost and scars, showing no signs of aging.

"...You've grown quite a bit taller in just a few days."

The woman said softly.

Xue Hua nodded and walked to her side.

"Not long ago, three months ago in Taiyuan, I visited you in the western part of the city."

The woman asked in confusion, "Oh? Taiyuan... How come I don't remember? Did you come looking for me when we were in the military camp, so I didn't notice?"

Xue Hua smiled helplessly:

"Sister Xuan, that was three years ago."

Li Xuan was stunned for a moment. Then he put his hand to his forehead.

"Really... three years ago. I can't remember."

The woman smiled gently, looking at the shield and the long sword in Xue Hua's hand.

"These have all been replaced with new ones."

Xue Hua handed it to her, and Li Xuan reached out and touched it. His inner energy gathered from all parts of his body and converged at his fingertips. The woman wearing sharp gloves touched the Mo Dao, and the blade emitted a golden light that flashed by.

"It's a good guy, treat it well."

“Yes, I will,” Xue Hua said.

“I dreamed about A Yuan again a few days ago,” Li Xuan said, then smiled.

"Hmm, what did you talk about?"

Li Xuan clasped his hands together, looked at the nail plates on the back of his hands, and smiled.

“Ah Yuan has lost a lot of weight. Just like you, every time he sees me he is wearing black armor. Every time I try to persuade him to change, he won’t, as if it’s an extension of his body. We went to Yingxue Lake. He was holding the orchids he had picked. We sat by the lake and talked about what had happened recently.”

Suddenly, Li Xuan frowned and his tone changed.

"As a result, just as I reached out to grab him, he dodged away. He kept running into the lake without looking back. I shouted at his back, but he just wouldn't turn around."

Li Xuan lowered his hands, letting them hang at his sides. He gazed at the calm lake surface, his eyes reflecting a vast expanse of white.

"I woke up so quickly. I touched my blanket and saw the window frame in front of me. Then I realized that this was the real thing, but A-Yuan wasn't there."

Xue Hua stood beside her, the cold wind whipping a layer of frost across his face. He gazed silently at the Snow-Reflecting Lake in the daytime, his eyes like the frost flowers on the lake's surface, melting away the moment they touched the water.

"It's getting late, Sister Xuan, let's go back."

Li Xuan didn't respond. Xue Hua stood there for a long time, not in a hurry to call her, but simply waiting. When the frost on her face cooled her skin, melted into water, and slid down to her chin, Li Xuan turned to look at him, frowned, and stared at his long-handled sword for a long time before finally speaking.

"Who are you?"

"I am Xue Hua."

"I don't know you."

“Your brother and I were in the vanguard battalion, while you were in the women’s guard battalion. We went to Taiyuan three months ago and were ambushed by the Wolf Fang. You were knocked off your horse and hit your head, while A Yuan was seriously injured and has been unconscious ever since. I’m taking you back to Cangyun Fort now to see him.”

"good."