Chapter 44: The Promise of the Wooden Hairpin
The first snow fell in Bianjing, earlier than usual. Autumn is gone and will not return until next year.
The snow Xie Huailing saw was a vast expanse of white, like the drifting spirits of heaven and earth. Just as she had imagined that day, it quickly accumulated into a layer about two fingers wide on the ground, soft and icy cold. She saw the first snowflake behind the glass window of Su Mengzhen's bedroom. Pressing her face against the window, through the colorful glass, she could clearly see the shape of the snow, its color, every trace of it, until it fell one by one, covering the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion.
The smell of rust had dissipated considerably with the snow, lest it disturb the celestial guests. The building was even more beautiful in the golden wind and drizzle of winter; the murderous aura around the building dissipated like flying petals, creating a rare tranquility.
After finishing their conversation, Su Mengzhen casually asked Xie Huailing, "Are you going to see the snow?"
Xie Huailing had long since returned from the glass window to the table. Her face, which always seemed listless, showed no excitement, much like the snow outside. She replied slowly, "Anything is fine, as long as it's not too cold."
She is indeed fine with anything. Snowing is one thing, going out is another. She has been staying in the building for seven or eight days and has plans to continue staying there.
"Then let's go out and take a look," Su Mengzhen insisted on saying, his hand gripping the hilt of the Red Sleeve Blade. With a clang, the Red Sleeve Blade was drawn, its blade reflecting his lightning-fast gaze.
This is a poignant and beautiful sword, reflecting its master, both demonic and alluring. Its crimson evokes the dying breath of someone on the verge of death, yet also possesses the quiet beauty of falling maple leaves. Every fallen warrior becomes a part of this sword, a part of the twilight rain. All those on the verge of death, on the verge of awakening, burn out in regret and silence, revealing the spirit unique to the sword's master and this blade. "The First Strike of Dream Pillow Red Sleeves" is not merely the first move of the sword style, nor does it refer only to Su Mengzhen.
Both of them donned cloaks. Xie Huailing always preferred to dress lightly, so her cloak was surprisingly as thick as Su Mengzhen's. They went downstairs, where a gentle breeze and light rain revealed a world of snow outside.
It was very quiet, extremely quiet, without a sound; all sound had long been swallowed up.
Su Mengzhen knew this was her first winter here, and she wondered how it differed from her hometown. The first thing she felt was a chill that penetrated to the bone, and with the snow falling, the temperature was even colder than the night before. Xie Huailing took a deep breath and exhaled. She took a few steps on the snow, hearing the snow scraping under her feet, but the snow was still white. At this moment, the Golden Wind and Drizzle Pavilion was also covered in snow.
Only the two of them were there; no one else could get close. She followed Su Mengzhen beside her, walking side by side along the withered tree. The snow was still falling, and the white-haired figures drifted down from their hair.
Winter was no match for Su Mengzhen as it was for autumn. In winter, he seemed cold and indifferent, his illness and depression becoming uncontrollable. He brushed the snow off his shoulders, and in the snowy world, he looked even more ill, with only a spark of light remaining in his eyes. He continued walking forward, leaving footprints that were neither too deep nor too shallow.
Xie Huailing asked him, "Where do you want to go see?"
Su Mengzhen replied, "Let's walk and look around. I'll show you the training ground next time."
He brought the Red Sleeve Blade with him, which meant he intended to practice swordsmanship. Most people in the martial arts world are not bound by formalities, but there are also those like Su Mengzhen who are different from brutes. They have a natural air of elegance and can appreciate the beauty of nature. With this in mind, he thought that practicing martial arts in the snow during the new snow season would be a wonderful thing.
Xie Huailing guessed his plan. He first looked at Hongxiu Dao, then sighed, "Master, you really don't feel the cold."
The two looked at Tianquan Pool, the place that should be called Xie Huailing's "birth point," which would be covered with a thick layer of ice in just over half a month; they also looked at the towering eaves, where a few snowflakes fell from the tiles and landed on the ground, the snow mist like clouds; and when they passed by the trees, the branches were covered with rows of crystal beads. After seeing all this, they finally arrived at the martial arts training ground.
Before going up on the stage, he took off his cloak and told Xie Huailing, "If you don't want to look here, you can look at other places. But you'd better have some understanding of martial arts."
This was something Su Mengzhen had told her before; her laziness and her knowledge of martial arts were not the same thing. Xie Huailing actually agreed, so she didn't refute it, but looked at Hongxiu Dao: "It's not that I know nothing. I've heard Jin Lingzhi talk about these things, whether it's the masters of various schools or the martial arts from different places."
However, what Jin Lingzhi told her was mostly trivial matters of the martial arts world. The girl didn't care about important things and preferred to focus on odds and ends, just like Zhu Qiqi. When she talked about martial arts, she focused on tirelessly comparing different masters. Thanks to this approach, Xie Huailing was able to learn about the differences between many weapons and their detailed breakdowns from her. Of course, she also heard a lot of gossip about famous martial arts schools.
Xie Huailing said, "Let's not even talk about the renowned masters, they're all extremely well-known. The Four Great Constables are also very famous. The master and the Six and a Half Hall members shouldn't be included either. Let's talk about other skilled fighters. Swordsmen like Mu Daoren, Xue Yiren, Ximen Chuixue, Ye Gucheng, etc... Hmm, Shen Lang should be one too, but unfortunately he has no desire for fame; as for knife-wielders, there's the master's master, the Red Sleeve Nun, the master himself, and Little Li Tanhua..."
Aside from things she didn't want to remember (like meals), she remembered everything perfectly. Speaking of "Little Li the Scholar," she added, "What I find most interesting is this Young Master Li, who is said to be 'never missing a shot, every strike hitting the mark.' If I had the chance, I'd really like to see you, the host, spar with him."
"I'm afraid there's no chance," Su Mengzhen said calmly. He was telling the truth and didn't feel offended. "After the autumn examination last year, Scholar Li resigned from his post less than a month later and went to live a carefree life in the martial world, never to return to Bianjing."
Even if he came, Li Xunhuan and the Golden Wind and Drizzle Pavilion would have absolutely no connection.
Xie Huailing seemed to have a deeper meaning, and did not continue speaking.
What appeared between heaven and earth was the gleam of the red-sleeved knife.
The flashing of swords is like a dream, the flashing of swords is like a rainbow.
She found a seat and sat down. The flashing swords on the training ground were as poignant as a lover's eyes, filled with tender affection, yet also tinged with sorrow. In the gaze of a lover, the world casts a fleeting, merciful glance.
Xie Huailing couldn't understand it. She didn't understand what it meant to be almost unmatched among her peers. What she could understand was beauty.
The scene of red sleeves and a knife in the twilight rain is beautiful.
His knife strokes were gentle yet tender, slow as a wisp of smoke, and quick as a flash of blood, so fast she couldn't see them. His illness was in the knife, and even his coughs were weapons. Everything about him was lonely, unpredictable, tender, and fading away.
She would look up at the snow, then look up again; the snow continued to fall, heavier and heavier. This was indeed her first winter.
.
But when the snow comes, other things will come too. When the snow stops, what has come will not go away.
Su Mengzhen didn't practice for long because Xie Huailing wasn't made of iron. With her watching, he had to consider her health. Although he was the one who was seriously ill, Xie Huailing ultimately lacked internal strength. In terms of overall physical fitness, Su Mengzhen didn't know how many Xie Huailings he could defeat.
He sheathed his sword, put his cloak back on, and this time Xie Huailing didn't fall asleep. To be able to sleep in the snow was truly a feat of heroism. Seeing Su Mengzhen come down, she patted the snow off her body and stood up as well. The snow fell like dust in the wind, and she shook her head, shaking the snow off her head as well.
Su Mengzhen wasn't covered in snow. He straightened his cuffs and prepared to go back inside. Just then, a third person appeared in the training ground.
Having finished dealing with matters at Wuzheng Manor, Yang Wuxie was in much better spirits, and his bruises had disappeared. He arrived quickly, his movements hurried, and still covered in snow, which gave him a chill. It was unclear what had happened, but he reached the two of them in just a few steps.
This matter must be related to Xie Huailing. Yang Wuxie looked at Su Mengzhen and then at Xie Huailing before speaking: "Master, something has suddenly been sent from the Six and a Half Hall."
Six and a Half Hall, it seems there's something going on every day. Su Mengzhen's expression remained unchanged as she asked, "How was it delivered, and what is it?"
“It was Di Feijing’s men who delivered it directly to the betting station,” Yang Wuxie replied respectfully. He was also pondering the matter, as something seemed amiss. “The person who delivered the item said that Di Feijing personally emphasized that it was for Miss Biao and must be delivered to her.”
Xie Huailing, who was called upon, gave a surprised "hmm," the tone of her voice rising slightly at the end, clearly unsure of Di Feijing's intentions. She looked at Su Mengzhen, who was also looking at her.
Su Mengzhen asked her, "You and Di Feijing have a good relationship?"
Xie Huailing gave him a look that seemed to indicate she had been wronged, after all, her salary was still paid by Su Mengzhen. She said, "Boss, you can't just say things like that. Work and life are two different things. You know perfectly well what I did to him." Although she had indeed done something, she wouldn't admit to it.
What was Di Feijing's intention? Su Mengzhen asked Yang Wuxie to bring over the things that had been checked.
The three returned to Su Mengzhen's bedroom. Di Feijing had sent over a whole box of women's jewelry—a dazzling array of pearls, jade, gold, and silver, neatly arranged in a dressing case. All were in the fashionable styles of Bianjing, from gold hairpins to jade hair ornaments, everything imaginable. Below that, a layer was filled with precious rouge and face powder, the lipstick as red as jade, several large boxes exquisitely arranged in a floral pattern. At first glance, Su Mengzhen couldn't understand what Di Feijing was trying to do.
He had a very strange feeling in his heart, extremely subtle and indescribable. At this moment, Yang Wuxie reached down to the bottom of the dressing case and pressed a small wooden block.
The hidden compartment opened with a click, revealing a third layer to the dressing case. This layer was empty except for a very familiar wooden hairpin.
The moment the wooden hairpin appeared before her eyes, Xie Huailing understood Di Feijing's meaning. She raised her hand and held the hairpin in her hand. Underneath the hairpin was a note with a simple line of words: "The moon rises above the willow branches, our rendezvous is after dusk."
With a troubled mind, Xie Huailing toyed with the wooden hairpin between her fingers. Her own fragrance was overwhelmed by other scents, and her gaze wandered downwards, pondering inch by inch. Su Mengzhen watched her. The advantage of her deep thought was that he only needed to wait for the answer. If there was anything in the world that Xie Huailing couldn't figure out, then no one could take it any further.
After Xie Huailing put down the wooden hairpin, Su Mengzhen closed the dressing case and slowly said, "He wants to meet you. What do you think he wants to do?"
“Maybe Six and a Half Hall wants to know something about me, or maybe it’s something else. We’ll find out when we get there.” She said casually, without the slightest fear. There was a hint of sarcasm and meanness in her tone. She added casually, “Who knows, maybe he loves me.”
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In case any readers forget, Ms. Xie gave Di Feijing this wooden hairpin when they acted together before, saying that she would make an appointment with him again in the future.
Then a reader asked Ms. Xie why she chose this title. When she came up with it, she thought it best to reflect all her qualities: her manipulative and cunning nature, her seemingly fragile yet incredibly strong and resilient side, and how these qualities combined with her beauty. Considering she didn't want to use overused terms, she came up with the current one: "delicate hands" to represent her gentleness and beauty, and "heaven-splitting" to represent her intelligence and femininity. And so, this title was born.
Finally, let me emphasize again that because this is a crossover of martial arts and a serious drama, I will be changing the backgrounds of many characters. For example, Li Xunhuan's family has a deep connection with the imperial court, so I will rewrite it. If heroic characters like Su Louzhu are strengthened, other characters will definitely be weakened or simply removed, otherwise the world view will be too unbalanced. Gu Long's world also has many masters. In addition, villains like Cai Jing will be based on history more. I apologize for this in advance!
In addition, due to my literary sensibilities, I always tend to leave some foreshadowing when writing plots. My understanding of the characters is mostly my own, which may differ from everyone else's. If there are any parts that you don't understand, have doubts about, or feel that shouldn't be the way they are, I apologize profusely!
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