Flying Snow
Just as Lu Yunchu was instructing the guards and settling the Women's Alliance to develop in secret, Wuming, the leader of Cangya, and Qingxue, an important leader, took the initiative to meet him.
Under the pretext of taking a break, Lu Yunchu quietly left the camp and came to a secluded valley. A clear stream babbled in the valley, and wildflowers were scattered on the newly green grass.
Two women were already waiting there. One was dressed in white, like a fairy, gentle and refined, and was none other than the legendary nameless killer; the other was dressed in a neat red outfit, with a gentle smile, and had even brought her some snacks, and was Qingxue, the top assassin of the Poison Heart Sect.
Without much small talk, the three sat down on the ground, with a jar of strong liquor in the middle. Wuming broke the clay seal, and the rich aroma of the liquor instantly filled the air. She poured a large bowl for each of them.
“Sister, I know you are an outstanding person from the moment I see you today,” Wuming said, raising his bowl. His voice was calm and his smile was as gentle as a light rain.
Lu Yunchu picked up the bowl, glanced at the two women with a hint of apprehension, and secretly poured the wine out of his sleeve: "My two elder sisters invited me here. May I ask what you have to say?"
Qingxue downed the strong liquor in her bowl in one gulp, her voice hearty: "General Lu, we wish to cooperate with you. We can offer you maps of several important branches of the Cangya Sect, as well as a list of people relentlessly pursuing us by the righteous faction, to lend you a helping hand."
Wuming continued, "The condition is that when you become the leader of the martial arts alliance and the righteous coalition forces breach my Cangya headquarters, you must find a way to protect the kind-hearted girls in my sect who are unwilling to fight to the death. Women should be united, and everyone understands that. As long as the women of the world see the dawn, what does the survival of a sect matter!"
The forces that have been offered up and the women that have been saved may not necessarily be loyal to her in the future, and may even hold her accountable for the crimes she committed today in wiping out her comrades after she succeeds.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment, with only the sound of the stream and the soft rustling of the wind through the grass.
She finally nodded: "I promise you."
She offered no explanation, no promises for the future, just a simple five words. There are things in this world more important than personal life, more important than posthumous fame: the freedom and dignity of all people. For this small, blood-stained, and seemingly insignificant vision, she was willing to bear eternal infamy.
"Good!" Wuming poured the wine again, "For the general's courage, and for... the future."
That future they might not live to see
The strong liquor burned my lungs as it went down, but it also seemed to dispel some of the heavy gloom.
After a few bowls of wine, they gradually opened up. They stopped talking about cold transactions and calculations, and instead gazed at the verdant mountains in the distance, discussing the future they longed for—a world that no one could imagine.
I really want to see it... even just once...
"I was once the young master of Chu Jian Manor, Mu Tangdi," Wuming suddenly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of distant reminiscence. "In my youth, I studied martial arts at the Nanshan Sect… Later, the Nanshan Sect was falsely accused of associating with evil sects, incurring the wrath of the martial world. To save my sect, I turned against the entire righteous path and wandered the martial world ever since. I lived in seclusion in a mountain village, hiding my identity and forging swords for three years, thinking I could end my days there. But fate was unkind; a severe drought and famine struck. I volunteered to become a medicine man for Cangya, exchanging money and food to save the village. Later, Cangya was thrown into turmoil, and I seized the opportunity to become the sect leader… All I have seen and heard in my life is the cruelty the world inflicts on women… and the distortion of men under the lust for power… For thirty years I have wandered aimlessly, seeking nothing more than to alleviate some of the suffering in the world…"
She looked at Lu Yunchu with sincere eyes: "General Lu, thank you. Thank you for establishing the Women's Alliance, which showed me another possibility. Even if I don't live to see that day, I know that someone will walk this path, and die without regret... die without regret!"
She laughed until tears streamed down her face, gazing southwards at the hometown she could never return to.
Qingxue's eyes softened, revealing a naiveté that should have been present in someone her age but had long since been extinguished: "I... was abandoned in the snow at birth, simply because I was a girl. My adoptive father, the sect leader of the Poison Heart Sect, raised me. He opposed the trafficking of women, and later... he was killed by those beasts... My life's ambition is to avenge him, and also to leave a pure land in this world, so that women can live peaceful lives and no longer be sold as commodities!"
She raised the bowl and said loudly to Lu Yunchu, "Sister Lu, thank you too. I've already explained things to the sisters in Cangya. This was a plan devised by our women's alliance. Nobody is to blame, not you, not anyone!" As she spoke, she took out a more detailed list and a list of supplies from her bosom and pushed them in front of Lu Yunchu. "This is the last thing I can give you: the cannons and weapons we've hidden in various secret strongholds, as well as the wealth we've accumulated over the years."
That night, they drank a whole jar of strong liquor and talked a lot—about the past, about suffering, about beauty, about that perhaps distant future. They called each other confidantes; this was their first meeting, and also their farewell.
Shortly after returning to the Western Regions, the last news arrived.
The righteous forces of the martial world breached the Cangya Sect's headquarters. Wuming, Qingxue, and others fought to the death, ultimately succumbing to exhaustion. She finally ascended to the position of martial arts alliance leader, stepping on the blood of her confidants.
Meanwhile, relying on her connections in the martial arts world and the old guard of the Ye family, the younger sister established the Southern Dynasty, with the crown prince as a puppet emperor, and imperial edicts never leaving the palace.
Lu Yunchu stood on the city wall, watching the snowflakes falling from the sky, crystal clear, cold, and melting in an instant.
She had been striving forward, struggling in a vortex of survival, hatred, and rebuilding, never daring to stop for a moment. But now, gazing at the swirling snow, she suddenly felt an unprecedented weariness and emptiness. She thought she wouldn't regret it, but she did.
No matter how bright the future may be, Wuming and Qingxue will never see it.
What's the point of such a future? She'd rather they be well, and wait patiently for that tomorrow...
She is not a sword that kills, nor a sheath that protects; she is a person with flesh and blood and feelings.
She finally understood, but those who told her would never come back…
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