Chapter 36
The lights were soft and the snow was falling heavily. The voices of the people around me blurred in an instant, but Man Jiangxue's words lingered in my heart.
Yin Qiu was stunned for a moment, then said incredulously, "My...birthday?"
Man Jiangxue smiled, affectionately stroking Yin Qiu's cheek, and said, "What, you don't remember yourself?"
Yin Qiu truly doesn't remember.
Growing up without her parents or friends, she only vaguely remembered someone saying that she was born in winter. Once winter was over and spring arrived, she would be a year older, but Yin Qiu never knew her exact birth date.
No wonder Man Jiangxue specially brought her down the mountain today and treated her so well; it turns out that's why.
Yin Qiu suddenly felt a strange pang of sadness. She stared blankly back at Man Jiangxue, and a sour feeling welled up in her heart.
To this day, no one remembers her birthday, not even Yin Qiu herself. But unexpectedly, Man Jiangxue took it to heart and even took the time to spend a whole day with her.
During this time, Man Jiangxue was busy with official duties and did not often come to the disciples' courtyard to see her. Even so, she always thought of Yin Qiu. Although she never expressed much concern for Yin Qiu in words, she did all this silently just to make Yin Qiu happy.
Seeing the undisguised weariness in Man Jiangxue's eyes, Yin Qiu couldn't help but tear up, burying her head in Man Jiangxue's arms and whispering, "Thank you, Martial Aunt..."
"No need to thank me, it's only right that my martial uncle takes care of you." Man Jiangxue said, reaching out to touch Yin Qiu's face, only to find it wet.
Why are you crying?
Yin Qiu was speechless.
"Don't cry, you should be happy." Man Jiangxue looked down at her.
Yin Qiu hurriedly wiped away her tears, looked up and said, "I was just too happy, that's why I cried." She took a few breaths and continued, "The teacher said that this is called... this is called crying from joy."
Man Jiangxue smiled and said, "It seems that having read a few books has its uses."
With tears blurring her vision and her eyes lowered, Yin Qiu said, "My Martial Uncle is so kind."
Man Jiangxue said, "It's just my duty. If my senior sister were still here, she would probably scold you just like I did!"
Mentioning her mother, Yin Qiu's expression darkened, and she said, "Today is not only my birthday, but also the day my parents had their accident."
Man Jiangxue observed her expression and asked, "Would you like to go and see Ruyi Gate?"
Yin Qiu asked, "Is that alright?"
“Sure,” Man Jiangxue said. “I told you before we came that I would take you somewhere. You’ve already come this far, so you should go back home and take a look. But if you don’t want to, that’s fine too.”
She used the word "home," which left Yin Qiu feeling bewildered.
If nothing had happened back then, Yin Qiu would have been a descendant of the Ruyi Sect, and would have lived a life of luxury instead of suffering for so many years.
But now her home is gone, and her parents are gone too. Yin Qiu is not from a prestigious family; she is just an ordinary disciple of Yunhua Palace. Looking around, Man Jiangxue is her only relative in this world.
“I want to go back,” Yin Qiu said, “just to see it once.”
“It’s getting late,” Man Jiangxue said, taking her hand. “Let’s stay in the city for the night and set off tomorrow.”
Yin Qiu replied, "Okay."
·
The former site of Ruyi Gate was built on Liucang Mountain, in Liaoping County. It was a quick journey of a few days by taking a winding path.
After resting at the inn for one night, Yin Qiu was woken up by Man Jiangxue before dawn the next day and groggily got into the carriage.
After many days apart, Yin Qiu returned to the mountain road, where the snow and forests were once again covered in dense snow. Recalling the days since she met Man Jiangxue, and wondering where she was going this time, she couldn't help but feel listless and rather depressed.
The carriage was naturally much more comfortable than horseback riding. It kept out the wind and snow, and with Manjiangxue as a companion, Yin Qiu slept soundly in the carriage every day. When he got tired, he would get out and walk around. During this time, he did not forget to recite his lessons and practice his sword. Being outside the palace, he was finally free and unrestrained. In addition, with Manjiangxue teasing and playing with him, the heaviness in Yin Qiu's heart had long since dissipated by the day he arrived at Liucang Mountain, and his mood became bright.
The horse circled around in the mountains, carrying the two into the deep forest. Yin Qiu lifted the carriage curtain and saw the fiery red maple leaves covering the mountains and fields, a sight so beautiful that she exclaimed with great joy, "It's Liucang Mountain, Uncle-Master, we've arrived."
Man Jiangxue tightened the reins, carried Yin Qiu out of the carriage, and said, "This place has been abandoned for a long time, and there are no teahouses or inns. There's nowhere to stay. Just take a look; there's no need to waste any time."
Yin Qiu nodded obediently and was led forward by Man Jiangxue.
After passing through layers of maple forest, both of them were covered in snowflakes. Yin Qiu was not resistant to the cold and felt her limbs getting cold after walking for a while, so Man Jiangxue picked her up and carried her on his shoulder, wrapping Yin Qiu in a brocade robe.
Without the vibrant red maple leaves to shield it, the scenery gradually became desolate. The stone steps were scattered with withered branches and fallen leaves, piled with dirty silt, making it almost impossible to find a place to step. The dilapidated mountain gate swayed precariously in the wind, making a "creaking" sound. The half-hanging plaque leaned at the entrance, covered in dust, with only a few outlines of the three characters "Ruyi Gate" visible.
A musty smell permeated the air, like lingering gunpowder smoke, mixed with a faint hint of blood. Diluted by the wind and snow of this deep winter, it smelled very strange. Yin Qiu coughed because of the smell. When she looked up again, Man Jiangxue had already carried her into the mountain gate. Seeing the scene inside, Yin Qiu couldn't help but open her eyes.
Along the way, Yin Qiu had imagined what Ruyi Gate would look like now, but he never expected it to be so dilapidated. There wasn't even a single complete building. Everywhere he looked, there were piles of broken walls and charred wood and waste soil scattered everywhere, all piled under thick snow, like lonely graves, making people feel extremely desolate.
"How could it have turned out like this?" Yin Qiu's eyes were filled with shock, and her voice sounded weak in the wind.
"Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye," Man Jiangxue said, looking around. "It's already a rare sight to have even a single brick or tile remaining."
Yin Qiu broke free from Man Jiangxue's embrace, jumped to the ground, and ran into the ruins, looking around incessantly.
“Back then, my senior sister set the fire herself,” Man Jiangxue followed behind Yin Qiu. “Not only were the buildings burned, but the corpses of others were also burned beyond recognition.”
"Why would she do that?" Yin Qiu turned around.
“I don’t know,” Man Jiangxue said. “When I arrived, Liucang Mountain was already on fire. My senior sister was standing in front of the hall, covered in blood. No matter what I asked her, she just shook her head. After that, she disappeared without a word and I couldn’t find her anywhere. There has been no news of her since.”
Yin Qiu remained silent, standing there blankly.
This place should have been her home, but it has become this dilapidated scene. Everywhere you look, there are traces of fighting and burning, silently recreating the tragedy of that year. The cold wind howls and sweeps across the plain, and the howling wind sounds just like the cries of a person on the verge of death.
Her parents died here, and all her relatives died here, leaving her all alone. Thinking of this, Yin Qiu couldn't help but show a hint of grief.
After a long while, she finally raised her head and asked, "Why is the Ziwei Sect targeting the Ruyi Sect?"
Man Jiangxue looked ahead and said quietly, "In the past, Ruyi Sect was second only to Yunhua Palace in the martial arts world. Because of my senior sister, the two sects became more and more friendly and became enemies of Ziwei Sect. Yunhua Palace is well-established and difficult to overthrow. If Ziwei Sect wants to dominate the martial arts world, it must first destroy Ruyi Sect."
Just to consolidate their position within the sect, they were willing to exterminate an entire faction. Yin Qiu's chest heaved as he listened, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
Yin Qiu had heard many stories of love and hate in the martial arts world since she was a child, but those were other people's affairs. She could only listen to them as stories and could not understand them much. However, after coming to Liucang Mountain and seeing the scene of Ruyi Sect with her own eyes, Yin Qiu had a completely new understanding of the so-called conflicts in the martial arts world.
Ever since learning her parents' story, Yin Qiu, having never experienced it firsthand, has never been able to relate to these bloody events. Even knowing that her father plotted against her mother's family and that her mother abandoned her without cause, she always felt that the past was too distant to truly understand.
But the scene before her was so tragic. Looking at the burned houses, Yin Qiu felt as if the scene from years ago was playing out before her eyes. She was born here, and then left here. She wandered for ten years, with no one caring for her. Ten years later, she returned to her homeland, but they were separated by death and never saw each other again.
Everything was caused by the Ziwei Cult.
Yin Qiu clenched her fists instinctively, then suddenly remembered something and looked around as she asked, "Where are the dead people? Why isn't there a single corpse?"
There should be at least a few skeletons here, right? But in just ten years, they shouldn't have turned to dust. Yet this place is deserted and cold, not a single person can be seen.
Man Jiangxue looked at her and replied, "They've all been buried in the back mountain, what happened?"
Yin Qiu said, "My father died here, and I want to see his grave."
Man Jiangxue paused for a moment, then said, "There is no grave."
"No grave?" Yin Qiu was surprised at first, then thought of her father, who was a follower of the Ziwei Sect. He was a sinner, and he would probably be torn to pieces after death. So why would he have a grave?
Perhaps sensing what she was thinking, Man Jiangxue explained, "Back then, the fire burned everything that could be burned. Everyone was reduced to charcoal and no one could recognize anyone else. So they were all buried in the grave pits on the back mountain."
Yin Qiu paused for a moment, then asked, "How do I get to the back mountain?"
Man Jiangxue put his arm around her shoulder and said, "Come with me."
The two leaped through the forest and soon arrived at a desolate woodland behind the mountain. The grave in the center had long since become flattened over the years, making it impossible to see its original appearance. Only a desolate wooden plaque stood on the ground, and the writing on it was no longer legible.
“Everyone is here,” Man Jiangxue said. “Because the bodies were burned by the fire, it was impossible to distinguish between the people from the Ruyi Sect and the Ziwei Sect, so they were all buried together.”
Yin Qiu stared at the wooden sign, speechless for a long time.
After a long while, Yin Qiu finally said in a barely audible voice, "My father is a bad person."
Before Man Jiangxue could reply, she turned her head away and said softly, "My mother isn't much better off."
Man Jiangxue remained silent for a moment before replying, "You can't say that. Senior Sister suffered a sudden misfortune and found it hard to accept. Anyone would be at a loss for how to cope. She must have had some unspeakable reason for leaving."
Yin Qiu shook her head: "Uncle, there's no need to comfort me. I understand everything. She must hate my father so much that she doesn't want me anymore. You told me before that my mother only wanted to be a good mother. Since that's the case, she didn't care about abandoning me. She must have thought that I was my father's flesh and blood, so she started to hate me."
Upon hearing this, Man Jiangxue fell silent once more.
In fact, this kind of explanation was not only made by Yin Qiu, but also by many outsiders. After all, even the most heartless mother would not abandon her newborn child. Even if she was blinded by hatred for a moment, she should have looked for her child in the future. But Shen Mandong disappeared without a trace.
Back then, Shen Mandong fought a bloody battle for her family, and she was clearly not in a state of utter despair. She knew what she should do, but in the end, she chose to set fire to the mountain and leave quietly. Although ten years have passed, Shen Mandong may still be alive. Perhaps she has simply gone far away and disappeared from the world.
Therefore, the fact that she refused to show herself for so long, and even when the news of Yin Qiu's recovery spread throughout the martial arts world, did not show up, can only mean that she did not care about Yin Qiu's life or death, nor did she want to acknowledge her.
Seeing Yin Qiu reminds him of the unrequited love he had given to the wrong person and the tragic death of his family. Only by avoiding seeing her can he prevent these grudges from being brought up as much as possible.
Although no one can explain the exact reasons behind it, after some thought, a fairly reliable conclusion can be drawn.
A breeze rustled through the maple forest, creating a soft, rustling sound as the leaves swayed. Yin Qiu turned and looked at the misty, red maples, saying softly, "It seems the maple trees here are still the best."
Man Jiangxue followed her gaze.
"What does Uncle-Master think?" Yin Qiu said, "Which of the maple trees on Liucang Mountain and Jingyue Peak are the most beautiful?"
Man Jiangxue said, "Naturally, it is Liucang Mountain."
"Is Liucang Mountain more beautiful now, or was it more beautiful before?" Yin Qiu asked again.
Man Jiangxue looked at her, paused for a moment, and said, "You're both beautiful."
Yin Qiu remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "But I still prefer Jingyue Peak a little more..." After she finished speaking, she smiled at Man Jiangxue, "Going back?"
Man Jiangxue hummed in agreement, gently patted Yin Qiu's head with her palm, and then the two held hands and embarked on the path they had come from.
·
"Is that Uncle Shen's daughter?" Hidden among the branches and leaves, a girl of about ten years old watched the two figures walking away into the distance.
A faint medicinal fragrance suddenly filled the air, and a purple figure appeared amidst the lingering red maple leaves.
It's her.
The young girl raised her hand to shield her brow bone, then laughed heartily: "I didn't dare to breathe out just now, so I didn't get a good look, but she's really pretty at first glance." She turned her head slightly to look at the person behind her, "Doesn't she look like Uncle Shen?"
The woman in purple said, "It's similar," then paused, "but those eyes, oh Chu Xuan."
The little girl exclaimed, "What a pity! Eyes are so important. Beautiful eyes are more useful than anything else. How could they resemble that villain?"
The woman in purple said, "Mandong was harmed by those eyes back then."
The little girl stood up, tugged at the sleeve of the woman in purple, and said, "When can we go see her?"
"When the time is right."
When was that?
"Maybe one or two years, or maybe five or ten years."
The little girl covered her mouth and said, "So long? But I can't wait any longer, I want to be friends with her."
The woman in purple said, "She doesn't need you as a friend right now."
The little girl snorted, "I already asked you to send me to Yunhua Palace, didn't I? But you wouldn't. Did you see her reaction just now? How heartbroken she was. She must feel like she has no family left in this world."
The woman in purple remained silent.
The little girl chattered on and on: "But since we saved Lu Huaiwei last time, Yin Qiu should have heard about us. When we recognize her in the future, she will be very happy and will know that we have been secretly watching her all along."
The woman in purple said, "Whether we can recognize each other soon depends on your senior sister's abilities."
The little girl pouted, looking displeased: "Senior sister isn't as strong as me. She can't even beat me, so how can she protect Yin Qiu? The Killing Sword will expose that bad guy's true colors. I don't have high hopes for her."
“What matters in doing things is using your brain,” the woman in purple said, “not your fists and feet.”
"Are you saying I'm brainless?" The little girl immediately put her hands on her hips.
The woman in purple smiled, did not answer, and walked inside on her own.
"Hey, wait for me..." The little girl hurriedly followed her, took a few steps and looked back. Seeing that Yin Qiu and Man Jiangxue had already disappeared, she turned her gaze away and skipped after the person in front of her.
Author's Note: I almost had a major problem. I set the time in my draft box to tomorrow, and my prime-time 9 PM drama slot is in chaos.
Here it comes!
I never expected there would be such a sweetheart following the story so diligently, I'm so touched!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
