Chapter 5
Man Jiangxue was taken aback by her question, then shook her head and laughed, "What nonsense are you talking about? You have a mother, and your senior sister might still be alive."
Yin Qiu couldn't help but feel disappointed, saying, "But she never comes to see me."
Man Jiangxue patted her head: "Perhaps she has some unspeakable difficulties. You're all grown up now, you can go to her."
Yin Qiu shook her head: "I don't want to look for her."
Man Jiangxue didn't understand why she said that: "Why don't you want to?"
"I only need you," Yin Qiu said earnestly.
Man Jiangxue smiled and said, "A person always needs something to look forward to in life. You have to believe that she will come back to you."
Yin Qiu had fantasized before, but now she no longer harbors those unrealistic ideas.
An intangible idea is far less appealing to her than the warmth she feels in her own body.
"Tired?" Man Jiangxue touched Yin Qiu's face.
"Mmm..." Yin Qiu responded softly, snuggling closer and closer into Man Jiangxue's arms, almost piling on top of her.
Like a puppy that hadn't reached full term, she whimpered incoherently, wrapped her arms and legs around Man Jiangxue, and drifted off to sleep.
·
When she woke up the next day, the wind and snow had not stopped. Yin Qiu slept soundly all night, surrounded by snow-covered rivers, and did not feel cold.
The pile of firewood had burned out and was now cold; amidst the lingering smoke, Manjiangxue had vanished without a trace.
Yin Qiu searched aimlessly for a while, but when she didn't see Man Jiangxue in the temple, she panicked and quickly put on her coat and climbed up from the pile of straw.
Several loud "swish" sounds came from the courtyard.
Yin Qiu's steps were unsteady, and she saw stars from standing up too quickly. She leaned against the wall to catch her breath, then peered out from the doorway. When she saw the white figure flying around, her eyes lit up.
Amidst the swirling snow, Man Jiangxue wielded a long sword, her figure graceful and elegant. Sometimes she soared into the air, sometimes she twirled her sword, her movements graceful and her expression calm, a truly pleasing sight.
She is practicing swordsmanship.
It was deep winter, and the snow had not yet stopped falling in January. It was a very cold time in the world, but Manjiangxue was not afraid at all. Not only did she not wear an outer robe to keep warm, but the dress she wore was also thin. Standing like this in the cold wind, one could only sigh that she was as light as a swallow and as graceful as a nimble white goose. She was extremely pleasing to the eye.
She practiced diligently, and Yin Qiu watched attentively.
Snow enveloped the temple, with fine snowflakes falling from the sky. After a sword dance, a whole river of snow drifted down from mid-air and landed steadily in the courtyard.
She turned her head to look at Yin Qiu under the eaves, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Awake?"
This gentle smile was like a hundred flowers blooming, or a spring breeze caressing one's face. Yin Qiu seemed to see a warm, gentle light on her face, and was infected by it, smiling along with her. She nodded and said, "Your sword dance is really beautiful."
Man Jiangxue sheathed her longsword, and with a flick of her wrist, the blade suddenly shrank back, instantly transforming into a small and exquisite dagger.
"This dagger can change length?" Yin Qiu exclaimed in surprise.
“It’s called Frost Condensation, a gift from my master.” Man Jiangxue walked to the corridor and stood opposite Yin Qiu.
Her shoulders and hair were covered in snowflakes. Yin Qiu looked up at her, then stood on tiptoe and reached out to pat them off, saying, "Then you must be very good at kung fu, right?"
Man Jiangxue knelt down and nodded slightly to her: "Whether your kung fu is good or not is not up to you to decide, but up to others."
Yin Qiu straightened her heels and naturally brushed the snow foam from Man Jiangxue's hair with her palm. After thinking for a moment, she said, "That woman said yesterday that she couldn't beat you before, which means your kung fu is indeed very good."
Man Jiangxue stood up again, led her inside, and said with a smile, "That's one way to understand it."
Yin Qiu took two steps, stopped at the doorway, and looked at her back. He pleaded again, "Could you make an exception and become my master?"
Before Man Jiangxue could reply, Yin Qiu said again, "Don't worry, I'm very sensible. I might be a little slow, but I'll learn slowly and won't cause you any trouble."
Man Jiangxue covered the pile of ashes with straw, cleaned up the traces of her overnight stay, and still said, "I don't accept apprentices."
Yin Qiu didn't expect her to actually agree, but she still couldn't understand: "Why?"
Man Jiangxue hung the dagger back on her waist, turned around and said, "I am not yet qualified to be a teacher, but you will have a very good one."
Yin Qiu had no choice but to give up: "Then when do we leave?"
“Now,” Man Jiangxue said.
They washed their faces and rinsed their mouths with the well water in the courtyard, ate some dry food to fill their stomachs, and Man Jiangxue fed Yin Qiu a few pills. The two then mounted their horses and began their journey again.
·
At dawn, the small town had already awakened, and pedestrians with umbrellas were passing by on every avenue. Only the inn was still a little deserted, as apart from the waiters and waiters who were busy from dawn till dusk, the guests had not yet gotten up.
Ji Wanshu sat on a long bench by the railing, holding a steamed bun in her hand, eating while watching the servants downstairs set up tables and chairs.
After waiting for a while, the door beside me opened, and an old man with gray hair came out.
"How is it?" Ji Wanshu asked.
The doctor sighed, “Worry, fatigue, prolonged illness, and depletion of vital energy have left this ten-year-old child with a heavy heart, whose mental illness is more serious than his physical illness.”
Ji Wanshu peeked through the crack in the door and frowned: "Stop talking nonsense, just tell me if it can be cured or not."
“It can be cured,” the doctor said. “I’ll prescribe a medicine, and after decocting two doses, it will be effective and he won’t cough up blood anymore. You’re his sister, right? We need to find out what’s hurting this little kid so much before we can treat him properly. If this knot in his heart isn’t untied, it will cause big problems sooner or later.”
Ji Wanshu accepted the prescription, paid the consultation fee, and returned to her room after seeing the doctor off.
Several braziers of charcoal were burning in the room, but the boy was still shivering with cold. His face was pale, his hair was disheveled, and he huddled on the bed, sobbing softly.
Ji Wanshu had a terrible headache and ignored him. She called a servant to help her get the medicine and sat in the room for a long time before finally speaking up: "Stop crying!"
The boy was startled by the shout and dared not whimper anymore. He bit his lower lip, but the tears flowed even more fiercely.
Ji Wanshu only knew how to curse, not how to comfort. She had been leading him on a journey of hiding and fleeing from pursuers, and she was quite annoyed. So she asked, "Do you have any relatives at home?"
The boy remained silent, only shaking his head.
"Not a single one?" Ji Wanshu said.
The boy shook his head again.
"Speak!" Ji Wanshu raised her voice.
The boy glanced at her, his eyes red: "I only have my parents..."
After considering for a moment, Ji Wanshu asked again, "Do you prefer reading or practicing martial arts?"
The boy looked at her with a puzzled expression.
Ji Wanshu poured a cup of tea and took two sips: "If you want to practice martial arts, you can come with me. There's a place that can take you in."
The boy hugged his knees, coughing incessantly: "Where am I?"
"Yunhua Palace".
"Yunhua Palace...?" The boy was taken aback at first, then his eyes lit up. "Is that the number one sect in the martial arts world, famous for its swordsmanship?"
Ji Wanshu nodded, got up and walked to the bedside, reached out and pulled the boy over, groping him all over.
The boy's expression changed, and he quickly covered his chest, looking wary: "...What are you doing?"
Seeing his reaction, Ji Wanshu was somewhat speechless: "It's not like I'm going to eat you." She touched the boy's limbs and, after checking, said, "His physique is decent; he's got the makings of a martial artist."
"What's your name?" Ji Wanshu sat back down at the table.
“Meng Jing,” the boy said.
“No one will be chasing us anymore,” Ji Wanshu said. “We’ll stay at the inn for two days, and then we’ll set off once you’re feeling better.”
Meng Jing hesitated.
When he heard the words "Yunhua Palace" just now, his eyes clearly showed longing. Ji Wanshu originally thought he would agree immediately, so he frowned and said, "You don't want to?"
“You killed my parents…” Meng Jing said in a hoarse voice, “I’m not going, and I don’t need your help.”
Ji Wanshu sneered: "Kid, you better get this straight. It was your parents who had a black heart and tried to kill someone for money. They are reaping what they sowed. If I hadn't interfered, you would have been dead long ago."
Meng Jing started crying again, then coughed violently: "They were just trying to earn money to pay for my medical treatment! If you hadn't suddenly appeared, my parents wouldn't have died!"
“Your parents were already dead the moment you accepted those fifty taels of silver,” Ji Wanshu said coldly. “Don’t flatter yourself. Nobody cares about you. If you want revenge, you should go to the Ziwei Sect. You have no right to throw a tantrum at me. If you have the ability, kill everyone in the Ziwei Sect and avenge your parents!”
Meng Jing clenched his fists, speechless at her rebuttal.
Ji Wanshu snorted coldly, then picked up her sword and left without looking at him again.
·
"Dismount." Man Jiangxue stretched out her hands to Yin Qiu.
Yin Qiu was dizzy and her eyes were blurry. She leaned over and hugged Man Jiangxue's neck, and was lifted off the horse by her.
After several days of hardship and exhaustion, they finally arrived at a prefecture city. Man Jiangxue carried Yin Qiu in one arm and led the horse with the other, slowly entering the city gate.
"Where is this?" Yin Qiuqiang asked, trying to stay alert as he looked around.
“Qingluo City,” Man Jiangxue said.
Having not been to a bustling place for a long time, Yin Qiu was somewhat delighted. She stared intently at the pedestrians and stalls on the street. After walking through a long street and passing several inns and restaurants, Man Jiangxue did not stop. After lingering in the city for a while, the two came to a quiet alley. Walking inside, they saw a simple gate. The houses were covered with thick snow, and the plaque above the gate read "Yunhua Post Station".
Yin Qiu couldn't read yet. She stared at the plaque for a long time, but before she could ask a question, the two doors were pushed open, and a young girl who wasn't very old came out. She looked young and wore a simple disciple's robe with a high ponytail. At first glance, she looked like a young man. When she saw Man Jiangxue, she was taken aback, but then she smiled broadly.
"Uncle-Master! What brings you here?"
She had barely finished speaking when she saw a number of similarly dressed young men and women running up behind her, all with expressions of delight on their faces.
"Oh my, it really is my martial uncle!"
"Uncle-Master hasn't been to Qingluo City in a long time!"
"Come in quickly! The disciples have been missing their master so much!"
...
Amidst laughter and cheerful chatter, Man Jiangxue carried Yin Qiu through the crowd and into the courtyard, smiling faintly: "Just passing by, we'll stay one night and then have to rush back to the palace."
One of the disciples said, "Why the rush? Martial Uncle has come all this way, why not stay a few more days?"
"Exactly! With such heavy snow these past few days, Uncle-Master should at least wait for the snow to stop before leaving."
"Don't worry, your disciples will take good care of you!"
Man Jiangxue handed over the reins and said, "I have important business to attend to and cannot stay long. Go and feed this horse some food."
The disciple responded and happily led the horse toward the stable. He then saw the girl who had opened the door earlier and exclaimed, "Oh my, whose little sister is this? She's so beautiful!"
After she reminded them, the disciples all turned their attention to Yin Qiu and happily rushed over to tease her.
"How old is your little sister?"
"He looks very young, and his complexion isn't good either. Could he be sick?"
"Uncle-Master, did you perhaps pick up a baby somewhere and raise it?"
Yin Qiu was a little embarrassed by their teasing and leaned on Man Jiangxue's shoulder.
Man Jiangxue patted her to comfort her and said, "This is your Uncle Shen's daughter, and she will be your junior sister in the future. Don't scare her."
The disciples all paused, exchanging glances.
“So she’s Master Shen’s daughter…no wonder she looked familiar,” the girl who opened the door said suddenly, then looked at Man Jiangxue. “So Master Shen went to pick her up on special occasion? After all these years, we’ve finally found her.”
Man Jiangxue hummed in agreement, led everyone into the hall, and asked, "Has Wan Shu sent any letter?"
The girl nodded and said, "Yes, she just arrived this morning." She smiled at Yin Qiu, "Leave your junior sister in the care of the disciples, Uncle-Master, go and check the letter?"
"Alright then." Man Jiangxue said, reaching out to hand Yin Qiu over.
The girl hugged Yin Qiu, and Man Jiangxue immediately lifted her leg and headed for the stairs. Suddenly found herself in the arms of a stranger, Yin Qiu looked panicked. She wanted to stop Man Jiangxue, but when she opened her mouth, she didn't know how to address her. In her haste, she blurted out her name: "Man... Man Jiangxue...!"
The disciples were stunned when she called them by their first names, but Man Jiangxue reacted normally and turned around, saying, "Don't be afraid, I'll come find you in a bit."
Yin Qiu looked at her, hesitant to speak.
The girl laughed loudly and teased, "Junior Sister, you don't know your seniority yet, do you? Don't call your senior uncle by his name. When you enter the palace, you will definitely be under the sect leader's tutelage and will have to call him senior uncle just like us."
Yin Qiu stammered, "Oh..."
Man Jiangxue gestured for everyone to leave, then said to Yin Qiu, "No need to be so formal. This is the post station set up by Yunhua Palace in Qingluo City. This is your Senior Sister Lu. Have something to eat first. I'll be back soon after I finish dealing with the letters."
After she finished speaking, she went upstairs on her own. Yin Qiu was very reluctant to leave and stood there stiffly, not knowing what to do.
·
Lu Huaiwei is the eldest disciple of Elder Wu Hui Peak of Yunhua Palace. Recently, she has been mentoring the new disciples who have come down from the mountain in Qingluo City. She is a very kind person. When she saw Yin Qiu's fear and unease, she smiled and said, "I heard from the sect leader that your name is Yin Qiu, right? Don't be afraid. We are all your mother's fellow disciples. When I was young, I even learned swordsmanship from your mother for a while."
Mentioning her mother, Yin Qiu became less reserved and nodded obediently.
After instructing her disciples to bring some hot soup and dishes, Lu Huaiwei placed Yin Qiu on the table and said, "You and your master must have walked a lot of mountain roads. Eat something hot to warm yourself up. Later, I'll ask your master to take you to the hot spring for a hot bath, and then you can have a good sleep. When you wake up, your senior sister will play with you."
In the unfamiliar environment, Yin Qiu inevitably felt uneasy and insecure, but seeing that Senior Sister Lu spoke kindly and had a gentle expression, she felt a little more at ease.
However, during this period of time, she was almost inseparable from Man Jiangxue, always clinging to her and never letting her feet touch the ground. Now that Man Jiangxue was not around, Yin Qiu could hardly eat her meal. She was absent-minded throughout the meal. Lu Huaiwei tried her best to make her happy, but she only gave polite responses and did not say a few words. She could not help but want to see if Man Jiangxue had returned.
Fortunately, Man Jiangxue came downstairs not long after. As soon as Yin Qiu saw the hem of her snow-white dress appear at the corner of the corridor, he dropped his chopsticks and rushed toward her.
Seeing this, Lu Huaiwei couldn't help but chuckle: "Uncle-Master, your junior sister is very attached to you."
Seeing the small figure rushing towards her, Man Jiangxue found it amusing, quickened her pace downstairs, hugged Yin Qiu, and said, "You're not eating properly, the food is getting cold."
Yin Qiu looked up at her, her eyes full of affection: "I'll wait for you to eat together."
Man Jiangxue patted her head, and the two sat down together. Yin Qiufu picked up her chopsticks again and put food on Man Jiangxue's plate, saying seriously, "I've tried them all. This one is the best, and this one too, and that one is good as well..."
"Alright, alright," Man Jiangxue said with a smile, "We can't pile it up any more."
Yin Qiu shook off her previous listlessness and had a great appetite. While shoveling rice into her mouth, she said, "It's okay, eat slowly!"
"Has Martial Uncle read the letter? What did Senior Sister Ji say?" Lu Huaiwei asked.
"Unfortunately, the couple was assassinated and died, leaving behind only their son. Wan Shu is bringing the child over now," Man Jiangxue said.
"It's a pity..." Lu Huaiwei sighed, "Should our martial aunt wait for them, or return to the palace first?"
"Let's wait a bit," Man Jiangxue said.
“That’s true. With Senior Sister Ji’s temper, she probably wouldn’t be very good at taking care of children.” Lu Huaiwei sighed again. Seeing that the two of them were eating, she went to make room for them.
Hearing what Man Jiangxue had just said, Yin Qiu was a little surprised: "Those two uncles and aunts...are they both dead?"
“It was done by the Ziwei Sect,” Man Jiangxue said.
Yin Qiu was stunned for a long time: "Is it because of me?"
“It’s none of your business,” Man Jiangxue said. “Murder is an evil act. Even if the Ziwei Sect didn’t lift a finger, the Su family wouldn’t have been spared if nothing had happened to them.”
Ultimately, if they hadn't harbored wicked intentions and wanted to kill Yin Qiu to earn those fifty taels of silver, the couple wouldn't have gotten themselves into trouble.
With both parents dead, that boy must be very sad... Yin Qiu thought to herself, and the food in front of her no longer tasted good.
After dinner, Lu Huaiwei had already made the bed and added freshly boiled water to the hot spring. Yin Qiu and Man Jiangxue had been staying in the mountains for the past few days and had no way to bathe. After digesting their food for a while, they took their clean clothes and went to the hot spring in the backyard.
The room was filled with white mist, like clouds rising and rosy hues, and it was very warm. The pool was very large, enough to hold at least ten people at the same time. Yin Qiu took off her shoes at the door and happily ran to the pool to play in the water.
"It's so warm," Yin Qiu said, splashing her hands in the water. "I haven't had a hot bath in days, it's so nice!"
"Stop playing around, take off your clothes and go inside to wash them," Man Jiangxue said, closing the door behind her.
Yin Qiu was having a great time, squatting by the hot spring without moving. Finally, she heard a rustling sound and stopped moving. When she turned around, Man Jiangxue was standing to her side and behind her. Man Jiangxue's dress had been removed, leaving her in only a thin gauze garment. Underneath the garment, her fair skin was faintly visible, and her graceful and slender figure was clearly visible. Then, Man Jiangxue lifted the collar of her garment, revealing her smooth and slender shoulders and collarbone, and looked at her sideways.
The gauze dress fluttered and piled up on the ground, like a soft cloud.
Yin Qiu was startled, her face flushed, and she awkwardly looked away.
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