Chapter 86
A long queue formed at the city gate. The disciples lifted the lids of the pots and carried the hot porridge to the tables.
There were some extra side dishes today, with oil and a fragrant aroma. Yin Qiu asked and learned that they were sent by the Duan family.
Noticing that there were many more blankets and clothes in the shed, Yin Qiu reached out and touched them. They were all quite thick. She then looked up and asked, "Has Miss Duan been here?"
Bai Ling said, "I came here a while ago and just left. I said I'd come back later. Let's wait."
Yin Qiu then chose an empty spot to sit down and waited.
Since coming down the mountain two months ago, Yin Qiu has been traveling between various prefectures and cities, and has rarely had a good night's sleep. He originally thought that he could take a break after arriving in Yaoding City and return to the palace after a couple of days of rest. However, he did not expect to run into this group of refugees, and he has not had a good night's sleep for several days in a row. The day of returning to the palace has once again become far away.
Yaodingcheng is famous for its evergreen camellias, and almost every household has planted a few pots in their yards. There are also many wild camellia trees in the forests outside the city. Although the weather has been cold lately, the flowers are blooming beautifully. Yin Qiu leaned against the city wall, looking at the camellias that looked like red mist, and thought of the maple forest on Jingyue Peak.
She thought that it was already Chenshi (7-9 AM). If she were in the palace, Manjiangxue would surely be up by now. Yinqiu would bring hot water for Manjiangxue to wash up, and the clothes that had been scented the night before would be handed to Manjiangxue. After she was dressed, Yinqiu would have breakfast with her and then read books together for a while. At the beginning of Sishi (9-11 AM), Yinqiu would go to Mingguang Hall to practice martial arts with Ye Zhilan.
But if she's not there, Man Jiangxue will definitely wait until 3:45 AM to get up, because her martial aunt is a sleepy person, and she always seems to be sleepy and often lazy.
Yin Qiu could almost picture the senior brothers from Jingyue Peak waiting outside for Man Jiangxue to wake up, then rushing to the kitchen to get her meals. Man Jiangxue would only eat a few bites before putting down her chopsticks, then searching here and there, but couldn't find anything she needed. It would take her a while to remember where Yin Qiu had put it.
So for the rest of the day, Man Jiangxue would stay indoors, brewing tea alone in Chenxing Palace, or playing chess to pass the time. If there was really nothing to do, she would call her senior brothers to go to the Maple Forest for a fight, beating them so badly that they were powerless to resist. Only at that time would Man Jiangxue show a little bit of a smile.
Outsiders may not know, but Yin Qiu and his fellow disciples from Jingyue Peak all know that their martial uncle actually enjoys bullying people.
Even though my uncle never admits it.
Faced with Yin Qiu and his senior brothers' complaints, the uncle would only reply calmly, "The winner is strong and the loser is weak. There is no such thing as anyone bullying anyone. If you have the ability, you can bully me too."
But nobody has that ability.
Thinking of this, Yin Qiu couldn't help but smile. Although she was still in Yao Dingcheng, her heart had already flown to Jingyue Peak.
Meng Jing took the pulses of some typhoid refugees, watched his disciples prepare medicine, and when he turned around, he saw Yin Qiu sitting quietly by the city wall, resting.
Pedestrians came and went at the city gate, and caravans and merchants came and went in an endless stream, making a bit noisy. Everyone was in a hurry, but Yin Qiu's figure seemed so leisurely. She looked into the distance, seemingly lost in thought, but there was a faint smile on her face, and it was unknown what she was thinking about.
She was completely unaware that the fine snow had fallen all over her.
Like Man Jiangxue, Yin Qiu always wore a plain white dress, and was clean from head to toe, as if she were the kind of person who could not be touched by a speck of dust.
Meng Jing looked down at the hem of her skirt.
They were both dressed in white, both wearing white boots, but while Yin Qiu sat on a cloud, she was still standing in the mud.
"What are you spacing out for?" Yin Qiu's voice suddenly rang out.
Meng Jing looked up and met her gaze, then poured herself a bowl of hot tea. She walked over and sat down next to Yin Qiu, saying, "It's cold in winter, you're not dressed warmly enough."
Yin Qiu pulled herself out of her jumbled and pleasant thoughts, and naturally accepted the hot tea Meng Jing offered, saying, "It's not cold. Martial artists have internal energy protecting them. I'm not that delicate."
Meng Jing looked at the snowflakes hanging in her hair, raised his hand and slowly lowered it again, saying, "You look a little tired. Haven't you been sleeping well these past few days?"
Yin Qiu hummed in agreement: "I don't have time to sleep. Senior Sister Lu is so sick, I have to keep an eye on her."
“I’ll prescribe you a calming medicine when we get back to the inn tonight,” Meng Jing said. “It will help you sleep better.”
Yin Qiu finished his hot tea and chuckled softly upon hearing this: "How thoughtful, Senior Brother Meng."
Her gaze was mocking, her long eyelashes half-concealing the light in her eyes, like stars flickering in an autumn night. Meng Jing's hand, which was resting on her skirt, tightened slightly. She looked away, her fingertips tapping unconsciously, and said, "The money exchange should be open. Let's go and exchange the banknotes. Bai Ling is looking after this place, nothing will happen."
Yin Qiu glanced at the sky, got up, stretched, and nodded, saying, "Alright, I'll go now."
Meng Jing got up and wanted to go with her, but Yin Qiu suddenly leaped into the city gate and disappeared in no time. Seeing her light and graceful movements, and then looking at himself who had no martial arts skills at all, Meng Jing couldn't help but sigh.
·
"I'll exchange it for cash. Could you please get me something to put it in?" Yin Qiuli stood by the counter and handed the banknotes through the window.
The manager glanced at her and said with a smile, "Did only one person come, young lady?"
Yin Qiu said, "Yeah, it's just me."
"How do we take it?" The steward instructed the servant to bring the silver, a heavy little wooden box. The servant placed it on the ground and took a long breath as he stood up.
"Judging from your attire, young lady, you must be from Yunhua Post Station," the manager said enthusiastically, pointing to the servant. "I'll have him walk a few steps and escort you for a while."
Yin Qiu smiled, effortlessly grabbed the handle of the small wooden box and lifted it up, saying as she walked, "No need, I can manage on my own, thank you."
Seeing her actions, the manager was slightly surprised and said, "Wow, young lady, you have quite the strength! But with so much silver, be careful that bad people don't target it. Don't you really want someone to deliver it?"
Yin Qiu waved his hand, shook the sword at his waist, indicating that he didn't need to say anything more, and walked away with light steps.
The money exchange was located in a secluded alley far from the city center. Yin Qiu carried the small wooden box out of the alley and glanced around. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw several burly men squatting on the ground eating sunflower seeds.
When Yin Qiu arrived earlier, these people were not here.
The men chatted and laughed, seemingly making a ruckus, but in reality, they were all staring at the box in Yin Qiu's hand. Yin Qiu smiled silently, and under their secretly scrutinizing gazes, he leaped onto a house and strolled leisurely across the green tiles.
The men's faces immediately fell.
"Damn it, I've been staking out for days, thinking I could finally pull off a big score today."
"Tsk, look at the size of that box, it must be at least several hundred!"
"What are you thinking? Those are obviously disciples of Yunhua Palace. Don't go looking for a fight, just go!"
...
Several birds were circling in the distance, heading home. Yin Qiu watched them from afar, secretly keeping an eye on the movements behind her. She heard a series of footsteps gradually fading away. She turned her head slightly and saw that the place where she had just been was no longer occupied, only a pile of scattered sunflower seed shells remained.
The roof was covered in snow, and the tiles were slippery and difficult to step on. After walking for a while, Yin Qiu jumped off.
The street was quiet and deserted, except for a cat lying in front of a dilapidated manor with its gate tightly closed. Yin Qiu tiptoed over and tried to touch it. The cat was obviously a pet and was not afraid of strangers. It stretched its neck and tried to burrow into Yin Qiu's hand.
Yin Qiu suddenly remembered that when she was little, she had asked Man Jiangxue if she could raise a cat.
Because she often went to Wu Hui Peak to audit martial arts classes, the Grand Elder kept one and carried it with him wherever he went. Yin Qiu was envious and wanted one too, but Man Jiangxue didn't agree.
Yin Qiu pestered her for several days, but Man Jiangxue still wouldn't give in. Yin Qiu had no choice but to ask in a wronged tone, "Elder Lin's kitten is so gentle and cute. It won't run away even if you put it in your sleeve. I've been practicing swordsmanship alone in Mingguang Hall lately. Can't my martial uncle let me keep a cat to keep me company?"
Looking at her red eyes, Man Jiangxue thought for a while and said, "Cats can scratch people, which is dangerous. How about we get a rabbit instead?"
After a long silence, Yin Qiu reluctantly agreed, "Alright..."
For many days after that, Yin Qiu looked forward to when her senior brothers would catch a rabbit for her. But after waiting for half a month, not only did no lively rabbit appear on Jingyue Peak, but not even a single noisy fly was to be seen.
Yin Qiu was holding her anger in and was unhappy. She didn't stay overnight at Chenxing Palace for those few days and went back to sleep in the dark room. The next day, Man Jiangxue came to wake her up as usual, but Yin Qiu refused to open the door.
Man Jiangxue stood outside the door and said, "If you don't come out, the sect leader will hit your palms with a ruler."
Yin Qiu said angrily, "Without the little rabbit, I'm not practicing swordsmanship. Go ahead and call the sect leader to beat me up."
Man Jiangxue said, "For the past two weeks, I've followed you to the Mingguang Hall to practice swordsmanship every day. Whenever you leave, I leave too. Am I, Man Jiangxue, not even as good as a rabbit?"
Yin Qiu looked miserable in the room and replied after a long while, "You promised to give me a rabbit instead of a kitten. Uncle-Master, you didn't keep your word. I don't want to talk to you anymore."
Man Jiangxue stood silently in the corridor for a moment, then asked in a serious tone, "Last time you spent an afternoon playing with Elder Xu's thrush at Wenxin Peak, how about keeping a bird as a pet?"
Yin Qiu remained silent for a long while before reluctantly agreeing, "Alright then..."
That afternoon, the senior disciples, who were the only group of secret guards in Yunhua Palace, went down the mountain to Shangyuan City and bought a thrush for Yin Qiu.
Yin Qiu hung the birdcage on the windowsill and played with it for a while with a smile, but not long after, she opened the cage and let the bird fly away.
Man Jiangxue said, "You just let him go after spending half a month's worth of your senior brother's drinking money?"
Yin Qiu said, "It pecked my hand and wouldn't let me touch it. Kittens are so well-behaved, rabbits would be okay too..."
Man Jiangxue was silent for a while, then finally said with a helpless expression, "To tell you the truth, I don't dislike anything except those soft, limp cats and dogs... How about I ask someone to catch you a few goldfish?"
·
The limp kitten in front of me rolled over, revealing its white, tender belly, and let out a soft, babyish meow.
Yin Qiu was pulled back to her senses by the cat's meow and chuckled.
No one lived in the manor. A thick layer of snow had accumulated in front of the door, and no one had taken care of it. The cat was soaking wet from rolling around. Yin Qiu took out a handkerchief to wipe it off. When she stood up, she noticed that the ground at her feet was empty.
Yin Qiu was slightly taken aback, then her expression changed.
The box is gone.
The snow was still falling, and in the cold wind, there was still no one in sight on the street behind him. Yin Qiu drew his sword and quickly scanned the surrounding scene.
There were no footprints in the snow.
Yin Qiu frowned slightly, but she didn't panic. She stepped on a pillar and used it to leap onto the roof. She walked around the rooftops of the houses for a while, but still couldn't find anyone suspicious.
With the lightness skill to leave no trace in the snow, and the ability to come and go silently right under Yin Qiu's nose, the thief must be either a master thief or a highly skilled individual. Even if he is neither, now that the box is gone and the thief has left no trace, Yin Qiu would not know where to begin if he wanted to chase after him.
The money that had just been in his hands had vanished just like that. Yin Qiu couldn't hide his frustration and sighed in annoyance.
She thought to herself, "I really didn't check the almanac before I left home today. Without this money, I don't know when the money allocated by the palace will arrive. What will I do in three days?"
Yin Qiu steadied himself and tried his best to calm down. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard a voice behind him say, "The silver was stolen, and you're too lazy to even chase after it?"
The voice was soft and melodious, with a familiar nonchalance and a gentle, melodious quality. When it reached her ears on the cold wind, it felt as if someone was whispering in her ear, close to her neck.
Yin Qiu felt a numbness in the back of her neck, followed by an electric shock-like sensation running down her spine. She turned around abruptly and, in the sudden intensification of the wind and snow, saw a face as beautiful as the moon.
The person before me was dressed in white, tall and graceful, with delicate and beautiful features, and a gentle and serene gaze.
A fresh, lingering fragrance wafted over, carried by the wind and frost. The person she had just been thinking about was suddenly standing before her. Yin Qiu was startled, looking into those eyes she had longed for day and night. Her heartstrings seemed to be gently plucked, and the aftershocks spread like ripples on a lake, rippling through every corner of her body.
"Uncle-Master...?" Yin Qiu exclaimed in surprise, as if she had seen a ghost, "You... how is it you?"
Man Jiangxue leaned slightly closer to Yin Qiu and said, "Why is it me?" She raised an eyebrow and pretended to think, "Let me think, why is it me?"
Yin Qiu was both surprised and delighted. As if she had just come to her senses, she stepped forward and hugged Man Jiangxue tightly, her joy overflowing: "Why did you suddenly come down the mountain, Uncle-Master?"
Man Jiangxue casually hugged her back, and as she took a step, the box hidden by the hem of her skirt was revealed. She said lightly, "I had a dream last night that I would make a fortune today."
When Yin Qiu saw the box, he was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized what was going on and said in an annoyed tone, "You're playing a trick on me as soon as we meet. Your martial uncle is too mean."
“I thought you’d made some progress these past two months down the mountain,” Man Jiangxue said. “You’ve been so captivated by a cat that you’ve lost all your vigilance. What if you actually run into a thief?”
Yin Qiu chuckled awkwardly, "Well, we just didn't run into them..."
Man Jiangxue reached out and patted her on the forehead, then bent down, grabbed a handful of snow, and smeared it into Yin Qiu's palm.
Yin Qiu was speechless, letting her do as she pleased, and said with a wry smile, "That cat isn't dirty, Martial Aunt."
“Little girl, you should be clean,” Man Jiangxue said seriously. “Don’t touch me if you don’t wash your hands.”
“I’m going to touch it,” Yin Qiu said with a grin, grabbing Man Jiangxue’s wrist with her other hand and sliding both hands straight into her sleeves. “Don’t you care about me, Uncle? The snow is so cold, it’s making my hands hurt.”
Man Jiangxue smiled and lifted the suitcase with one hand, then put her arm around Yin Qiu's waist with the other, and gently landed on the ground with her.
The snow fell heavily, but the sky seemed to brighten. Yin Qiu was in a great mood, half of her body pressed against the snow-covered river, and asked with a smile, "Uncle-Master hasn't said yet, is there something important that brings you down the mountain?"
Man Jiangxue glanced down at her and said, "Didn't you say in your letter that the Ziwei Sect drove a group of refugees here? I had nothing better to do, so I came to take a look."
Yin Qiu sized up Man Jiangxue for a moment, then smiled and said, "This is a trivial matter. My fellow disciples and I can handle it. Why does our senior uncle need to come down the mountain personally?"
Man Jiangxue said, "Alright, actually I came for something else."
Yin Qiu asked, "What is it?"
Man Jiangxue glanced at her again, then looked straight ahead and said inscrutably, "I won't tell you."
Author's Note: Hehe.
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