The adult snow woman shook her head, and several wisps of deep blue light drifted down from her abdomen and entered the frozen man's body.
"Thank you," Quan said.
Blue light entered his body, the ice on the man's body began to melt, and light appeared in his eyes.
After a long while:
"Huh? How did I get here?"
The completely melted man scratched his head and looked up at the sky. Izumi followed his gaze and found that the snow woman had already left.
The little snow maiden left with her...
"May I ask who you are?"
The man walked up to the troubled spring.
"I am an Onmyoji. I saw you frozen by magic just now, so..."
"Ah! I remember now! A very beautiful woman led me here! Was she a monster?!"
The man cried out in surprise, interrupting Quan's words.
"Yes, it's Yukihime."
Quan blinked.
"It really is a monster! Let's get down the mountain quickly! Oh my god, this is terrifying!"
The man shouldered the pile of firewood, took a few steps, then turned back to look at Quan apologetically, "Aren't you going down the mountain?"
Quan shook his head and followed him.
As the man walked down the mountain, a wave of fear washed over him, and he asked hesitantly, "Is the Snow Woman really an evil monster?"
Izumi explained, "Snow Women have no concept of good or evil. Their actions are simply driven by instinct for self-protection or pure curiosity. They know nothing about the human world but have a great curiosity about the emotions between men and women."
The man wondered, "Could there be a kind snow woman on the mountain?"
Quan said with certainty, "The snow woman who froze you just now was a kind snow woman, otherwise she wouldn't have let you go so easily. The one who saved you was not me, but her, who had a kind heart."
The man was speechless.
There was no blizzard on the mountain, and they quickly reached the foot of the snow-capped mountain. At the foot of the mountain was a small wooden hut. In front of the hut, the man put down the bundle of firewood and said:
"My mother lives here. If you don't mind, please come in and have a cup of tea."
Quan nodded slightly, "Okay."
Stepping into the wooden house, I saw a white-haired woman sitting inside. The wrinkles on her face looked like dried book covers in the firelight, giving her a somewhat strange appearance.
"mother……"
Upon seeing the woman, the man rushed to her for comfort, recounting his experiences on the mountain, and the two talked about it with great interest.
Quan sat quietly to one side, enjoying the potatoes the woman had cooked. He peeled them, cut them into pieces, and ate them by stabbing them with a knife.
"Onmyoji, my lord."
The mother and son chatted for a long time. Suddenly, the white-haired mother looked up and called to Quan. Quan politely turned around and looked the woman in the eye.
"Hello."
"You must be tired from your journey, and it's getting dark. Would you like to rest?"
The woman asked.
"this……"
Quan lowered his head, feeling a familiar chill suddenly come from behind him, and shook his head to refuse, saying, "I'm sorry, I have other matters to attend to, so I won't trouble you any further. Thank you for your hospitality."
"Oh, I see. It seems you really don't intend to stay here. My son specially boiled a bucket of water for you to bathe in and warm yourself, just to please you. What a pity."
The woman sighed.
"Feel sorry."
Quan bowed down to apologize, and the air in the room instantly turned icy. The woman stood up and said again, "Tonight, with the wind and snow, I'm very worried about your safety if you leave now."
As she spoke, she grabbed Quan's hand, trying to stop her. Quan's smile faded, and the touch in her hand was chillingly cold!
"Click—"
The window behind her suddenly opened, and a wisp of snow drifted by. The woman's gaze lingered on that wisp of snow for a long time before she slowly let go of her hand.
"Since you're in such a hurry, I won't keep you any longer. You may leave."
"thank you."
Quan walked out as usual. The man chopping wood outside saw her in a hurry and asked curiously, "Aren't you staying overnight?"
"No, thank you," Quan said.
The man scratched his head, a simple smile spreading across his face. "I should be the one saying thank you. Thank you for saving me from the Snow Woman. I will never forget your great kindness."
Don't worry about it.
Quan smiled slightly and walked into the wind and snow.
As she walked alone through the snow, a blue figure floated beside her.
"It's you." Quan smiled. "Want to come with me?"
The little snow maiden didn't speak, but followed her all the way to a place where the wind and snow couldn't reach. When a warm breath came, she flew backward.
A look of helplessness flashed in Quan's eyes. The talisman in his hand quickly landed on her, and the little snow girl struggled in the air.
Quan quickly walked to her side, carefully removed the talismans binding her, and pulled her into a warm embrace.
"I'm sorry... Can you come with me?" Izumi asked softly.
The little snow woman didn't struggle. She raised her head and looked at her with a pair of pure eyes, full of curiosity.
Why should I leave with you?
Quan smiled and said, "I need a partner, and thankfully you're here with me."
Little Snow Girl pouted, "I haven't agreed to it yet."
You will say yes.
Quan picked her up, put her in the warm scarf, and walked away into the distance.
-
"I'm sorry, this is really the only room we have left. We apologize."
"The guest rooms are in a corner of the stairwell, which is inconvenient for people to come and go. If possible, could I pay double to stay on the third floor?"
"The third floor has been reserved by a distinguished guest. We apologize and ask for your understanding."
...
The sound of Izumi and her maid talking could be heard outside. Little Snow Woman peeked through the crack and, seeing that no one was in the room, quietly flew out of the book box and looked around.
She looked around curiously, touching this and looking there, and before she knew it, she had flown to a corner of the room.
In the corner of the room stands a large solid wood wardrobe, made many years ago, forgotten and covered in a layer of dust.
The conversation outside continued—
"Could you please ask that important person who has booked the entire third floor? Thank you."
Quan said respectfully.
Seeing her like this, the maid blushed with anxiety. She couldn't accept the courtesy from the gentleman in front of her, but she also couldn't disturb the noble person on the third floor. What should she do?
Just as she was getting anxious and trying to figure out what to say to advise the man, a teasing voice suddenly came from behind her.
What are you doing?
The maid turned her head and, sure enough, the guest who had booked the entire third floor was standing in front of her.
She approached the guest and said respectfully, "Hello, this is a guest from Kyoto who would like to stay on the third floor."
The respectful guest asked, "Why not stay on the second floor? Why insist on staying on the third floor?"
"The rooms on the second floor are all booked, so this guest has nowhere to stay."
"I see. It's not that I can't leave him a room, it's just that I don't like it..."
"ah!!"
A child's scream came from the room. Quan quickly pushed open the door and ran in. The little snow woman immediately threw herself into her arms.
There's something there.
Little Snow Girl pointed timidly at the wardrobe.
What is it?
A distinguished guest entered the room and asked a question. Quan turned around and looked at him, seeing a well-dressed, handsome, and tall man standing behind her.
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