Snow fell throughout the night. The next morning, a layer of silvery frost covered the courtyard.

Qingmei woke up early to cook porridge. Before starting, she specifically checked if anyone was in He Yan’s room. Seeing He Yan getting dressed, she asked curiously, “Young Miss, why are you up so early? It’s cold, why not sleep a bit longer?”

“It’s fine,” He Yan stretched, “I’m used to it.”

In the Liangzhou Guard, she had to wake up early every day. After returning to Shuojing, this habit wasn’t easy to break. While Qingmei was cooking porridge, He Yan picked up the broom from the corner of the courtyard to sweep the snow.

“Young Miss, please put that down! How can you do such work? Let this servant handle it,” Qingmei said anxiously.

He Yan smiled, “You’re still cooking porridge. How can one person do two things? It’s just sweeping snow. I did much harder work at the military post, don’t worry about it.”

Qingmei insisted firmly, “No, Young Miss. Please take the hand warmer and sit inside. Your servant can handle this.”

“It’s fine.”

Chiwu, crouching in the corner, felt extremely uncomfortable. Although he was assigned to protect He Yan, the He family was truly poor, with only Qingmei as their servant. Now watching the young miss and the maid arguing over sweeping snow, it was difficult for him, a grown man, to pretend he hadn’t noticed.

After hesitating, Chiwu stood up and said, “Let me do it.”

Before He Yan could speak, Qingmei smiled brightly and thrust the broom into Chiwu’s hands, “Then thank you, Guard Chiwu!”

Chiwu: “…” He suspected the little maid had been waiting for exactly this.

He Yan felt somewhat embarrassed. After all, Chiwu was a talented member of the Nine Banners Camp, and following Commander Xiao Jue, he probably had never done tasks like sweeping. Using a sword-wielding guard as a servant seemed like the He family was taking advantage of him. He Yan said, “Never mind, I’ll do it.”

“It’s fine,” Qingmei said cheerfully, “Guard Chiwu is so kind and strong. Young Miss, you’re not well, just rest.”

Chiwu thought to himself that this little maid probably hadn’t seen their young miss lifting hundred-Jin stones alone at Liangzhou Guard.

Still, with two women present, sweeping snow was something he should handle. Chiwu took the broom and swept around the courtyard while Qingmei watched the porridge in the kitchen and directed him, “Guard Chiwu, don’t just sweep the middle, you need to do the corners too. What if the young master comes home at night and slips because he can’t see? There’s still snow left on the left side…”

He Yan sat on a stool by the door, finding it quite amusing to watch a tall guard being ordered around by a little maid.

After Chiwu finished sweeping and Qingmei finished cooking the porridge, the three ate together at the table. He Sui and He Yunsheng had left early, and Qingmei had prepared pancakes the night before for them to take along. After eating, He Yan sat in her room lost in thought.

She wanted to visit the Xu family to find Fu Wang again, but when she opened the drawer, there wasn’t a single silver note left. She felt dejected, thinking that while at the Xiao residence, she should have borrowed from that stack of silver notes in the drawer from Xiao Jue. With her current status, it would be awkward to borrow now. Perhaps… she could ask Lin Shuanghe?

While she was worrying about money, in Chiwu’s storage room, a gray-feathered pigeon flew in and perched on the beam, its bean-like black eyes watching him. Chiwu opened his hand, and the pigeon flew down to him. There was a small copper tube tied to the pigeon’s leg. Chiwu untied it and pulled out a note from the tube.

After reading the note, his eyes showed some confusion, but he quickly composed himself. He released the pigeon and went to knock on He Yan’s door.

He Yan opened the door and seeing Chiwu, asked, “What is it?”

“Young Master’s Yinqiu sword was damaged during the battle with the Wutuo people in Jiyang, the scabbard cracked,” Chiwu said. “The Yinqiu sword was forged by Master Swordsmith Lu Daichuan, and it’s currently being repaired by Master Lu.”

He Yan nodded, not understanding how this concerned her.

“Today is the day to retrieve the sword, but Young Master has left the city. I also need to leave the city and cannot go to get it. Master Lu has a rule – he won’t wait beyond the appointed time. If we miss this day, we’ll have to wait another hundred days before he emerges again. Only the sword’s owner or their closest person can retrieve it.”

“Ah?” He Yan was speechless, “That seems rather strict.”

However, skilled craftsmen often had their peculiarities. Since Lu Daichuan could forge such a treasure as the Yinqiu sword, having such quirks was understandable.

“Miss He,” Chiwu looked at her and said, “You are now the Governor’s fiancée. Master Lu will agree if you go to retrieve the sword. So, could you help Young Master with this favor and get the sword from Master Lu?”

He Yan replied, “It’s not difficult, but how can I prove that I am the Governor’s… ahem, fiancée?”

“Don’t you have Young Master’s snake-patterned black jade?” Chiwu answered, “That will suffice.”

He Yan untied the black jade from her waist: “This can prove your Young Master’s identity?”

Chiwu: “Indeed.”

“Then can this be used at the money house to withdraw silver?”

Chiwu: “…If Miss He needs money, you can tell me. Young Master won’t stand idly by.”

He Yan laughed it off, saying, “I was just joking.” But she privately understood that this black jade seemed to work everywhere, so exchanging it for some silver shouldn’t be a problem.

She said straightforwardly, “Alright, it’s not a big deal. Just give me Master Lu’s address, and I’ll go right away.”

“Master Lu lives in the mountains north of the city, it’s quite far,” Chiwu said. “I will arrange a carriage and guards for Miss He to ensure your safety on the journey.”

He Yan: “Never mind, those guards of yours can’t even beat me. If we encounter danger, who knows who would be saving whom? Just give me the address, it’s broad daylight, so nothing will happen. Besides, after the recent assassin incident, the city guards have doubled their numbers, there won’t be any problems.”

She was adamant, and Chiwu couldn’t persuade her otherwise, so he had to give in.

Chiwu seemed to have urgent matters to attend to. After writing down Master Lu’s address for He Yan, he hurriedly left the mansion. He Yan reassured Qingmei before leading Xiangxiang out. Though Master Lu’s residence was far, it wasn’t hard to find. The snow in Ming North Mountain was thicker than in the city, and everything was covered in white. If they had taken a carriage through the mountains, it would probably take a day and night. He Yan was glad she hadn’t listened to Chiwu about taking a carriage; at least on horseback, she could reach Master Lu before sunset.

This Lu Daichuan was quite an interesting character. He Yan had initially thought that living in the mountains, he must be an otherworldly sage, but surprisingly, he had built a palace-like residence in the mountains, extremely magnificent. As soon as He Yan entered, two huge tigers came running over, growling at her.

Xiangxiang was startled and almost threw He Yan off. She held the reins tight, calmed Xiangxiang, and dismounted to find that these two striped tigers were made of wood. Their eyeballs were black gems that glowed green in the darkness, looking almost identical to real tigers at first glance.

He Yan was amazed – this must be Lu Daichuan’s handiwork. He truly was a master craftsman, capable of carving the moon and tailoring clouds.

The door wasn’t locked, only slightly ajar. The two tigers continued growling at He Yan but made no other moves. After some thought, she pushed the door open and went in. Upon entering, she felt like she had stepped into a miniature Great Wei.

In this northern mansion, there was a small canal like those in Jiangnan Watertown, with tiny single-person boats floating on it. The boats had hanging gauze curtains, and beautiful music came from them. Looking carefully, there were no people in the boats, only wooden boxes.

The flowers and plants on the walls were artificial but made them so lifelike that even in winter, they created an atmosphere of bustling prosperity. Colored stones scattered on the ground weren’t precious gems but sparkled with fine light, catching the eye. He Yan felt as if she had entered the legendary dragon palace or a fairyland, and couldn’t help but admire how such skilled craftsmanship could forge treasures like the Yinqiu sword.

Just as she reached the main hall, there was a “whoosh” sound as the door opened by itself. He Yan stepped in and saw a man in white robes sitting in the spacious hall. He was carving a dragonfly from bamboo, apparently at the final step. He Yan watched as he pulled something at the dragonfly’s tail, and it began buzzing and flying on its own.

She couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise. The man turned his head, allowing He Yan to see his face.

In truth, this man’s dress was indeed otherworldly – his white robes were made of some extraordinarily light and flowing material. Just looking at his attire, he seemed like a hermit from the previous dynasty, but his appearance was completely different. He was extremely round, not exaggerating to say he was like a ball. When he smiled at her, he resembled a Maitreya Buddha, without any trace of a “noble scholar’s” bearing. He was also quite young, appearing only in his twenties – a young, round man.

This was quite unexpected for He Yan, who had anticipated seeing a cold, proud, eccentric old man with a white beard. Instead, she found this rather amiable fat man.

“We have a guest,” the man smiled.

“Are you Master Lu?” He Yan untied the jade pendant from her waist to show him, “I’ve come to retrieve the sword for Governor Xiao.”

“Oh?” Lu Daichuan looked at He Yan’s jade pendant and paused, “Why would Xiao Huaijin’s sword be with you? Are you Xiao Jue’s fiancée?”

He Yan was caught off guard by this question and didn’t know how to respond for a moment. After a while, she nodded, “Yes, I am.”

“So you’re Huaijin’s fiancée,” Lu Daichuan nodded and looked He Yan over, “Not bad, not bad.”

He Yan felt somewhat uncomfortable and thought for a moment before asking, “Master Lu seems to be quite close with Governor Xiao?” This person appeared so friendly, nothing like the unapproachable character Chiwu had described.

“Neither particularly close nor distant,” Lu Daichuan shook his head with a smile and clapped his hands. With a creaking sound, He Yan followed the noise and discovered a wooden figurine in the hall, about a foot tall, made to look like a beautiful woman. It walked “tap tap tap” into the inner chamber, its purpose unknown.

“Did… Master Lu make all of these?”

“Just some puppets,” Lu Daichuan smiled, “There are no living people in my villa, only puppets who help me with daily tasks.”

This sounded somewhat frightening, but strangely, He Yan didn’t feel scared. She asked, “Why don’t you hire some craftsmen to help? Or simply move down the mountain?”

“That won’t do,” Lu Daichuan said, “I’ve lived on this mountain for over thirty years. Life down there doesn’t suit me.”

He Yan: “May I ask your age, Master?”

How could someone who looked only in his twenties have lived on the mountain for over thirty years?

“Care to guess?”

Unable to guess, He Yan simply said, “Master looks no more than twenty-something to me.”

This seemed to please Lu Daichuan, who held his belly and laughed heartily, “Child, your words are sweet as honey. No wonder Xiao Huaijin likes you. You’re truly likable.”

He Yan: “…”

Just as she was wondering why this master swordsmith seemed so informal, the wooden figurine that had gone inside came “tap tap tap” running back out, carrying a long box which it placed before He Yan.

He Yan opened the box to see a long sword lying inside, its blade frost-like and snow-white – it was indeed Yinqiu.

“It’s already repaired?” He Yan exclaimed joyfully, seeing no trace of the crack in the scabbard.

“It’s just a sword, doesn’t take long,” Lu Daichuan looked at He Yan, his smile friendly. “Since you’re Xiao Huaijin’s fiancée, for his sake, I could forge a weapon or treasure for you too. What would you like?”

He Yan joked, “Could Master forge me a sword like Yinqiu?”

Lu Daichuan looked at her and smiled, “No.”

“Why?” He Yan asked with a smile, “Does Master think I’m unworthy of your swords?”

“You already have a sword, you don’t need another one.”

He Yan’s smile instantly froze as she looked at Lu Daichuan.

How did this person know she had a sword?

“Master, I don’t have a sword,” He Yan said, “I don’t even have a proper weapon.”

“You will,” Lu Daichuan shook his head, his eyes seeming to pierce through all her secrets, “Your sword will return to your side again.”

He Yan stared at Lu Daichuan, trying to find some flaw in his expression, but unfortunately, besides his consistently friendly smile, she could discern nothing else.

He Yan stood up holding the box containing Yinqiu, “Master, it’s getting late. I came today only to retrieve the sword. Now that I have it, I should head back.” She bowed to Lu Daichuan, “Thank you, Master.”

“No need for formalities.” Lu Daichuan also stood up, which was quite an effort due to his rotund figure – a ball trying to stand steady requires some effort. He clasped his hands and escorted He Yan to the door, flanked by the two striped tigers and the wooden figurine, like an eccentric emperor hidden in deep mountains. “Go on.”

He Yan mounted her horse and turned away, though her departure somewhat resembled a hasty retreat.

As the hoofbeats gradually faded away, Lu Daichuan clicked his tongue and looked down at the wooden figure that only reached his calf, “Feicui, do you think I scared the young lady?”

The wooden figure clung to his leg, silent.

“Oh well,” Lu Daichuan shook his head again, turning back while muttering to himself, “Huaijin, Huaijin, this is all your master can do to help.”

…

Darkness fell quickly in the mountains.

When He Yan arrived, the sun hadn’t yet set, and she hadn’t stayed long in Master Lu’s “villa,” but by the time she left, it was completely dark.

Fortunately, the moon was bright tonight, illuminating the snow-covered mountains more brightly than usual. Her memory of the route was good, and she rode Xiangxiang down the mountain, her mind repeatedly going over the conversation with Master Lu.

How did Master Lu know she already had a precious sword? Did he know something beforehand, or was he truly some otherworldly expert who could see through her soul-borrowing truth at a glance?

But now, alone and knowing nothing about Lu Daichuan, she decided to wait until she saw Xiao Jue after descending the mountain to ask about Lu Daichuan’s identity before making any plans.

He Yan sighed slightly. Just when the trouble of being “Miss He” who had disguised herself as a man to join the Liangzhou Guard had been resolved, another issue arose. Life seemed to be about solving one problem after another.

He Yan’s gaze fell on the wooden box before her, at least she had retrieved the Yinqiu sword. She wondered where He Rufei had put her Qinglang sword now. Given He Rufei’s cautiousness, unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn’t show Qinglang to anyone. If she still had Qinglang with her, she would polish it daily.

The horse galloped through the mountains, the biting wind stung her face, and her breath instantly turned to white mist in the night air – it was extremely cold in the mountains.

Suddenly, something flew toward her from behind, startling her horse, which reared up abruptly. He Yan pulled the reins, and in the next moment, someone flew from behind her, a cold, gleaming sword tip aimed at her back.

An assassin!

He Yan dodged sideways, dismounted, and before she could see who it was, the person had already returned, lunging at her with their sword aimed straight at her heart. They were intent on taking her life without any words.

In this desolate place without anyone around, even shouting wouldn’t bring the city guards. And she was unarmed, which was quite troublesome. Left with no choice, she broke open the wooden box tucked under her arm with a “thud,” and the Yinqiu sword fell into He Yan’s hand.

In both her past and present life, though she had seen and touched it, this was her first time wielding Yinqiu. As soon as she grasped it, she felt the sword was truly ice-cold throughout, as sharp and stern as its owner.

Sorry, Xiao Jue, she apologized silently, I’ll have to borrow your sword for a moment.

He Yan suddenly drew Yinqiu and looked at the person before her, shouting, “Who are you?”

In the moonlight covering the ground, He Yan could finally see clearly that the opponent was completely wrapped in a black cloak, a hood covering most of their face, showing only a bit of chin that appeared jade-like in the night. Before she could look closer, the person had already impatiently swept their sword toward He Yan’s neck.

Starting to fight without a word? He Yan was startled, but the killing intent before her face indicated one thing – the person wanted to kill her.

It seemed they only wanted to take her life. He Yan frowned, wondering if these were people sent by He Rufei again. But last time there was a group, why only one this time?

Soon, however, He Yan understood why there was only one person this time. Compared to the previous assassins, this person’s skills were far superior. Even He Yan, fighting them, couldn’t help but marvel. Their swordplay was exquisite, seemingly calm as water yet filled with killing intent, matching her evenly.

She was amazed – who could this person be? Even in Shuojing, such skill was rare. Did He Rufei now have such a formidable person under his command?

There was no time to think further as their swords danced, making ringing sounds. He Yan dodged the person’s sword tip and thrust her elbow toward their abdomen, but they seemed to have anticipated her sneak attack. They dodged sideways and flashed behind He Yan, thrusting their sword. Unable to dodge in time, He Yan could only counter-thrust backward while facing away. The swords clashed with a “bang,” and both retreated several steps.

He Yan paused, inexplicably feeling a sense of familiarity. She didn’t know where this feeling came from, but before she could figure it out, the person had already attacked again with their sword.

The opponent moved extremely fast, leaving no gap or leisure after each exchange before striking again. Their sword moves were like a storm, fine and dense. The Yinqiu in He Yan’s hands was agile and sharp, and she had already grown accustomed to using it, so those habits and weaknesses of “General Feiying” were no longer completely concealed.

Snow danced in the wind, and in the night, the bamboo grove seemed to whisper, gently burying the killing intent.

He Yan’s toes lightly touched the ground, and Yinqiu seemed to resonate with her spirit. Finally seeing a flaw in her opponent’s swordplay, she didn’t hesitate – her figure swift as lightning, she thrust toward the opponent.

At the same time, that person also thrust toward He Yan.

The two swords made a crisp collision sound in the air, and as they passed each other, with a “snap,” a cold glint broke in two – the black-clothed person’s sword had been cut in half by Yinqiu. He Yan quickly turned around, thrusting urgently at the person’s not-yet-turned-back.

The sword tip was just a hair’s breadth away from piercing their back.

Yet at that tiny distance, it stopped.

Everything around was eerily quiet, with only the sound of falling snow and distant wild crane calls from the valley. He Yan stared at the person’s back, seeming to sense something, her hand holding the sword hilt trembling slightly.

The person remained motionless. Slowly, she spoke with a hoarse voice: “Who are you?”

In that instant, the mountain moon broke through the dark clouds, thousands of peaks piled with jade, and ten thousand ravines spread with silver. The person slowly turned around, and removed their hood, revealing a familiar face.

“Xiao Jue…” He Yan murmured.

The black cloak fluttered slightly in the snowy night wind, the youth’s features as beautiful as carved jade, inexplicably perfect, his autumn-water-like black eyes seeming to hold inexplicable emotions, his gaze fixed on her, as if from past to present, and perhaps into the future.

“Your swordplay has improved considerably.”

He curved his lips: “Long time no see, General He.”