At the summit of the snow peak.
Scattered snow prints, several traces of splattered blood, massive black rocks with ice and snow completely gone to reveal jagged stone bones—everything had happened so briefly, yet seemed to have occurred so long ago.
Bai Suche ascended the mountain with blade in hand, followed by two white-robed women. Stepping onto the peak summit, they saw only empty wind and snow with no human traces, yet within the fierce wind there was faintly the weak crying of an infant, seeming both distant and near. She made a sound of acknowledgment and saw a corner of swaddling cloth exposed in a crevice of the peak rocks. A baby only a few months old was wedged between the rocks, frozen purple-faced and crying extremely weakly. If this child wasn’t rescued urgently, it would perish within moments.
“Sister Bai, this is—” one of the white-robed women behind Bai Suche said in a delicate voice, “Whose child is this? How could it be here?” Bai Suche shook her head. “I don’t know either. It’s inconceivable—the Master and Tang Lici had their decisive battle here, so how could a baby suddenly appear?” Another white-robed woman behind Bai Suche said, “I know. This was taken back from that hunter’s family on the snow mountain by Sister Yan before coming up the mountain. It seems to be someone the Master values greatly.”
“Since it’s someone the Master values, Sister Bai, kill him!” that white-robed woman cried delicately, drawing her sword with a “swish” sound. “Or let me cut him in half with one stroke.” Bai Suche pulled the baby from the rock crevice and touched the infant’s face with her finger, feeling it was extremely cold—colder than ice itself. That this child hadn’t died in such harsh conditions was also a marvel. “You want to kill him?”
“That’s right! The Master has too many people in his heart to worry about. I want him to have only me in his heart one day!” The white-robed woman was filled with killing intent. The other said, “Let him live or die here on his own. Since the Master isn’t here, let’s hurry back.” Bai Suche sighed softly. “You… you really have been thoroughly trained by Little Hong, killing entire families without a care… Do you really want to kill this child?” She held Fengfeng in her right arm. “Whoever kills this child first, I’ll teach them a sword technique—how about that?”
“Good!” The two white-robed women cried out delicately, blades and swords emerging together like flowing lightning, striking directly at Fengfeng in Bai Suche’s arms. Two crisp “clang” sounds rang out, followed by mingled screams of “Ah—”. Two white shadows flew out injured, plummeting straight down the mountain cliff—these two weren’t Tang Lici, so naturally they didn’t have flying red silk ribbons that could open midway to save their lives. It was clear they couldn’t survive.
Bai Suche killed two people with one move, standing with sleeves fluttering, her expression unchanged, still so ethereal. Holding Fengfeng in her arms, she channeled her power into his body to dispel the cold.
“What a heroine among women.” In the fierce wind and snow, someone laughed lightly. “Miss Bai, that strike was beautiful.”
Bai Suche suddenly turned around and saw that behind the giant rock, someone had appeared at some unknown time—gray robes with wide sleeves, half his body stained with blood, yet his bearing was outstanding with robes billowing, showing no signs of weariness. It was Tang Lici. “Tang Lici…” She held her Severing Vows blade in hand, facing Tang Lici at an angle without the slightest trace of fear. “What do you intend?”
Tang Lici lightly pressed his right hand to his abdomen. “Two things about tonight’s battle are very strange… First, Meihua Yishu and Kuanglan Wuxing are clearly two great fighting forces of the Romantic Shop—why couldn’t they act? Second, Little Hong has superior scheming and intelligence, and is skilled in the art of drawing bowstrings to take lives—why didn’t she appear on the battlefield, resulting in no one from the Romantic Shop being able to take charge and respond when the situation at Azure Mountain Cliff suddenly changed? Of course there could be hundreds of reasons, but I think the most likely one… is that there’s a traitor within the Romantic Shop. This person not only infiltrated the Romantic Shop but holds a high position, able to influence Little Hong’s battle arrangements and even secretly sabotage Meihua Yishu and Kuanglan Wuxing, preventing them from following orders to act.” He smiled at Bai Suche. “Miss Bai’s wisdom, courage, and great self-sacrifice truly put the men of the martial world to shame.”
Atop the desolate snow peak, Bai Suche stared intently at Tang Lici, the cold gleam of her Severing Vows blade still flickering. She gripped the blade handle tightly, and after a long while, sighed softly. Tang Lici stepped forward and extended his hand toward Fengfeng in her arms. Bai Suche returned the child to him. With dawn approaching behind her, she looked at Tang Lici holding the infant, her eyes gradually becoming gentle. “You really are… different from him.”
“Chi Yun still has a child’s temperament, only looking at surface appearances in everything,” Tang Lici said. “However, though his words are vicious and his thoughts simple, he’s not a heartless person.”
Bai Suche sighed deeply. “Regardless of whether he’s heartless or not, Bai Suche will never marry him in this lifetime.” She brushed the hair flying at her temples. “When father originally betrothed me to Chi Yun, I was truly unwilling. The matter of escaping marriage was no falsehood… Now that I’m among the Romantic Shop, marriage matters are even more impossible to discuss. Young Master Tang need not act as matchmaker for Chi Yun. In this life and the next… never mention marriage again.”
Tang Lici looked her up and down. “Lotus flower exterior with jade bones—the Bai family gaining such a daughter as you is truly a great honor.”
Bai Suche’s willow eyebrows rose slightly. “Thanks to father’s teachings, I do my utmost for the righteous path of the martial world. Even if I earn widespread infamy and die, Bai Suche would die without regret.” She spoke with detachment, and her face showed not the slightest trace of regret. Her character was upright and magnanimous, surpassing even men.
Tang Lici said nothing more, gazing into Bai Suche’s eyes, suddenly smiling slightly—a look of appreciation flowing from that glance. As dawn broke, the snow mountain’s pure spiritual energy arose. Bai Suche saw this clearly, and her heart suddenly became slightly disturbed. Though she appeared delicate and refined, her spirit was lofty, and her actions capable and sharp, exceeding what men could achieve. To be so deeply gazed upon by a man was unprecedented for her. “When I escaped marriage and left the Bai mansion years ago, I encountered powerful enemies on the road and was severely injured, then rescued by Little Hong.” She said, “From then on I joined the Romantic Shop, managing the thirty-six white-robed attendants under the Romantic Shop. Though the Romantic Shop honors Liu Yan as master, the one who truly controls the overall situation is Little Hong. The Master is willful by nature—besides preparing Crimson Ghost Nine Heart Pills, he almost never manages affairs. Above Little Hong are the Eastern and Western Princesses. Those two aren’t women, but have practiced a type of powerful and strange martial art. When practiced to the ninth level, men transform into women’s bodies, and once the skill is perfected, they return to their original appearance and remain youthful forever.”
“What positions do Meihua Yishu and Kuanglan Wuxing hold in the Romantic Shop?” Tang Lici pondered. “Also, is the remaining ‘One Peach Three Colors’ among the Seven Flower Cloud Wanderers also in the Romantic Shop?” Bai Suche shook her head. “They’re all secretly commanded by Little Hong. I almost never see them normally. As for One Peach Three Colors, I don’t know if Little Hong has recruited him—I’ve never seen him.” Tang Lici’s gaze moved from her face to look at the black rocks that bore only traces of fighting. “That means the Romantic Shop harbors hidden dragons and crouching tigers—one cannot act rashly or provoke them carelessly… And though the Romantic Shop is nominally owned by Liu Yan, who actually controls the situation is probably difficult to say. Little Hong, the Eastern and Western Princesses, even hidden figures not seen on the surface—any of them could be key.” Bai Suche’s willow eyebrows rose slightly. “Exactly so.”
Tang Lici looked at the snowy ground for a while, then slowly moved his gaze back to Bai Suche’s face, saying gently, “You’ve worked hard.” Bai Suche paused, then turned her head away. “I’m not working hard. Once this matter is finished, if Bai Suche hasn’t died, I will certainly cut my throat on Chi Yun’s blade. Farewell!” She turned and left, her movements in rising and falling swift as a flying crane.
Fengfeng in his arms had gradually warmed up. After crying for half the day and becoming extremely tired, he fell into deep sleep in Tang Lici’s embrace, his face full of tear stains. Tang Lici gently patted him, watching the direction where Bai Suche departed. Speaking of scheming, Chi Yun was far inferior to his fiancée. Otherwise, with his talent and her beauty, they would have been a perfect couple. What a pity, what a pity.
As the morning sun rose, its red glow reflected off the ice and snow in brilliant, dazzling display. Tang Lici, holding Fengfeng, leaped away.