Hanzhou. The heavy snow fell for a day and a night before finally tapering off. I leaped down from my horse, tossed the reins to the brother tending the stables, and shook the wind and snow from my body as I strode into Nie Xueqing’s command tent.
By now, I had been traveling the world at her side for nearly a entire year. As the year drew to a close, our merchant caravan had wound its way north, reaching the northernmost reaches of Hanzhou. Even here, in the best terrain for sheltering from the wind, the ground remained frozen three feet deep day and night. Wrapped in a heavy, pungent fur coat, I smoothed back my hair, which was damp with melting snow, and removed my hat. As I warmed my hands by the fire, I tore a large chunk of meat from the roast spit above the flames. Heedless of the heat against my fingers and mouth, I popped it into my mouth and chewed vigorously.
Nie Xiaoyan, who was carefully turning the roast, hurriedly swatted at my hand. "It’s not even done yet! Sister Zhi, aren't you worried about the grime?"
Xiaoyan was an orphan Nie Xueqing had taken in. Perhaps out of an excess of affection, Xueqing never taught her martial arts, keeping her close as a companion instead. Xiaoyan had naturally assumed the duties of a maid, and her culinary skills were exceptional. I gave a careless laugh, gave my hands a cursory rinse in a water basin, and turned to Nie Xueqing. "Sister Qing, I think we’ve got 'company' tonight."
Nie Xueqing was at her desk, reading and writing letters. She nodded at my words and asked casually, "How many?"
"Not many, about two hundred," I said. "They haven't lit any 'brighteners.' They're lying in wait on the cliffs ahead, buried under a foot of snow. It’s a wonder they can stay so still!"
Nie Xueqing let out a hearty laugh. "Under a cotton quilt like that, they must be sleeping soundly!" We discussed a few potential adversaries, and after she assigned men to handle the situation, she ordered the fires and lights to be extinguished as a ruse, waiting for the enemy to come to us. I didn't bother returning to my own small tent; I simply sprawled out on the ground, using the reflection of the snow to talk with her in fits and starts, eating meat and drinking wine to ward off the cold. This was Hanzhou’s "Knife-Burner"—a liquor so fierce it stung the throat, but without it, one truly couldn't withstand the snowy chill seeping in from outside.
There was no moon tonight. The sky was dark and clear until the wind and snow rose again, blurring our vision. Then, two hundred riders approached silently across the snow, surrounding our camp.
Nie Xueqing was the first out of the tent. An attendant brought her horse; she flipped into the saddle and smiled at the newcomers. "Friends from which line of work? The weather is cold and the snow is heavy—have you come to ask for a drink?"
The leader, a burly man with only one ear, gave a cold sneer. "Chief Nie has such a grand estate; wouldn't it be better to bring out a bowl of water for everyone to share?" He meant, of course, to split the goods equally.
It turned out to be Suo Tu, the second-in-command of a local bandit gang. There didn't seem to be much of a grand conspiracy; he had simply come for a bit of "black-on-black" plunder. I had already taken my position on foot beside Nie Xueqing’s horse. I was in no hurry to mount; instead, I leaned against the camp gate, wrapped in my fur robe, idly tossing my half-finished bottle of wine up and down.
Nie Xueqing gave a contemptuous smile. "To be envious of such a small pittance... Great King Suo, your vision is far too narrow!" The moment the words left her mouth, she charged out of the camp, engaging Suo Tu’s forces.
I watched quietly for a moment until a few lackeys slipped past the front line. Whistling as they galloped forward, they prepared to hurl torches to burn our tents. Only then did I spring from the ground. Before the lead lackey could throw his torch, I smashed my bottle into his face, drenching him in wine while I drifted several yards away, not catching a single drop. Instantly, the man burst into flames. His horse panicked and bolted back toward his own comrades. The brothers guarding the camp moved in, their long blades sweeping out to claim several heads.
I didn't need a horse; relying solely on my footwork, I spiraled through the chaotic fray. In a flash, I struck the hearts of seven or eight men. Their horses continued to gallop for a time before the riders, completely unaware, finally tumbled to the ground. Drifting through the slaughter in this manner, I saw that Nie Xueqing and Suo Tu were locked in a tight struggle, neither able to break the deadlock.
Knowing I was behind her, she didn't turn her head but whispered a low instruction: "Get behind him." I vanished from Suo Tu’s line of sight once more.
A bandit chief who had spent his life scavenging in a sea of corpses naturally had a keen nose for danger. Though he didn't know what she had said, he instinctively went on high alert. Nie Xueqing abruptly changed her sword style, shifting from wide, sweeping strikes to a sticky, heavy pressure, pinning him down from the front while waiting for my strike from the rear. Suo Tu responded calmly, gradually shifting to a defensive posture, focusing half his attention on his back. Suddenly, he felt a light breeze rise from the ground in front of him. In his haste, he barely managed to lean back as I slid out from beneath his horse’s belly. With a stroke as light as a soft feather, I flicked my blade. Instantly, a thin, straight line of blood geysered into the air before scattering like stardust, wetting the horse’s mane and freezing together with the frost. Blood began to pour from Suo Tu’s neck.
I shook my head, sighing at the pity of it. Had he not instinctively dodged, that move would have pierced his throat and passed through his tongue.
Nie Xueqing’s swift sword arrived as well. As the two horses crossed, Suo Tu desperately and clumsily managed to save his one remaining ear. Seeing the tide turn against him, he wheeled his horse and fled. Nie Xueqing snatched up a riderless horse and, without waiting for me, galloped off in full pursuit. I pushed my footwork to sixty or seventy percent of its capacity, and in a few leaps, I was on a horse, seizing the reins.
The wilderness was a vast, cold plain. It felt as though even the swirling snow could not catch us, spinning futilely around the horses' flying tails.
After a period of pursuit, Suo Tu’s form began to waver, his strength seemingly failing. Nie Xueqing drew the bow from her back and fired three consecutive arrows, all of which Suo Tu dodged with great difficulty. I focused my gaze on the path his horse was taking; it seemed unnaturally crooked. Realization struck, and I shouted, "It’s a trap!"
At that moment, the pit traps began to collapse. In that hair-raising instant, Nie Xueqing used her ghost-like agility to leap backward, and I caught her on my horse as I galloped past. Her own beloved steed, alas, fell into the trap with a mournful cry.
With two people on one horse, we couldn't catch him. I immediately leaped down and sprinted forward, pushing my footwork to its absolute limit. Just as I was laboriously closing the gap, Suo Tu’s horse suddenly stumbled, and he went rolling off. In fewer than twenty more strides, I reached the edge of bowshot range from him.
Nie Xueqing arrived on horseback a moment later. Just as she was about to dismount and join me in cornering him, thirty or forty more riders appeared from the side. Suddenly, a rain of arrows fell toward us. I summoned Yangyang’s shield to protect the two of us, and Nie Xueqing gave a cold sneer. "Reinforcements? I have them too!"
The men she had arranged in advance emerged like specters. There weren't many—fewer than ten—but they were all elites. Taking on four men each was no problem for them. As the two sides fell into a chaotic melee, my only target was Suo Tu. I used my illusions to hide my form while Huanzhen quietly spread a sand array. The crystalline white snow and the crystalline white sand mingled, becoming almost indistinguishable.
Suo Tu was indeed two minor realms higher than me. Despite his heavy injuries and the influence of the illusion array, his instincts remained incredibly steady. He barely managed to block my stab from behind and flipped upward, his broad cleaver whistling with a formidable wind as it swung toward me. Strength had always been my weakness, so I naturally didn't meet him head-on. I vanished and retreated, repeating the tactic for another strike. After four or five exchanges, I noticed his left hand remained still, as if he were clutching something. His footwork was gradually shifting toward the right side of the battlefield. Feeling suspicious, I looked toward the direction he was retreating, only to hear him give a savage laugh as he violently crushed the object in his hand.
It was a pale blue Array Heart Stone. I understood instantly—he had actually laid a Snow-Inducing Array! He wanted to trigger an avalanche to bury his enemies along with his own men!
Feeling the earth begin to tremble faintly, I knew the Snow Maiden had awakened from her slumber. Enraged, I spiraled upward and grabbed the short braid at the back of Suo Tu’s head, bringing my sword across his throat. He managed to dodge again, and I missed severing his windpipe by half an inch. In agony, Suo Tu violently shook me off, sending me to the ground, and swung his blade at me. Because of the illusion array, his strike went wide. I rolled over and thrust my sword upward, finally piercing him through and killing him.
My heart hammered violently. I ran back in grief and fury, not daring to shout, only sending a voice transmission: "Avalanche! Get out of here!"
Nie Xueqing and the others had already seen massive sheets of snow beginning to fall from the nearby cliffs. They all cried out the signal to retreat. At this point, it was impossible for the two groups to keep fighting; everyone fled in the same direction for their lives. I waited by the road, and as Nie Xueqing rode past, she hauled me onto her horse. We galloped for several miles without looking back before finally reining in to a slow stop. Panting, we looked back at the majestic southern cliffs of Mount Tutai. The world-shaking torrent of snow we had imagined did not come crashing down.
We were all stunned. After observing carefully for a while, it seemed the snow from the mountain peak had fallen halfway before being obstructed by something. The speed of the slide dropped sharply until it gradually ground to a halt. Only the snow on certain parts of the cliff was truly too heavy; it collapsed with a roar, exposing the black, naked stone beneath.
Everyone clutched their chests, murmuring about their "great luck." The two groups, who had been fighting to the death with bloodshot eyes just moments ago, looked at one another. Nie Xueqing laughed heartily. "Brothers on the other side, we’re done fighting! Great King Suo is dead as a doornail. Even if he were alive, he clearly didn't value your lives. Why bother dying for him? We’ve shared a brush with death today. It’s not easy for brothers to earn a living; let’s just pretend we don't know each other if we meet again!"
The two current leaders on the opposite side looked at each other and agreed. Some of the bolder ones, seeing Nie Xueqing’s beauty and her generous conduct, even jokingly asked if they could join her crew. She laughed and gave them a playful swat on the back.
The two groups went their separate ways. I obtained a spare horse to ride. Seeing Nie Xueqing still staring at Suo Tu’s body thoughtfully, I urged her, "Sister, what’s there to look at in a dead man?"
Nie Xueqing was truly meticulous. She rode over to Suo Tu’s horse, which was still moaning with a broken leg, and lifted its front hooves to check. Sure enough, on the outer side of the right hoof, there was an extremely fine scratch, as if it had been pierced by a sharp, delicate embroidery needle. The magic itself had already dissipated, leaving no trace of its attribute. She looked up, her expression solemn. "There really was something wrong. Suo Tu spent his whole life here; he must have been intimately familiar with the terrain. The horse was in excellent condition—with his horsemanship, how could it have stumbled for no reason?"
I nodded. "The direction of that wound... it came from the safe zone where he was avoiding the avalanche. It was either one of his own people, or someone who knew the danger in advance."
Nie Xueqing looked at the snow-capped mountain that had nearly caused a catastrophe and said thoughtfully, "Someone was helping us."
"Isn't that a good thing?" I laughed and gave her a playful punch, stomping my feet which had gone cold after standing for just a moment. "Let’s go. Aren't you freezing?"
"Debts of gratitude are the hardest to repay," Nie Xueqing said. "Especially when you have no idea who you owe. That’s even worse."
That being said, there were too few clues to deduce anything. It couldn't even be called evidence, because a horse falling during a gallop or an avalanche stopping abruptly were, theoretically, possible low-probability events. It wasn't certain that there was actually a human hand behind it all.
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
函州 | Hanzhou | A province in the extreme north.
聂小妍 | Nie Xiaoyan | Nie Xueqing's adopted ward/maid.
点子 | Company / Target | Slang for an enemy or a target of a job.
亮子 | Brighteners | Slang for lights or lamps.
烧刀子 | Knife-Burner | A very strong, harsh liquor.
索图 | Suo Tu | The one-eared bandit leader.
央央 | Yangyang | Likely the narrator's protective spirit or artifact.
浣真 | Huanzhen | Likely the narrator's sword or primary weapon.
引雪阵 | Snow-Inducing Array | A magical formation used to trigger avalanches.
图泰山 | Mount Tutai | The mountain where the battle takes place.
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