After being cooped up in the house for several days, the heavy snow finally ceased. In the morning, after attending to Shuo Yue and changing her bandages, Que Tang put on her thickest layers of clothing.
"You're going out?" Shuo Yue leaned half-upright against the heated *kang* bed, idly stroking Little Mushroom, who was sprawled beside her. She watched with a detached gaze as Que Tang bundled herself up until she could hardly move.
"I didn't expect the snow to last this long. The firewood we prepared earlier is running low, so I need to head up the mountain to find some more," Que Tang said matter-of-factly. "I'm not sure when I'll be back. If you get hungry, Miss Shuo Yue, there’s food kept warm in the kitchen."
"Meow~ The female lead's favorability has increased by twenty. Current favorability: fifty."
*I’m glad to hear the favorability is rising, but working like a dog for a whole year... chopping wood, carrying water, farming, and raising chickens... my hands aren't soft anymore. They're so rough now...* Que Tang couldn't help but feel a surge of self-pity.
"Meow, don't worry. The female lead likes them just the same," Little Mushroom offered kindly.
"That doesn't sound like a very comforting sentiment..." Que Tang muttered, falling silent for a moment before letting out a cold snort.
"I'll go with you. My injuries are mostly healed, and since I'm eating your food, staying in your house, and sleeping in your bed, I feel a bit guilty," Shuo Yue said with a faint smile as she began to rise.
*Sleeping in my bed...* Que Tang’s eye twitched. Seeing Shuo Yue actually trying to get up, she quickly tried to dissuade her. "Miss Shuo Yue, you absolutely must not. Although your external wounds have closed, your internal foundation is still severely depleted. Walking around the house is fine, but if you go outside, I'm afraid you'll fall ill again within fifteen minutes."
Shuo Yue paused. Although she was loath to let Que Tang go out alone, she couldn't refute the logic. In her current state, insisting on following would only make her a burden. With a sigh, she could only nod in silent agreement.
"I'll try my best to be back before sunset. I'll leave the house in your hands." Bundled in her heavy clothes, Que Tang looked like a round steamed bun, drawing a gentle, smiling nod from Shuo Yue.
"You... come back early." Just as Que Tang lifted the door curtain to step out, Shuo Yue finally succumbed to the strange, tingling warmth in her heart and spoke.
The moment Que Tang stepped outside, a blast of freezing wind hit her, nearly making her turn back and decide to stay inside forever. But thinking of Mu Yao, she gritted her teeth and began the familiar trek up the mountain.
The entire mountain was buried under deep snow. Que Tang was merely testing her luck, hoping to gather whatever she could. Having been forced to share a bed with Shuo Yue these past few days, she was often woken in the night by the other woman’s low body temperature. Only then did she realize Shuo Yue’s injuries were far more serious than she had imagined. On the first night, she had nervously taken Shuo Yue into her arms to warm her; when she woke the next morning, she found herself staring directly into Shuo Yue’s scrutinizing eyes. Heaven knew how terrified she had been that the woman would pull a knife from nowhere and kill her. Fortunately, Shuo Yue hadn't said anything, and for the following nights, she had simply allowed herself to be held.
Thinking of Shuo Yue and then of Mu Yao, Que Tang resigned herself to her fate as she trudged through the vast white expanse.
"Meow~ Host, remember to bring back some dried fish when you return." Little Mushroom suddenly spoke up while she was wallowing in self-pity.
"Where on earth am I supposed to get dried fish? Is there a supermarket here?" Que Tang exploded. Being ordered around by Shuo Yue was one thing—she did that willingly—but being ordered around by a useless system? Que Tang scoffed. "Besides, I gave you a bunch just the day before yesterday. You finished them already? No wonder you're getting fatter. Even in a farming world where resources aren't as convenient as the modern era, you still manage to gain weight. You really are just a fat cat."
"Meow! Host, that's a feline-al attack!" Little Mushroom protested loudly before explaining aggrievedly, "The famous dried fish shop I used to order from on Taobao recently told me they're out of stock. Apparently, a bunch of cats have appeared in the Yuri channel lately to compete with me. And they're all tycoon cats! One order is a whole ton! Small fish are going extinct! Meow~"
"I'm so sorry that I'm just a poor commoner," Que Tang sneered.
"But Host, you've latched onto a rich, beautiful lady! Meow~"
Que Tang rolled her eyes. "I only latched onto this 'rich, beautiful lady' because you guys scammed me into it."
"The process isn't important; a good result is what matters. Meow."
Bickering with Little Mushroom all the way up the mountain, Que Tang looked at the branches snapped by the weight of the snow and felt her luck wasn't too bad. She gathered wood as she ventured deeper. It took nearly four hours to fill her bamboo basket, and she even found a few frozen wild rabbits. Just as she was about to turn back, a glint caught her eye—a translucent little flower growing high on a cliff face.
"Little Mushroom."
"Meow, what is it, Host?" Little Mushroom responded instantly.
"I see a flower that looks like the legendary top-tier healing medicine, the Tianshan Snow Lotus! But we're not on a high mountain; could that really be a Snow Lotus?" Que Tang asked, caught between hope and skepticism.
"Meow~ It definitely, certainly, absolutely is! Host, don't doubt your luck. Go ahead and grab it!"
"Your answers are never reliable," Que Tang muttered. "Still, I don't know for sure, but Shuo Yue might." After a moment's thought, she decided to climb up and pick it.
She set down her basket and looked up at the flower, which wasn't too far up. Gritting her teeth, she gripped the rocks and began to climb step by step. *To go this far for Mu Yao... this must be true love. If she ever dares to cheat on me in the future, I'll definitely castrate her,* Que Tang comforted herself, drenched in sweat.
"Meow, you can't castrate the female lead."
"Who says I can't? I'll pickle her like a radish with salt and spices." Que Tang panted, her muscles straining, veins popping on her arms, yet she refused to give up.
"Meow... that sounds delicious."
"..." Que Tang was speechless and lacked the energy to respond, so she simply continued her climb in silence. Moving with extreme caution, she finally reached the flower, plucked it with a forceful tug, and tucked it into her tunic. Just as she relaxed to catch her breath, the rock beneath her foot shifted. It wobbled twice before breaking away entirely. With no foothold and no climbing expertise, her strength spent, Que Tang lost her grip and plummeted.
*I haven't even seen Mu Yao one last time. Am I going to die here?* Que Tang screamed, bracing for the impact. But after a long moment, the expected pain never came. She opened her eyes.
"Miss, are you alright?" A handsome, stately man was looking down at her with a smile in his eyes.
Que Tang realized she was being held in a princess carry. Thinking that this was the first time in all her lives she had been carried like this by a man... she suddenly shuddered and immediately begged him to put her down. She bowed her head in thanks. "Thank you, sir."
"It was no trouble at all. But why was a lady like you climbing up there?" The man's eyes were full of hidden meaning.
"My name is Que. I make a living gathering herbs. Because of the heavy snow, I've been stuck inside for days. Unfortunately, our firewood ran low, so I had to brave the cold to find more. I happened to see a rare herb on the cliff and overreached myself trying to pick it. If not for your help, sir, I'm afraid I would have perished." Que Tang explained with a bitter smile.
"You've had a hard time, then." The suspicion in the man's eyes faded. "By the way, if I may ask—have any outsiders come to your village recently?"
"Meow, female lead's favorability decreased by ten. Current favorability: forty."
*What? What happened? Why did it drop! I've had favorability rise because of their wild imaginations, but I've never had it drop...* Que Tang was shocked.
"Because you didn't come back for so long, the female lead got worried and went out. She probably saw your 'affair' with the male lead. Meow~" Little Mushroom explained cutely.
"Why didn't you say something so important sooner? All you care about is your dried fish! You're dead!" Que Tang wanted nothing more than to strangle the stupid cat.
"Our village is in the middle of nowhere; outsiders rarely pass through. It's mostly the elderly and children here. I haven't heard of any strangers lately. What kind of person are you looking for, sir? If I see them, I can let you know."
"That would be helpful. I'm looking for a woman of peerless beauty dressed in red, carrying a precious sword on her back. She is my betrothed. We were supposed to return to my hometown to wed, but we had a disagreement on the road, and she left in a fit of pique." The man spoke with a gentle, reminiscent gaze. "My name is Mo Wufei. If you have any news, Miss Que, you can find me at the inn in Lifang Town."
"I understand." Que Tang stared at him for a few heartbeats before nodding with a smile. She picked up her basket, slung it over her shoulder, and bid Mo Wufei farewell.
Only after she was well out of his sight did she relax. She quickened her pace and hurried back to her small cottage. She dropped the basket in the main room and rushed into the inner chamber.
"What's the matter? Why are you in such a hurry?" Shuo Yue was lying on the *kang*, teasing Little Mushroom.
"I just met a man. He said he was looking for his runaway bride, and his description sounded like you. But then I remembered you were drifting in the river with heavy injuries, so I didn't dare answer him. I rushed back to ask you." Que Tang wiped the sweat from her forehead as she spoke.
Shuo Yue remained silent, watching her for a long time as if trying to discern the truth in her eyes.
"Why... why are you looking at me like that?" Que Tang felt awkward under her gaze, though she understood what the woman was thinking.
"It's nothing. That man is a member of the 'righteous' sects who is hunting me." Shuo Yue let out a cold laugh and continued as Que Tang’s eyes widened in surprise. "My name is Shuo Yue. I am the head of the demonic path, the first disciple of the Xiaguan Sect. I am the one the world calls the Demonic Enchantress." Her eyes shimmered as she looked at Que Tang. "Do you regret saving me now?"
"Meow, the female lead's favorability..." Little Mushroom suddenly stopped.
*What about it?* Que Tang was about to respond when Little Mushroom cut her off.
"The female lead is waiting for your answer! It depends on whether it goes up or down! You stupid host, meow!"
"..."
Que Tang stared at her blankly. Just as Shuo Yue’s expression was about to turn cold, Que Tang suddenly burst into a short laugh. "I don't understand the affairs of you martial arts people. But in all that killing, who is truly more noble than the other? Does 'righteous' or 'evil' even matter? I told you before—just don't return my kindness with enmity. As for what you do out there, it has nothing to do with me. My only wish in this life is to look after my own little plot of land and grow old in peace."
Shuo Yue’s smile froze on her face, her emotions caught in a state of flux.
"Meow, female lead's favorability increased by ten. Current favorability: fifty." After a long pause, Little Mushroom’s notification finally chimed.
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
炕 (kàng) | Kang | A traditional long platform for sleeping and living, heated from below.
大还丹 (dàhuándān) | Great Restoration Pill | A legendary pill in wuxia that restores health or boosts internal power.
天山雪莲 (tiānshān xuělián) | Tianshan Snow Lotus | A rare medicinal herb often found in wuxia stories.
墨无非 (Mò Wúfēi) | Mo Wufei | The name of the male lead/antagonist.
离方镇 (Lífāng Zhèn) | Lifang Town | The name of a nearby town.
狭关派 (Xiáguān Pài) | Xiaguan Sect | The name of Shuo Yue's sect.
一亩三分地 (yī mǔ sān fēn dì) | One's own little plot of land | An idiom referring to one's small, private world or personal business.
