Chapter 35 - The Storm Approaches

"Damn it," Xue Qiming cursed as he stared blankly at the wanted notice plastered in front of him. "All he had to do was find and kill a single person. How did it turn into such a huge mess... It's bad enough that the Ghostbane Association was looking for him. Now the Imperial Court is getting involved too?"

Xue Qiming patted the head of the little girl beside him. She was gnawing on a baked bun and looked up quizzically at him.

"It's time to go, Xue Niang." Xue Qiming seemed to be talking to the little girl, but it also seemed like he was talking to himself.

"Where to?" The little girl wrapped the remaining morsel in oil paper and stored it in her clothes.

"Let me think... Let's keep going north." Xue Qiming rubbed his chin. "Let's find a place where the government can't find us... We don't wanna get dragged into Mute Ye's mess."

The little girl nodded, reaching out to hold Xue Qiming's large hand.

Two months ago, by a street in Fengxiang Prefecture.

"Wanna learn martial arts?" Xue Qiming asked as he and the little girl sat on the side of the road.

"Mm-hmm." The little girl nodded distractedly, she seemed to be focused on a piece of tanghulu glinting in the sunlight. The row of candied hawthorn berries on a stick was held by a wealthy boy who had attendants following behind him.

Xue Qiming traced the little girl's gaze and asked, "Hungry?"

The little girl again nodded distractedly.

"Wait a sec!" Pushing off his knees, Xue Qiming stood up and bounded after the boy and his attendants.

The boy shivered, unsure if a passing cloud had suddenly cut off the warm sunlight. When he looked up, he saw a mountain-like man towering over him.

"Does that"—the man pointed at the tanghulu in the young master's hand—"taste good?"

"Huh?" The boy looked back at his tanghulu and nodded blankly.

"Mm..." The enormous man suddenly snatched it and shouted, "It's mine!"

The man ran off, tanghulu in hand. The wealthy boy and his attendants stared dumbly as the figure disappeared around the corner.

"Here, tanghulu." Xue Qiming squatted down and offered the stick candied hawthorn to the little girl. "So... Do you wanna learn martial arts?"

"Mmhm..." The little girl chewed on a sugar coated hawthorn berry and nodded.

"Mm..." Xue Qiming rubbed his hands. "Before you can start learning martial arts, you need an imposing name. When you enter the

jianghu

, you can proudly tell others your name, like Blood Butcher So-and-So, Brutal Tyrant So-and-So, or Leave-No-Trace So-and-So..."

"Those are terrible..." The little girl gave a sidelong glance while she continued chewing.

Xue Qiming felt like he was being looked down upon.

"Since you're learning martial arts from me and will be my disciple, you should take my surname." Xue Qiming stroked his chin. "What do you think would be a good name?"

"...Whatever." The little girl didn't bother looking at him this time.

"World-Submerging Snow! This one's good!" Xue Qiming confidently praised his naming skills.

The little girl shook her head.

"Plum-Seeking Snow?"

The little girl shook her head.

"Dragon Goddess of Snow?"

An old beggar sitting next to Xue Qiming gave him a disdainful glance, then moved away, covering his tattered bowl as he went.

Xue Qiming awkwardly scratched his nose.

The little girl finished her snack. "Just call me Xue Niang," she decided.

"Uh...? Okay, okay." Xue Qiming nodded. "Xue Niang is also pretty good."

***

"It's been two months. When are you going to start teaching me martial arts?" Xue Niang asked, holding Xue Qiming's hand as they walked.

Xue Qiming grinned. "Hey, just do whatever I say, and you'll be a martial artist before you know it."

Xue Niang pursed her lips, looking doubtful, and asked, "Then when can I graduate from being your disciple?"

"Graduate?" Xue Qiming laughed and patted the gourd that was hanging on his waist. "When you can fetch me wine on your own with this, you're ready to graduate."

Xue Niang eyed the unremarkable grayish gourd. It hung from iron chains as thick as a finger looped several times around Xue Qiming's waist.

Xue Qiming took the gourd from his waist and pulled Xue Niang behind him. Signalling her to watch carefully, he held the gourd out in front of him and let go.

Boom!

Xue Niang trembled in shock. When the gourd landed, even the ground beneath her feet shook. She knew that Xue Qiming always kept that gourd by his side, but she didn't expect it to be so heavy.

Xue Qiming casually picked up the gourd and hung it back on the chains around waist. Xue Niang saw a round pit as big as the bottom of the gourd where it had fallen, surrounded by a spiderweb of cracks.

"Hey," Xue Qiming chuckled as he looked down and ruffled Xue Niang's hair. "Thinking of graduating already? You're still too far off..."

Xue Niang restrained herself from retorting and focused on following him.

After a bit, Xue Niang suddenly said, "About that..."

"Mm?" Xue Qiming looked down at her.

"Mmm, that one you called Mute..." Xue Niang looked up and met Xue Qiming's gaze. "Will he die?"

The sun was setting, painting the sky a fiery red hue.

"Ah, as for him." Xue Qiming looked toward the fiery clouds on the horizon. "Maybe... haha, who knows..."

Xue Qiming knew that if it were just the Ghostbane Association involved in this matter, it would be manageable. But now that the imperial court had intervened, everything was in the air.

There were many formidable martial artists in the court... but it should still be possible to escape,

Xue Qiming thought.

Xue Qiming shook his head, clearing his mind of distractions, and asked, "Have you been to Northern Qiang?"

"Mm...?" Xue Niang looked at Xue Qiming in confusion. "That country of barbarians to our north?"

"Ha, that's the one." Xue Qiming smiled.

"I have never gone there... Is that where we are going?"

"Mm... Let's go have a look."

The sky darkened, but countless lanterns worked together to gradually light up the city. The aroma of food filled the whole city on this tranquil night.

***

Jiading, outside a government building.

Zhao Feihu clenched a wanted notice tightly in his fist, pacing back and forth outside the gates of government building, wavering due to his ambition warring with his loyalty.

After a long time, he seemed to have made a decision. Gritting his teeth, he knocked on the gates.

At the same time, a fast horse burst out of the Luzhou city gate and galloped towards Jiading.

Chi Nanwei sat on the bed in the unfamiliar room, holding a Tang Blade across her knees. Her jade-like fingers gripped the back of the blade tightly, knuckles turning white.

Fang Dingwu had been in a bad mood ever since he saw a wanted notice while out on the street earlier. Although the sketch of the person in the notice didn't look familiar, he had a suspicion that the notice might be referring to Brother Ye.

He had a bad premonition.

Master Wu finished dinner and practiced his spear techniques in the courtyard as per usual.

Boom!

A deep rumble came from the distant sky, with dark clouds rolling as if a giant dragon was stirring within them.

Master Wu wiped his sweat with a damp towel and looked up at the sky, his gaze deep.

"The storm approaches..."