“He’s gone now,” Huo Zhan Bai gently patted her back in consolation. “Enough, don’t think about it anymore… He’s chosen his own path. There’s nothing you can do for him.”
Yes, Tong had chosen to return to the Kunlun Grand Palace of Light, to continue being the assassin of the Asura Field, continuing his fight in the blood-soaked winds of the Jianghu, rather than staying in this secluded snow valley and attempting to reconnect with his past.
Xue Zi Ye gradually quieted, staring out into the night.
Yes, Tong had left. And her brother Ming Jie had never returned—the Ming Jie of twelve years ago had disappeared after that great catastrophe. It wasn’t the three golden needles sealing his mind that made him vanish, but the years of endless killing that had slowly destroyed his humanity.
Xue Huai died in an instant, still able to smile; but Ming Jie had been slowly dying for over ten years.
Though she was renowned as a skilled physician, she had helplessly witnessed the deaths of those closest to her, time and time again.
* * *
That night, the snow was falling heavily, with winds blowing from north of Mohe, swirling and howling above the Apothecary Valley.
The valley, with its distinct four seasons, was tranquil. Inside the pharmacy, the medicine being prepared for Huo Zhan Bai was almost complete, and the young girls had all fallen asleep amidst the fragrant aroma of herbs. No one knew that their valley master had once again gone alone to the lake, speaking to the person beneath the ice for half the night.
But this time, Huo Zhan Bai stood silently by her side, holding an umbrella to shield her from the wind and snow.
Meanwhile, someone was hurrying westward toward Kunlun through the storm.
He stood with her until late into the night, seeing for the first time the vulnerability of this usually strong woman—a fragility hidden even when she was drunk. Her thin shoulders began to tremble in the wind. Without saying a word, he bent down, adjusted the angle of the umbrella in his hands, and shielded her from the fierce snow gusts.
For eight years, it had always been her by his side, waiting for him at the end of every blood-soaked path, saving him. So, for this one night, he would stay by her side.
As the sky began to lighten, her complexion had worsened. He finally couldn’t bear it any longer and reached out to pull her up.
Xue Zi Ye angrily pushed his arm away, but the cold of the night had made her body stiff, causing her to lose balance and fall heavily. The ice beneath her cracked with a loud snap, like a giant black maw ready to swallow her whole.
At that moment, fear from years past surged within her, and she screamed, closing her eyes.
“Careful!” A hand suddenly reached out, catching her around the waist and lifting her up, landing steadily on the shore. The other hand still held the umbrella, shielding her as he whispered, “Let’s go back. It’s too cold. The sun is about to rise.”
She trembled slightly in his arms, cold and terrified: she hadn’t fallen in this time… This time, she hadn’t fallen in!
The hand that had pulled her away from the icy abyss was real, and the embrace was warm and solid.
Huo Zhan Bai didn’t set her down but walked straight toward the Summer Garden. She tried to push him away a few times but, unable to break free, eventually gave in and remained silent. Along the way, only the soft sound of snowflakes falling on the umbrella could be heard. In the dim pre-dawn light, she turned her head and noticed that while he had been holding the umbrella for her, most of his body had been covered in thick layers of snow.
She reached out and gently brushed the snow from his shoulders, feeling a warmth in her heart that she hadn’t felt in a long time.
For years, they had cared for and relied on each other, seeking comfort in one another’s presence during times of loneliness and pain. Such a companionship could be enough to last a lifetime, couldn’t it?
“Mo'er’s medicine will be ready tomorrow, right?” he asked.
In that moment, she suddenly felt as if she had woken from a long dream. She paused, then nodded.
“Thank you,” he said, looking down at her with a smile. “When Mo'er gets better, I’ll invite you to Lin’an. He should meet the one who saved his life.”
“Heh, there’s no need,” she chuckled softly. “I’m not the one who saved him. It was you and… his mother.”
She hesitated as she spoke, avoiding mentioning Qiu Shui Yin’s name.
“Besides,” she said, looking up at the sky—they had arrived at the Summer Garden, where hot springs bubbled up from the ground, melting the snow before it could touch the earth. The air was thick with mist, almost like rain. “When I was fourteen, I suffered a severe cold that penetrated deep into my lungs. My master said I would never be able to leave this valley for the rest of my life. The cold outside the valley is something I can’t endure.”
She smiled as she looked at the man who had invited her. “If I even tried to cross that snowy plain, I would die from the cold before reaching the other side.”
Huo Zhan Bai was stunned and remained silent for a long time.
In the depths of the night, the Summer Garden showed no trace of snow, but countless lights danced among the trees like a dream. They were nightglow butterflies, startled from the waters, gracefully fluttering, showing off the most beautiful moments of their brief lives.
“Actually, I don’t want to go to Jiangnan,” Xue Zi Ye said, staring north as if in a dream. “I want to go beyond Mohe, to the far north... I heard from Xue Huai that there’s a sea of ice there, and the sky changes colors—seven of them, just like in a dream.”
A faint smile appeared on her lips as she murmured, “Xue Huai… he’s waiting for me under that sky.”
At the mention of that name, Huo Zhan Bai suddenly felt a surge of irritation and, without thinking, let go of her and dropped her to the ground, snapping, “How foolish! He’s long dead! Why don’t you wake up already? He died twelve years ago, and yet you’re still dreaming! If you don’t bury him, you’ll never wake up—”
He didn’t finish his sentence because he saw the woman in purple lift her hand, pointing coldly to the door.
“Leave,” she said quietly, her tone decisive and unyielding.
He looked at her for a moment, then turned to leave.
As he turned his head, she spoke softly, “How foolish… That woman never truly belonged to you. From the beginning, you were nothing more than an outsider! If you don’t let go of that obsession, you’ll never live your life fully.”
He stopped in his tracks and looked back at her. She stared back at him defiantly.
For a moment, they stood in silence, glaring at each other—then suddenly, both of them laughed.
"Is this your farewell message?" Huo Zhan Bai laughed and turned away. "We are both fools."
He quickly disappeared into the snowstorm. Xue Zi Ye stood silently for a long time amidst the fluttering nightglow butterflies in the Summer Garden, as if she had suddenly made a decision. She took the purple jade hairpin from her hair and gently clenched it.
“Huo Zhan Bai, I hope you find happiness.”
* * *
The next day, the snow cleared, and everything in the Apothecary Valley seemed to return to normal after Tong’s departure.
Everything was back on track, as if the intruder had never left any trace. The maids were no longer worried about disturbances in the middle of the night, Huo Zhan Bai no longer had to stay vigilant about Xue Zi Ye’s safety, and even the snow hawk no longer needed to patrol daily—it was now drunkenly hanging upside down, swaying on its perch.
“Hey, good morning!” Huo Zhan Bai was pleased to leave under such peaceful circumstances. So, when Xue Zi Ye emerged from the pharmacy and handed him a silk pouch, a smile naturally appeared on his face.
It was as if the conversation from last night had been nothing more than a dream.
“You should go now,” Xue Zi Ye said, noticing the genuine smile on his face. A sense of emptiness crept over her. “Lü-er, the horse?”
“Miss, it’s been ready for a while!” Lü-er smiled brightly, leading a horse from behind the flowers.
She passed the reins to Huo Zhan Bai and said, “Off you go.”
It was almost laughable. For a moment last night, when he stood beside her, holding the umbrella to shield her from the wind and snow, she had the illusion that she could rely on him. But in reality, he had always been someone else’s support.
For years, he had come here only to bear the burden of this task, enduring her unpredictable moods.
Now that it was over, it was time for him to leave.
“The medicine is in the pouch, keep it with you,” she reminded him once again, almost tapping his forehead as she did. “Remember, you must go through Yangzhou on your way back to Lin’an. When you reach Yangzhou, open the pouch. Only after opening it can you continue to Lin’an!”
“Got it.” Huo Zhan Bai nodded, well aware of her eccentric nature.
“If you open it too early or too late, it won’t work!” She gave him a mischievous smile that sent a chill down his spine. He quickly nodded. “Yes, yes! I’ll open it as soon as I reach Yangzhou!”
Huo Zhan Bai mounted the horse and tucked the pouch into his chest, feeling as though a heavy burden that had weighed on him for years had finally been lifted. Looking out at the clear sky, he felt as if it had never been so vast, the wind never so gentle. He couldn’t help but throw his head back and let out a long, joyful cry—his heart was filled with excitement to return home, like a poet drunk on inspiration:
"With a song and a drink by day, youth as a companion, returning home is sweet!
Crossing the Ba Gorge, through the Wu Gorge, then down to Xiangyang and on to Luoyang!"
“Lü-er, see him off,” Xue Zi Ye gave the order to her maid without further words.
“Yes!” Lü-er cheerfully took the reins of the horse, clearly glad to be sending off this “debtor.” Shuang Hong, however, sighed quietly, knowing that with his departure, the valley master’s smiles would grow even rarer.
The snow hawk circled around Xue Zi Ye, calling out in a reluctant farewell before landing on her shoulder. Huo Zhan Bai rode a few paces away, then suddenly reined in his horse and turned around, making a gesture as if drinking:
“Hey, remember to bury a jar of Laughing Dust of the World under the plum tree!”
Xue Zi Ye was momentarily taken aback.
“When I come back, we’ll drink together!” he called out with a hearty laugh, waving his hand. “I’ll definitely beat you!”
She only waved him off, saying nothing. She had done everything in her power to prepare a prescription that would prolong his life by three months—if he knew that, would he still be this happy? If the child ultimately didn’t survive, would he come back to seek revenge on her?
0 Comments