“Jian, put away the sword.” Suddenly, a voice sounded from behind, light yet imposing, with the sonance of a monarch commanding a subject.
Instantly, the energy around the man in snow-white robes dispersed; the murderous look in his eyes also dissipated. He proceeded to pull back his sword but Feng Xi was holding tightly to the tip of the blade. He furrowed his brows and strengthened his pull but the sword wouldn’t budge an inch.
The shade of blue in his eyes that had faded instantly darkened as he stared at Feng Xi as if wanting to fight but trying to be patient.
“Miss, how about letting go?” The voice sounded again, still light yet held a trace of command that’s hard to ignore. But rather than sounding disrespectful, it appeared as though it was inherent in his nature, that he was naturally born to dictate commands.
“And if I don’t?” Feng Xi questioned mildly, without turning around.
“Big Sister?” Han Piao pulled at her sleeves.
“What would it take for Miss to let go?” Again, the voice from behind sounded with patience and a sliver of curiosity.
“Apologize,” Feng Xi enunciated, staring at the man in snow-white robes.
“Apologize?” The voice from behind repeated, seemingly finding her answer amusing.
“Your subordinate attacked my younger brother for no rhyme nor reason. If I had not arrived in time, my younger brother would’ve been killed under his sword.” Feng Xi still hadn’t turned around. Her gaze was fixed on the man in white attires in front of her as the languid look in her eyes turned solemn. “Perhaps in your eyes, a mere human life is worthless, but in mine, my younger brother is more precious than any treasure in the world.”
“Oh?” The man behind glanced at Han Piao and said, “But you honorable little brother hasn’t gotten hurt.”
“Oh?” Feng Xi’s eyes narrowed slightly. “So because he’s not injured, nor did he lose his life, that fact that he was frightened could only be blamed on his bad luck or incompetence?” She tilted her head, her lips stretched into a radiant smile. “In that case, I’ve killed many people before but I’ve never killed innocent people. It seems now I must give it a try!”
Before he could recover from the mesmerizing sight of her dazzling smile, the man in white suddenly felt his wrist ache with pain, then his fingers became numb and his sword fell out of his grasp.
“You too!” Feng Xi handily grabbed the sword and turned around. With the wave of her wrist, the sword pierced through the air and stabbed at the man that had been standing behind her.
“Gongzi! Be careful!” the man in white exclaimed.
With a brilliant gleam, the sword moved swiftly, reaching the man’s neck in an instant.
But the man was no ordinary man either. He quickly shifted his body to the left and avoided the attack. However, without waiting for the man to even take a breath, the sword had already changed directions and was piercing straight at his eyes.
“Yi?” The man exclaimed in slight surprise. Unexpectedly, the opponent’s attack was so fast that he could not avoid it. He flipped his wrist and a flash of blue shot out from his sleeves to block the attack. The tip of the sword was less than half an inch away from his eyes.
“Gongzi!” The man in the snow-white robes was frightened and riddled with worry but he did not dare to make a move without his master’s order.
“Not bad,” Feng Xi lightly praised. At the same time, her wrist shook as she pressed the tip of the sword against the blue curved blade of his dagger that was no more than a foot long. From its shape, it looked like a blue crescent moon shining in a night sky.
The man saw Feng Xi attack again and immediately he gathered strength into his arm. Ding! The two swords collided with a crisp ring and the both of them could feel a numbing jolt spreading through their hands.
“Good martial arts!” This time it was the man’s turn to praise but before his words fell, his blade drew an arc in the air, flashing with a light blue gleam as it sliced towards her neck.
Upon seeing this, Feng Xi’s whole body shuddered and she maneuvered the sword in her hand, wielding it with speed to block his attack. The sounds of swords clashing continued to resonate. Ding, ding, ding…
The two stood close in attack and very quickly, they had already exchanged over a dozen moves, but neither was able to break through the opponent’s defences.
“Next move,” Feng Xi remarked as her right wrist turned and the long sword swept back to attack the man. However, her sword had clashed with his dagger. She attacked again, this time aiming at his chest while her left hand flung her sleeve into the air like white cloud, flying towards the man’s face but before it arrived, a strong force had pierced through her sleeve, grazing against her skin painfully.
Though the man was astonished by her impressive skills, he was calm and collected, moving quickly with ease as he lifted his right hand to block the sword stabbing at his chest and brandished his left palm with eighty-percent of his strength to slice at Feng Xi’s sleeve.
“He he(laughing) ……next move!” Seeing her attack was about to be intercepted, Feng Xi suddenly laughed and lifted her left wrist. Her sleeve slipped away from the man’s slicing palm which met empty air. He was about to change his attack when in the blink of an eye, her long sleeve flew out again, as fast as lightning, and wrapped around the man’s left palm. If her attack was successful, he would surely lose a hand!
The man’s martial arts was also impressive. Facing danger, he was still as calm as ever, not revealing an ounce of panic. The moment his left hand was wrapped in her long sleeve, his palm attack transformed to a claw as his five fingers gripped the sleeve. In the next instant, only a ‘si’ was heard, ringing in the air as they backed away from one another and a piece of her white sleeve fluttered down between them.
“Big sister!” Han Piao saw the two separated and rushed over to Feng Xi.
“Gongzi!!” The man in snow-white robes hurried to the man’s side. He glared at Feng Xi, his expression a mixture of shame and anger. Shamed that he, a proud swordsman, had lost his sword to this woman. Angered that this country bumpkin-looking woman had the cheek to attack his young master!
“Big sister, you’re not hurt are you?” Han Piao anxiously asked as he looked at Feng Xi.
“I’m alright, no worries.” Feng Xi looked down at Han Piao with a reassuring smile. She raised her left hand and saw that her left sleeve had been torn, revealing a snow-white arm, porcelain as white jade. However her hand was a different story, it was dirty, covered in black ashes. “Well, a piece of my sleeve has been torn! It’s been years since I’ve met such an opponent!”
“Gongzi, are you alright?” The man in white also anxiously asked his master. If gongzi was to get hurt under his watch, if that was the case…..following that train of thought, he couldn’t help but shudder as a chill ran down his back and he clenched his fists tightly.
“Jian, no need to blame yourself.” The man shook his head and raised his left hand. On the back of his hand was a shallow wound which drew blood about 3 inches long. “This young lady’s martial skills is peerless in the Jianghu, even I can’t be certain I can defeat her.”
Hearing this, Feng Xi looked up at him. But as soon as her eyes landed on him, she was momentarily stunned.
It turns out this gongzi was handsome and young, probably around 25-26 years old. He was tall, dressed in light purple brocade robes, his long black hair tied behind his head with a purple brocade band. His face was like a masterpiece carefully carved from the finest jade selected by the heavens. His eyes glowed with the rare shade of golden-brown. He stood there with a kind of grace and loftiness, like a monarch overlooking his realm and the thousands of people beneath his feet.
“Hm, it’s the first time I’ve seen someone who can rival that black fox’s aura and appearance,” she couldn’t help muttering to herself as she looked at the man in purple robes.
“Big sister, what did you say?” Han Piao asked. Feng Xi had muttered beneath her breath and he wasn’t able to catch what she had said.
“I said….. how long will it take for you to grow up?” Feng Xi looked down at Han Piao as she thought, Hmm, to have a handsome young brother would be great, by that time he would be like that black fox, having young maidens voluntarily offering food and clothing everywhere he went. By that time, they would not have to ever worry about the next meal for the rest of their lives.
“Miss’ martial arts is impressive. It’s quite rare to come by someone so skilled. May I ask for your name?” The man in purple robes carefully observed Feng Xi. The clothes of the woman in front of him were covered in dirt and ashes, making the original color hard to distinguish. Her face was also a mix of white and black. On her forehead she seemed to be wearing some sort of jewelry but it could not be seen clearly. At first glance, she was nothing special, but she had a pair of extremely bright eyes. In this wilderness, her eyes were like the stars, shining brightly and clearly, making one can’t help but take a second look. Upon glancing at her again, he found that she had a rare free spirit to her, this dirty woman, like an uninhibited breeze gusting through life without end.
“Humph! Can my big sister’s name be told so casually to other people? ” Han Piao snorted and raised his chin haughtily. “At least you must apologize to me first.”
“Oh?” The man in purple glanced at Han Piao lightly.
The eyes of the man in purple made Han Piao’s heart shiver and his temper wanned, “You…..you frightened me for no reason, of course you have to apologize to me.”
“Oh.” The man in purple raised a brow. “May I ask for little brother’s name?”
As soon as Han Piao was asked for his name, he immediately introduced himself. “My name is Han Piao. Although my martial arts are only average, I will definitely become a great hero in the future, surpassing both Bai Feng and Hei Xi!” he proudly stated, completely forgetting how he had been hiding like a tortoise just moments ago.
“Ha ha ha!” The purple-robed man couldn’t help but look up and laugh heartily. Even when he laughed, he exuded an imposing presence, like that of a roaring lion, making it hard for people to meet his gaze.
Frowning, the man in snow-white robes glanced at Han Piao. The look in his eyes clearly showed that he didn’t believe this kid had the ability.
Provoked by the laughter of the purple-robed man and the look of the white-robed man, Han Piao clenched his fists tightly and shouted, “You….what are you laughing at? You don’t believe me, do you? Humph, you should know my big sister is precisely… ” But before he could finish his sentence, he was slapped on the head and the rest of his words were swallowed back down.
“It’s not enough for you to lose face so you want to make me lose mine too?” Feng Xi patted Han Piao on the back of the neck and glanced sideways at the man in purple. Indifferently, she said, “You should know the saying, the second wave shall take over the first. In this world, there are always new people to replace the old. Who knows, maybe one day, his martial arts reputation will surpass these people. You don’t need to laugh so hard at him. “
“Miss Han, I’m not laughing at his wild words, but rather appreciating them. For one so young, he sure has great ambition. In the future, he’ll surely achieve greatness.” The man in purple stopped laughing but his voice was still imperious as he looked at Han Piao and said, “It’s just that people like Bai Feng and Hei Xi have long-standing reputations. To surpass them is not something that can be easily done with mere words.”
“My big sister isn’t…. ouch!” Seeing that the man mistakenly called Feng Xi ‘Miss Han’, Han Piao wanted to correct him but suddenly received another slap on his head and swallowed back the second half of his sentence
“Is that so? Just wait and see, Bai Feng and Hei Xi, no matter how strong they are, they can’t withstand the passage of time. One day, they’ll grow old and pass away. In the jianghu, there are plenty of people to replace them,” Feng Xi calmly said and threw the long sword in front of the man in white. Then she took Han Piao by the hand and said,”Piao’er, since your fists are not as strong as theirs, let’s get going.”
“Wait,” The man in white suddenly called out to them.
“What? Are you wanting to have another fight? Although it may be difficult to defeat your family’s gongzi, it’s not difficult to defeat you, ” Feng Xi casually said as she glanced back at him.
“Sorry,” The man in white suddenly apologized.
“Eh!” Feng Xi uttered in surprise. She thought this proud snowman would rather die than bow his head and admit his mistakes. Who would suspect he would suddenly apologize?
“I, Xiao Jian, never kill innocent people indiscriminately,” the snowman coldly remarked but did not care to explain his reasons for attacking them in the first place.
“Oh?” When Feng Xi heard this, she couldn’t help but turn around and look at him carefully. For a moment, she smiled brilliantly and said, “Xiao Jian? I see.”
The man in white, Xiao Jian, was bewildered by her smile. It’s clear that her face was dirty, smeared with ashes. To not say that she’s ugly was already gracious but though her face was dirty, her smile was still radiant, making one can’t help but gaze at her. At the thought of this, he recollected how he had lost his sword because he was distracted by her smile. Consequently, looking at this smile, he grew slightly annoyed.
The man in purple suddenly asked, “Why is Miss and little brother here in the mountain wilderness?”
Feng Xi turned her head to meet his scrutinizing eyes. Her lips curled mockingly as she remarked, “It seems it’s people like gongzi who ought not to be here in such mountain wilderness.”
The man in purple’s golden-brown eyes remained fixed on Feng Xi as if wanting to see through her. “Miss is the second person so far I’m not sure if I could defeat. Why haven’t I heard of you in the Jianghu before?” he asked.
“Second person?” Hearing this, Feng Xi looked away, her eyes creased like crescent moons as she asked, “Then who’s the first? Is there a third? A fourth?”
“The first is Yu Wu Yuan… as for the third, the fourth, they may or may not exist,” the purple-robed man solemnly replied, but his eyes revealed a trace of arrogance as if the rest of the world could not enter his eyes.
“Yu Wu Yuan?” The aloof look in Feng Xi’s eyes suddenly disappeared along with the ridiculing expression. Her eyes lit up with joy as she asked, “You mean the number one gongzi in the realm, Yu Wu Yuan? To be named alongside him as someone you can’t defeat, it’s truly a great honor! Great honor!”
When the man in purple saw that she was full of praises for Yu Wu Yuan, he couldn’t help but ask doubtfully, “Are you acquainted with Yu gongzi as well?”
“Alone, Yu faces wind and rain amongst the numerous mountains, all under heaven holds Wu Yuan in high regards(Supposed to sound poetic here). Yu Wu Yuan- Yu gongzi, who doesn’t want to become acquainted with him? It’s a pity that I’ve long heard of him but never had the fate to meet him,” Feng Xi lamented with a sigh. She looked up at the shining sun in the skies and wondered if that renowned man was as brilliant as they say. “In this world, the only person I really want to meet most is Yu gongzi.”
“Oh?” An intriguing smile surfaced on the purple-robed man’s lips. “In the whole world, only Yu gongzi can enter Miss’ eyes?”
“Ha ha …” Feng Xi suddenly laughed. Turning around, she glanced at him and teasingly asked, “You’re not upset I didn’t put you in my eye are you?”
“Miss is too egotistic,” the man in purple responded, no longer smiling. His expression grew cold and indifferent, giving rise to a frosty chill in these deep mountains as if it was late autumn.
“Gongzi is too arrogant. Don’t mention yourself, even if the realm’s 4 great gonzi, Lan Xi gongzi, Feng Xi gongzi, even…” Feng Xi spoke fearlessly, glancing at the man in purple, her eyes were sharp as a blade, “even the prince of Huang Kingdom, Huang Chao gongzi, I won’t put in my eye.”
When Feng Xi spoke these words, she did not look like the usual lazy and smiling Bai Feng Xi. At this moment, an air of arrogance surrounded her as if she did not put the world in her eyes. She stood there, upright and calm, facing the man in purple without a slip of weakness.
“Eh?” The purple-robbed gongzi was stunned by her words. After a moment, he suddenly burst out laughing, “Ha ha ha ha ..”
His unrestrained laughter was full of glee, echoing throughout the mountains.
“Arrogant! Rude!” Xiao Jian coldly spat upon hearing Feng Xi’s words. He then reached for his sword.
“Good! Good! Very well!” the purple-robed man stopped laughing and praised. The glimmer of mirth in his eyes did not fade as he said, “I have never heard such words since I was born! You, Miss, are the first! Only you would dare say such things!”
“Prince Huang stands so high and mighty, naturally it would be hard for you to hear such wild talks,” Feng Xi said.
“Miss, why are you so certain I’m Huang Chao?” the purple-robed gongzi asked, surprised that his identity had been discovered.
“I’m not egotistic. I’ve been wandering in the Jianghu for many years, there aren’t many people who can fight me.” Feng Xi picked up the ripped sleeve off the ground and spread it out in her hand. With a trace of regret on her face she said, “Counting back and forth, there won’t be more than 5 people. With Prince Huang’s imposing bearing, it’s not difficult for me to recognize.”
“Besides, how many people in the world can have such a subordinate?” Feng Xi said as she gently tossed the ripped sleeve in the air, letting it flutter away in the wind. She looked back at Xiao Jian and asked, “Moreover, in the world, how many skilled swordsmen have the name Jian? Am I right, Sweeping Snow General of Huang Kingdom?”
t/n
Jianghu: martial arts world
gongzi: man of noble birth
When Feng Xi stated that she did not have the fate to meet Yu Wu Yuan, there might have been a play on words because Wu Yuan means “no fate.”
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