knife

Chapter 688 Reinforcements
"Grandma, there's not enough snow in the yard!"

The little girl called out in her childish voice. In front of her, a snowman was almost finished, except for a small piece missing from its head. It was almost complete.

Leaning against a pillar, Duanmu Miaomiao smiled and beckoned. The snow on a bamboo grove dozens of steps away from the courtyard flew up, drifting like a white ribbon, reaching the girl and falling to the ground.

The little girl clapped her hands and laughed, "Grandma, Grandma, I want to learn! Once I learn, I won't need your help to carry snow anymore!"

"You're already learning!" Duanmu Miaomiao said with a smile. "But our Xiuer is still young. When you grow up a bit more, you can be like your great-aunt! However, learning these things requires hard work, you know. Can Xiuer endure hardship?"

“Of course Xiu’er can endure hardship!” the little girl said earnestly. “But now Xiu’er wants to finish building this snowman first. Grandma said that you must finish what you start and never give up halfway!”

"Alright, Xiuer, go build the prettiest snowman!" Duanmu Miaomiao smiled and walked back to the corridor, looking at Princess Chang Le who was sitting to the side weaving a silk ribbon.

Outside, snow was falling heavily, and most of Changchun Valley was covered in white snow. However, there were still a few places that were as warm as spring. This was because there were several underground hot springs in Changchun Valley. These places were originally turned into medicinal gardens by Fu Qingzhu to cultivate some precious medicinal herbs.

This place was specially renovated because Princess Chang Le decided to live in Changchun Valley for a long time.

Two residences were built for Princess Chang Le in Changchun Valley. One is here, which is warm as spring even in the dead of winter, while the other is the opposite, extremely cool in the sweltering heat of summer.

In the entire area outside the Great Wall, Changchun Valley is perhaps the only place that can have two completely opposite climates in one region.

"The Phoenix Flame was passed down to you by He Qingqiu. Although He Qingqiu is gone, his son is still alive. You passed the Phoenix Flame to Xiuer without consulting Li Dachui. Is that appropriate?"

Duanmu Miaomiao glanced at Xiuer, who was intently carving braids for the snowman, and lowered her voice, saying, "Xiuer's parents died because of Li Dachui, so what's wrong with learning Phoenix Fire? Xiuer's rare pure Yin constitution makes her a good candidate to learn Phoenix Fire."

“I have no complaints about who wins or loses in a fair competition between the Tiele and Li Dachui!” Princess Chang Le put down the silk ribbon in her hand, remained silent for a while, and said, “This is the fate of the royal children. From the day I was married off to the Yuan Kingdom, I knew that this day would come sooner or later.”

"Tiele is so stubborn!" Duanmu Miaomiao sighed. "So what if he lost? If Li Dachui had lost, that shameless guy would never have died; he would have gone off to live a carefree life!"

“Their environments were different from childhood, so their personalities were naturally different!” Princess Chang Le said, “Li Dachui was abandoned by Zhou Zhi in the wilderness to struggle for survival. He put survival first in everything, and only then did he pursue other things. The Tiele people grew up in luxury, but they received a different kind of education: if they did not succeed, they would die trying. Once they failed, they would never compromise their principles.”

"Poor Xiu!" Duanmu Miaomiao looked at Xiu, who was skipping around and putting two sapphires into the snowman's head as eyes. "If Li Dachui dares to say another word, I'll smash his brains out!"

"I'm afraid you can't beat him now!" Princess Chang Le laughed. "Didn't Fu Qingzhu talk about Li Dachui when he came over a while ago? Is that Qiankun Qi really that miraculous?"

“In hundreds of years, Li Dachui is only the second person to master the Qi of Heaven and Earth!” Duanmu Miaomiao said, “I don’t know just how miraculous it is, but the Phoenix Fire, which is only separated from it, can dominate the world and become one of the supreme martial arts that is no less than our Blood Jade Skill. But for us, these things don’t matter anymore. The Blood Jade Skill will end with me, and no one will ever understand this martial art again!”

"Your family's Blood Jade Technique, though incredibly powerful and allowing for rapid progress in cultivation, is indeed too evil and easily incurs public wrath. It's better that it's gone!" Princess Chang Le nodded and said, "The scenery in Changchun Valley is quite nice; it would be quite good for the two of us sisters to retire here. It would be even better if we could find a good husband for Xiu'er when she grows up!"

"Xiuer has grown up. Can you decide her marriage?" Duanmu Miaomiao said, "Judging from this situation, Li Dachui's chances of winning the world are getting higher and higher. Now he has even taken in Jiang Qian, the Empress Dowager of Southern Chu. His momentum is almost unstoppable."

"That's why I'm staying in Changchun Valley instead of going to Tai'an City or Baoping City!" Princess Chang Le said calmly. "Xiu'er's future marriage will either be decided by herself or by me. I will absolutely not let Li Dachui decide for her. I won't let Xiu'er have any further entanglements with the royal family. It's best if she lives a peaceful and uneventful life." Duanmu Miaomiao pondered for a moment and said, "That's good too. Fu Qingzhu is here in Changchun Valley to speak on our behalf! Hmm, just as I was talking about him, he arrived!"

Duanmu Miaomiao got up, walked to the courtyard gate, opened the gate, and saw Fu Qingzhu holding a paper umbrella, walking through the snow.

"Grandpa Fu, do you think the snowman I built is pretty?" When she saw Fu Qingzhu, Xiu'er ran over with a smile, took Fu Qingzhu's hand, looked up at him expectantly, and kept smacking her lips, which made the adults laugh.

Fu Qingzhu reached into his robes, pulled out a few pieces of dried fruit, and handed them to Xiu'er. Xiu'er happily accepted them, not even glancing at Princess Chang Le, and ran off on her short legs.

"She's afraid I won't let her eat it! Brother Fu, you can't spoil Xiu'er, she's teething, too much sweets aren't good for her!"

"This isn't exactly a dessert; it's actually a medicinal herb, and eating some is good for your health!" Fu Qingzhu said with a smile.

"Old Fu, you never come here without a reason. Tell me, what brings you here today?" Duanmu Miaomiao asked Fu Qingzhu.

“I’ve come today because I really have something to discuss, and it’s related to you!” Fu Qingzhu said.

"Is it related to me?"

"Li Dachui has sent a letter!" Fu Qingzhu said. "It was delivered by the Divine Eagle. He wants to invite you to Yangguan!"

"That brat dares to order me around?" Duanmu Miaomiao snorted coldly, "I'm not going!"

“Duanmu, Li Dachui has obtained accurate intelligence. There is a person in the Guanlong Li family named Li Zhengtai who practices your Duanmu family’s Blood Jade Technique. Moreover, it’s not just a fragment, but the complete inheritance!” Fu Qingzhu said, “I’ve heard you say that you don’t even have the complete inheritance anymore. If you hadn’t met He Qingqiu, you would have been killed by the backlash of the Blood Jade Technique long ago.”

Grabbing Fu Qingzhu's arm, Duanmu Miaomiao's eyes widened: "Is what you said true?"

"How could I lie about this?" Fu Qingzhu said, "So Li Dachui hopes you can go to Yangguan to help capture this Li Zhengtai. The Blood Jade Skill is a family heirloom of your Duanmu family. Whether to keep it or destroy it in the future, Li Dachui hopes you can make the decision yourself!"

Duanmu Miaomiao suddenly turned to look at Princess Chang Le.

"Go, go, this is important!" Princess Chang Le said, "I have Brother Fu to keep me company in Changchun Valley, and so many disciples to talk to and keep me entertained!"

"I'll be back as soon as possible!" After saying this, Duanmu Miaomiao had vanished from their sight, leaving only her voice lingering in their ears.

"He really is an impatient person!" Fu Qingzhu shook his head and smiled wryly.

(End of this chapter)