A Man in the Snow: Starting with a Sword Challenge to the Northern Liang Prince's Palace

Ye Yun led his men for three days, reaching the edge of the desolate frontier. A river lay before them, narrow and gently flowing, with the vast world of Haoran on the other side. He stood by the river, not crossing. A Liang stood beside him, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, his left arm in a sling, his face pale but his spirits high. Old Zhou and the dozen or so sword cultivators sat by the river; some washed their faces, some drank water, and some lay on the ground with their eyes closed.

"Boss Ye, are you not crossing the river?" Ah Liang asked.

Ye Yun looked at the opposite bank and remained silent for a while. "Waiting for someone."

Ah Liang didn't ask who he was waiting for. He knew. He sat down against a tree, crossed his legs, closed his eyes, and soon began to snore. Ye Yun stood by the river, the Sword of Law hovering above his head, its white light illuminating a small patch of water. He took out the wine jug Ning Yao had given him from his robes; the jug was already half full. He uncorked it and took a sip. Sweet, sour, bitter. He raised the jug towards the direction of the Vast World, as if toasting someone.

I waited for a whole day and night.

The following evening, several dark dots appeared on the distant horizon. The dots grew larger and closer—a group of people approaching on swords. Leading them was Chen Ping'an, dressed in a blue robe, with the characters for "First Day" and "Fifteenth Day" hanging from his waist. He was travel-worn, his face weary, but his eyes were bright. Behind him was Ning Yao, dressed in snow-white, her right shoulder wound healed, her left hand gripping a sword, her long hair billowing in the wind. Behind them were Zuo You, dressed in blood-stained white, their faces stern, their swords hanging at their sides, the cracks still present but not widening. Four people, no more.

Chen Ping'an landed in front of Ye Yun, staggering as he landed on his sword, his knees buckling and nearly causing him to fall. He stopped, looked at Ye Yun, and sized him up. Ye Yun was covered in wounds, his clothes tattered, and his left arm was wrapped in strips of cloth soaked in blood, turning black. Four flying swords hovered at his sides, their light white, unlike the gold and purple of before. The Sword of Law hovered above his head, its blade patterned in alternating red and white, like two swimming fish.

Chen Ping'an looked into Ye Yun's eyes. Those eyes had changed; they weren't the same as before. Before, Ye Yun's eyes were like a dry well; if you threw a stone in, you wouldn't hear an echo for a long time. Now, that dry well had water in it; the water was clear and deep, you could see the bottom, but you couldn't see what was at the bottom.

"Boss Ye," Chen Ping'an said. His voice was a little hoarse, as if he had traveled a long way and hadn't had any water in a long time.

Ye Yun nodded. "Peace."

The two men stared at each other, neither speaking. Ah Liang stood up from under the tree, stretched, yawned, walked over to Chen Ping'an, and slapped him on the shoulder, making Chen Ping'an wince. "Kid, you're late. We're almost all dead by now."

Chen Ping'an looked at A Liang's left arm in a sling and at his many injuries, and remained silent for a while. "We encountered a patrol of demons on the way, which delayed us."

Ah Liang snorted but didn't pursue the matter. He turned to look at Ning Yao and the people around him. "Girl, you're here too?"

Ning Yao jumped down from her sword, walked over to A Liang, looked at his left arm, and frowned. "It's quite a wound." She took a porcelain bottle from her bosom and handed it to him. "Wound medicine, from the Confucian Temple, it works well." A Liang took it, uncorked it, smelled it, and grinned. "Something from the Confucian Temple, good stuff. Thanks, girl."

Ning Yao ignored him and walked up to Ye Yun. Ye Yun looked at her, and she looked back at Ye Yun. Ning Yao's eyes were a little red, but she didn't cry. She took something out of her bosom—a flask of wine, wrapped in cloth, with a red paper pasted on it bearing the words "longing." The handwriting was crooked and uneven; she had written it herself.

"Boss Ye, this is my own brewed 'Longing' wine. Please try it," Ning Yao said.

Ye Yun took the wine jug, uncorked it, and smelled it. The aroma was faint, with a fruity note, not as strong as Dong Bude's, nor as bitter as his. He took a sip. It was very sweet at first, almost cloyingly so, then came a sour taste that made him frown, and finally a faint bitterness, like someone sighing from afar. It tasted the same as the jug she had given him last time. The same sweetness, the same sourness, the same bitterness.

Ye Yun finished his drink, put down the wine pot, looked at Ning Yao, and his lips twitched slightly. "Delicious. Even better than my 'Longing'."

Ning Yao's eyes reddened even more, but she bit her lip, refusing to let the tears fall. "You're lying."

Ye Yun reached out and gently patted her head. "I wasn't lying to you."

Ning Yao's tears finally fell. She turned her head away, wiped her tears with her sleeve, and then turned back to look at Ye Yun. "Boss Ye, you've lost weight."

Ye Yun looked down at himself; he had indeed lost weight. His clothes hung loosely on his body, like a flour sack. "The food in the wilderness isn't good," he said. Ning Yao burst into laughter through her tears, then stopped laughing immediately.

He walked over to the left and right, standing beside Chen Ping'an. He glanced at Ye Yun, then at the Sword of Law above Ye Yun's head. The patterns on the sword made his pupils shrink. He recognized those patterns—one red, one white; the red represented obsession, the white represented letting go. Two completely different things coexisted on one sword.

"You've broken through?" Zuo You asked.

Ye Yun nodded. "The seventh floor."

There was a moment of silence between them. "The Lord of Reincarnation?"

Ye Yun shook his head. "Not the master of reincarnation. It's about letting go."

He looked at him from side to side for a long time. Then he drew his sword, held it horizontally in front of him with the tip pointing downwards, and performed a sword cultivator's salute to Ye Yun. Ye Yun also drew his sword of law and returned the same salute. The two stared at each other for a second, then sheathed their swords and stepped aside.

Chen Ping'an remained silent. He stood by the river, gazing at the desolate landscape on the opposite bank, then turned to look at Ye Yun. Only after everyone had finished speaking did he finally address the issue. "Boss Ye, what's the next step?"

Ye Yun walked to his side and stood beside him on the riverbank. The Sword of Law hung overhead, its white light illuminating a small patch of the river. The opposite bank was a desolate wasteland, hazy and indistinct. This side of the river was the Vast World; it was already dark, but lights shone on the distant horizon—the lights of a small town.

"I injured Zhou Mi," Ye Yun said. "I slashed his immortality law, and it will take at least several months to recover. This is our only chance."

Chen Ping'an nodded. "You want to take advantage of his illness and kill him?"

Ye Yun didn't answer. He stared at the darkness on the opposite bank, remaining silent for a long time. "Ping An, Pu She's soul was destroyed by him. Completely gone."

Chen Ping'an gripped the sword hilt tightly. He didn't speak, because he didn't know what to say. Condolences? That was too simplistic. I'll avenge you? That was too insincere. He said nothing, simply standing beside Ye Yun, watching the darkness on the opposite bank with him.

"I don't hate him anymore," Ye Yun suddenly said.

Chen Pingan turned to look at him.

Ye Yun's eyes were calm, as calm as a river. "I used to hate him, hate that he killed Pu She, hate that he destroyed her soul. I wanted to kill him, to tear him to pieces. But now I don't hate him anymore." He looked at Chen Ping'an, "Hating him is useless. Killing him isn't about hating him. It's about preventing more people from dying at his hands."

Chen Pingan looked into Ye Yun's eyes and saw that calmness. It wasn't numbness, nor was it giving up; it was something stronger than hatred. He remembered Qi Jingchun's words—"Some things always have to be done by someone." Not because of hatred, but because it was something that had to be done.

"Boss Ye, I'll go with you," Chen Ping'an said.

Ye Yun shook his head. "This is my own business."

Chen Pingan reached out and placed his hand on Ye Yun's shoulder. "Your business is my business. Don't forget, you still owe me money for drinks."

Ye Yun paused for a moment, then smiled. It was a faint smile, but her eyes shone. "Okay. Let's go together then."

Chen Ping'an smiled too. He extended his hand, and Ye Yun extended his hand as well; the two gave each other a high five. The sound was crisp and clear, echoing for a long time along the riverbank.

Ning Yao walked over and stood beside Chen Ping'an. Zuo You walked over and stood beside Ye Yun. A Liang walked over and stood in the middle. Old Zhou dragged his broken leg over, followed by the dozen or so sword cultivators. The group stood by the river, facing the direction of the wilderness.

"How do we fight?" Chen Ping'an asked.

Ye Yun squatted down and drew a simple diagram on the ground. He drew the layout of the palace, the weak points of the formation, the patrol routes, and the location of the altar in great detail, each stroke slow and deliberate. "Zhou Mi is injured now, and his immortality law is repairing, which will take time. These past few months have been his weakest period. But there are still powerful demons in the palace. Although most of the twelve beast gods are dead, there are still a few left. Adding the powerful individuals he has gathered over the years, there are at least several dozen powerful demons at the Immortal Realm or above."

Chen Ping'an frowned as he looked at the map on the ground. "We can't win a head-on fight."

Ye Yun nodded. "So we won't attack from the front. We'll attack from the side." He drew a line on the map with a twig. "Here, in the back mountain of the palace, there's a secret passage. I discovered it when I infiltrated last time; it leads directly to the altar. Zhou Mi doesn't know I discovered that passage."

Ah Liang crouched down, staring at the line. "A secret passage? Leading directly to the altar? Why didn't Zhou Mi leave anyone to guard it?"

Ye Yun shook his head. "There are no guards. The secret passage is sealed off by an array, and ordinary people can't get in. But my Sword of Law can cut through the array."

Chen Ping'an looked at the map and thought for a moment. "We'll split into three teams. One team will launch a feint attack from the front to draw Zhou Mi's attention. Another team will infiltrate through the secret passage and take Zhou Mi directly. The third team will provide support outside to prevent the demon race from pursuing us."

Ye Yun nodded. "I'll lead the team in through the secret passage."

Chen Ping'an shook his head. "You're injured. I'll lead the team in."

Ye Yun looked at him. "You can't withstand Zhou Mi."

Chen Ping'an opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but didn't say anything. He couldn't withstand it. Ye Yun possessed the Samsara Sword Domain and the Sword of Law, capable of cutting through the intricate laws, which Chen Ping'an lacked.

"Ye Yun and I will enter through the secret passage," A Liang said. "Ping An, you lead the men in a feint attack from the front. Zuo You and Ning Yao will provide support from outside."

Chen Ping'an thought for a moment and nodded. "Okay."

Ye Yun stood up, wiped the map off the ground, and dusted off his hands. He looked at the desolate landscape across the river; nothing was visible in the hazy light. But he knew that Zhou Mi was there, deep within the palace, healing his wounds, waiting for them.

"When will we make our move?" Chen Ping'an asked.

Ye Yun was silent for a moment. "Three days later. I need three days to recover."

Chen Ping'an nodded. "Okay. We'll cross the river together in three days."

Ye Yun turned and walked to a rock by the river. He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to regulate his breathing. The Sword of Law hung above his head, its white light illuminating half of his face. Four flying swords hovered beside him, their light steady, like four unfading stars.

Chen Ping'an stood by the river, looking at the darkness on the opposite bank. Ning Yao walked over to him and stood beside him.

"He'll be alright," Ning Yao said.

Chen Ping'an didn't speak. He took something out of his pocket—a fragment of a wooden plaque, the character "忘" (wàng, meaning "forget") from the "忘忧酒" (wàngyōujiǔ, meaning "Forget-Worry Tavern") plaque, missing half of it, leaving only the radical "亡" (wáng, meaning "death") and the character "心" (xīn, meaning "heart"). He clutched the fragment tightly in his hand.

"The Tavern of Forgetfulness," he said softly, "I'll help him nail it back after this battle is over."

Ning Yao looked at his profile without saying a word. The night wind blew by, causing the hems of their clothes to tangle together and then separate again.

In the distance, towards the desolate wilderness, gray mist billowed, accompanied by flashes of lightning and thunder. In three days, they would cross the river. They didn't know if they would ever return. But no one spoke of fear, no one spoke of retreat.

Ye Yun sat on a rock, eyes closed, the Sword of Law slowly rotating above his head. In the lake of his heart, the starry sky remained, the stars twinkling like piercing eyes. He gazed at those stars, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Park She, I'll come collect your debt in three days," he said softly. The stars twinkled, as if in response.