Excessive ferocity due to caution

at night.

Lanterns, curtains, and candles.

Su Qingyao stood by the window, gazing at the moonlit night outside, her brows furrowed.

Suddenly the candlelight flickered, and she turned her head to look at Zhao Yi, who was resting on the bed with his eyes closed, and couldn't help but say:

"Master... is that guy next door really my father?"

Zhao Yi replied:

"Genuine or genuine."

Su Qingyao shook her head:

"But he looks really stupid."

"Mediocrity in martial arts, recklessness in action..."

"Knowing full well that the King of Qi wanted to kill him, he didn't even bother to check him before eating and drinking. I really don't know how he's survived this long..."

Zhao opened his eyes and stared quietly at the wooden plank on the bed.

"If someone could easily figure it out, they wouldn't be a smart person."

"The King of Qi is plotting against your father, and your father... is also plotting against the King of Qi."

Su Qingyao's eyes widened upon hearing this.

"Is my father plotting against the King of Qi?"

Zhao Yi explained:

"In this game of chess, the King of Qi is playing the black pieces, and your father is playing the white pieces."

"The King of Qi wants to destroy a black piece to make room for another."

"And your father... wants to save that black spot."

"So, your father wasn't really fleeing from King Qi's pursuit, but rather... seeking death."

"To die at the right time, in the right way."

"Only your father can win this game."

Su Qingyao's mind was in a mess after Zhao Yi's words.

"My father has to die... only then can he win?"

Zhao Yidao:

"right."

"What we need to do is make your father lose this game."

"And... we can't let King Qi win."

Su Qingyao's eyes lit up slightly:

"Master, what should we do?"

Zhao Yi closed his eyes and did not answer Su Qingyao.

"We'll see."

...

next door.

Su Xingcan lay down fully clothed and carefully took out a sword manual from her clothes.

The petition reads: "The Thirteen Killers of Heaven!"

His gaze lingered on the sword manual, but his memories gradually drifted into the distance.

...

A dilapidated temple, a rainy night.

Strong liquor.

Their green robes were as high as mountains, and their white clothes were as white as snow.

The two men, thoroughly drunk, sat under the eaves, clutching wine jars, and watched the storm rage together.

Raindrops splashed and shattered among the wild grass, silently seeping into the mud and dust.

The river is behind the temple.

Spring tides bring rain.

But the ferry crossing was deserted.

"One side is kindness, the other resentment... What more could one ask for than to grow old and die?"

Fan Qingxue sighed deeply, the sharpness in her eyes dissipating.

It turned into a fog.

"These wines are alright... I'll also give you a sword manual as a bonus."

"In that case, all that's owed is that one cup of wine from Yangchunlou."

He took out a simple sword manual from his pocket and tossed it to Su Xingcan as if it were an ordinary object.

Su Xingcan took it, and, completely drunk, laughed:

"So many people in the world want this peerless sword manual, and you just give it to me like this?"

Fan Qingxue also gave a cold smile:

"But you never practice swordsmanship, so this sword manual is practically useless to you... like toilet paper."

Su Xingcan put away the sword manual.

"You created this yourself?"

"right."

"What's your name?"

"The Thirteen Kills of Heaven".

"What are the thirteen kills?"

"Spring breeze, willows, frozen river, iron horse..."

Fan Qingxue was slightly drunk, but she still read it out accurately.

"...A beauty that could topple cities, coming from the west, a celestial being."

"In the entire world, only Hongyu and I know the Thirteen Kills of the Heavenly Character."

"I taught her twelve sword techniques, but kept one for myself."

Su Xingcan let out a burp and said with dissatisfaction:

"Such exquisite swordsmanship, why not leave one strike untold?"

Fan Qingxue:

"Because the last sword strike... was too cold."

"Colder than you?"

Fan Qingxue did not answer, but only said:

"I'll return the favor with another cup of wine, then I'll send you to your death."

Su Xingcan smiled:

"King Qi...in the end, still cannot tolerate me."

"What a pity!"

"If he cannot tolerate me, he certainly cannot tolerate you either."

"If I walk slower on the road to the underworld... I might still be able to wait for you."

Fan Qingxue remained silent for a long time, watching the rain splashing in the mud puddle in front of her, and calmly said:

"It's alright."

"My life... originally belonged to him."

He stood up.

This time, his clothes, which were always as white as snow, were covered with mud and water.

Fan Qingxue swayed unsteadily, preparing to leave.

Su Xingcan suddenly grabbed his cold hand.

—The hand that holds the sword.

Fan Qingxue turned around, her gaze suddenly turning piercing:

"Do you know... you're doing something very dangerous?"

"If I had a sword in my hand right now, you would already be a dead man."

Su Xingcan remained noncommittal, but a confident smile played on her lips:

"You not only owe me a drink now, but soon you'll owe me your life."

Fan Qingxue frowned slightly.

He forcefully shook off Su Xingcan's hand and walked towards the rain.

Su Xingcan watched Fan Qingxue's receding, hazy figure and sighed:

"The cold snow of the human world surpasses even the white robes, yet one can only say that affection is heartless..."

...

The memory of that rainy night flickers in my eyes like the shadow of a lamp.

Su Xingcan's gaze shifted from gentle and refined to exceptionally sharp.

It landed back on the sword manual.

The Thirteen Kills of Heaven... This is the only deadly sword technique created by Fan Qingxue that is unique in the world.

It's clear that only Fan Qingxue and his apprentice Hongyu know how to use it.

Why...

Su Qingyao can do that too?

Moreover, judging from her performance during the day, Su Qingyao's abilities... go far beyond just the basics!

She truly knows the Thirteen Kills of the Heavenly Character!

Su Xingcan's lips curled up slightly.

Jie Sect?

Or... is it a conspiracy?

"In this game of chess, someone unexpectedly entered the fray at some point, in some unknown place..."

"Things are getting interesting..."

PS: First update. I'll have a meal and then write the second update.

This story leans towards martial arts, and inevitably has some artsy tendencies.

Children who don't like it can wait a week, because the story won't be very long.