cold clothes

Leng Yi returned home dejectedly. Xia Hua had also returned, her face sullen and unapproachable. Everyone kept their eyes down and avoided her, even her personal maid dared not say anything.

Xia Hua stood there like a refrigerator, freezing everything around her, creating an ice cave within three meters of her. Without the breeze by her side, she seemed even more lonely, and the breeze, unlike before, hadn't been chattering. These days, it hadn't uttered a word, brushing past Xia Hua whenever it saw her, quietly practicing calligraphy and painting by itself.

The once inseparable friendship has vanished like smoke in the blink of an eye, leaving one feeling melancholy.

It was only when even the breeze stopped talking that things felt absolutely terrible, and at that moment you desperately wished she could be as playful and boisterous as usual.

The oppressive atmosphere made it hard to even breathe. As soon as Leng Yi entered, she wanted to escape. She wandered up to the third floor and, sure enough, saw Wu Xue dancing by herself.

Her ten fingers, twirled like orchids, traced graceful arcs in the air, and her entire body swayed in a breathtakingly difficult yet elegant pose.

Graceful as an orchid in spring, elegant as a dragon soaring through the water.

Leng Yi was instantly captivated. Wu Xue's graceful dance was undeniable, but what was most striking was her serene expression and devout gaze, devoid of any seductive allure. She danced only for herself, for her own heart. Leng Yi always sensed a sacredness in Wu Xue's dance; she was like a shaman praying at an altar beneath a divine throne, inspiring awe and reverence, devoid of any vulgarity.

Leng Yi admired her cool and refined beauty the most; she was free of distractions, unpretentious and unwavering—a quality Leng Yi could never achieve.

After Wu Xue finished dancing, Leng Yi couldn't help but step forward and say, "You danced so beautifully."

Wu Xue's breathing quickened slightly, her cheeks flushed, and she smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling.

"Thank you, I also think I danced better than usual today."

"You're amazing," Leng Yi exclaimed, then suddenly felt a pang of melancholy. "You're like a goddess descended from heaven. I have no special talents, so I'm really not worthy of being on par with you in the future."

Wu Xue's brows furrowed slowly, seemingly quite puzzled: "Why are you suddenly bringing this up? Do you really want to become the top courtesan?"

Leng Yi was slightly taken aback, her first thought being whether she had said something wrong, as Wu Xue seemed a little angry. She wanted to blurt something out, but her eyes dimmed in an instant.

"That's right, I want to become the most beautiful courtesan."

"Why? You weren't like this before?" Wu Xue asked in shock, along with a hint of sadness.

"You make it sound like you know a lot about what I was like before." Leng Yi forced a smile, turning her gaze elsewhere. "You know my current situation. If I don't become the top courtesan, what good life will I have?"

“Yes, we have no hope.” Wu Xue said in a heavy tone, her hazy eyes suddenly filled with sorrow, and she couldn’t help but start dancing again.

For her, dance has become like speaking; she pours all her emotions into it.

Leng Yi was envious. At least Wu Xue had dancing, but what did she have?

Perhaps, she could also love dancing as much as Wu Xue?

Leng Yi left quietly, no longer bothering Wu Xue. She walked out of Zhuoyu Pavilion, not empty-handed, but carrying her carefully kept soft sword.

She didn't want to go back to the place where Xia Hua had discovered her, so she went further, crossed the steaming pool, and hid behind a rockery not far from Nuanfeng Pavilion, under the wall of Langya Pavilion.

She first admired the sword's gleam like water, then removed her heavy cloak, danced gracefully, and swept up swirling snowflakes.

She lifted her leg, spun around, played the pipa backwards, and kicked. Gradually, Lengyi felt herself transforming into a chivalrous heroine. The sword in her hand roared like a tiger and sang like a dragon, seemingly capable of cleaving through snow and flying flowers. Perhaps she could ride across the land, conquering rivers and mountains. Bending over and raising her neck, she thought of the heroic spirit of singing and drinking wildly; the flashing sword, she thought of the dashing style of killing one person in ten steps, leaving no trace for a thousand miles... She also remembered the scenery she had seen while traveling in her previous life, the azure water and the high-hanging moon in the spring breeze of crossing the river. She regretted that she had lived too short a life, and there were too many sights she hadn't had time to see.

She was not reconciled—she was truly not reconciled!

"Go to hell with you, courtesan!"

She let out a roar, and at the same time, Leng Yi used her sword to kick the snow on the ground three feet high. The snow fell all over her body, and her hair turned white in an instant. Others who saw it probably thought she was crazy.

"Do you really think I want to be the top courtesan? Did I even have a choice?" Leng Yi said painfully. Wu Xue's questioning at that moment had truly hurt her. Even Wu Xue could see that she had lost all dignity. "If I don't become the top courtesan, who can tell me how to survive? How am I supposed to live? Escape? How do I escape? Is there anyone who can help me escape?"

"Haha, nobody's here. Why am I not a Mary Sue heroine... Haha, damn it!"

An unnamed fire was burning in her chest. Leng Yi didn't care about reason at this moment. She just kept cursing. If she didn't curse, she would die.

She thought of Xia Hua, as if Xia Hua were right in front of her. She tilted her head and asked with a puzzled expression, "I really wanted to ask you that back then... why were you hiding in the rockery crying? You, a pampered and willful young lady, are protected even when you're down on your luck. Why are you crying? Shouldn't I be the one hiding and crying? I'm your substitute, a tool for your revenge. I'm the one who should be crying!"

"It's me!" Leng Yi suddenly stomped on the stone next to her a few times, then panted heavily.

In the dead of November, there was hardly any dusk; darkness fell in an instant. Tired from dancing, Leng Yi sat down to rest on the artificial hill. The fervor in her heart made her oblivious to the cold; she couldn't calm herself and had no intention of returning to the Jade Pavilion.

The atmosphere in Zhuoyu Pavilion drove her crazy; it was as if she could smell the ulterior motives lurking within them. Xia Hua wanted to kill her, Nong Yue wanted to deal with Xia Hua, Wei Feng was lost in thought but sensed something ominous, and Wu Xue, though the most innocent, had her own inner demons. Sometimes, she felt that Zhuoyu Pavilion was like a gladiatorial arena, where they fought a dazzling battle.

Why did Leng Yi fall in love with swords? She couldn't explain it herself. She just had a secret longing in her heart to pierce someone's heart with a sword. That person could be anyone, anyone who stood in her way or blocked her path.

"Go to hell, then I can be free."

There was no one around, only the tranquil snow and the silent heavens and earth heard her violent murmurs, and so she laughed again.

"Perhaps I'll die?" Leng Yi said softly.

"But I don't want to die," she said again.

"But I don't want to live either." Leng Yi tilted her head back and collapsed.

At this moment, the clouds dispersed, and the crescent moon emitted a faint white light, hazy and difficult to see clearly.

In the dead of winter, even seeing the bright moon is a luxury, let alone having it shine upon her.

Suddenly, Leng Yi felt something was wrong. She had been outside for so long, yet she didn't feel cold at all. Her heart was still pounding, as if an endless fire was burning inside her. She clutched her chest in discomfort, feeling incredibly stifled.

In that case, let's take off our clothes.

She took off her clothes, gradually exposing her skin to the cold air. At first, she only exposed her chest, and the cool touch felt quite comfortable. So she took off all her clothes, and it felt like she had been freed from some shackles, giving her a moment of ease and tranquility.

Snowflakes drifted down onto her body, and it started snowing again. She sat quietly in her cold clothes, feeling the gentle caress of the snowflakes, and felt drowsy in a daze.

She lay down again to look at the moon, which moved slowly with the clouds, sometimes bright and sometimes dim. Leng Yi's eyelids grew heavy, and she felt she might fall asleep.

I was thinking of what my last words should be before I went to sleep... but I couldn't think of anything...

Leng Yi was about to close her eyes peacefully when suddenly everything went dark; something had obscured the moon. Was it a black bird? It perched motionless on the rooftop.

Hey, the big bird moved! It flew down gracefully from the roof. It seemed to have no wings and slowly approached Leng Yi.

"who are you?"

"Is it really you? Seriously... I'm impressed."