Chapter 72

Yu Han and Han Shu, though still carrying some worry about the road ahead, were now able to look months into the future with a clear mind.

After all, “Shishu’s tassels” they would eventually get, and the senior disciples of Changchong Sect were not as difficult to deal with as the vengeful spirits in perilous situations. Hesitation and difficulty facing the situation were one thing, but Yu Han believed that if she truly stood before the Changchong Sect seniors, she could still successfully complete the tasks assigned by her instructors and senior brothers.

With this belief, her mind relaxed, and she drifted into sleep.

Nearby, Han Shu, lying on his bedding, listened to the soft, steady breathing beside him, smiled faintly, and closed his eyes.

—Just as before when Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan traveled together, these two also followed the “one room, one person per night” approach. Today, it was Han Shu’s turn to sleep on the bedding.

Though somewhat inconvenient, thinking of Bai Dage’s and the senior brother’s repeated admonition, “Never be alone,” both Yu Han and Han Shu felt it was manageable.

Their minds were at ease, completely unaware that the “Bai Dage and senior brother” they had been discussing were also thinking of them.

Only, their mood was completely different from the two Tianshan disciples outside.

In front of the swordsman and the blade master, “Yu Han” had begun making the final seasonings for the vegetable soup. Like magic, she took several tiny bottles from her small embroidered pouch—no bigger than her thumb—yet each could pour out various seasonings.

With these added, the already hot and enticing vegetable soup became even more fragrant. At this moment, Bai Zhengliu’s stomach no longer growled.

His mind was filled with vigilance.

His gaze drifted sideways; exchanging a glance with Mei Yinghan for a brief moment… Bai Zhengliu acted as if he were searching through his sleeve. He said nothing, but his eyebrows slowly furrowed.

“Yu Han” began ladling soup. As she did, she laughed: “Originally, I wanted to show Bai Dage and the senior brother my hard-earned skills in the sect. I never expected that I’d actually use them at a time like this.”

“Han Shu” laughed along: “I won’t even mention what Yu Han’s cooking used to be like—you know, senior brother does. But now it’s different. Not just a bowl of vegetable soup—even a simple bowl of rice, Yu Han makes it taste better than others.”

“Yu Han” lightly glanced at “Han Shu” and said, “You’re always saying things like that to coax me. In the end, you just want me to cook a few big dishes for you.”

“Han Shu” laughed and clasped his hands—a joking gesture. Even though everyone was still in a perilous situation, seeing this scene could still bring a brief smile.

Provided, of course, that he really was Mei Yinghan’s junior disciple.

The swordsman’s lips curved briefly, then pressed back down.

Normally, this should have aroused suspicion in the two unknown entities occupying Yu Han and Han Shu’s forms. But Bai Zhengliu had already laid the groundwork for him; now Mei Yinghan only needed to “notice” the swordsman’s oddity, pause briefly, and ask him: “Bai brother, what are you…”

The two had not communicated beforehand, yet could act naturally in sync.

Bai Zhengliu whispered: “Seeing Yu Han and Han Shu receive a gift from our instructors earlier, I was moved, and it reminded me of something my own master left me long ago. It’s not worth much—just a small wooden trinket I’ve always kept in my sleeve. Just now, when I tried to find it, I couldn’t.”At this moment, “Yu Han” was placing the two bowls of hot soup in front of the two men.

Bai Zhengliu still remembered to say: “Thank you.”

Mei Yinghan, however, said: “If that’s the case, then it’s something really important! Can’t you find it at all?”

Bai Zhengliu pursed his lips, seeming very hesitant, but still nodded.

He reassured Mei Yinghan: “It’s alright, after all, it’s just a small trinket—”

Mei Yinghan: “But that’s something your master left you with great care.” He frowned, thinking for a moment. “Then, Bai brother, if you wish, we can go look for it now.”

Bai Zhengliu was taken aback: “This?”

The “Yu Han” and “Han Shu” across from them also said: “Senior brother, you’re going out now?”

Mei Yinghan said: “With the current conditions on the mountain, it could start snowing at any moment. If we go out now and follow our path for a bit, we might still see it. By tomorrow, a small trinket might be completely buried in snow.”

What he said made sense, but “Han Shu” reasonably warned him: “It’s already late at night. If senior brother you go out now and something happens, wouldn’t that be…”

Mei Yinghan only said: “Han Shu, Bai brother’s master has been gone for many years.”

“Han Shu” was momentarily stunned.

Mei Yinghan continued: “From top to bottom, Tianshan disciples and masters are harmonious. Naturally, you should understand how much such small objects mean to Bai brother.”

“Han Shu” remained silent.

Mei Yinghan looked at Bai Zhengliu again and asked: “So, shall we go?”

Bai Zhengliu said: “…Then it’s up to you, Mei brother.”

His expression was perfect—hesitation, anticipation, and a hint of anxiety all mixed together.

If it weren’t for the earlier incident where “‘Yu Han’ and ‘Han Shu’ took the wrong tassels,” Mei Yinghan might truly have thought Bai Zhengliu had lost something. No—more precisely, even now, he wondered whether Bai Zhengliu had really misplaced it. Previously, it was difficult to voice, but now there was finally a reason.

The two of them then told the men and women inside: “We’ll be back quickly, you two keep drinking your soup,” and hurried out.

Outside the wooden house, the surrounding air instantly turned bone-chilling cold.

They followed the footsteps from when everyone had come. At first, no one spoke, simply walking and looking down for traces. After about a hundred meters, Bai Zhengliu suddenly stopped and said: “Mei brother, perhaps we should—”Mei Yinghan looked at him.

Bai Zhengliu sighed: “I do want that little thing, true, but if it drags you along to suffer the cold with me, it’s absolutely not worth it.”

As he spoke, he lifted his hand to grip the hilt and gently drew out the Twenty-Eight Generals.

Bai Zhengliu continued: “The most important thing my master left me isn’t that little trinket—it’s this entire set of sword techniques. As long as I still wield a blade, my master always lives in my heart. Everything else isn’t nearly as important.”

Mei Yinghan furrowed his brows and called him: “Bai brother.”

Bai Zhengliu shook his head and said: “No need to persuade me further.” After a pause, he smiled and added, “Besides, don’t think I’m always worried about it. I don’t remember that little object every single day. Who knows—it might still be back at the Tianshan sect. If that’s truly the case, going out now to search would be a complete waste of effort.”

Mei Yinghan said nothing.

In his gaze, Bai Zhengliu, just as when facing the Tianshan masters before, lightly traced his finger along the blade.

A calm, relaxed smile was on the young man’s face.

Mei Yinghan saw this and felt the anxiety that had slowly risen from Bai Zhengliu’s earlier words gradually subside, thinking: “Bai brother really is still…”

At this moment, a warm sensation flowed into Bai Zhengliu’s fingertips.

He said lightly: “Alright, let’s go back. Hmm, I’m actually a bit sleepy.”

As he spoke, he rubbed his eyes, spreading that warmth over his eyelids.

After finishing this, the swordsman naturally lifted his gaze to the little wooden house they had stayed in earlier, now left behind.

Just one glance, and Bai Zhengliu’s expression stiffened slightly.

The worst-case scenario he had imagined was simply returning with Mei Yinghan to check on Yu Han and Han Shu—to confirm whether they had merely taken the wrong tassels by accident. Given the circumstances in the Tianshan sect, that shouldn’t have happened, but masters and disciples are not always perfectly aligned; misunderstandings about a disciple’s preferences are natural.

Or perhaps borrowing the Twenty-Eight Generals’ power to aid his eyes wouldn’t work, leaving everything before him unchanged from before.

However, the actual result was none of these. Bai Zhengliu stared ahead, and his expression shifted from calm to troubled, then from troubled to neutral, all in a moment.

Mei Yinghan already sensed something was wrong and asked: “Bai brother?”

Bai Zhengliu pursed his lips and looked at the young man beside him. He said nothing, only raised his hand and swept his fingertip across Mei Yinghan’s eyelid.

The swordsman’s movement was so swift that Mei Yinghan didn’t even have time to react before it ended. All that remained for Mei Yinghan was the slightly rough texture of Bai Zhengliu’s fingertip—a clear sign that this was a hand trained in wielding a blade from childhood.Like Mei Yinghan, from fingertip to palm, Bai Zhengliu’s hand was full of thick calluses.

His mind wavered, yet his gaze instantly turned to the wooden house. The moment his eyes swept over it, Mei Yinghan suddenly understood Bai Zhengliu’s attitude.

What wooden house?

What fire, what hot soup?

What met their eyes was only the unchanged snow-covered mountain scene! Also visible was a slightly higher snow mound about a foot thick, and beside it, two palm-sized snow “bowls.”

One could imagine: if they really believed that it was a warm place, spent the night inside, even drank the “vegetable soup,” the only ending awaiting them would be freezing to death!

In an instant, the cold ran from the soles of the two youths’ feet up to their foreheads. And when they looked at the “Yu Han” and “Han Shu” beside the snow mound, they saw only two pale, bluish-faced strangers staring back at them.

No further explanation was needed.

Mei Yinghan closed his eyes.

His heart shook, the cold continuing to spread, giving the sensation of every hair on his body standing on end.

It had been fake from the very beginning! All the discussion he and Bai brother had had during the day—“this snow mountain trip didn’t involve any resentful ghosts appearing to give them a ‘mission’”—was in vain. In fact, from the very start, they had been in the mission!

—No, thinking positively, doesn’t this mean that the real Yu Han and Han Shu were safe?

With this thought flooding his mind, Mei Yinghan exhaled deeply, and the tension in his face finally loosened slightly.

He looked at Bai Zhengliu. Since they had seen through it, and had brought most of their belongings when they came out, why not leave directly?

“Mei brother,” Bai Zhengliu spoke at that moment, “look at Zhou Liuer.”

Mei Yinghan turned his gaze toward Zhou Liuer.

Unlike the two disguised resentful ghosts, who still bore traces of ice and snow, Zhou Liuer was dressed as an ordinary townsman, lying on the ground, life uncertain.

Mei Yinghan closed his eyes.

He said: “Perhaps we should go back and check.” A pause. “Bai brother—” Should I go back alone?

Bai Zhengliu inhaled deeply, cutting him off: “Right. Mei brother, let’s go.”

Author’s note:Here they come!