Cherry Blossoms Upon a Wintry Sword

The sky was getting dark. The birds still haven’t returned to their nests and rested on the eaves, leaving behind a black silhouette. The watchman passes by and his sound echoes along the stone-paved street.

The red candle in the room has already been burning for a long time, however, Lin Rufei did not feel sleepy at all. He leaned against the bed and took a breather. He had encountered too many things today and his fragile body couldn’t withstand it. After the night began, he started to cough again. Good thing it wasn’t too serious. He barely suppressed the itch in his throat since he didn’t want to cough to the point of breathlessness. 

Gu Xuandu sat on the edge of the bed. He stared at the abnormal redness on Lin Rufei’s pale cheeks and those thin shoulders that couldn’t stop shaking. He thoughtfully asked, “Do you want to drink some hot water?” 

Lin Rufei nodded.

Gu Xuandu took the hot water and pressed it to Lin Rufei’s lips. He watched him swallow it in one mouthful.  

Lin Rufei drank the water and the itch in his throat was slightly relieved. However, his body was still weak, and could only lean back against the bed to rest. He said quietly: “Alas, this body of mine is really troublesome.” It was just a little bit of wind and he became sick again. 

Gu Xuandu did not say anything. He simply reached out his hand to probe Lin Rufei’s forehead. His mind was finally at ease after he made sure that it wasn’t a fever.  

When they descended from the mountain, the Lin family prepared a lot of medicine for Lin Rufei. Most of them were cough medicines. Lin Rufei took a dose with hot water and felt much better. 

“Still not sleepy at this late hour?” Gu Xuandu asked.

“Well ……” Lin Rufei said in a low voice, “I’m a little worried about Fu Hua and Yu Rui, so I can’t sleep too well.”

“It will be fine.” Gu Xuandu comforted, “That person is coming after you. Fu Hua and Yu Rui are just hostages to control you. If that person really wanted to take Fu Hua and Yu Rui’s life, he wouldn’t have bothered taking them away silently.”  

As the two were talking, a thunderstorm rang out outside the window and it was followed by a sudden downpour. Together with the thunder, it enveloped the entire Xie residence in a curtain of water.

The rain pitter-pattered, however, it could not conceal the slow approaching footsteps. Lin Rufei turned his head to look at the door. He saw the locked wooden door being pushed open. In just a few moments, the lock on the door could no longer withstand the huge force and broke off with a creak.  

The door was just opened and the violent wind and rain entered with great momentum. It turned the whole room into a mess. 

Lin Rufei raised his eyes. He saw a black figure standing at the door, but he couldn’t see clearly against the light. However, Lin Rufei had already guessed the identity of the person. He calmly called out: “Family head Xie.” 

The man stepped forward, raised his hand, and lit the candle that had been blown out by the wind and rain. The expressionless face under the candlelight was none other than the Xie family head, Xie Wanlin, whom he had seen in the daytime.  

“Family head Xie is visiting at this late hour, I wonder what is the matter?” Although Lin Rufei had guessed a couple of things, he did not expect Xie Wanlin to visit suddenly at this time.

Xie Wanlin said, “I heard that the fourth son of the Lin family is weak and unable to practice swords since he was young. I thought it was a rumor and didn’t think it was true until I saw it with my own eyes.”

Lin Rufei coughed lowly and asked in a scratchy voice, “So what if it is?”

Xie Wanlin casually found a chair and sat down. His gaze unrestrainedly sized up Lin Rufei: “Jianghu is treacherous. The Lin family has allowed a sick and weak son who knows nothing to travel to the bottom of the mountain, I guess they are also prepared for the possibility of accidents.”

Lin Rufei calmly looked back. Xie Wanlin should have been full of confidence, but when he was stared at by Lin Rufei’s light-colored eyes, he felt an inexplicable urge to retreat. This feeling of retreat came and went quickly therefore Xie Wanlin thought he was probably just overthinking it. After all, the youth sitting on the bed was still coughing and did not have any sword Qi. He was weak like an ant that could be easily crushed.

“There were indeed accidents.” Lin Rufei said, “It just never occurred to me that family head Xie was trying to be that accident.”

“Hahahahaha.” Xie Wanlin laughed, “Lin gongzi is overthinking. In fact, as long as you cooperate, Xie mou[1] would naturally not make a move against Lin gongzi.” 

Lin Rufei said, “What if I don’t cooperate?”

Xie Wanlin said indifferently: “Those two beautiful maids have been following you for many years right? If they died, then Lin gongzi will certainly be sad.” 

Lin Rufei’s gaze turned cold and he stared at Xie Wanlin in silence.

Xie Wanlin didn’t care and continued, “In fact, I have to blame my unfilial son for this matter.”

Outside the window, thunder still sounded and heavy rain continued to fall. The candlelight in the room was weak like fireflies in the grass as it flickered brightly. Xie Wanlin was originally born with a benevolent appearance, but at this time, this benevolence carried a hint of eeriness. 

Lin Rufei leaned against the bed with a restrained smile: “Oh? Xie Zhiyao has to take the blame when you were the one who made a move against my maids?”

Xie Wanlin said, “That’s just the way it is.”

He took off the sword hanging by his waist and smashed it against the table beside him with a snap. He said in a cold voice, “If it wasn’t for the sudden appearance of Xie Zhiyao’s mother’s clan, then he would have long died under the sword of Kongcheng. I wouldn’t even have to make my move.”

This was a very interesting statement. If anything, it was the custom of the Xie family to let their sons kill each other, but Xie Wanlin was so biased towards his eldest son. If that was the case, then what was the point of having such a fight?  

Xie Wanlin obviously guessed what Lin Rufei was thinking about. His face grew fierce: “Yes, if I could, I would like to kill him with my sword—along with that servant that he cares so much for.” 

Lin Rufei’s gaze moved towards the window and saw the curtain of rain covering the sky amidst the rolling thunder, he asked, “Lv Er? What exactly did he steal?”

“Ha, why don’t you take a guess?” When Xie Wanlin finished this sentence, he started to laugh again: “Steal? That servant is nothing but a mere mortal, what can he take from the study. He just heard something he shouldn’t have thus ran away.” His tone was gloomy, “They all should have died long ago, detestable, detestable!!”

As Xie Wanlin kept talking, he became angry again and his eyes gradually reddened: “My poor Kongcheng—”

“I know what you guys are thinking. You guys think I’m biased.” Xie Wanlin sneered and hammered his chest, “But aren’t human hearts biased anyway? Kongcheng has been by my side since he was young, I single-handedly brought him up. He should have been the next Xie family head. It’s all because of that evil creature, Xie Zhiyao!”  When he got to the emotional part, he actually roared. Then tears fell like rain and he cried out in sorrow: “My Kongcheng—not even a decent funeral was held before he was hastily buried. My poor Kongcheng—”

If it was said that Xie Wanlin was cruel, then he was really cruel. He couldn’t wait for Xie Zhiyao to die of a violent, immediate death. However, as far as Xie Kongcheng was concerned, Xie Wanlin was a qualified, kindhearted parent. Sadly, everyone has their own lives. Xie Kongcheng was unable to escape the calamity and had his life taken by Xie Zhiyao’s bone sword. 

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In order to keep others from knowing these nasty things about the Xie family, the family members that have died in this competition are not able to hold a funeral. They could only be hastily buried in the night and even their place of burial was not allowed headstones. This was a huge blow to Xie Wanlin, who cherished Xie Kongcheng deeply.

Xie Wanlin’s old and sad appearance looked a little bit pitiful. But in the end, it proves a sentence: Those who are pitiful always have some insufferable sides. In his heart, he had only Xie Kongcheng as a son, but Xie Kongcheng still died under the sword of Xie Zhiyao.  

“Why didn’t you kill Xie Zhiyao?” Lin Rufei saw that Xie Wanlin looked indignant and wondered, “Your cultivation level is so much higher than Xie Zhiyao, it would be easy to kill him.”

“I would like to.” Xie Wanlin gritted his teeth and said, “Unfortunately, there are some things that can’t be done just because you would like to.”

It seems that he may have some restrictions on his body making him unable to openly and honestly make a move against Xie Zhiyao. Instead, he will torment Xie Zhiyao even on the night before the duel. He drove Xie Zhiyao to the ancestral hall for punishment because he hoped that he would lose the competition with Xie Ji the next day. 

The thunder outside the window grew heavier. Bright golden threads cut through the dark sky. It fell one after another, stinging the people’s eyes. 

The conversation inside the room continued.

Lin Rufei said, “You made a move against me just because I’m Xie Zhiyao’s best friend?”

“Oh, naturally it’s not just that. For you, well, you have another use.” Xie Wanlin smiled slyly, “If I were you, I’d be hoping that the person who wins was Xie Ji.”

Lin Rufei raised his eyebrows slightly.

Xie Wanlin said, “If the person who wins is Zhiyao, then Lin gongzi, you will be accompanying me.” As he said this, he laughed again. His mental state was obviously on the verge of collapse. He was crying and laughing like a madman without any of the dignity and solemnity he had when they first met. Who would have thought that Xie Wanlin, who was praised by outsiders, would be such a person? Lin Rufei did not feel afraid, he simply just sighed.

After Xie Wanlin finished his speech, his emotions gradually calmed down. He held his sword in his hand and looked far away. His gaze seemed to have passed through the rain curtain and into the distant night.  

Outside the room, the wind and thunder grew chaotic. Xie Wanlin suddenly murmured, “Xie Ji, what a fool.”

After he said this, Lin Rufei heard a miserable scream in the distance. However, this scream also felt like his hallucination since it was soon completely buried in the frenzied sound of rain.

However, in an instant, Xie Wanlin seemed to have aged a few decades older. He stared out the window and rubbed his hand heavily on his sword. He gritted his teeth: “How could I have given birth to such a foolish person?”

It seems that Xie Ji had lost.

Xie Zhiyao did not wait for the duel tomorrow. He had no respect for this father who wanted him dead. He did not obey his orders to stay in the ancestral hall all night. Instead, he took advantage of the fierce wind and rain to cut down Xie Ji with his sword, unexpectedly seizing the final victory.

This was beyond Lin Rufei’s expectations. At least in the daytime, Xie Zhiyao behaved respectfully to Xie Wanlin. But, obviously, the one that survived until the end was not as harmless as he appears to be. 

The rain was still falling. Xie Wanlin turned his head back and landed his gaze on Lin Rufei.

If it was said that a while ago, he was looking at Lin Rufei like he was a piece of meat on a chopping board, then at this moment, Xie Wanlin was looking at Lin Rufei like he was a dead person. 

“Alas, they’re all lives. Lin gongzi, you can’t blame me.” Xie Wanlin murmured, “If you want to blame, blame that Xie Zhiyao ……”

Lin Rufei covered his mouth and coughed lowly.

Xie Wanlin collected his expression and looked obsessively at the long sword in his hand. It was as if he was thinking about which part of Lin Rufei’s body should this sword pass through so that Lin Rufei could die a painful death.

The entire Gu residence was trapped in boundless darkness. Only Lin Rufei’s room had a faint flicker of candlelight. It was like a trap to attract the fluttering moths. 

(t/n: no idea if the author made a typo on the Gu part… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )

The moth in the rain ended up taking the bait.

He was dressed in black and completely blended into the night. The fierce rain washed away the traces of blood on his clothes, but it could not wash away his intense killing aura.

Under Xie Wanlin’s hateful gaze, Xie Zhiyao appeared at Lin Rufei’s door carrying the snow-white bone sword. His face was drenched into a deathly pale white by the rain, however, his black eyes were bright and frightening. 

Seeing Xie Wanlin sitting in front of Lin Rufei’s bed, Xie Zhiyao was not surprised. He raised his hand and threw a round object into the room. The object rumbled and rolled towards Xie Wanlin’s feet but was kicked away by Xie Wanlin’s expressionless face.

The object was Xie Ji’s decapitated head. His eyes, which had lost their luster, were still reluctantly open and had panic and unease in them. Just like that, it rolled to the corner, picking up the dust on the ground. 

“Father.” Xie Zhiyao called out the title, “I won.”

Xie Wanlin raised his eyes to look at his last remaining son. However, there was no hint of joy in his eyes, only a viciousness that was about to spill over.

“Why are you not happy?” Xie Zhiyao smiled, “Everything is over. The Xie family will continue to prosper for another hundred years, shouldn’t you be happy?”

Xie Wanlin said, “Happy? I should be happy, but this Xie family is really disgusting, it’s better to be without it.”

Xie Zhiyao laughed so loudly that tears seemed to come out of his eyes. Xie Wanlin was livid: “What are you laughing at?!”

Xie Zhiyao said, “Father, you are really funny. If my elder brother had won the competition, I’m afraid you would be so happy that you would want to celebrate with a banquet. Why is it that when I win instead, it becomes too disgusting for the Xie family?” He lowered his head and looked at the bone sword in his hand. He spoke in a warm voice, “No wonder. After all, I am your least favorite son. It’s just a pity……”

Xie Wanlin said, “Pity?”

Xie Zhiyao’s voice turned cold as he looked at Xie Wanlin: “It’s a pity that with the current you, you can’t possibly destroy the Xie family.”

“Hahahahaha, otherwise why do you think I would appear here?” Xie Wanlin started laughing loudly when he heard those words. “I can’t make a move on you, but there are always others who can, such as …… the Lin family on Kunlun Mountain. Say, if their family’s most beloved youngest son died violently in the Xie residence, will Lin Minzhi and the others look for trouble with you, his childhood friend? “

Xie Zhiyao coldly said: “You want to kill Lin Rufei?”

“That’s a good method, right?” Xie Wanlin smiled widely, “I’ve thought about it for a long time before I came up with it.”

Xie Wanlin was really crazy. He actually wanted the whole Xie family to be buried with him. No one knew that he hated Xie Zhiyao to such an extent. 

Xie Zhiyao said coldly: “I didn’t know that my father was so fierce before. Since things have come to this, he wants to burn with the whole Xie family.”

Xie Wanlin laughed again. While laughing, he unsheathed his sword. Xie Zhiyao choked slightly, his lips was pursed into a taut straight line. When he fought with Xie Ji, he also suffered some light injuries. Wanting to stop the crazy Xie Wanlin was not an easy task. As long as Xie Wanlin doesn’t make a move against him, the ancestral restriction of the Xie family will not activate. If he wanted to kill Lin Rufei, it would be easy. 

Although Lin Rufei said he had an encounter and was able to use the sword. However, if he wanted to survive against Xie Wanlin, who was at the eighth level, it wouldn’t be an easy task. If Lin Rufei really died under Xie Wanlin’s sword, the Lin family’s protective brothers and sister would turn the Xie residence upside down the very next day. 

Xie Wanlin sensed Xie Zhiyao’s nervousness and let out a loud laugh.

Xie Zhiyao gritted his teeth and said: “Rufei, I’ll stop him, you run outside. Run as far as you can—”

Xie Wanlin was enigmatic, “Run? No one can run, no one can escape!!!” As soon as his words fell, he raised his hand and swung his sword.

In the end, he was still a cultivator of the eighth level. This sword swing had all his strength, even if Xie Zhiyao was at his peak strength, he could not guarantee he could block it. Not to mention, he was currently heavily injured, wanting to stop Xie Wanlin was almost impossible. The sword Qi rolled and surged and in an instant, the snow-white sword light had already slashed down towards Lin Rufei’s head. Xie Zhiyao shouted. He rushed forward to try and stop the sword, but everything seemed to be too late.

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“Xie Wanlin—” Xie Zhiyao shouted, “I’ll kill you—”

Xie Wanlin laughed wildly.

The sword blade had swung down, but instead of the dull sound of a sharp weapon piercing the body, there was a crisp sound of gold striking stone. Xie Wanlin’s smile froze on his face. He looked incredulously at the sword blade in his hand—the blade was actually held by Lin Rufei. The white blade pierced the fair skin of Lin Rufei’s hand. The bright red blood followed his wrist down to his arm and then hid into the wide cuff sleeves.

The pale veins on the back of Lin Rufei’s hand were slightly broken up. When he let go, Xie Wanlin’s sword, which could break gold, broke into several sections. With a clink and a clank, it fell to the ground, turning into pieces of scrap iron. 

“You …… you ……” Xie Wanlin stared at Lin Rufei with wide eyes as if he had seen a ghost. He frantically said, “Who are you?—”

Before Lin Rufei could answer, Xie Wanlin’s body went limp and dropped down to his knees. He looked at the broken blade pieces on the ground. He was dumbfounded, “Impossible, how is it possible. Lin Rufei is a useless person who can’t do anything. How can he stop my sword…… How is it possible…….”  

Xie Zhiyao’s voice came from behind him. It was as cold as ice, “You call him a wastrel? If you can’t even kill him, aren’t you even worse than him? Xie Wanlin, you can’t even protect your most beloved son, you are the one who should be a waste.”

Xie Wanlin said, “No ……  No, it’s not like that …… you ……” He wanted to say something else, but he stopped. He stiffly and slowly looked down at his chest.

A snow-white sword blade emerged from the location of his heart. It was stained into a blinding red by the blood of his heart .

Xie Zhiyao’s sword took Xie Wanlin’s life. After the past few days, he had no love for his so-called biological father and his expression was as cold as ice. Xie Wanlin, who was at the eighth level, also did not resist. He just stared dully at the sword blade in his chest as his life rapidly escaped from his body. 

Yet this passing does not seem to be a normal death. The moment Xie Wanlin’s breath was completely cut off, Xie Zhiyao’s strength soared. He jumped from the fifth level straight to the eighth level of cultivation.

Xie Wanlin’s body began to dry up rapidly. The original smooth skin suddenly developed layers after layers of hideous wrinkles before finally turning into a skeleton. Xie Zhiyao mercilessly pulled out the sword. The body fell to the ground and turned into fine powder.

This scene appeared suddenly and ended quickly and in a few breaths, Xie Zhiyao was already victorious. However, his expression was not happy, rather, it was gloomy.

“Rufei, are your injuries okay?” Xie Zhiyao asked.

“It’s nothing serious.” Lin Rufei shook off the blood on his hand. When Xie Wanlin’s sword stabbed him, he reflexively reached out his hand to grab. Who knew that he would actually catch the sword and easily twist it into several pieces. It was just that his hand was also cut, but the good news was that it didn’t hurt anything vital and was only a superficial injury.

Xie Zhiyao said: “That really scared me. I haven’t seen you in a few years, I didn’t expect you to become so powerful. Xie Wanlin’s move, even I may not be able to catch it. Who knew that you could catch it and break his sword ……”

Lin Rufei said helplessly, “I didn’t know it would be like this either.”

Xie Zhiyao said, “You don’t have to be modest with me.” He looked at Xie Wanlin’s ashes on the ground and sighed, “Great, I still have to clean up a bit ……”

Lin Rufei said: “Do the people in the house know that you have fought with each other?” 

Xie Zhiyao said: “They do know. All the servants outside were cleared away by Xie Wanlin with excuses, but I’m sure everyone was already aware of what was going to happen.” 

Lin Rufei: “How are you going to explain?”

Xie Zhiyao showed an expression like he had a headache., “Alas, there is always a way. This Xie Wanlin really knows how to find trouble for me.” 

Under normal circumstances, they would have a more formal handover process. After Xie Wanlin handed over the affairs of the Xie residence to Xie Zhiyao then Xie Zhiyao would finally take his life. However, Xie Wanlin did not take the usual path and had suddenly wanted to make a move against Lin Rufei so Xie Zhiyao was forced to make the first move.

The good thing was that he inherited all of Xie Wanlin’s cultivation at this time. Thus, no one would dare to speak out again in the Xie residence. 

Xie Zhiyao saw that Lin Rufei’s hand was still bleeding and said that he would help him bandage up first. Lin Rufei casually wiped it with his sleeve and saw that it was not bleeding anymore, “Just a small injury, no need to rush. Earlier, Xie Wanlin had taken Fu Hua and Yu Rui. Do you know where he had locked them?” 

Xie Zhiyao frowned: “Probably in the dark room of the study. Should I go check it out for you?”

“Okay.” Lin Rufei said, “Thank you.”

“You are too polite.” Xie Zhiyao sighed, “I’m really sorry for involving you in our family’s affairs.”

Lin Rufei said, “This isn’t what you wanted either.”

Xie Zhiyao turned to leave and Lin Rufei watched his figure disappear into the rain.

Before he could return to his senses, he felt his hand being held by another pair of cold hands. When he turned around, he saw Gu Xuandu staring at the wound on his hand with no expression.

For some reason, Lin Rufei felt guilty and mumbled, “It’s just a small wound.”

Gu Xuandu raised his eyelids: “A small injury? You knew that you could stop Xie Wanlin’s sword with your own hand instead of having your five fingers chopped off by his sword?”

Lin Rufei smiled embarrassingly, “I didn’t have the time to think too much about it ……”

Gu Xuandu said, “Next time you can think more about it.” As he said this, he let out a sigh, “In the future, when someone draws a sword at you, remember to draw the sword at your waist and not use your hand to block.”

Lin Rufei was confused, “But I don’t have a sword at my waist.”

Gu Xuandu said, “It’s okay, you can use my sword.” After saying that he shamelessly added, “I’ll also let you touch my waist.”

Lin Rufei: “Senior ……” he always felt that something wasn’t right.

Who knew that Gu Xuandu was still able to speak with conviction: “Don’t be embarrassed. In such a critical time, if you accidentally touch more than once, I will not blame you.” 

Lin Rufei was choked speechless. When he finally reacted, he saw the smile on Gu Xuandu’s face and realized that he had been teased by Gu Xuandu again.

********

The author has something to say: 

Gu Xuandu: Xiao Jiu, don’t be courteous with me next time.

Lin Rufei: Courteous?

Gu Xuandu: I’m sure I’m better than your right hand.

Lin Rufei: I suspect that you’re driving[2] but I have no evidence…..

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[1] Mou is like referring to a person, so when he adds mou to his surname, it is actually just another way to refer to oneself. I guess the best way I can put it into English is like when someone adds “this” to their name. For example, “This Xie”

[2] Internet slang: (driver) the one providing the *** stuff, heh.