Cherry Blossoms Upon a Wintry Sword

Chapter 80: People of the Witch Tribe

Fu Hua and Yu Rui looked at each other and they both saw the color of fear in each other’s eyes. They stiffened their necks and took a look at the person sleeping in the carriage and then slowly turned their heads to look at the inconspicuous figure in the fog. The maids seemed to have realized the truth and the figure in the fog took a step backward, disappearing into the covers of the darkness.

“Uwaaa——” The great fear made Yu Rui burst into fierce cries. She grabbed Fu Hua’s hand, like a child who had been bullied, and was crying out of breath, “Sister Fu Hua, what the hell is that thing, ah? I’m really scared……”

Although Fu Hua was also pale, fortunately, she was able to barely control her emotions as she whispered: “Don’t yell, don’t wake up young master……”

Yu Rui cried, “Is that really young master? Could young master have already been captured by the demons?”

Seeing her pitiful appearance, Fu Hua was really annoyed and amused at the same time. She clenched her teeth and responded, “Do not……do not be afraid. Those stories are deliberately used to scare people. Didn’t you see that that thing did not dare to come close?” If her voice was not shaking, Fu Hua’s words may have been more credible.

Yu Rui could only cry and nod her head.

Lin Rufei, who was sleeping, had already woken up. He had always been a light sleeper and the slightest noise would wake him up, not to mention the miserable screams of the two maids. Just as he woke up, Lin Rufei was still a bit confused and it took him a while to recover as he asked Gu Xuandu, who was next to him, in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”

Gu Xuandu then proceeded to tell Lin Rufei about what had just happened in a laughing tone.

“What is that thing?” Lin Rufei came to life as soon as he heard it.

Gu Xuandu mused, “I guess it should be someone from the witch tribe.”

Lin Rufei pondered about it for a bit. He decided not to go back to sleep and climbed out of the carriage.

When Fu Hua and Yu Rui saw Lin Rufei awake, they did not dare to approach. Trembling, they asked their young master why he wasn’t sleeping. Lin Rufei smiled: “Continue sleeping? If I continue sleeping, you guys will have your souls scared away. Get into the carriage, I’ll keep watch.”  

“How is that appropriate……” Yu Rui mumbled.

“What? Not afraid that later on, another young master will tap you on the shoulders again?” Lin Rufei teased her.

As soon as Yu Rui heard this, she immediately stopped insisting. Like a scared rabbit, she dashed into the carriage. Fu Hua’s voice trembled: “Young master, I think I should accompany you.”

“No need.” Lin Rufei put on his outerwear and waved his hand indifferently, “I am not afraid of these, but I would like to see exactly what is pretending to be a ghost. Fu Hua, you and Yu Rui should go to sleep together and remember to let down the carriage curtain.”

Fu Hua had wanted to say something, but after seeing Lin Rufei’s resolute look, she had to give up and followed Yu Rui into the carriage.

Lin Rufei casually sat down by the campfire and surveyed the surroundings. He had to say, this place during the nighttime was definitely a few points scarier than during the day. The darkness and the fog were like a giant hood that covered them all, with only the faint light emanating from the poor campfire in front of them. The fog behind them felt like it was hiding some invisible monster and as long as he turned around, it would pounce. 

This was a canyon, so the mountain wind during the night was also a little strong and the whistling wind added a few layers of eeriness to this place. Not to mention Fu Hua and Yu Rui, even if a man with decent courage kept watch alone, he probably would also feel a little nervous.

Gu Xuandu asked, “Is Xiao Jiu afraid?”

“Afraid?” Lin Rufei shook his head, “What is there to be afraid of?” Lin Rufei’s face did not have the slightest trace of fear. Instead, he surveyed the surroundings with interest, “In fact, the most frightening thing is not what is in the dark, but your own imagination.” The unknown was the scariest because you visualize that thing as what you fear the most.

Gu Xuandu sighed: “Xiao Jiu is quite courageous.”  

The corners of Lin Rufei’s mouth hooked up but he kept quiet.

The mountain wind howled and the campfire in front of him swayed. After being tense all day, Fu Hua and Yu Rui were also a little tired. When they entered the carriage, they soon fell into a deep sleep. Gu Xuandu was chatting with Lin Rufei as Lin Rufei poked the campfire forcefully with a stick. He listened as Gu Xuandu talk about some things from the past; he had said that in fact, Bu’e was a very interesting place. Although it was the land of the demons, there was a lot of beauty that could not be seen on the other continents. For example, a small island named Antuo, which had half snowy days and half sunny days all year round. It was a pity that the demons there were so fierce that only a few humans could go to Bu’e. If there was a chance later, he wanted to go over there with Lin Rufei to check it out.

As Lin Rufei was listening with fascination, a strange wind blew in and directly extinguished the campfire in front of him. Lin Rufei was slightly stunned. Just as he was about to take out a fire torch from his pocket to relight the campfire, a sobbing sound came from behind him, accompanied by a blood-curdling cry.

“Young master, young master, where are you……”

“Young master, we are so scared……”

It was the voices of Fu Hua and Yu Rui.

If this was an ordinary person, they would probably be scared to death by now. Gu Xuandu took a glance at Lin Rufei. He probably wanted to see some colors of fear on his face, but who knew that his little gongzi didn’t have the slightest trace of fear. Instead, he was full of curiosity and directly stood up: “Who is screaming?” With his hand on Gu Yu, he then headed towards the source of the sound. Although it was very dark, the direction was still very clear and the location of the sound was not at all in the direction that their carriage was located. Lin Rufei took a few steps towards the back and the sound became more and more clear, however, it also became more and more creepy.

Lin Rufei asked, “Where are you?”

“Young master……young master……” His maid’s voice was getting closer and closer. Suddenly, Lin Rufei felt as if his foot was grabbed by something. He lowered his head and saw a pair of tragic white hands grabbing onto his ankle. The hand seemed to have appeared out of nowhere and anyone who saw this would feel a numbness in their scalp. However, Lin Rufei grinned, bent straight down, grabbed the pale hand, and said in a warm voice, “Got you.”

The desolate cries instantly disappeared, turning into a hushed silence.

The hand that had been grabbed by Lin Rufei stiffened for a moment. It wanted to retract, but Lin Rufei was unwilling to do so. With a fierce force, he pulled the figure out of the fog. However, who knew that the owner of the hand looked exactly like Fu Hua, only her face was as white as paper and was not at all like a living person. If ordinary people saw this situation, they probably would have long let go of the hand out of fear. However, Lin Rufei just inclined his head and made a puzzled expression. He directly lifted his hands and pulled on that person’s face, “Hey, it’s not a disguise, ah. Then why does it look so much like my little maid?”

“Young master.” The person that was caught by Lin Rufei sighed quietly and said, “Young master, don’t look at my face.”

“Hm?” Lin Rufei raised his eyebrows, “What would happen if I looked at it?”

The person suddenly laughed. And the more she laughed the more her features distorted, and finally, her eyes, ears, mouth, and nose were like melted wax as they all fused together, turning into a white face with nothing on it.

This scene was horrible to the extreme that even Lin Rufei froze. But even though he was shocked, he did not have the slightest intention to let go of the hand. Instead, he grasped it more tightly. The person struggled, but could not break free from Lin Rufei’s grasp, and the atmosphere somehow became a little awkward as they faced each other.

Lin Rufei questioned: “No more?”

The person: “……”

Lin Rufei commented: “It was still quite scary.”

The person: “……” If he still had his facial features, then they would probably be distorted at this time. Lin Rufei could even stubbornly see a bit of helplessness on that white face of his.  

“You’re from the witch tribe, right?” Lin Rufei grabbed his hand and looked him up and down. It was said that a face could be faked, but a figure was very difficult to fake. This person in front of him had a similar figure to Fu Hua and Yu Rui. If he was just a little bit shorter, he would be more like a half-grown child, “Why are you scaring people like this?”  

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Having been exposed, the man let out a long sigh and his facial features once again appeared on his face, only this time, it was different from Fu Hua and Yu Rui. It was a youthful teenager’s face and his black eyes looked at Lin Rufei with a bit of helplessness: “You, you are not afraid?”

Lin Rufei replied, “Not afraid.”

The man: “……”

“What’s your name?” Lin Rufei asked.

“I won’t tell you!” As the man said this, he then drew the weapon on the side of his waist and attacked Lin Rufei. Lin Rufei, however, was prepared. He grabbed him with one hand and his other pulled out Gu Yu from its scabbard. He held the blade directly against the man’s neck and with a slight force, it cut his neck revealing a trace of blood.

“Don’t move around carelessly. My sword skills aren’t that great.” Lin Rufei said, “I’m unable to control the strength and a simple carelessness will have your head cut off. By then, if you really became a ghost, you won’t have a place to argue anymore.” 

The man suddenly froze in place.

“What’s your name?” Lin Rufei asked him.

“Wu Xing[1].” Seeing that his life was in danger, he obediently chose to answer Lin Rufei’s question.

“Wu Xing? You really are from the witch tribe.” Lin Rufei muttered, “Why are you scaring people here?”

Wu Xing refused to say until the sword in Lin Rufei’s hand pressed down slightly harder, then he responded in an aggrieved manner, “Because it’s boring.”

Lin Rufei: “……”

“My mother forbids me to go out, saying that there are bad people out there. After finally having a foreigner visit, If I don’t scare them a bit then it would be too much of a loss.” Wu Xing argued with conviction.  

Lin Rufei mumbled, “You’re that bored, ah?” 

“Tell me about it.” Wu Xing sighed, “They are all afraid of the inside and simply don’t dare to come in. I don’t even have a playmate so it’s even more boring…….”

Lin Rufei sighed: “Have you not thought about why they are afraid of the inside?”

Wu Xing shook his head.

Lin Rufei answered him, “It’s all because you scared them away!” 

Wu Xing froze and then showed a look of understanding: “Oh……that does seem to be the case.”

Lin Rufei’s face ended up revealing a look of helplessness, thinking that Gu Xuandu really knew the witch tribe quite well. The people of this tribe looked like they were inexperienced with the outside world and the person in front of them was a perfect example of this. 

Lin Rufei mulled over this situation and then said, “I’m not going to hold you, but you still shouldn’t run. I just want to ask you a few questions.”

Wu Xing hesitated for a moment, but still nodded, intending to agree to Lin Rufei’s proposal. Lin Rufei let go of his hand and turned towards the campfire and Wu Xing asked behind him, “You’re really not afraid that I’ll run away?”

Lin Rufei said, “That’s fine, I’m going to the witch tribe anyway, if you run away, I’ll just go to your house to complain.”

Wu Xing was speechless at this. He no longer mentioned anything about slipping away and silently followed behind Lin Rufei. The best way to control a naughty child was to go to their house and complain. Lin Rufei was already very knowledgeable about this.

Lin Rufei found the campfire, re-lit it, and sat down on the ground. Wu Xing obediently sat next to him and shyly discussed with Lin Rufei, saying that he could not tell his mother about this because his mother’s rattan whip was really painful……

Lin Rufei mused, “I’ll think about it.”

“Don’t think about it. What do you want to ask? I’m familiar with the witch tribe.” Wu Xing responded as he patted his chest. 

Borrowing the light of the campfire, Lin Rufei took a closer look at the child beside him. He found that his attire was somewhat similar to that of Wu Ao, whom he had seen before, only his face was not wrapped in a white face scarf. Wu Xing should only be in his teens, which was the age where one was naughty. No wonder he had nothing to do and came out in the middle of the night to scare people.

“I’ve come to pick up something that an old friend left here.” Lin Rufei relayed, “Has the Great Witch of your clan, Wu Min, passed away?”

“Great Witch?” Wu Xing mumbled, “Yes, he passed away several hundred years ago.” He scratched his head, “What are you asking him for?”

“My old friend’s things were left with him.” Lin Rufei replied.

“Huh? Then you might not be able to ask for it back.” Wu Xing lowered his voice, as if he was a bit scared of something, “After he died, everything about him was destroyed, not even a portrait was left.”

Lin Rufei froze, “How could this be?” Even though it had been hundreds of years, the reputation of the Great Witch Wu Min was still very loud. In many historical materials, one would be able to see his shadow. Originally, his death was already a very regrettable thing, but listening to Wu Xing’s description, this matter obviously goes beyond that.

Wu Xing continued, “Sigh, the winner takes all. No matter how powerful he was back then, as long as he lost, then everything would be gone.” He waved his hand, “I don’t know exactly what had happened, but our clan’s historical materials about Wu Min were all burned. Perhaps, we don’t even know him as well as you outsiders know him…..Since I grew up, I only heard his name a few times from my mother. If you want to find him, you will have to be disappointed. “

Lin Rufei frowned: “What happened to the witch tribe that year?” History said that the Great Witch fought for power, but Lin Rufei felt that if it was only a fight for power, why would it come to this extent.

Wu Xing stretched out his hands: “I also want to know, but the records are all gone, so fewer and fewer people know.” He blinked, came closer, and said, “Gongzi, what did you leave with Wu Min?”

Lin Rufei responded, “My friend’s heart.”

Wu Xing clapped his hands, “So it’s a love debt.”

Gu Xuandu stared from the side, his expression was one that screamed: “Xiao Jiu, don’t joke about this,” and Lin Rufei could not help but laugh.

Wu Xing asked what gongzi was laughing at.

Lin Rufei curved the corners of his eyes: “I’m laughing at the person standing behind you.”

Wu Xing did not believe it. In an indifferent manner, he said, ‘Don’t try lying to me, I am not afraid of these.’ But who knew that in the next moment, he felt his shoulder being tapped and the bright smile suddenly froze on his face. He then slowly turned his head. Not to mention a human figure, even a ghostly shadow could not be seen.

Wu Xing’s pupils contracted and he asked in a trembling voice: “Who……who tapped my shoulder……” Lin Rufei was clearly sitting opposite him and the two timid maids naturally did not have such courage. There should be no one else nearby, so……who was that……

Lin Rufei smiled, “Of course it’s a ghost. This time, I did not lie to you.”

Wu Xing wailed. He stood up and had wanted to run, however, he was stopped by Lin Rufei in a timely manner. Lin Rufei smiled and said that it was a joke. What tapped on Wu Xing’s shoulder just now was actually just a talisman. He told Wu Xing to never scare anyone again. If the person was courageous, then it was still okay. But if it was someone who didn’t have any guts, they would probably die on the spot from being scared to death. 

Wu Xing nodded hastily and said he would never scare people in the future. Then he proceeded to ask if that was really just a talisman? Lin Rufei smiled and replied, “Yes.”

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“Talisman, I’m just a talisman?” Gu Xuandu placed his chin on Lin Rufei’s shoulder. Looking at Lin Rufei’s white jade-like earlobe, he couldn’t help but lightly take a bite, “Since Xiao Jiu said this, I am quite unhappy.”

Lin Rufei, however, did not say anything as he felt the itch brought by Gu Xuandu and whispered, “Senior, stop making a scene.” 

Gu Xuandu replied, “I want to make a scene.” As he said this, he unhappily took another bite.

After this fright, Wu Xing became more honest. He sat obediently beside Lin Rufei, who took this opportunity to ask some more questions about the witch tribe. He learned that the witch tribe was currently in the hands of Wu Min’s eldest apprentice and that the people of witch tribe were actually not quite the same as the normal people. Even though their cultivation levels were not high, their life expectancy was long. Wu Min’s eldest apprentice, Wu Yin, not only had a high cultivation level but had also lived for several hundred years.

“If you want to find something that was placed at Wu Min’s place, you’ll probably have to bother him.” Wu Xing continued, “But he has a good temper and is Wu Xing’s disciple. If you go to him, you should be able to ask about it.”

Lin Rufei said, “Many thanks.”

Wu Xing responded, “You’re welcome.”

Lin Rufei asked, “When will this mountain mist dissipate?”

“I don’t know.” Wu Xing answered truthfully, “In the canyon, it’s normal to have the mountain mist and we are used to it. Even if the mist persists for seven or eight days, it’s not much of a problem for us. But of course, for a foreigner like you, it’s very easy to get lost. However, you’re lucky to have met me, I can take you back.”

He was also a big talker and didn’t bother to think about the two little girls lying in the carriage who were scared by him.

As they talked until almost dawn, Wu Xing was getting a little sleepy. He wasn’t that fussy and simply lied down beside Lin Rufei, closed his eyes, and slept. When Lin Rufei saw his defenseless look, he wanted to cry and laugh. He muttered that the people of the witch tribe really didn’t have any guards against people

“The living environment is more pure, right?” Gu Xuandu said, “But what happened in the witch tribe is a bit strange.”

With Wu Xing asleep, Lin Rufei was finally able to talk to Gu Xuandu without any worries, “You’re talking about Wu Min being killed?”

“No.” Gu Xuandu answered, “It’s normal to be killed. It’s just strange why they deliberately erased his traces.”

Although the witch tribe had always respected the strongest, they usually also had great respect for the strongest person who had lost a battle. Even if Wu Min had been the underdog in the power struggle, he shouldn’t have been in such a sorry state, and besides, his disciple Wu Yin was still the current Great Witch, so how could he have allowed the traces of his master to be erased?

Gu Xuandu believed that there was something fishy about this.

Lin Rufei nodded and agreed with Gu Xuandu, “It seems that something has indeed happened to the witch tribe. Let’s follow him tomorrow and check out the situation first.”

“That’s the only way to go.” Gu Xuandu replied.

After the next day dawned, the mountain mists had still not yet dissipated, however, compared to yesterday, it had faded quite a bit.

As soon as Fu Hua and Yu Rui got up, they noticed Wu Xing lying beside Lin Rufei and wondered exactly where Lin Rufei had gotten a child in the middle of the night. Furthermore, they asked why Lin Rufei always had fateful encounters with kids. Lin Rufei thought to himself that he didn’t want this fate; the situation with Chi Yu had still not finished. But in the past two days, he did not see Chi Yu and he didn’t know if the little cub had successfully weaned so that he no longer had to continue following Lin Rufei.

“This little friend is not simple.” Lin Rufei smiled, “You two don’t underestimate him.”

“Why isn’t he simple?” Yu Rui asked curiously.

Lin Rufei replied, “Last night, weren’t you guys scared to death? He’s the one who did that.”

Fu Hua and Yu Rui both froze at his words.

Lin Rufei thought Yu Rui was going to say something, but the next moment she rolled up her sleeves, wanting to go up and beat someone. It seemed that yesterday, she was indeed scared very badly and was now still very angry about it. Lin Rufei quickly stopped Yu Rui, saying not to beat him up. They would soon head to this child’s home. If you beat him up, it would be hard to explain this to his parents. 

Wu Xing was awakened by the noisy sound. Rubbing his eyes, he asked what was wrong, only to find himself being glared angrily at by two beautiful girls. Instantly, he recalled his doings from yesterday’s doings and smiled embarrassingly: “Good morning……good morning, ah……”

“Good? Where is it good? Why are you such a nasty person?!” Yu Rui waved her small fist, “If gongzi didn’t stop me, I would have to beat you up into pulp!”

Wu Xing laughed dryly twice and did not have the guts to retort. He shrunk his neck, but finally, under the auspices of Lin Rufei, he quietly apologized to the maids and the matter was finally considered finished.

Finally, Fu Hua and Yu Rui were relieved since they no longer had to be scared. Wu Xing sat pitifully in the carriage and said that Lin Rufei’s sisters were so fierce, ah.  

Who knew that when Fu Hua heard his words, she smiled and turned her head, revealing a row of white morose teeth: “Is that so? Am I very fierce?”

“Not fierce, not fierce.” Wu Xing once again conceded, “I deserved it[2].”

Fu Hua glared at him and reluctantly gave up.

The journey was much faster with Wu Xing leading the way and Lin Rufei asked him, along the way, what taboos there were in the witch tribe. Wu Xing pondered over this question but couldn’t come up with any. He said that most of the people in their tribe were actually quite good-tempered. Except for the occasional scare for fun, they basically rarely made things difficult for travelers. He just didn’t know why the people outside were always afraid of them. After listening to this, Lin Rufei cursed silently in his heart; with this kind of method for scaring, if there were travelers who still dared to enter, then that was seeing a ghost[3]. Of course, he did not say it aloud. And with a gentle voice, he simply said that maybe the outsiders do not know the difference between good and bad and could not see the witch tribe’s heart of gold. He then casually asked in passing, if Wu Xing recognized someone named Wu Ao.

After listening, Wu Xing actually slapped his thigh: “Wu Ao, you mean the Wu Ao who followed the Heavenly Ruler?”

Lin Rufei grew excited: “You know him?”

Wu Xing said, “Of course I know him. He was a disciple under the Heavenly Ruler……Logically speaking, he should be very famous, ah. Why? You don’t know?”

Lin Rufei replied, “I indeed did not know.” He felt that it was a bit strange, “Wo Ao really was a disciple of the Heavenly Ruler?”

“Yes.” Wu Xing nodded, “It’s just that a hundred years ago after the Heavenly Ruler disappeared, he also disappeared. However, he’s still a celebrity of our witch tribe.”

Lin Rufei glanced at Gu Xuandu.

Gu Xuandu, however, said expressionlessly, “Don’t look at me, I don’t have such an obnoxious disciple.”

That was quite true. The two of them did not look like old friends but more like enemies, let alone like a deep affectionate master and disciple.

Lin Rufei felt that things were really getting more and more complicated.

********

The author has something to say:

Lin Rufei holds his heart: Whose heart is it[4]~

Gu Xuandu: Mines!

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[1] Wu Xing: Wu meaning “witch” and Xing meaning “torture/sentence/punishment.” 

[2] Guilty and deserves to be punished. 

[3] Absurd. 

[4] Pretty sure this is a reference to a song because I’ve heard it before , if you guys want to listen to it here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZXE20ScmPY the lyric mentioned above starts at 1:13.