If You See Snow - Chapter 10

“Jiang Xue Ya” stood at the end of the path waiting, but Su Ru Hui was taking a long time in the bathroom. She looked over and took a step forward. Suddenly, a dark shadow fell from above, crushing her back. Su Ru Hui used his knee to press against the back of her neck, causing her to fall heavily into the mud.

It had been a long time since he had used violence, so Su Ru Hui’s actions were somewhat rusty. He had intended to press down on her shoulders, but had inadvertently pressed down on her neck instead. The neck bones of the human body are very fragile, and with Su Ru Hui’s weight pressing down, they could easily have been shattered. However, the person beneath him was completely unharmed, and the eye that faced up rolled around in its socket like a bouncing ball before settling on Su Ru Hui.

She said, “Little brother, you took your time in the bathroom.”

This scene was too eerie, and Su Ru Hui was deeply frightened. He quickly bound her arms behind her back and dragged her to a nearby tree.

“Who are you, really?” Su Ru Hui asked.

“I’m your sister, Jiang Xue Ya,” she replied with a smile.

“Don’t play games.” Su Ru Hui drew a dagger and gestured towards her chest and abdomen. “Don’t make me use force. I won’t be merciful.”

The curve of her smile did not diminish at all, and her face seemed to be wearing a delicate mask, making her look very strange.

Her answer changed, “Child, you cannot defeat us. Do not try to resist us, and do not try to kill us. Your power is meaningless in front of us. We have been waiting for you for a long time. Please go to the main hall to see Jiang Huai Cang – your father.”

This answer was as good as none, and Su Ru Hui didn’t have time to argue with her. He asked, “Where is the real Jiang Xue Ya?”

“Jiang Xue Ya” maintained her smile and remained silent.

Since she wasn’t cooperating, he could only resort to torture. Su Ru Hui stabbed her shoulder with the dagger, and blood poured into the groove, but her smile remained unchanged, as if she couldn’t feel the pain at all. Su Ru Hui understood that using torture on her would be useless.

If only there was a special power that could make this guy tell the truth.

[Reminder: Jiang Mansion is covered by the Dong Xuan Realm special power “Pure Land,” which nullifies all unassigned spiritual powers within the area.]

Su Ru Hui: “…”

These monsters are really not to be underestimated. Su Ru Hui knocked out the girl with a punch.

Better run for now. Su Ru Hui returned to the small building where Bai Cai Ping’s puppet was still sitting there, with the same exquisite smile as “Jiang Xue Ya”, which made people’s hair stand on end. Su Ru Hui tore off her face and pasted it on his own face. He changed into Bai Cai Ping’s dress and tied the dagger to his thigh. The disguise was very crude and could be easily detected during the day, and the dress was too short for him, with the hem only reaching his calf. Fortunately, it was nighttime now, and the flaw couldn’t be noticed from a distance.

He recalled the route he took during the day, which required passing through two courtyards and a winding corridor. Walking along the covered corridor, he exited through the door. Outside, there were vague figures of people everywhere, like ghosts wandering in the shadows of trees. He quickly turned around and walked up another winding corridor. The red light of the lantern shrouded his face, a very ominous blood red color, and the entire mansion was enveloped in a crimson light, as if blood was flowing everywhere.

After walking down the corridor, he noticed crowds of people moving in the dark forest ahead. He broke out in cold sweat. He turned around and wanted to run, but saw that the wooden corridor was already crowded with people. These people walked without a sound, like ghosts. His actions had long been discovered, and they watched him scurry around like teasing a mouse in a cage.

Su Ru Hui was panting. He sat on the railing with his baggage, waving his hand. “I won’t run anymore. If you want to kill or torture me, do as you please.”

A hand was placed on his shoulder, and he turned his face to see an old man’s face. The face was smiling extremely strangely, and Su Ru Hui almost passed out.

SuRu Hui pushed away the hand covered with spots from his shoulder and forced a dry smile. “To be frank, your imitation is really clumsy. Why don’t we meet each other properly?” As he spoke, he tore off the fake skin on his face. It was really stuffy to wear this thing, and he didn’t think these weird people were faring any better.

Jiang Huai Cang shook his head. “Our appearance is too ugly for you. If you see it, you will definitely be very frightened. Don’t think about running away anymore. Among us, there is a companion who possesses the ‘Heavenly Eye’ special power, and the Jiang Mansion is under his surveillance at all times. No matter where you escape, he can see it.”

“Jiang Xue Ya” walked out from behind him, still with the same smiling eyes.

Having seen it many times, Su Ru Hui got used to it, and he put on a careless smile, hands in his sleeves, saying, “You should have told me earlier, making me tire myself to death. Come on, old man, let’s talk nicely.”

Jiang Huai Cang squinted his eyes and smiled. “Talk? What is there to talk about between us? You should be begging us to spare your life.”

“No, no, no.” Su Ru Hui waved his hand. “It’s you who need me, not the other way around. You need me.”

“Oh?” Jiang Huai Cang feigned a smile. “What gives you such confidence when you are so insignificant? Beg for our help, and we won’t take your life.”

Su Ru Hui mimicked his fake smile. “I don’t know who you are, but you have infiltrated the Jiang family mansion and replaced Jiang family members, making you very powerful. Unfortunately, from what I have seen, your acting and disguise skills are very poor. In terms of imitation techniques, you are worse than monkeys. You can’t show up in front of people everywhere, or you will be easily discovered. You are strong, strong enough to wipe out the Jiang family unnoticed, but your biggest reason for success is the element of surprise and the suppression of other spiritual power using the ‘Pure Land’ technique. If you were to face other spiritual power users head-on, the situation would likely be drastically different. I think you should be very wary of the Kun Lun Secret Sect, where there are many skilled practitioners.”

Jiang Huai Cang maintained his smile.

“So you need someone – a true Jiang family member who doesn’t need to disguise himself. Someone who can work for you.” Su Ru Hui rubbed his chin. “If I’m not mistaken, you chose me a long time ago.”

“Tell us why we chose you?”

“You can’t trust me because I’m not of your kind. So you control the lives of the Jiang family members. I don’t think your original purpose was to kill, only to replace. You replaced carefully, even continuing the habits of the late Jiang eldest son—sleeping with my mother. But I’m afraid my mother found out about your trickery and even resisted fiercely, forcing you to kill her.”

Su Ru Hui sighed in embarrassment. This was the real meaning of the system’s “fighting for 300 rounds.” This trash system was not speaking clearly and misleading him.

He continued, “Even so, there should still be a considerable number of Jiang family members alive, and you want to use their lives to threaten me.”

Jiang Huai Cang sighed. “You are a smart child.”

“But that’s not the most important reason why you chose me,” Su Ru Hui pondered. “I really can’t figure out what makes me so special.”

“Because you don’t have any spiritual power,” Jiang Huai Cang told him. “We need someone to enter the Secret Sect and explore a place that a spiritual power user cannot enter. You are a Jiang family member, and your entry into the Secret Sect is easier than that of an ordinary person. You are Sang Chi Yu’s wife, and you can learn the complete map of the Secret Sect from his mouth. Note that I said the complete map. There are some areas of the Secret Sect that are not marked on the map, and the highest level of security is set up there. Sang Chi Yu was once the head disciple, and only he knows where those places are. Among them, there is a place that hides the deepest secret of the Secret Sect. As far as we know, that place has a maze. The secrets of the maze are mysterious, and we cannot understand them. But this maze has a feature: it allows ordinary people to pass through it.”

“A secret?”

“Yes.” Jiang Huai Cang’s eyes became deep. “More than thirty years ago, a woman from the Secret Sect stole our unparalleled sword, and sealed it within the Secret Sect. Our clan has been wandering for many years, traveling thousands of miles in the rain and snow, just to find our weapon.”

“What does this peerless blade look like?” Su Ru Hui asked, “Draw me a picture.”

Jiang Huai Cang smiled mysteriously. “When you enter the Maze Array, we will naturally give you further instructions.”

Finding something was not a difficult task, but what was worth investigating was the identity of these strange people. Su Ru Hui calmly assessed these weirdos, feeling an indescribable sense of discomfort from them. It was difficult to describe this feeling, like a dog speaking human language or a human behaving like a dog. It was very jarring.

They claimed to be a group which opposed the Secret Sect, which was possible. In recent years, the Secret Sect had expanded its territory, and had indeed eliminated many of the old clans in the deep mountains, such as the Southern Marsh Miao and the Desert Sea Qiang tribes. Their land was now full of crops and houses, incorporated into the forty-nine states. Which tribe were these people from?

“Shall we make a deal, little brother?” “Jiang Xue Ya” asked gently.

“Of course.” Su Ru Hui readily agreed, “This is a good deed of helping others, and I cannot refuse. Rest assured, I love to see happy endings. If I see a cat and a dog on the road, I will chase them to make a pair.”

“Jiang Xue Ya” tilted her head and looked at him. “But we killed your mother. Don’t you hate us? I know that you often have a discrepancy between your words and actions. When you speak, it is always a string of lies. Perhaps you are just compromising, waiting for the opportunity to turn against us in the future. Tell us the truth, don’t hide anything. My special power is ‘Lie Detector,’ and you cannot lie in front of us.”

Su Ru Hui innocently blinked. “I really don’t want revenge, and I don’t hate you at all.”

“Jiang Xue Ya” and Jiang Huai Cang looked at each other.

“He’s telling the truth. My technique has been activated,” said “Jiang Xue Ya.”

Jiang Huai Cang smiled and sighed. “He’s a cold-hearted child.”

Su Ru Hui smiled falsely. These weirdos would never think that just as they could replace the Jiang family, others could also replace the Jiang Que Xie. He had no blood ties with Bai Cai Ping, so he wouldn’t want to seek revenge for her, although he regretted that she had to die.

“Compared to the dead, I care more about the living,” Su Ru Hui said slowly. “How many people in the Jiang family are still alive?”

“Your father, brother, and sister are still alive,” Jiang Huai Cang replied.

Having obtained the information he wanted, Su Ru Hui nodded readily. “Alright, I’ll do this deal. I’ll take on the task of exploring the Kun Lun Secret Sect for you.”

Jiang Huai Cang nodded with a smile. “Very good. From today onwards, you are our representative. Your mission is to find out the secrets of the Kun Lun Secret Sect and bring them to us intact, despite their best efforts to conceal them. To dispel your doubts, we promise that giving us that secret will not pose any threat to you or your family.”

Su Ru Hui also solemnly declared, “From today onwards, I am your representative. I swear to the heavens that if I betray you, let me be struck by lightning!”

Under the power of the Lie Detector, he could not lie, of course. The strange people nodded happily.

With such a vast difference in strength, they could control him. Jiang Xue Ya was temporarily safe, so he agreed to the conditions of these strange people, waiting to rescue Jiang Xue Ya in the future. But how could he do such a dangerous thing for them without asking for some benefits?

Su Ru Hui rubbed his hands and smiled. “Senior brothers, you know that I am a poor person without any spiritual power. The Kun Lun Secret Sect is a dangerous place, and I will be going alone. Except for my courage, I have nothing else to rely on. Senior brothers are all great masters of spiritual powers. It must be no problem to give me a few talismans for self-defense, right? If possible, I would like to have some ‘Lie Detector’ and ‘Pure Land’ ones.”

Jiang Huai Cang agreed, and the black shadows around them flickered with golden light between their fingers. Blood seeped from their fingertips as they wrote countless talismans. The talismans floated towards Su Ru Hui, who hastily accepted them. He received five ‘Lie Detector’ talismans, two ‘Pure Land’ talismans, seven ‘Teleportation’ talismans, one ‘Gate of Nothingness’ talisman, one ‘Divine Concealment’ talisman that could temporarily make someone invisible, and one ‘Divine Eye’ talisman that could see through objects, a total of sixteen talismans. Spiritual power users consumed a great deal of energy and blood to draw talismans, and they couldn’t recover without resting for seven or eight days. These strange people gave him sixteen talismans all at once, truly generous.

Su Ru Hui was a cunning person and wouldn’t stop until he had stripped them bare. He put on a smiling face and said, “To be honest, I’m a bit tight on cash lately. You know, we mortals rely heavily on social connections, and it costs money to make connections. Not to mention, I have a weak and helpless husband at home, so that…”

Jiang Huai Cang said, “Jiang Mansion has always been your home. You can take whatever you want.”

“Okay.” Su Ru Hui patted his chest. “Seniors, please rest assured that I will take care of your affairs! I am willing to do anything for you!”

Wait a minute, Su Ru Hui suddenly remembered something. After talking for a while, he was able to confirm that these monsters really had no intention of killing Jiang Que Xie. When Fake Jiang Xue Ya sneaked into his bedroom that day, it was only for observation and surveillance. After all, he was their chosen candidate, and they did not want to kill him.

Someone else was plotting to kill Jiang Que Xie.

As he pondered heavily on this matter, “Jiang Xue Ya” handed him a communication compass and said, “This is a compass specially designed to contact us. The spell has been engraved. We have learned that the Frontline Guards of the Secret Sect will issue a recruitment notice in various places. This is the best opportunity for you to enter the Secret Sect. Our imitation is not enough to deceive others, so I will change to a suitable identity and wait for you in Kun Lun.”

Su Ru Hui took the compass and left with a bulging purse. “Jiang Xue Ya” and Jiang Huai Cang watched him disappear around the wooden corridor. Jiang Huai Cang smiled and sighed. “You have learned to lie.”

“Yes, my special power is not ‘Lie Detector,’ but ‘Mind Reading.’ When I concentrate, I can read the thoughts of the person in front of me.” “Jiang Xue Ya” said, “In the mortal world, lying is the first rule.”

“So, can we trust him?”

“Whether he can be trusted or not is not important. What matters is whether he can be useful to us. After all, he is Su Ru Hui.” “Jiang Xue Ya” looked towards the northern sky. “The Black Street betrayed him, and the Secret Sect imprisoned him. Both are his enemies. The person he truly cares about is Jiang Xue Ya. As long as he thinks that Jiang Xue Ya is in our hands, he can be useful to us. Please ask Lord Shen Tu to search for Jiang Xue Ya’s whereabouts and find her before Su Ru Hui does.”

Jiang Huai Cang nodded. He saw Su Ru Hui’s floral cloth bundle fall. There were a few spiders crawling on the cloth, so Jiang Huai Cang brushed them off and ordered someone to send the bundle back to Su Ru Hui.