The Voyage In The Blizzard - Chapter 57
“Longwei, I know what happened. My brother, I saw him a few days ago. Yes, he’s fine. You don’t have to worry about him. He is the same strong and powerful Lei.”
Listening to Dewei’s quiet voice, Longwei lay silently in bed.
“I came here as soon as I heard that you have returned to the clan again. I have little time, I have to go, so if you have something to say or have any questions, then speak now.”
Turning towards him, Longwei asked, “Lei, will he never come back now, will he?”
“Whatever Xing Fu says, he still respects Lei, so I don’t think he wants Lei to die on the battlefield.”
“So he won’t come back..” muttered Longwei.
“Well, I’ll go. Take care Longwei.”
“Wait.” Getting out of bed, Longwei opened his backpack and took out a letter. “When you see Lei, could you give it to him?”
After a moment of thinking Dewei looked at him questioningly and then nodded his head and said, “Of course.”
Feeling much better, and no longer coughing, Longwei, despite multiple looks and discontent from almost everyone, still left the house and decided to go out to meet the frost.
Not paying attention to the conversations, walking towards the Main House, he noticed that almost everyone he could call a friend or brother was walking behind him.
He stopped and said, “Guys, how long are you going to babysit me?”
Pretending that he had nothing to do with it, Delun objected, “Who is babysitting here? I am going about my business.”
“Brother Xue, I’m okay, really. So don’t be so worried about me.”
“And where are you going? To Xing Fu?” asked Baofeng-Xue, covering his face with his hands.
“Where else should I go?” Walking closer to him, Longwei whispered, “Or do you think I’m secretly meeting with Lei?”
“Everyone around is talking only about you, so do not think that I will let you walk around the village.”
With a grin, Longwei turned silently and continued on his way.
“Is that Xing Fu?” Eagle said, pointing to a distant figure in white.
“Master?!”
Throwing a heavy backpack behind his back, Xing Fu, dressed for the first time in a soldier’s uniform, stood next to Ye Ying. Noticing the sword hanging from his belt, Longwei asked, “Where are you going?”
To which Xing Fu replied with cold seriousness, “I am going to the battlefield.”
“But why? Can a clan leader leave his place?”
“I have some business there. But while I am away, Ye Ying will be watching over the entire clan. And Longwei, don’t you dare look for that book alone. Wait for me.”
“This book, I think I know exactly where it is.”
Stepping closer, Xing Fu said in an orderly tone, “Don’t think about it until I come back. This is not a game for you. What is written in this book, everything depends on it. Absolutely everything. So we should be careful and try not to talk about it so often. Now, I am leaving the clan, and at this very moment the soldiers of the Second or Third Clan may burst in here. So, be on the alert. And you’d better think about creating an heir. Don’t forget, our agreement.”
Having said this, Xing Fu wrapped his face in a warm scarf and disappeared into the blizzard.
“Is there really no way to avoid this? I think I’m not ready to become a father. And besides, I already feel sorry for this child. He will have to face a lot ahead.” Cutting off a long lock of black hair, Longwei casually tossed it on the table.
“Perhaps this is the only thing you can do at the moment if you want to stay in this clan. Everyone hates you, so maybe your son will clear your name with his great deeds.” While carefully wrapping the strand in the white material, Baofeng-Xue suddenly laughed.
“What?”
“Well, nothing. Just imagined you as a father.”
“That’s what I’m talking about. I’m not at all fit for this role.”
“You know that now the rules are completely different, and as soon as your son is born, then the very next day he will be sent to training. So do not worry, if you do not want to, you can pretend as if you did not create this child. Many people do this, many do not even go to the Spherical Stone the next day. Many people are simply ashamed to look their child in the eyes, because everyone knows what end lies ahead of them.”
Slightly hugging Baofeng-Xue by the shoulders, Longwei shaking him from side to side said, “Brother Xue, you are going to the battlefield tomorrow. And what am I going to do here without you?!”
Wiping his hand away, Baofeng-Xue raised his head and fixed his gaze on Longwei. “I’ve been a warrior for a long time, so you should get used to it.”
Approaching his face, Longwei straightening his collar and quietly whispered, “On the battlefield, you’ll see Lei? Right?”
“On the battlefield, in fact, no one has time to look around, everyone is busy surviving.”
“Well yes…”
“All you think is Lei. What you found in him? Anyway, enough about him, you should better think about your future. Better think about your son.”
“Why think about him? I’ll just let him go. And besides, it will be better if he does not know who his father is. Otherwise everyone will tease him.” Longwei said. “Bao Fengxue, let me ask, when are you going to the Spherical Stone?”
While rubbing the sword with a dry cloth, Baofeng-Xue briefly replied, “When I return.”
“Just come back. Otherwise, without you, this world will lose all its colors.”
“Enough Longwei, we both know I mean nothing to you. Compared to Lei.” Baofeng-Xue slightly offended but playfully replied.
Jumping onto his back from behind, Longwei knocking him to the floor began to tickle him as he did in childhood. Laughing, Baofeng-Xue grabbed Longwei’s hands and exclaimed, “Stop it!”
Filling the room with loud laughter, the two of them, after so many years, as if traveling in time, again found themselves in the house where they often played together and listened to the stories of their fathers.
“Stop Longwei!” Grabbing Longwei by both hands, Baofeng-Xue said, “Stop acting so carelessly.”
“Brother Xue. It has been a long time since you laughed like that. I think you should remember to smile more often. Otherwise, you always walk around gloomy.” Holding his cheeks tightly, Longwei smiled, showing a row of even teeth.
In a world over which hung a curse of unknown origin, the only goal was to survive as long as possible and maintain the number of soldiers. But no matter how hard all the warriors tried, their world still gradually lost in a ruthless battle against beasts.
But still, for centuries, human nature has shown tenacity and perseverance. If the number of soldiers became smaller, then after a while, their number increased again. And so, not noticing the past years, the world immersed in an eternal blizzard was gradually filled with warriors. Even so, life needed more strength.
Having walked all the way as Baofeng-Xue told him, Longwei, stopping in front of the stone structure, taking a deep breath, repeated to himself the words of his father said in the letter. Taking the white material from his pocket, Longwei took a few steps forward and the next second was already standing in front of a small stone that had a perfectly round shape.
The shape of a stone, resembling a planet, radiated a kind of warmth. A brilliant silvery sheen gently shimmered from the light that came from the ceiling.
Longwei, making sure that in the house that looked like a cave, there was nothing around except the Spherical Stone, was squeezing a lock of his hair in his hand and suddenly felt his heart beating wildly.
Fearing this very moment, the moment when he was about to create a new life, and this life would be a part of himself, Longwei wanted to escape, return back to his cave where no one would disturb him. But again, repeating his father’s words to himself, he quickly laid a strand of hair on the round surface of the stone. Then placing his right hand on it with his eyes closed, Longwei quietly but distinctly began to pronounce the words of the spell.
“Core, light, water,
Three-headedness, height, Moon.
Half, south rain,
Three roads, turn
Core, blizzard, one star.
Through the cold
In this life, my candle.
Flying through the snow
One road
Oblivion of fire
Core, life, my heart.”
After making sure he spoke all the words in order, Longwei added at the end, “On behalf of me, I wish to create you.”
Standing with his eyes closed in front of the stone, Longwei suddenly felt a slight quake from the ground. Opening his eyes and not noticing anything strange, thinking that it should be so, he quickly left the stone structure.
Not noticing how the day passed and how he fell asleep right in front of the entrance, Longwei woke up the next morning and felt someone’s gaze from the darkness.
“Have I slept here all day? Probably the disease has returned again.” he said to himself getting up. Rubbing his swollen neck after sleeping on the cold ground, his entire memory seemed to have undergone in a slight oblivion. But quickly remembering where he was and what he was doing, Longwei stretched out and took a deep breath.
The early morning brought with it only frosty freshness that pierced every nerve. Green tops of trees, as if competing, stretched along a small steppe that led back to the Three Mountains.
Looking up and seeing a flock of birds, Longwei suddenly felt his son’s presence not far from him. After several minutes of indecision and fear, he nevertheless entered the stone structure.
Despite the fact that it was light outside, there was darkness inside the house, but nevertheless the shine of the Spherical Stone could be seen.
Holding on to the wall, Longwei walked forward. Trying to see the new warrior through the strange darkness, Longwei holding a small fur cape in his hand quietly asked, “Is anyone here?”
Feeling more fearful than when facing a beast, Longwei could only hear his frightened heartbeat.
“Hey.” he whispered even more quietly and finally saw the small figure of the person opposite. Longwei stopped.
The child, hesitating in one place, made an incomprehensible sound and then, taking several steps forward towards Longwei, again moved back.
“Hi. I’m your father. Don’t be afraid. My name is Longwei.”
Stepping back, the child reached the stone and the thin rays of light coming from the ceiling finally made him visible.
“Father.” a thin and gentle voice was heard.
For the first time in his life, hearing such a gentle voice, Longwei staggered back and realized that his child was not like everyone else.
Catching a look full of intelligence and confidence, Longwei noticed that this child’s facial features were very different from the rest. Namely, the fact that they were more refined, softer and more beautiful than anyone else’s.
And all he could do and say after seeing his “strange” child was only a loss of balance and the words, “Who are you?”