The Voyage In The Blizzard - Chapter 65
“It can’t be. I only slept for one whole day. Brother Xue, did you accidentally hit your head?” Longwei asked laughing.
Grabbing the sword, Baofeng-Xue wanted to express his displeasure when suddenly someone said, “He’s right. You slept for two whole months. Longwei, and I thought that you were not so lazy. And you spent two whole months sleeping.”
“Can not be.” Grabbing Baofeng-Xue’s hand, it took Longwei a while to realize whose voice it was. “How dare you come here?!” snatching the sword from the hands of brother Xue, Longwei unceremoniously struck a blow and, as always, he did not miss his target. Leaving a deep scar on Sun’s hand with which he covered his face, Longwei, forgetting about his weak state, grabbed him by the throat and forcefully hit him against the wall. “How dare you come here! How!”
Gasping for breath, Sun showed his smile as always and said, “You’re still very strong..”
Strengthening his grip and not going to let go of him, Longwei’s eyes were filled with the color of fury.
Shivering in light convulsions from lack of air, Sun still behaved calmly.
“Longwei stop!” Baofeng-Xue exclaimed.
“I will destroy you.” Grabbing his neck with both hands, Longwei lifted him even higher. “You killed Xing Fu! You!”
“Enough!” Ye Ying, pushing Longwei aside with one hand, stood in front of Sun.
“Move away! Or you’ll regret it.”
“Longwei stop it.”
“What’s the matter with you? Or have you forgotten that he killed Xing Fu?”
Noticing something strange in Ye Ying’s stern gaze, Longwei realized that something was wrong. “What’s the matter with you?”
Coming to his senses, Sun came out from behind Ye Ying and straightening his long hair said, “Poor warrior. There are so many secrets around. But let me make it easier for you. So I invite you for a cup of tea. Then we will talk. Let’s just say, remember our old grudges and settle the score.”
“How dare you!” Longwei just wanted to pounce on him, but Ye Ying knocked him to the floor and pressed him with all his weight.
Leaving the house with an insolent grin, Sun waved his hand and loudly closed the door behind him.
“Somebody tell me what’s going on!” shouted Longwei, throwing off Ye Ying’s heavy body.
Later, feeling weakness in his legs and arms, Longwei still could not gather his strength and go outside.
Silently watching Baofeng-Xue’s movements, he hardly restrained his anger.
Without rushing to explain, Baofeng-Xue said, “A month ago, I created a son. I named him Xing Fu. He was immediately sent to school, but I visit him often. And you know what, Xing Fu became friends with Yun Qi. A word about Yun Qi, he is a fairly capable pupil. At such a small age, despite all his peculiarity and fragile appearance, he shows the true qualities of a warrior. I saw a couple of times how he stands up for the weak and tries to teach everyone in a row. Well, just your copy, Longwei.”
Longwei, continuing to watch as he slowly but nevertheless with shaking hands poured the herbal tea into the cup, did not speak until Baofeng-Xue finished speaking.
“Delun also became a father. You will not believe but he takes more care of his child than anyone. At first I thought that he would not pay attention to him, but in the end it turned out that he is a loving father. He named his son Shidai. Which literally means Era. Probably by that, he meant that his son is a warrior of a new era.” Finally placing the cup in front of Longwei, Baofeng-Xue sat down opposite him.
Looking at his war-worn face, Longwei said, “Now tell me everything. I woke up, and I feel like I am in a different world. Brother Xue, tell me what’s going on.”
Sighing, Baofeng-Xue stroking the wound on his right hand said, “You won’t like what is happening in the world.”
“Tell me.”
Looking at his trembling fingers Baofeng-Xue was silent for a while, but under Longwei’s gaze, he had to speak. “Chaos reigns around. I don’t even know where to start. Well, so be it. You will find out anyway. Sun, he has become the head of the Second Clan again. Don’t ask how, soon you will see yourself.”
“Tell me everything in detail.”
Approaching him, Baofeng-Xue bowed his head quietly and said, “What Sun is doing with everyone is simply unacceptable. You won’t believe it, but he still managed to subdue several beasts. And now, using their power, he began to control them. He gathered almost an entire army of these creatures and most importantly, they obey him. Two months ago, just after you fell into oblivion, Sun just returned then. But he did not return alone. He returned with his pets. Of course we all wanted to fight back, everyone wanted to destroy him, to avenge Xing Fu, but as I said, he was not alone. He brazenly sat on the throne and behaved as usual. Like nothing happened. Some wanted to attack him, but these creatures, spellbound, starting to protect him, thereby killed these warriors. Sun, he ordered his pets to surround the first and third clans. And now they are everywhere. In the forest, around the gate. Of course, we have already killed several, but each time their number increases.” With horror in his eyes, Baofeng-Xue looked at Longwei and added, “Sun, he brought the war to these three mountains. I don’t know how he did it.”
“He must already know something about the curse. So he managed to enslave them.”
“Longwei, everything is getting too confusing. If earlier, the warriors went to the battlefield to prevent these creatures from entering the lands of the three mountains, now, they are literally at every corner. Clans are losing their warriors, no one can leave the house calmly. It seems as if there are more of them. And every day their number is increasing. And the number of soldiers is decreasing. We have to send young soldiers who have not undergone proper training to the war.”
“How about Yue Liang?” asked Longwei, clutching a mug.
“He became the head of the Third Clan. Since he is the heir to the throne, it goes without saying. But to be honest, no one knows what he’s doing. The Third Clan seems to have gone into hibernation. So are you.”
“And Lei?”
“Occasionally, I meet him in the forest. But most of the time he spends on the farm. And it’s strange. Like Yue Liang, he also became quiet. I expected heroism from him when Sun returned with his pets. But no, Lei got cold feet and hid behind the thick fur of the Snowballs.”
Taking off his clothes that had absorbed the sweat and the smell of vomit, Longwei, shivering from the cold, quickly reached for a new warrior uniform. Having noticeably emaciated during these months of a strange illness, walking his hand along the backbone, he looked at his reflection and immediately turned away.
Wearing a soft, thin sweater and warm pants, Longwei asked, “Who is the teacher now? Or the First Clan is still without a teacher.”
“His name is Zihao. In general, he is a warrior of the Third Clan. But on behalf of Yue Liang, he was sent to our clan. They say he is a traveler and he is the only one who managed to reach the end of the white steppe. But what he saw there, no one knows.” answered Baofeng-Xue, holding out a fur cape to Longwei.
“Zihao. I saw him. And how is he? Tolerant or worse than Lei?”
“He’s very kind. He’s very kind indeed. But when necessary, he can be harsher than Ye Ying.” Making Longwei sit, Bao Fengxue began to comb his long strands of hair.
“You told me all the awful things going on and now you are brushing my hair.” Longwei said with a grin.
“I try to calm you down before you go outside. And when we were youngsters, I did that a lot. Remember?”
Stopping his hand, Longwei lifted his head and several drops of water fell from his hair. “What about the Second and Third Clans. Who’s the teacher?”
“In the Third Clan, it is Boqin as always. After so much silence, he is now back to his work. In the Second Clan, some guy named Ju Long.”
“Ju Long?!” cried Longwei.
“What is it? Do you know him?”
“Not surprising.” Longwei said and pulled out a comb and quickly tidying up his hair, gathered it into a ponytail. “I need to see Yun Qi.” he said, and putting his sword on his belt, he left the icy room.
As Baofeng-Xue said, as soon as Longwei was under the snow, he immediately noticed the warriors standing around the houses. Not paying attention to him, clutching swords in their hands, they stood facing the forest and the gate. In anticipation of death, or victory, there was a frozen fear on their faces, which had long been absorbed into the blood of everyone.
“What kind of game are you playing.” Longwei whispered to himself as he moved forward towards the dense forest.
Through the bald branches of the trees, through the gloomy white tones, feeling thousands of gazes everywhere, Longwei was ready to join the battle at any second. Knowing that red eyes were looking directly at him, he felt the presence of death with all his soul. Without turning around, but knowing that they were following him, not looking around, but noticing dark figures around him, he was alone throughout the forest.
Hearing the crunch of a branch behind him, he stopped. Waiting for the beast to sink its claws into him first, Longwei counted to three and when another crunch was heard, he turned sharply.
Noticing a rapidly running figure not far from him, he pulled the knife and threw it towards the beast.
With a shrill roar, the beast fell to the ground. Quickly running up to the tall and thin body of a creature, Longwei, without waiting for it to attack him, quickly thrust his sword directly into the beast’s chest.
Watching the red eyes gradually dim and turning into the color of frozen blood, Longwei said, “Wait for your master. He will soon join you.”
After wiping the sword from the beast’s viscous blood on its own fur, Longwei moved on.
Until the very village where the future warriors lived, without meeting a single beast on the way, Longwei, hearing loud voices filled with life and joy, sighed with relief.
Overjoyed at the fact that at least the children were safe, he was eager to see Yun Qi.
Not wanting to be seen, running past several elders in long dark green robes, Longwei climbed a high wall and tried to see Yun Qi among the many youths.
Hearing the voices of the elders repeating the following, “Time to go to bed.” Longwei, bending down even lower, suddenly heard someone’s ringing voice somewhere nearby.
Climbing onto one of the rooftops, a 13-year-old boy waving his hand loudly repeated, “Try to catch me!”
“Shidai come down!” one of the elders shouted back.
“Shidai? Son of Delun? He is exactly like him.” thought Longwei before he felt someone pulling on his leg. Frightened, he grabbed his sword and pointed it into the darkness. “Who is there?”
“Longwei.” Lei’s voice was heard. Climbing the wall, Lei said with a strange joy in his eyes, “Finally you woke up.”
“Have you been here all this time? What are you doing here?”
“Guarding Yun Qi. Longwei, I must tell you something.” Lei said with a radiant smile.
“Why are you so delighted? Or do you not know what is happening around?”
“I think soon we will be able to put an end to everything that is happening in this world. Namely, Yun Qi will be able to make this world change completely.”
“Yun Qi? What does he have to do with it? Lei, I don’t understand you.”
Lei did not have time to open his mouth and start talking about what had been lurking in his head for two months, when suddenly there was a loud crash.
After running along the wall like a ninja, Yun Qi, using the same take-off technique as Longwei, quickly jumped up and found herself next to Shidai.
At first, not recognizing her altered facial features, Longwei thought it was the son of Baofeng-Xue. But when he heard her voice, he was surprised by what he saw.
Having grown up noticeably in two months and now becoming a 13-year-old child, Yun Qi, standing on a narrow roof board, with her head held high and her hand outstretched holding a wooden sword, cast her piercing gaze at everyone below.
“Yun Qi! Get down! Who let you run on the wall? Get down quickly!”
Grabbing the snow and making a snowball out of it, Yun Qi didn’t hesitate to throw it right in the face of one of the elders. Laughing, she said loudly and clearly, “Stop making us sleep! We are warriors, we have no time for sleep!”
As they gathered to watch Yun Qi’s next performance, all the children below were clapping and shouting.
“Try to catch us!” exclaimed Shidai and grabbing Yun Qi’s arm, he jumped from one roof to the other.
In disbelief, Longwei watched with his mouth open as his child moved exactly like he did when he was at her age. Seeing his reflection in her, he felt a piercing tear in his eye.
“Yun Qi is very stubborn and brave.” said Lei with some pride.
“He grew up so quickly. I didn’t know that children born in the Spherical Stone grow so quickly. No, I knew, but this is …”
“A little more and Yun Qi will be able to outrun any of the best warriors.” Watching the elder climb to the roof to catch both of them, Lei said, “You won’t believe it, but it all happens every night. It’s kind of a bedtime custom.”
“So you’ve been watching after him this whole time.”
“Of course. Yun Qi is different, I just had to keep an eye on her so no one would know about who she is.” Lei suddenly said.
Almost falling off the wall, Longwei exclaimed, “You know!”
“Hush you.” Covering his mouth with his hand, Lei crouched down and said, “Of course I know. Yun Qi, she is the warrior who will remove the curse. Come on, I’ll show you something.”