FIMA Ch167: Storm

On the northern side of Canglan Continent, ten thousand li away from Taixuan Immortal Sect, there stood on a wilderness plain a vast black giant city, as though some lonely and silent colossal beast were lying there at rest.

This place lay close to the extreme northern ice fields, where fierce winds and heavy snow raged all year round.

Flake after flake of goose-feather snow drifted down from the sky, piling thickly over the ground. When people stepped on it, it gave off soft rustling sounds, strangely pleasant to hear.

The armor of the soldiers guarding the city gate was likewise covered in a thick layer of snow, yet their bodies did not move in the slightest, like sculptures carved from ice.

The wind and snow fell soundlessly, making it seem as if all heaven and earth had quieted.

At the far edge of that snowstorm, two slender figures slowly approached.

“So this is Wind and Snow City? It does look pretty impressive…” A crisp and pleasant voice rang out, extremely clear in the snow.

Gu Siyuan glanced at the three words over the gate and said calmly, “If the writing in the north is the same as ours, then it should be correct.”

Xie Xueyi shot him a smiling glance. “Gege, the way you talk is getting more and more interesting. Is it because you’ve been with me too long? That just means you need to stick to me even more in the future…”

“Mm, I have indeed been with you a long time,” Gu Siyuan nodded lightly, then asked pointedly, “But only by your side?”

“Hm?” Xie Xueyi narrowed his pretty eyes.

Gu Siyuan strode forward, his magnetic voice drifting through the snow. “I thought staying inside your body longer was even more effective.”

“……”

Xie Xueyi.

The bright smile on Xie Xueyi’s face instantly froze.

Right. Gu Siyuan, Gu Da Shixiong. Not even this boundless snow and whiteness could hide the yellow heart inside you.

At the right-side gate ahead, a queue had already formed, neither short nor long. Around several dozen cultivators waited in turn to pay spirit stones and obtain city-entry tokens. Most of these were newcomers arriving in Wind and Snow City for the first time.

At the main gate, meanwhile, many others passed in and out holding their tokens without issue. These were old hands who had been here long enough already and were merely leaving the city temporarily on business or for other reasons.

Naturally, Gu Siyuan and Xie Xueyi understood the situation at a glance and headed side by side toward the right-side gate to handle their city-entry tokens.

But at that very moment, an abrupt change occurred. Several rough angry shouts came from the wilderness behind them.

“Stop right there! You still dare run!”

“You damned brat, hand over the thing!”

“If you hand it over obediently, we’ll spare your life!”

“If you keep running, I’ll skin you alive and pull out your tendons!”

Naturally, the commotion drew everyone’s attention, and Xie Xueyi could not resist turning to look out of curiosity.

A young man in blue, his face full of panic, was racing toward the city gate at breakneck speed, swift as a rabbit chased by an eagle.

And he really was being chased. The two gray-clothed strongmen behind him were even faster, towering and broad, their expressions fierce and terrifying.

The young man in blue clearly understood his own predicament, and seeing he was about to be caught, he could not help feeling frantic.

So, as he passed by, he pulled something from his robes and, putting some force behind it as though throwing a stone, hurled it toward where Gu Siyuan and Xie Xueyi stood.

At the same time, he shouted, “Brother, I’m giving the thing to you—let’s split up and run! Meet me later at Four Seasons Tavern inside the city!”

With that, he pulled out his entry token with the other hand and prepared to rush through the main gate straight into Wind and Snow City.

Both Gu Siyuan and Xie Xueyi were smart people. One glance at the situation was enough for them to realize that the man in blue meant to divert disaster onto them.

“We’re only passing by. We don’t know him,” Xie Xueyi explained to the two gray-clothed men rushing after them, while also lifting one leg to kick away the object that had been thrown over.

In most other places outside, if people saw figures as striking as Xie Xueyi and Gu Siyuan, and their explanation was sincere, they might well stop and talk things over calmly to clear up the misunderstanding.

But this was Wind and Snow City.

This place was packed with every kind of person. Here, even without misunderstandings, it was normal enough for people to kill each other over nothing more than a bad mood or a single unpleasant glance.

And the same was true now. Of the two gray-clothed men in pursuit, one continued chasing after the blue-robed youth, while the other ignored Xie Xueyi’s explanation completely and simply swung his broadsword down in a menacing slash.

Left with no choice, Xie Xueyi was forced into fighting him.

On the other side, Gu Siyuan looked at the fleeing man in blue, and a cold light flashed through his eyes.

“Courting death.”

With a flick of his sleeve, fierce wind howled through midair, rolling up layers of swirling snow. In the next instant, both the blue-robed youth and the gray-clothed man pursuing him were swept back without the slightest ability to resist, and with two heavy thuds they were smashed directly down at Gu Siyuan’s feet.

By then, the strongman fighting Xie Xueyi had also been subdued on the spot.

The people entering and leaving the city gate had all been watching this unfold. Their expressions, which had originally been flat and accustomed to violence, now showed faint surprise.

“So the Fierce Tiger Twins really got taken down just like that.”

“And that brat Situ Li too—he’s slippery as a ghost, and now he’s actually been caught.”

“Tsk. Wind and Snow City’s got two formidable new experts, huh? Things might get lively around here for a while.”

“…”

Xie Xueyi bounced excitedly over to Gu Siyuan’s side and looked at the three men lying on the ground, grinning. “Hehe, I’d heard that Wind and Snow City was dangerous and chaotic, but who would have thought that before we even entered the city, we’d already run into something this interesting?”

The corner of Gu Siyuan’s lips lifted. “Don’t get too excited.”

“Mm-hmm.” Xie Xueyi nodded, then turned to the blue-robed man on the ground. “So, where’s the treasure? Hand it over. I want to see what kind of thing you people were chasing each other so fiercely over—and what exactly it was that made you think you could frame your grandpa here.”

The blue-robed man’s eyes flickered, and he looked toward the thing Xie Xueyi had kicked aside earlier. “My lord, didn’t that thing get thrown away when I passed it to you…”

“You really want to die.” Xie Xueyi’s voice abruptly turned cold. To the blue-robed youth, it felt as if all the wind and snow in the sky had come crashing down on him, and he could not help shivering from the depths of his heart.

“I-it’s… it’s this.”

After hesitating for a long while, the young man finally yielded before overwhelming force and helplessness. He pulled another object from his robes and slowly raised it toward Xie Xueyi.

It was a black metal object, its original form impossible to make out, like a broken fragment from some divine artifact.

Xie Xueyi studied it for a moment but did not reach to take it. Instead, he turned to ask Gu Siyuan, “Gege, do you recognize what this is? It feels a bit sinister.”

Gu Siyuan swept it with a glance, then lifted one hand in the air. The black metal fragment immediately flew out of the blue-robed youth’s hand as if dragged by irresistible force and landed in his palm.

He turned it over a few times and said softly, “I have some idea, but I’m not entirely sure. We’ll study it carefully later.”

Xie Xueyi nodded with a smile. “Gege, you’ll definitely figure it out.”

Gu Siyuan took his hand. “Let’s enter the city first.”

“Mm.” Xie Xueyi answered obediently, then turned his head and sneered at the three men on the ground. “I’m in a good mood today since we’ve just arrived, so I’ll spare the lives of you three little trash. Next time you want to stir up trouble, keep your eyes open first.”

The three were so frightened by his devil-like shift in demeanor that they hardly dared think anything else. They hurriedly said, “Y-yes… yes, many thanks, my lord, for sparing our lives!”

…

At a glance, the layout of Wind and Snow City’s streets did not seem all that different from Xuanyuan City below Taixuan Immortal Sect.

But the outer surfaces of the buildings were almost entirely black, as if they had been layered over year after year with dried blood. One could almost smell a faint stale scent of blood drifting from them.

The pedestrians on the streets all moved quickly. Whenever they brushed past each other, the wariness in their eyes nearly overflowed, and every ear seemed pricked up, on guard against attacks that might come from any direction at any moment.

Thinking back to what had happened before entering the city, it truly lived up to its name as the City of Chaos.

“Just getting one stupid city-entry token cost a hundred spirit stones, and it only lasts for a month. After that you have to pay again. They really know how to make money. And on top of that their attitude was terrible. This job is way too easy.”

After the two of them queued up and entered Wind and Snow City, Xie Xueyi began glancing around as they walked down the broad street, muttering under his breath.

Gu Siyuan looked at him and asked with a half-smile, “What, are you jealous of the gatekeepers’ job?”

Xie Xueyi could not help glaring at him, perfectly justified. “If I ever ended up guarding the city gate, it would definitely be because you couldn’t afford to keep me anymore. That would be entirely your fault.”

Seeing how adorable he looked, Gu Siyuan indulgently replied, “Mm. My fault.”

Xie Xueyi froze, then could not help blushing slightly.

When Gu Siyuan treated him coldly, he could still grin and stick close. But when Gu Siyuan became gentle, he often no longer knew what to do with himself.

At that moment, Gu Siyuan looked at a tavern not far ahead and said, “Let’s go in and rest for a while.”

When Xie Xueyi saw the signboard hanging above the entrance, he burst out laughing. “Four Seasons Tavern? Hahaha! Isn’t this exactly the tavern that little bastard just made up when he told us to meet him later? What a coincidence.”

The two stepped inside.

A waiter stood at the door welcoming guests.

The moment Xie Xueyi saw him, he openly said, “Get us your best private room. And bring out every one of your signature dishes and wines.”

There was not the slightest trace left of the stingy little miser who had just been complaining painfully about the cost of the city-entry fee.

But the waiter immediately smiled apologetically. “Honored guests, thank you for your patronage. I’m truly sorry, but all of our private rooms are already full today. I’m afraid the two of you may have to make do with sitting in the main hall.”

Gu Siyuan lifted his gaze and swept it through the tavern. Inside, it really was bustling with noise. Even the main hall was already more than half full. If they arrived any later, they might not even find seats.

He nodded. “Then the main hall.”

With that, he clasped his hands behind his back and walked toward an empty table near a window in the corner.

Xie Xueyi touched the storage ring on his finger and, for the first time in his life, felt a sense of having wealth but no place to spend it. He followed over reluctantly and sat down.

The waiter went off to the kitchen to bring the dishes, leaving the two of them seated by the table.

Xie Xueyi puffed his mouth out. “Tsk. Imagine wanting to spend spirit stones and not even being able to.”

Looking at his expression, Gu Siyuan advised calmly, “Master Xie the Rich, no need to be angry. The main hall has its own advantages.”

“Master Xie the Rich…” Xie Xueyi’s mouth twitched.

What kind of vulgar nouveau riche title was that?

Still, after sitting for a while, he discovered that the main hall really did have its merits.

Nearly everyone eating here had a mouth like a leaking bucket. As they ate, they poured out all kinds of information about Wind and Snow City. For newcomers like them, that was actually rather useful.

Seeing how intently he was listening, Gu Siyuan said, “Not bad, right?”

Xie Xueyi swept his eyes around the tavern. “Judging by the tavern alone, it really doesn’t look all that different from Taixuan Tower in Xuanyuan City. Will that legendary thing really be in Wind and Snow City?”

Gu Siyuan answered blandly, “The sect master and I already analyzed and confirmed it together. There should be no mistake. And even if it’s not here, we still have to start from this place and follow the clues onward. Weren’t you there at the time?”

Xie Xueyi nodded listlessly. “Mm-hmm. You two clever eggs.”

In truth, back then Gu Siyuan and the sect master had talked in such dazzling, complicated terms that he had not understood a single bit of it.

Thinking of that, his eyes turned again, and he asked nervously, “Speaking of which, when we went to Taixuan Mountain before, the way the sect master looked at me—I kept feeling it was off. He didn’t see through what’s wrong with me, did he?”

Gu Siyuan smiled faintly. “He probably can’t. After your spiritual power and cultivation were rebuilt from Foundation Establishment, and after you were tempered by heavenly lightning, the aura of the demonic cultivation method on your body should already have faded completely. Even Nascent Soul cultivators would have difficulty detecting it. Wasn’t that already proven when we went into the secret realm?”

Xie Xueyi relaxed a little and said brightly, “That’s true. Hehe, when we went into the secret realm, Baiqing Mountain Lord and the others didn’t notice anything. So up to now, only your master knows, right?”

Gu Siyuan calmly corrected him. “Not exactly. Before you even came to Taixuan Mountain, I had already informed the sect master about your previous identity.”

“Ah…” Xie Xueyi’s eyes widened, and he looked instantly guilty. “You told him? You told the sect master I came from Lingting?”

Gu Siyuan nodded openly. “Mm.”

Xie Xueyi frowned a little, not quite knowing what to say.

After a while, he finally forced out a grin and said, “Then your Taixuan Immortal Sect really is broad-minded. This place is full of both righteous and demonic people, every sort of person mixed together. How does the sect master feel at ease letting you, the great da shixiong and future sect master, come here with me? Your mountain-lord master, and the sect master too—don’t they suspect you? Aren’t they afraid I’ll lead you down the demonic path?”

“The demonic path?” Gu Siyuan looked at him seriously. “The wicked do not walk the righteous road, but for the righteous, where would there even be a demonic road ahead? And also, it’s not ‘your Taixuan Immortal Sect.’ It’s your Taixuan Immortal Sect too.”

Hearing this, Xie Xueyi’s heart trembled.

In truth, when he had been trapped in the demonic path, what had tormented him most was not the physical suffering.

It was that deep down, he had never been able to face himself. He could not accept the possibility that he might truly become some crooked demonic cultivator, forever unable to walk in the sunlight again.

But now, Gu Siyuan’s words loosened something in him all at once.

Seeing the look on his face, Gu Siyuan reached up and touched his cheek. “What is it?”

Xie Xueyi reacted quickly and grabbed his hand, pressing it against his face and refusing to let go. “Gege, you’re so good to me.”

Gu Siyuan’s sword-like brow lifted slightly. He roughly understood what he meant, but deliberately teased him. “Mm. Actually, that’s only part of the reason.”

Xie Xueyi widened his eyes. “What other reason?”

Gu Siyuan said with complete seriousness, “You’re someone I brought back. And as you yourself said, I’m the immortal sect’s da shixiong, most likely its future sect master as well, and perhaps the future leader of the righteous path. With a status like mine, even if I have some dealings with the demonic path, that doesn’t count as collusion, nor does it count as walking a crooked road. It simply counts as a normal diplomatic reception and meeting between two great powers.”

“……”

Xie Xueyi.

His mouth twitched, his expression twisting a little.

Right. Understood. You really are incredible.

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