Volume One: The Wild Child Chapter 81: Ice and Fire

The fur coat draped over Lin Changtian's chair was taken and laid gently across Liu Qingshan’s shoulders, soft and warm.

“When the old man’s not causing trouble, he’s quite peaceful,” Lin Changtian reflected, though he turned his head away, forcibly severing the train of his own thoughts. Peaceful—was that not a sign that the end was near?

He had asked about the battle that day; Liu Qingshan had shielded Kui Sheng and his men from several Heaven-commanded masters, but at what cost, no one knew. Those who witnessed it from afar claimed the earth shook, as if witnessing the end of the world.

But then, Lin Changtian mused, when a turtle lays eggs, it is always living quietly; perhaps Old Liu shares some qualities with those creatures, such as being a scourge that lasts a thousand years...

After pondering for a while, Lin Changtian abandoned the search for common traits between Liu Qingshan and turtles, turning his gaze instead to Qiu An. “Aside from Ma Hui, are there other experts under his command at the Heaven-commanded level?”

Qiu An, bowing respectfully, replied, “To be honest, besides Ma Hui, Lin Yuan, and Cheng Yu, the three formidable figures, I’ve never heard of any other true Heaven-commanded masters. As you know, men of such caliber are exceedingly rare—not only in the Northern Domain but even in the vast Central Lands, they are like phoenix feathers.”

Lin Changtian curled his lip and ceased to look at Qiu An, descending from his seat of command and fixing his gaze intently upon Gongsun Twelve, as if she had piqued his great interest. “Female generals in the Northern Domain are rare, let alone those with your skill. Be honest with me...”

Gongsun Twelve knew she could not hide and, fearing for her life, clasped her hands and said, “My birth mother was one of Ma Hui’s wives. But he’s a lustful man, insatiable, with at least a dozen children. My mother was not of noble birth, so among his many women, she was cast aside. Luckily, my maternal uncle was a master of the spear and taught me martial arts from a young age, giving me a foundation that caught Ma Hui’s eye, so I remained in the army.”

Lin Changtian looked a bit startled, glancing subconsciously at the snowy white edge of her robe, yet persisted in asking what he originally intended. “Honestly, I once thought you were a man disguised as a woman. Who knew there was so much more to your story?”

Gongsun Twelve stood frozen, her beautiful eyes quivering, biting her lip, glaring in anger. What sort of odd people were these on Mount Si? Did every man force women to claim brotherhood?

“Do I really lack feminine charm? It must be hard for you, Grand Marshal of Mount Si, to appreciate. You barely glance at me—am I so ugly?”

Lin Changtian hurriedly waved his hand, apologizing with a smile. “It’s truly my mistake. But... did you ever learn about Hua Mulan when you were young?”

“Hua Mulan? Who is she? Most of us in the Northern Domain are born and bred here. Few have been to the Central Lands. Forgive my ignorance, I’ve never heard of her.”

Lin Changtian laughed awkwardly for a long while, then tried gently, “It’s like this: Hua Mulan was a heroine who took her father’s place in the army, mingling among men like a clever rabbit, hard to tell male from female.”

Gongsun Twelve burst out laughing, purposely straightening her prominent bosom. “With my figure, do you think I could fool anyone?”

Lin Changtian’s face flushed crimson, and he fled the tent in embarrassment.

...

The next day, the ideological education hall on Mount Si welcomed a new sight—a woman so striking that no one could look away.

She was Gongsun Twelve, now dressed in a flowing gown rather than armor. Her skirt danced lightly, every gesture infused with a fox-like allure; her smile bloomed like a flower, lingering with watery charm. Many bandits lost their composure before her, their hearts unsettled, though they would never have the means to pursue such beauty.

Xu Yong still wore his thousand-year expression of cold indifference, his brows furrowed, the icy aura around him almost carving “displeasure” into his face.

Page 2

The lecturer for this ideological class was Xu Yong, who had prepared long and hard, several nights without sleep. Yet who would have thought—his efforts could not even match a single smile from her.

Xu Yong was angry. His mind worked in peculiar ways; though he appeared gentle, he was stubborn, hard as stone. Even with a lovely woman, it was no different.

“Gongsun Twelve, stand up,” he said in his eternally unchanged tone, though the cold around him grew sharper.

Gongsun Twelve obeyed, standing and bowing, “That’s me. What do you need?”

“You came for class; why disrupt the order? If you wish to show off your beauty, you might as well join the women on the back mountain, gathering tokens for your beloved.”

Gongsun Twelve toyed with her hair, lips curled in amusement. She walked over, each step graceful, turning her allure into a fragrant breath that melted some of Xu Yong’s frosty aura. “How am I being provocative? Look at my attire—nothing improper. This allure is natural. If anyone is to blame, it should be your students for lacking resolve.”

Xu Yong stood speechless for a long time. He was no Lin Changtian; if it had been him, he would have declared righteously, “If there’s a problem, come at me—leave the innocent students out of this!”

“But these classes are for officers—why is a woman here...”

Gongsun Twelve interrupted him by slapping the table in front of her, breaking it. “I don’t like that talk. What’s wrong with women? Aside from those two on Mount Si, I doubt any of your men could best me.”

Xu Yong gathered the broken wood, feeling a pang—he’d made that table last spring from willow, and now, in a blink, it had ended its days.

“We’ll see who’s stronger. Let’s go outside and spar—you’ll learn there are plenty of men on Mount Si!” Xu Yong grabbed Gongsun Twelve’s fair hand, dragging her angrily outside. Once at an open spot, he released her arm.

“Just so you know, I control ice—so there might be some bumps and bruises...” Xu Yong trailed off, meeting the grievance in Gongsun Twelve’s eyes. It dawned on him he’d acted like a scoundrel.

Gongsun Twelve bit her lip, ignored him, and strode off like a proud swan, leaving the youth staring after her.

...

There’s an old saying on Mount Si: Where there’s gossip, there’s Lin Changtian.

Especially when it involves Xu Yong’s romantic affairs.

But Lin Changtian had little interest in teasing Mount Si’s thousand-year icicle that day.

“I didn’t mishear, did I? You’re proposing peace?” Lin Changtian frowned, staring wide-eyed at the man before him.

The man was the envoy sent by Ma Hui. He bowed respectfully to Lin Changtian. “To be honest, the incident was stirred by one of Ma Hui’s officers who was disgruntled. Originally, he was to be granted the Weinan Pass, but when you took it, he was naturally upset. Ma Hui has since executed him. Your triumph at Weinan Pass has spread your fame; Ma Hui admires heroes greatly and sent me to resolve this misunderstanding. If you wish, we could even form an alliance between our two houses.”

Lin Changtian narrowed his eyes, stepped forward, and stared at the man’s wrinkled face. “Mount Si has always loved peace; turning swords into silk is something everyone welcomes. But...”

Page 3

“Is there something amiss? Please clarify,” the envoy bowed humbly.

Lin Changtian eyed him suspiciously, rubbing his fingers together before speaking slowly. “You know, Mount Si isn’t as grand as Ma Hui’s house. Silk and jade, well... As lord of this mountain, life isn’t easy up or down the slopes.”

The man’s smile did not falter; instead, he gestured toward the tent entrance, nodding to Lin Changtian. “That’s easily settled. If you allow me to take Generals Qiu An and Gongsun Twelve back today, the weapons, provisions, and ‘sunstone’ outside will be yours.”

“What? Ma Hui certainly has peculiar tastes—I don’t want anything produced from sheep.”

The envoy ignored Lin Changtian’s banter, maintaining his ingratiating smile. “I’ve asked around and heard that the Grand Marshal of Mount Si is from beyond these borders. Are you familiar with the boundary weaponry of the Central Lands?”

Lin Changtian nodded. How could he not know their power? He himself owned a long blade fallen from one, though it was broken in half...

“The 'boundary weapon' is a formidable object; its technology is beyond the Northern Domain’s grasp. But the core material, by coincidence, appeared in Ma Hui’s territory. We can’t build mechs, but the 'sunstone' is perfect for forging weapons, its wonders only discernible to those who wield boundaries.”

Lin Changtian glanced at Liu Qingshan, who nodded slowly, so he donned a smile and replied, “To be honest, even without the ‘sunstone,’ my admiration for Ma Hui would flow endlessly like a mighty river.”

The envoy’s face grew awkward, wiping cold sweat from his neck, and joked, “Then as you wish, I’ll take the ‘sunstone’ back to Ma Hui.”

“If you keep talking like that, your face will darken before the day is out,” Lin Changtian retorted.

The envoy felt aggrieved; he’d warned his lord not to send him, and now he saw clearly—Mount Si’s master was even more like a bandit than Ma Hui, allowed to joke, but not others...

“It’s getting late. Let’s finish the transaction—hand over the people to me.”

Lin Changtian glanced at him, thinking the fellow couldn’t take a joke. “As you wish, but the remaining soldiers and officers may take some time...”

The envoy waved dismissively, heading toward the tent exit. “Ma Hui never keeps defeated soldiers! You may as well keep them—they’d only face death if returned.”

That made Lin Changtian a bit envious. “If only I could be so carefree,” he muttered as he watched the envoy depart.

Just as the man was about to leave, he paused at the threshold, speaking without turning. “Strictly speaking, my name shouldn’t be shared. But I’ll say it anyway; perhaps we’ll meet again. I am Du Zhaolin. The future is long—should the opportunity arise, let’s share a good drink.”

(End of Volume One. Thank you, new readers, for your patience. There are many seeds planted in this story—thank you for reading on.)