Feng Tianlan noticed Chen Xinyi’s arrival. Her pale skin was as white as snow beneath her feet. Not a hint of blood coloured her waxen cheeks. “Hello, Miss Chen.” She greeted lightly.
She did not speak in her hoarse voice; instead, she used a tone not unlike what had been used in the past by Master Shen. It was cold and unyielding.
“Have you received the letter from the United Mercenary Regiment?” Chen Xinyi took a deep breath and asked as she met Feng Tianlan’s eyes. She had no way out – all paths to advance or retreat had been severed. She could only bite the bullet and face what was to come.
“Hmm,” Feng Tianlan hummed softly, “The people Miss Chen sent this time were all wiped out.”
“Indeed. They were all wiped out. Even the members of the Chen Family have been captured and detained by your people,” Chen Xinyi remarked with an air of indifference. Between her and the Chen Family, there was no love lost. Whether they lived or died was of no consequence to her.
After all, why should she care?
They had never loved her. Despite all the wealth and power she had obtained on their behalf, not once did they show any affection for her. Those long years toiling for a family who did not appreciate her… It was enough, enough to repay them for bringing her up but nothing more. She could not care less what their actions brought upon them.
Feng Tianlan read the indifference in Chen Xinyi’s expression and frowned. “Miss Chen, I don’t take kindly to threats or those who would lay their hands on my people.”
“Would you like to know the secret?” Chen Xinyi raised her right wrist, revealing an exquisite peony flower.
Feng Tianlan inhaled the subtle fragrance borne upon the cold wind and nodded. “I doubt Miss Chen is willing to divulge such a potent secret.”
“I won’t tell you, but I’m willing to share the secret with Master Shen. Have him come and see me tomorrow at noon.” Chen Xinyi lowered her hand as she gave Feng Tianlan a long hard look before abruptly leaving.
Feng Tianlan was taken aback for a brief moment but soon regained her composure. She sighed helplessly. Chen Xinyi really was too persistent for her own good.
When Xi Lin returned, she heard that Chen Xinyi had approached her. Frowning in confusion, she asked, “Why did she seek you out?”
“She wants to see Master Shen.” Feng Tianlan peered at the accumulating snow. The wind that whipped past howled mournfully in a distant reflection of her own heart.
“Uh…” Xi Lin did not know what to say. “Could it be that, despite the truth, she still did not wish to give up?”
Truly, Tianlan’s charms were too formidable! Even a woman held such loyalty towards her?
Feng Tianlan remained silent. She stared into the curtain of whistling wind and crushing snow. It was the type of blizzard that would not stop even after three days and three nights; by then, how deep would the snow have become?
The next day, Feng Tianlan woke up early and sat in front of the dressing mirror. She examined her reflection, recalling how Mobai used to brush her hair and paint her eyes…
“Mobai, it’s the 18th of December,” a wistful note tingeing her words. Eyeing the face-changing elixir on the table, Feng Tianlan unstoppered the bottle and dabbed her face with it, bit by bit. Her beautiful face contorted, and her feature rearranged themselves into that belonging to a man’s face.
It was the18th of December – the day they were supposed to be wed, the day she, Feng Tianlan, was supposed to be wed to Si Mobai, but it was not to be. With his absence, they had no choice but to cancel their wedding.
She still kept all of Mobai’s drawings, preserving them for the sake of posterity, if nothing else. She had believed wholeheartedly that he would return in time for their wedding, and so did the Bailan Alliance. Invitations were sent, wedding preparations were made, and all for nought.
They thought that as long as he returned, the wedding could take place at any time…
They waited and waited, but he did not come back.
The transformation was soon complete, and Feng Tianlan had taken on the appearance of a handsome man. All that was left to complete the look was to put on the clothes Si Mobai had worn. Being much smaller in stature, the clothes hung loosely on her frame. Yet, this did not stop her from wearing them. She felt, in some small part, as if he was there hugging her, wrapping his arms around her. The bitter cold was unrelenting, but in his clothes… she was warm.
