The winter snow fluttered down, cloaking the world in a shimmering silver mantle.
Gusts of cold wind howled through the mountain pass.
Inside a small fenced courtyard,
Ren Qianqian practiced her swordsmanship in the snow. The blade sang through the air, whipping up the falling snow around her. She moved with the agility and grace of a butterfly, her sword strokes lithe.
"The technique is just a facade, you need to comprehend the trajectory, the rhythm, and the true essence of the sword,"
beside her, Li Hao squatted on the snowy ground, intently building a snowman.
He patted and shaped it with his hands, occasionally clipping and trimming, and every now and then he glanced up at the practicing girl to give her a few pointers.
Upon hearing this, Ren Qianqian paused, puzzled, "The trajectory of the sword?"
"Mhm,"
Li Hao nodded, noticing that his snowman lacked arms made of branches. He immediately stood up, bent down, and picked up a branch from outside the woodshed:
"Look, like this."
He shook the branch gently, and the snow clinging to it fell off. Then, with a swift motion, he flicked the branch, catching all the falling snowflakes back onto it, miraculously restoring it to its original snow-covered state.
Ren Qianqian watched, stunned.
"Your sword should interact with the environment around you; that's how you achieve precision and sharpness," Li Hao explained.
He returned to the snowman, shook off the snow from the branch again, and then inserted it as a twiggy arm on the snowman.
Deep in thought, Ren Qianqian looked at the sword in her hand and, after a moment, resumed her practice.
In the past few days, aside from the occasional pointers from Li Hao, Li Hongzhuang and Song Qiumo also took the time to guide her.
But like Li Hao, their guidance never focused merely on sword techniques, but delved deeper, speaking from a Grandmaster's perspective about their understanding of the way of the sword.
Such guidance had its pros and cons. The downside was that their words were enigmatic and tough to decipher.
But the upside was, if one was perceptive enough, grasping their meaning could lead to rapid advances in swordsmanship. Harnessing Sword Intent to control the sword was akin to getting a head start on pursuing one's own Grandmaster Path.
Ren Qianqian continued practicing her swordsmanship.
And Li Hao continued building his second snowman.
Beyond the pass, suddenly, an old horse galloped in.
The Red Blood Horse sped into the pass and came to a stop outside the small courtyard.
Li Hongzhuang, who was tending the stove in the kitchen, sensed something amiss and darted out of the courtyard as swift as an arrow.
"You're from... the Xuan Camp of Liangzhou?"
Seeing the silver insignia on the veteran soldier's armor, Li Hongzhuang's eyes lit up, "Has Fifth Brother arrived in Liangzhou? Has he come to reinforce us?"
The old soldier dismounted quickly, bowed respectfully, and handed over a military report:
"The general has just reached Liangzhou and sent me to deliver this report to the commander."
Li Hongzhuang reached out to take it and swiftly scanned through its contents.
Soon, her expression changed subtly, her eyes gaining a sharp, frosty edge:
"These demons really dare to scheme against Liangzhou!"
Clasping the report closed, she took a deep breath and said to the old soldier, "It's a long journey; do you want to come in and rest for a bit?"
"No, the general is awaiting my return with a message. Do you have news for me to carry back, Commander?"
The old man spoke respectfully, his mind also filled with wonder. He had galloped all the way from the frontier, witnessing numerous demon corpses along the way, and even Cangya City, once majestic, had been destroyed by demons as the rumors said. He had expected to find a desolate military camp, yet here he was, in a cozy, fenced courtyard.
... A reply ... Li Hongzhuang thought about how the military report, aside from detailing intelligence on demon activity, also included a letter full of familial concern.
It warned her to be wary of demons, inquired about her well-being, and urged her to take good care of Hao Er and to retreat at any time ... The words were few, but she could feel her fifth brother's warm care.
"Just a moment,"
Li Hongzhuang turned back into the courtyard, asked Li Hao for writing materials, swiftly penned a letter, and handed it to the waiting old soldier in the snowy courtyard outside.
The old soldier tucked the rolled-up letter into his sleeve, mounted his horse, bid farewell to Li Hongzhuang, and galloped away.
After the soldier departed, Li Hongzhuang called for Li Hao and handed him the military report.
"Fifth Brother says that demons on the outskirts of Liangzhou are stirring and some fortresses have already been infiltrated. These demons plan to coordinate internal and external attacks with the intention of swallowing Liangzhou. He's especially come to take command," she relayed to Li Hao.
Li Hongzhuang looked at Li Hao, "Our Heavenly Gate Pass may face a major demon invasion soon!"
Li Hao picked up the report to read and, noticing the concern from his fifth uncle mixed within, his mind flashed back to the impression left during a family dinner when they exchanged pleasantries.
He gathered his thoughts and responded to Li Hongzhuang, "When the enemy comes, we'll block them; when floods threaten, we'll build dams. If demons come, we'll just fire up the cauldron!"
"..."
Li Hongzhuang gave a wry smile but then thought that with two beings from the Four Stands Realm guarding them, there was no need to panic. If they really encountered trouble, a timely retreat was still manageable. However, it was uncertain when the demons would invade.
After storing the military report, Li Hao invited everyone to enjoy lunch.
Following the snowfall, the pass had an abundance of water resources.
Li Hongzhuang's formerly greasy, coiled hair had been loosened in the absence of demon attacks over the last few days and, after being combed and washed, flowed like silk, smooth as ink, cascading down her back.
Her once blood-stained armor had been cleansed and, while still donned for readiness, her flowing hair lent her a freshness, making her appear like a female general walking out of a painting.
Li Hao made several large wooden tubs, boiled snow into water at night, and created a homemade hot spring.
Soaking in the tub, they would eat barbecued meat, drink wine, and chat leisurely with Elder Feng—it was indeed a delightful life.
The place at the pass seemed to have turned into a holiday retreat.
Despite the heavy snow painting the world a bleak and cold white, they were untroubled, sheltered from the winds and snow.
In the days that followed, Li Hao spent his days hunting with Song Qiumo, targeting demons, and nights resting back at the small courtyard, maintaining a regular routine.