Chapter 15#
If You See SnowCh15 - That Heartless Man, Sang Chiyu#
When it was Su Ruhui’s turn, the disciple in charge of registration, yawning, gestured for him to write his name himself. Su Ruhui wrote down Jiang Quexie, put down the pen, and joined another line waiting for assignments.
At that moment, someone stopped behind him and whispered: “A-Qi, we’re from the Paradise Pavilion. The Secret Sect is about to hold a trial. Stay close to us, and we’ll protect you.”
Su Ruhui glanced back at them—one with a scarred face, another with a pockmarked head, and yet another with slanted eyes.
They looked somewhat familiar. It seemed these three were among the thugs who surrounded Su Ruhui at the Hengtai Money House that day.
System’s Timely Commentary:【The three thugs sent by Han Ye all suffer from hidden ailments. From left to right: impotence, castration, and hemorrhoids.】
Su Ruhui: “…”
Su Ruhui was a mole planted by Han Ye within the aristocratic families. Anyone sent to confront Su Ruhui must be one of Han Ye’s trusted confidantes. As long as his chastity wasn’t compromised, everything could be negotiated. Su Ruhui readily agreed, “Then I will thank you three brothers.”
He turned his eyes and directly met the eyes of someone on the opposite side of the troops. The eyes were pitch black, like two pieces of clear glass, belonging to a young boy. He had felt someone watching him earlier and thought it was one of those three wretched characters behind him, but it turned out to be a young man. He wore a black robe with narrow sleeves, and looked to be fifteen or sixteen years old, exactly the “mysterious youth” as the system had identified.
The system noted:【A mysterious young man with an unremarkable appearance, whose most hated things in life are dogs and Su Ruhui.】
Su Ruhui was surprised. He was so likeable, yet this person actually hated him.
This person was definitely suspicious.
With that thought, Su Ruhui broke into a smile and flashed him a grin.
Caught peeking red-handed, the teenager remained unperturbed and averted his gaze.
“Name.” The Secret Sect officer stated with weariness.
The boy paused for a moment. He had forgotten to come up with a suitable fake name for himself.
Su Ruhui’s voice drifted over. The youth listened to that lazy tone and casually made up a name:
“Su Yu.”
Su Yu, or rather, Sang Chiyu, turned around and joined the other line. Su Ruhui was a few feet in front of him, leaning casually against a crooked tree. That guy always had terrible posture. He never stood nor sat properly, looking like a complete ruffian. He was so conspicuous that Sang Chiyu spotted him the moment he arrived.
Why was Su Ruhui here? Sang Chiyu furrowed his brows, a heavy gloom settling in his heart. The Kunlun Secret Sect was not a good place. Su Ruhui had died in Kunlun once before, so why would he come back? Sang Chiyu remembered that Su Ruhui was afraid of the cold and hated going to cold places the most. In the past, when this man was confined to the Immortal’s Cave and bedridden from illness, he would still shiver uncontrollably from the cold no matter how big a fire they built.
As he was thinking, a commotion suddenly erupted near Su Ruhui. Sang Chiyu looked up to see a towering man blocking Su Ruhui. In the bone-chilling cold, this giant wore only a single layer of clothing, his arms bulging with terrifyingly knotted muscles. He scrutinized Su Ruhui from head to toe and declared: “You’re Jiang Quexie? I saw you writing your name earlier. Your hometown is in Yunzhou. Are you Sang Chiyu’s husband?”
“Yep, that’s me.” Su Ruhui replied straightforwardly, “What is dage here to enlighten me with?”
As soon as he said those words, several people turned to look at them.
The big man sneered: “So you’re the Jiang family kid who married that cripple. I heard your husband took some secret drug and went to the Underworld. What a pathetic stray dog, a disgrace to the Sang family! He’s willing to associate with the scum of the Underworld just to restore his secret arts. Everyone knows that the entire Sang family fought and died to defend against the villains of the Underworld, yet Sang Chiyu betrayed the sect and became one of them! Jiang Quexie, since you’re with Sang Chiyu, how dare you show your face here?”
Ugh, nothing’s more annoying than people who have nothing better to do than pick fights when they’re full. Su Ruhui glanced back at the scar-faced man and them. Those three had no intention of helping at all, standing by gloating as they watched the show.
Unreliable. Su Ruhui sighed.
“Yeah,” people whispered around them, “this kid’s got some nerve. His husband defected, and yet he still dares to come and apply for a position in the Secret Sect.”
“After all, he’s a member of the Jiang family, and his older sister is Jiang Xueya. With the Jiang family protecting him, the Secret Sect will have to show some respect to the Jiang family.”
“What you don’t know is that the one who was supposed to marry Sang Chiyu was Jiang Xueya, but this Jiang Quexie was forcibly pushed into the marriage as a substitute. He has long been abandoned by the Jiang family.”
The surroundings became much livelier, instantly resembling a pot simmering over a low flame, bubbling and gurgling.
“To be honest with dage,” Su Ruhui said with a languid smile, “He divorced me. I’m an ex-wife now, and I have nothing to do with him anymore.”
A man, becoming a discarded wife. The burly man’s gaze fell upon Su Ruhui, the contempt in his eyes deepening.
Jiang Quexie was from a noble family, and although he wasn’t favored, he was still raised with fine food and drink, unlike these mud covered commoners who toiled in the wind and rain. The young man before them had a fair complexion and sharp features, yet his eyes often held a smile, softening his sharp edges and making him seem somewhat gentle. He was also tall and slender, like a sturdy young poplar tree, lean but strong. However, his demeanor was rather casual, unlike that of a nobleman. He even had a touch of roguish air about him.
However, in any case, his physique was still far inferior to that of a heavily muscled man.
Everyone thought in unison, “This waste from a wealthy family, who spends his days indulging in rich food and luxury, dares to come and join the army?”
The burly man was about to continue his taunts when the young man suddenly turned his face away, wiping away tears with his sleeve, “I was originally a fine young man of the Jiang family, without any secret arts, but with great ambitions. However, my father favored my older sister and ordered me to marry in her place. Born as a member of the Jiang family, I would die as a member of the Jiang family. I accepted my fate and married Sang Chiyu. As a wife, I had to fulfill my duties. I provided him with good food and drink, getting up before dawn every day to make him breakfast. The first day I made steamed chicken, the second day rougamo, and the third day salted egg yolk rice balls. I, a young master who had never lifted a finger, roughened my hands and darkened my face for him. Besides not bearing him children, I did everything for him. Who would have thought that he would abandon me and leave without a word, not caring of my life or death?”
The big man gaped in astonishment, at a loss for words.
“This dage!” Su Ruhui wailed, “Do you know that Sang Chiyu is the greatest hypocrite in the world? During the day, he made me work like an animal, and at night, he tormented me in a hundred ways. He burned me with candles, hit me with whips, and tied me up with ropes!”
The big man flushed red and stammered: “Stop talking about it! Keep this kind of thing to yourself!”
Su Ruhui said emotionally, “I know I’ve been pampered since childhood, accustomed to a life of luxury. I don’t have much ability at all, and I can’t compare to any of you older brothers.”
Unexpectedly, he showed such self-awareness, and many people’s opinions of him changed for the better.
“But Sang Chiyu deceived my heart and body, his death is well-deserved.” Su Ruhui declared with a firm and powerful voice, “Therefore, I made the resolute decision to join the Scout Guard. From now on, I will be irreconcilably opposed to that heartless man! Dage, everyone, I share your hatred and will fight alongside you to punish that heartless man and bring Sang Chiyu to justice!”
Someone nearby said sadly, “Young Master Jiang, I can’t believe you’ve gone through such suffering!”
The burly man who had been looking for trouble blushed, “Young master, I thought you were a spoiled and decadent playboy. My judgment was flawed.”
Others were filled with righteous indignation, “So this is the kind of person Sang Chiyu is! Young Master Jiang, you said it well! Let’s punish that heartless man and bring Sang Chiyu to justice!”
The crowd’s emotions stirred up, eagerly shouting in unison: “Punish that heartless man! Bring Sang Chiyu to justice!”
From time to time, people would approach Su Ruhui to comfort him, expressing sympathy for his tragic past and encouraging him to look ahead and live a good life. In no time, several people, including the burly man, had taken Su Ruhui in as a younger brother.
Sang Chiyu, who witnessed this entire process: “…”
He wore a blank expression, his heart unmoved. He had known Su Ruhui’s abilities for a long time. Su Ruhui could befriend even the chickens in the trees and the ducks in the rivers, let alone these people?
While the commotion was at its height, a gavel suddenly slammed onto the table, and the entire room instantly fell silent as if everyone had had their tongues cut out.
The Secret Sect officer, who had been registering the participants, put away his notebook and said slowly: “Time is up, registration is closed. There are a total of one hundred and thirty people present. Now I will announce the trial rules. The rules are simple: you have three days and two nights to reach the Kunlun snowline by any means necessary. After three days, we will count the number of people at the snowline. The first fifty people will enter Kunlun, and everyone after will be eliminated.”
Everyone exchanged glances and whispered among themselves.
Su Ruhui furrowed his brow. There was something off with these rules. The border capital was at the foot of the Kunlun mountains, the distance a bit over ten li – not too close and not too far. Three days and two nights would be more than enough time. The so-called selection process was simply setting a threshold, eliminating those who couldn’t meet the requirements. Using this level of trial to select candidates would inevitably result in many people arriving at the same time, rendering the selection process meaningless.
Soon someone asked Su Ruhui’s question: “What if multiple people arrive at the same time?”
“Also,” someone raised their hand, “there are no towns or even villages along this entire route. What should we do if wild animals appear and attack us?”
The young officer casually scratched his ear and said indifferently, “Can’t you understand what I’m saying? I told you, you have three days and two nights. We don’t care how you do it, and we don’t care what you encounter. We will arrive at the snowline at wushi in three days. If you can make it up, fine. If you can’t… that’s your own fate.”
Su Ruhui was startled.
He understood the hidden meaning behind this guy’s words. Three days and two nights was more than enough time. There would undoubtedly be others arriving at the snowline at the same time. Kunlun’s intention was to have them fight amongst themselves, with only the last fifty survivors emerging victorious. Furthermore, they couldn’t arrive early. Kunlun wouldn’t reach the snowline for three days, and arriving ahead of time would simply make them easy targets.
A “beep” sounded in his ear. The system had issued a new task.
Task Issued: Survive!
Task Description: Survive three days and two nights in a brutal trial.
Task Rewards: Little secret no one knows about any person x1; 10% system permission unlocked, danger warning function enabled.
The rules were as fierce as a tiger, and Su Ruhui felt a deep pang in his heart. He had no time to worry about the task issued and quietly retreated to the back of the crowd.
This place is bound to turn into a slaughterhouse soon, and he certainly didn’t want to be the lamb.
There were still many who didn’t grasp the rules, but also quite a few who had quietly gripped the blades at their waists.
Sang Chiyu turned his head just in time to see Su Ruhui furtively sneaking into an alley like a little mouse stealing oil. In the blink of an eye, Su Ruhui vanished. He tried to look for him, but Su Ruhui had slipped away too quickly, leaving not even a shadow behind.
With another bang of the gavel, the officer’s voice boomed like thunder, announcing: “The time has come! The trial begins!”