Snow Fragrance

Chapter 1

A lone horse galloped through the landscape split the silent night of chilly winter sky. A dark figure of a lady hidden behind a black cloak hushed the horse to move faster to escape from the incoming pursuers. 

She keeps moving further, ignoring the penetrating coldness of snow that falls heavily on her body. At this critical time, there was nothing that can distract her from focused on the road ahead.

The Ming Dynasty has fallen and the throne was overthrown.  As the general's daughter of fallen side, Xue Yin knew that her fate was already being sealed. Her sibling, parents, and family, all had been killed in this inevitable war and she knew this is the price need to be pay by the failure in case of rising treason.

Born as a general's daughter had tempered her into being a cold and hard-hearted warrior. Losing family had hurt her badly but still her judgment and will have not broken yet.

After she was captured by the enemy's general at the war zone, she was fed poison and pulled into his room for night pleasure. Knowing that her life still has worth as a war spoiler or medal as she didn't immediately being killed after captured, Xue Yin threatened to kill herself by putting a sharp knife over her throat so that she wouldn't be touched by the enemy's disgusting hand.

When the blood finally flickered out from the wounds, he let her go for the night. But Xue Yin knew that the method couldn't be used for the next time he targets her so she needs to escape as soon as possible.

After the poison was fully infiltrated into her body, she tried to pull the poison and stored it into her dantian. That procedure was difficult and hard even for martial art practitioners but her strong will made it possible.  

After success, she needs to keep circled the stored poison with the qi so the pain was not leaked and harmed her body so while planning the escape, a part of her concentration still focus in guarding the poison. 

As a military leader, she had knowledge on guard's rotation and the geographical land of the enemy's camp so she used that into full use.

Choosing the night without the moon's light shines due to heavy snowfall, Xue Yi finally took her chance. Even with a wounded body and malnutrition body, she forced her body to move and escape.

After a moment of distraction during the guard's rotation shift, she moved out of the prison with her nimble hand and brute force. With the skill that she has, all of that complicated moves she had done, not a single sound was leaked.

She has 5 minutes to spare when the prison guard's noticed her disappearance so she keeps her vigilance to the highest concentration. This is the critical time for her so there shouldn't be any mistake that occurred.

She moves swiftly to the lone guard at the north side of the camp and launch a single strike directly over his heart. Even wearing a heavy guard armor, the man was killed immediately without even realize he was attacked.

Xue Yin took the man's clothes and naturally moved toward the exit unnoticed. After exited the camp, she ran toward the south where a small horse stable stand.

At this dark hour, the horse's owner already sleeps so she silently took a black cloak at the hangers and pulled a single horse from it's stable and drag it away after throwing a three-coin to the empty stable's space.

As she galloped the horse to the fallen Ming Dynasty, the horn sound was heard, notified the captive disappearance.

Holding the horse's rein tightly and desperately guide the horse to her destination. With the speed pace, she calculated that she is able to safely arrive there.

When the morning comes, she can see the city's gate and a glint of hope appears in her eyes. As the war had just ended, the city's gate still was heavily guarded so after release the horse, Xue Yin entered the city through a secret passageway known by only a certain people.

After sneaking into the city, she moves to the prime minister's mansion. The closer she is to the mansion, the faster her feet move.

In her hard heart there existed a soft spot and its only available for the prime minister's genius scholar son and also her fiance, Xie Shu. Remembering her fiance would make that cold face melt and turned into a young girl filled with love.

She anxiously entered the mansion, afraid that her fiance maybe was captured by the enemy's side and held captive.

Her steps were so fast, evading all the guard's detection. As she remembered the mansion's map, after passing the passageways and fly over the roofs finally she see his room.

A smile leaked on her face at the thought that she finally able to reunite with her fiance. Just as she wants to take a step further, she saw his room's door was opened and a young lady came out.

It's usual for a servant to enter the room but by no means that the lady is a maid because Xue Yin knew her identity.

'Neighbor Princess, Ni Ruo'

She might be the one that captured Xie Shu and imprisoned him. Her gaze turned sharp and a sharp blade fell into her hand from her sleeves, ready to be thrown and killed the enemy.

When she was about to throw the blade, a hand grabbed Princess Ni Ruo and pulled her into his embrace. Xue Yi looked at the man and her body turned cold. 

It's impossible! That man that is smilingly kissed Princess Ni Ruo's forehead is not Xie Shu. Not her Xie Shu!

His action was so swift just like a natural thing to do by how fitted Princess Ni Ruo is inside his arm. She lightly pulled his cheek and saying something that evokes his laughter. It looked like she was persuading him to let her go.

After he whispered into Princess Ni Ruo and made her face turned red, he let her escape from his arm. When her figure disappeared through the corner of the corridor, he entered back into his room with a leaking smile.

Xue Yin lied motionless there on the roof, letting the snow burying her and watching them just like being stunned. She saw how he smiles. She saw how he carefreely laughs. She saw how happy he is. 

That is the things that she had wished for before but why looking at him now made her heart stuffy and... and... and sad. 

The scene of when he held Princess Ni Ruo keep replaying over and over again in her mind. It's too much that she can't bear it.

Maybe this is the reason that he had never smile in front of her. Because he had never put her into his heart. He loves others so how can he accommodate her presence? So all her effort for him is left to vain. Worthless. Useless. Pointless.

After a long silence finally, she tried to move from the spot but it's like she is unable to. Her buried body had already turned frosted that she can no longer felt any coldness of winter snow.  

A moment of distraction can make the stored poison in her dantian astray and during the time she looked at the love scene had made her confused and all her thoughts muddled, giving a chance for the poison to leak out from her dantian. 

With her weary body, she can't control the poison anymore. Even if she can controlled them, she doesn't want to. What is the point of living? Her family had gone, her love is just an illusion, her land already fallen. She has nothing to protect and cherish. 

Xue Yin laughed. The Great General Xue was not killed in the war but died because of a heart's disease. Silly and stupid. 

 Blood spurted from her mouth. Trailing down into the snow giving an illusion of flowers bloom on white land. 

She had no energy left. The poison already spread all over her body, biting inside her, corroding her bone. Giving her a taste greater than death but the only thing she thought is Xie Shu.

'Xie Shu Gege, what are you doing?'

'Smelling the wind'

'It has no scent. I had tried to smell it'

'Everything in this world has its own fragrance. You just need to carefully sense it'

'Then... do snow has a smell too?'

'Yes'

'Tell me. Tell me'

'When it is snowing I will tell you'

'Then, it is a promise. Okay?'

'

Okay'

"Snow's fragrance is a chilly scent. Even taking a breath made lungs heart. Isn't it true, Xie Shu Gege?" As tears fall down, Xue Yin's smiles. Finally, she sensed the snow's fragrance at the end of her life and it felt lonely.

Buried under the heavy snow, she was dying alone and her remaining was unnoticed until next spring but then was branded as an invader's corpse. Insignificant in this flourished new dynasty.

Translation: Xue (Snow) Yin (Silver)