Chapter 12

Chapter 12

By nightfall, the wind and rain had grown even louder.

This old alley sat on low ground. Whenever it rained without stopping, water collected here with alarming ease.

Qiao Ying watched the water pouring in over the threshold and listened to the steady drip, drip, drip from the roof. Holding an oil-paper umbrella, she sat on top of the table and said, “What do we do?”

“Yes, what do we do?”

The Youth in Blue sat back-to-back with her on the table. Compared to her worried frown, he looked as carefree as ever. After hearing the distress in her voice, he even gave a soft laugh.

It was pouring outside and drizzling inside. A puddle had already spread across the floor. No wonder the broker had agreed so readily to lower the rent and lease the place out. So that was it-Qiao Ying, an outsider, had no idea what was going on. The broker had finally found someone easy to fleece, so he had fleeced her at once.

Qiao Ying muttered, “I thought my beauty trap worked and he was moved to cherish the fairer sex. Turns out he just saw me as a sucker to be slaughtered.”

Shen Qingyu laughed aloud, his voice bright and easy.

Qiao Ying turned to look at him. “Aren’t you supposed to be so powerful? Can’t you think of something?”

“Am I powerful?”

“Of course. Back then, with just a couple of swishes, you dealt with the Chang Ghost and the Tiger.”

Shen Qingyu pondered for a moment. “Mm. So I’m powerful.”

Qiao Ying shifted sideways and nudged him with her elbow. “Do you have a way or not?”

Shen Qingyu turned his fair, clean face toward her, as if he were “looking” at her. The corners of his lips lifted. “But I think I only know methods for killing people.”

In the miserable wind and bitter rain, his mention of “killing people” made the already dark, damp surroundings feel even colder.

Qiao Ying gave up on seeking his help. She sighed. “And here I thought, with a name like Qingyu, you might have some way to deal with water.”

Shen Qingyu said, “It sounds like you’re not saying anything nice about me.”

“It doesn’t just sound like it. I wasn’t saying anything nice about you.”

“But you were praising me for being powerful just now.”

“Just now was just now. Now is now. Right now, I think you’re not powerful anymore.”

Shen Qingyu pressed his lips together slightly, seeming a little unconvinced. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

In an instant, cold surged upward.

The raindrops froze into beads of ice, suspended in midair. The pooled water on the floor also froze at a visible speed, and frost crept up along the table legs.

Qiao Ying hurriedly pulled her legs back. Hugging herself, she turned to look at him. “What are you doing?”

As she breathed, she could even see the warm vapor spilling from her mouth.

One moment, it had still been late autumn. Now, in the blink of an eye, bitter winter had descended. Snow and ice covered everything, and the cold sank into the bones.

Shen Qingyu smiled. “The rain won’t seep in anymore.”

The small house they occupied had already been covered from top to bottom in frost. Forget the rain-even the night wind could no longer find a crack to slip through.

“Qiao Ying,” he asked, “do you think I’m powerful again now?”

She fell silent.

Shen Qingyu looked faintly puzzled. “Still not powerful enough?”

He raised his hand again. If he snapped his fingers one more time, everything within ten miles would probably be frozen solid.

Qiao Ying quickly grabbed his hand. “Enough, enough! You really are incredibly powerful!”

She was the one who had brought this scourge into Fangcun City. It was enough for him to torment her alone. If he went on to torment other people too, then that truly would be her sin.

Shen Qingyu’s smile was faint. He did not care whether Qiao Ying’s praise was sincere or not. As long as he heard what he wanted to hear, he had no interest in whether it was true or false.
True, it wasn’t leaking anymore. But it had gone far beyond that: the floor was practically an ice rink now.

Qiao Ying sneezed from the cold. She wanted to go back to her room, so she tested the ice with one foot, only to nearly slip and fall flat. Fortunately, she managed to grab a corner of cyan fabric in time, sparing herself the indignity of rolling off the table.

She said, “Shen Qingyu, I want to go back to my room and sleep.”

Shen Qingyu nodded. “Mm. Go ahead.”

Qiao Ying fell silent for a moment. “The floor is too slippery. I can’t get over there.”

Shen Qingyu tilted his head slightly. “Then what should we do?”

Qiao Ying said, “Help me over.”

Shen Qingyu said, “No.”

Qiao Ying: “…”

She folded up the umbrella, retreated back onto the table, and continued sitting back-to-back with him, using silence to express her accusation.

Shen Qingyu, however, had no way of understanding what her silence meant. His fingers found a corner of her clothing, and out of boredom, he picked it up and wound it around his fingertips.

After who knew how long, he said, “Qiao Ying.”

Her tone was rather impatient. “What?”

“I’m hungry.”

“Oh.”

He turned sideways, leaned down slightly, and angled his face toward her. “Aren’t you going to feed me something?”

Her reply was just two short, decisive words. “I’m not.”

Shen Qingyu asked, “Why?”

Did he really have no idea?

Qiao Ying lifted her face and bumped right into the tip of his nose. Only then did she abruptly realize how close his face was. That dazzlingly beautiful face, that flawless pale skin-like cold jade, yet somehow demonic. She froze for a moment, then came back to herself and quickly backed away.

“You have hands and feet. You can fill your own stomach. Don’t come looking for me for every little thing.”

He leaned closer again. “But I can’t see.”

Qiao Ying had no idea where her courage came from, but she reached out and pushed his face away. “It’s not like you’re useless.”

Who knew which nerve her words had struck this time, but he actually let out another soft laugh. There was a neurotic tremor wrapped inside that laughter; the gentleness was fake, and the madness beneath it was what he couldn’t hide.

Afraid he was about to lose it, Qiao Ying hurriedly braced herself on the table and carefully lowered herself to the ground. Even with support, standing steady on the ice still felt nearly impossible.

“There are still some unfinished steamed buns in the kitchen. If you’re hungry, go get them yourself. I’m not going to spoil you.”

With that, afraid of falling, she simply got down on all fours on the ice and slowly crawled into her room. She looked ridiculous, but in the face of personal safety, things like dignity didn’t matter at all.

Halfway there, she failed to control her strength, slid forward, and smacked her head against the doorframe.

The young man’s laughter once again echoed through the damp air, like shattered jade falling into a clear spring, crisp and bright with its own unique clarity.

Qiao Ying clutched her forehead and turned back through gritted teeth.

Shen Qingyu was sitting on the table, both hands still wrapped around that Blind Staff as always, his feet dangling in midair and swinging gently. Set against his snow-white hair, his youthful, beautiful face seemed all the more vivid and striking.

It was almost enough to make one imagine that, if not for that obstructive white silk blindfold, his eyes must have been exceedingly clean and clear-perhaps even flecked with starlight.

The enemy was strong and she was weak. Qiao Ying pretended she hadn’t heard his mockery and finally managed to crawl into her room.

At some point, Shen Qingyu had produced a small paper packet from who knew where. When he opened it, inside was the half of a steamed bun that he hadn’t finished today. He lowered his head and took a bite, counting silently to three.

Sure enough, the girl’s furious voice rang out from inside.

“Shen Qingyu, you actually froze my bed too!!!”