Qingnu remained silent, and only Fusu's voice echoed through the hall.
After a long while, she finally asked, "The drought is still continuing? Why didn't you say anything two years ago when I returned to Xianyang?"
Fusu looked at Qingnu and spoke slowly. "I told you. Even if my teacher were to worry, what use would it be? Since Qin is destined to perish, why should I drag you down with it?"
"If you wanted to, I could..."
Qingnu began, but before she could finish her sentence, Fusu interrupted her.
"Teacher! Did you not take my father's words to heart? You no longer need to concern yourself with the matters of the Great Qin!"
After Fusu finished, Qingnu let out a huff.
How could things be that easy?
She smoothed her dress and said slowly, "Little brat, your great-grandfather built a shrine for me, binding me to the destiny of Qin. This matter of a snake being schemed against won't end so easily! You think the Ying clan can just perish? I won't allow it. I want your descendants to serve me for generations!"
Although the Yin Yang School had been invited into the Qin palace by Ying Ji, Ying Zhu must have learned quite a bit from them. That old man definitely had a hand in building those Jade Maiden of the Azure Heavens shrines to trap a snake!
A snake is so pitiful; she never thought of scheming against others, yet she was schemed against by them! And they played such a ruthless hand!
However, Qingnu had actually turned this misfortune into a blessing.
Hearing this, Fusu puffed out his chest and said in a deep voice, "The Ying clan has no complaints about serving the teacher!"
"Remember those words!"
Having heard Fusu's promise, Qingnu leaped up and headed outside.
Fusu turned to watch her retreating back and suddenly shouted, "Teacher! Do you no longer want Fusu's heart-blood? I am the last emperor of the Great Qin; my heart-blood should be what you need."
Qingnu stopped at the doorway, glanced back at Fusu, and chuckled softly. "It seems that boy, Little Mi, left quite a lot of information for you."
"Keep your heart-blood for now. I will come to collect it when you die."
Hearing this, Fusu lowered his head and nodded. "I understand."
"Tell the people of Qin to prepare for the cold. For those who have nothing, as the emperor, you should send people to deliver supplies!"
Leaving those words behind, Qingnu departed the great hall.
Fusu stood in the hall for a long time, speechless.
The next news of Qingnu came when someone reported to Fusu that she had torn down the Jade Maiden of the Azure Heavens shrines within the Qin palace and Xianyang.
When asked if they should be rebuilt, Fusu declined.
Qingnu climbed to the summit of Mt. Taibai in the Qinling Mountains, overlooking the land of Qin. The vast Fen-Wei Plain was a wasteland, and the people were suffering.
"The way of heaven is unkind, treating all things as straw dogs. If you want to destroy Qin, then destroy it. But if you truly are the heartless way of heaven, why did you specifically bring drought upon the land of Qin? What are the commoners guilty of? What are all living beings guilty of?"
"Since this started because of me, then I shall be the one to end it."
Qingnu murmured, raising her hand and pointing her slender jade finger toward the sky.
In the horizon, clouds and mist answered her call, rolling in like waves!
Looking down at the vast earth, Qingnu's eyes held a look of sorrow.
After crossing the lightning tribulation, she had merged the heart-blood and destiny of three generations, and on her journey here, she had seen the refugees begging for life.
She remembered the words Huangdi had said to her.
He said that a snake's fate should be connected to this land.
"Heaven, you were wrong, and I was wrong too. We... were all wrong. No sentient beings should ever be treated like this!"
The clouds grew thicker, covering the entire Fen-Wei Plain. Qingnu's hair fluttered in the wind. The dark-green jiao horns she had hidden emerged from her hair.
She took a soft breath, and her exhalation condensed into white mist.
Snow began to fall from the clouds.
Under the silver brilliance covering the sky, only the green-clad figure stood atop the peak of Mt. Taibai, like a single grain in a vast sea. Her dress snapped in the wind, and her black hair drifted with the frost in a world of white.
As the snow grew heavier, her black hair turned to white frost starting from the roots.
"It's snowing,"
Qingnu whispered.
She had given the people of Qin a gift of auspicious snow.
When the snow clouds dispersed and the drought returned, the melted snow would soak the earth and grant it life.
Thunderclouds rolled in the sky, but they ultimately did not strike. In a daze, Qingnu thought she heard a sigh.
Summoning this auspicious snow to cover the entire Guanzhong and Ba-Shu regions was a significant burden for the current Qingnu; she gradually lost her strength.
The frost-white hair faded, and Qingnu fell from the summit of Mt. Taibai.
In her last glimpse before her eyes closed, she vaguely saw a woman in a green and red robe rushing toward her from the horizon.
Eee!
Has this snake girl finally seen an immortal coming to take her to heaven?
That was Qingnu's last thought before falling into a deep sleep.
She did not know how long she slept. When she woke up, she found herself in the sleeping quarters of the Qin palace. The palace was solemn and still adorned in black. In the entire room, there was no other living soul except for herself and a bird sleeping on her chest.
Qingnu reached out and poked Hongluan's head, calling softly, "Bird Sister?"
Hongluan's wings twitched as she rolled over on Qingnu's chest.
Seeing how comfortable she was, Qingnu's eyelid jumped. Using two 'pillows' to sleep must be quite nice, isn't it!
She directly grabbed Hongluan by the scruff of the neck and lifted her up.
"HONG—LUAN—!!"
She shouted at the bird's head.
Hongluan jolted awake, her eyes snapping open to look at Qingnu.
Before Qingnu could speak, Hongluan spread her wings and hugged Qingnu's hand, crying, "Waaa... you stupid snake, I finally found you! I thought you were lost."
Heaven knows how worried she was when she finally returned to Peixian and couldn't find Qingnu. What was she supposed to do if the snake she had raised for centuries went missing!
This one sentence left Qingnu completely bewildered.
Qingnu tilted her head and said, "I should be the one saying that, shouldn't I? Alright, alright, don't cry..."
"Look, isn't this snake girl alive and well?"
"If I hadn't caught you, you would have rolled down the mountain and died!" Hongluan grumbled.
Hearing this, Qingnu's eyes lit up. She asked, "Then that immortal sister in the green and red clothes was you, Bird Sister?"
Hongluan froze, realizing she had slipped up. She hurriedly shook her head and said, "It wasn't me! You've got the wrong bird."
However, Qingnu cupped Hongluan in both hands, her eyes sparkling as she stared at her. "Bird Sister, being able to transform is a great joy. Why deny it? Being overly humble is not a good thing, you know?"
Hongluan hesitated for a moment and asked softly, "Then... can I still stand on your shoulder in the future?"
"Of course! This snake girl's shoulder was made for you, Bird Sister."
As her voice fell, a blue-white light flickered.
A tall woman wearing a green and red quju robe with her hair in a chuigua hairstyle sat down by the bed. She lowered her head shyly and asked softly, "Does it look good? I just changed into this randomly."
Qingnu's eyes brightened, and she reached out to hug Hongluan. "Bird Sister, give me a kiss!"
Just as she propped up her upper body, the doors to the sleeping quarters were pushed open.
Afang stood at the door. Beside her was a timid boy of about ten years old, dressed in a royal robe of the Great Qin.
Below the steps outside the hall, Li Si and other veteran officials of Qin who knew of Qingnu's existence were kneeling on the ground.
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