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【GL Novel】A Life, lived - Chapter 1

Author: Wu Xin Tan Xiao

Translated from Chinese to English

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Snow in the North is heavy. Should you look out into the distance, there will be nothing but white. Rooftops and tiles are piled with thick layers of snow, showing only some dark colours on the edges. Not many live on the outskirts of the North, with the villages being populated with merely hundreds of residents. However, today was slightly different. Many villagers gathered around at a small inn to catch a glimpse of the incident.

Maybe the days in the village are often to peaceful and boring, to the point that a tiny little incident would catch the interests of many spectators.

"That little beggar is stealing food again. Heavens above…" One of the villagers murmured.

Another soon joined the conversation, "Beggar? Beggars are human! That little kid was raised by the beasts in the mountains and doesn't even act human! I bet that creature came to our village because of the shortage of food during winter!"

"Look at it, barely at the age of seven I bet. Filthy too. I can't even make out if it's a girl or boy. Old Zhu's going off!" Little would one expect to hear excitement from the villager's words.

"Little brat! How dare you steal?! I would love to see you try again!" Two steamed buns were stolen, and Boss Zhu is furious. When words became redundant, he soon started to get physical despite knowing that she was nothing but a child. The tiny beggar curled up in a ball on the ground, shaking uncontrollably as fists and kicks landed on her thin frame. Noises started to sound from the crowd. Most of them were just here as spectators. Some were cheering, others wore disproving looks, but no one dared to stand up and stop the beating.

The little beggar was covered in dirt from head to toe, her hair tangled. Hiding her head between her curled up legs, she wore nothing but rags, barely enough to cover her body, let alone protecting her from the freezing cold. She had injuries too, and a swollen wrist that had been infected for quite a period of time, possibly from a fatal accident. Amongst the chaos, her whimpered silently like a puppy, but no one notices or even cared.

As the sky began to darken, so dark that no stars could be seen but only the snow glowed, the spectators finally decided to leave after getting the entertainment they have sought. Boss Zhu picked the beggar up by her rags and threw her by the corner, not forgetting to spit at her before slamming the inn door.

Snow started to fall within the night. Down North, the snowflakes seem to be bigger and colder. Gently, they fell, dancing as the wind blows. The beggar shivered in her corner. If someone were to walk pass, they would see what seems to be a black block of trash being buried within the snow. The snowflakes caressed her skin, but after being stripped of its beauty, nothing but coldness remained.

The darkness seemed to be growing, until she no longer had the energy to shiver. As her breaths became inaudible, there was nothing but silence - and death.

On the village roads covered in white, there lied only the whispers of the wind and snow.

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But something changed.

The snowflakes danced a little differently, accompanying them were soft sounds of crushing snow. Someone walked on the streets holding an umbrella. It was a pair of white boots - extremely well made - its master taking her steps steady and soft.

She held the paper umbrella in her right hand as she wandered on the streets of the North. Her eyes were calm as they surveyed the surroundings, quiet and soothing like a serving of tea. She was born like this - cold, indifferent, cool, and distant.

Nan Yang's feature were soft but sophisticated. One not from earth, but from the heavens - pure and void of earthly colours. Her long raven hair rested on her back like silk, one could not help but desire to feel its smoothness. She wore nothing but white, her broad sleeves graceful in the wind. It was as if no one would be able to do what she does - to dress in pure white, like the purest lily grown on snowy mountain peaks, and the first bloom of magnolia on the trees of Kunlun.

She looked young - no older than twenty, but her aura gave different messages. There was this coolness, this indifference in her, that would only be possible after seeing too many truths in this earthly world. It was this indifference, that made her seem distant and inapproachable.

But her stopped abruptly in her track having sensed something. Narrowing her eyes, she saw the thing buried under thick layers of snow in the corner.

It wasn't a thing, but a child. A young one at that. Nan Yang pondered for a while, shook her head and continued walking.

But she stopped again before completely passing by.

Her brows twisted slightly. At last, she approached the corner with a sigh. The soothing voice whispered.

"Still alive. But barely."

She couldn't help but soften her gaze. Putting her umbrella aside, she bent down in front of the child and placed her hand on the child's rigid back. Her gaze was so gentle, like the Buddha caring for all - no one would dare to taint such holiness.

Unexpectedly, the beggar raised her head in a flash, a pair of black pupils met Nan Yang's gaze. Her face was covered in soot, but her eyes were still untainted. The child tightened her left hand into a fist, alert yet also frightened.

Nan Yang held onto her fist with her palm. It was like holding onto a block of ice. She saw the child's right hand. The flesh was heavily damaged and appeared swollen. Her tendon was forcibly cut by someone.

Nan Yang couldn't help but frown. How could someone be cruel enough to cut the right hand tendon of a child of merely five or six?

The black pupils of the child started to avoid her gaze. Nan Yang's heart ached.

After a long while, Nan Yang tried her best to soften her tone, using her most gentle voice,

"Would you like to… come home with me?"

The little beggar grew up in the mountains, raised by beasts. She didn't understand Nan Yang. But in her head, flashbacks of the ugly faces of the humans this morning, the beatings and the scolding, and the pain on her body crushed onto her like boulders. She curled up into a tighter ball. Yet she found herself confused.

The person in front of her right now is different. She has a warmth, a warmth that calmed down the beast in her.

Nan Yang did not receive an answer from the child. She knew she was unable to understand her. Taking matters into her own hands, she carried the child with one arm. The dirt had stained her white clothes, but she did not care. Carrying the umbrella in her other hand, she carefully blocked off the snow for the little girl.

This time, she didn't walk. Instead, she took flight. Her Qinggong was well-practiced, and it didn't take long for her to completely disappear, leaving behind the falling snow of the North.

Some notes: 1. The main character name is Nan Yang, pronounced "Nan Young". 2. The North is Northern Xinjiang today. 3. Kunlun could be talking about the Kunlun mountains today. It holds great cultural value and is super super long and tall. 4. Tendon in the right hand - in the world of Wuxia and cultivation, one's hand tendon is super important. If your hard tendon(s) get (s) damaged, you're pretty much screwed and have to start from square one. 5. Qinggong is a martial arts technique where the person's body becomes super light so they can literally "fly".

#GL #Novel #Yi Shi Qing Huang #A Life Lived #new chapter #Chapter 1

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