Behind the Mask - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Mask

Chu Ye had a long dream.

The bone-chilling white of ice and the bloodthirsty red of a sword's edge alternated, violently devouring her, stirring up the fear that lay dormant in the depths of her heart.

She was bold, yet she often had nightmares. Only Elder Sister knew about this.

So whenever she was trapped in a nightmare, she would always murmur, "Elder Sister, Elder Sister," and Elder Sister would patiently stay with her and comfort her.

In truth, she and Elder Sister were not related by blood. She had been an abandoned infant on the snow plains of Xizhou, taken in by the Chu Siblings, which was how she had survived until now. Both Elder Sister and Big Brother treated her very well, teaching her to read and practice martial arts, just like family.

Bai Ning gently patted Chu Ye's back, telling her, "Don't be afraid." She gradually grew docile and soft, seeming to stop trembling, and quietly fell asleep.

When Chu Ye opened her eyes again, the sky was already bright, and Bai Ning was leaning against her.

They had slept in each other's arms all night.

Chu Ye was stunned. She lowered her gaze for a furtive glance. Although Bai Ning's hair was messy, making her look a bit disheveled, it couldn't hide her refined and otherworldly beauty.

When it came to beautiful women, she could never resist taking a few extra glances.

Bai Ning lazily opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the same cold mask, followed by the beautiful lips beneath it.

Chu Ye immediately turned her face away. Staring at each other while holding one another like this was quite embarrassing.

Just as expected, she reverted to her cold demeanor the moment she woke up. Perhaps there was a hint of shyness mixed in with the coldness? Bai Ning couldn't help but imagine the expression beneath the mask.

After waking, there was more waiting.

Bai Ning thought of how Chu Ye had trembled last night. She must have been scared, right? In the end, she was just a girl, a few years younger than herself.

There were some leftover twigs and pebbles in the stone cave. Bai Ning noticed them and began to arrange them with her hands.

Chu Ye found this interesting. The great Second Miss Bai plays children's games like this? She must be bored out of her mind.

Bai Ning fiddled with them for a while, looking thoughtfully at the twigs and pebbles. A moment later, she said to Chu Ye, "The divination says it's a most auspicious sign. We'll be able to get out."

"Divination?" Chu Ye was incredulous. "You can tell fortunes?"

Bai Ning nodded and said, "I've been frail since childhood. A fortune-teller once told me I had an affinity with Buddhism and Daoism, and that worshipping Buddha and cultivating the Dao would help me accumulate more yang energy, which would be good for my health. So later, I took a Daoist priestess as my master. My master was well-versed in the art of divination, and I studied with her for a time."

Chu Ye watched her quietly, saying nothing.

Bai Ning added, "My master also said that a masked woman would save my life, that she would be my fated benefactor."

Chu Ye stared at her, still silent.

Bai Ning thought to herself that it made sense. Who would be fooled by such words?

She lowered her eyes and said no more.

"Is it that accurate?" A glint of light flashed in Chu Ye's eyes. "Then we'll definitely be able to get out."

Bai Ning looked up, staring at the person before her with equal disbelief. Meeting Chu Ye's innocent gaze, she was suddenly at a loss for how to respond. She simply nodded.

After a long silence—

"The snowstorm seems to have lessened." Chu Ye ran to the cave entrance, finally seeing a glimmer of hope. Relieved, she turned back to Bai Ning and said, "I'm going out to find something to eat. You stay in the cave and don't come out."

"Chu Ye," Bai Ning said, worried.

"Don't worry, I won't go far. I'll be back soon. If anything happens, just call for me."

Bai Ning: "Be careful."

Chu Ye grunted in acknowledgment and walked out of the cave, braving the wind and snow. Finding food in a world of ice and snow was difficult, but having grown up on the snow plains, she naturally had more experience than an ordinary person.

Chu Ye circled the area near the cave twice and found some wild fruits to fill their stomachs. It was a stroke of luck amidst their misfortune; they wouldn't starve to death here.

She had just picked some fruit and was heading back when she suddenly heard someone calling her name. In this desolate, snowy mountain, who else could it be but Bai Ning?

Chu Ye's heart tightened. She immediately channeled her qi, her body becoming as light as a swallow's as she sped toward the stone cave. A black figure darted through the forest.

In her haste, a thorny branch came right at her. She dodged nimbly, but it still scraped the corner of her forehead.

The snow-covered plants rustled, as if a figure was there. Before long, Bai Ning saw Chu Ye standing protectively in front of her.

"What's wrong?" Chu Ye asked warily.

"I think someone's there."

Chu Ye could also faintly hear a sound from the bushes. Her hand on her sword hilt, she flicked up a dead branch from the ground—one that had been crushed by the snow—with the tip of her foot and kicked it toward the bushes in a clean, swift motion.

A white figure suddenly shot out, then quickly vanished into the forest, disappearing without a trace in the snow.

It was a false alarm.

"Don't be afraid. It's a fox. They're cunning as can be, but they don't harm people," Chu Ye said. "I just picked some fruit. We have something to eat."

Bai Ning didn't respond to her words. Instead, she stared at the corner of Chu Ye's forehead. A crimson liquid was trickling down, flowing into her mask. "You're injured."

Only then did Chu Ye remember being scratched by the branch. She dismissed it. "It's nothing."

Inside the cave, Chu Ye first roasted the fruit by the fire before handing it to Bai Ning.

With one bite, warm juice filled their mouths. Both of them broke into long-absent smiles. The fruit was originally tart, but in their mouths, it tasted incomparably sweet.

Bai Ning was still concerned about the wound on Chu Ye's forehead. The blood had already stained the area beneath her mask, yet she hadn't taken it off. Bai Ning sat down beside her. "It's still bleeding. Take off your mask and wipe the blood away."

Chu Ye froze. Since coming to Jingzhou, she had never removed her mask in front of an outsider. Elder Sister had made the mask for her, and Big Brother always said not to take it off lightly, or it would cause a lot of trouble.

She didn't quite understand how taking off her mask would cause so much trouble, but she had always listened to her siblings.

Seeing Chu Ye dazed, Bai Ning reached behind her ear, preparing to help her remove the mask.

Chu Ye instinctively grew guarded and quickly grabbed Bai Ning's wrist, though without much force.

"I was born ugly..." Chu Ye hastily brought out this line again.

"I'm not afraid," Bai Ning replied, still staring into her eyes.

Chu Ye didn't know what was wrong with her. Under Bai Ning's soft, gentle voice, she actually let go of Bai Ning's wrist, allowing the other woman to gently remove her mask.

The mask slowly came off, revealing such an "ugly" face—charming and delicate, yet with a special, stubborn, heroic air in her eyes.

It was a face one could never forget after a single glance.

Chu Ye kept her head down the whole time, at a loss for how to face Bai Ning. She had thought Bai Ning would be shocked, would question her, but there was nothing—

Bai Ning looked at her lowered, beautiful eyes and simply used a handkerchief to thoughtfully wipe away the blood.

Chu Ye was puzzled. Second Miss Bai was so calm, as if she had seen through her lie from the start. Since Bai Ning said nothing, she would say nothing either. It was best to play dumb.

After a while.

Bai Ning finally spoke. "Does it hurt?"

"I'm not afraid of pain. Compared to a sword wound, this is nothing," Chu Ye said.

"You've been wounded by a sword?"

"Of course. I have several on my body." Living day in and day out amidst the glint of blades, how could one not get injured? The Chu clan made their living as guards, and Chu Ye was no exception. From a very young age, she had begun to witness scenes of bloodshed.

After the blood was wiped clean, Chu Ye couldn't resist asking, "Is the wound big?"

"Weren't you not afraid of pain?"

"I am..." Chu Ye hesitated, too embarrassed to say it. Although she always claimed to be ugly, she secretly cared about her appearance. Scars on her body were one thing, but she couldn't have any on her face.

"It won't leave a scar," Bai Ning said with a faint smile. "Even if it does, my manor has White Jade Ointment. It can remove scars without a trace."

Chu Ye was astonished. How could she know what I'm thinking? Could it be that the art of divination... also includes the ability to read minds?

After wiping the mask clean, Chu Ye put it back on. She felt more at ease with it on.

After these few days, the firewood in the cave had all been burned. The last tiny flame flickered out.

Without a fire for warmth, Chu Ye grew even more worried about Bai Ning's frail body. She asked in a low voice, "Are you cold?"

Bai Ning hugged her knees and nodded.

"Then, shall I hold you?" Chu Ye asked awkwardly, taking the initiative.

Bai Ning turned to look at the person beside her. "Alright."

With permission, Chu Ye once again held Bai Ning on the pile of dry grass, pulling her tightly into her arms. This time, they were less reserved, their movements more in sync than the night before.

They endured like this until the afternoon, when the snow finally stopped.

"The snow has stopped! We can go down the mountain," Chu Ye said joyfully.

But Bai Ning was drowsy. Her body was already weak, and after the ordeal of the past few days, she barely had the strength to speak.

"You can't sleep. We're going down the mountain now." Chu Ye held her face, trying to wake her.

"Mm," Bai Ning forced herself to rally.

There was still no discernible path in the mountains, but Chu Ye decided to head down anyway. It was their only hope. Bai Ning's body couldn't hold out any longer. If another blizzard started, they would be completely finished.

The snow was thick, making every step a struggle. Their progress was slow.

Not far from the cave entrance, Bai Ning couldn't keep up with Chu Ye's pace at all. The cold air choking her lungs left her breathless.

So Chu Ye slowed down, took her hand, and they shuffled forward slowly.

Bai Ning looked at the endless snowy forest. She couldn't make it out. Even with Chu Ye stubbornly pulling her along, it was impossible for her to walk out of here.

"I can't walk anymore."

Chu Ye stopped. At this point, she was running on a sliver of faith alone. "We don't have to go far. We just need to find someone, and we'll be saved. You have to come with me. If you don't, who will I ask for the White Jade Ointment? What will I do if my face gets scarred?"

Bai Ning struggled to pull her hand free from Chu Ye's.

"No." Chu Ye wouldn't let go; she was stronger than Bai Ning.

"You go, do you hear me?"

"We go together," Chu Ye insisted.

"You've heard the rumors, haven't you?" Bai Ning's face was drained of color, and she began to gasp for breath, each word a struggle. "I'm already a dying person. Even if you save me today, I'll only live for another year or so. What's the point?"

Chu Ye had heard. Everyone in Jingzhou City rumored that the Second Miss of the Bai Manor was unparalleled in both talent and beauty, but unfortunately, she was a sickly person with a short life ahead of her, destined not to live long.

"A year or so is a year or so. Not a single day less. In any case, I will protect you." Chu Ye was stubborn and refused to yield. She turned around, pulled Bai Ning onto her back, and stood up. "I'll carry you. You did a divination. We can get out of here alive."

Bai Ning's nose tingled, and she couldn't bring herself to tell Chu Ye, "I was lying." Instead, she said, "The divination I did said that only you can get out. Chu Ye, put me down. You go on your own."

Chu Ye gritted her teeth. "Whatever. I don't believe in divinations."

She lifted her leg with great effort, only for it to sink heavily into the snow. Step by step, she walked for a long time but didn't get very far.

Bai Ning was very light. Normally, carrying her would have been no effort for Chu Ye, but right now, she was utterly exhausted.

"Put me down."

"I won't."

...

After walking for an unknown distance, Chu Ye's vision suddenly went black, and she stumbled forward, both of them falling into the snow.

Chu Ye tried to move her fingers, wanting to push herself up, but her body felt as if it had been sealed, growing... stiff.

"Chu Ye."

"Chu Ye..."

Chu Ye felt the weak calls in her ear grow fainter and fainter. The last glimmer of hope was extinguished. She couldn't get Bai Ning down the mountain.

She wanted to say "I'm sorry," but no sound would come out. She could only move her lips slightly.

Cold.

So cold.

The heavy snow was burying her inch by inch. Was she destined to be buried by the wind and snow? Eighteen years ago, she had only narrowly escaped by a stroke of luck.

An unknown amount of time passed. Chu Ye didn't know if she was still alive.

Why did she feel warmth?

Perhaps she wasn't dead yet.

When she was a child, she had heard an elder on the snow plains say that when a person was about to freeze to death, they would have hallucinations, feel hot, and even take off their own clothes...

Chu Ye felt her clothes being removed, piece by piece.

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