Chinese animation: Starting with Bad Guys

She looked at the face that had once made her feel warm and secure, the face to which she had placed all her hopes, and now it was nothing but a twisted ugliness.

In those icy blue eyes, the last glimmer of light was completely extinguished, leaving only a deathly gray silence.

She staggered backward, her back against the cold tree trunk, with nowhere to escape.

The scholar gestured for the burly men to step forward, and several strong men grinned as they surrounded the Snow Maiden, clearly intending to force her to submit.

The Snow Woman struggled to dodge, but like a butterfly caught in a spider's web, her efforts were in vain. Just as she was utterly desperate and preparing to bite her tongue to preserve her innocence—

A clear, cold voice boomed through the deathly silent forest like a thunderclap:

"You beast, you dare touch her?"

Immediately afterwards, a dark figure appeared like a ghost, too fast to be caught.

With a few sharp, teeth-grinding cracking sounds, the burly men who had surrounded them didn't even have time to scream before they were sent flying like broken sacks, crashing heavily to the ground, their fate unknown.

The scholar felt an irresistible force grip his throat, lifting him off the ground and then slamming him to the ground!

His internal organs seemed to have shifted, and the excruciating pain made him curl up like a shrimp, staring in horror at the figure that descended like a demon god.

It was the young master in black robes who had previously offered to redeem the Snow Maiden at the Flying Snow Pavilion!

Qin Chuan didn't even glance at the wailing scholar on the ground. His gaze fell on the Snow Maiden, whose clothes were slightly disheveled, eyes were empty, and who seemed to have lost her soul. He understood immediately.

It turns out that the Snow Woman in the story, who vowed never to marry and whose heart was as cold as ice, had such a terrible betrayal and hurt as the root of her inner conflict.

"He's yours to deal with." Qin Chuan's voice was calm and even. With a flick of his toe, he kicked a short knife that the burly man had dropped to the Snow Maiden's feet. "Kill him or torture him, it's up to you."

The Snow Woman's empty gaze slowly focused on the short sword at her feet, then slowly moved to the "lover" on the ground, who was trembling and weeping from the pain and fear.

That face, once the only light in her dark world, was now uglier than any demon in hell.

Hatred, like a volcano dormant for a thousand years, erupted suddenly from the ashes of despair!

She grabbed the dagger abruptly, without any hesitation, her eyes burning with a cold, destructive flame, and with all her might, she stabbed it fiercely into the scholar's groin!

"what--!!!"

A piercing scream, so mournful it was inhuman, tore through the night sky.

The snow woman pulled out her blood-stained sword and looked at the man rolling and convulsing on the ground, completely crippled, as if she had used up all her strength.

She dropped the knife and collapsed to the ground. The fear, grievances, anger, and immense humiliation that had been suppressed for so long burst forth like a flood, turning into heart-wrenching sobs that echoed through the desolate wilderness.

Qin Chuan did not step forward to comfort her, but simply stood quietly to the side, letting her vent.

After a long time, the crying gradually turned into sobbing, until it stopped completely.

The Snow Woman raised her head, her face still wet with tears, but her eyes were as cold and numb as still water, filled with distrust of everyone.

"Are you... satisfied now?"

Her voice was hoarse and dry, filled with deep mockery and despair:

"Hero saves the damsel in distress? And then what? Isn't it your turn now? You men... you're all the same! You're all after this pretty face! Come on, anyway, in your eyes, I... I'm nothing but a whore..."

She closed her eyes, adopting a posture of surrendering herself to death, completely giving up.

Qin Chuan shook his head slightly, seeing her dejected expression. He walked to the Snow Maiden, knelt down, and calmly looked directly into her icy blue eyes, saying frankly:

"I approached you with ulterior motives."

The Snow Woman's lips curled into a desolate, cold smile. Just as I thought.

“But it’s not because I’m after your beauty.” Qin Chuan’s voice carried a strange penetrating power. “I came for you because I want to invite you to join an organization—the ‘Bad People’.”

The snow woman suddenly opened her eyes, a look of surprise flashing across them.

Bad guys? I've never heard of that name before.

"By joining the Bad Guys, you can truly take control of your own destiny. From then on, your dancing will no longer be to please anyone else; it will belong only to you, and it will be your true passion and expression."

Qin Chuan continued, each word striking the Snow Maiden's heart with clarity:

"Your flute playing and your talent will be used in more meaningful ways, rather than becoming a plaything for the powerful and wealthy. Here, no one can force you to do anything, and no one can treat you as a plaything anymore. Your destiny is written by yourself."

"Taking control of...your own destiny?"

The snow woman murmured repeatedly, her stagnant eyes seeming to ripple slightly as if a pebble had been thrown in.

These words, like a glimmer of light suddenly appearing in the darkness, precisely pierced through her frozen, despairing defenses.

To dance freely? To dance only for one's own heart? To no longer force a smile or flatter?

This is her deepest, most secret, and most longed-for dream, yet one she has long dared not even dream of!

Just as she was in shock, Qin Chuan suddenly reached out and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

The snow woman's body stiffened abruptly, her eyes instantly filled with vigilance and disgust, thinking that the other party was finally about to reveal their true intentions.

However, the expected lightness and thinness did not occur.

A gentle yet immense, profound and pure power, like a gurgling warm current, instantly surged into her limbs and bones through his palm!

This power was not internal force, but a higher level of existence. It flowed through her meridians, stimulating the dormant talent within her body, and finally condensed into three ancient and profound characters in her mind—"Illusory Sound Technique"!

What follows is a vast ocean of information on martial arts techniques, as well as the true meaning of martial arts that is perfectly combined with music, illusion, and movement techniques!

The snow woman was struck dumb, frozen in place, her icy blue pupils dilated with extreme shock!

What... what an exquisite and profound technique this is?!

Its value far exceeds any divine skill manual she knows!

Not only did the other party not violate her, but they also imparted such a precious skill to her without reservation?!

This trust, this gift, this recognition of her talent... completely shattered her last defenses and suspicions.

The warm current disappeared, and Qin Chuan withdrew his hand as if he had only done a trivial thing.

The Snow Maiden slowly stood up, sensing the mysterious seed of the "Illusory Sound Technique" within her body, and the crystal-clear path of the technique's operation in her mind.

She looked at the mysterious, powerful, ruthless man before her, who had given her new life and strength when she was in her most desperate moment, her eyes filled with an extremely complex expression.

The coldness, numbness, and despair were replaced by an unprecedented shock, gratitude, and intense curiosity.

She took a deep breath, and the cold, desolate air filled her lungs, seemingly taking away the last trace of gloom.

She bowed deeply and solemnly to Qin Chuan, her voice still a little hoarse, yet carrying a resolute determination born of new life:

"Snow Maiden...is willing to join the Bad Guys. From now on, I will be at your service, young master!"

Qin Chuan nodded slightly: "Very good. From now on, you will be 'Bad Guy - Heavenly Dance Star'."

He turned around, his black robes fluttering in the night breeze. "Let's go, let's leave this place."

The Snow Woman glanced one last time at the filthy, unconscious body on the ground, her eyes devoid of any emotion.

She quickly followed Qin Chuan's back, her heart filled with uncertainty about the future, yet also surging with a long-lost warmth called "hope".

Who exactly is this mysterious man? And what kind of existence is the Bad Guys...?

As she gazed at the tall, pine-like figure ahead, a crack quietly appeared in the depths of her frozen heart.

Under the moonlight, two figures disappeared swiftly into the night outside Handan, one after the other, leaving behind only the lingering stench of blood in the wilderness and a faint, seemingly painful groan from the depths of hell.

Chapter 44 Ji Dan Flees in Embarrassment, I'm Here to Save Her

Leaving the land of Zhao, a land of betrayal and redemption, Qin Chuan led Xue Nu northward toward the state of Yan.

The journey was long and arduous, and we were covered in dust.

Snow Woman silently followed behind Qin Chuan, observing this mysterious man who had changed the course of her destiny.

She saw that when he faced ragged, family-dwelling refugees, he would calmly leave them enough dry food and a few copper coins, his eyes showing no condescending pity, only an almost indifferent understanding.

She had also witnessed his eyes suddenly turn colder than the northern winds when he faced a band of rabid soldiers plundering a village.

The figure in black entered the battlefield like a ghost, without uttering a word, his attack was as powerful as thunder, and blood blossomed wherever he went.

Those fierce and ruthless soldiers were slaughtered like weeds before him, leaving behind a scene of devastation and the bewildered gratitude of the surviving villagers.

"Be kind when you encounter kindness, and be even more wicked when you encounter evil."

Snow Maiden silently sketched out Qin Chuan's personality in her mind.

He is not a traditional knight-errant; he has no grand pronouncements and no outward display of compassion. His good and evil are both imbued with an almost absolute sense of principle and execution.

This coldness and decisiveness, ironically, gave the Snow Woman a strange sense of security.

At least, she knew he wasn't a hypocrite; his sword was aimed at those who deserved to die.

Qin Chuan was not warm towards her; in fact, he seemed somewhat distant.

He didn't talk much, spending most of his time either silently traveling or closing his eyes to regulate his breathing.

However, the observant Yuki-onna could sense a silent care from the smallest details.

She was clean, so he could always find a relatively clean and tidy place to stay, sometimes an abandoned but cleaned wooden house in the mountains, sometimes a flat boulder that had been cleared by a stream.

In terms of food, he always managed to find some light and refreshing vegetables or fresh fish, clearly accommodating her preference for light flavors rather than the strong flavors he himself might prefer.

When instructing her on practicing the "Illusory Sound Technique," his words were concise, precise, and to the point, without any frivolousness or unnecessary physical contact, only a pure focus on the technique and her talent itself.

This silent respect and meticulousness, like a gentle stream, quietly nourished the Snow Woman's heart, which had been frozen and severely wounded.

Far from the hustle and bustle and scheming of Handan, walking in the vast world, with the exquisite technique of "Illusory Sound Technique" by her side, Xue Nu's mind gradually opened up.

The icy aura that had enveloped her eyes and brows gradually melted away, and occasionally, a faint smile, like the first melting of snow, would bloom on her cool and aloof face.

She would even act a little girlishly, deliberately walking slower or looking for exotic flowers and plants along the way, asking Qin Chuan if he recognized them.

"Young master, look at these flowers, they're so blue, don't they look like my dress?"

She held up an unidentified wildflower, her eyes slightly curved.

Qin Chuan glanced at it and replied casually, "Yes, Lan. Let's get going."

But their pace did not quicken.

The Snow Woman wasn't annoyed; instead, she found his "unromantic" demeanor quite amusing. She smiled and quickly followed.

After several days of trekking, the outline of the capital of Yan was finally in sight.

However, Qin Chuan's footsteps did not turn towards that majestic capital city, but instead turned towards a scenic spot outside the city—Mirror Lake.