Chapter 126

Since it was a congratulatory gift, and regardless of whether she liked it, refusing it to her face wouldn't have been appropriate. She accepted it in the end, tucking it away in the deepest recess of her storage ring, as if she never wanted to see it again.

Yun Shuchen had stayed here before, so the place wasn't entirely unfamiliar. Hua Qingzhu walked her to the guest rooms, and that woman suddenly sighed, "Why didn't you say so earlier? Since I couldn't be sure at first, I still had three rooms prepared."

"It's late, so I won't disturb you." Hua Qingzhu's dress quickly receded into the darkness, without even a sound—elusive indeed.

Though there were three rooms, wouldn't just using two be fine?

Yun Shuchen hesitated briefly between the two lit doors, quickly determining where Qing Zhouxue was. She knocked lightly, then pushed the door open and entered.

In the past, she had always been the one waiting for Qing Zhouxue.

Today, she was a little late.

Qing Zhouxue sat cross-legged on the bed, meditating in stillness, her eyes closed and expression calm, as if in a state of transcendence.

Yun Shuchen watched her for a moment, feeling that she was drifting further from the child she remembered—the shadow of that young girl fading until barely visible.

Naturally, the sight before her now was far more pleasing.

Yun Shuchen wasn't fond of children, but Qing Zhouxue back then had been the exception. Perhaps it was because she was quiet, spoke little from a young age, and was born lovely as ice and snow—no matter how you looked at her, she wouldn't be disliked.

Though Qing Zhouxue's eyes were closed, she had heard the knock earlier. But since she was in the middle of her circulation, she couldn't easily divert her focus. She finished a full cycle before halting the flow of spiritual power around her.

She lifted her lashes slowly and found her master's face close at hand, a finger pressing on her lips, rubbing with seeming dissatisfaction.

"Were the fried scorpions tasty?"

The woman's voice was deep and low.

"Crispy on the outside, tender inside; the cumin seemed a bit much, and the flavor was a little salty." Before she could finish, the finger moved, pressing shut the mouth that was earnestly analyzing the fried scorpions.

Usually, there would be a kiss before sleep.

When her chin was lifted slightly, she closed her eyes very naturally. The breath on her face was light and shallow, seeming to draw closer, but in the end, unexpectedly, Yun Shuchen withdrew.

She even let go of her hand.

Qing Zhouxue opened her eyes, puzzled, and her master sighed, "Forget it."

Qing Zhouxue was stunned for a moment.

She was pulled down by Yun Shuchen, then an arm encircled her waist.

"Wake me early tomorrow."

When the first weak light of dawn broke, Qing Zhouxue woke. Her daily schedule was always like this.

She opened her eyes, and her master's sleeping face was close at hand.

The room was still dim, but she could faintly make out the shadows cast by the first light of dawn upon her face.

Those eyes were so beautiful that even closed, one could marvel at the elegance of their curves. Her lowered lashes were motionless, as if she were sleeping soundly.

Qing Zhouxue took the hand resting on her waist. "Master."

There was no movement at all.

Last night, Yun Shuchen had said to call her early; presumably they were going to the secret realm today. Qing Zhouxue had no choice but to release the hand, then poked a finger into her shoulder, pushing her to move.

Those delicate brows soon furrowed, and she pushed a hand forward in slight annoyance.

Then she turned over on her own, leaving Qing Zhouxue with an indifferent back.

Seeing the sun rising higher, Qing Zhouxue, after a short while, shook her master's shoulder again. This time, Yun Shuchen finally opened her eyes, turned back, and frowned over at her.

"Master, it's getting late. You should rise."

"Mm."

She closed her eyes again, still seemingly lost in a dream.

Qing Zhouxue gently let her rest a while longer, but unexpectedly, the woman's breathing gradually evened out, and the strength in her hands slowly loosened.

Just as she felt something amiss, Yun Shuchen fell asleep again.

"Master." This time her voice was a bit louder. Yun Shuchen's body trembled, and she opened her eyes once more. Qing Zhouxue supported her with one hand and sat her up halfway.

"...We'll go in the afternoon."

Her words, too, sounded dipped in a thousand-year-aged brew—soft, drunk, and boneless. Then she leaned against Qing Zhouxue without a trace of strength.

"But if we go in the afternoon, it will be evening when we return. Flying on a sword in the dark sky makes it hard to find our bearings."

Yun Shuchen frowned, her eyes glazed and unfocused as she looked ahead. "Sleepy."

"Once you're up, you'll stop feeling sleepy."

"Mm..." Another low murmur, so muffled it was indecipherable.

Every time Yun Shuchen was about to doze off again, Qing'er managed to shake her awake. After many repetitions, she wanted to sleep but couldn't, stirring a faint resentment.

But that flash of anger actually served to wake her fully.

Qing Zhouxue, on her path of tackling each challenge, had gone far, and finally truly woke her—though she was inexplicably glared at by her master.

At last, Yun Shuchen, having gotten ready with difficulty, led her two disciples out the door.

The bright sunlight before them dazzled the eyes; perhaps it wasn't yet past noon.

...Right on schedule, more or less.

When they passed into the dense forest, Qing Zhouxue walked a bit slower, following behind her master, watching her and Yu Ying drift closer together.

A kind of intuition gently knocked at her heart.

Qing Zhouxue paced slowly, treading over the dead branches and rotting leaves underfoot as quietly as possible. She still felt something was off, so she hurried a few steps and pulled Yu Ying to her side.

Yu Ying, her wrist seized, looked rather startled. Even Yun Shuchen turned her head to look. "What's wrong?"

Qing Zhouxue loosened her grip slightly and said calmly, "Master, just focus on walking. I'll look after Junior Sister."

Yun Shuchen nodded, and Yu Ying had no objection, following beside Qing Zhouxue. When she first entered the dense forest, she seemed somewhat fearful, since the surroundings were gloomy.

But after walking a stretch without encountering any danger, she became more talkative.

"Other people have spirit roots of metal, wood, water, fire, or earth. Why is Senior Sister's ice?" Yu Ying looked at her with great curiosity.

"Ice is born from water; it's not entirely unrelated to the five elements." Qing Zhouxue answered softly while keeping watch behind.

"Then it should be more powerful than a water spirit root." Her tone was full of envy, and she tugged at Qing Zhouxue's robe, shaking it.

In the world, there is no most powerful spirit root; the key to cultivation lies mainly in oneself.

Qing Zhouxue was about to answer when she heard Yun Shuchen say from ahead, "It should be here."

Between cracks in the rock, a damp and rotten smell permeated. But within, there was a faint, subtle ripple—something out of the ordinary.

This was the entrance to a secret realm.

"Are you ready?" Yun Shuchen glanced back and let out a light sigh. "What you'll see inside—hard to say."

Qing Zhouxue nodded. When she saw her master's figure vanish into it, she took Yu Ying's hand, closed her eyes, and passed through the rock crack.

The feeling of dizziness came again. With her free hand, she quietly pressed on the Qingshuang Sword at her waist.

When she stood steady again...

It was an extremely dark cave, which, according to the echoes of footsteps, should be very enclosed.

So dark she couldn't see her hand in front of her.

"...Senior Sister!?" Yu Ying's voice trembled. She reached out to grab beside her but was quickly silenced by Qing Zhouxue. "Shh."

"There is the presence of living beings, but they're far from us." Yun Shuchen's voice drifted from the front, warm and soft.

A rustling sound, as if something had been turned over.

A dim light rose from her palm, instantly filling the entire closed space.

It was a lantern. The flame within seemed not mundane fire, but a mass of compressed spiritual power, quite dazzling.

Yun Shuchen placed the lantern's handle in Qing Zhouxue's hand, frowning slightly. "A great-stage demon beast is no joke, especially when you have to fight for your life. Even with me here, I can't guarantee that both of you will come out completely unscathed."

"Mm, I'll watch over her." Qing Zhouxue spoke seriously, pulling her junior sister a bit closer.

For some unknown reason, Yun Shuchen took a step toward her, her sleeve covering the lantern. In a flash, the light nearly went out, and the surroundings fell into darkness again, with nothing visible.

Qing Zhouxue felt her lips brush past her ear, light to the point of being breath: "Just watch out for yourself."

The warmth vanished in an instant.

Then she withdrew her hand, and the spiritual light was urged on again, filling the room once more.

Qing Zhouxue snapped back to reality and found Yun Shuchen's figure ethereal, her steps not fast but already several zhang away.

She steadied her mind, took Yu Ying's hand, and continued following her master. The deeper they went, the stronger the aura of evil—a thick, bloody, murderous qi.

Not all demonic aura is so bloody. Only demons that cultivate by killing and feed on flesh and blood could be like this.

The Qingshuang Sword had already been drawn, hovering at Qing Zhouxue's side. With a casual raise of her hand, she could grasp it.

A crack suddenly exploded underfoot. Yu Ying let out a surprised cry. Qing Zhouxue lowered the lantern to look—the junior sister had accidentally stepped on and killed a small insect, and its juices seeped out.

At that moment, Yun Shuchen, walking ahead, suddenly halted and took a step backward.

"What's wrong?"

"Give me the lantern."

Qing Zhouxue handed it over. In the exchange, she felt her master's hand was a bit cold, and her palm seemed to have broken into a cold sweat.

What was going on?

Yun Shuchen took the lantern, removed it, then threw it forward. The lantern floated up, slowly drifting ahead, instantly illuminating a large area in front.

In the winding cave, beetles densely covered the ground, almost covering the floor. On the cave walls, many hung upside down from the ceiling.

They were motionless, seemingly still asleep.

After Yun Shuchen saw what those little things looked like, so hideous, a pang of stomach pain shot through her.

She intended to lean against the cave wall to steady herself, but then remembered something and pulled back as if touching a hot coal.

A layer of frost spread over the cave wall, then silently crept toward the path ahead.

Yun Shuchen turned back to see Qing Zhouxue with two fingers pressed together upright before her chest. The Qingshuang Sword still hovered at her side, and the pervasive cold lowered the temperature greatly.

"These insects live in groups," Qing Zhouxue said calmly. "It was mentioned in the outer sect lectures: when exposed to cold, they stiffen and can't move. Master, we can simply walk across."

"...We can simply walk across."

"...No, we can't."