Back when she was still Qin Zhizhi of the Tiantong Sect, she had held Xie Yutai’s hand before.
When walking side by side, Qin Zhizhi would occasionally find herself feeling incredibly bold. Her dark, grape-like eyes would roll around as she carefully observed Xie Yutai beside her, noting his sharp brows reaching his temples and his calm, unbothered expression. First, her pinky finger would hook over to test the waters, gently nudging his hand. Seeing no reaction from him, she would swiftly grasp it. She held on so tightly that her palms grew damp from nervousness.
But once she actually held his hand, she did not dare look at his face. Instead, she would turn her head away and talk about anything else to distract him, saying, “My, the wind is quite noisy today. What were we just talking about?”
In truth, Xie Yutai had barely spoken a word; it had been Qin Zhizhi chattering the entire way.
At that time, Qin Zhizhi had secretly thought to herself that she had not expected someone as cold and noble-looking as Xie Yutai to have a hand that held a sword but felt surprisingly warm.
But now, this Xie Yutai’s hand was exceptionally cold. It was so cold that it did not feel like the temperature of a living person. The chill, which penetrated straight to the bone, made Qin Zhizhi shudder involuntarily.
Sensing the warmth on the back of his hand, Xie Yutai paused. Following her aura, he turned his head slightly. Qin Zhizhi also turned her head, catching sight of his appearance. The white silk cloth bound over his eyes softened his usually stern, sharp demeanor. After the battle, a few stray strands of hair had fallen loose around his temples. As he quietly turned his head like this, it actually added a touch of helplessness to his appearance, making him look like an entirely different person from the Rakshasa-like figure he had been moments ago.
Qin Zhizhi’s heart skipped a beat in a barely perceptible flutter. She wondered in bewilderment if it was just her imagination. Why did he look a little pitiable? Could the eyes hidden beneath that white cloth be red?
But she instantly dismissed the thought. How could that be possible? She had never once seen Xie Yutai with red eyes. No matter the time or place, he was always that steady, distant, and indifferent figure.
“Cough, cough, cough.” Having just cleared his blocked spiritual meridians, Lu Yuandao stood up only to witness this provocative scene. Xie Yutai and Qin Zhizhi were standing on either side of the Heaven-Shaking Sword, face to face, with Qin Zhizhi’s hand still resting on top of Xie Yutai’s.
His spiritual energy surged backward in agitation, and he almost coughed up a mouthful of blood. Why wasn’t he the one with the white cloth over his eyes?
Accompanied by earth-shattering coughs, Lu Yuandao frantically winked at Qin Zhizhi. Was Xie Yutai someone she could just casually take advantage of? Unfortunately, while Qin Zhizhi wanted to look, the angle was poor; she could only hear his voice but could not see him.
Although Xie Yutai was a man of few words and ruthless actions, his graceful bearing and strikingly handsome looks meant that many young ladies indeed fell in love with him at first sight, never forgetting him for the rest of their lives. Hadn’t the female cultivators of the Tiantong Sect been exactly like that? Even though he was now blind, his posture remained upright, carrying a distinct sort of rugged, down-and-out charm. This was rather dangerous.
Seeing that Qin Zhizhi made no move, Lu Yuandao pondered for a moment. He steeled himself and spoke up slowly, “Miss Qin Zhizhi, what are you doing? Lest you forget your own identity!”
Was that hint obvious enough? He had pronounced her name syllable by syllable! Jun Wuya, this is the most your senior brother can do for you.
Qin Zhizhi’s own mind was in complete disarray. Hearing Lu Yuandao’s tone, which practically accused her of cheating on his junior brother, she felt speechless and could not help but say, “Can you blame me? Do you think I can move right now?”
Her hands and feet simply had minds of their own.
Lu Yuandao was speechless.
She claimed she could not move, yet her mouth was moving quite fluidly.
Upon hearing Lu Yuandao’s words, the quietly standing Xie Yutai stiffened slightly. Qin Zhizhi felt a slight tremor radiating from where their hands met, and her eyes widened in surprise. In the next moment, her hand fell away from the back of his hand as Xie Yutai abruptly let go of his grip on the sword.
Unable to see, he only opened his mouth in confusion. His voice was extremely low and soft, as if he were afraid of disturbing something. “Qin Zhizhi?”
Qin Zhizhi’s heart skipped a beat.
Xie Yutai rarely called her by her name. After all, back then, Qin Zhizhi’s gaze was almost always fixed on him. Whenever he looked over, she would quickly run to him with a beaming smile, so there was never any need for him to call out to her. But once he did call her by name, it seemed it was never for anything good.
When was the last time he had called her?
It was during the opening of the Kunlun Cavern, which occurred only once every fifty years. It was one of the most dangerous and unpredictable secret realms in the world, yet it was filled with rare treasures and mysterious cultivation methods, drawing countless people to their deaths.
Xie Yutai had gone there to temper his sword intent.
Qin Zhizhi had secretly followed him and entered the Kunlun Cavern.
The sky was filled with wind and snow, and the jade-like trees were covered in ice. Who could have imagined that such a dangerous existence lay within the fairytale-like Kunlun Cavern?
Without a second thought, she had rushed forward to block that strike for Xie Yutai. Qin Zhizhi collapsed into the ice and snow, her bright blood spreading across the ground like a red lotus blooming in a wonderland. Before losing consciousness, she seemed to faintly hear Xie Yutai’s voice. It sounded very distant, like a voice echoing in a dream.
He had said, “Qin Zhizhi, why have you made no progress at all?”
If Qin Zhizhi could still speak at that moment, she would have seized that golden opportunity to deliver a cheesy pickup line: Why do I need to make progress, when I only want to make progress into your heart?
But she had no strength left. She was far too tired, and so she closed her eyes.
To think she was still being scolded right before her death; this task was truly too difficult.
Xie Yutai, is your heart made of dark iron?
Now, hearing her full name called again, Qin Zhizhi instinctively remained silent.
Receiving no response, Xie Yutai reached out his hand. Like a marionette, she also raised her right hand.
Seeing that their hands were about to touch again, Lu Yuandao’s eyelids twitched. He rushed forward, grabbed Qin Zhizhi’s wrist which was frozen in midair, and gave Xie Yutai a strained smile. “Fellow Daoist Xie, this is the person I mentioned to you via voice transmission earlier. This is my junior brother Jun Wuya’s fiancée, the daughter of the City Lord of Wudu City, Qin Zhizhi.”
Had he made it clear enough? These two looked far too strange.
The warmth of another person covering her wrist abruptly pulled Qin Zhizhi’s wandering thoughts back to reality. Oh right, she was no longer the Qin Zhizhi of the Tiantong Sect, so what was she afraid of?
While the three of them were trapped in a bizarre silence, Su Qingyi, who had fainted earlier from the shock of Dan Wuning’s demonic energy, happened to wake up. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Xie Yutai and Qin Zhizhi’s fingertips almost touching, while her eldest senior brother, Lu Yuandao, was holding Qin Zhizhi’s wrist and standing beside them, shining as brightly as a candle in the dark.
Su Qingyi sat up from the ground. “What are you all doing?”
Qin Zhizhi was speechless.
Where was this illusion of being caught in bed together coming from?
Lu Yuandao hurriedly let go of her hand. “Junior Sister Su, you’re awake? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”
Su Qingyi clutched her chest and shook her head. When she looked up again, her face was still full of confusion. “Senior Brother Lu, what were you doing just now?”
Qin Zhizhi’s arm was growing tired from holding it up. She stiffened her neck and could not help but say, “Qingyi, don’t misunderstand. I seem to be controlled; my hands and feet won’t listen to me at all. Immortal Lu was only trying to help me.”
Hearing these words, the aura around Xie Yutai stiffened, and he slowly lowered his hand. He seemed to realize something, and the momentary slip in his composure vanished as if it had been a mere illusion. Although Xie Yutai did not speak, he made no further moves. Instead, he sat down beside the Heaven-Shaking Sword and quietly crossed his legs to regulate his breathing.
Qin Zhizhi was forced to sit on the ground. Although she still lacked her freedom, this was countless times better than the awkward scene from before. She tilted her head up and thoroughly explained how she had been struck by the Corpse-Freezing Talisman and how she had discovered her body was out of her control.
After listening to her explanation, Su Qingyi said with lingering fear, “Miss Qin, that was truly dangerous. If Senior Brother Xie hadn’t acted quickly, you would be dead by now!”
Hearing this, Qin Zhizhi coughed abruptly and said, “Indeed, I must deeply thank Immortal Xie for saving my life.”
However, the talisman was clearly Dan Wuning’s Corpse-Freezing Talisman. Why on earth was she bound to Xie Yutai now? It was truly baffling.
Lu Yuandao walked over to Xie Yutai’s side. “Some disciples of the Heguang Sect are injured and find it difficult to move. Just now, I sent a message to Elder Nanfeng. I believe he will arrive shortly to take us back. What are your plans, Fellow Daoist Xie?”
Qin Zhizhi hurriedly chimed in, “Shouldn’t we figure out a way to untie this connection before leaving?”
Otherwise, if Xie Yutai flew off with his sword in an instant, what was she supposed to do? Run behind him? Or fly while being suspended in the air?
“I am but a weak woman who cannot even lift a chicken.”
Lu Yuandao’s mouth twitched.
Xie Yutai said calmly, “We will discuss it once Elder Nanfeng arrives.”
Elder Nanfeng and the Sect Master of the Heguang Sect were martial brothers who came from the same master and shared a deep bond. He was the second most important figure in the Heguang Sect. His cultivation had already reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, only a step away from Soul Transformation. Since Elder Nanfeng was the one responding to the message, this group of disciples led by Lu Yuandao were indeed the treasured darlings of the Heguang Sect.
Within moments, Elder Nanfeng descended from the clouds and appeared before everyone. He was short of stature, with white hair but a youthful face, and he carried a banana-leaf seven-string zither on his back. Seeing that the juniors were all standing there in one piece, he felt relieved. He squinted his eyes and smiled. “I am glad everyone is safe. Now I can report back to my martial brother.”
“But, young friend Xie, your eyes.”
Xie Yutai seemed somewhat reluctant to discuss the topic. He turned his head slightly. “I am fine. Thank you, Elder Nanfeng.”
Because Xie Yutai’s avoidance was quite obvious, it was not polite for Nanfeng to press further. He could only sigh softly in his heart. When he noticed Qin Zhizhi sitting obediently nearby, he could not help but squint and let out a surprised “Eh?”.
Seeing Nanfeng notice Qin Zhizhi, Su Qingyi hastily added color to the story, explaining Qin Zhizhi’s identity and everything that had occurred. At the end, she asked anxiously, “Uncle-Master Nanfeng, what do you think is going on here?”
Nanfeng pinched his small beard and pondered for a long time. Then, he let out a stream of highly abstract, mystical terminology. Qin Zhizhi listened with utter confusion, but she ultimately reached one conclusion: this was essentially a system bug.
At the exact moment the Corpse-Freezing Talisman merged with her flesh and blood, Dan Wuning’s clone happened to die. Theoretically, Qin Zhizhi should have died along with him. However, the timing was far too coincidental. While Dan Wuning was still alive, Qin Zhizhi did not yet count as his puppet.
Furthermore, Xie Yutai had grabbed the clone’s heart and crushed it in his hand, staining himself with Dan Wuning’s demonic energy. At that exact moment, the Corpse-Freezing Talisman recognized Xie Yutai as its master, which resulted in this misunderstanding.
She understood now.
“Then is there a way to undo it?” Qin Zhizhi pressed.
She had fought hard to gain a new lease on life, and she genuinely did not want to have anything more to do with Xie Yutai. Qin Zhizhi had lived to complete tasks, but Qin Zhizhi the person did not.
Nanfeng fumbled around inside the gourd at his waist for a long time before producing a small jade bottle. “Drink this Talisman-Dissolving Water first.”
Since Qin Zhizhi found it difficult to move, Su Qingyi took the bottle and fed it to her. She instantly felt her body lighten. She tried moving her fingers and found that she had regained her freedom of movement. Overjoyed, she asked, “Is that it? Am I cured?”
Nanfeng shook his head. “The effect of the Talisman-Dissolving Water is quite limited. Right now, it only allows you to control your own body for a short period of time. The power of the Corpse-Freezing Talisman is not that simple.”
After all, this was a talisman of the ghost cultivator Dan Wuning. It was miraculous, unorthodox, and evil. Even the Yasheng Sect, which specialized in talismans, would find it difficult to crack.
Xie Yutai, who had remained silent all this time, could not help but speak up. “Then what will happen?”
Nanfeng’s hand pinching his beard paused slightly. In a heavy tone, he said, “The lives of you two are now linked. If you are injured, she will be injured. If you die, she dies.”
“What?!” Qin Zhizhi was utterly dumbfounded. How on earth did Elder Nanfeng manage that? Not a single word of his explanation was something she wanted to hear!