Master Juezhen Jianzun had taken in five personal disciples in total. The eldest senior brother, He Wujiu, had been entrusted to him by a friend before the friend’s passing. Initially mocked by other peaks of Qingyun Zong for having no Linggen, it was only after he won first place in an immortal sect competition that everyone realized he was not without a Linggen but possessed the rare Tianling Shuang Linggen.
It fit perfectly with the tropes of a cultivation progression power fantasy.
Fenjing Feng practiced the way of the sword, and as the male protagonist of a cultivation progression story, He Wujiu naturally evolved from an initial state of incompetence to becoming the current leader in swordsmanship.
The second senior brother, Li Changming, was a prince from a fallen mortal kingdom, taken in as a disciple out of Master’s pity. Though not as innately brilliant as the eldest senior brother, his talent was still exceptionally high.
The junior sister, Guan Qingyun, was a disciple Master had taken in during his travels, almost simultaneously with her.
The last was the recently accepted junior brother: Pu Yuemin.
Ming Yueyi pondered this in her mind before pushing open the door.
As soon as the door opened, the icy cold air inside enveloped her skin, raising fine goosebumps.
The temperature was extremely low, like an ice cave, and walking inside felt as if one could exhale white mist with every breath.
Why was it so cold?
Ming Yueyi inexplicably thought of the snake pit in Baihua Gu, which was similarly damp and cold. No wonder the junior brother had coughed up blood.
Due to her sudden entry, the gazes of everyone in the room fell upon her.
Ming Yueyi walked in, her peripheral vision only catching a glimpse of the white-clad Jianzun seated ahead. Before she could clearly see the other two, she bowed in greeting.
“Greetings, Master.”
Master nodded and asked when she had returned.
Ming Yueyi straightened up and replied, “Less than an hour ago. I originally intended to return something I had borrowed from Senior Brother but received your summons, Master. May I ask why you called for me?”
Master turned toward the inner chamber and said, “I summoned you because you have yet to meet your junior brother. Today is a good opportunity to see him. Wujiu is currently helping him unblock his Linggen. Go in and take a look as well.”
“Yes.”
Ming Yueyi walked toward the inner chamber, lifting the curtain of icy crystal beads that hung like a screen. As she raised her eyes, she met the gaze of the youth inside.
The youth leaning against the transparent ice bed was beautiful, with a slender figure. His long, black hair, tied up with a red hair ribbon, cascaded from the ice bed to the floor like spilled ink.
She paused slightly upon seeing him.
“Why have you come, Junior Sister?”
The gentle voice of her senior brother interrupted her gaze.
Ming Yueyi averted her eyes and looked at the handsome young man seated by the bed. “Master asked me to come in and check on him.”
That was her eldest senior brother, He Wujiu. As the male protagonist, he naturally excelled in talent, strength, and appearance. Unlike the youth’s beauty, He Wujiu’s features were deep and strikingly handsome, exuding an ethereal, jade-like elegance reminiscent of a fallen immortal.
Seeing her approach, He Wujiu withdrew his spiritual energy and made room for her to sit. “I couldn’t detect anything unusual within him. Use Fusheng to check if any evil spirits have invaded his body.”
Ming Yueyi nodded and sat down, glancing at the youth sealed within the Jiejie on the ice bed—delicate and fragile, like an ice butterfly displayed in a transparent cabinet for admiration.
She couldn’t help but ask, “What happened to him?”
Had Pu Yuemin always been this fragile?
She couldn’t seem to remember.
He Wujiu shook his head. “I don’t know. Master said he suddenly coughed up blood earlier.”
For an ordinary disciple, even if they were severely injured and hanging on by a thread, Master wouldn’t be this concerned, let alone over a sudden bout of coughing blood.
Once again, he had the senior brother clear his Linggen for him, and now he summoned her to use her Benming Faqi to check if any evil spirits had invaded his body.
Truly the treatment only a genius could receive.
Ming Yueyi nodded. "I understand."
Seeing her agreement, He Wujiu considered that she would soon need to use Fusheng, so he left the space to her and turned to exit.
After he left, Ming Yueyi turned her gaze toward the young man lying on the ice bed with drooping eyelids, and once again recalled the events of her first life.
However, it had been far too long, and she couldn’t quite remember what kind of person this junior brother was.
She only recalled that he was gentle and kind, treated others well, and was well-liked by everyone in the sect.
To help the young man become familiar with Fusheng, Ming Yueyi intended to break through the Jiejie and touch his wrist.
But as soon as her fingertips entered the Jiejie, the young man inside suddenly grasped her hand.
So cold, without a trace of warmth.
Ming Yueyi shivered from the chill, instinctively raising her eyes to look at the young man within the Jiejie.
The young man, who had been leaning lazily, now sat up with a relaxed posture, lifting his dark, thick lashes to stare directly at her. Though his face showed no expression, his quiet demeanor gave off a cool, obedient vibe. Yet, inexplicably, she caught a flicker of laughter in his eyes.
Not a smile, but a wild, hidden laughter concealed beneath a beautiful and harmless facade.
In reality, the young man hadn’t even curved the corners of his mouth.
Ming Yueyi also noticed that within his long eyebrows and high nose, his slightly narrow eyes had pupils that seemed to be slightly vertical.
Like snake eyes.
But when Ming Yueyi blinked again, the vertical pupils seemed to have returned to normal round ones.
Was it a trick of the eye, or was she still unsettled from the snake demons she had just left behind in Baihua Gu…
"Don’t be afraid. I am Ming Yueyi, your third senior sister. I’ve just returned from outside. Master said you were unwell, so I came to check on you." Ming Yueyi thought his reaction might be due to not having met her before.
Yet after she spoke, the young man remained silent, still staring at her without even a flutter of his lashes.
Ming Yueyi felt increasingly uncomfortable under his gaze, especially with his hand gripping her wrist—pale to the point of transparency and as cold as a corpse frozen in ice.
Seeing that he remained silent, she withdrew her hand directly.
As she pulled away, the young man’s dark lashes lowered gently. Leaning against the bedside, he tilted his head toward her, as obedient as a puppy waiting to be petted.
Ming Yueyi summoned Fusheng.
Fusheng was a golden lotus, a Benming Faqi used to conceal her Neidan. Having resided within her body for years, it shared her senses.
When the golden lotus touched his forehead, she shuddered from the cold once more, instinctively wanting to retreat. Yet, feeling inexplicably drawn, she absentmindedly implanted the lotus into his Lingfu.
As soon as it entered, Ming Yueyi couldn’t help but bite her lower lip and let out a muffled groan. "Mm…"
So hot.
The temperature of his Lingfu was completely opposite to that of his body—it was hot, so hot that she felt as if she were immersed in a sea of fire. Alongside the heat was an indescribable tingling sensation.
It felt as if ants were biting her heart—painful yet itchy, her entire body filled with a sore, swollen ache.
No… this isn’t right.
Ming Yueyi raised her eyes, brimming with tears, her face flushed as she looked at the oblivious young man before her, wanting to withdraw Fusheng from his Lingfu.
But with the slightest movement, he convulsed and curled up on the ice bed, his slender ankles emerging from beneath his wide robe. The skin, once cold and pale without a trace of blood, visibly turned pink.
"Ah… ha…"
"Don't use spiritual power." Ming Yueyi gasped lightly as she grabbed his hand, nearly on the verge of tears.
She had only intended to enter his Lingfu to check if he had been contaminated by anything unclean. Who would have thought that the moment she entered, he also activated his spiritual power.
What was meant to be a simple inspection had now turned into a spiritual communion.
And it was unclear who was forcing whom.
Thinking of her master and senior brother outside, while she was inside with her newly met junior brother at his most vulnerable moment, she had actually done such a thing.
Ming Yueyi’s legs went weak, and she slid from the chair to the floor. Barely propping herself up against the edge of his ice bed, she managed to regain a sliver of reason. But now, her entire body felt so weak she couldn’t muster the energy to withdraw the lotus.
The longer she was enveloped by his spiritual power, the weaker she became. Breathing rapidly, she bit her lower lip and burrowed into the Jiejie beside him.
Fortunately, her cultivation was still sufficient to keep her from acting recklessly.
But the young man before her, who had only recently begun his cultivation, seemed to lack her level of restraint. His cold hands, as if unable to resist the pleasure surging within him, pulled her up from the bedside and pressed her directly beneath him.