On the other side.
Ming Yueyi held a white snake she had pulled from a withered branch. Originally intending to slice it apart with her sword, she noticed something unusual about this snake.
There was something beneath the ventral surface near the base of its tail.
She stretched the snake by gripping its head and tail, then used her sword to peel back the skin on its belly. Her expression froze once she saw clearly.
This snake was in heat.
Ming Yueyi tossed the snake aside with a look of disgust.
The white snake, upon hitting the ground, instantly slithered behind a rock and vanished.
Ming Yueyi paid no further attention to the snake and continued climbing the steps.
The higher she went, the more snakes she encountered. It was as if they had all been collectively affected—every one of them was male and in a state of heat.
At first, she could still cut through these snakes with her sword, but later she simply stepped over them with an impassive expression.
She truly despised snakes, especially those in heat.
Fortunately, as she neared Huiguo Ya, the surroundings became barren and lifeless, covered only in vast stretches of white snow, and the snakes disappeared.
Huiguo Ya was where disciples who had committed grave mistakes were imprisoned. Any disciple punished here would have their Spiritual Power sealed, reducing them to ordinary mortals who would experience birth, aging, sickness, and death.
Guan Qingyun was in the third Xuelao of Huiguo Ya.
When Ming Yueyi arrived, the young girl was crouched in a corner behind the icy bars, shivering all over from the cold. Her hair bun was even coated with glistening ice, making her look utterly pitiful.
Fortunately, as a cultivator, her body was more resilient than that of a mortal; otherwise, she wouldn’t have survived a single day.
It was too quiet here; even the slightest sound was amplified.
Hearing the noise, Guan Qingyun looked up and saw the woman approaching slowly through the snow. Her eyes suddenly lit up. “Shijie! Shijie! Shijie!”
She grabbed the bars with both hands and shook them, as if she had completely forgotten that just two months ago, she had mocked Ming Yueyi for being poor and shabby, unable to produce anything decent even after searching her entire person, and had generously tossed several fine Dharma Tools at her. Now, however, she looked thrilled.
Hearing her spirited shouts, Ming Yueyi covered one ear with her hand, walked over, and crouched in front of her. She retrieved a Nuanshi from her Storage Bag and handed it over.
Guan Qingyun shivered as she took it, hugging it to her chest. Only after feeling somewhat better did she ask, “Why are you here?”
Ming Yueyi sat down on the ground and said, “I came to see you.”
“As expected, you’re the best.”
Guan Qingyun was delighted to see Ming Yueyi, but she soon remembered that Huiguo Ya wasn’t a place just anyone could enter. Her face immediately fell, and she wailed, “Why did you come? Oh no, oh no. If Master punishes you and makes you stay here with me later, that would be great! Finally, I won’t be alone freezing in here anymore.”
As she spoke, she grew excited again.
Ming Yueyi: “…”
“I spoke with Master, and Master permitted me to come.”
Her light, casual remark mercilessly dashed the young girl’s excitement.
Guan Qingyun stared at her resentfully.
Without needing to guess, Ming Yueyi knew what she was thinking. Curiously, she asked, “Weren’t you always fond of the eldest senior brother? Why did you suddenly decide to form a Dao Companion bond with the newly arrived junior brother?”
Failing to form the Dao Companion bond was one thing, but casting an Illusion Curse on him was something she hadn’t expected.
Mentioning this, Guan Qingyun gave her a strange glance and retorted, “What necessary connection is there between liking the eldest senior brother and wanting to form a Dao Companion bond with the junior brother?”
Ming Yueyi nodded. There was none.
Seeing her nod, Guan Qingyun continued, "I like the eldest senior brother, but you won't give him up. Originally, I planned to find a man even more handsome than the eldest senior brother to become my Dao Companion while you were away, so I could come back and show off in front of you. Who knew something like this would happen?"
She didn’t think there was anything wrong with drugging someone and, with a face full of regret, spread her hands helplessly. Then, cupping her cheeks, she continued dreamily, "You must have seen him too—that junior brother is truly good-looking. He’s only been here a day, and everyone in the sect who’s seen him has fallen for him. If I could win him over and keep him by my side, so many people would envy me."
Abnormal.
Very abnormal.
Ming Yueyi frowned as she looked at the young girl before her, an inexplicable sense of strangeness rising in her heart.
From the first day she returned, something felt off. She could understand her master’s excessive doting as cherishing a genius.
It was also normal for her fellow sect sisters on Banruo Tai to admire him, and the boy’s exceptional looks could still be explained. But how could Guan Qingyun, who hadn’t wavered in her affection for the eldest senior brother for ten lifetimes, suddenly fall for Pu Yuemin?
Could it be that because she had subtly changed some things in this lifetime, a butterfly effect had occurred?
Or was it that Guan Qingyun had liked Pu Yuemin all along?
Ming Yueyi lowered her thick lashes in thought.
She had only truly lived through the first two lifetimes. In the other cycles, her mind was solely focused on how to escape her fate, so she hadn’t paid much attention to other matters. She truly couldn’t remember whether there had been any ambiguous relationship between Guan Qingyun and Pu Yuemin.
"Ming Yueyi, are you listening?"
Guan Qingyun’s mouth was dry from talking, but when she turned her gaze, she saw Ming Yueyi sitting cross-legged in the snow, lost in thought. Displeased, she called her by her full name.
Ming Yueyi snapped back to attention and looked at her, saying, "Give me the Nuanshi."
Guan Qingyun, terrified of the cold, couldn’t bear to part with it now. Her delicate brows drooped, and she put on a pitiful expression. "Shijie, were you injured in Baihua Gu? I heard a demon has occupied Baihua Gu for hundreds of years. When I heard you were going to find rare Spirit Stones for the eldest senior brother, I was so worried I couldn’t sleep at night."
Now her little mouth was as sweet as honey again.
Ming Yueyi didn’t dwell on whether the phrase "worried I couldn’t sleep" was out of concern that she might win over the eldest senior brother with a Spirit Stone.
Ming Yueyi stated her purpose: "Your crane is still being kept in my Dongfu. Give me the key to your Dongfu, and I’ll return it to you."
Hearing this, Guan Qingyun blinked and shook her head, coquettishly pleading, "Ming Shijie, could you take care of it for a few more days? I’ll give you Spirit Stones once I’m out."
"Fine," Ming Yueyi agreed without hesitation.
Guan Qingyun had many Spirit Stones, while she and Li Changming were the poorest.
However, Li Changming spent his Spirit Stones on beautiful, exquisite utensils and decorating his Dongfu, while hers were used for cultivation, so she was always short on Spirit Stones.
Seeing Ming Yueyi about to leave after speaking, Guan Qingyun hurriedly asked, "Shijie, will you come see me again later?"
Ming Yueyi turned to look at her.
She quickly corrected herself, "What about tomorrow?"
"Or the day after?"
Seeing Ming Yueyi remain silent, her face fell. "Shijie, you can’t possibly only visit me this once."
Ming Yueyi said, "I’ll try to come see you."
"Okay," Guan Qingyun replied with an obedient smile.
Ming Yueyi didn’t stay much longer.
Leaving the third Xuelao, she was about to descend the mountain when she suddenly saw a beautiful young man sitting on a rock covered in snow.
His hair, an unusual shade of black, cascaded like a waterfall down his back, with stray strands falling over his forehead. The red robe draped over his white garment made him resemble a plum blossom blooming in the snow, exuding an air of luxurious elegance.
Why was Pu Yuemin here?
Ming Yueyi stared at him in surprise, noticing faint red marks on his cheeks, as if sunburned, standing out unnaturally against his overly pale skin with a hint of sickly pallor.
She glanced up at the sky.
There was no sun today either.
As she observed him, the youth descended from the rock and walked toward her.
Seeing him approach, Ming Yueyi instinctively felt a vague sense of caution and took an almost imperceptible step back.
The youth did not come too close, stopping just three paces away.
His eyelids were thin and pale pink, his dark pupils fixed intently on her. His lips, so faint they were nearly colorless, curved slightly upward as he parted them gently, his voice soft and tender: "Shijie."
Ming Yueyi shifted her gaze from his lips and asked, "Why are you here?"
She noticed that while Pu Yuemin appeared delicate and frail, his presence before her was anything but weak. He stood a head taller than her, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, capable of completely shielding her from view.
"I lost a match earlier and came here to clear my mind," he explained unhurriedly, as if oblivious to the distance she maintained. He then added, "Why is Shijie here as well?"
Ming Yueyi replied, "I came to see Qingyun Shimei."
At the mention of Guan Qingyun, not even his brow twitched. Instead, he displayed a trace of faint concern, his temperament remarkably gentle: "How is she? Is she alright?"
Ming Yueyi nodded. "She's fine."
"Is that so?" He nodded in response.
The two were not close, and Ming Yueyi had little desire for idle chatter. He seemed to sense her thoughts.
Before she could excuse herself, he spoke warmly, "Thank you for helping me yesterday."
Yesterday…
Ming Yueyi’s expression stiffened slightly as she recalled the events of the previous day.
"My body has been feeling unwell these past few days, but after Shijie treated me yesterday, I was able to spar with Second Senior Brother today," he said, his gaze filled with sincere gratitude.
Ming Yueyi replied, "I didn’t treat your injuries."
"Hmm?" He paused, tilting his head slightly in confusion, a strand of his long hair slipping over his shoulder.
"Shijie didn’t treat my injuries? Then why did I feel so comfortable at the time?"
Ming Yueyi assumed he knew that Divine Communion was one of the methods of Dual Cultivation used to enhance a cultivator’s Cultivation Base. Yet, the innocence in his eyes suggested he was unaware.
She couldn’t bring herself to tell him that she had tainted his spirit in his vulnerable state.
Ming Yueyi simply said, "While examining your Lingfu, you were in a state of unconsciousness and couldn’t control your Spiritual Power. It became entangled with the Spiritual Power I channeled into your body."
Upon hearing this, Pu Yuemin seemed to recall the sensation. His dark lashes fluttered twice as he murmured softly, following her words, "Shijie entered my body?"
Her explanation was straightforward, yet somehow, when spoken by him, it carried an ambiguous, lingering intimacy that sent shivers down her spine.
Ming Yueyi looked at his exquisitely refined face and said earnestly, "I apologize. It was unintentional. If you wish to inform Master, I am willing to accept punishment."
Guan Qingyun had attempted to drug him in hopes of becoming his Dao Companion for Dual Cultivation, and even that had earned her a sentence in Huiguo Ya. Ming Yueyi feared her own punishment would be far more severe.
But what was done was done. If he chose to speak of it, she had no defense.
Unexpectedly, he slowly shook his head, a faint smile forming at the corners of his eyes, his stunningly beautiful face becoming even more breathtakingly gorgeous as he said, "Shijie is a good person, you saved me. I won't let Shijie be punished."
Words like calling her a good person—Ming Yueyi had heard them many times over the years while carrying out missions down the mountain, but in the cultivation world, no one would ever say who was a good person.
To enhance their strength, everyone had secrets they couldn't reveal.
Ming Yueyi accepted his remark about being a "good person" and carefully chose her words to ask, "I didn't mean to disturb your stroll, Shidi. I still have matters to attend to and should head back now."
The smile at the corner of Pu Yuemin's lips faded slowly. "Shijie."
Ming Yueyi asked, puzzled, "Is there something else, Shidi?"
Pu Yuemin took a step toward her once more.
Ming Yueyi's brows furrowed slightly as she watched the distance between them, originally three steps apart, gradually shrink. She stood still without moving.
The tip of the young man's boot touched the tip of hers, and she could catch a faint scent emanating from him.
It felt very familiar.
Pu Yuemin lowered his eyelids, gazing absentmindedly at the woman before him, who lifted a slender, pale chin. Her eyes were bright and calm, her hair black, her skin white, her lips red—so real that they could be touched with just a reach of a hand.
A real Shijie.
Ming Yueyi didn't know what he intended to do. She watched as the young man's dark pupils, fixed on her, gradually grew hazy. He bent down, his thin lips curving upward into a smile.
He whispered softly, "Shijie, could you help me again like yesterday? Enter my body…"