“……”
Xie Qingxun had not originally intended to go to the underground palace.
Recently, his body had been experiencing frequent anomalies, requiring him to meditate and regulate his breath every night—a tedious and monotonous routine.
Perhaps due to prolonged boredom, his meditation state today was poor. His mind often wandered, unable to Enter Samadhi, and he kept recalling Di Shu’s recent report: 【Although Qu Yaoyao is timid, she is stubborn and sharp-tongued. Mere intimidation won’t work; she must be made to suffer and bleed a little.】
Suffer, indeed.
Di Shu was no merciful man. The suffering he spoke of was not something ordinary people could endure—even if one survived, it would strip away half their life.
A flicker of magical light danced between Xie Qingxun’s fingers, and before his eyes, a small, tearful face involuntarily surfaced. The scene from a few days ago replayed: he had kindly helped the timid, trembling little girl to her feet, only to be pushed away as she snapped, “I don’t need you to care.”
A dignified Immortal Venerable, with life and death at his whim—why would he bother caring for her?
With this thought, the light between his fingers extinguished completely. He opened his eyes and gazed at the scroll on the table.
A faint golden glow shimmered, subtly altering his cold, refined features as if brushed with a layer of rouge. Since he couldn’t calm his mind today anyway, Xie Qingxun let out a soft, disdainful chuckle and murmured to himself, “This venerable one shall see just how stubborn your temper can be.”
If he couldn’t find peace, why not seek some amusement in the underground palace?
.
Xie Qingxun had expected to hear Qu Yaoyao’s agonized cries upon his arrival. Instead, the cage was quiet, with a sleeping ‘butterfly’ lying within.
Her dress spread out, adorned with intricate jewelry, Qu Yaoyao lay curled on the magic array, using her arm as a pillow as she slept soundly on her side. Xie Qingxun materialized within the array, looking down at her for a long time without startling her awake.
Her heart was certainly large enough to sleep so soundly here.
Staring at Qu Yaoyao’s sleeping face, Xie Qingxun knelt and crouched before her. He noticed the butterfly on her sleeve swaying with her breath, rhythmic and steady, as if ready to take flight at any moment.
What he didn’t know was that Qu Yaoyao wasn’t actually asleep—her consciousness had been drawn into the pendant.
Rewinding to when Di Shu left after uttering his threats, Qu Yaoyao collapsed to the ground, desperately searching for a way to escape.
She couldn’t just wait for death. Realizing these people intended to use her as a scapegoat, staying here meant certain doom. Without cultivation and with no one to turn to, Qu Yaoyao finally understood why Zongzong had been so eager to urge Qu Yushu to leave.
With him gone, there truly was no one left to protect her.
“Brother…” Qu Yaoyao couldn’t break the magic array confining her, so she thought of the sachet Qu Yushu had left her.
She remembered that when Gu Tianci was escorting her away, Yun Zhi had secretly slipped the sachet into the pocket of her robe. Seizing the moment while no one was around, Qu Yaoyao’s trembling fingers fumbled urgently inside her collar, searching for the life-saving sachet.
Drip—
Blood seeped from the wound on her chin, a drop sliding down her neck into her collar.
Another drop fell directly onto the teardrop pendant hanging around her neck. The pendant absorbed the blood and emitted a faint glow.
【Yaoyao.】 A magnetic, deep voice sounded in her ear.
Qu Yaoyao thought it was a hallucination born of panic until the voice spoke again: 【Yaoyao.】
“Who’s speaking?!” This time, Qu Yaoyao heard it clearly, looking around in confusion.
The dungeon was empty and desolate, the circular magic array forming a half-dome barrier that blocked her path to the outside. There was no one else here besides her. The only anomaly was the pendant around her neck, its red glow growing increasingly bright.
Qu Yaoyao lifted the pendant before her eyes, swallowing before asking, "I-Is that you speaking?"
The dark red pendant, described as teardrop-shaped, more closely resembled a drop of congealed blood.
Qu Yaoyao received no response. As she carefully examined the blood-drop pendant, she noticed something faintly stirring within it. Focusing her gaze, her consciousness was soon ensnared, instantly pulled into the pendant.
Fire—a massive cluster of crimson flames blazed fiercely.
After her consciousness entered the pendant, Qu Yaoyao regained her original appearance. Standing in the crimson void, she felt no scorching heat but rather a warm, comfortable familiarity.
…As if she had been here not long ago.
"Remember now?" A man's voice emerged from the flames, identical to the one that had called to her outside the pendant moments before.
Little Snow Lotus was utterly bewildered. "Remember what?"
As soon as she spoke, a tendril of flame leaped up and vanished into her forehead. Fragmented memories gradually repaired themselves, and she recalled what had happened after her body was destroyed and her soul scattered by the fallen immortal.
So, her rebirth was not due to heaven's pity or mercy but because someone had saved her, painstakingly gathering the fragments of her dissipating soul, using their own spiritual power to nurture and reshape it, patiently mending the wounds on her soul.
"Was it you who saved me?" Little Snow Lotus remembered everything now.
During the few days the original Qu Yaoyao was still alive, Little Snow Lotus's soul had been harbored within this pendant. It was only after Qu Yaoyao died, her soul scattered and her life lamp extinguished, vanishing completely from the world, that her soul was placed into Qu Yaoyao's body, becoming its new master.
The process of soul repair was long, and Little Snow Lotus spent most of it in slumber, only vaguely hearing someone speaking to her. The voice was identical to the one she heard now—there was no mistake.
Remembering her savior, Little Snow Lotus quickly expressed her gratitude. Assuming the cluster of flames was her benefactor, she tried to step closer but was stopped. "Stay where you are."
The voice, brooking no refusal, sounded stern at first.
Before Little Snow Lotus could react, the person quickly explained, their voice low and husky, almost gentle. "The Red Lotus Karmic Fire naturally contains the spiritual power of heaven and earth. You are here with your soul spirit now; getting too close will burn your soul."
"I see." Little Snow Lotus paid it no mind, choosing a safe distance to sit cross-legged.
With too many curiosities and doubts piled in her heart, she was about to ask them one by one when the voice from the flames suddenly said coldly, "He's here."
In the blink of an eye, Little Snow Lotus's soul was pushed out of the pendant. Her eyelashes fluttered as she regained consciousness.
At the same moment, Xie Qingxun noticed something glowing faintly at her neck and reached out to pull open her collar for a closer look. He was kneeling, leaning close, his face hovering just inches away. So when Qu Yaoyao woke to see his magnified handsome features, she screamed in fright and, without thinking, slapped her hand against his face.
Smack. Xie Qingxun's vision went dark.
By the time his eyes cleared, Qu Yaoyao had already shrunk back, hiding several feet away. Concealing the hand that had just committed the offense, she half-hid her face, hugging her knees and curling up, watching him warily as she asked, "What are you doing?"
Could it be he was trying to kill her while she slept?
Xie Qingxun's face turned cold, his pupils darkening as hints of crimson-gold spread. Pressing his lips together, he stood up.
Suffering a slap for no reason would put anyone in a foul mood, let alone an Immortal Venerable accustomed to being lofty and supreme. Meeting Qu Yaoyao's panicked gaze, he narrowed his eyes slightly and said with a cold laugh, "It seems you've adapted quite well here."
I just had such a sweet sleep.
Affected by the magic array, Qu Yaoyao had been weak and listless, but now, upon seeing Qingxi Immortal Venerable, she bristled like a rabbit with its fur standing on end, regaining much of her strength.
“What right do you have to lock me up here!” In her anger, her soft, delicate voice turned fierce, sounding both cute and intimidating to the ear—she was truly provoked.
As a snow lotus, there were many things she might not understand, but pride and purity were her bottom line, something no one could violate.
“I didn’t kill Hua Song!”
“Hua Song wasn’t killed by me!”
“Even if you kill me, I won’t take the blame or be your scapegoat. Don’t even dream of it!” In a flurry of sentences, the usually mild-tempered Qu Yaoyao seized the initiative, just as Di Shu had described—weak yet stubborn, refusing to admit anything even if beaten to death.
Xie Qingxun curved his lips slightly. “Scapegoat?”
His voice, cool and penetrating, repeated the word slowly as he asked Qu Yaoyao, “How do you know you’re the scapegoat? Miss Yaoyao, didn’t you lose your memory?”
How could someone with amnesia remember whether they had killed someone before? Hua Song died before she lost her memory and encountered trouble.
Qu Yaoyao was momentarily speechless, finally realizing why he had spared her life that day when he heard about the Yaowang Sect. So, he had been waiting for her here all along. “Even if I’ve lost my memory and don’t remember anything, I know Hua Song wasn’t killed by me. You can’t frame me.”
“What evidence do you have to prove you didn’t kill anyone?”
“Before Hua Song died, he was closely associated with you. On the night he met his demise, you happened to be absent from the Xingyang Sect as well. His personal maid has already confessed that he went to meet you that night.”
Not only was there a witness, but Hua Song’s wounds were also tainted with demonic energy. A few days later, when Qu Yaoyao encountered trouble, the strangulation marks on her neck were similarly tainted with demonic energy. Combining the two incidents, they soon found a Demon Banner capable of summoning evil entities in Qu Yaoyao’s room. With both witnesses and material evidence present, Qu Yaoyao had no choice but to confess.
“Even if you didn’t kill him with your own hands, Hua Song was killed by the evil entity you summoned, which went out of control.”
“Miss Yaoyao, Hua Song died because of you.”
Qu Yaoyao was dumbfounded. If she hadn’t witnessed the true culprit who killed Hua Song with her own eyes, she would have been completely fooled by Qingxi Immortal Venerable.
“I don’t believe it! Don’t even think about framing me.” The depth of her former admiration for him was now matched by her disappointment.
Her mind was simple, and after being provoked, she blurted out without thinking, “The true culprit who killed Hua Song isn’t me. He was clearly—”
“Clearly what?” Xie Qingxun looked at her.
It was you who killed him!
Startled by his dark expression, Qu Yaoyao regained her senses and quickly changed her words: “Hua Song… he brought it upon himself by provoking evil demons… right?”
“Anyway, it wasn’t me who killed him.”
Her voice grew weaker and weaker, the word “right” filled with uncertainty, while her final muttered sentence reflected her stubbornness. Qu Yaoyao added silently in her heart: It was because he provoked you, this great evil entity, that Hua Song lost his life innocently.
Xie Qingxun couldn’t hear her inner thoughts, only feeling that this Third Miss Qu was truly stubborn and difficult to deal with, not as easy to fool as he had imagined. Since that was the case—
“Di Shu.” Turning his head to look at Di Shu standing by the door, Xie Qingxun questioned coldly, “What are you still standing there foolishly for? Do I need to invite you over?”
"Master." As Di Shu bowed in salute, the torture instruments he carried in his hand were exposed to the air, colliding with each other and producing dull thuds.
The moment she clearly saw what he held, Qu Yaoyao widened her eyes in terror, her small face pale and drained of color. Xie Qingxun merely narrowed his gaze, watching as Di Shu hesitated to speak, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips. "Are you waiting for this venerable one to take action personally?"
"This disciple dares not!" Di Shu was about to kneel.
Xie Qingxun paid him no further mind, his form dissipating within the cage. When he reappeared, a golden chair and a tea table had materialized outside the prison. Xie Qingxun reclined lazily on the chair, holding a jade teacup in his hand. He took a leisurely sip and said, "Begin."
"Since Third Miss Qu would rather die than yield, let this venerable one see how many times you can die."
He actually intended to watch Di Shu torture her with his own eyes.
Qu Yaoyao's shock was beyond words. She stared blankly at the man outside the cage, unable to comprehend how such a ruthless and heartless person could exist in this world. Yet, when she was still a snow lotus, her Immortal Venerable had not been like this…
The butterfly's wings had completely ceased to flutter. Perhaps Yun Zhi would never have imagined that the beautiful girl she had so meticulously adorned would now be disheveled, slumped on the ground with her clothes and hair in disarray, trapped within a cage inscribed with a magic array.
The floral adornment Yun Zhi had painted between Qu Yaoyao's brows was slightly smudged, the crimson pigment resembling blood, staining her forehead. The tasseled hairpin in her hair swayed precariously. With a bruised chin and eyes brimming with grievance, she gazed helplessly at the person outside the cage, looking both wretched and pitiful.
Why was she looking at him like that?
Meeting Qu Yaoyao's gaze, Xie Qingxun tightened his fingers around the jade cup, returning her stare with a calm, indifferent expression.
Di Shu glanced at Qu Yaoyao, then at his master. After a moment of hesitation, he approached Qu Yaoyao with the torture instruments, his tone complex and difficult to articulate. "I must offend."
In Xie Qingxun's presence, he dared not act arrogantly.
Among the torture instruments Di Shu had brought were a long whip covered in barbs, iron pliers, long awls, soul-hooking hooks, and many other bizarre and peculiar items. Due to Xie Qingxun's arrival, Di Shu was momentarily uncertain of his intentions and hesitated, unsure of what to choose.
Just as he picked up a whip, the man outside the cage coldly reminded him, "Do not leave marks on her body. Do you want others to see that this venerable one has tortured a young girl?"
Di Shu set down the whip and picked up a Frost Lightning Needle nearby, casting a questioning glance at Xie Qingxun.
This time, Xie Qingxun did not speak. He propped his head on his hand, leaning back lazily, as if waiting for a show to begin.
Di Shu now understood. Kneeling on one knee, he held the Frost Lightning Needle and showed it to Qu Yaoyao. "This needle is called Frost Lightning. When pierced into the flesh, it causes a tearing pain akin to lightning. Once embedded, it can travel through the bloodstream, making you feel piercing pain and unbearable itching everywhere."
"Third Miss Qu, would you rather endure this suffering than admit your guilt?"
Qu Yaoyao bit her lip, her eyes misting over as she trembled with fear. Even so, she repeated the same words: "I did not kill anyone. I am not guilty."
Di Shu rolled up his sleeves. "Then, Third Miss Qu, please extend your hand."
"I will stop only when you admit your guilt." The box was filled with Frost Lightning Needles. Di Shu had used them many times, and no one had ever endured more than three.
Qu Yaoyao hid her hands away.
She wasn't foolish—knowing full well that others intended to harm her, why should she obediently extend her hand? She tried to struggle and break free, but under the suppression of the formation, she collapsed weakly as soon as she tried to stand up. Di Shu easily seized her, gripping her right hand with great force.
"I'm going to begin," Di Shu said, aligning the needle tip with the pad of Qu Yaoyao's index finger.
Qu Yaoyao whimpered, lying on the ground unable to break free. Tears fell one by one as she began to sob. Through her blurred vision, she saw the white-clad figure outside the cage and shouted, "You're just a bad thing!"
She didn't know how to curse—this phrase was something she had learned from Yun Zhi.
Di Shu thought she was cursing him, but Xie Qingxun knew very well she was shouting at him. How pitiful—driven to this point, she still couldn't curse properly. The phrase "bad thing" sounded neither painful nor irritating, even amusing.
"Ugh…" Qu Yaoyao felt the ice-thunder thorn pierce the pad of her finger, instantly as if struck by lightning.
The pain made her body curl up, sweat sticking to her cheeks. As she gasped for breath, Di Shu paused slightly. "If Miss Qu is willing to confess, just let me know."
He was afraid she would soon lack even the strength to speak.
The hairpin in Qu Yaoyao's hair had already fallen to the ground, stray strands plastered across her face. Biting her lip, she cried out in a broken voice, "I'm not guilty!"
Di Shu sighed, suddenly feeling a bit of admiration for this young girl.
Just as he was about to drive the entire ice-thunder thorn into Qu Yaoyao's finger, she once again heard a voice from the pendant. "Yaoyao, confess quickly."
Qu Yaoyao bit her lip until it bled, refusing to make a sound.
As if deeply familiar with the temperament of this Little Snow Lotus, the man's tone carried urgency, his words quickening. "Pretend to confess first. Once they leave, I'll take you away from here."
Only by leaving and surviving could she better clear her name and take revenge on those who had harmed her.