…
Gu Tianci had received his master’s order to personally escort Qu Yaoyao inside.
He genuinely disliked this sect leader’s daughter, so he lingered in Xianxu for quite some time before leisurely making his way to the border of Wangxu with his sword in hand.
He had expected the impatient young girl to throw another tantrum and mock him, but upon stepping out of Wangxu, he found Qu Yaoyao squatting by the roadside, admiring the flowers and plants.
Wangzhen Xianxu was a blessed land abundant with spiritual energy, and even the area outside its borders was influenced by this energy, with rare flowers and plants flourishing along both sides of the path. Qu Yaoyao squatted there, appreciating the beautiful flora while chatting with the gatekeeper disciple, "So you tend to these flowers regularly? No wonder they’re growing so well."
"With so many people coming and going here every day, does anyone ever pick them?"
The gatekeeper disciple, unaware of Qu Yaoyao’s identity, chatted with her quite cheerfully, "Who would dare?"
The disciple spoke with pride, "Although our Qingxi Immortal Venerable hasn’t explicitly forbidden picking these flowers, this is his territory after all. No one would dare touch anything belonging to the Immortal Venerable, not even a single flower."
Qu Yaoyao listened intently, nodding in agreement. She subtly probed further, "From what you’re saying, it sounds like Qingxi Immortal Venerable really loves flowers."
"Of course!" the gatekeeper disciple boasted without hesitation.
In truth, he didn’t know whether Qing Xi loved flowers or not, but since Wangxu was planted with so many flowers and plants, he assumed the Immortal Venerable must be fond of them. "Our Qingxi Immortal Venerable isn’t just a lover of flowers; he often rescues spiritual beasts and pets too."
Qu Yaoyao grew more and more delighted as she listened, her eyes curving into sweet crescents. "I love flowers too, and I adore little animals!"
And I adore Qingxi Immortal Venerable too!
Lifting her small face, Qu Yaoyao was about to ask more about Qing Xi when she suddenly noticed Gu Tianci standing at the border of Wangxu. He held his sword, watching her with a complex, dazed expression, as if he had been observing her for some time.
"Follow me inside," Gu Tianci snapped back to reality.
Unconvinced that the domineering young mistress could have changed her ways, he assumed Qu Yaoyao was merely putting on an act. His expression remained cold and unfriendly as he strode ahead briskly.
Qu Yaoyao let out a soft "ah," quickly lifting her skirt to chase after him. Before leaving, she didn’t forget to bid farewell to the gatekeeper disciple. She didn’t feel slighted by Gu Tianci’s cold treatment either—after all, she was just a little snow lotus, unaware of human hostility and dislike.
As they neared Chengyu Hall, Gu Tianci finally slowed his pace. He asked stiffly, "Do you really know the whereabouts of the Frozen Pond Snow Lotus?"
Qu Yaoyao, panting from the chase, nodded and gasped slightly, "I do."
She appeared too obedient, with an innocent and sincere demeanor that made it hard to believe she was lying.
"I hope so," Gu Tianci replied, still not fully trusting her. Recalling his master’s cold, ruthless demeanor after the snow lotus went missing, he felt somewhat distracted. "Otherwise, you might…"
"What did you say?" Qu Yaoyao didn’t catch Gu Tianci’s final murmur.
Gu Tianci quickly replied, "Nothing."
Pushing open the hall’s heavy doors, he bowed slightly and said, "The Immortal Venerable has been waiting for you for some time, Miss Qu. Please enter."
…
Due to the disappearance of the Frozen Pond Snow Lotus, Wangxu was filled with unease, appearing even more desolate than when Qu Yaoyao had last visited.
Only when she stepped through the doors of Chengyu Hall did she realize this was the coldest and most desolate place of all. As the heavy doors closed behind her, the light dimmed, sending an inexplicable shiver down Qu Yaoyao’s spine.
This shouldn’t be.
Qu Yaoyao stood by the door, rubbing her arms. As a cold lotus, she was supposed to thrive in chilly environments, so this sensation should have felt comfortable to her.
The hall was vast and empty. At first, Qu Yaoyao couldn’t find Qingxi Immortal Venerable. She took a few steps inside and saw a row of screens dividing the room at the center. She stopped and called out softly, “Immortal Venerable?”
The jade-inlaid screens were exquisite, their panels cleanly carved with a few plain lotus flowers, faintly revealing the silhouette behind them.
Qu Yaoyao couldn’t see clearly inside, but Xie Qingxun could see outside perfectly. Leaning sideways in his chair with his chin propped on his hand, he watched the girl outside the screens expressionlessly. After a moment, he responded coldly.
“I heard that Miss Qu has news of the Frozen Pond Snow Lotus?” Having lost the snow lotus, Xie Qingxun was in an extremely foul mood and had no interest in beating around the bush with Qu Yaoyao.
Qu Yaoyao nodded, thinking the Immortal Venerable couldn’t see her, and softly repeated her words.
She didn’t directly admit that she was the snow lotus, fearing that if she spoke too plainly, the Immortal Venerable might not believe her. Having pondered the matter for a long time on her way here, Qu Yaoyao wanted to subtly guide Qingxi Immortal Venerable to realize on his own that she was the snow lotus, while also confessing her admiration for him.
What a wonderful idea.
Qu Yaoyao’s voice was soft as she said, “I heard the one that went missing was the first snow lotus born in the cold pond. Is it very important to you, Immortal Venerable?”
Xie Qingxun had never told anyone which snow lotus was missing from the cold pond. His eyes turned cold, and he straightened slightly, staring at the girl outside the screen. “Indeed, it is important.”
“I raised it with my own hands. It is the most delicate and precious of all.”
Qu Yaoyao felt as if she had eaten honey, her radiant smile impossible to conceal.
Although she had only gained consciousness a hundred years ago and had seen Qingxi Immortal Venerable since then, she hadn’t been entirely unaware before gaining sentience. She could sense Qingxi Immortal Venerable’s care and affection for her.
“It’s the most beautiful, isn’t it?”
Qu Yaoyao’s voice was tinged with sweetness as she chirped, “Among all those snow lotuses, you like it the most, don’t you?”
Xie Qingxun’s patience had reached its limit. Instead of answering, he asked, “Where exactly is that snow lotus?”
Qu Yaoyao insisted, “Immortal Venerable, answer me first.”
“Yes.”
Xie Qingxun’s voice had already turned cold, but in his effort to suppress it, it sounded tender and affectionate to Qu Yaoyao’s ears. “I like it the most.”
And she liked the Immortal Venerable the most too! Qu Yaoyao replied in her heart.
As a pure and beautiful snow lotus, she hadn’t even felt shy when Qingxi Immortal Venerable lifted her petals, let alone felt bashful or hesitant about confessing her feelings. Her admiration was open and pure, believing that if you liked someone, you should say it directly—right in front of the person you admired.
So, after Qingxi Immortal Venerable admitted his fondness for her, Qu Yaoyao’s blood rushed to her head. Boldly, she walked around the screen and ran straight to Xie Qingxun.
“Immortal Venerable…”
Qu Yaoyao wanted to say that Little Snow Lotus liked you the most too.
From the moment she gained consciousness a hundred years ago and saw you for the first time, she had been filled with joy and longing, thinking of you day and night. For this reason, she practiced diligently every day, eager to transform into human form, just so she could stand before you and confess her feelings.
She really… liked you so, so much.
Her heart brimming with affection, Qu Yaoyao ran behind the screen, but the words she was about to speak suddenly caught in her throat.
Behind the screen, a large desk occupied most of the space. On its surface, brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones were neatly arranged, leaving a wide expanse of empty space.
Perhaps it was heaven's favor for Qu Yaoyao, for the first thing she saw behind the screen was not Qingxi Immortal Venerable, but the ice silk paper spread on the table. Made from ice silkworm silk, the ice silk paper was extremely fine and glossy, and the portrait drawn on it was vividly lifelike.
On the ice silk paper before Xie Qingxun was a portrait of a young woman.
The girl in the painting wore a white dress, with round eyes, dark eyebrows, and slightly pouted lips—her features were exquisitely pure and delicate. The artist's brushwork was meticulous, and enhanced by the ice silk paper, the girl's innocent, lively, and charming aura was strikingly vivid.
"This… this is…" Qu Yaoyao's mind buzzed as she trembled and pointed at the painting.
All the accumulated affection and sweetness vanished in an instant. She didn't know what expression to wear as she asked, "Did… did Immortal Venerable paint this?"
Beside the painting lay several broken and shattered paintbrushes, one of which still had wet pigment on its tip. Before Xie Qingxun could reprimand Qu Yaoyao for her intrusion, he noticed her unusual expression as she stared at the painting on the table. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he asked, "What do you think?"
His lack of denial was a direct admission.
Qu Yaoyao felt like crying. Staring dumbfounded at the painting, she heard Qingxi Immortal Venerable ask calmly, "Does Miss Qu know this person?"
Qu Yaoyao was still staring at the painting, utterly speechless.
In her eagerness to see the Immortal Venerable after transforming, she hadn't yet seen her own transformed appearance. But the moment she saw this painting, she instantly felt her original form take shape in her mind, telling herself that this was how she should have looked.
The girl in Qingxi Immortal Venerable's painting… seemed to be her original form!
Qu Yaoyao was still somewhat hesitant until she noticed a delicate detail in the painting: a small white flower tucked behind the girl's right ear. Qu Yaoyao remembered picking up that flower on her way to find the Immortal Venerable and casually tucking it behind her ear.
How could Qingxi Immortal Venerable have seen her original form?! How could he…
Qu Yaoyao knew very well that only the fallen immortal and the tragically deceased young man had seen her original appearance. The young man was dead, leaving only Qingxi Immortal Venerable, who shared the same face as the fallen immortal.
Qu Yaoyao panicked. Trembling, she looked at Qingxi, desperately clinging to denial and refusing to face reality. "Where did Immortal Venerable see her?"
Xie Qingxun didn't answer, instead staring intently at Qu Yaoyao's face as if pondering something. Tapping his fingers on the table, he replied gently after a moment, "During the time the Frozen Pond Snow Lotus was missing, she was the only one who entered Wangxu without summons."
In other words, he suspected the girl in the painting had stolen the snow lotus.
Qu Yaoyao grew even more flustered. "Who saw her? Why suspect her of stealing the snow lotus?"
Xie Qingxun replied, "I saw her."
His indifferent, steady voice instantly silenced Qu Yaoyao's barrage of questions. Staring fixedly at her face, he said word by word, "That night, I personally saw her sneak into Wangxu, acting suspiciously. Does Miss Qu have any further questions?"
Qu Yaoyao had no more questions. The undeniable truth lay before her, and she felt weak all over, staggering backward several steps.
"So…" Her world crumbled. Unable to accept the truth, Qu Yaoyao's nose tingled, and her eyes grew misty.
Xie Qingxun smiled faintly. "So what?"
So she hadn't mistaken him—the fallen immortal who killed her that night and the Immortal Venerable before her were the same person! They were actually the same person!
The world spun and tilted, Qu Yaoyao felt her reality crumbling inch by inch. Before her eyes flashed the Immortal Venerable who had gently accompanied her in the cold pond, then the Immortal Venerable stained with blood after falling into demonhood.
The scene froze, ultimately lingering on that terrifying night:
The dim candlelight fell upon the fallen immortal's eerie face. Sensing Little Snow Lotus's presence, he lifted his gaze toward the dense forest, his beautiful phoenix eyes bewitching and dark.
【You saw everything?】 That night, the fallen immortal suddenly appeared behind her, his voice low and soft, his hand gripping her neck with immense force.
In reality, Qingxi Immortal Venerable's robes were white as snow. There was no bloodstain upon him, nor crimson-gold pupils.
As he rose, his luxurious hem trailed on the ground. His tone was leisurely, tinged with a chill, "What are you looking at?"
Like a demon, like an immortal—two utterly distinct qualities, yet eerily—
They both merged within Xie Qingxun.
.
Gu Tianci had been waiting outside the Chengyu Hall, already prepared to collect Qu Yaoyao's corpse, yet he waited left and right without the Immortal Venerable summoning him inside.
Qu Yaoyao had been inside for quite some time now. With her not emerging for so long, could she truly know the whereabouts of the Frozen Pond Snow Lotus?
Could it be that she stole it?!
As Gu Tianci wildly speculated, the Voice Transmission Mirror at his waist lit up. A disciple guarding outside Wangxu spoke: "Immortal Lord Tianci, the Yaowang Sect leader has brought several corpses to request an audience with the Immortal Venerable."
"Corpses?! " Gu Tianci thought he misheard. What reckless courage had Yaowang Sect consumed, daring to provoke his master's displeasure at such a time.
Faint weeping sounds transmitted through the mirror. Through it, Gu Tianci saw several corpses covered with white cloths lying outside the boundary.
The mirror-guarding disciple said: "The Yaowang Sect's Young Sect Master had been missing for days. This morning, he was discovered in their own back mountains, along with his twelve close attendants, already tragically dead without breath."
Who could have struck so ruthlessly?!
Gu Tianci gravely stated: "I will go report to the Immortal Venerable immediately."
Inside Chengyu Hall.
Qu Yaoyao trembled, no longer remembering what she had come for.
Having discovered Qingxi Immortal Venerable's secret of falling into demonhood, if she still thought about revealing her identity and confessing at this moment, that would be foolish. Her small face had long paled from fright. Seeing Qingxi slowly stride toward her, Qu Yaoyao uncontrollably retreated.
Woo, don't come closer.
The memory the fallen immortal brought Qu Yaoyao that night was too overwhelming; she couldn't remain calm.
Almost as Xie Qingxun advanced one step, Qu Yaoyao retreated two. Later, unable to withstand the distance shrinking between them, upon detecting Qingxi's intent to raise his hand, she instantly leaped up like a startled rabbit, about to flee.
Thud—
Qu Yaoyao had already retreated to the screen's edge, bumping her head against the screen panel.
Her darting speed was too swift; the excessive force of her forward stumble caused the heavy screen to sway slightly, and Qu Yaoyao herself was also knocked dazed. Before she could retreat, an icy-blue magical snake spread from her ankle, encircling her repeatedly, instantly restricting her movement.
"Running from what?" A pale, beautiful hand appeared in her vision.
Xie Qingxun single-handedly propped against the screen, his tall frame completely enveloping Qu Yaoyao, silently pressing against her back.
Qu Yaoyao seemed within his embrace, trembling with fear, unable to move. Facing away from Qingxi, she couldn't see his expression, her senses infinitely amplified. Qu Yaoyao forced herself to remain calm, her tone trembling, "Immortal… Immortal Venerable, I suddenly recalled an urgent matter, need to quickly return to the sect to handle…"
Xie Qingxun listened quietly, his free hand resting on her shoulder.
Slowly moving upward, he slid his hand to that slender, fair neck, tightening slightly as he leaned down, "You still haven't told me where the Frozen Pond Snow Lotus is."
If you don't say it now, you really might lose your life.