Ning Qinghan

At the bottom of the ice fissure lay a massive ice cave.

Deep within the surrounding layers of ice, figures were sealed.

Men and women, young and old, they wore ancient attire, their expressions serene.

Some had their hands folded over their chests, while others remained in mid-stride, as if frozen in time during some ordinary moment.

Looking at those figures, Lu Xueqing's knuckles tightened instinctively.

She pressed her hand against her sword hilt; only when her fingertips brushed the leather wrapping did she realize her palm was damp with a thin layer of sweat.

Bai Qingxue crouched down, her fingertips trailing over the marks on the ice wall.

Fine runes were carved into the surface, their lines dark and dull.

Bai Qingxue had seen these patterns before; they shared the same origin as the runes of the Soul Control Formation she had encountered in the cave within the Luoyun Mountain Range.

Standing up, she swept her gaze across the entire ice cave.

A chill seeped out from those sealed faces.

"People from the demonic sects have been here."

With those words, Bai Qingxue walked toward the depths of the ice cave.

There, a section of the ice wall had been breached. The cross-section was jagged, with ice shards scattered across the ground, as if something had exploded from within.

Behind the wall lay a passage, pitch black and seemingly endless. A chill surged from its depths, thicker and heavier than that of the cave itself.

Bai Qingxue was about to step inside.

Suddenly, the sound of a bell drifted from behind.

The sound was unhurried, as if someone were taking a leisurely stroll.

Both women turned simultaneously, hands moving to their sword hilts.

A woman stood at the entrance of the ice cave.

Her long black hair reached her waist, hanging loosely at her sides. Fine ice crystals clung to the ends, as if she had been standing there for a long time—long enough for the frost to climb her hair.

A bronze bell hung from her waist, about the size of a palm. Its surface was mottled with rust, yet the fine engravings on its body remained visible.

The clapper swayed with her steps, each ring clear and crisp, stirring faint echoes in the hollow cave.

The woman leaned against the ice wall with her arms crossed, tilting her head as she observed them.

Her gaze swept over Lu Xueqing's face before coming to a long halt on Bai Qingxue.

She lingered on Bai Qingxue's features for a moment, as if identifying or confirming something.

"Are you here looking for something?"

Bai Qingxue did not answer.

The woman smiled, revealing a small, sharp canine tooth that looked particularly lively against her pale skin.

"Don't be nervous. I'm not here to cause trouble."

She pushed off the ice wall and walked toward them.

The bell rang with every step, unhurried, echoing through the empty cavern.

She stopped in front of Bai Qingxue and looked up.

Being half a head shorter than Bai Qingxue, she had to tilt her face slightly to see her eyes.

From this angle, it looked as though she were looking up at her, yet there wasn't a hint of the humility expected of one looking up.

Then, she spoke a sentence that made both of them freeze.

"You're the Ice Spirit Physique, aren't you?"

"I've been waiting..."

She paused.

"...waiting for a long time."

Bai Qingxue looked at the woman, her expression as calm as ever. She only asked coolly, "Who are you?"

The woman tilted her head, as if surprised by the question, or perhaps finding it amusing.

Her eyelashes were long, casting shallow shadows under the eerie blue light of the cave.

"Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet?" She lowered her crossed arms to her sides.

The bell swayed with the movement, letting out a crisp ring. This one was louder than before, its tail end bouncing off the ice walls several times before reluctantly fading away.

"My name is Ning Qinghan."

After she spoke, the corners of her mouth curled again, her canine tooth flashing in the blue light.

"And you? What's your name?"

Bai Qingxue didn't answer.

She shifted her gaze away from Ning Qinghan's face,

It landed on the pitch-black passage deep within the cave.

Cold was surging from there in waves, like the breath of some slumbering creature. Then, her gaze fell back onto the bronze bell at Ning Qinghan's waist.

Fine patterns were carved into the bell's surface, with constant fluctuations of spiritual power. It was clear these weren't decorative designs, but rather some kind of runes.

Following Bai Qingxue's gaze, Ning Qinghan looked down at her bell and gave it a flick.

The sound was crisp and short, creating a faint echo in the cave.

"You like this?" Ning Qinghan asked.

Bai Qingxue didn't answer. She simply withdrew her gaze and looked at Ning Qinghan.

"What are you doing here?"

Ning Qinghan didn't answer immediately.

She turned and walked a few steps toward the center of the ice cave.

Her bare feet clicked against the ice. She stopped and looked up at the figures sealed deep within the ice layers. After a moment, she spoke slowly.

"Waiting for someone."

Her tone was still lazy, as if she were mentioning something trivial.

"Waiting for whom?"

Ning Qinghan turned around to face Bai Qingxue.

A light flickered in those deep black eyes.

It wasn't a reflection; it surged from the depths of her gaze, like a flame that had been sealed for too long finally catching a breeze.

"Didn't I already say? I'm waiting for you."

The ice cave fell silent for a moment.

Cold surged from all directions, condensing into delicate frost flowers on the ice.

Lu Xueqing felt the chill crawl up her sleeves and along her arms, but the tone of Ning Qinghan's voice was even colder.

It was far too calm—so calm it sounded like she was stating an outcome that had been decided years ago.

The sound of the bell stopped.

Ning Qinghan placed her hand on the bell, her fingertips pressing gently against its body to keep it from swaying.

"Do you know me?" Bai Qingxue asked.

Ning Qinghan shook her head.

"I don't."

She paused, as if remembering something, and added another sentence.

"But it might know you."

With that, she pointed to the bell hanging at her waist.

As if to confirm her words, the bell at her side suddenly began to ring.

Yet this time, no one had touched it.