Lu Xueqing had not visited Bai Qingxue for a month.
Initially, Lu Xueqing simply wanted to cool her own heart, thinking that if she put some distance between them, her feelings for her junior sister would naturally fade.
But as a month passed, those feelings didn't fade; instead, they seemed to have taken root.
She began to lose focus. While cultivating, the image of Bai Qingxue in the cold pond would suddenly pop into her mind. While eating, she would remember Bai Qingxue’s earnest face when she spoke about “cultivation.”
At night, lying on her cot, she tossed and turned, her mind filled with those light-colored eyes.
Lu Xueqing was annoyed.
She wasn't annoyed with Bai Qingxue, but with herself.
Later, Lu Xueqing began practicing her swordplay in her courtyard from dawn till dusk, trying to drive those thoughts from her mind.
The sword light shredded the withered leaves into dust, and her arms became so sore she could barely lift them, yet the moment she stopped, that face would surface again.
She tried this for several days, only to find it was all in vain.
Eventually, Lu Xueqing took on a sect mission and descended the mountain alone.
The target was a Tier 1 high-grade monster, a Black Armored Bear, which was equivalent to a cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refining. It was one minor stage higher than her own cultivation.
Normally, she would have gone with a team, but that day, she only wanted to be alone. When the deacon asked if she wanted to form a group, she simply shook her head, recorded her spiritual seal, and left.
In the Luoyun Mountain Range, Lu Xueqing found the bear. After a bitter struggle, she emerged victorious.
In the Luoyun Mountain Range, Lu Xueqing found the bear. After a hard battle, she won.
The fight was over. She panted heavily, looking down at the corpse of the Black Armored Bear. Sweat and blood mixed together, dripping from her chin and soaking a small dark patch into the collar of her robe.
Lu Xueqing raised a hand to wipe her face, her fingertips grazing her cheekbone and leaving a faint streak of blood.
The forest was silent now, as if only the sound of Lu Xueqing's breathing remained.
Suddenly, Lu Xueqing felt the knot that had been tangled in her heart for over a month loosen.
Yes, this was who she was.
This was Lu Xueqing.
The Luoyun who was respected by her junior sisters and trusted by her master on Xueji Peak.
She was certainly not some little girl who could only hide in her courtyard and indulge in wild fantasies.
...
At the entrance of the Affairs Hall, Bai Qingxue had just stepped over the threshold when she nearly collided with someone.
It was Lu Xueqing.
She also didn't seem to expect to run into Bai Qingxue here. Her steps faltered slightly, and something flashed quickly across her face—perhaps panic, or perhaps joy—but she quickly suppressed it, leaving only her usual smile.
“Junior Sister Bai,” Lu Xueqing called out, her tone casual.
Bai Qingxue nodded, but her gaze fell on Lu Xueqing’s left shoulder.
Currently, the collar of Lu Xueqing’s robe was slightly askew, revealing a section of white bandage. It was wrapped somewhat unevenly, with frayed edges, as if she had bandaged it herself with one hand.
“Senior Sister, you’re injured.”
Lu Xueqing was startled; she hadn't expected Bai Qingxue to notice.
She had assumed that in Bai Qingxue’s eyes, nothing mattered except for cultivation.
“It’s a minor injury, it’s fine.” Lu Xueqing instinctively pulled at her collar, trying to hide the bandage.
Bai Qingxue didn't ask further. She looked down, pulled a porcelain bottle from her storage bag, and handed it over.
It was the Recovery Pill that Lu Xueqing had given her before. The label was still on the bottle, its corners slightly curled, and it was clear it had been opened, but most of the pills remained inside.
“From last time. I didn't use them all.”
Lu Xueqing looked at the porcelain bottle and froze. She hadn't expected Bai Qingxue to return it, let alone that she had kept it.
Lu Xueqing reached out to take it. Her fingertips brushed against Bai Qingxue’s; they were slightly cool, and that coolness spread up from her fingertips, very light, like a spring breeze brushing past.
“Thanks, Junior Sister.”
Bai Qingxue nodded, stepped around her, and headed up the mountain.
Bai Qingxue did not look back.
The stone steps were long, and her back appeared cold and distant, her robes fluttering slightly in the wind. Lu Xueqing stood there, looking down at the porcelain bottle in her hand for a while.
The bottle still held the faint warmth from Bai Qingxue’s palm, so slight it was almost imperceptible.
After a moment of daze, Lu Xueqing tucked the bottle into her storage bag and turned to enter the Affairs Hall.
...
At the cold pond.
Bai Qingxue sat cross-legged in the freezing water, with only her head and shoulders above the surface.
Mist swirled around her as the cold surged from all directions, merging with the Mystic Frost spiritual power within her body.
Bai Qingxue could now clearly sense the barrier between the fifth and sixth level of Qi Refining. It was a thin layer, like a bubble beneath the ice—visible, but untouchable. She was just one breath away.
However, Bai Qingxue did not force it.
After circulating her spiritual power for thirty-six cycles, she tried to project her Ice Spirit power further outward.
With a thought, the cold seeped from her palm and condensed in the air into an ice needle as thin as a strand of hair.
She focused on a withered leaf ten paces away. With a surge of intent, the ice needle shot out, striking the leaf vein perfectly and pinning the leaf to the tree trunk.
“Good aim.”
A voice came from behind her. It was Liu Ningshuang.
Bai Qingxue turned around.
Liu Ningshuang stood on the bank in her frost-white Daoist robe, her expression cold. It was unclear when she had arrived.
“You have already mastered the basic application of Ice Spirit power,” Liu Ningshuang said. “But you must remember, the advantage of Ice Spirit power lies in a battle of attrition, not a one-hit kill.”
Bai Qingxue nodded at her words.
Liu Ningshuang paused before adding, “You have been cultivating in the cold pond for some time now. Go back to your quiet room and settle your energy for a few days to completely stabilize the fifth level before considering a breakthrough to the sixth.”
“Yes, Perfected One.”
Just when Bai Qingxue thought she was going to leave, Liu Ningshuang remained still. She stood on the bank, watching the mist rise from the pond, and fell silent for a few moments.
“The True Lord holds you in high regard,” Liu Ningshuang said suddenly, her tone slightly softer than usual, as if she were speaking of something not easily discussed. “She rarely inquires about a disciple’s cultivation personally. Since you joined the peak, she has asked about you three times.”
Bai Qingxue did not respond.
“In the hundred years since I joined the peak, I have never seen the True Lord show such concern for anyone. You are the first.” Liu Ningshuang glanced at Bai Qingxue, her gaze calm, yet Bai Qingxue felt there was something else within that look.
“Cultivate well.” After saying that, Liu Ningshuang turned and left.
Bai Qingxue watched her figure disappear into the mist, then rose from the pond, threw on her outer robe, and returned to her courtyard.
Bai Qingxue didn't quite understand why Liu Ningshuang had suddenly said those things.
She knew the True Lord held her in high regard.
But as for why, she didn't know. She didn't plan to overthink it either; she would simply cultivate. After all, without sufficient cultivation, she could do nothing.
The days passed by one after another.
Bai Qingxue spent several days settling her energy in the quiet room and extended the range of her ice needles from ten paces to fifteen.
As for Lu Xueqing, Bai Qingxue didn't pay her much mind.
They would only run into each other on the stone steps occasionally. Lu Xueqing would smile and say, “Junior Sister, going to cultivate?” Bai Qingxue would nod, and they would go their separate ways.
They met on the stone steps a few more times, and it was the same every time.
Only then did Bai Qingxue realize that it had been quite a while since Lu Xueqing had come to sit in her courtyard.
However, she didn't think much of it. After all, her senior sister was something of a celebrity on Xueji Peak, so it was normal for her to be busy.
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