After the Grand Competition ended, Xueji Peak returned to its former tranquility.
The cheers and clamor receded like a tide. The notice board at the entrance of the Affairs Hall was updated with new content, and the frost marks on the arena were swept clean.
Bai Qingxue's life also returned to its original orbit.
The cold pond in the early morning, the quiet room in the afternoon, and sword practice in the evening.
Bai Qingxue liked this kind of quiet. She didn't need to speak or deal with anyone.
As for the Jade Radiance Pendant she received as a reward for the top spot, after wearing it for a few days, she gradually began to understand its properties.
Just as Elder Han had mentioned during the awards ceremony, this item could gather spirit and calm the mind.
Bai Qingxue certainly felt the spirit-gathering effect. During her cultivation over the past few days, the spiritual power became more submissive under the guidance of the jade pendant, and the resistance to its circulation decreased significantly.
As for calming the mind, Bai Qingxue didn't experience much of that.
She practiced the 《Mystic Frost Heavenly Heart Art》; her mind naturally became serene when the technique was in motion, requiring no external assistance.
It wasn't that she lacked stray thoughts, but she simply never cared about them. Things she didn't care about were the same whether they came or not.
She looked down at the jade pendant tied to her waist. The crystalline white surface reflected the sky, perfectly clean.
She soon withdrew her gaze and thought no more of it.
In the afternoon, Bai Qingxue sat cross-legged under the old plum tree in the courtyard, eyes closed as she regulated her breathing.
A breeze blew in from the mountains, causing the plum branches to sway gently. The newly sprouted buds shimmered with a faint green light under the sun.
Suddenly, a set of footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.
“Junior Sister,” came Lu Xueqing’s voice. It wasn't loud, sounding the same as usual.
Bai Qingxue opened her eyes.
Lu Xueqing walked in carrying a tray. On the tray were a pot of tea, two cups, and a small plate of tea snacks.
Lu Xueqing didn't knock, nor did she wait for Bai Qingxue to respond, as if she had correctly calculated that Bai Qingxue would be in the courtyard at this hour.
“Sit,” Bai Qingxue said calmly.
The corners of Lu Xueqing’s mouth curved. She placed the tray on the stone table under the old plum tree and poured two cups of tea.
Then, she pushed the tea snacks toward Bai Qingxue. Bai Qingxue glanced at them but didn't reach for any.
“Senior Sister, you don't need to bring tea snacks every time you visit,” Bai Qingxue said.
“I wasn't the one who wanted to bring them.” Lu Xueqing picked up her own tea and took a sip before saying, “Shen Yao made these tea snacks and asked me to help her taste them. I said I couldn't finish them alone, so she told me to bring some for you to try.”
Bai Qingxue glanced at Lu Xueqing. She knew Lu Xueqing was lying. It was true that Shen Yao made tea snacks, but the excuse of “not being able to finish them” was the same one Lu Xueqing had used the last time and the time before that.
She also knew that Lu Xueqing knew she knew.
But for such a small matter, what was the point of exposing it? She would just let her senior sister have her way...
Bai Qingxue withdrew her gaze and picked up her teacup.
The two sat across from each other, drinking tea in silence.
The wind blew from the mountains, and the branches of the old plum tree swayed gently. Those newly sprouted buds had unfurled a bit more than they had a few days ago.
Sunlight fell through the gaps in the leaves onto the stone table, breaking into a floor of golden light spots.
A month ago, Lu Xueqing would have felt uncomfortable in such silence.
Back then, she always felt the urge to find something to say, fearing a lull in conversation or that Bai Qingxue would find her boring.
Not anymore.
She knew Bai Qingxue didn't like talking just for the sake of it, and she knew that two people sitting together without saying a word wasn't something that needed to be broken.
“That Shen Moyuan from Tianshu Peak,” Lu Xueqing put down her teacup, her tone casual, “has been staying behind closed doors these past few days. He hasn't been seeking people out for spars like he used to.”
Bai Qingxue held her teacup and didn't respond.
Lu Xueqing glanced at her and didn't mind, continuing, “Some say he suffered hidden injuries in the finals, while others say he’s in secluded meditation for a breakthrough. Who knows.”
Bai Qingxue took another sip of tea, showing no intention of joining the conversation.
She had no interest in Shen Moyuan’s affairs, nor did she need to have any.
Lu Xueqing tactfully changed the subject, speaking about the trivial matters of Xueji Peak over the past few days—who had a breakthrough, who took on a new mission, and which disobedient disciple Elder Liu had scolded again. Bai Qingxue listened, occasionally offering an “Mm” as a response.
The two of them talked in fits and starts like this. The tea in their cups was refilled twice, but the tea snacks remained untouched.
The new buds of the old plum tree shimmered with a tender green light in the sun.
The breeze was very light, too light to move their robes, only enough to brush past the tips of their hair.
Lu Xueqing raised her teacup, concealing half of her face.
She suddenly remembered that day.
When the finals ended and Bai Qingxue walked down from the arena, she had rushed forward to hug her junior sister.
In truth, Lu Xueqing had thought about that hug for a long time—ever since Bai Qingxue’s very first match.
She had wondered what she should say and do if her junior sister won.
Should she say “Congratulations”? It felt too formal; she didn't want to be so distant from her junior sister.
Should she say “You’re amazing”? It sounded too much like what anyone else would say, and she didn't want to be like everyone else to her junior sister.
Lu Xueqing had thought about it for a long time and ultimately said nothing. She simply met Bai Qingxue as she stepped off the arena and opened her arms.
That’s right, that hug had been intentional.
Or rather, it was something Lu Xueqing had plotted for a long time.
From the moment Bai Qingxue made it into the top eight, the thought had taken root in her heart.
Lu Xueqing had been waiting for an opportunity—a moment where it would be perfectly natural to embrace her.
And Bai Qingxue winning the top spot was that moment.
Lu Xueqing knew she shouldn't have done it.
Bai Qingxue didn't like being touched; she didn't like sudden physical contact.
Lu Xueqing knew this. Yet, she still wanted to hug Bai Qingxue.
This thought had occupied Lu Xueqing for days. From the moment Bai Qingxue stood on the arena, to the instant she saw Bai Qingxue sheathe her sword, only one thought remained in her mind: Now.
When Lu Xueqing rushed forward, her heart beat so fast it felt like it would leap out of her throat.
But she didn't panic; every step had been rehearsed in her mind.
She had held her junior sister, if only for a moment.
In that moment, Lu Xueqing’s mind was a blank. She couldn't hear a single sound around her. There was only the faint scent of frost and snow on Bai Qingxue’s robes and the imperceptible stiffness of her shoulders.
She must have been the first person to hug her junior sister like that.
The moment this thought appeared, Lu Xueqing knew she was finished. She could never go back.
Lu Xueqing could feel Bai Qingxue’s stiffness.
She knew she had only succeeded by catching her junior sister off guard. If Bai Qingxue had reacted in time, she probably would have stepped aside and would never have tolerated such a thing.
But Lu Xueqing hadn't given herself a chance to hesitate, nor had she given Bai Qingxue a chance to refuse.
Lu Xueqing knew this was despicable. But if she had to do it all over again, she would still do it. Without hesitation.
Lu Xueqing lowered her eyes, looking at the tea in her cup.
The tea had gone cold. Her own face was reflected on the surface, her expression unreadable.
After sitting for a while, Lu Xueqing stood up and gathered the teacups onto the tray.
“Junior Sister, I’ll be heading back now,” Lu Xueqing said, her tone as light as when she arrived.
Hearing this, Bai Qingxue nodded.
Lu Xueqing carried the tray to the courtyard gate and paused.
She didn't turn around. She just stood there with her back to Bai Qingxue, the shadow of the doorframe falling across her shoulders, hiding her face in the darkness.
The wind made the new buds of the old plum tree rustle. She heard her own heartbeat, slightly faster than usual.
“Junior Sister Bai,” Lu Xueqing spoke, her voice even more relaxed than usual.
Bai Qingxue didn't answer, but she looked up at Lu Xueqing.
“About the day of the finals...” Lu Xueqing paused, her fingers tightening and then loosening on the edge of the tray.
Then she took a deep breath, her voice dropping so low it seemed she was only speaking to herself. “Please forgive me.”
Bai Qingxue sat under the old plum tree, watching Lu Xueqing’s back.
Bai Qingxue did not ask why she needed forgiveness, nor did she ask what she was being forgiven for. She just sat there quietly as the sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell onto her shoulders, making her frost-white figure look somewhat blurred.
The tea snacks were still on the stone table, untouched. The tea had gone completely cold.
The wind blew from the mountains, causing the branches of the old plum tree to sway a few times before stopping.
There was no one left at the courtyard gate.
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