When the communication jade talisman lit up, Bai Qingxue was looking through old records in the study.
The green jade surface floated out from the storage bag on its own, suspended in mid-air, emitting a faint glow.
Bai Qingxue set down the bamboo slips and looked at the jade talisman.
It had been silent for a long time—so long that she had almost forgotten its existence.
In the several years she had been in Nanhuai, Liu Ningshuang had never taken the initiative to contact her.
Bai Qingxue reached out and grasped the jade talisman. Liu Ningshuang’s voice emerged from within—cold and steady, exactly as it had been on Xueji Peak.
“The sect has detected the disturbances in the ruins. The True Lord is already aware of your handling of matters in Nanhuai. You may temporarily hold the post of State Preceptor, but the sect requires you to return to the mountain to report on your duties. Once the decree arrives, depart immediately.”
Bai Qingxue held the jade talisman and did not speak. She waited for a moment, and after confirming that Liu Ningshuang had nothing else to say, she returned the talisman to her storage bag.
Once the decree arrives.
Depart immediately.
Although no specific date was mentioned, Bai Qingxue knew it would not be long.
If the sect wanted her back, she had to return.
Ultimately, she was still a True Disciple of the Xuantian Sect; the title of State Preceptor was nothing more than a passing cloud.
Bai Qingxue closed the bamboo slips and placed them back on the shelf.
She did not look at the old records anymore, but simply sat at the desk, looking at the old locust tree outside the window.
The leaves were falling, just like every other day.
People would also separate, just like any other ordinary occurrence in the past.
When Xiao Nanyuan entered and saw Bai Qingxue, her footsteps faltered.
“Immortal Sister,” Xiao Nanyuan called out.
“Mm.”
Xiao Nanyuan was silent for a moment before suddenly saying, “You’re going back, aren’t you?”
Upon hearing this, Bai Qingxue looked at Xiao Nanyuan and said, “Yes.”
Xiao Nanyuan did not respond to that, but simply said, “I’m going to go read.”
After saying that, she turned and walked back to the side room. Her pace was not fast, the same as usual.
But as she reached the door, her shoulder bumped against the doorframe. The impact seemed so light that Xiao Nanyuan herself didn't seem to notice.
At night, Xiao Nanyuan lay on the low bed with the blanket pulled to her chin, her eyes open.
Bai Qingxue sat cross-legged on her bed, her eyes closed as she continued to circulate her spiritual power.
Xiao Nanyuan did not say “Goodnight, Immortal Sister” as she usually did.
She just lay there with her eyes open, staring at the ceiling.
After a long time, she turned over to face Bai Qingxue’s direction.
“Immortal Sister,” Xiao Nanyuan’s voice drifted through the darkness, very light.
Bai Qingxue did not open her eyes. “Mm.”
“After you leave, can I still sleep here?”
Bai Qingxue opened her eyes and looked down at the bundle of blankets on the low bed. After a moment of silence, Bai Qingxue said, “This guest courtyard will be yours from now on.”
Xiao Nanyuan did not respond. She pulled the blanket up a bit higher, covering half her face.
“I wasn’t asking about the courtyard,” she said, her voice muffled by the blanket, very small.
Bai Qingxue did not speak.
Xiao Nanyuan waited for a while, but she did not wait any longer.
She sat up, the blanket sliding from her shoulders to reveal the pale green sleeping clothes underneath.
The moonlight fell upon her, softening her silhouette.
“Immortal Sister,” she called out, her voice very soft.
Bai Qingxue did not open her eyes. “Mm.”
“Is that necklace... still there?”
Bai Qingxue opened her eyes and looked at Xiao Nanyuan for a moment. Then, she reached out and took the necklace from her storage bag.
Xiao Nanyuan walked up to Bai Qingxue and also reached out, but she did not take the necklace directly.
Her fingers covered the back of Bai Qingxue’s hand, gently closing around it before taking the necklace from Bai Qingxue’s palm.
Xiao Nanyuan’s fingertips were warm, while Bai Qingxue’s palm was cool. At the moment the chill and warmth met, neither of them moved.
Xiao Nanyuan gripped the necklace in her palm, holding it for a while.
The pendant pressed against her palm, causing a bit of pain, but she did not let go.
Then, she looked up at Bai Qingxue.
“Let me put it on for you.”
Bai Qingxue did not speak or move. She looked into Xiao Nanyuan’s eyes. The moonlight shone from the side, tinting her eyelashes silver, as if they were hung with fine dew.
At this moment, Bai Qingxue was sitting, making her a head shorter than Xiao Nanyuan.
Therefore, Xiao Nanyuan could only lower her head to look into Bai Qingxue’s eyes.
The two of them were very close—close enough that she could smell the faint, cold fragrance on Bai Qingxue.
Xiao Nanyuan reached out, her arms moving around the side of Bai Qingxue’s neck.
The moment her fingers touched the back of Bai Qingxue’s neck, she felt Bai Qingxue tense up slightly before relaxing again.
But Xiao Nanyuan did not stop.
She brought the chain around. The clasp was very small, and her fingers fumbled with it for a few moments, unable to align it.
Finally, it was fastened.
However, after fastening it, Xiao Nanyuan did not pull away.
Her hands slid down from the sides of Bai Qingxue’s neck to rest on her shoulders, and then she took a step forward.
A very small step.
She opened her arms and embraced Bai Qingxue.
Her arms circled Bai Qingxue’s shoulders, her fingers gripping the fabric of Bai Qingxue’s back—gripping so tightly it was as if she wanted to merge the person before her into her own body.
She buried her face in the hollow of Bai Qingxue’s shoulder, her eyes closed, her eyelashes brushing against Bai Qingxue’s collar.
Her breath fanned against the fabric, warm and moist.
Her throat moved slightly.
Bai Qingxue felt a bit of dampness at the hollow of her shoulder.
She did not ask. Her hands hung at her sides; her fingers twitched once, then stopped.
Then, very, very slowly, she raised her right hand and placed it on Xiao Nanyuan’s back.
Xiao Nanyuan’s arms tightened even more. They were so tight that Bai Qingxue could feel every slight tremor in her body.
“Immortal Sister.”
The voice was muffled against her shoulder, very light and hoarse. Bai Qingxue could feel the touch of Xiao Nanyuan’s lips as they moved against the fabric.
“After you leave...”
Xiao Nanyuan’s voice broke. She took a deep breath and buried her face even deeper.
“...What should I do?”
Bai Qingxue did not speak. Her hand on Xiao Nanyuan’s back tightened slightly.
She lowered her head, her chin resting gently on the crown of Xiao Nanyuan’s head.
Xiao Nanyuan’s hair was very soft and carried a faint scent of soapberry—the same soapberry she used.
She remembered it was a piece she had brought back from the market the year before last. Xiao Nanyuan had said she liked the scent and had never changed it since.
Bai Qingxue closed her eyes.
“You will do well.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Nanyuan’s shoulders shook violently, and then she began to cry.
It wasn't a loud cry; it was silent, with only her shoulders shaking, only her fingers gripping the fabric trembling, and only the warm dampness slowly spreading at the hollow of Bai Qingxue’s shoulder.
Bai Qingxue did not move. Her hand remained on Xiao Nanyuan’s back, never pulling away.
A long time passed. So long that the moonlight moved from one side of the window lattice to the other.
Xiao Nanyuan finally let go.
She stepped back, her head lowered.
She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, but they were still red. She looked at the small damp patch on the shoulder of Bai Qingxue’s clothes; her lips moved as if to say sorry, but the words did not come out.
She knew Bai Qingxue did not need her to say sorry.
“Goodnight, Immortal Sister.”
After saying that, she turned and walked back to the low bed, crawled under the blanket, and pulled it up to her chin, facing the wall.
Bai Qingxue sat by the edge of the bed and did not move.
After a moment, she lowered her head and looked at the pendant on her chest. The ice-blue light flickered slightly in the moonlight, like someone holding a lamp in a far-off place.
Bai Qingxue lay down on her bed.
She turned onto her side, facing the direction of the low bed.
The moonlight fell on the half of Xiao Nanyuan’s face that was exposed. Her eyes were closed, but her eyelashes were still wet.
Her fingers gripped the corner of the blanket tighter than ever before.
Bai Qingxue watched for a long time.
Then, very, very softly, she spoke.
“Goodnight.”
Outside the window, the leaves of the old locust tree were still falling. One by one, they drifted down with a soft, rustling sound.
Inside the main room, two figures—one on the bed, one on the low bed—were separated by a distance that was neither near nor far.
The moonlight flowed between them, quiet and undisturbed.
The pendant at Bai Qingxue’s neck continued to glow, as if to light the way to someone's destination.
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