The valley returned to silence, save for the wailing of the wind as it blew through the crevices in the cliffs.
The mist was slowly gathering once more. The cold air conjured by the recent flute melody had not yet fully dissipated. It drifted along the ground, pooling in low-lying hollows into milky-white vortexes that slowly spiraled upward before dispersing in midair, like countless invisible fish swimming through the air.
Ning Qinghan stood there, her bare feet touching the ground. The hem of her Daoist robe fell against the frosted stone, its edges clinging to a few tiny ice crystals that shimmered under the sunlight filtering through the gap at the valley's entrance.
“How impressive, Immortal Master Bai~”
Ning Qinghan’s voice was lazy, her final words drawn out like a feather lightly brushing against one’s heart.
Yet, Bai Qingxue acted as if she had not heard a thing.
Bai Qingxue’s fingertips slid along the body of the Frost Moon Chant. Her finger pad pressed against the warm, smooth jade surface, gently wiping away the trace of cold that clung to it.
Then, she raised her eyes. Her pale pupils looked even more translucent than usual through the mist, like two thin sheets of ice washed by water. They reflected Ning Qinghan’s figure, but held no other emotion.
“The spiritual power here is chaotic, and the barrier is damaged. It is not suitable to stay here for long.”
Bai Qingxue spoke in a flat voice, devoid of any turbulence from the fierce battle she had just fought.
Ning Qinghan let out a soft chuckle, her eyes curving slightly, though she did not pursue that topic.
“That sword strike just now,” Ning Qinghan said, her tone softening slightly as her deliberate exaggeration faded a little, “it didn't hurt you, did it?”
At this, Bai Qingxue shook her head.
By now, Bai Qingxue’s gaze had drifted away from Ning Qinghan, landing on the patch of woods at the edge of the valley that had been ravaged by sword qi.
Large patches of bark had been sliced off the trunks of several trees there, exposing the pale wood beneath. The edges of the cuts were smooth, covered in a thin layer of white frost. Bai Qingxue’s gaze lingered there for a brief moment before she pulled it back, letting it rest on Ning Qinghan once more.
“Why are you alone?” Bai Qingxue asked.
“The sword qi and frost I sensed earlier clearly indicated that you were traveling with Senior Sister Lu. Where is she?”
Hearing this, the corner of Ning Qinghan’s mouth twitched slightly.
As if to express her discontent, Ning Qinghan simply turned around and faced away from Bai Qingxue, pretending to admire the frost flowers blooming on the rock wall from the leaking spiritual energy with great interest.
Those frost flowers grew along the natural patterns of the rock face, displaying delicate, feather-like textures. They shimmered with an eerie blue light under the sun, resembling a frozen curtain.
“Who knows?”
Ning Qinghan’s voice drifted over from the front, carrying her familiar, lazy cadence.
“Lu Xueqing was in such a hurry. Who’s to say she didn't already dash off to the next node to snatch up some easy benefits?”
Ning Qinghan paused and turned her head slightly. Strands of hair slipped from behind her ear, half-veiling her cheek. Her exposed eye held a playful glint, like a cat sizing up a prey it wasn't sure it could reach.
“Bai Qingxue, don't you think it's much more comfortable with just the two of us? Now we don't have to deal with a certain someone always whispering in your ear, talking about this and that. It's so annoying.”
As soon as she said this, the air seemed to freeze for an instant. From somewhere near the edge of the valley came a very faint crack of splitting ice, like the sound of a frost layer snapping on its own due to the changing temperature. It was brief and crisp, quickly swallowed by the wind.
However, Bai Qingxue was not swayed by these light words. She remained standing where she was, her posture as upright as a solitary pine in the snow.
Her gaze pierced through Ning Qinghan’s back, as if trying to look past that lazy disguise to see what lay beneath.
“Ning Qinghan.”
Just three simple words.
Yet, Ning Qinghan’s shoulders stiffened slightly.
She had been seen through.
Ning Qinghan let out an exaggerated sigh, long and soft, as if playing along with a scripted scene in a play.
She turned around and stretched, her arms raising and lowering. The hem of her Daoist robe swayed gently with her movements as she shifted her weight on her bare feet on the ice. “Ah, how boring.”
Ning Qinghan stopped beating around the bush, though her tone remained playful. “Fine. She said she was going after a ‘fish that escaped the net.’ The leader from Tianshu Peak ran off like a rabbit, and she wasn't reassured, so she went to check on the situation. Satisfied, Immortal Master Bai?”
As she uttered those last few words, Ning Qinghan took a step forward. It wasn't a large step, but it narrowed the distant gap between them into close proximity.
“Why the sudden concern for your Senior Sister Lu?” Ning Qinghan’s voice dropped slightly lower than before.
“Or could it be... you actually want to spend time with me, and you're just using her as an excuse to ask?”
Another provocative question.
Yet, Bai Qingxue did not show any anger; her brow did not even twitch.
She simply looked at Ning Qinghan, her gaze clear and profound, her pale eyes quietly reflecting the face leaning close to her.
“You are lying.”
The sudden declaration caused Ning Qinghan’s smile to freeze for an instant.
Bai Qingxue looked into Ning Qinghan’s eyes and asked, “Where did Lu Xueqing really go?”
The corners of Ning Qinghan’s mouth maintained their curve, but most of her smile had vanished.
She lowered her gaze, looking down at the icy ground beneath her bare feet. Her toes curled slightly before relaxing.
“She did go after the people from Tianshu Peak, but I didn't tell you the whole story,” Ning Qinghan said, her voice softening a bit.
“Before she left, she sensed another aura. It didn't belong to the Xuantian Sect and was entirely unexpected. She told me to go ahead and said she would meet up with me once she dealt with it.”
Ning Qinghan paused, as if rolling the words over her tongue. “I didn't listen to her. Instead, I circled around the high ground of the valley to check on you.”
Hearing this, Bai Qingxue did not press further, only nodding slightly.
After confirming that Ning Qinghan’s aura was stable and that she showed no signs of serious injury, she averted her gaze.
“Since you are unharmed, we shall regroup here. I will inspect the weak points of the valley's barrier to prepare for the second round.”
With that, Bai Qingxue turned around. The Frost Moon Chant swayed gently at her waist, and the hem of her frost-white robe traced a cold, sharp arc in the air.
She did not ask anything else, nor did she wait for Ning Qinghan’s response. She simply walked along the row of frost-covered rocks at the edge of the valley floor. Her boots made soft, crunching sounds against the icy stone.
Ning Qinghan stood where she was, her bare foot gently kicking a frosted pebble beside her.
The pebble rolled away, bumped into another rock, bounced, and came to a stop next to a clump of withered grass. Her gaze followed the pebble from the moment it rolled until it stopped, before drifting back down to her own bare instep.
Staring at the frost-white figure about to blend into the mist, Ning Qinghan grumbled in a low voice—not loudly, but just enough for Bai Qingxue to hear. “Claiming you have things to do... You just don't want to talk to me... Hmph.”
“What a boring time.”
The wind whipped up Ning Qinghan’s hair, concealing the fleeting emotion in her eyes.
Bai Qingxue’s footsteps did not falter in the slightest at the grumble.
Her retreating figure moved through the lingering mist and frost on the valley floor, half-hidden by a protruding rock at the corner of the cliff wall.
Then, she reappeared, finally blending completely into the shifting play of light and shadow woven by the dappled sunlight and shade of the woods.
Rate on N.U.
