Ye Qingyao’s cultivation on Qingyun Peak had reached a temporary pause. After breaking through to the fourth level of Qi Refining, she finally gathered the courage to visit Xueji Peak again.
She walked up the stone steps, carrying a food box, her heart beating significantly faster than usual.
Her last visit had been several months ago. Back then, she was only at the third level of Qi Refining; now that she had broken through, she naturally wanted to share the news with Sister Bai.
Reaching the entrance to Bai Qingxue’s courtyard, she stopped and took a deep breath.
The courtyard walls were low, and the bare branches of an old plum tree reached over the top, swaying gently in the wind. The door to the quiet room was closed, and she wasn't sure if Bai Qingxue was inside.
Ye Qingyao raised her hand, just about to knock...
“Who are you looking for?”
A woman’s voice came from behind her, casual and tinged with curiosity.
Ye Qingyao turned around.
A white-robed female cultivator was walking up the stone steps, a sword hanging at her waist and a section of bandage visible beneath the robe on her left shoulder.
The cultivator had a clean, refined face with a touch of heroic spirit in her brows. She looked several years older than Ye Qingyao.
She was covered in the dust of travel, looking as if she had just returned from a long journey.
Ye Qingyao recognized her.
She was the person she had seen talking to Bai Qingxue in the market last time.
A senior sister from Xueji Peak, surnamed Lu.
Ye Qingyao remembered.
“Greetings, Senior Sister,” Ye Qingyao said with a slight bow. “I’m here to see Sister Bai... Bai Qingxue.”
Lu Xueqing walked to the courtyard entrance and stood beside her, sizing her up.
“Bai Qingxue is my junior sister. And you are?”
“Ye Qingyao, from Qingyun Peak.”
Lu Xueqing nodded and didn't ask anything else. Her gaze lingered for a moment on the food box in Ye Qingyao’s hand, then moved to Ye Qingyao’s face before she looked away and raised her hand to knock.
“Junior Sister, it’s me.”
Footsteps sounded from inside.
The door opened, and Bai Qingxue stood within the threshold, dressed in plain white robes with her usual expression. She looked at Lu Xueqing, then at Ye Qingyao, her expression unchanged.
“Come in.”
After saying that, Bai Qingxue turned and walked into the courtyard.
Lu Xueqing stepped aside to let Ye Qingyao enter first. After a moment of hesitation, Ye Qingyao walked in with her food box. Lu Xueqing followed, closing the gate behind her.
The courtyard wasn't large. The branches of the old plum tree were bare, and a thin layer of frost covered the ground.
The stone table and stools were still in the same place, with a teapot sitting on the table.
Bai Qingxue sat on a stone stool and gestured for the two of them to sit as well.
Ye Qingyao sat opposite her, placed the food box on the table, and opened the lid. Inside were several neatly arranged pastries shaped like six-petaled snowflakes, their edges pinched thin and sprinkled with bits of osmanthus.
The pastries were arranged with care, each one separated by a clean bamboo leaf to prevent them from sticking together.
“Sister Bai, I made some more pastries,” Ye Qingyao said, her voice softer than usual. “I tried some different flavors this time. Please, try one.”
Bai Qingxue glanced at them but didn't reach out.
Lu Xueqing didn't sit down immediately. Instead, she pulled a few bright red spirit fruits from her storage bag and placed them on the table. “I was passing by the spirit garden and picked these on the way.”
She then sat down on a stone stool, leaving a space between herself and Bai Qingxue.
Bai Qingxue looked at the spirit fruits and then at Ye Qingyao’s pastries. After a two-breath silence, she reached out, took a snowflake pastry, and took a bite.
“It’s alright,” Bai Qingxue said faintly.
The corners of Ye Qingyao’s mouth quirked up slightly before she pressed them back down.
Lu Xueqing poured herself a cup of tea and sipped it slowly.
The tea was cold, but she didn't mind. Her gaze swept back and forth between Bai Qingxue and Ye Qingyao—not intentionally, but not hiding it either.
Bai Qingxue ate the pastry without speaking. Ye Qingyao held her teacup with both hands, taking small sips, occasionally glancing at Bai Qingxue before looking down again.
“How do you two know each other?” Lu Xueqing suddenly asked, her tone casual as if she were just making small talk.
Ye Qingyao was startled and instinctively looked at Bai Qingxue.
Bai Qingxue had no intention of answering at all. She simply continued eating her pastry, her gaze fixed on the spirit fruits on the table as if she were studying which one was the reddest.
Seeing this, Ye Qingyao answered, “We both originally came from Yunzhou City.”
After saying that, Ye Qingyao paused and added, “We’ve known each other since we were children.”
Lu Xueqing glanced at Bai Qingxue. Bai Qingxue remained expressionless, as if she hadn't heard a thing, but she reached out and took a spirit fruit, taking a bite.
Lu Xueqing withdrew her gaze and took another sip of tea.
However, the tea was stone-cold and a bit astringent.
“You live on Qingyun Peak?” Lu Xueqing asked again.
“Yes.”
“How long have you been cultivating?”
“It’s been almost half a year since I joined the sect.”
“The fourth level of Qi Refining. Not bad,” Lu Xueqing nodded, her tone sincere without any hint of mere politeness.
Being praised like that, Ye Qingyao lowered her eyes, feeling a bit embarrassed.
At the same time, Ye Qingyao began to secretly observe Lu Xueqing.
As a senior sister of Xueji Peak, Lu Xueqing was beautiful, had a higher cultivation than her, and lived very close to Sister Bai.
She wondered if they usually sat together and drank tea like this.
A thought suddenly popped into Ye Qingyao’s mind: When they spoke, did Sister Bai also only respond with a single “Yes”?
“How long has Senior Sister been in the sect?” Ye Qingyao asked.
“Three years.”
Ye Qingyao nodded and bit her lip. She wanted to ask something else but felt that anything she asked would be superfluous. She held her teacup, taking small sips, her gaze fixed on Bai Qingxue.
Bai Qingxue finished a pastry, picked up another spirit fruit, and took a bite.
The juice was clear and sweet. She looked at Lu Xueqing and, in a rare move, spoke a single word of her own accord: “Sweet.”
Lu Xueqing was startled, then smiled. “I’m glad it’s sweet. They just ripened in the spirit garden. I tried one and thought it was good, so I brought a few for you.”
Bai Qingxue nodded and continued eating.
Sitting opposite them, Ye Qingyao watched their natural conversation and suddenly felt that the tea in her mouth was also quite astringent.
Whenever she spoke to Bai Qingxue, it was always her asking a question and Bai Qingxue answering with a single word. But when Lu Xueqing spoke, Bai Qingxue would offer the word “Sweet” on her own.
She lowered her head, staring at her own reflection in the teacup, swallowing that indefinable feeling.
“Sister Bai, has your cultivation been going smoothly lately?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Is the cold pond very cold?”
“Cold.”
Ye Qingyao bit her lip, not knowing what else to ask. Lu Xueqing watched from the side, not interjecting, just sipping her tea.
The courtyard fell silent for a while. The wind blew through the bare branches of the old plum tree, making a faint rustling sound.
Ye Qingyao stood up.
“Sister Bai, I should head back.”
Bai Qingxue nodded.
Ye Qingyao glanced at Lu Xueqing and gave a slight bow. “Senior Sister Lu, I’ll take my leave now.”
Lu Xueqing smiled. “Safe travels.”
Ye Qingyao turned and walked out of the courtyard, her pace quick. Only after she left the gate did she slow down, looking down at her empty hands. She had left the food box on the table, and Bai Qingxue hadn't returned it to her.
She didn't know if Bai Qingxue had forgotten or left it there on purpose, but she didn't go back for it.
Ye Qingyao walked down the stone steps. The wind pouring down from the peak dampened the joy of her breakthrough.
But it didn't matter. She would come again.
Only Bai Qingxue and Lu Xueqing remained in the courtyard.
Bai Qingxue picked up another spirit fruit and ate it slowly. Lu Xueqing didn't leave; she remained on the stone stool, teacup in hand, quietly watching Bai Qingxue eat the fruit.
Sunlight filtered through the bare branches of the old plum tree, falling on the side of Bai Qingxue’s face, making her already pale skin look almost transparent.
Her eyelashes were very long, casting a small shadow under her eyes as she looked down.
Lu Xueqing watched for a long time. So long that she didn't even realize it herself.
After finishing the spirit fruit, Bai Qingxue placed the pit on the table and wiped her hands with a handkerchief. Then she looked up and glanced at Lu Xueqing.
She asked in confusion, “Is there something else, Senior Sister?”
Lu Xueqing shook her head. “No. Can’t I just sit for a bit?”
“You can.”
Bai Qingxue withdrew her gaze, poured herself a cup of tea, and sipped it slowly.
The two sat there like that, neither speaking. The wind blew, and the bare branches rustled softly.
Looking at Bai Qingxue’s profile, Lu Xueqing suddenly remembered the way Ye Qingyao had looked at her just now.
“So I’m not the only one...”
Lu Xueqing lowered her eyes, looking at the empty teacup in her hand, and fell silent for a moment.
“I’m going.” Lu Xueqing stood up and placed the teacup back on the table.
Bai Qingxue nodded at her words.
Lu Xueqing walked to the courtyard gate, her hand resting on the latch as she paused. she wanted to say something, opened her mouth, then felt there was nothing to say.
“Junior Sister.”
“Yes?”
“...It’s nothing.”
Lu Xueqing pushed the gate open and left. The gate closed, and the bare branches swayed gently in the wind.
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