Chapter 13
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Chapter 13: Title
Zhou Hanguang’s gaze wavered. \"Oh… several Fang families reside here. Which do you mean, Immortal Lord?\"
Ye Qingshang’s voice chilled. \"West district. Fang Hanyu.\"
\"Ha.\" Zhou Hanguang forced a dry laugh. \"Never heard the name. Why ask? Tell me—I’ll investigate.\"
\"Unnecessary. Just rumors.\"
A flicker of emotion crossed Zhou Hanguang’s eyes. He smiled. \"Rumors aren’t truth. Discern carefully, Immortal Lord.\"
\"Thank you for the warning.\" Ye Qingshang paused, then murmured with deceptive softness, \"After we leave, may your household thrive in peace.\"
\"Of course, of course,\" Zhou Hanguang replied.
They walked a distance, but Zhou Hanguang’s smile remained—as if envisioning a bright future. Ye Qingshang glanced back, her face blank and cold.
Some saw lives as worthless weeds, showing no remorse. Spilled blood couldn’t awaken their conscience. Injustice plagued the world; none could always uphold righteousness. But for every wrong, a price must be paid.
What officials failed to do, she would.
*
\"Hey…\"
A sudden voice made Ye Qingshang withdraw her gaze, looking at Mu Huaiyun. \"Huh?\"
Mu Huaiyun shook his head helplessly. \"I called you multiple times just now. What were you daydreaming about? You didn’t answer.\"
Ye Qingshang: \"Nothing. Why call me? Is something wrong?\"
\"Well…\" Mu Huaiyun averted his eyes slightly. \"The Flame Beast is slain. I must report back to my sect promptly.\"
So he came to say farewell.
Ye Qingshang: \"Can’t you stay one more day?\"
Mu Huaiyun: \"Sect orders…\"
Ye Qingshang: \"Orders? The mighty Yunshan Sect treats disciples so harshly? After hunting a fierce beast like the Flame Beast, you’re denied even a day’s rest?\"
As Mu Huaiyun tried to speak, Ye Qingshang cut him off. \"I need your help tonight. Stay.\"
Mu Huaiyun inwardly refused, yet knew he couldn’t show it. Watching the bold words flash in his mind—WARNING! WARNING!—he yielded. \"Fine.\"
No sooner had he spoken than the red text shifted, the voice echoing: \"Ye Qingshang associated with demons and faces sect punishment. Protect her.\"
Mu Huaiyun: \"She belongs to Frostbite Sect. How can I protect her?\"
The voice commanded: \"Take responsibility for her.\"
Mu Huaiyun: \"Are you insane?! If I take responsibility, I’ll be punished?!\"
\"Will you obey?\" The voice crackled with thunderous anger.
Mu Huaiyun surrendered: \"Fine…\"
Walking beside Mu Huaiyun, Ye Qingshang noticed his conflicted expression, face turning green then purple. As she wondered, he spoke slowly: \"Releasing the Flame Beast to harm the Zhou Family—I’ll claim responsibility. You’ll avoid sect punishment.\"
His solemn tone held no jest. Ye Qingshang froze momentarily: *Had the bone spell addled his mind? \"Take responsibility\"? Others might think we share some shady secret!*
Ye Qingshang: \"…Unnecessary. You needn’t do this. I own my actions. Besides, every witness present was a Frostbite Sect disciple—my senior brother included. Before so many eyes, I cannot avoid punishment.\"
After a silence, Mu Huaiyun addressed the voice: \"Hear that? She refuses my protection.\"
*Implied: Stop threatening me with thunder.*
The voice remained silent.
*
Night fell, voices hushed. The half-hidden moon cast deep shadows.
Expecting grave business from Ye Qingshang’s stealthy visit, Mu Huaiyun watched her hold her breath and slip through her senior brother’s window.
Mu Huaiyun: …
*Sneaking into a man’s room at night was bad enough—but forcing me to wait outside?!*
*No—entering a man’s chamber is utterly improper! How can a woman be so brazen?!*
A sour, tight sensation flooded Mu Huaiyun’s chest. Through the window gap, he saw Ye Qingshang nearing Mu Rongyan…
He shut his eyes against the urge to interfere—out of sight, out of mind.
*But… why do her actions concern me? Why should I care?!*
*Must be exhaustion from hunting monsters today. Must be.*
Inside the room, Ye Qingshang quietly carried out her plan, unaware of Mu Huaiyun\’s inner thoughts.
She had visited late at night without using the front door, actually harboring different intentions.
She never understood why, in her previous life, Mu Huaiyun—her respected senior brother—had turned against her, pointing his sword at her. Why did he feel such guilt after killing her?
That was why she asked to stay another day, hoping to discover the truth.
She leaned close to the sleeping Mu Rongyan, first casting a sleep spell before tracing a spell in her palm. The spell glowed briefly before fading. Pressing her palm against Mu Rongyan’s heart, she closed her eyes.
Having been a master in her previous life, she knew many rare spells, including one that could view memories. This spell worked best when the subject cooperated for an extended period, so Ye Qingshang chose the deepest night. With the sleep spell cast, Mu Rongyan wouldn’t wake anytime soon.
“Master! Master!”
Amid endless whiteness, Mu Rongyan stopped practicing his sword forms and called out to Ning Jiwei.
Ning Jiwei looked away but didn’t speak, though his eyes held a question.
Mu Rongyan, still somewhat boyish, asked, “Was my form poor? Why didn’t you watch me, Master?”
He glanced toward where Ning Jiwei had been staring. “Is the person in that room important?”
Ning Jiwei said, “Yes. She’ll soon be your junior sister.”
“But Master, you never take female disciples. When I joined the sect, you said your cultivation method was too harsh for women. Why her…?”
“She’s different.”
“Master—”
A faint noise came from the room. Without another word to him, Ning Jiwei walked away.
The youth’s resentment shone clear in his eyes, spilling silently onto the snow.
The scene shifted. Mu Rongyan, pale and struggling, dragged himself toward Ning Jiwei’s quarters.
He’d been injured descending the mountain and collapsed upon returning to the sect. Upon waking, he learned Ning Jiwei had entered meditation without tending to his wounds.
Worried for his master’s health, he insisted on checking personally—only to find Ning Jiwei wasn’t alone.
It was Ye Qingshang’s second year in the sect. Her inner core cultivation had surpassed her peers’, often causing uncontrollable spiritual power surges.
Ning Jiwei’s meditation was meant to stabilize her spiritual power.
One disciple faced temporary discomfort and stalled cultivation; the other risked losing most of his power to untreated wounds. Ning Jiwei chose the former.
Outside, Mu Rongyan’s brow furrowed. His face twisted—an expression that deepened until the surroundings blurred…
Ye Qingshang recoiled from spiritual power backlash, snapping her eyes open.
She met Mu Rongyan’s odd stare. “Qing… Shang?”
Their position was deeply awkward.
Ye Qingshang hovered inches from Mu Rongyan, eyes recently shut, her lips nearly brushing his. Her hand still pressed against his chest—as if she’d been attempting a forced kiss.
Ye Qingshang froze. “!!”
“Senior brother… I swear this is a misunderstanding. Believe me…?”
