After Infusing Love Poison to the Cold Sword Sovereign - Chapter 21.1

Who is this?

Wu Ruo widened her eyes, yet the dim light struggled to pierce through her darkened pupils. The woman before her had a clear outline someone familiar, the beloved companion who shared her pillow yet there were subtle differences.

Her partner, the flawless and sacred “Immortal Sister” Luo Qingyi in her heart, should have had jet-black hair and dark eyes, a vibrant and profound black.

But the Luo Qingyi before her now, her once-dark tresses had turned into pale, snow-like strands, cascading down her front, exuding an ethereal emptiness. Her features remained the same, yet her eyes were shadowed with deep exhaustion, making her appear somewhat haggard.

Her gaze seemed to carry the weight of countless years and the vicissitudes of life, leaving only imprints carved into her soul.

It was as if this was the Luo Qingyi she knew, yet one who had endured centuries of bitter waiting alone.

“……”

She couldn’t make out what the other was saying, only feeling her body grow unusually light, like the first time she had stood atop Luo Qingyi’s heavy sword, weightless among the clouds, experiencing the freedom of flight.

Her vision blurred once more.

Luo Qingyi’s voice reached her again, this time clear and distinct: “Ah Nuo, what’s wrong?”

Good, she had returned to normal.

The young, black-haired Luo Qingyi held her hand, her familiar appearance settling into Wu Ruo’s sight. Suppressing the discomfort in her chest, she forced out, “It’s nothing. So this is your sect! So grand let’s go in.”

Don’t go.

The thought emerged in her mind like shackles coiling around her legs. Lifting her foot felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, each step an agonizing struggle.

Her foot landed heavily on the ground, kicking up a cloud of yellow dust.

Seeing her like this, Luo Qingyi asked gently, “Are you tired? We can rest for a while before going in.”

Wu Ruo nodded and climbed back into the rented carriage. Luo Qingyi didn’t follow, instead plucking a leaf from a nearby elm. With a few taps of her fingers, the green leaf transformed into a bird, fluttering its wings as it flew toward the sect’s gates.

This was Luo Qingyi’s sect, the neighbor that had bordered their Miaojiang territory for so long. Finally, she could see its grand entrance. She would go in and broaden her horizons.

The pain in her chest flared again, writhing through her thoughts and soul. Her heart ached as if her bones had been forcibly carved out, leaving only boundless, excruciating agony.

It hurt so much.

Don’t go, don’t go, don’t go.

Never step into Zhiyuan Immortal Sect, never,

She clutched her collar, struggling to breathe. Her lips turned deathly pale, drained of the blood that should have flowed through her veins. Her limbs grew cold, numb, as if she could no longer feel them.

Why was this happening?

Why did the sight of the sect’s plaque, the mere mention of “Zhiyuan Immortal Sect,” plunge her into endless nightmares?

Chirp!

The emerald leaf-crane circled in the air with a shrill cry, flying from the main peak of Zhiyuan Immortal Sect to the carriage where the two waited outside the mountain gates.

Luo Qingyi must have been waiting for a response from the sect. Hearing the sound, she immediately stood up. The leaf-crane landed on her slender, pale fingertips, its wings fluttering once more before reverting into an ordinary fallen leaf.

“A’Ruo, have you rested enough?”

Wu Ruo lifted the carriage curtain and slowly released her grip on her collar. Warmth gradually returned to her palms, and she could feel the blood reviving in her veins.

This was all a dream.

Back then, she hadn’t felt this lingering sense of dread.

She didn’t want to go, but her body moved on its own. “Alright. Let’s go.”

She heard her own voice weary from the long journey, yet brimming with an irrepressible curiosity about the destination that lay ahead.

Luo Qingyi wasn’t looking at her. Instead, her gaze was fixed on the massive stone at the entrance of Zhiyuan Immortal Sect, her face warm with the joy of returning home.

Of course. Luo Qingyi belonged here. Having been away from her sect for so long, it was only natural for her to miss and cherish this place like leaving the homeland she depended on for survival.

The tangled thoughts in her heart drifted lightly, settling as a scar of unease.

Yet she couldn’t control the steps of her dream. Her body, controlled by the eager girl she once was, moved forward.

She realized she had been expectant, excited, filled with fervent anticipation for what was to come. She had genuinely rejoiced in Luo Qingyi’s homecoming and felt relieved that the other woman would regain her strength.

This was just a dream. It wouldn’t affect anything. She was merely an observer from a first-person perspective, reliving the past. It didn’t matter.

The fear in her heart dissipated. She stepped forward and took Luo Qingyi’s hand. The woman chuckled softly, brushing away the stray hairs at her temples, and the two walked toward the mountain gate together.

“Qingyi, the place you live is called Snowfall Peak, right? Does it snow all year round? I’ve never seen snow before, I’ve only lived in Miaojiang.”

“Yes,” Luo Qingyi replied. “Snowfall Peak stands five thousand ren high. The snow at its summit never melts, accumulating year-round. Only at the mountainside or the base does greenery flourish and life return.”

As she spoke, she pointed into the carriage, where a heavy feathered cloak lay. “You’re used to warmer climates, so the mountain might be uncomfortable for you. If you feel cold, wear this, I prepared it just for you.”

The cloak was adorned with feathers, not ostentatious but lightly embroidered with scattered blossoms, exuding a spring-like charm, a style Wu Ruo had always favored.

Unbeknownst to her, Luo Qingyi had long memorized her preferences.

For a moment, Wu Ruo forgot her earlier distress and excitedly threw herself at the woman. “Qingyi, you’re the best!”

She wrapped her arms around Luo Qingyi’s neck, nuzzling her cheek affectionately, savoring the cool touch of their skin. Luo Qingyi indulged her, rubbing their faces together without a word, simply laughing softly.

“Shi—who are you?!”

The tender moment was shattered by an enraged shout, booming with such force it seemed to shake the ground.

“What kind of demoness dares bewitch my shijie? Get away from her!”

A sharp gust of wind grazed Wu Ruo’s cheek swift and invisible, yet as keen as a blade, slicing off a few strands of hair at her temple.

Wu Ruo barely had time to react, her eyes widening in shock. She couldn’t fathom why this was happening why, in an instant, a group of cultivators in moon-white robes with cloud patterns had surrounded them, all brandishing swords and glaring at her with hostility.

A trickle of blood seeped from her cheek, which she hastily wiped away, staining her dark sleeve.

Luo Qingyi released Wu Ruo and stepped in front of her, raising her voice. “Qingbei, put your sword away. She is my dao companion. What is the meaning of this?”

“Senior Sister, I came down the mountain specifically to fetch you. How can you point your sword at me!” The leading female cultivator threw her sword down with a clang, exhaling in frustration, only to widen her eyes the next second, her expression shifting from disbelief to overwhelming anguish.

“Senior Sister, what’s wrong with you?! How has your cultivation fallen to the Soul Division stage?!”

The proud woman’s face paled with shock. Wiping away her tears, she quickly regained her composure, her tone fierce and indignant: “This can’t be. You practice the Path of Heartlessness. If you’ve developed feelings, it must be her! She’s the one who harmed you, isn’t she? She’s the reason you’ve fallen to this state.”

“Silence.” Luo Qingyi snapped. “Jiang Qingbei, step aside.”

Wu Ruo stared blankly at the scene before her. The surrounding gazes remained hostile, with some male cultivators even visibly seething with jealousy. Shielded behind Luo Qingyi, she looked at the other woman’s back but couldn’t utter a word.

The cultivation stages of Miaojiang and the cultivation world were different, but she was still aware of the latter’s hierarchy.

Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Projection, Soul Division, Great Ascension, Heavenly Tribulation.

Previously, Luo Qingyi had clearly been a Great Ascension cultivator, one step away from transcending the tribulation, attaining enlightenment, and ascending to immortality, capable of turning decay into wonder and shaping the heavens and earth.

But now, because of her influence, Luo Qingyi’s cultivation had fallen by an entire realm.

Jiang Qingbei wasn’t wrong.

Her hands trembled slightly, her lips pressed tightly together as her gaze fell on a vicious scar on her wrist.

Refining a Love Gu required her lifeblood, and the antidote demanded the same her pure marrow blood. Before coming to Zhiyuan Immortal Sect, she had already secretly prepared the antidote behind Luo Qingyi’s back.

If even Zhiyuan Immortal Sect couldn’t cure Luo Qingyi then at least there was still the worst-case contingency.

Except, the bloodletting was rather painful.

“Senior Sister!”

Jiang Qingbei stared in disbelief at the cold woman before her Senior Sister, who had always been righteous, selfless, and fiercely protective of her own, who had doted on her the most. Yet now, she was scolding her for the sake of some unfamiliar witch!

She picked up her sword again, her eyes blazing with fury: “You wretch! Do you have any idea how powerful Senior Sister is? How unparalleled her talent is? Do you know she’s the pride of our entire sect? You harmed her! You ruined her path! You made her cultivation regress! And you dare show your face here.”

She flicked her wrist, gathering sword energy, her expression darkening like a storm. Just as she was about to strike, another cultivator beside her grabbed her wrist.

“Qingbei, enough. Since Senior Sister brought her here, don’t throw a tantrum.” The man lowered his voice, whispering to Jiang Qingbei, “Right now, Senior Sister is protecting her. Don’t break her heart. There will be plenty of opportunities later.”

The male cultivator narrowed his eyes, hiding behind Jiang Qingbei’s figure as a sinister smirk crept across his face.

“Hmph!” Jiang Qingbei snorted coldly, shooting Luo Qingyi a resentful glare before skewering Wu Ruo with a venomous look. Then, with a flick of her sleeve, she stormed off.

“I advise you not to step foot inside our sect’s gates. Stay away from my Senior Sister, or you’ll regret it!”

The woman’s figure vanished from sight. With their leader gone, the surrounding cultivators now led by the man who had stood beside Jiang Qingbei bowed respectfully to Luo Qingyi.

The group marched into the sect in a grand procession, countless pairs of malicious eyes lingering on Wu Ruo from afar.

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