After Infusing Love Poison to the Cold Sword Sovereign - Chapter 26.1

Wu Ruo hadn’t taken it to heart at first.

She had long known that Jiang Qingbei wasn’t her fellow clan friend, and she wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about Jiang Qingbei having a sect leader for a mother. It had nothing to do with her, so there was no need to dwell on it.

As for the past between Sect Leader Jiang and Luo Qingyi, she had zero interest. What she detested most were these trivial sect affairs utterly irrelevant to her.

But after Jiang Qingbei blurted out that strange half-sentence, the gazes of several people seemed to drift toward Wu Ruo.

For a moment, silence fell.

Jiang Qingbei realized she had misspoken but had no idea how to fix it. Her eyes darted between Luo Qingyi and Yue Qinglan, her face alternating between red and white as she bit her lip, at a loss.

The atmosphere grew tense. Yue Qinglan’s mind raced, and she quickly smoothed things over. “Did you just say it out of habit? Haha, ‘Once a master, always a mother.’ Since you’ve acknowledged your master, having a mother’s care isn’t bad either.”

Jiang Qingbei seized the lifeline eagerly. “Yeah, yeah, that’s it. Wu Ruo, don’t take it to heart.”

“Mm.” Luo Qingyi nodded. “Alright, Qingbei, it’s been a while since you last visited. How did the competition go?”

At the mention of this, Jiang Qingbei perked up instantly. “What do you think? My swordsmanship was honed by you, how could I possibly embarrass you? That tall guy from Changfeng Peak, that stingy one from Baihua Peak, and that lunatic from Wangyue Peak none of them were a match for me!”

Her face lit up with excitement, like a proud crane that had just won a fight, completely forgetting the trouble she had just caused. Her gaze swept around unintentionally before landing on Wu Ruo. “Wu Ruo, so you’ve made up with Shijie? You’ve got.”

Unaware of the sudden change in Luo Qingyi and Yue Qinglan’s expressions, she pointed cheerfully at Wu Ruo’s shoulder. “Right here!”

It was a side effect of reconstructing the Dao bone.

Wu Ruo’s body carried traces of Luo Qingyi’s aura, as if branded with a glaring talisman inscribed with the words “Luo Qingyi” yet she herself remained oblivious to it.

Luo Qingyi frowned slightly, but before she could intervene, Yue Qinglan caught on and quickly interjected.

“You’re seeing things. What’s on Wu Ruo’s shoulder is just snow she brushed against earlier. Have you been staying up late reading those novels again? Your eyesight’s getting worse.”

Jiang Qingbei’s attention was immediately diverted, and she retorted, “Who’s getting worse? Don’t slander me! You’re the one reading novels all night your room’s shelves are practically overflowing with them. So boring! Just a bunch of useless love stories, not even interesting.”

Amused, Wu Ruo chimed in, “You can resist even romance novels? Are you the natural successor of the Emotionless Dao or something?”

To her surprise, Jiang Qingbei actually nodded. “Yeah, I’m also a natural spiritual body, just like Shijie, cultivating the Emotionless Dao. I just started much later than her, so my progress isn’t as advanced, but I’m still way ahead of most of my peers!”

Wu Ruo stared at Jiang Qingbei in shock, while the latter glared back indignantly. “What’s with that look? Why are you laughing? Don’t stereotype us Emotionless Dao cultivators! Sure, I like to show off sometimes, but I’ve never fallen for anyone.”

Then, in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, the young mistress muttered, “Unlike Shijie, who’s completely head over heels for you.”

Yue Qinglan let out two deliberate coughs, to which Jiang Qingbei curled her lips and coughed back, suddenly dragging Wu Ruo into the fray, insisting she take her side. Amid the thick, swirling snowflakes, the usually silent peak of Luoxue Mountain unexpectedly took on a lively air.

That evening passed in playful banter. Though Jiang Qingbei had a temper, she was also a riot, frequently dropping hilarious one-liners that left everyone stifling laughter.

Wu Ruo finally understood why the young mistress got along so well with Yue Qinglan. On one hand, Yue Qinglan had a gentle disposition, and on the other, she sometimes threw back subtle sarcasm that sailed right over Jiang Qingbei’s head.

After the two had left, Wu Ruo had just stepped inside when she heard Luo Qingyi’s footsteps gradually approaching.

The woman entered but didn’t come too close, stopping by the door and softly calling her name: “A-Ruo, there’s something I need to explain to you.”

Wu Ruo smiled. “You mean Jiang Qingbei isn’t A-Xiang, right?”

Luo Qingyi froze, opening her mouth as if to say something before letting out a helpless chuckle. “Yes.”

“It’s fine. I figured it out a while ago.”

Wu Ruo felt a weight lift off her chest. She wasn’t sure why she felt so relieved. More accurately, she had only recently begun to warm up to Luo Qingyi and didn’t want to hear even a single lie from her.

It was as if she had been waiting for Luo Qingyi to explain, waiting for her to open up and say she hadn’t meant to deceive her.

One thing after another perhaps her initial resistance toward Luo Qingyi hadn’t been innate dislike, but disappointment born from the contrast between her first favorable impression and the subsequent deception.

“Jiang Qingbei is the second daughter of the Immortal Sect’s leader. The eldest daughter passed young, so Sect Leader Jiang spoiled her rotten, leading to the temperament she has now.”

“I didn’t want you to leave. When I saw you rushing out the door, I mistook her for someone else in the moment. So I went along with it and let her pretend to be your friend.”

Luo Qingyi looked at her earnestly, her tone tense at first, but as the truth spilled out, the words came easier.

“Alright, alright, I get it.”

Wu Ruo chuckled and walked over, running her fingers through Luo Qingyi’s hair. The feather-white strands coiled around her hand like threads spun from snow, translucent and delicate.

“So from now on, no more hiding things from me, okay?”

“Mm.” Luo Qingyi paused briefly before answering softly.

Wu Ruo released the strands of hair, watching as the snow-like tresses cascaded down like a gentle snowfall. Luo Qingyi’s expression seemed less tense now, more natural and less restrained in her presence.

But when Wu Ruo wasn’t looking, Luo Qingyi gazed at her retreating figure and quietly sighed.

As the sky darkened, Wu Ruo drifted into a drowsy sleep.

She didn’t notice that once her breathing steadied, Luo Qingyi rose from the bed, stole a silent glance at her, then slipped out the door, vanishing into the boundless night.

Zhiyuan Immortal Sect, Celestial Pivot Stairway.

The night was heavy, stars hanging in the vast, silent expanse of the dark sky. The entire Zhiyuan Immortal Sect was bathed in deep shadow, swallowed by the endless darkness.

The path ahead was pitch black.

Luo Qingyi carried a single lantern, effortlessly traversing the four main peaks without even needing to summon her sword. She finally stopped before the Central Pivot Stone and gave it two light knocks.

A celestial ladder descended from the heavens, formed from radiant spiritual energy. Though transparent and seemingly insubstantial, it attracted countless migratory birds that swirled around it.

“Xiao Luo.” A voice, both ancient and commanding, echoed from all directions before finally dissolving into a sigh. “Come up.”

Luo Qingyi flicked her sleeves lightly, her toes barely touching the ground as she ascended effortlessly. Occasionally, the tips of her shoes graced the ladder, lending her an even more ethereal grace, embodying the poise of an immortal.

She moved swiftly, reaching the top of the ladder in just a few steps. The space beneath her feet solidified into firm ground, a lead-gray stone slab engraved with constellations that emitted an eerie glow beneath the boundless night sky.

Passing through a vast plaza and several solemn temples, she finally arrived before a grand palace. On its plaque, three bold characters stood out: “Hall of the Celestial Pivot.”

The woman before her bore a face deeply lined with wrinkles, just as she had eight years ago only now, she appeared even more aged. Her expression remained kind and gentle, though the warmth in her smile was tinged with sorrow.

“Grandmaster Jiang.” Luo Qingyi bowed slightly, her tone indifferent.

Jiang Yurong nodded. “Let us go. We should first pay our respects to your master.”

The grand doors of the hall slowly opened, and Luo Qingyi followed the grandmaster inside. Directly ahead stood an enormous statue, its surface carved from jade. Though the figure was vaguely human, its face remained obscured, revealing only a graceful back, its flowing ribbons dancing in the air.

Luo Qingyi straightened her sleeves and knelt upon a prayer cushion, placing her hands over her knees. “Esteemed Master, I humbly seek your guidance and blessings.”

Jiang Yurong stepped forward, kneeling on another cushion nearby. She murmured something under her breath before raising her hand in a sweeping motion.

Instantly, the candles lining the hall ignited, illuminating the entire space in brilliant light. The two prayer cushions began to shift, positioning their occupants face to face, separated only by a single flickering candle.

“Elder Sister, with your wisdom as witness,” Grandmaster Jiang spoke softly, a faint smile on her lips, “Xiao Luo, regarding what happened eight years ago. I sincerely apologize to you.”

“If you are referring to the moment you awakened the sect’s primordial spirit and replaced Jiang Qingbei’s lifeblood with mine, I bear no resentment.”

That cataclysmic event had been foretold in the divinations of the Star-Listening Pavilion. To avert disaster, five cultivators of the Five Phases had to unite to break the barrier, led by the chosen vessel of the Primordial Spirit, a natural-born spiritual body.

Yet the prophecy held a second half: none of those five, nor the one chosen by the spirit, would survive the ritual. In other words, they were sacrifices offered for the sake of all living beings under heaven.

No one could have foreseen that, the moment the light of the array faded and the first pale light of dawn broke across the sky, Luo Qingyi, who should have perished as an offering would stagger out of the formation, unharmed save for her pallid complexion.

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