The Frost Beneath Her Veil - Chapter 13

The flower-carved window of Linyue Residence was half-open, and the sparse shadows of snow-laden bamboo slanted across the courtyard. A trace of gloom flickered in Yin Jiuruo’s pitch-black, lusterless pupils, and she remained silent for a long time.

“Venerable One, this disciple is Feng Qi. By my master’s order, I have brought the gift ledger for your review.” Feng Qi held her hands level with her eyebrows, bowing respectfully to Fu Qing.

“Mhm, let me see.” Shen Cangli took the gift list without ceremony, browsing through it with the air of a mistress of the house.

Behind her, at the pear-wood desk, the white-robed and dark-haired Daoist Sovereign was holding a white jade-like envelope. Her eyes were cast down as if she were deep in thought, paying no heed to Yin Jiuruo’s current silence. It was as if her previous statement had been an order, not a suggestion.

“Venerable One, the gifts offered by the major sects have increased by fifty percent compared to previous years. Among them, the Ruyi Sect’s contribution is the largest and most precious.”

Fu Qing’s expression remained unchanged, her gaze sweeping casually over the list. “Return the favors according to the usual practice, but as for the Ruyi Sect…”

She looked at Shen Cangli, and the high-spirited Young Master responded with a sweet smile. “What is mine is yours; there is no need for such formality with me.”

Fu Qing gave a helpless smile, her smooth fingertips brushing repeatedly against the letter in her hand.

The study door opened again, and Gouyu walked in carrying a bowl of dark, bitter medicinal broth, placing it on the small table before Fu Qing.

“Is Master ill?” Yin Jiuruo looked at Fu Qing in surprise, her eyes meeting the woman’s indifferent gaze.

“A minor injury,” Shen Cangli said, taking the medicinal bowl. She blew on it gently to cool it before handing it to Fu Qing. “While Changfan was traveling, she was injured by demonic energy escaping from a rift in the Outer Lands to save me. It is simply difficult to heal, that is all.”

Yin Jiuruo watched Fu Qing. The woman’s dark eyelashes fluttered slightly, and the color of her petal-like lips was indeed paler than usual.

But why, when she and Fu Qing practiced dual cultivation, had she not discovered that Fu Qing was injured? Wasn’t it said that the realm of the spiritual sea was the most transparent and clear?

Or was it that her cultivation was too low to perceive such hidden wounds, just as she could never see through Fu Qing’s thoughts and feelings?

As Yin Jiuruo’s mind raced, swinging between anger at her own carelessness and hatred for her own weakness, she heard Fu Qing say softly:

“Xiao Jiu, come here.”

She looked up. The woman’s head was slightly tilted back, her features cold and elegant, revealing her long, jade-like neck.

“Master.” As she drew closer, Yin Jiuruo realized her voice was trembling slightly.

Fu Qing smoothed a stray lock of black hair at her temple, her gaze lingering on the dark red patterns around Yin Jiuruo’s eyes.

“Xiao Jiu, this is your… letter from home.”

“A letter from home?” Yin Jiuruo was momentarily dazed. Since transmigrating to this world and suffering frequent memory loss, she had no idea she even had a home.

“The girl named Suige, your companion,” Fu Qing reminded her.

Seeing that the date on the envelope was from a year ago, Feng Qi asked in confusion, “Does it really take this long for a letter to arrive from Peach Blossom Town?”

Fu Qing stared at the half-piece of “Double Fish” jade pendant in her hand and said plainly, “The mechanical flatfish used for delivery got lost and circled Hexue Peak for several months.”

A flatfish for delivery? Using a sea creature to deliver mail on land, no wonder it got lost. Yin Jiuruo accepted the explanation and opened the letter.

Only a short sentence was written inside:

【Jiuruo, I miss you. Return quickly.】

Over the years, Yin Jiuruo had sent half of her spiritual stones back to Peach Blossom Town for Suige and the animals she had adopted, keeping in close contact. However, this was the first time Suige had explicitly asked her to return.

But Fu Qing was injured. She didn’t feel right leaving at a time like this.

“Master…” She wanted to ask if Fu Qing wanted her to stay.

Unexpectedly, Fu Qing put the jade pendant away and said coldly, “If you wish to return, you may depart today.”

Gouyu leaned in and nodded. “Senior Sister, it’s fine for you to go home and visit. I will take good care of Master. Besides, with Sister Cangli staying by Master’s side every step of the way, what do you have to worry about?”

The herbal incense in the study emitted a fresh, elegant scent. Fu Qing added a white flower to the burner and sighed. “Xiao Jiu, has your cultivation been troublesome lately?”

As the white flower burned, it released a sweet, milky fragrance. Yin Jiuruo inhaled deeply before answering, “It’s alright. It’s just that I am naturally tone-deaf; the melodies I play often lose their tune.”

Hearing this, Fu Qing finally let out a soft laugh, and her icy coldness dissipated slightly. “It is enough if your spiritual energy is applied correctly. Being out of tune might even serve to confuse your enemies.”

Seeing the slight curve of Fu Qing’s lips, Yin Jiuruo grumbled inwardly that it would more likely make her enemies die of laughter, but a smile appeared on her face as well.

“Xiao Jiu, an old friend has written to you; you should go back and see her. Do not let time wait in vain, only to find it empty in the blink of an eye.”

“But I… I am worried about Master.”

At those words, Shen Cangli flashed a meaningful smile. “Changfan, your disciple truly has a heart for you.”

Fu Qing and Shen Cangli shared a tacit look. Fu Qing then glanced at the half-piece of jade at Yin Jiuruo’s waist, which was tied only with a simple red string.

Lifting the hem of Yin Jiuruo’s robe, the woman eventually softened. “This Sovereign will braid a jade tassel for you to hang the pendant. You can wear it when you return.”

The woman’s fingertips brushed across Yin Jiuruo’s palm, stirring a ripple of sensation that left her dazed.

Shen Cangli stood by the window, watching from a distance with a sneer as their fingers touched and they held hands tenderly.

“Okay. Thank you… Master.”

“Very well.” Fu Qing withdrew her hand and lowered her eyes to look at an ancient text. “Go quickly and return early.”

“Do I go now?” Yin Jiuruo gritted her teeth, her voice carrying an undetectable hint of heartache and hesitation. “Master, are we not going to the mechanical exhibition together?”

Shen Cangli interjected once again, “Don’t you need to go home? I will accompany your Master to the exhibition. Next time, the two of us will take you out to play together.”

Fu Qing remained with her eyes downcast, appearing as though she cared for nothing in the world. But Yin Jiuruo knew in her heart that the woman at least indulged Shen Cangli. If not for that indulgence, Shen Cangli wouldn’t even be able to enter the barrier of Hexue Peak.

Heh. Shen Cangli was Fu Qing’s fiancée; she had every legitimate reason to see her. It was Yin Jiuruo, who harbored such delusions, who was the one committing a Great Rebellion.

Her heart throbbed, as if something had cracked again, leaking bitter water.

“By the way, Little Jiuruo, let me give you a reward,” Shen Cangli said with a generous and elegant smile, like a proud victor. “You shall be the one to arrange the wedding banquet for Changfan and me. Are you willing?”

Yin Jiuruo looked up in shock, the bitterness rising all the way to her nose. She asked blankly, “Master, is this your wish as well?”

The woman simply sat behind her desk with lowered eyes, her expression detached, ethereal, and distant.

After a moment, Yin Jiuruo heard Fu Qing give a faint “Mhm.”

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