The Frost Beneath Her Veil - Chapter 6

Crane Snow Peak was the most secluded summit deep within the Ji Xing Mountains, where snow fell year-round, and the air was even colder and more biting. Yet, the mountain was adorned with peculiar rocks and rare flowers, its scenery serene and beautiful, making it a favorite of Fu Qing.

A bath? The disciples were stunned, unable to comprehend why Yin Jiuruo was granted such an honor.

Envious and jealous gazes nearly pierced Yin Jiuruo through, but Chong You maintained her graceful demeanor and said,

“Since the Venerable One has made her decision, the two of you shall now be our junior sisters. Junior Sister Yin, please accompany the Venerable One to Crane Snow Peak. As for the other.”

Seeing this, Feng Qi stepped forward and gave a slight bow to the beautiful and gentle senior sister. “My name is Feng Qi.”

Chong You smiled warmly. “Feng Qi, you shall follow me. Since you are to be under the sect leader’s tutelage, you will be my sixth junior sister. From now on, our master, senior brothers, and sisters will take good care of you.”

She then turned to Yin Jiuruo and said, “Junior Sister Yin, the Venerable One prefers tranquility, but her nature is exceedingly kind and gentle. Once you become her disciple, your cultivation will surely progress with divine speed.”

“Alright, alright,” Feng Qi and Yin Jiuruo exchanged glances. “Thank you, Senior Sister.”

At this point, no matter how tightly the sect leader frowned, there was nothing he could do to change the situation. Once the Venerable One made a decision, no one else had the right to question it.

“We shall abide by the Venerable One’s wishes. I will take Feng Qi under my wing and guide her diligently. Please rest assured, Venerable One.”

Fu Qing’s expression remained as calm as still water. “Good.”

Though discontent simmered among the disciples, they had no choice but to disperse. Yin Jiuruo seized the moment to pat Feng Qi’s shoulder and whispered,

“Once I’m settled, I’ll come find you.”

“Alright,” Feng Qi replied, glancing at the stern sect leader. She nearly teared up again, but fortunately, the gentle Chong You was there to watch over her.

Reluctantly, the two friends had to part ways for now, each following their future master to their respective dwellings.

The vast Star Welcoming Platform grew desolate and empty after everyone left. Yet, Fu Qing’s voice was even more subdued than the drifting snowflakes.

“Xiao Jiu, you don’t know how to ride a sword yet. Come, I’ll take you.”

Yin Jiuruo watched as Fu Qing’s plain paper umbrella transformed, its ribs flipping like a spider’s web, sharp and austere as a mountain of bones before condensing into a long sword with only a jade hilt.

The jade hilt emanated a biting chill as Fu Qing, her robes fluttering, traversed the lush green mountains.

“Xiao Jiu, hold onto me tightly. Be careful not to fall off the Frost blaze Sword.”

During the flight, the snowstorm intensified, and Yin Jiuruo nearly lost her balance several times. Gazing at the woman before her, she noticed how pristine her robes were, the snow-white outer garment cinched at the waist with embroidered designs, perfectly accentuating her peerless curves and slender waist.

She hesitated, unsure where to place her hands, even though she had touched Fu Qing many times during their spiritual communion.

As the peaks loomed tall and steep, Fu Qing noticed Yin Jiuruo’s hesitation and simply pulled her hands around her own waist. “Hold tight. If you fall, I won’t go back to save you.”

Strangely, the seemingly icy robes felt warm and soft to the touch.

When they arrived at Crane Snow Peak, the snow was indeed as thick as mats, and Yin Jiuruo shivered involuntarily, sneezing from the cold.

The Frostblaze Sword transformed back into a jade-green paper umbrella, which was immediately opened above her. A gentle spiritual barrier shielded her from the cold. Yin Jiuruo glanced sideways and saw Fu Qing holding the umbrella for her with one hand, while snowflakes settled on half of the woman’s shoulders.

“You should keep the umbrella for yourself. Don’t worry about me,” Yin Jiuruo said, suppressing the urge to brush the snow off Fu Qing’s shoulders.

“I don’t feel the cold,” Fu Qing replied, shifting the umbrella slightly more toward Yin Jiuruo.

“Then, thank you, Master!” Yin Jiuruo wasn’t sure how to address Fu Qing now. After much deliberation, she cautiously omitted the title. “Thank you.”

Fu Qing walked ahead, holding an umbrella without glancing sideways. Crane Snow Peak was silent, adorned with fiery red plum blossoms in full bloom.

Though devoid of people, it didn’t feel desolate in the slightest.

The houses on Crane Snow Peak were built from the rare “Shatang tree,” resembling ordinary pear trees in appearance.

Even after being fashioned into dwellings, they still bore small yellow flowers and red fruits, looking from afar like undying flames.

“The fruit tastes sweet and sour, seedless. Eating it can ward off water. In the future, if you practice water-based techniques, it may prove useful.”

Fu Qing brushed off the light snow clinging to her sleeves as she explained in detail.

“Is that so? How marvelous,” Yin Jiuruo murmured. She had only heard of the world’s many exotic flowers and fruits, but in this era where true magic had faded, such wonders were rare outside the blessed lands of immortals.

Seemingly amused by Yin Jiuruo’s childlike tone of awe, Fu Qing’s voice softened. “Xiao Jiu, the path of cultivation knows no bounds of time. In the years to come, you will experience much of heaven and earth for yourself.”

“Yes.” Though she hadn’t yet formally become a disciple, Yin Jiuruo already felt as though Fu Qing were her master reverence, admiration, and respect, along with an emotion she couldn’t quite control.

She could only try her hardest not to dwell on it.

The two entered the Dark Leaf Hall, where sandalwood panels lined the interior, and dark-hued mermaid silk covered the floors. A crane bowed respectfully to them.

Yin Jiuruo looked several times before confirming it was a mechanical crane stepping forward to serve tea.

“Please enjoy,” the crane attendant poured the tea and handed Fu Qing a pale pink letter. “Esteemed One, this is a love letter from Young Master Shen. He also invites you to tour the Northern Abyss Immortal Isle.”

Young Master Shen, Shen Cangli, Fu Qing’s betrothed.

“Still sending love letters at his age? Will you accept the invitation?” Yin Jiuruo heard the bitterness in her own voice, like an unripe green tangerine sour, pungent, and harsh.

“That’s just a little toy I made in my spare time out of boredom,” Fu Qing replied without answering the question, instead pointing to the mechanical black bear trimming plants in the courtyard. “They handle daily chores like cleaning and sweeping.”

Realizing her impropriety, Yin Jiuruo quickly suppressed the ache in her heart.

The art of mechanical constructs had been perfected by the Mohists, but even they could only control wooden puppets with intricate strings and threads. None could match the fluidity of Fu Qing’s crane, black bear, and penguin.

“The crane attendant has prepared everything for your medicinal bath. There’s no need to feel shy.”

Yin Jiuruo clenched her fingers, her breathing growing uneven.

Unaware, Fu Qing continued, “Crane Snow Peak is warded. No one can enter without permission. Aside from you and me, there is no third person.”

Suddenly, Yin Jiuruo understood what Chong You had meant when he said Fu Qing preferred solitude. No wonder the entire peak, aside from snow and flowers, was devoid of people, the Esteemed One didn’t even need humans to handle trivial matters.

Had Fu Qing spent millennia like this, facing only flowers, plants, and falling snow, alone?

Wouldn’t that be too lonely? She couldn’t help stealing a glance at Fu Qing’s profile. The woman knelt gracefully as she sipped tea, serene and composed, revealing nothing of her thoughts as if she had already transcended into a state of emptiness.

No, that wasn’t right. Fu Qing had a betrothed.

Yin Jiuruo’s gaze dimmed.

“If you feel lonely during your cultivation in the future, you may invite your friends to visit.”

Why are you so kind to me?

The question nearly escaped Yin Jiuruo’s lips, but she stopped herself in time. She had to remember her place.

In the span of a single night, it felt as though she had gained family, friends, and so much more. She was afraid that asking about it might shatter something fragile.

So this was how deeply she had yearned for warmth.

Fu Qing prepared to take Yin Jiuruo for a bath, but after extending her hand for a long while, there was no response. She saw her little disciple staring at her in a daze, her pure black eyes clouded with confusion.

“Xiao Jiu, come with me to bathe.”

“Oh,” Yin Jiuruo obediently reached out, only realizing she was holding Fu Qing’s hand when she felt the soft, cool touch.

The jade-like woman walked half a step ahead, her hair tied with an exquisitely embroidered white ribbon, as if bathed in a holy glow.

They passed through a long corridor and arrived at a residence named “Cliffside.” Fu Qing said softly:

“Cliffside is your dwelling, just a step away from my Moonlit Residence behind the Xuan Ye Hall.”

The steaming medicinal bath was located in the back chamber of Cliffside. The pool was embedded with luminous pearls, radiating warmth even in the cold. The water was infused with various spiritual herbs and even materials resembling beast bones, shimmering faintly.

Yin Jiuruo’s face flushed crimson again. She was about to awkwardly suggest that she could bathe alone and didn’t need Fu Qing’s help.

But before she could, the white-robed Daoist had already lightly touched her forehead with jade-like fingers, her soft lips parting:

“Xiao Jiu, focus your spirit, cast aside distractions, and free yourself from material concerns.”

The snow-white robe slipped away, transforming into a thin veil of snow that enveloped them both. Losing her balance, Yin Jiuruo was caught by Fu Qing as they tumbled toward the center of the pool.

The moment the warm water filled her nose and mouth, she realized they had entered the spiritual sea once more.

Was the medicinal bath also to be taken in the spiritual sea?

What was this called soul bathing? Divine immersion?

The spiritual sea was filled with fragrant, warm medicinal water and the woman’s soft, snow-white body. Fu Qing’s delicate fingers, glistening with pale pink medicinal liquid, touched Yin Jiuruo’s wounded soul directly.

“Master! I can, I can do it myself,” Yin Jiuruo struggled to communicate through her spiritual senses, closing her eyes to stop Fu Qing’s movements.

Fu Qing’s long hair, soaked in water, spread like ink, yet her hands remained steady and gentle as she applied the medicine. “Xiao Jiu, do not speak, do not worry, do not let distractions arise.”

Her fingers, still carrying a sweet fragrance, pressed against Yin Jiuruo’s lips, signaling her to calm her mind.

But, how could she possibly stay calm?

Yin Jiuruo’s spirit wavered, and in a moment of distraction, she grasped Fu Qing’s wrist. Startled, a trickle of fragrant blood seeped from the corner of her lips.

“Xiao Jiu, all worldly forms are emptiness; let your spirit find stillness,” Fu Qing’s voice was ethereal, dissolving form into nothingness, soothing the heart and mind.

The calming words and abundant spiritual energy gradually settled Yin Jiuruo. Yet the next moment, her pale lips met the soft, moist ones of the woman before her.

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