The Ice-Cold Beauty Senior Sister Keeps Falling for Her Own Theories - Chapter 10

Regardless of whether Feng Jie’s earlier words and actions were genuine or not…

The murals on the four walls seemed to depict the life experiences of the Celestial Sword Venerable Su Meng, divided into four stages: childhood, youth, middle age, and old age.

Her childhood was marked by hardship, as seen in the four scenes on the eastern wall that Feng Jie had just observed.

In her youth, she began to reveal her brilliance: forming a contract with the Jade Heart Sword, receiving guidance in swordsmanship from a reclusive master, slaying demons and gaining fame across the land, her elegance and grace rivaling that of a celestial being.

In middle age, her reputation soared. She established the Immortal Alliance, leading countless immortal sects, demarcating boundaries to quell demons, and standing above all others with a demigod’s demeanor, commanding unparalleled reverence.

As for her old age…

This was the part that puzzled Feng Jie. The murals depicting old age seemed to break from the previous pattern. The protagonist in each scene was no longer Su Meng, and the intricately patterned glazed jade sword was nowhere to be seen.

This wall contained only three scenes.

Two above, one below.

The upper-left painting depicted a girl in exotic attire standing on a desolate plain littered with human skeletons, turning her head to glance back with a radiant smile.

If not for the enormous demonic beast with a ghastly face behind her, Feng Jie might have found that smile truly beautiful.

Hiss, the beast’s eyes were dark purple, and its scrutinizing gaze seemed to pierce through the mural. Feng Jie rubbed her hands together, wrapped her arms around herself, and shivered. The sight sent chills down her spine.

The upper-right painting showed a bamboo hut. The interior was cozy, with several spider lilies blooming vibrantly on the windowsill.

Inside, a vine hammock occupied nearly a third of the space, it was enormous. A light pink satin quilt lay half-draped over it, and upon closer inspection, one could see someone sleeping inside.

It was the same girl from the first scene, but without the exotic attire or the purple serpent-patterned markings on her face. Sunlight streaming through the window fell upon her delicate, serene face, creating a tranquil atmosphere.

Shifting her gaze to the lower mural, Feng Jie felt her heart clench at the sight, overwhelmed with sorrow.

Su Meng knelt halfway within a pale golden array, her head tilted slightly upward. Her once raven-black hair was now frosted white, her eyes filled with grief and indignation. A single tear fell from the corner of her eye, suspended in mid-air, reflecting a hint of crimson.

In her arms lay the girl from the previous two scenes. The girl’s hand hung limply to the ground, her eyes tightly shut. Her formerly lustrous black hair had lost its shine, withering away silently in Su Meng’s embrace.

What was the relationship between her and Su Meng? Her condition suggested she was dead, but why had she died? And where was Su Meng’s sword…

Feng Jie was utterly bewildered. Her gaze returned to the most prominent object in the secret chamber.

The coffin.

She circled it, examining it closely, and discovered that the coffin had no seams or gaps for opening, it seemed to be a single, seamless entity.

Could it be a model of a coffin?

Feng Jie placed her hand on it, tracing the patterns slowly. This crystal orchid, she was certain she had seen it somewhere before.

“Hiss, ” A wave of dizziness and sharp pain shot through her mind, forcing her to abandon the attempt to recall.

Suddenly, specks of white fluorescent light floated around the coffin, and a ring of crystal orchids sprouted from its base.

Before Feng Jie could crouch down for a closer look, the coffin lid began to tremble. She quickly withdrew her hand.

Bang, the coffin lid lifted open on its own.

Feng Jie cautiously leaned forward to peer inside.

“No one? Only a sword?”

The divine artifact, Jade Heart Sword?

“Ah, ”

A powerful force yanked Feng Jie inside, and with another bang, the coffin lid closed shut on its own.

The moment the coffin lid closed, Feng Jie’s world plunged into darkness. She first felt the cold sword pressing against her, and as she pulled it out and placed it in front of her, an overwhelming drowsiness washed over her.

Not even half an hour after the coffin sealed, a child appeared in the secret chamber. Her hair was braided with flowering vines, and her body was loosely draped with green vines, some of which still bore unopened buds. The skin on her exposed arms was rough and uneven, clearly resembling the texture of vines.

This was the vine demon, Hua Hua, who had snatched Feng Jie from the bottom of the pond earlier.

“Where is she? I clearly left her right here!”

Hua Hua looked left and right, utterly baffled.

Her companions had earlier caught the scent of something extraordinary, the aura of chaos emanating from the blood. Unable to resist, she had hastily seized the source of that aura. But before she could properly examine or confirm anything, the person had vanished into thin air.

Could it be that the two people who had chased her to the bottom of the pond had tricked her, stealing her prize while she wasn’t paying attention?

But they didn’t seem capable of such a feat.

Besides, this secret chamber was left by Sister Su Meng. No one except her and the deceased should have been able to enter.

The thought that the treasure, which could have granted her ten thousand years of cultivation and allowed her to grow, had disappeared without a trace infuriated Hua Hua. She stomped her feet angrily, shaking a couple of small flowers loose from her hair.

She had to go out and investigate, maybe she could still reclaim it!

In a flash, Hua Hua returned to the bottom of the pond, transforming into a tiny caterpillar to secretly observe the group.

“Senior Sister, if Gongsun Muhan wakes up and asks, what should we say?”

“Just tell her the truth. She shouldn’t blame us.”

“You’re right. We’ve done all we can.”

After Xuan Yuan Lianyue and the others emerged from the pond, they had someone carry Gongsun Muhan deeper into the Heart-Severing Cliff.

She had considered leaving Gongsun Muhan behind to recover, but the miasma forest was too treacherous, and she couldn’t rest easy. Having a junior sister escort her out would mean that sister would miss her chance to obtain the Bixin Sword, which also wasn’t ideal.

So, she had no choice but to bring Gongsun Muhan along, partly to care for her more easily, and partly because it was on the way.

Hua Hua followed cautiously, pricking up her ears to listen. It seemed they hadn’t taken her prize.

What in the world was going on? Maybe she should go back and ask Bi Bi? She felt a bit dejected, as Bi Bi, who prided herself on being a divine artifact, was incredibly arrogant and had spoken to her no more than three times in the past hundred years!

Just as she was about to leave, she caught sight of Gongsun Muhan.

“Oh my vine tips! Why is Sister Su Meng here?”

But hadn’t Sister Su Meng gone to rescue that person back then? Why was she still unconscious? Had she returned to find Bi Bi? Or did Sister Su Meng miss me…

Hua Hua quickly transformed into a small butterfly, fluttering her wings as she landed on Gongsun Muhan’s shoulder.

“Sister Su Meng~”

“Sister Su~ Meng~”

…

Huh, she really seems injured. I can’t just leave her like this, I have to save her.

Their Luo Grass Vine tribe was renowned for their healing abilities. If she secretly transferred a bit of spiritual energy, she might be able to wake Sister Su Meng.

Unexpectedly, Gongsun Muhan’s injuries were too severe. The spiritual energy Hua Hua poured into her seemed to vanish into a bottomless pit. Gritting her teeth, she had no choice but to keep channeling more and more.

“Oh my vine tips! I should’ve checked the almanac before leaving today…”

When Gongsun Muhan opened her eyes, she didn’t even have time to speak before collapsing to the ground and fainting due to excessive spiritual energy depletion.

“You’re awake?”

“Mm.”

Gongsun Muhan slid off the back of the junior sister and glanced around. While unconscious, she had sensed a gentle, continuous flow of spiritual energy. She had assumed it was Feng Jie, but it seemed she had been mistaken.

“I didn’t expect your cultivation to be so profound. I thought it would take at least three days for you to wake up.”

Xuan Yuan Lianyue suppressed a flicker of surprise, stepped closer, and congratulated her with a smile.

Gongsun Muhan remained silent, her gaze sweeping over the crowd ahead.

Xuan Yuan Lianyue understood her thoughts and looked at her apologetically. “After you saved us earlier, a more troublesome vine demon suddenly appeared and dragged that fairy into the depths of the pond. My junior sister and I hurried down but didn’t find her, only encountered the vine demon. With a thousand years of cultivation, we were locked in a stalemate. Later, she tricked us again by conjuring an illusion of the fairy. We were careless and let her escape.”

As she spoke, a faint blush spread across Xuan Yuan Lianyue’s cheeks. She felt deeply ashamed, as the head disciple of the Wanyin Sect, she had been so useless…

Gongsun Muhan said nothing, her eyes calm and unreadable, like a still, ancient well.

“However, we detected traces of teleportation magic at the bottom of the pond. The vine demon must have taken her to her own lair.”

“That vine demon has cultivated for a millennium, she must be an ancient monster from the depths of Li Xin Cliff. If we venture deeper, we’re sure to find her and rescue the fairy.”

For some reason, Gongsun Muhan felt a wave of relief.

Perhaps it was because Feng Jie wasn’t dead, only that her fate remained uncertain.

Gongsun Muhan closed her eyes briefly, steadying the erratic beating in her chest.

She had been tense. She had actually been afraid that Xuan Yuan Lianyue would announce Feng Jie’s death. No, it wasn’t fear, she simply didn’t want Feng Jie to die by someone else’s hand, let alone a demon’s.

Yes, regardless of Feng Jie’s true intentions or actions earlier, Gongsun Muhan couldn’t forget the warmth of her palm underwater. The burning sensation in her heart hadn’t faded even now… In the end, Feng Jie’s life was hers to take, and hers alone.

As if a blockage had been cleared, Gongsun Muhan finally understood. She cupped her hands slightly, said “Thank you,” and turned to leave in the opposite direction. She still needed to see the bottom of the pond for herself.

Seeing this, Xuan Yuan Lianyue wanted to stop her but realized Gongsun Muhan was moving too swiftly. If she hadn’t been without cultivation or spiritual energy, she wouldn’t have even caught a glimpse of her.

“Continue ahead. I’ll catch up shortly. If anything seems amiss, send a signal immediately.”

After giving instructions, Xuan Yuan Lianyue chased after Gongsun Muhan. Her actions weren’t out of kindness or a tendency to meddle, it was her own selfish motive. Though her master had forbidden it, she still wanted to investigate forbidden arts. Without a doubt, Gongsun Muhan held clues.

“Fellow cultivator, I’ll go with you.”

Xuan Yuan Lianyue wore a friendly smile, but Gongsun Muhan remained unresponsive, her expression as cold as ice.

She could tell this woman was after information about forbidden arts, but searching for it through her was a mistake.

When the two reached the edge of the pond, Gongsun Muhan stared at the rippling water and suddenly remembered, she was afraid of water.

Xuan Yuan Lianyue noticed her furrowed brows and assumed she didn’t know the exact location of the vine demon at the bottom of the pond. She suggested, “How about I go first, and you follow behind me?”

After saying this, she took a step forward, ready to enter the water.

Gong Sun Muhan grabbed her arm firmly. “No need.”

Xuan Yuan Lianyue looked at her, puzzled. “Hmm?”

“Drain the water.”

“Hmm?” Xuan Yuan Lianyue was taken aback. Had she heard correctly? Drain the water?

“Drain this entire pond?”

Xuan Yuan Lianyue wanted to ask, “Don’t you see how big this pond is? This isn’t some small puddle or pond! Its diameter alone spans several dozen zhang.”

Gong Sun Muhan paid her no further mind. She unwrapped the bandage on her left palm again, preparing to use the forbidden blood sacrifice technique once more, offering her blood to summon spiritual power and borrow strength to drain the water.

“Ah, ” Xuan Yuan Lianyue sighed softly. Gong Sun Muhan was truly stubborn; further persuasion would be futile.

“These pills replenish qi and blood, and these are for nourishing the dantian… Take them first to minimize the toll on your body.”

“Thank you.”

Gong Sun Muhan glanced at her, accepted the pills, but only consumed half, storing the rest away.

Perhaps due to the effects of the pills, after she drained the entire pond and transformed the water into rain that fell over the miasma forest, she did not faint. Catching her breath, she descended to the bottom of the pond.

Xuan Yuan Lianyue had been right, traces of teleportation spiritual power lingered there.

Gong Sun Muhan drew a talisman with one hand, gathering the residual spiritual energy into her palm.

This spiritual energy felt very familiar, originating from the same source as what she had sensed during her previous unconsciousness.

“Go!”

Though puzzled, Gong Sun Muhan did not delay. She cast a tracking talisman onto the spiritual energy, which instantly shifted from pale cyan to vermilion, leaping into the air and flying in the direction from which they had come.

Xuan Yuan Lianyue felt a surge of admiration. Although this fellow cultivator’s dantian was damaged and she lacked spiritual power, her abilities were not to be underestimated. Xuan Yuan Lianyue had initially thought she only knew that unorthodox forbidden technique, but it turned out she was a true talisman master, able to draw talismans in mid-air without relying on external spiritual power. Even the young master of the current Talisman Sect would likely be unable to match this skill.

But with such talent, why hadn’t she joined the Talisman Sect…

The two followed the spiritual energy until they arrived before a small butterfly.

It was Luo Cao, the vine demon, who had fainted after exhausting too much spiritual power, the little butterfly known as Hua Hua.