Chapter 31 The more snow-white the scene, the more impossible it is to cut.

When we emerged from the mine, the sky outside the snowfield looked much brighter. The sky was clear, the ground was pale, and the two were almost the same color, making it difficult to distinguish the boundary.

This time, Shen Lixia went first. The young man saw the person behind him lost in thought and couldn't help but sigh repeatedly.

Senior Sister must be thinking about serious matters again—sword techniques, studies, sect affairs… Apart from sleep and meals, she has almost never seen Qiao Yanshen relax.

As if confirming her guess, Qiao Yanshen suddenly drew his iron sword from his waist. The movement was extremely fast; the sound of metal scraping against metal reached her ears, causing Shen Lixia to turn around and see that the woman had closed her eyes, her brows smoothed by deep thought, as if she were comprehending some kind of wisdom. She raised the sword, its tip catching a wisp of falling silver light.

Shen Lixia was so engrossed in watching that she only slightly pulled her attention away when she felt a chill on her shoulder and reached out to brush off the snow. The moment her gaze fell on her shoulder, she suddenly noticed something strange—the snow wasn't as plentiful as she had thought, and it had already melted by now, but the surroundings had somehow become even colder, as if a damp, chilly atmosphere was seeping into her skin through her clothes.

The snowflakes in front of us began to fall more slowly.

She immediately understood the source of this strange phenomenon. Looking up at Qiao Yanshen's side, she saw blue light flowing like silk in his hand, winding from his wrist to his longsword. A moment later, within a nine-foot radius of her, the drifting snowflakes suddenly stopped, their trajectory changing and converging as she raised her sword. In an instant, the drifting silver light transformed into sharp, chilling flakes capable of severing a person's throat.

Qiao Yanshen stepped back, his wrists slightly turned, and his breathing was in sync with the swirling snowflakes, slow and natural.

Then, blue light enveloped the sword, she opened her eyes, and swung the sword into the air with all her might.

The icy snowflakes transformed into fine, dense sword energy, communicating with the woman's mind. They suddenly gathered the moment her longsword slashed out, attacking forward with a chilling, whistling sound.

However, perhaps due to her lack of skill, the sword energy did not last long before it disappeared. The snow that had been gathered within it suddenly lost its power and scattered like fireworks across the sky, transforming back into light feathers. These feathers set off the graceful figure of the woman in the water-colored robe, making her flowing black hair shimmer as if illuminated by the moonlight.

Shen Lixia was speechless, staring intently at Qiao Yanshen.

It truly is a scene between the color of snow and the moonlight...

wrong.

The girl didn't remain stunned for long before realizing that her senior sister should have finished her work by now. A mischievous thought crossed her mind, and she decided to cheer later. She grabbed a handful of snow, crumpled it into a ball, and, seizing the opportunity when Qiao Yanshen casually twirled his sword after finishing his meditation, aimed at his arm and threw it.

Outside the cave was a wide-open snowfield, unlike the narrow mountain path. Just now, she saw Qiao Yanshen looking around, and she realized that he must rarely see snow, as the expression on his face was not much different from that of her classmates from the south.

So, for newcomers, a thoroughly enjoyable snowball fight is naturally the best way to welcome them.

Qiao Yanshen was pondering the sword intent she had just suddenly realized when a gust of wind suddenly swept over her. She raised her sword to block it, and the splattered snow splashed onto her cheeks, the coolness sliding down her chin.

She looked up in confusion and saw that Shen Lixia had already kneaded several snowballs and was tucking them into her bosom. Her raised hand was aiming at the snowballs, ready to launch a fierce attack at her.

……childish.

Sheathing his sword, Qiao Yanshen suppressed the corners of his lips that were about to turn up, maintaining a serious demeanor. Then he caught another snowball—this time it was different. Perhaps it noticed that she had noticed it, because it was aimed straight at her face. Even after blocking it, she couldn't help but be splashed with a whole lot of white.

A blue light flashed, and she used her spiritual power to draw the snow from the ground into her hand, instantly forming a round and firm ball. Seeing this, Shen Lixia raised her voice and called out:

"Senior sister committed a foul!"

Meanwhile, his hands didn't stop moving, deftly throwing two or three snowballs at once.

"I wonder who attacked first," Qiao Yanshen dodged to the side, the corner of his sleeve tracing a light arc with her movement, like a wisp of mist, "aiming straight for the face... showing no mercy, junior sister."

Upon hearing her words, Shen Lixia tensed up instantly, like a cat with its fur standing on end. She even had a fleeting thought of immediately standing in a stance to let her senior sister give her a good counterattack. However, this thought was quickly shattered by the rapidly approaching snowball. The boy jumped back two steps and kicked the snowball, shattering it in mid-air.

These eyes are quite useful; everything seems to move more clearly and slowly.

Ribbons fluttered as the two tossed snowballs back and forth, their play growing increasingly heated even without scoring. It was as if they wanted to mold all their confusion and unease into the snow, making it solid, only to watch it shatter before their eyes. The light of spiritual energy flickered, initially only a pale blue, then a blend of red and blue, melting away a large patch of coldness and leaving behind scalding footprints.

"Attention!"

After using her scorching spiritual energy to deflect a snowball flying towards her, Shen Lixia quickly made an even larger snowball, took a step back with her left foot, making a shattering sound, gathered all her strength in her arm, swung it through a semi-circle, and smashed it out.

The snowball shimmered with golden light, hissing and darting about. Powered by this force, it transformed into a streak of light, flying calmly towards the other side. Seeing its swift approach, Qiao Yanshen stopped dodging. Instead, he concentrated his spiritual energy, swung his arm, and forcefully changed its direction, sending it hurtling towards some unknown location. The snowball, infused with golden spiritual energy, was incredibly hard and did not disintegrate even after such an impact.

The two had a great time and were about to call it a day when they heard a muffled groan. The voice sounded very familiar, and they both felt a chill run down their spines and stiffly looked toward the side from which the sound came.

A woman in white stood on a long sword, raising her hand to wipe away the fine snow that had scattered across her face.

She wiped away the last of the golden snowflakes, her cold, silver eyes sweeping over the two of them as she calmly asked, "Who threw this?"

Suddenly, all was quiet; even the wind seemed to have died down.

Qiao Yan bit her lower lip, finding herself pressed against Shen Lixia without realizing it, both shivering in the cold wind. Without much hesitation, thinking that her Foundation Establishment cultivation level would make her more resilient, she steeled herself and spoke, "True Lord Mingji, it is…"

Before she could finish speaking, Shen Lixia pulled her behind her, putting on a pitiful expression as if she were facing certain death. "I threw it, so punish me as you see fit!"

Yan Xueya nodded, her eyes slightly narrowed, her snow-white hair scattering in the wind, making her look as dashing as a valiant cavalryman in the snow. She stared at Shen Lixia until the boy broke out in a cold sweat, then suddenly raised an eyebrow and smiled.

But this is not a sign of a pardon.

Shen Lixia saw the snow in front of her suddenly float into the air, quickly gathering into several small snowballs under the guidance of her icy blue spiritual power. Then, a large patch of snow was lifted up... She seemed to understand something, looked at Yan Xueya, and found that his eyes were full of mischievous interest.

The small balls clustered together densely, and Shen Lixia's expression changed. She quickly distanced herself from Qiao Yanshen. Yan Xueya nodded in satisfaction at her action, and then—

Snowballs rained down on Li Xia like a storm.

"Mercy, True Lord!"

The boy's screams echoed throughout Frostblade Peak.

After Yan Xueya carried the two back to the hall, one on each side, it was past noon.

Yan Xueya had become worried because they hadn't returned for a long time, so she went to look for them herself, only to find that they were having a snowball fight.

However, after noticing that the lingering resentment between the two students had subsided, she did not scold them much. Instead, she kept a stern face and told them not to be so playful that they forgot where they were and to remember to contact her if there were any changes.

The two nodded obediently, not daring to breathe loudly in front of this unfathomably powerful and imposing man, for fear that he might resemble a white wolf from the snowy plains and have the same temperament, and that if angered, he would skin them alive and devour them.

As she stepped into the hall, Shen Lixia recalled the birds from before. "True Lord Mingji, are all the creatures here under your care?"

Yan Xueya shook her head, "I wouldn't call it taking care of them; I just gave them a place to live."

"They really created a rather beautiful spectacle on their own. Do you know those big white-feathered, golden-eyed birds on the peak? They threw many red berries at me. They're not poisonous and taste very sweet. Perhaps it was a good intention, but it's still puzzling."

“They’re making friends,” Yan Xueya glanced at the boy, “and some are courting. These kinds of spirit beasts are mostly female when they’re out and about, so it seems you’re quite charming.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Lixia immediately caught her breath, coughed twice, and said with difficulty, "Then let's skip it."

However, one can indeed sense a trace of pure spiritual energy within the fruit, making it a good source of replenishment.

They walked to the table, where the previous tea was placed, along with a new jade-colored bottle and several cups. Yan Xueya pulled a few pieces of firewood from the side and added them to the fire. Outside the barrier, it was clearly the height of summer, yet inside, they needed to warm themselves with fire. Qiao Yanshen and Shen Lixia exchanged a glance, tacitly sensing the unusual atmosphere, their curiosity about the situation almost uncontrollably stirring within the hissing flames.

After adding fuel to the fire, Yan Xueya opened the wine, and steam rose up, releasing its aroma. She mixed it with butter tea, poured three cups, and pushed two of them towards them. Shen Lixia carefully held the teacup, feeling uneasy. She felt the ceremony was too elaborate and suspected something big was about to happen. However, as a mere Qi Refining cultivator, how could she know what a True Monarch in the Nascent Soul stage was up to? She only hoped that the wine wouldn't turn into all sorts of strange and fantastical things in her stomach after she drank it.

At this moment, Shen Lixia felt Qiao Yanshen support her lower back, and a voice entered her mind: "Sit up straight."

She had no choice but to straighten her back and pull in her stomach, suppressing the merriment left in her eyes from her earlier playfulness, and adopting a solemn expression that instantly made her appear much fiercer.

After the wine was presented to the guests, Yan Xueya drank a cup herself first. The butter tea, enveloping the scalding hot wine, brought a wave of warmth. She sighed softly, her voice much gentler.

"I have personally witnessed your recent performances and heard much from others; you are both exceptionally talented. I have been in seclusion for over a century and am not very familiar with the situation within the sect. Now that I have the opportunity to attend this meeting, I wonder..."

Shen Lixia clenched her five fingers and gripped the clothes on her knees tightly.

"Would you two young friends be willing to become my disciples?"

Reaching this point should be a peak – perhaps a turnaround is on the horizon.

Yan Xueya is skilled with the sword, especially in sword intent, and possesses a noble and upright character, making her a perfect match for Qiao Yanshen. They share the same unwavering resolve in their eyes and brows, undoubtedly kindred spirits.

But Shen Lixia is not.

If the two people before her were as clean and pure as fine snow, then she was the shocking bloodstain spilled on them.

Those who deserved to die weren't all dead yet, and now new karma has been created, adding who knows how many variables will be introduced. The road ahead is clear, but this also means her connection with this place has deepened.

The more there are, the harder it is to cut them off.