Li Mingke was certain that she was under house arrest.

Should we be glad that she was confined to the Cuizhu Pavilion where she used to live, instead of Lin Banjian's residence?

She stretched her arm out into the air and encountered an invisible barrier.

Tsk, a seal.

She slumped back into the house and sat down on a chair with her legs crossed.

Is this the only trick this person knows?

She rummaged through the bookshelf, hoping to find even one book about sealing.

The door was quietly pushed open.

"Half-sensei, what are you doing..."

A book flew past Jinyun Immortal Venerable's ear.

"Is Master blind? Can't he see people clearly?"

No wonder she spoke rudely.

Her master suddenly went mad, inexplicably locked her up, and even called out another person's name to her. It was incredibly disgusting.

Kind words of persuasion were ineffective, and physical violence was out of the question; all that remained was resentment bubbling inside her.

"Ah, I'm sorry." Immortal Venerable Jinyun placed the food on her table. "I noticed you hadn't touched the snacks, and thinking you might be hungry, I took the liberty of making something."

"No need," she said curtly.

Immortal Venerable Jinyun didn't mind and walked to her side. "What is Mingke looking for?"

"A way to kill you."

Instead of getting angry, Jinyun Immortal Venerable laughed loudly, "You want me to kill you? That's easy!" He summoned Tachuan and handed it to her, "Here, this weapon is handy."

He grabbed her hand and shoved it into his chest, saying, "My life is yours, you can do whatever you want with me."

Li Mingke gripped the hilt of Ta Chuan's sword with his right hand, feeling its cool, smooth texture.

She gripped it tightly.

"You really think I wouldn't dare?"

She shouted and swung her sword at him, the cold blade tearing through the air.

A bloodstain appeared on Jinyun Immortal Venerable's chest, the red color standing out starkly against his pure white robes.

Li Mingke flicked the blood beads off the sword blade. "Didn't you say this life was mine? Why is Master still hiding?"

Ignoring the wound on his chest, Jinyun Immortal Venerable gave a gentle smile. “Of course, my life is yours, but—the ‘you’ I’m referring to isn’t Li Mingke, but Lin Banjian.”

"As long as you admit that you are Lin Banjian, you can take this life anytime."

"The person I owe is not Li Mingke, but Lin Banjian."

Li Mingke is now in a dilemma.

If she didn't admit that she was Lin Banjian, she truly believed that the Immortal Venerable Jinyun could imprison her for life.

If she admits that she is Lin Banjian, she will probably still be locked up for life!

Damn it! There's no way to choose!

Li Mingke gritted his teeth in anger.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Immortal Venerable Jinyun walked towards her step by step. The closer he got, the more she could feel the oppressive aura emanating from him.

The Ta Chuan that she had been holding flew back behind Immortal Venerable Jinyun.

"I'll take back Ta Chuan for now. I'll give it back to you when you've made up your mind."

Li Mingke sneered, "No need, I have the broken jade."

"Oh, right, the broken jade was given to you by me!" He had already walked up to her, and the two of them were very close, almost without any distance between them.

He leaned down slightly, and Li Mingke felt the warmth of his breath on her ear. "You see, as Li Mingke, I'm also very good to you."

Li Mingke slapped him away, "What? Are you so proud? As a master, isn't it your duty to treat your disciple well?"

Jinyun Immortal Venerable grabbed her mischievous hand, "Should? Mingke, you should know that not all masters are so good to their disciples... For example, some masters deceive their disciples and cause their families to be ruined."

Li Mingke immediately thought of Luan Hua.

"But he ultimately reaped what he sowed, didn't he?" She pulled her hand away. "What difference is there between what Master is doing now? It can also be called—deception!"

The temperature between the two of them dropped to freezing.

Li Mingke glared at him stubbornly. She knew that at this moment, she could not show the slightest weakness, or she would be doomed.

Jinyun Immortal Venerable remained motionless, like a statue, yet his gaze never left her face.

Li Mingke couldn't understand what kind of look he was giving her.

After a brief stalemate, Immortal Venerable Jinyun was the first to concede defeat.

He braced his arms against the wall, slightly bent, his tall figure looming over her.

Li Mingke was trapped in his shadow, backlit, and could see his wounded eyes.

The iceberg melted, leaving behind only a pool of spring water, rippling gently.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked, her voice heavy with grief. "After I came out of the pass, I found you were gone. They lied to me and said you were dead. Do you know what it feels like when the world goes dark in an instant? Ah, you don't know."

"When I found out you were still alive, I was overjoyed! I thought that once I found you again, I would return what I had taken from you. Ascension and all that wouldn't matter to me anymore. But you know what! But you know what!"

He suddenly grabbed her shoulders tightly.

"But when I finally found you after all that trouble, you were lying in another man's arms, covered in blood!"

You died for another man!

Li Mingke swayed with his excitement.

"What right does he have? What right does he have?!"

Jinyun Immortal's eyes were blood red, and Li Mingke felt as if he were about to be torn to pieces.

"So I'm going to kill him... Yes, I've killed a lot of people, those who defied me, those who hid from me, those who deceived me. Can you imagine, rivers of blood!"

Li Mingke's lips trembled; she finally understood why Ruzhou had disappeared.

After a long time, the grip on her shoulders disappeared.

“But you were a part of that person’s life. You died for him. How could I possibly kill him?” He buried his head in her shoulder. “You’re so cunning…”

The immense weight pressed down on her, and Li Mingke nearly lost her balance. Only then did she realize that all her muscles had been tense, and now that she had relaxed, her whole body ached.

She tried to steady her erratic breathing.

This is the true Immortal Venerable Jinyun, who doesn't care about anything, is not bound by rules, does whatever he wants, and kills whomever he wants.

The moon in the clouds was merely an illusion he created.

He covered the blood and stains with frost.

“You know, Banjian, before I met you, my world was always filled with blizzards. I thought I had gotten used to it, but your intrusion dragged me into spring. My life only had meaning from then on.”

Li Mingke sniffed.

What's the point of saying all this to her!

She felt the warmth on her shoulder, flowing down her arm.

A lone boat drifts on the vast ocean, finally finding its direction and sailing swiftly for miles.

Her heart was pounding in Li Mingke's chest. When she opened her eyes again, she had a completely different expression.

She cupped the man's face in her hands and looked him in the eye.

"You say you love me, then please tell me..."

"What is it that you truly love? Do you love my body? My soul? Or..."

"You once gave everything for me?"