After a narrow escape from death, Gu Fuyou was exhausted. As she sat by the fire, her eyes grew heavy, feeling like they were glued shut. She leaned against her sword and allowed herself a moment's rest.
Time passed indistinctly until Zhong Michu's frost-covered form began to thaw. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open. As she gazed at the icy ceiling of the cave, and she struggled to understand what had occurred.
She closed her eyes again, pondering for a moment before remembering the events before she passed out.
When Zhong Michu opened her eyes again and sat up, the clothes that were covering her slipped off. She grabbed them with one hand, and with a glance, noticed someone beside her. Instinctively, she called out, "Gu Fuyou."
She turned her head to look, only to see the person sitting next to the fire wearing only underwear, with shoes taken off, revealing a tight waist, slender calves, and symmetrical feet. Her skin, originally fair, was flushed with a charming warm red under the heat of the flames.
The person seemed drowsy, nodding off occasionally, looking both endearing and conflicted about succumbing to sleep.
Zhong Michu was momentarily stunned, not sure what to say next.
Yet, it was her voice that roused Gu Fuyou. Startled, she sat upright and rubbed her eyes, murmuring, "Senior Sister Zhong."
Her voice was thick with sleepiness, signaling she hadn't completely awoken.
When Gu Fuyou's gaze met Zhong Michu's, she realized the call she heard wasn't an illusion, and Zhong Michu was indeed awake.
A wave of relief washed over Gu Fuyou, fully rousing her from her drowsiness.
Though the frost on Zhong Michu's face had dissipated, her pale face, marred earlier by blood from her nose and mouth, made Gu Fuyou worried. Concerned, Gu Fuyou asked, "How do you feel? Are you better?"
Zhong Michu handed her clothes to her, replying, "I'm alright now. You should get dressed first."
Feeling somewhat reassured by Zhong Michu's words, Gu Fuyou was about to dress when she noticed Zhong Michu turning her head slightly with a faint smile.
Gu Fuyou had thought that since they were both women, and there was no one else around, there was no need for modesty, especially given the circumstances. However, realizing that Zhong Michu, with her strict upbringing and limited social interactions, might feel uncomfortable even among women, made her feel a bit awkward. She quickly put on her innerwear.
Her outer garment was still beneath Zhong Michu. After a moment of hesitation, Gu Fuyou said, "Senior Sister Zhong, could you please…"
Following her gaze, Zhong Michu realized she was sitting on Gu Fuyou's clothes. As she moved hurriedly to retrieve them, a creature named Ah Fu tumbled out from her embrace.
Zhong Michu passed the garment to Gu Fuyou, who dusted it off and wore it.
Previously chilled by the frost, Ah Fu had warmed up and fallen asleep. The commotion woke it up, leading to a series of annoyed chirps.
When Gu Fuyou picked up Ah Fu, she was pleasantly surprised to see its eyes open and even thought it looked a bit larger.
"Senior Sister Zhong, look! Ah Fu has opened its eyes!"
Ah Fu, with its glossy eyes, gazed at Gu Fuyou with a slightly bewildered expression and let out a couple of calls.
It sounded so much like a child calling for its mother that Gu Fuyou, brimming with joy, petted it. She tried to show Ah Fu to Zhong Michu.
However, Ah Fu kept chirping and nuzzling against Gu Fuyou's shoulder, causing quite a ruckus.
Noticing the bloodstain on Gu Fuyou's shoulder, Zhong Michu's brows furrowed slightly. She knew it was from Gu Fuyou's wound, which seemed to have scabbed over, but she still asked, "How's your shoulder wound?"
Ah Fu clung to Gu Fuyou's shoulder, refusing to get down. No matter how Gu Fuyou tried to coax it, Ah Fu wouldn't budge. Hearing Zhong Michu speak, Gu Fuyou replied, Ah? Oh! It's fine now."
Zhong Michu reached out, grabbing Ah Fu by the scruff of its neck, and lifted him up.
The previously restless Ah Fu immediately calmed down in Zhong Michu's embrace.
Gu Fuyou: "…"
With Ah Fu quiet, the cave became silent again. The initial awkwardness seemed to come back, making it difficult for Gu Fuyou to speak.
The two fell into silence for a while before Zhong Michu softly broke it, "Thank you for saving me."
Twiddling her fingers, Gu Fuyou replied, "It's no big deal. Senior Sister Zhong has saved me several times too. If we were to compare, I should be the one thanking you."
"Zhong Michu shook her head, replying, 'Saving you was easy for me, hardly any trouble at all. However, when you saved me, you risked your own life. That's a difference that can't be overlooked.'"
Her earnest words left Gu Fuyou feeling a bit embarrassed, and even her smile turned sheepish. "Well, it's actually my fault for dragging you into this mess at Xian Luo. I'm just glad you're not mad at me."
Zhong Michu was petting Ah Fu's fur. The creature curled up on her lap, snoring back into sleep. "Did you break the formation?"
She recalled the chaos of that moment when they stumbled into the ice chamber. Shortly after, she was immobilized by the ice, her legs frozen as she knelt on the ground. Gu Fuyou was ensnared not long after.
Had she attempted to carry her out right then, they wouldn't have made it. Probably wouldn't have gotten to the door before the formation's influence turned them both into ice statues.
But she was now unharmed, which meant Gu Fuyou must have chosen to break the formation first, then bring her out.
Poking at the flames, Gu Fuyou added more wood and responded to the question, "Yeah. It was really close. We almost didn't make it out."
Zhong Michu stared intently at Gu Fuyou, the reflection of the firelight making her light-colored eyes shimmer, "How did you find the formation's weakness?"
Smiling, Gu Fuyou explained, "It was sheer luck. Although we were both ensnared by the formation, I noticed that Ah Fu remained unaffected. I began to wonder what made Ah Fu different from us."
"There were two main differences: first, Ah Fu is a spirit beast, while we are humans."
A ripple of emotion crossed Zhong Michu's steady gaze. Her hand, which had been stroking Ah Fu's back, paused. "And the second?"
Gu Fuyou continued, "Secondly, Ah Fu was just born and hadn't opened its eyes. For the first point, there indeed are formations specifically targeting certain races, but they're rare. So, I focused on the second point and luckily, it matched an ancient array similar to the one in the ice chamber."
"Senior Sister Zhong, have you heard of the 'Resentful Woman Formation'?"
Zhong Michu's brow furrowed, either contemplating the type of formation or pondering the odd name.
Gu Fuyou continued, "Or perhaps it's called the 'Stone Maiden Formation'."
Suddenly, recognition flashed across Zhong Michu's face, "I've heard of it vaguely."
Legend has it that this formation was created by a couple. Both were powerful in the way of immortality, swearing oaths of eternal love.
But as the saying goes, hearts can change. Over time, their affection faded.
The husband grew tired of his wife's ethereal beauty; but his eye wandered, and he took a lover.
At first, the wife tried to persuade him back. Once, when he went to secretly meet his lover, she brought friends to intervene.
However, the husband, enraged, rationalized that men often had multiple partners or engagements outside their marriage. He didn't consider his actions entirely indefensible since he never brought the external relationship into their home. He believed he was, in a way, honoring his wife by keeping their home exclusive to her. Despite the situation's complexity, she remained the sole woman in his household.
But the husband, in his shame and anger, scoffed at the idea. In his view, he hadn't been that unreasonable, considering he hadn't brought the woman home. He accused his wife of airing their private affairs, shaming him, and in his resentment, he called her a 'resentful woman', even raising his hand against her.
The wife, who couldn't tolerate any wrongs, had only tried to persuade him for the sake of their centuries-old relationship. Seeing it end in discord, she hardened her heart.
The deeper the love, the more deep the hatred becomes. At this point, her love morphed into deep loathing, and she entertained thoughts of murder.
Though the husband was more skilled, the wife was adept in formations. She devised one specifically for him.
The uniqueness of such a formation lay in its deep concealment, yet the key to it—the formation's eye—was placed in the most obvious location.
Once someone entered the formation, their attention would be drawn to the formation's eye. Just one look would trigger the formation's restrictions, and their body would gradually petrify from the legs up, eventually turning into a stone statue.
The wife used a beautiful woman as the focal point of the formation. Captivated by the beauty before him, the husband's defenses lowered. This vulnerability, coupled with the formation's potency, led to his entrapment, culminating in his transformation into a stone statue. The wife then killed herself.
Though the formation technique was known to many, it was rarely used due to its malicious nature and the severe harm it inflicted. As such, it never received an official name and was referred to in tales simply as the 'Resentful Woman Formation.
It wasn't until later that some deemed the name too crude and changed it to the "Stone Maiden Formation."
The ice chamber was filled with ice sculptures, with a breathtakingly beautiful woman lying at its center. Anyone who unknowingly wandered in would naturally be on their guard, their senses heightened, keen on deciphering every odd detail of the eerie place.
The central ice platform and the woman were the most peculiar and eye-catching. Just a casual glance could easily draw one's gaze, making it impossible to avoid her.
She and Zhong Michu were drawn there, which is why they were covered in frost. It was precisely because Ah Fu hadn't seen it that he narrowly escaped disaster.
Furthermore, all the ice statues were facing that woman. Clearly, after seeing her and falling into this trap, they were unable to flee in their panic and were frozen in place.
"The design of this formation bears a striking resemblance to the Stone Maiden Formation," said Gu Fuyou
Gu Fuyou remarked, "The Stone Maiden Formation and the one in the ice chamber are very similar, the only difference being one freezes and the other petrifies. In such formations, all the power converges at the focal point, which is both the strongest and the weakest part. It's where the attack is most potent and the defense is most vulnerable. Once the focal point is broken, the entire formation collapses."
After saying this, Gu Fuyou looked towards Zhong Michu. Zhong Michu's head was slightly lowered, her eyelids nearly closed, and her long eyelashes cast shadows in the firelight, concealing her eyes.
Zhong Michu said, "But the focal point isn't the woman."
Even though she was in a daze at that time and saw things hazily, she had heard the sound of jade breaking when Gu Fuyou broke the formation.
Gu Fuyou, leaning in with her chin propped on her hand and elbow on her knee, shared, "You know, the focal point isn't strictly bound to the woman herself. Once someone steps in and their attention is drawn naturally to the middle — to that striking golden crown of the Azure Phoenix or her vivid jade-green outfit — well, any of these could take center stage. It's all about what catches the intruder's eye first."
"How did you identify the focal point?"
Instead of answering directly, Gu Fuyou playfully dodged the question, asking, "Senior Sister Zhong, did you figure out the identity of that woman?"
With a sudden burst of flame, the log at the bottom snapped, making a loud noise.
Zhong Michu looked up and said, "The Azure Phoenix clan."