Prizing a Bit of Tenderness from His Hardened Heart
Jiusi Ravine was a place created by the academy to punish spirit cultivators, where every gust of cold wind seemed to drill into one's bones.
Spirit Masters were born with strong spiritual senses but weak physical bodies.
Zhan Yunwei waited for a long time, yet saw no sign that Yue Zhiheng intended to help her.
He soon withdrew his gaze and stopped looking at Zhan Yunwei. Calm and composed, he sat atop Jiusi Ravine, while the girl below had already become so cold that she was losing her senses. With a subtle hand gesture, he began to focus on comprehending the soul of a weapon.
He maintained a detached attitude, as though it had nothing to do with him.
"..." Zhan Yunwei glanced between her freezing self at the bottom of Jiusi Ravine and Yue Zhiheng, who looked as if he had entered a state of deep meditation. She realized that once again, her assumptions had been wrong.
The pages of the Life Book turned too quickly, and she had missed the year when Yue Zhiheng had changed the most. She could no longer see through his feelings.
She didn't know if Yue Zhiheng had almost forgotten her or had simply lost interest. As people grew older and experienced more, their preferences could change drastically.
Like Senior Sister Duan, who could like five different sword cultivators every year, each one of a different type.
Looking back now, their first meeting in their youth didn't seem to have had that great of an impact on Yue Zhiheng.
Though he hadn't yet become as mature and steady as he would later be, he had already begun to adopt a similar mindset—that of not doing anything unnecessary.
Having seen how Yue Zhiheng had grown, Zhan Yunwei couldn't help but think that, to him, the punishment at Jiusi Ravine probably didn't seem like a big deal.
She had indeed guessed correctly—over the years, Yue Zhiheng had endured hardships, hunger, and had been close to death many times. Compared to all of that, the girl at the bottom of Jiusi Ravine was in no real danger.
As he coldly observed Pei Yujing tending to Zhan Yunwei, his mind seemed clearer.
Anyone with eyes could see that the sword immortal was extraordinary, with great talent, a noble background, and a promising future. It was clear that Yue Zhiheng's future path was one where everyone would treat him with respect—no one would dare to draw a sword against him.
It was inevitable that he and Pei Yujing would eventually have a falling out, so there was no need for him to form any emotional ties today. It would be better for him to stop thinking about things, especially about someone who was destined to be someone else's companion.
The clouds covered the moon, and the ravine plunged into darkness. Suddenly, the sound of a hawk flapping its wings came from afar. Zhan Yunwei stood up abruptly, and Yue Zhiheng raised his eyes.
The hawk was flying directly toward Zhan Yunwei.
Zhan Yunwei knew that the Taixu Sect had malicious intentions, but she hadn't expected things to escalate this far.
She recognized the hawk; it was a spirit pet raised by the Taixu Sect's Sect Master, often accompanying him into battle, having torn apart many evil spirits.
She quickly understood why the young master of Taixu Mountain was doing this.
It was not just because she had helped Feng Lanyin and offended the Taixu Sect's young master. In fact, there had been a long-standing rivalry between Changya Mountain and Taixu Sect. Both the heads of the two sects were talisman cultivators, but one had earned great respect while the other's reputation had fallen.
The Taixu Sect had been on the decline for years, and the young master of Taixu Mountain saw this as the perfect opportunity. Knowing Zhan Yunwei had been injured, he had sent the hawk to attack her in the dead of night.
If anything happened and it traced back to him, he could easily claim that the spirit pet was just a beast, and he couldn't control it. Moreover, the Master of Changya Mountain loved his daughter dearly, and this would likely cause irreparable damage to Taixu Sect in the future.
Soon, the hawk reached the ancient tree, and Zhan Yunwei could see clearly that the hawk didn't intend to kill her. It only wanted to injure her, for Taixu Sect couldn't afford to have Zhan Yunwei's death on their hands. They feared that if anything happened, the Master of Changya Mountain would take extreme measures and destroy them.
However, the cold purple light flashing on the hawk's claws was clearly infused with the blood of an evil spirit, and for an unprepared Spirit Master, it was a poison on top of injury.
The unconscious girl had no way to expel the toxins, and if the poison spread overnight, her future cultivation would be severely affected.
Yue Zhiheng's sharp eyes immediately saw through the hawk's intentions.
His tone was cold as he muttered, "Truly malicious."
Zhan Yunwei nodded in agreement, and just then, she saw Yue Zhiheng spring into action. He leapt down, and as the hawk was about to strike Zhan Yunwei, he used his whip to entangle the creature. With a harsh pull, the hawk crashed to the ground with a pitiful cry.
Zhan Yunwei had already arrived beside her younger self, watching Yue Zhiheng handle the spirit beast.
He didn't kill the hawk, but instead drew a blood talisman and sealed it inside the hawk's body.
Soon, he released the hawk, and it flapped its wings and flew away.
The hawk, now carrying Yue Zhiheng's blood, would return to the young master of Taixu Mountain.
Time had passed so long that Zhan Yunwei had almost forgotten what came next. As she saw this scene, she remembered the young master of Taixu Mountain's eventual fate.
He was severely injured, his bones damaged, and his wounds would continue to rot, causing his blood and flesh to decay. The Master of Taixu Mountain had to rush him away for treatment that very night.
The academy's students never learned what had happened to him, and as for the scandal of using a hawk to harm others only for it to backfire, Taixu Sect would never let it be known.
Thinking of the corrosive power of the Ice Lotus, Zhan Yunwei couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. The next few decades would be difficult for Taixu Sect.
She looked at Yue Zhiheng. Though he didn't harbor the feelings for her that she had once imagined, he had, nonetheless, protected her once.
No wonder, in the years that followed, the two of them never had any more interactions.
At Last, All Debts Were Paid in Full
In that moment, all debts had indeed been repaid. She had saved Yue Qingluo's life with a jade token, and Yue Zhiheng had, in turn, returned this favor under the hawk's claws.
Yue Zhiheng must have thought the same way.
From now on, paths would diverge, and he owed her nothing. The fleeting thoughts of youth were not enough to keep someone in constant memory for years to come.
Yue Zhiheng lowered his gaze to the girl on the ground. When they met again years later, she might have already married that sword immortal, and he would have walked his own path elsewhere, continuing his journey.
People had to live according to their own fate.
The moon had risen, though Zhan Yunwei hadn't noticed when. After Yue Zhiheng descended, he experienced the cold of Jiusi Ravine firsthand and understood why her senior brother had violated academy rules to come warm her.
It wasn't because spirit masters were fragile, as he had thought, but because the wind in this cursed place truly pierced to the bone.
Yue Zhiheng approached, kneeling down with one leg bent, and from his robe, he took a warming jade orb. He gently pried open the girl's hand and placed the orb in her palm.
Zhan Yunwei noticed that the orb was rough, likely one of Yue Zhiheng's early attempts at crafting talismans. It was far from the delicate items he would later create, and it lacked the silver lotus patterns that adorned his other works.
Though it wasn't beautiful, the talisman was the most effective thing at that moment. At least tonight, her younger self wouldn't be frostbitten.
Zhan Yunwei noticed that after placing the orb, Yue Zhiheng seemed ready to leave. She had thought this would be the entirety of their interactions ten years ago.
But as he stood to leave, perhaps having finally drawn warmth from the cold winds of Jiusi Ravine, the frozen girl unexpectedly stirred with a faint sense of survival.
She opened her fingers, trying to grasp warmth, but the warm orb rolled out of her hand. She caught hold of the young man's finger instead.
The moonlight spilled down, blending with the sound of the cascading waterfall.
Zhan Yunwei had never anticipated such a change, and neither had Yue Zhiheng.
She noticed that Yue Zhiheng was staring at their entwined hands.
Her fingers were red from the cold and lacked strength, merely weakly grasping his.
His hands were scarred from the hardships he had faced over the past year—frostbite, injuries from molten metal during crafting, and even wounds from practicing with a whip.
His palms were rough, his fingers long, and for a moment, there was silence between them.
The waterfall below continued its murmuring, and after several failed thoughts, Zhan Yunwei no longer had any expectations. This was just an accident, and she didn't expect Yue Zhiheng to feel moved.
Until she saw the bright moonlight illuminating half of his face, his eyes lowered, and he gently returned her soft grip.
In that moment, even the wind seemed to freeze.
Though she was merely a soul sense, Zhan Yunwei could not smell, and she had no heartbeat, she distinctly felt a flutter of emotions that belonged to another.
Even if the world told him it shouldn't be so, even if he grew quickly year after year,
it didn't require a hug or a hearty conversation.
Just on this night, with her subtle, unconscious closeness, she could pry open the coldness in his heart and awaken a hint of tenderness.
Zhan Yunwei even found herself glancing down at her hand.
In that instant, she seemed to sense something, feeling the warmth in Yue Zhiheng's palm.
At first, she thought it was just an illusion, but soon, she realized that the Life Book was gently closing.
An invisible force pulled her toward her own body.
She touched her younger self's body, and her soul returned to its rightful place.
She couldn't open her eyes, nor could she see any scenes from the Life Book, but she could still feel the strength and warmth transmitted through their hands.
She didn't know how long it had passed before the warming orb was picked up and placed back into her palm.
Finally, the young man withdrew his hand, turned his back to her, and left Jiusi Ravine.
The creek continued its gentle sound, and her consciousness faded. She desperately tried to hold on to something, but not only did she fail, but the orb also slipped from her hand again, rolling into a crevice in the rocks, never to be found.
So this was the complete destiny, just as it had been back then.
The first rays of sunlight touched her, and her consciousness and body fully merged. Zhan Yunwei was finally able to open her eyes.
It was the moment of sunrise, the sky was breathtakingly beautiful, but Yue Zhiheng was nowhere to be seen.
Only the vast, clear sky spread out before her.
The sound of the Life Book closing echoed in her ears. When she opened her eyes again, there was no Jiusi Ravine. She was clearly lying beneath the divine altar. The Life Book in front of her still glowed with white light, untouched by dust.
The jade orb containing the soul hovered anxiously around her. "Hey, are you okay?"
Zhan Yunwei propped herself up and touched her forehead. She remembered entering this place at night, but now, daylight had broken outside.
"I'm fine." She asked the soul, "How long was I unconscious?"
"Seven days!" the soul orb replied. "I was so worried! It's been ten years, and I finally found a living person to talk to. Even if you won't let me borrow your body, please don't die!"
Zhan Yunwei's emotions were mixed—some good, some bad.
The good part was realizing that both Yue Zhiheng and the Yue family were good people, and she understood the hardships they had gone through.
The bad part was discovering that the Spirit Emperor and the Lord of Du'e City were the same person—someone truly difficult to deal with.
No wonder Yue Zhiheng didn't want her to get involved in this matter. At this point, everyone was powerless, and anyone who got involved in the Yue family's plans would only face a meaningless sacrifice.
But that didn't mean there was nothing to be done.
It seemed that Lord Yue's shadow soldiers still had some time to be fully formed. During this period, he still needed to feign cooperation with the Spirit Emperor, and the Hundred Kills Lotus could not be taken by the Spirit Emperor.
No wonder, in the previous life, Yue Zhiheng had chosen to destroy the Hundred Kills Lotus, burying it at the bottom of the Eternal Dark River. That indeed seemed like a solution.
Zhan Yunwei knew that Yue Zhiheng and Miss Qu were still outside, while in Du'e City, Wen Xun had gone mad. She didn't know how many of the Evil Kings he had consumed in the past seven days.
Cultivation through evil practices truly had no logic—ordinary people would need several years of hard work, but these creatures could grow stronger overnight by devouring their own kind. It wouldn't be easy to take the Hundred Kills Lotus from Wen Xun.
She stood up, realizing that she couldn't delay any longer, and stepped out of the attic.
Lotus flowers bloomed in the lake, and the white jade steps were still there. The jade orb knew she was about to leave and was deeply saddened. "Will you come back?"
"Not for a long time."
The jade orb sighed. "I don't know how many more years I'll have to wait to speak to someone again. My memory is getting worse and worse. In a few more years, I might even forget my own name."
The day when a person forgets their own name is the day their soul truly scatters.
Zhan Yunwei had a very good impression of the orb, and hearing its words, she felt a twinge of pity. "What's your name? I'll help you remember."
The jade orb was delighted. "I actually can't remember it clearly, but I think someone used to call me Qiu Yino."
Zhan Yunwei stopped dead in her tracks as she descended the jade steps.
She hadn't expected this to be someone she knew. The soul within the jade orb was actually Wen Xun's wife, who had died many years ago—Qiu Yino?