After finishing her morning routine—though she had no real need for food—Bai Xianluo gazed calmly at the ice-crafted mantou resting on the table. These meals were merely a habit she maintained to feel somewhat connected to humanity.
"I must have grown used to this," she murmured softly, reaching for the mantou to inspect it before placing it back down. She neither felt hunger nor any longing for food, but creating these things allowed her to feel a sense of attachment to life in a way that humans might understand.
Bai Xianluo walked toward a corner of the cave where a small tree stood under a faint icy glow. With a spell, she conjured an Ice Plum Blossom Tree. A soft, radiant light surrounded it, making it appear as if it were blooming naturally from the ground. She reached out to gently touch its delicate, translucent trunk. A soft cracking sound echoed as frost magic nourished the tree.
"You're growing well," Bai Xianluo spoke in a tender whisper, admiring the blooming ice plum blossoms. After a moment of silence, she turned and slowly made her way back to the main hall.
Following the spell that nurtured the ice plum tree, the cave returned to its usual stillness. Bai Xianluo sat upon an icy platform, while the little white lizard curled up comfortably on a nearby table. The faint sound of the blizzard outside seemed to lull everything into peace.
But that silence was suddenly shattered by a deep, resonating roar echoing from within the mountains—a sound she had never heard before. It rumbled like something massive tearing through ice, causing the cave floor to tremble softly.
Bai Xianluo froze. Her soft gray eyes shifted toward the source of the noise with suspicion. The resting white lizard sprang up, leaping onto her shoulder, its tiny tail flicking anxiously.
The roaring sound resembled the movement of something deep within the mountains, yet she knew this land had always remained unchanged.
"What's happening…?" Bai Xianluo murmured, rising to her full height.
The little lizard let out a low, rumbling sound, seemingly in warning. Bai Xianluo reached up to gently stroke its head in reassurance.
The roar faded briefly, replaced by an even fiercer howl of wind. Ice crystals began falling from the ceiling, and the frozen barrier sealing the cave's entrance quivered, forming faint cracks.
Bai Xianluo narrowed her eyes, a subtle glimmer in her gaze as she stared toward the entrance.
"This isn't an ordinary storm…" she whispered before striding toward the mouth of the cave.
Stopping at a safe distance from the ice barrier, her pale gray eyes pierced into the raging blizzard. The brutal winds churned the snow like a whirlpool, ready to consume everything in its path.
Raising her hand, a soft silver glow emanated from her fingertips. A beam of light shot forward, slightly easing the ferocity of the wind and forming a thin protective veil against the storm.
The wind howled violently, its sharp cries echoing into the cave, but Bai Xianluo remained motionless, as if staring intently at something unseen.
Then came another roar, louder this time, accompanied by a tremor that made the icy ground quake once more.
Closing her eyes briefly, Bai Xianluo focused, connecting her senses with the natural energies surrounding the cave. Yet, instead of the calm, chilling presence she was familiar with, she sensed an unsettling and imbalanced force.
Something was moving closer.
There was a presence… something unnatural, unlike anything she had encountered before. It wasn't immediately threatening, but its movement was strange—creeping closer, slowly but surely.
The howling wind softened momentarily before faint snowflakes drifted down. A soft impact echoed on the icy floor.
"It feels like… something is trying to get in," Bai Xianluo whispered, her pale gray eyes glowing faintly as she took a cautious step forward.
The white lizard on her shoulder growled softly again, warning her to be careful. Bai Xianluo gently stroked its head and spoke in a calm, soothing voice, "Stay calm, Xue. I won't let anything enter so easily."
Her fingertips glimmered with silver light, sending another beam into the blizzard. The swirling snow parted, revealing only darkness ahead.
But even as she used her magic to search, she found nothing—despite being certain something was moving in the storm.
"Such a well-hidden presence…" she murmured, her voice steady but laced with suspicion.
The fierce winds returned, engulfing the cave entrance once again. The icy curtain trembled slightly as the thin cracks slowly spread.
Bai Xianluo stood in silence, watching, before letting out a long breath. She raised her hand, mending the ice barrier with her magic. The sound of ice weaving itself back into place echoed softly.
"What exactly is that…?" she whispered under her breath, closing her eyes once more to concentrate and probe deeper.
In the stillness surrounding her, she sensed that foreign power lingering nearby. It remained there—watching—but not yet close enough to attack.
Opening her eyes, Bai Xianluo's pale gray gaze shone with quiet resolve.