He lowered his head dejectedly, staring at that pale and haggard face, tears streaming down his face.
He finally realized that the hand of fate that had gripped his throat had never truly let go—it was preordained. It had destined his fruitless waiting and wandering, and her desolate resentment.
The grudges and resentments are deeply ingrained and difficult to resolve, like trying to cut water with a knife; they cannot be easily settled.
Outside the door, a massive snowstorm raged, blowing in from the far north and sweeping across this city of water, clouds, and willows in Jiangnan.
White birds soared against the wind in the heavy snow, the cloth tied around their feet fluttering in the wind and snow.
As evening approaches and snow threatens, where is the way home?
At the very moment the woman who had lost her child laughed maniacally as she drank the poison, someone a thousand miles away awoke with a start.
Xue Ziye sat up in the middle of the night, feeling a strange chill.
In her dream, she was running and running, with countless blood-dripping blades closing in from behind... However, the person holding her hand wasn't Xue Huai. Who was it? Just as she turned her head to see the person's face clearly, the ice beneath her feet shattered with a "crack."
"Huo Zhanbai!" she exclaimed in surprise, sitting up in a cold sweat.
The Summer Garden was peaceful and lush, with countless luminous butterflies dancing in the air.
However, as she sat by the window, recalling her dream, a sense of foreboding washed over her. She didn't know if Huo Zhanbai had arrived in Lin'an, or if Mo'er had been rescued. She even had a feeling that she would never see him again.
"Valley Master Xue, what's wrong?" Someone suddenly spoke softly outside the window, startling her.
"Who?!" She pushed open the window and saw that strange blue hair. She let out a slight breath, then couldn't hold back her outburst. She grabbed a cushion and threw it at him. "What's wrong with you? What are you doing under someone's window in the middle of the night? Get back inside!"
Miao Feng was startled by her, but he still maintained his usual smile. He simply turned slightly to the side, raised his hand, and the flying cushion obediently stopped in his hand as if it had eyes.
"Before Valley Master Xue arrives at the Great Bright Palace, I need to check on your safety at all times." He returned the pillow and bowed slightly.
"..." Xue Ziye was speechless for a moment, then waved her hand haphazardly, "Never mind, the valley is safe, you should go back and get some sleep."
“No need,” Miao Feng said with a smile. “I’ve been protecting the King of the Sect for many years and I’m used to it.”
Are you used to not sleeping? Or are you used to standing under someone's window all night? Or are you always ready to give your life to protect someone? Xue Ziye looked at him for a moment, then suddenly felt a pang of sadness. She sighed, put on her robe, and went outside.
"Isn't Valley Master Xue going to sleep?" he asked, somewhat surprised.
“I’m not going to sleep,” she said, picking up a glass lantern and walking towards the lake. “I had a nightmare and can’t sleep.”
Miao Feng didn't say much, but quietly followed behind her through the tree fern forest. Countless luminous butterflies fluttered around him along the way, and several even tried to land on his shoulder.
Xue Ziye looked at him and couldn't help but smile slightly: "You really don't seem like Wu Mingzi of the Demonic Sect."
Miao Feng didn't understand what she meant, but simply smiled.
“A person with too much killing intent won’t even have butterflies land on them.” Xue Ziye raised her hand, and another glowing butterfly folded its wings and landed on her fingertip. She looked at Miaofeng, somewhat curious, “Have you ever killed anyone?”
“I have killed.” Miao Feng smiled slightly, without any attempt to hide it. “Moreover, many.”
He paused, then added, "I came from a battlefield of carnage—out of five hundred people, only Tong and I survived. The other four hundred and ninety-eight were all killed."
Pupil? Xue Ziye's body suddenly trembled, she silently gripped the lamp tightly, and turned around.
"Do you know Tong?" she heard herself ask involuntarily, her voice trembling slightly.
Miao Feng was slightly surprised, then paused and said, "I know him."
"How...did he get into your sect?" Xue Ziye asked softly, her gaze gradually hardening.
Miao Feng raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly, as if trying to figure out why the woman had suddenly asked the question, but the corners of her mouth still held a smile: "This... I don't know. Because ever since I met Tong, he has lost his memories of the past."
"...Really?" Xue Ziye murmured with a sigh. "Are you his friend?"
Miao Feng smiled slightly and shook her head: "In a battlefield of carnage, there are no friends."
“This is so strange…” Xue Ziye stopped by the lake and turned to look at him. “You’ve killed just as many people as he has, but why is your killing intent so restrained? Is your martial arts superior to his?”
“Valley Master is mistaken,” Miao Feng said with a smile and a shake of his head. “If it were a duel, I might not be a match for Tong.”
He turned his head, picked up a glowing butterfly from his shoulder, and smiled, “It’s just that I’m not like him, who controls the battlefield and has to be ready to draw my sword and fight to the death at any time—unless someone threatens the King, otherwise…” He moved his finger, and the glowing butterfly fluttered onto a branch: “I have no intention of killing anyone.”
Xue Ziye turned her head to look at him, and suddenly smiled: "Interesting."
She carried the lantern and walked forward, passing through the Summer Garden and heading towards the center of the lake. Miao Feng followed quietly behind her, his footsteps so light they seemed almost invisible.
The lake's surface was frozen, a stark contrast of ice and fire. She couldn't help but cough slightly, looking down at the familiar face beneath the ice. "Xuehuai…this might be the last time I see you. Because tomorrow, I must go to that demonic lair and bring Mingjie back—"
Will your spirit in heaven protect us?
The boy floated in the icy water, a perpetual smile on his face, his eyes slightly closed.
She lay prostrate on the ice, gazing silently, a sudden wave of weariness and clarity washing over her—Xuehuai, I know you will never wake up again… I understood that from the moment I handed the purple jade hairpin to Huo Zhanbai. But the dead are gone, and I cannot abandon the living. I must leave this place, cross that snowfield, and head towards Kunlun… perhaps never to return.
You've been sleeping alone in this cold water for so many years, haven't you felt lonely?
Perhaps Huo Zhanbai is right. I shouldn't have kept you here like this. I should have let you be freed as soon as possible and reincarnated.
She leaned over the ice, gazing at the person beneath. The bone-chilling cold made her cough violently, the glass lamp swaying in her hand, reflecting a dazzling, shimmering light on the ice.
A hand gently pressed between her shoulder blades, and a warm current flowed in silently, making her feel as if she were bathed in a spring breeze.
"It's cold at night," a calm and gentle voice said from behind. "Valley Master Xue, please take care of yourself."
She slowly stood up and stood on the ice for a long time before speaking softly, "Before you leave tomorrow, please take Xuehuai with you."
Miao Feng nodded silently, watching her turn around with the lantern and walk towards the Summer Garden—her steps were so light, not disturbing a single snowflake, like a ghost in the cold night. Perhaps something very important to her is hidden in this lake?