80
The Kunlun Mountains are perpetually covered in snow. While cultivators can use spiritual energy to ward off the cold, mortals find it difficult to endure such chill.
Thus, each new disciple is given a firestone upon entering the sect. The firestone is about the size of a fingernail and, when worn, can ward off the cold of the Kunlun Mountains.
When distributing the firestones, the senior sisters repeatedly emphasized their value, warning the new disciples not to lose them. Once they reached the Foundation Establishment stage, they would need to return the firestones for future disciples to use.
The mountain air was thick with mist and dew, yet it didn't feel damp or cold. Moonlight filtered through the paper windows, casting a soft glow on the floor.
Su Luowei lay under a thick quilt in her corner, listening to the light breathing of Yuchi Shao.
Before they ascended the mountain, Yuchi Shao's mother had already made arrangements, so unlike the other new disciples who had to sleep in a dormitory, they were assigned a double room.
After climbing the mountain for several hours during the day, Yuchi Shao was utterly exhausted and fell into a deep sleep the moment she hit the bed.
Su Luowei, however, couldn't sleep. She didn't dare get up to move around, so she lay there with her eyes open, quietly admiring the moonlight streaming through the window.
Real Master Le Ping didn't have time to awaken their spiritual roots yet, but the Kunlun Sect offered classes for new disciples. Since they had already joined the sect, they were required to attend these classes regularly, just like everyone else.
The next morning, as soon as it was light, Yuchi Shao was awakened by a cold hand. She opened her eyes to see a pair of gentle, calm eyes. Once she was awake, the owner of those eyes slowly withdrew their hand from her blanket.
Yuchi Shao had always had a bad temper when woken up before she was fully rested. If anyone dared wake her too early, she would throw a tantrum and show her displeasure.
But ever since Su Luowei had become her maid, Yuchi Shao's temper had gradually disappeared. No matter how much she fussed, Su Luowei remained unruffled, firmly pulling her out of bed.
Yuchi Shao curled up under the blanket, reluctant to get up. She even tried to charm Su Luowei into letting her sleep longer, "Good Ah lin, it's still early... Let me sleep a little longer."
She stretched her hands out of the blanket, clasping them together in a pleading gesture, "Please, just half an hour."
"No," Su Luowei refused mercilessly.
"Who was it that said a few days ago that if we don't train hard at Kunlun Sect, we'll be kicked out?"
"It was me..." Yuchi Shao recalled her previous bold statements about looking out for Su Luowei and groaned in frustration, "Fine! I'm getting up."
After all, it would be too embarrassing to be expelled from the sect for laziness!
The new disciples hadn't yet started fasting, so their first task in the morning was to go to the dining hall. Su Luowei had expected the dining hall to be quiet but was surprised to find a long line of people waiting for breakfast.
Back in Qingxu Sect, Su Luowei had avoided the dining hall, finding the food unappetizing, so she hadn't been to one in years. The bustling scene brought back memories, making her almost feel as if she were back in a college cafeteria.
Unlike the simple fare at Qingxu Sect, the Kunlun Sect offered a wide variety of food. Despite spending six months in Yuchi Shao's home and eating well, Su Luowei couldn't help but instinctively swallow at the sight of the delicious food.
"Ah lin, have you heard?" Yuchi Shao nudged Su Luowei with her elbow, "The awakening of spiritual roots for the disciples who arrived around the same time as us has been delayed. What kind of important person is coming that the whole sect is on high alert?"
Who knows where Yuchi Shao got this information. They had only just arrived at the dining hall, and she had already picked up the gossip?
Su Luowei replied, "Oh, it must be some important person. The red bean buns look really good. Could I have one, please?"
"I heard these people are coming from far away."
"Mm, really? From far away, you say? The tofu pudding looks delicious too. Could I have a sweet one? Do you want any, Shao Shao?"
"Tofu pudding! I want some too," Yuchi Shao handed over her bowl, "I'll have the savory one. Ah lin, you're so weird for liking sweet tofu pudding."
And just like that, the original topic was dropped. Under Su Luowei's intentional guidance, Yuchi Shao's mind was soon occupied with thoughts of "How could anyone eat sweet tofu pudding?"
The reason Su Luowei had steered the conversation away was that she really wasn't interested in these so-called important people.
No matter how powerful they were, could they be stronger than Meng Shuying and Wen Miaomiao?
Those two had ultimately become immortals.
Having met them, anyone else seemed unimpressive to Su Luowei.
She couldn't help but wonder about their current cultivation levels...
And when she would see them again.
Su Luowei wasn't too worried about Wen Miaomiao, as she was blessed with good fortune and was likely progressing steadily on her path to immortality. But Meng Shuying... When Su Luowei had died in Meng Shuying's arms, she knew that Meng Shuying would struggle to move on.
She could only hope that Meng Shuying would find peace and be well.
But despite Su Luowei's lack of interest in the important person coming to Kunlun Sect, news about them kept reaching her ears.
Kunlun was located in the far north, so most of the disciples there were originally from the surrounding areas.
The disciples who still went to the dining hall hadn't yet started fasting and had relatively low cultivation levels, meaning they still retained some mortal tendencies. They were straightforward and unreserved in their conversations.
At the table to their left, a group of disciples was currently discussing the matter.
"I heard from my master that the reason the sect is on high alert is that, besides the usual guests, a certain someone is also coming."
The senior sister who had spoken took a sip of soy milk and gave the others a knowing look, relishing their collective "Oohs" of understanding.
"Who, who, who is it?" asked a curious disciple as they squeezed onto the bench with their bowl of porridge, even snatching half an oil stick from their companion's hand. "Don't keep us in suspense, Senior Sister Yanluo. I just got back from the foot of the mountain and haven't heard anything. I didn't even dare ask my master, and I'm dying to know!"
"Yeah, yeah, I don't know anything either. Senior Sister, please tell us! Who is it that's coming?"
"Who are the usual guests? And who is this certain someone? Oh, dear Senior Sister, please tell us quickly, or I won't be able to focus in class later."
The disciples were more excited about gossip than they were about discussing cultivation techniques.
Yanluo coughed, surveying the room to make sure no senior disciples were around, then chuckled mysteriously before beginning, "You've all heard of the Five Great Sects of the cultivation world, right? Besides our Kunlun Sect, there's also the East Pole Sect, Danyang Alliance, Penglai Pavilion, and Qingxu Sect."
"Yes, we know, but I heard that over twenty years ago, the Danyang Alliance was attacked and withdrew from the Five Sects?"
"True, they were attacked, but even a lean camel is bigger than a horse. As long as they don't declare their withdrawal, who's going to force them out?"
"But Senior Sister, what does that have to do with what you were going to say?"
Yanluo smiled mysteriously, "It's very relevant. Do you know who attacked the Danyang Alliance?"
"Uh... I don't know, but I heard rumors that it was... Qingxu Sect?"
Yanluo cleared her throat, "To be precise, it was the Peak Master of Qingxu Sect's Qionghua Peak, Meng Shuying."
"Just her? She single-handedly took on the entire Danyang Alliance? Impossible!"
"Why wouldn't it be possible?" Yanluo snorted, "You shouldn't underestimate Meng Shuying. She reached the Minor Ascension stage a hundred years ago."
"And she didn't need to fight everyone; she just needed to defeat the alliance leader and the elders. The rest would naturally fall in line like quails."
"But if she's from Qingxu Sect, why is she coming to Kunlun? Does she want to fight us too?"
"Sigh... You all really aren't up-to-date on your information." Yanluo sighed dramatically, "There's a Cold Palace at the foot of Kunlun Mountain, you know that, right?"
The group nodded, "Yes, we know. It's said that there's a large Ice Soul stored in the Cold Palace." The Ice Soul was one of Kunlun Sect's most prized treasures, known to all.
"But do you know that besides the Ice Soul, there's also a corpse in the Cold Palace?"
"A corpse! Whose corpse?"
"The corpse of Meng Shuying's senior sister. Meng Shuying is coming to Kunlun to visit her senior sister's corpse."
Someone sighed, "Traveling so far... just to visit a corpse."
"You don't understand! Besides being her senior sister, Su Luowei was also her Dao companion.
It's said that the reason Meng Shuying attacked the Danyang Alliance over twenty years ago was because they tried to use the corpse to blackmail her."
"But isn't the corpse here at Kunlun? No wonder! I just remembered that over twenty years ago, several of our elders suddenly disappeared! Could it have been because of Meng Shuying?"
As more people joined the discussion, someone added, "I know the Ice Soul can preserve bodies, but why would our sect leader be so accommodating?"
"It couldn't be anything but a case of coercion or temptation. Tsk, besides her, there are a few others from Qingxu Sect who come here every few years to visit the corpse. I can't imagine what kind of person Su Luowei was to have so many people still thinking about her after one hundred and eighty years."
"I heard Su Luowei was extraordinarily beautiful."
"And she was naturally flirtatious. Besides Meng Shuying, she left behind countless love debts. She had entanglements with Qingxu Sect's leader, a junior sister from Yanmo Peak, and even a senior brother from the East Pole Sect."
"Wow, that's so juicy!"
The more they gossiped, the more excited they became.
"Yes, and I heard that Meng Shuying and Su Luowei were already having an affair when they were just fifteen or sixteen. Sigh... Young love is always so unforgettable, which is why Meng Shuying has remained so devoted to her, even after Su Luowei's death."
"I also heard that after Su Luowei passed away, the leader of Qingxu Sect wanted to bury her, but Meng Shuying refused, snatching her body and fleeing all the way here."
"But she's dead. What's the point of doing all that? Does she think she can bring Su Luowei back to life?"
"It's hard to say... What if she can?"
"If she could, she would've done it long ago. She wouldn't have waited this long..."
"Sigh... She's truly a person of deep affection."
"But... hasn't she already taken a new Dao companion?"
Someone else chimed in, causing the dining hall to fall silent.
A junior sister eating a meat bun noticed everyone staring at her, so she set down her bun, swallowed what was in her mouth, and added, "The last few times she came, she was always accompanied by another female cultivator."
"She and that female cultivator went into the Cold Palace together and stayed there for five days. During that time, they requested water several times. I was on duty and personally delivered it."