82

The inner chamber was devoid of candles, with only a few luminous pearls from the South Sea embedded in the walls, providing the room's sole source of soft light.

As soon as Red Bean entered, she shivered and tucked her hands into her sleeves, complaining, "It's freezing in here."

Even though she was a fully grown beast, the cold that seeped into her bones was difficult to endure.

The person in the hall didn't respond and continued sitting by the bed, staring fixedly at the person lying on the icy bed.

Through the partially drawn curtains, Red Bean could see that the person inside had delicate skin, still as pink as a peach blossom.

She didn't look at all like someone who had been dead for almost two hundred years.

This Kunlun treasure may be icy, but it certainly worked wonders.

Even after all these years, it had preserved Su Luowei's body so well.

Considering that, using an entire spirit stone mine to trade for it wasn't a loss for the master.

The only downside was that the ice soul could only be stored in the depths of Kunlun Valley and couldn't be taken to Qingxu Sect. Otherwise, with her master's personality, there wouldn't have been any need to offer them the mine.

"Kunlun sent another person?" Though she was asking Red Bean, her eyes never left the person on the bed.

No matter how many years passed, her senior sister would always be the most important person in her heart. Just seeing her face made all of Meng Shuying's anger dissipate, leaving only peace.

"Yeah, they sent a little girl who hasn't even awakened her spiritual roots. She seems obedient enough, and the Kunlun people have already placed a silence charm on her. I added a 'cannot speak' charm for good measure."

Meng Shuying made a low sound of acknowledgment, her fingers gently caressing Su Luowei's cheek.

Seeing her remain silent, Red Bean couldn't help but worry. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "Maybe I shouldn't go to East Pole Island. That stupid dragon will leave if it can't find us. Given your current state… it's too dangerous for you to stay in Kunlun alone."

"Since we provoked the Azure Dragon, it's only right that we handle it. I've come to Kunlun many times; even if someone suspects something, they won't act rashly."

Besides, the Huaxi Sect cultivators who knew about the incident had been buried deep underground twenty years ago. By now, flowers must be blooming on their graves.

"You're right, I'll try to return as quickly as possible."

It was just unfortunate that the Azure Dragon had chosen such an inopportune place to go.

The world was vast—why did it have to go to East Pole Island?

Su Haocang and Zhan Xueying still lived on the island. If the Azure Dragon really caused chaos there, Su Haocang would undoubtedly step in.

Meng Shuying couldn't let him clean up her mess.

Seeing Meng Shuying's hand moving up to the neck of the person on the bed, Red Bean knew her patience was wearing thin. Hesitating for a moment, she asked her last question, "I'm still a little confused—why did you ask them to send someone who hasn't even started cultivating?"

Others might not know, but Red Bean was aware that every time Meng Shuying came to Kunlun, besides visiting Su Luowei, she also took the opportunity to refine the love poison in her body into a love gu.

Red Bean knew that during the refining process, her master's cultivation would temporarily drop. But given that Meng Shuying was already close to the Great Ascension stage, even if her cultivation dropped, she would still be more than capable of dealing with ordinary cultivators.

That little girl outside hadn't even awakened her spiritual roots—what could she possibly do if something went wrong?

A dark look flashed in Meng Shuying's eyes. "You and I have a spirit beast contract, so you've never noticed… When I'm refining the love poison, I..."

She paused, pursing her lips tightly. "Forget it, it's not worth mentioning."

Some things were just too difficult to explain.

Ever since she had forcibly extracted half of her divine bone from her body a century ago, the love poison lurking within her had spiraled out of control, clinging to her like a shadow.

Over the years, she had tried countless ways to rid herself of the poison, but none had worked. She could only watch helplessly as her cultivation deteriorated under its influence.

More than twenty years ago, the Huaxi Sect suddenly discovered that she was the very cultivator they had once fought over spiritual herbs and had poisoned with the love poison.

Those fools thought they had found Meng Shuying's weakness and came to her, even attempting to use her senior sister to threaten her.

Meng Shuying despised being threatened more than anything.

So, she took matters into her own hands, ending their lives.

In the process, she found an ancient text related to the love poison in the sect leader's storage bag, where she discovered a way to temporarily suppress the poison.

The method involved refining the love poison into a love gu.

The poison would damage her body and erode her cultivation, but refining it into a love gu would lock her cultivation firmly within her.

However, during the refining process, her body would emit a strange fragrance that could stir desire in those around her.

This was why, aside from Red Bean, she never allowed anyone into the inner chamber.

After Red Bean left, Meng Shuying waved her hand, and the door closed immediately. She stood up, removed her dark outer robe, and slowly climbed onto the bed, cradling her senior sister in her arms.

The plain curtains fluttered as if stirred by a mountain breeze.

It had been a year since she last saw her senior sister.

Though the ice soul preserved her appearance, Meng Shuying still couldn't get enough, tracing the contours of her senior sister's brows, eyes, and nose with her fingers.

Finally, her hand rested on her lips.

Although the person in her arms had no breath, her body was still soft, lifelike. Even her lips were a delicate rosy hue.

She stared at her senior sister's lips for a while before leaning down to kiss them. Her mind was a whirlwind of desire to suck on those lips, but she held back, restraining herself to a brief touch.

But even that simple kiss was enough to awaken the buried desires within her, making her lower abdomen tingle.

Meng Shuying's gaze shifted to the hands resting in front of her senior sister. Her fingers were long and delicate, with a beautiful pink hue—a sign of someone who had been pampered since childhood.

Captivated, she intertwined their fingers, feeling the faint pulse in her own palm, but not in her senior sister's.

No matter how well her body was preserved, no matter how soft it remained, there were always small details that reminded Meng Shuying that her senior sister was gone.

But that was okay.

Meng Shuying held her hand, bringing it to her lips, kissing it reverently. Her eyes betrayed a morbid obsession.

"Senior sister…" she murmured softly, as if speaking any louder would disturb her sleeping beloved. "Just wait a little longer, and soon… I'll find you."

She had already found a way to bring her senior sister back to life. All she needed to do was summon her soul and guide it back to this body.

But she had learned of this method too late, and she feared her senior sister might have already entered the cycle of reincarnation.

After all, she had sought her soul for twenty years, but found no trace.

Still… even if her senior sister had reincarnated, she would pull her back.

After all, she had promised to stay with her forever. She couldn't break that promise.

Sweat dampened the brocade, and her hairpin knocked against the pillow's edge.

Outside, the snow-covered mountains stood tall, their peaks cloaked in white, vast and majestic.

She tilted her head back, her gaze seemingly piercing through the ceiling to the peach blossom-covered Yanmo Peak.

She was too greedy, always wanting more.

The pleasure in these moments was fleeting, like a passing cloud.

She didn't dare desecrate her senior sister, so she had to endure and take care of it herself.

Thorns wrapped around her, driving her reason into the wilderness.

Until the scorching sun broke through the clouds, and the world was in full bloom.

After her breathing steadied, she pulled back and, without bothering to tidy herself up, first took a clean cloth to wipe her hands, carefully cleaning every finger.

Her expression was devout, as if she weren't tending to a body, but rather a merciful deity.

Even though she knew her senior sister could not respond, Meng Shuying still murmured to herself, "Sometimes I wonder how you would react if you knew I had done such disrespectful things to you."

"You're so gentle, I doubt you'd blame me."

"These things were hard the first time, but they become easier. Besides—"

Meng Shuying finished cleaning her hand and placed a kiss on her fingertip. "Besides, this isn't our first time doing this. During the trip to the Ten Directions Blessed Land, you remembered but pretended you didn't, which really hurt me."

Luckily, she remembered it herself when she advanced to the Small Success stage. That's when she realized they had already been together so long ago.

"Even though I was still young then and hadn't confessed my feelings to you, since you went ahead with it, you have to take responsibility. You can't just start something and then abandon it…"

If Su Luowei were outside, she would have been utterly shocked and would have cried out in innocence.

Back then, she was in a desperate situation and had no other choice. If she had known that Meng Shuying would dwell on this for years and use it as leverage to coax her into doing things she found embarrassing…

Su Luowei would never have made the same mistake again.

Ever since hearing the soft moans earlier, Su Luowei had been on edge. There was only one person in the inner chamber, and it was clear who was making those sounds.

But why would Meng Shuying make such noises when she was alone in the chamber?

Su Luowei couldn't sit still any longer. She stood up and began pacing back and forth, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation for Meng Shuying's unusual behavior.

Perhaps she was injured, hiding here to recover, and the pain was so intense that she couldn't help but cry out.

Yes, that must be it…

Su Luowei tried to convince herself, even walking up to the door and attempting to push it open.

If Meng Shuying was seriously injured, it wouldn't be right to leave her unattended.

She pushed on the door for a while, but it didn't budge. It was unclear whether her strength was too feeble or if the door was sealed with a powerful barrier.

Su Luowei forced herself to stay calm and returned to her chair, trying to wait patiently. But she couldn't sit for long; it felt as though the chair was covered in spikes, making her restless.

Her eyes were glued to the door, almost burning a hole through it with her gaze. She didn't know how much time had passed, but eventually, the door slowly opened a crack.

Su Luowei immediately walked in.

As soon as she stepped inside, she froze. The cold within the inner chamber was far more intense than outside, like stepping into an enormous ice cavern.

One step inside felt like entering a frozen tundra.

Even with the firestone she carried, the chill seeped through her sleeves, making her shiver as frost quickly formed on her eyebrows and eyelashes.

The cold was unbearable—how could Meng Shuying bear to stay in such a place?

And it wasn't just cold, it was also dimly lit. The walls were sealed tightly, with no windows, and the only door was the one Su Luowei had just entered through.

"Come in," someone said suddenly.

The voice came from behind the curtains. Su Luowei finally noticed a bed against the wall.

No, it wasn't really a bed. It was a solid block of ice, shaped into a rectangular form with brocade laid over it, and surrounded by curtains.

That voice…

Even after all these years, Su Luowei immediately recognized it as Meng Shuying's voice.

But it was cold, lacking the warmth she remembered from before.

She suppressed her excitement and the cold that pierced her bones, quickly walking over to the white curtains.

One corner of the curtains was lifted, revealing the person inside.

Meng Shuying sat at the edge of the bed, the curtains half-drawn. Her black robe and inner garments were carelessly tossed onto the ground.

She was only wearing a thin undershirt, exposing her collarbones and shoulders, looking as if she had just gotten out of bed.

Her heavy, messy bangs partially obscured her eyes, so Su Luowei could only see her unnaturally pale face and cherry-red lips.

Meng Shuying pushed her bangs aside, revealing her dark, intense eyes.

That's when Su Luowei noticed the satisfied, almost sated expression in her eyes.

Recalling the noises she had heard earlier, Su Luowei's face immediately turned crimson.

It wasn't just satisfaction from a meal.

It was as if she had been thoroughly indulged in several rounds.

The air was filled with a subtle fragrance, reminiscent of plum blossoms blooming in the cold.

Through Meng Shuying's figure, Su Luowei could see her former body lying peacefully on the brocade, looking just as she remembered.

Her previous self looked serene, as if she had passed away quietly.

But the clothes on that body seemed slightly disheveled.

Even in the face of such a scene, Su Luowei wished she could instantly return to her original body and lie down in that spot.

Even if it meant being a corpse, it would be better than facing this awkward situation.

Her eyes were wide with shock, but Meng Shuying seemed oblivious, calmly fixing her hair before asking, "Didn't Red Bean tell you not to look at things you shouldn't?"

Her tone was cold, but Su Luowei immediately sensed a murderous intent beneath it. It felt as though if she looked any longer, she would be forced to shut her eyes forever.

Su Luowei quickly lowered her head, her mind reeling. What had happened in the years she was gone? How had Meng Shuying become like this?

Red Bean had indeed warned her, but Su Luowei had been too overwhelmed with joy at the reunion to remember. She had completely forgotten all the warnings!

If she could go back in time, Su Luowei would rather gouge out her own eyes than witness this scene.

Meng Shuying, my dear disciple, how could you do something like this!

Su Luowei's heart was in turmoil, but she managed to maintain her composure. She couldn't speak, she was stuck with a stranger's face, and she had no cultivation. If she angered Meng Shuying, she might be killed on the spot, and that would truly be tragic!

With her head lowered, Su Luowei couldn't see Meng Shuying's face, only the sharp curve of her jaw and tightly pressed lips.

Her gaze drifted downward, landing on Meng Shuying's hand resting on the brocade. From her angle, she could see several scars running along the inside of her forearm.

The scars varied in depth, the shallowest barely visible, while the deepest was still healing. It was clear these injuries were inflicted over a long period.

A cultivator's ability to heal was extraordinary; only special weapons could leave scars like these.

These scars were not accidents—they were deliberately left untreated.

But why would she deliberately avoid healing these wounds?

Why would she, with such a high cultivation level, even have injuries like these?

And why were they in such a specific location?

The answer was almost too obvious.

Su Luowei glanced at her former body's wrist and immediately noticed the telltale scar that couldn't be erased.

Suddenly, her eyes stung with tears, and her chest tightened. She felt a rush of pity and concern, but before she could fully process these emotions, Meng Shuying angrily pulled the curtains shut. Her voice turned icy, brimming with a cold rage, "If you dare look at her again, I'll gouge your eyes out."

Xiao Meng: If Senior Sister knows...

Senior Sister (indifferent face): I already know, you still said that you want to gouge out my eyes

One day, Xiao Meng will use the moves he has figured out on Senior Sister

(o(*////▽///*)o