Frost

Xuan Lie gazed at the tip of the tail hovering near his belly for a long while before withdrawing his gaze. He began to discuss business as if nothing had happened. “Their haste in selling off artifacts for spirit stones may be related to whether your disciple lives or dies.”

“That ungrateful wolf Shen Fenglin has already been expelled; he is no longer my disciple.” Bai Yujing, never one to hide his thoughts for long, couldn’t resist probing after a moment of silence. “But since he isn’t dead, what does the Sovereign plan to do next? Find him and pull him up by the roots?”

Xuan Lie did not answer. Instead, he looked down at him. “Do you hate him that much?”

“Of course,” Bai Yujing said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Just like the person who left that wound on your chest—does the Sovereign not hate him?”

“I do not.”

Bai Yujing paused, suddenly recalling the dream Xuan Lie had described earlier. He found himself at a loss for words, eventually managing a dry remark: “…Then you truly are magnanimous.”

Xuan Lie remained noncommittal.

Bai Yujing loathed this enigmatic act of his, but he had no choice. He suppressed his annoyance and feigned obedience. “Since we cannot alert the enemy, yet we cannot sit and wait for death, what should we do next?”

“After Song Qingyu ascended, he left me only two clues: one is Shen Fenglin, the other is the ‘Seed,'” Xuan Lie said. “Find that seed, and everything will be resolved.”

This version of the story differed slightly from what Bai Yujing had heard before. The eerie blue “System” on Shen Fenglin had called it an “Immortal Seed,” yet Song Qingyu insisted it was merely a “Seed.”

…Why the discrepancy?

As he pondered, Bai Yujing said, “But searching for a single seed across the Three Thousand Worlds is like looking for a needle in a haystack. I am not a spirit plant; I fear I cannot be of much help to the Sovereign.”

With his molting imminent, he felt as if his tail were on fire. He desperately wanted to provoke Xuan Lie into casting him aside so he could find a place to hide and prepare. He did not want to reach his molting day only to be caught and toyed with by his snake tail.

“No matter.” Xuan Lie didn’t take the bait. Instead, he spoke with matter-of-fact authority: “We shall simply visit the Frostflower Demon Queen.”

“She is of spirit plant origin; surely she will have a way.”

Bai Yujing: “…”

…Excuse me? Does Jiang Xinyue even know you, big brother?

In the end, Bai Yujing couldn’t win against Xuan Lie’s overwhelming will. Xuan Lie directly notified Jiang Xinyue in the name of the Xuantian Immortal Sovereign, commanding her to prepare for his arrival. His imperious attitude made him seem less like the leader of the Righteous Path and more like the newly appointed Empress of the Demon Emperor, causing Bai Yujing to curse him silently.

The Frostflower Middle World was a natural realm of ice and snow, so cold that no cultivator below the Golden Core stage could endure it. Therefore, before departing—and adhering to his philosophy of maintaining his “act” before Xuan Lie—Bai Yujing began rummaging through his jade bracelet for cold-resistant clothing.

Seeing this, Xuan Lie walked over and pulled a set of robes directly from the bracelet, his tone leaving no room for argument: “Wear this set.”

Bai Yujing froze.

The robes looked as if they had been tailored long ago, waiting in the bracelet for their true owner. The usually picky Bai Yujing remained uncharacteristically silent, standing before the mirror and allowing the other man to dress him like a doll.

Fortunately, Xuan Lie’s taste wasn’t as abysmal as he had feared.

The plain white robes were trimmed with a snow-like fur collar, the soft down softening the haughtiness of his features. However, to contrast the frost-white, Xuan Lie paired it with a brilliant crimson cloak. The intense color contrast created a soul-stirring beauty that made even Bai Yujing daze for a moment.

—It looked far too much like his true self.

Not in terms of facial features, but in the aura it projected.

Xuan Lie stood behind him, reaching out to straighten the fur collar. “How is it?”

“…Beautiful.” Bai Yujing smiled at the mirror and tilted his face up. “I love whatever the Sovereign chooses for me.”

“…”

Xuan Lie was silent for a moment, then produced a single white jade earring. “Turn your head.”

Bai Yujing could have acted spoiled and said he was afraid of the pain; if he didn’t want to wear it, no one could force him. Yet, as if possessed, he said nothing and instead obediently tilted his head.

Xuan Lie whispered, “Endure it for a moment.”

A cold sensation touched his earlobe. Before Bai Yujing could brace himself, a sharp, faint sting flared up. He shuddered and looked at his reflection in the mirror.

A tiny bead of blood seeped out against his earlobe, making the flawless jade earring shine like a bright moon. Xuan Lie reached up and gently wiped away the drop of blood.

His movements were slow. In that instant, Bai Yujing had an inexplicable hallucination—as if the place the man truly wanted to hang an ornament wasn’t his earlobe, but… somewhere else.

“…!”

As the thought surfaced, Bai Yujing trembled violently and subconsciously pressed his legs together.

My body is so strange… damn it, this is how pathetic the body gets before molting. I have to find a way quickly…

“Does it hurt?”

“…It doesn’t.”

Xuan Lie pressed his palm against the snake’s waist, feeling the tremors beneath his touch. He asked, feigning ignorance, “If it doesn’t hurt, why are you trembling?”

“…”

Bai Yujing’s cheeks burned like fire. He remained stubborn. “I told you I wasn’t trembling. The Sovereign saw wrong.”

Xuan Lie paused, a fleeting glint of amusement appearing in his eyes. He straightened the earring he had personally placed, looked at the person in the mirror, and offered a rare compliment: “A waist like flowing silk, ears adorned with bright moon-pearls.”

…You poetic, broken stone.

Bai Yujing stood before the mirror, biting his lip as he was scrutinized. Fortunately, after finishing with the earring, Xuan Lie finally satisfied himself and let him go. Bai Yujing let out a nearly imperceptible sigh of relief and immediately cast a subtle Cleansing Charm on his lower body.

The next day, the group prepared to depart from Babao. Joining Su Jiushao at the teleportation array were the two remaining Su family disciples.

Bai Yujing frowned. “The other fellow Daoists need not follow. Miss Jiushao alone is enough to accompany us.”

Su Jiushao was flattered and quickly replied, “Thank you for the favor, Senior.”

The other two disciples exchanged glances, but they didn’t dare to disobey. They lowered their heads. “…Yes.”

That same day, in the Frostflower Middle World, at the Suchen Teleportation Altar.

Amidst a vast expanse of snow, Jiang Xinyue stood alone on the silver-clad earth. She spoke softly, “You have traveled far; I apologize for the lack of a proper welcome. Please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality.”

Bai Yujing gave a symbolic bow. “The Demon Queen is too kind.”

Su Jiushao had been secretly observing the legendary Empress of the North. Seeing that the Frostflower Demon Queen wasn’t as cold as rumored, and seemingly held no grudge against Xuan Lie over the Demon Emperor’s fall, she was startled into her own greeting when Bai Yujing moved. “This junior greets Your Majesty.”

“I dare not accept the title of ‘Majesty,'” Jiang Xinyue replied, returning half a bow despite being a Demon Queen. “The young lady overpraises me.”

After a few rounds of pleasantries, it was Xuan Lie’s turn to speak. He offered no polite conversation, getting straight to the point: “Among the group I notified you about, some likely carry items that do not belong to this world. You must be careful.”

Bai Yujing was startled. Which group?

But he soon realized Xuan Lie was likely referring to Liuming’s group. So, the reason the man chose the Frostflower world wasn’t actually because he thought Jiang Xinyue could solve the “Seed” issue, but because he sensed Liuming’s group was heading here.

But how did Xuan Lie know they were coming? Did he place a tracking talisman on them? No, if he had, Bai Yujing would have noticed…

Wait.

A realization hit Bai Yujing like a bolt of lightning.

—There was no tracking talisman. The problem was the pile of spirit stones they had spent at the auction.

In the moment he understood, Bai Yujing’s scalp tingled at the sheer depth of Xuan Lie’s cunning. He looked down at the red jade on his wrist.

…How did I never notice this stone was this manipulative?

“Thank you for the warning, Sovereign. However, I have already sent people to search the Frostflower world and found nothing of what you described,” Jiang Xinyue said. “As for the other Demon Realms… I cannot decide that alone. I fear I must consult with the other Demon Kings.”

Xuan Lie countered, “When can the other three Kings arrive?”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xinyue stole a subtle glance at Bai Yujing.

Bai Yujing paused, realizing this was a perfect opportunity to molt. Given what he just discovered, he wasn’t confident he could hide from this deep, perverted stone in any other world. But this place was different.

A world ruled by a Demon King was comparable to the interior of a Private Realm. Regardless of being an “Immortal Sovereign,” even if Xuan Lie were the King of Heaven himself, he wouldn’t be able to find him on demon territory.

With his mind made up, Bai Yujing sent a message via divine sense: [I will molt here. Tell him that Cangwu, that stupid dog, is busy and needs half a month to get here.]

Jiang Xinyue withdrew her gaze smoothly. “…The territory of the Gale Demon King is in flux. It will likely take fifteen days for him to arrive. I ask the Sovereign to rest here in the meantime.”

Xuan Lie didn’t seem to suspect anything. He nodded. “As soon as possible.”

“One more thing,” Jiang Xinyue added. “The group you mentioned has arrived. However, it seems only two of them came, not the five you described.”

Only two?

Bai Yujing paused. Xuan Lie looked down. “What is it?”

Bai Yujing snapped back to reality with a smile. “Nothing. I was just thinking… since only two came, if we were to ‘lose’ one of them… it shouldn’t be considered alerting the enemy, right?”

Su Jiushao gasped, her eyes widening as she understood the implication.

Xuan Lie’s expression remained unchanged. “It would not.”

“In that case, I want to go see them and say hello.”

“After all… they are children I raised with my own hands.”

Bai Yujing gently took hold of the man’s arm, acting spoiled. “I ask the Sovereign’s permission.”

“Very well,” Xuan Lie nodded. “Go and return quickly.”