Hidden Scars and a Journey to Cold Moon Mountain

Upon hearing those words, White Snow Jade’s already anxious heart tightened into a painful knot.

‘Check?’

‘How could she possibly check?!’

‘Was she expecting me to stand up for an examination?’

‘That would expose absolutely everything!’

While the master and disciple had never explicitly articulated any particular feelings, an undeniable atmosphere of intimacy had always permeated their interactions.

She dared not contemplate the repercussions if Qiu Yan were to discover the character [Xia] etched upon her skin.

However, White Snow Jade swiftly regained her composure.

To suggest a “check” at such a moment was, she realized, far too audacious.

Although certain moments spent with her master had undeniably been charged with an ambiguous tension.

There had, however, been no explicit physical contact or overt actions between them.

Much less a full, revealing physical examination.

Therefore, Qiu Yan’s mention of a “check” could only refer to a routine examination, uttered at this specific juncture merely to create a playful, suggestive tension.

‘Damn it,’ White Snow Jade silently chastised herself, realizing her excessive nervousness had nearly led her astray.

Maintaining an unblemished facade, she widened her eyes in feigned astonishment.

“Master… what kind of check are you referring to, Master!”

Qiu Yan played along, deliberately knitting her brows as she inquired with an air of bewilderment:

“To take your pulse, of course.”

She savored the maiden’s bashful demeanor before her, an expression she had never once witnessed on Senior Aunt Xue’s face.

Glimpsing it in White Snow Jade’s eyes, Qiu Yan could almost envision Senior Aunt Xue’s own bashful countenance.

“Master!” White Snow Jade playfully chided, her lips forming a slight pout. “Didn’t you already take my pulse just moments ago? I’m certainly fine; with Master’s medicine, I merely need to rest quietly for a bit longer.”

This statement was a subtle, guiding hint, gently suggesting to Qiu Yan that her present condition was best suited for serene recuperation.

Though Qiu Yan possessed a keen intellect and a naturally suspicious disposition, on this occasion, she chose to interpret White Snow Jade’s words as nothing more than a maiden’s bashful avoidance.

After all, to extrapolate from such trivialities to the notion of a hidden, undiscoverable secret on the girl’s body seemed utterly implausible.

Slowly, she rose to her feet. “Very well, Yao’er, you should rest. After about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, you may return to your own room.”

With that, she stood and departed from the inner chamber.

Only when Qiu Yan had fully exited the room did White Snow Jade’s elaborate charade finally cease.

A look of profound weariness settled upon her face, and she gasped for breath, still trembling with lingering fear.

The events of that fateful day had seared themselves into her very being, an indelible brand upon her life. While the preceding days of travel had offered some reprieve, the moment she saw her master, the memories of what transpired had begun to flash relentlessly through her mind.

They served as a constant, tormenting reminder.

White Snow Jade’s hand, clasped unconsciously around her thigh, tightened its grip, leaving yet another distinct, crimson palm print upon the etched character [Xia].

Only by personally slaying Xia Niansheng would this torment truly come to an end for her.

****

Xia Niansheng, of course, harbored no sense of guilt whatsoever.

In his previous life, Qiu Yan had been the mastermind behind his downfall, orchestrating his entrapment. Even White Snow Jade, whom he had considered his sole pillar of support, ultimately chose to side with her master, turning against him.

Disregarding their past affections was one thing, but in the end, she had actively fanned the flames from behind the scenes, accelerating his demise.

Thus, for this treacherous master and disciple pair, Xia Niansheng was determined to unleash the most severe form of retribution.

Pondering these rather mundane thoughts, Xia Niansheng procured some food from the inner sect’s mess hall, carrying it in a wooden bucket as he made his way toward Cold Moon Mountain.

Cold Moon Mountain was, in fact, one of the places Xia Niansheng knew best.

In his previous life, after Duan Xi Shen’s ritual sacrifice had utterly ravaged his meridians, he had been rescued by Senior Aunt Xue, yet remained a complete cripple.

Driven by her inherent sense of justice, Senior Aunt Xue, after saving him, had arranged for him to reside among the disciples of Cold Moon Mountain.

Xia Niansheng, having always projected the image of a benevolent senior brother with an impeccable reputation, found himself among disciples whose characters, shaped by Senior Aunt Xue’s tutelage, were naturally beyond reproach.

Yet, during that somber period, his heart had sunk into a profound silence, and it was only much later that he gradually began to comprehend certain truths.

Subsequently, Senior Aunt Xue perished in battle, and he became a target for Qiu Yan.

His current journey to Cold Moon Mountain was not, however, to seek out Senior Aunt Xue. After all, the future stretched long before them, and if he intended to purge the frigid poison from her, he would first require meticulous preparation.

Moreover, the timing had to be absolutely perfect.

They were, after all, neither kin nor close acquaintances; at best, they were a Senior Aunt and her junior disciple from the same sect.

He couldn’t simply approach her and say, ‘Senior Aunt Xue, surely you wouldn’t wish to endure the torment of frigid poison every night, would you…?’

Such an overture would undoubtedly earn him a swift expulsion from Cold Moon Mountain by Senior Aunt Xue herself.

Xia Niansheng’s true destination on Cold Moon Mountain was a person named Wen Zhi.

Wen Zhi, Senior Aunt Xue’s direct disciple.

She was also a supporting character in the grand scheme of things.

Just a few years prior, her brilliance within the sect had rivaled that of White Snow Jade.

Possessing equally exceptional talent and radiating the same captivating brilliance.

While Wen Zhi and White Snow Jade had no open conflicts, numerous disciples often drew comparisons between the two.

Both were formidable candidates for the esteemed position of Saintess.

However, a tragic accident had befallen her; Wen Zhi was poisoned and subsequently succumbed to a grave illness.

Her cultivation was utterly scattered, and both her eyes were rendered sightless.

She had been utterly reduced to a cripple.

Following this devastating turn, she had retreated to Cold Moon Mountain to recuperate, never again gracing public gatherings.

Indeed, she had virtually vanished without a trace.

Although Xia Niansheng, in his previous life, had always adhered to the pragmatic philosophy of “clinging to the female lead’s coattails.”

Yet, before her misfortune, Wen Zhi had consistently been a true friend to him.

Perhaps it was because she had thoroughly imbibed Senior Aunt Xue’s noble character, but she held a genuine fondness for the similarly kind-hearted Xia Niansheng.

Over time, their bond deepened into friendship, and he would often visit to look after her.

In his previous life, after he had settled on Cold Moon Mountain, it was Wen Zhi who had gently guided him out of his profound despair.

That particular period represented the most tranquil days Xia Niansheng had experienced since his transmigration.

“To possess the power to resist is the greatest happiness,” she had told him.

She had uttered these words to him, her eyes, though clouded and dim, somehow still glimmering with a faint light.

However, Senior Aunt Xue later fell in battle, the Heavenly Spirit Sect underwent tumultuous changes, Cold Moon Mountain became desolate as its inhabitants dispersed, and he found himself imprisoned by Qiu Yan.

Subsequently, he managed to escape, only to be maliciously framed by Qiu Yan.

Furthermore, after Senior Aunt Xue’s demise, he had never laid eyes on Wen Zhi again.

‘That wretched editor…’

‘This twisted world…’

For supporting characters, no matter how virtuous, a happy ending was an absolute impossibility.

Having endured such profound ugliness, Xia Niansheng found himself cherishing beauty and goodness all the more.

Guided by the vivid memories of his past life, he ascended Cold Moon Mountain, skillfully evading the scattered crowds as he veered onto a secluded path nearby.

After a series of twists and turns, he eventually arrived at the entrance of a quiet courtyard.

Sunlight cascaded down, illuminating the maiden seated at the courtyard entrance, her fair skin appearing to glow with an ethereal luminescence.

She sat there, otherworldly and untouched by worldly affairs, much like an ethereal sprite from the forest, her beauty so profound that it seemed to compel time itself to pause.

Yet… the maiden’s eyes were a clouded, vacant grey, utterly devoid of light or luster.

It made one wonder if the heavens, disallowing such perfect existence in the mortal realm, had thus stolen the vibrant sparkle from her once-lively eyes.

Hearing Xia Niansheng’s unmasked footsteps, the maiden lifted her head, her unseeing eyes turning in his direction.

“Senior Sister Wen, I’ve returned.”

Upon recognizing the voice of the newcomer, a faint, gentle smile blossomed on Wen Zhi’s face.

In the serene moment she offered that smile, the severe cloudiness in her eyes seemed to fade into insignificance.

Xia Niansheng gazed intently at Wen Zhi’s face. Her eyes held no light, yet paradoxically, it was these very lusterless orbs that illuminated something within him.

Wen Zhi, gentle and refined as jade, possessed a heart as resilient as the Angelica root itself.

He carefully placed the food he had brought from the mess hall beside Wen Zhi.

“I returned in such haste this time that I couldn’t prepare a meal for you, Senior Sister. These dishes are from the mess hall, but rest assured, they are all your favorites. Please, eat them while they are still warm.”

“Thank you, Junior Brother.”

Wen Zhi’s voice was exquisitely gentle, flowing like a clear, murmuring stream.

This made her seem all the more pure and virtuous.

Wen Zhi’s eyelashes fluttered delicately, like the wings of a butterfly.

She then extended a slender hand, slowly trailing her fingers along the floor, guiding them towards the spot where Xia Niansheng had placed the food container.

Her movements were imbued with a poignant carefulness, and as Xia Niansheng witnessed this, a pang of heartache flickered in his eyes.

“You went on a mission with White Snow Jade, didn’t you?” Wen Zhi suddenly asked.