He already possessed the body of an Immortal—what a mortal would consider eternal and indestructible.
Yet as he rode his sword through the clouds, the biting, whistling wind still made Pei Yuhang shiver.
'Perhaps it isn't a physical cold, but a chill in my heart.'
The closer Pei Yuhang drew to the Cold Palace Sword Mansion, the colder he felt. It wasn't due to the snow that had fallen for millennia, but because of the two adorable disciples eagerly awaiting his return within it.
The Spirit Sword beneath his feet dissolved, and Pei Yuhang descended slowly from the sky.
Qing Yueqiu, who emulated her master's style by also wearing white robes, was the first to step forward.
She looked at Pei Yuhang's faintly weary face, wanting to say more. But when she rembered she was rely her master's disciple and not his Dao Companion, she settled for a single, reserved greeting.
"Master, you're back."
Before Pei Yuhang could even speak, another, more petite figure threw herself into his arms.
"Master, Xiaoxiao missed you so much while you were gone~ Honestly, since you were invited to a banquet, why didn't you bring your adorable Xiaoxiao along?"
"Does that an Master doesn't like having Xiaoxiao around?"
Yu Xiaoyan said, looking utterly pitiful from within Pei Yuhang's embrace.
"Of course Master could never dislike Xiaoxiao. It's just that Guoxin Island is only open to invited Cultivators, and our Cold Palace Sword Mansion only had one invitation."
Pei Yuhang stroked Yu Xiaoyan's head, and the guilt in his heart seed to ease just a little.
Yu Xiaoyan narrowed her eyes and nuzzled against his chest like a cat, humming softly. "Then you have to promise to take Xiaoxiao to other banquets in the future, Master, okay~?"
"Alright. I'll take you with in the future."
Satisfied with his answer, Yu Xiaoyan shot a smug, smiling glance at her Senior Sister, who could only watch with envy as she enjoyed their master's affection.
'How ridiculous. You rushed over here first, only to offer such a stiff greeting.'
'Senior Sister, you're so useless~'
However, Pei Yuhang's next words made the triumphant Yu Xiaoyan secretly clench her teeth.
Pei Yuhang then looked at his first disciple, who stood alone in the snow, a hint of disappointnt on her face.
He said in a gentle voice, "Yueqiu, the next ti I go out, I'll be sure to take you both."
With that, Pei Yuhang retrieved two Spirit Fruits, their surfaces covered in strange patterns, from his Jiezhi Storage Ring and handed one to each of his disciples.
"My own master brought this sa kind of fruit back from Guoxin Island years ago. I still rember how delicious they were. You two should try them."
Qing Yueqiu froze. As she took the Spirit Fruit, her fingers accidentally brushed against her master's. The warmth from his touch was strikingly clear in the cold night.
An undeniable blush crept onto her fair cheeks. She tucked a stray, snow-dusted lock of silver hair behind her ear, her ruby-red eyes glancing away shyly.
"Mm... If Master is willing to take , then I will definitely go."
...…
After getting his two clingy disciples to return to their rooms with the excuse that "it's getting late, you should rest."
Pei Yuhang's heart, which had been lodged in his throat, finally settled.
'Thankfully, I washed off the perfu before I ca back. It seems Xiaoxiao and Yueqiu didn't sll anything.'
But next... he had to go see Liyuan.
They had agreed that he would go see her after he returned and tell her all about what Guoxin Island was like.
After all, Liyuan had never been there.
'If she hadn't been wounded by the Celestial Tribulation, she probably could have gone with today...'
The thought only made Pei Yuhang feel more guilty. Recalling what had happened in the bamboo forest before he left Guoxin Island now filled him with imnse regret.
He had just wanted to get away from Shang Miaoyan, and yet... he had actually chosen to kiss her.
It was different from the forced, suffocating kiss he'd given her while under the control of the Demon-Planting Mark.
This kiss had been his own choice. If the kiss under the Demon-Planting Mark's control had been a nightmare, this one was extraordinarily real.
The jelly-like feel of her lips.
The sweet taste of her tongue.
He had felt Shang Miaoyan's presence with every pore of his being.
'Now that I've co to my senses, I see I've fallen right into that Witch's trap.'
'She knew that only if I initiated it would I clearly rember the sensation of kissing her.'
'And so, from now on, every ti I kiss Liyuan, I'll be reminded of the taste of my kiss with Shang Miaoyan.'
'It's been a hundred years... I had only just managed to forget...'
Pei Yuhang felt a bitter bile rise in his throat.
...…
「In the seclusion chamber.」
Ye Liyuan humd a cheerful song to herself. In a rare move, she had brought out a mirror and was admiring her own beauty and figure.
'She'd never been like this in the past.'
'But just as Ah Han said, perhaps after losing my Cultivation, my mindset really has reverted to that of a young girl with a crush.'
"Hmm, Ah Han likes to wear white, but... he seems to prefer it when I wear black or purple gauze skirts. They have to be short and sheer, and paired with stockings woven from white or black silk."
"Tsk. Ah Han seems so proper on the outside, but he's actually quite wild."
Ye Liyuan muttered to herself, holding up one outfit after another against her body.
She wanted to dress up for him, to see a look of pleasant surprise in Ah Han's eyes.
"Hmph, hmph. You silly Ah Han~ Your Dao Companion is dressing up just for you, so you'd better appreciate it~!"
"If I'd successfully passed my Celestial Tribulation, I wouldn't have ti to be dressing up for you. I'd be completely focused on my cultivation, with no attention to spare for you..."
Even though she was alone in the chamber, Ye Liyuan was still making stubborn excuses. If Pei Yuhang could see her now, he'd probably be laughing to himself about what a little tsundere she was.
KNOCK KNOCK—
A knock sounded at the door.
Joy flashed in Ye Liyuan's eyes, but she maintained her composure and said, "Co in."
After a mont of silence from outside, Pei Yuhang's weary voice finally ca.
"Liyuan, I drank too much Spirit Wine tonight and need to go back to refine it... You should get so rest too. Please don't stay up this late again."
Ye Liyuan opened her mouth, but in the end, said nothing.
'Right now, all the expenses of the Cold Sun Sword Mansion depended on Pei Yuhang alone.'
'He's running all over the sect, begging for help to heal my body, which was ravaged by the Celestial Tribulation... He's working so hard. It's perfectly understandable that he'd want to go rest after being forced to drink so much Spirit Wine for social functions, isn't it?'
'As his Dao Companion, not only can I not share his burdens, but I'm constantly holding him back. What right do I have to bla him now?'
Ye Liyuan set down the clothes she had so carefully selected and, in a soft voice, called out to Pei Yuhang on the other side of the door.
"Ah Han, please don't push yourself so hard. You need to take care of yourself, too."
...
WHOOSH—
The sound of the wind was sharp in Pei Yuhang's ears.
The wind howling around the Cold Palace Sword Mansion tonight seed particularly fierce.
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