"Haa…"
A strange scene cccurred atop Sword Peak as Su Xiaobai bolted back with a speed that dwarfed his initial departure. His robes flew like storm clouds, and his expression was twisted into one of barely-contained surprise.
Fortunately, the inner and outer courts were nestled farther down the mountain. Otherwise, his mad dash might have caused a stir.
"Where is that woman?"
He appeared out of nowhere, grabbing Hu Jiao'er by the shoulder and spinning her around.
"Ah!?" Hu Jiao'er's startled cry turned into a glare as she instinctively raised her hand to slap whoever had dared touch her. But when her eyes landed on Su Xiaobai, the fiery anger in her gaze was replaced by a sly, calculating glint.
"Oh, looking for Elder Bai?" she asked, her lips curling into a smile.
"Who else...?" Su Xiaobai snapped. For a mont, his fingers twitched like he was considering wringing her neck. He thought better of it—she might be weaker than Bai Yujian, but she was still stronger than him.
Hu i'er, standing to the side, blinked in astonishnt. Did this guy really just call Elder Bai 'that woman'? Out loud?
Hu Jiao'er was stunned too, though she quickly recovered. She jabbed her finger toward the villa at the peak's summit. "She went back to her residence."
"Finally." Su Xiaobai snorted before turning and vanishing again, his silhouette disappearing like a fleeting shadow.
The two sisters stood in stunned silence for a mont. Then Hu i'er nudged her sibling, pointing to her hand.
It was only then that Hu Jiao'er noticed the smooth weight of spirit stones in her palm.
"That man…" Her lips twitched as her face flushed with both anger and begrudging amusent.
Without a second thought, she hurled the stones to the ground. "Does he think I'm so cheap courtesan who needs paynt for a favor!?"
Hu i'er stared at her sister blankly, unsure whether she was more furious or impressed. After all, Hu Jiao'er was clenching her fists like she wanted to pulverize Su Xiaobai into paste—while smiling like she had just found her favorite new plaything.
"What a clever bastard…" Hu Jiao'er muttered, her voice caught sowhere between a growl and a laugh.
_____
Back at the Peak Lord's Residence.
BAM!
The doors slamd open, creaking like they might shatter under Su Xiaobai's sheer courage. Knocking? Politeness? That was for people not plotting revenge against Bai Yujian.
"Hey—"
The servant barely got a word out before Su Xiaobai waved them off. His eyes were locked on the inner hall, his target in sight.
And there she was.
Bai Yujian.
Seated before a mirror, her robe barely clinging to her shoulders, revealing pale skin that seed to glow in the light. A faint trace of steam hung in the air, the scent of herbal oils betraying her intent—she'd been preparing for a bath. Her hair spilled like rivers of ink, framing a face too flawless for mortal comprehension.
Her phoenix eyes flicked to him in the mirror, sharp and cold, glowing with the dangerous amusent of soone who might kill just for fun.
For a mont, Su Xiaobai froze. Not out of guilt—he'd long since killed off whatever sha he might've had—but because seeing her like this, so unguarded, was like catching a predator mid-yawn.
"Perfect," he thought, his grin curling. "A goddess when she's calm, a demon when she's angry. She's wasted on this mountain."
His eyes dipped. He didn't even pretend to be subtle. The robe teased curves that could topple empires, and her bare legs—smooth, toned, and unbothered—rested against the chair with careless grace. The room itself seed blessed by her presence, except for one glaring anomaly.
That parasol.
It stood propped casually by her side, its handle resting within arm's reach, as if it were just an accessory. But Su Xiaobai knew better. He'd seen enough to recognize the hum of power that pulsed faintly from its surface, the runes etched into its surface almost invisible until the light hit them just right.
"Why the hell does she drag that thing everywhere?" he'd wondered before.
Then it moved.
Bai Yujian's fingers brushed the handle, almost absentmindedly, and with a soft hiss, the parasol shifted. Its canopy folded in with a tallic click, revealing the shield hidden within—sleek, elegant, and etched with ancient markings that pulsed faintly.
But that wasn't all.
With a fluid motion, she pulled on the parasol's handle, and Su Xiaobai's eyes widened as a blade slid free, its edge gleaming like a crescent moon.
A parasol, a shield, and a sword—all in one.
"No wonder she keeps it close," he thought, the grin slipping from his face for a split second.
Her reflection caught his surprise, and her lips curved into the faintest smirk.
"If you're done gawking," Bai Yujian said, her voice cool as a mountain stream, "I'll give you a reason to kneel. First your head, then your other head."
She was still angry. The last incident clearly hadn't blown over. Not that Su Xiaobai cared.
He barked out a laugh, his usual arrogance returning. "Relax," he said, his tone light, "I'm not here to stare at your weapons."
His eyes dipped again, bold and shaless. "Well, not just those weapons."
Bai Yujian's fingers twitched as she glared at him through the mirror.
That glare of hers could break n—or beds.
Why was this insufferable disciple so casual, so bold? Her patience, already thinner than the edge of her blade, was starting to fray.
Before she could lash out, Su Xiaobai moved first.
From his spatial ring, he pulled a coffin.
THUD.
The sound echoed like a thunderclap, silencing the room.
Bai Yujian froze, her gaze snapping to the coffin. Slowly, she turned, her robe slipping just enough to reveal the soft valley between her breasts. Her phoenix eyes narrowed. She'd been changing clothes, preparing for her bath, and this bastard had barged in uninvited.
"Speak," she said, her voice sharp as steel. "Or I'll bury you in it."
Su Xiaobai didn't flinch. Instead, he hefted the coffin with exaggerated care, the grin on his face sharpening into sothing mocking.
"This," he said, slapping the lid, "you left in my room. Care to explain why you thought this was a funny joke?"
Her brows furrowed, but her expression remained unreadable.
It was the sa coffin.
So, he'd found it.
Without a word, Bai Yujian rose. The parasol vanished in a shimr of light as she draped a robe over her shoulders. Her movents were deliberate, graceful, yet filled with an air of nace.
She stepped closer, stopping just before the coffin. Its lid was already open.
Inside lay a block of crystalline ice, shimring faintly.
But Su Xiaobai's eyes weren't on the ice. They were fixed on the figure sealed within.
Long white hair spilled across the frozen surface, obscuring most of the face, but there was no mistaking her. That delicate face. Those fragile hands.
Xiao i.
His little sister.
Alive.
But untouchable.
The silence grew heavy, almost suffocating, until Bai Yujian finally broke it.
"It's her, isn't it? Your sister."
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"Yes." His tone was flat, but his eyes burned with fury.
His mind shook, his thoughts a mix of disbelief and anger. How did she know? Xiao i had appeared during the trial yesterday—a painful mory dredged up from his heart. Had Bai Yujian seen it?
Of course, she did.
The trial had laid bare everything he wanted to protect. And this woman—this arrogant, sadistic goddess—had taken that mory and twisted it into this. A replica.
She recreated her, he thought, his fists clenching. She dragged Xiao i out of my nightmares and left her here like a joke.
His chest tightened, his fury bubbling over.
Was this so sick prank?
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