The snow continued to fall, though not densely, drifting like willow catkins in the wind, swept along at an angle.
The rich floral fragrance was intoxicating. A young man stood beneath another peach tree, unsure how long he had been there, or how long he had been gazing.
A faint golden light spilled onto the immortal’s icy white eyebrows. Clad in a snow-white robe, with silver hair and a white cloth blindfolding his eyes, he appeared cold and detached, devoid of desire or demand, as if nothing could touch his heart or catch his eye.
Yet, facing that verdant, soft creature, an inner tenderness was inadvertently revealed, a tenderness perhaps unnoticed even by herself. Her brows and eyes were so gentle, and to the young man, so infuriatingly so.
On what grounds?
On what grounds, exactly?
To torture him into becoming a cripple and imprison him in the Abyss Sea, neglecting him, leaving him to live like a walking corpse for five hundred years, while this hypocrite, this man, could still manage a smile.
It was too laughable, truly too laughable. He was simply the most laughable person in the world.
His breathing involuntarily grew heavy, a deep crimson light surfacing in Bi Lian’s pupils. The pain and rage of world-ending devastation burned through his dwindling sanity. His dark, hollow eyes fixed on a single spot, like a demon crawled from hell, ready to devour at any moment.
As if sensing the scorching, malicious gaze, the white-robed immortal frowned, turning his face. "Who is there?" he asked coldly.
The youth remained silent. At this moment, he could no longer hear any sound. His eyes, burning a dark crimson, stared intently at Shen Yue, sending chills down one's spine.
The prolonged silence made Shen Yue’s expression increasingly frigid. Just as she was about to cast a spell to expel the intruder, the hidden figure finally stepped forward and spoke.
"I, I am a newly initiated disciple… May I ask who you are?"
His stammering voice carried the boyish shyness of youth. He seemed very nervous, his words becoming hesitant.
Shen Yue pursed her lips, the coldness on her face receding. She surmised that a new disciple had accidentally wandered in, perhaps startled by her aura, which explained their silence.
Thus, her voice, while not as icy as before, did not become particularly soft either. "This is not a place you should be. Go back."
Bi Lian drew closer, his face devoid of expression, yet his voice was exceptionally lively and spirited, tinged with an innocent rudeness: "Your eyes are blindfolded with white cloth; are you perhaps the legendary Xi Yu Immortal Venerable?"
Shen Yue narrowed her brows, her expression serene. Scattered petals drifted gracefully onto her pristine, unblemished robe, lingering as if reluctant to leave.
She seemed unwilling to say more. "Yes."
"I am truly so happy to meet you! Xi Yu Immortal Venerable, I admire you so very much! I came to Qingyun Sect just for you! Are you still accepting disciples? I am very talented! I will work hard and never fail your expectations!"
His tone was excited and impassioned, like the exhilaration of seeing one’s role model and hero.
Bi Lian knew Shen Yue’s character; he knew she detested verbose people. However, no one had ever dared to speak so boldly to Shen Yue before. She was too cold, seemingly too unapproachable. Ordinary disciples would become incredibly nervous speaking in her presence, let alone uttering such audacious and thick-skinned words.
Therefore, facing such a situation for the first time, Shen Yue was initially a little bewildered, then became somewhat flustered.
Bi Lian noticed Shen Yue subtly purse her lips with unease after he had spoken those words filled with reverence and respect. At the same time, he got a clearer look at Shen Yue’s silver hair.
He couldn’t recall Shen Yue’s hair being this color before. Not only that, but her eyebrows were also white. Her face, perpetually frozen in an icy demeanor, was imbued with an undeniable fragility due to this color, deepening its coldness.
Yet, the more indifferent she appeared, the more it ignited a destructive impulse within one’s heart.
It made one desire to stain that pure white canvas with different colors.
Her robes were immaculate, her eyes like frigid ice, cold as frost and snow.
At this moment, she seemed slightly flustered by the bold words spoken by a disciple.
No one understood Shen Yue’s expressions better than Bi Lian. He could even guess her emotions from the subtlest of her movements.
She displayed so few expressions, making her seem difficult to fathom.
But in reality, Bi Lian knew that Shen Yue’s thoughts were simpler and easier to guess than anyone else’s.
Flustered?
Bi Lian doubted his own perception for the first time, feeling the word “flustered” to be particularly ironic when applied to Shen Yue.
Shen Yue could not see, so she was unaware that the disciple speaking to her with such reverence and admiration was revealing malicious mockery in his eyes.
Wasn’t it ironic? This cold-blooded, heartless hypocrite, who could ruthlessly harm his own junior brothers and disciples, did he possess any conscience at all?
He suspected Shen Yue’s heart was entirely black, or perhaps she had no heart at all.
Bi Lian’s thoughts were openly displayed on his face. He saw no need to conceal them, as Shen Yue couldn’t see anyway; she was blind.
He was taking advantage of Shen Yue’s blindness, bullying her because of her visual impairment.
Yet, his tone remained respectful and adoring as he gazed at the exalted immortal.
The white-robed immortal was just as he remembered: cool and aloof, still lofty and solitary.
But he lowered his eyes, fearing the uncontainable hatred and malice in his gaze might be detected. He forced a sarcastic, cold smile, speaking words that completely contradicted his expression.
"Immortal Venerable, why don’t you speak? If you don’t speak, I’ll assume you agree."
Shen Yue’s expression was cold and indifferent, her voice utterly chilling: "Do you not know that I only ever take one disciple in my life? Go back, and do not come here again carelessly."
Her intention to dismiss him was clear. Normally, disciples would not dare to linger, as only very few were unafraid of Xi Yu Immortal Venerable’s cold demeanor.
Bi Lian almost burst into laughter. Yes, one disciple; how glorious and honorable it seemed! But who knew the fate of her sole disciple?
His bones were scraped away alive, dying under the Hua Que, simply because he possessed demonic bones. He had never killed anyone, nor harmed anyone. It was only because of the prophecy of Wu Xu that he met such a tragic end.
His eyes turned blood-red, a confluence of violence and slaughter.
"Then, where is your disciple now?"
The seemingly simple question from the young man stunned Shen Yue.
The white-robed immortal seemed inherently unmovable, her eyes like shattered ice. Her tall, slender figure was always so cold and unfeeling, as if her heart contained only the common people and righteous ways, with nothing in the universe truly catching her eye.