But the white-clothed immortal seemed stumped by his question, her face showing a look of bewilderment.
"Venerable Immortal?"
Clad in a white robe, her skin was cold and pale, like a handful of snow from a glacier – beautiful yet chilling. She tilted her head slightly, strands of silver hair cascading onto her chest. Her profile was as fair as jade. The white-clothed immortal avoided his gaze, but her profile was too icy, her lips too vibrant, like fresh blood. The words that escaped her were indifferent and devoid of emotion.
"He is dead."
A light, airy sentence, without any guilt, any sorrow, or any reluctance.
It was as if only an ordinary person had died, perhaps even an ordinary person would have elicited a slight change in her expression.
But for her disciple, who possessed demonic bones, there was none of that, not at all.
Heartless and cold-blooded.
Cruel and indifferent.
The youth asked, "Aren't you sad?"
How could she not be sad?
If she truly weren't sad, she wouldn't have turned white-haired overnight. She wouldn't have stayed at Siguo Cliff for over a hundred years. She wouldn't have confessed her sins, nor would she have abdicated the position of Sect Master.
All of this indicated that she was indeed saddened.
No one was sadder than she was.
But she was simply not good at expressing herself, and no one could tell. Even Bi Lian, who knew her best, couldn't see it.
The white-clothed immortal’s eyes were covered by a white cloth. Faint light illuminated her cold, pale face, like jade congealed into fat. Flower petals landed on the branches of her white robe, adding a touch of vibrant color.
Peach blossoms flew all over the sky. Many pink petals fell onto her clothes, yet she remained like a cloud above the heavens, unapproachable.
After a moment of silence.
The white-clothed immortal's somewhat indifferent voice finally sounded.
"He is already dead. Sadness is meaningless." Her voice was truly cold and faint, her face like ice and snow.
She merely said it was meaningless, not that she wasn't sad. This was equivalent to evading the question, yet Bi Lian, who usually understood Shen Yue so well, didn't realize it.
He should have known this long ago, but he still harbored foolish affection. He knew perfectly well that the person before him had no heart, yet he still hoped she might show some emotion.
Ultimately, he was too foolish.
How could someone like her be sad?
The youth suddenly smiled, a curve forming at the corner of his lips. But because of the scarlet, violent red light in his eyes, it inexplicably sent a chill down one's spine.
Shen Yue was stunned for a moment, as if she didn't understand why he was smiling. But it was clear that his laughter was not pleasant, and even she couldn't help but furrow her brows.
Bi Lian, unable to suppress it, wanted to laugh. When he laughed, there was always a hint of youthful, unrestrained wildness. He was laughing at himself.
He raised his hand, then slowly grasped Shen Yue's hand, tightening his grip fiercely.
His fingertips dug deeply into the flesh, the veins on the back of his hand bulging as if he were trying to crush her bones. But the subtle force he exerted seemed to be trying to drag her down from the high platform into the abyss.
Shen Yue seemed to sense something from the aura emanating from the youth. Her struggling movements paused, and the spiritual energy condensed in her palm suddenly dissipated. Her frost-white hair gently fell, accentuating the skin of her neck, which was almost transparently white.
A low, morbid laugh escaped the youth’s throat. He clutched Shen Yue’s hand tightly, his eyes filled with fierce resentment, yet his voice trembled with uncontrollable excitement, "Since he is dead, Venerable Immortal should keep me even more. Even if I’m not your disciple, I’m willing to stay by your side, to do anything, anything at all."
Youths always had inexhaustible energy and unyielding passion. They were never afraid of failure because they had many opportunities.
He was also not afraid of rejection, as if he believed that fire could eventually melt frost and ice.
Shen Yue remembered that in distant memories, there seemed to be a youth like this, who was like raging inferno, capable of burning everything and warming everything.
"Venerable Immortal, can it be?"
The strength in his hand loosened slightly. On his slender, delicate wrist, there was a deep, red finger imprint, like a shackle forcibly left behind.
The white-clothed immortal quickly lowered her hand. Her sleeves slid down, concealing all traces on her wrist.
The youth's voice trembled slightly, as if he feared rejection, laced with a hint of pleading.
Just as Bi Lian was about to say a few more pleading words, a sharp pain suddenly erupted in his mind. He was startled, knowing that the fool was about to emerge. He desperately tried to suppress that fool, who seemed to become excited at the sight of this person. He was only a second late, and he had allowed him to break free.
"Master..."
A low, raspy voice, as if transmitted from a distant, ethereal place, making it difficult to hear clearly.
However, the emotions contained within were overwhelmingly intense, so thick it was almost suffocating.
Shen Yue's fingertips trembled. Her jade-like face turned, her lips were very red, and her expression was slightly bewildered. She hesitated, "...What did you call me?"
Bi Lian seized the opportunity to suppress the fool when his emotions fluctuated too greatly. He was the main personality, and his aura and abilities were significantly stronger than the fool's. Only when his mental strength was extremely unstable did the fool have a chance to be released.
He also feigned confusion, "I didn't say anything? Did Venerable Immortal hear wrong?"
Fortunately, the voice was very low. Bi Lian guessed that Shen Yue hadn't heard it clearly. In any case, denying it was enough.
Shen Yue remained silent.
The prolonged silence made Bi Lian feel that something was not quite right. He stared at the extremely beautiful and cold eyebrows of the white-clothed immortal with deep eyes. Dark mist faintly swirled in his lowered gaze, and a subtle crimson glint flashed like blood.
"Venerable Immortal, please take me in."
His voice was soft, but with an imperceptible hint of coyness.
Coyness?
In this world, only two people dared to act coy with her. Both of them exploited her soft heart, knowing she had no resistance to coquetry and tears, and thus always resorted to the same tactic.
Shen Yue lowered her head. Her white hair cascaded down, each strand like snow.
Bi Lian knew the white-clothed immortal wouldn't agree. How could she? She had always been cold and heartless.
But as Bi Lian observed the white-clothed immortal's expression, his gaze froze. Her vibrant red lips were pressed tightly together, and her face, as cold as frost and snow, seemed to show a flicker of confusion. This subtle expression was particularly pronounced on her rarely expressive face.
Perhaps she herself didn't realize it, but it was a look of bewilderment and doubt. Her jade-like fingers were slightly curled, and her eyes, covered by the white cloth, appeared indifferent, but were in fact naive.
Bi Lian thought he was mistaken. He closed his eyes and looked again; it was still the same.
Shen Yue was too poor at concealing her emotions. Those who didn't know her would only perceive her as an immortal, seemingly devoid of emotions and desires. Those subtle expressions were incredibly difficult to catch.