Before we could enjoy our quiet intimacy for long, the Crown Prince indeed spotted Daoist Wei Qingming and began walking toward us with measured steps. I had no choice but to pull away from her, straightening my back and standing with proper decorum. Wei Qingming, meanwhile, picked up the wine flagon and rose respectfully to fill the Prince’s cup.
“I have already begun addressing the other disciples as fellow brothers,” the Crown Prince said, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. “I shall call you Senior Brother Wei.”
“Your Highness is too kind. This humble subject does not deserve such an honor.”
“Ah, do not be so stiff!” The Prince’s face clouded with a hint of displeasure. Wei Qingming offered a faint smile and took the lead in offering a toast. “I wish Your Highness health and joy, and may this journey be a complete success.”
Only then did the youth beam, happily drinking with her. After finishing his wine, he noticed me. Stroking his chin, he said with sudden realization, “You were there at the Shengshou Festival too! Miss Su, was it?”
“Your Highness has an excellent memory,” I said with a smile. “It is just a pity that this common girl possesses no great martial skill; Your Highness’s remembrance is quite wasted on me.”
He was still a child at heart, after all. After a day of tedious formalities, hearing such casual, playful banter delighted him to no end, and he took an immediate liking to me. Wei Qingming’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly as she narrowed her eyes at me. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry—she was actually getting jealous over a half-grown child like the Prince!
I quickly steered the conversation back to Daoist Wei. “When Senior Brother Wei came to the rescue that day, the scene was quite terrifying. I wonder if Your Highness was frightened?”
“Not at all!” the Prince said heroically. “I admire those of great valor! Senior Brother Wei’s skills are extraordinary; one cannot help but be moved upon seeing them.”
Wei Qingming cupped her hands in a modest gesture. Seeing that no one was watching, the Prince leaned in toward the two of us with a conspiratorial air and whispered, “Could you two teach me how to practice the sword?”
“But Your Highness already has famous masters to teach you!” I replied, also whispering with mock gravity.
“What use are they!” he said, sounding a bit indignant. “I’ve studied for three years and couldn't even kill a chicken. They’re just playing house with me!”
I was immensely amused by the sudden crude language from a child of the imperial palace. Wei Qingming’s face was solemn. I expected her to refuse with some line about how "this is a grave matter that requires careful consideration," but instead, she succinctly spat out a single word: “Fine.”
The Prince was also surprised. “I thought you wouldn't agree...”
Wei Qingming signaled with her eyes. The Prince and I both glanced like thieves toward Eunuch Cui, who stood on the steps with his hands down, smiling at us. Only then did she say calmly, “Eunuch Cui was the one who handled the gifts for Miss Su; he naturally understands the circumstances and sympathizes with Your Highness’s wishes. When he did not stop Your Highness from requesting my company at the viewing platform, it was a silent permission.”
I couldn't help but give Master Wei a mental thumbs-up; she was truly brilliant. But on second thought, wasn't this the behavior of a fawning, sycophantic official? A secret agent is indeed a secret agent...
Soon, several people from the Tianjun Sect came over to offer toasts, some for the Prince and some for Wei Qingming. I ended up having to drink a few cups in the confusion. The Prince instantly regained his royal bearing, only pausing as he left to hurriedly grab Wei Qingming’s hand. “Since you are attending me, you know my itinerary. We shall talk more! Do not fail me!”
Wei Qingming smiled and blinked, indicating she would keep her promise.
I sat down, resting my chin on my hand with a sigh. “Being the Crown Prince is really not easy. How are we going to teach him?”
“I alone am enough,” she said, as expected.
I teased her with a grin. “He said, ‘Could *you two* teach me’...” I put heavy emphasis on the word "two."
Before I could finish, Wei Qingming picked up her wine cup and said coldly, “No matter how young, he is still a man.”
I burst out laughing. She stared at me and said in a low voice, “I know exactly what they are thinking when they look at you.”
Her gaze made it impossible for me to meet her eyes. I looked down to smooth my skirts, feeling that ever since I had taken the initiative to kiss her, she had become much more intimidating...
Soon, I too began to resent this young man. He kept whisking Master Wei away, preventing me from seeing her! Frustrating as it was, the sword still had to be practiced, and the snow at Zhuoxue Peak still had to be carved. Qiao Songlin often stood in for Wei Qingming to give me pointers on key techniques and share his insights. The cultivation method Yu Niannian had given me was also starting to show results. Another ten days passed, and I was finally able to achieve what Wei Qingming had at the peak of the Smoke-Arising Realm: carving a foot-deep mark in the snow.
But setbacks followed. After practicing for a few more days, I clearly felt that my strength had reached a limit and simply would not go any higher. Qiao Songlin observed me and concluded that this was my current bottleneck and there was no need to rush. When Wei Qingming heard of this, she hurried back from her duties, riding a flying horse all the way into the courtyard. She had barely jumped down before I threw myself into her arms.
We hadn't seen each other for half a month. As soon as I caught her scent, I pouted and began to tear up. Wei Qingming smiled and comforted me. “Everyone has their limits. You are naturally delicate and soft, A-Zhi; being able to split a foot of snow is already no easy feat. Let us stop here. These past few months have been truly hard on you.”
I rubbed my nose and wiped my tears on her sleeve, laughing. “Then, I’ll review my formations and practice my thrusts while I wait for you to come back.”
Who would have thought that just a day after seeing her, while I was practicing my sword as usual on Zhuoxue Peak, the spiritual energy I stirred up surged into my body and hit the critical point. Just like that, in a daze, I broke through to the Late Cloud-Swallowing stage. At the time, I was even pointlessly imagining some rival who had snatched Wei Qingming away and was striking at them with fury... It wasn't until I saw pure white clouds drifting across the sky, swirling up around me in profusion, that I realized with a start that something had changed. A certain stagnation had suddenly opened up...
I gazed at the petal-like clouds in the sky. They truly looked like flowers—whether gardenias, jasmine, white roses, or something else, most white and fragrant flowers look somewhat alike. Where was she? With such a grand celestial phenomenon, she must be able to see it just as I could, right? I hadn't failed her expectations; she must be proud of me.
As the sun set, the flowers in the sky were dyed red, gradually becoming like bright pomegranate blossoms. Before the clouds had even dispersed, she returned. It seemed she hadn't even used a mount this time, flying back solely on her escape light. She scooped me up and kissed my cheeks—left, then right—but she didn't kiss my lips. I glared at her fiercely, and she laughed. “If I don't kiss you soon, you'll say that phrase again.”
“Mean...” Before the next word could leave my mouth, I was silenced by her tender, soft kiss. Her breath had the coolness of a summer night breeze. She had truly rushed all the way back; her breath was ragged, and her lips and tongue were slightly cool, yet they were sweet and full of lingering affection.
She led me back to the Chungu Courtyard. Zhu Yixin had seen the clouds long ago and was wailing while pounding on a table. “Now I’m the only one not in the Late stage!”
“There’s still Second Senior Sister,” I said, giggling behind my hand.
Zhu Yixin rolled her eyes. “But she already has two ghosts at the Cloud-Eating Realm, even if the competition forces the realm down to Late Cloud-Swallowing. Sigh, what am I going to do! I’m doomed!”
“I will help you.”
Qiao Songlin suddenly appeared behind her and spoke calmly. My smile stretched all the way to my ears, but Wei Qingming remained composed, showing no reaction.
Zhu Yixin’s face turned as red as the clouds in the sky, but she said dejectedly, “It’s too late...”
“A-Zhi’s progress was originally slower than yours, and it only took her two months,” Qiao Songlin said. “If you advance in September, you’ll still have a month to polish and adapt. It’s just right.”
As he spoke, he lifted his gaze to look at Wei Qingming. “We must defeat them.”
I was so excited I almost jumped up, screaming in my head: *Fight! Fight!*
Wei Qingming only offered a small smile, one that contained both encouragement and provocation.
The annoying rain returned. This month, Wei Qingming had requested medicinal pills from Daoist Tan Cheng, the Head of the Hall of Eternal Spring, for me to take regularly while I was in the sect. Consequently, I felt much better during this rain. Although it was a summer downpour, I no longer had a headache, feeling at most a bit drowsy. Master Wei, however, truly could not get away. I didn't know what urgent business she had, so she simply had my brother and sister take me to Prince Chen’s private residence. This time, Lu Kaifeng and Lu Lingfeng came along as well, so there were more people to play Leaf Tiles... I hadn't expected Eldest Senior Brother to be even worse at cards than Zhu Yixin; every time we settled the scores, he’d be caught with a hand full of high cards he was too reluctant to play. When we teased him, he just gave a gentle smile. “You are all my younger brothers and sisters; how could I bear to play my hand against you?”
Lu Lingfeng, on the other hand, played exceptionally well—abnormally well. After she won three rounds in a row with total victories, we finally realized: this girl had her Heavenly Eye open! We coaxed her by saying she should go to the back mountain to find some ghosts to play with, successfully tricking her into leaving.
The room was full of high spirits, and we unanimously decided to play cards all night. Late into the night, Wei Qingming suddenly arrived through the rain. Her gait was leisurely, but her expression was somewhat dark and grim, a faint, cold sneer hovering at the corners of her mouth. She seemed to be carrying something wrapped in a kerchief. Seeing this, A-Wan understood immediately and took it from her. Wei Qingming whispered an instruction, and A-Wan retreated with the bundle.
I looked up and saw Wei Qingming gently rotating one wrist with her other hand. I knew this was a sign that she had just engaged in a slaughter. Wanting to change her mood and help her find peace, I smiled and acted spoiled. “I don't know what to play! Help me look at my cards!”
Zhu Yixin hurriedly slapped the table and shouted, “Gambling rules! No regrets in the move; once the hand is played, it stays!”
On the field were Qiao Songlin and Hong Lu. Lu Kaifeng was no longer playing, so he said with a smile, “It should be: 'the spectator remains silent while watching the game.'”
Wei Qingming walked up behind me, leaned down, and glanced at my cards. She casually pointed to one and whispered to me with a smile, “I’m going to bathe.” Even her incense couldn't mask the thick scent of blood on her. I truly wondered which unlucky souls had run into Master Wei’s blade...
Once she left, Zhu Yixin cleared her throat. While playing a card, she said, “How about we stop after this round?”
“Wait for Brother Qing to return and see if he wants to play,” Qiao Songlin said, glancing at the card she had discarded before throwing one out himself. Zhu Yixin hit him. “Ah! You actually cut me off!”
When Wei Qingming returned, she was once again fresh and clean. Because there were guests, her attire was meticulous. She gave us face by playing two casual rounds—winning one and losing one—before Zhu Yixin started clamoring about how exhausting it was to work hard every day and that she had played enough and wanted to sleep. Since we were playing in the living room, we each returned to our own rooms. After Wei Qingming walked me back, she pressed a light kiss to my forehead and prepared to go to the room next door.
Standing on the threshold, I was frantic and had no other choice but to forcibly drag her into the room. She reached back to shut the door and pinned me against the wall beside it, kissing me fiercely. Though her movements were forceful, making my head spin, she was extremely considerate, slowing down the instant before I hit the wall and cushioning the back of my head with her palm.
There hadn't been time to light the lamps. The light of the rainy night was dim and gloomy; only her eyes, which blinked occasionally, were bright. She kissed with increasing proficiency, stirring my soul. Aside from her lips and tongue intertwining wantonly with mine, the rest of her body remained strictly disciplined. Her hands only dared to rest loosely on my waist, held deliberately stiff, as if she were desperately restraining herself from going further. In the end, I lost all sense of reality, only realizing when she let go that I had been standing on her boots the whole time...
Blushing, I hurried to step away, only to be pulled back by her and held tightly in her arms.
I sensitively perceived that her emotions were quite unsettled; there seemed to be a deep-seated anger hidden within her. I buried my face in the crook of her neck, greedily inhaling her scent for a while, and unconsciously began to brush my lips against her skin, unable to resist giving her a tiny bite. She trembled slightly and let out a breath. In a hoarse voice and a dangerous tone, she said, “Don't do that... Don't tempt me.”
These suggestive words made me both afraid and enamored. My heart pounded like a trapped rabbit. I suddenly wondered: if something really happened, would Master kill her? For the sake of Master Wei’s life, I decided not to tempt her any further today...
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 圣寿节 | Shengshou Festival | The Emperor's birthday festival. |
| 吞云后期 | Late Cloud-Swallowing Stage | A stage of cultivation. |
| 生烟境 | Smoke-Arising Realm | A stage of cultivation. |
| 餐霞境界 | Cloud-Eating Realm | A higher stage of cultivation (also translated as Mist-Feasting). |
| 斫雪峰 | Zhuoxue Peak | "Snow-Carving Peak," where the protagonist practices. |
| 纯嘏院 | Chungu Courtyard | The courtyard where the characters reside. |
| 宸王 | Prince Chen | A royal title. |
| 叶子牌 | Leaf Tiles | An ancient Chinese card game. |
| 落子无悔 | No regrets in the move | A common idiom from board games, meaning one cannot take back a move once made. |
| 遁光 | Escape light | A method of high-speed magical flight. |
| 天眼 | Heavenly Eye | A supernatural sight or spiritual perception. |
| 探成道长 | Daoist Tan Cheng | Head of the Hall of Eternal Spring. |
| 长春殿 | Hall of Eternal Spring | A specific hall or department within the sect. |
