The gown, white as freshly fallen snow, billowed gently in the mountain wind. Draped over Yuan Lixun’s shoulders was a shawl the pale yellow of goose down, cocooning her delicate and exquisite frame.
In those luminous eyes now resided a yearning that language utterly failed to capture.
He Yiming took a deliberate step forward, then abruptly halted. He quietly absorbed the aura emanating from Yuan Lixun, a subtle hint of surprise flickering within him. Yet, in the span of a single breath, upon meeting her gaze once more, he swept all extraneous thoughts clean away.
With a tremor that shook his frame, he was instantly before her, drawing her into a fierce embrace.
This separation had stretched into an entire year without him realizing it; the longing that had accumulated now burst forth like a dam bursting its banks.
They stood clasped together in silent intimacy, as if everything else in the world had ceased to matter to them.
A moment later, He Yiming suddenly shivered. He reached out, and in a flash, they had moved from that spot to the massive boulder jutting out over the precipice behind the courtyard.
This was the quietest place near the residence, and under the surveillance of He Yiming’s formidable Eavesdropping Skill, no one could possibly disturb them.
Only then did He Yiming question her, his voice laced with genuine curiosity, “Lixun. Why are you so chillingly cold?”
The instant they met, He Yiming had sensed it: the very essence of Yuan Lixun seemed to have undergone a profound transformation.
Though she remained unmistakably the same woman, the aura of extreme cold emanating from her had grown increasingly dense.
When they parted, the chill within Yuan Lixun, unless she actively channeled her Innate True Qi, was powerful but generally contained. Now, however, He Yiming could easily perceive that the cold energy had subtly shifted. Even without any conscious effort on her part, its sheer power was enough to send a bone-deep shudder through him.
A strange thought occurred to him: perhaps Zhu Baqi sending Xu Chengchang to bring Yuan Lixun to Tianchi was directly related to this profound coldness within her.
Yuan Lixun offered a faint smile, her eyes filled with boundless affection, yet for some unknown reason, He Yiming perceived this devotion as being encased in a layer of frost. It was as if within Yuan Lixun’s heart itself lay an icy wasteland capable of altering her thoughts and disposition.
“Yiming, I truly don’t know what’s happening.” Yuan Lixun’s small hand gripped He Yiming’s much larger one tightly, as if physical contact alone offered her some stability. However, her brow furrowed slightly. “Ever since I began absorbing the external Cold Element True Qi, the chill inside me has grown ever stronger. And there’s a power now that even I struggle to control.” A flicker of genuine alarm finally crossed her eyes. “Thank heavens Senior Xu Chengchang brought me here. If I had remained at the He Family Estate, I’m afraid in-laws would have looked at me very differently…”
Though Yuan Lixun spoke vaguely, He Yiming understood perfectly well.
Indeed, after sensing the immense frigidity radiating from her, even He Yiming felt a compelling urge to keep a respectful distance; others would surely feel it even more acutely.
His brows knitted deeply. This was undeniably unnatural.
Gazing steadily at the beautiful countenance before him—perhaps not peerless, but certainly far above average—He Yiming’s eyes sharpened suddenly.
Upon their initial reunion, his heart had been too turbulent for him to notice anything amiss, but now that his mind had settled, he immediately spotted the anomaly.
Yuan Lixun’s facial structure hadn't changed; even the whip scars on her face had vanished completely.
But there was no color to her complexion—not a trace of rosy hue. Her skin was white as snow, even paler than the garment she wore.
He gently extended his hand and lightly traced her cheek.
The touch was like ice. Though her facial skin was delicate enough to break under the slightest pressure, it offered He Yiming no warmth whatsoever.
It was as if she were not a living human being, but a beautiful statue carved from profound ice.
Of course, Yuan Lixun’s body wasn't truly devoid of temperature, but her core temperature was distinctly lower than a normal person’s, reaching a terrifying degree even compared to Mu Jintian and Zhuo Wanlian, who had cultivated Cold Element arts in the past.
Furthermore, following this strange transformation, Yuan Lixun’s entire demeanor had fundamentally changed.
The feeling she projected onto He Yiming was one of coldness—not just a physical chill, but a psychological frost.
That frigidity, which held others at bay from a thousand miles, was precisely what had caused He Yiming’s hesitation upon first seeing her.
Even now, as he clearly read the affection in her eyes, this pervasive coldness clung to him, refusing to dissipate.
He Yiming said nothing outwardly, but he knew that something profoundly inexplicable had befallen Yuan Lixun.
“Lixun, can you perhaps contain the cold aura around you?”
“I cannot.”
A wry smile touched Yuan Lixun’s lips, yet even under such duress, her expression remained utterly icy. What struck He Yiming as strange, however, was that this cold visage did not seem unattractive; rather, it felt inherent, as if it were her natural state.
He entertained a momentary thought: if her face were not so cold, if a flush of color occasionally appeared as it once did, that would be the anomaly.
He Yiming shook his head slightly, his expression turning grave. This sensation was too unsettling.
“Lixun, tell me properly what has been happening.”
Yuan Lixun nodded. “Since returning to Jinlin, a certain mutation has slowly taken hold of me. Especially after I began absorbing the external Cold Element True Qi, this change intensified dramatically. Soon, it seemed my own family members grew fearful of me. I could see that though my father and even my younger brother, Lixiang, who grew up with me, maintained an outward closeness, they were fundamentally afraid of me.”
As she spoke, a genuine sadness surfaced in her eyes. Yet, without hearing her voice or looking directly into her pupils, few would have perceived any distress on her face.
He Yiming sighed softly. The current Yuan Lixun was no longer merely an ordinary daughter of the Yuan family; as an Innate expert, she was essentially a celestial being to them.
Even her father, Yuan Chengshi, likely could not behave naturally in her presence.
After all, the former Yuan Chengshi would never have been overly concerned with a daughter born out of wedlock. This meant that his feelings toward this daughter who had soared to such heights were probably weighted more heavily with apprehension and ambition than with simple familial affection.
Moreover, the inexplicable changes occurring within her had only accelerated this dynamic. That even her brother, whom she had cared for since childhood, felt this way was what truly saddened and unsettled her.
He let out another soft sigh. “And then?” he prompted.
“I sensed something was wrong, so I returned to the He Family Estate early. I happened to meet Senior Lu Zhengyi and Senior Xu Chengchang. After sensing the coldness around me, they couldn't offer a clear explanation either, so they immediately dispatched someone to Hengshan with a message. I waited outside the He Family Estate for two months until Senior Xu Chengchang arrived with instructions from both Senior Zhu Baqi and Grand Elder Yu Jinglei, telling me to come to Tianchi Mountain.”
He Yiming paused, momentarily stunned. “Lixun, didn't you come here because of the people from the Northern Frontier Snow Plains?”
“Of course not,” Yuan Lixun replied without hesitation. “Though I have met two of the people who came from the Northern Frontier Snow Plains and spoken with them several times. It seems they also came because of me… or rather, because of the coldness within me.”
He Yiming frowned deeply. The situation was entirely different from what he had imagined. It sounded as if Mu Jintian and the others were not here seeking vengeance.
“How many of them arrived?”
“Two came from the North. Besides Zhuo Wanlian, there was another senior.” A sharp gleam suddenly pierced Yuan Lixun’s eyes. “This senior’s martial cultivation is unfathomably deep. Senior Zhuo Wanlian behaved toward her with utmost respect, like a mere disciple.”
He Yiming’s eyebrow arched, and a chill went through him. For the Northern Frontier Snow Plains to dispatch such a figure indicated their ambitions were vast indeed.
“What was their attitude toward you?”
“Very good. That senior treated me very kindly and warmly—certainly much better than she treated Senior Zhuo Wanlian.” Yuan Lixun smiled faintly. Her face, usually cold as frost, transformed in that gentle expression into something extraordinarily captivating.
The only regret was that her complexion remained utterly devoid of color. Yet, He Yiming was surprised to find he didn't resist this change; rather, he quickly accepted the strange alteration in her being.
After pondering for a moment, He Yiming couldn't fathom the underlying cause, but he sensed strongly that it must be directly linked to the transformation of the cold energy within her.
He tightened his grip on Yuan Lixun’s hand. “Lixun, come with me.”
Hand in hand, they proceeded to the room belonging to One Hundred and Eight.
The moment this peculiar individual entered his room, he immediately sealed the door, as if retreating into a world exclusively his own. He had never integrated with the group.
He Yiming understood the reason and had never expected One Hundred and Eight to live like an ordinary person. If such a thing were to happen, it would be he who found it unacceptable.
A closed door was no obstacle for He Yiming. He extended his hand, applying a gentle push; as his True Qi washed over it, the crossbar inside the door slowly slid open as if pulled by an unseen hand.
Then, he gently pushed the door and entered.
When Yuan Lixun stepped inside and saw One Hundred and Eight as he was, even she couldn't help but let out a gasp of surprise.
One Hundred and Eight stood silently in a corner of the room. Clinging to his shoulder, a strange spirit beast with claws extended, was draped entirely over his chest...