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As the Blood Pearl rolled into my collar, I tightened my grip on the buzzing remnants of the Ink Qilin hidden in my sleeve. The rose branches severed by Xuan Yu's sword energy continued to shed Ice Shards, and the Clear Cry from the Spirit Butterfly Garden was suddenly drowned out by the sound of porcelain shattering from the east wing.
"The scent of the Silktree Albizia Flower..." Before I could finish my sentence, Xuan Ang, carrying the fragrance of Pine Wood, suddenly covered half my face with his Palm, pressing me into a recess in the rose wall. The Ice Soul Pearl embedded in his Dark Robe jabbed painfully into my back, while a copper watering can in the distance clanged rhythmically as Uncle Bing tended to the flowers.
"Don't move." Xuan Ang's Adam's apple brushed against my hair, and his warm breath condensed into white mist on the icy vines. I lifted my foot to kick his knee, but my soft satin shoes embroidered with golden butterflies snagged on the jade tassel at his waist—an exquisite Xuanbing Jade that Grandfather had just gifted him that morning, glowing faintly with a blue light.
Uncle Bing's footsteps stopped five paces away, and I could even see the purple vetch petals stuck to his old rubber boots. Suddenly, Xuan Ang tilted his head and bit my earlobe; the scent of dragon's blood incense mixed with the cold fragrance of snow lotus wafting from his sleeve filled my nostrils. "Fei'er is trembling more than a spirit sparrow breaking free from its shell."
At that moment, as I pressed my knee against his abdomen, his wide sleeves enveloped my flushed face. His Fingertip casually brushed aside a silver leaf hairpin that had fallen askew in my hair. "Uncle Bing should rest after watering the flowers; there's no rush to prune Xi Yuan's Nine-Colored Violet tomorrow."
After the old gardener hobbled away, Xuan Ang turned me around by pinching my waist. The heart-shaped mirror hanging on his chest reflected my disheveled Lapels, and suddenly an image appeared in the mirror—three days ago, Han Tan holding Wang Xuan's silver bell.
I scoffed and tore off the hairpin's ribbon. "The token of affection from Xuanjie Immortal Lord is indeed unique; even separated by an Ice Soul barrier, it can still give one a headache."
Xuan Ang's ears turned crimson as half of his Palm ignited with spiritual flames, scorching part of his garment. Seizing the opportunity, I slipped out from under his arm and ran toward the side room, stepping on shards of ice scattered across the floor. Suddenly, the protective scales given to me by Mother at my waist grew warm—my heart scale sensed the murderous aura of Ink Qilin.
The sound of the carved door latch striking against the Jade Frame startled a bluebird perched under the eaves. I dove into the soft smoke curtain and unlocked my phone; a spirit realm exploration map sent by Yang Lin popped up on the screen.
Behind me, the wooden door creaked softly as Xuan Ang leaned against the doorframe, tearing open the gilded cover of "Xuanjie Secret Classic" with a sound akin to tearing flesh. As dragon's blood incense wafted up from the gilded incense burner, I became lost in thought over Yang Lin's Han Tan coordinates.
The resonance between last night's silver scales polished by Grandfather and remnants of Ink Qilin still vibrated in my Palm. At that moment, a ginkgo leaf that fell as Xuan Ang flipped through his book conveniently covered up the words "Wang Xuan Cave" on my phone screen.
Outside, Nine-Colored Violets suddenly ignited without wind, casting Xuan Ang's silhouette against the scarlet gauze window. His fingers gripping the book turned pale as Xuanbing Jade Tassel crystallized into Frost Flowers under the warm candlelight.
I counted down until midnight when my spirit-locking bracelet vibrated unexpectedly; I hadn’t noticed that I had inadvertently snapped off a strand of soul-binding silk wrapped around my wrist—it was quietly creeping up to his heart mirror at his waist.
I stared at "Wang Xuan Cave," obscured by ginkgo leaves on my phone screen, unconsciously rubbing my fingertip against the sharp edge of Ink Qilin remnants. The dragon's blood incense twisted into serpentine shapes in the gilded incense burner as Xuan Ang's page-turning became increasingly grating.
"Are you planning to stay here until midnight?" I gripped a tassel on the soft smoke curtain; a silver thread embroidered with an Incantation pricked at my Palm. His Frost Flower cascading from his Xuan color garment began to spread through cracks in the Jadeite bricks, threatening to freeze my scattered Hemline.
Xuan Ang lifted his gaze from between gilded pages; candlelight reflected two flickering blue flames in his eyes. "This is my bedroom." He flicked away an ice crystal that had formed on the spine of his book; it struck my wrist bracelet with a 'ding,' causing the soul-binding silk wrapped around it to tighten abruptly.
My molars ground painfully together as I crushed ice shards that had emerged from between brick gaps beneath my embroidered shoes. Outside, the burning scent of Nine-Colored Violets mixed with Pine Wood wafted in, intensifying his sleeve’s cold fragrance of snow lotus.
In my sea of spiritual awareness, Mother’s parting words echoed: "Xuanjie men value territorial awareness above all; never argue with him in his marital chamber..." The mention of 'marital chamber' made my ears tingle; I kicked back at Xuanbing Jade Tassel that had rolled near me towards him. "Since this is your territory, would you kindly move to your study for cultivation?"
Before I finished speaking, a tremor surged through my waist’s protective scales—the remnants of Ink Qilin resonated with something within Xi Yuan, causing a buzzing sensation in my Fingertip.
Xuan Ang casually turned another page in his book; tassels hanging from his Xuanbing Jade Crown swayed under candlelight like scattered light spots. "The one who should avoid suspicion is the girl who barges into a man's bedroom at midnight." He traced a passage on a page with his fingertip; gilded runes suddenly floated into being as Golden Butterflies emerged—some landed seamlessly on my skirt’s embroidered spirit butterflies.
The wind chime at the eaves rang out sweetly as night winds brushed against it; I gripped onto crimson gauze by the window tightly. Ashes from burning Nine-Colored Violets drifted inside, leaving scorch marks on soft smoke curtains.
In the distance came muffled sounds of Uncle Bing’s watering can colliding with stone followed closely by laughter from Cousin Doubao growing nearer.
"Someone's coming!" I instinctively hid behind the screen, my embroidered shoes crunching on the Frost Flowers scattered across the floor.
Xuan Ang didn't even lift his eyelids, using his Fingertip to condense an Ice Blade to slice through the next page of the stuck-together book. The sound of the yellowed paper tearing startled me, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
The sound of shoes scraping against the blue stone in the wooden corridor grew clearer, as Xiao Dou Bao hummed a slightly off-key tune from the Spirit Beast Garden.
My back pressed tightly against the cold Jadeite brick wall, and the Soul Lock Bracelet began to heat up in response to my intense emotions.
Xuan Ang suddenly let out a light laugh, and a phantom map of Xuanjie appeared above the book, casting a shadow over my head.
"What are you afraid of?" He flicked his fingers to extinguish the nearly burnt-out candle flame, leaving only the Heart-Peering Mirror at his chest glowing with a faint blue light. "You and I have already performed the Heavenly Wine ritual..." Before he could finish, an elderly cough from Uncle Bing came from outside, followed by a dull thud as a copper kettle was placed on the stone steps.
I held my breath, staring at the slender shadow cast by the intricately carved door, while the Soul Lock Bracelet felt like it was about to melt off my wrist from heat.
Xuan Ang raised his hand to summon a new candlestick, and the flickering flame outlined his figure against the wall adorned with images of beasts, transforming him into a monstrous silhouette.
Xiao Dou Bao's footsteps stopped outside the door; I could even hear him tinkering with the spirit beast bell at his waist.
Suddenly, Xuan Ang threw the scroll onto the table, and the Xuanbing Jade paperweight collided with the Jadeite desk, sparking a few embers.
The figure outside clearly froze for a moment before hurried footsteps retreated in panic, causing chaos with the spirit beast bells.
"You did that on purpose!" I snapped, breaking three strands of soul-binding silk to resist throwing an incense burner at his head.
Ashes drifting in from outside settled on his shoulder, forming a Frost Flower-shaped totem.
He waved his wide sleeves to brush away the silver threads trying to cling to his garment; those strands of soul-binding silk then wrapped around my ankle, pulling me off balance for half a step.
The Xuan Turtle Shell suddenly emitted a warning hum; I looked down to see that all the Frost Flowers had unknowingly formed a pattern on the ground.
Xuan Ang leaned back against the concubine couch in what seemed like a lazy posture but effectively blocked all escape routes.
The hourglass indicated that midnight was approaching; the Soul Lock Bracelet began to vibrate rhythmically while the soul-binding silk around my wrist tangled with the silver chain of the Heart-Peering Mirror.
I lifted my foot to crush the icy crystals at the edge of the formation; my embroidered shoes' golden butterfly wings were covered in frost flakes.
Suddenly, a gust of wind outside shifted direction, swirling up embers from burning Nine-Colored Violets into a small vortex; several sparks landed on Xuan Ang's Dark Robe, scorching it with Scorch Marks before being quickly covered by Frost Flowers.
The gilded incense burner unexpectedly burst forth with sparks; seizing this chance, I tore free from the entangling silver threads and hurried toward the door.
The soft smoke from gauzy curtains was lifted by the wind, creating a gap through which moonlight slithered onto the ground in winding patterns.
Xuan Ang's Xuanbing Jade Crown glimmered coldly in the darkness; his bent knee inadvertently blocked my path while Frost Flowers silently crept up my Hemline.
As I attempted to step over Xuan Ang's knee blocking my way, my shoe tip inexplicably caught on one of his Xuanbing Jade Crown's dangling tassels.
In an instant when dragon's blood incense thickened in aroma, I found myself tumbling into his embrace.
My forehead collided heavily with his collarbone where the Heart-Peering Mirror was located; its icy surface froze my startled gasp into fine white mist.
"Are you so eager to consummate?" Xuan Ang grunted as I pressed down on his chest with my elbow, sending vibrations through him that made my eardrums tingle.
His cascading hair tangled in my silver clasp at my collar; the cold fragrance of snow lotus mixed with burnt fabric wafted into my nostrils.
In a flurry, I tried to push myself up but instead pressed my palm against his waist where hot spirit flame patterns burned beneath my touch.
The spirit beast bell left behind by Xiao Dou Bao on the windowsill suddenly chimed loudly, startling me and causing me to slip again and fall back into him.
Xuan Ang let out an ambiguous sound from his throat that could have been pain or laughter; his palm pressed against my lower back felt scorching even through fabric: "Did you not learn how to stand firm from practicing with Ink Qilin's sword aura?"
"It’s your ice formation that’s too slippery!" I poked at where Frost Flowers had formed on his chest with my Fingertip; suddenly sensing heat from where fragments of Ink Qilin lay hidden beneath me made me want to rise again for leverage when—
A loud crash echoed as a copper kettle in the corridor was knocked over by night winds; as Xuan Ang turned to shield me while rolling over, his Jade Crown clashed against Jadeite bricks with a sharp sound that startled birds resting under eaves into flight.
His scattered ink-black hair spread across pillows while new dragon’s brain incense in the gilded burner coalesced into small beast shapes.
I fixated on that vermilion birthmark on his reddened ear tip and suddenly recalled what my mother had said about men from Xuanjie being particularly sensitive there; without thinking twice, I leaned closer and teased lightly: " Immortal Sovereign can’t even set up proper defenses in his own bedroom; why not give me your Heart-Peering Mirror as a nightlight?"
Xuan Ang's pupils suddenly constricted, the grip on my wrist nearly crushing the Spirit Lock Bracelet. Seizing the opportunity, I pulled back my hand entangled in the Soul Binding Threads, my fingertip brushing against the throbbing veins at his neck. "Or are you actually hoping for me to fall?" Before my words faded, a sharp pain shot through my wrist, and in a dizzying whirl, I found myself pinned against the Beast Diagram screen.
The silk depicting ferocious beasts rustled as we collided, and to my surprise, the snow lotus pattern on his sleeve resonated with the ice crystal incantation on the screen. As I kneed him in the abdomen, the Heart-Peering Mirror suddenly reflected Han Tan from three days ago, holding Wang Xuan's silver bell. The cold light from the mirror stung my eyes.
"You think..." Xuan Ang's breath suddenly sprayed against my neck, more searing than Snow Phoenix's exhalation. I tilted my head to evade him, but his spiritual power restrained me at the nape, leaving me helpless as his thin lips brushed past my earlobe and fell into empty space.
The embers of Nine-Colored Violet drifted in, coalescing into a fragmented lotus pattern on his shoulder. From the corridor came the sound of Uncle Bing tidying up a copper pot. Seizing the moment, I bit my tongue and smeared Blood Pearl onto the Spirit Lock Bracelet.
At that instant when the Xuan Turtle Shell and Ink Qilin fragments trembled together, Xuan Ang suddenly released his grip and stepped back half a pace, Frost Flower blooming beneath his feet into six-pointed icicles.
"It’s almost midnight," I smoothed out the creases in my lapels, deliberately letting half of the Ink Qilin fragment glimmer coldly from my sleeve. "If Immortal Sovereign is truly lonely, why not go find a flower that can speak and shake its bell at Han Tan?" Before I finished speaking, the Heart-Peering Mirror reflected the redness at the corners of my eyes. Startled, I raised my sleeve to cover it, but the silver bell on my wrist was set ringing chaotically by his spiritual power.
Xuan Ang raised a hand to touch the red marks I had left on his neck; his Xuanbing Jade Crown tilted slightly as it emitted a faint glow. He formed an Ice Blade with his fingertip and cut away the singed edges of my sleeve before suddenly curling his lips into a smile. "You look jealous..." His words trailed off amidst a sudden clap of thunder, as torrential rain mixed with hail pounded against the crimson gauze window, completely extinguishing the burning Nine-Colored Violet.
I clutched the Ink Qilin fragment and retreated to the doorframe; the Spirit Lock Bracelet sensed the thunderous spiritual power in the storm beginning to heat up. Xuan Ang's wide sleeves swept through and extinguished all candle flames, leaving only the Heart-Peering Mirror glowing faintly in the darkness.
As he picked up my fallen silver leaf hairpin and tucked it back into my hair, his fingertip brushed against my earlobe with a chill colder than snow. "Some things..." The wind chimes at the eaves let out a mournful wail as hail struck them, drowning out his unfinished words.
I gazed at his profile illuminated by lightning and suddenly tugged at his Xuan Colored Collar while rising onto my toes. Just as our lips were about to meet, torrential rain surged in with fragrant Pine Wood scent scattering away the cool fragrance of snow lotus; he instinctively turned away with lightning speed.
"You..." My hand froze mid-air as rain-soaked silver threads ensnared me; I realized that at some point, the Soul Binding Threads had intertwined with the silver chain of the Heart-Peering Mirror into a deadlock.
The dark tide surging in Xuan Ang's eyes was heavier than storm clouds; he swallowed hard several times but could only form an ice shard with his palm that froze our last half-inch distance into an impassable chasm. Uncle Bing's footsteps mixed with rain sounds drew closer to the door; I abruptly tore off the silver threads wrapped around my wrist.
The Xuan Turtle Shell emitted a sharp warning as it sensed that both Xi Yuan and Ink Qilin fragments were aligning with Han Tan’s coordinates. Xuan Ang raised his hand to stop me but I intentionally bumped him aside with my shoulder.
The torrential rain poured through the opened door crack, turning Frost Flowers scattered across the ground into winding streams.
"Feng Fei!" His call wrapped in spiritual power mingled with thunder as I turned back just in time to see the Heart-Peering Mirror reflecting twin snow lotuses outside Wang Xuan Cave. He stood at the intersection of rain and candlelight; his Xuan color robe flared like a crane taking flight in a wild wind. "Some secrets..."
I flung out the Ink Qilin fragment to shatter the corridor barrier; rain instantly soaked through my Pomegranate Skirt. The heart-protecting scales gifted by my mother burned suddenly within my spiritual consciousness sea, branding a phoenix totem spreading its wings on my chest.
Xuan Ang's unfinished words were shattered by thunder at the eaves as I formed a spell to summon spiritual butterflies into the rain curtain; finally, the Spirit Lock Bracelet broke open its last seal.
As Xuan Ang's warning caught in his throat, I crushed the last Frost Flower underfoot with my shoe tip. Outside, torrential rain wove an impenetrable net against windows but could not extinguish the flickering blue flame dancing in his eyes. "Do you really think those little tricks can fool..."
"I trust you." I interjected before he could reveal Ink Qilin's sword secret; my voice trembled under another clap of thunder.
The Xuan Turtle Shell suddenly heated at my waist as resonance from Xi Yuan shook loose fragments in my sleeve almost breaking free. Just as my fingertip touched the door latch, a sudden sound echoed behind me—the crisp sound of a gilded book falling onto jade bricks.
The moment the cold fragrance of the Snow Lotus enveloped me, ignited by the sparks from the gilded incense burner, the falling gauze curtain caught fire.
As I leaned back to evade, he grasped the nape of my neck, and the mingled breath of Pine Wood and Blood Taste spread between our lips—my tongue had just bitten into a wound that reopened.
"You..." My question was crushed between our connecting lips, and the Heart-Peering Mirror slipped from our pressed chests, reflecting my suddenly dilated pupils.
The Soul Binding Threads entwined around his fingertips had unknowingly climbed up my spine, branding me with a scorching Incantation through the Pomegranate Skirt.
The defensive spells my mother taught me in the Sea of Consciousness shattered into Stardust, leaving only the Spirit Lock Bracelet on my wrist trembling wildly amidst the thunderous downpour.
He brushed his thumb, calloused yet gentle, over the bloodstains at the corner of my lips; I noticed the Xuanbing Jade Crown hanging askew on the corner of the screen.
The torrential rain washed away the charred remnants of Nine-Colored Violet on the window sill, while my palm pressed against his chest became glued to Frost Flower, with Snow Lotus patterns climbing through my fingers.
"Shall we continue?" His low, husky voice mingled with the sound of rain hitting the blue tiles, filling my Eardrum as his Adam's apple grazed my nose, forming tiny ice crystals.
I opened my mouth to scold him, but his suddenly tightening embrace turned my unfinished words into hurried gasps.
The fierce beast totem on the screen seemed to come alive, its crimson eyes reflecting our intertwined figures.
At that moment when his Fingertip gathered spiritual power to strike at Shattered Ice, he suddenly tilted his head and bit my earlobe, his lips cooler than Han Tan enveloping that Vermilion Birthmark: "You’re trembling even more." Before his teasing words could finish, I pushed against his waist with my knee, but he countered with his own knee bend, pulling my scattered ink-black hair painfully against the silver clasp.
"Let go!" As I struggled, my embroidered shoe knocked over the gilded incense burner, scattering burning dragon brain incense ash onto the Frost Flower formation.
The formation's patterns twisted abruptly; just as Xuan Ang's confinement of my spiritual power showed signs of cracking, a tinkling sound from Little Doubao playing with a spirit beast bell echoed from the Corridor.
A childish voice pierced through the rain curtain: "Uncle Ultraman said there are monsters here—" The creaking sound of a wooden door being pushed open startled the entangled Soul Binding Threads; Little Doubao stood at the threshold with a lotus leaf umbrella, rainwater flowing down his tiger-head shoes to form a small stream on the ground.
Xuan Ang’s swift motion rolled up his wide sleeves and pulled me into his embrace faster than thunder could rumble, but it couldn’t hide Little Doubao’s astonished exclamation: "Third Uncle ate Auntie!" At that moment when his spirit beast bell rang out loudly from his waist, I elbowed Xuan Ang’s chest with enough force to send him crashing against the screen painted with Bai Ze.
"It’s... for healing!" I frantically tugged at the slipping silver leaves of my skirt; the Xuan Turtle shell sensed an anomaly in Xi Yuan that burned intensely.
Little Doubao tilted his head to stare at the bloodstain at Xuan Ang's lip and suddenly threw down his lotus leaf umbrella: "Third Uncle is fighting! I’m going to tell Grandpa!"
Xuan Ang wiped away the blood on his lips as if polishing a spirit sword; Frost Flower spread across his Fingertip onto the umbrella surface: "Your Uncle Ultraman is downstairs feeding fierce beasts." He snapped his fingers to freeze the spirit beast bell at the threshold; ice crystal patterns quickly crawled over its surface. "You can still get a horn now."
The child’s attention shifted instantly; bouncing around as he turned, his tiger-head hat askew: "I want the biggest horn!" But just as he was about to step out of the threshold, he suddenly turned back: "Fighting should look like Ultraman posing!" The torrential rain swept away his innocent words into the Corridor as the thawing sound of the spirit beast bell gradually drowned in raindrops.
I clutched at the broken Soul Binding Threads and retreated to the window; fragments of Ink Qilin resonated more strongly with Xi Yuan within my sleeve.
Xuan Ang’s slow motion of picking up the Xuanbing Jade Crown was exasperating; its fallen silver strands tangled with the Heart-Peering Mirror into a deadlock: "Can we walk out this door now?"
Suddenly, a fierce wind swept through, turning rain into flying silver needles; as I formed a seal to summon a spirit butterfly, it froze into an ice sculpture upon touching the rain curtain.
His Fingertip brushed over the red marks on my neck that I had scratched open; Frost Flower immediately solidified into thin layers like band-aids: "Grandpa is brewing tea in the front hall."
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