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Icicles formed sharp spikes under the eaves, and as the wind brushed past the hem embroidered with golden peonies, I caught a strong scent of Cedar Wine. She stumbled as she leaned against the intricately carved rosewood coat rack, the jade ring hanging at her waist chiming softly, awakening the Snow Ferret curled up by the warm stove.
"Did you go to Lingxu Temple again to accompany those Daoist Nuns in their chanting?" I turned a page of the Xuanjie Star Chart, the glow from the glass lamp just enough to conceal the redness at the corners of her eyes.
The Jadeite paperweight suddenly fell to the ground, and she stepped barefoot through the scattered mess, her embroidered shoes tangled with gold thread hanging askew on the third shelf of the Antique Shelf. Her tiptoeing to reach them resembled a child stealing peaches from a celestial tree, fine hairs on her nape damp with sweat glistening like mother-of-pearl under the moonlight.
I gazed at the Puppet Curse Seal winding around her ankle, and suddenly, the scent of mandala flowers from Wang Xuan's skirt burst in my nostrils.
"Dangling—"
As the shoe box crashed onto the Jadeite desk, I reached out to catch the rolling gilded incense burner. When Feng Fei fell into my arms, a talisman that slipped from her sleeve was ignited by a flicker of spirit fire, ashes drifting into her loose hair like a few glowing fireflies.
"Xuanlang smells like white lotus powder." Her fingertip stained with Crimson Rouge poked at my throat, and as her wide sleeves slipped down to reveal part of her forearm, I noticed that the marks left by the Puppet Curse had spread to her elbow. "During the Lantern Festival, she promised to carve me a jade rabbit lantern, but instead, I spent all night listening to her play breaking formations..."
Suddenly, she turned and straddled my lap, her wrist wrapped in gauzy silk locking around my neck.
As icy tears rolled into my collar, I caught sight of a faintly visible constellation array on her lower back—the Blood Talisman I had taught her to cheat with ten years ago now glimmering softly with her sobs.
"You clearly took the incense pouch embroidered with paired lotuses first!" She tore open my cloud-patterned waist sash, and my Dark Robe instantly stained with wine and Rouge.
When snot sweetened with Flower Nectar brushed against my collarbone, I grasped her wandering hand only to discover half of a broken Tongxin Pendant hidden in her palm. The Snow Ferret darted up to the beams, knocking over a glass jar filled with Heavenly Wedding Wine.
Feng Fei suddenly fell silent; her damp lashes brushed against my jawline as her fingertip unconsciously traced out the seal for breaking the Puppet Curse on my chest. The east pearl earrings that hung from her hair glimmered with a deep blue light, resonating subtly with the dragon spirit bracelet on my wrist.
"You will never know how many Puppet Curses I've blocked for you." She murmured indistinctly, her lips tinged with alcohol brushing against my neck's artery. "Just like you don't know about the Xuan Bing sword Wang Xuan color nt you..."
A sudden ringing sound erupted from a brocade pouch embroidered with a Water Avoidance Spell—a melody composed of calls from twenty-four celestial birds—clearly belonging to Xuanjie Prince's personal communication bell.
Feng Fei froze as I noticed a new Puppet Curse Seal on her nape, identical to that of an assassin who had tried to kill me three days ago at Linghuan Xian Pavilion. I crushed the vibrating brocade pouch; before the communication talisman etched onto its ice-cracked porcelain surface could take shape, it was devoured by the dragon spirit.
Feng Fei suddenly broke free and lunged toward the Window Lattice; her loosened shoelaces tangled around the star chart on the table, pulling down the gauzy cover over the celestial mirror—reflected within was Wang Xuan casting spells on Puppet threads tied to Feng Fei's ankle bell.
The dragon spirit bracelet on my wrist suddenly grew hot, its essence roiling beneath my skin with a low growl.
The Puppet Curse Seal on Feng Fei's nape writhed like a living centipede, burrowing down her spine towards her heart. Last night, when she was attacked at Linghuan Xian Pavilion, the assassin bore the same Cinnabar markings on the back of his neck—Wang Xuan had indeed infused the Puppet threads into Feng Fei's spiritual platform.
"When did the Xuanjie Prince's communication bell fall into your hands?" I grasped her wrist as she tried to pull away. The talisman that slipped from her sleeve ignited in Azure Flame, spelling out "Return Quickly" in the void. This was clearly the unique Qingluan transmission technique of Lingxu Temple, yet those Daoist Nuns should have been in seclusion with the temple master three months ago...
Suddenly, Feng Fei tilted her head and bit down on my thumb, her pearly teeth embedding into the meridian where the Dragon Soul flowed. The moment Blood Taste spread, a strange silver gleam flickered in her eyes, and the Puppet Curse Seal surged back through my bloodline.
Ten years ago, when I taught her to shift stars and change formations, she had deliberately drawn the Blood Talisman three inches off, causing us to be trapped in the formation's backlash in Nine Nether Cave for three days and nights. "Xuan Lang's blood is still this sweet," she said, rolling the Blood Pearl onto the tip of her tongue. Her fingertip suddenly jabbed towards my heart. "Unlike Xuan Bing's sword, which is cold enough to break one's heart." I clamped down on her mischief-making hand but felt a faint engraving between my fingers—a half piece of Tongxin Pendant hidden in her palm, its edge scorched by sword energy.
The Snow Ferret suddenly shrieked and lunged at the Celestial Mirror, where Wang Xuan's Puppet threads were entangling Feng Fei's ankle bell. Trembling all over, she reached for the bell, and the blue light from her East Pearl earrings collided with the Spirit Link Bracelet on my wrist, shattering the glass lamp on the table.
Ten years ago in Nine Nether Cave, she had used these earrings as a focal point to swap out my original Fate Star plate. "Don't move!" I gripped her nape to seal off the Puppet Curse, but she took that opportunity to bite through my lip. The metallic taste of blood mingled with the aroma of Cedar Wine as it exploded between our teeth. Her icy fingers slipped into my collar, pressing precisely on an old scar from last night's wound inflicted by Xuan Bing's sword.
The Dragon Soul let out a pained howl as cracks appeared on the Spirit Link Bracelet. The urgent sound of bells rang out again, this time emanating from her waist bell. Feng Fei suddenly yanked at the red cord of the bell and froze upon seeing the flickering silver light within—clearly a Chasing Soul Charm unique to Xuanjie Prince.
As I was about to ignite my palm fire, she leaned in and kissed my wound, tears laced with Flower Nectar rolling into the Curse Seal at my collarbone. "Xuan Lang once said..." Her drunken whisper was like poison steeped in honey. "If I can't break this Puppet Curse, I'll carve out my heart for you..." Her hand suddenly pierced through my chest but was burned upon touching the Dragon Soul.
The Celestial Mirror reflected silver threads struggling within her pupils; Wang Xuan's Puppet threads were tightening around her Divine Soul. I crushed the Spirit Link Bracelet to transfer the Dragon Soul into her spiritual platform, but she abruptly pushed me away and began to retch.
The fragrant powder of Hehuan flowers mixed with Cedar Wine splattered across my front, instantly staining my dark robe with large splotches. Her East Pearl earring rolled onto the ground, reflecting a fragmented Lunar Phase outside—the same as that night ten years ago when we were trapped in Nine Nether Cave.
"Throw it away!"
"Throw it all away!" I tore off the robe soaked in filth and threw it to the ground. The Snow Ferret, clutching Feng Fei's embroidered shoe, scurried into the bottom shelf of the Antique Shelf.
Feng Fei curled up in the gauze tent, giggling softly, while Fingertip was drawing remnants of the Star-Shift Formation on the ground. The Puppet Curse Seal had already spread from her wrist to her shoulder, and the power of the Dragon Soul was resonating deep within her spirit with some ancient seal.
As I slammed the door behind me, moonlight pierced through the Corridor's Icicle, blinding my eyes. Feng Fei's weeping murmurs leaked through the crack of the door: "...the stars of the Nine Nether Cave... we saw them first..." Suddenly, the half piece of the Tongxin Pendant in my arms grew hot, its scorched edges perfectly aligning with the sword aura of Wang Xuan and Xuan Bing's blade.
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