The night was as dark as ink, and the wind and snow grew even more intense.
At 9:45 PM, most of the lights on Jiaoyue Peak had been extinguished, leaving only a few guiding lanterns swaying in the cold wind, their halos a dim yellow.
Shen Mo blew out the lamp in his study and pushed open the door.
He did not bring an umbrella, nor did he use Spiritual Power to protect his body; he simply walked into the swirling snow.
He wore a faded blue Taoist robe that was pitifully thin, but he kept his back straight, like a stalk of green bamboo in the snow that would rather break than bend.
……
Heavenly Sword Peak —
The further he walked, the lighter the wind and snow became, as if an invisible barrier isolated the severe cold from the outside.
From a distance, Shen Mo saw that figure.
Qin Shuying was not waiting inside the house; instead, she stood beneath an old pine tree.
She wore a set of white clothes that rivaled the snow, and her black hair was loosely held up by a single wooden hairpin. Her entire being seemed to merge with the world of ice and snow, as cold and aloof as a celestial being who did not consume the food of common mortals.
That was, if one ignored the stone beasts at her feet, all of which had been sliced to pieces by Sword Qi.
Hearing the footsteps, Qin Shuying turned around.
Those eyes, which were usually calm and indifferent, suddenly deepened the moment they saw Shen Mo.
“You’ve come.”
Her voice was very soft, like snow falling upon the tip of one’s heart.
Shen Mo stopped three steps away and performed a standard formal bow. “Peak Master Qin.”
Qin Shuying did not speak; she simply watched him. Her gaze was like a physical thread, wrapping inch by inch over his brows, his eyes, the tip of his nose, and finally landing on his thin lips, which had turned slightly red from the wind and snow.
That look was too exposed, too blunt, without a hint of concealment. It was as if she were looking at a piece of private property that belonged to her.
The tips of Shen Mo’s fingers trembled slightly under her gaze, but he resisted the urge to retreat, maintaining a calm expression. “I have received the Feather of the Crane from the Peak Master. Since the Cloud-Soaring Crane has already improved, Shen Mo is at peace. It is late, so after providing treatment, I shall leave…”
“What is the rush?”
Qin Shuying interrupted him.
She took a step forward.
With that single step, she pressed close to him.
The cold scent of pine instantly enveloped him, carrying an overbearing sense of pressure.
Shen Mo instinctively wanted to retreat, but she raised her hand and caught his wrist.
Her fingers were freezing, clamped over his pulse point like a chain made of ice.
“Lord Shen has such grand airs. I said three days, yet you intentionally waited until the final deadline to come,” Qin Shuying said as she looked down at him, her fingertips rubbing the delicate skin on the inside of his wrist. “You even waited until the dead of night to finally grace me with a meeting.”
“Shen Mo would not dare.” Shen Mo lowered his eyelids, hiding the humiliation in the depths of his eyes. “The peak’s affairs have been busy. Since the Matriarch is away and Chao’er has gone to the Secret Realm, Shen Mo needed to…”
“Needed to what?” Qin Shuying’s fingers tightened, and she suddenly pulled him close.
The distance between the two of them instantly vanished.
Shen Mo could even feel the heat of her breath as she exhaled against the side of his neck.
“Needed to guard this empty room for that good Matriarch of yours?” Qin Shuying’s voice rang out right against his ear, carrying a hint of mockery and a few parts of gnashing jealousy. “Or did you need to raise that little disciple she picked up?”
Shen Mo pursed his lips and said nothing.
Resistance was useless.
Submission was his only protective coloring.
Seeing that he did not speak, the hostility in Qin Shuying’s eyes dissipated slightly, replaced by a deeper darkness.
Her free hand slowly rose, her fingertips lightly tilting Shen Mo’s chin, forcing him to look up.
This face was cold and elegant. Because of years of hard work, it carried a hint of sickly paleness, which only made him more endearing.
Especially those eyes; they were usually submissively lowered, but now they glistened with unshed tears due to his endurance, like a rabbit backed into a corner.
“I really want to hide you away.”
Qin Shuying murmured in a low voice. Her fingers slid down his jawline and stopped at his Adam’s apple, rubbing it gently.
Shen Mo’s entire body stiffened.
The Adam’s apple was a sensitive spot for a man, and even more so, a symbol of his chastity.
“Peak Master Qin, please have some self-respect,” Shen Mo’s voice trembled slightly, though it was unclear if it was from anger or fear.
“Self-respect?” Qin Shuying let out a light laugh, but the mirth did not reach her eyes. “That night in the small hut, Lord Shen did not speak this way. Back then, you cried and begged me… Did you forget?”
Shen Mo’s face turned deathly pale in an instant.
That was his nightmare.
“It seems you have forgotten.” A trace of dissatisfaction flashed through Qin Shuying’s eyes. Her fingers suddenly tightened, her nails sinking into the soft flesh of his neck, causing a burst of stinging pain. “Then I shall help you remember.”
“You…” Shen Mo was pulled into Qin Shuying’s embrace.
“Lin Jingzhe is taking you to the Luoxia Mountains?” she asked. Her tone was not a question, but a statement.
Shen Mo turned his head, avoiding her fingers. “Yes.”
“You are not allowed to go.” Qin Shuying’s fingers slid down and pinched his neck. The force was not heavy, but it carried absolute dominance. “Your physical condition cannot handle a place like that.”
“I am the Lord of Jiaoyue Peak,” Shen Mo said in a low voice. “I have my responsibilities.”
“Responsibilities?” Qin Shuying let out a cold laugh. She propped her other hand on the back of the chair, trapping him in her arms.
“Su Wan’er hasn’t cared about you for seven years, and now any random disciple can order you to go to your death? Shen Mo, are you a fool?”
Shen Mo remained silent.
What could he say?
Could he say that he actually wanted to go because only by leaving Yunyin Mountain, leaving Yun He’s sight, and escaping Qin Shuying’s coercion could he finally breathe?
Even if he had to freeze in a world of ice and snow, it was better than being torn apart by three women in this golden cage.
Seeing that he did not speak, Qin Shuying assumed he was submitting by default, and the anger in her heart flared even more.
She suddenly leaned down and bit Shen Mo’s collarbone.
“Hiss—” Shen Mo gasped in pain, but he did not dare make a sound, only clutching the hem of his clothes tightly.
“I’m leaving a mark.” Qin Shuying released him and looked at the reddened tooth marks, her eyes dark and unreadable. “Let Lin Jingzhe see whose man you are.”
Shen Mo gave a bitter smile and smoothed out his slightly disarrayed collar. “Peak Master Qin, please conduct yourself with dignity. I am a married man.”
“A married man?” Qin Shuying reacted as if she had heard a joke, lightly flicking his forehead with her finger.
“Everyone on Yunyin Mountain knows that Su Wan’er is a cultivation maniac. That title of yours is nothing more than a formality. Shen Mo, do not force me to claim you right here.”
Shen Mo’s body stiffened, and he did not dare to provoke her further.
Looking at his cowering and enduring appearance, the anger in Qin Shuying’s heart mysteriously dissipated by half, replaced by a complex sense of pity.
She sighed and pulled out an entirely translucent white jade pendant from her robe, pressing it into Shen Mo’s hand.
“This is the Ice Soul Jade. It can ward off the cold and block a full-strength strike from a Golden Core Stage cultivator.” She turned her face away, her voice sounding somewhat stiff. “If Lin Jingzhe dares to bully you, or… if you miss me, just crush it. I will arrive immediately.”
Shen Mo held the jade pendant, which still carried her body heat, his fingertips trembling slightly.
What was this? Giving him a sweet after a slap? Or was it another form of imprisonment?
“Thank you.” In the end, he only said those two words.
Qin Shuying gave him a deep look and said no more.