Lin Jingzhe did not return to Jiaoyue Peak.
She rose into the air via Sword Kinesis and flew toward the main peak of Yunyin Mountain.
Lady Yunhe’s residence was at the summit of the main peak, a place shrouded in mist all year round where ordinary disciples were forbidden from approaching.
But she was different.
She was the First Disciple of Jiaoyue Peak and the direct disciple of Su Wan’er, granting her the qualification to seek an audience with the Sect Leader.
The wind was strong.
It made her robes whistle and snap.
However, her mind was in even greater turmoil.
‘Report.’
The word had circled through her mind countless times.
She wanted to report the matter between Shen Mo and Qin Shuying.
This was her responsibility as the First Disciple and her expression of filial piety toward her teacher.
Her Honored Teacher had been in Seclusion for seven years, while her Husband was out philandering.
If Lin Jingzhe knew of this and did not report it, how could she face the woman who had raised and mentored her?
But—
She remembered Shen Mo’s eyes by the Cold Pool.
They were hollow, numb, and looked as if his heart had already died.
She remembered him standing in the snow, his fingers trembling as he gathered herbs, his blood dripping onto the snow in a piercing shade of red.
And then there was that smile.
It was perfect, submissive, and looked as if it were carved onto a mask.
Lin Jingzhe closed her eyes.
Those images refused to leave her mind.
She snapped her eyes open.
‘No.’
‘I cannot let these things influence me.’
What kind of person was Shen Mo? He was a lowly man who had seduced her Honored Teacher, seduced Qin Shuying, and even had Chao’er completely infatuated with him.
She had seen the bite mark on his collarbone with her own eyes and heard Qin Shuying’s words with her own ears.
the evidence was irrefutable.
She had to report him.
Her teacher was in Seclusion.
Only Lady Yunhe knew the location of her teacher’s Seclusion.
But could Lady Yunhe be trusted?
Lin Jingzhe’s brow furrowed.
She remembered something.
According to Chao’er, the Sect Leader seemed to have shown extraordinary concern for Jiaoyue Peak over the years.
Every time she visited, she looked for Shen Mo.
Every time she came, she stayed for a long time.
Lin Jingzhe had not thought much of it before.
The Sect Leader was her teacher’s Honored Teacher, so it was normal for her to be close to her disciple’s Husband.
But—
Lin Jingzhe tried to convince herself otherwise.
Lady Yunhe was a Deity Transformation cultivator and the Sect Leader of Yunyin Mountain. Her status was noble, and her position was supreme.
What kind of man could she not have? Why would she bother putting effort into a married man?
Moreover, Shen Mo was the husband of her beloved disciple.
She decided to trust Yun He.
Because only she knew her teacher’s Seclusion site.
Because without her, she would never find her teacher.
Because—
She had no other choice.
Without alerting anyone, she flew directly to the main peak of Yunyin Mountain.
The main peak was incredibly high, piercing into the clouds.
A grand hall stood at the summit; it was the residence of the Sect Leader, Yun He.
Lin Jingzhe stood at the foot of the main peak for half an hour.
The sky grew dark as twilight settled in.
Patrolling disciples occasionally passed by on the mountain paths. Seeing it was her, they simply nodded in greeting without asking questions.
Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the hilt of her sword.
If she went up the mountain, she could see Lady Yunhe.
If she saw Lady Yunhe, she could ask for her teacher’s Seclusion site.
Once she had that, she could tell her teacher everything—
But how should she say it?
“Sect Leader, my Honored Teacher’s Husband is having an affair, and the other party is the Heavenly Sword Peak Master?”
That would be slapping Su Wan’er’s face.
If the Female Sovereign learned of Shen Mo’s conduct, what would she think of Su Wan’er?
Would she think her disciple had poor judgment or was too lenient, unable to even control a single man?
A female cultivator who could not control her man would be mocked by her peers.
Lin Jingzhe’s hand slowly slid off the copper ring of the gate.
She lifted her foot and stepped onto the first stair.
She took three steps.
Stopped.
She turned around and walked back to where she started.
She stood there for another half an hour.
The moon rose.
The cold moonlight fell upon the green stone steps, looking like a layer of frost.
Lin Jingzhe looked at that frost and suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
She remembered Shen Mo’s reaction by the Cold Pool when he heard the name “Yun He.”
His face had turned deathly pale.
He had trembled all over.
It was as if he had heard the most terrifying name in the world.
What kind of fear could make a person who usually wore a perfect mask lose all composure in an instant?
Lin Jingzhe did not know.
But she knew one thing—
A woman who could make Shen Mo that terrified was definitely not someone to be entrusted with a secret.
Lin Jingzhe abandoned the idea of reporting him.
She turned.
She walked down the steps.
After three steps, she stopped again.
She looked back at the courtyard bathed in moonlight.
Suddenly, the courtyard door opened.
A figure stood at the entrance.
It was Yun He.
She stood there quietly, looking at Lin Jingzhe with eyes as deep as a well.
“Since you are here, why not knock?”
Lin Jingzhe was startled, but she forced herself to remain calm.
“This disciple… was just passing by and did not dare to disturb your meditation, Lady Yunhe.”
Yun He watched her without speaking.
That gaze seemed capable of seeing through everything.
Lin Jingzhe lowered her eyes, her palms already slick with sweat.
After a long silence, Yun He suddenly smiled.
The smile was faint, but it made Lin Jingzhe’s skin crawl.
“Passing by?” she asked. “Passing by halfway up the mountain?”
Lin Jingzhe gritted her teeth and did not answer.
Yun He slowly walked toward her.
The moonlight fell upon her, stretching her shadow very long.
She stopped right in front of Lin Jingzhe.
She was so close that Lin Jingzhe could smell the faint, cold scent clinging to her.
“This disciple takes her leave.” Lin Jingzhe did not stay for another moment.
After Lin Jingzhe left, Lady Yunhe looked down at the mist-shrouded peaks below.
Her gaze pierced through the layers of obstacles, landing accurately on the remote and lonely Jiaoyue Peak.
‘The girl has grown smarter. She knows that some things are safest when they rot in one’s stomach.’
She stared toward Jiaoyue Peak, her gaze deepening.
‘My little Husband is getting better and better at being alluring. I didn’t expect that girl Shuying to take an interest in him as well.’
“Come here,” Yun He called out.
From the shadows, a Yunyin Guard knelt on one knee. “Master.”
“Go to Jiaoyue Peak and deliver my decree.” Dark lust swirled in the depths of Yun He’s eyes. “Order Shen Mo to come to Yunyin Hall immediately. Say… that my cultivation has encountered a problem and I need him to help guide my Spiritual Qi.”
“Understood.”
……
Half an hour later.
Shen Mo stood before the familiar soft couch in Yunyin Hall, his body trembling slightly and uncontrollably.
He had just escaped with his life from the Luoxia Mountains and had not even had time to change out of his wind-beaten and snow-stained clothes before being forcibly brought here by the Yunyin Guards.
Only Yun He was in the hall.
The scent of Passion Incense was even stronger than last time, making his head spin and his limbs weak.
He knew something had been added to this incense—the Muscle Weakening Powder specifically designed for men.
“This disciple… greets Lady Yunhe.” Shen Mo kept his head down, his voice hoarse as he performed a formal salute.
Yun He did not tell him to rise. Instead, she stepped onto the soft animal-skin rug with bare feet, walking toward him step by step.
A pair of embroidered boots stopped right before his eyes.
“Raise your head.”
Shen Mo looked up stiffly.
What met his eyes was a face that was exquisite yet possessed a streak of cruelty.
She wore a crimson gauze robe as thin as a cicada’s wing, through which her pale skin was faintly visible.
Yun He.
That name was like a nightmare pressing down on his heart.
The memories of that night flooded back—
The smell of the aphrodisiac, that ice-cold hand, the things that could not be spoken of, and the eyes outside the door.
She simply looked at him, her gaze traveling from top to bottom and back again, as if she were inspecting a piece of property.
“Stand up,” she finally said after a long time. “Come and sit.”
Shen Mo stood up but did not move.
“This disciple is fine standing.”
Yun He raised an eyebrow.
She suddenly smiled.
It was the exact same smile from that night.
“Standing?” she said slowly. “How can you help me if you are standing?”
Shen Mo’s face turned even paler.
Seeing his expression, the smile in Yun He’s eyes deepened.
“I heard that you have been getting quite close to Qin Shuying lately?”
Yun He crouched down, her slender fingers tilting Shen Mo’s chin up. Her fingernails lightly brushed over his Adam’s apple, causing him to shudder.
Shen Mo’s pupils constricted, and his heart hammered against his ribs. “This disciple was merely treating the Spirit Crane of Heavenly Sword Peak.”
“Mm, treating it,” Yun He chuckled softly. “I didn’t expect that block of ice, Qin Shuying, to actually learn how to dote on someone. How many marks did she leave on you? Here? Or perhaps here?”
Shen Mo bit his lower lip, not daring to make a sound.
He thought of the tooth mark Qin Shuying had left on his collarbone. It was throbbing with a dull pain as if it were burning.