In the early morning, Wensha was washing her blood-stained robe by the river.
The once clear river had now been tinted a pale red.
Among its waters, a gray fish swam restlessly.
When it touched the blood seeping into the river, it began thrashing about wildly, biting at other small fish without pause.
Perhaps it was afraid, or perhaps it was crying out in pain, but sadly, no one could hear its voice.
Soon after, a larger purple fish clamped onto its tail.
The gray fish struggled, sending ripples across the water’s surface, which reflected Wensha’s pale and weakened face…
Its struggle was all in vain.
The purple fish bit down too hard; no matter how much the gray fish wounded itself, it could not break free in the slightest.
Eventually, it was devoured bit by bit, swallowed into the purple fish’s belly…
Wensha stared blankly, lost in thought, until a pure white petal floated down into the water, pulling her mind back.
She looked up to see countless petals drifting through the sky, as if carried from the city.
From within the city came waves of raucous noise, as if the people were cheering, welcoming something…
“So, it’s here…”
She stood up from the riverbank, wrung out her robe at random, and put it back on.
Though it was damp, chilly, and still carried a faint scent of blood, Wensha didn’t mind.
Her body was naturally colder than most, and now, even if it dropped a few more degrees, she would soon adapt.
She took out a dagger from her waist and rinsed off its bloodstains in the river.
She caught sight again of that purple fish, now swimming leisurely and bullying a small inky black fish.
Wensha was silent as she slowly raised the dagger in her hand…
After washing the dagger clean, she chewed vigorously on the purple fish’s head as she hurried toward the royal city.
***
Today, the royal city was especially lively at dawn.
People cheered and scrambled to toss Qingxue flower petals onto a dragon carriage moving slowly down the street.
The roads were blanketed in white, the sky filled with drifting petals of Qingxue flowers.
Even the storefronts and street lamps along the way were nearly buried beneath the falling white petals, and a few eaves were decorated with branches of Qingxue flowers blown there by the wind.
What they welcomed was not simply a dragon carriage, but the snowy-white silhouette sitting inside.
Within the carriage, a maiden sat quietly.
Her long hair was coiled up, each strand snowy white and beautiful.
When sunlight streamed through the gauzy window and fell upon her hair, it sparkled like wintry snow beneath the sun—pure and dazzling, sacred and lovely.
Her brows were just as snowy.
Beneath her calm demeanor, however, there was a trace of youthful delicacy—an inborn air.
A light veil half-concealed her face, but the blurred, tender pink lips beneath were faintly visible.
Her strange white dress and the unique floral wreaths on her brow revealed at a glance she was from another tribe.
She was peering out through the slit of the carriage curtain, brows furrowed at the passionate, almost frenzied crowds outside calling for her blessing.
Countless Qingxue petals rained upon her, beautiful as a fall of white rain, yet to her eyes it all seemed strange and incomprehensible.
Her tribe had rooted itself in the snowy peaks for centuries, where Qingxue flowers were the most common blooms.
But that did not mean she liked them.
On the contrary, after being trapped on the snowy peaks for a hundred years, she felt a faint aversion every time she saw these flowers.
Even when those pretty petals fell to the ground and were mercilessly crushed beneath the carriage wheels, not a trace of regret stirred in her heart.
“Don’t like them? Yet all these people are here to welcome you.”
Suddenly, a young, handsome man sitting across from her spoke.
He wore formal finery and a white crown.
The years had left indelible fatigue in his eyes, yet his face remained resolute.
“I don’t like it. It’s too noisy here… nothing like the quiet back home.”
The man smiled, saying, “Does the wind here not feel as pleasant as our homeland’s cold wind?”
The maiden did not reply, her face set in a calm that betrayed neither joy nor sorrow.
The man looked out the window, then continued, “Somehow they heard you liked Qingxue flowers, so they went out of their way to buy them and offer them to you, hoping to receive your blessing.”
“Elder Brother, you know… I’ve never truly liked Qingxue flowers.”
His expression froze, his eyes dimming instantly.
He turned his head aside and said nothing more.
The maiden hugged the small flowerpot in her arms.
A single, beautiful Qingxue flower stood tall within it—it was unique, the only one she truly loved.
“Teacher, do you see? The world outside isn’t as wonderful as we imagined…”
She set the flowerpot on the window, letting it watch the scenery with her.
***
“We’ll be at the royal city soon!”
On another side, after flying for a whole day and night, the two travelers finally saw the towering castle ahead.
Unlike the Demon Clan, the Human Clan’s castle was built in the very heart of the royal city, surrounded by protective walls, and the city itself was girded with an even taller wall.
On its surface were magical runes that Mo Zhi couldn’t quite understand—it looked very much like the barrier magic that once trapped her in Lantis.
“Why is it so lively?”
From a distance, they could already hear the jubilant shouts from inside the walls.
As soon as they drew near, Mo Zhi caught a faint fragrance on the tip of her nose, which grew stronger the closer she got.
The Witch thought for a moment before speaking, “Let me think, the wedding shouldn’t have started yet. It’s probably the Holy Maiden and Imperial Princess’s new husband who’s arrived.”
“Then we have to hurry…”
Mo Zhi muttered softly, worry flickering in her eyes.
Please, Wensha, don’t do anything reckless.
“But… speaking of the Holy Maiden, one of my Predecessors met her a long time ago,” the Witch suddenly said, her voice tinged with nostalgia.
“Their people lived for thousands of years in isolation in the snowy mountains. Who would’ve thought that one day they’d finally choose to walk out?”
“They lived in the snowy mountains for thousands of years?? If it were our tribe, we’d have died out ages ago!”
“The same would be true for humans, honestly…”
Mo Zhi frowned in puzzlement, “Aren’t the Extreme Frost Tribe still considered humans?”
“Of course not. Humans can’t survive for thousands of years in subzero temperatures. Their bodies long ago evolved beyond the human realm.”
“My Predecessor once said, the Extreme Frost Tribe used to be extremely… rigid. Their whole tribe numbered less than a hundred. The weak or the sick would be sacrificed to their gods—only the healthiest survived.”
“That’s… way too cruel.”
Thank goodness Wensha wasn’t born there, or with her health, she would have been sacrificed as a child.
“That’s not all. Their selection for the Holy Maiden was terrifyingly strict. My Predecessor said it was rare to have even one Holy Maiden in a hundred years, and even if one survived the selection, she usually didn’t last the year.”
“So… what about now?”
“It’s much better. When my Predecessor visited the second time, most of those bad customs had been abolished. At least, they don’t casually sacrifice people anymore. But…”
“But?”
“But she said there was a beautiful Elder Sister who didn’t make it. What a pity, Predecessor seemed to have liked her a lot.”
Mo Zhi didn’t ask further.
After all, it was another tribe’s business and had nothing to do with her; it was just a novel story to hear.
They didn’t fly over the wall, but obediently walked through the main gate.
Luckily, most of the gate guards had gone to escort the Holy Maiden today, leaving only a few behind. Mo Zhi hid her ears and tail and slipped inside easily.
As soon as they entered, the city filled with Qingxue flowers dazzled them both.
The Witch had to fly a bit higher, lest she be pelted by the flowers.
They saw the dragon carriage rolling down the street, and the crowds ceaselessly tossing Qingxue flowers at it.
“What’s going on?”
“They must be asking the Holy Maiden for blessings… why don’t we offer one too?”
“…Alright.”
They each plucked a Qingxue flower from the eaves and tossed them toward the dragon carriage from above.
The Witch’s flower missed the carriage, but Mo Zhi’s landed precisely on the window ledge.
“Ah… too bad. But you threw yours really well—it landed on the window! The Holy Maiden is sure to see it.”
There was a note of envy in her voice. Mo Zhi just chuckled and said no more.
I hope I really can get a little blessing, even if it’s only a tiny bit…